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GOODYEAR / About us / News / GOODYEAR REPORTS HIGHER FIRST QUARTER EARNINGS
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GOODYEAR REPORTS HIGHER FIRST QUARTER EARNINGS
AKRON, Ohio, April 26, 2013 – The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today reported higher earnings for the first quarter of 2013 compared to the year-ago quarter.
“Despite a tough economic environment, we continue to achieve solid earnings improvement,” said Richard J. Kramer, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our first quarter earnings demonstrate that our strategic focus on improving productivity and selling innovative products in targeted market segments where our brands add value is working, especially in North America, where our business continues to outperform expectations.”
Three of Goodyear’s four regional businesses posted higher earnings with North America and Asia Pacific posting record first quarter operating income. Asia Pacific and Latin America achieved both increased tire unit volume and higher operating income.
“In Europe, we are taking steps to address weak industry demand brought about by recessionary conditions that continue to impact the auto and tire industries. We are executing a three-point plan to address profitability in this region,” Kramer added.
“We remain confident in our full-year outlook and continue to expect global segment operating income of $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion in 2013, which would be up more than 12 percent from 2012 and a record,” he said. The company continues to target positive cash flow in 2013, excluding pension pre-funding.
Goodyear’s first quarter 2013 sales were $4.9 billion, compared to $5.5 billion a year ago. First quarter 2013 sales reflect $364 million in lower tire unit volumes; $178 million in lower sales in other tire related businesses, most notably third party chemical sales in North America, and $115 million in unfavorable foreign currency translation. Tire unit volumes totaled 39.5 million, down 8 percent from 2012, primarily reflecting lower volumes in Europe.
The company reported segment operating income of $302 million in the first quarter of 2013. This was up 3 percent from the year-ago quarter, reflecting $230 million in lower raw material costs (before the benefit of cost savings actions) and cost-reduction activities that exceeded inflation, partially offset by $138 million in lower tire volume and associated unabsorbed overhead costs, lower price/mix of $71 million and $17 million in unfavorable foreign currency translation. See the note at the end of this release for further explanation and a segment operating income reconciliation table.
Goodyear’s first quarter 2013 net income available to common shareholders was $26 million (10 cents per share), compared to a net loss of $11 million (5 cents per share) in the 2012 quarter. All per share amounts are diluted.
The 2013 first quarter included a $92 million (37 cents per share) net foreign currency remeasurement loss resulting from the devaluation of the Venezuelan bolivar fuerte; $9 million (4 cents per share) in rationalizations, asset write-offs and accelerated depreciation; a loss of $2 million (1 cent per share) from asset sales; and net gains of $12 million (5 cents per share) due primarily to tax law changes and $6 million (2 cents per share) from insurance recoveries related to the impact of the 2011 Thailand flood. All amounts are after taxes and minority interest.
The company’s free cash flow from operations was a use of $276 million for the first quarter of 2013.
First Quarter Business Segment Results
North America’s first quarter 2013 sales decreased 13 percent from last year to $2.2 billion. Sales reflect a 6 percent decrease in tire unit volume and lower price/mix. Original equipment unit volume was flat. Replacement tire shipments were down 9 percent, reflecting weak industry demand and decreased sales of lower-value consumer tires.
First quarter 2013 segment operating income of $127 million was a 59 percent improvement over the prior year and a first quarter record. Segment operating income was positively impacted by $163 million in lower raw material costs. This was partially offset by $58 million resulting from decreased volume and unabsorbed overhead from related production cuts, $47 million in lower price/mix and $18 million primarily due to lower third party chemical sales.
Europe, Middle East and Africa’s first quarter sales decreased 17 percent from last year to $1.6 billion. Sales reflect a 16 percent decrease in tire unit volume, primarily due to economic weakness in the region, as well as unfavorable foreign currency translation of $38 million. Original equipment unit volume was down 12 percent. Replacement tire shipments were down 18 percent.
First quarter 2013 segment operating income of $31 million was $59 million below the prior year. Lower raw material costs of $89 million were offset by the $83 million impact of reduced volume and unabsorbed overhead from related production cuts and $62 million in lower price/mix.
Latin America’s first quarter sales decreased $8 million from last year to $513 million. Sales were negatively impacted by $62 million in unfavorable foreign currency translation and $33 million related to the sale of the bias truck tire business. These were partially offset by a 5 percent increase in tire unit volume and improved price/mix. Original equipment unit volume decreased 5 percent. Replacement tire shipments were up 11 percent.
First quarter segment operating income of $60 million was up 9 percent from a year ago. Price/mix improvements of $45 million benefited segment operating income and lower raw material costs added $4 million. Segment operating income was negatively impacted by higher conversion costs of $33 million, primarily due to cost inflation, and $11 million in unfavorable currency translation.
The devaluation of the Venezuelan bolivar fuerte against the U.S. dollar in February 2013 and weak economic conditions in that country negatively impacted segment operating income by approximately $16 million in the first quarter of 2013.
Asia Pacific’s first quarter sales decreased $10 million from last year to $567 million. Sales were negatively impacted by $15 million in lower sales in other tire-related businesses and $14 million in unfavorable foreign currency translation. Original equipment unit volume was up 5 percent. Replacement tire shipments were up 4 percent.
First quarter segment operating income of $84 million was up 25 percent from last year and a first quarter record. Segment operating income was positively impacted by $31 million in lower raw material costs. It was negatively impacted by $7 million in lower price/mix, $3 million in unfavorable foreign currency translation and the impact of inflation on wages and other costs.
Compared with the year-ago quarter, segment operating income improved by $4 million due to insurance recoveries for costs resulting from flood disruption in Thailand.
Goodyear is now forecasting its 2013 tire unit volumes to be essentially at 2012 levels as a result of weak industry conditions, especially in Europe.
For the full year of 2013 in North America, Goodyear now expects consumer replacement to be at essentially 2012 levels. The company’s full year 2013 outlook in other North American market segments is unchanged. It expects consumer original equipment volumes to be up approximately 5 percent, while commercial replacement and original equipment are both expected to remain at about 2012 levels.
For the full year in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Goodyear now expects consumer replacement to be at essentially 2012 levels. The company’s full year 2013 outlook in other Europe, Middle East and Africa market segments is unchanged. It expects consumer original equipment volumes to be down approximately 5 percent, commercial replacement to be up approximately 5 percent and commercial original equipment to be flat to up 5 percent.
Due to continued weakness in the European economy and to ensure the company’s long-term competitiveness in the region, Goodyear is implementing a three-point plan to return its business to historical margin levels. In addition to its announced exit from the farm tire business in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region and closure of a manufacturing plant in France, over the next three years Goodyear is focusing on 1) increasing its share in targeted market segments, 2) growth in emerging markets and 3) additional productivity improvements across the region totaling $75 million to $100 million.
2013 Financing Action
During the first quarter, Goodyear successfully issued $900 million in 6.5% senior notes due 2021. The net proceeds were used to fully fund the company’s frozen U.S. pension plans. Following this, the company changed its target asset allocation for these plans to a portfolio of fixed income securities designed to offset the future impact of discount rate movements on the plans’ funded status.
Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs about 69,000 people and manufactures its products in 52 facilities in 22 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.
Certain information contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There are a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, that affect our operations, performance, business strategy and results and could cause our actual results and experience to differ materially from the assumptions, expectations and objectives expressed in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: our ability to implement successfully strategic initiatives; pension plan funding obligations; actions and initiatives taken by both current and potential competitors; increases in the prices paid for raw materials and energy; a labor strike, work stoppage or other similar event; deteriorating economic conditions or an inability to access capital markets; work stoppages, financial difficulties or supply disruptions at our suppliers or customers; the adequacy of our capital expenditures; our failure to comply with a material covenant in our debt obligations; potential adverse consequences of litigation involving the company; as well as the effects of more general factors such as changes in general market, economic or political conditions or in legislation, regulation or public policy. Additional factors are discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent our estimates only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our estimates change.
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Let me say as you're sort of settling into your Bible about now that Christianity, as you know, is a total life experience. Christianity is not an addendum added to life. It is not peripheral. Christianity is a total life experience. It touches every element of life, thought, word, deed, and relationship. Nothing is left unaffected by the transformation of the Lord Jesus Christ in a life. And so Christian living is not divisible. It is not segmentable. It cannot be isolated from any part of living.
And as you study the New Testament, it becomes obvious that the Spirit of God over and over lays out the totality of the Christian's experience. If you're looking at Ephesians 5 and 6, for example, you begin to see that every relationship is touched by the affect of the Spirit of God in the life of a believer. It talks about husbands and wives and parents and children and masters and servants.
If you look at Colossians 3, you see the very same thing, every relationship impacted by the power of Christ in a life. But just for a moment, turn to 1 Thessalonians 4, and let me select one out of many possible passages that illustrate for us the totality of Christian experience.
Beginning in Verse 1 of 1 Thessalonians 4, the apostle Paul says, "Furthermore, therefore, we beseech you brethren, exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that has you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and more." He says you ought to live according to your faith. And then in Verse 3, he says, after having mentioned the commandments given to them through his agency from the Lord, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification. Abstain from fornication. Know how to possess your vessel," or your body.
Verse 5, "Not in the lust of evil desire as the pagans who know not God." Verse 6, "Do not go beyond and defraud your brother in any manner." Verse 7 says, "God has not called us to uncleanness. And if you reject these laws," verse 8 says, "you're rejecting God, not man." "As touching brotherly love," verse 9, "you need not that I write unto you, for you, yourselves, are taught of God to love one another. And, indeed, you do it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more."
So what the apostle is saying is, "Now that you've become a believer, it affects every relationship. No more illicit relationships. No more lust. No more unclean relationships. But only true love and pure love." And verse 12, "You walk honestly toward all the people who are outside the faith, and that ye may lack nothing."
So whether you're talking about those who are in the faith with brotherly love, those who are outside the faith, you are to be sure that all relationships are properly impacted by your faith in Christ. And you can read the second chapter of James and see very similar teaching where James says, "As an assembly, you are not to have respect of persons. You are not to show partiality. You are not to say to a man who is wealthy, 'Sit in this place of prominence,' and to one who is poorly clad, 'Sit here under my feet out of the way.'"
All of these passages tell us the myriad of dimensions of relationships that are impacted by Christianity. It affects all of our relationships within the family, all of our relationships outside of the family. Our relationships to the poor and the rich are all covered. Now in our text the apostle Paul says our Christianity affects our relationship to those in authority over us. It affects our relationship to government, to rulers, to leaders, whether on a local or a national level.
And what we are learning here is that we are given some very strict and clear direction from the Spirit of God as to how we relate to the government that is over us. And in effect, if we just bring the epistle into total focus, Paul has said, "Since you are justified by grace through faith, since you have been made right with God, since you have become citizens of His heavenly kingdom, since you are now controlled by His Holy Spirit and living under His lordship, every dimension of life is different," every dimension. He started out, didn't he, in chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. We immediately have a different relationship with God, and we present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices.
And then beginning in verse 3, he talks about how different our relationship is to believers. We are to minister to them. We are to love them. We are to be kind to them. Our relationship to those in need is touched in verse 13, "We are distributing to the necessity of saints and given to hospitality." And then he talks about our relationship to those who reject and hate our gospel and us as well. We are to bless those who persecute, "Bless, and curse not."
And verse 17, we give back evil? No, not for evil, we give back good for evil, says verse 21. We do not wreak vengeance on someone. So what he is saying is that all relationships are impacted by our justification. And that is the intention of this epistle. Many people feel the epistle to the Romans is a great treatise on the doctrine of salvation, and that that is its high point. May I suggest to you that that is only a means to an end?
If all Paul wanted to focus on was the matter of justification, he could have ended the epistle in chapter 11, but he doesn't. He goes on to deal with the implications of the doctrines, which have been laid down in the first 11 chapters, which implications we are now looking at. And so it is essential that a Christian understand that his relationship to authority, his relationship to government, and those who are over him is dramatically impacted by his salvation. We are called to live as model citizens, that we may reach the world around us with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now last week we pointed out to you that this is not the only passage that deals with this truth. You remember what we saw in 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 12, where Peter says essentially the same thing: "Having your behavior honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." How are we going to get the Gentiles to glorify God? "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme, or unto governors, as under them that are sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well, for so is the will of God that with well-doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men."
In other words, how you behave under the authorities in your country, your nation, your city, whatever it is, will demonstrate your faith, the legitimacy of your faith, to that society. And so we are to submit then to the king, to the governor, to anyone who is over us in authority. I want to turn you to another passage that we haven't looked at in any detail, and just briefly mentioned last week, 1 Timothy chapter 2. First Timothy chapter 2, verses 1 to 4. And I want you to notice something here that is going to be foundation for us as we go on in our study.
Now as the apostle Paul writes instruction to Timothy, it is instruction, basically, for the church. It is for the church. Verse 15 of chapter 3 says, I want you to know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the church. This is behavior principal for the church. "I exhort, therefore, that first of all," chapter 2, verse 1, "supplications, prayers, intercession, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Now there are two very, very essential points that come out of that brief reading. One, that we are to pray and intercede and supplicate and give thanks to God for kings and all that are in authority in order that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, or sincerity. In other words, if we want to live a quiet and peaceable life, if we want to be able to walk as God wants us to walk, and enjoy peace so that we can live out our godliness our approach is to pray for those in authority over us. We do not affect our rulers by protest. We do not affect our rulers by disobedience. We do not affect our rulers by revolution and uprising, but by prayer.
And so the text says, "First of all, we come to God in prayer in order that as a result of that, we may lead the quiet and peaceable life, a life of godliness, a life of integrity, which will be the will of God, because through it, men will come to know the Savior." That is God's desire. In Jeremiah 29:7 we read, "And seek the peace of the city to which I have caused you to be carried away captives." This is a message to the Jews in captivity in Babylon. And God's Word to them through Jeremiah is, "Seek the peace of that place. You're captive. You're prisoner. You've been taken hostage, as it were. But you seek the peace and pray unto the Lord for it."
And, again, the same instruction is given, that if you want peace in a society, to enjoy your faith, and to spread your faith, then pray for those in authority over you. That is the God-designed pattern. And it fits, doesn't it? With 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 and following, where Paul says, "The weapons of our warfare are not fleshly," are they? But they are spiritual. And they are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. And the most powerful weapon we have as believers to pull down strongholds, if you will, strongholds of the enemy of God, are the weapons of prayer.
And so for Christians, revolution has no place. Pray has the priority place. In a very significant book, written by Robert Culver, entitled Toward a Biblical View of Government, he says this, "Churchmen whose Christian activism has taken mainly to placarding, marching, protesting, and shouting, might well absence the author of these verses. And then they might observe him first at prayer, then in counsel with his friends, and after that, preaching in the homes and marketplaces. When Paul came to be heard by the mighty, it was to defend his action as a preacher of a way to heaven," end quote. In other words, Paul says, when it comes to political changes, when it comes to governmental issues, pray. If you're going to be thrown in prison, make sure you're thrown there not for a political protest, but for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The goal of that kind of praying is a quiet and peaceable life in order that — and that's the second thing that comes out of that — we will have opportunity to see men saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And so we pray that God will allow us the privilege of living peaceable, quiet life to radiate the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The tranquil, quiet, peaceful life is to be the distinctive mark of a Christian.
And I agree, frankly, when I hear all of this rhetoric about anger and violence and reaction and uprising and revolution. Listen to Paul's word again to the Thessalonian church in chapter 4, verse 10. "We beseech you, brethren," as we left off a moment ago, "that you are to increase more and more," in love, is what he means, "and you study," he says, "to be quiet.” Study to be quiet, to do your own business, “to work with your own hands as we commanded you, that you may walk honestly toward them that are outside, that you may have lack of nothing.” Study to be quiet. Learn to seek peace.
Frankly, beloved, all we can expect from government is protection of life, and protection of property, protection of life, and protection of property. If it does that, it serves God's intended purpose. Today, unfortunately, in our own society, I think we see some failures, even in those areas. It seems as though with our government tolerating so many lawsuits that there are people who, in order to defend themselves, are losing some of their property; defending themselves when they're not even guilty of anything, but just to remain and maintain their innocence is a great cost.
And I think our country, in part, of course, fails in the protection of life with its millions upon millions of abortions. But in spite of those kinds of things, as Christians, we must pray and live a peaceful life, influencing the world, not by political protests, not by efforts to overthrow the government, but by godly living and bold, confrontive, forthright, preaching of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. That must be our message. Like the prophet, Amos, like the prophet, Nahum, like the prophet, Malachi, we have every right to confront the sins of our society from the viewpoint of the Word of God, but not to engage in political acts of violence or overthrow or uprising or protest or revolution against the government.
And another passage that I would draw to your attention as we begin is in Titus 3. And, again, it's the same idea. And we're just picking up some of the things we briefly touched last week. In Titus chapter 3 verse 1, Paul, again, setting things in order for the church over which Titus would have influence and responsibility says, "Put them in mind," or remind them, "to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men."
And then in chapter 3, verse 8, he says, "It's a faithful saying in these things I will that you affirm constantly, that they who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works." So we are called again, to a spirit of submission to those in authority over us, a life of godliness, a life of good works, a life which seeks peace. That is the unmistakable principal with which we begin our look at Romans 13. Now you can turn back to Romans 13. With that in mind, we come to the text. And it begins with this statement, verse 1: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers."
That is the bottom line command given to Christians. It does not discuss their character, their qualifications, whether they're good or bad, whether they were elected or appointed, whether it is a republic or a monarchy. It doesn't discuss any of that. It says we are to be subject. It is remarkable to me that in Matthew 23, our Lord spoke to the people in the temple setting, and He said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, and whatever they show unto you to do, do it." They have a God-given place of authority.
He says, "Do what they tell you to do. Just don't be like them." They were hypocrites. But their authority is granted by God, even though they were perverse men in their own hearts. Now I'm amazed that some people, in spite of the clarity of this command, persist in disobeying it, not only in our society and in our culture, but in others as well.
And this week, I had occasion to read book entitled, Bad News for Modern Man. And in that book, the author calls for Christians to fight. In fact, he uses the word, "unite and fight." He calls for them to fight using — and these are the words — "confrontation, activism, protest, civil disobedience, and uprising." In that entire book, from front to back, there is no mention of Romans 13, understandably. If you're going to take that view, you better avoid these verses. Jesus never taught His people to storm the Bastille. Jesus never taught His people to revolt against the king. He never taught His people to kill unjust rulers. He never taught His people to march on city hall. He never taught them to barricade the administration building on the campus, to sit-in to the president's office, to harass leaders, to violate law. Didn't matter what the form of government was, that was no issue. It's not even stated as to whether it's capitalistic or socialistic, democratic, or a monarchy. The matter is simple; we are supposed to reach the world.
And in order to reach the world we have demonstrate a godly, virtuous, peaceable kind of life so that what we possess and what we have is attractive to others. And if we are to let our light shine in a perverse and wicked generation, it must be the light of the glorious gospel that shines in the face of Jesus Christ. Now having said all of that, may I remind you of what we saw last time, that there is only one occasion tolerated in Scripture where we will violate this command, and that is when the government demands us to do what God forbids us to do, or demands us not to do what God commands us to do. Right? The only time we violate this law, the only time we break this command to be subject to the higher power is when God, Himself, has called us to do something which we are being forbidden to do, or has commanded us not to do something we are being called to do. A couple of illustrations of this might help.
Turn in your Bible for a moment to Exodus chapter 1. And you'll notice in verse 15, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, the name of the other was Puah. And he said, "When ye do the office of a midwife," that is when you're a part of the birth process, "to the Hebrew women and you see them upon the stools, if it be a son then you shall kill him. If it be a daughter then she shall live." Now they're caught in a difficult place.
Now the government is saying, "If a son is born, kill that son." This is the king of Egypt saying this. "But," verse 17 says, "the midwives feared God and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive." God blessed them. In verse 20, "Therefore, God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very mighty. And it came to pass because the midwives feared God that He gave them families."
Of course, what was the greatest blessing to a Jewish person? To have a family. And so they disobeyed because they would be in violation of a command of God. They would be murdering, and they could not overstep the law of God. There was another occasion of this.
Look for a moment in your Bible to Daniel's prophesy. And here you have a very clear, precise illustration of a man who refused to do what the king said, because it would be in violation of what God had said. And you remember in Daniel chapter 1 that Daniel was taken into Babylon captive with other of the young princes of Israel, and several of them are named in verse 7. Their real Hebrew names are in verse 6, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And it says in verse 8 that Daniel purposed in his heart he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's food, nor the wine which he drank. Now here you have the occasion where Daniel is instructed by the Babylonian monarch to take the food of Babylon and eat it. To do that would have been to violate that which he knew to be laws revealed by God, for the Jews had very circumspect dietary laws, and he would not defile himself with food that was not prescribed by God. And yet, in all of Daniel's attitude there's a spirit of submission.
"He requested," verse 8 says, "of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." He asks permission. He goes to the one who is over him, under the king, and over him, and he seeks permission. And he gets into a little dialogue. He says, "Let's try a test. I'll commit myself to eating what I would prefer to eat, and after a period of certain days, you come back. We'll look at everybody, those who've eaten the king's meat, and myself having eaten just these vegetables. Ten days will go by and we'll see who looks the best."
And this was a wonderful and conciliating way for Daniel to seek to obey God without becoming abusive of this man who was carrying out orders from his king. And so in verse 14, the man consented and ten days passed. And, of course, you know the story. When the ten days were ended and the man came into to check everybody out, Daniel and his friends far and away surpassed all the others and rose to place of prominence.
Now Daniel could have protested. He could have revolted. He could have been disrespectful to the one over him. He could have badmouthed the king. He could have done all kinds of things. But he sought a conciliating means to obey God in the midst of a difficult situation. But he would not compromise. Later on, as you follow through for a moment in the book of Daniel, you'll remember that three of his friends, of course, in chapter 3, refused to bow down to the idol image. And as a result of that, they had disobeyed the king. They were told to bow down. They would not, because they couldn't bow down to the king when God had told them to bow only to Him. And so they were caught in the same crux of the same dilemma. And they were true to God and they said, "If you want to throw us in the fire, throw us in the fire. If God wants to deliver us, He'll deliver us. And if He doesn't want to deliver us, we still won't bow down."
And so there was a no-compromise attitude. But there was a sense of respect in what they said in verse 17. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace. And He will deliver us out of thine hand, oh king. But if not, be it known unto thee, oh king, that we will not serve thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." They did not speak any evil words against him. They were not disrespectful. They called him by his proper title. And they simply said, "We will not do this. But we are more than happy to suffer whatever consequences you feel are just for our seeming disbehavior." And, again, their attitude is remarkably conciliating and gracious in the light of what they might have said. As a result of it, chapter 3, verse 30 says, "The king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon." They got a promotion because the king surely appreciated men with great conviction. He also wouldn't mind having people on his team who could walk through fiery furnaces.
And then in chapter 6, we find, of course, that very familiar account of Daniel in the lion's den. And now it's moved out of the Babylonian setting, and we're in the Medo-Persian kingdom. And by the way, I want to say as a footnote here, there is absolutely nothing wrong for anyone serving in a government position. There's nothing wrong with serving in a civil government role or a state government, or any other kind of leadership. That is an honored position. And Daniel is the single best example of that in the Scripture. And every time he was uncompromising, he got a greater reputation.
And because of his uncompromising spirit, he was constantly promoted till he finally became the prime minister of the whole nation, the whole kingdom. It is an honorable thing to serve in government. It is not a dishonorable thing. Daniel is an illustration of that. But it was Daniel's wonderfully conciliating, and yet non-compromising attitude that caused him to prosper. You remember that Daniel prayed. And so those princes that wanted to get rid of Daniel got the king to sign an edict that no one was to pray to anybody, no one was to give obeisance to any other god.
And, of course, Daniel went on with his prayers. He went on with doing what he knew was right before God. And so he was thrown into the den of lions. But he was not at all disrespectful, as you know. And God...verse 21, rather, just before God protected him, "Then said Daniel to the king," verse 21, "'Oh, king,'" what? "'Live forever.’” Long live the king. This seems a strange thing for a man about to be thrown in a len of di...a den of lions by this king. But he understands that the powers that be are ordained of God. And he is submissive in a unique sense, and very trustful that no matter what that king does to him, he's in the hands of God.
God delivered him. At the end of chapter 6, verse 28 says, "So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and the reign of Cyrus the Persian." Daniel's no-compromise approach, along with his friends, meant disobeying the government. But his attitude is a model for all those who come to that...that crossroads of having to face the reality that you can't do what the government says, or you can't not do what they say to stop doing. He never wavered from honoring the king, and neither did his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were never disrespectful.
In fact, just let me give you a little bit of a pattern that I see flowing out of the experience of Daniel. First of all, normally we obey, respect, and do everything in response to and to please those in authority. We are to be model citizens, obedient not only outwardly, but obedient in spirit. Secondly, we resist and disobey only when we are commanded to do something the Word of God forbids, or are forbidden to do something the Word of God commands. And those two things are illustrated in Daniel's prophecy. He would not do what the Word of God forbid, that is, eat a certain king of food. And he would not stop doing what God commanded him to do, and that was pray.
The third principal that flows out of it: Even when government and the Word of God conflict, we should not disobey overtly until we have done all we can to try to resolve the conflict peacefully. Did you get that? To try to resolve the conflict peacefully.
I will never forget in the state of California some years back when a group of Baptist churches had their tax-exempt status removed. And they were slapped with large tax bills which they refused to pay. And some of those churches were boarded up by state officials. This is the state of California a few years back. It came to our attention when Sam Erickson, who is an attorney in Washington now, of course, with the Christian Legal Society, was on our staff and here as a part of our church. And Sam said, "It is unbelievable that in the state of California these churches are being boarded up." And so he began to dig into it, and this is what had happened.
The IRS sent out a form to all churches, a simple form to be signed. And what that form basically said was, "We, as a church, will not get engaged in political activities." In other words, "To keep our tax-exempt status, we have to be fully a church." Well, it's remarkable to me that the state understood some things that not all churches even understood about what a church is to be.
Now there are occasions when we do get involved in things which are political, like abortion and laws related to homosexual freedoms and those kinds of things. And there are times when we want to speak on issues that are very political, like capital punishment and dealing justly with criminals and so forth. So all we needed to do on that form was to say, "We will not engage in any political activities except for those times when the state is engaged in things which are spoken of in the Word of God. And then we feel they become matters of conscience and morality, and we have to speak."
All churches that wrote that, all the churches that sent that rather conciliating approach in had absolutely no problem. The churches that just said, "We won't sign your paper. We protest your paper. We'll get involved in anything we want," had their tax-exempt status removed, and some of them, because they didn't pay, were boarded up. Sam Erickson flew to Sacramento to talk to the state officials. They sat down in a meeting.
He explained to them that the intent was simply to say that there are times when Scripture intersects with the things the state does and so there are times when we have to speak on issues that are referendum issues or voting issues or issues of government. But not unless they relate to the Word of God and to our moral conscience, will we speak to those issues. And he said to them, "That's the problem here." The response of those people in the state was that, "If we had known that, we wouldn't have worded the form the way we did. We apologize." And those leaders of the state said to Sam, "We will never put out another form in this state related to this matter without consulting you first." It was simply and only a question of seeking a conciliating way to deal with an issue.
And Daniel went to the leaders over him and said, "Look, isn't there something we can work out here so that I can maintain my convictions and you can carry on with what you have to do?" Now that brings us to a fourth point that we learned from the pattern of Daniel, and that is that if disobedience is necessary, we must be willing to suffer the consequent punishment.
If we are called to obedience and our government says, "You're going to be punished for that. We don't care if it is what you believe to be biblical," then we have to quietly and peacefully accept that punishment, just as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did when they went into the fiery furnace, and just as Daniel did when he went into the lion's den. And all we simply do is commit ourselves to the safekeeping of the One who we're obeying. Right? And we couldn't be in safer hands.
But at all times, we say, as it were, with Daniel, "Oh, king, live forever." And we never have anything other than a respectful and honoring attitude to the authorities who are over us. This speaks volumes of the integrity of the Christian faith. And it also speaks loudly and clearly about the fact that Christianity is not a political viewpoint. It is not a political lobby. It is not a social perspective limited to some idea or some concept of social or economic existence. But it is a matter of soul salvation. That's the principal, and I've just tried to underscore it in many ways.
Now let's go back to Romans and at least take a brief look at how Paul unfolds the reasons why this principal is valid. We are to be subject to the powers that are over us. Why? He gives seven reasons, seven very logical, connected reasons. They flow out of each other, and actually, even overlap. And we'll take them one at a time. We'll take a few this time, and then a few more a week... two weeks from tonight when we meet again. Let's begin with the beginning.
The first reason for this command to be subject to the higher powers, very important, is this, verse 1: "For there is no power but of God.” The powers that be are ordained by God. And so we say first of all, government is by divine decree. Government is by divine decree. Civil authority in any form comes directly from God. It's an institution like marriage is an institution. In a sense, it doesn't matter who the couple is, it doesn't matter what their lifestyle is, it doesn't matter the level of their commitment, marriage is an institution of God, isn't it? God designed for the passing on of society's preservation and meaningful relationships. And the church is an institution of God, and so is government.
Government is an institution of God. Now notice how he says it. "There is no power but of God." Now that's to say this, there's no power anywhere in existence that isn't reflective of the purpose and will of God. Did you get that? That is an inclusive statement. There's no power anywhere that is not representative of God's authority. No civil government exists in any nation of the world, never has, or ever will, apart from God having instituted it.
Psalm 62:11 says, "Power belongs to God." All power belongs to God. All creation belongs to God. All things belong to God in heaven and in earth. The entire world belongs to God. Man and all of his social contacts, and all of his social connections is by... is only what he is and relates to who he relates to by the creative act and purpose and will of God. He is imminent in the world. He, who created the world, controls the world. He manages the world for His own purposes. And he, alone, is sovereign. And anyone who possesses any sovereignty on earth has delegated sovereignty.
God alone has sovereign rights, undelegated. So, all authority comes from the Lord. It doesn't matter what that authority is. Now when you bring that into the area of government, we have to say that all authority is from God. You say, "Now wait a minute. Are you talking about Communist China?" Yes. "You talking about Russia?" Yes. And you can just keep going, because it isn't going to change. All power that exists is ordained of God, and there is not any power that is not reflective of a God-ordained authority. That's just the way it is.
God is the ultimate sovereign. I think this is reflective of a thought given by the apostle Paul preaching on Mars Hill in Acts 17. He talks about the nations. And he says in verse 26, that "all nations of men who dwell on all the face of the earth, and has" that is speaking of God, "has determined the times before appointed and the boundaries of their habitation." In other words, God is the one who has designed and created nations. The length — that is their duration on the earth — and the breadth — that is their identifying and signifying marks. So the gift of authority is a divine gift. No tyrant ever seized power without God allowing him.
Now you're going to ask yourself some questions. You're probably doing it right now. You say, "What about the cruel governments? How can you say that about communist governments? How can you say that about Adolf Hitler? How can you say that about abusive kinds of government? How can you say that those are ordained of God?" Well let me answer it by saying this. I didn't say it. I just read it. The Bible said it. So I'm off the hook, folks. This is not my problem. There is no power but of God.
And then the other side of it is, the power that is, is ordained by God. "You mean in our nation that's what it says?" If it is a power, it's ordained by God. Well you say, "What about the cruel abuses?" Listen, the cruel abuses and the injustices and the wrongs of governments are no reflection of God's holy nature, and no reflection of God's holy will, any more than divorce in a marriage is a reflection of God's holy will. But marriage is no less an institution of God. And though there is apostasy in the church, the church is still an institution ordained of God. But the apostasy is no reflection of the nature of God.
No, abuses do not deny the sacredness nor the divine trust and authority in any of God's institutions, be it the home, the church, or the government. Frankly, men abuse all God's gifts, don't they? And wicked rulers are part of God's plan to punish wicked nations, and to allow evil to run its course toward destruction. If the truth were known, and perhaps someday in heaven, God has designed by His sovereign purpose and will a reason for every government that exists on the face of the earth. Some are for the benefit of those who have done well. Some are for the punishment of those peoples who have done evil. We cannot second-guess why God institutes a certain kind of government in a certain place.
God has ordained government to protect and preserve men, to protect their life and their property. To do that, there must be the role of government to repress evil, to repress crime, and to hold up and honor those who are virtuous and good. So Paul says, "The powers that be are ordained by God." The powers that be are not — I hope you know this — the will of the majority. The majority only reflects the sovereign purpose of God. The powers that be are God’s design. And that means any governmental power in any form.
So here, beloved, is reason number one why we submit to the government, because the government is in place by the decree of God. It is the time for God to do in a nation what He chooses to do. It is expressive of the divine will. Sometimes He wants to punish a nation. Sometimes He wants to prosper a nation. Sometimes He wants to bless a people. Sometimes He chooses to judge a people. But government in all its form is by divine decree.
Now that leads us to the second principal. And, indeed, it is a dramatic principal. It is this, "Resistance to government," here's another reason why we submit, "resistance to government is rebellion against God." That follows, doesn't it? Verse 2, "Whosoever, therefore," obviously the "therefore" is there to connect it up with what was just said, "Since all government is ordained of God, whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the institution of God." That couldn't be more clear.
If you resist the government, you resist the institution of God. The word "ordinance" there, sometimes translated "ordinance," is the word diatag. It means “institute.” Because God is the power behind all government, whoever resists the authority of government, whoever is antitass, whoever lines up against the government, and it's in a perfect form. Whosoever has and continues the permanent attitude of resistance against the government, whoever ranges himself against the government by refusing to support, by disobeying, resists God.
Way back in 1839, Robert Haldane, writing in his wonderful commentary on Romans wrote, "The people of God, then, ought to consider resistance to the government under which they live as a very awful crime, even as resistance to God, Himself," end quote. It's quite a remarkable statement, and one which I mentioned to you last week, is whole-heartedly ascribed to by Georgy Vinz and those who have come out of Russia to tell us that the dear Christian brothers and sisters in Russia will make no resistance against their government. And if they are imprisoned, it will be simply and only because of their love and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It was not consequential whether the Roman emperor was kind or good, whether he was a persecutor of Christians, or a lover of Christians. It was not consequential whether he was elected by the people, whether he was appointed by the senate, or whether he took over in a military coup. It was not consequential worker the assertion of imperial authority by Caesar was just or unjust, whether he was wicked or whether he was basically good. None of that was consequential.
It was simply and only that government, as it exists in any situation, is for the purpose of God in that situation. And resistance and rebellion against that government is resistance and rebellion against God. Now again I say, unless it is obvious that the government has overstepped its bounds and is forcing you to do that which is contrary and counter to all that Scripture indicates. God operates in the maintenance of government. We obey.
We honor that government whether the president or the governor or the senate, house, the police, whatever it is. And I'm thinking back, do you remember David's horror when he had occasion to kill Saul? Do you remember that? But he wouldn't do it. He just couldn't do it. He understood this truth of honoring the one in authority. It was so important in Israel to teach children this that the penalty for a disobedient child, one who was disobedient to his parents, was what? Death.
So government is divinely decreed, and to resist it is to resist God. Now I want to take you to a third thought as we wrap up. Those who resist will be punished. Look at verse 2, again. "They that resist shall receive to themselves judgment." If you resist the government, you're going to be punished. That's the way it is. The word is krima. It's a word that means judgment.
It's used in 1 Corinthians 11:29, of the judgment of God. But here it's used, I think, primarily in reference to the punishment that comes from God through civil authorities, through civil authorities. God has ordained government to punish evildoers. And if you resist the government, you're going to get punished. Now, if like Daniel, you have to because you have a higher command, then you accept the punishment. But if it's not in that situation, if it's just a choice you make to resist, of course, you're going to receive the punishment. Now that was true in the Old Testament economy.
If I can digress for just a moment to give you a little bit of an insight. Old Testament punishment is very interesting. If you go back to the Old Testament and see how criminals were punished, it's quite a fascinating study. We don't have time, obviously, to exhaust that study. But as you study the Old Testament economy, you see that there were ways in which people were punished. And let me suggest what they were, to you, just in general. Restitution was one.
In other words, whatever you took, you had to bring back. Recently our home was robbed. They took some things of value like a gold watch that I've had for years. It was my great... It was my grandfather's. And they took some of the silver that we received when we were married, and they took some things like that. And recently the police called and said, "We caught the guys that did this. We know, because they mentioned this watch and so forth and so on. But they took it down to a receiver or a fencing place down in Hollywood, a pawn shop, and it's melted in the back and out the door before we could get it back. And we now have them in custody. One of them is released on bail. The other one's here because there's another warrant for his arrest, and so forth and so forth and so on."
They said, "We regret to say that there's no way that you'll ever recover the goods that were taken," which is not a big issue. But what I thought about was the Old Testament pattern of restitution. The way a criminal was punished was not to then take him and stick him somewhere where he's no earthly good to anybody for a long time, but to give him the dignity of working with his hands.
You'll also find in the Old Testament that punishment was invariably corporeal. That is, it was physical. It was bodily. It was a matter of whippings, lashings, so that pain came instantaneously, and shame was public, and it was now, and it was over, and you went on with life. You paid for your punishment. You paid with your punishment for your crime, and you went on with life. You commit another crime, you're going to get it again. And, of course, if the crime was worthy of death — and there were nearly thirty-five different crimes for which death was a prescribed penalty — you died, and you died very fast, obviously. So their punishment system was very simple. For any of the lesser crimes, it was corporeal punishment and restitution. For the greater crimes, it was death. And their objective in punishment was multiple.
First of all, it was a matter of justice. Secondly, it was a deterrent to crime. Thirdly, it was a restraint on criminals. Fourthly, it allowed them rehabilitation. In other words, you paid and it was over with. You didn't go and sit in some cell and learn how to be a better criminal and be raped by a bunch of homosexuals. And there was, obviously, in this kind of immediate judgment and punishment, a prevention of private vengeance. There were no prisons in Old Testament Judaism. And there's nothing in the Old Testament text to indicate that Israelites should ever have had a prison.
There's no command of God in all the commands that are given for Levitical social law, for the life of Israel, for them to establish a prison. They created no prisons. They operated no prisons. They were a part of Roman social order and other pagan social orders. There's one occasion in Jeremiah 37 where they wanted to get rid of Jeremiah. They didn't know what to do with him, so they wanted to incarcerate him. So they made a prison in a home, which indicates to me that they didn't even have one. So prisons are not that which is endorsed biblically.
Instantaneous payment of the criminal was exacted in severe punishment. Lashes and whippings were given, corporeal punishment, and then the opportunity for restitution, which restored the man's dignity. In early America, you might be also interested to know the Puritans used corporeal, physical punishment. You remember seeing some of the pictures in your early American history books of people sitting in stocks with their heads and their hands and their arms stuck through those little holes. And we say, "Oh, how terrible. How painful. I've only been in church an hour and a half and I mean I got to stand up. I can't imagine being that way for three or four days or a week or whatever it might have been." They used corporeal, physical punishment. They understood that that was indicative of scriptural reflection. And where the crime was very severe, it could be banishment, and the most severe crime, execution.
Frankly, it was the Quakers who came along and introduced the prison system. The first American prison was what was called the Walnut Street Jail. And by 1790, the law had established imprisonment as the proper way to punish criminals. It is a very late thing, even in American history. Today, we have in the United States a half a million prisoners, and the highest crime rate in the Western world. And you ask the question, "Does it work?" And we answer, "Of course, it doesn't work." Prisons are breeding grounds for criminals, homosexuals, brutality. They operate crime schools. "The American prison system," says one biblical writer, "is unbiblical, inhumane, ineffective, inefficient, and idiotic."
We've punished, by the way, according to the statistics of 1982, twenty-five out of every 500 serious-crime criminals; 475 are unpunished. The twenty-five that are punished, are punished by being put someplace where they sit for years and years. God has given government the right to punish. And now we hear all the time about advocating the rights of prisoners, don't we? So that prisons are fast becoming country clubs. And some people don't mind being there. They get free meals and they're cared for by the state and so forth. But in the Old Testament economy, the government had swift right to punish. And they punished corporeally, and they punished immediately, and they forced restitution which allowed a person to gain back his dignity and pay his debts. And the corp...the restitution process, interestingly enough, was usually conducted by assigning that man to a family. And he lived in that family and was cared for by that family while he worked out his restitution. What a dignified way to restore a man's character.
And so whatever the crime demands, the punishment was to be given swiftly. And you remember, don't you, the reflection of Ecclesiastes, is it chapter 8, verse 11? "Because sentence against and evil work is not executed speedily. Therefore, the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." If you don't bring about sentencing speedily, then men will do evil. We've come to that place where it's anything but speedily done in our society. So any punishment of an evildoer is a God-given right, given to the government. And when a person violates the law, they should expect that they be punished, because God has given the state the right to do that.
So human authority punishes violators. And certainly, you say, "Is this the human authority punishing?" Yes, but it's in a sense, representative of God. The instruments of punishment are human. The laws, the source, is God. Now listen, do you see when this all begins to break down, when we forget that government is an institution of God, that the powers that be are ordained of God for whatever His purposes may be, when we begin to allow evil to go unpunished, then the whole instrument of government begins to break down. And I fear, dear friends, that politicizing isn't going to change that. I think we're watching the collapse of our government. I think we're watching the collapse of our society.
There's only one way to change that, and that's not by political action. That's by the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Right? That's our priority. That's what we must be committed to. So we submit to the government. Why? The government is from God. To rebel, is to rebel against God. And to resist brings punishment. To resist brings punishment.
The fourth one, which I'll just introduce and we'll cover next time, is in the next verse. Verse 3: "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil." And that tells us that we are to submit to the government because government serves to restrain evil. It does. You know that even a communist Chinese government restrains evil? You know the Russian government restrains evil? Any of the iron curtain governments that we look down on, restrain evil. Any government does that.
There's no government on the face of the earth, for example, that will punish you for failure to rape somebody. There's no government in the world that'll punish you for failure to rob somebody. No government will punish you for failure to murder somebody. No, even the worst kind of governments deal rightly with matters of right and wrong. I was talking to someone from Ethiopia not long ago, and Ethiopia is a country in turmoil, unbelievable governmental turmoil.
Revolution is going on in Ethiopia. And we would say that is the worst kind of situation governmentally. We're talking about the fact that what is the crime situation like in Ethiopia, and this person reflected to me that a missionary had said, "Well, three years ago, there was a rape there." Three years ago there was a rape in Addis Ababa, city of I don't know how many million people. And they said, "But there hasn't been one since because the next day, the guy was hanging in the marketplace."
Now you might not like the politics of Addis Ababa. And you might not like the style of government, whatever style it is over there. But that, like any other government, is in the business of at least knowing the difference between right and wrong. Beloved, that came in the fall. If you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you're going to know good and evil. And even fallen, sinful people know that, and government upholds that.
And I daresay, I hate to say it, I don't like to say it, you're safer on the streets of Iran at night than you are on the streets of Los Angeles, because if you mess around in Iran, you don't last very long. And they, at least, know what crime is, and they deal with it, even though we certainly wouldn't want to live under that kind of a government. So government is in place to restrain evil. And even those governments which we wouldn't want to identify with or be subject to do have a modicum of understanding of right and wrong. We're going to get into that in detail when we go in our study.
Well, I'll stop at this point. I feel somewhat frustrated because there's so much more to say and I feel like I'm giving you half a piece each time of what's in my heart to say. But I'll entrust this to your care and the Holy Spirit's until we can bring it all together our next time, two weeks from tonight. Let's bow in prayer.
Lord, we just know that in our hearts we desire to be what You want us to be. That's our deepest desire. We're not bringing some ulterior motive to this text because there are a lot of things that we don't like and would like to change. And there are a lot of dear brothers and sisters that we love in all the countries around the world that are living under very oppressive and difficult governmental situations. And, Lord, there's so many things we would want to change.
Something in us cries out against injustice and inequity and unfairness. Something cries out against encroaching power against the church. Something in us cries out on behalf of those in our societies around the world who may be oppressed and unfairly treated. And we would desire to see governments change, and their attitudes change. And yet, Lord, we have to hear what You have said to us, that the priority for us is not politics, it is not social structure.
The priority for us is godly living, peaceable living, a quiet life that exalts Jesus Christ with integrity and honesty, and a bold and forthright and loud proclamation of the saving gospel. Father, help us to be faithful to this, and to know that whatever government there is, is there because by Your providence and Your sovereignty. It is reflective of Your purpose for that time and that place and that people, and there is no power in existence that is not there because You have permitted it. And all power is ordained by You.
And help us as Christians to know that if we disobey that power it brings to us a just punishment, for that is to resist You, and causes us to be worthy of the punishment which You have delegated to that government. So, Lord, help us to be model citizens, who, with our well doing will silence the ignorance of foolish men. May the world never see us as a politically active group, as a group that takes a certain social view, or a group with a certain kind of philosophy of leadership, a philosophy of ruling. But may they see us as distinctly Christian, reflecting the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, the truth of the Word of God. And may it be, oh Lord, that when those times come when Your children must go against the government because You have commanded us to do so, may we do so with a gracious spirit, with a spirit that is willing to take whatever punishment is to come, committing ourselves to the care of the one who cares for us, our own God and Heavenly Father.
And may we at all times show respect to those in authority over us, while being uncompromising in our commitment to obedience. And thus, may we bring great glory and honor to You. And may we prosper even as did Daniel and his friends, for Your praise and glory, in Christ's name, amen.
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Docs find upgrading to a new EHR difficult despite Rx benefits
By Healthcare IT News
Newer electronic health record systems can aid in the reduction of prescription errors, but making the upgrade to these systems can be very difficult for doctors, according to a new study.
A team of physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College tracked the prescription errors of 19 physicians in an adult ambulatory clinic before the switch from an older EHR to a newer system, then again 12 weeks after the switch and once again a year later.
The new electronic system provided extra guidance for prescribing to improve safety, such as alerts notifying providers about use of inappropriate abbreviations that can result in patient harm, as well as checks for drug-allergy interactions, drug-drug interactions and duplicate drugs.
In total, the researchers analyzed nearly 4,000 prescriptions for more than 2,000 patients and noted mistakes in abbreviations, usage directions, dosage, the quantity of medications to be dispensed and more. They also gave a survey to assess physicians' views of the switch. The results were published recently in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
The researchers found that the rate of prescription errors dropped by two-thirds, from about 36 percent to about 12 percent one year later. They also found that the rate of improper abbreviations, such as the outmoded "QD" instead of "once daily," fell by three-quarters, from about 24 percent to about 6 percent one year later; nonetheless, these remained the most common type of mistake at all three time periods. Meanwhile, the rate of non-abbreviation errors rose from about 9 percent to about 18 percent 12 weeks later, but it declined to the baseline level after one year.
"On the good side we found that the new system was very effective at reducing certain types of prescribing errors, such as inappropriate abbreviation errors. Averting these types of errors will likely result in fewer callbacks from pharmacies and improved efficiencies," says senior author Rainu Kaushal, chief of the Division of Quality and Medical Informatics in the Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College. But she cautions that "transitioning between systems, even among providers that are used to electronic health records, can be problematic."
For example, despite significant efforts to facilitate the transition, 40 percent of the doctors weren't satisfied with the implementation of the new system, and only one-third thought it was safer than the old one. In particular, 60 percent reported that the alerts weren't useful, and two-thirds indicated that the new system slowed down drug orders and refills.
To smooth the transition and further reduce prescription errors, the researchers suggest that the systems should be designed to detect and fix the most typical mistakes, as well as focus on the most clinically important mistakes so that providers don't begin to ignore alerts whenever they appear. Investigators should periodically reassess the effectiveness of such refinements, they add.
Moreover, doctors should receive individualized instruction and close follow-up attention. "Providers have substantial requirements for training and support," says lead author Erika Abramson, assistant professor of pediatrics and of public health at Weill Cornell Medical College and a pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College. "We need to make sure that the systems are easy for providers to use and don't cause workflow problems," she says.
The researchers probed physicians' perceptions in a companion study, and they plan to carry out a longer-term study that evaluates prescription errors two years after the upgrade.
"This important research provides the kind of recommendations necessary to ensure that physicians across the country can smoothly transition to electronic systems and use them in a way that makes medical care more effective and safer," says Alvin I. Mushlin, chairman of the Department of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College and public health physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
"While the transition to electronic health records is not without its challenges, this study shows that making the transition, and broad support for this transition, is crucially important as it can significantly reduce errors," says Gerald Loughlin, the Nancy C. Paduano Professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and senior associate dean for international clinical program planning at Weill Cornell Medical College, and pediatrician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
The study was supported by funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Meaningful Use, Electronic Health Records (EHR, EMR), Pharmacy, Quality and Safety
These 10 hospitals scored an 'F', pose greatest risk to patients, Leapfrog says
See which hospitals earned worst scores for hospital-acquired infections (list, map)
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Facing crunch, town plots to buy back cemetery space
By Noah R. Bombard
A check for $600 may seem like chump change to someone who just shelled out $2,000 for a cemetery plot — the current rate at Mount Pleasant — but if your great grandmother bought a plot years ago at the bargain rate of $50, it could be a good deal.
The Cemetery Commission’s latest attempt to find a solution to the town’s rapidly diminishing cemetery space could line a few folk’s pockets.
From July 1 to Oct. 1, the commission is offering to buyback unused cemetery plots for $600 a plot. The plan is an attempt to provide additional burying spaces at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, which commissioners anticipate will be full in five to seven years. Once that happens, residents who want to be buried in Arlington could be out of luck, unless the town finds more room or a resident owns a plot at St. Paul’s Cemetery, owned by Archdiocese of Boston.
There are a few catches to selling a plot back to Mount Pleasant: For one, the plot has to be useable.
“It has to be seen if it’s something we can use,” Cemetery Commissioner Michele Hassler said. “If we can use it and we can buy it back we definitely would.”
Some older plots, due to tree growth or ground shifting, may not be able to be used anymore. Hassler said the process won’t be as simple as just signing off on the deed to the plot. The commission will have to investigate the plot to see if there are any others who have claim to it and that it is indeed a plot that could be used.
“My family paid maybe $200 and that was in the ‘60s,” Hassler said. “$600 is better than $50 or nothing.”
Why would someone sell a plot back to the town? Hassler said many times folks buy plots with many graves in anticipation of their families growing. That, she said, doesn’t always happen and graves lie empty.
“We just had a woman come to us last week and her great aunt bought a plot for six people and she’s the only one in it,” Hassler said. “The family did not grow as perhaps she anticipated.”
Hassler said the woman is seeking to keep just the space above her aunt’s grave and to sell the rest of the plot back to the town.
With space getting tight, Hassler said the commission is trying to find creative ways to keep the cemetery open to new burials longer. Already most of Arlington’s dead are doubled up. Graves are stacked by two — one on top of another — in the ground, a practice that has been followed for most of the last century.
There are currently about 400 available graves left at Mount Pleasant. There are only 12 spots left in the cemetery’s veteran’s section.
“We’re in the process of trying to find little nooks and crannies that we haven’t used,” Hassler said.
But the commission doesn’t have to buyback all the unused plots. By law, they could just take some of them. Plots that were sold more than 75 years ago can, according to Massachusetts law, can be reclaimed by a cemetery if, after a diligent search, they can’t find an owner.
“A town is mandated to provide a space for its residents to be buried in. Even though the deed says you can take over spots, we simply don’t feel right about doing that,” Hassler said. “We’re trying to encourage people to come out of the woodwork.”Town
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Bucs desperate to stop descent
By RICK BROWN, Lakeland Ledger
The Tampa Bay Bucs have heard all of the speculation.
They have heard about how this team has given up on the season.
They have heard how the defense is on pace to give up the most points in franchise history.
They hear how their performance will eventually get their coach fired.
The team hears it and it upsets them — a lot.
While the season has not gone the way they would have liked, the Bucs say they are motivated heading into Sunday's regular-season finale against the Atlanta Falcons.
"It motivates us to go out there and try to change everything that is going on," said defensive end Michael Bennett. "Being the worst defense ever for the Buccaneers is a big motivation. It's a bad motivation and it shouldn't be a motivation but that's the cards that we're dealt."
Tampa Bay has given up 449 points this season or an average of 29.9 points a game, which is last in the NFL. The team is also allowing 6.2 yards per play. The 1986 Bucs team allowed 473 total points and gave up 6.0 yards per play.
"Definitely, it's a bad taste in my mouth," said rookie defensive end Da'Quan Bowers. "A lot of those veterans said, 'Just remember this feeling' the other day in Carolina. Remember the feeling of being on a losing streak. Remember the feeling of being blown out. Remember your own fans turning against you.
"It's a bad feeling, and you never want to experience that again. So we have to do everything in our power to change it."
Bowers said he didn't know how close the team was to the infamous record.
"I didn't realize that, but it's something that's definitely got to be fixed," he said. "We've got to find what the issue is and fix it as soon as possible.
"Hell yeah I'm angry," he said. "We've lost (11) games. ... Everyone should be angry."
The horrible play by the team down the stretch, losing nine straight games, has fueled speculation that coach Raheem Morris would not be retained.
Morris, however, does not expect his team to "try to win one for Rah."
He just wants them to win.
"I didn't know about the streak before you brought it up," Morris said. "We never have those kind of motivations. That's all gray matter. You just want to get a win.
"They need to get out of this dump feeling," Morris said. "Everyone is miserable walking around. We just got to get out of the dumps. We just want to get a win. Forget the streak, forget the point total, (it's all) gray matter. We just got to find a way to get a win."
Tampa Bay right guard Davin Joseph was honored again on Thursday when he was named the 2011 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Man of the Year. It is given to the player who excels on the field and off the field. Earlier this week, Joseph was named to his second Pro Bowl.
Defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth (knee) and Roy Miller (back) returned to practice Thursday as did linebacker Geno Hayes (finger) and receiver Preston Parker (concussion).
But missing practice for the second day was receiver Arrelious Benn (neck), defensive end Michael Bennett (toe), defensive end Adrian Clayborn (hamstring), defensive tackle Brian Price (ankle), offensive tackle Jeremy Trueblood (concussion) and tight end Kellen Winslow (rest).
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Sunderland ace reveals his biggest frustration with knee injury and provides update on rehab progress
For any young footballer to suffer two serious knee injuries before the age of 23 would be devastating.
Thursday, 19 April, 2018, 07:33
Duncan Watmore has been out since November. Picture by Frank Reid
Duncan Watmore has had to contend with that exact scenario, but the determined forward – aiming to return better than ever – admits that the biggest frustration is being unable to play his part in Sunderland’s fight for survival.
Sunderland are bottom of the Championship and could be relegated to the third tier this weekend, for only the second time in the club’s history.
Watmore is remaining positive on the long road back to full fitness and is hoping to be able to start running within the next few weeks.
He won’t be fit for the start of the new season in August, though, and is prepared to be patient in order to return as strongly as possible.
“It’s going as well it can at this stage,” said Watmore, who turned 24 in March.
“I’m four-and-a-half months into my rehab, and the swelling on the knee is looking good, so hopefully I can start running soon.
“I’m seeing the surgeon in a couple of weeks and if he gives the go-ahead, I can start running which will be great.
“But I just have to be really patient with the injury. Second time around, if anything, it will take longer, and I can’t rush it.
“Obviously I want to be back and playing, but I also need to make sure that it’s right.
“You don’t want to rush back and do anything silly.
“I didn’t rush back last time. We did everything right and I was just unfortunate – it was a really unlucky tackle, I got caught and it snapped again.
“It could have happened to anyone.
“So I’m doing the same rehab work again, staying patient, and hopefully I won’t have any more bad luck!”
After returning from a 10-month lay-off in September, following his first knee injury, Watmore featured regularly under former boss Simon Grayson, re-establishing himself as a key player.
But he suffered a recurrence of the cruciate knee ligament injury in the same knee against Millwall, in November, the day before Chris Coleman replaced the axed Grayson.
Watmore added: “I felt like I built up quite quickly because I only managed about five games, but I was already starting to feel sharp and I felt that I was able to make a positive impact on the team.
“What makes it all the more frustrating is the position we are in and the season we have had, and knowing that I haven’t been able to help.
“It’s my job to play football and I wanted to be able to play my part along with the rest of the lads, but I just haven’t been able to.
“That has been the most frustrating part.”
Other players have come back successfully from double cruciate injuries, including ex-Sunderland duo David Meyler and Fraizer Campbell, both now at Hull City.
“I’m not going to be back for the start of the season, but I’ll be back just as soon as I am fully ready,” said Watmore.
“I’m working as hard as I can with the physio Binners [David Binningsley], doing everything possible to make sure that I come back and stay back.
“But even though I might have a target in my head, I don’t want to put pressure on myself by saying it out loud.
“I need to be realistic and understand that, suffering such a serious injury for a second time, I just have to be careful.
“I fully expect to return and be back to my best – if not better than before.
“It will take time, obviously, because I will have been out for so long, but I am determined to get back to my best.
“I’m doing everything I can physically, and staying as positive as I can mentally, to do that.
“I’m just raring to get back playing.”
Watmore isn’t your average footballer and two years ago graduated from Newcastle University with a first class honours degree in economics and business management.
Having interests outside of football has helped during his lengthy rehab spells.
Speaking at a Foundation of Light coaching session, Watmore said: “Sometimes this is the best thing about being a footballer.
“There is no better feeling than scoring and winning a game in front of the fans, but it’s also about coming to events like this and putting a smile on people’s faces.
“It’s a big part of being a footballer. We have a social responsibility to the community and it is very important to get involved in these kind of events.
“I’ve really enjoyed it and I know Campy [Lee Camp] did as well.
“I’m very much aware that there’s life outside football, so I didn’t put too much pressure on myself and get upset about the knee.
“There are so many ways in which I am a fortunate person, so it would be pointless getting too down about my knee. Being negative wouldn’t help my rehab.
“I think the degree, and everything that I did outside of football, might have helped with that.”
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Why Are Residents Leaving Illinois in Droves?
by Stateline | June 19, 2019 AT 8:39 AM
(David Kidd)
By Matt Vasilogambros
It’s known here as The Exodus.
People are leaving Illinois in droves. Republicans blame the state’s high taxes and its unfunded pension liability, which tops $130 billion. Democrats believe it’s the state’s lack of investment in education and infrastructure.
Born and Raised: The Parts of America Where People Don't Leave The 10 Jobs Disappearing the Fastest After Years of Explosive Growth, Migration to the West and the South Slows
One thing is certain: Illinois’ population has declined by 157,000 residents over the past five years, making it one of only two states — West Virginia is the other — to lose people over the past decade.
Illinois’ predicament is a perfect storm of declining manufacturing, stagnant immigration, declining birth rates, young people leaving for college and never coming back, long-standing economic discrimination against black residents, high housing costs, and the continued draw of residents to the Sun Belt.
What’s happening in the Prairie State may offer national lessons about the deindustrialized economy and how that creates inequity issues in wages and housing, said Matthew Wilson, a senior research specialist at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Great Cities Institute.
For a Rust Belt state to thrive, Wilson said, officials have to focus on retaining and growing its manufacturing sector by training workers, providing affordable housing and attracting new businesses. Building up the manufacturing sector has to go hand in hand with attracting high-paying jobs, he said.
Illinois has struggled with all of that.
A 2016 poll by Southern Illinois University found that nearly half of Illinois residents wanted to move to another state, citing taxes, weather, ineffective and corrupt local government and a lack of middle-class jobs. A March poll from the university found that two-thirds of Illinois residents think the state is going in the wrong direction.
Between 2017 and 2018, 114,000 more residents left Illinois than moved in from other states. Those who left mostly moved to Florida, Texas and Indiana, IRS data shows.
Chicago’s population has dropped slightly, largely because black residents are leaving for areas with lower housing costs and more jobs that don’t require higher education. In downstate Illinois, the population loss has come largely from a decrease in manufacturing jobs.
Nearly 15 miles south of the famed Magnificent Mile in the booming downtown Loop is another stretch of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. Up until the 1980s, this part of the Roseland neighborhood was “the place to be” for black residents, lined with stores and restaurants. But many of those are gone now, leaving only the boarded-up facades and a distant memory.
As Abraham Lacy drove down the street earlier this month, the new father and Chicago resident described the “heart-wrenching” state of the area since its decline began 50 years ago.
This was a manufacturing hub. But those jobs are gone. Nearly 28% of the population lives below the poverty level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“There’s no hope,” he said. “It brings me to tears. Here we are in the third-largest city in the country.”
Lacy is the executive director of the Far South Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit that brings commercial investments from public and private partnerships to local low-income, majority-black neighborhoods like Morgan Park, West Pullman and Roseland to alleviate poverty.
Since peaking in 1980 at nearly 1.2 million people, the black population of Chicago has dropped by more than 400,000 people, and the trend continues. Black residents are leaving Chicago for the suburbs and for neighboring states such as Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Some are reversing the Great Migration of the first half of the 20th century, returning to Southern cities including Atlanta, Dallas and Houston, said Pete Saunders, an urban planning consultant based in the Chicago area who has written extensively on this issue.
“They just feel frozen out of opportunity,” he said. “They feel Chicago is a closed system. They can’t get ahead here. It’s designed for others to get ahead.”
Chicago is still attracting educated people seeking jobs in law, finance and tech, and many neighborhoods of the city are thriving. But there’s a growing divide between high-paying jobs and low-wage, “dead-end” work, with not many jobs in between, said David Wilson, a geography professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Real estate development is booming along Lake Michigan and in the Loop. Gentrification, he said, “is spreading its tentacles across the city,” including the traditionally poorer South Side and West Side. In other parts of the city, including Roseland, residents lacking economic opportunity are leaving.
“There’s something wrong here,” said Jawanza Malone, executive director of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, a South Side grassroots group currently leading a rent control campaign “to stem the tide of displacement.”
Chicago is among a handful of metropolises that are losing their black residents, including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose.
The high rate of black residents leaving is the main cause for Chicago’s stagnant population, and the drain could get worse, several fair housing advocates and urban demographers said.
More than a third of young adults want to leave Chicago, a January survey from the University of Chicago’s GenForward Project found. Participants, especially African Americans, said the biggest reason for wanting out was racism and how that affects policing, job opportunities and neighborhood development.
Chicago’s new African American mayor, Lori Lightfoot, seems keenly aware of this challenge, calling it “the proverbial canary in the mine shaft” when asked in April about the city’s population decline by the Chicago Tribune.
“We’ve got to create real opportunities and incentives for businesses and for all neighborhoods to prosper,” she added.
Chicago’s population is staying afloat because of a continued influx of Asian immigrants. The number of Chicago-region residents born in Asia has increased by 60,000 since 2010, while the number of Chicago-region residents born in Latin America has decreased by 18,000, according to a Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
While some traditionally Mexican Chicago neighborhoods like Pilsen have been hit by gentrification pressures, Chinatown and other neighborhoods south of the downtown Loop have generally been shielded, said David Wu, executive director of Pui Tak Center, a church-based community center next to the Chinatown gate.
After the 2020 census, the city will have its first majority-Chinese ward, Wu said. The area in 2017 elected Democrat Theresa Mah, the Illinois General Assembly’s first Chinese American member.
“These neighborhoods are defined by an ethnic identity,” he said, sitting in the neighborhood’s new public library, where half of the books are in Chinese. “Whereas other communities are defined by socioeconomic class.”
President Donald Trump’s strict immigration policy might halt this growth, however. In an attempt to keep some of this immigrant base in Illinois, state lawmakers last month passed a bill that offers financial aid to undocumented immigrants attending public colleges or universities.
But development in the South Loop is spreading south and could make Chinatown and other Asian American enclaves less affordable.
Keeping Manufacturing
Vincent Flaska wanted to expand his forklift manufacturing business in 2015. He could have either kept Hoist Liftruck in Illinois, where the company was based since 1994, or moved it just over the Indiana border to East Chicago.
He chose Indiana.
“The environment that has been created in Illinois is not supportive of those blue-collar jobs,” he said.
With the move, Flaska saved $1.75 million annually on workers compensation insurance and an additional $1.5 million on state taxes — on top of the $15 million in financial incentives from Indiana. The company is now closer to the steel mills it relies on. Some of his workers bought their first homes after the company relocated.
The move “was a no-brainer,” he said. Earlier this year, Flaska’s business was acquired by Toyota Industries North America — a move, he said, that couldn’t have happened if it was still in Illinois.
There has been “chronic and concentrated joblessness in manufacturing” in Illinois, said Teresa Córdova, director of the Great Cities Institute. Because of changes to rural and manufacturing jobs in the state, working-age people are having a harder time finding work in downstate communities, she said.
Four out of five counties statewide, many anchored by manufacturing, are losing population.
As manufacturing has steadily declined in the Rust Belt over recent decades, states have scrambled to keep businesses from going overseas or to other places within the United States.
For states such as Indiana, that means promoting its lower tax rates and offering special tax incentives, like it did for Hoist Liftruck. For Illinois, that means promoting its workforce and logistical hub of Chicago.
But Moody’s found that Illinois manufacturers will face “daunting competition,” as companies look to lower-cost areas to keep competitive. The decline in manufacturing in Illinois, the report said, “will prevail.”
Manufacturing is responsible for 592,000 jobs in the state, according to the Illinois Manufacturers Association. From 2001 to 2016, the state lost 30% of its manufacturing jobs, according to a Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning analysis.
Lake County, just north of Chicago along the Wisconsin border, is one of many in Illinois that have lost population in recent years. But leaders there have concentrated on retaining and growing pharmaceutical and advanced life sciences manufacturing sectors, said Kevin Considine, the president and CEO of Lake County Partners, a public- and privately funded business development corporation.
“I won’t kid you,” he said. “You drive through southeast Wisconsin and you see a lot of brands that were Illinois companies.
“I’m not saying that nobody is moving, but I think we’re doing a pretty good job over the last four years at making the case at why companies should grow here instead of move.”
While neighboring states such as Wisconsin and Indiana have “been very good at playing the incentive game,” attracting businesses with tax incentives and infrastructure grants, Considine said the skilled workforce in Illinois “is far and away our greatest strength.”
But in order to keep that workforce competitive, the state must retain educated young people, encouraging them to pursue careers in biochemistry or welding, he said. Waukegan is one of three cities in the country to offer an advanced manufacturing curriculum for high school students, training 200 skilled technicians a year.
The reality, however, is that Illinois has a brain drain problem.
Nearly half of Illinois college-bound public high school students chose to go to out-of-state universities and colleges in 2017, according to a March analysis by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. In 2002, that number was under 30%. Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin continue to take in more college students than they lose, U.S. Department of Education data show.
When young people go out of state for college, they are less likely to return home after graduation, said Nyle Robinson, the board’s interim executive director. This is especially concerning for the rural, downstate regions that have been losing residents.
Illinois ranks second nationally in losing college students to other states, topped only by New Jersey, according to the U.S. Education Department. “It’s certainly concerning,” Robinson said.
Robinson especially cites the education funding cuts that came from the 2015-2017 budget impasse in Illinois as a contributing factor to this outmigration of young people. Both high- and low-income students are leaving the state, he said.
Robinson was encouraged to see the Illinois legislature this month approve $1.9 billion for the University of Illinois System — the largest funding increase in nearly two decades. The funds are designated for new buildings, renovations and other capital investments. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the budget.
Some neighboring states have tried to take advantage of some of the political turmoil in Illinois and negative press around high taxes and population loss.
Speros Batistatos, the president and CEO of the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority, helped launch a digital campaign to lure Illinoisans to move to Northwest Indiana, targeting young families and empty nesters with the promise of fewer taxes and an easy commute to Chicago.
“We’re not trying to bash our friends next door,” he said. “We’re just trying to be a competitive suburb of Chicago.”
The campaign seems to be working. Peter Novak, the CEO of the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors, said, “Builders can’t build homes fast enough.”
Stateline | Nonpartisan, Nonprofit News Service of the Pew Charitable Trusts | editor@stateline.org | @pewstates
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Public Safety & Homeland Security
Drills Help Amateur Radio Operators Prepare for Worst-Case Scenario
While unlikely, a catastrophe such as a tornado or major flood could cripple the electrical grid. But, rest assured: Groups of people known as amateur radio operators are ready to jump into action should the need arise.
by Dan Starcher, The Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio / June 24, 2019
(TNS) — Imagine that, all of a sudden, there was no electricity, cell phone service, radio, television, internet or any other methods of communication. What would happen? Is society capable of handling such a scenario?
While unlikely, there is a possibility that a catastrophe such as a tornado or major flood could cripple the electrical grid and create that exact situation. But, rest assured: Groups of people known as amateur radio operators are ready to jump into action should the need arise.
This past weekend, the Silvercreek Amateur Radio Association (SARA) and the Wayne Amateur Radio Club (WARC) took part in the annual 24-hour nationwide American Radio Relay League (AARL) on-the-air field day drill to hone their skills in case the unthinkable should happen.
SARA held its event at the American Legion hall in Rittman, while WARC operated out of the communications building at the corner of Oldman and Burbank roads in Wooster.
Retired Rittman Chief of Police and Silvercreek club member Mike Burg remembers a time when the services of amateur radio operators were called into action.
"Some years ago, when I was a sergeant, the Orrville power plant exploded and burned," Burg recalled. "The explosion took out communications. I called in the help of two amateur radio operators, one in Rittman and one in Orrville, and we took the 911 calls from Orrville. In order to get that 911 information back to Orrville, we used amateur radio."
What makes amateur radio unique is that, even with the power grid offline, it still works. Because it can operate from the use of portable generators or solar power, there is no need to rely on any outside resources. While the situation needs to be dire for operators to be called into action, they are standing by.
"Field Day is a combination of a club picnic and disaster preparedness drill," Burg said. "We operate for 24 hours on as many (radio) bands as we can without the use of commercial electricity."
The clubs maintain a relationship with local emergency management associations (EMS), and some members volunteer for training, alongside police and fire personnel, on how to respond in emergency situations. Those individuals then become part of the Amateur Radio Emergency Services corps, or ARES.
"(ARES) individuals have the knowledge, equipment and the training needed so that in case of an emergency, they can step in and know their place," said licensed radio operator Capt. Doug Hunter of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and emergency coordinator for ARES. "Most of the time they will serve under the direction of the EMA (Emergency Management Agency). There are many individuals across Ohio that serve in this capacity."
Hunter explained that ARES members are a unique group of volunteers who are willing to step up and answer the call in emergency situations in Wayne and surrounding counties.
"Part of the goal is to force (members) to operate outside of their comfort zone," Hunter said. "They go into a makeshift location, operate under general power, put their antennas up and establish communications.
"They are self-contained," Hunter continued. "Phone service and internet systems rely on infrastructure; amateur radio transmits radio-to-radio."
Wayne County Sheriff Travis Hutchinson visited operators at the WARC site to see their operation firsthand and learn more about the group.
"They have provided radio service for us in the past at local events," Hutchinson said. "This is an interesting field. If there was a total breakdown in communications, their radios would still work — and we would rely on them."
Hutchinson explained that it isn't economically feasible to keep backup radio equipment on hand and having groups like ARES is akin to having a private civil response organization.
"Right now, with all of the flooding going on, these operators are providing a valuable service to people in flood zones," he said. "I don't know what we would do without them."
While the two organizations provide emergency communications when needed, they also provide behind-the-scenes communications services at many local events that go unnoticed.
"This past weekend we provided communications for the Mohican 100-mile run," said Russell McQuate, treasurer and secretary of WARC. "We had members stationed along the route ready to handle emergencies and coordinate the delivery of supplies."
According to McQuate, interest in becoming a licensed amateur radio operator is growing.
"Our club membership has seen an uptick," he said. "And there has been more people participating in Skywarn (severe weather spotters) classes."
To learn more about amateur radio, visit SARA online at https://w8wky.org, WARC at www.w8woo.org and AARL at www.arrl.org.
— Reporter Dan Starcher can be reached at 330-287-1626 or dstarcher@the-daily-record.com. He is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WoosterWriter and Twitter at www.twitter.com/danstarcher.
©2019 The Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio
Visit The Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio at www.the-daily-record.com
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Verona spends the day in the breakaway on a tough Queen stage at the Tour de Suisse
Spaniard Carlos Verona had a gutsy ride on today’s Queen stage at the Tour de Suisse after spending most of the stage in the breakaway.
After relentless attacking in the opening 40kilometres, Verona finally found himself in a move that stuck. The breakaway remained out front until the final climb of the day, when a group of general classification favourites bridged across and from that Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R) becoming the eventual stage winner into a rainy La Punt.
Sports director Neil Stephens was happy with the situation which enabled Verona to have a chance to go for the stage victory and jump up slightly in the overall standings to 18th place.
“The plan of the day was to try and go with a move, get some riders up the front and eventually attack with Carlos,” said Stephens. “As it was, the boys worked really well together, they were communicating well, covering all the moves and finally Carlos got himself in a breakaway which was thanks to the work of the team.”
“There was very little chance of the move surviving all the way to finish but even then we decided to commit to the break.
“Carlos was trying as hard as he could right until the very end. Once the 'main' bunch finally caught him it was just a matter of limiting his losses even though it was really hard, basically riding a time trial to the finish.
“He was really quite empty but I think he will have moved up in the classification so it was definitely worth his efforts today.”
The Queen stage of the Tour of Suisse took over 40kilometres for the breakaway to establish. After multiple failed attempts, finally a group of nine riders took off ahead of the peloton.
ORICA-SCOTT were represented in the move with Verona, as the group grew their advantage out to two minutes.
The leaders weren’t given much freedom, hovering no more than three minutes all day. BMC Racing team began the initial chase as Michael Woods (Cannondale-Drapac) attacked away from the breakaway and led into the final 10kilometres solo.
Finally Carlos and the remaining breakaway riders were caught by a group of GC favourites that bridged across with Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R) going away from the group, bridged across to the leader Woods.
In the end Pozzovivo claimed the stage victory with Damiano Caruso (BMC Racing team) finishing second to remain in the overall race lead and Verona the highest ORICA-SCOTT rider on the general classification on 18th.
Tour de Suisse result after stage 6:
1. Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R) 4:38:49
2. Rui Costa (UAE) +0:04
3. Ion Izaguirre (Bahrain Merida) ST
22. Carlos Verona (ORICA-SCOTT) +3:24
General classification after stage 6:
1. Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R) 22:03:28
2. Damiano Caruso (BMC Racing team) ST
3. Steven Kruiswijk (Lotto-Jumbo) +0:13
Photos courtesy of ©TDWsport.com
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Jackson Lewis, Lowenbaum see this year’s merger as a good fit
By ALAN J. ORTBALS
The St. Louis office of the Jackson Lewis law firm nearly tripled in size this year when it merged with Lowenbaum Law in January.
Jackson Lewis is a national firm headquartered in New York. It specializes in labor law, which is a booming sector in law practice. Lowenbaum Law was a 20-year old St. Louis firm with the same labor focus as the larger firm and with clients throughout the metro St. Louis area including the St. Louis Blues, BJC HealthCare and Ameren.
Lowenbaum Michael Lowenbaum said that the merger was a good fit at the right time.
“I was the sole owner of the firm,” Lowenbaum said, “and I started to think about what the future was going to look like.”
The timing of joining Jackson Lewis made sense. “I’ve known Jessica Liss (managing principal of Jackson Lewis’ St. Louis office) and Tom Berry Jr. (a principal in the St. Louis office) for years and admired their operation. We’re doing more and more work around the country. It just seemed like a natural combination because they brought the capabilities of a large, national law firm and we brought many local clients. Business is the same, except we now have 59 offices and 800 lawyers.”
Berry Both Jackson Lewis and Lowenbaum Law were recognized by Best Lawyers in America last year. And last month Jackson Lewis was awarded the Gold Standard Certification from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum for the seventh straight year. The WILEF Gold Standard Certification is awarded to firms that have successfully demonstrated that women represent a meaningful percentage of their equity partners, of their highest leadership positions, of their governance and compensation committees, of their most highly compensated partners and that there be meaningful diversity among their women partners.
Jackson Lewis has also been recommended in The Legal 500 United States 2018 in the practice areas of employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans, immigration, labor and employment disputes, labor management relations and workplace and employment counseling.
Despite being located in St. Louis, Lowenbaum said that much of his practice has been based in Southwestern Illinois for the past 35 years. Clients stretch across both public and private domains and include municipalities like O’Fallon, Fairview Heights, Swansea and Shiloh. The private side includes many of the auto dealers, hospitals as well as companies like T. J. Gundlach Machine Co. and Belleville Boot Co.
“I’ll give Mike credit,” said Berry. “He was a visionary. He saw the importance of Southwestern Illinois long before many others did.”
Lowenbaum said he has always focused on traditional labor law, representing management with their dealing with their dealings with their labor unions, labor arbitration, collective bargaining and contract negotiation. Municipalities frequently have five or six unions.
Movements like #MeToo and the incident in Philadelphia in which two African-Americans were arrested in a Starbucks has led to a spike in demand for employee counselling and training around the areas of age, sex and race discrimination, sex harassment and unconscious bias.
Sexual harassment law, Lowenbaum said, has not changed drastically since the first case went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986, nor has the underlying conduct that constitutes sex harassment. What has changed dramatically is the number of those who speak out and the attention they are able to draw.
With today’s heightened awareness and focus on workplace harassment, he said, employers must evaluate their practices to ensure they are consistently maintaining and implementing preventive and remedial measures, including examining their training strategies and ensuring they are providing regular education to supervisors and employees. They must also audit their internal investigation protocol to ensure it is prompt, impartial, and thorough so that both the employees, and the company, are protected.
And that’s just one area where the legal landscape has changed significantly and is evolving, according to Lowenbaum.
“Most of our clients didn’t have a social media policy before and now we have to change it every six months,” he said.
Lowenbaum said their attorneys are doing more and more presentations, seminars and training sessions for a variety of groups and employers. He said that Jackson Lewis has licensed a software program called Poll Everywhere that they use in their presentations and seminars. It allows attendees to participate and respond via their cell phones while the presentation is going on.
“This has been an amazing way to get people more involved,” Lowenbaum said. “This technology has made training much more effective because it gets the audience engaged and interacting and they can see the results in real time as well.”
Six months into the merger, Lowenbaum is pleased with the results.
“Our clients are particularly happy,” he said. “If they needed the national resources, they got them. If not, they’re still able to take advantage of our daily communiques, blogs and webinars.”
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Butterfly on leaf by Kristen Stein
Artist Kristen Stein Platinum Member
Collection PHOTOGRAPHS
Description Beautiful butterfly resting on a leaf near a pink flower. About the Artist: Kristen Stein is an award-winning Contemporary Artist living in Suburban Philadelphia. Kristen's works are currently available on a variety of online venues and boutiques and galleries throughout the US. Her art has appeared in numerous printed media including posters, books, CD Covers, calendars and program covers. She is the author/illustrator of the children's books 'The Vegetarian Lion' and 'Oh Sweet Child of Mine' and the author of 'Kristen Stein Contemporary Paintings'. Kristen's art has been featured in a number of solo and group exhibitions. In addition, her artwork was selected to appear in an upcoming film 'The Roommate' (2011) and a FOX TV Show called 'Past Life' that aired in 2010. Her collaborative work 'Spirit of Autumn Fire' can be seen in several episodes of 'Warehouse 13' on the Syfy Channel.
Kristen Stein's Recent Work
Kristen Stein, Philadelphia
Artist Statement KRISTEN STEIN
Kristen Stein is an award-winning Contemporary Artist living in Suburban Philadelphia. Kristen's works are currently available on a variety of online venues and boutiques and galleries throughout the US.
Her art has appeared in numerous printed media including posters, books, CD Covers, calendars and program covers. Her work has been licensed for use on gift items, puzzles and jewelry items.
Her work has appeared in a number of solo and group exhibitions and in the set design for various television shows and a major motion picture.
See more at http://StudioArtworks.com
Subjects Animals, Birds, Botanical, Children, Children's Animal Art, Floral & Plants, Floral & Still Life, Garden, Landscape, Nature & Outdoors, Still Life
Tags Kristen, Stein, birds, bright, butterflies, butterfly, colorful, contemporary, flamingo, flamingos, flowers, hydrangea, kristen stein, nature, outdoors, peacock, peahen, photography, photos, roses, sunflower
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Home / Democracy / Elections / Kindle / Think Tank / EXCERPT | Election Systems as a Part of Political System
EXCERPT | Election Systems as a Part of Political System
IndraStra Global Saturday, January 14, 2017 Democracy , Elections , Kindle , Think Tank Edit
By Fuad Afgan Khalil-Zadeh
Ph.D. candidate of the Baku State University
Image Attribute: A voter casting her ballot at a polling station in Baku during presidential elections in Azerbaijan, 9 October 2013. / Source: OSCE
The election system is primarily, but not exclusively about the integration of special interest groups into the political system and effective representation of minority. The election is one of the key elements of a democratic state. The existence of electoral system notifies the democracy in the country. Elections build trust between state and citizens. Therefore, it is an integral and necessary part of democracy.
Five varieties of plurality/majority systems can be identified: First Past The Post (FPTP), Block Vote (BV), Party Block Vote (PBV), Alternative Vote (AV), and the Two-Round System (TRS).
The First Past the Post system is the simplest form of plurality/ majority system, using single member districts and candidate-centered voting. The voter is presented with the names of the nominated candidates and votes by choosing one, and only one, of them. The winning candidate is simply the person who wins most votes; in theory, he or she could be elected with two votes, if every other candidate only secured a single vote.
The Block Vote is simply the use of plurality voting in multimember districts. Voters have as many votes as there are seats to be filled in their district, and are usually free to vote for individual candidates regardless of party affiliation. In most BV systems they may use as many, or as few, of their votes as they wish.
Party Block Vote, unlike FPTP, there are multi-member districts. Voters have a single vote and choose between party lists of candidates rather than between individuals. The party which wins most votes takes all the seats in the district, and its entire list of candidates is duly elected. As in FPTP, there is no requirement for the winner to have an absolute majority of the votes. As of 2004, PBV was used as the only system or the major component of the system in four countries— Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, and Singapore.
Elections under Alternative Vote are usually held in single-member districts, like FPTP elections. However, AV gives voters considerably more options than FPTP when marking their ballot paper. Rather than simply indicating their favored candidate, under AV electors rank the candidates in the order of their choice, by marking a ‘1’ for their favorite, ‘2’ for their second choice, ‘3’ for their third choice and so on. The system thus enables voters to express their preferences between candidates rather than simply their first choice. For this reason, it is often known as ‘preferential voting’ in the countries which use
Party Block Vote - A plurality/majority system using multi-member districts in which voters cast a single party centered vote for a party of choice, and do not choose between candidates. The party with most votes will win every seat in the electoral district. The Systems and their Consequences it (The Borda Count, STV and the Supplementary Vote are also preferential systems).
The central feature of the Two-Round System is as the name suggests: it is no tone election but takes place in two rounds, often a week or a fortnight apart. The first round is conducted in the same way as a single-round plurality/majority election. In the most common form of TRS, this is conducted using FPTP. It is, however, also possible to conduct TRS in multi-member districts using Block Vote (as in Kiribati) or Party Block Vote (as in Mali). A candidate or party that receives a specified proportion of the vote is elected outright, with no need for a second ballot. This proportion is normally an absolute majority of valid votes cast, although several countries use a different figure when using TRS to elect a president (see paragraph 179). If no candidate or party receives an absolute majority, then the second round of voting is held and the winner of this round is declared elected.
Each election system has its own selection methods.
These methods differ from each other for the conditions of the country in which they are applied or according to the views of its creator. There is a strong relationship between the electoral system and election methods. In practice, election methods vary as stated by electoral systems. Basically different points of the various methods available in the majority system. In a proportional representation system, only the list method is applied.
Electoral systems affect the number of political organizations and parties in the country. The ruling party efforts to create an electoral system that can put more representatives in the parliament in the future, the opposition wants to diminish the number of representatives of the ruling party in government, the independents and small parties try to carry their representatives in parliament.
Nowadays, the election system comprises two main principles: justice and benefits. The presence of both principles in the electoral system is the ideal situation. To ensure that idea is difficult, but not impossible. However, it depends on the preferred selection system. So that, there are main systems applied in the elections: majority system, proportional representation system, and mixed or hybrid system. While the majority system brings benefits policy to the forefront, proportional representation system adopts the principle of justice. In a mixed system, sometimes it is observed the weight of the majority system, sometimes the emphasis put on the proportional representation system.
Advantages and disadvantages of the majority system are the following:
The most significant advantages of the majority system are its simplicity. Implementation, counting of votes, and determination of winner do not take much time;
The simplicity of the system makes increase participation level in the election. The reason for that is voters know how it is assessed the votes they use. And it helps to build confidence in the results of the election, the number of canceled votes are reduced to a minimum;
Majority system leads to a reduction of the number of parties in the country, tends to the two-party system. It is seen in countries where the application of one method turn two - party system, as an example of the U.S. and U.K. party system, can be displayed;
The two-party system would bring a political order about the alleged benefits, especially focused on the concept of political stability. The parliament dominated by two main parties, the ruling and opposition parties, is regulated in more easily. Furthermore, the compliance in the government that can be established without the need for coalition are more possible and attainable. The emergence of well-balanced decisions in the government increases public confidence and provides stability in the country.
However, it should be noted that the link between electoral systems and the number of parties is not only about accountability, but also political legislative framework. In other words, it is claimed that the electoral system - that is, the way in which the election is contested and votes are translated into seats - strongly influences the number and types of parties that develop.
Analysis of voting systems into the study of electoral systems shows that the major consequence of a single member district plurality voting system is a very strong tendency for two political parties to dominate the political system, or what is called a “two-party duopoly”. In this kind of political system it is extremely difficult for third parties to play a sustained, important role.
Cite this Article:
Fuad Afgan KZ (2016) Political Elections as an Element of Democracy. J Pol Sci Pub Aff 4:220. doi:10.4172/2332-0761.1000220
This excerpt is taken from an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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Home » Press-centre » Origination is key to success in direct lending
Origination is key to success in direct lending
8 th August 2017
Since the financial crisis, changing regulation and a more conservative risk environment mean that banks have been reluctant to make loans of the size that they did prior to the crash in 2008. As a result, small and medium-sized companies have had to look to other financing providers. One, albeit small, source of funding has been institutional investors, which have established pure direct lending funds to service this growing demand. Patrick Marshall, Head of Private Debt & CLOs at Hermes Investment Management, discusses the options for loan origination.
Like all asset classes, this asset class comes with inherent risks. These include credit risk in the form of borrowers’ defaults, which was a significant issue for lenders during the financial crisis. Medium-sized companies have an average default rate of around 3.1% over the past 10 years. However, senior secured loans, which stand at the top of the capital structure, enjoy average recoveries on default in Europe in excess of 75%, which is significantly higher than some other asset classes such as high yield bonds.
A more pressing issue for investors today is the significant uptick in capital allocated to private debt funds. The amount of dry powder yet to be deployed in private debt in Europe is at an all-time high. This combination of needing to minimise credit risk and competition for opportunities means that loan selection and origination are more important than ever for private debt investors.
The first solution to these challenges is to conduct detailed analysis of each opportunity, undertaking full financial and business analysis to ascertain the risk of a credit event with the borrower. The analysis is undertaken from a top-down and bottom-up perspective. Top-down research sheds light on broader industry dynamics, such as sensitivity to the business cycle, the level of competition in a sector and pertinent regulatory issues. However, it is also vital to understand the business’s own model, the resilience of this and its financial profile. Further considerations are the borrower’s ownership structure and management team as both these constituents will be paramount to the success of a business. An ability to negotiate the right terms within the loan documentation is important in providing the lender with the right level of safeguards for the life of the loan. This can only be undertaken by a highly experienced team.
The other half of the solution is having access to the best deals in the first place. The ability for the loan provider to be able to choose the right loans protects them from becoming a forced lender, who is obliged to deploy in the very few opportunities that arise. In order to maximise the loan opportunities available, Hermes signed an exclusive co-lending partnership with RBS. This agreement is a real differentiator from any other in the market, and a game changer for the fund as RBS is required to share all lending opportunities, within certain parameters, with us. This allows us to choose whether or not to progress an opportunity, and ensures that investors can consider a broad and consistent range of deals with limited direct competition from other private debt funds. RBS was the second-largest middle-market lender in the UK in 2015 and 2016, which reflects the volume of deals available through this kind of partnership.
An experienced team will also be able to access compelling loan opportunities in the market through contacts working in the corporate world, financial advisors such as audit firms and law firms, among others. While this deal flow is not as consistent as that offered by a partnership, it provides some idiosyncratic opportunities that may not come to the attention of larger lenders. By combining original partnerships with deals sourced through existing contacts, investors should still be able to select the best loan opportunities in an increasingly competitive market.
In a world of low return, direct lending offers a compelling opportunity for investors in terms of risk-reward. While loan investments have their risks, by carefully selecting borrowers from a range of deal sources, investors can lend to sustainable, reliable businesses and achieve a significant potential rate of return in the process.
Patrick Marshall
Head of Private Debt and CLOs
The (new) working world
Jakob Nilsson, Head of Business Development, Asia
jakob.nilsson@hermes-investment.com
Lin Chew, Director - Business Development, Asia
lin.chew@hermes-investment.com
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Local women get introduction to brewing
By Carrie Steinweg on March 26, 2018 - 10:07pm
Raiye Rosado explains to a group of women how
vorlaufing works during the brewing process. A hose
is connected to the mash tub to pump mash out and
back in to help clarify it. (Photos by Carrie
Steinweg/H-F Chronicle)
The world of craft brewing is largely a male-dominated industry. Female brewers are few and far between. So during Women’s History Month some local women got together to learn the tricks of the trade at Homewood’s Rabid Brewing, led by a woman, Raiye Rosado, who is co-owner of the brewery with her husband, Tobias Cichon.
The participants were from the Women’s Adventure Club, a group that was formed through Facebook with a wide variety of monthly outings in and around Chicago’s South Suburbs.
Monica Gideon takes her
turn at vorlaufing.
This outing was a 10-or-so hour day of pouring and boiling and mixing and measuring and throwing around terms like hops and wort and mash and vorlaufing. They’ll be able to taste the fruits of their labor after about three weeks of fermenting when four barrels of beer will be served in the tap room as a 6.4 percent alcohol, 34 international bitterness unit red American ale called Sanguinista.
Rosado said that they really were all going on an adventure together. She’s assisted in beer making many times, but it’s her first time going solo and taking the lead. She said the group inspired her as much as she did them.
“Brewing takes all day and it’s a bunch of work and then wait,” said Rosado. During the wait times, they chatted and tasted.
Monica Gideon of Glenwood said it was her first time ever trying out any beer brewing, but she was excited to learn. Erica Rebec of Matteson wasn’t exactly a newbie, though.
“Those in my household brew beer, so it happens in my garage,” she said. “I mostly watch from afar.”
Erica Rebec pumps wort
out of the mash tun and
back in to help clarify it.
Rebec said that she’s always looking for new adventures for the group and after visiting the brewery and learning of Rosado’s involvement, she talked to her about doing a women’s brewing experience.
“Brewing was originally done by women. When brewing started hundreds of years ago, traditionally a woman married to a baker would take the old bread and that would be the yeast in the mash that would start off the beer. It was primarily a woman’s thing to do. It provided sustenance and a clean source of drinking water when water would be questionable and it wasn’t until brewing became a mass-production kind of thing that men sort of took it over,” said Rosado. “I don’t mean to say that we should take it back, but I feel like we should take a place back in it. It’s exciting to be part of it again.”
After doing home brewing for many years, Rosado and Cichon talked shortly after they married in 2012 about opening their own brewery. The business was five years in the making and while Cichon took on most of the hands-on work with the building and the beer and took on the artistic role, Rosado handled the administrative side of things.
In writing up a business plan and working through some of the paperwork associated with starting their business, Rosado took advantage of assistance available through the Women’s Business Development Center.
The group’s mission is “to support and accelerate business development and growth, targeting women and serving all diverse business owners, in order to strengthen their participation in, and impact on, the economy.” The WBDC offers entrepreneurial counseling, technical assistance and access to capital for each stage of the business cycle.
“They offer a number of services to women who are setting up small businesses. They help with working on a business plan, (and) how to find certain kinds of funding," Rosado said. "But the way in which they were lifeblood to me was in just verifying my business plan and giving me feedback on that and helping me to almost immediately credential myself with the village.
“There is nothing like having someone you trust who has no personal interest in what you’re doing, but has that kind of experience to be able to bounce ideas off of and find out how other places do it. The acumen that was available to me was second to none.”
The WBDC’s resources played a critical role in successfully moving Rosado toward her goal of opening the brewery. Her main contact was located in Homewood.
The WBDC is headquartered in Chicago and serves a nine-state Midwestern region. The nearest office is located at Governors State University. For more information on the WBDC, visit wbdc.org.
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Journal of Oncology
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Complete Special Issue
Tumor Angiogenesis as a Target for Dietary Cancer Prevention
William W. Li, Vincent W. Li, Michelle Hutnik, and Albert S. Chiou
The Angiogenesis Foundation, One Broadway, 14th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
Received 17 June 2011; Accepted 4 July 2011
Academic Editor: Kalpna Gupta
Copyright © 2012 William W. Li et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Between 2000 and 2050, the number of new cancer patients diagnosed annually is expected to double, with an accompanying increase in treatment costs of more than $80 billion over just the next decade. Efficacious strategies for cancer prevention will therefore be vital for improving patients' quality of life and reducing healthcare costs. Judah Folkman first proposed antiangiogenesis as a strategy for preventing dormant microtumors from progressing to invasive cancer. Although antiangiogenic drugs are now available for many advanced malignancies (colorectal, lung, breast, kidney, liver, brain, thyroid, neuroendocrine, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome), cost and toxicity considerations preclude their broad use for cancer prevention. Potent antiangiogenic molecules have now been identified in dietary sources, suggesting that a rationally designed antiangiogenic diet could provide a safe, widely available, and novel strategy for preventing cancer. This paper presents the scientific, epidemiologic, and clinical evidence supporting the role of an antiangiogenic diet for cancer prevention.
Cancer now affects as many as 24 million people worldwide, and results in over six million deaths each year [1]. In the United States, men and women have a 43% and 38% chance, respectively, of being diagnosed with any type of cancer during their lifetime [2]. Despite advances in the early detection of cancer, most malignancies are still diagnosed and treated at advanced stages, with a limited range of therapeutic options and poor overall survival. Simultaneously, cancer treatment costs are escalating, from $125 billion annually in the US in 2010 to a projected $207 billion by 2020 [3]. Cancer prevention is, thus, a key opportunity for managing the cancer pandemic. Unlike interventional approaches delivered to patients diagnosed with advanced cancer, preventative strategies must be suitable for healthy individuals and have low systemic toxicity, inhibiting microscopic tumor growth with minimal adverse effects on healthy tissues [4].
It is now well established that solid tumor growth is dependent upon angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels [5–10]. During early stages of tumorigenesis, the induction of angiogenesis by cancer cells is a critical event separating the preinvasive and dormant form of cancer from the invasive and metastatic phases of malignant growth. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the degree of tumor vascularity correlates positively with disease stage, the likelihood of metastases, and cancer recurrence [11, 12]. Angiogenesis also plays a role in hematogenous malignancies, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, as well as in premalignant myelodysplastic syndromes [13–17]. In these pathologies, vascular endothelial cells sustain and promote malignant cell growth by secreting paracrine survival factors [18, 19].
Antiangiogenic therapy has been validated as an effective cancer treatment strategy for a growing number of cancer types, including colorectal, renal, liver, lung, brain, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NET), gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), multiple myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndrome [20]. More than 120 novel antiangiogenic agents are in clinical, trials [20–22]. Importantly, a growing body of preclinical, clinical and epidemiological data is demonstrating that angiogenesis inhibition can be applied for achieving cancer prevention [23, 24]. This paper presents the scientific and clinical evidence supporting antiangiogenesis as a rational strategy for the prevention of cancer, exploiting factors that are naturally present in dietary sources.
2. The Physiological State of Angiogenesis Regulation
The human body contains 60,000 miles of blood vessels, including 19 billion capillaries. All normal cells in the body are located no further than 100–200 μm from the nearest capillary, the diffusion limit of oxygen [25]. Capillaries not only deliver oxygen and micronutrients to tissues, but the endothelial cells comprising them secrete paracrine growth and survival signals that influence adjacent nonvascular cells [18]. Under physiological conditions, the rate of cell proliferation is balanced with the rate of cell death (apoptosis), so there is no net tissue growth. Expansion of tissue mass requires angiogenesis to support increased metabolic demand [9]. In normal healthy adults, angiogenesis is constitutively suppressed except for brief bursts during the female reproductive cycle (endometrial regeneration, corpus luteum formation), pregnancy (placentation), and wound healing (granulation) [26–30]. The physiological state is thus maintained in a constitutive state of suppressed angiogenesis by endogenous inhibitory mechanisms opposing the action of angiogenic growth and other stimulating factors.
2.1. Angiogenic Growth Factors
More than 30 endogenous molecules have been identified as angiogenic factors (Table 1). These share the ability to stimulate neovascularization in vivo and induce endothelial proliferation, migration, or capillary tube formation in vitro. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF or FGF2) was the first angiogenic factor to be identified from a tumor extract, but vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular permeability factor (VEGF/VPF) is the best studied [30]. VEGF is a potent endothelial mitogen that increases vascular permeability, and also induces Bcl-2, promoting vascular survival [31–34]. VEGF is expressed by all human tumors studied and its receptors (VEGFR-1, -R2, -R3 and -R4) are expressed selectively on angiogenic endothelial cells [35]. Placental growth factor (PlGF) plays a specific role in pathological neovascularization by recruiting bone marrow-derived vascular stem cells to disease sites [36, 37]. Other factors include platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF), interleukin-3 (IL-3), interleukin-8 (IL-8), transforming growth factor-β (TGF 𝛽 ), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) [38, 39]. Other angiogenic factors are neuregulin, a ligand for the ErbB receptor, and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF or FGF-7) [40, 41]. Angiogenic factors are observed at low levels or undetectable in the circulation in normal, healthy subjects. By contrast, markedly elevated levels of factors such as bFGF, VEGF, and PD-ECGF are present in the serum, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid of cancer patients [42, 43].
Table 1: Angiogenic factors.
2.2. Physiological Inhibition of Angiogenesis
Angiogenesis inhibitory activity was first discovered in studies of cartilage, a naturally avascular tissue [44]. Numerous endogenous antiangiogenic molecules have subsequently been identified, including troponin-1, tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs), chondromodulin I, connective tissue-growth factor (CTGF), decorin, metastatin, pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) thrombospondin-1 and -2, interferons, tetrahydrocortisol-S, platelet factor-4, and protamine [45–60]. Other inhibitors, such as canstatin, tumstatin, and arresten, are present in the basement membrane surrounding established blood vessels [61–63].
A separate and distinct class of inhibitors is comprised of proteolytic fragments derived from cleaved larger molecules. Angiostatin is an internal fragment of plasminogen and specifically inhibits endothelial cell proliferation [64]. Enzymes such as macrophage-derived elastase and serine proteases generate angiostatin or angiostatin-like fragments [65, 66]. Endostatin, a 20-kDa fragment of collagen XVIII, is a specific angiogenesis inhibitor that induces endothelial apoptosis [67, 68]. Both angiostatin and endostatin were discovered in the serum of tumor-bearing experimental mice, suggesting that tumor-associated protease activity generates these inhibitors. Removal of the primary tumor led to a marked decline in serum angiostatin and endostatin, followed by rapid angiogenic growth of metastatic lesions [9, 69]. Endostatin is present at a low circulating level in normal subjects [70]. Collectively, these endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors play a dominant role in suppressing angiogenesis in health and contribute to tumor dormancy (Table 2).
Table 2: Endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis.
2.3. Balance and Imbalance of Angiogenesis
Vascular growth is physiologically governed by a homeostatic balance between positive and negative angiogenesis regulators, so that neovascularization is normally suppressed [71]. Vascular proliferation occurs when angiogenic growth factor production is upregulated, or when expression of endogenous inhibitors is downregulated, or when both events occur simultaneously [72–74]. The genetic regulators of angiogenesis are closely related to tumor growth promotion and suppression (Table 3). Gene knockout studies in mice have shown that Id1 and Id3, peptides that control cell differentiation by interfering with DNA binding of transcription factors, are required for normal vascular formation and induction of angiogenesis in tumor-bearing animals [75]. The activated forms of the oncogenes H-ras, v-raf, c-myc, c-src, Her-2/neu, and p73 are associated with cellular production of VEGF as well as tumorigenesis [76–83]. Several tumor-suppressor genes regulate angiogenesis inhibition, including p53, Rb, vHL, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and trk B [84] Wild-type p53 controls expression of the angiogenesis inhibitor thrombospondin and decreases tumor neovascularization; mutant p53 leads to the opposite effect [73]. The retinoblastoma (Rb) gene and the von Hippel-Lindau (vHL) gene both downregulate VEGF expression; their mutation leads to VEGF production, angiogenesis, and tumor growth [85, 86].
Table 3: Genetic control of angiogenesis.
2.4. The Avascular Dormant Phase of Cancer
Microscopic cancer cells are commonly present in the healthy adult, the result of errors during replication of 60–90 trillion cells. To acquire sustenance, the incipient tumors (60–80 cells) may migrate toward existing host vessels, a process known as vessel cooption, but their growth remains limited [87–89]. Tumors are capable of growth to approx 0.5 mm3 in diameter (10,000,000 cells) before reaching a steady state of growth. Beyond this size, their metabolic demands exceed the supply of oxygen and nutrients obtained by passive diffusion from nearby blood vessels. This state corresponds to carcinoma in situ, and the rate of tumor cell proliferation is balanced by apoptosis [90]. Such microscopic tumors may exist for years without clinical detection.
Autopsy studies have shown that these microscopic cancers are present in the breasts of up to 40% of women between the ages of 40 and 50 years, and in 50% of prostates in men between 50 and 60 years. By age 70, microscopic cancers are detected in the thyroids of virtually everyone. Most of these tumors never become clinically significant, leading to the concept of “cancer without disease” as a normal state during aging. Physiological angiogenesis inhibition is regarded as one of the mechanisms that prevent microscopic cancers from converting to a malignant phenotype.
2.5. The “Switch” to the Angiogenic Phenotype during Multistep Tumorigenesis
To expand beyond the limits of the preexisting vascular supply, tumors recruit new blood vessels from surrounding vessels, an event known as the “switch” to the angiogenic phenotype [91] (see Figure 1). Three classic studies employing transgenic mice have delineated this switch as normal cells undergo the transition from normalcy to hyperplasia to dysplasia, and finally to frank carcinoma.
Figure 1: The switch to the angiogenic phenotype occurs during multistage tumorigenesis. As malignancy develops, cells progress from a prevascular stage (normal to early hyperplasia) to a vascular stage (late hyperplasia to dysplasia to invasive carcinoma). Angiogenesis becomes clearly evident during dysplasia and is critical for further growth. Targeting tumor angiogenesis may be a novel strategy for preventing cancer. (Reprinted by permission from the Angiogenesis Foundation. Copyright 2011 by The Angiogenesis Foundation. All rights reserved).
In a model of spontaneous 𝛽 -islet cell tumor formation, Rip1-Tag2 transgenic mice selectively express the SV40 T-antigen oncogene in their insulin producing β cells and undergo a predictable sequence of multistep tumorigenesis [71, 92, 93]. The transformed β-cells are localized to approx 400 islets in the pancreas, of which 100% express the oncogene. Over time, 50–70% of these islets become hyperplastic nodules. A distinct angiogenic stage occurs at 6-7 wk of age between the hyperplastic stage and the time at which subset islets become invasive carcinomas at 12–16 weeks. The angiogenic capacity of these lesions is observed as visible intense tumor vascularization, accompanied by induction of capillary sprouting, endothelial proliferation, and a starburst-like convergence of capillaries when islets are harvested in vivo and cocultured with endothelial cells in vitro. Importantly, nonangiogenic islets are unable to grow beyond 0.6–0.8 mm3 in size, whereas the small subset of angiogenic islets can expand into a lethal tumor burden [94].
A second study utilized the bovine papillomavirus oncogene in a transgenic mouse model of dermal fibrosarcoma [95, 96]. Distinct stages of tumorigenesis are observed, from normal cells to a proliferative hyperplastic stage (mild and aggressive fibromas) to neoplasia (fibrosarcoma). The preneoplastic fibromas grow horizontally within the dermis as thin avascular lesions, and the fibrosarcomas are expansile and densely vascularized. Angiogenesis is first observed during the late preneoplastic stage (aggressive fibroma) and sustained until death of the animals by fibrosarcoma. Aggressive fibromas and fibrosarcomas secrete bFGF. By contrast, bFGF is not secreted by normal cells or by mild fibromas.
A third study involved K14-HPV16 transgenic mice in which the human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 oncogene is targeted to expression in basal cells of the epidermis by regulatory elements of the human keratin-14 promoter [97]. These basal keratinocytes undergo sequential changes from normal cells (no vascularization) to hyperplasia (mild vascularization from the underlying dermis) to dysplasia (abundant vessels under the basement membrane in close apposition to aberrant keratinocytes) to squamous cell carcinoma (intense angiogenesis breaching the basement membrane into the tumor). In hyperplasia, dysplasia, and at the invading cancer front, angiogenesis is associated with mast cell infiltration and degranulation [98]. Mast cells contain numerous angiogenic stimulators in their secretory granules, such as the serine protease MCP-4, VEGF, bFGF, TGFβ, TNFα, and IL-8 [99, 100]. In dysplasia and carcinoma, tissue expression of VEGF was increased, correlating to increased tumor vessel density [101].
Together, these data demonstrate that angiogenesis is a discrete, genetically regulated and rate-limiting step during multistep tumorigenesis, that the transition from prevascular to vascular phase is accompanied by the production and release of one or more angiogenic growth factors, and that host inflammatory cells may amplify the angiogenic switch by contributing additional stimuli.
2.6. The Vascular Phase of Cancer
The onset of angiogenesis precedes an exponential phase of tumor growth accompanied by local organ invasion. The velocity of angiogenic capillary growth ranges from 0.223 to 0.8 mm/day [102–104]. Studies of avascular tumor explants placed in the anterior chamber of the eye show that once new vessels reach the explant, tumors can expand 16,000-fold in size in 2 wk [105]. During this expansion, cancer cells grow as a cuff around each new microvessel with a thickness of 50–200 μm. In this configuration, one endothelial cell supports the metabolic needs of 5–100 cancer cells [106, 107]. Eventually, invading blood vessels occupy 1.5% of the tumor volume [108]. Tumor angiogenesis also facilitates cancer metastases by allowing cells to exit through the neovascular network into the systemic circulation [109]. Elegant studies of mammary carcinomas in mice have shown that a 1 cm tumor sheds up to 4 × 10 − 6 malignant cells into the circulation every 24 h [110].
3. Targeting Tumor Angiogenesis for Cancer Prevention
The concept of “antiangiogenesis” was first proposed in 1971 by Judah Folkman, who hypothesized that inhibition of neovascularization at an early stage of cancer development could prevent tumor growth and metastases and maintain tumor dormancy [7]. A vast literature establishes that angiogenesis inhibition is an effective strategy to restrict cancer growth in animal models bearing a wide variety of cancers [8, 111]. To date, more than 300 angiogenesis-inhibitory molecules have been identified as potential drug candidates, including many natural and synthetic chemical entities (reviewed in 55). Selective targeting of angiogenic blood vessels is possible as a result of differential proliferation rates between normal and tumor-associated endothelium. The normal vasculature is highly quiescent, with only one in every 10,000 endothelial cells dividing at any given time, and a physiological doubling time ranging from 47 to 20,000 days [112–114]. In contrast, the doubling rate for tumor endothelium is 2–13 days. Thus, antiangiogenic agents are selective in inhibiting proliferating tumor vasculature, but do not affect normal blood vessels.
3.1. Targets of Tumor Angiogenesis
Specific molecular and cellular targets have been identified for tumor angiogenesis. These include targets present during the orderly events characterizing new blood vessel growth [115]. These include (1) angiogenic growth factor production, release, and receptor activation, (2) degradation of vascular basement membrane, (3) endothelial proliferation, migration, and survival, (4) blood vessel sprouting and invasion, (5) tubular morphogenesis, (6) arterial-venous patterning, (7) vascular maturation, and (8) recruitment of endothelial stem cells.
3.2. Clinical Principles of Antiangiogenic Therapy
The clinical development of antiangiogenic therapy began in the late 1980s. The first successful treatment of a vascular tumor (pulmonary hemangiomatosis) occurred in 1989 using interferon-α 2a as an antiendothelial agent [116]. The first drug to enter formal clinical trials as an angiogenesis inhibitor was TNP-470 in 1992 [117]. Since 2004, more than 14 different antiangiogenic agents have been demonstrated to be efficacious in treating solid and hematogenous cancers, primarily in the setting of advanced disease (see Table 4). To date, most agents that are specific or selective for angiogenesis are well tolerated in humans, with fewer serious (Grade 3 and 4) toxicities observed in their clinical trials when compared to cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs [118–120]. Because only proliferating endothelium is targeted, the traditional side effects of chemotherapy, such as leukopenia, alopecia, and mucositis, are rarely observed. With some antiangiogenic agents, a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) cannot be determined [70]. This has led some clinical investigations to incorporate pharmacodynamic techniques for determining the optimal biological dose (OBD) of agents in clinical trials.
Table 4: Approved antiangiogenic agents and cancer indications.
Collectively, translational research studies have shown that overall disease burden is important to consider in the evaluation of the clinical effects of any antiangiogenic agent. Advanced cancers contain well-established, extensive vascular networks that may respond minimally to angiogenesis inhibitors. Vascular destructive agents, also known as vascular targeting agents, may be required to achieve a clinically significant effect on tumor perfusion [121–123]. Indeed, most preclinical studies of angiogenesis inhibitors demonstrate drug efficacy in the setting of incipient disease (prevention) or small tumors (early intervention). Clinical trials of the same agents, however, have often enrolled patients with advanced, metastastic, and heavily pretreated disease, perhaps explaining differences between mice studies and the results of human trials [124]. Antiangiogenic therapy in the adjuvant setting to suppress minimal residual disease, or as an intervention for early-stage disease or cancer prevention, has been proposed as the scenario of the greatest clinical benefit using angiogenesis inhibitors [125].
The remainder of this paper is devoted to discussing the potential for angiogenesis inhibitors for prevention of cancer.
4. Early Intervention and Cancer Prevention
4.1. Early Intervention
Angiogenesis inhibition offers an opportunity to interrupt an early, rate-limiting step in tumorigenesis [126, 127]. Suppression of pathological blood-vessel growth prevents early tumors from progressing to the malignant phenotype. Clinical correlates to preinvasive angiogenic lesions are commonly encountered in breast (ductal carcinoma in situ—DCIS), cervix (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia—CIN), skin (actinic keratosis), oropharynx (late Barrett’s esophagus), lung (squamous metaplasia with dysplasia in bronchial mucosa), colon (premalignant adenoma), and prostate (high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia, HGPIN) [128–133]. Microscopic metastases are also present in many cancer patients who are undergoing tumor resection with curative intent. For example, 25% of colon cancer patients eventually develop hepatic metastases after primary tumor resection emerging from preangiogenic lesions that were present at the time of surgery [134–136]. By suppressing tumor neovascularization at subclinical stages, tumor progression and metastatic growth may be halted.
4.2. Superiority of Early Therapy and Sustained Angiogenesis Suppression
Animal studies have demonstrated that early administration of angiogenesis inhibitors is highly efficacious. The drug TNP-470 ( 𝑂 -[chloroacetyl-carbonyl] fumagillol) is a potent antiangiogenic analog of the antibiotic fumagillin [124, 137]. A rat model of liver metastasis using K12/TRb rat colon adenocarcinoma cells was employed to study the differential efficacy of early, early prolonged, or delayed administration of TNP-470 (15 mg/kg) on metastatic burden and survival [134]. Treatment initiated at d1 after tumor inoculation (early intervention) and maintained for 28d (prolonged therapy) led to a 46% reduction in liver metastases and improved survival time compared to controls ( 𝑃 = 0 . 0 1 1 ). Another study showed a superior reduction in metastases with early (d 0–6) compared to delayed (d 7–13) TNP-470 treatment in rabbits bearing VX2 carcinoma [138].
The effect of TNP-470 on subclinical disease has also been elegantly studied by Shusterman and colleagues [139]. In the first study, xenografts of human neuroblastoma-derived CHP-134 were implanted into athymic (nu/nu) mice, with initiation of antiangiogenic treatment 12 h following grafting (early primary tumor model). Treated tumors were reduced by 90%, compared to control animals. The second study involved administration of TNP-470 12 h following tail vein injection of CHP-134 cells into SCID/Beige mice (metastatic model). Autopsy of saline-treated control mice showed neuroblastoma deposits in the kidney, liver, adrenal gland, and ovaries in 75% of subjects, whereas TNP-470-treated mice showed no evidence of metastases. A third study evaluated TNP-470 effects in mice whose tumors were initially 0.35 mm3, but then became difficult to palpate following 10 d of cyclophosphamide treatment (minimal residual disease model). TNP-470 was then administered subcutaneously. Tumor growth was suppressed in the TNP-470-treated group by 82%, compared to saline-treated controls. Histopathological analyses showed increased apoptosis by TdT-mediated nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay in treated animals, but no with difference in tumor cell proliferation by Ki-67 assessment [90, 139]. These data demonstrate the importance of timing in antiangiogenic therapy and its efficacy in subclinical disease.
4.3. Evidence for Antiangiogenic Cancer Prevention
Cancer chemoprevention is defined as the use of pharmacological, natural, or dietary agents to inhibit the development of invasive cancer by blocking DNA damage caused by carcinogens or by arresting the progression of premalignant cells after damage has already occurred [4]. Angiogenesis inhibition blocks carcinogenesis by preventing progression to the invasive phenotype [111, 140, 141]. A number of well-known chemopreventive agents have antiangiogenic properties in vivo and in vitro (see Table 5). These include retinoids, vitamin D3, tamoxifen, oltipraz, curcumin, linoleic acid, ellagic acid, selenium, α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), catechins, and celecoxib [142–151]. Classical angiogenesis assay systems, such as the chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM), the corneal micropocket assay, and modified rat aortic ring assay, have been used to screen for biological activity of established chemopreventive agents [152, 153]. Known angiogenesis inhibitors such as endostatin have also been shown to suppress carcinogen-induced tumor development in rodent models [154]. The antiangiogenic properties of select chemopreventive molecules shall be discussed.
Table 5: Chemopreventive agents that possess antiangiogenic properties.
4.4. Antiangiogenic Factors in Dietary Sources
4.4.1. Green Tea Catechins
After water, tea is the second most popular liquid in the world, and its consumption is linked with a decreased risk of colon, prostate, lung, esophageal, and other cancers [155–157]. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that green tea and its catechins prevent mutagenesis, tumorigenesis, cancer invasion and metastases, and angiogenesis [158–163]. Polyphenol catechins in tea, predominantly flavanols, possess chemopreventive and antiangiogenic activity. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a potent tea flavonoid that specifically inhibits endothelial cell proliferation stimulated by bFGF and induces avascular zones in the chick CAM assay. Mice that consume 1.25% green tea (human equivalent of drinking 2-3 cups of tea/day) show inhibition of VEGF-stimulated corneal neovascularization by as much as 70% and reduction of tumor cell invasion by 50% [163]. Green tea solution 0.6% administered to mice as the sole source of drinking fluid results in less tissue VEGF expression seen by immunostaining and lower microvessel density in lung adenomas, as well as significantly fewer tumors induced by the NNK carcinogen [162].
The molecular mechanism of EGCG is the result of its inhibition of urokinase and two gelatinases (MMP-2 and -9) involved in vascular as well as tumor invasion [164, 165]. The MMP inhibitory activity is independent of zinc or calcium binding by EGCG. High doses of EGCG induce apoptosis when topically applied to SKH-1 hairless mice bearing UVB-induced squamous cell carcinomas [166]. Clinical trials are underway in Western and Asian nations to study the chemopreventive potential of green tea for oral, prostate, skin, and other cancers.
Preliminary data from these trials suggest clinical efficacy. An Italian study involving men with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) demonstrated a protective effect from consuming daily green tea catechins over the course of a single year [167]. The double-blind, placebo-control study randomized sixty men with HGPIN into a treatment arm receiving 600 mg of purified green tea catechins (equivalent to 2-3 cups of tea/day) and a placebo arm. The men were followed for one year, at which point they underwent prostate mapping via core needle biopsies. Based on those biopsy results, 30% of the placebo group progressed to prostate cancer, while the treatment arm demonstrated an impressively low progression rate of 3%. Similarly, a Japanese interventional study of patients with recently removed colonic adenomas demonstrated that participants drinking an average of 12 cups equivalent of green tea polyphenols, obtained through both purified extracts and whole tea, had a 50% reduction in risk of adenoma recurrence compared to patients who drank an average of six cups of green tea [168]. Chemopreventive effects in humans have also been observed through experimental trials involving the treatment of precancerous oral and cervical lesions [169, 170].
Polyphenon E, an extract from green tea leaves containing a defined mixture of polyphenolic catechins, is in clinical trials for prostate, bladder, esophageal, lung, head and neck cancers, and leukemia. In topical form, Polyphenon E 15% ointment was approved by the U.S. FDA in 2006 as a treatment for external genital warts, which is considered an angiogenic neoplasm and a precursor to cervical cancer [171].
4.4.2. Genistein
Genistein (4′,5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone), an isoflavonoid found in soybeans, has both chemopreventive and antiangiogenic activity. It suppresses carcinogenesis in a variety of animal models of mammary and prostate carcinoma following oral and parenteral administration [172–174]. Multiple antitumor mechanisms of action have been identified, including angiogenesis inhibition, induction of apoptosis, G2 cell cycle arrest, inhibition of c-fos expression and NF-κB activation, modulation of sex steroid receptors and growth factor signaling pathways [175–177]. Genistein inhibits angiogenesis by the following mechanisms: inhibition of bFGF- and VEGF-driven endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation; inhibition of extracellular matrix degradation by suppression of bFGF-induced endothelial production of plasminogen activator (PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI); and suppression of receptor tyrosine kinase activity for VEGF, EGF, and PDGF [178, 179].
The antiangiogenic activity of genistein was initially detected in a study of healthy Japanese individuals who consumed a traditional soy-rich Japanese diet [180]. Urine from these subjects was collected, fractionated, and examined for activity to inhibit bFGF-stimulated endothelial cell proliferation. Of two fractions with antiendothelial activity, one contained genistein, daidzein, and O-desmethylangolensin. The impact of dietary soy intake was significant. In men who consumed a Japanese versus Western diet, urinary genistein was 7052 nmol/day compared to 184.4 nmol/day, respectively [181]. Soy intake has been shown to be inversely associated with cancer risk. Historically, breast cancer incidence rates have been 4 to 7 times higher among white women in the US compared to in women in China or Japan. However, when Asian women migrate to the US, their breast cancer risk rises over several generations to reach that of US white women, suggesting that modifiable factors, such as diet, rather than genetics, are responsible for the international differences. A study of over 73,000 women in China showed that daily intake of soy products such as soy milk, tofu, and fresh soybeans decreased premenopausal breast cancer risk [182]. Likewise, American women of Asian descent who consume a traditional soy-based diet have a low incidence of breast cancer [178, 183]. Early soy intake (>1.5 times per week) during childhood was found to reduce later breast cancer risk by 58% in a study of Asian women in California and Hawaii [184]. Similarly, Japanese men in Hawaii who consume a high soy diet have low mortality from prostate cancer, although the incidence at autopsy of in situ prostate neoplasia is similar to men in Western societies [185]. Based on laboratory findings and epidemiological data, genistein and a manufactured derivative known as genistein-concentrated polysaccharide (GCP), are being evaluated in prevention trials for prostate cancer [186].
Such clinical studies have helped dispel the theoretical concerns that soy intake may worsen breast cancer or interact with tamoxifen treatment due to the fact that genistein is a phytoestrogen. In fact, among women with breast cancer, soy food consumption has now been shown in numerous, large-scale studies to be significantly associated with decreased risk of death and recurrence, regardless of estrogen receptor status or tamoxifen use [187].
4.4.3. Resveratrol
Resveratrol (3,4′,5-trihydroxystilbene) is a natural phytoalexin and polyphenol found in more than 72 plant species, such as mulberries, peanuts, grapes, and grape products, including red and rose wine. Fresh grape skins contain 50–100 μg resveratrol per g and yield a concentration in Italian red wine of 1.5–3 mg/L [188]. White wine contains minimal levels of resveratrol. Resveratrol inhibits angiogenesis in the chick CAM assay, suppresses VEGF- and bFGF-induced corneal neovascularization (at 3-4 mg, equivalent to 3-4 glasses red wine/day), and inhibits tumor vascularization in T241 fibrosarcoma growing in mice [189]. Resveratrol also inhibits chemically induced mammary carcinogenesis, skin cancer tumorigenesis, and tumor growth and metastasis in mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma [188, 189]. In mice with full thickness skin wounds, resveratrol delays wound healing angiogenesis and the time required for complete wound closure [190]. A number of antiangiogenic mechanisms have been identified, including suppression of capillary tube formation inhibition of endothelial cell DNA synthesis and binding of VEGF to human endothelial cells reduction of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) interference with phosphorylation of endothelial mitogen-activated kinases; suppression of COX-2 enzyme and inhibition of MMP-9 expression [189, 191–193].
Red wine in particular has been repeatedly shown to have protective effects in large population studies. The California Men’s Health study of over 84,000 men demonstrated an inverse relationship between red wine consumption and lung cancer incidence. Notably, there was a 61% risk reduction for men drinking at least one glass of red wine per day [194]. This protective benefit for lung cancer with greater than one glass per day was replicated in a Spanish population, using a case-control methodology involving hospitalized lung cancer patients [195]. Additionally, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study identified a protective effect for prostate cancer with a 36% risk reduction in men drinking 2–4 glasses of red wine per week [196].
4.4.4. Lycopene
Lycopene, a type of natural pigment in the carotenoid family, gives tomatoes and other fruits such as watermelon and papayas their bright red color. Lycopene is an angiogenesis inhibitor which suppresses signaling by PDGF and Platelet Activation Factor in vitro [197]. In animal studies, lycopene suppresses spontaneous mammary tumors, hepatocarcinogenesis, colonic crypt foci, prostate cancer, and hepatoma metastases [198].
Two interventional studies have also demonstrated potent biologic effects of lycopene in the setting of malignancy. In one study, 32 men who were recently diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer were instructed to eat one meal per day incorporating commercially made tomato sauce containing 30 mg of lycopene for 3 weeks. They then underwent curative prostatectomy; pathologic examination of the resected tissue showed a 3-fold increase of lycopene concentration in the prostate tissue, along with a slight decrease in blood prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level [199]. In a separate study, 41 men with recurrent prostate cancer were asked to consume a tomato-rich diet to achieve a minimum lycopene intake of 25 mg/day along with 40 g/day of soy protein for a total of 8 weeks. While the study design made it difficult to separate the dietary effects of lycopene from soy, it is notable that the mean serum VEGF levels of all the subjects was reduced from 87 to 51 ng/mL in a statistically significant way, and that 34% of the men experienced reduced PSA levels [200].
In the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study of over 51,000 men, the highest quintile of lycopene consumption was found to have a 15% risk reduction for developing prostate cancer compared to men in the lowest quintile [201]. The risk reduction was even greater if tomato sauce was ingested; men consuming more than 2 servings/week had a nearly 23% risk reduction compared to men consuming less than 1 serving/month.
4.4.5. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)
Omega-3 fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids that are vital for normal metabolism but cannot be synthesized by the human body. The best known sources of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids—docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA)—are cold water oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and trout. Both preclinical and epidemiological studies suggest that omega-3 PUFAs are effective cancer preventative agents. Omega-3 PUFAs inhibit angiogenesis by downregulating angiopoietin-2 and may competitively inhibit the bioconversion of omega-6 PUFA's into their angiogenesis-promoting derivatives such as prostaglandins and arachidonic acid [202]. In contrast, omega-6 PUFAs, present at high levels in sunflower oil, peanut oil, and corn oils, have been shown in vitro to stimulate endothelial migration and tube formation. Furthermore, omega-3 PUFAs have been shown to suppress Akt/m-TOR signaling pathway [203]. In animal models, Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to suppress a variety of tumors and to prevent osteolytic metastastic lesions in bone from breast cancer [204].
Intake of omega-3 PUFAs from seafood has been associated with a decreased risk for certain cancers, including pancreatic, colon, breast, and prostate cancer. In a case-control study of 532 people diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, consumption of omega-3 fatty acid of at least 0.85 g/day was associated with a decreased risk of pancreatic cancer; those with the highest intake had a 30% risk reduction [205]. A meta-analysis of fish intake and prostate cancer in case-control and cohort studies revealed no association between fish consumption and prostate cancer incidence, but showed a significant 63% reduction in prostate cancer mortality [206].
4.4.6. Glucosinolates, Isothiocyanates, and Indole-3-carbinol
Cruciferous vegetables—which include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, mustard greens, radishes, Brussel sprouts, bok choy, and kale—are rich in glucosinolates, a mustard oil glycoside that imparts a spicy, bitter flavor. The enzyme myrosinase—stored in a separate compartment of the plant cell and liberated when the plant is crushed—converts glucosinolate to the bioactive molecules isothiocyanate and indole-3-carbinol, both of which are antiangiogenic. Sulforaphane, a type of isothiocyanate, acts through inactivation of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha, activation of FOXO transcription factors, and promotion of endothelial cell apoptosis [207–209]. Indole-3-carbinol inhibits endothelial cell proliferation, tube formation and induces apoptosis [210, 211].
Epidemiological evidence suggests that regular dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables may lower the risk of developing several cancers. A major prospective dietary study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), followed the dietary habits and health of 521,468 subjects in 10 European countries between 1991–2000 [212]. After an average followup of 8.7 years, 1,830 people were diagnosed with lung cancer. Regular consumption of cauliflower and cabbage by current smokers was associated with a 23% reduction in the risk for squamous cells carcinoma of the lung. The study also found an almost 50% reduced risk of cancer of the upper digestive tract (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus) among people who ate the most cauliflower and cabbage (34 g/day) compared with those who ate the least (3 g/day) [213].
Another large prospective study of more than 35,000 women living in Iowa and followed for 20 years found a 18% reduced risk for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) among women who had the highest consumption of cruciferous vegetables; in particular, consumption of at least 4 servings/month or broccoli was associated with a 28% risk reduction for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma [214]. In separate study of nearly 67,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study, more frequent dietary intake of broccoli (at least 2 servings/week) was associated with a 33% risk reduction for ovarian cancer [215].
4.4.7. Flavonoids
Flavonoids are a family of polyphenols that serve as important plant pigments. Their natural roles may include acting as photoprotectants, antimicrobials, deterrents against herbivores, as well as attractants to pollinators and seed dispersant animals. They are subcategorized by chemical structure into flavones, flavonols (such as quercetin), anthocyanidins, proanthocyanidins, ellagic acid, ellagitannins, and isoflavones (such as genistein mentioned earlier), among others. In contrast, the term flavanol specifically refers to the catechins, mentioned earlier.
Flavonoids in fruits and vegetables include quercetin, anthocyanidins, proanthocyanidins, ellagitannins, among others. Flavonoids are antiangiogenic through a variety of mechanisms; they inhibit VEGF expression, inhibit endothelial cell migration, and decrease matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 [216–220]. The U.S. Department of Agriculture identifies spinach, onions, parsley, beets, and thyme among high flavonoid-containing vegetables and herbs [221]. Fresh salad greens such as lettuce, chicory, arugula, and red lettuce are also rich in polyphenolic flavonoids [222].
Quercetin is a flavonoid found in numerous types of fruits and vegetables. Its antiangiogenic properties include inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 secretion from tumor cells and inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation and migration [219]. For example, quercetin has been shown to reduce in vitro tube formation of VEGF-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) grown on a 3-dimensional matrix by as much as 40% [220]. With regards to epidemiologic data, a large prospective study of 41,000 women living in Iowa between the ages of 55 and 69 found a number of flavonoid-containing leafy greens, which are abundant in quercetin, was associated with a significant risk reduction for lung cancer [223]. Women who reported eating more than six servings of leafy greens per week were nearly half as likely to develop lung cancer during the four-year follow-up period, when compared to women who ate the least greens. This benefit extended to both smokers and nonsmokers alike.
One of the richest sources of dietary flavonoids is red onion, which has particularly high levels of quercetin. Case control studies from Italian and Swiss populations have shown that moderate (1–7 servings/week) to high frequency (>7 servings/week) of onion consumption protects against a variety of cancer including colorectal, prostate, ovarian, and laryngeal cancers [224]. For example, there was a nearly 73% risk reduction for ovarian cancer in the population when comparing those who frequently consumed onion (>7 servings/week) compared to those with less frequent consumption (<1 serving/week). Similarly, there was an 88% risk reduction for esophageal cancer in the group with highest versus lowest onion intake. In a separate Dutch cohort study, consumption of at least half an onion/day was associated with 50% risk reduction in gastric cancer [225]. Finally, researchers using data from the large-scale EPIC study showed that high onion consumption was associated with a 21% risk reduction for ovarian cancer [226].
Anthocyanins are pigments that are present in many types of berries and grapes as well as red wine. They exhibit a purple color at neutral pH, red in acidic, and blue in alkaline conditions. Anthocyanins are end-products of the flavonoid pathway, while anthocyanidins are their aglycone precursors. Their natural function may be to attract pollinators and animals to eat the fruit or plant and disperse their seeds.
They have been shown to inhibit angiogenesis and tumor growth in experimental animals injected subcutaneously with N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA), an esophageal carcinogen [227]. Rats that were fed an anthocyanin-rich freeze-fried extract (5% in diet) obtained from black raspberries (BRB), blackberries, or strawberries showed a reduced number of esophageal tumors as compared to controls –41% less by BRB, 46% less by blackberries, and 24% less by strawberries [228]. In another study of esophageal papillomas in rats, animals fed BRB had fewer papillomas that were of smaller volume, with reduced cell proliferation and suppression of VEGF and HIF-1alpha expression seen by immunohistochemistry as compared to the non-BRB treated mice [229, 230]. DNA microarray studies of rat esophageal carcinogenesis have shown that dietary black raspberries modulate the expression of genes associated with angiogenesis, including the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways of arachadonic acid metabolism, as well as MMP-10 expression; CD34 staining as a marker for microvessel density was also found to be significantly reduced in the BRB diet animals [228, 229]. Berries are also rich in other natural polyphenols such as ellagic acid, which contributes to bioactivity.
An extract from black raspberries has been studied in human subjects diagnosed clinically with oral intraepithelial neoplasia. BRB 10% was applied in a gel form to the oral mucosa four times daily. After 6 weeks, there was reduced histological grade of dysplastic lesions in 50% of treated subjects, and reduced levels of COX-2 and iNOS in the lesions [231].
Proanthocyanidins
Proanthocyanidins are a type of tannin—large polymeric chains of flavonoids—found in many plants and fruits, notably cacao, cinnamon, cranberry, apples, grapes, black current, chokeberry, and persimmon. Proanthocyanidins are thought to be the major source of flavonoids ingested in the Western diet [232]. Historically tannins from wood bark were used as tanning agents to turn animal hide into leather due to their ability to precipitate proteins. They are also responsible for the astringent taste of certain foods and beverages [233]. Among their natural roles is protection against predation [234]. Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins share steps in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Specifically, proanthocyanidins are generated from the polymerization of flavonoid monomers, which are products of a branch pathway of anthocyanin biosynthesis.
Proanthocyanidins constitute 60% of the polyphenol content in cacao, the source of chocolate [235]. It is in the yeast-based fermentation of the raw cacao bean where the characteristic flavor precursors develop and polyphenols complex into procyanidin polymers with a core structure of (–)-epicatechin, similar to green tea [236]. Pentameric and octameric procyanidins isolated from cacao beans have been shown to inhibit the growth of cultured human aortic endothelial cells and human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) following angiogenic stimulation with low-level H2O2 [237]. The cacao pentameric fraction downregulates the expression of ErbB2 tyrosine kinase. Cocoa powder extract inhibits TNF-alpha-induced VEGF secretion in vitro. When JB6 mouse epidermal cells were pretreated with a polyphenol-rich cocoa powder extract, then exposed to TNF-alpha, there was a dose-dependent inhibition of TNF-alpha-induced VEGF expression compared to untreated controls [238]. At the highest but noncytotoxic concentration of cacao extract, VEGF expression was reduced more than twofold compared to controls.
There is evidence that cacao consumption can affect human vasculature and health. After ingestion, cacao flavonoids are stable in the gastric environment and can be detected in human plasma [239]. In studies of human volunteers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity is inhibited by 18% only three hours after a single intake of 75 grams of dark (72% cocoa) chocolate [240]. In a study of 4,849 individuals in Italy, those who ate one 20 gram serving of dark chocolate every 3 days had serum C-reactive protein (CRP) significantly lower than those who did not [241]. Notably, the Kuna Indians living on the San Blas Island of Panama—who have a ten-fold higher dietary intake of cacao compared to Panamanian mainlanders—have lower blood pressure, live longer, and have lower incidence of cancer compared to mainlanders [242]. Consistent with their cacao consumption, the Kuna have 6-times higher urinary excretion of cacao procyanidin metabolites than mainlanders [243].
Procyanidins are also found in cinnamon, which have been found to inhibit angiogenesis and tumor growth. Cinnamon extract inhibits VEGF receptor-2 on endothelial cells and suppresses endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation in vitro [244]. A water-soluble extract from dried cinnamon bark, orally administered every day or every other day for 20 days to mice bearing experimental melanomas suppresses melanoma growth [245]. The cinnamon extract suppressed tumor microvessel density, and as shown by quantitative RT-PCR, the expression of angiogenic factors VEGF, FGF, and TGF- 𝛽 as well as COX-2 and HIF-1alpha, which promote angiogenesis. In addition, the cinnamon extract suppresses melanoma metastasis as measured by the size and weight of the spleen and draining lymph nodes of mice bearing melanoma in vivo [245].
Many edible berries also contain proanthocyanidins, including the American cranberry, black currants, and grapes. Chokeberries, named because of their extreme astringency, contain among the highest levels of proanthocyanidins detected [246]. Mixtures of berry extracts inhibit tube formation of endothelial cells in Matrigel [247]. Extracts from blueberries, bilberries, raspberries, and strawberries suppress VEGF expression by immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) in vitro and this VEGF inhibition appears to be independent of the antioxidant property of the extracts [247]. Experimental liver cancer in rodents induced by the carcinogen DENA are suppressed in number and size by an extract from black currants added to the animal's diet (equivalent to 500 mg/kg body weight) [248]. Procyanidins in cranberries may have multiple health benefits including both chemopreventive properties as well as maintaining bladder health due to inhibiting E. Coli adherence to uroepithelium [249]. A cranberry extract tested on DU145 human prostate cancer cells significantly inhibited expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and increased expression of TIMP-2 in vitro, consistent with mechanisms that suppress angiogenesis [250]. Cranberry juice, given as a 20% solution, reduces the incidence of azoxymethane-induced colonic aberrant crypts in rats by 77% versus drinking water controls when supplemented for three weeks before and ten weeks after carcinogen exposure [251].
Both apples and apple juice are rich sources of procyanidins in addition to other polyphenols previously described such as quercetin and catechins. Based on the USDA Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII), apples are a major source of proanthocyanidins in the U.S. diet [232]. In a recent study, scientists examined the specific chemopreventive properties of a polyphenol extract of apple juice. Apple procyanidins were found to inhibit Cox-1 [252]. Several studies have shown that cloudy apple juices, such as apple cider, contain much higher concentrations of procyanidins than clear apple juices. Specifically, one study determined that the suspended particles in cloudy apple juice contain up to 60% of apple procyanidins in the juice.
Epidemiological studies have provided accumulating evidence that apples have cancer-preventive properties, particularly against lung and colorectal cancers. In the Nurses Health Study involving 77,000 women, a statistically significant 37% risk reduction for lung cancer was observed among women for increases of 1 serving per day of apples or pears [253]. Similar results were obtained from a Finnish cohort study involving 10,000 men and women [254]. The results of a case-control study conducted in Hawaii with 528 lung cancer cases and 528 controls found a statistically significant decrease in lung cancer risk with increased consumption of apples [255]. An analysis of case-control studies conducted in Italy found that people who consumed at least one apple per day had a significantly reduced risk of colorectal cancer and cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, breast, and ovary relative to those who ate less than an apple a day [256]. In a prospective cohort of 35,159 Iowa women aged 55–69 years, intake of apple juice or cider was associated with lower risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [214].
Ellagitannins
Ellagitannins are glycosides of the flavonoid ellagic acid and fall under the category of hydrolyzable tannins. They can be found in numerous types of fruits and nuts including pomegranate, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, muscadine grapes, walnuts, and pecans [257]. Upon consumption, ellagitannins are hydrolyzed to ellagic acid which is antiangiogenic. Colonic microbiota further convert ellagic acid to urolithin A which is also bioactive [258].
All parts of the pomegranate contain high levels of ellagitannins, of which the primary type is punicalagin. Bioactive polyphenols are found not only in the edible aril (pulp and seed) which is popularly consumed, but also concentrated in the peel of the fruit, which is not usually consumed but may be part of the juice extraction by some processors. Indeed, polyphenol extraction increases 6.5-fold when the whole fruit is processed compared to juice from arils alone [259]. Ellagitannins have been shown to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer in both in vitro and in vivo laboratory experiments, and studies have suggested that the compound’s antiangiogenic properties play a role in this inhibition. Interestingly, pure pomegranate juice has been found to be more potent than its separated individual polyphenol components, likely due to synergistic effects [260]. Effects of pomegranate extract (POMx)—derived from the skin and seeds of the pomegranate fruit—have been shown on endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human prostate cancer cells (LNCaP line) in vitro [261]. Pomegranate extract inhibited the proliferation of both cell types and suppressed the secretion of VEGF and HIF-1alpha. Mice implanted with human prostate tumors derived from the LAPC4 tumor line were administered the human equivalent of 1.7 cups (8 oz) of pomegranate juice per day. Pomegranate juice significantly decreased tumor microvessel density, as well as tumor size, compared to the control animals [261]. Pomegranate juice, when given as a 20% solution, reduces the incidence of azoxymethane-induced colonic aberrant crypts in rats [251]. In a study of men with recurrent prostate cancer who drank 1 cup of pomegranate juice per day, their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doubling time was extended from 15 to 54 months [262].
4.4.8. Menaquinone
A form of vitamin K, menaquinone (vitamin K2), found in certain food sources is antiangiogenic and associated with a reduced risk for developing several forms of cancer. Menaquinone is distinct from the phylloquinone (Vitamin K1) present in dark leafy vegetables. Instead, menaquinone is a fat—soluble vitamin formed naturally by bacteria in fermented dairy products, including cheese and yogurt, in fermented soy such as natto, and also present in dark meat. Certain cheeses, such as Dutch Gouda, Swiss Emmental, and Norwegian Jarlsberg, have particularly high concentrations of menaquinone. In laboratory studies, menaquinones suppress angiogenesis, enhance tumor apoptosis, and inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells [263].
A subpopulation of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, called the Heidelberg cohort, followed the diet and health status of more than 24,300 participants for at least ten years, starting in 1994. The participants answered detailed questionnaires at regular intervals about their diet and general health. During the follow-up period, 1,775 cancer cases were diagnosed, of which 458 were fatal. Among the foods documented, participants who consumed the most cheese (at least 41 g/day) had a significantly reduced risk of dying from cancer compared with those who consumed the least (less than 14 g/day) [264]. Cheese consumption contributed to about 45% of total menaquinone intake. In terms of specific cancers, higher consumption food containing menaquinone was associated with significantly lower incidences of lung cancer and prostate cancer. Participants with the highest levels of menaquinone in their diets had a 62% reduced risk of lung cancer compared with those with the least, and a similar reduced risk of dying from lung cancer.
Prospective clinical studies of vitamin K2 have shown chemopreventive activity in patients. In a study of 40 women in Osaka diagnosed with viral liver cirrhosis, individuals were assigned randomly to an intervention or control group. During more than 7 years of followup, the cumulative proportion of people who developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was significantly smaller in the group that received vitamin K2 (45 mg/day) [265]. Vitamin K2 decreased the risk of HCC to 20% compared to that of the control group. On an annual incidence basis, HCC developed in only 1.6% in the treatment group compared with 8.8% in the control group and 7.9% in the general cirrhotic population.
4.4.9. Curcumin
Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a flavonoid derived from the plant Curcuma longa, is present in tumeric spice. It has chemopreventive and antiangiogenic activity and inhibits carcinogenesis in skin, stomach, intestines, and liver. Dietary ingestion of curcumin has been shown to prevent the formation of colon polyps, suppress proliferation of colon cancer and prostate cancer cells, and decrease intratumoral microvessel density [266–268]. Studies of endothelial cells exposed in vitro to curcumin show induction of apoptosis; downregulation of gene transcripts for VEGF, bFGF, and MMP-2; COX-2 inhibition; upregulation of TIMP; disruption of vascular tube formation; and inhibition of endothelial cell motility by interfering with the Ras-mediated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway [269–273].
A Phase I prevention trial of curcumin (500–800 mg/day) showed histological improvement of lesions in patients with various malignant and premalignant lesions, including recently resected bladder cancer, oral leukoplakia, intestinal metaplasia, CIN, and Bowen’s disease [274]. In a Phase II study, dietary curcumin was given for 30 days to 44 subjects with aberrant crypt foci (ACF), a premalignant marker for colorectal cancer. Those who consumed 4 g/day of curcumin had a 40% reduction in the number of rectal ACF lesions [275].
4.4.10. Beta-cryptoxanthin
Beta-cryptoxanthin is a natural carotenoid pigment present in brightly colored orange, red, or yellow foods. Structurally it is related to beta-carotene, and is ultimately metabolized to vitamin A in the body and can be found circulating in the blood after consuming carotenoid-rich foods. Vitamin A and retinoic acid analogs are antiangiogenic and synthetic derivatives have been investigated as chemopreventive agents [276–280].
Papaya is a rich source of carotenoids, with the same lycopene content as tomatoes, but twice the beta-cryptoxanthin content. Studies in tropical populations have shown that increased daily consumption of papayas results in higher levels of beta-cryptoxanthin in the blood [281]. Consumption of such beta-cryptoxanthin-rich foods may reduce cancer rates in high-risk populations. For example, higher papaya consumption has been shown to be inversely associated with the risk of developing high-grade cervical lesions. A nested case control study involving a population of HPV-positive women in Brazil showed that consuming one or more servings of papaya per week cut the risk of developing a high grade cervical lesion by 81% [282].
Other studies have shown a risk reduction with the consumption of papaya and carotenoid-rich fruits for other cancers, including lung and gall bladder cancers [283, 284]. In the Singapore Chinese Health Study, 63,257 Chinese men and women ages 45–74 participated in a prospective study of diet and cancer [284]. Using a food composition database, an estimate of their carotenoid intake, including beta-cryptoxanthin was quantified. In the first 8 years of follow-up, 482 lung cancer cases occurred in the cohort. A high level of dietary beta-cryptoxanthin was associated with reduced risk of lung cancer. Comparing the highest to lowest quartile, there was a 27% risk reduction among all subjects, and a 37% risk reduction among current smokers.
In a study of women, diet, and breast cancer risk, 403 breast cancer cases and 602 controls from the Nurses' Health Study were examined for high breast densities, a strong predictor for breast cancer risk [285]. Overall, circulating total carotenoids were inversely associated with breast cancer risk. Among women in the highest tertile of mammographic density, total carotenoids were associated with a 50% reduction in breast cancer risk.
4.4.11. Other Novel Dietary Inhibitors
We have identified antiangiogenic activity in a number of other dietary-derived chemopreventive molecules. These include brassinin, a phytoalexin found in Chinese cabbage; the citrus-derived bioflavonoids hesperidin and naringenin; ellagic acid from berries, pomegranate, and grapes; silymarin from milk thistle and artichoke; and the organosulfur allyl disulfide derived from garlic [286–291]. Further studies are underway to define their molecular targets in angiogenesis, their optimal biological doses, and efficacy in inhibiting tumor vascularity.
The diverse natural sources of these and other antiangiogenic chemopreventive molecules raise the possibility of designing scientific diets for patients at high risk for cancer, or for those with known disease to chronically suppress angiogenesis and tumorigenesis.
5. Conclusion and Future Directions
Angiogenesis is a critical, rate-limiting step in the development of all known cancers, and its inhibition suppresses tumor growth, progression, and metastases. Antiangiogenic therapy represents a new approach to the early intervention and prevention of malignant disease. During the next two decades, the total yearly number of newly diagnosed cases of cancer is projected to rise from 12.4 million new cases per year in 2008 to 26.4 million in 2030, and the number of annual deaths is projected to increase 170%, to 17 million [292, 293]. According to the World Health Organization and International Agency for Research on Cancer, cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide as of 2010 [293]. The implementation of effective chemoprevention strategies based on angiogenesis inhibition attained through dietary sources may decrease these numbers in a cost-effective and quality of life enhancing manner. Dietary effects are already thought to underlie many of the large international differences in incidence seen for most cancers [294]. Indeed, nutritional factors have been estimated to contribute to 20–60% of cancers worldwide and to approximately one-third of deaths from cancer in Western countries [295].
The identification of dietary sources of antiangiogenic molecules has been aided tremendously through observational epidemiologic studies, which have the ability to identify specific foods associated with reduced cancer risk. These studies generally fall under the categories of prospective cohort and retrospective case-control studies, and more of both of these types of studies will be necessary to identify additional sources of antiangiogenic compounds and to help confirm the chemopreventive properties of previously identified foods and their constituent bioactive molecules.
The dietary prospective cohort study allows thorough assessment of dietary exposures with a reduced risk of recall bias as patients are initially cancer-free when enrolled. As study participants are followed into the future and observed for the development of cancer and other cancer-related endpoints, investigators can identify specific foods present in participants’ diets that are associated with cancer risk reduction. With the evolving understanding of the underlying molecular basis of various naturally antiangiogenic foods, an important consideration for future cancer prevention cohort studies will be to ensure accurate assessment of participants’ dietary intake of bioactive compounds. This will include not only comprehensively querying participants about all potential dietary sources of the bioactive compounds of interest, but also obtaining more detailed information about the preparation of foods, as this can significantly impact the amount of antiangiogenic molecules obtained through diet. Furthermore, the subtypes of foods consumed, such as the specific variety of apple or tomato eaten by a participant, and the way the food is processed or cooked prior to consumption, can strongly affect the amount of consumed bioactive molecules and would be important information to collect. Thus, while the food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) used in past cohort studies have attempted to quantify the intake of various foods, future studies focused on antiangiogenesis may be able to make a more detailed and accurate assessment of this particular aspect of dietary intake.
Case-control studies can also be valuable as a method for expediently identifying promising dietary exposures without the need for the long timeframes and massive study populations that typically characterize dietary cohort studies. While case-control studies are nearly always vulnerable to recall bias on the part of the cancer patients who compose the case populations, they are a valuable starting point in identifying promising risk-reducing foods that can be further explored through prospective and, more recently, interventional dietary studies. The key to these studies will be the use of well-designed dietary survey instruments and methods to allow data capture on short time horizons that can accurately gauge the intake of antiangiogenic and chemopreventive biomolecules. Finally, interventional dietary studies are a particularly promising methodology with which to confirm the antiangiogenic and chemopreventive properties of specific foods and bioactive molecules. In particular, recently diagnosed cancer patients or those with pre-invasive angiogenesis-dependent lesions such as colonic adenomas, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and actinic keratoses could potentially show significant benefit from short-term antiangiogenic dietary interventions with regards to progression, metastasis, or recurrence of their lesions [167]. Investigators with access to serum or biopsy samples could also follow changes to angiogenesis biomarkers, tumor biomarkers, or tumor characteristics [262, 296]. Because of their experimental nature, randomized interventional dietary studies have the potential to become a valuable method for validating the antiangiogenic nature of bioactive molecules and foods.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s update to its longstanding Food Pyramid dietary recommendations—namely, its replacement with the new MyPlate initiative that pushes for an increase in the amount of whole fruits and vegetables consumed at each meal—does appear to indirectly promote increased consumption of certain foods that contain natural sources of antiangiogenic molecules [297]. For example, specific recommendations of the initiative include glucosinolate-rich cruciferous vegetables, lycopene-containing tomatoes, resveratrol-bearing grape products, and beta-cryptoxanthin-abundant orange and yellow vegetables.
Data and conclusions from rigorous dietary cancer prevention studies should be implemented into public health policy. Optimal health outcomes result not just from high quality medical care, but also from diet and lifestyle patterns that can intercept disease at the earliest microscopic stages. Investments in cancer prevention, guided by the biological principles of antiangiogenic therapy, will expand on the substantial clinical applications already established by the biopharmaceutical industry. Cancer prevention using antiangiogenic factors present in widely available foods further offers an egalitarian strategy for large populations in societies that increasingly recognize the value of health-promoting dietary choices. Many dietary sources of angiogenesis inhibitors are common ingredients in the world's most popular culinary traditions (i.e., Asian, Mediterranean, etc.). We propose that an antiangiogenic diet is a practical and cost-effective method to reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases and to enhance quality of life.
In summary, tumor angiogenesis is a critical target for cancer prevention. Natural antiangiogenic molecules are present in numerous dietary sources and represent a wide spectrum of mechanisms that can suppress the growth of microscopic tumors. The control of blood vessel growth through dietary antiangiogenesis promises to redefine cancer as a disease that can be suppressed throughout an individual’s lifetime, from infancy through adulthood.
The author would like to thank Erwin Kruger, Justin Leahey, and Joy Li for their assistance in research, data compilation, codification, and analysis.
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Ben Jelen “Where Do We Go”
BEN JELEN
CUSTARD RECORDS
“WHERE DO WE GO”
Sean Donnelly
Hello to all my friends in music video land! It’s Andy Gesner and the staff from HIP Video Promo, back with some terrific new music from an artist that you’re going to be hearing lots about this summer. Scottish-born Ben Jelen is one of the most videogenic musicians we’ve seen in a long time. Tall, rock-star thin, and possessing a leading man’s good looks, Jelen commands the camera, and dominates nearly every frame in Sean Donnelly’s artfully-shot clip for “Where Do We Go”. The multitalented singer-songwriter could easily have made a name for himself as a fashion model – and he’s already distinguished himself as an actor, guest-starring on an episode ofHouse.
Of course, none of that would matter at all if his songs weren’t aces. Jelen has a knack for expansive verse melodies and Beatlesque choruses; he’s also an adept arranger, coloring his mixes with strings, horns, and other orchestral instruments without ever undermining the intimacy of his vocals. On Ex-Sensitive, Jelen flashes his instrumental chops, too, and decorates the tracks with piano passages that might be the envy of Coldplay. Produced by Linda Perry, the sparkling Ex-Sensitive is a turning point of sorts for Jelen: the reserve he’s maintained on prior recordings has been jettisoned in favor of a direct address. He’s always foregrounded his emotions, but this time around, he’s singing straight from the heart.
Jelen has already placed songs in movies and mainstream television programs, scoring scenes in One Tree Hill andSmallville and contributing the music to the Finding Neverland promo. “Where Do We Go”, the lead single from Ex-Sensitive, is similarly cinematic: the melody is soaring, the accompaniment is gently atmospheric, and the singer’s performance draws the listener tightly into the narrative. Here is a tale of romantic bewilderment, and the pain caused by a lover who won’t let go of her grip. Like all of Jelen’s songs, “Where Do We Go” is ambivalent, complex; it’s a portrait of a relationship in full, and it’s rich with nuance and emotional detail.
The clip for “Where Do We Go” literalizes that relationship: it’s the story of Jelen and a mischievous young woman intent on binding him to her will. He begins by minding his own business at his piano – his fingers grace colored keys, and he shuts his eyes, lost in his own private reverie. But soon the girl enters, drags him away from his playing, and shakes him like a puppet. Before long, Jelen has been stuffed into a steamer trunk, and his attractive nemesis has stuck sharp objects through its lid. No matter how she tortures him, and no matter how much pain she inflicts, he continues singing – often, he keeps his eyes shut, retreating into the fortress of artistic self-expression. Eventually, he figures out how to give her the slip, but not before she’s turned an infernal contraption on the trunk and ripped it to bits. Antique-looking titles and period costuming give the “Where Do We Go” clip the look of a silent movie. There’s also a chorus of line-drawing audience members: the illustrations sit in chairs and react to the woman’s advances, egging her on, oblivious to Ben Jelen’s suffering.
We are elated to be working once again with Mark Gracious, Gregg Allen, and all of the fine folks at Custard. They have been kind enough to bury us in advance copies of Ben Jelen’s Ex-Sensitive (dropping July 17), so we are prepared to meet all of your on-air giveaway needs! Ben will also be announcing a whole slew of tour dates in the near future and we would love to hook you up a video interview with Mr. Jelen. The HIP crew had the pleasure of seeing him in New York City last month and we assure you that this is a live show you do not want to miss! If you need more info, call Andy Gesner at 732-613-1779 or e-mail us at info@HIPVideoPromo.com. You can also visit www.CustardRecords.com to find out more about Ben Jelen.
Visit Custard Records Visit Ben Jelen
Jeremie Albino “Hard Time”
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The Moog “I Like You”
THE MOOG
MUSICK RECORDINGS
David Vigh
Greetings fellow music video fanatics! It’s Andy Gesner and the staff from Hip Video Promo, here to share a video by a new group of genuine historic significance. They’re named after the world’s most famous synthesizer, but they’re indisputably a guitar-based band. The country of origin stamped on their passports is located in Central Europe, but they’ve developed a sound that wouldn’t be out of place in the nightclubs of Goteborg, London, or the Lower East Side. They tackle dark subjects in their songs – the lead track on Sold For Tomorrow is positively vampiric – but their videogenic faces are sweet. They’re The Moog, and they’re Budapest’s answer to The Strokes, The Hives, and other internationally successful garage-pop luminaries. The first Hungarian band to make a splash in the United States (their show at this year’s SXSW was the talk of the event) stand as further proof of the cosmopolitan nature of alternative music and the power of the Internet: if your songs are good enough, recognition will accrue to your project no matter where you’re from.
Which isn’t to imply that Budapest is culturally remote. On the contrary, the Hungarian capital has become a center for underground style, and has long been regarded as an arts incubator. The Moog may be pioneers, but it’s certain that we’ll be hearing from Central Europe again and again. As ambassadors from the Budapest scene, you couldn’t ask for better than these five: their music is exuberant, undeniably catchy, well-crafted, and enthusiastically performed. As a product of Hungary’s first MTV generation, Sold For Tomorrow, the band’s international debut, betrays the band’s love for British pop and American gutter-rock: “Your Sweet Neck” pouts, caterwauls and sneers like Mooney Suzuki, while “Everybody Wants” carries with it some of the urgency and bright tunefulness of Modern Life-era Blur. Frontman Tonyo sings it all with a cool reserve, rarely shouting, skipping from note to note with the blithe spirit of a young man with places to go. “I Like You”, the single, is a statement of romantic bewilderment, and an acknowledgement that he’s not the right man for the object of his affections – but he likes her anyway, that’s good enough for him, and the clear implication is that it’ll be good enough for her, too.
Video director David Vigh was trained in London, but he’s a Hungarian, too, and he’s made Budapest the base for his production company. Art Mafia has shot clips for many of Hungary’s hottest acts, and has also worked with internationally-recognized artists such as Marc Almond. His clip for “I Like You” lavishes plenty of screen-time on the five members of The Moog, and they know exactly what to do with it, too: as they perform, they pose and gesture toward the camera with the easy assurance of true rock stars. The band looks terrific in 19th Century dress: long brass-buttoned jackets, stylish vests, wide collars on brightly-colored shirts. Tonyo sings into a microphone that looks as though it was borrowed from a museum of radio broadcasting – it’s tall, with a circular frame, and a square center. At times, it’s possible to see a portrait on the wall through the space between the circle and the square, and notice how the microphone echoes the dimensions and proportions of the old painting.
As the band plays, a young witch in a darkened chamber crafts voodoo dolls of each member. Satisfied with her work, she turns to the business of torturing the musicians: she electrifies one guitarist, tangles the other up in cords, sets the bassist’s feet on fire and sets the drummer’s back itching by pouring insects on his doll. She saves her most malicious act for Tonyo, though: as he reaches the bridge of “I Like You”, she drives long pins into his chest and stomach. Doubled-over, barely standing, he fights his way to the microphone to deliver his message.
Many thanks are due to Art Bourasseau and the crew at MuSick Records for making this all possible through their hard work! We’ll have plenty of copies of The Moog’s latest, Sold For Tomorrow, for all of your programming needs and for on-air giveaways. If you need more info, call Andy Gesner at 732-613-1779 or e-mail us at info@HIPVideoPromo.com. You can also visitwww.MuSickRecords.com, or www.myspace.com/moogband to find out more about The Moog.
Visit MuSick Recordings Visit The Moog
Black Belt Eagle Scout “Indians Never Die”
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IBM not so Smart at home
Kathleen Lau
Published: March 21st, 2011
In light of the lawsuit by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, IBM Corp. should have perhaps started in-house first with its vision to implement processes and controls for better visibility and management in its quest to build a Smarter Planet.
According to a lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, IBM Corp. has been charged with doling out hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to Chinese and South Korean officials. The deeds are said to total US$207,000 in gifts, travel and entertainment in recent years that were given out, in some cases, through “slush funds” created at travel agencies.
The SEC, in documents filed last week, stated the Armonk, New York-based software vendor lacked internal controls that could have prevented the bribing from happening. IBM has agreed to pay US$10 million to settle the lawsuit.
What’s unfortunate is that IBM is always preaching visibility and management through established process as part of its Smarter Planet vision. The company believes that with the right technology, such as intelligent devices and data analytics, coupled with good process design and implementation, the world will function more intelligently and efficiently.
Yet, in light of the SEC lawsuit, the company is found to have been lacking in internal controls that would have allowed them just that insight and management of certain embarrassing events.
This one of course boils down to bad employee behaviour. But process is still about setting guidelines for acceptable conduct in the business and ensuring that all staff is aware and trained on it.
I suppose it’s true what they say that before you can change the whole world, you must first focus efforts on the home front.
Follow Kathleen Lau on Twitter: @KathleenLau
Sponsor: IBM
Digital Reinvention in action: What to do and how to make it happen
So who is kicking butt in security?
what projects does the Enterprise consider to be most valuable?
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Governor gets more control of board members under reorganization of Soil and Water Conservation Commission
Walter C. Jones
ATLANTA | One of the state's oldest environmental agencies is being reorganized to give the governor more influence as a result of a vote by the Senate Thursday, less than 24 hours after the agency fired its executive director.
The Senate voted 31-19 for House Bill 397 that attaches the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission to the Department of Agriculture for accounting purposes and assigns some duties to the Environmental Protection Division.
The measure also gives the governor greater latitude in who can be appointed to the commission's governing board.
Democrats warned that the changes being sought by the Deal administration would jeopardize federal funding since the commission was created in the 1930s to administer federal programs to encourage farmers to curb erosion. One of the administration's floor leaders, Sen. Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, offered a terse response when the question came up before the Senate vote
"I think we can sum that up as crying wolf," he said.
Miller acknowledged that the major issue is the so-called Green Book, the manual contractors and farmers must use to keep dirt from washing into streams. Erosion controls can be costly, so requirements on which to use and when are of interest to developers and environmentalists. The board has failed to agree on recommended revisions to the latest update.
The legislation would change the board's makeup as well as that of an advisory panel, giving Deal the opportunity to put his stamp on both and effectively shape its decisions. The bill also requires the new board and panel to approve an updated Green Book by year end.
In the midst of the legislative debate, the current board voted 3-0 in a called meeting Wednesday afternoon to fire Brent Dykes, the 18-year veteran serving as executive director for the last seven years. Two of the five board members left before the vote.
"During the past year, it has become increasingly evident that is time for someone else to lead this organization, someone who has the full support of the current state board," Dykes wrote in an email to associates that was supplied to Morris News. He has declined repeated media requests to comment on the legislation which most farm groups oppose.
Deal's spokesman Brian Robinson put distance between the governor and Dykes' firing.
"The board acted independently, and the agency will continue to be responsible for the Green Book," he said.
Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black said the Ag Department will only handle accounting functions for the commission as it does for the state's fairgrounds, veterinary and poultry laboratories. That would give him no sway over its policies or activities.
"We'll collaborate and cooperate with them as we always do," he said.
Walter Jones: (404) 589-8424
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HollywoodNews.com > Captain America: The First Avenger
Tag Archives: Captain America: The First Avenger
An updated ranking of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Mon, May 9 2016
Also tagged: Ant-Man, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man, IRON MAN 2, Iron Man 3, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Thor: The Dark World
With the release of Captain America: Civil War, a few things are clear. One is that Marvel has their Cinematic Universe (or MCU) in fine form. Another is that I definitely need to update my ranking of all of their films to account for their newest and one of their[...]
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“Ant-Man” is Marvel’s latest success story and one of their better releases
Also tagged: Ant-Man, Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Edgar Wright, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man, IRON MAN 2, Iron Man 3, Paul Rudd, Peyton Reed, robert downey jr., The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Thor: The Dark World
Back when Avengers: Age of Ultron was about to hit theaters, I ranked the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, 11 films at the time. Now, with Ant-Man the latest MCU release coming this weekend, I’m going to go ahead and re-rank Marvel’s titles. I’ll have more to say about Ant-Man than[...]
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‘Captain America: Civil War’ starts production in Atlanta, Georgia
Thu, May 7 2015
Also tagged: America, Ant-Man, Anthony Russo, Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Widow, Captain America, Comics, Entertainment/Culture, Fictional secret agents and spies, Godzilla, Iron Man, Iron Man 3, Joe Russo, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, The Avengers: United They Stand, Thor (Marvel Comics) in other media, Ultron, Vision, War/Conflict
Marvel Studios has commenced principal photography at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia on ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ the third installment of its Super Hero franchise. The production will shoot on location in Atlanta, Georgia, which serves as the base for the film?s production, as well as locations in Germany, Puerto[...]
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“Avengers: Age of Ultron”: Ranking the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Also tagged: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man, IRON MAN 2, Iron Man 3, Marvel Cinematic Universe, robert downey jr., The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Thor: The Dark World
Folks, t’s almost time for the Avengers to assemble. Yes, with Avengers: Age of Ultron set to hit theaters domestically on Friday, I wanted to take a look at the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU) so far and rank them in order to see the best of the MCU[...]
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“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” will come out in 2014
Mon, Apr 8 2013
Also tagged: America, Avengers, Captain, Captain America, Captain America in other media, Chris Evans, Comics, Entertainment/Culture, Fictional cyborgs, Fictional secret agents and spies, film, Human Interest, Iron Man, IRON MAN 2, Kevin Feige, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios, Nick Fury, Samuel L. Jackson, scarlett johansson, Thor (Marvel Comics) in other media, USD, Washington D.C. Directing
Following in the footsteps of the record-breaking Marvel Studios’ release, “Marvel’s The Avengers,” production on the highly anticipated release, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” has commenced in Los Angeles, Calif., with production also including locations in Cleveland, Ohio, and Washington D.C. Directing the film is the team of Anthony[...]
Neve Campbell is expecting her first child
Also tagged: Actress, Awards Movies News Award, breaking news, Captain, Entertainment news, Entertainment/Culture, Hollywood, hollywood news, Human Interest, John Light, Neve Campbell, News Hollywood Awards, Twitter Inc
HollywoodNews.com: Neve Campbell is apparently going to be a mother as she is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, JJ Field. Campbell’s rep confirmed the news that the actress is pregnant and will be having her baby sometime later this year with her boyfriend who was in ‘Captain America: The[...]
“Captain America” leading “Harry Potter” at Friday box office
Also tagged: America, Captain, Connell Hollywoodnews, Entertainment/Culture, HARRY POTTER, Human Interest, mila kunis, USD
By Sean O’Connell Hollywoodnews.com: In what has to be considered a major victory, “Captain America: The First Avenger” appears poised to knock the final “Harry Potter” off of his box office perch once weekend actuals are announced. The superhero origin story, the last piece of the puzzle to be revealed before Joss[...]
Captain America @ Comic-Con Photos
Also tagged: America, Avenger, Awards Movies News Award, British television, California culture, Captain, Captain America, Click, Entertainment, Entertainment/Culture, Fiction, Fictional detectives, films, Hollywood, Hollywood Los Angeles California, Human Interest, Infotainment, Net News Daily, News Hollywood Awards, Twitter Inc, U.S. Route 66
HollywoodNews.com: “Captain America: The First Avenger” held a special screening at Comic-Con today. Here are the exclusive photos from the event! In addition to opening to Comic-Con fans a day early, all ticketholders received RealD(r) 3D Collector’s Custom red, white and blue CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER glasses and a limited[...]
“Captain America: The First Avenger” LA Premiere Photos
Also tagged: America, Bucky, Captain, Captain America, Chris Evans, Click, Comics, Entertainment/Culture, Hayley, Human Interest, Marvel Comics, Military personnel, Red Skull, Steve Rogers
HollywoodNews.com: Latest photos of the Los Angeles Premiere of “Captain America: The First Avenger.” “Captain America: The First Avenger” will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain[...]
“Captain America” reviews hit the Web, largely positive
Also tagged: America, Captain, Captain America, Connell Hollywoodnews, Entertainment/Culture, films, inglourious basterds, Joe Johnston, Marvel Comics
By Sean O’Connell Hollywoodnews.com: The Internet exploded last night with reviews for Joe Johnston’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” but if you want to go into the movie on Friday unspoiled, you might want to steer clear of the following links. Just know that the overall response was extremely positive, and[...]
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About Hoover ›
Talks from the Hoover Institution’s Spring 2014 Retreat
Steve Gladfelter
John Raisian, the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution, gives the welcoming remarks
The Hoover Institution hosted its annual Spring Retreat beginning on Sunday, May 4, 2014. Below are summaries of selected presentations from the three-day event, accompanied by links to the audio or video files when available.
Browse by scrolling through this page, or jump directly to the specific speaker here:
Terry Anderson, Scott Atlas, Russell Berman, David Brady, William Damon, Niall Ferguson, Stephen Haber, Victor Davis Hanson, Josef Joffe, Michael McFaul, Peter Schuck, and Bill Whalen
In addition to the individual presentations, a special live taping of the John Batchelor Show was conducted, featuring host John Batchelor and guest cohost Mary Kissel of the Wall Street Journal, as well as Hoover senior fellow Peter Berkowitz and Hoover research fellows Abbas Milani, Kori Schake, and Kiron Skinner. The discussion, entitled “President Obama’s Biggest Foreign Policy Challenges,” can be found here.
Michael McFaul: “If we deal with [Putin] right, we can win this second phase of the Cold War.”
Michael McFaul, the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, discussed recent events in Russia and Ukraine in his talk entitled “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: The Beginning of a New Cold War?” His talk set out to answer three questions: How did we get here? Where is here? And what does it all mean? Using counterfactual analysis, McFaul argued that the current crisis is a product of individuals’ actions, particularly those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, as opposed to structural or historical forces. He concluded with five policy suggestions that focused on targeted containment and selective engagement with Russia. A recording of his talk is available on request.
Scott Atlas: “When people have more choices, they make value-based decisions.”
Scott Atlas, the David and Joan Traitel Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, gave a comprehensive overview of the Affordable Care Act in his talk entitled “Obamacare: What’s Happened and What’s Next.” Atlas discussed several aspects of the Affordable Care Act, including how the new insurance exchanges are raising costs while decreasing access by shifting from private coverage to government coverage; Medicaid’s failure to improve health; and the unprecedented power of the Independent Payment Advisory Board to ration care. He ends with a discussion of what can be expected in the future as indicated by Hillary Clinton’s 2007 health care proposal. You can watch the chartcast of Atlas's talk here.
Stephen Haber: “The situation of high levels of risk and low levels of capital is the product of a purposeful, political deal.”
Stephen Haber, the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, discussed the history of politics and banking in his talk entitled “Fragile by Design: The Political Origins of Banking Crises and Scarce Credit.” The talk was based on his book of the same name, coauthored by Charles Calomiris; the New York Times review of the book, mentioned in the talk, can be found here. Haber begins by comparing banking in Canada and the United States, arguing that in the United States politics has shaped banking, creating a high propensity for crises. He supports this claim with a detailed economic and political history of banking in the United States from the 1820s to present. You can watch the chartcast of Haber's talk here.
Victor Davis Hanson: “We have one drought that nature caused, and a second drought that man caused.”
Victor Davis Hanson, the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, discussed the California drought in his talk entitled “A Tale of Two Droughts.” Hanson began by giving a historical perspective on water sources and usage in California. He went on to outline how California politics has exacerbated the tensions of a three-year drought and discusses his rationale for this behavior. You can listen to the podcast of Hanson's talk here.
Terry Anderson: “You have to be saying does it really make sense to jump off the cliff.”
Terry Anderson, the John and Jean De Nault Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, discusses market approaches to environmental problems in his talk entitled “Adapt, Adapt, Adapt: Market Responses to Climate Change.” He began by discussing why responses other than adaptation, such as mitigation, are not effective. Continuing to discuss the costs of climate change, he ended by outlining ways that we will adapt to climate change, using agriculture, weather derivatives, and insurance. You can listen to the podcast of Anderson's talk here.
William Damon: “I don’t think [honesty] is an absolute moral value.”
William Damon, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, gives a psychologist’s perspective on the value of truth in his talk entitled “The Death of Honesty.” The talk drew heavily from his recent Defining Ideas article of the same name, as well as Dan Ariely’s book The Honest Truth about Dishonesty, available on Amazon. Damon argues that the media and society have romanticized lying, creating a misguided and cynical conventional wisdom that creates a self-fulfilling effect. Ultimately, this return to the “law of the jungle” could destroy our democracy. You can listen to the podcast of Damon's talk here.
Bill Whalen: “We are just out of touch with the rest of the nation.”
Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, discusses the upcoming election in California in his talk entitled “California 2014: Will Political Winds of Change Move Past the Sierras?” Throughout the talk, Whalen compared the upcoming elections in California to elections in California from the past two decades. Topics include the transformation of California into a blue state, the lack of turnover of California Democratic leaders, and electoral opportunities for Republicans. You can listen to the podcast of Whalen's talk here.
David Brady: “We are in an era of indecision.”
David Brady, the deputy director and Davies Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, discusses the state of US governance in his talk entitled “Polarization, Broken Government, and the 2014 National Election.” He began by suggesting that, relative to the rest of the world, the US government is not as broken as one might suppose. Instead, he argues that government is indecisive due to large economic transformations in the past few decades. Continuing to compare our current political and economic climate to historical examples, he ends by discussing the implications for the upcoming election. You can watch the chartcast of Brady's talk here.
Josef Joffe: “If American declinism were a TV show, it would be in its fifth season.”
Josef Joffe, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, discussed the long tradition of American declinism in his talk entitled “The Myth of America in Decline.” His talk drew heavily from his recent book The Myth of America’s Decline: Politics, Economics, and a Half Century of False Prophecies, available from Amazon. Joffe began by outlining the historical trajectory of American declinism, beginning with the launch of Sputnik in the 1950s to modern-day China. He ended by presenting the case for why the United States is not over yet. You can listen to the podcast of Joffe's talk here.
Peter Schuck: “Today’s politics are a consequence of disaffection.”
Peter Schuck, a professor emeritus of law at Yale Law School, gave a pre-dinner talk entitled “Why Government Fails So Often—and How It Can Do Better.” Schuck based his talk on his recent book, available from Amazon and reviewed by Hoover senior fellow Peter Berkowitz. Schuck argued that there are deep and systematic causes for our lack of understanding why government fails. He discussed a variety of examples, including political culture, decentralization, and collective irrationality. The recording of his talk is available on request. As mentioned at the retreat, Schuck discussed his book again the following night on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart; the extended interview is available here.
Russell Berman: “No one appear stronger by withdrawing.”
Russell Berman, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, discussed US foreign policy in the Middle East in his talk entitled “In Retreat: America’s Withdrawal from the Middle East.” His book of the same name, part of a series released by the Working Group on Islamism and the International Order, is available from Hoover Press. Discussing the larger framework of the Middle East, Berman gave an overview of current events and how to improve the political situation. He emphasized that failure to properly address the Middle East could result in failed states across the region, from Algeria to Afghanistan; increased competition with Russia as a revanchist power; and frayed relations with the European Union. He went on to describe how US foreign policy, despite these risks, is moving in the wrong direction, using a time line of US withdrawal from the region. He ended with a call to return to democratic values in foreign policy. You can watch the chartcast of Berman's talk here.
Niall Ferguson: “This is the biggest shift in economic history in half millennia.”
Niall Ferguson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, discussed the falling quality of American institutions in his talk entitled “The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die.” His book of the same name is available on Amazon. Ferguson focuses on China and the United States as examples of institutional improvement in the developing world and institutional degeneration in the developed world, emphasizing economics, politics, and education policies. Ferguson’s book Civilization, which discusses the “six killer applications for Western civilization,” is also available on Amazon. You can watch the chartcast of Ferguson's talk here.
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Prince of Wales Hospital Opens Mental Health ICU Heralding “A New Era”
By Ryan Mccann
Wednesday, 27 March, 2013
The NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said the facility heralded a new era of mental health care, as the state-of-the-art, 12-bed high-care, specialist Mental Health Intensive Care Unit (MHICU) opens at Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick.
She said the MHICU would provide short-term intensive care and treatment for patients requiring a higher level of care than is available in adult acute mental health units.
"The NSW Government's investment in this facility is a reflection of our commitment to improving the lives of those affected by mental illness through increasing access to specialist mental health services where they are most needed.
“This new unit will not only provide specialist mental health services to the people of the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Shoalhaven local health districts but also provide vital assistance and support to their families and carers," she said.
The NSW Mental Health Minister Kevin Humphries said the specialised facility would allow more people who needed additional support managing a mental health condition to receive that support in their local community, close to their families, friends, workplaces and schools.
"People living with a mental illness are often among the most vulnerable members of our communities, particularly (if they are among) those with a severe, acute mental illness who require a more immediate and higher level of care," he said.
"In a first for south-eastern Sydney, this specialised facility will ensure that people needing this type of care will receive it in a dignified and humane setting.
"The structured model of therapeutic treatment and care that the MHICU will provide is designed to minimise conflict and deliver the best health outcomes for patients.
"By building the new unit close to the existing inpatient mental health services at the Randwick Hospitals Campus, we will be strengthening teaching and research linkages, and ultimately better supporting patients and our mental health workforce," Humphries said.
Reducing the safety risks of aerating wastewater lagoons
WA group seeks landfill alternatives
ISO appoints committee to propel global circular economy
Mussels flex their surface engineering muscles
Global commission targets energy efficiency
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Rebuilding Life with Humor and Wit
March 2, 2017 /0 Comments/in Latest News, News Room, Stories /by House of Charity
Terry’s was a life marked with unthinkable trauma, sadness, and loss. By the time he’d reached his current 84 years, he’d experienced more than most could fathom. From serving his country in the army, to surviving 30 Minnesota winters on the streets, Terry had encountered devastating life experiences, one after another. Each cut like a knife, slicing off a little more of his resilience. All these trials contributed to his experience of homelessness, but one episode stood apart from the rest, in his long journey of rebuilding life.
In 1985, Terry’s beloved dog, Cliff, was put down. This defining moment started his experience of homelessness. “The day I had my dog put down hurt me most. Cliff was the last vestige of my former life,” he said. Any memories of stability Terry had were tied to his pet. When Terry lost Cliff, he also lost the last remaining link to his past. He just gave up—on everything.
Rebuilding Life, One Piece at a Time
Terry lived on the streets for three decades. He says, “I put it off….I really didn’t want to come inside and have to live by someone else’s rules.” With his health and eyesight deteriorating rapidly, he knew it was no longer an option to continue as he had for the past 30 years.
He came to the Food Centre at least four times a week for his “sit-down and enjoyable” meal, saying, “Is it always my favorite dish? Of course not, but there’s always plenty of it.” He paused, and with a dead-pan expression stated, “And the price is always affordable.” This ever-present wit and his compassion for others makes Terry a favorite among House of Charity’s staff and volunteers.
Terry’s favorite audience are the students who volunteer at the Food Centre, of which he said with a grin, “They come in and they smile and like my jokes, but most importantly, they remind me of what I used to be like. At my age, to see them smile when they talk with me….” Shaking his head, he smiled, “Yah, that’s my favorite part.”
A Positive Mindset, Mixed with Humor
The power of purpose, activity, and laughter are the pillars upon which Terry’s life and survival are now built. This positive mindset is also the foundation upon which his legacy will rest. The support of established structures and regular routines are vital to Terry. He keeps himself busy in his free time visiting hospital patients, reading for the blind, and delivering hand-made bouquets.
Recently, Terry found permanent housing through a partnership between HOC and the Minnesota VA. Whenever possible, Terry supplements his diet at House of Charity’s Food Centre. He continues to use his experiences with homelessness to encourage and comfort others. Those going through similar experiences in their quest for rebuilding life find encouragement from his positive outlook.
Terry’s journey through homelessness is a testament to us all. Terry’s perseverance and the power of keeping a positive mindset no matter how dark the situation may be are an encouragement to all.
https://www.houseofcharity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/terry2.jpg 354 380 House of Charity https://www.houseofcharity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/houseofcharity-logo.png House of Charity2017-03-02 18:51:452017-06-11 20:52:20Rebuilding Life with Humor and Wit
A Partner in Transformational Action What the Food Stamps Program Looks Like Now
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The Book Club
Hennessy NIW
Summer Pix
IT Irish Theatre Awards
Pope Francis documentary: A film that could buttress the case for sainthood
Director Wim Wenders says pope answered every question ‘spontaneously and in-depth’
Tue, Aug 7, 2018, 05:00 Updated: Tue, Aug 7, 2018, 10:14
Donald Clarke
A look at Wim Wenders’s documentary, Pope Francis: A Man of His Word.
German director Wim Winders with Pope Francis, the subject of his latest documentary.
As Ireland prepares for its first Papal visit in close to 40 years, the unimpressed throng – a cranky minority in 1979 – finds itself in a tricky position. Resistance against the office is easy. But the current incumbent is proving a hard man to hate. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a onetime liberal who veered towards the conservative fringe in the late 1960s, would have offered a much more satisfying target for protest.
Just look at Wim Wenders’s incoming Pope Francis: A Man of His Word. The German director’s documentary might turn out to be the first commercial release that counts as literal hagiography. That is to say, on the pope’s death, the film really could be used to buttress the case for sainthood. The impression stems partly from Wenders’s forgiving approach. The National Catholic Reporter – in what was surely intended as a positive review – actually described it as “a cinematic pulpit for Pope Francis to share his deepest spiritual and moral concerns about the human family and the earth.” But the pope’s arguments really are persuasive. His talk of “a poor church for the poor” gestures towards (at the very least) an admirable aspiration. He cares about ecology. He is seen going warmly among the poor. It’s the things he doesn’t say that will most irritate the sceptical.
So, how on earth did the director of Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire – a key figure of the German New Wave – find himself a cinematic amanuensis for the Papacy?
He explains: “A close collaborator of Pope Francis, Monsignore Dario Viganò, at the time prefect of the secretariat for communication . . . wrote a letter to me in late 2013, asking if I could imagine making a film about Pope Francis.”
The director has spoken about how, raised a Catholic, now a Protestant, he keeps hold of a Christian faith. He is nonetheless not the most obvious man for the job. His early films had a rough and unmannered quality. In recent years he’s focused on documentaries such as Pina, about the choreographer Pina Bausch, and The Salt of the Earth, on photographer Sebastião Salgado.
“I guess filmmakers take it for granted that making a film with a Pope is an impossible thing to ask, so they don’t even ask, and that’s why Don Dario took that initiative,” he says. “And I eventually did ask him the inevitable question: ‘Why me?’ and his cryptic answer was: ‘Because of Wings of Desire.’”
Coming so soon after the Irish referendum on the Eighth Amendment, the picture feels conspicuously silent on the issue of abortion
We are left to make of that what we will. That 1987 film, set in the last days of the Cold War Berlin, does deal with an angel who descends from heaven. But it’s certainly not a conventional religious text. At any rate, 30 years later, Wings of Desire secured Wenders four two-hour sessions with the sitting Pope. The resulting film runs to a tidy 96 minutes. We get some archival footage of the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio in his native Argentina. We get a monochrome study of Saint Francis of Assisi, from whom he took his Papal name. But the focus is mostly on Francis’s words.
“There were 55 questions, and not a single one that was rejected,” Wenders explains. “Pope Francis answered each and every one spontaneously and in-depth. There were no restrictions, and I made exactly the film I had in mind. Actually, sometimes I would have wanted somebody to interfere, somebody to help me steer this ship at least, because it dawned on me that I had taken on quite a responsibility with this film.”
Despite the length of the interviews and the apparent lack of restrictions, there remain absences. Coming so soon after the Irish referendum on the Eighth Amendment, the picture feels conspicuously silent on the issue of abortion. There is, indeed, not a single mention of the topic.
“I’m sorry about that lack,” Wenders says. “But in the end that this is strictly due to editing. We just couldn’t fit all issues into the 90 minutes that I figured represented the maximum time you can concentrate on one person and his message.”
Hmm? Some may feel that there is not enough about the issue of sexual abuse. The pope is asked about it and he does note that: “a priest who does this betrays the body of the Lord.” There’s no equivocation. There’s no evasion. But an issue that many will see as the most important now facing the church is passed over with slightly indecent speed.
“When we addressed the subject of child abuse in our interview, he got very angry,” Wenders says. “It was the only moment during our conversation that I saw him deeply enraged. You really felt that he would want to do so much more, that he was frustrated even that he depended on the entire apparatus to move the church into the direction he realised was necessary, and that was: zero tolerance.”
That does seem like a reasonable interpretation. Only the most hostile observer will, after viewing Wenders’s film, conclude that Francis is not striving in the right direction. The question is whether – without dismantling the church altogether – any significant change is possible. So many barriers to progress seem baked into the hierarchical structures.
A generation of John Pauls: growing up the pope’s namesake
Full text of Pope Francis’s letter about abuse
Pope Francis: ‘We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them’
“I cannot possibly answer that question,” Wenders says. “I just know Pope Francis will not stop moving forward with his ideas of transparency and ‘a poor church for the poor’. And he will face every challenge with the same courage, openness and tenderness.”
Wim Wenders’s confidence in Pope Francis is touching. He is as much a fan as he was of Pina Bausch or Sebastião Salgado. There are many Catholics – quite a few conservatives among them – who would find it hard to summon up this degree of support. Yet Wenders doesn’t even call himself a Roman Catholic. Or does he? I get a sense that the film-maker – raised in Düsseldorf as the son of a surgeon – has been drifting around the faith of his childhood for decades. He did become good pals with Bono, after all.
“I grew up in a Catholic family, and that really formed me and was the basis of my education and of who I became,” he says. “At the age of 16 I even considered becoming a priest. But along came rock ‘n’ roll, pinball machines and jukeboxes. Along came studies in medicine and philosophy – I was briefly an existentialist – and then came cinema. In film school – mind you, that was in 1968 – between the age of 22 and 25, I was an ardent socialist. Later I was interested in eastern religions.”
Non-believers may be drawn by the charisma of a man who genuinely does seem to be altering – if not exactly breaking – the papal mould
He goes on to explain how, after a curly spiritual journey in the 1970s and 1980s, he eventually realised that he had never lost the belief that he “was seen by a loving God”. He did convert to Protestantism, but he admits to being only loosely attached to any sect.
“I’m a Catholic and a Protestant at the same time, and I like them both for their differences,” he says. “Maybe in the end the Catholic in me is still pretty much alive, but then again, I’d like us all to overcome these limitations. We are too close to be that far apart!”
His connection with Pope Francis seems as much personal as it is religious. In A Man of His Word, the Holy Father really does seem to be engaging with the questions being asked. If he’s obfuscating then he’s doing so with as much forensic skill as any of his famously articulate predecessors within the Society of Jesus. Talking about the film after its recent premiere at Cannes, Wenders has discussed the surprising “nearness” of the pope. That seemed an odd word to use.
“He has an uncanny ability to connect and to communicate,” the director says. “And he manages to totally concentrate on the person right in front of him, to be near to this person with his entire compassion and concentration. And then he’s a man who lives what he preaches. He makes it clear that he’s not just asking us to consider getting a bit poorer. He does show how it can be done, giving an example by refusing to live in the luxurious apartment.”
Wenders makes much of the connection with Saint Francis. The picture is broken up with black and white footage, shot in the style of Danish master Carl Theodor Dreyer, depicting incidents from the life of the saint. For those not steeped in Roman Catholic lore, it remains surprising that – what with all those Sergiuses and Urbans and Bonifaces – no previous incumbent has taken the name. Were they really worried about that vow of poverty?
“Saint Francis was a big hero for me when I was a kid, kind of a mythical figure almost, but obviously a real man, who had really followed in the footsteps of Jesus,” Wenders says. “Taking on the name of Francis, for the first time in the history of the church, was courageous, I felt. It took guts. And that legacy included even more: 800 years ago, Saint Francis did something unbelievable: he travelled to Egypt, in the time of the Crusades, to speak to the highest authority of the Islamic world at the time, to end the bloodshed between Christians and Muslims. So, the name Francis also came with an obligation to instigate peace between the religions.”
It will be interesting to see how much cultural impact Pope Francis: A Man of His Word makes over the coming month. There was a time when busloads of the faithful could turn such a film into a domestic smash. In the United States “faith cinema” is still a very profitable wing of the industry. Arthouse cinemas such as the Irish Film Institute and the Light House have, over the last decade or so, had niche hits with religiously inclined films such as Into Great Silence and Of Gods and Men. So there is still an attraction. Non-believers may be drawn by the charisma of a man who genuinely does seem to be altering – if not exactly breaking – the papal mould.
“To look Pope Francis into the eyes, see and hear this extraordinary man talk to us directly, that is worth my time, I figured, worth the audience’s time,” Wenders says. “There is nobody else saying what Francis is saying at the moment. Nobody says these things as convincingly and as simply.”
Sermon concluded.
FIVE GREAT WIM WENDERS DOCUMENTARIES
Lightning Over Water (1980)
Magnificently odd tribute to Nicholas Ray featuring footage taken during the last days of the great director’s life. Watch out for a glimpse of a young Jim Jarmusch.
Tokyo-Ga(1985)
Another eccentric, vital tribute to a master of cinema. Wenders incorporates a study of Yasujiro Ozu, director of Tokyo Story, into a musing on the nature of wider Japanese culture.
Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
Wenders’s examination of Ry Cooder’s experiences unearthing the music of Cuba was an absolute sensation. The album was played in every coffee shop. It was nominated for the Oscar. Careers were revitalised.
Pina (2011)
There were a tiny handful of documentaries that made good use of the new 3D technologies that emerged in the first decade of the century. Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams was one. Wenders’s film on choreographer Pina Bausch was another.
The Salt of the Earth (2014)
Fascination engagement with the life and work of he Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado. The entire world is here: South America, Africa, the Arctic.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio
Sebastiao Salgado
Benedict Emeritus
Nicholas Ray
Pina Bausch
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Irish Film Institute
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Pope Francis to be briefed on institutional abuse ahead of Ireland visit
Pope Francis came to Dublin in August to preside over the closing ceremony of World Meeting of Families. Read more about the visit
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10 Poldark: Aidan Turner passes his James Bond audition
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IRS Releases the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2012
IR-2012-23, Feb. 16, 2012
WASHINGTON –– The Internal Revenue Service today issued its annual “Dirty Dozen” ranking of tax scams, reminding taxpayers to use caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud.
The Dirty Dozen listing, compiled by the IRS each year, lists a variety of common scams taxpayers can encounter at any point during the year. But many of these schemes peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns.
“Taxpayers should be careful and avoid falling into a trap with the Dirty Dozen,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “Scam artists will tempt people in-person, on-line and by e-mail with misleading promises about lost refunds and free money. Don’t be fooled by these scams.”
Illegal scams can lead to significant penalties and interest and possible criminal prosecution. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division works closely with the Department of Justice to shutdown scams and prosecute the criminals behind them.
The following is the Dirty Dozen tax scams for 2012:
Topping this year’s list Dirty Dozen list is identity theft. In response to growing identity theft concerns, the IRS has embarked on a comprehensive strategy that is focused on preventing, detecting and resolving identity theft cases as soon as possible. In addition to the law-enforcement crackdown, the IRS has stepped up its internal reviews to spot false tax returns before tax refunds are issued as well as working to help victims of the identity theft refund schemes.
Identity theft cases are among the most complex ones the IRS handles, but the agency is committed to working with taxpayers who have become victims of identity theft.
The IRS is increasingly seeing identity thieves looking for ways to use a legitimate taxpayer’s identity and personal information to file a tax return and claim a fraudulent refund.
An IRS notice informing a taxpayer that more than one return was filed in the taxpayer’s name or that the taxpayer received wages from an unknown employer may be the first tip off the individual receives that he or she has been victimized.
The IRS has a robust screening process with measures in place to stop fraudulent returns. While the IRS is continuing to address tax-related identity theft aggressively, the agency is also seeing an increase in identity crimes, including more complex schemes. In 2011, the IRS protected more than $1.4 billion of taxpayer funds from getting into the wrong hands due to identity theft.
In January, the IRS announced the results of a massive, national sweep cracking down on suspected identity theft perpetrators as part of a stepped-up effort against refund fraud and identity theft. Working with the Justice Department’s Tax Division and local U.S. Attorneys’ offices, the nationwide effort targeted 105 people in 23 states.
Anyone who believes his or her personal information has been stolen and used for tax purposes should immediately contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit. For more information, visit the special identity theft page at www.IRS.gov/identitytheft.
Phishing is a scam typically carried out with the help of unsolicited email or a fake website that poses as a legitimate site to lure in potential victims and prompt them to provide valuable personal and financial information. Armed with this information, a criminal can commit identity theft or financial theft.
If you receive an unsolicited email that appears to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, such as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), report it by sending it to phishing@irs.gov.
It is important to keep in mind the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS has information that can help you protect yourself from email scams.
Return Preparer Fraud
About 60 percent of taxpayers will use tax professionals this year to prepare and file their tax returns. Most return preparers provide honest service to their clients. But as in any other business, there are also some who prey on unsuspecting taxpayers.
Questionable return preparers have been known to skim off their clients’ refunds, charge inflated fees for return preparation services and attract new clients by promising guaranteed or inflated refunds. Taxpayers should choose carefully when hiring a tax preparer. Federal courts have issued hundreds of injunctions ordering individuals to cease preparing returns, and the Department of Justice has pending complaints against many others.
In 2012, every paid preparer needs to have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) and enter it on the returns he or she prepares.
Signals to watch for when you are dealing with an unscrupulous return preparer would include that they:
Do not sign the return or place a Preparer Tax identification Number on it.
Do not give you a copy of your tax return.
Promise larger than normal tax refunds.
Charge a percentage of the refund amount as preparation fee.
Require you to split the refund to pay the preparation fee.
Add forms to the return you have never filed before.
Encourage you to place false information on your return, such as false income, expenses and/or credits.
For advice on how to find a competent tax professional, see Tips for Choosing a Tax Preparer.
Hiding Income Offshore
Over the years, numerous individuals have been identified as evading U.S. taxes by hiding income in offshore banks, brokerage accounts or nominee entities, using debit cards, credit cards or wire transfers to access the funds. Others have employed foreign trusts, employee-leasing schemes, private annuities or insurance plans for the same purpose.
The IRS uses information gained from its investigations to pursue taxpayers with undeclared accounts, as well as the banks and bankers suspected of helping clients hide their assets overseas. The IRS works closely with the Department of Justice to prosecute tax evasion cases.
While there are legitimate reasons for maintaining financial accounts abroad, there are reporting requirements that need to be fulfilled. U.S. taxpayers who maintain such accounts and who do not comply with reporting and disclosure requirements are breaking the law and risk significant penalties and fines, as well as the possibility of criminal prosecution.
Since 2009, 30,000 individuals have come forward voluntarily to disclose their foreign financial accounts, taking advantage of special opportunities to bring their money back into the U.S. tax system and resolve their tax obligations. And, with new foreign account reporting requirements being phased in over the next few years, hiding income offshore will become increasingly more difficult.
At the beginning of this year, the IRS reopened the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) following continued strong interest from taxpayers and tax practitioners after the closure of the 2011 and 2009 programs. The IRS continues working on a wide range of international tax issues and follows ongoing efforts with the Justice Department to pursue criminal prosecution of international tax evasion. This program will be open for an indefinite period until otherwise announced.
The IRS has collected $3.4 billion so far from people who participated in the 2009 offshore program, reflecting closures of about 95 percent of the cases from the 2009 program. On top of that, the IRS has collected an additional $1 billion from up front payments required under the 2011 program. That number will grow as the IRS processes the 2011 cases.
“Free Money” from the IRS & Tax Scams Involving Social Security
Flyers and advertisements for free money from the IRS, suggesting that the taxpayer can file a tax return with little or no documentation, have been appearing in community churches around the country. These schemes are also often spread by word of mouth as unsuspecting and well-intentioned people tell their friends and relatives.
Scammers prey on low income individuals and the elderly. They build false hopes and charge people good money for bad advice. In the end, the victims discover their claims are rejected. Meanwhile, the promoters are long gone. The IRS warns all taxpayers to remain vigilant.
There are a number of tax scams involving Social Security. For example, scammers have been known to lure the unsuspecting with promises of non-existent Social Security refunds or rebates. In another situation, a taxpayer may really be due a credit or refund but uses inflated information to complete the return.
Beware. Intentional mistakes of this kind can result in a $5,000 penalty.
False/Inflated Income and Expenses
Including income that was never earned, either as wages or as self-employment income in order to maximize refundable credits, is another popular scam. Claiming income you did not earn or expenses you did not pay in order to secure larger refundable credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit could have serious repercussions. This could result in repaying the erroneous refunds, including interest and penalties, and in some cases, even prosecution.
Additionally, some taxpayers are filing excessive claims for the fuel tax credit. Farmers and other taxpayers who use fuel for off-highway business purposes may be eligible for the fuel tax credit. But other individuals have claimed the tax credit when their occupations or income levels make the claims unreasonable. Fraud involving the fuel tax credit is considered a frivolous tax claim and can result in a penalty of $5,000.
False Form 1099 Refund Claims
In this ongoing scam, the perpetrator files a fake information return, such as a Form 1099 Original Issue Discount (OID), to justify a false refund claim on a corresponding tax return. In some cases, individuals have made refund claims based on the bogus theory that the federal government maintains secret accounts for U.S. citizens and that taxpayers can gain access to the accounts by issuing 1099-OID forms to the IRS.
Don’t fall prey to people who encourage you to claim deductions or credits to which you are not entitled or willingly allow others to use your information to file false returns. If you are a party to such schemes, you could be liable for financial penalties or even face criminal prosecution.
Frivolous Arguments
Promoters of frivolous schemes encourage taxpayers to make unreasonable and outlandish claims to avoid paying the taxes they owe. The IRS has a list of frivolous tax arguments that taxpayers should avoid. These arguments are false and have been thrown out of court. While taxpayers have the right to contest their tax liabilities in court, no one has the right to disobey the law.
Falsely Claiming Zero Wages
Filing a phony information return is an illegal way to lower the amount of taxes an individual owes. Typically, a Form 4852 (Substitute Form W-2) or a “corrected” Form 1099 is used as a way to improperly reduce taxable income to zero. The taxpayer may also submit a statement rebutting wages and taxes reported by a payer to the IRS.
Sometimes, fraudsters even include an explanation on their Form 4852 that cites statutory language on the definition of wages or may include some reference to a paying company that refuses to issue a corrected Form W-2 for fear of IRS retaliation. Taxpayers should resist any temptation to participate in any variations of this scheme. Filing this type of return may result in a $5,000 penalty.
Abuse of Charitable Organizations and Deductions
IRS examiners continue to uncover the intentional abuse of 501(c)(3) organizations, including arrangements that improperly shield income or assets from taxation and attempts by donors to maintain control over donated assets or the income from donated property. The IRS is investigating schemes that involve the donation of non-cash assets –– including situations in which several organizations claim the full value of the same non-cash contribution. Often these donations are highly overvalued or the organization receiving the donation promises that the donor can repurchase the items later at a price set by the donor. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 imposed increased penalties for inaccurate appraisals and set new standards for qualified appraisals.
Disguised Corporate Ownership
Third parties are improperly used to request employer identification numbers and form corporations that obscure the true ownership of the business.
These entities can be used to underreport income, claim fictitious deductions, avoid filing tax returns, participate in listed transactions and facilitate money laundering, and financial crimes. The IRS is working with state authorities to identify these entities and bring the owners into compliance with the law.
Misuse of Trusts
For years, unscrupulous promoters have urged taxpayers to transfer assets into trusts. While there are legitimate uses of trusts in tax and estate planning, some highly questionable transactions promise reduction of income subject to tax, deductions for personal expenses and reduced estate or gift taxes. Such trusts rarely deliver the tax benefits promised and are used primarily as a means of avoiding income tax liability and hiding assets from creditors, including the IRS.
IRS personnel have seen an increase in the improper use of private annuity trusts and foreign trusts to shift income and deduct personal expenses. As with other arrangements, taxpayers should seek the advice of a trusted professional before entering a trust arrangement.
Follow the IRS on New Media
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ISO awards
ISO has a number of awards that help promote different aspects of international standardization.
The Lawrence D. Eicher Award recognizes excellence in standards development and is open to all ISO and ISO/IEC technical committees.
The ISO/DIN essay contest for young standardizers in developing countries recognizes young professionals working in standardization in developing countries.
The ISO Excellence Award rewards the achievements of ISO’s technical experts and is open to any individual nominated in the capacity of expert, project leader or convenor in a committee working group.
In addition, from time to time, ISO offers awards to selected sectors to recognize excellence and expertise in the world of standardization. Some past awards include:
The ISO Prize aimed at leaders in business, government and academia from outside the ISO community for their outstanding contribution to the understanding or use of ISO standards.
The ISO Award for Higher Education, which aims to encourage and recognize successful programmes in higher education on standardization.
ISO/DIN essay contest for young standardizers in developing countries
Under 35 and passionate about standards?
Enter the ISO/DIN competition essay contest for young standardizers in developing countries.
This award helps to encourage young professionals in developing countries working for national standards bodies to engage in international standardization and to raise awareness of the importance of standards in promoting safe and sustainable economic development.
Sponsored by DIN, the German Institute for Standardization, and held every two years, the award offers the opportunity to spend time at both DIN in Berlin, Germany, and the ISO Central Secretariat offices in Geneva, Switzerland, to get invaluable exposure to the development and management of International Standards.
The 2016 award is now closed. The next competition will be held in 2018.
Majd Majed Shatnawi
Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization, Jordan
Read her winning entry [PDF]
2014 - Ms Ester Williams, Jamaica
2012 - Mr Amwayi Omukhweso William, Kenya
2010 - Mr Wilfred Fanokuhle Mdluli, Swaziland
2008 - Mr Victor Ryan Biran, Trinidad and Tobago
See what else ISO does for developing countries.
The ISO Excellence Award
Do you want to recognize the achievements of individuals that have made a major contribution to standardization and related activities?
The ISO Excellence Award has been created to reward the achievements of ISO’s technical experts.
The ISO Excellence Award recognizes the contribution of individuals for recent achievements related to ISO’s technical work that can be considered as a major contribution to furthering the interests of standardization and related activities. Any individual nominated in the capacity of expert, project leader or convenor in a committee working group is eligible for the award.
There is no limit on the number of awards per year, or per committee. However, all awards must be conferred for a significant contribution to a project that has been completed (published) within the last year.
Details of eligibility, the selection criteria and process can be found on the nomination form. Nominating persons are invited to fill out the form and return it to their TC secretariat, who will validate it and send it to the Technical Programme Manager (TPM) at ISO/CS. There is no specific deadline. Requests for awards will be processed throughout the year, as they are received. For any questions, please contact the TMB secretariat.
Nominations for the ISO Excellence Award
Do you know someone that deserves to be recognized?
Download the nomination form with details of eligibility and selection criteria.
Lawrence D. Eicher Award
Do you work with a committee that has great leadership, uses innovative approaches and promotes the involvement of developing countries?
Then maybe you should nominate it for the Lawrence D. Eicher Award.
This award was introduced in honour of Lawrence D. Eicher, ISO Secretary-General from 1986 to 2002, who sadly passed away while still in office.
Winners of the award enjoy increased recognition for their work, both within and outside the ISO community. For example:
The award is presented at the ISO General Assembly and is a chance to promote the work of the committee to assembled members.
Winners feature in ISO’s communications activities.
Past winners have enjoyed coverage outside the ISO community in trade and business press.
See the L.D.Eicher Leadership Award brochure for more details.
Nominations for 2019 have been closed.
The award recognizes excellence in technical work and is open to all ISO (and joint ISO/IEC) technical committees and subcommittees.
The 2018 LDE Award winner is ISO/TC 8
Excellence in shipping standards
Among ISO’s oldest and most established technical committees is ISO/TC 8, Ships and marine technology. Over the last 70 years, it has developed more than 300 International Standards covering ship safety, intelligent navigation and environmental protection. These not only support international regulation – they help to create it.
Mandatory international regulations, which are developed by the International Maritime Organization, are done so with the valuable input of ISO/TC 8, and the committee’s standards serve as key tools to help meet those requirements.
ISO/TC 8’s achievements have been recognized through the Lawrence D. Eicher Award for excellence and superior performance in standards development, presented on 27 September 2018 at the 41st ISO General Assembly, held in Geneva, Switzerland. Announcing the award winner, ISO President John Walter pointed out that ISO/TC 8 also works closely with 25 other relevant international organizations. “ISO/TC 8 also does an excellent job at creating and maintaining strong links with industry to ensure that their standards meet market needs,” he said.
Presenting the LDE Award to ISO/TC 8, Ships and marine technology, (from left) : ISO Secretary-General Sergio Mujica; ISO President John Walter; ISO/TC 8 Chair Yanqing Li; ISO/TC 8 Secretary Jing Wang; and Piet-Hein Daverveldt, ISO Vice-President (technical management).
The Lawrence D. Eicher Leadership Award
Learn more about the award and nominations process.
2017 - ISO/TC 228, Tourism and related services
2016 - ISO/TC 207/SC 1 Environmental management systems
2015 - ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 27 IT Security Techniques
2014 - ISO/TC 45/SC2 Testing and analysis
2013 - ISO/TC 68 Financial services
2012 - ISO/TC 242 Energy management
2011 - ISO/TC 34 Food products
2010 - ISO/TC 211 Geographic information/Geomatics
2009 - ISO/TC 172 Optics and Photonics
2008 - ISO/TC 127 Earth-moving machinery
2007 - ISO/TC 184/SC 4 Industrial data
2006 - ISO/TC 67 Materials, equipment and offshore structures for petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries
2005 - ISO/TC 8 Ships and marine technology
2004 - ISO/TC 176/SC 2 Quality systems
2003 - ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29 Information technology/Coding of audio, picture, multimedia and hypermedia information
By Clare Naden on 28 September 2018
All aboard for world maritime day
Did you know that, in one year, an average container ship travels the equivalent of 75 % of the way to the moon and back? And that there are around 55 000 cargo ships floating around our seas, not to mention the many cruise ships to carry the 27 million holidaymakers expected to go on a cruising holiday...
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Maidstone family of Nepal earthquake victim Matt Carapiet riding from London to Brighton
By Luke May
lmay@thekmgroup.co.uk
Published: 13:56, 30 May 2019
| Updated: 15:12, 31 May 2019
Family and friends of Nepal earthquake victim Matt Carapiet are raising money in his memory this weekend.
The 23-year-old from Bearsted was one of nearly 9,000 people to die when a 7.8magnitude earthquake struck in April 2015.
Four years on, thousands of pounds has been raised in Matt's memory to support communities in Cambodia and Langtang, where Matt was when the earthquake struck.
Greg and Matt Carapiet together (11464741)
This weekend friends and family, including Matt's father Greg Carapiet, will cycle from London to Brighton in the hope of raising £3,000.
Mr Carapiet said: "We do it all in Matt's memory, to keep his name alive."
The money goes toward Langtang meidcal centre, and the family hopes funds could also help set up a dental facility and additional medical facilities Kyangje.
Last month Matt's family travelled to Cambodia where they saw the foundations Matt helped lay for a new school during his gap year.
His father said: "It was so good to see what he'd contributed to - to meet the people he met out there and see how it is all working.
"We set up the Matt Carapiet Charitable Trust to keep doing things we think Matt would've liked to have done himself, like supporting small communities in places where there is poverty."
So far the cycling team has managed to raise more than a £1,000 in donations, on top of a £4,000 donation from Festival Medical Services, which has provided support at Glastonbury Festival.
At the time of the earthquake, architecture graduate Matt was believed to be in Langtang, a village home to 435 people with 55 hotels and guest houses.
Just one house remained after the earthquake.
Mr Carapiet added: "Thousands of people lost their lives including Matt.
"We're just trying to restart the lives of the people who survived, because they're not getting all the support they need."
To donate to the trust's fundraising page, click here.
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Do you need a laptop or a tablet?
By Komando Staff, Komando.com July 2nd, 2018
25,02825k
© Everythingpossible | Dreamstime.com
There's an interesting trend in the digital world that has computer manufacturers in a frenzy: People aren't buying as many new computers.
We're not just talking about people hanging on to their machines for seven years or so. Even people who are in the market for a new computer aren't necessarily buying computers.
Some of are buying Macs, but even more people are ditching their computers for tablets. It makes sense, as tablets are now more than powerful enough for web browsing, video chat, watching videos, reading eBooks, checking Facebook, writing emails, casual gaming and plenty more.
Plus, they're much more portable than a laptop and have better battery life if you decide to take one on a trip. And, they're usually cheaper than a full computer. Of course, the computer isn't quite done yet, and a lot of people will still choose to buy them for good reasons.
So, which one should you buy? We're going to take a look at some things to think about when you're deciding between a tablet and a computer.
The best option
Before we get too far, however, there's a new option for you to consider. If you want something the size of a tablet but still want Windows, the Windows tablets on market are now very good, from the excellent Microsoft Surface to our brand new, powerful-yet-inexpensive Komando 2-in-1 PC Entertainment and Productivity System. It's a laptop. It's a tablet. It's both!
This multi-functional device is fast, sleek, has a crisp 11.6-inch screen, 32GB of usable storage (expandable to 128 GB microSD card) and runs the full version of Windows 10 like butter.
Kim custom designed this versatile Windows PC to have all the features you need without the headache of learning something new.
With the Komando 2-in-1, you can stay connected with your email no matter who your provider is; use Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and all your favorite social media sites, watch TV shows and movies on the go, stream radio stations or shows whenever you want, edit and store photos and videos, access more than 20,000 apps, play your favorite games and more!
Unlike many other tablets, the Komando 2-in-1 has enough power to perform every task without getting sluggish. That's because it comes with 4 GB of RAM and plenty of built-in storage. You're also going to love the multipoint touch screen, built-in mic and Bluetooth functionality!
Everything you need is included in the box. You'll get your new Komando 2-in-1 PC Entertainment and Productivity System, a pair of headphones with microphone, a USB cable and power adapter.
Obviously, we're very proud of this powerful device, and we really hope you like it. In fact, Kim is so excited about the launch of this new product, she's even throwing in a free gift. If you order now, you'll also get a Ring Grip & Stand for your smartphone! With this handy accessory, you'll never lose track of your smartphone again, and you'll always have the best angle to view your screen.
What are you waiting for? It's your perfect chance to enjoy all the features you need in a laptop with the flexibility of a tablet! Get your very own Komando 2-in-1 PC Entertainment and Productivity System to fit the way you work and play. It's only $299.95 while supplies last. Click here to get it today!
OK, let's continue on with looking at the differences between computers and tablets.
Next page: Starting with power
Why two-factor authentication is crucial for your Apple ID, and how to use it
How to protect your mobile device from smishing
Kim recommends: Dash cams and dash cam apps
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COLUMBIA — Local businesses have come together to support the St. James youth football team after someone broke into the team's storage room and destroyed their equipment. The team said...
Career Institute grads address workforce shortage
COLUMBIA – Thirty-four members of the MU Health Career Institute are graduating Tuesday to help address the workforce shortage.
This program provides career advancement opportunities for staff. Senior Director of Talent Peter Callan said it also helps relieve a shortage of staff members.
“This program provides career advancement opportunities for our own staff and increases earning potential,” Callan said. “As more and more people choose to come to MU Health for care, and with low unemployment, this also serves as a way to fill some vital roles.”
In Boone County, the last published unemployment rate was 2.1%, according to the most recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
“As we grow and add more positions it is becoming increasingly difficult to find skilled labor and professionals to take care of our patients,” Callan said.
He said MU Health has several partnerships in the community to get more members.
“Now, we have been hiring students directly from high school into this program, students who otherwise may have had challenges getting employment,” Callan said.
He said MU Health was recently named one of the top 150 places to work in the United States by Becker's Hospital Review, an award that was primarily won based on the merit of the career institute.
“We take our own staff and these high school students, pay for their education, provide them with salaries while they are going to school and provide them with hands-on training as well," Callan said. "So at the end they are now health care professionals ready to go into the work force."
Deidra Ashley, an MU Health spokesperson, said, “MU health care is committed to developing its employees and also creating opportunities for the community to find careers and advance themselves in health care.”
MU Heath is continuing to grow and Callan said the graduates are a huge step in addressing the increased need for health care professionals
The graduation is at University Hospital in Bryant Auditorium.
COLUMBIA – Thirty-four members of the MU Health Career Institute are graduating Tuesday to help address the workforce shortage. ... More >>
3 weeks ago Monday, June 24 2019 Jun 24, 2019 Monday, June 24, 2019 4:34:00 PM CDT June 24, 2019
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How The Designer Of An Excellent Arcade Game Wound Up At Nintendo's E3 Booth
Jun 22, 2018, 6:00pm
Killer Queen is one of the best games I have ever played. It's a five-on-five electronic sport that happens on one screen and encourages deep communication and coordination. It can instantly turn anyone into an e-athlete.
You can be easily forgiven, however, for not having played it: Until Killer Queen Black arrives on the Nintendo Switch later this year, the game exists exclusively in 100 massive arcade cabinets scattered throughout 70 cities around the world. I talked to designer Nikita Mikros on-camera at E3 about the new, slightly smaller-scale version of the game.
In this video, you'll see Mikros barely contain his excitement: A game he worked on is being displayed in the Nintendo booth at E3 alongside such legends as Super Smash Bros. As an aspiring game designer myself, I can imagine no greater honour.
The original Killer Queen is two teams of five players. Killer Queen Black is two teams of four players. It has local multiplayer. It has online multiplayer. The controls are simple enough that one Joy-Con is more than sufficient for playing the game. If there's a game better-suited to playing at a party, it's probably already illegal.
The rules are simple: Every player controls a character. Three of the characters are drones who can run and jump. Drones can collect berries, which they can use to fill their team's base, or they can cash these berries in at power-up stations to earn upgrades such as deadly weapons.
One of the players on each team plays as the queen. The queen can fly, and wields a deadly sword. It's the queen's responsibility to convert power-up stations to her team's colour by flying through them.
You can win by accomplishing one of three goals: Fill your base with berries to accomplish an "Economic Victory", kill the opposing team's queen three times to accomplish a "Military Victory", or ride the snail at the bottom of the arena toward your team's basket to score a "Snail Victory". The snail is comically slow. Winning a Snail Victory results in screams shrill enough to require earplugs.
Disclosure: I am real-life friends with Nikita Mikros. We live less than 2km from one another in Brooklyn - both of us serendipitously equidistant from New York's premier fighting game venue, Next Level Arcade.
I became friends with Mikros because, two years ago, I devoted a large chunk of a lecture about designing the hypothetical "Perfect Sport" to a dissection of Killer Queen. My thesis was that Killer Queen, which takes place entirely on one screen, with no UI or HUD (for example, you can see queen eggs in the nest, denoting how many queens remain) is a game which transforms spectators into players.
Someone watching over your shoulder may pick up on a microscopic burst of nuanced behaviour from a particular player, and whisper into your ear to "watch out for that guy there". You were probably too busy to notice this nuance without the spectator's help. Thus the line between spectator and coach - and the line between coach and player - blurs fascinatingly.
It is this phenomenon that elevates Killer Queen to masterpiece status. In my lecture (which you can watch here, by the way), I went on to extrapolate multiple hypothetical game designs that leverage this "spectator as player" dynamic, using my studio's own prototype GRABJACKERS as an example.
Killer Queen developers Nikita Mikros and Joshua DeBonis were, as fate would have it, in the audience of my lecture. We ended up becoming friends, and in a roundabout way that's how I ended up interviewing Mikros at E3 2018.
I played several rounds of Killer Queen Black, and it delights me to report that it's just as good as the original. It's also a little faster (the arena is smaller and more zoomed in). It also has some weapons the arcade original didn't have. One of those weapons is a laser gun.
"People were always saying there should be a laser beam. 'Dynamite with a Laser Beam,'" Mikros told me.
Well, they listened to the fans - including the fans who begged them to put the game on the Nintendo Switch.
Killer Queen Black is coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year.
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Monticello Jellystone Park™ Wins National Awards
Chip and Kim Smith’s accolades include the Rookie of the Year Award from the company that franchises Jellystone Parks.
MONTICELLO, Iowa, Nov. 30, 2016 — Walnut Acres Campground owners Chip and Kim Smith were the new kids on the block when they joined the Jellystone Park network earlier this year.
But the Smiths have been so successful this year that they won the Rookie Park Operator of the Year Award from Leisure Systems, Inc., the Milford, Ohio-based company that franchises 82 Jellystone Parks across North America. The Smiths also won a Pinnacle Award for achieving scores above 95 percent during assessments of their facilities.
“We were pleasantly surprised to receive these awards,” Chip Smith said.
But the Smiths certainly earned it.
Since they joined the Jellystone Park franchise, business levels at the Smiths’ 270-site park have increased 22 percent this year compared to last year’s figures, a jump in business that prompted them to hire 15 additional mostly part-time employees last summer, and they plan to do even more hiring next year.
“Joining the Jellystone Parks really put us on the map,” Smith said of his park, which is located at 22128 Highway 38 North in Monticello.
He said the campground now attracts families from as much as three hours away, which is twice as far as their typical reach before they joined the franchise.
The Smiths have always offered organized family activities, but they have significantly expanded their activity schedule now that their park is part of the Jellystone Park network.
The Smiths have also added new amenities, including a jumping pillow, shuffleboard courts and a Game Show Mania game. The park, which is located next to the Maquoketa River, also features a heated swimming pool and a fishing lake with pedal boat rentals as well as a river tubing trail, a large sand beach, a playground, and horseshoe pits. It also has two cabins and one camper rental.
For next season, the Smiths plan to add new paddle boats and other water recreation amenities, such as floating trampolines. They are also planning to begin providing food services next year.
“We’re going to be adding pizza. We’re going to have waffles on a stick and potatoes on a stick and a few other things,” Smith said.
Yogi Bear and Cindy Bear will also have some company next season. “We’re going to have Boo Boo!” Smith said.
The Monticello Jellystone Park will open for the 2017 season on April 15. For more information, visit www.monticellojellystone.com.
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JLL Spark acquires SaaS-based real estate asset management company Stessa
SAN FRANCISCO, March 27, 2018 – JLL Spark, a division of JLL (NYSE: JLL), today announced its acquisition of Stessa, a software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based real estate technology platform that allows investors in income properties to easily and cost-effectively track, manage and communicate the performance of their portfolios. This is the first strategic acquisition by JLL Spark since its inception and delivers on its mission to transform the real estate industry through technology-based innovation.
JLL has structured JLL Spark to operate independently and without the typical constraints of most corporate "innovation" or venture arms, providing the nimbleness and speed of a startup backed by JLL's expertise and resources. JLL Spark is led by Mihir Shah and Yishai Lerner, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs with successful track records building and investing in tech companies, who have a direct line to the global CEO. JLL Spark complements JLL, allowing JLL's core business to be more productive and drive competitive advantage.
From left to right, Yishai Lerner (co-CEO of JLL Spark), Heath Silverman (CEO and co-founder of Stessa), Jonah Schwartz (CTO and co-founder of Stessa), and Mihir Shah (co-CEO of JLL Spark)
"Optimizing a real estate portfolio can involve tedious manual effort, which is why many investors see suboptimal returns," said Mihir Shah, co-CEO at JLL Spark. "We chose Stessa as our first acquisition because its innovative product fills a gap in the market for small-to- medium investors."
Built by real estate investors for real estate investors, Stessa (which is 'assets' spelled backwards) makes real estate asset management as easy as traditional investment categories like equities. While many tools provide straightforward valuation, performance benchmarking, real-time analysis and ongoing optimization to equity investors, little exists in real estate. Stessa's platform solves this problem, providing property owners with real-time views into their holdings, resulting in increased transparency across their real estate assets. The company also streamlines the endless paperwork and reporting requirements that burden the everyday investor.
"As real estate investors ourselves, we created Stessa to solve the biggest pain points associated with our own investments - ongoing asset management and portfolio optimization," said Heath Silverman, CEO and co-founder of Stessa. "The JLL Spark acquisition will allow us to scale quickly and broaden our reach."
Stessa has been in beta for the past year testing its product with a select group of early customers representing nearly half a billion dollars in income properties. Interested real estate investors can sign up at Stessa.com for Stessa's next generation release, which will be available soon.
For more information on Stessa and its product offerings, visit https://www.stessa.com/. For more details on JLL Spark, please visit https://spark.jll.com.
About JLL Spark
JLL Spark is dedicated to transforming the real estate industry through technology-based innovation. JLL Spark provides the nimbleness of a startup backed by JLL's expertise and resources. Led by experienced Silicon Valley entrepreneurs with successful track records building and investing in tech companies, JLL Spark's strategic proptech investments offer JLL the ability to provide innovative products to real estate owners and operators. JLL Spark was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit https://spark.jll.com.
JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. A Fortune 500 company, JLL helps real estate owners, occupiers and investors achieve their business ambitions. In 2017, JLL had revenue of $7.9 billion; managed 4.6 billion square feet, or 423 million square meters; and completed investment sales, acquisitions and finance transactions of approximately $170 billion. At the end of 2017, JLL had nearly 300 corporate offices, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of 82,000. As of December 31, 2017, LaSalle had $58.1 billion of real estate assets under management. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated.
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What happens at an Oregon Workers' Compensation hearing?
Navigating the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Maze: Answers to Your Most Common QuestionsGet Your Free E Book Here!
Oregon Workers' Comp. Case Result: Disc Injury Fully Accepted Order Setting Aside Claim Denial
Injured Worker Prevails: All Claimed Medical Conditions Proven Set Aside of Oregon Workers' Compensation Claim Denial
Workers' Comp. Claims Resolved: Lifetime of Low Back Problems Settlement of Multiple Workers' Compensation Claims
There are a few ways you can take your Oregon Workers' Compensation claim to hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (also called an "ALJ"). Most cases we handle go to hearing after we request hearing on a claim denial. Here are a few other examples:
An appeal of a denial for a request to include specific medical conditions in our client's claim.
An appeal of a denial for proposed medical care.
An appeal of an Order on Reconsideration (this is an appeal of an appeal of a Notice of Closure).
What happens at hearing will depend on the issue you bring to the ALJ. For example, if you appeal an Order on Reconsideration, the case is assigned to an ALJ for a "hearing," but usually there is no hearing. Instead, the parties will usually provide the ALJ exhibits, and argue in writing. More on that below.
Our summary will concentrate on a hearing involving the appeal of a claim denial.
Let's Talk About What Happens Before the Oregon Workers' Compensation Hearing
It makes sense to talk about what happens as the hearing approaches to put this all in perspective.
The hearing starts when someone, usually the injured worker, files a request for hearing. When the Oregon Workers' Compensation Board receives the request, it will begin the scheduling process, and look to schedule a hearing at the nearest Hearings Division Office. Most of our hearings are scheduled in Portland, Oregon, but we routinely request that the hearings be held in Astoria. Workers' Compensation hearings are also set in Salem, Medford, and Eugene. There are also un-staffed offices in Bend, Coos Bay, Klamath Falls, Newport, and Ontario, among others.
A notice of hearing is sent out to all parties, which includes the injured worker, the insurer, and the employer. Before the hearing occurs, the insurer will provide the ALJ assigned to the case an exhibit packet. The injured worker can then supplement the exhibit file with their own submissions. Often, exhibits, usually medical opinions, are provided within days of hearing, or even at the hearing. When exhibits come in at the last minute, one party may decide to "cross examine" the author of the exhibit. These are usually medical opinions, and the authors or usually doctors. More on how that affects the hearing below.
Sometimes, there may be a disagreement or dispute between the parties before the hearing. There also may be in need to meet with the Judge for housekeeping matters, like scheduling of hearings. The Administrative Law Judge will schedule a telephone conference to resolve these issues before the hearing. Some judges schedule a pre-hearing conference just to make sure everyone is ready to go to hearing.
Oregon Workers' Compensation hearings are somewhat like a court trial. However, the rules of evidence are more liberal, and the proceedings are less formal. For example, if you were in a court trial, medical records would have to be subpoenaed into the hearing, and you may even have to have a records custodian verify that the medical records are true and correct copies. Medical opinions in court require the doctor to appear at trial or testify under oath on video recording. Oregon Workers' Compensation rules allow written opinions as exhibits, but sometimes depositions (testimony under oath put into writing) are admitted as an exhibit.
At the hearing, the Administrative Law Judge goes over the issues and exhibits with each attorney before "going on the record." "Going on the record" is when recording the hearing begins. Along with the exhibits, recording the hearing is part of the official "record" of the case. The "record" is the body of evidence (exhibits and testimony) that the ALJ will base their opinion upon. Once all the issues are sorted out, the ALJ goes on the record.
After the Administrative Law Judge recites the issues, and admits the exhibits, each party is given the opportunity to give an opening statement. The opening statement advises the Administrative Law Judge about the evidence.
After the opening statements, the party with the burden of proving their case presents their case and can call witnesses. Witnesses are not required all the time. The opposing attorney can question these witnesses, which is known as "cross-examination." After the party with the burden of proving their case is finished calling witnesses, they will "rest their case." Then, the other side may put on their case, and calling their own witnesses.
When exhibits are "offered" within days of hearing, the other party may choose to cross-examine the author of the report. As we explained, most of the time this involves a doctor's report offering an opinion. When the other party cross examines the doctor, the hearing does not conclude. Instead, the ALJ will "continue" the hearing, which is like calling a time out. The deposition is scheduled. After the deposition, a transcript of the testimony is prepared and submitted as an exhibit. Closing arguments are then scheduled, sometimes in person, or on the phone. Depending on the issues, the parties may submit written closing arguments.
Once the closing arguments are done, the case is ready for the ALJ to review all the evidence to issue an Opinion and Order.
The Injured Workers' Testimony
When the hearing involves a claim denial, the injured worker will almost always testify at the hearing, but the testimony will depend on the issue.
In some cases, the denial is based on a claim that the worker was not at work when the injury occurred. These are called "course and scope" cases. The injured worker's testimony will focus on their job duties, and the employer-employee relationship.
If the the case involves a dispute regarding the nature and extent of the injury, the injured worker may talk in great detail about the "mechanics of injury." This is a description of how the leg, arm, or lower back was injured.
Sometimes, the case involves a claim where some medical problems are accepted, but other medical conditions are not. The injured worker may talk about how the injury occurred, but also their medical history.
The Opinion and Order
The ALJ reviews the evidence and decides the case in an "Opinion and Order." This is the written decision on the case. ALJ's try to get the Opinion and Order issued within thirty days after the closing arguments occur. Everyone involved, including the employer, the insurer, and the injured worker receive a copy of the Opinion and Order. The Opinion and Order can be appealed to the Workers' Compensation Board.
If you received a claim denial, or a notice of hearing, and have questions, contact us. We can help you know where you stand and lay out your options.
by Joe Di Bartolomeo [email protected]
Top-rated Personal Injury Lawyer Helping Oregon and Washington Families
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Library Wine
Shipment Schedule
2015 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
8 months in 100% French Oak- 10% New
This Chardonnay, which continues the collaboration between Joseph Carr and winemaker Aaron Pott, was historically called “Dijon Clone.” It is sourced from the cool and foggy Sonoma Coast AVA, which ensures freshness and excellent acidity. The wine undergoes barrel fermentation as well as sur lie aging in 10% new French oak, both of which contribute a creamy texture and complexity.
Wine Profile
The bouquet is intensely aromatic and features notes of ripe peach and lemon. Flavors of toffee and almonds emerge on the palate, bolstered by lively acidity, a creamy mouthfeel, and a long finish.
The 2015 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay harvest is characterized by low yields but high quality driven by a cool spring and warm sunny summer. Look for excellent concentration and acidity.
Winemaker Notes
"The grapes were picked at the peak of flavor ripeness in early August and were gently pressed using a membrane press. The wine was barrel-fermented and then aged sur lie for eight months in 10% new French oak. The lees were hand-stirred monthly to enhance the creamy finish created by barrel fermentation and to encourage 100% malolactic fermentation."
© Copyright 2019 Joseph Carr Wines Rutherford, CA. All rights reserved. Winery Ecommerce by WineDirect
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Golfers may be restricted from using marijuana at some golf courses, and pot could be offered for sale at others. (Neil Corbett/THE NEWS)
Dealing with smoking pot on fairways
Legalization is weeks away, how will golf courses regulate marijuana?
Neil Corbett
Every other golf foursome will have a person who wants to smoke pot out on the course.
That was just one of the findings of a golf marijuana survey conducted by B.C. Golf and Inside Golf, and it has the industry talking about what will happen next month, when recreational use of marijuana becomes law.
The law will change on Oct. 17, and in anticipation of that, B.C. Golf, the official association of the sport in the province, polled golf courses and participants in the sport. In total, it heard from 56 facilities across western Canada and 5,466 golfers.
It found that 75 per cent of facilities do not have a marijuana policy in place now, but 60 per cent of facilities are likely to allow use on their courses.
Troy Peverley, general manager for Swaneset Bay Resort and Country Club in Pitt Meadows, said the West Coast Golf Group will have to set a policy for the local course, as well as Belmont and Hazelmere, which it also owns, and is looking at the issue seriously.
“Each golf course is going to have to determine what the rules are,” said Peverley.
He expects golfers will find different courses will have varying levels of tolerance. He expects people do smoke pot on the course now, but it has not caused problems.
“We don’t get many complaints. I can’t remember the last time I heard a complaint about the smell, or anything else.”
Peverley said a course could potentially lose customers regardless of which way it decides to approach an issue.
“We’re certainly looking for feedback from our customers,” he said.
About half of the facilities surveyed (53 per cent) plan to have a similar policy as for smoking tobacco.
What’s more, 27 per cent said they would consider selling marijuana, just as they sell alcohol from a beer cart, if they were permitted to do so.
“We certainly haven’t considered that yet,” said Peverley
Of the almost 5,500 golfers polled, 63 per cent are members at a club and 37 per cent are daily fee players. The vast majority were from B.C. (97 per cent), with the rest from Alberta, and 85 per cent were 55 or older.
One-in-seven golfers said they plan to smoke marijuana on a golf course.
This rises to half for those under the age of 35, and drops to less than one-in-10 for those 55 and older.
Some 60 per cent said they are uncomfortable with anyone smoking marijuana on a golf course.
The age split again arose on the issue of being comfortably paired with someone smoking marijuana on the golf course.
For those under 35, it was 75 per cent, and for 35-54 it was half, and over-55 was just 25 per cent.
At the Maple Ridge Golf Course, manager Debra Camara said there are more issues for facilities to consider as an employer. For example, an employee with a prescription to use medicinal cannabis may request to use it at work.
She said it is an “older crowd” at most golf courses, and she plans to not allow smoking marijuana on the patio or near crowds to avoid disrupting customers.
Rather than setting a policy, she will not anticipate problems, and deal with issues as they arise.
Camara said she has never heard a complaint about marijuana smoking at the course, yet.
“We’ll see how it plays out,” she said. “It’s one step at a time.”
According to the recent poll, 80 per cent of golfers who are members at clubs would like to have input into decisions regarding marijuana use at their club. This rises to 88 per cent for those planning to smoke.
Three-quarters of golfers do not think marijuana should be smoked within viewing distance of junior players.
Some 90 per cent of those planning to smoke marijuana on the course view it as the same as drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco or cigars.
Not giving up: Uber exec to promote ride-sharing at UBCM
PHOTOS: Everything Wine hosts successful wine fest
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Linklaters and Allens advise on Victoria International Container Terminal Limited
On 20 July 2016, Victoria International Container Terminal Limited (VICT), the Australian subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), successfully closed an export credit agency-covered syndicated loan facility in an amount of A$ 398 million (approximately US$ 300 million) with seven leading global financial institutions, comprising Citibank N.A., KFW IPEX-Bank GmbH and Standard Chartered Bank as Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners, Bank of China Limited, DBS Bank Ltd. and Investec Bank PLC as Mandated Lead Arrangers, and Cathay United Bank as Lead Arranger.
The alliance of Linklaters and Allens acted as the legal advisor to VICT as borrower and ICTSI as sponsor.
The newly-secured financing will support the on-going construction and development of Webb Dock at the Port of Melbourne, Australia - one of ICTSI’s most anticipated container terminal projects, boasting a world-leading fully automated unloading and stacking system. ICTSI was able to secure favourable terms in a difficult market, with the support of an international bank group and the notable absence of a requirement for long term contracted revenue streams.
The project marks ICTSI’s first entry into Australia. The Philippine-based port operator started building the terminal in late 2014 and the project is planned for completion in two stages, with commercial operations expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year for the first phase and in 2017 for the second.
James McLaren, Linklaters banking and projects partner based in Hong Kong commented:
“We are delighted to have supported the borrower and sponsor on this successful project financing. It represented a joint success for both Linklaters and Allens in facilitating the financing of a high profile infrastructure project with a strong group of international banks and Finnvera, the Finnish Export Credit Agency. In a number of ways this transaction challenged the market for Australian infrastructure project financings, including the long tenor of debt made available by the participating banks.”
James Darcy, Allens lead partner said the project was an example of complex, cross-jurisdictional work where the advantages of a well coordinated, global team helped achieve a great commercial outcome for the client.
The Linklaters team included James McLaren, Jessica Chilton and Will Kim. The Allens team included James Darcy, Paul Telford and Mizu Ardra.
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Lumbridge.
Q&A | Escape to ‘RuneScape’
2 min read . Updated: 12 Oct 2009, 09:17 PM IST Blessy Augustine
Q&A | Escape to ‘RuneScape’
GamingGame ReviewPlayLounge ExclusivePlay
RuneScape, a free-to-play multiplayer online (MMO) game that holds the Guinness world record for being the most popular MMO game worldwide, was launched in India on 8 October. The game, developed by UK-based Jagex Game Studio, has 175 million accounts worldwide and 10 million active users. Jagex has partnered with Indian gaming portal Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd for the Indian launch.
Rob Smith and Rohit Sharma, the chief operating officers of Jagex and Zapak, respectively, spoke about RuneScape and the Indian gaming market. Edited excerpts:
What are the demographics of the Indian gaming market like?
Sharma: Worldwide the gaming industry is set to reach $68 billion (around Rs3.2 trillion) by 2012, which is bigger than the music industry and even Hollywood. The Asia-Pacific region contributes to 40% of this revenue. Right now China and Korea feature in a big way but India’s catching up. Zapak already has 6.5 million users in India.
Three warriors and King Black Dragon.
Are these users mainly from the four metros?
Sharma: No. The metros give us 45% of our users, the rest come from the class B and C cities. We have 70 game-plexes around the country and, in our experience, the B and C class cities get us users much faster than the A class cities.
Why is this so?
Sharma: It’s hard to pinpoint reasons. But I think one of the reasons could be that gaming may be an aspirational activity for them. Also, in B and C class cities there are fewer entertainment options, hence, game-plexes turn into cool hang-out zones.
Why did you choose RuneScape?
Sharma: In the gaming industry, MMO games are the stickiest form of games. And RuneScape is the stickiest of them.
RuneScape was first developed in 2001. What took Jagex so long to come to India?
Bandos Avatar.
Will you be adapting the game to local languages?
Smith: That is not an immediate possibility. The free game itself has 15,000 levels, translating so much material for a country like France or Germany where only one language is spoken is itself a daunting task. I can’t imagine how that could be done in a country like India where you speak so many languages.
You are offering the paid subscription for Rs150, which is half the subscription charges in the US. Would this be profitable?
Smith: The idea is to engage more and more users. Pricing it low makes it more attractive. If we can get the number of users that we’re expecting, then revenues shouldn’t be a problem.
Do you have plans to port RuneScape to game consoles as well?
Smith:RuneScape is too complex a game to be able to make it available on a console. Right now it works best on PCs, laptops and netbooks. We’ll need to work a lot on it and simplify it to make it available on a console. We’re not thinking about it now but it’s a future possibility.
‘RuneScape’ was launched on 8 October.
What about parents blaming online games for children reading less?
Smith: I think it’s more about changing mediums of expression. A game like RuneScape has multiple storylines, you’ve got to follow the programmed storyline to be able to play the game. Besides, MMOs are based on role-play and that’s something similar to novels, I guess.
So would MMOs be like living in a book?
Smith: You could put it that way.
Free and paid variants of RuneScape are available on Runescape.in.
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Ecosystem Services Provided by the Little Things That Run the World
By Olga Maria Correia Chitas Ameixa, António Onofre Soares, Amadeu M.V.M. Soares and Ana I. Lillebø
Submitted: September 2nd 2017Reviewed: February 5th 2018Published: November 5th 2018
DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.74847
Home > Books > Selected Studies in Biodiversity
Highest extinction risk and consequently biodiversity loss are predicted to occur in invertebrates, specifically insects, and these declines are expected to cascade onto ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Although this knowledge is intrinsically present in more traditional communities, in more urban environments, mapping ecosystem services can be an important tool to raise people’s awareness on the importance of preserving insect diversity. After an extensive revision of the available literature, we used a rule-based approach to assess the provisioning, regulating and maintenance, and cultural services delivered by insects. We followed the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) and identified several potential indicators that may help underpin the mapping and valuation of the services delivered by insects. From our search, we extracted a total of 73 indicators, divided as 17 Provisional indicators, 27 Regulation and Maintenance indicators, and 29 Cultural indicators. We concluded that insects are providers of services in the three major ‘Sections’ of ecosystem services defined by CICES. Despite the lack of recognition of provisioning and cultural services, the indicators provided may help to raise awareness on the importance of the little things the run the world, in order to preserve traditional and technological uses of insects and their services.
ecological function
services indicators
chapter and author info
Olga Maria Correia Chitas Ameixa*
Biology Department and CESAM, University of Aveiro, Portugal
CE3C, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Azorean Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, University of the Azores, Portugal
António Onofre Soares
Amadeu M.V.M. Soares
Ana I. Lillebø
*Address all correspondence to: olga.ameixa@ua.pt
From the Edited Volume
Selected Studies in BiodiversityEdited by Bülent Şen
Selected Studies in Biodiversity
Edited by Bülent Şen and Oscar Grillo
The highest extinction risk and consequently the greatest biodiversity loss are predicted to occur in invertebrates [1, 2], specifically insects, and these declines are expected to cascade onto ecosystem functioning and human well-being [2]. For this reason, mapping ecosystem services provided by insects can be a way to raise people’s awareness on the importance of preserving insect diversity.
From 1 million species described, only 5000 are considered harmful to crops, livestock, or humans [3], the so-called dis-services [4]. However, it also widely acknowledge the benefits that insects might directly or indirectly bring to humans, namely through pollination, pest control, raw materials, or as food, known as ecosystem services (ES). Moreover, there are clear evidences of the growing importance of insects as feed and food resources, especially in the context of the global population growth and to overcome the global scarcity of proteins [5] or even in the context of new drugs discovery for by pharmaceutical industries, e.g., [6, 7, 8], with insects having a prominent role in the provisioning services by ecosystems. Insects produce a huge number of defensive secretions against predators, and these molecules are potentially medicinal drugs, e.g., [7, 9]. In countries such as China, about 77 species from 14 families and belonging to 8 orders have been used in traditional medicine to treat tumors and cancer [10].
Due to the growing interest regarding this class as key mediators of ES, i.e., there is a growing demand for ES mediated by insects; there is also the need to assess and map the supply of ES that is mediated by insects and provided in the habitats they populate. The demand for ecosystem services is socio-economically driven [11], while the supply is underpinned by ecosystems process and functions [12]. In this context, this work proposes to deliver a set of potential global indicators for ES mediated by insects that can serve as a foundation for mapping and assessment of ES at local/regional, national, or even transnational levels. The use of indicators has been recognized as a useful communication tool that facilitates the simplification of human-environmental systems high complexity, e.g., [13]; they can be selected for mapping and assessment of ES [14] and to support specific management purposes involving ES trade-offs [15]. This work may also be seen as a contribution to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2020, Action 5—Improve knowledge of ecosystems and their services in the EU, which is linked to other global initiatives to protect biodiversity, namely International Platform of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and to the UN Natural Capital Accounting. In this sense, we performed an extensive review of the available literature to assess the supply side of ecosystem services, which results directly or indirectly from insect-mediated processes and functions. The ES classification followed the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) that considers three major categories: provisioning, regulating and maintenance, and cultural services in order to avoid natural capital double counting [16]. CICES has been applied to habitats, e.g., [17], to social-ecological systems, e.g., [18], or with the purpose of supporting the mapping and assessment of ES at EU Member States (Action 5 of the Biodiversity Strategy), e.g., [14]. Results from this rule-based review are presented and discussed according to the lowest possible CICES category.
The ES provided by insects was categorized according to the CICES classification [16], which the latest full version can be downloaded athttp://cices.eu/. In this review, we applied the CICES rationale to the world’s most abundant and diverse group of organisms and acknowledge their role as major agents of the ES provided in the ecosystems where they live. Following the same principle as the MAES working group [14], we provide a set of potential indicators for each identified service, which might help underpin the mapping, valuation, and management of the delivered services.
The services were categorized to the maximum possible resolution following CICES hierarchical structure whenever possible. If sufficient data were not available, the next higher level of resolution was chosen.
We used a rule-based approach to map indicators for ES. We did this by first reviewing and summarizing existing scientific and nonscientific literature related to ES provided by insects. Our aim was to extract from the literature and by using CICES rational, to classify potential indicators that can be used to assess and map these services in different ecosystems and across different geographic regions.
The literature search was performed in specific scientific libraries (e.g., Scopus and Web of Knowledge), using the keywords (single and in combination): ES, insects, ecological function, pollination, seed predation, biological control, decomposition, seed dispersal, food, feed, materials, medicines, society, and ecosystems. However, there were many gaps for several ES categories in these referenced libraries. For this reason, we enlarged our search to include books and nonresearch literature. This approach was especially important to access the cultural services, for which available scientific literature is scarce. In fact, evidences seem to show that inclusion of nonresearch literature can be useful to validate the results of a research-based literature search [19]. In our case, we definitely would have biased our conclusions if we had excluded nonresearch-based literature, even if this only makes up ~25% of all searched literature, mainly because cultural services are rarely considered in ES assessments [20]. Actually, cultural services do not represent purely ecological phenomena but rather are the outcome of complex and dynamic relationships between ecosystems and humans [21], and for this reason, we needed to adapt our bibliographic review in order to include cultural services and produce valid potential indicators. In total, we used 90 papers indexed in Scopus, 21 authored and 1 edited books, 16 chapters, 13 reports, 7 proceedings, 8 papers not indexed in Scopus, 7 electronic articles, 3 thesis, and 8 webpages.
In this section, a short description of each of the headings corresponds to CICES hierarchical structure identified for ES mediated by insects, while the corresponding indicators for mapping and assessment are presented inTable 1.
CICES hierarchical structure
Relevant examples
Potential indicator(s)
1. Provisional
1.1. Nutrition
1.1.1. Biomass
1.1.1.1. Reared and wild animals and their outputs for direct consumption
1.1.1.2. Wild animals for indirect consumption Reared insects for Human nutrition
Wild insects collected for direct Human nutrition Number and distribution of insects farms of edible species
Honey consumption from domesticated and wild bees Number, distribution and biomass of species consumed by humans
Wild insects predated by animals (fish and game birds) that are used in Human nutrition
Insect species that can be incorporated in food production systems. Number and distribution of insects predated by animals (fish and game birds) used in Human nutrition
Insect’s number and biomass used in food production for Human nutrition
1.2. Products
1.2.1.1. Insects products for direct use or processing Products made with insect materials Amount and distribution of bee products (e.g., honey and beeswax production), and other insect products by category (e.g., silk, pigments, lac production).
Medicinal uses of insects and their derived products for humans Amount and distribution by category of medical/pharmaceutical active substances)
Insects used by animals as medicines Number and distribution of animals which rely on insects as medicines
2. Regulation and Maintenance
2.1. Mediation of waste, toxics and other nuisances Bio-remediation
Decomposition Number and distribution of species which clean/decompose wastes
2.2. Mediation of flows
2.2.1. Mass flows
2.2.1.1. Mass stabilization and control of erosion rates Contribution for soil erosion mitigation by influence on the soil structure due their activities Number and distribution of species which contribute to soil erosion mitigation
2.3. Maintenance of physical, chemical, biological conditions
2.3.1. Lifecycle maintenance, habitat and gene pool protection
2.3.1.1. Pollination by insects Pollinators of wild plants and cash crops Number and distribution of pollinator species;
Number and distribution of plant species which depend on insects to reproduce and that are used for human consumptionNumber and distribution of beehive’s renting for pollination
2.3.1.2. Seed dispersal by insects Dispersal of seeds by insects Number and distribution of species that promote seed dispersal
Number and distribution of plant species which depend on insects for seed dispersal and that are used for human consumption
2.3.1.3. Maintaining nursery populations and habitats Wild insect species which serve as food for other predators e.g., fish, birds, spiders, lizards, bats, etc. Number and distribution of insect species that are predated by insectivorous species.
Number and distribution of insectivorous species that are used for human consumption
2.4.1. Pest and disease control
2.4.1.1. Pest control Biological control of different types of pests Number and distribution of biocontrol agents
Effective biological control reported cases
2.5.1. Soil formation and composition Termites, ants and dung beetles Number and distribution of insect species involved in pedogenese and soil bioturbation
2.5.2. Decomposition and fixing processes Decomposition of dead organic material
Herbivory
Nutrient cycling Number and distribution of insect species that decompose dead organic material, contributing to nutrient cycling and soil fertility and which can influence the rate of decomposition (herbivory).
3. Cultural
3.1. Physical and intellectual interactions with insects
3.1.1. Physical and experiential interactions
3.1.1.1. Experiential use of insects and insect dependent wildlife
3.1.2. Intellectual and representative interactions Observation of insects and insect dependent wildlife.
Activities related with wildlife which rely on insects as a critical nutritional resource, e.g., hunting, fishing Number and distribution of Citizen Science projects related with insects;
Number of internet groups related with insects, which share pictures and other information.
Number and distribution of insectivorous game and game species
3.1.2.1. Scientific Amount of scientific study areas in which insects are subject matter of research Number of scientific studies using insects as subjects of research.
Studies listed in Database Platforms, e.g., ISI Web of Knowledge.
Number of insect biological model systems
Number and distribution of species used in forensic studies
Bioindication Number and distribution of insect species which are bioindicators of ecological condition
3.1.2.2. Educational Use of insects in schools and educational programs Activities using insects in kindergartens and elementary schools
Number of websites devoted to insect information
Number of citizen science projects using insects
Number of insect zoos
Number of insectariums and butterfly displays
3.1.2.3. Heritage and cultural Insect fossils Number and distribution of paleontological data
3.1.2.4. Entertainment Movies, books, TV series, magazines, social internet groups Ex-situ viewing/experience of natural world through different media. Videos, documentaries on insects.
Mass media indicators: TV and magazines, Web sites, social networking sites; Movies
3.1.2.5. Esthetic Inspiration for painters, photographers and other artists interested in insects Different types of artifacts in which insects are used
Number of visits to artistic exhibits
3.2. Spiritual, symbolic and other interactions with insects
3.2.1. Spiritual and/or emblematic (sacred and/or religious)
3.2.1.1. Symbolic Emblematic insects (e.g., U.S., state insects or state agricultural insects) Number and/or distribution of symbolic insect species
3.2.1.2. Sacred and/or religious Scarab cult, cicadas as symbols of rebirth Number of sacred species; insect species that sustain supernatural believes
3.2.1.3. Other cultural outputs (Existence and bequest) Entomological organizations, insect collections Number and distribution of entomological organizations, insect collections, zoos, museums, and butterfly gardens, colleges and universities where entomology can be studied.
ONG’s involved in sustainable insect collection by local populations.
Potential indicators for ES delivered by insects following the CICES hierarchical structure.
3.1. Provisioning—nutrition and biomass
3.1.1. Wild and reared insects and their outputs for direct consumption by humans
Insects are part of human diet in many parts of the world, and it is estimated that at least 2 billion people worldwide regularly consume insects [22]. Most of this consumption occurs in central and southern Africa, Asia, Australia, and Latin America and can provide 5–10% of the annual animal protein consumed by various indigenous groups as well as fat and calories and various vitamins and minerals [23, 24]. Jongema [25] compiled a list of edible insects, where 1900 edible insect species were reported. In Figure 1, the percentage of insects eaten grouped by their orders is compiled.
Percentage of insects eaten according to their order.
Recently, several “entomophagic” movements have appeared in order to introduce insects in daily diets, with entomologists and chefs joining together to introduce insects as gourmet food items, e.g., [26]. These movements have the blessing and active participation of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which supported several actions on edible insects worldwide in recent years. According to FAO, scarcities of agricultural land, water, forest, fishery and biodiversity resources, as well as nutrients and nonrenewable energy, are foreseen. In this context, insects appear as an alternate form of having a source of protein and other nutrients without the depletion of resources like in livestock production systems.
Besides direct consumption of insects, honey is the most widely insect output consumed by humans. Worldwide, the EU accounts for approximately 20–25% of global consumption (amounted to 310 thousand tonnes in 2007). The other two major consumers of honey in the world are China (15%) and the USA (10%) [27].
3.1.2. Wild insects for indirect consumption by humans
Several animals feed primarily or exclusively on insects; and some of these animals are important food sources for humans [28]. Numerous insect orders have been used as complementary food sources for poultry [29]. Terrestrial invertebrates can comprise more than half of energy ingested by stream fishes [30, 31] and are often the preferred prey of juvenile salmonids [32] with significant consequences for fish growth and abundance [33, 34]. Insects falling into streams are estimate to comprise about 30–80% of the diets of young salmon [31], 56.7% of masu salmon, 50.5% of white-spotted char, 46.3% of rainbow trout, 22.6% of Dolly Varden, and 12.0% of sculpin diets [35]. Even in systems where invertebrates made up only 10–15% of the terrestrial input, they comprised in total more than a third of the diet [36], which seems to be an indication that stream fish often prey selectively on terrestrial invertebrates falling into the water, e.g., [37].
Chicks of most game birds (e.g., quail, rouse, and pheasant) feed mainly on insects and other invertebrates, because of the high protein content, essential for the birds’ rapid development [38]. Apparently, many chicks are not able even to digest plant material [39].
3.1.3. Insect products for direct use or processing
Bees produce six hive products—honey, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, and venom—all of which are collected and used by people for various nutritional and therapeutic purposes. Honey is the most well-known and economically important hive product. The first written reference to honey appeared in a Sumerian tablet writing, dating back to 2100–2000 BC, that mentions honey’s use as a drug and an ointment [40]. Bees deliver about 1.2 million tons of commercial honey per year [5]. Honey and beeswax, whose trade dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, were used in Medieval Europe as trade goods and as payment for taxes [41]. Beeswax is popular for making candles, adhesives, seals, and molds for casting [42]. It is also used as wood polish and is one of the most commonly used waxes in cosmetics.
Wax can also be produced by scale insects (Hemiptera, superfamily Coccoidea). The Chinese insect wax, or just insect wax, is produced by Ceroplastes ceriferus [43], which is common in China and India, or Ericerus pela, which is distributed in most parts of China, Japan, and the Korean peninsula, where it has been bred for over 1000 years [44]. Chinese insect wax has been used as a substitute for beeswax and is also used for candles, wax paint, polishing leather, and sizing paper [45]. Scale insects are also the main source of commercial shellac, also known as lac. The lac scale Kerria lacca (Kerr, 1782) can be found in the forests of India and Thailand and secretes shellac a natural mixture of resin and wax [46]. The propagation, care, and harvest of the raw lac product are largely dependent on tribal people scattered throughout forested areas. For these people, lac cultivation and harvest can be a substantial source of monetary income [47]. Lac has been an integral part of Indian history and culture for thousands of years, beautifying wood as a coating or used as a thermoplastic molding material [47]. It can also be used as a red colorant for dying natural fibers [48], e.g., wool in Persian carpets dated as early as 714 B.C [47]. Shellac wax is used in crayons and lipstick, as well as polishes and waxes for furniture [47]. Shellac can also be used as an electrical insulator, as well as a binder for man-made abrasive grinding wheels used in the crystal cutting and polishing industry [47]. Shellac was an ingredient in the production of gramophone records, until vinyl took its place [49]. As it is a natural, nontoxic resin, shellac can be used in the food industry as a colorant or coating [50]. In the perfume industry, it is used for its ability to microencapsulate, allowing a timed release of perfume in lotions and other beauty products [48].
Scale insects still provide carmine, also called cochineal, a red dye mainly produced by Dactylopius coccus. This dye is used since pre-Columbian civilizations, as early as 2000 years ago, and was once one of the most valuable exports from colonial Mexico [51]. Carmine is used to color foods, textiles, and pharmaceuticals [5]. For three centuries, the English, French, and Dutch resorted to espionage, piracy, bribery, and theft to learn the secret of this fabulous dye and break Spain’s monopoly [52]. When the FDA banned Red Dye No. 2 in 1976, many food and cosmetics producers returned to cochineal, which is neither a toxin nor a carcinogen. Sometimes listed as carmine or E120, cochineal is the only natural red food coloring authorized by the FDA [52].
Before the discovery of D. coccus, red dyes were obtained from other scales species. Kermes (from Kermes vermilio Planchon) was used in Europe since Roman times [53]. In central and northern Europe, the Polish cochineal (from the Porphyrophora polonica) was used throughout middle age [54]. Besides these, Armenian cochineal (from Porphyrophora hamelii Brandt) was collected from the base of its hosts Aeluropus littoralis Gouan or Phragmites communis Trin., and occurred in Armenia, Turkey, and Iran [55].
One of the most important insect products is silk. Sericulture has been practiced at least since 2000–3000 B.C. in China and is among the most widely traded commercial products. The historic importance of sericulture is demonstrated by the Silk Roads that connected Europe, the Middle-East, and China [41]. Silkworms remain the only source of silk and produce more than 90,000 tons of this natural protein fiber per year [56]. However, silk production is not confined to China. Indeed, in Madagascar, wild silk commonly termed “Landibe” was exploited long before the introduction of “Chinese silk” from Bombyx mori during the 19th century [57, 58]. Wild silk in Madagascar has many origins, with many silk producing species being present on the island. One of such species is Borocera cajani [59]. Historically, the Madagascan population used B. cajani silk to create sumptuous shrouds. Although sericulture in Madagascar plays a minor role at international level [57], it remains a major source of income for more than 10,000 local families working in the silk industry [60].
Iron gall ink, also referred to as iron gallotannate ink, is one of the most important inks in the history of western civilization and was in widespread use from the middle age until the twentieth century, with a significant part of our cultural heritage recorded with it [61]. For instance, Bach used it to write down his music, Rembrandt used it for his drawings, while Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence with it [61]. However, this ink presents some corrosive properties, reason why several historical artifacts suffer from its corrosive action. Examples are the original complete works of Victor Hugo which are almost destroyed, while 60–70% of Leonardo da Vinci’s work shows signs of deterioration [62].
The use of insects and derived products as medicines has a long tradition in many parts of the world and in many cultures, e.g., in Chinese medicine, Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Australian Aborigines, as well as in Africa and South America. Science has provided evidence of immunological, analgesic, antibacterial, diuretic, anesthetic, and antirheumatic properties [63].
Extensive reviews regarding the use of insects in medicine are provided by Cherniak [6] and Dossey [7], which include details of the use of medicinal insects throughout the World and aspects of their potential for drug discovery. Ratcliffe et al. [8] provided an overview of significant recent developments in bioengineering natural products from insects, describing use or potential use in modern medicine, as well as the use of insects as models for studying essential mammalian processes such as immune responses to pathogens. Examples of these “rediscovered” products come from bees. Honey has been used for a long time as wound dressing by several different cultures in different parts in the world (a good historical review is provided by Jones) [64]. Another review by Molan [65] demonstrates that honey, the oldest wound dressing material known to medicine, can give positive results where the most modern products are failing, mainly due to its reported antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities.
Several properties were reported for royal jelly as well, and these included anti-cancer metastasis [66], neurite growth stimulation [67], and anti-allergic responses [68],
Apart from these, a broad spectrum of biological activities have also been reported in studies using propolis, such as antioxidant [69], antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal [70], anti-inflammatory [71], and anticancer effects [72]. Currently, the pharmaceutical industry uses beeswax as a binding agent, time-release mechanism, and drug carrier [43].
Chinese wax has also been employed medically. Taken internally, it has been used as a remedy for hoarseness, worms, and nervousness and to aid the mending of broken bones. Externally, it has been used as an ointment for treatment of wounds [73].
If we think about cancer and the side effects of current treatments, we definitely have to account for knowledge of traditional medicine, such as in Chinese medicine where several kinds of insects have been traditionally used to treat tumors and cancer [10]. Insects produce a huge number of defensive secretions against predators, and these molecules are potentially medicinal drugs, e.g., [7]. For instance, cantharidin, a defensive alkaloid produced by blister beetles (Meloidae) that is used commercially to remove warts [74], has been shown to kill a variety of tumor cells in vitro as well as in animal models in vivo (reviewed by [8]).
Ant venom was the subject of U.S. patent 4,247,540. This came about through a medical study at the Miami School of Medicine, where ant venom had an effect on painful and inflamed joints [9]. In fact, besides ailment treatment, ants were also used for diagnosis, as in the case of an old observation, made by tribes in the Amazon forest that ants will swarm over the urine of diabetics but will leave ordinary urine alone [9]. In fact, ants are widely used worldwide: in Africa, they are used to treat whooping cough, in Morocco to overcome lethargy, Australian aborigines used them to treat headaches, in South America to cure colds and impotence in men, and in Russia, a tincture of ants known as “muraschkowka,” was used to treat colds. In Tibetan medicine, ants were used for urinary retention and as a mild purgative, and in Central Asia, its main use was for curing arthritis [9]. Lockhart [9] refers to Old European literature that contains recipes for “eau de magnanamite” used to treat sore eyes and in Arabian medical literature, where ants were used to treat the victims of the rutaila spider bite, leprosy, and as an aphrodisiac is described.
Ant mandibles were used to stitch wounds of surgical incisions—a practice documented in India as early as 1000 B.C., using live ants to bite the pinched sides of a wound or incision, leaving the mandibles fastened until the wound heals [75], a practice also used in the Mediterranean area but discontinued due to some criticism of some European doctors [9].
One of the well-studied medical applications of arthropods is the use of maggots [6]. Blow fly (Lucilia spp.) maggots, used in traditional medicine to remove necrotic tissues without surgery, received renewed medical attention for wound debridement, as surgical treatments increase the risk of infection by antibiotic-resistant pathogens [76, 77, 78].
Besides its economic value as a product, silk has been prescribed in traditional medicine as well. Silkworm larvae infected with fungus are one of the most used sources of medicine in Korean medicine and, according to Pemberton [79], are used to treat stroke, tonsillitis, and rubella among other diseases, while adult male silkworm moths are used to treat impotence and premature ejaculation. Additionally, silkworm larvae frass were also used to treat diabetes, neuralgia, and skin rash, among other conditions [80]. In fact, powdered silkworm larvae were tested and shown in modern bioassays to inhibit absorption of glucose in human intestinal epithelium cells [81]. More recently, due to its unique properties, silk fibroin, a naturally occurring protein polymer, was shown to be a favorable matrix for the incorporation and delivery of a range of therapeutic agents [82]. Besides silk, other insect proteins are also used in medicine. For instance, resilin, a rubber-like protein that enables insects to jump (e.g., fleas), has been used in medicine to repair arteries taking advantage of its elastic properties [83].
Shellac has also been used for a long time in Ayurvedic medicine [47] and more recently in modern pharmaceuticals as a tablet coating [84] and in dental medicine [85].
The anticoagulants and other components in the salivary glands of blood-sucking insects, for example in horseflies, have been used for hundreds of years as anti-thrombosis treatments in Eastern Medicine [86].
Recently, the importance of insects as source of natural products has been recognized by several pharmaceutical companies which set up to exploit these substances using modern molecular and biochemical techniques [8]. Furthermore, since 2009, the Chinese Government began to invest more than 12 billion US dollars over 5 years in new drug development, and insects as potential sources were not neglected [8].
Not only humans use insects to treat their ailments, animals do it as well. The use of ants by bears suffering from abdominal complaints is referred by the Roman writer Plutarch [9]. In 1935, Erwin Stresemann invented the term “anting,” which refers to bathing in ant nests [9]. Nowadays, the behavior involves the bird seizing one or more ants in the bill and then, while holding one or both wings outstretched and the tail bent forward between the legs, wiping the ants into the primary feathers of wings and tail [87]. It is believed that birds use ants to maintain their feathers free from parasites, such as feather lice Mallophaga species and feather mites Acarina species [9], although this is not a consensual belief [88]. Anting has been reported for over 200 species of birds, mostly passerines (reviewed by [87]). The ants are typically Formicinae, which spray formic acid as a defense, or Dolichoderinae, which exude a repugnant anal fluid. Anting was also reported in some mammals, e.g., for capuchin monkeys [89] and gray squirrels [90]. European farmers also feed chickens with large red ants, as well as ant eggs, since these are considered powerful stimulants of egg production. Farmers would feed these to broody hens and “lazy layers.” Feeding ant eggs to chicken results in weight gain with fat loss and seems to prevent diseases like coccidiosis and enteritis (see [9]).
3.2. Regulation and maintenance
3.2.1. Mediation of waste, toxics, and other nuisances
When cattle was introduced to Australia in 1788, waste biodegradation became an immediate problem as endemic dung beetles, adapted to marsupial dung, were simply insufficient to decompose the increased amounts of manure [91]. To solve this problem, dung beetles were introduced to Australia from South Africa, Europe, and Hawaii. Of 46 introduced species, 23 successfully established [5]. These beetles, from the insect families Scarabaeidae and Geotrupidae, bury dung under the soil surface and reduce the associated nuisances with it. These nuisances include a decrease in palatability of plant material that is fouled with dung and increase of diseases, since many cattle parasites and pest flies require a moist environment such as dung to complete their development [92]. Losey and Vaughan [28] estimated the annual value of dung burial by dung beetles in the US in US$ 380 million. The use of dung is not restricted to beetles. For instance, the Hawaiian big-headed ant Pheidole megacephala accidentally introduced to Fiji also gets into the droppings of animals [9].
In aquatic ecosystems, insects falling into freshwater waterbodies influence the nutrient availability, since they add substantial amounts of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus to these nutrient-poor ecosystems and affect aquatic community dynamics [93, 94, 95]. In addition, the different functional groups (scrapers/grazers, shredders, and collector gatherers) living in aquatic systems contribute to the integration of nutrients from terrestrial sources.
3.2.2. Mediation of flows
3.2.2.1. Mass stabilization and control of erosion rates
It is well documented that the reduction in activity and biodiversity of the soil biota, which includes insects, leads to the degradation of the soil structure and increase of runoff and erosion. Soil biota influence soil properties through formation of stable aggregates and development of organomineral complexes and bonding through fungal hyphae and polysaccharides [96]. Soil properties can also be improved by mixing soil with organic residues and by turnover through burrowing and the formation of subterranean chambers and feeding galleries. These activities improve macroporosity and continuity of pores from surface to the subsoil and increase the infiltration rate, which contributes to the reduction of runoff rate and amount [96]. Some examples of insects that influence soil structure are, e.g., termites, ants, dung beetles, and other burring insects.
3.2.3. Maintenance of physical, chemical, and biological conditions
3.2.3.1. Pollination
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has recognized pollination as a key driver in the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem functions [97]. Insects play a central role in most plant species reproduction, since the majority of all known pollinator species (98%) are insects [98]. Over 90% of the 250,000 flowering plant species depend on pollinators. Not only natural ecosystems benefit from pollination, many cash crops are actually self-sterile and require cross-pollination to produce seeds and fruit [99]. But it is not only self-sterile varieties that benefit from cross-pollination, self-fertile varieties also produce more and better quality seeds and fruits, if they are cross-pollinated [99]. In fact, this is true for three-quarters of the 100 crop species that generate most of the world’s food [98]. It is estimated that domesticated bees alone pollinate 15% of these species [5]. However, in recent years, there has been a worldwide decline in pollinator insects, mainly bees, which has made the world headlines, since this presents a serious threat not only to terrestrial ecosystems but also for agricultural production and ultimately for life on earth.
A good example of the lack of pollinators in agro-ecosystems can be seen in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region (extends 3500 km over all or part of eight countries from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east). Typically, native wild bees, which, unlike the European honey bee Apis mellifera, are able to tolerate seasonal low temperatures and play a vital role in pollination of mountain crops and wild flora [100]. Among these are A. dorsata, A. florea, A. laboriosa (bees whose products can be collected but which cannot be kept in hives), and A. cerana (which can be kept in hives) [101]. However, these native bee species are imperiled nowadays due to changes in agricultural practices and due to competition with the introduced Apis mellifera. In the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, agriculture is in a stage of transition from traditional cereal crop farming to high-value cash crops such as fruits and vegetables. This ongoing transformation poses a number of new challenges, including low production or crop failure due to inadequate pollination [101]. In fact, despite increasing agronomic inputs, the negative effects on pollinators have further contributed to the low yields [99]. To overcome this problem, in some areas (Maoxian County, China), farmers resorted to hand pollination of apples and pears [102]. However, in Pakistan, farmers started to cut down their trees [103].
More than 80% of the world’s almonds are produced in California [104], which requires about half of the introduced Apis mellifera population in the US for pollination each year (NRDC, [105]). In addition, this provides beekeepers with lucrative pollination fees and a major source of income by renting their beehives [106], besides honey production.
Numerous other cash crops are 90% dependent on honey bee pollination, e.g., avocados, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, and sunflowers [107]. Pollinators are also required for seed production of many other crops such as soybeans, hay, and forage crops [108, 109], with a clear impact on beef and dairy products production.
A recent international study revealed that non-bee insects are valuable pollinators as well, with better performance in fruit set in crops and more resilient to landscape changes [110].
3.2.3.2. Seed dispersal by insects
One of the best examples of seed dispersal by insects is given by ants carrying seeds into their nests. Some plants even produce seeds with special coating with the purpose of being eaten by the ant or other phytophagous insect without damaging the seeds viability [111]. This behavior is not exclusive to ants, and it is also carried out by a phytophagous insects, mostly, coleopterans [78].
By burying seeds with dung, dung beetles are instrumental in sandy areas, in which they live [112]. Other insects can disperse seeds inadvertently, in which dispersal occurs with the help of gripping organs (hooks, teeth, viscous hairs, etc.). The seeds attach themselves to the insect’s body and later fall to the ground, allowing new plants to germinate some distance away from the original plant [113]. By burying seeds, ants and dung beetles also protect them from being eaten [114].
3.2.3.3. Maintaining nursery populations and habitats
In natural ecosystems, besides fishes (Section 3.1.2), there are other riparian consumers that benefit from energy transfers gained from aquatic insects emerged from streams [115, 116, 117]. Aquatic insects provide significant seasonal subsidies to forest birds during the defoliation period, accounting for 50–90% of the monthly energy budget in half of the species. This contribution of aquatic prey to the annual, total resource budget differed among bird species, being estimated in 38.6% for great tit, 31.9% for nuthatch, 7.4% for marsh tit, and 9.5% for pigmy woodpecker [35]. Besides birds, emerged aquatic insects provide important subsidies for other predators such as spiders [118], lizards [119], and bats [119]. In fact, these groups do not rely only on aquatic insects, for instance, Lacki [120] found remains of 10 insect orders in fecal pellets of insectivorous bats.
This shows a huge potential for the incorporation of insects into the food production chain of food animals like poultry or in aquaculture [5].
3.2.3.4. Pest control
Biological control was practiced in China as early as the third century A.D., where ants were sold for the control of citrus insect pests [121]. However, the first widely successful biological control program was the introduction of the coccinellid, Rodolia (Vedalia) cardinalis which saved California’s citrus industry, by controlling the cottony cushion scale, Icerya purchasi [122]. This example of classical biological control was the prelude for other introductions to fight pests all over the world, without resorting to pesticides. A good example of pest control is carried by dung beetles, which can colonize a dung heap within 24 hours, preventing flies from developing on them [5]. Similarly, by feeding on animal drops, the big-headed ant Pheidole megacephala killed eggs, larvae, and pupae of the common housefly Musca domestica, which resulted in reduced levels of flies and less fly-borne diseases [9].
Natural biological control has a world market value of 400,000 × 106 US$ billions [123, 124], much higher value then the 8.5 billion US$ annually spent on insecticides [125]. No less than 230 invertebrate natural enemies are used in augmentative biology, and the majority of species belongs to insects [123], representing a marked share of about 0.130 × 106 US$ billions [125] and thus with a high socioeconomic importance [126].
Another potential biocontrol undertaken by insects is control of weeds which compete with crops for nutrients and water. In fact, they are the target of much of the agrochemicals applied to crops worldwide. Herbicides comprise 47% of the world agrochemical sales compared with 29% of insecticides [127]. Weeding, usually by hand, accounts for up to 60% of total preharvest labor input in the developing world [128].
Introduced species can often become invasive, causing enormous environmental damage. For instance, in South Africa, the Indian fig opuntia, native to the southern United States, was introduced in 1659 as a drought fodder [129], by 1942 covered already 900,000 ha of rangelands, reducing the yield and accessibility of grass for cattle and small stock [130]. These negative effects were only reduced with the introduction of the scale insect Dactylopius opuntiae aiming its biocontrol, which markedly reduced O. ficus-indica density by 1948 [131]. Another good example was the use of snout beetles (Neochetina spp.) introduced from Australia that successfully controlled water hyacinths in Lake Victoria [132].
Seed predation, a particular case of weed biocontrol, can be an effective component on arable land, particularly at low weed densities [133]. By predating on seeds, ants may alter the abundance and local distribution of flowering plants in tropical and subtropical regions [134, 135]. In temperate regions, the most important seed eaters are most likely carabids (Carabidae: Coleoptera) [49]. Granivory by carabids has been confirmed by many authors (reviewed by [133]) and in arable fields can be as high as 1000 seeds.m−2.day−1, which can selectively influence the soil seed bank [133]. However, introduced species, even those used in biocontrol programs, can have important ecological effects on native species [136], and for this reason, deliberate introductions have generated great controversy [137, 138].
3.2.3.5. Weathering processes
In the soil, insects can have two major roles, they can be “litter transformers” or they can act as “ecosystem engineers” [139]. As litter transformers, insects fragment, or comminute, and humidify ingested plant debris, improving its quality as a substrate for later microbial decomposition. The feces of arthropods serve as nuclei for the accretion of soil aggregates, the basic unit of a soil’s structure with a major role in maintaining its integrity, and are a significant factor in the formation of humus, which contributes to water and nutrient soil [140]. Termites and ants nests, with their incorporated fecal materials, waste dumps, or fungal gardens, provide rich substrates for the microbial degradation and mineralization of organic matter, resulting in the conversion of complex organic molecules into simpler, inorganic forms that can be used by plants [140]. As ecosystem engineers, they physically modify the habitat, directly or indirectly regulating the availability of resources to other species [141]. In the soil, this implies to alter the soil structure, as well as the mineral and organic matter composition and hydrology [142]. The tunneling and burrowing of arthropods provide channels for air passage and water infiltration and also serve to mix organic matter into the upper soil layers [140]. Some of the most important members of this guild are ants, termites, and dung beetles which, due to their dung burial activity, especially the digging tunnels functional types, are able to move large amounts of soil. Ants and termites are the pre-eminent earth movers in many regions of the world and may surpass earthworms in this capacity in some cases [140]. However, termites are probably the biggest contributors to plant litter breakdown among soil invertebrates and are the main agents of degradation, among the soil fauna, of the highly recalcitrant materials (cellulose and lignin) making up wood [140].
3.2.3.6. Decomposition processes
Insects play a vital role in waste biodegradation. Beetle larvae, flies, ants, and termites clean up dead plant matter, breaking down organic matter until it is fit to be consumed by fungi and bacteria. In this way, the minerals and nutrients of dead organisms become readily available in the soil for uptake by plants. Animal carcasses, for example, are consumed by fly maggots and beetle larvae [5]. Termites and leafcutter ants process large amounts of wood and leaves [143]. The decomposition of dead plant material can induce other services like a decline in the frequency and severity of forest fires [144].
Dung beetles are an important group of insects associated with the decomposition of animal manure. Their activity contributes to nutrient cycling. By burying dung under the soil surface, they prevent about 80% of nitrogen loss through ammonia (NH3) volatilization [5, 145] and enhance soil fertility by increasing the amount of nitrogen available to plants through mineralization [146]. In their presence, carbon and minerals are recycled back to the soil, where they further decompose as humus for plants [5].
The role of insect herbivory in terrestrial ecosystems has only recently been considered an important and persistent control of ecosystem processes [41]. Severe insect outbreaks can provide mass pulses of nutrients, like for instance, cicada outbreaks provide mass pulses of nutrients that encourage growth of the forest trees they feed on. However, the less intense but more persistent insect herbivory present in many systems may also be an important influence on ecosystem processes [147, 148]. In addition, herbivores can influence ecosystem function by changing the nature of organic matter inputs to the soil [149, 150]. Such changes can alter litter quality parameters, such as carbon to nitrogen and lignin to nitrogen ratios, inducing changes in decomposition rates and subsequent nutrient transformations [151]. Furthermore, the outputs of their activity, such as frass, honeydew, or even their carcasses, have distinctive chemical properties that can alter decomposition rates and nutrient release [152, 153, 154].
In the long term, selective herbivory can alter plant community composition, thus altering litter compositions available for decomposition [155]. Herbivory reduces canopy cover and increases precipitation reaching the ground or flowing into streams. Soil and litter insects affect soil porosity, as well as decomposition rate, both of which influence the rate of water movement through the substrate [41].
3.3. Cultural
3.3.1. Physical and intellectual interactions with insects
Several activities depend even indirectly from insects, e.g., bioblitz is an intense period of biological survey aiming to record all the living species, including insects, within a selected area. Other examples include wildlife observation not only of insects (e.g., butterflies) but mainly of birds and other insectivorous animals like amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals. According to Losey & Vaughan [28], Americans spend an estimated $49 billion annually on hunting, fishing, and observing insect dependent wildlife, and a substantial proportion of this spending goes directly to insect observation.
3.3.2. Intellectual and representative interactions
3.3.2.1. Scientific
Insects have inspired science and technology over time. When we think about insects and science, we immediately think about the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, which has been the source of many important scientific results over decades. Insects as biological model systems offer many advantages over mammalian models including ethical reasons, short generations, and exponential population growth. Another popular insect model is the wax moth Galleria mellonella, because it naturally hatches in bee hives, where it has to tolerate elevated temperatures. Reared at 37°C, it serves as an excellent model system especially for bacterial infections, which could not be followed well at room temperature. Moreover, as a good correlation exists between virulence of several bacterial species in insect and mammalian models, G. mellonella is increasingly used as an infection model for human pathogens [156]. The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum is also a popular model, since its development is more representative of other insects than D. melanogaster, a fact reflected in gene content and function. For example, T. castaneum has retained more ancestral genes involved in cell-cell communication than Drosophila, some being expressed in the growth zone crucial for axial elongation in short-germ development [157].
A project at Harvard University has created robotic insects, the project Robobees (http://robobees.seas.harvard.edu/), inspired by bee’s biology and hive behavior. There are many practical applications to these coordinated agile robotic insects, e.g., crop pollination, search, and rescue in the aftermath of a natural disaster, hazardous environment exploration, military surveillance, high resolution weather, and climate mapping or even traffic monitoring.
Similarly, insect products have received attention in order to develop new technology. For example, the unique structure of silk, its biocompatibility with living systems, its function as a tool for new materials engineering, and its thermal stability are only a few of the features that make it a promising material for many clinical functions [158]. Silk has been used in biomedical sutures for decades and has recently achieved US Food and Drug Administration approval for expanded biomaterials device utilities. The remarkable mechanical properties, versatile processing in an aqueous environment, biocompatibility, and controlled degradation suggest that silk (both native as well as recombinant) is an attractive biomaterial for controlled and sustained release, stabilization, and delivery of bioactive molecules [159]. Also the biopolymers chitin/chitosan, which have singular chemical and biological characteristics like biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, heavy metal ion chelation ability, gel-forming properties, hydrophilicity, and remarkable affinity to proteins, have been tested in for uses in medical and food industries [160].
Some useful models in building construction are termite mounds with their complicated network of tunnels and ventilation systems, in which several parameters (e.g., air quality, temperature and humidity) can be regulated in an efficient way [161].
Insects represent important tools in criminal investigations providing forensic information [162]. Forensic entomology is defined as the use of insects and other arthropods, such as mites, in medico criminal investigations [163].
The first recorded incident where insects were used in a criminal investigation was recorded in 13th century China [162]. The first application of forensic entomology in a modern court house occurred in 1850 in France, where entomological data were admitted as proof [164]. Later, Yovanovich [165] and Mégnin [166] were the first forensic examiners who attempted to evaluate insect succession on corpses, properly establishing the science of forensic entomology [167]. Insects allow the estimation of the time, at which a dead body was colonized [168]. Insects most often involved in the forensic investigations are true flies or Diptera. The predominant families in this order are Calliphoridae (blow flies), Sarcophagidae (flesh flies), and Muscidae (house flies). Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae may arrive within minutes following death. Muscidae delay colonization until the body reaches bloat stages of decomposition [169].
Insects are highly sensitive to environmental changes, including those resulting from human activity, making them good indicators of ecological condition. Some species are capable of long distance dispersal, which enables them to find and colonize new patches. Other species are unable to fly and are therefore more vulnerable to disturbance. Due to some of their characteristics like small size, short life spans, and high reproductive rates and due to the fact that their abundances can change by several orders of magnitude on a seasonal or annual time scale (minimizing the time between disturbance and population adaptation to new conditions), insects are useful indicators of disturbance, more than are larger or longer-lived organisms with slower responses [41]. Studies have included the use of single species, higher taxa, assemblages and communities of, for example, dragonflies, ground beetles, tiger beetles, moths, butterflies, sawflies, and ants, and in habitats such as forests, grasslands, sand dunes, soils, urban areas, and mine sites [170]. However, there are some challenges, e.g., their taxonomy, which can pose an obstacle to their use in biomonitoring [171]. Aquatic insects are extremely important bioindicators of water quality and are frequently used following several well-established protocols. This fact is mainly due to the way how insects breathe in water, which makes them very sensitive to the amount of dissolved oxygen in water. Particular species are sensitive to dissolved oxygen, e.g., larvae of Plecoptera and Ephemeroptera which are pollution intolerant, whereas other taxa, such as particular species of chironomid midge larvae, can survive under deoxygenated conditions verging on anoxia [172].
3.3.2.2. Educational
Insects are frequently used as subjects of study in kindergartens and elementary schools. Several websites provide useful information regarding their biology and/or taxonomy. Among many others worldwide is the BBC website, several citizen science projects like the “UK ladybird survey” (http://www.ladybird-survey.org/ladybirds.aspx) or “the Lost Ladybug Project” in the U.S. (http://www.lostladybug.org/).
In the same way, insect zoos offer the opportunity to millions of people each year to observe live insects. Most insectariums and butterfly display offer some level of educational programming that promotes the appreciation and understanding of insect life, ranging from kindergarten to university level, and can also play a strong role in species conservation [173]. Although not currently updated, Saul-Gershenz [173] provides a list of selected insect exhibits built worldwide from 1797 to 2003. These are distributed as 26 in Europe, 9 in Asia, 29 in the US, 7 in Canada, 4 in Australia, 1 in New Zeeland, 6 in Latin America, 2 in Africa, and 1 in West India.
3.3.2.3. Heritage and cultural
Fossilized insects in amber provide priceless information, not only regarding extant species at prehistoric times but also about details of their daily lives; for instance, it was recently discovered a 100-million-year-old evidence of brood care among scale insects fossilized in amber [174]. Other extraordinary fossils are the Meganeura sp. from Carboniferous period (resembled and are related to present-day dragonflies though not belonging to the modern order Odonata). Paleoentomology has contributed to the understanding of planet Earth history. For example, paleontological data can provide a good record of how biodiversity has responded to previous climatic change events [175].
3.3.2.4. Entertainment
No doubt insects have their role in literature, movies, and visual art, as well as their place as collection items, ornaments, and more generally as inspiration for creative expression. Insects are mentioned frequently in the writings of poets and philosophers, and the folklore of nearly every country refers to them [176].
There are several children stories which have used insects as their main characters like the timeless La Fontaine tale and The cicada and ant and more recent children movies like Bugs life, Antz, Bee movie or the TV series Maya the bee, adapted from the German book The Adventures of Maya the Bee. But literature and movies using insects are not restricted to children tales, e.g., the book Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka or the movies Empire of the ants and The fly. The death’s-head hawk moth (genus Acherontia) was popularized by the movie Silent of the lambs. The TV series C.S.I. has also contributed to the awareness of entomology, with its famous entomologist Grissom solving several mysteries using insects.
In Australia, the didjeridu (commonly spelt didgeridoo) or yiraki is a very ancient aborigine instrument, which consists of a more-or-less straight piece of tree trunk or branch, hollowed out by the successive action of fire and termites to produce a gently flaring tube [177]. Also, musical composition was influenced by insects as exemplified by Rimsky-Korsakov in his Flight of the Bumblebee, which reproduced the familiar hum of the bees, as well as Joseph Strauss’ inspiration revealed in Dragonfly [176].
In Asian countries, cicadas and crickets often are caged and kept as pets for their songs [178]. There are also some references in ancient Greek poetry to the use of locusts and cicadas, which were prized for their singing. There are many references in Greek epigrams to the keeping of insects as pets [179]. In Portugal, it is common as child to have silk moths as pets and feed them with mulberry leaves, and in the north of the country, during a religious ceremony called “Senhor de Matosinhos,” crickets are sold as pets.
Cricket fighting is a popular “sport” in China and in other countries with Chinese migrants [180]. Cocoons of several species of saturniid moths and other families have been used to make hand rattles, ankle rattles, necklaces, purses or other artifacts in several cultures around the world. Native Americans and indigenous peoples in Africa and Mexico still continue to use moth cocoons [181]. Although authentic, some Mexican and African ankle rattles are possibly being produced for sale as musical instruments and ethnic objects, as well as for the original intended use in ceremonial dances [181].
Insects are also the target of many internet groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, at national and international level, stimulating the discussion and the sharing of information among professional and amateur entomologists.
3.3.2.5. Aesthetic
Certain invertebrates, most notably butterfly and beetle species, have been used for various esthetic and decorative purposes. Designs based on invertebrates have been employed in art, jewelry, fashion, and other decorative motifs. Scarab beetles were represented widely in art and ornaments [178] and were depicted in hieroglyphs and pictograms. But not only in Egypt, insect forms were converted into pictograms, but also these were present in Mayan and Chinese writing [182].
In visual arts, there are also several artists who depicted insects. Salvador Dali with his famous ants was the artist responsible for the designing of the poster for the International Silk Congress in 1957. Also, the graphic artist M. C. Escher recurred insects as subjects in his work.
Another widespread depiction of insects is present in mail stamps. Almost every country in the world has produced stamps with insects. The website “Insects on Stamps” (http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~CH2M-NITU/indexe.htm) provides an index of stamps and even coins portraying insects arranged according to country, classified by species.
3.3.3. Spiritual, symbolic, and other interactions with insects
3.3.3.1. Symbolic
In the U.S., most states have adopted at least one insect symbol as a state insect, state butterfly, state bug, or state agricultural insect. For instance, New York state insect is the ladybird (ladybug) Coccinella novemnotata, the Kentucky agricultural insect is the honeybee and the Oklahoma state butterfly is the black swallowtail butterfly (see more athttps://statesymbolsusa.org/categories/insect).
3.3.3.2. Sacred and/or religious
Insects have made a clear impact on several cultural aspects of human societies. For instance, they were present in many aspects of ancient Egypt, where scarab beetles were considered to be symbols of eternal life [178] and part of a religion with the scarab cult. However, there are much older references of insects as religions symbols from the late Paleolithic epoch (10,000 to 20,000 years ago), in the form of shamanistic “pendants” with the shape of beetles. In fact, among shamanic societies, there are a series of myths relating the creation of the world to beetles [183]. Also in Asian countries, insects have their roles as religious symbols with cicadas, for instance, being used as symbols of rebirth [178].
In Madagascar, the native B. cajani silk is processed to produce ritual burial shrouds and clothing items throughout the highlands. The “Landibe” shroud is essential for any respected dead person and is a sign of supreme honor [184]. The “Landibe” shroud is preferred over the one made with Bombyx mori silk in Madagascan ritual burials and for exhumations (a Madagascan habit to renew the shroud of mortal remains every 5 to 10 years) [60].
In Yemen, the Khidab, a black waterproof gall ink obtained from oak-galls of Quercus infectoria, which result from wasp action, is used for body painting during traditional ceremonies [185].
3.3.3.3. Existence and bequest
It is difficult to account with all the entomological societies existing in the world since the information is scattered and some of them are inactive, no longer existing, or even changed their names. Some societies do not have a webpage, and others only have a website in their native language, which largely increases the difficulty of documenting them. We produce a list which can be fully downloaded (see [186]). Our search returned about 286 societies (including regional branches) distributed worldwide. These were distributed as 127 in Europe, 113 in America (103 in North America, 8 in South America and 2 considering North, Central and South America), 23 in Asia, 9 in Oceania, 5 in Africa, 4 in the Middle East, and 5 international societies. The oldest society in the world still active is the Entomological Club of London founded in 1826, while the most recent, the Society of Overseas Nepalese Entomologists, funded in 2009.
Collections of insects and related arthropods constitute an enormous resource for biological information and document Earth’s natural history [187]. The best estimate of how many collections exist is given by Evenhuis [188] that maintains a continually updated list of the world’s insect and spiders collections, based on a previous list by Arnett et al. [189], with substantial additions and corrections. Evenhuis [188] listed 1819 entries. In fact, in some parts of the world, the sustainable collection of insects for collections and insectariums can provide economic opportunities for local populations, in alternative to destructive resource extraction such as logging, mining, or conversion of forest land to agricultural enterprises, such as cocoa, coffee, or oil palm plantations [190].
Undeniably, insects are responsible for many of the ES provided by the ecosystems, where they occur (see Figure 2), covering all services categories (Provisioning, Regulating and Maintenance, and Cultural). The use of indicators of the services provided by insects will support the use of ES concept in an integrated approach (e.g., related to habitat status, drivers of change, pressures, new potential services, trade-offs), acknowledging the paramount importance of the most abundant and diverse group of organisms in the planet. From our search, we extracted (see Table 1) a total of 73 indicators, divided as 17 Provisional indicators, 27 Regulation and Maintenance indicators, and 29 Cultural indicators. The use of indicators has been recognized as a useful communication tool that facilitates the simplification of human-environmental systems high complexity, e.g., [13], they can be selected for mapping and assessment of ES [14] and to support specific management purposes involving ES trade-offs. As we can only protect and manage what we know, the proposed indicators might in this way give a contribution to the global International Platform of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and to the UN Natural Capital Accounting. Looking at the indicators that emerged from this review, it is clear that there are fewer indicators for the provisional services provided by insects. This may result from a negative attitude toward insects, especially in Western countries. Public perception of insects needs to be improved and the profiles of beneficial species must be raised [200] to fully preserve essential ES. The opposite occurs in more nature orientated cultures, in which apart from being important food sources, insects are also providers of materials and medicines. However, this potential is at risk, threatened by current environmental changes which are contributing to the degradation of insect habitats. The lack of important ES providers has greatly affected human lives around the world, e.g., the decline of pollinator species. Its consequences can be devastating, especially in a context of current predictions of food shortage to feed an increasing world population, since abiotic pollination or pollination carried by other animals is not so effective, which makes insect pollination an irreplaceable service.
Different ecosystem services provided by insects. A—Lacewing adult: larvae are voracious predators of eggs and immature stages of many soft bodied insect pests; B—Syrphid fly: adults are pollinators, larvae are predators of agricultural pests; C—Cricket selling in the religious ceremony “Senhor de Matosinhos”, Portugal; D—Bumblebee: pollinator; E—Damselfly: predator of other insects (e.g., mosquitoes); F—Ladybird: predator of agricultural pests; G— Butterfly: non-bee pollinator; H—Tiger beetle: ground predator.
Citing the famous entomologist Edward Osborne Wilson: “If insects were to vanish, the terrestrial environment would soon collapse into chaos” and “More respect is due the little things that run the world.”
This chapter was supported by Portuguese funds, through the national Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT to cE3c (UID/BIA/00329/2013). Thanks are also due, for the financial support to CESAM (UID/AMB/50017/2013), to FCT/MEC through national funds, and the co-funding by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020. A postdoctoral grant to OMCCA (SFRH/BPD/102965/2014) supported by FCT is also acknowledged.
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1.Introduction
2.Methodology
3.Results
4.Discussion
Olga Maria Correia Chitas Ameixa, António Onofre Soares, Amadeu M.V.M. Soares and Ana I. Lillebø (November 5th 2018). Ecosystem Services Provided by the Little Things That Run the World, Selected Studies in Biodiversity, Bülent Şen and Oscar Grillo, IntechOpen, DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.74847. Available from:
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IGF 2018 - Day 2 - Salle XII - OF11 Fostering multi-stakeholder debate on Internet & Elections
Embedded video for IGF 2018 - Day 2 - Salle XII - OF11 Fostering multi-stakeholder debate on Internet &amp; Elections
>> MODERATOR: We will start with the next session and I expect that we will have silence in the room. If you would like to have private conversation, you can do it outside.
>> MODERATOR: Good afternoon, I'm Hartmut Glaser, CGI is the organization in Brazil responsible for the recommendations, standards and strategic directives for the Internet in Brazil Based on the participation governance model. We're meeting here for the open forum fostering open stakeholder debate on Internet and elections. The panel is composed by Brazilian Internet Steering Committee members. We have Flavia -- a representative of the Civil Society. We have Mr. Enrique Paul Hasber (sic) of the business sector and Mr. Castro as a representative. The role of the Internet for Democratic process has been a permanent issue of the Internet governance agenda in the last decades. Initial of unhindered cosmopolitan and direct political participation for citizens throughout the world has progressively given room for some skepticism. The Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed a systematic effort by state and non-state actors to influence Democratic practices through campaigns to spread misinformation. This open forum presents for the IGF community this year, 2018, the activities undertaken in Brazil by CGI.br, the steering committee of the Internet in our country to foster debate about Internet elections and democracy. The debate will focus on the contributions provided by CGI.br and details the participation of our committee in the stakeholder working group on Internet and elections, created by the Supreme Court and multi-stakeholder seminar on the issue and workshop representatives from different sectors, the production of materials for general public. I have a booklet that you can see, Internet, democracy and elections. And other materials for general public debate on the Brazilian law for electoral complaints.
As you know Brazil concluded the last Sunday in October our general election where we choose a president, federal, and state deputies and senators. For sure the impact of the Internet on the election in Brazil was very strong. We cannot discuss this. It was a real reality. It is of great importance to understand this phenomena more deeply. We will start our conversation about this process that we already discussed in our country and now we will present to the community. The format will be following. Each panelist will have 15 minutes to introduce the point with different aspects. Then we will have on the end, a discussion with the audience. We will start with en Rika who will explain some of the details and the procedures that we apply for our material prepared for the steering committee in Brazil. Please.
>> ENRIQUE: Good morning to all. I am one of the representatives of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee. I represent the sector of information technology. A Division of our explanation year, I will talk more about some information about the Brazilian elections and I will not focus primarily on the CGI efforts. Of course, I will talk about them but I will try to a little about Internet election in Brazil as an instance of the issue of Internet elections, generality.
First I will make a disclaimer about my speech today and IGF. We're here to understand elections. I use Brazilian elections as an -- I'm not here to discuss politics in Brazil but the Internet and on elections and the trends all over the world. CGI.br had big discussion about Internet in election Brazil. We promote several debates on fake news or misinformation, we shared this booklet with guidelines about this issue to educate people on Internet use and -- (inaudible) CGI.br we support the stakeholder approach putting together government, private sector. In sometimes it's difficult to reach consensus between the board members about some things. My talk here is personal and does not reflect the CGI.br official position.
After this disclaimer, I will talk shortly today about the great importance of Internet on this year's election in Brazil. It was not a surprise to see the increased role of social networks, messaging and online communications on Brazil presidential elections. After what happened in the last elections, the expectation, etc. We had a general election last October in Brazil where state government, state and federal were chosen. As you know, our new president was elected and starting in January of 2019. He was a candidate from a very small political party, PSL, which has in this only one federal deputy in Congress. But in the next election, 54 federal deputies, 76 state deputies and 4 senators last October. There was a candidate has just eight seconds or -- (inaudible) which represents less than 0.01% of the total time. People tuned into the depart and after has been -- on September 6 he did not participate in regular debate and just make a few TV interviews. In Brazil, you know you have use of Internet and (inaudible) based on that survey, about the use of the Internet in elections on October 3rd, 68% of the electorates had an account on at least one social network. Huge use of social networks in Brazil. Also on the election process.
They elected the President of the republic for October 2018, the mark of 20 million followers on his profiles on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The data comes from the bytes -- (inaudible). With 20 million followers, the list of politicians who had the largest numbers in the world. To America the Brazilian is most followed. He have is ahead of another candidate and the newly elected -- with 9.2 million. He has more followers than Macron who has seven million. .5 less than President Donald Trump who has 7 million followers, as you know.
His campaign on the Internet through Facebook and huge messaging from their friends through WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other portals. For the first time in Brazilian elections paid advertisements on Facebook are allowed. On TV are forbidden. How much ads are placed on platforms and surprisingly (inaudible) Internet ads at the moment. Based on some evidence of feeds on Facebook and WhatsApp the Supreme Court asked the platforms about Internet and expense but to allow there was no response from that inquiry. But there is a deadline for this text week. Fake news or misinformation was used in Brazilian elections. It is hard to calculate the volume of that or even interpret how this practice has been important for the election result anyway. In fact, WhatsApp which is used by candidate supporters declares the size of their message groups to 200 participants in Brazil. But it was the fact, for example, that PSL using WhatsApp group from the U.S. to overcome this limitation.
They elected on the Democratic basis following the rules of the game and elected the Supreme Court, the judge said he has broken the law. Otherwise the campaign through the support of social media -- (inaudible) misinformation as a tool to capture more attention and engage supporters. In Brazil they used the same social media tricks. It's a fact. I believe -- could avoid such practice. It is hard to elect a Supreme Court judge after the election and try to find evidence on social media and (inaudible). Our election process I support the social media in a way that was tried in Brazil in this election putting together the elector party and officials, and find ways to trace illegal activities which can effect clean and Democratic elections. In fact, some of us CGI.br participated advisors to the special commission on elections to evaluate the use of Internet in elections and fight against misinformation, interact in order to have help from them. This was not so successful in Brazil because it was the first election that you had so much on the Internet. What I believe we should insist on this. We live in tough times. I called the Canadian thinker who more than 50 years ago said media is the message. He said that today social media is the message. Social media platforms are kind of interactive an environment which facilitates misinformation and manipulation. Because this media -- so deeply and so fast it makes old media, TV and radio, which are considered in the past as alienating platform as a kid toy compared to the power of the present Internet tools. There are no easy solutions for the use of Internet. I believe there is a challenge for us to continue to discuss this as an issue and address seriously regulation in order to preserve democracy and trust. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you. Some introduction about numbers and statistics and network in Brazil. Now we will hear Ms. Flavia --.
>> FLAVIA: Good morning, everyone. I want to thank the IGF organization for opening to us this space to share our significant experience now in October. As en Rika reported talking about legal retribution with the creation degree and -- to match our Internet law, decided to follow the use of the Internet for political propaganda. Our objective was to contribute to the important rights for the preservation of the Internet as an open space were not affected by the actions of the parties and bodies. In this case, the superior electoral court. Brazil spent its last October through the electoral process for president, federal and state deputies and senators. The electoral process was being marked by usage of personal data for the massive sending of message. Many times in respect with the electoral legislation and with (inaudible), our Internet. Researchers institutes and universities showed that those messages had a very strong information disorder corrector, through WhatsApp, by specially the part of the social liberal political party candidate, which represents ultra, ultra right positioning, which has ended being elected along with 52 of his party. It is worth saying that in the last election, it counted only with 8 deputies. This scenario has revealed that had happened the message sending with not only lying contents but offensive to the moral in the left candidate by the workers party. The Brazilian electoral law underwent recent reformation in 2017 to regulate both political propaganda message with the Internet.
According to the change, fake political propaganda on the Internet was -- but an exception was made. Contents on Internet sites. It can be identified in an unmistakable way. By the party or their representatives. Only viewing the promotion of candidates or their associations. The law criminalized the message sent or commentaries which have specific finality to offend the owner or denigrate the image of a candidate, party or association.
Apart from the omission of the supreme electoral court regarding the facts, the announcement by the media, we must certainly think about the role of the platforms in electoral process and its responsibility to work as stage of public debates in view of commercial practices that are causing damage for the Democratic institutions of our country. The Brazilian case was not the first that revealed some serious problems related to the commercial operation of the platform, such as illegally obtaining personal database of million of users as happened with the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook as well as three other leaks in less than one year involving the same Facebook. Using analyzers of personal data for the modulating behaviors and voting and three, lack of commitment of the platforms to follow the massive flow of misinformation in their networks without any control. And no compliance with electoral law. Having identified the main problems that occurred in the elections, it is unquestionable that we must take care in way to not jeopardize or compromise relevant rights as the guarantee of freedom of expression and to avoid censorship. We don't want, for example, to compromise legal tools that prevent content providers from liability as expressed in the -- (inaudible). We don't want, for example, to compromise the legal tools that prevent the providers responsibility for the people's contents as it is expressed on the Brazilian Internet law.
On the other hand, we also do not want to relativize the civility of the platforms for the maintenance of personal data and for the transfer to other institutions or for the illegal control of the flow of information, and net neutrality in this case, and for putting us in a vulnerable and insecure situation when they have those services. Because this would mean that rights concurred with a lot of effort would be compromised such as the consumers protection law, (inaudible) and the guarantees enacted with the electoral law. Thank you very much.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you, Flavia. We will have now the third participant Luis Fernando, you have the floor.
>> LUIS FERNANDO: Thank you. Well we listened about the process and the action of CGI during the electoral period. In the morning I had the opportunity to present the guideline that we have prepared for the election and for the themes. And maybe not all of you were present at that session. And I will make a brief explanation about it. In the beginning of the year, we from the CGI have been invited by the electoral Supreme Court to join a group advisory board on Internet and elections and to try to avoid fake news that is quite new problem, but all of them were aware of the problem looking at the experience in U.S., France, and they were afraid how to deal with this problem. And they believed that asking some specialists to join this group they could avoid or minimize the problem. And in this group, we had people not only from the CGI or from academia, but we had also people from the federal police, ministry of defense, army, and we from CGI realized that the court was dealing with the problem as if it was a national security issue.
In accordance to our principles, we were very preoccupied that the election could be controlled in terms of free speech or that it could exist some kind of censorship. And we insisted not to try to monitor the network and not to try to monitor or to censor the debate on the Internet. And I can say that this point of view prevailed. And in a certain way, the court felt comfortable because they didn't have tools or people to manage this. I listened from the President of the supreme electoral court that we have only 200 technicians or assistants to monitor the whole country. It is very complicated. And they decided to work on a post factor execute. That means let things go and those who commit any fraud will be sanctioned. That was the idea. Then in our side we had made a very interesting and very comprehensive seminar in the month of April 2018 with most stakeholder participants from different areas, from -- as lawyers, journalists, social scientists, technicians, and from this very rich three-day debate, we got the material with which we prepared this guideline. And we started spreading this content for the people. And I proposed it and it was accepted to make kind of partnership with the electoral justice to communicate this work for judges and for assistants, judicial assistants who would work in the elections. To explain how the net works, social media works.
We had a problem as Flavia brought to us that our legislation authorized the pushing of information in the network. That means people could buy support. I say this is a fake support that you can obtain by paying the platform. And I believe that it is now not very healthy for the election because you create a not real audience for any candidate. Well, after the election, or during the election, we had a very, very, very hard problem. I don't know if you are aware, but in Brazil we have more than 30 parties. And at least half of them had candidates. What happened? What happened was the big center or the parties that are situated in the middle of the spectrum of politics presented several candidates. And only two of them from the extreme right and from the extreme left came to the second term. And I could say that none of them represented the majority of the country. And both of them, maybe one can have been more able to use the network, and they started using all the measures, all the ways to bring their propaganda.
There are several aspects that Flavia brought that are now under investigation by the court. As for instance, financing by companies. That is prohibited. The buying of databases that is also prohibited. Sending messages from abroad that is also prohibited. In the case that any of this practice is fully proved, the candidate may be sent away and not legalized, not authorized to take power. What is very, very rare, and I don't think it will happen, because anyway, as en Rika told, the right-oriented candidate, there is a very, very, rough man. Course. That had a course speech, he was elected by the majority of the country. Mostly because the other sides was a little -- how -- has not so much prestige in that moment. Because I should say that despite the fact the candidate is a very good man, he is a socialist, Marxist. He writes very good text but is 100% left oriented and I should say that the country didn't want this for the next years. And the other guy got the opportunity to be elected.
At the end of the day, I think there is many things to be learned from this process. I insist, as I told in the morning, that we don't have to censor it. No censorship net is good. I think that our tribunal, the court was very passive. They leaned very much on Facebook, on WhatsApp and they expected the platforms to do what they were not doing. That means they expected the platforms to control any access. I remember during one session of this committee, of this committee, the prosecutor said no, no, the law allowed the use of bots, we won't take any measure for this. He even made joke about our position from CGI and other people that are more liberal saying in the beginning you said that we should not control content. And now you complain that -- you are saying that we should act in a police, as in a more restrictive way. We learned a lot about this. I'm not so sure about the best way to deal with this situation that I only call as fake news. But we must understand that most of the people like junk news. Mainly when they refer to the opposite. When they bring bad things about the other candidate. And to finalize I say like our senior member of CGI says, that most of this junk news, they circulate inside a bubble because you have two different very, very polarized bubbles in which you have full of lies and very, very course speeches and sometimes it can call attention.
But my point of view this global problem, I have listened during the whole day or in the event, in the morning I listened to the representative of Nigeria. She said we have in our country 200 different ethnic groups. And any of them will say that the other are -- the other are saying fake news or bringing fake news. I think that's a problem for democracy. I think the best way to combat fake news is bringing information and open the space with accountability for those who work in the wrong way. Thank you for your attention.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you, Luis Fernando. Probably I like only to include other information. I don't know if you know in Brazil the Internet is not regulated by the country. It is a value service. No ministry or parliament have any control over the Internet. The steering committee is the entity. The stakeholder governance model. We don't have the power to put laws in place, but we send recommendations to the government. We send recommendations to the court, to the prosecutors. We have a very strong relationship with all stakeholders. But because of this very often CGI the steering committee is requested to express opinions to send some support and to give some input for other activities. This is probably a good sign that we have more flexibility. It is not a strong control coming from one side because all of society, all segments, all sectors of the society are part of the process. Flavia mentioned the bill of rights in Brazil was the result of a long debate after CGI put in place our principles, our ten principles that we use, guides for the best use of the Internet in the country. These principles in the end was the seat for our bill of rights and we are happy that we have this way to manage the Internet in Brazil. Some things is easier if you have strong laws. But in this kind we prefer the debate. We prefer the discussion. We prefer the decision sometimes is not win, win, win for everybody or 100% for everyone. Every part needs to give up and the win/win was 90% or 80% is the best result for the transfer and Democratic way that we work in Brazil. I will give some time for the audience. We don't like to have a political discussion. So please avoid local Brazilian local problem. Our problems. We need to solve this in our country, but we like to share with you. You listened to three speakers. If you have specific questions and we have an answer, we will try to answer it. If not, we will say not this time. Wait our next election. We have some minutes so if someone likes to have a question, I see -- please.
>> AUDIENCE: Hello, I'm from Brazil and an Isaac fellow. What I would like to ask. In the elections a lot of fake news were spread in WhatsApp and we have a problem. Although we defend net neutrality we accept zero practices. People can't do the fact Cheng. I like to ask you guys what do you think about this and what could be a possible solution?
>> MODERATOR: Who will answer?
>> FLAVIA: Thank you for your question. I want to first clarify a point. Despite the ISP's don't be regulated by the -- the regulator, telecommunication agency, we have in Brazil the consumer law that is a law that OBLIGE many charge to the platforms. We have a law that protect our personal datas and we have the federal constitution. Then in the competition law also. This platform are indeed great manipulate that act like this, not only in Brazil but in our planet now. And then they are -- they have to observe the law in Brazil. And the responsibility is not to break net neutrality obligations or other guarantees, but to -- don't put the Brazilian electors in vulnerable situation because they are taking our data, personal data to modulate our vote. And the result of the researcher made by universities, other institutes of research, show -- revealed that our base was used for manipulate voting. And in Brazil, the situation is worse because we have 120 million connections, and 109 are in data-limited place with zero rating. And then these people can't use Internet to check fake news, to check information, and they are limited to the news that they receive. Then is situations and in the lower classes, our research, the research of access of CGI revealed that in the lower classes, 80% access the Internet only for the mobile devices. And in the C class only 50% access by -- only access the Internet by mobile devices. Then this situation is grave and we in the CGI, we will investigate this and our superior court also. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: We will also include some comments from Fernando.
>> ENRIQUE: I make a few comments different from Flavia's position. There is no local sense if the -- is a net neutrality break. Imagine even if 0 rating is breaking net neutrality, imagine if we have a total just inclusion in Brazil. If everyone can have access to the whole Internet, not just to Facebook or other things. The results would be different. I'm not sure. We should fight for inclusion, of course, but I don't believe it's totally defined in consensus that this was really an issue.
>> MODERATOR: Luis, please.
>> LUIS FERNANDO: Just to complete the comment of Manuel, the law -- the electoral law that authorized the use of Facebook and pushing of content, they were very focused on this kind of platform and they imagined that these platforms would have the name of the one who hired and who paid for the service, where it comes from, and mainly the content, making or bringing some accountability to the process. But what we observed in the process that most of the content and the propaganda was done through WhatsApp and I think that all of you are aware they explained that they have a technical restriction to -- because of cryptography and then they cannot control content. And more than this, it is supposed to be a peer-to-peer communication. That should not be subject to this kind of control. But when people realize that the massive shootings were occurring, we tried to propose to the court to make some kind of control to monitor, ask to be monitored these unusual behaviors. And the court said no. Since the law allowed bots, we will not do this. It is because of this that I say that we learned a lot in this election, okay? Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you, in the front, the lady, please.
>> AUDIENCE: My name is -- I'm from Columbia and work with a foundation. I have to say in Columbia that we have several similar problems in our election that was this year also. We share a lot of the problems with the Brazilian ones. So most of the time I was listing all the problems and say that's the same, that is exactly the same problem, but actually we were focused on another kind of problems that are related with elections and Internet in my country in this moment. The use of software for the election, Brazil has electronic vote and for me it's very concerned there is not one discussion about that in this panel, for example. I know that the problems with the fake news and disinformation is something American but there is not the only problem with the elections. I don't know if some group has studied the problem with software and the use of the vote and the problems with the transmission of the information or access to the software to analysis, for example. And if these kind of issues are something that is in the public knowledge and is part of the consideration of the Internet and election in Brazil. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you for the comment.
>> LUIS FERNANDO: Thanks for your question. It is very hard to explain. I remember once -- I studied in France and had a Columbian friend. Once I made a joke in Congress. In my country we are very proud that in three hours' time after the closing of the election we know who won it. And he said no, in my country it's much better. We know it a month before. Okay? He was joking, of course. But you raised a very important question. That is the safety, transparency, accountability of the electoral system, the machine, the voting machine, okay? And that's quite a dogma to the people from the court. I'm from the order -- lawyers bar association in Brazil. Whenever someone raise any doubt or make any question, it seems that you are committing a crime. You are killing the President or killing the Pope because you -- it's better to bless -- marry the virgin than to bring any doubt against the system. We have just approved in the few last years a law that said that 20% of the voting machines should have a printer to make a double-check, okay? And many people -- many parties wanted this to create a physical system to check the voting process. And the Supreme Court declared this law unconstitutional, okay? That's a critical situation. I think that all transparent process can be checked. There is no problem. But I'm not -- I lost. I'm one of the losers in this point of view.
>> MODERATOR: Please.
>> AUDIENCE: Good afternoon, I'm Jerome, independent consultant in Brazil and I would like to do one question to the panelists about anonymity. Actually, hidden identities were an important part of the fake news debate in Brazil. If we look at Facebook, for instance, they banned lots of profiles because of hidden identities or fake identities. But in WhatsApp there is no identity. People are just sending forwarding messages and the original message cannot be identified for who is the responsible for that. And it creates -- for me in my vision it's part of the problem in creating a polluted system, information system by the infusion of anonymous messages. And so I would ask you two questions. One, can WhatsApp be considered a peer-to-peer messenger in this context of massive groups and massive forwarding profiles? This is one question. And second, how do you analyze the problem of anonymity in fake news or is that a problem at all?
>> MODERATOR: Flavia, you would like to answer?
>> FLAVIA: With my difficulty with the language but I will try. Thank you, Jerome. Despite our Constitution -- federal Constitution in Brazil, maybe not forbidden, the anonymity, in our civil law we have protection of -- animals. That is a right important to -- that is important tool to protect freedom of expression and other -- in our democracy, I think. In case of the message sent by the social party, liberal social party, they use public groups in WhatsApp. We don't want including because -- (inaudible) forbidden that the platforms monitoring the message. This is not permitted in Brazil. But the groups opening groups of family, of friends, of -- (inaudible) football clubs and the university research and the institutes that make investigation with the system of boosting message have opened the content of the message. And then in this case, I think the superior court had the choose to be more inclusive in the control of the ethic, balance, and respect of the law in the electoral process.
>> AUDIENCE: Who could be deemed liable in the case the message is just going forward and forward and forward, you know what I mean?
>> FLAVIA: Yes, but the flex, the flow of the sending message was not normal, was absolutely abnormal, this situation. We have one person be the add min -- the manager of 100, 200 groups, and sending message, by minutes, by seconds, and the use was abnormal. And that for us, for that, that is defend that the platform has also responsibility because in Brazil, the service have to be secure. Don't -- is not permitted put the consumers in a vulnerable and insecure situation and this is the case in Brazil, it showed that this obligation was not completed.
>> MODERATOR: The time is running but okay, one, two and then we will finish.
>> AUDIENCE: Thank you. I want to respond to the issue raised by the lady from Brazil and the gentleman there to say I'm from South Africa. I'm assuming that in the law there should be a provision that deals with improper or illegal content where in, in South Africa we have a procedure. If you feel that this type of content or information is incorrect, or is illegal, what do you do is you can say this type of content is illegal but then there is a standard that determine -- there is a form that you complete and the first to take down that information and if he or she doesn't take that information, then you can take him to court. And the situation would just allow the information and then -- we work with the procedure. To take down that information but you need to prove and you need -- after the Internet service provider must take down the information from the web. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you. Comment?
>> LUIS FERNANDO: As Flavia presented, we have a law called the Internet framework that doesn't allow anyone but the judge to stop a message or to put down a website. That means that no platform, no intermediary, can do it. In our case, any decision to stop circulation or to eliminate content must come from the judge. But we had several cases where the platforms just sent away or disconnected some accounts because of the misuse of the terms of use. The disrespect of the terms of use. And in a certain way it brings some doubt either if the platform is playing their natural right to mediate the conversation in terms of their terms of use or if they are more orientated for left or right or sympathizers of one or the other group.
>> MODERATOR: I will give you a chance. The lady first and then you last.
>> AUDIENCE: I'm Simone from the Czech Republic. I wanted to ask Mr. Fernando, you talked a lot about funding in the campaigns and also about these bot accounts coming from inside. I wanted to ask about the funding and the bot accounts. You talked a lot about the internal, the campaigns inside using the bot accounts. What do you think was the role of the outside influence, the bot accounts that originated from other countries? Did that have a large role do you think? Do you think it was a bigger role than the bot accounts that were from the internal sources?
>> LUIS FERNANDO: Well, as we said, the use of foreign accounts is completely prohibited. If it is proved that someone used this kind of service, all the consequences may be applied. Even losing the right to be in power. But the proof of doing -- of what has been done is very difficult but we have some cases that people bring that shows that several numbers from which the message in WhatsApp came from were from abroad. And now this situation is under investigation and theoretically it might bring some legal consequences. But it is absolutely prohibited. Okay?
>> MODERATOR: Please, your name.
>> AUDIENCE: Diego from Brazil studying in the Netherlands. I'm looking at everything that has happened in the election because it was a concern to me. I do believe since we are discussing about the Internet role in this issue we should realize what's the role of its sector in addressing that. It might be an idea for a young scholar but I do believe there are a lot of studies that say the problem is not only about the fact checking. That this has been doing by Civil Society quite good way so far. But we also have the problem of source checking. And for source checking this means finding who was the source of the information, the regional information. You sometimes need the help of the platforms because they control the channel and they -- with some metadata they have and they can be held liable if they don't provide this kind of -- that's not related with the removal of the content itself but data that's important so you can track the source. This is very important for the end decision that will come by the court. Because the court is the one that will build this trust, like Mr. Fernando said. In Brazil we have the final decision for removing of the content has to come from the court and this is explained in many Democratic societies because the courts are the ones that have the trust of the public to decide if this content has some harmful content or not. And so what I mean, I do believe that maybe this corporation needs to -- we need to have rules that strengthen the liability of companies, not for removing content, but for helping in this source checking approach. Because even WhatsApp, for example, it is true that the communication system is encrypted there, but no message that was shared in WhatsApp is started there. It is always started from some blog, some newspaper, probably a fake one with fake content. But if there is a way to trace back where the source is, it might be a beginning of a solution. I can't say this right now and just like guessing based on some studies. I'm not so sure but that's one suggestion.
>> MODERATOR: Any comment from the speakers here, the panel?
>> FLAVIA: I want to say that the fake news properly it's only the tip of the iceberg. The problem is the use, not ethic of our personal data, the treatment, the collect, the use, and the manipulate and direction as happened with Cambridge Analytica and Facebook and as happened in Brexit. In here, one of the institute -- research institutes results showed what way they use it to identify the neutral elector, the negative elector, the positive elector, and to decide what message sent for each one. And then this is the problem. The problem is bigger, the problem is not the fake news because the fake news, the use of economic power -- old problems. The new problem is how we will have any degree of governance to the use of algorithms, of use of our datas, and I think the best discussion is fundamental to find the right way to resolve our problems.
>> MODERATOR: The time is over, okay? Thank you very much, audience, for your patience and for your participation. I think the plenary always has the right to be present with questions and comments. Thank you, the speakers on the panel, and now we have our lunch time and then we have a nice afternoon with other meetings and discussions. Thank you very much. Bye-bye.
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8 Books to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5. It’s to celebrate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the United States (apparently) beyond the significance in Mexico and has become a day to celebrate amongst the Mexican-American culture internationally.
As I get older the more I want to explore, read, and celebrate 🎊 my ethnicity and being part Mexican Cinco de Mayo is a perfect way to spread Mexican culture, food, and books! No matter where you are in the world with a quick Google search you’ll be sure to find a festa to celebrate with loads of people, music, dancing, and food.
I’ve compiled 8 books of Mexican inspired stories, Mexican characters and/or written by Mexican authors to explore in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. Along with checking out these books, tell a friend about the day and have some Mexican inspired food for the weekend and explore the different cultures food, books, music, and more.
With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends...
First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.
The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him.
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught everywhere from inner-city grade schools to universities across the country, and translated all over the world, The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero.
Told in a series of vignettes – sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous–it is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
Gabi Hernandez chronicles her last year in high school in her diary: college applications, Cindy's pregnancy, Sebastian's coming out, the cute boys, her father's meth habit, and the food she craves. And best of all, the poetry that helps forge her identity.
My mother named me Gabriella, after my grandmother who, coincidentally, didn't want to meet me when I was born because my mother was unmarried, and therefore living in sin. My mom has told me the story many, many, MANY, times of how, when she confessed to my grandmother that she was pregnant with me, her mother beat her. BEAT HER! She was twenty-five. That story is the basis of my sexual education and has reiterated why it's important to wait until you're married to give it up. So now, every time I go out with a guy, my mom says, "Ojos abiertos, piernas cerradas." Eyes open, legs closed. That's as far as the birds and the bees talk has gone. And I don't mind it. I don't necessarily agree with that whole wait until you're married crap, though. I mean, this is America and the 21st century; not Mexico one hundred years ago. But, of course, I can't tell my mom that because she will think I'm bad. Or worse: trying to be White.
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
A dazzling, heartbreaking page-turner destined for breakout status: a novel that gives voice to millions of Americans as it tells the story of the love between a Panamanian boy and a Mexican girl: teenagers living in an apartment block of immigrant families like their own.
After their daughter Maribel suffers a near-fatal accident, the Riveras leave México and come to America. But upon settling at Redwood Apartments, a two-story cinderblock complex just off a highway in Delaware, they discover that Maribel's recovery--the piece of the American Dream on which they've pinned all their hopes--will not be easy. Every task seems to confront them with language, racial, and cultural obstacles.
At Redwood also lives Mayor Toro, a high school sophomore whose family arrived from Panamá fifteen years ago. Mayor sees in Maribel something others do not: that beyond her lovely face, and beneath the damage she's sustained, is a gentle, funny, and wise spirit. But as the two grow closer, violence casts a shadow over all their futures in America.
Peopled with deeply sympathetic characters, this poignant yet unsentimental tale of young love tells a riveting story of unflinching honesty and humanity that offers a resonant new definition of what it means to be an American. An instant classic is born.
What You see In the dark by Manuel Muñoz
The long-awaited first novel by the award-winning author of two impressive story collections explores the sinister side of desire in Bakersfield, California, circa 1959, when a famous director arrives to scout locations for a film about madness and murder at a roadside motel. Unfolding in much the same way that Hitchcock made Psycho—frame by frame, in pans, zooms, and close-ups—Mun~oz’s re-creation of a vanished era takes the reader into places no camera can go, venturing into the characters’ private thoughts, petty jealousies, and unrealized dreams. The result is a work of stunning originality.
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
Every year, Ceyala "Lala" Reyes' family--aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and Lala's six older brothers--packs up three cars and, in a wild ride, drive from Chicago to the Little Grandfather and Awful Grandmother's house in Mexico City for the summer. Struggling to find a voice above the boom of her brothers and to understand her place on this side of the border and that, Lala is a shrewd observer of family life. But when she starts telling the Awful Grandmother's life story, seeking clues to how she got to be so awful, grandmother accuses Lala of exaggerating. Soon, a multigenerational family narrative turns into a whirlwind exploration of storytelling, lies, and life. Like the cherished rebozo, or shawl, that has been passed down through generations of Reyes women, Caramelo is alive with the vibrations of history, family, and love.
reading listAlexa Pereira May 4, 2019 cinco de mayo, mexicanComment
romanceAlexa Pereira May 7, 2019
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker | Book Review
science fiction/fantasyAlexa Pereira April 30, 2019
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Inspired by Lady Liberty, a statue of Mary is envisioned for San Ysidro
Artist Jim Bliesner modeled his statue of the Virgin Mary after Lady Liberty, a beacon to immigrants. The 40-foot-tall “Welcome the Stranger” will go up at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in San Ysidro.
(Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)
By David Hernandez
Reporting from San Diego —
She will stand tall, with a torch held high, on a hilltop in San Ysidro, overlooking the U.S.-Mexico border region.
Inspired by the Statue of Liberty, the 40-foot-tall monument of Mary, mother of Jesus, will stand as a symbol intended to welcome immigrants and refugees headed to the U.S.
The statue will go up on the hilltop parking lot of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, where community members convened Friday to kick off a crowdfunding campaign to raise $1 million to build the monument.
“It will stand as a beacon of hope and encouragement for people engaged in the struggle of the migrant,” said artist Jim Bliesner, who drew inspiration from immigrants across San Diego for the statue’s design.
The $2-million project, spearheaded by nonprofit San Diego Organizing Project, already has received $1 million from the California Endowment, a private health foundation. The hope is to raise the next $1 million and build the statue by early 2019.
It will be named “Welcome the Stranger.”
The monument and its location will send a strong message about the border, said Bishop Robert McElroy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.
“It is a symbol and powerful reminder that for us, for us as people of faith, for us as America, the border represents not a line of separation,” he said, “but a line that unites us to Latin America.”
He said the statue will commemorate the past, the present and the future of the U.S.
First, he said, it will be a reminder that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants who contributed to “help build America.”
“That gets lost in the current conversation so easily,” he said.
The statue also will represent hope for a brighter future for the immigrants and refugees who one day will begin what McElroy described as an arduous journey to the U.S.
The idea of the sculpture surfaced roughly a year ago. It was designed by Bliesner with input from community members who attended workshops, where they shared their ideas and personal stories.
“Most of the inspiration came from listening to members of the congregation and the community about how emotional this subject is. People were crying, people were telling their stories,” Bliesner said. “I couldn’t help but take that away as the primary element in creating the piece.”
As ideas were generated, Mary emerged as a symbol of hope. Community members noted she fled with her family to Egypt as a refugee soon after the birth of Jesus.
The statue incorporates several symbolic elements. The “turgid, severe geometry” of Mary’s robe, which has several perforations, represents the difficult trek immigrants embark on, while spots of color in the folds of her robe symbolize moments of kindness in their journeys, Bliesner said.
The torch, he said, represents hope for a brighter future.
LEED lighting within the statue will illuminate it at night. Seating and drought-tolerant landscaping will surround the base.
As part of the fundraising campaign’s kickoff, community members tied ribbons to a makeshift fence at the site where the statue will stand. On the pink, orange, green and yellow ribbons were the names of loved ones affected by the country’s immigration policies, including relatives who were deported or who are living in the U.S. illegally.
San Ysidro resident Maria Elena Esquer, a parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, wrote the names of her two adult sons who live in Tijuana and are awaiting visas to visit her.
“I have a lot of faith they will come,” she said.
Carolina Ulloa wrote the names of her brother, who was deported 15 years ago, and her sister, who was deported 10 years ago.
She said she hasn’t lost faith that her siblings will be able to return to the U.S.
For more information about the statue, visit welcomethestranger.us.
david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
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College basketball roundup: Williamson lifts No. 1 Duke to rout of Wake Forest
Freshman sensation Zion Williamson scored a season-high 30 points with 10 rebounds, and No. 1 Duke won its first road game of the season by beating Wake Forest 87-65 on Tuesday night.
RJ Barrett finished with 21 points and matched a season high with seven assists, and Cameron Reddish added 10 points during his best game in a month, helping the Blue Devils (13-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) win their eighth in a row.
The high-flying Williamson was 13 of 16 from the field with three 3-pointers — he entered with four all season — in surpassing the 28 points he scored in his debut against No. 2 Kentucky.
Freshman forward Jaylen Hoard scored 13 points, and Sharone Wright Jr. and Brandon Childress had 12 apiece for the Demon Deacons (7-7, 0-2), who have lost three of four to fall to .500 for the first time since November.
No. 3 Tennessee 87, at Missouri 63: Kyle Alexander had 14 points and a career-high 17 rebounds as third-ranked Tennessee beat Missouri, the Vols’ second straight blowout victory in Southeastern Conference play.
Jordan Bowden came off the bench to score 20 points, Jordan Bone added 17 and Admiral Schofield finished with 16 for the Volunteers (13-1, 2-0 SEC), who beat Georgia by 46 points in their conference opener Saturday.
Freshman Xavier Pinson scored 13 points and Jordan Geist had 12 — all in the first half — for Missouri (9-4, 0-1 SEC).
at No. 6 Michigan State 77, Purdue 59: Cassius Winston shook off a slow start and finished with 23 points to help Michigan State beat Purdue.
The Spartans (14-2, 5-0 Big Ten) have won nine straight.
The Boilermakers (9-6, 2-2) won their previous three games by a combined total of 55 points.
Purdue got off to a strong start, rattling Michigan State with pressure defense and took a 9-2 lead a few minutes into the game.
The Spartans cut down on their turnovers and held together as Winston, their leading scorer, made his first shot with 3:52 left in the first half. The junior point guard closed the half with nine points, giving Michigan State a 39-26 lead.
Purdue’s Carsen Edwards had a season-low 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting, including 2 of 13 from the 3-point line.
at No. 7 Texas Tech 66, No. 23 Oklahoma 59: Jarrett Culver had his first double-double of the season and scored seven straight Texas Tech points to break a tie late in the second half, leading the Red Raiders to a win over Oklahoma.
The sophomore, who finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds, put his hometown Red Raiders (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) ahead for good with a layup for a 53-51 lead with 4:22 remaining, then converted a three-point play to push the lead to five.
After Aaron Calixte hit a 3-pointer to get the Sooners back with two, Culver muscled through a crowd to rebound his own miss of a short bank shot and powered up over two defenders for a bucket and a 58-53 lead.
Christian James scored 14 points for the Sooners (12-3, 1-2) and Brady Manek added 13, but second-half shooting struggles caught up with Oklahoma in a second Big 12 loss to a Top 10 opponent.
No. 12 North Carolina 90, at No. 15 North Carolina State 82: Luke Maye scored 21 points to help North Carolina hold off North Carolina State in the longtime rivals’ latest meeting.
Freshman Coby White added 19 points for the Tar Heels (12-3, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who scored the game’s first 12 points and never trailed. But UNC had to turn away a series of pushes from the Wolfpack, who twice tied the game after halftime but never managed to push in front.
The Tar Heels went 6-for-6 at the line in the final 32.1 seconds to seal the win, their sixth straight in Raleigh. UNC also won despite playing the last 12-plus minutes without leading scorer Cameron Johnson, who exited with leg cramps.
Braxton Beverly scored 21 points to lead N.C. State (13-2, 1-1), which had won seven straight games.
at South Carolina 87, No. 14 Mississippi State 82: Freshman A.J. Lawson stole the ball and finished with an emphatic dunk with 13 seconds left in overtime to seal South Carolina’s upset of Mississippi State.
Maik Kotsar scored a career-high 25 points and had nine rebounds for the Gamecocks (7-7, 2-0 Southeastern Conference), who were the only SEC team with a losing record in nonconference play but now sit atop the league.
Lawson, who came in as the team’s leading scorer, averaging 13 points a game, scored just six points on 3-of-11 shooting. But he may have turned around what appeared to be a lost season for South Carolina with his steal and dunk as the Bulldogs (12-2, 0-1) tried to get a potential game-tying 3.
at No. 18 Kentucky 85, Texas A&M 74: Tyler Herro had 21 points, Ashton Hagans scored a career-high 18 and Kentucky overcame a 10-0 deficit before holding off Texas A&M for a victory.
The Wildcats (11-3, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) started badly on both ends with four missed shots, turnovers and defensive breakdowns the Aggies seized upon for a pair of 10-point leads. Kentucky quickly regrouped with a 19-6 run over 5:21. Hagans had a pair of steals during the spurt.
The Wildcats led 46-34 at the break before having to withstand a second-half comeback by the Aggies (6-7, 0-2), who got within 66-64 with 7:55 left. Immanuel Quickley answered with a 3-pointer and PJ Washington eventually followed with a three-point play for an 11-point cushion that held up.
Jay Jay Chandler and TJ Starks each had 18 points for Texas A&M, which shot above 50 percent for much of the game.
at No. 19 Buffalo 110, Toledo 80: Jeremy Harris scored a career-best 34 points in leading Buffalo to a rout of Toledo.
Harris scored 20 points in the first half alone and finished hitting a career-best six 3-point baskets for the Bulls (14-1, 2-0 Mid-American Conference). Buffalo celebrated its first home game in 3 1/2 weeks by putting up 110 points for the second time this season. The Bulls last scored that many in a 110-71 win over Dartmouth on Nov. 21.
Nick Perkins scored 21 and Jayvon Graves had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Buffalo, which won its 18th consecutive home game in a streak dating to a 103-85 loss to St. Bonaventure on Dec. 2, 2017.
Marreon Jackson scored 20 and Chris Darrington added 21 for Toledo (12-3, 0-2). The Rockets’ leading scorer Jaelan Sanford hit just 1 of 10 for 3 points.
at Baylor 73, No. 20 Iowa State 70: Makai Mason scored 25 points, including five free throws in the final 38 seconds as Baylor held on to beat Iowa State.
Iowa State (12-3, 2-1 Big 12) was coming off a 17-point home win over then-No. 5 Kansas three days earlier. The Cyclones had won five in a row and entered the AP Top 25 on Monday for the first time since the end of the 2016-17 season.
Devonte Bandoo made two free throws with five seconds left for Baylor (9-5, 1-1), and Iowa State had one more shot to tie the game but Nick Weiler-Babb’s defended 3-pointer from the right side was not even close.
at Villanova 76, No. 24 St. John’s 71: Phil Booth hit a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game and scored 23 points to help Villanova rally to beat St. John’s.
Eric Paschall scored 25 points for the defending national champion Wildcats (12-4, 3-0 Big East), who shook off four losses in nonconference play and are rounding into form as the team to beat in the conference.
The upstart Red Storm seemed poised to snag that title with their best start since 1985-86 and a possible upset win (they were six-point underdogs) in their grasp. St. John’s led by 13 in the first half and by 11 early in the second before a 3-point-happy offense went cold and rushed shot selection gave the Wildcats time needed to storm back and win.
Shamorie Ponds had 23 points for St. John’s (14-2, 2-2), the last on two free throws with 59 seconds left that got the Red Storm within 72-69. The Wildcats, who dropped two home games early to fall out of the Top 25, sealed their fourth straight victory at the free-throw line.
MEN WEDNESDAY
Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara 7 p.m.
Cal State Northridge at UC Riverside 7 p.m.
Cal State Fullerton at Hawaii 9 p.m.
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A Project of the University of California Irvine Newkirk Center for Science & Society,
University of Michigan Law School & Michigan State University College of Law
Currently 2,472 exonerations
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Jesse Risha
Other Arson Cases
On May 11, 1998, firefighters were summoned to a building at 559 Miller Avenue in Clairton, Pennsylvania to investigate a strong odor of gasoline. Inside the building they found a large collection of arcade and video games that had been doused in gasoline. They also found what appeared to be a crude ignition device—a cigarette and a book of matches on a newspaper next to gasoline pooled on the floor. Four empty five-gallon gasoline cans were discovered nearby.
More than five years later, on November 12, 2003, a federal grand jury indicted 47-year-old Jesse James Risha on a charge of attempted arson. He was accused of hiring Frank Caito to burn down the Miller Avenue building
After an initial trial ended with a mistrial because the jury was unable to reach an unanimous verdict, Risha went to trial a second time in U.S. District Court on July 19, 2004.
Caito, testifying pursuant to an immunity agreement with prosecution, told the jury that Risha offered him $5,000 to set the building on fire. He said that Risha pointed out the building and through an intermediary, was provided a key to get inside. Caito said he understood the building housed machines owned by a competitor of Risha, who had his own vending business, James Vending.
Caito said he poured gasoline over the machines and tucked a lit cigarette behind a pack of matches so that when the cigarette burned down, the matches would ignite and set the gasoline ablaze. The plot was interrupted, however, by the arrival of the fire department before it could ignite the gasoline and the building never burned.
He told the jury that in September 2002, when he learned that a state warrant had been issued for his arrest for illegal sale of firearms, he turned himself in to agents of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office.
Caito testified that he admitted that he was involved in the attempted arson back in 1998 and reached an agreement with state prosecutors that his involvement in the attempted arson was not to be used against him.
After admitting that the illegal sale of firearms charges were still pending, the prosecutor asked Caito: “And what, if any, bearing does your testimony in this case have on that case?”
“None,” Caito testified. He added that he was being prosecuted in state court by a different prosecutor.
On July 22, the jury convicted Risha of attempted arson.
On September 17, 2004, while Risha was still awaiting sentencing, Caito pled guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm without a license, which carried a combined maximum penalty of seven to 14 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. Two other charges were dismissed at the request of the prosecutor, assistant Pennsylvania Attorney General Bradley Hellein.
During Caito’s sentencing, Hellein said, “We would also add that Mr. Caito has provided very valuable assistance to the Commonwealth and the United States of America with regard to a certain prosecution that occurred in the Western District of Pennsylvania resulting in a conviction approximately a month and a half ago.” Caito was then sentenced to one year of probation.
Risha’s defense lawyer filed a motion for a new trial claiming that Caito had testified falsely about not expecting or being promised leniency in the gun case and that the prosecution had failed to disclose to the defense that it would make Caito’s cooperation known at sentencing on the gun charges.
On November 18, 2005, following a hearing, Chief Judge Donetta W. Ambrose ruled that the prosecution had failed to disclose the favorable treatment for Caito and vacated Risha’s conviction.
Judge Ambrose that although “there was no representation, at any time” by either the prosecutor or the agent in the federal case to Caito or his lawyer that the federal government “would make any attempt to intervene in the state court proceedings,” she concluded that “the jury should have been informed that the government’s key witness expected to receive a benefit for testifying.
Judge Ambrose said the favorable disposition of Caito’s state court gun charges gave “rise to the assumption” that he had a motive for lying. The judge noted that Caito’s gun charges were continued on several occasions and that his defense attorney had requested the delays for the “express purpose” of allowing Caito to complete his testimony against Risha.
The prosecution appealed and argued that the federal prosecution team had no involvement in Caito’s state prosecution. In October 2005, the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ordered the case remanded to Judge Ambrose to make more specific findings.
“It appears that here, at least one state agent was heavily involved in the federal charges against Risha,” the court said. “It also appears possible that federal and state forces engaged in a ‘joint investigation’ to resolve the alleged arson. Last, it is very possible that the impeachment information was ‘readily available’ to the prosecution. However, (Judge Ambrose) did not make such findings.”
On September 26, 2006, following a hearing before Judge Ambrose, the prosecution agreed that Risha’s conviction should be vacated. On November 2, 2006, the prosecution and defense filed a joint motion to dismiss the case.The motion specificed that Risha would not to file a claim under the Hyde amendment, which allows for recovering legal fees and other damages in cases of prosecutorial misconduct.
On November 6, 2006, Judge Ambrose granted the motion and the case was dismissed.
– Maurice Possley
Report an error or add more information about this case.
Posting Date: Before June 2012
State: Fed-PA
County: (Western)
Most Serious Crime: Attempt, Violent
Additional Convictions:
Reported Crime Date: 1998
Convicted: 2004
Exonerated: 2006
Sentence: Not sentenced
Race: White
Age at the date of reported crime: 47
Contributing Factors: Perjury or False Accusation, Official Misconduct
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?: No
RightContent2
RightContent
The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989—cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989.
We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations.
Tell us about an exoneration that we may have missed
Correct an error or add information about an exoneration on our list
Other information about the Registry
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1. W&H Peacock and Locke & England
W&H Peacock and Locke & England are trading names of Peacock Baker Ltd.
2. This Website
W&H Peacock and Locke & England own this web site located at www.peacockauction.co.uk and www.leauction.co.uk (the “Website”). By accessing and using the Website you the user agree to be bound by these terms and conditions (the “Terms”), which govern your access to and use of the Website.
3. Ownership and Use of Content
3.1 – All text, data, charts, tables, software, video, music, sound, graphics, photographs, illustrations, artwork, names, logos, trade marks, service marks and other material on the Website (the “Content”) and all rights in it belongs to W&H Peacock and Locke & England. You may retrieve and display Content from the Website on a computer screen, print individual pages on paper (but not photocopy them) and store such pages in electronic form on disk (but not on any server or other storage device connected to a network) for your personal use. Content may not be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast or transmitted in any other way.
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You agree to use this Website only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of the Website by any third party. Such restriction or inhibition includes, but is not limited to, conduct which is defamatory, or which may harass, cause distress or inconvenience to any person and the transmission of obscene or offensive content or the disruption of normal flow of dialogue within the Website.
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6.3 – W&H Peacock and Locke & England has tried to ensure that all the Content provided on the Website is correct at the time of publication. The Content is provided on an information basis only and should not be relied upon. No responsibility is accepted by or on behalf of W&H Peacock or Locke & England for any errors, omissions, or misleading Content on the Website or on any websites to which the Website connects.
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You must read and accept the W&H Peacock and Locke & England Privacy Policy which details what type of personal information W&H Peacock and Locke & England may collect from you when you visit the Website and how W&H Peacock and Locke & England may store and use the information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Act 2003.
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W&H Peacock and Locke & England reserves the right, at its discretion, to make changes to any parts of the Website or these Terms. When these Terms are amended, W&H Peacock and Locke & England will publish details of the amendments on the Website. Your continued use of the Website is taken as your agreement to be bound by these Terms as amended.
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These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
If these Terms or any part of them should be determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable under the laws of any state or country in which these Terms are intended to be effective, then to the extent that they are so illegal, invalid or unenforceable, they shall in that state or country be treated as severed and deleted from these Terms and the remaining Terms shall survive and remain in full force and effect and continue to be binding and enforceable in that state or country.
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D’Addario & Co. Guitar String Maker Humming Along
Stephanie Perrone
A century ago, an immigrant who settled in Astoria set up a tiny, home-based guitar string manufacturing shop, continuing a family tradition that he brought with him from the Italian countryside.
That immigrant, Charles D’Addario, passed along the family trade to his children and grandchildren, who set up a larger manufacturing facility in Lynbrook with five employees four decades ago. Nowadays, D’Addario & Co. has an almost 200,000-square-foot facility in Farmingdale that employs nearly 1,000 workers, making it the world’s largest musical instrument accessory manufacturer. It recently opened a European division, effectively coming full circle.
“We are very excited by the creation of D’Addario Europe and we look forward to advancing our brands in these extremely vital markets,” says John D’Addario, III, president of D’Addario & Company, Inc. “Our family began string making in Europe, so it is personally meaningful to return to Europe with the promise of building more direct relationships with this historic and vibrant music community.”
Musicians who use their strings read like a who’s who of big-name acts: Keith Urban, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Zac Brown, and many more. Part of D’Addario’s success is its worldwide distribution and dealer networks. The company products are marketed in the United States through wholesale distribution and more than 5,400 retail music stores. Their products are sold in 101 countries worldwide.
John Jr. and James D’Addario have taken great steps to pass down the family tradition. The family-owned company’s roots date back to the 17th century, originating in the small Italian town of Salle. The family traces their start in the craft back eight generations. A baptismal form filled out by their ancestor, Donato D’Addario, listed his occupation as cordaro, which is Italian for string maker.
Centuries later, John D’Addario is still keeping the family business in tune.
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Middle England is a key election battle ground as ever
A bit of an individual theme to this week's blog, and we start in the United Kingdom where Prime Minister David Cameron would "love" to give financially hard-pressed Middle England (in the income sense) a tax cut by raising the earnings threshold at which the 40 percent income tax rate kicks in. This year the starting point of this intermediate rate is GBP41,865, although effectively it bites after the first GBP31,865 of income once the GBP10,000 tax allowance is factored in. Historically, such upper rates of tax have been designed to hit wealthy, high income taxpayers. However, few people earning just over GBP40,000 a year would consider themselves "wealthy" these days. But then governments can play all sorts of sneaky tricks on taxpayers using progressive tax rates, often without them realizing. For instance, although the UK's top rate of personal income tax is 45 percent, the highest marginal rate is actually nearer 60 percent for those earning between GBP100,000 and GBP116,000, because for every GBP2 earned above GBP100,000, GBP1 of one's personal allowance is lost. However, although everything seems to be going swimmingly for the Coalition Government in economic terms – the UK will likely have the highest rate of growth in the G7 this year – it is only part-way through a fiscal retrenchment program and has put most of its tax eggs into the business basket by giving companies a substantial eight percent income tax cut, leaving little room for tax gifts for individuals; personal income tax receipts account for almost a third of the Government's overall tax take – the largest single of revenue – and corporate tax is relatively small by comparison. It's probably no coincidence that Cameron chose to talk about this with a general election less than one year away and Middle England (in the income and geographical senses) a key election battle ground as ever. At least his intentions are good even if he knows nothing will change drastically anytime soon.
Governments certainly benefit from being rather lazy with tax thresholds, which somehow seem to move much slower than earnings growth, so that more and more people fall into higher rate tax bands each year. This phenomenon is usually referred to in tax circles as "bracket creep," when tax bands fail to keep pace with wage inflation. Germany has its own phrase for it however, which translates as "cold progression." But while Cameron has at least expressed a desire to thaw the cold progression, the German Government has consistently rejected all calls to give German taxpayers a break by shifting tax thresholds for a number of years now, with the latest rejection coming through a spokesman for Chancellor Merkel. It seems something of a mean-spirited stance given that the Government has eradicated its budget deficit, and the German economy, until recently, was ticking along nicely, producing record tax revenue hauls. However, not all is sweetness and light in Germany right now. The economy is expected to more or less flat-line this year as the economic conflict with Russia hits one of Germany's key export markets. What's more, Germany is also deeply in debt, to the tune of about 80 percent of GDP, and it is still effectively propping up the economies of the eurozone. One suspects that Merkel, like Cameron, would like to tackle the problem of bracket creep, but is similarly hamstrung by tight fiscal conditions and political necessity; Merkel's CDU is in coalition with the center-left SPD, which has promised to veto such a move unless wealth taxes are hiked. At least Cameron acts as if he's on the side of the taxpayer.
Spare a thought, however, for Belgium's oppressed taxpayers, who currently carry the largest tax burden in Europe according to a recent study – and that's up against some pretty stiff competition. The Brussels-based Institut Économique Molinari found that most Europeans celebrate "Tax Freedom Day" – the notional day when taxpayers' income stops funding state expenditure – in June, reflecting the fact that European governments generally take about half their citizens' income in tax. It's a shock, but not a surprise given that western and northern Europe in particular has long been the most highly-taxed place on earth. It was slightly disturbing to learn though that Belgians had to continue effectively working for the government until August 6. That's just over seven-twelfths of the year, or just shy of 60 percent. It's difficult to know whether Belgians are getting value for money here. Clearly there has been heavy investment by the state in transport infrastructure because apparently Belgium's road network is one of the densest in the world. But get in a car in Belgium and drive no more than an hour or so in any direction and you'll arrive somewhere else. At least this gives Belgians the ability to escape I suppose. The irony is that sometimes you don't even get a government at all for your money in Belgium. Following elections in 2010, it took 589 days for a government to be formed, largely as a result of deep divisions between groups representing the Flemish-speaking north and the French-speaking south. And now it's happening again. Following elections on May 25, Belgium has drifted ungoverned, with few signs of a consensus breaking out anytime soon. Governments – who needs them!
With the deadline to implement the World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement having been missed, the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations held up by Japanese intransigence, protectionist policies in some emerging economies and ongoing trade spats between the EU, the US and China, it has been a bit of a bleak period for believers in free trade. But at least there is Canada. It has taken a number of years for the free trade-skeptic President Obama to soften his protectionist views and embrace the TPP among other multilateral trade agreements. But Canada under the Government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been flying the free trade flag proudly and has just tied up its most ambitious free trade deal yet, with the European Union. Canada has FTAs in force with just 12 countries at present, most of which were agreed under the current Government, to the US's 20. But Ottawa probably the most ambitious trade program of any country in place. Negotiations with 60 nations are underway, including as part of the TPP, and a global trade action plan targets key emerging markets like India and aims to get SMEs involved in foreign markets. South of the border, a more cautious President Obama continues to insist that trade agreements should be "fair" as well as "free." There are few indications that the Canadian economy is suffering as the Government continues to open it up. Trade Minister Ed Fast claimed that 2013 was Canada's most successful in terms of international trade, and Canada moved up from 13th to 12th in the WTO rankings of the world's leading merchandise exporters. So you could say that what's good for the goose is good for the gander!
Methodology: each week (this is the 117th) one or more countries are given encomiums and one or more are given execrations. Those are the entries below with descriptive links. In the following week, each encomium counts as + 1 for that country, and each execration counts as – 1, being added to that country's existing score. Over time, therefore, a ranking will build up for each country, and further countries will join the listing. Germany is at plus 1, since in the second week it had an execration and in the first week it had an encomium, leaving it at neutral; then it had an execration in week four, thus dropping to – 1, and another one in week six, dropping to – 2; finally in week 13 it got something right, so it went back up to – 1; then in week 16 it gained a further star, so then it was in neutral territory until week 23 when it dropped back to minus one, but reverting to neutral territory in the following week, then dropping to minus one in week 50, and back up to plus one in week 51, then to plus two in week 52. Some weeks ago it dropped a place, but then quickly recovered one step. Etc etc and now it's on plus 1 again.
Kitty's Encomiums:
Canada trading freely
United Kingdom good intentions
Belgium over taxed
Germany cold progression
Tags: Euro | Brussels | Government | Trade | England | David Cameron
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community-colleges
Home > Colorado > Aims Community College
Aims Community College
5401 W. 20th St., Greeley, CO
Located in a large-town type setting, Aims Community College provides associate’s and certificate programs in Greeley Colorado. Students can pick curriculums in the fields of allied health, aviation, business technology, computer science, education, graphic design, construction, visual and performing arts, automotive, and medical assisting. In addition, the college offers students the opportunity to transfer credits to four-year colleges.
While the campus does not provide student housing or athletic activities, it does feature a bistro, library, a career center, and online education. Students can also obtain financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, and work-study programs.
The annual cost for in-state students is just over $3,000 while out-of-state students pay almost $13,000 annually. Established in 1967, the school currently maintains an enrollment of just over 4,800 students and has an almost 60% retention rate. The college, which has over 160 programs that grant degrees and certificates, is located on 5401 W. 20th Street in Greely. Contact the school at 970-330-8008 for further information.
The average "out of pocket" cost of attendance, after any grants and scholarships are considered, is around $7,900. In order to calculate a more accurate and detailed cost of attendance check out their cost calculator here. The figures listed below are for informational purposes only and do not represent current or future tuition, fees, and expenses.
Tuition estimates per year:
State Residents: $1,600-$1,900
Out-of-State: $10,000-$12,250
Part-time students are charged:
In-State: $67-$80 per unit
Out-of-State: $430-$510 per unit
The table below breaks down the types of financial aid, the percent of students receiving aid, and average amount of aid per student per year.
Any Financial Aid 76% -
Receiving Grants & Scholarships 70% $5,602
here is the count .. community-colleges-3-2
Admissions, Academics, & Student Services
To support students and graduates, Aims Community College may offer services to students like those listed below:
Remedial instructional courses
Counseling assistance
Graduation & Transfer Rates
Community colleges often offer both career training programs and options for students to transfer-out to four year institutions, which is why the table below is so important, it compares this school against community colleges in Colorado.
Weld County
Graduation Rate 28.6% - 24.9%
Transfer-out Rate 19.1% - 13.6%
Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN) Program
Accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. ? May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (since 2011)
Compare all associate's degree in nursing (ADN) programs in Colorado
Get more information about the programs offered by Aims Community College by clicking the request information to the right.
Agriculture Operations
Agricultural Business and Management (A, C)
Agricultural Production Operations (A, C)
Data Entry Technology (A, C)
Accounting (A, C)
Advertising and Marketing (A, C)
Information Systems (A, C)
Graphic Communications (A, C)
Animation (A, C)
Radio and Television Broadcasting (A)
Photographic and Film Technology
Audio and Video Production
Multimedia (A, C)
Computer (A, C)
Carpentry (C)
Construction Site Management (A, C)
Early Childhood Education (A)
Petroleum Technology (A, C)
Engineering Technology (A, C)
Biomedical Technology (A)
Manufacturing Engineering Technician (A, C)
Child Care Provider (C)
Nursing Assistant (C)
EMT & Paramedic (A, C)
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences (C)
Phlebotomy (C)
Health Management and Clinical Assistant (A, C)
Nursing (A, C)
Radiologic Technology (A)
Surgical Technologist (A)
Medical Executive Assistant (A)
Medical Insurance Coding (C)
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention and Treatment Professions (C)
Health Information and Medical Records Technology
Liberal Arts (A)
General Studies (A)
Mechanic and Repair Technology
Auto Mechanic (A, C)
Auto Body (A, C)
Precision Production
Welding (A, C)
Fire Science (A, C)
Law and Justice Administration (A, C)
Police Science (C)
Forest Firefighting and Investigation (C)
Transportation and Materials Moving
Air Traffic Controller (A)
Commercial Airline Pilot (A, C)
Air Transportation (A, C)
Other Community Colleges Nearby
The list of nearby schools has been selected by researching which schools offer similar programs to Aims Community College.
Front Range Community College in Westminster, CO (38 miles away)
Community College of Aurora in Aurora, CO (48 miles away)
Community College of Denver in Denver, CO (48 miles away)
Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, CO (51 miles away)
Morgan Community College in Fort Morgan, CO (54 miles away)
Virtual Tour of Campus
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The official poster of upcoming movie ‘Chandigarh-Amritsar-Chandigarh’ is released
Posted by: MANGLA TIMES // International News, Lifestyle, National News, REGIONAL NEWS, Social // April 10, 2019
Chandigarh: Title of the film is what catches the attention of the audience; make them curious about what the film will be about. And one such film is Chandigarh-Amritsar-Chandigarh, a quirky and an unusual title which has already made the audience look forward to the film’s release. Sharing the screen for this film are Sargun Mehta and Gippy Grewal, and the duo will be seen together in a film for the first time.
Chandigarh-Amritsar-Chandigarh is being directed by Karan K Guliani, and is being presented by Sumit Dutt and Dream book and is being produced by A Leostride Entertainment Production.
Ace music director, Jatinder Shah has given music to the film, another celebrated dialogue and screenplay writer Naresh Kathooria has written the dialogue and screenplay of the film. Seeing these amaze bunch of talented artist working on the film we already know that it is going to be a blockbuster.
The makers of the film have shared the first look of the film. From the poster, it seems to be a light hearted and a true entertainer. The two actors seem to be in a jovial mood in the poster and the film is going to be a romantic-comedy.
The film revolves around two characters that how this journey will impact their lives or will play role in their story. This film might be the proof of the saying which goes as ‘sometimes just a moment is enough’.
Recently at award function, the two were even seen sharing the stage with much ease and comfort which proved that the audience will give thumbs up to this fresh pair. This glimpse that they gave to their fans has raised the level of excitement among the audience who are eagerly looking forward to the release of the trailer of the film.
The worldwide distribution of the film will be done by Munish Sahni’s Omjee Group. The film will hit the theatres on 24th May 2019.
← Combined Defence Services Examination (i)-2019 Declaration of written result ECI invokes powers under Article 324 to prohibit display/exhibit any biopic/publicity material during MCC period →
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Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout on his plans for the airline
Nico Bezuidenhout, who returns to low-cost airline Mango as CEO on October 1, intends to start off by doing a proper stock take of the current state of the business, he told Fin24 on Wednesday.
He wants to see where the business has improved and where it has perhaps gone backwards and then he will make an informed decision - after engaging with people at Mango and at SAA - on the course of action to take going forward.
"The market constantly changes. So, that does not mean the way we started the airline would be 100% applicable in the current circumstances," says Bezuidenhout.
During his 10 years at the helm of Mango, Bezuidenhout was twice called upon to act as CEO of SAA before he took up the position of CEO at Fastjet. He is also on the advisory board of an aviation technology company in the US.
"Mango has always been close to my heart. It enabled more people to fly," says Bezuidenhout. He is happy with the large number of jobs the airline provides and points out that, at the time he left, Mango had the highest B-BBEE rating.
"Mango has always been non-racial, non-sexist and theft, corruption and fraud were never tolerated. Those are the golden rules I live by," says Bezuidenhout.
BMF objects to white male appointed as Mango CEO
When Bezuidenhout's appointment was announced recently, Fin24 reported that the Black Management Forum (BMF) objected to a white male being appointed. It also raised the issue of Bezuidenhout's qualifications.
As in the past, Bezuidenhout said that both the boards of Mango as well as SAA had repeatedly indicated that at no time had they been misled about his qualifications.
'Dumbfounded' by BMF
"I am dumbfounded by the libellous statements made by the BMF president about my character. I did not draft the job specs for the Mango CEO position. I assume that job has been vacant for three years, so there has been ample opportunity to recruit someone (else)," says Bezuidenhout.
He adds that he does not understand why the BMF on the one hand objects to the appointment of a white male at Mango, while also releasing a statement earlier in June, urging black professionals not to apply for leadership positions at SA's state-owned entities on the basis that government interference at these companies was setting black leaders up for failure.
Asked about what he experienced while acting as CEO at SAA, Bezuidenhout says he is glad of the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture and he expects to be called to testify there as well in due course. However, he adds, some of the controversial deals already mentioned before the commission, took place after he left as acting SAA CEO.
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Lea Michele Shares Moving Post In Honour Of Corey Monteith On The Anniversary Of His Death
Megan Gale Shares The Best Advice Her Mum Ever Gave Her
"I Confronted My School Bullies"
Pink Shuts Down The “Parenting Police” In Emotional Instagram Post
Keira Maguire Breaks Down After Her Cult Upbringing Makes Headlines
‘I didn’t know who my mum was until I was five’ - by marie claire
After it came to light this week that Bachelor contestant Keira Maguire was raised in a cult and was the daughter of a convicted sex offender who had nine wives, the reality star has spoken out.
Keira was has been pegged as this year’s “villain”, showed a more vulnerable side as she appeared on The Project as she opened up about her upbringing in a polygamist cult.
"It sounds strange, but it just is what it is," a visibly distraught Maguire told host Carrie Bickmore. "I didn’t even have birthdays. I think I had my first birthday when I was seven. For other people, it might be really sad. But it’s not, because it’s my story."
RELATED: Bachelor Contestant Confirms She Was Raised In Polygamous Cult
#TheProjectTV on Twitter
Keira’s story was brought to the public’s attention when Woman’s Day published an expose on her past and her father, who was Ian Lowe, a former police constable who later changed his name to Alistah Laishkochav when he became the leader of a polygamous cult in the 1980s. The self-prescribed "spiritual guru" fathered 64 children to nine different wives before he was convicted of 20 child sex offences and one charge of reckless injury in 2000. He died in jail at the time of conviction, aged 71.
Keira’s mother Michelle removed her children from the cult when she was five.
"I just couldn’t believe that they wrote a story without coming to me and asking if it was OK," she added of the article, which reportedly even took producers of the show by surprise, who were told Keira’s father had died 30 years ago.
"I kind of knew that I was different. I didn’t want to tell people because I didn’t want to be judged,” she said. “I just, even in relationships with guys, ... I never opened up about it because I didn’t want them to judge me, because I’m not normal."
The 29-year-old, who is still in the running for Bachelor Richie Strahan’s affections on this year’s season of the show, says she feels a responsibility to let people know they "cannot be defined by anything that is out of your control".
RELATED: Did Nikki Gogan Just Accidentally Reveal That She's The Bachelor Winner?
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“Even when we win, it’s a very bad day for us — for me,” Guillen said. “Losing Boni again puts us in a very, very tough situation. You could see a lot of long faces.’’
Bonifacio, who spent two months on the disabled list this season with a ligament injury to his left thumb, sprained the same thumb with two outs in the ninth while making a diving stop. He came out of the game immediately.
“I don’t think he’s coming back this year,” Guillen said. “I hope so, but in my mind he’s gone.’’
The injury dulled what was an otherwise spectacular outing by Johnson.
Friday’s sparkling effort was in stark contrast to his last previous outing when, with more than a dozen scouts in attendance on the eve of the trading deadline, Johnson turned in a stinker. He walked a career-high six batters in just five innings, prompting negative reviews and no trade.
He was a different pitcher at Nationals Park.
Johnson not only handed the Marlins’ overtaxed bullpen a much-deserved rest by becoming the first member of the starting staff to go as many as six innings since July 23 — 11 games ago — but came to the rescue on a day when game one starter Brad Hand was lifted in the fourth.
That prompted Guillen to tell reporters between games that he was hoping for someone — anyone — to give him at least three innings on the mound.
Johnson did better than that. He came within one out of his first complete game since April 26, 2010, and what would have been the team’s second this season. Carlos Zambrano, now relegated to the bullpen, went the distance on May 7.
“I was throwing it to both sides of the plate for strikes,” Johnson said. “My tempo was the best it’s been all year. Finally felt that rhythm, everything was clicking.”
After allowing a run in the first, Johnson went into shutdown mode, holding the Nationals scoreless all the way to the ninth when he gave up an infield hit to Michael Morse that scored Bryce Harper. It was on that play that Bonifacio injured his hand while making a diving stop on the play to keep the ball from going to the outfield.
Steve Cishek entered to close out the victory for Johnson, who finished with nine strikeouts and no walks. He threw 115 pitches, one shy of his season-high.
The Marlins’ offense finally showed some life, and doing so against one of the best pitchers in the National League in Gio Gonzalez. And it was Johnson who got things going with his one-out single in the sixth. One out later, the Marlins strung together four consecutive singles, resulting in three runs.
Carlos Lee drove in two of those with his bases-loaded single up the middle, and Greg Dobbs made it 3-1 with his single. The Marlins scored again in the eighth when Jose Reyes utilized his speed, scoring from second on a routine ground ball to short. Reyes, who was running on the pitch, never slowed down as Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa took his time throwing to first, and Reyes crossed home plate well ahead of the throw from Adam LaRoche.
Reyes extended his hitting streak to a career-high 22 games with a pair of first-inning bunt singles, one in each of the two games. The 22-game streak is the longest of his career, and the longest this season in the National League. It is also the longest by a Marlin since Bonifacio’s 26-game streak last season.
The Marlins didn’t fare as well in the first game of the doubleheader.
Hand, who was called up from Triple A New Orleans for just the one start, couldn’t find the strike zone, walked six batters and was lifted two outs into the fourth. Hand threw a total of 96 pitches and was promptly optioned back to the minors following the outing.
Related stories from Miami Herald
Marlins Blog | Fish Bytes
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“I don’t care who gets the credit. I don’t,” Rubio insisted. “But it exposes the fact that this issue is all about politics for some people. Not just Democrats, Republicans, too.”
Rubio still had harsh words for Obama, suggesting his move was geared toward the election, a premise many accept but the White House denies.
Obama said he acted because Congress had not. But Rubio also stepped on his own message when he said Obama had not addressed NALEO in several years only to come racing back in an election year.
“I was tempted to tell you, ’Why didn’t he make this issue a priority?’ Well, I guess I just did tell you,” Rubio said. “But, that’s not the direction I want to go in my speech. Because if I did, if that’s what I came here to talk to you about, then I would be doing the exact same thing that I just criticized.”
Rubio has faced questions of playing to the immigration issue, too. In his 2010 Senate run he adopted the GOP’s hard line on the issue, though he also did say young immigrants should be accommodated. He had been crafting a proposal that would create nonimmigrant visas, giving legal status to some children of illegal immigrants. He has worked on it for three months but had not released bill language and conceded Congress may not act before the election.
There was a clear upside for Republicans, who have been eager to see the Cuban-American Rubio take the lead on an issue that resonates with Hispanics, a fast-growing voting base.
Then, a week ago, Obama announced his plan. He did not consult with Rubio beforehand.
Rubio told the NALEO crowd he would have rather talked about how Hispanics are not fixated on immigration and share “the same worries, the same hopes and the same fears as everybody else in this country.”
He addressed the subject because, “I think that both my head and my heart tell me that today, perhaps we are as close as we’ve ever been to a critical turning point in the debate about immigration.”
Finding blame with both sides, he said those who are against illegal immigration may view it only as a law and order issue. Yes, it is a law and order issue, but it’s also a human issue. These are real people,” Rubio said. “And yet the other side of the debate is guilty of oversimplifying it. Illegal immigration is a real problem. It is not an illegitimate problem.”
Rubio did not mention Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who appeared before the Hispanic group Thursday and offered a softer approach to immigration than he espoused in the primary. Romney did not mention Rubio, either, or his immigration plan.
Following Rubio, a dynamic speaker who received applause even among the heavily Democratic crowd, was Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
In a brief speech, he talked about his efforts to grow jobs in Florida and encouraged tourists to visit.
Scott did not address immigration but was asked about it by reporters afterward. Scott said he believes in a federal approach and denied he had backed off his campaign promise to push for a mandatory employment verification program in Florida.
He dodged a question on whether high-achieving college graduates and members of the military should be granted permanent residence: “We need to have a national policy, we don’t need to pick and choose a policy.”
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Hackers Don't Need a Computer to Access Your Accounts — They Just Need Charm
By Jack Smith IV
DeRay Mckesson's Twitter account was hacked on Friday, causing the politician and Black Lives Matter activist to tweet an endorsement for Donald Trump.
Mckesson wasn't hacked because he had a terrible password, like Mark Zuckerberg's "dadada." Nor was he using the same password over and over, like Drake did.
It was because Mckesson's hackers used a technique called social engineering — a method that doesn't require a phone at all.
Social engineering is manipulating people in order to gain trust so that they'll divulge information. It's a lot like con artistry, requiring a little bit of research and a lot of charm. Social engineering is usually about gaining access, often through impersonation — like the Greeks entering Troy inside the Trojan horse, or a teenager accessing the accounts of CIA director John Brennan.
Sometimes the easiest way to breach a network is to manipulate the humans who protect it.
How it works: When you call your cable company or bank with a complaint, they might ask you to verify your identity with the last four digits of your Social Security number. But for the tens of millions of people whose social security information has been leaked in various hacks, that information is easy enough to come by.
With a small dossier of basic information openly available online, a hacker can impersonate you (or a loved one) while on the phone with a customer service representative, for example.
Mckesson has two-factor authentication enabled on his accounts, meaning whenever he logs in from a new device, Twitter sends him a text message to confirm his identity. Normally, this keeps people from gaining your password and hacking into your account.
But after the attacker successfully changed Mckesson's SIM, they redirected his text messages to another phone. When Mckesson's two-factor authentication kicked in, the hacker was still able to access his accounts.
In this video produced by Fusion, you can watch the technique in action.
Jessica Clark from hacking firm Social-Engineer uses a technique called spoofing to make it seem like she's calling from Fusion news director Kevin Roose's phone. Clark then calls the customer service representatives from Roose's service provider and pretends to be his wife — a technique called "vishing," for voice solicitation. Clark says she needs immediate access to Roose's account.
Clark even plays sounds of a baby crying in the background to ratchet up stress for the customer support representative.
"I'm so sorry," she says. "Can you hear me OK? My baby, I'm sorry. My husband's like — we're about to apply for a loan and we just had a baby — and he's like, 'Get this done by today.' ... I'm trying to log in to our account for usage information and I can't remember what email address we used."
Eventually, Clark is able to get Roose's password changed. She sets up a whole new administrative account for Roose's services.
It's an old-school method: Since the dawn of personal computing, hacking wasn't just about trying to steal secrets or do damage. It was about solving puzzles, sharing information and injecting some playful chaos into the world.
Social engineering isn't a recent development; it's been a staple of the hacking community for decades. Early pop-culture depictions of hackers, as silly as they often were, included social-engineering techniques. Take this scene from 1995's Hackers:
Hopefully, mainstream service providers like Verizon and AT&T will bone up on their defenses against social engineering. It might mean that the next time you're looking for a favor from customer support, they're a little less likely to trust you. There's a good reason why.
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These tiny machines just won their inventors the Nobel Prize in chemistry
Good things come in small packages; prestigious things come in microscopic ones.
On Wednesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that three European chemists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for creating the "world's smallest machines."
"In terms of development, the molecular motor is at the same stage as the electric motor was in the 1830s, when scientists displayed various spinning cranks and wheels, unaware that they would lead to electric trains, washing machines, fans and food processors," the academy said in the announcement, the New York Times reported.
In other words, these lean, mean, molecule-moving machines show a lot of potential — but have a long way to go.
Jean-Pierre Sauvage, J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa, the winning scientists, have been making strides in the development of these nanomachines since 1983. In that year, Sauvage formed a chain by linking two ring-shaped molecules. In 1991, Stoddart exhibited that a molecular ring can move along a molecular axle. In 1999, Feringa developed a molecular motor.
The scientists see these manufactured molecular machines as potentially being used to navigate your bloodstream for various medical reasons, such as looking for cancerous cells or delivering drugs. They also see the microrobots as furthering the field of reactive "smart materials." Mark Miodownik, professor of materials and society at University College London, sees these nanomachines as paving the way for self-sustaining smart cities.
"If you want infrastructure that looks after itself — and I think we do — I'm pretty sure we're going to be moving towards self-healing systems," Miodownik told the Guardian. "We'll have plastic pipes that can repair themselves or a bridge that when it gets cracked has these machines that rebuild the bridge at a microscopic scale. It's just beginning. The potential is really immense."
But as Feringa noted, even the tiny are mighty, and that "we have to think about how we can handle these things safely."
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Uber driver arrested for kidnapping and assaulting blacked out female passenger in DC
By Brianna Provenzano
An Uber driver was arrested in Prince George's County, Maryland, on Thursday for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a female passenger who rode in his cab.
Police told Fox News that the man, 29-year-old Westagne Pierre, was summoned to a District of Columbia bar on the night of Oct. 18 by the victim's friends after the victim became too intoxicated.
Detectives believe that after picking her up, Pierre drove the woman, who was blacked out, to her house. Then he made a detour to a Budget Inn in College Park, where he carried her out of the car and into the hotel.
Pierre used his own name to check into the hotel room, police said, and after staying for some time, he made a pit stop at a nearby 7-Eleven, where he used the victim's American Express card to buy $14 worth of goods.
The arrest isn't Uber's first dustup with sexual assault allegations. An investigation by Buzzfeed News found that the company has fielded five claims of rape and "fewer than" 170 claims of sexual assault directly related to an Uber trip between December 2012 and August 2015.
With the exception of the U.K., where Uber drivers recently won a landmark case to be considered full-time employees, the ride-share company classifies its drivers as independent contractors. This has the potential to create accountability issues, resulting from high employee turnover and low capacity for clear top-down communication.
Without clear protections in place for those who are victimized by their drivers, Uber is treading into dangerous waters — legally and otherwise.
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3 key takeaways from the Vladimir Putin-Rex Tillerson meeting in Moscow
By Celeste Katz
Russian President Vladimir Putin's last-minute meeting with United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Moscow Wednesday was about much more than keeping the Team Trump's envoy in suspense.
There's a lot of history there — and potentially a lot more to be made at this critical juncture in American-Russian relations.
Here are three takeaways:
1. It was no accident Putin made Tillerson wait.
Russia and the U.S. are at complete loggerheads over Syria, and things have gotten so tense, it wasn't clear to the U.S. team that Putin would even agree to a face-to-face with Tillerson.
The U.S. has applied increasing pressure in encouraging Russia to break ties with Syrian President Bashar Assad, particularly after Assad deployed chemical weapons last week in an attack that killed and injured civilians, including children.
By forcing Tillerson to cool his heels, Putin sent an unmistakable message, in characteristic style, that he had the upper hand during the first major U.S.-Russia talks of the Trump administration.
Russia's Vladimir Putin made U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wait for a meeting.Source: Sergei Chirikov/AP
Putin, who has propped up the Assad regime against rebel forces, has called a retaliatory U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air field an illegal act of aggression against a sovereign state.
He's also refused, including in a new interview with Russia's Mir state television, to concede that Syria used nerve agents at all.
"Where is the proof that the Syrian government forces used chemical weapons? There is no proof," Putin said during the interview, broadcast Wednesday. The same day, President Donald Trump, in a pre-taped talk with Fox Business News, called Assad "an animal" and warned Putin against backing such an "evil person."
2. It's also no surprise Putin eventually met with Tillerson.
Given the political climate, Tillerson was on the hot seat during his talk with Putin, which was preceded by a tense exchange with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. But Tillerson is hardly an unknown quantity in Russia.
The former Exxon chief executive received the 2013 Order of Friendship medal from the Russian government. As the Washington Post previously reported, "Tillerson won the award after signing deals with the state-owned Russian oil company Rosneft, whose chief, Igor Sechin, is seen as Putin's loyal lieutenant."
Another past recipient of the award, Raymond Johnson, said he took the award as a welcome sign that he was on good terms with the Russian government, the Post reported.
But Tillerson's Russia ties, as examined after Trump nominated him to his Cabinet, go deeper than a medal and a handshake.
"Friends and associates said few U.S. citizens are closer to Mr. Putin than Mr. Tillerson, who has known Mr. Putin since he represented Exxon's interests in Russia during the regime of Boris Yeltsin," the Wall Street Journal reported in December.
So even at a time of diplomatic tensions between the two nations, it wasn't a given that Putin would be willing to give Tillerson, and by proxy, the U.S., the cold shoulder.
3. Today's talks keep communications open, but the problems remain.
Trump's own relationship to Russia is under the microscope, having swung from what some of his critics said was a disconcerting tendency to flatter Putin to harder talk about Russia's need to sever ties with Assad.
Trump, who just so happens to be hosting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House on Wednesday, has faced inquiries about his campaign's potential ties to Russian agents and their attempts to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has a complex attitude toward Russia.Source: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The U.S. and Russia may not quite be engaged in a new Cold War. But early indications suggest neither side is immediately giving ground on its positioning on Syria — both regarding the Assad regime and the fight to defeat the Islamic State.
A Russian pool report said there would be no statements made regarding what was said at the meeting. What is certain, however, is that the wait for a solution will surely be longer than the holdup on Tillerson's face-to-face with Putin.
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Can Exercise Protect Against Alzheimer's?
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LATEST MEDICAL NEWS
Washington-Watch > Reform
Supreme Court Might Look at ACA Again
by Joyce Frieden Joyce Frieden, News Editor, MedPage Today October 01, 2012
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court began its new term Monday, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- the subject of the decision that so dramatically wrapped up its last term -- is still on its agenda.
The court has given both the Obama administration and Liberty University 30 days to file responses in the case known as Liberty University v. Geithner. In that case, two of the plaintiffs -- Michele Waddell and Joanne Merill -- have decided not to buy health insurance, a decision that would require them to pay a penalty beginning in 2014 under the ACA's so-called individual mandate.
The two women assert that the penalty imposed under the individual mandate is really a tax and that the Constitution's "Taxing and Spending Clause ... only grants Congress the power to impose taxes upon certain purchases, not to impose taxes upon citizens who choose not to purchase something such as health insurance."
They also assert that the mandate imposes "a direct tax that is not apportioned according to Census data or other population-based measurement," which is in violation of Congress's taxing powers.
Finally, Waddell and Merill contend that the individual mandate exceeds Congress's authority under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution -- a position that the Supreme Court also took when it said that the ACA's individual mandate was not constitutional under the Commerce Clause but was constitutional under Congress' power to levy a tax.
Another party in the suit is Liberty University, a private, conservative Christian college in Lynchburg, Va. The university is subject to the ACA's employer mandate, which requires employers with more than 50 employees to either provide their employees with access to health insurance or pay a $2,000-per-employee penalty for not doing so beginning in 2014.
The university asserts that the employer mandate will cause it to suffer "substantial financial hardship." Liberty says the mandate violates the constitution by imposing an "unapportioned direct tax upon employers" and that it exceeds Congress's authority under the Commerce Clause.
The plaintiffs all are asking that the ACA not be enforced and that the court declare it unconstitutional. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia dismissed the case in November 2010, ruling that the ACA is valid under the Commerce Clause.
The plaintiffs then appealed the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which also dismissed the case in September 2011 but for a different reason -- it said that under the Anti-Injunction Act (AIA), which says that a person cannot file suit over a particular tax until that tax has actually been levied, the suit was premature and couldn't be filed yet. (The Supreme Court rejected a similar AIA argument when it decided its case in June.)
In October 2011, the plaintiffs appealed the suit to the Supreme Court, which declined to take the case on June 29 -- the day after it issued its major ACA decision. The plaintiffs have now asked the Supreme Court to reconsider that decision.
2012-10-01T15:09:47-0400
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No, Judith Butler Did Not Ask Someone To Leave A Meeting For Being Pro Israel [incl. David Palumbo-Liu]
by Jack Halberstam
https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/25610/no-judith-butler-did-not-ask-someone-to-leave
On a bitterly cold night during the 2018 Modern Language Association conference in New York City, a group of scholars met at a publicly announced location to discuss "Palestine and the Future of Academia."
This was not an MLA sponsored event and it was held off site, far away from the conference itself. The conveners asked people to come prepared to discuss "the future of Palestine in our current academic context."
The meeting was spurred in large part by the passing of an anti-Boycott Resolution, or Resolution 2017-1, by the MLA's general membership. The resolution mandated that the Association "refrain" from supporting the boycott; the people gathered wished to discuss how to move forward with supporting human rights for Palestinians. The passing of the resolution led two members of the Executive Committee — Lenora Hanson and David Palumbo-Liu — to resign. They wrote an eloquent open letter to the MLA explaining clearly their reasons for doing so.
Hanson and Palumbo-Liu both were present at this meeting as were a host of others who were there to express their dismay at the MLA imposed gag order on discussions of voicing support for a boycott of the Israeli state institutions. People met in good faith and took considerable risks to do so, given that many punitive laws against boycott supporters have been passed in the US, and Israel has now banned members of prominent pro-Boycott groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and the American Friends Service Committee from entering the country.
There were many junior scholars present, graduate students too, all exposed to potential harm if anti-boycott people showed up at this meeting and chose to name names and give false reports of what was said and what happened.
Along with the various interested parties — academics, activists, students, journalists, writers — was Judith Butler, the current Second Vice-President and future president of MLA. Butler did not call this meeting, Butler did not run this meeting, they (using gender neutral pronouns for them) did not organize the meeting, they did not unduly influence those who attended this meeting. Butler came to show support, to learn, listen and impart their own thoughts about "Palestine and the Future of Academia."
We had barely had time to make introductions when a late-comer entered the room. It was Cary Nelson.
Nelson must have known he was not welcome since he was a strong anti-boycott advocate. And there was a lot of tension in the room when he entered.
Taking responsibility for being a very senior scholar in a room full of students and junior faculty, Butler bravely and deliberately challenged Nelson and asked why he had come. He said he had come to learn. This struck most in the room as disingenuous, given his politics. They knew what he meant by "learn" had nothing to do with Palestine but with organized opposition to those who wished to disarm pro-Palestinian activism, as Nelson clearly does.
Contrary to what Nelson reports, Butler did not ask him to leave, they did not call for a vote as to whether he should leave, but Butler did clearly and forcefully ask him to explain why he had come to this meeting given that his sympathies were not with the Boycott. As one of the night's speakers continued with their presentation, Nelson now began furiously scribbling notes on a piece of paper. Butler asked Nelson what he was writing and Butler made it clear to Nelson that while we could not ask him to leave, we also were not comfortable with his presence.
Several young scholars and students spoke up about the difficulties they already faced as Israeli and Palestinian scholars who needed to return home. They were not just concerned about being identified, but also by being falsely depicted by Nelson.
Because we were unable to continue the meeting openly, we agreed that another closed meeting would be arranged. At this point, Butler told everyone who had come to the meeting or to New York with the goal of sharing work or information in this particular group that they could write to Butler and that Butler would make sure they could come to Berkeley for an alternative meeting.
This confrontation between Butler and Nelson revealed the very fault lines of the larger debate. Butler came openly and in good faith to share plans for the future of MLA and the discussion of Palestine with others. Nelson came to disrupt and annoy and silence. Butler encouraged open debate and offered to make conversation possible elsewhere. Nelson offered nothing and intimidated others by posing as an interested party at a time when undocumented immigrants and particularly Muslims are targeted by our right-wing government. Butler showed strength, courage and conviction — they stood up for people and took the full force of Nelson's negativity. If this was a display of Butler's leadership, then the MLA is extremely lucky to have such an intellectual and political force as incoming president. Hopefully under Butler's leadership, the MLA can finally discuss "Palestine and the Future of Academia."
Jack Halberstam is a Professor of English and Gender Studies at Columbia University.
Related Topics: Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free mef mailing list
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Long Gone - Heads Down
Long Gone have proven that the Chicago scene doesn't disappoint with their first ever release: "Heads Down".
I've been lucky enough to be allowed to listen to this track before it was released officially, and I'm really quite excited about it. This is the introduction of Long Gone to the world, and I have a feeling they have great things ahead of them already.
The song is introduced with a strong kick drum beating like a heart, hooking you in with it's solid yet simple presence, counting us into the main song along with the catchy, warm riffs of the guitars that have that high quality punk feeling.
When we enter the song the timbre becomes momentarily fuller, with the instruments building up as the drums change up, boosting the energy of the track and becoming a melody that you just have to bop your head to while the riff stays the same: a solid base on which to build the soundscape around.
It becomes softer as the vocals kick in, singing a sweet song about (as guitarist, Patrick Smith put it) "the ups and downs of love". The vocals are full of emotion with a pleasant tone that works with the lower parts in the bridge and the higher notes in the chorus, which give a sense of desperation fitting with the story without sounding strained. Vocalist, Matty, gives the song character as well as performing with impressive technical skill.
One of my favourite elements is the melodic guitars in the chorus, which play tunes that feel like they're being drawn around the soundscape like webs, while simultaneously giving a feeling of rising up in spirals into the cityscape being sang about. It's a beautiful, illustrative, and emotive element that gives a sense of lightness and hope, carrying the story of the brighter sides of love through the chorus, which sings of the dark side.
The lyrics are really well written. They feel personal, sweet, and almost innocent in the way they're written. It's like a modern fairytale is being told in the verses, and that catchy cry of "Doctor! Doctor! Give me a sign!" shows youthful vulnerability. It's strangely charming, the way lyrics that tell of someone going to the doctor with a broken heart, asking if they're going to be okay feels so fun to listen to. The construction of the song is just so clever. They've got a mix of pop, rock, and punk feelings that just work together so well.
Personally, I love this track, and I hope that you do too. I'm grateful that Long Gone and CHARMmusic have given me the opportunity to write about it and allowed me to listen to the track early. Head over to CHARMmusic (the official place of the song's debut) now to read their interview with the band and hear the track!
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Jack Johnson’s Good-Life Recipe
Jo Hale / Getty Images)
by Rob Tannenbaum
Jack Johnson has an unusual relationship with his audience: When he’s on tour, fans often give him tips about local spots where he can surf, even when he’s hundreds of miles from the ocean. “I’ve found inland rivers to surf in Washington and Oregon,” he says, “but I can’t tell you about them, because people have sworn me to secrecy.” The 38-year-old Johnson, who’s sold more than 19 million albums, grew up on Oahu and began surfing with his dad when he was five. Aside from touring behind ‘From Here to Now to You,’ his sixth and latest album, Johnson spends his days coaching his kids’ soccer games, working with the environmental Kokua Hawaii Foundation he created, and gardening – not a typical rock-star hobby.
On your new album, there’s a song called “Tape Deck” that seems autobiographical.
It’s the story of my high school punk-rock band. We played a lot of Minor Threat songs, and also Fugazi, Suicidal Tendencies, Descendents, Bad Religion – stuff like that. The band name would change from month to month. We were Stony Dog Fish for a while, and then we became Limber Chicken.
Sounds more like the names of jam bands.
It’s true – we were probably the most unpunk punk rockers you ever saw. We were surf kids, still wearing flip-flops – slippers, we call them here – and boardshorts. Fugazi had great lyrics, like “You are not what you own,” and I was heavily influenced by them and by Minor Threat.
Did punk rock’s DIY ethos influence you?
Yeah. In fact, when L.A. record producers first heard my music, they asked to speak with my manager. So I asked my friend Emmett – a surf-film editor – to pretend to be my manager. He read this book ‘How To Be a Music Manager’ and then just stood there through the entire interview with this producer who had worked with artists like Céline Dion and Michael Jackson. Emmett is still my manager.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you get back to Hawaii?
The first thing I do – even before I walk into the house – is spend a half hour checking out my garden. I grow taro, spinach, kale, eggplants, peppers, and a lot of different herbs. My recording studio is a quick bike ride away, and it has a garden with chickens and eggs. When we’re recording, the band can pull plants and make a salad.
Is it fair to say that you love surfing more than you love music?
Yeah, that’s probably accurate. Surfing is more ingrained in who I am. It’s what my family does together. The waves are a social place where we meet up with friends, and where I go to visit my father, who’s passed on. Whenever I go out on the ocean, I feel like he’s still with us. And he still is, in certain ways.
What was a defining moment of your surf career?
At 17, I’d made the trial finals of the biggest surf event there is, the Pipeline Masters, which was a really big deal. I was feeling invincible. A week later, Kelly Slater and I were surfing together on the Pipeline, which is a very extreme wave. The sun had set, and as a wave came, Kelly said, “You won’t go,” which is a thing our friends say to dare one another. I rode the wave for a while and jumped off, as I’d done a million times before, but it was low tide, and I dove straight into a coral head. I knocked out my front teeth and needed 150 stitches in my face. I ran up the beach to my house, and a family friend was sitting on the front porch – he happened to be a paramedic. I had blood gushing from my head down to my feet, and he braced my mom. I was always a mama’s boy, and I kept telling her, “It’s OK.”
What’d your dad say?
“Chicks dig scars. Don’t worry about it.”
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Michele Ney of the B.C. Greens, Tony Harris of the B.C. Liberals and Sheila Malcolmson of the B.C. NDP are running in a byelection in Nanaimo Jan. 30. NEWS BULLETIN file photos
Nanaimo byelection to be held Jan. 30
Premier announces byelection date to fill seat vacated by Leonard Krog
Nanaimo News Staff
Jan. 2, 2019 11:22 a.m.
Voters in Nanaimo will be going to the polls this month.
B.C. Premier John Horgan announced this morning that a byelection for the Nanaimo riding will take place on Jan. 30, according to a press release issued by the provincial government.
The Nanaimo riding was recently vacated by Leonord Krog, who became the city’s mayor this past fall. Local businessman Tony Harris is running for the B.C. Liberals while Sheila Malcolmson, former Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP, will be running for the B.C. NDP. Retired teacher Michele Ney will be running for the B.C. Green Party.
All three candidates said they’re excited for the official start to the campaign. Malcolmson was out putting up signs today and she said her team has been working hard to be ready.
“The place is buzzing with volunteers; we’ve been canvassing for at least a month already knocking on doors and hearing what people’s priorities are in our neighbourhoods,” she said.
Harris said his team has been “basically in full campaign” mode since he was announced as his party’s intended candidate.
“We are ready to go, to hit the ground running. We are looking forward to the next 28 days,” he said.
Ney said she’s been “honoured and flattered” with the support she’s felt from B.C. Greens since she won the party’s nomination last month.
“It’s wonderful and exciting to feel like I really have a strong team behind me to help me move forward and really, truly make a difference for Nanaimo…” she said. “We’re off to a great start.”
The News Bulletin asked candidates about the magnitude of the bylection in a thin minority government. Ney said she doesn’t view the byelection as carrying a great weight but rather an opportunity for Nanaimo and its constituents.
“We’re hungry to win this riding so that we can put a stamp on Nanaimo that is Green so that our voice for Nanaimo will be truly heard. I feel like it’s been neglected for too long,” she said.
Harris, too, said he understands the importance of the byelection and what it means to the province, “but that ultimately is a distraction for the people of Nanaimo who have an opportunity to talk about our community and turn over a new leaf and head in an exciting and aspirational direction.”
Malcolmson said with the leadership in place at Nanaimo city hall, Snuneymuxw First Nation at the provincial level, “we have this alignment of unprecedented opportunity.”
“I really want to see this progressive, co-operative, people-oriented government keep going and Nanaimo’s the key to that,” she said.
Advance voting takes place Jan. 22-27.
For additional information on the byelection, including voting information, please visit www.elections.bc.ca/nan-byelection.
RELATED: MP Malcolmson to try for MLA seat in Nanaimo
RELATED: Tony Harris tabbed to represent B.C. Liberal Party in Nanaimo byelection
RELATED: B.C. Green Party members in Nanaimo vote yea for Ney
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Canada’s charitable sector facing impending crisis: Report
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Thursday, 10th March 2011
Murray’s Hostile Witnesses
Attorneys for the doctor charged in Michael’s death say they want to talk to nearly three dozen people described as ‘hostile witnesses,’ before an upcoming trial.
Attorney J. Michael Flanagan told a judge Wednesday subpoenas had been issued for thirty-five witnesses, including all the members of Michael’s security team who were at the rented mansion, where he died in June 2009. The case reconvenes on March 16th, when jury questionnaires will be discussed. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on March 24th, with opening statements scheduled for May 9th.
Source: abcnews.go.com & MJWN
Referral To District Attorney
Final Statements – Part 1
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Key financial documents adopted
KEY financial documents for Shire of Mundaring have now been adopted by Council.
Council adopted the Annual Budget 2016/17, Corporate Business Plan and Long Term Financial Plan at a Special Council Meeting on Tuesday night.
Shire President David Lavell said these documents were part of the Shire's Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework.
"These documents put the community's values and vision captured in the 10-year Strategic Community Plan Mundaring 2026 into action," he said.
"The community has been clear that they want to see reduced rates over the long term. Council has listened and has worked hard to keep rate rises to a minimum. Council is committed to reducing rates over the next few years, while still delivering the community's priorities.
"The 2016/17 Annual Budget was based on an increase of 3% in the rate in the dollar. For the majority of residential ratepayers this equates to a rise of around $55 for 2016/17."
Cr Lavell said some of the key infrastructure projects in the four-year Corporate Business Plan included:
Boya Community Hub (new library and community space)
Mundaring Indoor Recreation Facility
Harry Riseborough transportable change room
Darlington Hall access upgrades
replacing toilet blocks at Glen Forrest and Sawyers Valley ovals
lighting upgrades for Mundaring Tennis Club and Mundaring Oval.
Cr Lavell said it was important to note that rates increases for future years, including 2017/18, were forecasts only.
"The Long Term Financial Plan adopted by Council forecasts a 5% increase in 2017/18 to ensure the forecast budget is balanced," he said.
"However there will be an annual review of all assumptions and expenditure priorities as listed in the Long Term Financial Plan throughout 2016/17 in an effort to ensure any rate increases are set at the minimum level required to adequately fund community services and infrastructure. This review may well result in amended forecasts for 2017/18 and beyond."
The Long Term Financial Plan, Corporate Business Plan and Annual Budget are now available on the Shire's website - key financial documents.
Copies will also be available to view at the Shire's Administration Centre and local libraries.
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Select airport
Amsterdam Schiphol airport
Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport
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Toulouse Blagnac airport
Bologna Airport
Competition over collaboration? How to solve the parking predicament of multi-tenant buildings.
Emma Goodman
Multi-tenant buildings are champions of coworking and collaboration, but not when it comes to their parking.
We are less than a year away from the new 20s. Contrary to the ‘Roaring 20s’, the upcoming decade might be closer to the ‘Reinventing 20s’. As the world becomes increasingly fast-paced, globalised and and susceptible to major technological, social, environmental and political changes, ‘re-inventing’ has become an all-important aspect of our lives. Rapid developments in business means one has to be flexible and adaptable in what you do and where you work in order to succeed.
There are more gig economy workers and freelancers than ever before, which has given rise to coworking spaces, often housed in multi-tenant buildings. Harvard Business Review found that one of the main reasons people thrive in coworking spaces is the community factor. Everyone working independently of each other for different companies/projects in the same space is one of the strengths of the coworking community, because everyone has a unique skill to offer their coworkers while the level of competition is reduced. These communities value “collaboration over competition” (Coworking Manifesto, 2012).
Coworking space in a multi-tenant building (Source: B.Amsterdam)
However, multi-tenant buildings do not come without their challenges. Designating space, registering visitors and tenants, and meeting the individual needs of a wide array of businesses and freelancers are just a few of the obstacles that multi-tenant buildings face. One of the least-discussed yet major challenges of multi-tenant buildings is parking management. For instance, tenants gain access to the parking through hardware devices such as key tags or remotes, which can be limited and which often have an ungainly means of being acquired (e.g, fetching it from a deposit somewhere in the building). Designating parking spaces can also be highly problematic, as tenants come and go, and visitors often park in any available spot, unaware that it may be reserved. This causes the affected driver whose reserved spot it was to park in a different spot which happens to be available (but which may have been reserved) and so on and so forth. Like dominoes falling, one incorrectly parked car can affect the whole car park, resulting in building tenants, clients, and visitors parking with a feeling of uncertainty or, worse, not being able to park at all.
Parking in multi-tenant buildings seems to be one aspect, therefore, where the community feeling might not be so strong. Why would it be if you as a tenant had taken the effort to pay for and reserve a spot, only to find it occupied when you arrived? Multi-tenant buildings are modern environments where the collaboration of all its individual members form one cohesive unit of innovation, productivity and efficiency. Why don’t the parking spaces match?
Due to the communal, open nature of coworking spaces, multi-tenant buildings can have trouble keeping track of who is using their parking space
Inspired by these challenges, an online parking management system has been developed by the shared parking platform, Mobypark. It is tailored to the specific multi-tenant building* and anyone coming to the building by car can see real-time and upcoming availability of the spaces. Before they even arrive, drivers can reserve and pay for their space, having peace of mind knowing that it will be free when they arrive. Unlike the old-fashioned, heavily administrative process of parking management by the reception, this fully automated system is able to quickly pinpoint when someone has overstayed their parking reservation, entered without reserving, or other parking issues which often go completely unnoticed by the reception but which cause a hassle for parking users.
Access to the car park, through a licence plate reader, mobile phone, keypad or other means (depending on preference and the setup of the car park) is restricted to only regular tenants (who pay based on their parking usage; e.g. monthly) or those who have made a reservation. As a multi-tenant organisation, you wouldn’t allow someone to set up shop at one of the coworking desks without registering and paying, so why would you allow that with the parking space?
By implementing this system, where users can register themselves independently without having to go through a slow, bureaucratic process, a new element is added to the community and more freedom and flexibility is allowed for the individual users. Depending on the availability, users can log in before they leave and decide if they want to take their car or another means. They can make bookings on behalf of their clients to ensure they have a good experience from the moment they arrive at the building.
Creative Valley In Utrecht is one of the multi-tenant buildings which has implemented the online parking system (Source: Creative Valley)
Though building tenants have more agency, the multi-tenant organisation itself ultimately still has control over all aspects of the parking. The fully automated system ensures everything runs smoothly while the organisation can log in at any time to monitor the parking space, gain insights into its usage, and register and deregister users if needed.
Finally, the system’s ability to pinpoint exactly when parking spaces will be occupied means that the unoccupied spaces can be rented out via the same registering, reserving and online payment method to drivers in the area. So while it may be costly to implement the system, the costs are more than covered by the extra revenue generated over time. How many multi-tenant buildings can say they have a parking space which produces both profit and insights?
Other multi-tenant buildings nearby which don’t have a parking space at all can be integrated into the system and their tenants can be given preference over external parties. This adds a new element of community and coworking collaboration, applicable not only between tenants of a specific multi-tenant building, but between multi-tenant buildings themselves. Multi-tenant buildings have contributed significantly to reinventing the way work is done, and the next step is to reinvent their parking management in order to bring their community-driven values to all aspects of the coworking experience.
*Parking management system can also be implemented in hotels, business parking lots, residential buildings and other multi-tenant buildings
Coworking manifesto, 2012. Coworking Wiki.
By car to Brussels: Brussels parking, the Low Emission Zone and other practical tips
King's Day parking in Amsterdam
5 tips to rent out your parking more often
Working in Communications and Digital Marketing, Emma is enthusiastic about the sharing economy, city cultures, and communities. Content and knowledge sharing connects us all!
Parking owners
Rent your parking
Parking Amsterdam
Parking Rotterdam
Parking Paris
Parking Brussels
Parking CDG
Parking Schiphol
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O’Neill, A.
Published in Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics
The open source movement has emerged during the past two decades as a powerful enabler for change in relation to software in particular and aspects of knowledge in general. Open source has changed the computer industry in many ways and will undoubtedly continue to do so. The phenomenon has grown from its inception as an oddity into a pervasive orga...
Social Services Ethics, Overview
Graumann, S.
Social services are social benefits or activities that aim to promote the welfare of individuals and communities. Thus, social services as such imply strong ethical orientation. However, like other professional ethics, social services ethics has to face the moral and ethical pluralism typical for modern societies. Social work ethics is characterize...
Svenaeus, F.
This article introduces the tradition of hermeneutics in philosophy and other disciplines, with an emphasis on applied hermeneutics. The relationship of hermeneutics to phenomenology is stressed, and the work of the most important philosopher of modern hermeneutics – Hans-Georg Gadamer – is dealt with in some detail. The relationship between unders...
Military Ethics
Fotion, N.
Military institutions face a host of ethical problems quite apart from those found within the framework of just war theory. These problems begin with the recruitment process and with practices related to procurement of military weapons, equipment, and supplies. Old problems reappear and new ones appear when military personnel are in basic or advanc...
Tabloid Journalism
Miller, S.
Tabloid journalism is a banal, but often commercially successful, form of media communication. The first aim of tabloids is to inform or entertain its readership. The second aim is to sell as many newspapers as possible. The third aim is to attract advertising revenue. Tabloid reporting is normally characterized by sensationalism, moralism, overdra...
Rasmussen, D.B.
Perfectionism is making a resurgence in contemporary ethics. Not only is the alleged naturalistic fallacy no longer thought insurmountable but also the dominance of the so-called moral point of view (with its use of impersonalist norms) has come into doubt. While noting that there are various forms of perfectionism, this article focuses on a most p...
Political Obligation
Hopton, T.
This article examines the problem of political obligation, often seen as the fundamental concern of political theory. This problem is broadly identified as asking whether we have a moral obligation to obey the law and the state. After examining the origins of the problem and its conceptualization, a critical survey of the various theories of politi...
Communication Ethics
Brannigan, M.C.
This introduction to the relatively new field of communication ethics first describes its broad scope and steady emphases on conveying the truth, reasonably balancing rights and responsibilities, and warning against unjustified means to achieve a supposed legitimate end. After a brief historical sketch from roots in classical rhetoric to postmodern...
Owen, G.
Game theory is the mathematical study of situations of conflict of interest. As such it is applicable not only to parlor games (hence its name), but also to military and economic situations, and, to a lesser extent, to situations in other social sciences. Game theory studies three general phases in the process of interaction: the choice of strategi...
Davis, M.
Whistleblowing occurs when a member of a legitimate organization (an employee, officer, or the like) goes outside (approved) channels to report serious wrongdoing already done or in prospect using confidential information properly gained through that membership. Whistleblowing requires moral justification because it is a breach of trust, a violatio...
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Smith: Warner has ‘p***ed a lot of people off’
David Warner continues to come in for criticism. Picture: Matrix
10th Apr 2019 11:25 AM
DAVID Warner this week underlined his readiness to bolster Australia's World Cup chances - if as expected he is part of the 15-man squad selected on Monday - with an unbeaten 70 in the IPL that cemented his position at the top of the competition's scoring charts.
Though a former Test captain adversary has warned that the opener's ego will still need to be kept in check once the polarising batsman makes his return to Australia's national team.
Along with former captain Steve Smith, Warner is expected to return from his 12-month ban for ball-tampering for Australia's World Cup defence and also play a key role in this year's Ashes series against England.
However, former South African captain Graeme Smith believes Warner is no longer indispensable to Australian cricket, and has "p***ed a lot of people off".
"I don't know. It's difficult to know what it's like behind the scenes, but he's always been an incredible cricketer," Smith said when pondering how he will be accepted back in to the fold.
"Especially when he bats, he bats with that driven nature, that intensity, ego to perform. And he's an excellent cricketer.
"I think where David has been throughout his career is that he's p***ed a lot of people off. He's just that type of guy.
"I think at the moment he needs Australian cricket more than they need him."
David Warner has been a hit in the IPL. (Photo: Money Sharma/AFP)
It is a view Warner's explosive performances in the IPL would draw in to question.
He has now amassed 349 runs from six matches - 86 runs more than second-best Englishman Jonny Bairstow, who also plays for the fourth-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Steve Smith is 17th on the list with 159 runs from five matches following his last-match 73 not out for Rajasthan Royals.
Yet for all his undiminished prowess with the blade, South African Smith, believes Warner's behaviour needs to be monitored closely.
"He's very driven, I think he wants to do well, he wants to prove his worth again and I think David Warner in that position is probably a good guy to have in your environment," Smith said.
"It's when he starts to get bigger than everybody else that probably management needs to be ready for (that).
"Guys like (coach Justin) Langer and whoever is captaining the side going forward need to ensure they stay on top of that and manage that space and that ego well going forward."
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Twitter censors journalist over false filings by anti-Semitic jihadist cleric
A jihadist and anti-Semitic Turkish cleric who called for armed jihad and encouraged the chopping off of arms and legs of critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a string of abusive copyright strikes and succeeded in getting the Twitter account of a critical journalist suspended.
Abdullah Bozkurt, a journalist and also the director of the Nordic Research and Monitoring Network, was hit with multiple filings of false DMCA takedown requests by Nurettin Yıldız, an extremist preacher who has often been described as the family cleric of Erdoğan because of his frequent keynote speaking engagements at both youth events organized by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and conferences and lectures sponsored by the Turkey Youth Foundation (TUGVA), run by Erdoğan’s family.
The Twitter postings by Bozkurt showed Yıldız saying in shared videos that the greatest jihad is against the great enemy, the Jews, a condemned race, and that Jews and Christians are nothing and that they are not equal to Muslims. One video showed him calling for jihad and saying that democracy belongs to the infidels and may be used by Muslims only as a means to reach their ultimate goals. In another one, he said Muslims should vote in democracies as a “deceit” to achieve what they really want.
Nurettin Yildiz
In footage shared by Bozkurt, Yıldız spoke to the Uyghur Istiqlal TV, based in Istanbul, and called for armed jihad not only in China’s autonomous Xinjiang region but all over the world and described China as a nation of savages, worse than the Jews. His comments on how Muslims should react to New Year’s celebrations was shared by the journalist in the wake of a major attack by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Istanbul where a gunman killed 39 people in a popular Istanbul nightclub on January 1, 2017.
Turkish police officer who was radicalized by Yildiz killed Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in December 2016.
In other video footage shared by Bozkurt, the cleric was heard saying that members of the Gülen movement must be executed, hanged and that their hands and arms must be cut off. He asked the US-based Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gülen, who leads the movement, to repent for his sins and condemn Jews and Christians. Gülen has been a vocal critic of the Erdoğan regime for corruption and the Turkish government’s aiding and abetting of armed jihadist groups in Syria, Libya and other places.
When the Erdoğan government started attacking Saudi Arabia over a host of policy differences, Erdoğan’s cleric Yıldız jumped on the bandwagon as well and announced that Muslims have a much bigger problem with Saudi Arabia than Israel. In one video from December 2016, Yıldız was seen whipping up the crowd in the face of the fall of Aleppo in Syria, from where radical jihadists were forced to move out after a Russian campaign. Another video subjected to a DMCA takedown showed the Turkish cleric meeting with Zakir Naik, an Indian preacher banned by India, the UK and Canada for his radical views.
In the case concerning the assassinated Russian diplomat in 2016, the evidence in the indictment showed that hitman Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, a 22-year-old riot police officer, frequented lectures given by Yıldız’s own NGO, the Social Fabric Foundation (Sosyal Doku Vakfı). Altıntaş was in contact with this volunteer group starting in 2014, attending study circles led by Yıldız, and quickly became radicalized.
Yıldız is no ordinary cleric. He is very close to Erdoğan’s family, and the government provides him with VIP treatment when he travels the country to deliver his poisonous sermons. This man publicly advocated the marriage of 6-year-old girls at a conference on January 23, 2013 and got away with it despite a criminal complaint filed against him that was later dropped by the prosecutor under government pressure in March 2015. He was the keynote speaker at a summer camp that was run by Erdoğan’s family foundation in August 2016, attended by 78 young men in a secluded wooded area of Istanbul’s Tuzla district.
Nurettin Yildiz gives lectures at events organized by the Turkey Youth Foundation (TUGVA), which is run by Erdoğan’s family.
Yıldız himself admitted his connections to jihadist groups in Syria in a letter he wrote right after the leader of Ahrar al-Sham, Hassan Abboud, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Abdullah al-Hamawi, was killed in September 2014 in a suicide attack on a high-level meeting in Syria’s Idlib province. In the letter, dated Sept. 10, 2014, Yıldız recalls how he made a trip to Idlib to meet Abu Abdullah and how they discussed the jihadist fight against the infidels. He described the killing of Abu Abdullah as “a great loss to the cause,” regretting that his invitation to host him in Istanbul had not come to fruition.
Yıldız meets with the leader of Ahrar al-Sham, Hassan Abboud.
Over a dozen filings by Yıldız’s lawyer Ahmet Emin Şahingöz on behalf of cleric’s foundation, Sosyal Doku Vakfı, sought to remove the scandalous video footage shared by the journalist, who wanted to expose him for his extremist views that attacked Jews, Christians and critics of the Erdoğan government. The false filings on Twitter were accomplished through DMCA takedown requests that were originally intended to protect copyright owners by allowing them to issue takedowns on content that has been shown to infringe on their intellectual property. The DMCA, short for Digital Millennium Copyright Act and signed into law in 1998 in the United States, is the primary Internet copyright law that covers US firms such as Twitter, YouTube and other social media companies.
The DMCA allows exceptions to copyright infringement in a number of cases such as fair use, in which copyrighted material can be used for the purposes of education, parody, review or commentary. However, false claims on Twitter have been issued in the past for purposes of silencing critical journalists when large Internet firms often use automated solutions rather than human review of such filings in order to handle the large volume of filings and to protect themselves under the DMCA. The automated responses do not distinguish between fair use and piracy and allow abusers to manipulate the system at the expense of the victims.
The takedown requests on Twitter by a radical imam and his associates show how this system on Twitter is open to abuse, Bozkurt noted. “This has nothing to do with piracy but rather investigative journalism under the fair use exception of the DMCA that was done in the interest of the public’s right to know what this fanatic is up to.” Reporting on a man who radicalized so many including the assassin of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, who was murdered by an al-Qaeda-linked Turkish police officer, is not copyright infringement, he added.
Bozkurt said he has appealed the suspension with Twitter and filed a counterclaim in response to the takedown notice.
The 14 twitter postings by the journalist that the cleric wanted removed include the following:
#Erdogan’s family cleric Nurettin Yıldız rules out interfaith dialogue, says Jews & Christians are nothing & they are not equal to Muslims
Nurettin Yıldız, cleric associated with #Erdogan’s family, says greatest Jihad is against greater enemy which is Jews, a condemned race.
1) #Turkey’s #Erdogan apears to have enlisted the help of Zakir Naik, Indian preacher banned by India, UK, Canada for radical views.
2) President #Erdogan’s family cleric Nurettin Yıldız who is affiliated with Jihadist groups in #Syria received Zakir Naik in #Turkey
#Turkey #Erdogan family cleric Nureddin Yıldız calls for Jihad, says democracy belongs to infidels, may be used by Muslims only as a means.
#Erdogan’s family cleric Nureddin Yıldız, supporter of Jihadists in #Syria, reaches out to Turkish youth in #Germany via teleconference.
#Turkey: #Erdogan’s family cleric Nurettin Yıldız says Muslims should vote in democracy as a “deceit” to achieve what they really want.
#Erdogan’s cleric Nurettin Yıldız who radicalized killer of #Russia envoy also mobilized youth in 2010 to join flotilla as jihad for death.
Just like #ISIL, Nurettin Yıldız, radical preacher close to #Erdogan says #Gulen members must be executed, hanged, their hands/arms cut-off
Radical cleric Nurettin Yıldız whose preaching radicalized killer of #Russia envoy, calls on #Gulen to repent & condemn Jews & Christians
#Turkey president #Erdogan’s family cleric Nureddin Yıldız says “We have much bigger problem with Saudi Arabia than Israel”
#Turkey pres. #Erdogan’s family cleric Nureddin Yıldız talks to Uyghur Istiqlal TV, describes #China as nation of savages, worse than Jews.
Nureddin Yıldız, #Erdogan’s family Imam, talks to #Uyghur TV, urges Uyghurs to do Jihad not only against #China but also Jews & others.
Pro-#Erdogan cleric Nureddin Yıldız who radicalized killer of #Russia envoy called on Muslims to prepare reacting to New Year celebrations
info@nordicmonitor.com
https://www.nordicmonitor.com
Tags: Abdullah Bozkurt, Jihadism, Nurettin Yildiz
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Erdoğan picks Islamist thug, predator of journalists as point man for his party in London
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THE pressure has begun to ease on Tamworth's biggest traffic bottleneck, with the second Jewry Street bridge opening over the weekend. However, the new bridge confused some people, with drivers spotted driving down the wrong side of the road over the weekend. Tamworth Regional Council's regional services director Peter Resch said the council "had a look at that this morning". "We've got more staff here now to manage the traffic," Mr Resch said. "We had an incident over the weekend where the small temporary roundabout was hit overnight and it was moved two or three metres away from where it should have been. "That caused a little bit of an issue, but we've rectified that." READ ALSO Tamworth Regional Council's traffic modelling shows the Jewry Street bridge has the highest congestion in the city, with up to 20,000 vehicle movements a day. The traffic pressure point will be eased further by the installation of traffic lights on the northern side, which has been funded by the state government. "We're in the home straight now," Mr Resch said. "We were planning to finish in August, but the guys tell me that depending on the weather, they're hopeful of finishing by the end of July. "We're well under time frame and well under budget at this stage. "That's weather-related. There's a lot of people concerned about the drought, but the road construction guys are happy as Larry." New England MP Barnaby Joyce said the bridge duplication had been a long time coming - he first promised $3.5-million for the project during the 2016 election. "You've got to have a long run up to any project that you're fighting for," he said. "The time between fighting for it and delivering it, no matter what government is in, always requires a lot of work." Want to have your say? Click here to write a letter to the editor Mr Joyce said the duplication worked in to "a plan for the ultimate bypass of Tamworth on all sides". "We've already started on the roundabout on the Oxley Highway, which is part of the ring road that will go around Tamworth, adding to connections such as Appleby Lane," Mr Joyce said. "In the future, we'll go for the major bypass, which goes from Nemingha to the south of Tamworth. "This is all working to a plan because, as Tamworth gets bigger, we have to make sure our infrastructure keeps pace with the city." Once the project is completed, Mr Joyce said heavy vehicles would have less of an impact on other road users as they headed to the industrial hub of Taminda. "We're making sure it's easier for heavy vehicles to get around Tamworth," he said.
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/37sRjZccYfaNxXbGxARzun2/c5744690-2522-4eb3-b373-880c300345db.jpg/r7_0_2993_1687_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
June 17 2019 - 3:00PM
Second Jewry Street bridge open, but baffles some drivers
Jamieson Murphy
TRAFFIC EASED: New England MP Barnaby Joyce and TRC's regional services director Peter Resch on the new Jewry Street bridge. Photo: Gareth Gardner 170619GGA06
THE pressure has begun to ease on Tamworth's biggest traffic bottleneck, with the second Jewry Street bridge opening over the weekend.
However, the new bridge confused some people, with drivers spotted driving down the wrong side of the road over the weekend.
Tamworth Regional Council's regional services director Peter Resch said the council "had a look at that this morning".
"We've got more staff here now to manage the traffic," Mr Resch said.
"We had an incident over the weekend where the small temporary roundabout was hit overnight and it was moved two or three metres away from where it should have been.
"That caused a little bit of an issue, but we've rectified that."
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Tamworth Regional Council's traffic modelling shows the Jewry Street bridge has the highest congestion in the city, with up to 20,000 vehicle movements a day.
The traffic pressure point will be eased further by the installation of traffic lights on the northern side, which has been funded by the state government.
"We're in the home straight now," Mr Resch said.
"We were planning to finish in August, but the guys tell me that depending on the weather, they're hopeful of finishing by the end of July.
"We're well under time frame and well under budget at this stage.
"That's weather-related. There's a lot of people concerned about the drought, but the road construction guys are happy as Larry."
New England MP Barnaby Joyce said the bridge duplication had been a long time coming - he first promised $3.5-million for the project during the 2016 election.
"You've got to have a long run up to any project that you're fighting for," he said.
"The time between fighting for it and delivering it, no matter what government is in, always requires a lot of work."
Want to have your say? Click here to write a letter to the editor
Mr Joyce said the duplication worked in to "a plan for the ultimate bypass of Tamworth on all sides".
"We've already started on the roundabout on the Oxley Highway, which is part of the ring road that will go around Tamworth, adding to connections such as Appleby Lane," Mr Joyce said.
"In the future, we'll go for the major bypass, which goes from Nemingha to the south of Tamworth.
"This is all working to a plan because, as Tamworth gets bigger, we have to make sure our infrastructure keeps pace with the city."
Once the project is completed, Mr Joyce said heavy vehicles would have less of an impact on other road users as they headed to the industrial hub of Taminda.
"We're making sure it's easier for heavy vehicles to get around Tamworth," he said.
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First Chlorine, Then Chaos and Death in Suspected Syria Gas Attack
The U.N.-mandated Independent International Commission on Syria has documented more than 30 chemical attacks in Syria between 2013 and the end of 2017
By Sarah El Deeb
Published Apr 18, 2018 at 3:40 AM
Hassan Ammar/AP
In this Monday, April 16, 2018 photo, people gather in front of a hospital that locals referred as Point One, left, just meters away from where the alleged chemical weapons attack occurred in the town of Douma, the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack, near Damascus, Syria. The survivors blamed the attack on the Army of Islam, the powerful rebel group that controlled the town before it was taken over by Syrian government forces this week, although they did not offer evidence to back up their claims.
Residents of the Syrian town of Douma were packed into underground shelters amid bombardment when the gas began to spread. Suddenly, panic ensued.
As shouts of "chlorine, chlorine!" rang out, some ran into the night and fainted in the street. Others climbed to rooftops, hoping they'd be safer rising above the gas. Dozens didn't make it out at all, some stumbling on stairwells, out of breath, where they were later found dead.
The bodies were still there the next morning, strewn around the buildings, including toddlers and young children.
Much about the April 7 suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma, just east of Damascus, remains unknown, including the exact death toll, because of the lack of an independent investigation. Experts from the international chemical weapons watchdog entered the town on Tuesday, 10 days after the attack.
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The Associated Press spoke to rescuers, medics and numerous residents of Douma for their accounts of what took place. Some were reached in rebel-held areas in northern Syria where they were evacuated after the attack, while others were still in Douma.
They spoke of at least two buildings with people sheltering in the basements that were overwhelmed with gas so strong that it was hard to breathe hundreds of meters (yards) away.
More than 40 people were killed, many of them children, according to medics and opposition activists in the town. The World Health Organization said an estimated 500 patients exhibited symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals, including respiratory failure.
The U.N.-mandated Independent International Commission on Syria has documented more than 30 chemical attacks in Syria between 2013 and the end of 2017 — at least 25 of them carried out by the Syrian military, the commission says. For the rest, it had insufficient evidence to determine the perpetrator. Most involved chlorine gas, usually causing only a few injuries.
But in this case, it appeared the gas hit dozens of people crammed into confined spaces, huddling away from the bombs outside. The U.S. and France say they have evidence the Syrian government carried out the April 7 strike, while Syria and its ally, Russia, have denied any gas attack even took place.
An AP team visited the site on a Syrian government-organized tour Monday, including a two-room underground shelter where one resident said 47 people were killed, including his pregnant wife and two young daughters.
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A strange smell lingered, nine days after the attack. The floors of the shelter were covered with carpets and pillows were lined up against a wall. There were no signs of blood stains.
A STRANGE SMELL, THEN PEOPLE RUNNING AND SCREAMING
There had been bombings going on all day, and in the evening, a heavy volley of rockets hit, dozens within 10 minutes, said Ahmed, a 20-year-old medic.
After the rocket fire subsided, he and his team moved in to check for wounded. Nearing the site, they encountered a powerful smell, then saw people running and screaming, "Chlorine! Chlorine!"
Ahmed ran into the building, trying to reach the shelter. He didn't make it far. He saw two bodies, a man and a woman, but he couldn't go further. His eyes swollen from the fumes, he struggled to breathe. Everywhere was the overpowering smell of chlorine, he said, speaking on condition he be identified only by his first name out of fear for his safety and that of his family.
He rushed to a nearby medical center, where hundreds were crowded, many gasping for breath. Some had fainted. After washing his face and recovering, he joined other medics and went back to the attack site, but the gas was still too strong to get close. Instead they went back and forth helping those who had managed to stagger out get to the medical center.
"After an hour and a half, I couldn't do more," said. "I was in bad shape. I had to rest."
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Soon after the attack, Ahmed was among thousands evacuated from Douma as the town surrendered to government forces.
He believes the attack was clearly carried out by Syrian government forces. "It was like an earthquake," he said, speaking to the AP from northern Syria. "The town was facing an earthquake."
"IT'S CHLORINE! IT'S CHLORINE!"
Men and women were preparing to perform the sunset Muslim prayers in an underground shelter when an overpowering smell started spreading.
"It's chlorine! It's chlorine!" they screamed.
Khaled Nuseir was in the two-room shelter with 51 other people when the fumes hit. He ran to a nearby clinic, calling for paramedics to help, but fainted in the clinic.
The 25-year-old vegetable vendor said he woke up some time later to people putting vinegar and water on his face. He ran back to the shelter where he found his wife and two daughters dead, white foam covering their mouths.
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His wife, Fatmeh Qarout, was nine months pregnant. His daughters, Qamar — Arabic for moon — and Nour — Arabic for light — were 18 months and 2 ½ years old. He said only five people in the shelter survived.
The next morning, medics came and took the bodies and buried them in a mass grave near the town's zoo.
Nuseir said a cylinder was found leaking gas. He said it didn't appear that it was dropped from the air because it still looked intact. "There was no sound of explosion," he said, speaking to the AP in Douma, which is now in government hands.
He and two other residents accused the rebel Army of Islam, which controlled Douma until the militants' surrendered it, of carrying out the attack. As they spoke, government troops were nearby, but out of earshot.
"I lost my children," Nuseir said. "If we are standing here and something falls from an aircraft, doesn't it explode? The cylinder was intact when we found it and it was leaking."
"NOTHING SAVED THEM. THEY ALL LOST THEIR LIVES."
Abdullah Abu Hamam tried to reach the site of the attack that night but the bombardment was too strong. He got there the next morning. Even 12 hours later, the gas was too powerful for him to venture into the underground shelters.
Still, he found bodies on all the upper floors. It was clear that when the gas hit, some in the shelters ran upstairs, trying to get to the rooftops.
"They knew that if they climbed up, they might be saved," he said. "We found them on the doorstep, killed. They didn't even make it to the upper floors. ...They fell on the stairs, women and children, and even some men."
Abu Humam took video footage that showed one apartment with at least a dozen bodies, including at least seven toddlers and young children. None had any wounds, and one woman in the footage appeared to have foam around her mouth
"Some were in the bathroom and were trying to wash, but nothing saved them. They all lost their lives," Abu Humam said, speaking from the rebel-held town of al-Bab in northern Syria.
Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report.
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Jackson Family Patriarch Joe Jackson Dead at 89
Jackson relocated his family to California and supervised every recording session the group made for Motown
Published Jun 27, 2018 at 12:39 PM | Updated at 1:55 PM EDT on Jun 27, 2018
Joe Jackson Dies At 89
//www.nbcboston.com/news/national-international/Joe-Jackson-Dies-At-89-486711881.html
The patriarch of the Jackson 5 died Wednesday morning in his Los Angeles home.
(Published Wednesday, June 27, 2018)
Joseph Jackson, the strong, fearsome patriarch of the musical Jackson family, has died, according to a person close to the family.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not allowed to discuss the topic publicly, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Jackson died but had no additional information. He was 89.
Jackson was a guitarist who put his own musical ambitions aside to work in the steel mills to support his wife and nine children in Gary, Indiana. But he far surpassed his own dreams through his children, particularly his exceptionally gifted seventh child, Michael. Fronted by the then-pint-sized wonder and brothers Jermaine, Marlon, Tito and Jackie, the Jackson 5 was an instant sensation in 1969 and became the first phase of superstardom for the Jackson family. Over the following decades, millions would listen to both group and solo recordings by the Jackson 5 (who later became known as The Jacksons) and Michael would become one of the most popular entertainers in history.
"We are deeply saddened by Mr. Jackson's passing and extend our heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Katherine Jackson and the family. Joe was a strong man who acknowledged his own imperfections and heroically delivered his sons and daughters from the steel mills of Gary, Indiana to worldwide pop superstardom.
Michael Jackson's estate released a statement mourning the death.
"We are deeply saddened by Mr. Jackson's passing and extend our heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Katherine Jackson and the family. Joe was a strong man who acknowledged his own imperfections and heroically delivered his sons and daughters from the steel mills of Gary, Indiana to worldwide pop superstardom," said John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the estate.
"Papa Joe," as he would become known, ruled through his stern, intimidating and unflinching presence, which became so indelible it was part of black popular culture, even referenced in song and on TV.
"This is bad, real bad Michael Jackson, Now I'm mad, real mad Joe Jackson," Kanye West rhymed in Keri Hilson's 2009 hit, "Knock You Down."
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Michael and other siblings would allege physical abuse at their father's hands.
"We'd perform for him and he'd critique us. If you messed up, you got hit, sometimes with a belt, sometimes with a switch. My father was real strict with us — real strict," Michael Jackson wrote in his 1985 autobiography "Moonwalk."
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LaToya Jackson would go as far as to accuse him of sexual abuse in the early 1990s, when she was estranged from her entire family, but she later recanted, saying her former husband had coerced her to make such claims. She and her father later reconciled.
By the time they were adults, most of the Jackson siblings had dismissed him as their manager; Michael and Joseph's relationship was famously fractured; Michael Jackson revered his mother Katherine but kept his distance from Joseph.
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However, during some of his son's most difficult times, including his 2004 molestation trial, Joseph was by his side, and Michael acknowledged their complicated relationship in a 2001 speech about healthy relationships between parents and their children:
"I have begun to see that even my father's harshness was a kind of love, an imperfect love, to be sure, but love nonetheless. He pushed me because he loved me. Because he wanted no man ever to look down at his offspring," he said. "And now with time, rather than bitterness, I feel blessing. In the place of anger, I have found absolution. And in the place of revenge I have found reconciliation. And my initial fury has slowly given way to forgiveness."
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In his autobiography, Joseph Jackson acknowledged having been a stern parent, saying he believed it was the only way to prepare his children for the tough world of show business. However, he always denied physically abusing his children.
Joseph Walter Jackson was born in Fountain Hill, Arkansas, on July 26, 1929, the eldest of four children. His father, Samuel Jackson, was a high school teacher, and his mother, Crystal Lee King, was a housewife.
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The couple split up when Jackson was 12. He moved with his father to Oakland, Calif., while his mother moved to East Chicago, Indiana. When he turned 18, he moved to Indiana to live near his mother. It was there that he met and married Katherine Scruse.
In the 1950s, he had tried to launch his own music career as a guitarist, but he came to realize the truly gifted musicians in his family were his children.
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He launched a group in 1962 that featured his three eldest sons — Jackie, Tito and Jermaine — and two neighbors. He eventually replaced the neighbors with brothers Michael and Marlon, and the Jackson Five went professional in 1966. By 1969, they had signed to Motown, when their bubble gum soul-pop hybrid would create Beatle-like mania, with hits including "I Want You Back," ''ABC" and "I'll Be There."
Michael, who joined the group at age 8, was its showstopper from the beginning. A bright-eyed bundle of energy with a soaring voice and dynamic dance moves, he quickly became the lead singer.
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Joe Jackson literally drove his kids to success, taking them around the country looking for singing engagements and recording opportunities.
Randy, the youngest Jackson brother, replaced Jermaine in the mid-1970s when the group left Motown and became The Jacksons at CBS; Jermaine, then married to founder Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, stayed behind and launched a solo career.
While Michael's success as a solo performer would eventually dwarf that of the rest of his family, Janet would become another multiplatinum superstar; Joe Jackson initially managed her career too, putting her in the Jacksons' variety show in the early 1970s, where she charmed with her Mae West routine, and shepherding her acting career on shows like "Good Times." But after she put out "Control," her breakthrough album at 19, soon after, she too would sever managerial ties with her father.
In a 2003 interview with Martin Bashir, Michael Jackson teared up when discussing the alleged abuse, saying he would sometimes vomit or faint at the sight of his father because he was so scared of him.
"We were terrified of him. Terrified, I can't tell you I don't think to this day he realizes how scared, scared," said Jackson, who added that his father would only allow him to call him by his first name, not "daddy."
The alleged abuse was not just physical. Michael Jackson, who drastically changed his face with plastic surgery through the years, talked several times about how his father would mock the size of his once-broad nose, calling him "big nose."
After Michael's death, Joseph Jackson sued when it was disclosed that he was not included in Michael's will. Michael's mother Katherine, was given custody of Michael's three children and the money to support them. But none of the siblings were named as heirs.
Father and son seemed to have reconciled for a time when Michael Jackson was on trial on child molestation charges. His father was in court to lend him support nearly every day, and Michael was acquitted of all counts in 2005. But he left the country and when he returned, they were not close.
Toward the end of his life, Michael did not allow his father to visit his Holmby Hills home. Bodyguards said they turned away Joseph Jackson when he appeared at the gate wanting to visit his grandchildren.
By 2005, no longer involved in his children's careers, Joseph Jackson had launched a boot camp for aspiring hip-hop artists, promoting lyrics without vulgarity and sponsoring competitions for young artists from across the country. He spent most of his time at a home in Las Vegas and traveled the country auditioning talent for the competition.
For many years before that, he and his wife had lived in an estate they built in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley where he had hoped his children would remain with him at least until they were married and perhaps even afterward. But there were estrangements, and Jackson, a dandy who wore a pencil-thin mustache and huge diamond pinky ring, but faced allegations by his wife of infidelity.(AP Style 1) She filed for divorce twice but never followed through.
"We just let our troubles die out," Jackson said in 1988, following a reconciliation. "We survived. We love each other, and we have children. That's why we're together."
When Dr. Conrad Murray went on trial in 2010, charged in Michael's overdose death from propofol, Joseph and Katherine attended court with several of Michael's siblings. Murray's conviction of involuntary manslaughter provided some measure of comfort for the family.
Joe Jackson is survived by his wife, his children and more than two dozen grandchildren.
As news of Joe Jackson's death spread family members and friends took to social media to share their remorse.
RIP to the king that made everything possible!!! I love you grandpa ���� pic.twitter.com/SI1C7lUuG6
— RANDY JACKSON (@randyjacksonjr) June 27, 2018
Joe Jackson, brother beloved, patriarch & creator of one of the most talented American musical dynasties. We will remember him as long as his family’s music plays. Offering prayers and condolences to the Jackson family. #RIP#NeverCanSayGoodbye#JoeJacksonpic.twitter.com/ws7vFmeRxi
— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) June 27, 2018
One time for the iconic black daddy, Joe Jackson. RIP.
— Kazeem Famuyide (@RealLifeKaz) June 27, 2018
Disgusted by some of the comments I’m reading about my grandpa Joe by those who didn’t even know him. Please don't just regurgitate what you were spoon fed by the press. Joe was loved by our ENTIRE family and our hearts are in pain. Let us grieve without the nastiness.#ripthehawk
— Taj Jackson (@tajjackson3) June 27, 2018
#JoeJackson passed at 89 as the patriarch of a family that has mainstreamed our culture. He was never given the credit he deserved. He influenced the world of music with the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and others. May history correct his legacy.
��: @GettyImagespic.twitter.com/NAlceUJaqv
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) June 27, 2018
Joe Jackson took his 6 sons and 3 daughters from Gary, IN to the world. He made icons that are still impacting the world, today. Sad to hear about his passing. Rest in power, #JoeJackson#LegendsHonorLegendspic.twitter.com/FE0o6EkTo7
— R. Kelly (@rkelly) June 27, 2018
I will always love you! You gave us strength, you made us one of the most famous families in the world. I am extremely appreciative of that, I will never forget our moments together and how you told me how much you cared. #RIP Joe Jacksonhttps://t.co/F5UfYjEgYx
— La Toya Jackson (@latoyajackson) June 27, 2018
RIP The HAWK. Joseph Jackson. spending those last few moments with you were everything. being able to tell you everything i needed to tell you before saying goodbye was such a blessing. everyone that came to visit you, came with love, respect, and so much pride in their hearts for you. proud of you, proud to be your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, proud to have your strength and share the dynasty you spent your life creating, and proud to be a jackson. you are the first true jackson. the legend that started it all. none of us would be anywhere near where we’re at if it weren’t for you. you are the strongest man i know. your life’s work will go down in history, as will you, to be known as one of the greatest patriarchs to ever live. i will cherish every moment with you til the day i die, especially our last moments. being able to hold your hand, lay with you and cuddle you, give you kisses all over your cheeks and forehead, meant more to me than you’ll ever know. quoting advice you gave me when i was a little kid and seeing your eyes light up, sharing stories my dad used to tell me about you, telling a joke and hearing you laugh for the last time.. my heart is full knowing we left each other in that way. i made you promise me you’ll come visit me. you agreed and i’m going to hold you to it. and i promised you that we will keep telling your story, over and over. to never be forgotten. my great grandchildren will know who joseph jackson is. i love you grandpa. so so so much that words can’t describe. i have immense gratitude for you, and always will. we all feel that way. thank you for everything. truly. rest in peace and transition. i’ll see you in my dreams very very soon.
A post shared by Paris-Michael K. Jackalope (@parisjackson) on Jun 27, 2018 at 4:51pm PDT
Copyright Associated Press / NBC10 Boston
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J Cutan Pathol. 2017 Jun;44(6):557-562. doi: 10.1111/cup.12952.
Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors in skin: Terminology and diagnostic utility of cytokeratin 5/6 and p63.
Panse G1, Cowper SE1,2, Leffell DJ1, Pulitzer M3, Ko CJ1,2.
Department of Dermatology, Division of Dermatopathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.
Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (WDNETs) in skin include metastases from visceral primary sites and very uncommonly, primary cutaneous carcinoid tumors. Cutaneous WDNET may present a diagnostic challenge and in particular can be mistaken for a benign skin adnexal tumor. In contrast to cutaneous adnexal tumors, metastatic adenocarcinomas to the skin are cytokeratin 5/6 (CK5/6) and p63 negative in the majority of cases. It is unclear if failure to stain with CK5/6 and p63 would be helpful in differentiating WDNETs from cutaneous adnexal neoplasms.
We reviewed 10 cases of cutaneous WDNETs (8 cases of metastatic disease and 2 presumed primary carcinoid tumors of the skin) and performed immunohistochemical stains for CK5/6 and p63 on all cases.
All 10 cases were negative with both CK5/6 and p63.
Negative staining for CK5/6 and p63 can be helpful to distinguish WDNETs from cutaneous adnexal neoplasms. It is important to consider WDNETs in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous adnexal neoplasms as low-grade tumors may be the first sign of aggressive metastatic disease.
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
CK5/6; cutaneous carcinoid; p63; well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor
10.1111/cup.12952
Keratin-5/metabolism*
Neuroendocrine Tumors*/metabolism
Neuroendocrine Tumors*/pathology
Sweat Gland Neoplasms*/metabolism
Sweat Gland Neoplasms*/pathology
Terminology as Topic
Transcription Factors/metabolism*
Tumor Suppressor Proteins/metabolism*
TP63 protein, human
Tumor Suppressor Proteins
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Tax Cuts’ Costs Becoming Clear
Steve Ford, Volunteer Program Associate · April 11, 2015 · Leave a Comment
Since taking veto-proof control of the NC General Assembly in the elections of 2012, members of the Republican majority have labored diligently to fix what they’ve regarded as a broken tax system.
Of course, whether it really was broken is a point many North Carolinians have been quick to dispute. The overall effect of the GOP’s tax-cut binge has been to make it harder for governments at all levels to carry out their public service missions and also to shift tax burdens toward people who are less able to afford them.
That hasn’t deterred the Republicans in their emphasis on lower taxes as the key to economic growth. In fact, legislative leaders seem eager to double down, pushing another wave of cuts – as if putting even more pressure on the state’s revenue stream is what’s needed to reenergize an economy still suffering from a post-recession hangover.
At the same time, there are proposals to tinker with the way some tax revenues are allocated among the counties and municipalities. Why? Because counties in the state’s poorer, rural regions are up against it when it comes to paying for the things they need to pay for. But isn’t that the same problem that’s being foisted on the state as a whole because of rash tax-cutting?
Racing to cut
When it comes to tax policy, it’s hard not to conclude that the legislative wizards on Raleigh’s Jones Street are getting into the kind of pickle familiar to any over-ambitious do-it-yourselfer. Start taking something apart, supposedly to fix a minor problem, and suddenly there’s a clank or a leak or a loose thingamajig that’s worse than what you started with.
All along, the Republican premise was that North Carolina’s income taxes – individual and corporate – were too high in comparison with tax rates in nearby states that are our economic competitors.
So in 2013, the GOP majority undertook a major round of cuts. The individual income tax was lowered and flattened, so that high-end earners pay at the same rate as the less fortunate. The corporate tax was reduced. Meanwhile, the kinds of transactions applied to the sales tax were broadened, making an inherently regressive tax even more so.
The cuts do indeed bring North Carolina more in line with its Southeastern neighbor states. But they’ve punched a hole in state revenues that could approach $600 million during the fiscal year ending June 30. What that means is a state government forced to scrimp on the programs, services and investments – education being at the top of the list — that can do more to boost economic viability and attractiveness than can a bargain-basement tax code.
Now, the state Senate’s top tax-writers want to cut income taxes even more. Under Senate Bill 526, sponsored by Sens. Bob Rucho of Matthews, Bill Rabon of Southport and Jerry Tillman of Archdale, the individual income tax would drop from its current rate of 5.75 percent to 5.625 percent next year and 5.5 percent the year after.
(One bright spot from a fairness perspective is that the plan would include a so-called zero percent bracket allowing the first several thousand dollars of income to go untaxed for residents who don’t itemize deductions. After 2017, a married couple filing jointly with income of $20,000 or less, or a single person earning no more than $10,000, would be completely off the hook.)
Holes in the bucket
Nobody likes to pay taxes, but the state is asking for trouble if it fails to collect enough revenue to meet its responsibilities in program areas ranging from public schools to health care to environmental protection to the courts. Estimates of how much revenue would be foregone under S.B. 526 haven’t yet become public, but consider that the income tax already has dropped from a top rate of 7.75 percent for high-income earners under the old graduated system. And that has cost a bundle.
Rucho, Rabon and Tillman also want to continue lowering the corporate income tax, now at 5 percent, to 4.5 percent in 2016 and 4 percent thereafter. As recently as 2013 the rate was 6.9 percent – a sore point in the business community even though the tax was generating a smaller share of the state’s revenues than in times past.
Tillman’s rationale, as reported in The News & Observer of Raleigh: “We need to get below South Carolina, which this bill will do.” He spoke of being able to out-recruit South Carolina for jobs.
What’s missing from that argument is that tax rates are by no means the sole factor considered by companies deciding whether to relocate or expand. For example, a strong educational system, yielding a skilled and well-prepared workforce, weighs heavily as well – and schools and universities can’t be kept strong if they’re underfunded because revenues have been allowed to erode. Unfortunately, that’s the trend.
S.B. 526’s sponsors hold to the theory that lower income taxes will translate into other kinds of revenue boosts – from sales taxes and tax payments by the newly employed. Perhaps there’s some truth to that. But sales taxes are notorious in their disproportionate impact on the less well-off — people whose spending is focused on necessities. Broadening the sales tax to cover various services, as some legislators want to do, risks making matters worse unless the needs of poor folks for essential services like car repairs are taken into account.
Sales tax tinkering
The sales tax has become a bone of contention between the state’s metropolitan counties and their rural, small-town cousins.
Rural-oriented legislators, mostly Republican but including some Democrats, complain that rural counties are being shortchanged by the present sales tax distribution formula, which favors localities where sales occur. Two bills, Senate Bill 369 and Senate Bill 608, are in play that would alter the formula in favor of localities where people, i.e. shoppers, live. That would help counties lacking big shopping malls that draw folks from miles around.
The overall sales tax now consists of a 4.75 percent state portion and a local portion – 2 percent in most areas. It’s the local portion that would be affected by S.B. 369, sponsored by Republicans Harry Brown of Jacksonville and Brent Jackson of Autryville, along with Democrat Ben Clark of Raeford, and by S.B. 608, sponsored by Sen. Rucho. Both would distribute local revenue solely on the basis of population, eliminating the stream that goes to counties where sales take place.
The sponsors would try to cushion the blow to counties such as Wake, Durham and Mecklenburg. Brown wants to let counties raise their local sales tax by an extra quarter of a percentage point to cover funds they’d lose under the new distribution formula. Rucho is considering an extension of the sales tax to cover an as-yet-undefined menu of services, with the goal of raising an additional $66 million to help urban counties deal with the formula change.
People who understand how poverty and economic malaise have punished North Carolina’s hinterlands, and residents still trying to carve out decent livelihoods in those areas, can sympathize with the urge to provide more support from the state capital
But as the Council of Churches long has recognized, the needs of this state if it is to sustain its vitality are manifold. They reach into every community, rural and urban. They require a tax code that generates enough revenue to avoid pitting communities against each other and that spreads the burden fairly, with the affluent to whom much has been given expected to help accordingly.
Conservative theories about the economic jolt supposedly provided by tax cuts may have some value – but our legislators already have plenty of evidence that they’re following those theories out the window.
Filed Under: Blog, Raleigh Report Tagged With: Economic Justice, Good Government, N.C. General Assembly, Taxes
Raleigh Report – April 29, 2019
Raleigh Report – April 5, 2019
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Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax
View from the roof of the Maritime Museum in various directions.
The wharves by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic are home to two historic ships, the museum’s own CSS Acadia and HMCS Sackville, Canada’s Naval Memorial.
CSS Acadia was launched in 1913 and was the first vessel specifically designed to survey Canada’s northern waters. Acadia also holds the distinction of being the only surviving ship to have served the Royal Canadian Navy during both world wars. She served as a patrol and escort vessel from 1916 to 1919. She received minor damage in the Halifax Explosion in 1917 while acting as a guard ship in Bedford Basin, making her the only vessel still afloat today to have survived the Halifax Explosion.
HMCS Sackville is the last of Canada’s 123 corvettes, one of many convoy escort vessels built in Canada and the United Kingdom during WW II. She is Canada’s oldest fighting warship and has been our official Naval Memorial since 1985. It is very appropriate that the ship is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as this “East Coast Port” was an important assembly point and destination for convoys during the Battle of the Atlantic.
The museum wharves also host a variety of visiting ships and vessels. From beautiful tall ships to traditional built small craft, there is always something afloat!
HMCS Sackville, Canada's Naval Memorial
My Waterfront, Waterfront Development Corporation Ltd.
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Meghan Markle addresses speculation her father won't attend her wedding to Prince Harry
Her brave announcement stands in stark contrast to the royal family’s well-worn mantra: “Never complain, never explain.”
May 18, 2018 8:11am
By Candice Mehta-Culjak
Meghan Markle has personally confirmed that her father, Thomas Markle Sr., will "sadly" not be at her wedding to Prince Harry.
The former actress issued her very first statement about the situation overnight.
"Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding," she said in the statement released by Kensington Palace. "I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health."
"I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support," she continued. "Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday."
There is still no official confirmation as to who will walk the 36-year-old actress down the aisle as she weds Prince Harry in a Saturday ceremony at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
However, there's speculation her mother, Doria Ragland, or even father-in-law-to-be, Prince Charles, may take on the important role.
Meghan is said to share an incredibly close bond with her mum, making her an ideal candidate to walk the former actress down the aisle and toward her prince.
The sad statement follows a whirlwind of news about her father, his health, and whether he'd make the trip across the pond for this weekend's events.
Thomas, a former lighting director who lives in a small town in Mexico, pulled out of the important day due to reports that he staged paparazzi photos of himself ahead of the nuptials. He then changed his mind and decided he would like to attend the wedding after all, but ultimately his health prevented him from doing that.
The 73-year-old was recently forced to undergo emergency heart surgery to "clear blockages" and "repair damage" after suffering a heart attack some eight days ago. He is now recovering in hospital.
Thomas is pictured with a newborn Meghan.
Thomas has since opened up to TMZ journalist Sean Mandell about the unfortunate series of events dubbed the "Markle debacle" by UK media.
Speaking with Good Morning Britain, Mr Mandell said: "She [Meghan] called him Monday when the story first broke. But he did not have his phone on him and then she text him saying she loved him, that she was concerned over his health and bore him no ill will over the controversy of the fake photos."
"He [Thomas] told us we wanted to be there and had a change of heart on Tuesday after speaking with Meghan over text and he felt he had pulled out prematurely.""He had originally felt it would be better for him not to be at the wedding because it would cause further embarrassment, he thought, for the royal family, and for Meghan, which is the last thing he wanted."
WATCH: Meghan's estranged half-sister talks about the royal wedding scandal. Post continues...
"He realised, I'm a father, and I want to be there for my daughter, and I want to be part of history. Ultimately his health prevented him from being able to do that."
He added: "Meghan is by all accounts is a very strong women. From what Thomas has told me there's just love being conveyed there and a gentle approach between them when they speak."
Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, will exchange vows at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday.
RoyalsMeghan Markle's mum Doria Ragland gets the royal treatment as she touches down in London
RoyalsMeet the Kiwis involved in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding
Prince Harry,
Royal Wedding 2018
undefined: Candice Mehta-Culjak
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Archives|New York; WALKING A MOTHBALLED ELEPHANT
https://nyti.ms/29zgeiH
New York; WALKING A MOTHBALLED ELEPHANT
By SYDNEY H. SCHANBERG NOV. 14, 1981
November 14, 1981, Page 001023Buy Reprints The New York Times Archives
The budget-makers may still be wearing frowns under their green eyeshades, but what the president of the Health and Hospitals Corporation told the agency's board on Thursday is good news: Woodhull Hospital - the innovative and very costly city institution that, despite its completion three years ago, has been in mothballs out of fear of what it could cost to open and run it - will indeed begin to open in phases starting next spring.
For those skeptics who believe they have heard these predictions before, the signs this time suggest the timetable is serious and realistic. Stanley Brezenoff, president of H.H.C., has given Joseph Cintron, director of Lincoln Hospital, a one-year leave and installed him at agency headquarters at 125 Worth Street as the man in charge of getting the hospital operating. And he has also installed a wellknown consultant, Dr. Judith Taylor, to design Woodhull's medical program.
There could be unforeseen delays, but right now it looks as if Woodhull -in Brooklyn's Williamsburg/Bedford-Stuyvesant area - will begin functioning by April or May with outpatient clinics run by teams of doctors, and will open its doors for full inpatient bed service by early 1983.
Such a municipal hospital - part of the ambitious programs for the poor of the 1960's - would certainly not be built today. Conceived more than a decade ago in the Lindsay administration as a ''dream hospital'' incorporating new concepts of design and medical care (it will be the first municipal hospital in the country with private rooms for most of its patients), its cost was originally projected at $85 million. Present estimates of the final cost are closer to $300 million.
During construction it suffered from cost overruns, unforeseen delays, strikes and mismanagement. Mayor Koch, who has regarded the hospital as an inherited white elephant, tried without success to get the Federal Government to take it over as a prison and even considered giving it away. But no private institution was willing to accept the costly gift.
Then why is the opening of Woodhull such good news? The reasons will not necessarily be found on ledger books, but they have reality nonetheless.
The futuristic 10-story structure of glass and rust-colored steel sits incongruously on 12 acres in north Brooklyn in one of those depressed and decayed neighborhoods that some people would prefer to forget. But its struggling black and Hispanic residents see the hospital as a sign of life, a source of real, not make-work, jobs, an economic transfusion bound to have spin-off effects in the scarred community, and, not least, a provider of the kind of health care not available to them now.
The neighborhood has literally been praying for the locks to come off the hospital's gates. The Brooklyn Interfaith Coalition has held prayer meetings in its effort to sway minds at City Hall.
One of the longstanding arguments of those worried about opening the hospital was that the high cost of operating the institution could jeopardize the stability of the city's 16-hospital municipal system. But the $20 million a year the city now spends on maintenance and interest payments (on the bonds sold to build the hospital) will continue whether it opens or sits silent. Moreover, some of the maintenance costs are higher now - because of the tortured bookkeeping that keeps them from more limited operating funds -than they will be when the institution opens its doors.
Beyond that, the hospital was built to replace two nearby crumbling institutions - Cumberland and Greenpoint hospitals - which can best be described as disaster areas. These hospitals, which together have 450 beds and have been conducting nothing more than a medical holding action ever since Woodhull was conceived, cannot keep patching and must be replaced by something. Woodhull, with its 630 beds, will not only do that, but may also make it possible to reduce the 1,300 beds at Kings County hospital.
Other fiscal worries center on the high Medicaid rate Woodhull's costs will require - some think perhaps as high as $600 a day. The state government could help with this by approving whatever rate is necessary, and the Reagan Administration could help by putting its imprimatur on the Medicaid plan.
All these factors would reduce the city's subsidy of Woodhull. When Mayor Koch decided to close Harlem's collapsing Sydenham Hospital last year, he was met with bitter protest from blacks and Hispanics, in large part because the planned replacement facilities, outpatient clinics, were not yet open. This time the closing of Greenpoint and Cumberland will be timed to the opening of a demonstrably better hospital.
This is a political benefit for the Mayor, who has been accused by minorities of indifference to their needs, and more important, a benefit for the city itself, strained as it is by racial polarization.
There is no denying that opening Woodhull will cost money, but the advantages far outweigh the fiscal bill. And in any event, the alternative -keeping it closed - carries the biggest price tag of all.
A version of this op-ed appears in print on November 14, 1981, on Page 1001023 of the National edition with the headline: New York; WALKING A MOTHBALLED ELEPHANT. Today's Paper|Subscribe
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Archives|JOURNEYS; After 2,169 Miles, What's Another 690?
JOURNEYS; After 2,169 Miles, What's Another 690?
By C. J. HUGHES SEPT. 27, 2002
EACH year, roughly 400 people, mostly college students eager to put off a return to the classroom, hike the entire length of the fabled Appalachian Trail, a 2,169-mile-long journey through the valleys and ridge crests of the Appalachian Mountains that can easily take five months or more. The moment of triumph usually comes in northern Maine, when those hardy travelers -- days away from their last shower, bone-tired and rail-thin, their hiking boots worn to a nub -- reach the top of windy Mount Katahdin, look down on the verdant wilderness below and say to themselves: ''Finally. I made it.''
Largely as a result of a dogged, decadelong effort by Dick Anderson, a former commissioner of the Maine Department of Conservation, the Appalachian Trail now has an unofficial appendage that goes deep into Canadian wilderness: a 690-mile pathway that crosses New Brunswick and Quebec and winds its way along the St. Lawrence River and then into Forillon National Park before terminating at a lighthouse atop a rock face called La Vieille.
As Mr. Anderson, an avid hiker, bird-watcher and fly fisherman, explained in a recent interview, he slowly began to realize that the summit of Mount Katahdin marked a somewhat arbitrary end to the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Mountains actually extend into Canada; why shouldn't the trail itself?
''I was driving along Interstate 95, in Freeport, when it just popped into my head,'' Mr. Anderson recalled. ''I was so excited that I stopped at a gas station and just started talking to a guy who was pumping gas. He didn't know what I was talking about, but I was so excited I couldn't resist.''
Thus began Mr. Anderson's determined and largely one-man lobbying efforts to create a pathway that would continue the Appalachian Trail's northward climb. This extension, christened the International Appalachian Trail when it was dedicated on June 5, 1999, before a small crowd gathered a windswept bluff on Cape Gaspé, provides some of the most spectacular scenery along the entire East Coast. But this achievement was not accomplished without controversy.
One factor has been the Maine timber companies that have resisted allowing the trail access to their logging roads. Perhaps more surprising, officials at Baxter State Park, which includes Mount Katahdin, were concerned that a large number of hikers eager to continue on the trail might overburden the 203,000-acre park with too much foot traffic. (An estimated three to four million people hike at least some part of the Appalachian Trail each year, according to the Appalachian Trail Conference, but only 1,500 in Baxter, park officials say.)
''The park has just about reached the extent of its capacity, and over time, as the word spread, it could increase trail impact substantially,'' said Buzz Caverly, Baxter's director, who explained that he would rather see the trail bypass the park rather than go through it.
The paradox is that it isn't until you actually get to Canada, crossing the border at Fort Fairfield, with immigration officers dutifully checking the passports of backpackers, that the idea of extending the Appalachian Trail to a natural boundary begins to make sense. That's because the part in Maine that Mr. Anderson fought so long to make part of the International Appalachian Trail is not exactly prime hiking country.
Only a few dozen miles of the international trail, mainly around Mars Hill, are trails in the pure sense of the word. For the rest of the journey through Maine, the trail follows existing roads, like Route 11, grim stretches of highway that conjure no images of the great outdoors.
It's not until you get to the lush valley around salmon-filled Restigouche River in New Brunswick or the lichen-laced summit of Mount Jacques-Cartier, rising along the St. Lawrence in Quebec, that the majesty of Mr. Anderson's vision comes to life. These Canadian landmarks easily rival such Appalachian Trail scenic high points as the 6,643-foot summit of Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, or 5,798-foot Mount Adams in New Hampshire, which after an arduous climb reveals the grandeur of the Presidential Range.
In fact, the International Appalachian Trail in Maine is probably best enjoyed as a driving trip lasting a couple of days. (For a good one-day hike in Baxter State Park as part of that road trip, see the accompanying article.) And while it might seem heretical to travel a chunk of the trail by car, keep in mind that back when the original Appalachian Trail was founded, in the 1930's, about a third of it was on paved roads.
Start your journey at Abol Bridge, right outside Baxter State Park, about 14 miles north of Millinocket. Providing a stunning panorama of water and trees, this one-lane road crosses the West Branch of the Penobscot River, which is the Mississippi of northern Maine. Once the lifeblood of industries like logging and textile manufacturing, it is now used mostly for recreation.
From Abol, the trail runs on a wide paved logging road with open views of the Penobscot, with plenty of put-in spots for canoes. In winter, these roads won't be plowed but groomed to maximize their potential for snowmobiling, Maine's other major outdoor sport. (In fact, snowmobilers are already allowed on some logging trails across private lands, rights of way that are coveted by the International Appalachian Trail.)
Heading out of Millinocket, you will travel the region's main artery, the busy, loud Route 11/157. And even though it's far from a rustic getaway, this part of the trail offers a few distinct pleasures, like the segment in Grindstone after Route 11 separates from Route 157, along the East Branch of the Penobscot. Here is a 40-mile stretch of whitewater without dams, a rarity in Maine. The Grindstone Falls picnic area nine miles up the road is perfect for a snack or a photo.
The road will deliver you to Patten, nestled midway between Deasey Mountain and Mount Chase, and the home of the Lumberman's Museum (207-528-2650; free admission). Without even a nod to the conservation efforts so common in other parts of Maine, the 40-year-old museum praises Maine's logging history. You can learn the difference between a peavey and a scribner, and can check out the beat-up logging boat in the backyard.
From here, Route 11 angles sharply to the north and will parallel the Canadian border all the way past Mars Hill to Fort Fairfield. The 1,680-foot Mars Hill, which is the first place the sun hits the United States in the summer, offers a spectacular 360-degree expanse after a quick ascent.
This is where the intrepid hiker -- and one with maybe two months' free time to spare -- can take over. From this point north, the International Appalachian Trail winds its way along scenic roads and through three spectacular Canadian parks: Mount Carleton Provincial Park, which contains the highest peak in New Brunswick, as well as 20 miles of the trail, all on footpaths; Gaspesian Provincial Park, in southern Quebec, home to 550 roaming caribou and 60 miles of footpaths over 11 mountains; and Forillon National Park, created in 1970, the stunning end of the international trail.
The United States portion of the International Appalachian Trail may not be quite what Dick Anderson had in mind back at that gas station in Freeport in 1986, but even in its imperfect state it has its fans, like Camo, the ''nom de trail'' of a 53-year-old West Virginia native who favors camouflage shirts and olive-drab pants. Camo has hiked up and down the Appalachian Trail and was looking for a bigger challenge.
''When you're standing up on the top of Katahdin,'' Camo said recently as he walked along the International Appalachian Trail near Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, headed to Quebec, ''you realize that there are a lot more mountains north of here. I figured: Why stop when the land doesn't?''
A version of this article appears in print on September 27, 2002, on Page F00001 of the National edition with the headline: JOURNEYS; After 2,169 Miles, What's Another 690?. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
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New York|College Ends Free Tuition, and an Era
College Ends Free Tuition, and an Era
A crowd gave Cooper Union’s Foundation Building a symbolic hug Tuesday after the East Village college decided to charge tuition.CreditCreditMichael Nagle for The New York Times
By Ariel Kaminer
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, which is one of the last tuition-free colleges in the country but has been under severe financial strain, announced on Tuesday that for the first time in more than a century it will charge undergraduates to attend.
The decision ends almost two years of roiling debate about an education that was long revered for being “free as air and water,” and stood as the school’s most distinguishing feature, insulating it until now from concerns about the rising cost of a college degree.
Under the plan adopted by Cooper Union’s trustees, the prestigious college, based in the East Village, will continue need-blind admissions. But beginning in fall 2014, it will charge students based on what the college described as a steeply sliding scale, with those deemed able paying around $20,000, and many others, including those “with the greatest needs,” paying nothing. The change would not apply to undergraduates enrolled as of this fall.
“The time has come to set our institution on a path that will enable it to survive and thrive well into the future,” the board chairman, Mark Epstein, said in an announcement to students and faculty members in the college’s Great Hall. “Under the new policy, the Cooper Union will continue to adhere to the vision of Peter Cooper, who founded the institution specifically to provide a quality education to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.”
Some students wept during the announcement; others left, declaring there was nothing more to hear. “I can’t even process this,” said Ashley Katz, 20, a second-year architecture student from California. “One of my professors came out and said, ‘Drape the whole school in black.’ ”
After the speech, opponents of the decision gathered outside the Great Hall, where Abraham Lincoln gave one of his most famous speeches, in opposition to the westward expansion of slavery, and staged what they called a walkout.
Cooper Union opened in 1859, endowed by the industrialist Peter Cooper with valuable real estate and a mission of educating working-class New Yorkers, at no cost to them. Early on, some students who could afford to pay did so, but no undergraduates have paid for more than 100 years. Along with the nation’s military academies, Cooper Union was among the only remaining schools in the United States that did not charge tuition.
The absence of a tuition bill and the high quality of its instruction have over time changed the college’s identity; today the institution that graduated the architect Daniel Libeskind, the graphic designer Milton Glaser and the artist Alex Katz, and even instructed an inventor named Thomas Edison is one of the most selective colleges in the country. Its three schools enroll about 1,000 art, architecture and engineering students from every location and every station of life, but a budget crisis lately forced the college to wrestle with changes that would once have been inconceivable.
According to Cooper Union’s president, Jamshed Bharucha, it currently operates at a $12 million annual deficit. The number reflects several factors: expenses that have risen faster than revenues, a growing administrative staff, disappointing fund-raising drives and, most significantly, $10 million a year in payments on a $175 million loan the school took out a few years ago, in part so that it could invest money in the stock market. In 2018, an increase in rent from the college’s biggest asset, the land under the Chrysler Building, will overtake expenses, but only for a short while, he has said.
Last April, Dr. Bharucha announced that Cooper Union would collect tuition from graduate students, who at present make up a very small fraction of the college’s population. He later instructed faculty members to submit proposals for additional revenue streams, a directive that met with mixed results. The faculty at the art school refused to comply; in response, the administration refused to send out early acceptance letters for art school applicants.
Cooper Union students reacted to the decision, announced on Tuesday, to resume tuition for undergraduates starting in 2014.
CreditMichael Nagle for The New York Times
Meanwhile, students, faculty members and alumni who advocated for a harder look at Cooper Union’s expenses convened large assemblies to demand that the administration open its books. Some staged an occupation of the school’s historic Foundation Building.
Many students quickly filed out of the auditorium Tuesday, but others stayed to submit questions to Mr. Epstein. The first one was shouted: “Do you really think it’s going to work?”
“Yes we do,” he said. “Hopefully forever.”
The tuition the school expects to charge is still below that of many prestigious private colleges. At the Rhode Island School of Design, an urban school with a celebrated art program, tuition is $42,622; at Carnegie Mellon University, which has a highly ranked engineering program, tuition is $46,670.
Last year, Cooper Union hired a consulting firm to consider the effect of collecting tuition from undergraduates. (Officially the college lists a price of $38,500 a year, but extends to all students what it calls a full-tuition scholarship.)
The firm advised against reducing the scholarships by more than 25 percent. Anything beyond that, it said, would weaken the applicant pool and arouse expectations for costly amenities that the college does not offer.
But under the plan adopted by the trustees, Cooper Union will reduce those scholarships for some students by as much as 50 percent. Asked why they had exceeded the consultants’ recommendation, Mr. Epstein said that at the lower percentage, the college would have to impose tuition across the board, rather than on a sliding scale.
Mr. Epstein argued that the new approach would actually provide greater financial support to needy students, by allowing the school to subsidize not only their tuition but also the expense of living in New York, which he said drove some qualified students off to better-endowed institutions.
The trustees’ vote was originally scheduled to take place last December, with the results to be announced in January. But according to a person familiar with the board’s deliberations but not authorized to discuss them, the vote was postponed several times by a substantial minority of trustees who were “turning over every unturned stone,” in the hope that they could stabilize the college’s finances without charging undergraduate tuition.
The board looked “very, very carefully” at the option of closing one of Cooper Union’s three schools, this person said, the only viable way to reduce the faculty without violating the terms of tenure. It also considered shrinking the size of the student body, selling off real estate and trying to hold expenses down. In all cases, the projected savings were not sufficient.
When the vote eventually came about on the broad question of whether to impose undergraduate tuition, this person said, it passed by a significant margin; when the board later voted on a specific tuition plan, it passed without opposition, and only a few abstentions.
Some of the most vocal members of the Cooper Union community have argued that any tuition would alter the essential character of the school.
A couple of hours after Mr. Epstein spoke, the group of protesting students and faculty members had swelled to about 200 outside the Great Hall. Someone brought a cardboard sign that said, “50 percent free.” Mauricio Higuera, 28, a fourth-year art student, addressed the group: “For 150 years,” he said, “this building, these columns, have held a dream, a dream for free education for all. I propose we all join hands and give this institution a big hug, because it needs it.” The assembled crowd joined hands and did as he suggested.
Correction: April 23, 2013
An earlier version of this article misidentified the Cooper Union official who announced the tuition policy to students and faculty. It was Mark Epstein, the chairman of the board of trustees, not Jamshed Bharucha, the Cooper Union president.
Julie Turkewitz contributed reporting.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Cooper Union Won’t Be Free, Ending an Era. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
Cooper Union Board Delays Tuition Decision
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The Economy’s Missing Metrics
On Money
CreditCreditIllustration by Andrew Rae
Nearly every day, a few hundred federal workers, carefully spread around the United States by a rigorous statistical model, carry out a peculiar task on a special, secure tablet computer. Throughout the day, they are directed to visit specific stores in search of specific items — say, organic romaine lettuce hearts; or a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Sport with the premium package; or a men’s long-sleeve button-down shirt, blue, size XL and made of 80 percent cotton and 20 percent polyester. Over the course of the month, 80,000 prices are entered into tablets throughout the country, and the data flow to Washington for processing. Parsed and analyzed by economists, that information determines the official United States government inflation rate: arguably the most influential bit of data in the world, determining whether new factories are built, new employees hired.
Inflation is just one of the many economic statistics that the federal government creates. There’s unemployment, trade in goods and services, personal income, consumer spending, rental vacancy, new home construction and thousands more. These statistics are not objective facts of the world, like the standard boiling point of water or the mass of a stone; instead, their very measurement creates them. Slight shifts in the design of surveys or the assumptions about the answers can lead to quite different results.
Because these assumptions are inherently debatable, the government often winds up publishing multiple versions of metrics. (Inflation has two distinct measures: personal consumption expenditures, known as P.C.E., and the Consumer Price Index, known as C.P.I. Unemployment has six, numbered U1 through U6, to reflect different interpretations of what ‘‘unemployed’’ actually means.) Our federal economic statistics are a remarkable resource: enormous, rigorous, essential. Together, they help us understand how the economy is working and whom it is, and isn’t, working for.
But in the decades to come, as we try to understand whether the American dream is deceased or merely slumbering, our statistics could get so much better. Because they rely on fixed definitions — created decades ago — of the phenomena they’re charged with measuring, they do a poor job of capturing the ways in which people’s economic lives are changing. The statistics are all but useless at measuring the change in general welfare created by new technologies, like Google Search, that make once tiresome tasks far easier to complete (at the cost of adding a whole universe of time-wasting distractions). In measuring employment, the stats are built around a model of full-time, fixed jobs in fixed locations; they struggle to keep track of Uber-like companies that employ people for brief gigs with no central workplace. Entrepreneurship, too, is measured quite crudely: It’s impossible, just looking at the new-firm stats, to distinguish the creation of Facebook from the opening of a small deli in Dubuque. Definitions of occupations are rigid and often archaic. Manufacturing work, for example, is broken down into dozens of discrete subcategories — tool grinders, sewing-machine operators, tire builders, woodworking-machine setters — while all ‘‘software developers’’ and ‘‘web developers’’ are organized into single catchall groups. You could learn a lot about the wages and employment patterns of adhesive-bonding-machine operators (18,210 workers in 2014, median wage $16.28 per hour). But you’d be hard-pressed to find any guidance on whether you’d make more money learning the Ruby on Rails computer-programming framework instead of developing your graphic-design skills.
Most of our economic statistics date to World War II. When Franklin D. Roosevelt first assumed the presidency, he asked his advisers how the economy was doing, and they responded with anecdotes: rail cars running half empty in Chicago, say, or department stores lagging in customers. Other than inflation, which had been measured since 1913, there were no reliable ways to judge economic strength over time. Spurred by F.D.R., the federal government sought to quantify the economy, creating a dozen different offices of economists and statisticians in the Departments of Labor, Commerce and Agriculture; the Federal Reserve; and several other agencies. The politicians wanted simple, straightforward answers to their economic questions. But the economists knew their answers were inherently subjective. They debated what the statistics should measure — arguments that weren’t resolvable with data because the data expressed the values and assumptions used in gathering them.
The most important thinker in these debates was Simon Kuznets, an immigrant from Russia. He was an economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research, an independent nonprofit that has served, since 1920, as the semiofficial host of fundamental discussion about the best way to measure an economy. Kuznets believed that economic statistics should be an essential part of a democracy: that they could hold our leaders accountable, by demonstrating whether the government was making life better or worse. Kuznets argued — as, incidentally, most economists do — that measures like employment and inflation are substitutes for what really matters: our quality of life, as each person defines it for himself. We measure money and other practical things because we don’t know how to measure happiness or fulfillment precisely.
CreditIllustration by Andrew Rae
In the 1930s, at the N.B.E.R., Kuznets amassed whatever data he could from industry sources and others and built the first comprehensive statistical model of an economy. Kuznets is seen around the world as the founding father of gross domestic product, and of national accounts more generally. But he didn’t like that honorific. In his 1971 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Kuznets denigrated his accomplishment. He pointed out that government data doesn’t measure what really matters. It has no metric for ‘‘pollution and other negative results of mass production.’’ It doesn’t tell us if the country’s people have more mobility and freedom, more time to spend with family or to pursue pleasures or passions that don’t generate income. Throughout his career, Kuznets argued that military armaments should be heavily discounted in G.D.P. measures, because, by design, they destroy the world rather than build it up.
He sounded, at times, like a starry-eyed hippie. And that is certainly how he was viewed by the bureaucrats who set up our national accounting systems during the 1940s. They didn’t know how to value a mother’s ability to raise her children or what price to put on a pristine river or a mountaintop. They built our statistics around numbers they could gather, like the scale of industrial output, or the number of hours that a sample of American workers had spent on the job. Kuznets won the intellectual war, but he lost the practical battle. I’m fairly sure most economists, today, would prefer economic statistics that capture more fundamental measures of well-being. Instead, the government measures the numbers it always has instead of the ones that matter most to us.
It’s hard to blame the 1940s bureaucrats, who didn’t have electronic calculators, let alone computers. They could accommodate only so much data, so they built a system based on sporadic sampling and crude approximations of human happiness. Now, though, we have the potential to build a truly Kuznetsian system. Americans have access to devices that can know where they are at all times, what they’re doing, how fast their hearts are beating, how much sleep they’re getting, how much time they’re spending at work or with family or out on a lake. This sort of data is being collected — with or without our knowledge — by tech companies: Google, Fitbit, Withings and countless more. These companies want to profit from this information. But an anonymized sample of all these kinds of data, combined with other, more traditional economic metrics, could create a whole new public system for economic statistics.
The cost would be trivial in the context of an economy where a single statistic can cause billions to change hands in an instant. It is hard to think of any government investment that would have a greater impact than creating robust ways to measure the quality of our lives. We are in the early stages of an election period in which there will be significant, competing claims about the best ways to manage a modern economy. The only way to judge those claims is with data — the richer and more human the better.
Adam Davidson is a contributing writer for the magazine and co-founder of NPR’s ‘‘Planet Money.’’
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A version of this article appears in print on , Page 18 of the Sunday Magazine. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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Paloma Bruce Singing Studio
Qualifications: BMus (Hons) in Performance Voice - Victoria University of Wellington
Pricing: 1 hour - $80; 45 minutes - $65; 30 minutes - $40; Student prices: 1 hour - $75; 45 minutes - $60; 30 minutes - $40
Styles: Paloma teaches singers who sing opera/classical music, musical theatre, choral music, folk music, jazz, their own songwriting, indie music, pop and rock.
Suitability: Paloma teaches both male and female singers from the ages of 12-99 but occasionally takes younger pupils that are especially keen.
Paloma Bruce is a lyric coloratura soprano who teaches in her Brooklyn studio, Wellington, New Zealand. She is a passionate teacher of singing who after many years as a professional singer in NZ and the UK realised her biggest passion was for teaching. Paloma ran The Paloma Bruce Singing Studio in London and The Bristol Voice Studio in Bristol (United Kingdom) where she taught professional recording artists, touring artists, film and television actors, music theatre performers and opera singers, as well as absolute beginners of all ages. Paloma also taught singing at various schools including the prestigious Colston’s School in Bristol. Paloma has taken vocal technique and performance workshops at St. Andrews on the Terrace, the Rata Studios School of Music at Scots College Creative & Performing Arts Centre and at the Bristol Acoustic Music Festival at Colston Hall in Bristol, UK.
Paloma has performed leading roles in operas and operettas in both New Zealand and the UK. She has extensive performance experience, having performed solo to audiences of over 100,000, recorded for radio and television, performed pre-match entertainment for international rugby matches and performed solo with world-class orchestras, choirs and even a dixie band! Although specialising in opera, Paloma enjoys a wide variety of music and enjoys sharing that love of music with her pupils.
Teaching Info
The Paloma Bruce Singing Studio offers private singing lessons to professional/experienced singers and absolute beginners. Students study vocal technique based on the Italian-Swedish school which is adjusted to suit their style of music.
Paloma specialises in helping singers that have technical problems or who have hit a plateau in their development as a singer. Having studied with a variety of teachers and having experienced different techniques and methods of teaching, Paloma is passionate about sharing her knowledge in a way that will help the singer long term. Paloma focuses on teaching her pupils to become masters of their own voices and vocal development. She is interested in helping pupils to feel what they are doing technically and physically, rather than just imitating what they hear, so that they can learn to develop a strong and reliable technique that they trust and enjoy.
Paloma has studied voice with many different teachers and has a compilation of knowledge that encompasses many different styles of teaching. She is passionate about passing on her knowledge, and especially about helping people who have vocal problems. Paloma often helps singers prepare for professional auditions, conservatoire/university auditions and school exams. She has coached many professional singers including opera singers and professional recording artists.
Common problems that Paloma helps singers with include: tongue and jaw tension, confusion over correct posture while singing, confusion over different breathing techniques, problems with clarity of diction, lack of resonance and voice projection. Paloma is very successful in helping people who can’t sing in tune, as well as helping experienced singers to use their voice with less tension and more control. Paloma has successfully helped singers recover from and overcome former technical and health problems such as vocal nodules and polyps.
I can't recommend Paloma [and the BVS] highly enough to anyone who is serious about learning to sing, whatever your level. She has done wonders for my singing technique and confidence; her lessons are relaxed yet informative and positive and I always come away feeling I'm improving. With a little under 2 years of tuition I'm singing things I never dared dream I could sing and have discovered a completely different side to my voice. I'm now attending a coaching course for professional opera singers and have been told (on very high authority) that I must have a great teacher!
Abigail Carpenter, a Soprano accepted to study at the Wales International Academy of Voice
Paloma Bruce is a wonderful teacher whose passion for music is only rivaled by her passion for teaching. Her lessons are always the highlight of my week, and during our time together she has helped me to reach vocal achievements far beyond anything I could have hoped for when I first started singing. Paloma’s contagious enthusiasm and extraordinary teaching has taken what was at best a nice hobby and transformed it into a very real chance at a singing career. Lessons with Paloma are always a joy; her warm and friendly nature will put even the most timid students at ease. I full-heartedly recommend Paloma to anyone wanting to learn safe and healthy vocal technique, or anyone wanting to take their current technique to the next level. Start taking lessons from Paloma; I guarantee you wont regret it!
Daniel Upchurch, a tenor who was accepted to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK
Paloma is a class act. I have known her for about thirteen years now, and I have watched her transform from a top singer and performer with a world-class career and voice into a wonderful teacher. We kiwis are now very fortunate to have her back on our shores, where we can benefit from her knowledge and years of experience. She has also gained an international perspective and had the opportunity to work with top coaches during her time in the UK and US and she can bring that perspective back to New Zealand. She comes highly qualified, having studied with Honours at the New Zealand School of Music and then going on to train at the Royal College of Music in London. I consider myself extremely fortunate to know Paloma. She made me feel welcome in her studio and her home. I had just arrived back in New Zealand after some time overseas, and she displayed a genuine interest in me as a person and performer. I was offered a scholarship, which made such a difference as a poor student at the time. I had a serious vocal injury, and after working with Paloma on breathing and release, I found the situation improved after the first lesson. From that point, every experience in her studio was a delight, and a wonderful learning experience. She helped me to discover my true, free instrument. It's not an understatement to say I would not be singing today without her. Even as I have moved cities now, she continues to take an active interest in my career and performing, offering input and encouragement. She is a wonderful teacher and exceptional person.
Rosel - who is chasing her dreams in New York City.
Contact Paloma Bruce Singing Studio
11 Kopiko Way, Brooklyn, Wellington
http://www.PalomaBruce.com
This form collects your name, email, phone number and message and is sent directly to this teacher and stored to help this teacher organise lessons with you.*
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What’s Up in the Sky: Astronomy for February
David L. Richards
Venus continues to brighten in the west, moving from Aquarius into Pisces early in February.
On Feb. 9, watch Venus and Uranus travel together, separated by only a quarter of a degree as they disappear below the horizon at 9:17 p.m. Uranus at magnitude 5.9 might be overwhelmed by the -4.1 magnitude Venus. I�d be interested in hearing your observations, and what instrument you use to spot this conjunction.
On Feb. 25, a 5-day-old moon lies only 3 degrees from Venus.
The last week of the month brings Mercury into view; it should be easily spotted in the western horizon at magnitude -1.2 around 6:45 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. Feb. 29, Uranus and Mercury are well within the field of binoculars; place Mercury at six o�clock at the bottom of the field, and Uranus will be the pale green dot at 10 o�clock.
Mars begins the month traveling across the border of Virgo into Leo in the east at 9 p.m., and continues to travel toward Regulus, the bright heart of the Lion. Jupiter sets 30 minutes into the first day of February in the west-northwest, in the constellation Aries, the Ram. A waxing crescent moon passes within 4 degrees of the giant planet on the evening of Feb. 26.
Saturn rises only 4 minutes into the day on Wednesday, not far from Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. The ring system is well tilted, and presents a beautiful sight in a 6-inch or 8-inch telescope at a magnification of about 200 times. While more than 170,000 miles in diameter, this complex system of at least seven major rings is for the most part only about half-a-mile thick.
Until Feb. 8, the planet appears to be moving away from Spica, but from that day on is in retrograde, moving back toward Spica. The waning gibbous moon, Saturn and Spica form a conspicuous trio in the early morning hours of Feb. 12.
Q: I read the article about the Kepler mission finding the first planet in what might be in a habitable zone of a sun-like star, but it mentioned that the planet might be �too big.� What does size have to do with it? � C.Z., Akron
A: If the planet is too large, it can retain hydrogen and helium in its atmosphere, and therefore be too hot and have too high pressure for water to remain in liquid form. Biologists believe liquid water to be necessary for life to evolve. In addition, a large amount of hydrogen changes the basic chemistry that leads to life as we understand it.
�The 2012 Myth� program
The Hoover-Price Planetarium is presenting an encore production of The 2012 Myth at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The program was well received last year and remains of significant interest due to the rampant myths and concerns about 2012. The planetarium is included with admission to the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. Call 330-455-7043 for information.
David L. Richards is director of the Hoover-Price Planetarium at the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW, Canton, OH 44708, www.mckinleymuseum.org. He can be reached at 330-455-7043 or email hooverpriceplanetarium@hotmail.com.
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The OIC-SHPA presents six thematic areas of cooperation among the OIC member countries, relevant OIC institutions and international organizations in the domain of health.
These thematic areas of cooperation were identified and approved by the Brainstorming Workshop on the preparation of the OIC Strategic Health Programme of Action 2014-2023 which was held on 11-12 June 2012 in Ankara, Turkey, to discuss and finalize the structure of the OIC-SHPA document. This workshop was attended by the members of the OIC Steering Committee for Health and health experts from some leading international universities.
Prevention and control of diseases and pandemics is one of the most significant areas to be addressed in the domain of health. Cooperation in this area is a common interest of international community and all OIC member countries.
In this context, the OIC member countries have been taking various actions against diseases and pandemics in the context of both their national health programs/strategies and their partnerships at the international level. They have been striving to develop multifaceted prevention, care and treatment strategies and programs and emergency preparedness plans.
With estimated maternal mortality rates exceeding 1000 deaths per 100,000 live births, infant mortality rates exceeding 100 deaths per 1000 live births and under-5 mortality rates exceeding 150 deaths per 1000 live births in 2010, the rates of maternal, new-born and child mortality in some OIC member countries are amongst the highest in the world.
Medicine: Information on access to medicines is not readily available. As a proxy of access, WHO surveys showed that:
a) Availability of core medicines varied considerably among countries, and
b) Availability of medicines was generally lower in the public sector than in the private sector (WHO, 2012a).
Both of these outcomes are vital. The former outcome indicates the heterogeneity in terms of availability of the medicines across the OIC countries while the latter implies the hegemony of the private sector as being the main provider of the medicine for the patient.
EMERGENCY, HEALTH RESPONSE AND INTERVENTION
There is a strong link between level of information, education and advocacy and health outcomes in a country.
It has been established through research that most of the diseases can be prevented by imparting accurate and relevant information and education to patients and health care providers. According to the WHO, majority of heart diseases, strokes, Type 2 diabetes and cancer cases could be prevented just by educating and informing people about healthy diet, physical activity/exercise and not using tobacco.
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Project Ireland 2040
Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 October 2018
115. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which he expects the various targets in Project Ireland 2040 to be achieved on time and within budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44586/18]
Freagraí scríofa (Ceist ar Public)
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform
I should first explain that the overall objective of Project Ireland 2040 is to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the development and implementation of policy regarding spatial planning, climate action and infrastructure investment and delivery. Project Ireland 2040 is the overarching policy and planning framework for the social, economic and cultural development of our country. It includes the National Planning Framework (NPF), backed up by a €116 billion capital investment plan for the period from 2018 to 2027 as set out in the National Development Plan (NDP).
Clearly, all of the targets and budgets set out in Project Ireland 2040 are included because they are expected to be achievable. That said, I also expect that challenges will emerge in the course of implementation.
For that reason, the implementation of Project Ireland 2040 is being overseen by the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board, which is jointly chaired by the Secretaries General of my Department and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and is being supported by an Infrastructure Projects and Programmes Office established within my Department. The Delivery Board consists of the Secretaries General of the main capital spending Departments, and will report to Government through the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure.
The Delivery Board will monitor and oversee the implementation of structures and performance targets across the various sectors to ensure a co-ordinated and collaborative whole-of-Government approach to the successful delivery of the NDP and NPF. In addition, a Construction Sector Group has also been established, to ensure regular and open dialogue between Government and the construction sector in relation to significant issues relating to the successful delivery of the NDP on a value-for-money basis for the Exchequer.
The leadership provided by the Delivery Board will ensure that implementation challenges are addressed, and Project Ireland 2040 secures the transformational benefits expected.
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Ceisteanna (241, 248)
241. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount of electricity generated from oil, coal, gas, biomass, solar, wind or wave generation; the extent to which this is expected to change within the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14519/19]
248. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the extent to which wind energy, hydro or other non-fossil fuel generated electricity is available to EirGrid; the extent to which this can be reflected as a percentage of total requirements at maximum load times; his plans to address the deficit within a reasonable period of time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14526/19]
Freagraí scríofa (Ceist ar Communications)
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment
I propose to take Questions Nos. 241 and 248 together.
The most recent Energy in Ireland report which covered the period up to end 2017 was published in December 2018 by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Renewables, including wind (25%) generated around 30% of Ireland's electricity in 2017, with the other main sources being gas at 51%, coal 12% and peat 7%.
EirGrid as Transmission System Operator ensure the power system remains stable through all grid conditions. They have indicated that wind and hydro accounted for 34% of electricity consumption during maximum load periods (5pm to 7pm) during the winter months from November 2018 to February 2019.
In 2010, EirGrid launched the Delivering a Secure, Sustainable Power System (DS3) programme which allows increasing levels of wind and solar generation on the grid while maintaining grid security. The DS3 Programme now allows for two thirds of electricity at any one time being generated on the island of Ireland to come from wind, solar generation, hydro and other non-fossil fuel, with the goal of increasing this level to 75% in 2020.
We are stepping up our ambition on renewable energy - by 2030, I have committed to 70% of our electricity being generated from renewable sources.
Questions Nos. 242 and 243 answered with Question No. 235.
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Aaron Copland, rating as a classical music composer
Added Feb 4, 2016
Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. Instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, in his later years he was often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers" and is best known to the public for the works he wrote in the 1930s and 1940s in a deliberately accessible style often referred to as "populist" and which the composer labeled his "vernacular" style. Works in this vein include the ballets Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid and Rodeo, his Fanfare for the Common Man and Third Symphony. The open, slowly changing harmonies of many of his works are archetypical of what many people consider to be the sound of American music, evoking the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit. In addition to his ballets and orchestral works, he produced music in many other genres including chamber music, vocal works, opera and film scores. More: en.wikipedia.org.
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In This Article Abbey Theatre
General Overviews
Archives and Online Resources
Abbey Theatre Publications
Documentary Accounts
Annie Horniman
Lady Gregory
W. B. Yeats
J. M. Synge
Sean O’Casey
Teresa Deevy
Tom Murphy
Marina Carr
Irish-Language Drama
Piaras Béaslaí
Máiréad Ní Ghráda
New Writing and Developments
John Millington Synge
Irish Life Writing
Stevie Smith
Abbey Theatre
Seán Hewitt
The Abbey Theatre, which is the National Theatre of Ireland, opened on 27 December 1904 with a trio of plays by W. B. Yeats (b. 1865–d. 1939) and Lady Augusta Gregory (b. 1852–d. 1932). It followed on from the earlier establishment of the Irish Literary Theatre, which performed new plays in various Dublin venues. The Abbey, which was funded by the English heiress Annie Horniman (b. 1860–d. 1937), was the fixed home of the Irish National Theatre Society, founded by Yeats, Gregory, AE (George Russell, b. 1867–d. 1935), Edward Martyn (b. 1859–d. 1923) and J. M. Synge (b. 1871–d. 1909), many of whom contributed new work to the theater, making it the cradle of the cultural nationalist movement known as the Irish Revival. Although a popular success, the fraught politics of Ireland during the period of its establishment meant that the Abbey was often subject to controversy, most obviously shown in the riots which greeted J. M. Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World (1907) and Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars (1926). In 1925, the Abbey was given a state subsidy, making it the first state-supported theater in the English-speaking world. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1951, and the new building opened in 1966. It has gained a reputation primarily as a writers’ theater, and it has premiered works by many of Ireland’s key 20th-century and 21st-century dramatists, notably Synge, Gregory, Yeats, Sean O’Casey, Teresa Deevy, Brian Friel, Tom Murphy, and Marina Carr. In recent years, the Abbey’s Peacock Stage, dedicated to new and experimental writing, has commissioned new works by emerging playwrights, such as Nancy Harris, Stacey Gregg, Elaine Murphy, and Richard Dormer.
Several general overviews give accounts of both the practical development of the Abbey and the shifts in its aesthetic and literary production. Welch 1999 and Arrington 2010 give a full overview of the Abbey’s practical and aesthetic response to political, financial, and social pressures. Wide-ranging collections of essays are included in Richards 2003 and Grene and Morash 2016. Mathews 2003 explores the Abbey’s formation in relation to other radical movements of the period. General literary overviews are provided by Maxwell 1984, Fitz-Simon 2003. Hunt 1979 is an authorized history of the Abbey until 1979, and it is useful for its compilation of journalistic responses to the productions. Morash 2002 gives a broad but detailed overview of Irish theater both preceding the Abbey and throughout its history.
Arrington, Lauren. W. B. Yeats, the Abbey Theatre, Censorship, and the Irish State: Adding the Half-Pence to the Pence. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
This study begins in 1916 and ends with the death of Yeats. Arrington deftly traces the relationship between the Abbey Theatre and the politics of the Irish state. Makes insightful use of a wide range of archival material, from financial records and minutes from the Abbey directors’ meetings to Dáil debates and government correspondence.
Fitz-Simon, Christopher. The Abbey Theatre: Ireland’s National Theatre; The First 100 Years. London: Thames & Hudson, 2003.
A good introduction to the Abbey for the general reader. High-quality production, with lots of illustrations and photographs of casts and set design. Notable for its detailed exploration on the Abbey’s relationship with theaters and playwrights in the United States.
Grene, Nicholas, and Christopher Morash, eds. The Oxford Handbook to Modern Irish Theatre. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
With essays by forty-one contributors, this is the most recent and thorough reassessment of the Irish theatrical tradition to date. Rather than being strictly introductory in nature, each contribution offers a detailed and original insight into the shifting critical landscape of Irish theater. Ranges from Dion Boucicault’s melodramas to contemporary drama, contextualizing the Abbey’s work within the broader landscape of Irish and European theater.
Hunt, Hugh. The Abbey: Ireland’s National Theatre, 1904–1979. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1979.
Published to coincide with the Abbey’s seventy-fifth anniversary, this authorized history is mainly useful as a reference work, and it focuses more heavily on the period up to Yeats’s death (1939) than the years from 1939 to 1979. Hunt’s work is more akin to a compilation than a critical work, though it includes many photographic plates and a rich array of journalistic work.
Mathews, P. J. Revival: The Abbey Theatre, Sinn Féin, the Gaelic League and the Co-operative Movement. Cork, Ireland: Cork University Press, 2003.
Traces the connections between a number of radical movements in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century. A good example of recent critical revisions of the monolithic nature of the Revival movement, Mathews’s book contextualizes the Abbey as a mode of “self-help” within a time of broader cultural and political modernization in Ireland.
Maxwell, D. E. S. A Critical History of Modern Irish Drama, 1891–1980. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1984.
Focuses mainly on the Abbey and its dramatists, though also includes discussion of the Gate Theatre, Dublin, and several Belfast theaters. Addresses the usual figures (Synge, Yeats, O’Casey, Beckett, Friel), though it is unfortunately lacking in its critical attention to the work of women playwrights.
Morash, Christopher. A History of the Irish Theatre, 1601–2000. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Notable for its large historical scope, and useful for its contextualization of Irish theater before the period of the Revival and the founding of the Abbey. As with other histories, such as Maxwell 1984, Morash explores the drama of Yeats, Synge, and O’Casey, but also includes good work on Teresa Deevy, Marina Carr, and more recent Abbey productions.
Richards, Shaun, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Twentieth-Century Irish Drama. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
A collection of essays dealing principally with the Abbey Theatre, though also including work on Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett. Adrian Frazier offers a concise essay on “The Ideology of the Abbey Theatre,” Richard Allen assesses Irish stage design, and Cathy Leeney discusses the place of Irish women playwrights in the canon.
Welch, Robert. The Abbey Theatre, 1899–1999: Form and Pressure. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
A chronological account of the development of the Abbey, balancing a clear historical exploration of practical matters (funding, audience, etc.) with literary analysis. Noteworthy for its combination of detailed research and historical sweep.
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Alfred (King)
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Browne, Thomas
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English Bible and Literature, The
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Wyatt, Thomas
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Trump’s trade war against China won’t help U.S. workers
May 16, 2019 11:39 AM CDT By C.J. Atkins
In this Nov. 9, 2017, photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, left, sits next to Chinese President Xi Jinping during an event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Trump is escalating his trade war against China, but China is not giving in to pressure. | Andy Wong / AP
“Trade is a zero-sum game.” “There can only be one winner and one loser, and the United States is losing.” That’s the message Donald Trump has been hammering since before he even came into office. The biggest villain in his nationalist nightmares, beating and cheating the U.S. in the cutthroat game of global economics? China, of course.
The narrative used to justify his escalating tariff war goes something like this: The trade deficit is out of control because China plays dirty. It keeps U.S. products out of its domestic market, undervalues its currency in order to sell things cheaper, subsidizes its state-owned companies, and steals “our” technology to improve its own products.
He promises that higher tariffs, which to put it simply are really just increased taxes on imports, will knock some sense into the Chinese and show them America won’t be bullied. Attempting to rally his flagging political base, he claims to wage his trade battle on behalf of the American worker, vowing never to back down until “Beijing stops cheating our workers and stealing our jobs.”
Doing it for the workers?
The same game has been played by managers and bosses forever. They try to get their workers to identify their interests with those of the company and compete with other companies and other workers. We’re all on the same team here, don’t you know?
It’s troubling when some, like Teamsters union leader James Hoffa, Jr., repeat Trump’s message. Speaking on PBS recently, he echoed the rhetoric of the president, saying: “We need tariffs against China…to level the playing field…. They’ve had it one way all this time…. They have really kind of gone wild over there. And we have got to get them back to our senses.”
The oversimplified explanation that Trump gives, and which sounds appealing on the surface, is that the country will be making money in the short run from Chinese tariff payments and will have more jobs in the long run when China finally cracks. But the reality is, that just isn’t how capitalism works and it’s not how this trade war is shaking out.
The latest calculations from researchers at UCLA show that the American consumer bore the full brunt of increased import taxes in 2018, amounting to nearly $69 billion, or an average of $213 per person. If you bought a new car or washing machine last year, you probably went well over that average. U.S. companies just passed the cost on to all of us.
And the real kicker for those who believed Trump’s trade rhetoric? The UCLA team concluded that “workers in heavily Republican counties were the most negatively affected by the trade war.” The impact has been harshest for farmers in some of those same counties. They have watched helplessly as Chinese markets for their soybeans and other crops evaporated in response to U.S. tariffs, while the costs of their tractors went up.
Bret Davis, a soybean farmer, prepares to climb into his tractor in Delaware, Ohio, on Tuesday, May 14. Some U.S. farmers fear the protracted trade war with China will permanently alter their sales, leaving them without a foothold in one of their largest markets. | Angie Wang / AP
For the average American worker and farmer, the trade war has so far been a bust. So why is Trump really engaging in this economic brinksmanship with China, and why now?
Why China? Why now?
Like the shrewd businessman he portrays on TV, Trump has pursued a strategy of first bluffing, then threatening, and finally striking a blow until his competitor caves in and cuts a deal. But China is not some small weak country easily intimidated into following U.S. dictates; it’s the second-largest economy in the world. And that fact is precisely why China is being targeted now.
It would be a mistake, however, to think it’s only Trump who wants to knock China down a peg or two. Though his reckless tactics and erratic declarations make many Wall Street investors and futures traders nervous, the goal of containing China’s economic development is one shared across the U.S. capitalist class.
For a long time, China has been the world’s low-wage workshop. As a poorer developing country in the late 1970s, China had little choice but to open itself to foreign investors looking for cheap labor.
Its factories kept the shelves stocked at Walmart, and in return, the United States sold China tech-intensive goods like airplanes and computer parts. China benefitted from the investment, obviously, but whether it was imports or exports, most of the profits usually flowed toward U.S. companies.
But some things are starting to change. China is building the basis for its own high-tech economy and no longer needs to just be a manufacturer of textiles and plastic goods. Chinese solar panels now dominate the world market for renewables, Huawei phones compete globally with older brands like Apple and Samsung, and Weibo’s 462 million monthly users dwarf Twitter’s 270 million.
A worker inspects micro-motors for handsets at a factory in Huaibei in central China’s Anhui province. | Chinatopix via AP
In the nearly 75 years since the end of World War II, U.S. imperialism has had no real competitors in the capitalist world. Only the Soviet Union presented a challenge, but it has been gone for over a quarter century already. China’s rapid growth and development—especially its ambitious “Made in China 2025” plan and its effort to build an international alternative to U.S-dominated trade with its “Belt and Road Initiative”—promises to reset everything.
But one thing hasn’t changed: Capitalist states always aim to dominate markets, control resources, and secure new outlets and locations for investment on behalf of their firms. Trump’s tariff war is one aspect of the effort to block China’s ascent into fully-developed status; the U.S. military’s campaign of encircling China—represented most clearly by former President Barack Obama’s “pivot to Asia”—is another.
The U.S. capitalist state wrote the rules by which the world economy functions; it set up and maintains control of the primary institutions governing international trade. There is still no one—no one—with the capacity to bully or economically overpower the U.S.
As for our domestic troubles, the U.S.-China trade deficit is not the main danger threatening the U.S. economy. Graver problems are a public spending regime that showers billions on the military; underfunded education, health, and social services that are starved by tax cuts for the rich; crumbling infrastructure; the refusal of right-wing politicians and corporations to raise wages; and gender and racial pay gaps that maintain systemic sexism and racism.
China, meanwhile, uses its state-owned enterprises, control over finance, regulation of foreign investment, and—yes—smart tariffs to foster strong companies and lay a basis for raising standards of living (and make a lot of money for Chinese capitalists along the way, no doubt). These are the same kind of “developmental state” policies that were employed by Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and others in the postwar years.
Rather than criticizing China for this, progressive economists and advocates for U.S. workers might want to spend some time asking why we don’t use at least some of these tools here at home. And while they’re at it, they might also question why state-owned companies are being credited with China’s success when for so long we’ve been told that public ownership is wasteful, inefficient, and unworkable.
Of course, that doesn’t mean every Chinese trade practice is beyond question. The world has become an even more complex place since the end of the Cold War, when socialism and capitalism presented distinct alternatives. Now, we have a competition between the U.S.-dominated model of global capitalism and a rising power that is not quite capitalist, but also not quite socialist. With these two systems so intertwined, unlike the U.S. and Soviet economies that stood largely apart from one another, the world is in a situation like none ever seen.
A worker at the now-empty imported beef section of a supermarket that used to carry U.S. products chats with another in Beijing on Tuesday, May 14. China announced higher tariffs Monday on $60 billion worth of American goods in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s latest penalties on Chinese products.| Ng Han Guan / AP
It’s obvious that compromise and negotiation are the only way forward. The imposition of more tariffs by either the U.S. or China is not going to lead to a resolution that benefits the mass of the people in either country.
Trump wants American workers to shift their anger over lost jobs and shrinking wages to China and the Chinese workers there who get paid even less. He says look abroad, not at home, for the source of your troubles. But it must be remembered that it wasn’t China that closed U.S. plants, it wasn’t China that busted U.S. unions, and it wasn’t China that slashed wages and cut public services.
Building reckless tariff walls (or border walls) isn’t the way to protect U.S. workers from the impact of developing countries’ move up the international value chain.
Instead, the United States needs to focus on ways to “green” its economy with investments in renewable energy. We should put public money toward public needs that create good jobs, like infrastructure and mass transit. For workers who are displaced by cheaper imported goods, we have to provide retraining and income assistance—including long-term financial help. We should be requiring companies to pay a living wage to all workers and guarantee them the right to organize into unions by reversing “Right to Work” (for less) laws. We can fund a lot of these things if we slash the bloated military budget and stop engaging in unnecessary wars.
And to make sure that U.S. workers and those in developing countries aren’t continuously forced into a competition for who will sell their labor power for the lowest price, all existing and future trade agreements—like the new NAFTA—should include guarantees for workers’ rights, wages, and working conditions on all sides of the deal.
Those are the things that would really help U.S. workers, not some trade war that is only aimed at playing an imperial game against China, protecting corporate giants, and funneling money toward certain favored segments of the capitalist class.
Like free stuff? So do we. Here at People’s World, we believe strongly in the mission of keeping the labor and democratic movements informed so they are prepared for the struggle. But we need your help. While our content is free for readers (something we are proud of) it takes money — a lot of it — to produce and cover the stories you see in our pages. Only you, our readers and supporters, can keep us going. Only you can make sure we keep the news that matters free of paywalls and advertisements. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, support our work by becoming a $5 monthly sustainer today.
C.J. Atkins
C.J. Atkins is the managing editor at People's World. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from York University in Toronto and has a research and teaching background in political economy and the politics and ideas of the American left. In addition to his work at People's World, C.J. currently serves as the Deputy Executive Director of ProudPolitics.
House opposes Trump’s Iran war threat, repeals Bush ‘war on terror’...
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Travel to Cuba; don’t let the blockade stop you
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Decisively Undecided
illustration by Mark Brewer
It's hard to remember now, but in 2006 and 2008, Democrats were caught up in an election-year-frenzy. The chance to defeat Rick Santorum, and then to put a Democrat in the White House, generated unprecedented excitement.
But in 2010, we're seeing unprecedented levels of apathy -- even though two critical statewide races are at stake in the May 18 primary. (Not to mention the race for Lieutenant Governor, as well as for seats in District 19 and District 20 of the state House of Representatives.)
Congressman Joe Sestak is taking on Arlen Specter, and there are four candidates vying to be the party's nominee for governor.
They're good candidates, too, even if Democrats have a hard time telling them apart. (For help doing so, see this handy side-by-side comparison.) "I dunno" dominates the Democratic field: In a March poll by Franklin & Marshall College, seven out of 10 Democrats said they still didn't know who they'd vote for.
"The pool of undecided voters is monstrous," says pollster Terry Madonna, who conducted the F&M survey.
There's even a lack of enthusiasm in Allegheny County, which is home to two candidates: Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and state Auditor General Jack Wagner. "From talking to committeepeople, no one is all that excited about any of the candidates," says Jeanne Clark, a veteran activist on women's and environmental issues, and a longtime Democratic committee member.
Part of the problem is that both history and current trends favor the GOP heavily. For more than a half-century, Pennsylvania has alternated between Democratic and Republican governors every eight years -- and when Ed Rendell steps down, the Dems' turn will be up.
But Clark has found her candidate: Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel. An unabashed liberal from the Philadelphia suburbs, Hoeffel is little known to voters here. But more than anyone else in the race, he represents the promise and peril for Democrats now that the Obama honeymoon is over.
"The polling doesn't matter," Clark says. "It's all going to be about turnout of the faithful."
Ask Terri Davin why she supports Hoeffel, and the answer is simple: "He's the only one that supports clean water for our future," she said at an April 30 press conference. "He speaks for our water, and for our children."
Davin is a resident of Mount Morris, Pa., which lies along Dunkard Creek. The 38-mile creek's fish population was wiped out last year by an algae bloom -- which federal officials have linked to runoff from coal mines. Now Davin and others worry that similar catastrophes could follow plans to exploit natural gas in the Marcellus Shale.
That geological formation may hold $1 trillion worth of natural gas a mile beneath our feet. But already there are signs that drilling for the gas can foul area waterways and cause other environmental damage. And while all the Democrats support taxing natural-gas extraction -- and using the money for environmental initiatives -- Hoeffel has taken the strongest position. He supports a moratorium on issuing any new drilling permits until the state passes more stringent wastewater regulations.
"I'm the only candidate in favor of that, because it challenges the energy companies," Hoeffel says. Range Resources -- which is doing much of the Marcellus drilling -- has contributed $5,000 to Onorato and $4,000 to Wagner in recent months.
For Hoeffel, Dunkard Creek represents the challenge government was meant to solve. People in Mount Morris "were turning to government for help, and they weren't getting it."
But his tough stance on the issue has drawn little notice: Only City Paper and one other reporter attended the April 30 event. Hoeffel had similarly poor coverage the day before, when he unveiled a plan to change state contracting to give advantages to local banks and vendors.
But he's always put himself out on the edge. During a six-year term in Congress that ended in 2004, Hoeffel racked up an almost perfect voting record on labor and abortion-rights issues. The American Conservative Union gave him a lifetime rating of 7 -- the second-lowest in the state.
No surprise, then, that the love affair with the left has continued, thanks to Hoeffel's strong support for gay marriage and expanded access to family-planning services.
At a January candidates' forum hosted by the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club, he got a warm welcome -- and, later, the club endorsement. (About the only issue he didn't connect with progressives on is the Mon-Fayette Expressway: Like the other Dems, Hoeffel supports building the long-delayed toll road. "From an economic-development standpoint, the road's advocates in the Mon Valley are very convincing," he says.)
A centerpiece of his campaign, meanwhile, involves changing the state's income tax from a flat rate -- every wage earner pays the same 3.07 percent -- to a federal-style "graduated tax," with wealthier residents paying higher rates. And while all the candidates say they want to increase investment in roads and other infrastructure, only Hoeffel tells you how he'd pay for it -- by raising gasoline taxes and vehicle-registration fees. Wagner and Onorato, meanwhile, take a more Republican-sounding line, pledging to reduce corporate taxes.
In a political season dominated by Tea Partiers, Hoeffel may be the only candidate in the nation pledging to raise taxes. Which makes you wonder whether he has a chance in hell.
To the extent there's a favorite in this race, it's Onorato, who raised more than $7.3 million as of March. That's more than triple his rivals combined-- Hoeffel had less than $500,000 -- and it well outpaces the nearly $5 million raised by the presumptive Republican nominee, state Attorney General Tom Corbett.
Madonna predicts a hard slog for Hoeffel -- in part because "Onorato and Wagner have been working a lot longer and harder to build support." Onorato draws heavily from donors and staffers once allied with Rendell, and Wagner's statewide office has helped him "get support from one county organization after another," Madonna says. "It's left Hoeffel without a base."
Hoeffel's prospects rely heavily on geography: "Jack and Dan certainly have to contend with each other in the west and central parts of the state," Hoeffel contends, whereas "I've got a strong and unshakable lead in the Philadelphia suburbs."
But the map has been complicated by the late entry of Anthony Hardy Williams, a black state senator from Philadelphia, in the race. Williams threatens to prize away Philly-area votes, and he's tussled with Hoeffel over school vouchers. That issue sometimes divides black voters, desperate for better schools, and white liberals who support public schools ... especially if their kids don't have to attend the ones that are failing.
Hoeffel's homebase, Montgomery County, is one of the state's most affluent areas: More than one household in three has a median income in the six-digit range, Census figures say; statewide, less than one out of five households are doing that well. Hoeffel governs there in a bipartisan coalition with Republican Jim Matthews. But moderate Republicans are a dying breed, and an agenda that carries in Montgomery County may not play so well in hard-pressed, more conservative regions.
Which is a problem, because Hoeffel's plan to restructure the state income tax, for example, would require amending the state Constitution -- something a governor can't do on his own. And his position on gay marriage likely won't matter if Republicans maintain control of at least one house of the legislature, which seems almost certain.
Onorato and Wagner are muting such issues in any case. Though long known as pro-life politicians, both now say they support the state's current abortion law. Wagner even supports the medical use of marijuana -- "which shocked me," says pollster Terry Madonna.
Hoeffel smiles at the shifts, saying, "I'm proud if I've helped bring [Onorato and Wagner] over." But even some strong advocates of LGBT rights, like local blogger Thomas Waters, back Onorato, fearing Hoeffel is too progressive to carry off a win in November. In a recent post, Waters wrote that Onorato is "the type of Democrat that [state voters] can support, because he isn't as far left progressive as Joe Hoeffel."
Which raises the real question for Democrats this year -- whether it's the race for governor, or for Arlen Specter's seat, or countless other races across the country. How do you fight the rising passion on the right? By taking a middle-of-the-road stance a la Wagner and Onorato? Or by lining up behind a full-throttle liberal like Hoeffel?
With so many voters undecided, this race may be decided more by a feeling in the gut than anything -- and that will test how much fire Democrats have in their belly. As for Hoeffel, "By God, I think I can win," he says. "Based on my record, and my willingness to speak up, I think I'm the right guy."
Tags: News, Features
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Parish of Central Exeter > St Olave’s church: Points of Interest
St Olave’s church:Points of Interest
The Nave
The pillars are slender and octagonal from the 14th century.
The seating dates from 1874 and made through recycling the original box pews.
The windows contain late medieval tracery (renewed)
Mosaics: Around the walls Stations of the Cross by Jill Christie, 1990s. The panels depict the incidents before Jesus’ crucifixion on the first Good Friday
1 Staircase
This originally led up to the top of the medieval rood screen, an open carved wooden screen dividing the nave from the chancel. On top of this screen there would have been a figure of Christ on the Cross (the Rood), perhaps flanked by figures of the Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist
Over the entrance, the remains of a 19th century wooden gallery (which for safety reasons is not accessible to the public)
3 Royal Coat of Arms of William III
The Chancel
4 and 5 Screen
Chancel Screen
The screen that divides the Nave from the Chancel was erected in 1902 as a memorial to the wife of Revd John Ingle rector from 1867 to 1891. On the top of the screen is the crucified Christ and to the left the Virgin Mary and to the right, St John.
The ironwork screen on the left is unusual and particularly fine.
6 Tower
This is probably the oldest surviving part of the early medieval church. It stands within the chancel, which is unusual and is the result of the Fore St side wall of the church being moved outward in 1814,
7 Pulpit
(Preaching desk) 19th century
Scourging of Christ: 14th century panel
8 Sculpture
This damaged 14th-century panel depicts the Scourging of Christ before King Herod. This panel must have been re-sited here at some period of rebuilding, and was probably part of an older reredos near where the organ now stands. It is rather hard to find, being hidden round the back of the pulpit.
Reredos with Saint Olaf
9 Reredos
The tryptich of three panels behind the altar form the reredos.
This was started in 1902, but may not have been completed until 1919.
At the bottom, the Archangel Gabriel appears to Mary to announce she will bear a son – Jesus.
St Olaf: King of Norway
Mary dominates the central part holding the Christ child in her arms. On the topmost part is St Olaf as the warrior king of Norway, battle-axe in hand; on the right of Olaf is St Boniface, the great missionary to the German people who was born in Crediton and educated in Exeter. Under Boniface is St Nicholas, whose priory lies close to the church. On the left side at the top is King Edward the Confessor, the son in law of Gytha, the donor of the church, and under him St Petrock,who evangelised the West Country and is commemorated in his own church which is also part of this parish.
10 Stained Glass
The stained glass depicts St Olave as King of Norway. The window was a gift from the parishioners in 1875.
St Olave as King
Christ and the Woman of Samaria
‘Christ and the Woman of Samaria’ by Isaac Faulkner Bird. Bird was an Exeter artist living from 1803-1884. This painting was probably created in the 1870’s. It was donated to St Stephen’s church, Exeter in 1896, and used to hang on the east wall behind the communion table.
The re-ordering of St Stephen’s in the 1970’s changed the internal space at the east end of the church and the painting was rehung on a different section of wall, but later taken down and stored to prevent water damage.
With the re-modelling of the church in 2011-12, there was no appropriate space for the painting and so it remained in storage. In 2017 the opportunity was taken to clean, restore and relocate this painting and ‘The Mocking of Christ’ in St Olave’s church.
The incident depicted is only recorded in the Gospel of St John, 4: 4-26. Jesus who was travelling between Judea and Galilee passed through Samaria and stopped at the town of Sychar. The Samaritans were the descendants of the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel who were not deported after the Assyrian conquest of the kingdom in 721/22 BCE. They were often despised by the mainstream Jews and relationships could be fraught. Jesus breaks several taboos in initiating a discussion with a local (unnamed) woman, who has come to a well to collect water, seemingly with no-one else present.
In this painting Bird shows Jesus and the woman very much as equals, and reminds us that Jesus did not see women in a negative light. In John’s Gospel it is to this woman that Jesus first reveals himself to be the Messiah, (having not done so to the Jewish leader Nicodemus in John chapter 3). The Samaritans were not looking for a political Messiah in the way that the mainstream Jews were, and so Jesus may well have considered that his revelation to her was less likely to be misunderstood.
This painting has been attributed to Quentin Metsys (1456-1630) who was active in Antwerp.
According to Revd Dick Sledge who was a curate in St Stephen’s church in the 1960’s, the painting was originally given to St Stephen’s church in the 1930’s as a thank offering for the preservation of the church from an attempt by an adjoining business to buy the premises (a measure which apparently the Diocese encouraged). The congregation had other views and the church was saved.
As with the Faulkner Bird painting, its location within the church became affected by changes to the building and it was stored, then cleaned, restored and rehung in St Olave’s in 2017.
All four Gospels record the incidents from Jesus’s arrest to his crucifixion, and mention or imply the treatment of Jesus by those guarding him. The painter seems to be following Matthew’s gospel here: ‘Pilate’s soldiers…made a crown out of thorny branches and placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand; then they knelt before him and mocked him.’
Both paintings were cleaned and restored by Tim Everett of Everett Fine Art under the direction of Zelie Dale-Harris. The cost of this work was met by the St Olave’s Parochial Trust.
Gallery (Photos taken by John Dobson)
Click on pictures to view in more detail
St Olave's nave
Old Staircase 2
Old staircase
Olaf in Olave
scourging of Christ
Mosaic 7 Jesus with Cross
One of the Stations of the Cross mosaics
St O Font (2)
King Olaf stained glass
King Olaf
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John Legend Opens Up About His Beauty Routine and the Lessons He Learned From Chrissy
John Legend Beauty Interview
June 24, 2019 by Dawn Davis First Published: June 18, 2019
John Legend is one of those celebrities I think I know personally because of Instagram. If I saw him walking down the street, I'd probably say, "Hi, John!" without thinking twice. So when I found out he was writing a song about a skincare product and I'd get to talk to him about all things beauty (my area of expertise), it felt like kismet. Better yet? He shared the beauty tips he's learned from his wife, Chrissy Teigen, over the years. And, yeah, I think I know her, too.
The new song, called "Oh Pitera," was just released, and it's all about SK-II Pitera Essence. It's part of the video series the brand created with James Corden, which should really tell you everything you need to know. "I just thought it would be something cute and fun, and I love the whole campaign with the masterclass with James Corden and all of our different guests who were involved," Legend said.
As for those skincare lessons from his wife . . . "I think I'm probably like a lot of guys where we take advice from our partners regarding the kind of stuff we use on our skin," he said. So, without further ado, here's what my friend John learned from my other friend Chrissy:
A Multistep Skincare Routine Is Essential
I'm obsessive about sunscreen, so I had to ask him if he partakes. "I wear it when I know I'm going to be in the sun a lot, but mostly just cleansing and moisturizing," he said. "Exfoliating sometimes when necessary. And then if you've got some spots you've got to handle, then you handle it with some stronger stuff sometimes." I reminded him of the importance of daily SPF, but I was still impressed.
A Big Bathroom Is the Key to a Happy Marriage
I explained to Legend that my husband gets a third of a shelf in our bathroom and asked him what the split is like in his home. "Our bathroom's kind of sprawling, so it's not a fair comparison, but it's kind of a his side and her side, so we don't have to fight over space at all," he said. But could it really be 50/50? "I mean, it's pretty big, not to be bragadocious," he laughed. "That's why I moved to LA — to have a [big] bathroom."
A Sheet Mask Will Save Your Skin on an Airplane
"I've done SK-II masks on airplanes," he said. "I learned that from Chrissy."
Get the Good Stuff at Duty Free
Naturally, Teigen was the one who introduced her husband to SK-II. "My wife and I used to pick it up in airports a lot when we were traveling — through duty free," he said.
Image Source: Getty / Leon Bennett
John LegendBeauty NewsCelebrity BeautySkin CareCelebrity Beauty NewsChrissyTeigen
10 Natural Face Washes Starting at Just $7 That Will Transform Your Skin
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Owd Bob (DVD)
Hi! This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. I’ve got some new-to-the library DVD reviews for the next few weeks.
If you’re looking for a family film for your next night in, here’s a title to try. Owd Bob tells the story of recently orphaned American teenager David Roberts. David goes to live with his uncle, Adam McAdam, on a sheep-farm on the Isle of Man off the coast of Whales for the summer. Uncle Adam is less than inviting. However, David and Uncle Adam share a love of dogs, particularly the farm’s sheepdog Bob. David, in search of companionship, makes friends with a neighbor girl, Maggie. But Maggie’s father and Uncle Adam have had a long-standing disagreement related to sheep herding competitions. To complicate matters, it looks as if Bob the dog might be responsible for several recent attacks on the local sheep. Another sheep herding competition happens at the end of summer, but no one could have predicted the outcome.
If you’re wondering about the title “owd” is simply the Welsh version of the word “old”. And this story is, indeed, old. It was originally published as a book written by Alfred Ollivant in 1898, and has since been republished in the 1920s, 1960s, 1980s, and most recently in 2010. Each time the story is updated a bit, but the central character of Bob the dog and a sheep herding competition remains. The original story line has been updated again for this movie version that came out in 1998, 100 years after the book was first published. Before this movie version, the story appeared twice on screen: in 1924 and 1938. This story certainly has stood the test of time, so why not try it yourself at the next family movie night?
And don’t forget you can return DVDs at any time in the media side of our book drop, located on the outside front of the building, to the western end.
You can get the DVD reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit, on the North Campus. This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”
Owd Bob. Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
1 disc, 105 min.
DVD. Family Feature.
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Nelson author Diana Morita Cole will release her Japanese internment memoir Sideways with two took book launches and Kootenay Storytelling Festival appearance.
Nelson internment survivor: ‘We need to acknowledge what was done in our past’
Diana Morita Cole releases internment memoir Sideways, will host book launches and make Kootenay Storytelling Festival appearance.
Nelson author Diana Morita Cole spent the first year of her life in a Japanese internment camp in Minidoka, Idaho, but it would take decades for her to emotionally process her family’s experiences there. As a second-generation Nikkei émigré, she didn’t yet know about the extraordinary persecution that occurred worldwide during World War II. But as she set out to research and write her memoir Sideways: Memoirs of a Misfit, she was repeatedly staggered by the sheer scale of the hatred her people faced.
“It was a really mind-blowing experience to realize that this wasn’t just unique to my country and to my family, but it was happening throughout the Pacific Rim,” said Cole, who is preparing to share her newly released book with a pair of local launches and at the Kootenay Storytelling Festival.
“I would be misrepresenting myself if I said I’m not angry, but one has to channel that anger into something productive. I’m trying to achieve some form of transcendence, of self-understanding, but I also want to add to the literature that examines the displacement, imprisonment and resettlement of the Nikkei in the Americas.”
Having married Wayne Cole—Nelson’s former chief librarian—she was living on the east coast and raising her son when she witnessed him being discriminated against for being biracial, and realized the dearth of historical education materials available in libraries and schools on the subject of Japanese internment.
“Much of the history in Canada is very provincial, and I’ve found the consciousness has not spread across the entire country. For instance, no one I knew in Nova Scotia had heard about the imprisonment of the Doukhobors or the enslavement of the Ukrainians. They didn’t know much about the residential schools or the camps for Jewish refugees in Quebec City and in Minton, NB. When I finally moved to Nelson it was due to places like the Langham Cultural Centre in Kaslo and the Nikkei Memorial in New Denver that I become better more informed.”
That started her on a multi-year project to channel her memories into a publishable form.
“This is something that has taken my whole life to do. I don’t think I became cognizant of the need to write my memoir until I got older. Then I became involved with a biracial couples group in London, Ontario I realized through our discussions the need for us to tell the stories of the discrimination we’d all faced.”
Cole admires Joy Kogawa, who wrote the novel Obasan in 1981 and opened the floodgates for others of Japanese descent to share their stories. “She was the pioneer who made us all aware in a poetic, touching way, of the suffering that occurred on the west coast of B.C.”
But the suffering was felt over many continents, she learned.
“If my grandfather had reached his final destination aboard the ship he left Japan on, I would be speaking Spanish today because he was heading to Mexico. And Mexico, I learned, also practiced an expulsion of the Nikkei from the Pacific coast and confiscated all their property. I wouldn’t have escaped anything there, and I wouldn’t be in Nelson skiing and having a good time. It’s funny, these quirks of fate.”
She also learned about the “extraordinary rendition” of the Japanese from South America, a topic covered in the documentary Hidden Internment: The Art Shibayama Story, which she will be screening for her launch audiences.
“There’s this schism between that time and who we are now, and I’m hoping that through my launches and our discussions we’ll have the opportunity as a society to discuss and ask these questions, and to formulate our own ideas about what that struggle in Canada and around the Pacific Rim has meant for multiple generations.”
Cole explained that the Nikkei were considered a “model minority” because “we rarely break the law and tend to keep a low profile. I consider that stereotype a form of strait-jacketing or confinement because you have to present a certain face, and that idea of face is very important in Asian culture.”
She said many of those who suffered through internment camps and persecution haven’t been given the opportunity to share their struggles.
“In order to survive and re-establish ourselves after that horrendous experience of expulsion and economic persecution, many had to push that stuff into the background, because you have to make a living and restore the financial necessities.”
“We don’t want to talk about how we’ve been hurt, or how we sometimes might kick a dog when we come home angry. It’s a form of displaced anger, and I want to allow others to peek behind the curtain in an effort to bring healing to ourselves and to society. We have to acknowledge what has been done in our past, not to dwell there but in order to move on.”
Cole said she feels a responsibility to share.
“As one grows older, you realize the passage of time is going to take away all the elders—as Aya Higashi has just recently died, the last remnant of the internment in Kaslo—and this is a responsibility I feel and take seriously.”
Cole’s book has received praise from Rita Takahashi of San Fransisco State University, who said the book “is the very portal through which we view the hidden aspects of three important cultural icons: William Hohri, who led a massive class action lawsuit against the United States, Iva Toguri, who was convicted of treason and subsequently pardoned, and Roy Miki, who was born in exile in Canada.”
The first chapter of the book was originally published in The New Orphic Review and was short-listed for the The Malahat Review’s non-fiction contest in 2013. It was also nominated for the Pushcart Prize anthology.
Cole is a Canadian citizen who has been living in Canada for over 40 years, and is the founder of a biracial couples’ association that has been implemented in a number of Ontario communities. She has also been involved in battling the spraying of Agent Orange in Nova Scotia forests and has spoken to Parliament on the topic.
Both the Columbia Basin Trust and the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance supported Cole’s project financially.
Cole will read at the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. in New Denver. She will then read at the Langham Cultural Centre on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. and at the Koootenay Storytelling Festival from Sept. 25 to 27.
Kidnapped from Peru
Diana Cole’s brother-in-law Art Shibayama (right) is seen here with his wife Betty at a baseball game. He was kidnapped from Peru and imprisoned in Crystal City, Texas during World War II. Cole will be presenting her story about his life at the Kootenay Storytelling Festival and a small clip from the documentary about him at her book launch in New Denver on September 12 at 1 p.m. Admission is by donation.
Heavy Airship comes in for a landing
José Luis Torres assembles Mutations at Oxygen Art Centre
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Dispatch September 13, 2009 02:47 pm
Truth & consequences
by Stefan Beck
I first came across this column by Charles Krauthammer on September 11. I was, am, in perfect sympathy with its main argument, which is that Van Jones’s association with the 9/11 “Truth” movement should have disqualified him from membership in “polite society,” to say nothing of “a high-level job in the White House.” Krauthammer can’t get too exercised by the other major complaints about Jones (his use of indelicate language, his psuedo-communism, and so on), finding them more or less beside the point. “On the eighth anniversary of 9/11,” he writes, “. . . a decent respect for the memory of that day requires that truthers, who derangedly desecrate it, be asked politely to leave. By everyone.”
Few would argue with that, which is why it should have been made the centerpiece of the campaign against Jones. Yes, I’m relieved that this buffoon will not be working in the White House, but that really is a trivial matter next to our collective responsibility to keep the paranoid style at arm’s length. Having recently had the pleasure of reviewing Arthur Goldwag’s Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies, I am more convinced than ever that conspiracy mania—irresponsible, contemptuous, and self-indulgent—will never go away. We can live with that, and laugh at it. But once this feverish cast of mind receives the tacit approval of those in power, we’ve got big problems, because what conspiracy theorists really want to do is pass the buck. Forgive me for quoting myself:
Goldwag’s expertly cross-referenced assemblage of strange theories, of the cults that hold them dear, and of the tenebrous groups and secret societies that are their bread and butter, holds the skeleton key: It’s fun. It’s fascinating. Above all, it’s easy. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but it also often calls for hard work. If al Qaeda obliterated the WTC, something must be done about it—sacrifices must be made. If some unnameable and unknowable cabal is responsible, there’s little one can do but sip Mountain Dew at the keyboard and blog about it.
. . . [I]t’s worth asking whether an interest in conspiracy theories ever derives from guilt. The average theory uproots garden-variety badness—incompetence in high office, greed, cowardice, and so on—and replaces it with truly exotic, hothouse evil. Those who worship Mammon become those who literally worship Satan. A political figure who commits adultery becomes a practitioner of Illuminist sex magic involving children and animals. The problem, psychologically, seems to be that if those with power and influence aren’t several orders of magnitude worse than you or me, we all have just as much to answer for.
Conspiracy theorists like the 9/11 “Truthers” sell a fantasy of zero responsibility and zero accountability, disguised as radical patriotism. Excluding them from public discourse is a matter not only of good taste but also of reminding ourselves what planet we live on, and the hard work that entails.
Stefan Beck is a writer living in Hudson, New York. He has contributed on fiction and other subjects to The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, and elsewhere.
E-mail Truth & consequences by Stefan Beck
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G. C. Lichtenberg: a “spy on humanity” by Roger Kimball
Features May 2002
G. C. Lichtenberg: a “spy on humanity”
by Roger Kimball
On the aphorist.
We may use Lichtenberg’s writings as the most wonderful dowsing rod: wherever he makes a joke, there a problem lies hidden.
Lichtenberg digs deeper than anyone. . . . He speaks from the subterranean depths. Only he who himself digs deep hears him.
[T]here are truths that are singularly shy and ticklish and cannot be caught except suddenly—that must be surprised or left alone.
In the exacting ledger of posterity, the aphorist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg rates high but is undeniably a specialty item. He is not a household name. He is something rarer: a name savored by household names. Goethe, who corresponded with Lichtenberg, admired him greatly (even though Lichtenberg disputed his theory of color). Arthur Schopenhauer, not someone addicted to dispensing praise glibly, reserved his highest compliment for Lichtenberg, declaring him to be a Selbstdenker, someone who genuinely thought for himself. Likewise, Nietzsche, whose powers of contempt often outshone his talent for appreciation, repeatedly cited Lichtenberg with agreement and respect. (Nietzsche might have had Lichtenberg in mind when, in The Gay Science, he defended his own method of handling philosophical problems: “I approach deep problems like cold baths: quickly into them and quickly out again. That one does not get to the depths that way, not deep enough, is the superstition of those afraid of the water.”) Kierkegaard, too, regularly cited or alluded to Lichtenberg, and in fact prefaced his book Stages on Life’s Way with a version of one of Lichtenberg’s most famous aphorisms: “Such works are mirrors: when an ape looks into them, no apostle looks out.” Wittgenstein, with his weakness for sudden enthusiasms, made Lichtenberg one of his causes, recommended him to various correspondents, and pressed copies of his work on friends, including Bertrand Russell. Lichtenberg’s influence on Wittgenstein’s work went deeper than mere content: the gnomic form of the Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations owes a great deal to the example of Lichtenberg’s aphorisms. Scratch an important nineteenth- or twentieth-century thinker and the chances are good that you will find a warm word or two for the work of G. C. Lichtenberg.
Nevertheless, what Jacques Barzun said of the English essayist Walter Bagehot is also true of Lichtenberg: he is well known without being known well. A healthy slice of his most enduring work has been translated into English, but that was some years ago and—such is the fickleness of intellectual fashion—Lichtenberg’s reputation has diminished into a name flanked by a handful of witty remarks:
He swallowed a lot of knowledge, but it seemed as if most of it had gone down the wrong way. He who is enamored of himself will at least have the advantage of being inconvenienced by few rivals. Not only did he not believe in ghosts, he wasn’t even afraid of them. A handful of soldiers is always better than a mouthful of arguments. The fly that does not want to be swatted is safest if it sits on the fly-swatter.
There is a lot of gold in Lichtenberg. The casual negligance of presumed familiarity has assured that it remains buried for most American and English readers. We hear the name, remember an epigram or two, and leave it at that.
The republication of R. J. Hollingdale’s translation of a selection of Lichtenberg’s aphorisms[1] may serve as a welcome corrective. First published by Penguin in 1990, Hollingdale’s translation of 1,085 aphorisms amounts to perhaps a quarter of the material that Lichtenberg collected in the nine volumes of his notebooks (two of which went missing in the nineteenth century, along with portions of two others). Lichtenberg began keeping his notebooks in his student days in the mid-1760s and he kept scribbling in them until a few days before his death, at fifty-seven, in 1799.
As Hollingdale observes in his introductory essay, these notebooks are not diaries. Lichtenberg did keep a diary—a voluminous one—where he recorded the itineraries of his domestic and social life. But the notebooks were something else, a general repository, an intellectual clearinghouse, “a Book wherein I write everything, as I see it or as my thoughts suggests it to me.” Lichtenberg’s notebooks are a sort of omnibus. As J. P. Stern put it in Lichtenberg: A Doctrine of Scattered Occasions (1959)—the best book in English on Lichtenberg—they consist of “jottings, extracts, calculations, quotations, autobiographical observations, platitudes, witticisms, drafts as well as polished aphorisms.” Lichtenberg considered publishing at least portions of his notebooks but never did. His feelings about their value seemed to vacillate with his moods, which themselves vacillated wildly. Sometimes he referred to their contents as Pfennigs-Wahrheiten—“penny-truths”—at other times he waxed grandiloquent: “I have scattered seeds of ideas on almost every page which, if they fall on the right soil, may grow into chapters and even whole dissertations.”
The first German edition of Lichtenberg’s notebooks, published early in the nineteenth century, bore the title Bemerkungen vermischten Inhalts (“Remarks on Miscellaneous Subjects”). It was an accurate if understated title. Later editions have been known by the picturesque word that Lichtenberg himself occasionally employed: Sudelbücher, Lichtenberg’s translation of the disused English term “Waste Books.” According to the OED, a “waste book” is “A rough account-book . . . in which entries are made of all transactions (purchases, sales, receipts, payments, etc.) at the time of their occurrence, to be ‘posted’ afterwards into the more formal books.” Substitute the words “thoughts, musings, observations, quotations, etc.” and you have the “waste book”—the rough draft—of the soul’s economy that Lichtenberg produced. Hollingdale speaks in this context of the “variegated inconsequentiality” of the Sudelbücher. They have a little of everything, but what they present is not so much a system as a sensibility, a take on the world.
Lichtenberg did not think of himself as an aphorist. I am not sure that the word Aphorismus even appears in the Sudelbücher. By training, he was an academic and a man of science. He was born in Oberramstadt, near Darmstadt, in 1742, the youngest of seventeen children, five of whom survived childhood. His father, who died when Lichtenberg was nine, was a prominent clergyman, part of the reformist Lutheran movement called Pietism, which stressed Bible-study and the ideal of simple Christian living. Lichtenberg tells us that he lost his Christian faith when he was sixteen, though he retained a somewhat amorphous belief in God inspired less by the Bible than by Leibniz’s vision of a pre-established, divinely ordered harmony that suffuses the cosmos. Although popular with other children, Lichtenberg was a weak and sickly child. He suffered from a malformation of the spine, caused probably by tuberculosis, which resulted in his being a hunchback. Not surprisingly, this physical fact influenced his entire life and outlook. Still, Lichtenberg was not without a sense of humor about his condition. “My head,” he explained, “lies at least a foot closer to my heart than is the case with other men: that is why I am so reasonable.” Later he mused that “If Heaven should find it useful and necessary to produce a new edition of me and my life I would like to make a few not superfluous suggestions for this new edition chiefly concerning the design of the frontispiece and the way the work is laid out.”
Lichtenberg’s malady did not prevent his having many erotic attachments. Hollingdale describes his private life as “very irregular.” Lichtenberg’s executors destroyed the more intimate portions of his diaries, so posterity has been spared many details, but it is clear that he preferred his women simple and he preferred them young. In 1777 he met Maria Stechard, a poor weaver’s daughter who was then tweleve or thirteen. Lichtenberg employed her as a housekeeper, and she soon became his mistress. They lived together from 1780 until her early death in 1782. He was affected by her death, Hollingdale notes, “as by nothing before or afterwards.” The relationship provided Lichtenberg’s neighbors with something to gossip about, much to his chagrin. It also brought him much happiness. “She reconciled me,” Lichtenberg sadly recalled, “to the human race.” In 1784, Lichtenberg met Margarete Kellner, a daughter of a whitewasher, who was then in her early twenties. From 1786 they lived together and were married in 1789. Although the relationship was stormy, Margarete gave Lichtenberg seven children. She survived him by forty-nine years.
Life was not easy for Lichtenberg. One early critic described him as “the Columbus of hypochondria.” The fact that not all his maladies were imaginary made his situation all the more painful. J. P. Stern speaks of the “indefinable mixture of illness and hypochondria, sloth and fits of depression, indolence and fear” that ruled intermittently over Lichtenberg’s life. In one note, he bitterly announced his plan to write an autobiography called “The Story of My Mind, as well as of My Wretched Body.”
Lichtenberg’s career unfolded at the University of Göttingen, where he studied mathematics and science and, from 1770, held a succession of academic positions. He was an immensely popular teacher, one of the first to weave experiments into his lectures. Students came from far and wide not so much to study with as to witness, to “hear Lichtenberg.” A man of prodigious but unfocused curiosity, Lichtenberg dabbled everywhere but persevered nowhere. In science, his primary interests were in astronomy and electricity. Some of his scholarly work in astronomy was recognized by later astronomers who named a lunar crater after him. In 1780, to the consternation of his neighbors, he erected the first lightning rod in Göttingen (“That sermons are preached in churches,” Lichtenberg observed, “doesn’t mean the churches don’t need lightning rods.”) In 1784, Alessandro Volta came to watch Lichtenberg’s experiments with electricity. We still speak of “Lichtenberg figures,” the star-shaped patterns formed in dust by certain electrical discharges. (“Lightning flowers” are Lichtenberg figures etched in the capillaries just beneath the skin when someone is hit by lightning.) Although he was elected to the Royal Society in 1788, Lichtenberg made no important scientific discoveries. “A physical experiment which makes a bang,” he noted, “is always worth more than a quiet one. Therefore a man cannot strongly enough ask of Heaven: if it wants to let him discover something, may it be something that makes a bang. It will resound into eternity.” Much to his regret, Lichtenberg made no bangs in the world of science.
He did, however, generate an enthusiastic following. At the beginning of his teaching career, Lichtenberg tutored the sons of some English aristocrats. So popular was he that, in 1770, he was invited to England by his former pupils. It was the first of two visits. (The second, longer, one was from September 1774 until just before Christmas 1775.) It was love at first sight. Like the better sort of German then and later, Lichtenberg became a ferocious Anglophile. He moved in the highest social circles. He met Priestley, who performed experiments for him, and many other men of science. The King and Queen delighted in his company and in speaking German with him. (Göttingen, as it happened, was one of George III’s Hanoverian dominions.) So conspicuous was the royal favor—the King caused great commotion by coming to Lichtenberg’s lodging one morning at 10:00 AM and asking for “Herr Professor”—that a rumor briefly circulated that Lichtenberg was George II’s illegitimate son. Lichtenberg became an avid theater-goer in London. He was mesmerized especially by Garrick’s acting (“he appeared wholly present in the muscles of his body”) and said that it was from Garrick that Germans could learn most about what the word “man” really means. Lichtenberg’s other great discovery in London was the engravings of Hogarth (who had died in 1764). Beginning in 1794, Lichtenberg published a series of meticulously detailed “explanations” (Lichtenberg called it an Ausfürliche Erklärung) of Hogarth’s engravings. Not a belt-buckle or button, barely a speck of dust, is left uninventoried. Lichtenberg’s English translator described that work, which remained incomplete at Lichtenberg’s death, as “a unique and sometimes bizarre excursion” into the textual recapitulation of the visual.
It is not surprising that Lichtenberg found in Hogarth a congenial spirit. Quite apart from their artistic merit, Hogarth’s engravings are masterpieces of social observation. And it was to this above all that Lichtenberg devoted himself. “Chief employment of my life,” he minuted in his diary in 1771, “to observe people’s faces.” One commentator described him as a “spy on humanity.” It was almost literally true. Lichtenberg delighted in observing the street scene with a telescope from the eyrie of his window. “When an acquaintance goes by I often step back from my window, not so much to spare him the effort of acknowledging me as to spare myself the embarrassment of seeing that he has not done so.” Lichtenberg was the faculty of menschenbeobachterisch—human observing—made flesh. The fruit of that passion was a collection of aphorisms united not by theme or tone but by a sensibility that was at once generous and disabused.
He who says he hates every kind of flattery, and says it in earnest, certainly does not yet know every kind of flattery. If people should ever start to do only what is necessary millions would die of hunger. Wine is accredited only with the misdeeds it induces: what is forgotten is the hundreds of good deeds of which it is also the cause. Wine excites to action: to good action in the good, to bad in the bad.
Lichtenberg once said that he would give part of his life to know what was the average barometric pressure in paradise. He never discovered that quantum, but in his aphorisms we have an extraordinary register of the barometric pressure of the human heart.
As a literary form, aphorisms have the liability of their strength. Aphorisms are insights shorn of supporting ratiocination. Sometimes they are arrived at in an instant, in a sudden illumination; sometimes, as Lichtenberg’s draftings and redraftings of the same phrase or idea reveals, they are arrived at through a process of intellectual and rhetorical honing. Bertrand Russell reports that when he told Wittgenstein that he should not simply state what he thought was true but should provide arguments, Wittgenstein replied that arguments spoil the beauty of insights and that “he would feel as if he was dirtying a flower with muddy hands.” Just so, aphorisms are the blossoms of thought. They may depend on stalk and soil, but their beauty is independent of those prerequisites.
Whether arrived at instantly or through patient refinement, the defining characteristic of the successful aphorism is what we might call its suddenness. Some good aphorisms are obvious truths stated neatly. “You can make a good living from soothsaying [vom Wahrsagen] but not from truthsaying [vom Wahrheit-sagen].” The best are truths that only seem obvious after they have been stated neatly. (They inspire the thought: “Now why didn’t I think of that?”) Many aphorisms have an enigmatic or double-sided character: they cut both ways and depend upon some essential ambiguity or equivocation for their power, their poetry. Whether they are true often seems secondary or beside the point: they are piquant, they feel revelatory and thought-provoking, and that is enough. “The roof tile,” Lichtenberg says, “may know many things the chimney doesn’t know.” I would hate to part with that mot. But is it true? It would take an intrepid man to say.
Many people discount aphorisms, partly because so many are ambiguous, partly because they are episodic, isolated, and compressed. They seem too pat to be pertinent. Those traits can be liabilities, depending on the subject at hand. One would be ill-advised, for example, to trust a manual for bridge-builders or heart surgeons that was composed of aphorisms. But in other contexts the very characteristics that rob aphorisms of discursive strength endow them with other sorts of intellectual power. Nietzsche was quite right to defend the aphorism against its detractors. (“It is aphorisms!,” he wrote with mock contempt. “Is it aphorisms?—May those who would reproach me thus reconsider and then ask pardon of themselves.”)
But Nietzsche was also right that the aphorism, though it can reach deep, must do so quickly. A ponderous aphorism is a failed aphorism. It follows that, considered as intellectual nourishment, aphorisms are best taken sparingly; their very concentration makes them hard to digest en masse. Like an electric flash on a camera, they require time between discharges if they are to be fully illuminating. When Lichtenberg says that “The most dangerous untruths are truths slightly distorted,” we nod in agreement. He has encapsulated an entire theory of heresy in a handful of words. When he goes on to say in another aphorism that “With most people disbelief in a thing is founded on a blind belief in something else,” we nod again. Here we have the mechanics of some forms of atheism in a nutshell. When we read further that “This was the handle by which you had to grip him if you wanted to pour him out; if you gripped him anywhere else you burned your fingers,” we may nod again—here is an astute observation about a familiar character type. But how many more such nuggets can we take on board at a sitting? My own recommendation is that aphorisms be taken in doses of no more than a few pages a day. Any more, and the mind begins skipping.
Often, the appeal of an aphorism is a function of its cynical knowingness: “If I should ever produce an edition of his life,” Lichtenberg wrote of we know not whom, “go straight to the index and look up the words bottle and conceit: they will contain the most important facts about him.” We all know people like that, just as we know what Lichtenberg means when he observes that “Sometimes men come by the name of genius in the same way that certain insects come by the name of centipede; not because they have a hundred feet, but because most people cannot count above fourteen.”
Still, the element of cynicism can be overdone. “What is called an acute knowledge of human nature,” Lichtenberg writes, “is mostly nothing but the observer’s own weaknesses reflected back from others.” Well, sometimes, perhaps. But sometimes an acute knowledge of human nature is just that: an acute knowledge of human nature. “What they call ‘heart,’” Lichtenberg tells us, “lies much lower than the fourth waistcoat-button.” Well, yes, there is such a thing as sex. But is “heart,” is romance, to be entirely explained as a cover or front for sex? Freud thought so. Maybe Lichtenberg did, too. Were they right?
Having a low opinion of human nature may not be a prerequiste for being a good aphorist. But it helps. (It also, nota bene, aids in one’s appreciation of aphorisms.) Chamfort, Pascal, Gracián, Vauvenargues, La Rochefoucauld: none of these master aphorists was burdened by an overly sunny view of humanity, though each was gloomy in his own way. Pascal’s observation that all a man’s troubles begin when he leaves his room is of quite a different character from La Rochefoucauld’s thought that “In the misfortunes of our best friends we always find something that does not displease us.” But both proceed from the assumption that things are always worse than they seem.
The cynical nature of many aphorisms is one reason the genre is so popular. Many people, especially many intellectuals—the most ardent customers for the aphorism—pride themselves above all on their disillusionment. They see themselves “seeing through” manners, pretensions, morals, whatever, and what they see is seldom edifying. (As a class, intellectuals are rarely—to use Wordsworth’s phrase—“surprised by joy.”) Aphorists are by profession debunkers. That is a large part of their power. It also points to a limitation. Untempered by elements of affirmation, debunking generates its own species of bunk. Take the aphorism by La Rochefoucauld quoted above. It is one of his most famous, and was well-known already in Lichtenberg’s day. Lichtenberg himself thought well of it, noting that “It sounds peculiar, but he who denies the truth of it either doesn’t understand it or does not know himself.” But mightn’t it also be that it sounds peculiar because it is peculiar, and that the misfortunes of our best friends generally stir pity, empathy, and compassion?
Many of Lichtenberg’s aphorisms are more ruminative than scarifying. “There is a great difference,” he observes, “between still believing something and again believing it.” Anyone who has reflected on the seasons of faith will know what Lichtenberg means. Some of his aphorisms have pointed relevance to the contemporary cultural scene: “It requires no especially great talent to write in such a way that another will be very hard put to understand what you have written.” Others, alas, have been overtaken by events: “It is easy to construct a landscape out of a mass of disorderly lines, but disorderly sounds cannot be made into music.” Lichtenberg was especially acute on the follies that intellectual life falls prey to. “Nowadays,” he notes, “we everywhere seek to propagate wisdom: who knows whether in a couple of centuries there may not exist universities for restoring the old ignorance.” And again: “There are very many people who read simply to prevent themselves from thinking.” Do Lichtenberg’s aphorisms add up to a coherent philosophy? I doubt it. J. P. Stern suggests that Lichtenberg promulgated a doctrine of “scattered occasions” (the phrase is Bacon’s), a sort of “inverted Categorical Imperative” that invests the moment, not the moral maxim, with absolute value. Perhaps. But that is simply to elevate the absence of doctrine into a doctrine. Lichtenberg’s acts of espionage on mankind were unsystematic even about being unsystematic. They were raids on the interesting, conducted as time, mood, and inspiration permitted. There is no unifying thread, though there are recurrent themes. One familiar theme is part description, part admonition: “It is almost impossible to bear the torch of truth through a crowd without singeing somebody’s beard.” If you bear the torch, Lichtenberg seems to say, be wary.
Go to the top of the document.
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg The Waste Books; translated and with an introduction by R. J. Hollingdale. New York Review Books, 236 pages, $12.95 (paper). Go back to the text.
Roger Kimball is Editor and Publisher of The New Criterion and President and Publisher of Encounter Books. His latest book is The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia (St. Augustine’s Press).
newcriterion.com/issues/2002/5/g-c-lichtenberg-a-ldquospy-on-humanityrdquo
Topics:Culture
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E-mail G. C. Lichtenberg: a “spy on humanity” by Roger Kimball
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Fukushima Cleanup: Highly Radioactive Nuclear Fuel Will Remain in Reactors Until at Least 2023
By Janissa Delzo On 9/26/17 at 12:54 PM EDT
Members of the Green Shadow Party, a political advocacy group, at a rally calling for United Nations oversight of the cleanup of the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan, November 3, 2013 across from the U.N. headquarters in New York. Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images
World Fukushima
Cleanup plans at the Fukushima nuclear plant will be delayed yet again, officials announced Tuesday.
It's been more than six years since an earthquake and tsunami damaged the Japanese nuclear power plant, causing highly radioactive materials to be released. In response to the disaster, the Japanese government outlined a plan to decommission the plant, which it estimated will take between 30 and 40 years.
Tuesday's revision will delay the removal of radioactive fuel rods from reactor Units 1 and 2 by at least two more years. The extraction now will begin in fiscal 2023. The plan to remove the rods from the Unit 3 reactor will remain on schedule and begin next year.
The delayed removal at Units 1 and 2 "is an unfortunate setback, but will probably not result in a large increase in risk to the public," Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Newsweek via e-mail. "The heat of the spent fuel resulting from radioactive decay has decreased significantly since the time of the March 2011 accident, reducing the risk of a large-scale fire breaking out in either of the pools."
The reason for the delay? New technical problems and additional safety precautions, The Japan Times reports.
"For Units 1 and 2, it makes sense to prioritize protection of the workers on site by working carefully and deliberately, rather than try to rush spent fuel removal. In the case of Unit 1, heavy and highly radioactive rubble must be taken out of the pool before the spent fuel can be removed, and for Unit 2, the roof of the reactor building must be dismantled," Lyman, co-author of Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster, explained.
The decommission plan still has a start date of 2021 for removing the melted fuel debris, which is the most challenging part of the process because its exact location is unknown. Researchers are working to build robots durable enough to handle the high levels of radiation.
Due to the difficulty of this operation, delays should be expected, Rodney C. Ewing, a professor at Stanford University and former chairman of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board—an independent federal agency that reviews Energy Department programs, including Yucca Mountain—told Newsweek via email.
"Another major issue will be the conditioning, storage and final disposal of the nuclear fuel. These plans have yet to be developed," Ewing said.
Fukushima Cleanup: Highly Radioactive Nuclear Fuel Will Remain in Reactors Until at Least 2023 | World
Earthquake Hits Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Japan
Robot Survives Fukushima Reactor, Brings New Footage
Japan Court Rules Government to Blame for Fukushima
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- Vorbis decoder was produced by modifying source codes at http://xiph.org/vorbis/ which is licensed under BSD 2.0 license. (Refer to http://www.xiph.org/licenses/bsd/)
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- Theora decoder was produced by modifying source codes downloaded from http://www.theora.org/downloads under BSD 2.0 and libtheora licenses.
- AES-128 (for HTTP Live Streaming) was implemented based on open source code "fast cryptography (http://fastcrypto.org/)".
- SSL (Secured Socket Layer) (for HTTPS) was utilized by using the code from OpenSSL (http://www.openssl.org/) which is licensed under both the conditions of the OpenSSL License and the original SSLeay license. (http://www.openssl.org/source/license.html)
- GZIP decoder for HLS protocol (to get playlists) was produced by modifying the code from http://www.zlib.net/ , which is licensed under zlib license http://www.zlib.net/zlib_license.html.
- NexPlayer UI sample code for Android was implemented based on open source code (http://source.android.com/source/download.html) which is licensed under Apache License 2.0. You may obtain a copy of the Apache License at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
- DivX3.11 and MS MPEG-4 v3 decoders were produced by modifying source codes licensed from DivX Inc. under Technology Implementer License Agreement.
- WMA9 Standard, WMA10 Pro, WMA9 Voice, WMV9, VC-1, WMV7/8 decoders are audio and video data compression technologies developed by Microsoft, and these decoders are licensed under Windows Media Components Interim Product Agreement. (Refer to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/licensing/licensing.aspx)
- WMA8 Standard encoder is data compression technologies developed by Microsoft, and this encoder was licensed under Windows Media Components Interim Product Agreement. (Refer to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/licensing/licensing.aspx)
- DTS decoder was licensed under “Licensing Limited Software License Agreement” with DTS Licensing Limited
- Dolby AC3 decoder was licensed under “Implementation Licensing Agreement” with Dolby, Inc.
- Verimatrix VCAS
- MS IIS Smooth Streaming
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AES-128 (for HTTP Live Streaming) was implemented based on open source code "fast cryptography (http://fastcrypto.org/)
UI sample code of NexPlayer Downloadable SDK for Android was implemented based on open source code (http://source.android.com/source/download.html) which is licensed under Apache License 2.0.
AMR-NB decoders were produced by modifying Android (http://source.android.com/download) which is licensed under Apache License 2.0
GZIP decoder for HLS protocol (to get playlists) was produced by modifying the code from http://www.zlib.net/ , which is licensed under zlib license http://www.zlib.net/zlib_license.html.
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For Recruiters (2)
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NHSA welcomes another mental health trust to its Alliance
Published: 09 Jul 2019 By Hannah Davies
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) has joined The Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA), paving the way for increased research collaboration and innovation opportunities for the Trust.
TEWV is the second mental health trust to join the NHSA, which brings together 24 research active NHS Trusts and universities across the North and the four Northern AHSNs.
The NHSA works closely with its members to promote the North’s thriving life science sector to increase awareness of and drive investment into the Northern Powerhouse. As an Associate Member, TEWV will benefit from a range of opportunities through the NHSA’s joint research partnerships, advocacy, business development and international and national programmes.
The research and development team at TEWV is keen to expand its offer of new and innovative research opportunities and has a vision of becoming a natural laboratory and testbed for research, implementation and innovation within and beyond the NHS.
Professor Joe Reilly, Clinical Director for research and development at TEWV, said: “I’m delighted that Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is joining the Northern Health Science Alliance as an Associate Member. As a mental health trust, we have a great deal to gain from the NHSA’s national and international reach, and its success in bringing together academic and clinical collaborations to deliver high-quality research and innovation to the North.
“Together with acute hospital colleagues, we hope to help bridge the gap between physical and mental health, and improve the mental health and well-being of people in our regions and beyond.”
TEWV provides a range of mental health and learning disability services across a large part of Northern England (County Durham, Teesside and North Yorkshire). Applied mental health research is a strong focus for the Trust with key research interests including physical and mental health integration in both common mental health disorders and severe mental illness. It is also leading on studies in primary care mental health and prevention, as well as workforce research.
Nicola Wilson, Interim Chief Executive at the NHSA, said: “We are pleased to welcome Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust to the NHSA as the second mental health trust to join the Alliance.
“We’re looking forward to collaborating with the TEWV team to explore how we can support their vision to bridge the gap between physical and mental health.”
Since its inception, the NHSA has brought over £60m worth of contracts to the North of England. It has also been named as a delivery partner in the Government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Sector deal and revealed over £1bn of investment in the region’s life sciences.
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David Hume died in August, 1776, at the age of 65 --- rather young, by my standards (I'm 64) but not unusually so for that age, I guess. The death is well-documented in literature. Realizing that he was dying, Hume wrote his short, charming Autobiography. His student and friend Adam Smith wrote a moving account of Hume's last days. And, most interesting for our purposes, his fellow Scot James Boswell, most famous for his biography of Dr. Johnson, at Johnson's urging, visited Hume to see if the old infidel's skepticism about an afterlife was shaken as death approached. Boswell published a short account of his interview, recording Hume's good humor, unfailing skepticism about an afterlife, and his own shock at Hume's light-hearted discussion of such issues.
It's not clear what bothered Boswell more, that Hume didn't believe in an afterlife, or that he didn't seem much bothered by not having it to look forward to:
I asked him if the thought of annihilation never gave him any uneasiness. He said not the least; no more than the thought that he had not been, as Lucretius observes....I was like a man in sudden danger eagerly seeking his defensive arms; and I could not but be assailed by momentary doubts while I had actually before me a man of such strong abilities and extensive inquiry dying in the persuasion of being annihilated. But I maintained my faith.
This morning on Philosophy Talk we'll be talking about life after death. I have some memories of believing in Heaven and Hell. This is what I was taught in Sunday School. But I don't think I believed in this kind of afterlife for very long. In my more religious phases when I was younger the form of afterlife was always rather different.
For a while, under the influence of the 50's best seller The Search for Bridey Murphy, I took reincarnation very seriously. This book was written by a therapist who used hyponisis, and in particular the technique called age-regression. The hypnotist gets the subject to relive important earlier episodes in their life by just telling them that they are going back in time to an earlier age. Apparently one day he took a subject further back than he intended, to a time before she was born. She started talking in an Irish brogue, and said her name was Bridey Murphy. At the time this book was published I spent Saturday mornings with my grandfather in the bell tower of Union College in Lincoln Nebraska. We were looking for Soviet bombers as part of the “Ground Observer Corps,” a government sponsored way for citizens to form a last line of defense against any invading planes that managed to sneak into our heartland. We had plenty of time to talk about other things, and we were both fascinated by The Search for Bridey Murphy. My grandfather took reincarnation very seriously and so did I. However, at some point a journalist discovered that Bridey Murphy was a neighbor of the subject while she was a child in Chicago, so she was not really remembering an earlier reincarnation.
Later I took reincarnation seriously again for a while. The Dalai Lama made a visit to Stanford, and I was on a panel of humanists who interviewed him. The Dalai Lama is the 14th Dalai Lama, but believes that he is the reincarnation of the 13th, who was in turn the reincarnation of the 12th, and so on back to the first. The Dalai Lama is a very intelligent guy who has written books about how the Tibetan Buddhist world-view is somewhat more amenable to naturalism than the Christian world view. So I asked him how the reincarnation view, and in particular the view that he was the same person as someone who had died before he was born, a number of miles a way, fit into naturalism. He gave quite a sophisticated answer in terms of many forms of memory, and dimensions that are physical and allow for causation, but beyond our ordinary conceptions of space and time. I was impressed, but not convinced.
But, speaking of space and time, it's now time to get ready to drive up to KALW, so I'll have to return to this blog later.
Immortality and the Afterlife
Many religions contemplate some form of personal continued existence after death: reincarnation in another body, or continued being in some vastly different place like Heaven or Hell.
What's Next? Death and the Afterlife
The question of what happens to us after we die remains as mysterious now as it always was. Some think that death amounts to total anni...
The Lure of Immortality
Would you want to live forever? It's a tempting notion that has been explored and imagined for centuries.
David Hume was a superb essayist, a brilliant philosopher, and a world-class bon vivant. His philosophical views in ethics, e...
Saturday, March 17, 2007 -- 5:00 PM
In a discussion over the truth of equality someone
In a discussion over the truth of equality someone once asked me, "surely you don't believe that life and death are equal or the same"? I responded, "how do you know they are different, have you ever been dead"?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 -- 5:00 PM
I think that an afterlife without reincarnation is
I think that an afterlife without reincarnation is impossible. If we accept an afterlife, we must also accept a beforelife. It?s like marriage: when you marry the son or daughter you marry into the whole family, whether you like it or not. Consciousness can only exist after death if it can exist independently of our physical body; and if it can exist independently of our physical body, it can exist before our physical body is formed inside our mother. Put another way, if consciousness isn?t extinguished at the point of death, there?s no reason to expect that it would come into being at the point of conception. I think the two things cannot be separated.
I also think that the most important fact to consider when we talk about the subject of an afterlife is this: There is no generally observable evidence of an afterlife. There is no evidence in our normal dimensions of time and space that the dead continue to live. A credible afterlife theory must therefore provide evidence of a different context of time and space.
But a different context of time and space is not enough. A credible afterlife theory must also provide evidence that we have a constitution that allows a transition of consciousness to that context of time and space. It must therefore provide support for substance dualism, the proposition that our mind and brain are separate - and an unpopular position these days. Unless our mind and brain are separate there is no vehicle of consciousness available when our body dies.
A credible afterlife theory must not attempt to explain one mystery with another mystery; and like all credible theories, it must be able to be falsified.
That's a very high bar to jump over.
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Navigace: Queen - Královská legenda - Rozhovory: Brian May: Guitar World Magazine '98
Rozhovory: Brian May: Guitar World Magazine '98
Guitar World, October 1998
Transcribed by LouAnn Lucero
Twenty five years ago this year, a London quartet by the name of Queen unleashed their self-titled debut album on an unsuspecting early Seventies rock scene. Many weren't sure what to make of this new band. They looked like a set of glam pretty boys, but their music was certainly more ambitious than anything flirty acts like the New York Dolls, Mott the Hoople or Gary Glitter were doing at the time. Were these Queen guys supposed to be prog rock? Metal? The singer had a thing for operatic grandeur, leavened by heavy doses of campy humor. And the guitar player could somehow make his axe sound like an entire symphony orchestra-an unheard-of feat back in 1973. The rock critic establishment gave Queen the brush. But a coterie of fans knew they were on to something good.
Guess who was right? By the mid-Seventies, Queen had established themselves as a major force in rock music, thanks to brilliant albums like A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races and News of the World. Today they've attained classic rock immortality. Masterfully wrought tracks like "Killer Queen," "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" have gone into perpetual AOR rotation. Modern rock icons like Billy Corgan and Metallica's James Hetfield venerate Brian May to the skies, citing him as a prime influence. May's lavish, multi-tracked guitar orchestrations are today among the most instantly recognizable and best-loved sounds on the planet.
These days, May leads a peaceful domestic life at Allerton Hill, his stately home out in the English countryside, just 45 minutes south of London by train. The guitarist, who went through a painful divorce a few years back, has settled in with his current mate, British television actress Anita Dobson (Eastenders), sharing a spacious house filled with dark wood paneling, oriental rugs and Vox AC30 amplifiers. May still looks very much as he did during Queen's heyday. His mane of dark hair is youthfully intact and he's still fond of wearing those Seventies rock star floppy shirts and tight leather pants that well suit his tall, lanky frame.
But Brian isn't one to dwell in the past. He's got a brand-new album, Another World, and has written songs for several recent film projects, including the popular British feature Sliding Doors. Queen, however, continues to be very much a part of his current life. In the years since singer Freddie Mercury's tragic, AIDS-related death in 1991, there has been a steady stream of Queen tributes, memorials and retrospectives, such as last year's Queen Rocks album, a killer compilation of the band's heavier rock tracks.
"I thought Queen Rocks would be a nice idea," says May. "To my mind, the balance is slightly off on the greatest hits albums, because it's always the lighter stuff that becomes a hit."
It was Brian May who wrote many of Queen's best hard rock songs, including "Tie Your Mother Down," "Keep Yourself Alive," "Brighton Rock" and "We Will Rock You." His songwriting contributions to the band also include such stylistically diverse tracks as "39," "All Dead, All Dead," and "Fat Bottomed Girls." His voice, whether he was singing harmonies or taking the occasional lead vocal, was an integral part of the Queen sound. But it is his highly original approach to electric guitar playing that stands as perhaps his most towering achievement.
Relaxing at home on a cloudy English afternoon, May recently took time for an in-depth interview with Guitar World, offering a detailed account of how he evolved that amazing guitar sound. He also took the opportunity to offer some candid insights into Queen's inner workings, describing the band's approach to songwriting and speaking frankly about how the band was affected by Freddie Mercury's embrace of a gay lifestyle in the Eighties.
GUITAR WORLD: All four members of Queen were songwriters. What went into determining whose songs would get recorded?
BRIAN MAY: Well, we fought like cats and dogs. That's the truth. There were times when all our ideas would really work together magically well. When that happened, you'd have a great day in the studio where everybody felt they'd contributed. But then there'd be days when everyone was pulling in totally opposite directions. And it would be very painful. Eventually, three people would have to give way for one person to get what he wanted. That happened a lot, to the point where we all felt major frustration. And, oddly enough, Freddie-who everybody thinks was the greta prima donna-was very often the person who would find the compromise. He was very good at mediating. I can remember many times when Roger and I would be pulling in absolutely diametrically opposite directions. No chance of either of us budging. And Freddie would find a way through. He'd say, "Well, you can do this and do this and it will all work." That was one of Freddie's great talents. He was good at finding roads in the mist. But he would certainly fight for things he believed in. Like "Another One Bites the Dust," which was a bit of a departure for Queen. Roger, at the time, certainly felt that it wasn't rock and roll and was quite angry at the way it was going. And Freddie said, "Darling, leave it to me. I believe in this." John had written the song. But it took Freddie's support to make it happen.
GW: In today's world, people are more tolerant of the gay lifestyle. But what was it like early on, with Freddie being a gay man in the macho world of Seventies rock?
MAY: Early on, it didn't exist. Or if it did, we never saw it. And I don't think Freddie was aware of it, either. He was very much with us. In the early days, we used to share rooms, so I would have known! Freddie had some gorgeous girls. So I don't think the subject ever came up. It's odd, isn't it, to think of that? And it was only later on...I couldn't really pin down the exact time, but I remember there was a point where we realized that Freddie was leading a bit of a different social life than us. He'd just go off on his own and say, "See you later." So gradually he was venturing off into other areas. He was encouraged by certain people who sort of brought him out, I guess. One of whom was our personal manager at the time. [pauses] How far do I want to get into this? He was a pretty over the top kind of person, and I think Freddie found himself in places where he wouldn't naturally had gotten to if that sort of door hadn't been forcibly opened for him. Do you know what I'm saying? I think he would have drifted into finding himself in a more gradual way if it hadn't suddenly exploded in on him. So there was a period in his life when he was seemingly completely blown away by it all. I can remember the Mott the Hoople tour [April 1974] was the first time I ever experienced sex on a grand scale. And it was almost really not my decision. It kind of happened to me, you know? I felt like I had no control. I think in a corresponding way, in a gay direction, that's what happened to Freddie a bit later on. But it didn't really change our relationship with him very much. Because we were always very close in the studio. And when we spoke of, you know, love stories in the studio, there was no distinction. You could be in love with whoever you wanted to be and the song would still make sense. But from Jazz album onwards, it would always cross my mind. Because I would be writing words for Freddie to sing. And it became a little game for me to write stuff for him which would make sense whichever way he saw it.
GW: So your writing acquired a kind of...
MAY: Yeah, another dimension. In fact, I can remember having a go at Freddie because some of the stuff he was writing was very definitely on the gay side. I remember saying, "it would be nice if this stuff could be universally applicable, because we have friends out there of every persuasion." It's nice to involve people. What it's not nice to do is rope people out. And I felt kind of roped out by something that was very overtly a gay anthem, like "Body Language"[Hot Space, 1982]. I thought it was very hard to take that in the other way. It's hard to talk about this. But there you go.
GW: I think it was maybe difficult for some of the hard rock fans when Freddie adopted a more overtly gay image.
MAY: Yeah. It's a strange area isn't it? I mean you've got Rob Halford, who is definitely a heavy metal icon. So it must be strange for people to realize where he's coming from. But I mean it really shouldn't matter. That's my feeling. Everybody has their own sexual chemistry that leads them to desire certain things. you cannot attack someone for having desires in certain directions. Because they have no control over that, do they? It makes no sense. It's like attacking someone for having a long nose or being a wrong color. you can't do that. You judge people by how they behave with the cards that they are dealt. And Heavy metal is a strange thing. There's a lot of bravado to heavy metal. I think we're all kind of afraid of women to a certain extent. Even the most heterosexual of us. And heavy metal tends to be a kind of safe place where you can make bold statements about "what you did with your chick last night." It's a nice, simple world. It's full of loud stuff and heavy things and strong statements. That's why it's such a great release for chaps, isn't it? I love it. AC/DC is complete therapy. You go to the show and you're deaf for a week. It's wonderful. I'm desperately sad that I had to miss a Black Sabbath reunion show recently. It was Black Sabbath and the Foo Fighters, who I love. And Pantera, who I also love. Unfortunately, I had to be someplace else.
GW: We should discuss the evolution of your layered guitar sound. Because it's there on the first album, first song, "Keep Yourself Alive." It's fully formed. Even on the Larry Lurex singlr, it's there in embryonic form. [Shortly before the first Queen album came out in '73, freddie Mercury released a single, a cover of the Beach Boys' "I Can Hear Music," under the name Larry Lurex, with May on guitar.-GW Ed.]
MAY: You're absolutely right. It was a dream right from the beginning. I was always into the sound of harmonies, whether it was vocal harmonies or harmonies between instruments of an orchestra. And I always was fascinated what that did to you-the Everly Brothers, and the backing vocal harmonies on Buddy Holly and the Crickets' "Maybe Baby." It sounds very simple now. But it just sends shivers up your spine-a huge emotional impact. Actually, Jeff [Beck] had a lot to do with this too, because of his song "Hi Ho Silver Lining" [1967]. Remember the solo in that? It was double tracked. In those days producers, as you know, would say, 'Hey, Jeff, double track that.' Jeff double tracked it, but he deviated in the middle and it became a two-part harmony-full-blown, spikey overdriven electric guitar going into harmony. And I remember thinking, "What a glorious sound that is." I don't know to this day whether it was intentional or not on Jeff's part; I've never asked him. Jeff hates the track, anyway. Thinks it's crap. But he sings really well on it. And it has on eof the great solos of all time. [sings opening bars] Lik a voice. That's always been my guiding principle: The guitar shoul be like a voice.So I'd always dreamed that if you could get three or more guitars working, full blown, as the instruments of an orchestra, amking all those harmonies-not just going in parallel, but actually making all those dissonances and crossing over one another-I always thought that would be the most excting thing to hear in the world. Sot he first time we ever got in the studio, obviously I was trying it out. I think the first attempt was on "Earth," which we did with Smile-a two- part harmony thing. [Prior to Queen's formation, May and Roger Taylor played in a band called Smile.] But yes, it was always there. I was always wondering how far I could take it. I still love it. I try to restrain myself. Because if you do it all the time, it could really get boring.
GW: What's involved in getting the sustain necessary to make those harmonies sing like that? Were you just using compression? Is it just amp overdrive?
MAY: It is just amp overdrive really. It's just the way those Voxes behave. I was wedded to these AC30s from an early age. I had a couple of transistor amplifiers when I was starting off. They didn't sound any good. I used to use a fuzz box to get them to sustain. Then I got a Rangemaster treble booster-the kind that [Irish blues guitarist] Rory Gallagher used to use. And then I went over to Wardour street [in London] with my guitar just to try out some amps in. I must have been about 18 or something when I was just starting out playing in bands. I plugged into an AC30 and suddenly it was there: the sound I always dreamed of! It had that warmth and sustain. It would go into overdrive very smoothly. I only afterward found out the reason: the AC30s are a different kind of amplifier from the normal kind of Marshall stack. They're a Class A amplifier, which actually does give you a high-quality signal at low levels and then very smoothly goes into distortion and saturation. And I fell in love with them.So there's really no effect on there. I just use a treble booster and the guitar. The treble boosters are a copy of the Rangemaster, actually. These little silver stomp boxes. I've always used one of those. But you've got to drive it hard. You can trim the capacitators inside to adjust how much bottom you actually roll off and how much top you roll off as well. Because they don't actually transmit the top end that well either, which is good. It's waht gives you that vocal kind of sound.
GW: By the time you get to something like "Procession" on the second album [Queen II], it sounds as though you're using really radical EQ to shape the tone of different guitar layers.
MAY: You know what that is? That's this Deakey amp [pointing out a small homemade-looking box with a roughly five-inch speaker]. It's a little one-watt amp that John Deacon built and brought into thye studio one day. I had done "Procession" with AC30s and it sounded just a little bit too smooth. I wanted it to sound more violin-like and orchestral. So I double tracked some of the layers using that little amp. Incredible. I've used it ever since on anything where there's a real orchestral type sound. And depending where you put the microphone in front of the amp, you can really tune the sound. It's very directional. It's a germanium transistor amp, which is transformer coupled-unlike things these days; that isn't really done anymore-with silicon transistors. There's this guy, Dave Peters, who is one of the designers of the AC30 and a real expert on valve electronics and the early days of transistors. I'm working with him trying to reproduce the Deakey amp. Mayeb we'll put it on the market. I have to talk to John about it, as it happens. Because John made the thing. And he's very kindly allowed me to use it ever since. It's pretty magical.
GW: Another thing about the signature sound you get in layers is the initial onset of notes-the attack-has a pronounced, crisp crackle to it. Does that come from the English sixpence you use as a pick? Is it a coin with ridges on the side?
MAY: Exactly. The English sixpence is amde of a soft metal, but it has a serrated edge. And if you turn it parallel to the strings, all that disappears, because it's nice and rounded. As soon as you angle it then, the serrations will give you a very pronounced attack. It gives you that splutter, which I love. It also really connects me to the string. I don't like picks that bend, because I find I'm not really in contact. I'm not really experiencing everything that happens between the pick and the string. I like the firmness of the sixpence.
GW: Early on, were you combining layered overdubs with other tape manipulation techniques? On somehting like "Ogre Battle" [Queen II], it sound like maybe there's some backwards tape stuff happening there.
MAY: Yes, there's a lto of backwards stuff there. We were like boys let loose in a room full of toys. And with the old analog machines, you could easily turn the tape over. Waht I would do sometimes is say to Roy [Thomas Baker, Queen's first producer],"Just give me that tape backwards on cassette, and I'll go home and learn it backwards. I would learn it backwards and play on it the next day. Sometimes the mistakes came out better than the actual things you'd planned. That's one of the things you lose in digital. And you can't do the stuff where you'd lean on the reels and it would go eeeooouuuggghhhh.
GW: Yeah. Tape flanging.
MAY: You can't do that with digital tape. And we used to do a lot of tape flanging in Queen. We loved manipulating [analog] tapes. I do miss all that. You can do some of those things in other ways, to a point, when you're working on digital. But it's not very manipulable. I recently started getting into analog recording again, actually.
GW: Did Queen's layered vocal sound develop concurrently with the layered guitar thing? Did one come befor the other?
MAY: Concurrently, I think. Freddie and I shared the feeling that harmonic content was a magic thing. Freddie started off as a showman almost before he was a singer. Maybe I'll get shot for saying this. I don't think any of us realized what a potential he had for being a singer until we got into the studio. As soon as he was able to hear himself and work with his voice and multi-track it, he just grew exponentially. He became so skillful at using his voice as an instrument. All of a sudden he was in there doing all these harmonies. And a lot of them we would do together because we were very fortunate in having three voices that gave an instant blend. Some of those things which sound like a hundred-piece choir were just the three of us doing each line twice. And that's why it remains kind of in-your-face. It's not like a big football crowd. It's a more intimate sound. And it was just a lucky combination. Freddie had this really wonderful clear, bell-like tone, which you can recognize on a transistor radio 10 miles away, can't you? I still can. I know when it's Freddie. And Roger also has a remarkable voice. A very raspy sound, but Roger could sing very high and be very strong in the high registers. And I had this voice which, I suppose, filled in the gaps that the others didn't have. I had probably more warmth, and I was probably less in tune. That's my theory, anyway. And somehow the three just worked together. Although Freddie did some of that stuff on his own. The first thing you hear in "Bohemian Rhapsody" is just Freddie multi-tracking himself. He could sing so accurately, double-tracking, that it would phase. Quite amazing.
GW: What do you recall about coming up with your guitar bits for "Bohemian Rhapsody"?
MAY: Freddie came in pretty well armed for that song. He had these little pieces of company paper from his dad with the notes of the chords. As I remember, I don't think he had a guitar solo as such planned. I guess I steamed in and said "This is the point where you need your solo. And these are the chords I'd like to use." Because it's like a piece of the verse, but with a slight foray into some different chords at the end to make a transition into the next piece that he had. I'd heard the track so many times that, when it came time to play the solo, I knew what I wanted to play, in my head. And I wanted the melody of the solo to be something extra, not just an echo of the vocal melody. I wanted it to be an extra color. So I just had this little tune in my head to play. It didn't take very long to do.The heavy part was really part of Freddie's plan. I didn't change what he had very much. Those riff things that everybody bangs their heads to are really more Freddie than me.
GW: It's such a guitar riff.
MAY: Yeah. A great guitar riff. But Freddie could do that. Freddie also wrote 'Ogre Battle' which is a very heavy metal guitar riff. It's strange that he should have done that. But when Freddie used to pick up a guitar he'd have a great frenetic energy. It was kind of like a very nervy animal playing the guitar. He was a very impatient person and was very impatient with his own technique. He didn't have a great technical ability on the guitar but had it in his head. And you could feel this stuff bursting to get out. He right hand would move incredibly fast. He wrote a lot of good stuff for the guitar. A lot of it was stuff which I would not have thought of, because it would be in weird keys. He had this penchant for playing in E flat and A flat and F. And these are not places that your hand naturally falls on when playing the guitar. So he forced me into finding ways of doing things which made unusual sounds. It was really good. 'Tie Your Mother Down', which I wrote, is in A. Whereas 'Bohemian Rhapsody' or 'We Are the Champions' or 'Killer Queen' are all in weird keys. So if there are any open strings in there at all, it's very unusual. But getting back to 'Bohemian Rhapsody': In the end, I sort of took over. I wanted to orchestrate that. There's a little bit of orchestration coming out of the last chorus bit. Little violin lines. And that blended in very well with what he was doing with the little outro piece. If I were to do it now, however, I would adjust the tuning. It's not quite right. Things like that bother me a lot these days. Because if you get overexcited, the guitars really go sharp. And that's what happened there. I'm giving away precious secrets. You can tell, because the piano sounds a little flat in the end. And that's because I was a little over the top in vibrating there. These days I would probably harmonize it down to make it a tune. And that probably would have ruined it.
GW: Are there any major Queen songs that you didn't play on your Red Special guitar? 'Long Away', for instance, sounds like you used a Rickenbacker.
MAY: 'Long Away' is a Burns 12-string. I couldn't play Rickenbackers because the necks are too thin. I like a very fat and wide neck. My fingers only work in that situation. I always wanted to play a Rickenbacker - because John Lennon did. Roger collects extremely fucking rare guitars, and he has a Rickenbacker. But I can't play it. So, normally, I've used [the Red Special] for everything. The only other exception is 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' [the Game], where they forced me to use an ancient Telecaster that was lying around Musicland [recording studio] in Munich.
GW: What do you mean they "forced" you to use it?
MAY: Ah, [producer] Mack forced me. I told him, "Look, I can do this with my guitar, because the bridge pickup has certain tones that sound like a Telecaster." And he went, "You want it to sound like a Telecaster, use a Telecaster!"
GW: This may be a naive question, but what was your inspiration for writing 'Fat Bottomed Girls'?
MAY: I could give you a glib answer, couldn't I? But I think the chorus just popped into my head as a tune and a set of words. Same as 'Tie Your Mother Down' did. I didn't know what the hell 'Tie Your Mother Down' was supposed to mean, off the top of my head. But it became something that meant something: a teenage rebellion song. And 'Fat Bottomed Girls' became a song about the girls who help the spirits of the performers backstage, I suppose. The groupies or whatever. In light of what we were saying before about Freddie's sexual orientation, I remember thinking, "Freddie's going to have to sing this and I'm going to write it so you can take it any way you like. You can be into anything and this would still make sense." And I remember thinking, "This is kind of interesting: Why does everybody love casual sex with people that they otherwise wouldn't want to be with? Why does that mean so much to them? Where does it come from?" So some other words are about things that people will possibly remember from their youth.I saw a smile when Freddie was singing it, but we never talked about it. We didn't with our songs. Odd, isn't it? You'd think we would talk about our lyrics with each other, but we never did. It was kind of an unwritten law that you really didn't explain your lyrics to the other guys. But I wanted Freddie to be comfortable with it. And it's a fun song. But I still wonder how Freddie felt about it. I don't know if he knew that I wrote things to make it fun for him too. Delicate ground, isn't it?
GW: It's wonderful the way you married that lyric to a very folksy melody. It's almost like some old folk ballad - this character telling he story of the loss of his innocence at an early age.
MAY: It's a sort of swamp atmosphere, isn't it? I love that. I have a great affection for that song. And I played it in my own way when I was touring with Cozy and the boys. [the late drummer Cozy Powell anchored May's live band for the past five years.] And the girls enjoy it. They were not fat-bottomed. But they're definitely girls. I mean, there's loads I could say here. But that's probably enough for now.
GW: If Freddie hadn't died, do you think Queen would have continued?
MAY: I think so. I think we would be taking breaks, but I think we would have been soldiering on. And it probably would have been fun. But I think we all needed some kind of release from Queen. Along with the grief of Freddie's death, I did feel a certain sense of release. Because it's nice in some ways to find new ways of expressing yourself. And I've enjoyed that. I've enjoyed propelling myself down the road of singing. It's become one of the most important things that I try to do. But I think yes, if Queen were still there in the background, we would be coming back to it again and again. Because it was always stimulating to work with Freddie. Along with the difficulties of having to share the power, which we all felt, there was a certain magic there. The four of us had a balance. We were a real group. There was a great strength in the band.
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The Dr. Wallace Graham Breck Memorial Prize in Engineering Chemistry
Established in memory of Dr. Wallace Graham Breck, Sc.'50, M.Sc.'51, Ph.D. (Cantab.), brother and husband of the donors.
This Prize was established as a Memorial to Wally, to cause him to be remembered in part, as the Chair for 15 years of Undergraduate studies in Engineering Chemistry. He made a significant contribution to Queen's University and this Prize is a reminder that Dr. Wallace Breck is a person of considerable account in the history of the University.
My brother, who died in 2001 and after whom this Prize in named, was nearly six years my senior and had a considerable and positive influence on me during my formative years. When each of us had, in 1946, completed our wartime service, we applied as veterans for admission to Queen's University and were accepted.
Wally, as he was known, graduated from Queen's in 1950 from the Faculty of Applied Science in the Engineering Chemistry course and was awarded the Departmental Medal in Chemistry. He then went on to a Master's degree in 1951 on a CIL Fellowship and to Cambridge University in England on an Athlone Fellowship for his Ph.D., returning to Canada in 1954.
He taught for two years at the Royal Military College in Kingston and in 1956 became an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Queen's. He retired in 1983 at age 66 as Professor Emeritus. Wally taught many Physical Chemistry courses as well as first year general chemistry and later started a popular course in marine Chemistry. He was co-author of the text Chemistry for Science and Engineering. Wally took sabbaticals at the Scripps Institute in La Jolla, California and at the University of Queensland in Australia
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