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Home \ Our people \ About us \ Executive Team
Lisa Brennan
Lisa Brennan graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Health Science, a Graduate Diploma in Dietetics and an MBA.
Lisa has also successfully completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) course.
Lisa joins Senses Australia having been the Manager of Transition and Operational Planning at two major hospital projects, and more recently, as the Executive Director Child and Adolescent Community Health at the Department of Health leading several metro-wide reforms.
email: lisa.brennan@senses.org.au
Meghan Kerr
Executive Director Organisational Development & Business
A graduate of Edit Cowan University Meghan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management. Meghan joined Senses Australia in 2017 having more than 20 years’ experience in Human Resources and extensive business success in Organisation Development across a range of organisations and sectors.
Meghan is the Executive Director of Organisational Development and Business and also holds the position of Company Secretary.
Meghan brings a strong focus on organisational direction and culture, so that staff experience a positive and supportive environment to carry our vision and values into their work activities for the benefit of our clients, their families and carers.
email: meghan.kerr@senses.org.au
Matthew Wittorff
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS
Matthew Wittorff is responsible for all of Senses Australia's therapy services and support worker services.
Matthew has an undergraduate qualification of Bachelor of Physical and Health Education from the University of WA and a Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy) from Curtin University. He has post graduate qualifications of Master of Philosophy (Occupational Therapy) from Curtin University, Graduate Certificate of Not-for-Profit Leadership and Management from Notre Dame University and a Graduate Certificate of Business Administration from the University of WA. Matthew is currently enrolled in a PhD at Curtin University.
Matthew was a member of the 2016 Senses Australia Board Award winning team and was winner of the 2016 Aspire Scholarship.
Matthew has worked in the disability sector as an occupational therapist and then as a manager for over 15 years. Matthew is passionate about improving the lives of people with disability and ensuring services are evidenced-based, to ensure the best possible outcome.
email: matthew.wittorff@senses.org.au
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Inexperienced St. Mary’s men picked to finish 2nd to Gonzaga in WCC
Sporting Green // College Sports
Steve Kroner Oct. 18, 2018 Updated: Oct. 18, 2018 7:28 p.m.
Inexperienced St. Mary’s men picked to finish 2nd to...
1of5Saint Mary's Jordan Ford drives against Southeastern Louisiana's during Marlain Veal in 2nd quarter during NIT first round game in Moraga, Calif., on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle
2of5San Francisco Dons guard Frankie Ferrari (2) makes a play call during the first half of a basketball game between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in San Francisco, Calif.Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle
3of5San Francisco Dons guard Frankie Ferrari (2) shoots against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Killian Tillie (33) during the first half of a basketball game between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in San Francisco, Calif.Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle
4of5St. Mary's Men's basketball team took on Santa Clara University at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara, Calif. on January 11, 2018. Junior Guard KJ Feagin (#10) pushes the ball for the Broncos during the first half of action.Photo: Donald Jedlovec / Santa Clara University
5of5Jordan Ford (left), a preseason All-WCC selection, is one of only two top scorers to return for St. Mary’s.Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle 2017
LAS VEGAS — Last season, St. Mary’s received all nine possible first-place votes from the conference’s head coaches in the WCC preseason poll. This season, the Gaels got none — but they still earned a strong measure of respect.
Gonzaga landed nine first-place votes for the 2018-19 season in the poll announced Thursday, as part of the conference’s men’s basketball media day at the Orleans Arena. Though BYU received the remaining first-place vote (by process of elimination, it came from Gonzaga’s Mark Few), St.Mary’s still was picked to finish second, one spot ahead of the Cougars.
“I was a little surprised,” St. Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett said. “I think it’s based on what we’ve done the past 10 years. Just based on paper, I wouldn’t have picked us” second.
Only two of the Gaels’ top seven scorers — guard Jordan Ford (a preseason All-WCC selection) and swingman Tanner Krebs — return from last season’s team, which went 30-6 overall and 16-2 in the WCC. Seven of the 15 players on this roster did not play a minute for the Gaels last season.
St. Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett previews his team’s season.
Video: San Francisco Chronicle
“That’s a lot of new,” Bennett said. “… We’re going to see (inexperience) once the games start. We’ll see our youth there. It’s going to show up. We’ve just got to keep working, keep getting better and try to overcome that.”
USF, which went 22-17 and 9-9 last season, was fourth in the poll. Unlike the Gaels, the Dons are an experienced team, led senior point guard Frankie Ferrari, a preseason All-WCC choice.
“Boring, solid, efficient, mature” is how USF head coach Kyle Smith described his team. “That’s kind of what we preach. … We want to see these guys mature. We think maturity wins.”
Santa Clara (11-20, 8-10 last season) was slotted ninth.
Injuries have beset the Broncos in recent years and already have thinned this season’s roster. Starting guard Matt Hauser has given up his senior season because of a foot problem, incoming freshman Juan Ducasse endured a season-ending injury in August and senior forward Henrik Jadersten is recovering from a foot injury and probably won’t play until late November.
Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek discusses the Broncos’ progress in the preseason.
“Unfortunately, (injuries are) part of the game. It’s a part you can’t control,” Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek said.
He uses the term “NBA” to deal with the negative, saying, “What’s our Next Best Action? You can’t focus on what you cannot control, but given the present circumstances, what can we do to be the best we can?”
WCC coaches’ poll
First-place votes in parentheses
1. Gonzaga (9)
2. St. Mary’s
3. BYU (1)
4. USF
5. San Diego
6. Pacific
7. Loyola Marymount
8. Pepperdine
9. Santa Clara
10. Portland
All-WCC team
James Batemon, LMU, Sr. G
Yoeli Childs, BYU, Jr. F
KJ Feagin, Santa Clara, Sr. G
Frankie Ferrari, USF, Sr. G
Jordan Ford, St. Mary’s, Jr. G
Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga, Jr. F
Zach Norvell Jr., Gonzaga, So. G
Josh Perkins, Gonzaga, Sr. G
Isaiah Pineiro, San Diego, Sr. F
Killian Tillie, Gonzaga, Jr. F
The best Gonzaga can be is a national title contender. The Bulldogs placed four players on the All-WCC team: guards Zach Norvell Jr. and Josh Perkins, and forwards Rui Hachimura and Killian Tillie.
“If we take the steps that our other teams in the past have done, we could have a special year,” Few said. “But we’ve got to take those steps because if we don’t, we’ll just be a good team.”
Said Perkins: “We have a lot of pieces and a lot of talent … to be good no matter what, but if we really buy in and really do the little things that it takes to win a championship, then we can be great and we can make history for our school.”
Briefly: Santa Clara guard KJ Feagin also made the 10-man preseason All-WCC team. … Smith said guard Charles Minlend, who redshirted last season because of a shoulder injury, is on a minutes restriction — in part because of a knee problem — but should be ready to start the season. … At the outset of media day, each head coach and player used a microphone to introduce himself to the gathering. Sendek introduced himself as “Randy Bennett,” playing off their separated-at-birth looks.
Steve Kroner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: skroner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveKronerSF
Follow Steve on:
https://www.facebook.com/SFChronicle/stevekronersf
Steve Kroner’s main coverage beats for The San Francisco Chronicle’s Sporting Green are WCC basketball, the Giants and the A’s. He occasionally covers the NFL and college football, the NBA and golf. Steve, who joined The Chronicle in November 1998, also works as a copy editor. Before working at The Chronicle, he spent 16 years as a sports producer/reporter for KPIX TV. Born in San Francisco and raised in Millbrae, Steve went to Capuchino High and then to Cal, from which he graduated in 1981 with degrees in journalism and political science.
He lives in San Francisco.
Longtime Bay Area broadcaster Bob Fouts dies at 97
Cardinals bang out 14 hits, rip Giants
Giants President Larry Baer addresses team for first time since suspension
Giants overcome 3-run Colorado 9th against Will Smith, score 4 in 10th to win
Matt Chapman’s big night helps A’s top Mariners, Marco Gonzales
Giants starter Johnny Cueto expected to pitch in rehab games soon
A’s Stephen Piscotty makes good progress in return from knee injury
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Scotland's History: The last households on St Kilda in 1930
The 1930 Valuation Rolls record a snapshot of the remote island community of St Kilda before it was evacuated on 29 August 1930. St Kilda was Britain’s remotest settlement, lying more than 40 miles west of the Outer Hebrides off Scotland’s north-west coast.
Dugald Maclean, United Free Church missionary and Registrar of St Kilda with a young islander, April 1911
National Records of Scotland, GR05/324/80E
In 1930 Scotland's population stood at over 4.8 million, but on St Kilda there were just 36 islanders: 13 men, 10 women, 8 girls and 5 boys. They formed 10 households, leaving unoccupied 6 of the 16 single storey cottages that they rented from the landowner, Sir Reginald Macleod of Macleod. He lived at Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, and had recently become the laird after the death of his brother Norman in November 1929.
The St Kilda community was dwindling away. Three tenants were widows, and another three islanders not listed here were also widows. The widows and the three or four widowers mostly lived with one or two younger family members, or lived alone.
The decision to evacuate the island archipelago was taken because life there was becoming untenable. So many islanders had left that the traditional livelihoods of raising sheep for wool, spinning and weaving tweed, fishing, and harvesting of seabird eggs and oil, was much harder to sustain. The health and well-being of the St Kildans had also long been a concern, and some recent illnesses and the tragic deaths of two young women in 1930 underlined the islanders’ remoteness from adequate medical facilities.
Islanders and visitors at the St Kilda jetty, 1913
National Records of Scotland, GD1/713/1/5
The islanders continued to suffer as weather conditions often prevented adequate food supplies, as well as mail, from being delivered between autumn and spring. After a harsh winter, in May 1930 twenty islanders petitioned the government for resettlement on the mainland. The Scottish Office responded by making arrangements to evacuate the 36 islanders and their 1,500 sheep. Officials found forestry work for the men, and houses for all the islanders to live, mainly in Morvern near Oban, in Ross-shire and in Fife.
The islanders of St Kilda in the 1930 Valuation Roll
The only buildings listed in the roll are the sixteen houses in Main Street. Neither the factor’s house nor the minister’s manse were included. Some of the entries in the roll were out of date but they reveal the predicament the islanders found themselves in in 1930 almost as much as the names of the islanders still in residence. Some surnames have been changed in the following list to the spelling the people themselves used. The islanders' ages are taken from the list of evacuees in 1930, which can be seen in the website article mentioned at the end.
List of St Kilda households, Valuation Roll, 1930
National Records of Scotland, VR103/46/352
Norman MacKinnon. Married with five sons and three daughters, aged between 20 and 3 years, the MacKinnons were the largest family on the island. They suffered badly in the lean winter of 1929-30, and their wish to leave the island helped persuade others that they too would have to go in 1930.
Finlay MacQueen. He was the second-oldest man on the island, aged 67.
‘Heirs of William Macdonald’. House vacant. Macdonald died at his daughter Annie’s house at Uig, Lewis, in 1925, the year after he and his family left St Kilda.
Neil Ferguson junior. House vacant. Although listed as tenant of no. 4, Neil, aged 32, his wife Mary Ann, and daughter lived with his father at no. 5.
Neil Ferguson senior, aged about 54, was ‘ground officer’ or local agent for the laird, and earned money for running the post office from a tin shed next to his house. His valued rent, £4.17s.6d., was the highest on St Kilda.
House no.6
‘Heirs of Widow Ann Gillies’. House vacant. The aunt of Finlay Gillies at no. 7, she had died in 1925.
Finlay Gillies, was the oldest islander at the age of 72. He had lost two sons. Neil’s widow Catherine and two sons, Donald, 12, and Ewan, 8, lived with him. Finlay’s other widowed daughter-in-law, Annie, lived at no. 14.
Malcolm MacDonald. House vacant. Malcolm died in January 1929, and his daughter Annie had left before the evacuation.
John R MacDonald. Aged 57. Mrs Ewen Gillies and her daughter (no. 12) were said to be keeping house for him.
House no. 10
Donald MacQueen. House vacant. MacQueen had moved to Clydebank by around 1924. His sister Mary and her husband John Gillies were living in no. 10 around 1929-30, before John’s departure for Glasgow, and Mary’s subsequent death there in May 1930. Their son Norman stayed with his grandmother at no. 15.
Mrs Christina MacQueen, widow. Aged 60, she was the second oldest female islander.
‘Widow Ewen Gillies, for child’. House vacant. Ann Gillies was the widow of Ewen Gillies, who died falling over a cliff in 1916. Their marriage in 1912 produced a daughter Mary Ann, born in 1915. Both mother and daughter signed the petition for evacuation in 1930 as if living in this house, but were said to be living at no. 9, keeping house for John R MacDonald.
Donald Gillies. He lived with his wife Christina and daughters Kate, aged 11, and Rachel, 7. Rachel in fact enjoyed her eighth birthday on 8 July 1930, just weeks before she left St Kilda with her parents. She married Ronald Johnson in 1950, and was the last living native islander, dying aged 93 on 4 April 2016.
‘Widow Ann Gillies, for child’: Mrs Annie Gillies had lost her husband Donald, son of Finlay Gillies (no. 7) in 1921, her third daughter Christina (Chrissie) in 1925, and on 21 July 1930 her eldest daughter Mary died here of pthisis, a form of tuberculosis, aged 22. In 1930 Annie Gillies left the island with her surviving daughters Rachel Annie, aged 19, and Flora, aged 10.
‘Widow Ann Gillies and John Gillies’: Mrs Annie Gillies and her married son John. Her grandson Norman John Gillies was living with her in 1930 during his parents’ absence from no. 10. Having been rushed to hospital in Glasgow, on 26 May 1930 John’s wife died of complications after giving birth to a daughter, who also died.
Ewen MacDonald. Ewen, aged about 42,and his younger brother Lachlan, 24, were both single and lived with their widowed mother Rachel MacDonald, the oldest female islander. Their widowed sister Catherine Gillies lived at no. 7.
Learn more about the island's remarkable history in Stories from St Kilda, a special feature drawn from the national archives available through the NRS.
News: Valuation Rolls for 1940 Go Online
News Article: Highland and Island Emigration Society Records Released
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Judge sets date for hearing in Prince estate case
A judge has scheduled the closed hearing to take place next week
Judge sets date for hearing in Prince estate case A judge has scheduled the closed hearing to take place next week Check out this story on sctimes.com: http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/minnesota/2016/09/22/judge-sets-date-hearing-prince-estate-case/90868760/
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published 6:33 p.m. CT Sept. 22, 2016 | Updated 6:35 p.m. CT Sept. 22, 2016
Prince performs in 2011 on stage at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris.(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
CHASKA — A Minnesota judge has scheduled a closed hearing next week to deal with a dispute between potential heirs and the trust company overseeing the estate of the late rock superstar Prince.
The order from Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide says the trust company and “various presumed heirs” have been unable to agree on unspecified “confidential business agreements.”
His order, filed Thursday, doesn’t say what the dispute is about or which potential heirs are involved.
But it says oral arguments will be heard next Thursday, if any of the parties request them. Due to the nature of the matters to be addressed, he says, the hearing shall be closed to the general public and media.
The judge has kept many matters involving the estate’s business dealings confidential.
Read or Share this story: http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/minnesota/2016/09/22/judge-sets-date-hearing-prince-estate-case/90868760/
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A Seattle Coffee Slinger Defends His Title at the US Barista Championship
If Cole McBride wins, he’ll again represent the U.S. at the world championships in Boston
Chelsea Lin
Seattleite
CAFFEINE FIX: Barista champion Cole McBride is the mastermind behind the coffee menu at Ada’s Discovery Café, where you can order this espresso old fashioned, one of his award-winning drinks
This article appears in print in the March 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.
To call Cole McBride merely a barista degrades the scope of his talent—he prepares coffee in much the same way legendary Seattle bartender Murray Stenson creates cocktails, with a craft-forward, scratch-made approach. He moved to Seattle from Nashville in 2002 and started working in the coffee industry, like so many do, as a kid fresh out of school and in a new city. His first job was at Tully’s—and he didn’t even like coffee at first. The “aha moment,” as he describes it, came after a shot of espresso at Espresso Vivace. “It was the first time I had espresso that was sweet on its own. And that’s when I decided I wanted to be the best barista I could be.”
McBride has spent more than 16 years doing just that, rising through the ranks of local coffee shops. Last year, after seven years of competing in the United States Barista Championship (USBC), a national competition amongst the most skilled baristas, he took home the top prize. This month, he’ll defend his title at the USBC event in Kansas City. If he wins, he’ll again represent the U.S. at the world championships in Boston next month.
For the competition, baristas have 15 minutes to make and present three drinks: an espresso, a classic milk drink and a signature drink that, McBride explains, can contain anything other than controlled substances. He’s seen people pull shots into the briny water left behind in oyster shells or make mochas with bacon fat. His own award-winning creation last year involved yuzu zest, citric acid, dry ice and baker’s sugar. (You can try it now at Ada’s Discovery Café, where McBride is both manager and barista.)
Many winners “retire” from competing, but McBride—who admits to being a naturally competitive person—thinks he’s got a few years left. “I don’t have to win again to be done,” he says. “I just have to know I’m done.”
McBride swears he’s not picky when it comes to what to drink, but he really, really dislikes cold brew: “I would drink a cup of coffee at Denny’s before I’d drink a cup of cold brew.”
McBride’s preparation for the competition involves training in four-hour sessions, developing his drinks and then running through the whole presentation again and again, from three to five days per week for about 10 weeks. His coach is friend and fellow coffee connoisseur Patrick Oiye, whose job, McBride says, is “like an acting manager, personal trainer and sports coach rolled into one.”
Passion Project
McBride says winning such a prestigious competition has allowed him to draw attention to aspects of the industry that he thinks need to be changed—namely, the fact that baristas barely make a living wage. “I knew that making coffee would be part of my life career, but I never anticipated that making coffee could be the bulk of my job in terms of wages,” he says. “It’s not for a lot of people, and that needs to change.”
Best Places To Pick Berries Near Seattle
By: Kendall Upton
Check out these U-pick locations all over the region
Life on Mars Lands on Capitol Hill
With it: vinyl, vegan food and creative cocktails
Best Summertime Drinks for Everyone
By: A.J. Rathbun & Chelsea Lin
The top 10 refreshing beverages, with and without alcohol, to enjoy now
bars, Summer
5 Seattle Food Vendors You Must Try This Farmers' Market Season
By: Lena Beck
Now that we’re in the thick of farmers’ market season, these are the food vendor bites you shouldn’t miss
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Posts Tagged ‘Emile Hirsch’
TEN THOUSAND SAINTS – Trailer
Here is the trailer from the upcoming film “TEN THOUSAND SAINTS.” The film is directed by Camille Delamarre, starring Hailee Steinfeld, Asa Butterfield, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Nicholson, Avan Jogia, Emile Hirsch & Emily Mortimer.
In Theaters and On Demand August 14
Adapted from the novel by Eleanor Henderson, TEN THOUSAND SAINTS is a coming-of-age story about three teenagers in late 1980s New York City — Jude (Asa Butterfield), new to the city from Vermont, “straight-edge” musician Johnny (Emile Hirsch), and troubled, rich uptown girl Eliza (Hailee Steinfeld) — who break away from their messed up parents (Ethan Hawke and Emily Mortimer) to form their own surrogate family. Set in 1988, a time of great cultural upheaval – against the excesses of the decade, the AIDS epidemic and the gentrification of the city culminating in the infamous Tompkins Square Park riots — TEN THOUSAND SAINTS is a nostalgia trip to a bygone era of New York City.
Tags: Asa Butterfield, Avan Jogia, Emile Hirsch, Ethan Hawke, Hailee Steinfeld, Julianne Nicholson
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TWICE BORN Film Trailer
Here is the trailer from eONE Entertainment upcoming film TWICE BORN. The movie is directed by Sergio Castellitto, starring Penelope Cruz, Emile Hirsch, Adnan Haskovic, Saadet Aksoy and Pietro Castellitto.
TWICE BORN – In Theaters December 6, 2013
Gemma (Penelope Cruz) returns Sarajevo with her son, Pietro, after escaping the war-torn city sixteen years earlier. Diego (Emile Hirsch), Pietro’s father, remained behind and later died in the Bosnian conflict. As Gemma tries to repair her difficult relationship with Pietro, she also confronts her past.
Gemma first met and fell in love with Diego in Sarajevo. They desperately wanted children but she could not conceive. Amidst the siege of 1992, they found a possible surrogate and Gemma pushed her into Diego’s arms, only to be overwhelmed by guilt and jealousy.
Now, a revelation awaits Gemma – one that will force her to face the full extent of her loss, the true horror of war and the redemptive power of love.
Tags: Adnan Haskovic, Emile Hirsch, Penelope Cruz, Pietro Castellitto, Saadet Aksoy, Sergio Castellitto, TWICE BORN
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LONE SURVIVOR – Latest Film Trailer
Here is the new trailer for Universal Studios’ upcoming film “LONE SURVIVOR”. The movie is directed by Peter Berg, starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Eric Bana.
LONE SURVIVOR will be in theaters December 27, 2013
Tags: Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Eric Bana, LONE SURVIVOR, Mark Wahlberg, Peter Berg, Taylor Kitsch
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THE MOTEL LIFE Movie Trailer
Here is the trailer for the upcoming film “THE MOTEL LIFE”. The movie is directed by Alan Polsky and Gabe Polsky , starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson.
The Motel Life explores the intense bond between two brothers living on the fringes of Reno, Nevada. Orphaned early, they grew up depending on their big imaginations to escape the challenges of their transient life. When one of the brothers is involved in a fatal accident, it forces both of them to choose between running away or facing reality. It is a story of brotherhood, shared dreams and the redemptive power of hope.
Tags: Alan Polsky, Emile Hirsch, Gabe Polsky, Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Dorff, THE MOTEL LIFE
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Universal Pictures 2013 Fall Film Preview
Cast: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Jordi Mollà, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, Dave Bautista, Bokeem Woodbine, Raoul Trujillo, Nolan Gerard Funk
Directed by: David Twohy
Riddick, the latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000’s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004’s The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.
Release date: Sept. 20, 2013 (NYC and L.A.), Sept. 27 (Wide)
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Pierfrancesco Favino
Directed by: Ron Howard
Two-time Academy Award® winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon), teams once again with fellow two-time Academy Award® nominee, writer Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen), on Rush, a spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
The epic action-drama stars Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers) as the charismatic Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds) as the disciplined Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda, whose clashes on the Grand Prix racetrack epitomized the contrast between these two extraordinary characters, a distinction reflected in their private lives. Set against the sexy and glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing, Rush portrays the exhilarating true story of two of the greatest rivals the world has ever witnessed—handsome English playboy Hunt and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Lauda. Taking us into their personal lives on and off the track, Rush follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error. If you make one mistake, you die.
Also starring Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy) and Alexandra Maria Lara (The Reader), Rush is produced by Andrew Eaton (A Mighty Heart), Eric Fellner (Senna, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Brian Oliver (Black Swan), Morgan, Academy Award® winner Brian Grazer (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) and Morgan and executive produced by Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media, Tim Bevan and Todd Hallowell. Universal Pictures distributes the film in the United States.
Release date: November 1, 2013 (Limited Engagements), November 8 (Wide)
Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie
Directed by: Richard Curtis
At the age of 21, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) discovers he can travel in time…
The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim’s father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can’t change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life—so he decides to make his world a better place…by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think. Moving from the Cornwall coast to London to train as a lawyer, Tim finally meets the beautiful but insecure Mary (Rachel McAdams). They fall in love, then an unfortunate time-travel incident means he’s never met her at all. So they meet for the first time again—and again—but finally, after a lot of cunning time-traveling, he wins her heart. Tim then uses his power to create the perfect romantic proposal, to save his wedding from the worst best-man speeches, to save his best friend from professional disaster and to get his pregnant wife to the hospital in time for the birth of their daughter, despite a nasty traffic jam outside Abbey Road.
But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can’t save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere. There are great limits to what time travel can achieve, and it can be dangerous too. About Time is a comedy about love and time travel, which discovers that, in the end, making the most of life may not need time travel at all.
Richard Curtis is the writer of TV shows such as Not the Nine O’Clock News, Blackadder, Mr Bean and The Vicar of Dibley. His movies include Four Weddings and a Funeral; Notting Hill; Bridget Jones’s Diary; and Love Actually and The Boat That Rocked, which he also directed. Most recently, he co-wrote the screenplay for War Horse.
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Cast: Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau, Monica Calhoun, Melissa De Sousa
After nearly 15 years apart, Taye Diggs (television’s Private Practice), Nia Long (Soul Food), Morris Chestnut (Kick-Ass 2), Harold Perrineau (Zero Dark Thirty), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) Sanaa Lathan (Contagion), Monica Calhoun (Love & Basketball), Melissa De Sousa (Miss Congeniality) and Regina Hall (Scary Movie franchise) reprise their career-launching roles in The Best Man Holiday, the long-awaited next chapter to the film that ushered in a new era of comedy. When the college friends finally reunite over the Christmas holidays, they will discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be ignited.
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano and Rinko Kikuchi
Directed by: Carl Rinsch
Keanu Reeves makes an explosive return to action-adventure in 47 Ronin. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, 47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honor to their people. Driven from their homes and dispersed across the land, this band of Ronin must seek the help of Kai (Reeves)—a half-breed they once rejected—as they fight their way across a savage world of mythic beasts, shape-shifting witchcraft and wondrous terrors.
As this exiled, enslaved outcast becomes their most deadly weapon, he will transform into the hero who inspires this band of outnumbered rebels to seize eternity.
Helmed by director Carl Rinsch (The Gift), 47 Ronin is produced by Scott Stuber (Ted, Identity Thief), Pamela Abdy (Identity Thief, upcoming Endless Love) and Eric McLeod (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Austin Powers series).
LONE SURIVOR
Release Date: In select theaters December 27, 2013 / Everywhere January 10, 2014
Directed by: Peter Berg
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and Eric Bana
Lone Survivor, starring Mark Wahlberg, tells the story of four Navy SEALs on an ill-fated covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative who are ambushed by enemy forces in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Based on the The New York Times bestseller, this story of heroism, courage and survival directed Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) also stars Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and Eric Bana.
Tags: 47 Ronin, ABOUT TIME, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ben Foster, Bill Nighy, Bokeem Woodbine, Carl Rinsch, Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Dave Bautista, David Twohy, Domhnall Gleeson, Emile Hirsch, Eric Bana, Harold Perrineau, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jordi Molla, Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff, keanu reeves, Ko Shibasaki, LONE SURIVOR, Malcolm D. Lee, Margot Robbie, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Nable, Melissa De Sousa, Monica Calhoun, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Nolan Gerard Funk, Olivia Wilde, Peter Berg, Pierfrancesco Favino, Rachel McAdams, Raoul Trujillo, Regina Hall, Richard Curtis, Riddick, Rinko Kikuchi, Ron Howard, Rush, Sanaa Lathan, Tadanobu Asano, Taye Diggs, Taylor Kitsch, Terrence Howard, The Best Man Holiday, Tom Hollander, Vin Diesel
Posted in Fall Previews, Movie Release Dates, Movies | Comments Off on Universal Pictures 2013 Fall Film Preview
LONE SURVIVOR Movie Trailer
Here is the theatrical trailer for Universal Studios’ upcoming film “LONE SURVIVOR”. The movie is directed by Peter Berg, starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Eric Bana.
Posted in Movie Trailers, Movies | Comments Off on LONE SURVIVOR Movie Trailer
SAVAGES Film Trailer
Sunday, April 8th, 2012
Here is the trailer from Universal Pictures’ upcoming film SAVAGES. The movie is directed by Oliver Stone, starring Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch, Demian Bichir.
SAVAGES opens in theaters July 6, 2012.
Three-time Oscar®-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone returns to the screen with the ferocious thriller Savages, featuring the all-star ensemble cast of Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch and Demian Bichir. The film is based on Don Winslow’s best-selling crime novel that was named one of The New York Times’ Top 10 Books of 2010.
Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry—raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town…until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them.
When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Hayek), and her brutal enforcer, Lado (Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon—with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (Travolta)—wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.
Tags: Aaron Johnson, Benicio Del Toro, Blake Lively, Demian Bichir, Emile Hirsch, John Travolta, Oliver Stone, Salma Hayek, Savages, Taylor Kitsch, Uma Thurman
THE DARKEST HOUR First Look
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
Here a first look image from Summit Entertainment’s upcoming film, THE DARKEST HOUR. The action/thriller is directed by Chris Gorak, starring Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael Taylor and Joel Kinnaman.
THE DARKEST HOUR hits theaters December 23, 2011.
THE DARKEST HOUR follows five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack. The 3D action-thriller highlights the classic beauty of Moscow alongside mind-blowing special effects from the minds of visionary filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (WANTED, NIGHT WATCH) and director Chris Gorak.
Tags: Chris Gorak, Emile Hirsch, Joel Kinnaman, Max Minghella, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, The Darkest Hour
Posted in Movie Stills, Movies | No Comments »
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Data trail easy to follow for Big Brother
Policy changes could mean the end of online privacy, write Dylan Welch and Ben Grubb.
July 21, 2012 — 3.00am
Roxon doubts over security plans to store web history
"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place.''
Thus spake the world's First Digital Citizen, Google supremo Eric Schmidt, during an American television interview in 2009.
Illustration: michaelmucci.com
Unsurprisingly, it provoked outrage when it was uttered, not least because Schmidt himself once blacklisted an online media company for publishing details of his private life gleaned from Google searches.
Last week, when the Attorney-General's Department released a discussion paper canvassing the concept of a regime of mandatory online data retention as part of a parliamentary inquiry, it provoked a similarly outraged response here.
''Private companies … will buy it, lobby for it, steal it, abuse legal process for it, and then datamine it to sell things to you, fine you, target you, and generally profile you,'' wrote online commenter Simon K in a response to Fairfax's story last week.
''Let law enforcement make their case and let the courts issue a warrant before they go digging in our activities. That way there will be at least one layer of checks and balances.''
''The internet was supposed to be about the free sharing of information and ideas. Now it is to become the big vacuum cleaner of everyone's private data, vices and thoughts,'' wrote Rogan another online commenter.
Simon K and Rogan were far from the only people opposed to the concept. The online comments beneath the story were overwhelming in their rejection of the plan. Of the 24,000 people who voted in an online Fairfax poll asking if the government should force telcos to store telephone and internet data, 96 per cent were opposed.
And as the digital world becomes increasingly ubiquitous, what happens to the data trail people leave online - every day humans create two-and-a-half quintillion, or a thousand thousand trillion, bytes of data - becomes an increasingly important question.
The Australian Privacy Foundation says Australia is per capita home to more data interception than almost anywhere in the world.
No surprise then that the battle lines are already being drawn between the desire of Australia's law enforcement security agencies to have access to the data, and the privacy lobby which believes such a move would be yet one more step towards the establishment of an omnipresent surveillance state.
The wholesale retention of the online history of Australians was first publicised in June 2010 when one of the authors of this article discovered telcos were being called into secret meetings with government about the issue.
It builds a massive dossier on everyone at millisecond resolution, and creates more work and challenges for law enforcement to catch actual criminals.
Andrew Lewman, Tor's executive director
According to a document provided to internet service providers (ISPs), the agencies were seeking data that could identify where Australians had been on the internet, something many ISPs don't currently store. The agencies were also making other demands, such as getting internet companies to store a customer's passport number.
At the time, the Attorney-General's Department did everything it could to prevent public discussion of the issue. When Fairfax made a freedom of information application for a key document that year, it was provided almost totally blacked out to prevent, says the department, ''premature unnecessary debate''.
(Fairfax has since obtained an uncensored version and it confirms what industry has long been saying - the agencies want the telcos to retain the online history of every Australian.)
The Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, is quick to make clear even the government is far from convinced by the agencies' arguments.
''We do really have some genuine questions about how far should the powers go, what's the expense, what's the likely return,'' she told Fairfax this week.
Roxon says she wants the issue to be fully ventilated during the inquiry of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, announced last week.
''My thinking is that the committee will test, in some cases, these broad concepts. The recommendations that they make back to the government we'll then consider.
''The government will then still draft exposure legislation, so there'll be another round of engagement. I don't think people need to worry that there'll be an attempt to keep it above their heads.''
Roxon also says she expects the greatest hurdle will not be the privacy debate, but the discussion over who will have to bear the cost of a data retention regime, which would represent a big financial burden on the telecommunications industry.
She also says legislation in Australia would be impractical if other countries didn't also introduce parallel legislation, given that the world's biggest internet companies operate internationally.
''Some of the business will be able to implement appropriate standards if they can do one [regime] across the whole world, but if they have to do different ones it becomes a bigger burden.''
One of the most vocal proponents of the scheme is the national manager of the Australian Federal Police's High Tech Crime Centre, Neil Gaughan.
A plain-speaking cop who has spent years being frustrated with recalcitrant internet companies who are slow - sometimes unwilling - to provide the data his officers need to pursue alleged paedophiles, terrorists and organised criminals, he is aware this is his chance to get the regulatory system he needs to operate in a rapidly changing world.
He notes that the main instrument which guides what his officers can and can not do online - the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act - was created in 1979 when the internet was science fiction.
''We all get the privacy concerns, but we're in a different operating environment now than we were in 1979 and we need to move with the times.
''If there's a cost-sharing arrangement organised by the Parliament we'll wear it; but from our perspective data retention is a must. We seriously would not be able to do the majority of investigations without it.''
As the telcos have moved towards billing their clients solely for the amount of data they use, they have been keeping less and less records of exactly what they are doing. That presents a huge problem for law enforcement, he says.
He also understands the concerns of the privacy lobby, he says, and accepts that needs to be taken into consideration.
''I'm aware that by asking for this additional information to be retained there potentially needs to be additional oversight or accountability [placed] on us and other agencies about how we deal with this information. We understand that.
''But I think the privacy lobby needs to be aware that if we don't have some kind of data retention regime we're not going to have the same success in law investigations that we currently have.
''There is a big risk that we will in the future not be able to undertake even basic investigations.''
For the industry, the data retention proposal is yet more proof that internet companies are increasingly being treated as a one-stop shop by government for dealing with issues faced in the digital age.
The Internet Industry Association's chief executive, Peter Lee, is of that view and believes the government is not being clear about the data it wanted internet service providers to store in its discussion paper.
''What data are we actually talking about? It could mean a broad gamut of things. That definitely needs to be defined if you're talking about data retention. It needs to be clear about what type of data we're talking about.''
In response, Mr Gaughan says it is clear what data they are seeking. ''What we're asking for is the telecommunications data about the process of the communication as distinct from its content,'' he says.
In layman's language, that would mean the data that shows from and to whom an email was sent, when and how, but not what was written in the email.
When agencies want the content data, that would be done under the regime of applying to the courts for warrants, which is already in place, he says.
The chief regulatory officer for one of Australia's larger ISPs, iiNet, Steve Dalby, says his main concern with the data retention proposal is the privacy and security risks associated with its implementation.
Industry will find it particularly challenging to guarantee the security and privacy of Australian internet users' web history data, he says, particularly considering the cost burden.
And even if it goes ahead, he doubts its efficacy. He says criminals would be able to ensure their web history was not logged using readily available software online, such as the increasingly popular free software called The Onion Router, or Tor.
Tor makes it virtually impossible for someone to establish where an internet connection begins by threading the connection through a dizzying series of of digital tunnels.
''Whether it's internet filtering or surveillance, genuine bad guys will put a lot of effort into committing a crime and will find ways or means to avoid detection,'' Dalby says.
''It doesn't matter if they are committing copyright infringement or doing something a bit more horrible like dealing with child pornography or terrorism.''
Tor's executive director, Andrew Lewman, said he was opposed to mandatory data retention for a number of reasons.
''It sounds good and something sexy that politicians should get behind. However, it doesn't stop crime,'' he said in an email interview with the Herald.
''[Instead], it builds a massive dossier on everyone at millisecond resolution, and creates more work and challenges for law enforcement to catch actual criminals. The problem isn't too little data, the problem is there is already too much data.''
He said that creating a detailed record of everything everyone did online would become a huge target for everyone from advertisers to identity crime rings.
''It will also help future witch-hunts for people doing acceptable things today, but at some point in the future, these activities might seem suspect,'' Lewman said.
Submissions to the parliamentary inquiry into potential reforms of National Security Legislation close on August 20.
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SMU Experts
SMU Research
Featured News & Experts /
Jenia I. Turner appointed to endowed Centennial Professorship at SMU Dedman School of Law
DALLAS (SMU) – Professor Jenia Iontcheva Turner has been appointed Amy Abboud Ware Centennial Professor in Criminal Law for her outstanding contributions as a teacher and scholar in the field of criminal justice. Professor Turner is a prolific scholar, a distinguished teacher, and a sought-after expert, both nationally and internationally, on criminal justice issues.
Professor Turner joined SMU Dedman School of Law in 2004. Before joining SMU, Professor Turner served as a Bigelow Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School. She attended law school at Yale, where she was a Coker Fellow and articles editor for the Yale Law Journal ;and the Yale Journal of International Law.
“I am deeply honored with the professorship and grateful for the Wares’ extraordinarily generous contribution to the law school,” said Professor Jenia Turner. “It is inspiring to see alumni who have achieved success in the legal world decide to give back to SMU. Amy Abboud Ware’s many accomplishments in the field of criminal law make this professorship in her name all the more fitting. Personally, receiving this honor further motivates me to continue doing the work I love—teaching and researching about criminal justice issues, both in the United States and abroad. I will do my best to see that the Wares’ generosity pays dividends in the form of a more vibrant intellectual community for our faculty and students.”
The professorship was endowed by Amy Abboud Ware ’90 and Les Ware ’92 as a gift to the law school and the city of Dallas.
“Great cities need great universities, and great universities need great professors,” said Amy Ware. “Great professors don’t just make the school a better place. They make the city a better place and are a resource to our larger community.” Both Amy and Les were undergrads at SMU before earning their law degrees from Dedman Law, and their bond with SMU is deep. “SMU has given us so much – our education, our livelihood, our friends, “says Amy. “SMU specializes in relationships.”
“Amy and Les Ware understand that support for faculty positions ensures that SMU Dedman Law will be able to attract and retain the very best scholars and teachers to our law faculty,” said Jennifer Collins, Judge James Noel Dean, SMU Dedman School of Law. “I am so delighted that their generosity has enabled us to recognize Professor Turner’s truly outstanding contributions, both to the law school and to the larger national and international conversations surrounding criminal justice. The Wares’ gift is indeed inspirational, and we are deeply grateful for their ongoing support.”
Southern Methodist University is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls approximately 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools.
The School of Law at SMU was founded in 1925. It was named Dedman School of Law in 2001 in honor of Dallas benefactors Nancy and Robert H. Dedman, Sr., and their family. SMU Dedman Law enjoys a national and international reputation of distinction. It is among the most competitive law schools in the country for admission, as well as one of the most successful in the placement of its graduates.
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Scottish Premiership Shirts, Jerseys, Shorts, Socks & Kits
Are you a devoted supporter of the Rangers or Celtics? Then look no further for all your Scottish Premiership Shirts. Show off your pride by purchasing any of the sportswear ranges available here at Soccer Box. With a range of children’s and adult’s sizes available, you are sure to find the best fit for you or your loved one. Take advantage of our speedy international delivery options today. Keep your eyes peeled for out exclusive discount codes and reductions on previous seasons stock.
Glasgow Celtic Kids Home Shorts 2017/18
Glasgow Celtic Home Shorts 2017/18
Glasgow Rangers Home Shirt 2017/18
/Club Teams/Scottish Premiership
Get the Official Scottish Premiership Shirts from Soccer Box
Football in Scotland has undergone many changes since the Scottish Football League (SFL) was originally founded in 1890. In 1998 the top-tier of football broke away and the Scottish Premier League (SPL) was founded. However, in 2013 the SFL and SPL once again merged to form the Scottish Professional Football League and as it is known at the time of writing the Scottish Premiership was founded. The Premiership is the top-tier of football in Scotland, and here you can shop for football shirts from some of the league’s most popular clubs.
Twelve teams compete each season in the Scottish Premiership. As a much smaller league than their European counterparts the allocation of games and format of the league is different. In the first part of the season each team plays every other team in the league three times. After each team has played their 33 fixtures the league splits into a top and bottom 6.
The clubs in the top and bottom six then play the other teams in there half of the league once, creating a further five fixtures. Points are carried over, but the split is fixed at this point, the top 6 can only move between placements 1-6, and the bottom teams can only move between placements 7-12.
After all 38 games are played the team sitting first in the Scottish Premiership table wins the title. The team in 12th place is relegated and the 11th placed team plays a play-off with the 2nd placed team in the Scottish Championship, the winner of this play-off fixture secured the right to play in the top-flight of Scottish football the following season.
Scottish Premiership Teams
The two biggest football teams in Scotland are undoubtedly Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers. Rangers had always played in the top-flight of Scottish football until liquidation resulted in their demotion to the 4th tier of football. Over the subsequent season’s the club has had to play it’s way back into the top-tier, which they finally secured for the 2016/17 campaign. Needless to say, with such history and ambition we stock the official Puma Glasgow Rangers football shirts.
Since the inception of the Scottish Premiership in 2013 Glasgow Celtic has won every trophy. However, it is expected that with the re-admittance of Rangers to the top-flight stiff competition will once again ensue between these two rival clubs. You can of course shop for your official New Balance Celtic home, away and third jerseys here at Soccer Box.
Purchasing from Soccer Box
We are supplied directly by the manufacturer ensuring that you are shopping for genuine football shirts, made to the highest quality and under club license. Take this opportunity to pick up your Scottish Premiership shirts and team accessories while supplies last. We aim to keep our prices low, and we offer worldwide shipping options. So don’t delay, place your order online today.
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Glasgow Celtic 2 items
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Cineworld is coming to Weston-super-Mare: Here’s how to get a job and when it will open
It will feature eight state-of-the-art screens showing the latest Hollywood releases
James WoodReporter
There are around 30 jobs up for grabs at Cineworld in Weston-super-Mare, which is due to open its doors for the first time in January.
The cinema is being built in the new leisure centre at Dolphin Square.
It will feature eight state-of-the-art screens showing the latest Hollywood releases, as well as pick ‘n’ mix and Baskin Robbins ice cream counters.
How can I get a job?
Cineworld will be hosting an open day for prospective employees on Saturday, November 11.
People are asked to meet at the Winter Gardens Pavilion on the Royal Parade. The open drop-in session will run between 9.30am and 4.30pm.
The recruitment day will offer visitors the opportunity to find out more about careers at Cineworld, as well as ask company staff questions and apply directly.
For those unable to make the recruitment day, it is also possible to apply online at www.cineworld.co.uk/careers from Sunday, 12 November.
All the latest Weston-super-Mare news
Landlord attacked during burglary
Woman discovers mouldy onion
Police nail power tool thief
Human waste all over garden
This room could have a dark secret
Possible hospital merger
Takeaway restaurants in Weston ranked
Horror crash in Weston town centre
What does Cineworld have to say?
Emma Poppleton, Cineworld Weston-super-Mare General Manager, said: “Cineworld is delighted to be bringing more jobs to the region with the launch of its first cinema in Weston-super-Mare.
“Cineworld is a brilliant company to work for with great career prospects and opportunity for progression - I first started as a team member and the fact I’ve been with the company for nine years is testament to that.
“We encourage locals and film fans alike to visit us at the recruitment day and find out about opportunities available.”
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Home » 4 OLDEST WIMBLEDON FEMALE CHAMPIONS OF THE OPEN ERA
by Amir Rashid 3rd July 2019
The lawns of Wimbledon were opened in 1884 for the Women’s competition. Since then many legendary women have written and re-written history on the grass of SW-19. We take back to look at 4 oldest female champions at Wimbledon in the Open Era.
4. BILLIE JEAN KING
(image facebook)
This American superstar of the 1960’s and 1970’s won a staggering 39 total Grand Slam titles in her career. Among her total trophies 12 came in Singles, 16 in Doubles and 11 in Mixed Doubles. Billie Jean won 6 Wimbledon titles in her career.
The last of them came in 1975 when Billie was 31 years and 223 days old. This made her one of the few greats to win Grand Slams in the later part of her career and display her longevity in tennis.
3. VIRGINA WADE
She was the last British woman to have won Wimbledon and the search for a next Brit female Champion at SW-19 still continues at SW-19. Wade won 3 singles Grand Slams in her career along with 4 doubles.
The Brit star won Wimbledon in 1970 in doubles. Her singles win at SW-19 came in 1975. She was the 31 years and 363 days old, becoming one of the oldest champions on the grass courts of SW-19.
2. MARTINA NAVRATILOVA
Navratilova is the regarded greatest female Wimbledon of all time. She has won 9 titles at the Centre Court of SW-19 in singles. The Czech born player also won 7 Wimbledon doubles trophies.
The last of Martina’s singles titles at Wimbledon came in 1990 when she was 34 years and 268 days old. Martina set an example of fitness and longevity in her career as she played professional tennis till the age of 50 and had a 31 year long career.
1. SERENA WILLIAMS
By the time her career ends, Serena could write her name as the holder of most Grand Slams. The younger Williams sister has won 23 Slams in her 2 decade long career and is trying hard to equate Margaret Court’s record of 24 Majors.
Serena has won 7 Wimbledon titles in her career so fat. The last of them came in 2016 when she was 34 years and 289 days old. Serena would be going for her 8th title win at SW-19 this July. This would add more records to her already impressive resume
Serena WilliamsTennisWIMBLEDON FEMALEwomen tennis
India Back On Track, Oust Bangladesh From Cricket World Cup 2019
Top 5 Goals of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Which Show His Form And Class
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Social SecuritySEARCH
State Statistics, December 2003
You are here: Social Security Administration > Research, Statistics & Policy Analysis > State Statistics, December 2003
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The Social Security program—Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI)—provides monthly benefits to workers and their families when the worker retires, dies, or becomes disabled. The amount of the worker's retirement insurance (old-age) or disability benefit is based on the worker's level of earnings in employment or self-employment covered by the Social Security program. Monthly benefits are payable to retired workers at age 62 (with reduced benefits) or to disabled workers at any age. The benefit amount for an auxiliary or survivor beneficiary is based on a percentage of the worker's benefit. Auxiliary and survivor beneficiaries must generally meet an age, disability, or child care requirement.
A total of 47,053,140 persons received benefits for December 2003. This number included 29,547,530 retired workers, 4,898,040 widows and widowers, 5,867,460 disabled workers, 2,773,630 wives and husbands, and 3,966,480 children. Social Security beneficiaries represented 15.8 percent of the total population and 90.8 percent of the population aged 65 or older.
Retired workers received an average monthly benefit of $922; widows and widowers, $866 (nondisabled widows and widowers, $888); disabled workers, $862; and wives and husbands of retired and disabled workers, $450. Average benefits for children of retired, deceased, and disabled workers were $446, $603, and $254, respectively.
Monthly benefits for December 2003 totaled $39.6 billion. Of this amount, $28.7 billion was paid to retired workers and their spouses and children, $5.4 billion to survivors, and $5.5 billion to disabled workers and their spouses and children. Average and total monthly benefits include the 2.1 percent cost-of-living increase effective December 2003.
In Colorado, benefits were paid to 559,130 persons. This number included 356,610 retired workers, 55,650 widows and widowers, 66,740 disabled workers, 36,940 wives and husbands, and 43,190 children. Social Security beneficiaries represented 12.2 percent of the total population of the state and 91.5 percent of the state's population aged 65 or older.
Retired workers in Colorado received an average of $902 per month; widows and widowers, $874; disabled workers, $855; and wives and husbands of retired and disabled workers, $455. Average benefits for children were $475 for children of retired workers, $632 for children of deceased workers, and $268 for children of disabled workers.
Monthly benefits for December 2003 totaled $465 million. Of this amount, $340 million was paid to retired workers and their spouses and children, $62 million to survivors, and $62 million to disabled workers and their spouses and children.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a federal cash assistance program that provides monthly payments to low-income aged, blind, and disabled persons in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The program is based on nationally uniform eligibility standards and payment levels. The federal SSI payment is determined by the recipient's countable income, living arrangement, and marital status. As of January 2004, the maximum monthly federal SSI payment for an individual living in his or her own household and with no other countable income is $564, and for a couple, $846.
A state may supplement the payment levels of all or selected categories of recipients. These supplemental payments may be administered by the state or the Social Security Administration.
In December 2003, 6,902,364 persons received federally administered SSI payments: 1,232,778 were aged and 5,669,586 were disabled or blind. A total of 1,989,737 recipients were aged 65 or older, 3,953,248 were aged 18 to 64, and 959,379 were under 18.
The total number of persons receiving a Social Security payment, a federally administered SSI payment, or both was 51,534,142. Federally administered payments totaled $3.1 billion in December 2003: $2.7 billion in federal SSI payments and $357 million in state supplements. The average federally administered payment was $417. Aged persons averaged $342, and disabled and blind persons, $433.
In addition, 551,469 persons in 31 states received state-administered payments in December 2003 that totaled $68.6 million.
In Colorado, 53,988 persons—8,537 aged and 45,451 disabled and blind—received federally administered SSI payments in December 2003. A total of 13,643 recipients were aged 65 or older, 33,765 were aged 18 to 64, and 6,580 were under 18.
Federal SSI payments totaled $21.7 million. The average federal payment was $371 overall: $289 for aged recipients and $386 for disabled and blind recipients. In addition, 31,292 persons in Colorado received state-administered supplementation in December 2003 that totaled $6.6 million.
In December 2003, the total number of persons in Colorado receiving a Social Security benefit, a federally administered SSI payment, or both was 593,577.
Earnings and Employment Data
Nationally, in 2002, the latest year for which state data are available, an estimated 153.8 million persons worked in employment that was covered under the Social Security (Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI)) program. They earned $4.2 trillion in Social Security taxable earnings. Employees, employers, and the self-employed paid a total of $526 billion in Social Security taxes to the OASI and DI trust funds.
In Colorado in 2002, an estimated 2.4 million residents worked in employment covered under the Social Security program. They had $68.73 billion in Social Security taxable earnings. Employees, employers, and the self-employed paid a total of $8.52 billion in Social Security taxes.
Nationally, in 2002, the latest year for which state data are available, an estimated 157.5 million persons worked in employment that was covered under the Medicare (Hospital Insurance, or HI) program. They earned $5.1 trillion in Medicare taxable earnings. Employees, employers, and the self-employed paid a total of $149 billion in Medicare taxes to the HI trust fund.
In Colorado in 2002, an estimated 2.55 million residents worked in employment covered under the Medicare program. They had $87.16 billion in Medicare taxable earnings. Employees, employers, and the self-employed paid a total of $2.53 billion in Medicare taxes.
SOURCE: The data are from the Social Security Administration's administrative files. Program data for Social Security are from the Master Beneficiary Record, 10 percent sample; data for SSI are from the Supplemental Security Record, 100 percent data, and data reported by individual states; earnings and employment data are from the Master Earnings File, 1 percent sample.
Previous: California Top of page Table of contents Next: Connecticut
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Champion wants to teach his skills in Australia
Published: Thursday, 14 May 2015 15:50
Saeid, 25, is a champion in wrestling and judo and since being granted a work visa while he seeks asylum in Australia he hopes to find employment that will allow him to train other athletes in his chosen sports. Saeid was a judo champion in his birth country Iran, but switched to wrestling when he arrived in Australia. Saeid has trained for five hours most days since.
Saeid, in blue, in a wrestling match.
Saeid said he started learning judo in Iran at age 12 or 13. “There was a judo gym close to my home,” he said. “I always wondered why guys went there. My friend said to me, ‘you can come with me and try it’, so I started training there every night.”
Saeid was 18 years old when he joined Iran’s national judo team. But it became unsafe for him in Iran, and he had to escape the country at age 23.
About two years ago he arrived in Australia to seek asylum, and he is currently living in the community while his claim for refugee status is assessed.
“Here in Australia my friend Mohamed [another SSI client from Iran] who does wrestling taught me many techniques about wrestling” Saeid said. “Judo and wrestling are very similar.”
Saeid practiced the new sport for eight months before entering his first competition. In his first competition, the Canberra Cup, he won one gold and one silver medal. And in the second one, in Sydney, he won silver.
Rigorous training and a high-protein diet helped Saeid get to where he is in the sport. “I do wrestling three times a week and other types of sport for about five hours a day: boxing; kick-boxing; judo. Sometimes by myself. Sometimes with my friends,” he said.
“I drink too much water, maybe six litres a day. I eat lots of tuna and chicken breast, foods like cucumber and tomato, and take 100% protein powder. Low carb, high protein.”
Despite his success so far in wrestling, Saeid said he had been missing judo. “Judo is top of all the sports. It’s my favourite one. It’s very good for health, it makes a nice body and it’s a nice sport.”
He was happy to find a judo gym two weeks ago. “The coach there said to me, you can go very well, you can go in big competition,” Saeid said. “When I get my judo clothing, I will start again.”
Saeid credited sport with keeping his mind as well as body healthy over these years while his visa status has been uncertain. “I love sport. I love training,” he said. “It’s helpful for me. And maybe, now that I have been granted a work visa, if I get a job training I can help someone else.”
Hameed's Story
My name is Hameed Cina. My life in Australia today is the life of a normal citizen, ordinary by any standard. I’m married, I have two young daughters and I have a good job that I love. I also volunteer a lot of my free time for my community. But the way in which I arrived at this point in my life was definitely not ordinary.
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Restaurants›
Mexico: fast food restaurants 2019, by region
Number of fast food restaurants in selected regions in Mexico as of April 2019 (in 1,000s)
by Ana Maria Rios Montanez, last edited May 9, 2019
This statistic presents the number of fast food restaurants in selected regions in Mexico as of April 2019. According to the data, Edoméx was the region with the highest number of restaurants, with a total of 6,036.
Number of restaurants in thousands
As of April 2019
It includes burger, pizza, hot dogs, and fried chicken restaurants
The source does not provide a date of survey. The date provided is the publication date.
Most valuable fast food brands worldwide in 2018
McDonald's: ad spend in the U.S. 2009-2017
McDonald's: ad spend 2014-2018
McDonald's: brand value 2006-2018
Statistics on "Quick service restaurant brands: McDonald's"
Advertising spending
Leading companies worldwide in 2018, by brand value (in billion U.S. dollars)Brand value of the most valuable companies worldwide in 2018
Brand value of the 10 most valuable fast food brands worldwide in 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)Most valuable fast food brands worldwide in 2018
McDonald's global brand value from 2006 to 2018 (in billion U.S. dollars)McDonald's: brand value 2006-2018
Leading chain restaurants in the United States in 2018, by sales (in billion U.S. dollars)Sales of the leading chain restaurants in the U.S. in 2018
Leading quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains in the United States in 2018, by systemwide sales (in billion U.S. dollars)Leading quick-service restaurant chains in the U.S. in 2018, by systemwide sales
Leading quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains in the United States in 2017, by sales per unit (in million U.S. dollars)Leading quick-service restaurant chains in the U.S. in 2017, by sales per unit
Leading quick service restaurant (QSR) chains in the United States in 2017, by number of units Leading quick service restaurant chains in the U.S. in 2017, by number of units
Advertising spending of selected restaurant chains in the United States in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)Ad spend of selected restaurants in the U.S. 2017
McDonald's Corporation's advertising costs from 2014 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)McDonald's: ad spend 2014-2018
McDonald's Corporation advertising spending in the United States from 2009 to 2017 (in billion U.S. dollars)McDonald's: ad spend in the U.S. 2009-2017
Advertising spending of McDonald's in Brazil in 2017 and 2018 (in million Brazilian reals)Brazil: McDonald's advertising spending 2017-2018
Share of Americans who visited McDonald's in the past 3 months in 2018, by ageShare of Americans who visited McDonald's 2018, by age
American customer satisfaction index scores for limited-service restaurant chains in the United States from 2006 to 2018*American customer satisfaction index: limited-service restaurants U.S. 2006-2018
American customer satisfaction index scores of McDonald's restaurants in the United States from 2000 to 2018*American customer satisfaction index: McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. 2000-2018
Service attributes in McDonald's drive-thrus in the United States as of October 2018Service attributes in McDonald's drive-thrus in the U.S. as of October 2018
Frequency of eating at McDonald's among millennials in Germany in 2018, compared to the populationFrequency of eating at McDonald's among millennials Germany 2018
Share of consumers who eat McDonald's in an average six months across Australia as at March 2018, by generationShare of consumers who eat McDonalds in Australia 2018 by generation
Number of orders of selected types of food in restaurants in the U.S. in 2014
Brazil: number of outlets of leading restaurant chains 2016
Brazil: sales revenue of leading restaurant chains 2017
Colombia: top burger restaurants by market share 2017
Colombia: burger restaurants sales 2011- 2021
Consumers who bought or ate fast food in the last month New Zealand 2016, by type
Colombia: number of burger restaurants in 2011-2021
Two-year growth of fast food New Zealand 2016, by type
Burger King customers in Germany on healthy eating compared to population in 2018
Meal most frequently eaten at quick service restaurants in the U.S. 2016
MOS Burger employee numbers FY 2012-2017
Revenue of Sonic Corporation in the U.S. from 2009 to 2018, by segment
Nutritional quality of children's main meals at U.S. fast-food restaurants in 2013
Sodium content of menu items at U.S. fast-food restaurants in 2013
AmRest: number of restaurants worldwide 2006-2018
Number of bankruptcies of snack-, salad-, and hot-dog bars in Norway 2016-2018
Restaurant industry in the U.S.
Coffeehouse industry
Pizza Restaurant / Delivery Industry
Quick service restaurant brands: McDonald's
Quick service restaurant brands: Burger King
Yum! Brands Form 10-K 2018
YUM! Brands
Pizza Delivery Restaurants
Restaurant Brands International
Yum China Annual Report 2018
Quick service restaurant brands: Subway
Quick service restaurant brands: Wendy's
Leading companies worldwide in 2018, by brand value (in billion U.S. dollars)
Brand value of the 10 most valuable fast food brands worldwide in 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
McDonald's global brand value from 2006 to 2018 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Leading chain restaurants in the United States in 2018, by sales (in billion U.S. dollars)
Leading quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains in the United States in 2018, by systemwide sales (in billion U.S. dollars)
Leading quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains in the United States in 2017, by sales per unit (in million U.S. dollars)
Leading quick service restaurant (QSR) chains in the United States in 2017, by number of units
Advertising spending of selected restaurant chains in the United States in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)
McDonald's Corporation's advertising costs from 2014 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
McDonald's Corporation advertising spending in the United States from 2009 to 2017 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Advertising spending of McDonald's in Brazil in 2017 and 2018 (in million Brazilian reals)
Share of Americans who visited McDonald's in the past 3 months in 2018, by age
American customer satisfaction index scores for limited-service restaurant chains in the United States from 2006 to 2018*
American customer satisfaction index scores of McDonald's restaurants in the United States from 2000 to 2018*
Service attributes in McDonald's drive-thrus in the United States as of October 2018
Frequency of eating at McDonald's among millennials in Germany in 2018, compared to the population
Share of consumers who eat McDonald's in an average six months across Australia as at March 2018, by generation
Number of orders of selected food types in restaurants in the United States in 2014 (in billions)
Number of outlets of leading restaurant chains in Brazil in 2016
Sales revenue of leading restaurant chains in Brazil in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)
Leading brands in the burger restaurant industry in Colombia in 2017, by market share
Revenue generated by the burger restaurant industry in Colombia in 2011, 2016 and 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)
Share of consumers who bought or ate fast food in the last month in New Zealand in 2016, by type
Number of establishments in the burger restaurant industry in Colombia in 2011, 2016 and 2021
Two-year growth of fast food in New Zealand in 2016, by type
Burger King customers in Germany who agree with the statement "I value healthy eating, even if it costs more," compared with the population as of 2018
What do you eat most often at fast-food restaurants?
Number of employees working for MOS Food Services, Inc. from fiscal year 2012 to 2017
Revenue of Sonic Corporation in the United States from 2009 to 2018, by business segment (in million U.S. dollars)
Nutritional quality of children's main meal menu options at selected fast-food restaurant chains in the United States as of February 2013
Sodium content of all menu items at selected fast-food restaurant chains in the United States as of February 2013 (in milligrams)
Number of restaurants operated by AmRest worldwide from 2006 to 2018
Number of bankruptcies of snack-bars, salad bars and hot-dog bars in Norway from 1st quarter of 2016 to 4th quarter of 2018
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Adult overweight and obesity rates in Florida by ethnicity 2017
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Florida in 2017, by ethnicity
by John Elflein, last edited Jul 15, 2019
This statistic depicts the overweight and obesity rates for adults in Florida in 2017, by ethnicity. In that year, 68.7 percent of all adult Hispanics in Florida were overweight or obese. Many states with high obesity and overweight rates are also prone to low physical activity rates.
Overweight and obesity rate
Approximately 350,000
Racial/ethnic groups are mutually exclusive. Percentages are weighted to reflect population characteristics.
An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
Data based on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing, state-based, random-digit-dialed telephone survey of non-institutionalized civilian adults aged 18 years and older. Information about the BRFSS is available at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.html.
* Not sufficient data.
Release date represents the date figures were accessed.
Global sugar consumption 2018/2019, by leading
Percentage of obese U.S. adults by state 2018
Obesity prevalence among U.S. adults aged 20 and over 1997-2018
93 page/s
Everything On "Obesity and overweight" in One Document: Edited and Divided into Handy Chapters. Including Detailed References.
Statistics on "Obesity and overweight"
Sample U.S. states and territories
Overweight/obesity and younger people
Obesity-related conditions
Prevalence of overweight including obesity among adults in OECD countries as of 2015Overweight and obesity - prevalence in OECD countries 2015
Prevalence of obesity among adults in selected countries as of 2017, or latest year available, by gender*Obesity - prevalence in selected countries by gender 2017
Percentage of children and adolescents who are overweight (including obesity) in selected countries as of 2015, by genderOverweight and obesity among youths by gender countries' share 2015
Percentage of adults worldwide who stated select issues were the biggest health problems facing people in their country as of 2018Leading health problems worldwide 2018
Sugar consumption worldwide in 2018/2019, by leading country (in million metric tons)*Global sugar consumption 2018/2019, by leading
Selected health conditions and risk factors in the U.S. 1988-1994 and 2015-2016*Selected health conditions and risk factors 1988-2016
Prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 and over in the U.S. from 1997 to 2018Obesity prevalence among U.S. adults aged 20 and over 1997-2018
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in the United States in 2017, by ethnicityAdult overweight and obesity rates in the U.S. by ethnicity 2017
Percentage of adults aged 65 years or older in the U.S. who were obese from 2013 to 2019Share of elderly U.S. adults who were obese 2013-2019
Percentage of millennials in the U.S. who reported they were overweight or obese as of 2015Self-reported weight of millennials in the U.S. as of 2015
Number of beverage calories ingested per day per capita in the United States from 1990 to 2017*Beverage calories ingested per capita per day in the United States from 1990 to 2017
Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in 2017Overweight and obesity in the U.S. by leading states 2017
Percentage of adults with obesity in the United States as of 2018, by statePercentage of obese U.S. adults by state 2018
Share of obesity among blacks in the United States in 2017, by stateShare of obesity among black people in the U.S. by state 2017
Share of obesity among Latinos in the United States in 2017, by stateShare of obesity among Latinos in the U.S. by state 2017
Share of obesity among whites in the United States in 2017, by stateShare of obesity among whites in the U.S. by state 2017
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in California in 2017, by ethnicityAdult overweight and obesity rates in California by ethnicity 2017
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Florida in 2017, by ethnicityAdult overweight and obesity rates in Florida by ethnicity 2017
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Hawaii in 2017, by ethnicityAdult overweight and obesity rates in Hawaii by ethnicity 2017
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Indiana in 2017, by ethnicityAdult overweight and obesity rates in Indiana by ethnicity 2017
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Guam in 2017, by ethnicityAdult overweight and obesity rates in Guam by ethnicity 2017
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Puerto Rico in 2017, by ethnicityAdult overweight and obesity rates in Puerto Rico by ethnicity 2017
Percentage of U.S. children and adolescents who were obese in selected periods between 1988 and 2016Percentage of U.S. children and adolescents who were obese 1988-2016
Obesity prevalence among children and adolescents in the U.S. in 2015-2016, by gender and ageObesity prevalence among children and adolescents U.S. by gender and age 2015-2016
Obesity rates in youth in the United States in 2015-2016, by ethnicityYouth obesity rates in the U.S. by ethnicity 2015-2016
Percentage of U.S. high school students who were overweight in 2016-2017, by gender and ethnicity*Overweight high school students in the U.S. in 2016-2017, by gender and ethnicity
Percentage of U.S. high school students who were obese in 2016-2017, by gender and ethnicityObese high school students in the U.S. in 2016-2017, by gender and ethnicity
Share of obese high school students in the United States in 2017, by stateShare of obese high school students in the U.S. by state 2017
Percentage of U.S. college students that described themselves as underweight or overweight as of fall 2018How U.S. college students described their weight as of fall 2018
Deaths by diabetes mellitus in the U.S. from 1950 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Deaths by diabetes mellitus in the U.S. 1950-2016
Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among adults aged 18 and over in the U.S. from 1997 to 2018Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among adults in the U.S. 1997-2018
Rate of overweight and obesity-related invasive cancer cases in the United States in 2005 and 2014 (per 100,000 population)Rate of overweight and obesity-related invasive cancer cases U.S. 2005 and 2014
Rate of overweight and obesity-related invasive cancer cases in the United States in 2014, by cancer type (per 100,000 population)Rate of overweight and obesity-related cancer cases U.S. 2014, by cancer type
Percentage of people in the U.S. who had a disability and were obese from 2009 to 2016Share of people in the U.S. with disabilities who were obese from 2009 to 2016
Percentage of obese adults in the United States with doctor-diagnosed arthritis as of 2015Prevalence of arthritis among obese adults U.S. 2015
Percentage of adults in the U.S. who were obese as of 2016, by occupation typeShare of U.S. adults who were obese 2016, by occupation type
Percentage of Americans suffering from obesity in 2015-2016, by military service Obesity among those who served in U.S. military 2015-2016
Percentage of adults that are physically inactive in the United States as of 2018, by statePercentage of physically inactive U.S. adults by state 2018
Percentage of Americans who would take weight management and diet advice from nutritionists or dietitians from select entities as of 2016Places where U.S. respondents would like free diet and weight advice 2016
Number of U.S. states that improved healthy living from 2018 to 2019Number of states that improved healthy living in 2019
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Colorado by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in North Carolina by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Delaware by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Alabama by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Guam by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in South Carolina by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Puerto Rico by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in South Dakota by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Missouri by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Indiana by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in New York by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Mississippi by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Iowa by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Connecticut by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Wisconsin by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in New Mexico by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Michigan by ethnicity 2017
Adult overweight and obesity rates in Kansas by ethnicity 2017
Diets and Weight Loss in the U.S.
Obesity and overweightness in Italy
The State of Obesity: 2018
Racial and ethnic health disparities in the U.S.
Diabetes in the U.S.
The State of Innovation in Highly Prevalent Chronic Diseases, Volume III
Pregnancies, Births and Abortions Among Adolescents and Young Women In the United States,...
Health in U.S. states
Obesity in Canada: A Whole-of-Society Approach for a Healthier Canada
Rural and urban health in the U.S.
Overcoming obesity: An initial economic analysis
Prevalence of overweight including obesity among adults in OECD countries as of 2015
Prevalence of obesity among adults in selected countries as of 2017, or latest year available, by gender*
Percentage of children and adolescents who are overweight (including obesity) in selected countries as of 2015, by gender
Percentage of adults worldwide who stated select issues were the biggest health problems facing people in their country as of 2018
Sugar consumption worldwide in 2018/2019, by leading country (in million metric tons)*
Selected health conditions and risk factors in the U.S. 1988-1994 and 2015-2016*
Prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 and over in the U.S. from 1997 to 2018
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in the United States in 2017, by ethnicity
Percentage of adults aged 65 years or older in the U.S. who were obese from 2013 to 2019
Percentage of millennials in the U.S. who reported they were overweight or obese as of 2015
Number of beverage calories ingested per day per capita in the United States from 1990 to 2017*
Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in 2017
Percentage of adults with obesity in the United States as of 2018, by state
Share of obesity among blacks in the United States in 2017, by state
Share of obesity among Latinos in the United States in 2017, by state
Share of obesity among whites in the United States in 2017, by state
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in California in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Hawaii in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Indiana in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Guam in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Puerto Rico in 2017, by ethnicity
Obesity prevalence among children and adolescents in the U.S. in 2015-2016, by gender and age
Obesity rates in youth in the United States in 2015-2016, by ethnicity
Percentage of U.S. high school students who were overweight in 2016-2017, by gender and ethnicity*
Percentage of U.S. high school students who were obese in 2016-2017, by gender and ethnicity
Share of obese high school students in the United States in 2017, by state
Percentage of U.S. college students that described themselves as underweight or overweight as of fall 2018
Deaths by diabetes mellitus in the U.S. from 1950 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among adults aged 18 and over in the U.S. from 1997 to 2018
Rate of overweight and obesity-related invasive cancer cases in the United States in 2005 and 2014 (per 100,000 population)
Rate of overweight and obesity-related invasive cancer cases in the United States in 2014, by cancer type (per 100,000 population)
Percentage of people in the U.S. who had a disability and were obese from 2009 to 2016
Percentage of obese adults in the United States with doctor-diagnosed arthritis as of 2015
Percentage of U.S. adults with inflammatory bowel disease who were overweight or obese in 2015 and 2016
Percentage of adults in the U.S. who were obese as of 2016, by occupation type
Percentage of Americans suffering from obesity in 2015-2016, by military service
Percentage of Americans who would take weight management and diet advice from nutritionists or dietitians from select entities as of 2016
Number of U.S. states that improved healthy living from 2018 to 2019
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Colorado in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in North Carolina in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Delaware in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Alabama in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in South Carolina in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in South Dakota in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Missouri in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in New York in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Mississippi in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Iowa in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Connecticut in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Wisconsin in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in New Mexico in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Michigan in 2017, by ethnicity
Overweight and obesity rates for adults in Kansas in 2017, by ethnicity
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Profile Samples
People + News
Virtue and Vice
Malvern native Adam McKay, the Oscar-winning filmmaker and writer/director of the Dick Cheney biopic Vice, talks about life behind the lens.
by Debra Wallace
Every time Adam McKay comes home to the Greater Philadelphia Area, he gets vivid reminders of the experiences that helped to shape his award-winning film career.
A native of Malvern, McKay recalls watching countless movies with high school and college buddies at local arthouse theaters. He also took film classes, wrote scripts, and learned the art of storytelling, all part of his “film school” education. He loved movies so much he even worked as an usher.
The 50-year-old McKay had a great deal to celebrate during his last visit, just last month.
With a career spanning more than two decades, McKay was the head writer, producer, and director for two seasons of Saturday Night Live. After SNL, he went on to write and direct memorable movies such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby—and, perhaps most famously, the Academy Award-winning The Big Short.
Then there’s Vice, McKay’s latest, about Dick Cheney’s personal life and extraordinary rise to power as the vice president to George W. Bush. The film has struck a chord, from Philadelphia to Hollywood, so much so that Vice has already scored six Golden Globe nominations, including best motion picture, best screenplay, and best director.
Vice stars an A-list cast including Christian Bale in the lead role; Amy Adams as Cheney’s wife, Lynne; Sam Rockwell as President Bush; Tyler Perry as Secretary of State Colin Powell; and Steve Carell as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
On Dec. 20, McKay was back in town to receive the third annual Lumiere Award from the Philadelphia Film Society. The award was given for his lifetime achievement, his passion for making movies, and his contribution to the legacy of Philadelphia filmmaking.
“Receiving this honor is quite humbling,” McKay says. “I really cut my teeth here when it came to loving film, and understanding film. So, to come back here and be acknowledged, that’s quite a thrill.”
We caught up with McKay to talk about the significance of the award, his Philadelphia roots, and his advice for aspiring filmmakers.
What does it mean to be back in Philadelphia, and to return as a local hero, of sorts?
Well, Philadelphia doesn’t put anyone too high on a pedestal. What I love about Philly is it just feels comfortable: the look, the vibe, the weather, the food, the people; it still feels like home after all these years. … I have aunts and cousins [in the area]. I also have many friends from high school and college, so I still have deep roots here.
How did growing up in Philadelphia and its suburbs inform your filmmaking?
Well, I really got lucky being able to go to Temple University, because of my experience of living in a major city, and seeing all kinds of different movies at different arthouse theaters.
I understand you were wild about movies at an early age.
True. I worked as an usher at the Ritz Five [in Old City] back when I was coming out of high school. I was also an usher at a little mangy theater … off Route 30 in Chester County. I remember the first video stores where my friends and I would just inhale several movies in a weekend, and we did this over the course of many weekends.
So, that was your first film school, so to speak?
It was a time when movies were really booming, and I was lucky enough to have a circle of very creative friends. I was an English literature major, but I took several film classes from great film professors at Temple. I remember my life back then was all about watching movies, working on scripts, and talking about movies. It was such a big part of my life, and it still is.
You have a history with a number of actors in Vice. Can you talk about that?
Well, Christian Bale and Steve Carell are certainly unusually talented actors. I worked with Amy Adams in Talladega Nights as well. Sam Rockwell is someone I have been yearning to work with for years, and I finally got the chance.
This was a tricky movie. Dick Cheney is an inscrutable character and to really find out who he is and to go that deep, and you quickly learn that it is also about his wife, requiring actors who could do this kind of work, who would almost become like detectives. Immediately, I thought of Christian Bale and, boy, he did not disappoint. What he did with his character is breathtaking.
Have you ever met Dick Cheney?
I would love to, but I never have.
If you had the chance to talk to him, what would you want to talk about?
I’ve always heard he’s quite funny and quite charming, and that he has a really wry sense of humor, unless of course he’s mad at you. I think there are a few key questions. … I would ask him why Iraq? Why spend so much of our country’s treasure in that pursuit? Then I would talk to him about the environment, global warming, and, for a guy who loves the streams and loves nature, why he did so little to protect nature. … I would probably ask him about when did he knew that he was going to make a career at this—basically, when was the moment in his youth when he was, like, “This is it. I’ve found my calling”? I’d be very curious to hear about that.
I am sure the movie will start many heated discussions. Are there certain messages you want to impart here?
Yes, I think that on a personal level [it’s about] the line between ambition and the line between being successful, and power for power’s sake. I think it’s a dangerous line, and one we have to be very cognizant of.
What does winning the Lumiere Award mean to you, especially doing so in your hometown?
It’s always a nice feeling to come home. So, then to come home and have someone hand you an award, it gets a little cartoonishly great at that point. I am beyond appreciative.
Are there any places you want to go to while you are home?
This visit was too quick. I would enjoy a Tony Luke’s cheesesteak, a trip to Wawa, and to hang out at Dirty Franks bar. But during this trip, unfortunately, we have very little time. Hopefully, next time.
Looking back, would you have predicted this kind of success for yourself?
No. No way. I always thought my dream of dreams was to be a writer, either a comedy writer or another kind of writer. So that was always what I was thinking. But things have changed in the world. More and more the world’s skewed towards the image, towards movies, streaming, and television. I guess it did kind of come true since I am a writer, but it’s just that things are so much more image-centric right now.
What is your advice to someone who wants to make movies?
Do what you love. Do not try to do what you think Hollywood likes, which is the biggest mistake people make. Do original stuff that you love because that will make you fulfilled, and that’s really what everyone’s looking for.
Photographs by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of Annapurna Pictures
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, January 2019.
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You are here: Home / Types of Sustainability Degrees / Sustainability Degrees in Indiana
Sustainability Degrees in Indiana
If you want to talk sustainability in Indiana, then you must give Bloomington the attention it deserves. This beautiful city is as sustainable as it stunning, thanks to its widespread initiatives aimed at everything from reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to addressing food insecurity to improving the health of the ecosystem.
For example, since 2017, hundreds of homeowners have made the switch to solar power courtesy of the Solarize Bloomington Initiative. And in the last two years, solar photovoltaic systems were installed on more than two dozen city buildings and facilities, bikeshare programs were implemented, zero-emission buses were tested, and the city brought together more than 6,000 community members for bicycle and pedestrian events.
And Bloomington’s just getting started. If you want to be part of the exceptional sustainability efforts going on in Bloomington and Indiana’s other green cities, then you’ll need a solid degree by your side. Fortunately, Indiana has its share of sustainability programs to get your career off the ground or to take it to the next level.
Sustainability Jobs Available in Indiana with the Right Degree
The sustainability industry in Indiana is ripe with professional opportunities for you, whether it’s with nonprofits, NGOs, private businesses or grassroots coalitions.
For example, the Hoosier Environmental Council is a major player in conservation in Indiana, helping tackle some of the state’s most pressing environmental challenges. This organization partners with lawmakers to advance public interest, works with climate scientists and scientific organizations to address the effect of human activity on climate change, works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and more.
The Indiana Wildlife Federation has worked to conserve Indiana’s natural resources for more than 80 years. An affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation, this grassroots organization promotes the use of renewable resources through innovative educational programs.
Indiana’s efforts aimed at food insecurity are also quite impressive, with a number of outstanding organizations working to cultivate a stronger and healthier food system, improve access to local food, and provide support to local growers. Just some of these organizations include Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, the Food Coalition of Central Indiana, the Local Growers Guild, and Second Helpings.
According to BLS statistics in 2018, average salaries for sustainability professionals in Indiana were quite strong. For example, urban and regional planners earned an average salary of $56,800, environmental engineers earned $82,180, and civil engineers earned $82,420. Scientists in this field also earned competitive salaries, with environmental scientists earning an average salary of $62,590 and conservation scientists earning $63,320.
Master’s in Sustainability Available Through Schools in Indiana
If you have your sights set on advancing your career in sustainability, you’ll enjoy Indiana’s excellent selection of master’s degrees in sustainability, most of which are aimed at specific areas like sustainable architecture, sustainable development, public policy, and business.
Fort Wayne’s University of St. Francis offers an MBA in Sustainability, an online degree that prepares students to make sustainable-focused decisions, address real-world challenges, and advocate for green enterprise.
Indiana University Bloomington’s Master of Environmental Sustainability features a core curriculum focused on project management for environmental sustainability and your choice of concentration in environmental quality and toxicology, municipal sustainability, sustainable water resources, or sustainable natural resource conservation and management.
Purdue University’s MS in Environmental and Ecological Engineering offers your choice of specialization in modern environmental engineering or sustainable industrial systems.
Sustainability Bachelor Degree Programs in Indiana
Bachelor’s degrees in sustainability in Indiana are widely available, providing aspiring sustainability professionals like you with a comprehensive foundation in this field.
Indianapolis’ Indiana University offers a BS in Sustainable Management and Policy, while Indiana University Bloomington offers a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and Indiana State University offers a BA/BS in Geography and Sustainability.
Online Sustainability Degrees Offered Through Schools in Indiana
Online degrees in sustainability, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, are ideal for busy, working professionals and those with geographic restrictions. The University of St. Francis’ MBA in Sustainability is offered fully online, as is Purdue University’s BS in Environmental Policy and Management.
Sustainability Degrees in Idaho
Sustainability Degrees in Wyoming
Sustainability Degrees in Iowa
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Main Page > REMEMBERING > Paul Trensky (1929-2013)
Paul Trensky (1929-2013)
SVU member, a retired professor of Russian literature and comparative drama at Fordham University, Paul I. Trensky, died on March 10, 2013 in his New Paltz, NY, home.
He was born on March 24, 1929 in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia and emigrated to US in 1956, and after one year at Vienna University, earned his Ph.D. in Russian literature at Harvard in 1962. He joined Fordham University in 1964 and retired in 2008. Always interested in Czech drama and theater, he wrote Czech Drama since World War (1978). He was also a contributor to Czech theater journals on New York, Berlin, and Czech theater and cultural topics.
In 1991 his The Fiction of Josef Škvorecký was published and in 1994, it was translated into Czech. During 1990-1993, he was Editor-in-Chief of Czechoslovak and Central European Journal, now Kosmas, published by SVU.
In 1993, his reports-essays on the Salzburg Festspiele and since 2001 the Berliner Theatertreffen, were published annually in the Prague journal SaD = Svět a divadlo (The World and Theater).
He is survived by his second wife, Misha Harnick, a son from his first marriage, Michael of Connecticut, and two granddaughters.
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Reuse article
Foreigners face tough road to Swiss citizenship
This content was published on September 8, 2004 3:41 PM Sep 8, 2004 - 15:41
The Swiss passport is not so easy to come by
(Keystone Archive)
Obtaining citizenship has always proved to be more difficult for foreigners in Switzerland than in other European countries.
The long path to becoming Swiss is fraught with administrative and political difficulties - at state, cantonal and community level.
Foreigners account for just over 20 per cent of the population. But according to government statistics for 2000, only 2.1 per cent of them have become Swiss – making it one of the lowest rates in Europe.
One of the reasons for this is that regular naturalisation has to be approved at three different levels in Switzerland – state, canton and local community. In most other countries, citizenship is only a matter for the state.
At a national level, there are a series of conditions a foreign person must fulfil to acquire a Swiss passport.
The main requirement is to have resided in the country for 12 years. For some foreigners this requirement is shorter, and the years spent in Switzerland between the ages of 12 and 20 count double.
Other conditions include having adapted to the Swiss “lifestyle” - staying out of trouble with the law and not threatening the country’s security.
Varying criteria
But cantons and communities can set their own – often greatly varying – criteria for areas such as length of residency, financial means and a naturalisation tax.
One of the greatest differences can be seen in residency requirements. Canton Fribourg requires applicants to be resident in the canton for three years. But in canton Nidwalden, a foreigner must have lived in the canton for 12 years and in the local community for three years.
Normally, local assemblies or panels can assess whether a candidate is suitable. But controversial attempts to have residents decide whether someone should be naturalised have been scuppered by the Federal Court, which last year deemed such votes unconstitutional.
The court’s decision came after voters in Emmen in canton Lucerne turned down most of the candidates from the Balkans while accepting other foreigners.
Local authorities do retain a certain degree of independence though. There is no obligation to grant citizenship, unlike in Germany where a foreigner can claim a passport after having lived for eight years in the country.
The rules are less strict for so-called facilitated naturalisation, which is aimed at foreign spouses of Swiss nationals and foreign children with one Swiss parent.
Foreigners may apply for citizenship after three years of marriage, provided they have lived in the country for a total of five years.
If they are resident abroad, they can also apply after being married to a Swiss for at least six years.
Restrictive
Length of residency is one of the most restrictive criteria for regular naturalisation.
According to the government’s citizenship working group, Switzerland’s residency requirement is longer than in every other European country, where it ranges from three to ten years.
In Italy and Austria, the length of residency is cut to four years for nationals from the European Union or the European Economic Area, of which Switzerland is not a member.
Many European nations also give citizenship to children born in the country, but whose parents are foreigners. In some countries, the parents must have been resident for a certain period, ranging from three years in Ireland to eight in Germany.
In France, such children are granted citizenship automatically and unconditionally, and in the Netherlands second-generation foreign residents also automatically naturalised.
Procedures are, however, under review in some countries, and the requirements for citizenship are becoming tougher to fulfil.
Ireland, where citizenship was once granted to all children born there, has changed its laws following a national vote in June. In the ballot, 80 per cent of voters demanded a tightening of the country’s citizenship legislation.
Naturalisation is now only granted if one of the parents is Irish or if both parents have resided in Ireland for at least three years.
swissinfo with agencies
The federal authorities approved 26,760 naturalisations in 2003, and rejected 407.
In all, over 37,000 people acquired Swiss citizenship last year.
Nearly 10,000 naturalisations followed the facilitated procedure.
Around 29,000 new citizens held European nationality before becoming Swiss.
end of infobox
Ordinary naturalisation requirements:
12 years' residence in Switzerland.
Integration into the Swiss way of life.
Familiarity with local habits, customs and traditions.
Compliance with the law.
Present no danger to internal or external security.
Federal Office of Immigration, Integration and Emigration
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Foreigners face tough road to Swiss citizenship Sep 8, 2004 - 15:41 Obtaining citizenship has always proved to be more difficult for foreigners in Switzerland than in other European countries. The long path to becoming Swiss is fraught with administrative and political difficulties - at state, cantonal and community level. Foreigners account for just over 20 per cent of the population. But according to government statistics for 2000, only 2.1 per cent of them have become Swiss – making it one of the lowest rates in Europe. One of the reasons for this is that regular naturalisation has to be approved at three different levels in Switzerland – state, canton and local community. In most other countries, citizenship is only a matter for the state. At a national level, there are a series of conditions a foreign person must fulfil to acquire a Swiss passport. The main requirement is to have resided in the country for 12 years. For some foreigners this requirement is shorter, and the years spent in Switzerland between the ages of 12 and 20 count double. Other conditions include having adapted to the Swiss “lifestyle” - staying out of trouble with the law and not threatening the country’s security. Varying criteria But cantons and communities can set their own – often greatly varying – criteria for areas such as length of residency, financial means and a naturalisation tax. One of the greatest differences can be seen in residency requirements. Canton Fribourg requires applicants to be resident in the canton for three years. But in canton Nidwalden, a foreigner must have lived in the canton for 12 years and in the local community for three years. Normally, local assemblies or panels can assess whether a candidate is suitable. But controversial attempts to have residents decide whether someone should be naturalised have been scuppered by the Federal Court, which last year deemed such votes unconstitutional. The court’s decision came after voters in Emmen in canton Lucerne turned down most of the candidates from the Balkans while accepting other foreigners. Local authorities do retain a certain degree of independence though. There is no obligation to grant citizenship, unlike in Germany where a foreigner can claim a passport after having lived for eight years in the country. The rules are less strict for so-called facilitated naturalisation, which is aimed at foreign spouses of Swiss nationals and foreign children with one Swiss parent. Foreigners may apply for citizenship after three years of marriage, provided they have lived in the country for a total of five years. If they are resident abroad, they can also apply after being married to a Swiss for at least six years. Restrictive Length of residency is one of the most restrictive criteria for regular naturalisation. According to the government’s citizenship working group, Switzerland’s residency requirement is longer than in every other European country, where it ranges from three to ten years. In Italy and Austria, the length of residency is cut to four years for nationals from the European Union or the European Economic Area, of which Switzerland is not a member. Many European nations also give citizenship to children born in the country, but whose parents are foreigners. In some countries, the parents must have been resident for a certain period, ranging from three years in Ireland to eight in Germany. In France, such children are granted citizenship automatically and unconditionally, and in the Netherlands second-generation foreign residents also automatically naturalised. Procedures are, however, under review in some countries, and the requirements for citizenship are becoming tougher to fulfil. Ireland, where citizenship was once granted to all children born there, has changed its laws following a national vote in June. In the ballot, 80 per cent of voters demanded a tightening of the country’s citizenship legislation. Naturalisation is now only granted if one of the parents is Irish or if both parents have resided in Ireland for at least three years. swissinfo with agencies citizenship The federal authorities approved 26,760 naturalisations in 2003, and rejected 407. In all, over 37,000 people acquired Swiss citizenship last year. Nearly 10,000 naturalisations followed the facilitated procedure. Around 29,000 new citizens held European nationality before becoming Swiss. In brief Ordinary naturalisation requirements: 12 years' residence in Switzerland. Integration into the Swiss way of life. Familiarity with local habits, customs and traditions. Compliance with the law. Present no danger to internal or external security.
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Home » TalkZone Talk Channel » The Conspiracy Show » Top Secret
Richard welcomes an author and researcher to discuss how and why government agencies have, for decades, taken a clandestine and profound interest in numerous archeological, historical, and religious puzzles. Then - Richard and a panel of UFO researchers discuss recent claims made by a senior CIA official about the Roswell UFO Crash incident in July 1947.
What the Government Doesn't Want You to Know
Nick Redfern reveals details about the CIA's top-secret files on Noah's Ark, and U.S. Army documents positing that the Egyptian Pyramids were constructed via levitation. He'll also detail disturbing military encounters with Middle Eastern djinns, claims of nuclear warfare in ancient India and links between the Face on Mars and the pharaohs.
The Roswell Cover Up
Richard and a panel of UFO researchers discuss recent claims made by a senior CIA official about the Roswell UFO Crash incident in July 1947, during which the US military is widely believed to have retrieved extraterrestrial materials and bodies after a mysterious object crashed in the desert of New Mexico.
Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode
Nick Redfern
Nick Redfern is the author of more than 20 books, including The NASA Conspiracies, The Real men in Black, Keep Out!, and Contactees. His latest is The Pyramids and The Pentagon; The Government's Top Secret Pursuit of Mystical Relics, Ancient Astronauts and Lost Civilizations
Victor Viggiani
Victor is Executive Director of Zland News Network, and a longtime, Canadian ufologist. Victor's research and analysis of anomalous aerial phenomenon spans over 30 years. His experience involves UFO sightings report investigation, counseling work with individuals reporting anomalous experiences, presentations and journalism in the field of ETI Disclosure issues. Extensive UFO research has been completed throughout the South Western U.S.A. in locations such as Groom Lake Nevada, Corona, Roswell, Socorro, The Very Large Array Telescope, White Sands, Los Alamos NL and Dulce in New Mexico and in South and North Eastern Australia. His published work includes: "Area 51: A Desert Journey," "Alien Abduction Symposium Boston Mass: A Review of Alien Abduction Dialogue Between Dr. John Mack and Budd Hopkins," "Disclosure: A Terrestrial Imperative,"
More on Victor
Robbie Graham
Robbie Graham is is a doctoral candidate at the University of Bristol for a PhD examining Hollywood’s historical representations of UFOs and potential extraterrestrial life. As a freelance writer and lecturer his work emphasis the industrial, cultural and political processes by which Hollywood’s UFO movie content is shaped, as well the impact of these movies on popular perceptions of the UFO phenomenon.
Robbie's Blog
Grant Cameron became involved in Ufology as the Vietnam War ended in May 1975 with personal sightings of an object which locally became known as Charlie Red Star. The sightings occurred in Carman, Manitoba about 25 miles north of the Canada-US border. Hundreds of other people sighted objects at the same time during a prolonged flap of sightings. In the past few years Cameron
has turned his research interests to the involvement and actions of the President of the United States in the UFO problem. He has made 25+ tripsto the National Archives and most of the various Presidential archives looking for presidential UFO material. One highlight his presidential UFO research was the chance to question Vice-president Dick Cheney on his knowledge of the UFO subject. Another highlight of the presidential UFO research was a FOIA to the White House Office of Science and Technology which yielded 1,000 pages of UFO documents from the Clinton administration. Many of these findings have been written up on The Presidents UFO Website www.presidentialufo.com.
Presidential UFO website
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Tallinna LennujaamNewsVueling inaugural flight Tallinn-Barcelona
Vueling inaugural flight Tallinn-Barcelona
Today, on 21 June, the Spanish airline Vueling commenced direct flights on the Tallinn – Barcelona route. You can fly Spain’s biggest budget airline Vueling affordably and conveniently straight to the El Prat Airport just outside Barcelona. From there it is a quick trip to the city centre to enjoy the charms of one of the prettiest cities in Southern Europe.
The early-hours inaugural flight was met with the traditional cake ceremony at Tallinn Airport. On the first flight, nearly 100 passengers arrived in Tallinn; however, 178 passengers headed from Tallinn to Barcelona. “Barcelona is a truly delightful destination for a cultured city break or for just enjoying warm summer weather. You can now fly Europe’s third biggest budget airline to this cultural center at entirely affordable prices. Make sure to take advantage of this opportunity, then there will be hope that Vueling will continue flying also in the seasons to come and, hopefully, to more destinations,” pointed out Erik Sakkov, Member of the Management Board at Tallinn Airport.
Vueling is Spanish airline, which launched by flying two Airbus A320 planes on four routes in 2004. Now, Vueling’s fleet includes 70 Airbus planes, flying to more than 200 destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. In 2012, 14.8 million passengers flew Vueling. Vueling’s hub is Barcelona – El Prat Airport.
To Tallinn, Vueling will be flying an Airbus 320 with seating for 180 passengers. This is going to be a seasonal flight service, from 21 June to 12 September 2014. Flights depart from Barcelona around midnight on Tuesdays and Fridays and from Tallinn in the early morning on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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Overall concern regarding SME business risk at its lowest levels yet
6th November 2014 | News
Overall concern regarding business risk has fallen to its lowest levels since Zurich’s ‘SME Risk Index’ began in 2012 – down from 42.17 points in July 2014 to 39.92 points this month.
SME owners have a duty to monitor their business risk as it would be dangerous not to prepare for the worst, especially in an economic climate that is still recovering post-recession.
However, the Index found that a little over one-in-five (21 per cent) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK have shrunk in the last quarter, despite the improving economy.
The survey also found that 60 per cent of SME decision makers are not confident that the national economy will improve within the next quarter – a 12 per cent increase in the last three months.
More alarmingly, 34 per cent of SMEs also say they face a medium-to-high risk of going out of business in the next 12 months.
Almost a quarter (22 per cent) of SMEs surveyed are now worried about supply chain exposures, while 37 per cent remain concerned about workforce challenges such as the availability of the right talent and employee capacity.
Richard Coleman, director of SME at Zurich, said: “It’s great to report again that SMEs are continuing to feel better about the risks their businesses face, reflecting wider signs of growth in the UK economy.
“However, it’s clear that the wider economic environment is a source of increasing concern for SMEs even as their concerns over some of the more specific risks reduce.
“With one third of SME decision makers still saying they could face going out of business within the next year, it’s clear that financial difficulties are again a key worry for Britain’s small and medium businesses.”
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Video Games & Gaming›
Investment by video game studios in the United Kingdom (UK) 2011-2017
Annual investment by video game studios in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2017 (in million GBP)
by Katrin Kienast, last edited Apr 9, 2018
This statistic illustrates the value of annual investment by video game studios in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2017. In 2017, investment by studios reached 671 million British pounds.
Investment in million GBP
Some data published earlier by the source.
Video Games & Gaming
Leading gaming markets worldwide 2018, by revenue
Ubisoft: net income/loss in fiscal 2005-2018
Supercell annual revenue 2012-2018
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Electronic Arts' net income/loss in the fiscal years 2005 to 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)Electronic Arts' net income/loss 2005-2019
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Capcom's net income in the fiscal years 2002 to 2018 (in billion of yen)Capcom's net income from 2002 to 2018
Sega Sammy Holdings home video game software unit sales from fiscal 2006 to 2018 (in millions)Sega Sammy video game software unit sales in fiscal 2006-2018
Profit/loss of Sega Sammy Holdings from fiscal 2010 to 2018 (in billion Japanese yen)Sega Sammy Holdings net profit/loss in fiscal 2010-2018
Revenue generated by Supercell from 2012 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)Supercell annual revenue 2012-2018
Annual earnings of Supercell from 2013 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)Supercell annual gross profit 2013-2018
Annual revenue generated by CD Projekt Group worldwide from 2013 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)CD Projekt annual revenue worldwide 2013-2018
Distribution of revenue generated by CD Projekt Group worldwide in 2018, by regionCD Projekt revenue share worldwide 2018, by region
Ubisoft's sales from the fiscal years 2005 to 2018 (in million euros)Ubisoft annual sales 2005-2018
Ubisoft's net income/loss from fiscal 2005 to 2018 (in million euros)Ubisoft: net income/loss in fiscal 2005-2018
Annual sales revenue generated by Gameloft from 2006 to 2018 (in million euros)Gameloft annual sales revenue 2006-2018
Annual net income/loss of Gameloft from 2006 to 2015 (in million euros)Gameloft annual net income/loss 2006-2015
Video games studios: Share with over four employees in the United Kingdom 2012-2015
Video game studios: share with fewer than 14 staff in the United Kingdom 2013-2014
Leading platforms for video game development in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014
Leading game engines used by video game developers in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014
Jobs indirectly supported by video games studios in the United Kingdom (UK) 2011-2017
Number of UK-developed games released in the United Kingdom in 2006 and 2012
Revenue of the video games market in the Nordics 2016
Skill gap experiences in video game development in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014
Video game sector tax revenues generated in the United Kingdom (UK) 2011-2017
Number video game studios in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2015
Company growth in the games industry in the Netherlands 2015, by company type
Impact of Brexit on video game developers in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Gross value added (GVA) generated by video games sector in the UK 2013, by segment
Video game development studios' vision on gaming industry's future France 2014-2016
International conventions with most attendance from Spanish video game companies 2018
Share of gaming development studios with an independent status in France 2014-2016
Economic models adopted by video game development studios in France 2014-2016
Most interesting international trade fairs for Spanish video game companies 2017
Accounting situation of video game companies in France 2013-2015
Video games market in Sweden
Mobile games publishers
Video Game Industry in Asia
U.S. gamers
Video game industry in Europe
Video game industry in the United Kingdom (UK)
Video game industry in Spain
Video gaming market leaders
Online gaming in the United Kingdom (UK)
Video games market in the U.S.
Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2019
Spelutvecklarindex 2018
The Game Industry of Finland 2018
Video games in Sweden
Video games in Norway
Video games in Denmark
2014 Essential Facts About the Canadian Video Game Industry
Leading gaming markets worldwide in 2018, by gaming revenue (in billion U.S. dollars)
Games market revenue worldwide from 2015 to 2018, by region (in billion U.S. dollars)
Mobile games revenue in selected regions worldwide in 2018 and 2019 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Gaming revenue of leading public companies worldwide from 2014 to 2017 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Cumulative value of games market mergers and acquisitions (M&A) worldwide from 2010 to 2016 (in million U.S. dollars)
Distribution of Revenue of Take-Two Interactive from fiscal years 2010 to 2018, by platform
Net income of Take-Two Interactive from fiscal years 2006 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
Annual net revenue of Electronic Arts from fiscal 2013 to 2019, by platform (in million U.S. dollars)
Electronic Arts' net income/loss in the fiscal years 2005 to 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)
Annual revenue generated by Zynga from 2008 to 2018, by segment (in million U.S. dollars)
Annual net income/loss of Zynga from 2008 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
Activision Blizzard's revenue from 2015 to 2018, by platform (in million U.S. dollars)
Annual net income/loss of Activision Blizzard from 2005 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
Gaming revenue of Microsoft from fiscal 2017 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
Revenue generated by Valve Corporation in 2005, 2010 and 2014 (in million U.S. dollars)
Annual online games revenue generated by Tencent Holdings from 2010 to 2018 (in billion yuan)
Gross profit of Tencent from 2008 to 2018 (in billion yuan)
Nexon's annual revenue from 2008 to 2018 (in billion yen)
Nexon's annual net income/loss from 2008 to 2018 (in million yen)
Capcom's annual net sales in the fiscal years 2008 to 2018, by operating segment (in billion yen)
Capcom's net income in the fiscal years 2002 to 2018 (in billion of yen)
Sega Sammy Holdings home video game software unit sales from fiscal 2006 to 2018 (in millions)
Profit/loss of Sega Sammy Holdings from fiscal 2010 to 2018 (in billion Japanese yen)
Net sales of GungHo Online Entertainment from 2015 to 2018, by platform (in billion Japanese yen)
Net profit of GungHo Online Entertainment from 2012 to 2018 (in billion Japanese yen)
Net sales of Namco Bandai from FY2006 to FY2019 (in billion U.S. dollars)*
Namco Bandai's net income worldwide from FY2006 to FY2019 (in million U.S. dollars)
Total net revenues of NetEase in China from 2008 to 2018 (in billion yuan)
NetEase gross profit in China from 2008 to 2018 (in billion yuan)
Square Enix's net sales in the fiscal years 2010 to 2018, by segment (in billion yen)
Revenue generated by Supercell from 2012 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
Annual earnings of Supercell from 2013 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
Annual revenue generated by CD Projekt Group worldwide from 2013 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
Distribution of revenue generated by CD Projekt Group worldwide in 2018, by region
Ubisoft's sales from the fiscal years 2005 to 2018 (in million euros)
Ubisoft's net income/loss from fiscal 2005 to 2018 (in million euros)
Annual sales revenue generated by Gameloft from 2006 to 2018 (in million euros)
Annual net income/loss of Gameloft from 2006 to 2015 (in million euros)
Annual revenue generated by Rovio Entertainment's games division from 2013 to 2018 (in million euros)
Annual Rovio Entertainment EBITDA from 2015 to 2018 (in million euros)
Annual revenue generated by Paradox Interactive from 2014 to 2018 (in million Swedish Krona)
Annual net income of Paradox Interactive from 2014 to 2018 (in million Swedish Krona)
Annual net income of Digital Bros from fiscal year 2015 to 2018 (in million euros)
Annual revenue generated by Digital Bros from fiscal year 2017 to 2018, by segment (in million euros)
Share of video games studios with over four employees in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2015
Share of video games studios with 14 employees or fewer in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2013 to 2014
What are the top platforms that you develop for?
What game engines do you currently use?
Number of jobs indirectly supported by video games studios in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2017
Number of UK- and non-UK-developed games released in the United Kingdom in 2006 and 2012
Revenue of the video games market in the Nordic countries in 2016 (in billion SEK)
To what extent is your company experiencing the following skills gaps within your current workforce?
Combined direct and indirect tax revenues generated by the video game sector in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Number of video game studios in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2015
Company growth in the games industry in the Netherlands in 2015, by company type (in comparison to 2011)
What impact has the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union had on your business?*
Gross value added (GVA) generated by the video games sector in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by segment (in million British pounds)
Opinion of video game development studios in France from 2014 to 2016 regarding the future of the French video game industry
Distribution of companies in the Spanish video game industry participating in international trade shows and fairs in 2018, by convention
Share of video game development studios with an independent status in France between 2014 and 2016
Economic models adopted by video game development studios in France between 2014 and 2016
Average score of international trade shows and fairs based on the Spanish video game companies' interest in participating as of April 2017
Accounting situation of video game companies in France between the end of 2013 and 2015
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Italy: retailers of textiles in specialized stores 2015-2016, by legal form
Number of textile retailers in specialized stores in Italy in 2015 and 2016, by legal form
This statistic illustrates the number of retailers selling textiles in specialized stores in Italy in 2015 and 2016, broken down by legal form. Over this period, the number of retailers in this sector decreased, passing from 10,961 in 2015 to 10,418 in 2016.
Data corresponds to section (G) 4751 of NACE.
Banks & Financial Services
MFIs gross lending to non-financial small and medium enterprises in the UK 2017-2018
SMEs reporting rejection of credit applications in the United Kingdom (UK) 2012-2017
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
Comparison between traditional and alternative finance providers by UK SMEs 2014
Problems with obtaining financing for SMEs in the UK in 2014, by funding type
Statistics on "Small and medium enterprises financing in the United Kingdom"
Loans and lending to SMEs
External financing for UK SMEs
Alternative finance for SMEs
Factoring, equipment leasing and invoice discounting
Venture capital investments
Small and medium-sized enterprises: financial management
Gross lending by monetary financial institutions (MFIs) to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2017 to December 2018 (in million GBP)MFIs gross lending to non-financial small and medium enterprises in the UK 2017-2018
Outcome of loan applications* or small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017Loan application outcomes for SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Perception of banks as the only funding source available to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014SMEs understanding of banks as the only external finance source in the UK in 2014
Value of new bank loans drawn by small-sized businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2015 to March 2017 (in million GBP)Value of new loans drawn by small businesses in the United Kingdom 2015-2017
Value of new bank loans drawn by medium-sized businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2015 to September 2017 (in million GBP)Value of new loans drawn by medium-sized businesses in the United Kingdom 2015-2017
Repayments of loans by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) from May 2016 to April 2018 (in million GBP)Small and medium enterprises: repayments on MFI lending in the UK 2016-2018
Share of small and medium enterprises business loans in total business loans in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2017Share of SMEs loans in total business loans in the United Kingdom (UK) 2011-2017
Number of loan facilities to small-sized businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2015 to September 2017Number of loan facilities for small businesses approved in the UK 2015-2017
Ability to access external finance for small businesses with employees in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015 Access to external finance for small and medium enterprises in the UK 2015
Attempts to access external finance of small and medium businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017Share of small and medium enterprises seeking external financing in the UK 2017
Types of external finance applied for business according to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017External finance types sought by small and medium enterprises in the UK in 2017
Reasons for applying for external finance according to small businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017Grouds for applying for financing of small and medium enterprises in the UK 2017
Difficulties with obtaining external financing by small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by financing typeProblems with obtaining financing for SMEs in the UK in 2014, by funding type
Problems with obtaining external financing according to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014 Difficulties in obtaining finance for small and medium enterprises in the UK in 2014
Reasons for not applying for external financing according to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014Grounds for not seeking external finance by SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2014
Outcomes of external finance applications according to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2016Finance applicaton outcomes by small and medium enterprises in the UK in 2016
Alternative sources of finance considered by small and medium-sized enterprises if bank loans not available in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014 Potential use of non-bank external finance by SMEs in the UK in 2014
Amount of finance received via peer-to-peer debt crowdfunding by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015Total finance obtained via crowdfunding by SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2015
Amount of finance requested from peer-to-peer financing or crowdfunding by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015Total financing value requested from crowdfunding or p2p funding by SMEs in UK 2015
Awareness of alternative finance options among consumers and SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014Awareness of alternative finance market in the UK 2014, by consumers and SMEs
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) familiarity with alternative finance in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by finance modelSMEs familiarity with alternative finance options in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014
Comparison between alternative and traditional finance providers according to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2014, by factorComparison between traditional and alternative finance providers by UK SMEs 2014
Outcome of peer-to-peer (P2P) applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017P2P loan application outcomes for SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Type of finance sought from peer-to-peer financing or crowdfunding by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015Finance types sought from P2P finance and crowdfunding by SMEs in the UK 2015
Outcome of equity finance applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017Equity finance application outcomes for SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Outcome of factoring or invoice discounting applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017Factoring or invoice discounting application outcomes for SMEs in the UK 2017
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that applied for leasing or hire purchase as financing in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015Leasing or hire purchase finance applications for SMEs in the UK 2015
Providers of factoring or invoice discounting for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015Invoice discounting or factoring providers for SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2015
Proportion of annual sales covered by factoring or invoice discounting for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015Annual sales covered by invoice discounting or factoring for SMEs in the UK 2015
Amount of factoring or invoice discounting facility used by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015Amount of invoice discounting or factoring used by SMEs in the UK 2015
Distribution of equipment and assets sought to fund through leasing or hire purchase by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015Equipment funded via leasing or hire purchase for SMEs in the United Kingdom 2015
Business angels investments in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2014, by stage of investee business Investments in seed, start-up or other stage of business by angel investors UK 2014
Business angel investments in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by popular ways of investing Most popular ways of making angel investments in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014
Share of business angels investments in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by number of supported business venturesBusiness angels investments in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014, by number of ventures
Outcome of mezzanine finance applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015Mezzanine finance application outcomes for SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2015
Year-on-year changes in seed and early stage venture capital investments for small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2013 Seed and early capital investments change rate for SMEs in the UK 2008-2013
Year-on-year changes in later-stage venture capital investments for small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2013Later-stage capital investments change rate for SMEs in the UK 2008-2013
Year-on-year changes in growth capital investments for small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2013Growth capital investments change rate for SMEs in the UK 2008-2013
United Kingdom: Who is responsible for obtaining finance on behalf of the business?SMEs financial management roles in the UK 2014, by company size
Type of bank account used by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017Type of bank account used by small and medium enterprises in the UK in 2017
United Kingdom: does the business have its own bank account or is it in the name of the owner?SMEs bank account ownership in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014, by company size
Outcome of credit card applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017Credit card application outcomes for SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Small and medium enterprises' (SME) expectations of the extent to which cash flow/issues with late payment will be an obstacle to running the business in the next 12 months in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2nd quarter 2018, by enterprise size*Cash flow problems as an obstacle to UK small and medium enterprises 2018
Frequency of assessing financial needs performed by small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014SMEs fequency of evaluating financial needs in the UK 2014, by company size
Frequency of viewing credit scores of small and medium-sized enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014SMEs fequency of checking credit scores in the UK in 2014, by company size
Factors impacting the commercial credit rating of small and medium enterprises in a positive way in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014 Factors having a positive impact on SMEs credit score in the UK as of 2014
Italy: specialist newspaper and stationery retailers 2015-2016, by legal form
Italy: specialist sporting equipment retailers 2015-2016, by legal form
Italy: specialist cultural and recreation goods retailers 2015-2016, by legal form
Italy: specialist game and toy retailers 2015-2016, by legal form
Italy: number of textile wholesalers 2015-2016, by legal form
Italy: firms finishing textiles in Italy 2014-2016, by legal form
Textiles: Sales value quarterly index in Great Britain 2015-2019
Favorite department store retailers for store design in the United Kingdom (UK) 2014
Gross value added (GVA) of food and tobacco retail stores in the UK 2008-2017
Textile retail sales volume index monthly in Great Britain 2014-2019
Clothing & footwear: retail sales value percentage change in Great Britain 2008-2018
Household textiles retail sales turnover in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2016
Number of specialized retail stores for tobacco in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2017
Clothing and footwear: sales value growth in Great Britain 2015-2019
Italy: turnover of leading independent perfumeries 2017
Towns with the highest share of independent stores in Wales 2016
Health food retail sales in specialized stores in Norway 2008-2017
Retail Industry in China
E-commerce worldwide
U.S. Furniture Retail
E-Commerce in China
Food Retail Industry
Gross lending by monetary financial institutions (MFIs) to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2017 to December 2018 (in million GBP)
Outcome of loan applications* or small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
Perception of banks as the only funding source available to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
Value of new bank loans drawn by small-sized businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2015 to March 2017 (in million GBP)
Value of new bank loans drawn by medium-sized businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2015 to September 2017 (in million GBP)
Repayments of loans by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) from May 2016 to April 2018 (in million GBP)
Share of small and medium enterprises business loans in total business loans in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2017
Number of loan facilities to small-sized businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2015 to September 2017
Number of loan facilities to medium-sized businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) from January 2015 to September 2017
Year-on-year growth rate of small and medium enterprises new business loans in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2017
Year-on-year growth rate of small and medium enterprises outstanding business loans in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2014
Small and medium enterprises loan rejection rates in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2017
Ability to access external finance for small businesses with employees in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Attempts to access external finance of small and medium businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
Types of external finance applied for business according to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
Reasons for applying for external finance according to small businesses in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
Difficulties with obtaining external financing by small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by financing type
Problems with obtaining external financing according to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
Reasons for not applying for external financing according to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
Outcomes of external finance applications according to small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2016
Amount of finance obtained by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
Amounts of outstanding overdrafts for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) from May 2016 to April 2018 (in million GBP)
Frequency of using overdraft facility for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Overdraft limits for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Alternative sources of finance considered by small and medium-sized enterprises if bank loans not available in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
Amount of finance received via peer-to-peer debt crowdfunding by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Amount of finance requested from peer-to-peer financing or crowdfunding by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Awareness of alternative finance options among consumers and SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) familiarity with alternative finance in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by finance model
Comparison between alternative and traditional finance providers according to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2014, by factor
Outcome of peer-to-peer (P2P) applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
Type of finance sought from peer-to-peer financing or crowdfunding by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Number of peer-to-peer debt crowdfunding platforms approached by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) when initially looking for finance in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Quarterly market value of peer-to-peer (P2P) business lending platforms on the alternative finance sector in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2014 and 2015 (in million GBP)
Share of peer-to-peer (P2P) business loan borrowers in the United Kingdom (UK) between 2011 and 2013, by industrial sector
Share of companies growing or shrinking since raising funding through reward-based crowdfunding platforms in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by area of business
Outcome of equity finance applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
Outcome of factoring or invoice discounting applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that applied for leasing or hire purchase as financing in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Providers of factoring or invoice discounting for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Proportion of annual sales covered by factoring or invoice discounting for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Amount of factoring or invoice discounting facility used by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Distribution of equipment and assets sought to fund through leasing or hire purchase by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Business angels investments in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2014, by stage of investee business
Business angel investments in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by popular ways of investing
Share of business angels investments in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014, by number of supported business ventures
Outcome of mezzanine finance applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2015
Year-on-year changes in seed and early stage venture capital investments for small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2013
Year-on-year changes in later-stage venture capital investments for small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2013
Year-on-year changes in growth capital investments for small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2013
United Kingdom: Who is responsible for obtaining finance on behalf of the business?
Type of bank account used by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
United Kingdom: does the business have its own bank account or is it in the name of the owner?
Outcome of credit card applications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017
Small and medium enterprises' (SME) expectations of the extent to which cash flow/issues with late payment will be an obstacle to running the business in the next 12 months in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2nd quarter 2018, by enterprise size*
Frequency of assessing financial needs performed by small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
Frequency of viewing credit scores of small and medium-sized enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
Factors impacting the commercial credit rating of small and medium enterprises in a positive way in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
Future growth financing funds used by small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
The amount of time small and medium firms spent seeking financing sources in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2014
Number of retailers of newspapers and stationery in specialized stores in Italy in 2015 and 2016, by legal form
Number of retailers of sporting equipment in specialized stores in Italy in 2015 and 2016, by legal form
Number of retailers of cultural and recreation goods in specialized stores in Italy in 2015 and 2016, by legal form
Number of retailers of games and toys in specialized stores in Italy in 2015 and 2016, by legal form
Number of wholesalers of textiles in Italy in 2015 and 2016, by legal form
Number of enterprises in the finishing of textiles industry in Italy from 2014 to 2016, by legal form
Sales value of textiles in Great Britain from 1st quarter 2015 to 1st quarter 2019, based on index number of sales per week*
Consumers' first choice department stores, general merchandise and specialist retailers for store design in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2014
Gross value added (GVA) of food, beverages and tobacco retail sales in specialised stores in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017* (in million GBP)
Monthly sales volume of textiles in Great Britain from January 2016 to April 2019, as an index number of sales per week
Percentage change in sales value of textiles, clothing, footwear and leather in Great Britain from 2008 to 2018*
Turnover from retail sale of household textiles (including furnishing fabrics, curtains etc) in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2016 (in million GBP)
Number of specialized stores for the retail sale of tobacco in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017
Percentage change in sales value of textiles, clothing, footwear and leather in Great Britain from January 2015 to April 2019
Turnover of leading independent perfumeries in Italy in 2017 (in million euros)
Leading 10 towns for independent retail in Wales in 2016, based on the share of independents out of total retail premises
Turnover from retail sale of health foods in specialized stores in Norway from 2008 to 2017 (in million NOK)
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Frequency of reading on a touch screen among parents in the UK 2013, by demographic
Frequency of reading on a touch screen device among parents in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by demographic
by Statista Research Department, last edited Mar 1, 2014
This statistic illustrates the results of a survey on the proportion of parents who read on a touch screen device in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by frequency and demographic. Among parents aged between 36 and 40 years, 49.5 percent reported reading on a touch screen daily.
Expand statistic
Once or twice a week
A few times a week
All parents 12.8% 18.8% 45.2%
Fathers 11.1% 20.1% 45.4%
Mothers 14.6% 17.5% 45%
18-30 years 13.4% 22.5% 37.3%
Over 41 years 12.9% 20.4% 44.2%
Group AB 9.8% 19.9% 48.9%
Group C1 16.3% 19.2% 43.9%
Group C2 12.2% 15.1% 46%
Group DE 15.2% 19.2% 36.4%
No qualification 8.3% 25% 41.7%
Non-university qualification 13.7% 22.8% 37.6%
University qualification 12.2% 15.9% 50.6%
1,028 respondents
parents of children aged three to five
Number of books sold in the UK from 2009 to 2018
Book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017, by category
E-book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017, consumer and non-consumer
Digital book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017, by category
Statistics on "Book market in the United Kingdom (UK)"
Reading behavior
Publisher book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in million GBP)Book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2017
Publisher sales revenue of physical books in the United Kingdom 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)Physical book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017
Sales revenues of leading publishing houses in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)Highest earning book publishing houses in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Number of books sold in the United Kingdom 2009 to 2018 (in millions)Number of books sold in the UK from 2009 to 2018
Number of book titles published in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2015 (in 1,000 titles)Book titles produced in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2015
Publisher book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017, by category (in million GBP)Book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017, by category
Publisher book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017, by format (in million GBP)Book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017, by format
Digital book sales revenue generated by publishers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in million GBP)Digital book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2017
Digital book sales revenue generated by publishers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017, by category (in million GBP)Digital book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017, by category
Consumer and non-consumer e-book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)E-book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017, consumer and non-consumer
Were the e-books you consumed paid or free?E-book consumption in the United Kingdom (UK) 2012-2018, by paid and free
Consumer spending on books in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2013 to 2nd quarter 2018 (in million GBP)*Expenditure on books in the United Kingdom (UK) Q1 2013 - Q2 2018
Number of specialized stores for the retail sale of books in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2016Number of book stores in the United Kingdom (UK) 2008-2016
Sales volume of the bestselling books in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018 (in 1,000 copies)Bestselling books in the United Kingdom (UK) 2018
Average invoiced price of physical books in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in GBP)Invoiced price of physical books in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2017
Consumer price index (CPI) of books in the United Kingdom (UK) from February 2015 to January 2019Books consumer price index (CPI) monthly in the United Kingdom (UK) 2015-2019
Which sites or services have you used in the past three months to stream/access, or share e-books through the internet?Leading services used for e-books in the United Kingdom (UK) 2018
How many hours do you spend reading per week?Number of weekly hours spent reading by UK consumers
Why do you read?Reasons for reading by UK consumers 2017
Which genres do you read on a regular basis?Preferred reading genres of consumers in the United Kingdom 2017
Frequency of reading printed books in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017Reading frequency of printed books in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Frequency of reading e-books in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017Reading frequency of e-books in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
When was the last time you spent money on a printed book?Last time UK consumers spent money on printed books 2017
Have you consumed e-books?*E-book consumption in the UK 2012-2018, by frequency
In your view, how will books in general be read 10 years from now?Public perception on the future of book reading in the UK 2017
Frequency of reading print among parents in the UK 2013, by demographic
Children who did not read stories on a touch screen in the UK 2013, by demographic
Children looking at stories using print in the UK 2013, by socio-economic status
Children who enjoy reading stories in the UK 2013, by parent demographic
Children looking at print stories UK 2013, by frequency and child age and gender
Children looking at print stories UK 2013, by frequency and socio-economic status
Average number of children's books owned in the UK 2013, by parent demographic
Children looking at stories using print at home in the UK 2013, by child age
Children looking at stories using print at home in the UK 2013, by parent age
Children looking at print stories in the UK 2013, by frequency and child age
Children looking at print stories in the UK 2013, by frequency and parent age
Children who read stories on a touch screen in the UK 2013, by demographic
Children looking at stories using print at home in the UK 2013, by child gender
Access to books among children in the United Kingdom (UK) 2013, by demographic
Children looking at print stories in the UK 2013, by frequency and child gender
Children looking at stories using print at home in the UK 2013, by family size
Children looking at stories using print in the UK 2013, by parent qualification
Children looking at print stories in the UK 2013, by frequency and family size
Children looking at print stories UK 2013, by frequency and parent qualification
Children looking at stories using print in the UK 2013, by child age and gender
Book market in Norway
E-books in Germany
Book market in Denmark
Book market in Belgium
Book reading habits in Italy
Book market in the U.S.
Book market in the United Kingdom (UK)
Book market in Sweden
E-book market in the Netherlands
Book market in the Netherlands
Children's reading habits in Italy
Book market in Italy
Book market in Finland
Publisher book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Publisher sales revenue of physical books in the United Kingdom 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Sales revenues of leading publishing houses in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)
Number of books sold in the United Kingdom 2009 to 2018 (in millions)
Number of book titles published in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2015 (in 1,000 titles)
Publisher book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017, by category (in million GBP)
Publisher book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017, by format (in million GBP)
Digital book sales revenue generated by publishers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Digital book sales revenue generated by publishers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017, by category (in million GBP)
Consumer and non-consumer e-book sales revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Were the e-books you consumed paid or free?
Consumer spending on books in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter 2013 to 2nd quarter 2018 (in million GBP)*
Number of specialized stores for the retail sale of books in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2008 to 2016
Sales volume of the bestselling books in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018 (in 1,000 copies)
Average invoiced price of physical books in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2017 (in GBP)
Consumer price index (CPI) of books in the United Kingdom (UK) from February 2015 to January 2019
Which sites or services have you used in the past three months to stream/access, or share e-books through the internet?
How many hours do you spend reading per week?
Why do you read?
Which genres do you read on a regular basis?
Frequency of reading printed books in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017
Frequency of reading e-books in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017
When was the last time you spent money on a printed book?
Have you consumed e-books?*
In your view, how will books in general be read 10 years from now?
Could you be happy without books?
Frequency of reading print among parents in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by demographic
Share of children who did not look at or read stories on a touch screen in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by demographic
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by socio-economic status
Share of children who enjoy looking at or reading stories in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by parent demographic
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by frequency and child age and gender
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by frequency and socio-economic status
Average number of children's books owned in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by parent demographic
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by child age
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by parent age
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by frequency and child age
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by frequency and parent age
Share of children who looked at or read stories on a touch screen in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by demographic
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by child gender
Share of children who have books at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by demographic
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by frequency and child gender
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by family size
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by parent qualification
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by frequency and family size
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by frequency and parent qualification
Share of children who looked at stories using print at home in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by child age and gender
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Number of reported cases of cholera in Malaysia 2006 to 2015
Number of reported cases of cholera in Malaysia from 2006 to 2015
by Statista Research Department, last edited Sep 16, 2016
This statistic shows the number of reported cases of cholera in Malaysia from 2006 to 2015. In 2015, there were approximately 244 cases of cholera reported in Malaysia.
The source does not provide a publication date. The date displayed is the update date.
Data for 2008 was not provided.
Death rate for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in Canada 2000-2016
Death rate for HIV in Canada 2000-2016
Death rate for diabetes mellitus in Canada 2000-2016
Death rate for Alzheimer's disease in Canada 2000-2016
Statistics on "Disease in Canada"
HIV/AIDS- STDs
Other disease deaths
Estimated number of new cancer cases in Canada as of 2017, by typeNumber of Canadian new cancer cases by type 2017
Estimated number of all new cancer cases in Canada by age group in 2017*Number of Canadian new cancer cases by age group 2017
Estimated number of all new cancer cases in Canada in 2017, by age and gender*Number of Canadian new cancer cases by age and gender 2017
Estimated number of new cancer cases in Canada in 2017, by provinceNumber of Canadian new cancer cases by province 2017
Estimated total number of deaths due to cancer in Canada in 2017, by typeNumber of Canadian cancer deaths by type 2017
Estimated age-standardized cancer mortality rate in Canada as of 2017, by type (per 100,000 population)Mortality rate in Canada due to cancer by type 2017
Estimated number of deaths due to cancer in Canada in 2017, by type and genderNumber of Canadian cancer deaths by type and gender 2017
Death rate for major cardiovascular diseases in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Death rate for major cardiovascular diseases in Canada 2000-2016
Death rate for selected disorders of the circulatory system in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)*Death rate for select disorders of the circulatory system in Canada 2000-2016
Number of new cases of cardiovascular disease due to sugary beverages in Canada from 2016 to 2041Incidences of cardiovascular disease related to sugary drinks in Canada 2016-2041
Number of new cardiovascular disease deaths due to sugary beverages in Canada from 2016 to 2041Incidences of cardiovascular disease deaths from sugary drinks in Canada 2016-2041
Number of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with diabetes from 2003 to 2017Number of Canadians reported diabetes diagnosis 2003-2017
Percentage of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with diabetes from 2003 to 2017Percent of Canadians reported diabetes diagnosis 2003-2017
Percentage of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with diabetes as of 2017, by age and genderShare of Canadians who reported diabetes diagnosis 2017, by age and gender
Percentage of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with diabetes as of 2016, by income quintileShare of Canadians who reported diabetes diagnosis 2016, by income quintile
Death rate for diabetes mellitus in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Death rate for diabetes mellitus in Canada 2000-2016
Number of new cases of diabetes due to sugary beverages in Canada from 2016 to 2041Projected incidences of diabetes related to sugary drinks in Canada 2016-2041
Reported cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Rate of reported cases of HIV in Canada from 2000 to 2016
Reported cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Canada from 1986 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Rate of reported cases of AIDS in Canada from 1986 to 2016
Death rate for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Death rate for HIV in Canada 2000-2016
Reported cases of gonorrhea in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Rate of reported cases of gonorrhea in Canada from 1930 to 2016
Reported cases of syphilis in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Rate of reported cases of syphilis in Canada from 1930 to 2016
Reported cases of Chlamydia in Canada from 1991 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Rate of reported cases of Chlamydia in Canada from 1991 to 2016
Percentage of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from 2003 to 2017Percent of Canadians reported COPD diagnosis 2003-2017
Reported cases of tuberculosis in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Rate of reported cases of tuberculosis in Canada from 1930 to 2016
Reported cases of malaria in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Rate of reported cases of malaria in Canada from 1930 to 2016
Reported cases of measles in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Rate of reported cases of measles in Canada from 1930 to 2016
Number of people with bleeding disorders in Canada in 2017, by disorder typeNumber of persons with bleeding disorders in Canada by disorder type 2017
Percentage of people with von Willebrand disease in Canada in 2017, by age groupPeople with von Willebrand disease in the Canada 2017, by age group
Death rate for chronic lower respiratory diseases in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Death rate for chronic lower respiratory diseases in Canada 2000-2016
Death rate for nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Death rate for nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis in Canada 2000-2016
Death rate for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Death rate for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in Canada 2000-2016
Death rate for tuberculosis in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Death rate for tuberculosis in Canada 2000-2016
Death rate for Alzheimer's disease in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Death rate for Alzheimer's disease in Canada 2000-2016
Death rate for Parkinson's disease in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)Death rate for Parkinson's disease in Canada 2000-2016
Number of reported cases of cholera in Myanmar 2008 to 2016
Number of reported cases of cholera in Nepal 2007 to 2016
Number of reported cases of cholera in Pakistan 2010 to 2014
Number of reported cases of cholera in Thailand 2006 to 2016
Number of reported cases of cholera in the Philippines 2006 to 2016
Number of reported cases of cholera in Asia Pacific 2016 by country
Number of vaccine preventable disease cases Malaysia 2017 by disease
Incidence rate hepatitis B Japan 2008-2017
Incidence rate measles Japan 2008-2017
Incidence rate of hemorrhagic dengue fever Malaysia 2017 by region
Incidence rate pertussis Japan 2006-2016
Number of hemorrhagic dengue fever cases Malaysia 2017 by region
Incidence rate AIDS Japan 2007-2016
Environmentally caused disease in DALYs in MENA by type 2016
Number strokes in Sweden 2013-2017, by gender
Food-borne disease outbreaks in South Korea 2015, by place
Number of U.S. type 1 diabetes disease cases 2007-2020
HIV/AIDS worldwide
Disease in Canada
Communicable diseases in the United Kingdom (UK)
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the U.S.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the U.S.
Kidney disease in the U.S.
Cerebrovascular disease in the U.S.
Bleeding disorders in the U.S.
Liver disease in the U.S.
Hepatitis in the U.S.
Mosquito-borne diseases in the U.S.
Lyme disease in the U.S.
Foodborne illness in the U.S.
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)
Estimated number of new cancer cases in Canada as of 2017, by type
Estimated number of all new cancer cases in Canada by age group in 2017*
Estimated number of all new cancer cases in Canada in 2017, by age and gender*
Estimated number of new cancer cases in Canada in 2017, by province
Estimated total number of deaths due to cancer in Canada in 2017, by type
Estimated age-standardized cancer mortality rate in Canada as of 2017, by type (per 100,000 population)
Estimated number of deaths due to cancer in Canada in 2017, by type and gender
Death rate for major cardiovascular diseases in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Death rate for selected disorders of the circulatory system in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)*
Number of new cases of cardiovascular disease due to sugary beverages in Canada from 2016 to 2041
Number of new cardiovascular disease deaths due to sugary beverages in Canada from 2016 to 2041
Number of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with diabetes from 2003 to 2017
Percentage of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with diabetes from 2003 to 2017
Percentage of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with diabetes as of 2017, by age and gender
Percentage of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with diabetes as of 2016, by income quintile
Death rate for diabetes mellitus in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Number of new cases of diabetes due to sugary beverages in Canada from 2016 to 2041
Reported cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Reported cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Canada from 1986 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Death rate for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Reported cases of gonorrhea in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Reported cases of syphilis in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Reported cases of Chlamydia in Canada from 1991 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Percentage of Canadians who reported being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from 2003 to 2017
Reported cases of tuberculosis in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Reported cases of malaria in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Reported cases of measles in Canada from 1930 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Number of people with bleeding disorders in Canada in 2017, by disorder type
Percentage of people with von Willebrand disease in Canada in 2017, by age group
Death rate for chronic lower respiratory diseases in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Death rate for nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Death rate for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Death rate for tuberculosis in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Death rate for Alzheimer's disease in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Death rate for Parkinson's disease in Canada from 2000 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Number of reported cases of cholera in Myanmar from 2008 to 2016
Number of reported cases of cholera in Nepal from 2007 to 2016
Number of reported cases of cholera in Pakistan from 2010 to 2014
Number of reported cases of cholera in Thailand from 2006 to 2016
Number of reported cases of cholera in the Philippines from 2006 to 2016
Number of reported cases of cholera in the Asia Pacific region in 2016, by country
Number of vaccine preventable disease cases in Malaysia in 2017, by disease
Incidence rate for hepatitis B in Japan from 2008 to 2017 (per 100,000 population)*
Incidence rate for measles in Japan from 2008 to 2017 (per 100,000 population)*
Incidence rate of hemorrhagic dengue fever in Malaysia in 2017 by region (per 100,000 inhabitants)
Incidence rate for pertussis (whooping cough) in Japan from 2006 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)*
Number of hemorrhagic dengue fever cases in Malaysia in 2017 by region
Incidence rate for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Japan from 2007 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
Environmental fraction of total burden of disease in disability-adjusted life years in the Middle East and North Africa in 2016, by type
Number strokes in Sweden from 2013 to 2017, by gender (per 100,000 inhabitants)
Distribution of food-borne disease outbreaks in South Korea in 2015, by place of occurrence
Number of type 1 diabetes cases in the U.S. from 2007 to 2020 (in millions)*
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Politics & Government›
Italy: French election´s impact on Europe 2017
According to you, with the result of the election in France, Europe...
The figure shows the opinion whether the result of the French election had impacts on Europe according to Italians in 2017. According to the survey, 47 percent of respondents believed that the victory of Emmanuel Macron made Europe stronger.
CATI, online interview
EU & Euro-Zone
Total population of the European Union (EU) 2018
EU Parliament: voter turnout in the European elections 1979-2014
Gross domestic product (GDP) in the European Union (EU) until 2017
Gross domestic product (GDP) of selected European countries in 2018
Statistics on "European Elections 2019"
Perceptions on the EU
European Union: total population from 2008 to 2018 (in million inhabitants)Total population of the European Union (EU) 2018
Number of member states in the European Union from 1958 to 2019Number of countries in the European Union 1958-2019
European Union: Gross domestic product (GDP) in current prices from 2007 to 2017 (in trillion euros)Gross domestic product (GDP) in the European Union (EU) until 2017
Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices of selected European countries in 2018 (in billion euros)Gross domestic product (GDP) of selected European countries in 2018
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate in European Union countries in 2018*GDP growth rate in European Union countries in 2018
Seat distribution for the political groups in the European Parliament of 2019, by number of MEPsSeat distribution for the political groups in the European Parliament in 2019
Number of MEPs from the United Kingdom elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party groupingNumber of MEPs from the UK elected to the European parliament in 2019, by party
Number of MEPs from Germany elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party groupingNumber of MEPs from Germany elected to the European parliament in 2019, by party
Number of MEPs from France elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party groupingNumber of MEPs from France elected to the European parliament in 2019, by party
Number of MEPs from Italy elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party groupingNumber of MEPs from Italy elected to the European parliament in 2019, by party
Number of MEPs from Spain elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party groupingNumber of MEPs from Spain elected to the European parliament in 2019, by party
Number of MEPs from Austria elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party groupingNumber of MEPs from Austria elected to the European parliament in 2019, by party
Number of MEPs from Bulgaria elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party groupingNumber of MEPs from Bulgaria elected to the European parliament in 2019, by party
Voter turnout in the European Parliament Elections in the European Union (EU) from 1979 to 2014EU Parliament: voter turnout in the European elections 1979-2014
Number of seats won in European Parliament elections in 2009 and 2014, by political groupEU Parliament elections: number of seats won in 2009 & 2014, by political group
Number of the MEPs in the European Parliament in 2019, by member stateNumber of the MEPs in the European Parliament in 2019
Gender distribution in the European Parliament from 1979 to 2014Gender distribution in the European Parliament 1979-2014
Number of Members of the European Parliament in 2018, by gender and political groupNumber of MEPs in the European Parliament in 2018, by gender and political group
Would you say that you are optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the EU?*Public optimism and pessimism regarding the future of the EU from 2007 to 2018
Would you say that you are optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the EU?*Public perceptions on the future of the EU in 2018
In your opinion, what are the main assets of the European Union?*Perceptions on the European Union 2018
Public attitudes towards the European Parliament in 2018, in selected European countriesPublic attitudes towards the European Parliament in 2018
Italy: French election´s impact on voting intention 2017
Presidential election results in Iran 2017
Italy: expectations on Macron as French president 2017
Ukraine: second-round presidential election results 2019
Italy: opinion on result of the French presidential election 2017
Italy: opinion on result of the German presidential election 2017
Voter turnout in the Finnish presidential elections 2018, by electoral district
Voter turnout for presidential election in Egypt 2005-2018
Voter turnout in the Finnish presidential elections 2018
Voter turnout in the Finnish presidential elections 2018, by gender
Survey on second-round voting intentions between Niinistö and Vanhanen Finland 2017
Advance voter turnout in the Finnish presidential elections 2018, by weekday
Cities where Sauli Niinistö had most votes in Finnish presidential elections 2018
Number of people entitled to vote in Finnish presidential elections 2018, by gender
Price of candidates' votes compared to budget in Finnish presidential elections 2018
Voting: people who say they usually never vote in presidential elections (USA), 2014
Youth voter turnout in presidential elections in the U.S. 1972-2016
Leading candidates for the 19th presidential election in South Korea 2017
U.S. Presidential Election - popular vote cast by state
Banks and the Euro Crisis
Terrorism in the European Union
United States Presidential Election Polls 2016
Spending and Advertising in the U.S. Presidential Election 2016
Migration in France
After Brexit: Alternate forms of Brexit and their implications for the United Kingdom, the...
Public spending in France
2012 U.S. election part II voter and candidate
2012 U.S. election part I finances
Visegrád Group
Indian Lok Sabha election polls 2019
Social media and politics in the United States
Media and politics in the United States
Political advertising in the U.S.
European Union: total population from 2008 to 2018 (in million inhabitants)
Number of member states in the European Union from 1958 to 2019
European Union: Gross domestic product (GDP) in current prices from 2007 to 2017 (in trillion euros)
Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices of selected European countries in 2018 (in billion euros)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate in European Union countries in 2018*
Seat distribution for the political groups in the European Parliament of 2019, by number of MEPs
Number of MEPs from the United Kingdom elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Germany elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from France elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Italy elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Spain elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Austria elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Bulgaria elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Belgium elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Hungary elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Croatia elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Cyprus elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Czechia elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Denmark elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Estonia elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Finland elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Ireland elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Greece elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Romania elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Latvia elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Lithuania elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Luxembourg elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Malta elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from the Netherlands elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Poland elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Portugal elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Slovakia elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Slovenia elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Number of MEPs from Sweden elected to the European Parliament in 2019, by European political party grouping
Voter turnout in the European Parliament Elections in the European Union (EU) from 1979 to 2014
Number of seats won in European Parliament elections in 2009 and 2014, by political group
Number of the MEPs in the European Parliament in 2019, by member state
Gender distribution in the European Parliament from 1979 to 2014
Number of Members of the European Parliament in 2018, by gender and political group
Would you say that you are optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the EU?*
In your opinion, what are the main assets of the European Union?*
Public attitudes towards the European Parliament in 2018, in selected European countries
Does the outcome of the election in France have impacts on your voting intention in Italy?
Number of votes for the presidential election in the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2017 (in million)**
Macron will take office in the Élysée on Wednesday. Do you think that he will be a good president?
Official results of the second round of the Ukrainian presidential elections in 2019*
Macron is the new president of France. Are you satisfied with the result?
Angela Merkel won the German presidential election but suffered a setback, while nationalists triumphed. Are you worried about this result?
Voter turnout in the Finnish presidential elections in 2018, by electoral district
Turnout of voters for the presidential elections in the Arab Republic of Egypt from 2005 to 2018
Voter turnout in the Finnish presidential elections in 2018
Voter turnout in the Finnish presidential elections in 2018, by gender
Which one would you vote for in the second round of the 2018 presidential elections: Sauli Niinistö or Matti Vanhanen?
Advance voter turnout in the Finnish presidential elections in 2018, compared to previous elections in 2012, by weekday
Cities where the candidate Sauli Niinistö received most votes in the Finnish presidential elections in 2018, by share of votes
Number of people entitled to vote in the Finnish presidential elections in 2018, by gender (in 1,000s)
Price of one vote compared to the campaign budget in the Finnish presidential elections in 2018, by candidate (in euros)
Voting: Number of people who say they usually never vote in presidential elections in the United States (USA) from spring 2008 to spring 2014 (in millions)
Youth voter turnout in presidential elections in the United States from 1972 to 2016
In your opinion, who would be the best choice for the president?
Popular vote cast for the U.S. Presidential Election in 2008 by state (in 1,000)
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Volunteers begin rebuilding once-polluted playground
By George Barnes TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Watching a forest of metal poles being erected Friday to prepare for the installation of new playground equipment at Lake Park, Public Works Director Doug Walsh said the best was yet to come.
�Wait until you get a look at the rocks,� he said. �We had to take out truck loads of real rocks to put in fake rocks.�
Heather Brissette, chairman of the committee that planned for the new playground, explained that the playground will include concrete reinforced plastic rocks for children to climb on.
�They stand about 6 feet high,� Ms. Brissette said. �They are designed to look like real rocks.�
The real rocks Mr. Walsh referred to were an unexpected challenge discovered when the Public Works Department was preparing the site and getting ready to put in 180 holes for the poles to hold up the playground structures. Workers found the ground was full of rubble from the former Lake Street School. The school was torn down in the mid-1960s and some of it was buried where it stood.
�It was mostly old blocks of granite used for the foundation,� Mr. Walsh said.
Mr. Walsh said he knew the school rubble had been buried in the park, but was not exactly sure where. The discovery resulted in two days of digging by town employees. The granite was taken to a storage site to be used for a future public works project.
The volunteers who came down to help this weekend had mixed weather to contend with. Rain was a factor and probably prevented finishing the project. With a comfortable sunny day on Friday and determined workers braving the rain Saturday morning, much of what will be known as Lake Park Playground was erected.
Some work still will need to be finished this week, but passersby can get a good sense of what the playground will be like. Already standing are new playground structures that are designed for children to crawl all over, testing their climbing abilities. The climbing rocks are also set up, and other structures are on the way to being installed to replace the park�s old wooden playground structure, which was torn down in 2005 after it was found to be contaminated with arsenic.
The new playground structures are made of metal and plastic. They include slides, tubes for children to crawl through, bridges, ladders and stairs to climb up and down.
The playground project got its start in April 2005. It was prompted by parents who said their children were getting splinters from cracked and chipping wood in the fantasy-style playground structure built in 1987. Known as Wooden Park, the playground had been built with pressure-treated lumber.
While the town was considering how it could renovate the playground to prevent splinters, a student from Mahar Regional High School tested the wood and ground at the playground.
In October, his tests came back showing arsenic in the wood and ground. The lumber had a preservative that included arsenic.
In November 2005, the playground was torn down and the wood removed. This year, after extensive testing, the soil that was beneath the old playground was removed by the town and replaced with clean soil.
Over the two years since the old playground structure was removed, the Lake Park Playground Committee raised money for new playground equipment.
The group raised money at suppers and by soliciting donations from local businesses and residents. The town also approved spending $57,000 on the project, which was estimated to cost $100,000. Some of the $57,000 went to site preparation, including soil removal.
Most of the workers were volunteers, including two crews from Time-Warner Cable Co., working Friday and employees from L.S. Starrett Co.,which had initially looked into renovating the wooden park as a public service project to celebrate the company�s 125th anniversary.
After the arsenic was discovered, plans for the project changed and it became significantly more costly.
Company employees remained involved with the project, working with the Lake Park Playground Committee and as volunteers.
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Story Behind the Song: 'Drivin' My Life Away'
"You know, the soundtrack of that movie was fantastic. ... But the movie wasn’t a blockbuster, to say the least."
Story Behind the Song: 'Drivin' My Life Away' "You know, the soundtrack of that movie was fantastic. ... But the movie wasn’t a blockbuster, to say the least." Check out this story on Tennessean.com: https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/story-behind-the-song/2017/07/28/story-behind-song-drivin-my-life-away/513034001/
Dave Paulson, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee Published 10:00 a.m. CT July 28, 2017
Story Behind the Song: 'Drivin' My Life Away' Dave Paulson
Even Stevens talks to Bart Herbison about songwriting.(Photo: Submitted)
“Roadie” didn't get much mileage.
You may not remember the 1980 film, which starred Meat Loaf as a “good ol’ boy” roped into a rock 'n' roll tour. You’re far more likely to recall Eddie Rabbitt’s “Drivin’ My Life Away,” which was written for the film with Even Stevens and David Malloy.
Luckily, the songwriters realized what they had on their hands and made sure that “Drivin' ” could have a shot on the market outside of the film. Stevens told the story behind the song to Bart Herbison of Nashville Songwriters Association International.
BH: Go look, audience, at previous episodes of “Story Behind the Song” here on The Tennessean website with Even Stevens and you’re going to see your crazy story of coming to town, overnight success, not overnight success, long-term success. You and Eddie Rabbitt, you know, the late Eddie Rabbitt, God bless him, we miss him, your stories are intertwined. Today we’re going to talk about “Drivin’ My Life Away,” which still gets airplay and still gets used in movies and TV shows. How did it happen, Even?
ES: At the Key West Songwriters Festival, BMI just gave me a 5 million airplay award for that song, and it was a nice surprise to get on stage. There was a fellow named Steve Wax, who was the head of Elektra/Asylum Records for years, and when Eddie got signed there, that’s who it was … then he switched over to Warner Brothers and became the guy who found music for their motion pictures. So he called one time and said he was making a picture called "Roadie" and he needed a song for it.
You know, the soundtrack of that movie was fantastic. … But the movie wasn’t a blockbuster, to say the least. We had a little 8-track recorder, me and Eddie and David Malloy got up there and tried to write a song for it. (At first) it was just going to be used in the movie, but about halfway through (writing) it we went, “Wait a minute, this is darn good! Before we commit, let’s make sure Eddie can use it, you know, as a single and put it on an album.”
BH: Boy, that was smart. Because sometimes these things are works for hire, where you get paid upfront and you never get any royalties from them.
ES: Well, I’ll have to say that David was, I think David actually was the one that had the brainstorm about that because he was the producer of it, you know. And I think he knew more about that kind of stuff than we did. So he probably was the brainstorm behind that. But we fell into place with it. We thought, yes, that’s a good idea, because we knew we had something really good. And I always think I’m writing the best song I ever wrote every time I write one, but after a couple weeks I know the really good ones. I know if I play it all the time, I probably got something really good that goes on for months that way, and we knew “Drivin’ My Life Away” was probably a really good one.
BH: So you’re doing it for the movie, but do you remember the inspiration, the idea, the title, how that evolved that day?
ES: Well, the movie was "Roadie," so that general idea was (to write) something about the road.
BH: You know, Eddie — this song was a huge crossover hit. It was a hit on country. It was a hit on pop. … Eddie had this just way of delivering the songs that were within formats, yet format-less, if that makes any sense. Did the success of this (song) surprise you?
ES: The fast-ness of how it went up the charts did (surprise). Actually, I think this is the record we had to slow down a bit because it was going up so fast. I think it came in at 17 or something on the charts. I mean that was very unusual at the time. But (the success) didn’t surprise us because we thought we really had something good. We really did. It was very infectious, as well as having some really unique lines in it. My favorite part is the “truck stop cutie” thing and all that. It just comes out of nowhere. I just like when there are surprises in a song.
BH: Tell me any other thoughts about this song. Looking back on it all these years later.
ES: Well, I do a lot of live things now, festivals and everything. I do a little medley of “Step By Step,” “Drivin’ My Live Away” and “I Love a Rainy Night” at the end of the show usually.
BH: I hear it out a lot. When you go to bars, people do cover tunes. Rhett Akins covered it, had a version of it.
ES: Oh, I know. I was driving, I mean walking, down at Key Largo. I was walking along the marina there. I was doing a gig down there, but they had a lot of things going on at that place. It’s huge. And I heard “Drivin’ My Life Away” in the distance and I went over and at this barbecue somebody was having — this big barbecue — there was a band up there playing it. I run into a lot of people that go, “Gosh, that was one of the first songs I ever did onstage.” And it’s just one of those songs, you know. (I’m) very lucky.
In partnership with Nashville Songwriters Association International, each week we will highlight a different songwriter discussing her or her work.
Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/story-behind-the-song/2017/07/28/story-behind-song-drivin-my-life-away/513034001/
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Blake Shelton's trek to 26th No. 1 'God's Country'
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Deputies arrest two men in homicide case involving 25-year-old Lafayette victim
Police have arrested two people in connection to the death of Pernell Boudreaux, who was killed Saturday morning.
Deputies arrest two men in homicide case involving 25-year-old Lafayette victim Police have arrested two people in connection to the death of Pernell Boudreaux, who was killed Saturday morning. Check out this story on theadvertiser.com: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2019/03/13/two-arrested-connection-murder-saturday/3149021002/
Sara Marino and Leigh Guidry, Lafayette Daily Advertiser Published 7:38 a.m. CT March 13, 2019 | Updated 7:33 a.m. CT March 14, 2019
Deputies arrested two men Wednesday in connection to the death of Pernell Boudreaux, a 25-year-old man who was found shot to death near his family's home.
Maximilian Trautmann, 23, of Carencro, was charged with one count of second-degree murder. Sean Perroncel, 32, of Lafayette, was charged with accessory after the fact to second-degree murder, according to a press release from the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office.
Bond has been set for both men at $150,000.
Pernell Boudreaux, who was found dead Saturday in Lafayette. Deputies are investigating the case as a homicide. (Photo: COURTESY OF MINUTES JONES)
More: Deputies investigating man found dead on Lebesque Road Saturday morning
Sheriff's Office spokesperson John Mowell said they received a call about a suspicious incident in the 300 block of Lebesque Road in Lafayette around 11:45 a.m. Saturday.
Deputies said they found Boudreaux dead Saturday. Neighbors told deputies they heard shots fired around the time the sheriff's office was called.
Detectives are investigating the incident, and a motive in the death has not been released.
Pernell Boudreaux, with his friends and family. He was found dead on Saturday after neighbors heard gunfire. (Photo: COURTESY OF MINUTES JONES)
It's not clear what, if any, relationship the suspects had with Boudreaux.
Minutes Jones, who said he grew up with Boudreaux, said he did not know the suspects or if they knew Boudreaux.
"I don't really know what happened," Jones said. "He didn't really have any enemies, from my knowledge. I don't know if something else was going on."
Trautmann is listed as an officer of Quality OEM Surplus LLC in Lafayette, a business registered with the Secretary of State in Feb. 2017. It was dissolved in December 2018.
Maximillian Trautmann (Photo: Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office)
Trautmann studied at South Louisiana Community College, according to his Facebook page. Facebook photos show he played baseball and football for Carencro High School.
Perroncel studied business at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 2005 to 2009. He received a bachelor’s in business administration management in 2009, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Sean Perroncel (Photo: Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office)
Perroncel worked as a petroleum landman with Penterra Services LLC from 2010 until August 2018, according to his profile.
According to the Louisiana Secretary of State website, he has had an active business since 2016 — HOD Oil & Gas LLC in Lafayette. He is listed as registered agent and the only officer.
When Jones heard Boudreaux had died he said he was shocked.
"His laugh, his smile, his company — whenever I was out of work and he was working at the time and he would see me sitting outside on the steps he would just come and keep me company," Jones said. "We just chilled and talked. I'll miss his presence and his energy."
Jones said he remembered Boudreaux's passion for raising chickens when they were younger.
"He enjoyed his chickens," Jones said. "He had me running trying to catch chickens when they would break lose and stuff."
Jones said he'll remember Boudreaux as a funny guy who always tried to make people laugh.
"He was just full of life," he said.
Jones described Boudreaux as a hard worker and father of three children.
"Pernell did all kinds of work," he said. "Even when he was younger and he wasn't even at the age to get a job, him and some of his cousins would have lawnmowers and weed eaters and was cutting everyone's yard for extra change."
Read or Share this story: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2019/03/13/two-arrested-connection-murder-saturday/3149021002/
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The 8 Best Entrepreneur Movies of 2019
Famous Entrepreneurs
All Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship 101
Before you become a head-honcho, watch these flicks
By Emily Delbridge
People become entrepreneurs for many reasons. For some, it’s because they have a genius and all-consuming idea that they just have to see through. Others are motivated by greed, revenge or just a desire to escape the office grind. But regardless of whether or not you personally aspire to be your own boss, the impact that entrepreneurs have on the future, our shared past and the world all around us is worth learning from. In a small company where the stakes are high, the best and worst impulses of humanity are often brought to the surface – making entrepreneurs and their teams all that much easier to learn from. So we put together a list of the best entrepreneur movies to watch this year to fast-track your inner Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey dreams.
Best for Aspiring Media Moguls: Startup.com
Most people who are starting a business are way too busy with the day-to-day operations to document their every move. Not so with the founders of govWorks.com, who this documentary follows. The media industry is constantly evolving and new media startups come and go. govWorks.com is one of those that came – and eventually met its demise. This movie follows the rise and fall of the ambitious fledgling company and its founders. You’ll learn the pitfalls of the ever-enticing, venture-capital-backed funding method and the real-life main characters will help you appreciate just how difficult starting a company can be.
Best On Tech: Pirates of Silicon Valley
Sleek metal, rounded edges and a glowing white fruit with a bite taken out of it are all hallmarks of Apple today – but it wasn’t always that way. And don’t forget Microsoft, the company that introduced the world to the integrated office suite used around the world today – including on Apple computers. This movie follows the lives of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, played by Noah Wyle, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, played by Anthony Michael Hall. Throughout the film, you’ll get to see just how fierce, and nerdy, the tech revolution and the battle to create the best personal computer really was. Gates is more concerned about the technical aspects of building the perfect machines, while Jobs wants to “create the new consciousness” through his work. Who’s ideology will prevail? Well, that’s still yet to be seen.
Best Feel Good Film: The Pursuit Of Happyness
The American dream is based on building yourself up through your own ingenuity from even the lowliest of circumstances and this film is a perfect example of just how hard accomplishing that can sometimes be – and how much you can accomplish with a little luck and a ton of hard work. In this movie based on the true story of homeless-man-turned-multi-millionaire, Chris Gardner, Will Smith plays a struggling salesman who ends up becoming homeless due to an unhappy accident – and changing his own life through an encounter of fate. Gardner, despite living out of a subway station restroom with his son, manages to hold down an unpaid internship at a competitive firm and ends up securing a coveted position that eventually lands him a career beyond his wildest American dreams.
Best Character Study: The Aviator
In the mid-1900s, Howard Hughes ruled the skies, produced blockbuster films, had a famous secret lover – and struggled with terrible OCD. His obsessive tendencies help him immensely when building his empire, though as any aspiring entrepreneur knows, taking this to the extreme is not at all healthy. Hughes is an exacting boss, artist and pilot, and as he grows older, his condition continues to worsen. Eventually, after a devastating engine malfunction and severe injury, Hughes chooses his passion over all common sense, continuing development on his pet project rather than maintaining his lucrative government contracts. Tragically, Hughes’ OCD leads him to make increasingly rash decisions, including some that draw scrutiny from the FBI. Thankfully though, the film has a silver lining – as you’ll see when you watch it.
Best Crime Drama: The Godfather
The Godfather might seem like an odd choice for this list, but we'd argue that the rise of the Mafia is one of the most fascinating, if gruesome, entrepreneurial stories of all time. Michael Corleone and his father The Godfather (il Padrino in Italian) Vito grow a “family business” into the most menacing powerhouse (albeit an illegal one) in all of New York. This movie shows what can happen when power and money corrupt the entrepreneurial spirit to the extreme, and as such, it’s a must-watch. Just don’t take the Hollywood-level extreme measures as practical business tactics.
Best Drama: Twelve Angry Men
If you’re going to be a top-notch entrepreneur, you’re going to need to learn how to get along with other people. This film is a great example of how to, and how not to, convince other people to see your point of view – especially in the confines of a tiny room. Just 3 of the 96 minutes of this film take place outside of the jury deliberation room, but that doesn’t stop this movie from being an absolute whirlwind. In it, morals are questioned, biases are tested, consensuses are built and destroyed and rebuilt again. You’ll see how personalities can diffuse or intensify an already heated argument, how values inform our decisions – and you’ll likely take a look inside yourself as well.
Best Comedy: Office Space
If you’re looking for inspiration to quit your dreary job and finally start being an entrepreneur, this is the film for you. This absurd movie just might inspire even the timidest deskbound 9-5 person to take the steps they need to escape the office grind. When you don’t work for yourself, nothing you ever do will guarantee you get ahead, as viewers of this film soon learn. As the main character says, “We don't have a lot of time on this Earth! We weren't meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements."
Best Modern Blockbuster: The Social Network
Facebook controls the way we all consume media, whether we like it or not, and this film shows you how it got to be that way. It follows the humble origins of Facebook and crazy culture of Harvard University, along with the interpersonal drama that can come when founders don’t square things away properly before they become successful. The lesson for entrepreneurs here? Make sure you know who is a part of your team, how much they’ll contribute and how much ownership they’ll have in the final product. And when all else fails, get a good lawyer.
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Become and Succeed as a Creative Entrepreneur
Walt Disney's Unhappily Ever After And Leadership Lessons Learned
8 Surprising Traits of the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs
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in Activism, Charity, Children, community development, Delhi, Development, Disability, Education, featured-ngo, India, Inspirational, NGO, Orphans, Underprivileged, Women
Divya Chaya Trust
by Jheel Parekh July 10, 2009, 2:50 pm
The Divya Chaya Trust (DCT) was established in 1984 mainly to help destitute children and women. Their main aim was to support educational and vocational activities at schools in rural areas and encourage educating the orphans and school drop outs.
Their work is significantly differently as they impart career counseling and provide students with opportunities for further studies. The trust holds confidence building therapies in order to enable women to support themselves financially.
Divya Chaya Trust is located at various states across the northern part of India including West Bengal, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and is currently working with various child care homes and ashrams. These include the SD Jain Mahila Ashram and Arya Bal Griha at Delhi, Ramakrishna Vivekananda Mission situated in West Bengal and Delhi.
The trust has around 49 employees who work full time for the establishment and betterment of their reach. Apart from the above, there are approximately 50 volunteers who are working for the same mission.
Their remarkable achievement for the year 2007-2008 is that they have sponsored educational expenses for 500 children. They also had organized seven career counseling sessions for more than 150 children who had graduated and were looking out for jobs.
Their contribution towards the growth of special children with various disabilities is also outstanding. Although the government claims that of the total disabled population only 2% are educated and very few are employed, the DCT is doing their best overcome these figures and make them more presentable for the country. To achieve the same, the trust has various services which are solely for the disabled. They have a range of options to reach the disabled, which include financial aids, or even providing them with simple basic necessities like a hearing aid, a wheel chair or even a Braille kit. A contribution from our end towards supplying these necessities would definitely be of immense support to them.
The most disappointing fact, however, remains that their total income is severely lower than their expenditure. The trust did loose a significant amount which could have been well avoided, had there been enough contribution made towards the trust from citizens.
Despite this, the trust did not loose hope and has recently built a residential home for the elderly at Haryana.
It is truly incredible to know that citizens of our country are going beyond their reach to dissolve the bridge between the privileged and under privileged by ensuring that primary education and fundamental living necessities are being provided to significant section of people.
Read more about Divya Chandra Trust here: http://www.divyachayatrust.org.in/
NGO write up done by guest reporter Jheel Parekh.
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Used Mercedes-Benz C Class cars in Southall
As with other models in the Mercedes-Benz lineup, the C-Class comes in a variety of body styles ? saloon, estate, coupé and cabriolet. Whether you're in the market for some wind-in-your-hair action or you want a vehicle that offers the exclusivity and refinement of an executive saloon, the C-Class is able to deliver. You'll find all of the latest used Mercedes-Benz C-Class models for sale in Southall listed here on the website, alongside our vast range of quality used cars from other marques. Browse our latest stock and be sure to contact a member of the team at Car Capital UK when you're ready to arrange a test drive in the model of your choice.
Finance is available to UK residents aged 18 years or older, subject to status. Terms & Conditions apply. Indemnities may be required. Other finance offers may be available but cannot be used in conjunction with this offer. We work with a number of carefully selected credit providers who may be able to offer you finance for your purchase, commission may be received. We are only able to offer finance products from these providers. Postal Address: Car Capital UK, 220 Uxbridge Road, Southall, London UB1 3DZ. Find contact details here.
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The Clever Bride - Terms Of Use
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The best trap Donald Trump at any point pulled
Donald Trump has completed a ton of phenomenal things since he began running for president in June 2015. He’s assaulted detainees of war. He’s harassed pretty much everybody in the realm of governmental issues. He’s made light of the racial oppressor brutality that prompted a lady’s passing in Charlottesville, Virginia. He’s said thousands, truly, of things that are not valid.
Yet, the most stunning trap Trump has pulled as a legislator – and now as president – is to persuade bring down working class, overwhelmingly white voters that he is one of them.
I was helped to remember that trap on Sunday when Trump was asked whether he can identify with administrative specialists not being paid because of the continuous government shutdown. Here’s the manner by which the President reacted:
“I can relate, and I’m certain that the general population that are in a bad way will make changes, they generally do, and they’ll make modifications. Individuals see precisely what’s happening. However, a considerable lot of those individuals that won’t get a paycheck, huge numbers of those individuals concur 100% with what I’m doing.”
“I can relate.”
We should investigate that thought.
Donald Trump was naturally introduced to an affluent family. His dad, Fred Trump, was a wealthy engineer in New York City. In the near future after Trump moved on from business college, his dad advanced him $1 million to kick him off in the business world. At a town corridor in 2015, Trump portrayed the advance along these lines: “as long as I can remember truly has been a ‘no,’ and I battled through it. It has not been simple for me, it has not been simple for me. What’s more, you realize I began off in Brooklyn, my dad gave me a little advance of a million dollars.”
Accepting that advance came in 1968 – the year Trump moved on from Penn – it would be what might be compared to a nearly $7 million advance today. Also, as The New York Times uncovered in a shocking piece a year ago, the real measure of cash that Trump procured from his dad was well in overabundance of $1 million. Attempt more than $400 million – probably some of which came as the consequence of entirely faulty expense evades and plots.
Riches aside, Trump isn’t actually the regular person. He was brought up in New York City and, except for his retreat in Florida, has never lived outside the city. He went to tuition based schools through secondary school. He dated models and performing artists. He featured in an unscripted television arrangement for over 10 years.
But, Trump by one way or another, throughout the 2016 battle, viably persuaded a nice lump of voters – particularly in the Midwest burrowed out by assembling misfortunes – that he and only he comprehended the difficulties they looked throughout everyday life. Over and over, at rally after rally, participants would tell the media that Trump got them – that he viably directed their dissatisfactions, their indignation and their expectations.
They said these things even as Trump was frequently touting indications of his riches, his tip top training, his disparities. At that point they voted in favor of him.
Trump won 71% among white men without a school training, as indicated by exit surveying. He took 61% among non-school taught white ladies. Trump won 51% of voters whose most abnormal amount of training was secondary school and a comparative 51% of the individuals who had gone to some school however not graduated. Paradoxically, Trump took only 37% among voters with some kind of postgraduate qualification – like him.
Next Erdogan says requesting that Turkey secure Kurdish warriors is a ‘genuine mix-up’
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YONG SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Wohl & Fruchter Investigating The Acquisition Of Yongye International, Inc. By Full Alliance International Limited
The law firm of Wohl & Fruchter LLP is investigating the proposed acquisition of Yongye International, Inc.
The law firm of Wohl & Fruchter LLP is investigating the proposed acquisition of Yongye International, Inc. (Yongye) (Nasdaq:YONG) by Full Alliance International Limited (Full Alliance).
On September 23, 2013, Yongye announced that, upon the recommendation of a special committee, its board of directors (Board) approved an agreement (Agreement) to be acquired by Full Alliance for $6.69 per share in cash.
The buyout price under the Agreement is a mere 1.4% increase over the $6.60 per share in cash offered in October 2012 by a group that included Full Alliance and Wu.
Under the Agreement, the Company’s CEO, Zishen Wu, will provide $12 million in cash equity financing. Additionally, under a separate voting agreement entered into simultaneously with the Agreement, a group (Voting Group), including Full Alliance and Wu, that currently holds approximately 33.1% of the Company’s shares, has agreed to vote all of their common and preferred shares in favor of the transaction and against any other acquisition proposal with respect to the Company. Under the Agreement, the members of the Voting Group will not receive cash for their shares, but instead are contributing their shares to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Full Alliance.
According to the Company’s latest Form 10-Q, filed on August 9, 2013, the Company had over $254 million, or $5 per share, in cash as of June 30, 2013, and only approximately $94 million in outstanding loans. Additionally, the Company reported outstanding second quarter results under which revenue jumped 69.6% to $301.3 million, while net income more than doubled, increasing 110% to $86.4 million, or $1.50 per share, after adjustments. The CEO said the company's "effective channel management and successful promotional activities" helped boost sales, and reaffirmed full-year revenue guidance, based on shipments, of $650 million - $680 million.
Wohl & Fruchter’s investigation concerns whether the Agreement was motivated by conflicts of interest, and whether Board breached their fiduciary duties to stockholders by agreeing to sell the Company for an inadequate price, and failing to adequately shop the Company before agreeing to enter into the transaction with Full Alliance.
Additional information is available at http://www.wohlfruchter.com/cases/yong.
Persons with relevant information, and YONG shareholders with questions about this investigation, are invited to contact our Firm by calling 866.833.6245, or contacting the attorney below.
About Wohl & Fruchter
Wohl & Fruchter LLP represents plaintiffs in litigation arising from fraud and other fiduciary breaches by corporate managers, as well as other complex litigation matters. Please visit our website, www.wohlfruchter.com, to learn more about our Firm, or contact one of our partners.
This release may be deemed to constitute attorney advertising.
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Twenty-First Century Fox is making a play for more local stations.
May 9, 2018 2:41 PM EDT
Walmart CEO: 'We Are Transforming Globally' With Flipkart
On its investor call on Wednesday morning, Walmart discusses the Flipkart deal.
Three-Part FREE Webinar Series
Joe Burgoyne of the Options Industry Council brings you over 30 years of experience in the financial industry. Join us for Part 1 on Wednesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. EST.
Jill Malandrino
Mar 5, 2012 8:36 AM EST
March 24 Full-Day Course Offering: Professional Approach to Trading SPX
OptionsProfits, the CBOE, and Option Pit are hosting a class on March 24 that covers a wide variety of methods to trade the S&P 500.
Mar 2, 2012 3:43 PM EST
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Avengers: Endgame – When is the re-release date, how to get tickets and will there be new scenes?
Avengers: Endgame could rip Avatar of it's title to become the number one movie of all time, having grossed more than $2.7 BILLION worldwide since its release on April 26.
Following the huge success of the superhero film, Marvel will re-release the sequel to Avengers: Infinity War in cinemas, but when will you be able to watch it and will there be any new scenes? Here’s all you need to know.
Avengers: Endgame has become the second highest-grossing film worldwide
When is the re-release date?
The re-release of Avengers: Endgame is set to hit cinemas on June 28.
It’s believed the superhero flick will earn Marvel hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue, while subsequently becoming the highest-grossing film of all time.
Avengers: Endgame first hit the big screen on April 25 and currently stands as the second highest grossing movie worldwide.
Avatar stills holds the number one spot, but following the re-release of Endgame, the fantasy film - helmed by James Cameron - is likely to find itself being pushed to number two.
Avengers: Endgame solved all unanswered questions from 2018's Infinity WarCredit: AP:Associated Press
Will there be new scenes?
Marvel boss Kevin Feige told ScreenRant that the forthcoming re-release is "not an extended cut, but there will be a version going into theatres with a bit of a marketing push with a few new things at the end of the movie."
He further explained that after fans have watched the film - again - following the end of the credits, they will be presented with a deleted scene, a tribute to Stan Lee, along with many other surprises.
While it doesn’t seem as if much will change from the narrative of the film everybody saw in Endgame, Marvel fans will be happy to hear that there’s new content to explore once the credits have rolled.
But is it worth seeing it again in cinemas?
Well, there’ll be seven minutes of additional content added to the film - so the decision is totally up to you.
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Where can I get tickets?
So far, only Cineworld has confirmed that they’ll be screening the re-release, with a statement revealing that fans can order their tickets from June 24.
"There will be main showings Monday – Friday. Tickets will go on sale on 24 June and will be able to be booked on the Cineworld website.”
It’s still unclear whether there’ll be a slash in ticket prices for the re-release screening.
Fortnite Avengers Endgame crossover trailer reveals new mode
Movie Explainers
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Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)
We believe that every young person in Britain should receive high quality, LGBT-inclusive and age appropriate RSE.
After an almost 40-year-long campaign by Terrence Higgins Trust, in March 2019, MPs finally backed plans for compulsory, LGBT-inclusive Relationships and Sex Education lessons.
In 2016 we surveyed almost 1,000 young people which culminated in a report on LGBT-inclusive RSE published in 2017, which you can download below.
Young people want RSE but they aren’t always getting it. Our research shows that one in seven did not receive any RSE in school at all.
The quality of RSE varies across Britain, with LGBT issues still not consistently taught as part of RSE.
In England, RSE is only compulsory in maintained secondary schools, but the subject is due to become compulsory in all schools from September 2020.
The government has missed its original target of September 2019 for compulsory RSE lessons in England, with a 12-month delay. We are unequivocal that this timeline must not slip any further and we are following the passage of RSE as it goes through to the Lords some time between April and July 2019.
In Wales, RSE will be a statutory part of the new curriculum, which is being developed and due to be in place across Wales by 2022. For learners under the current curriculum, there will be enhanced provision from 2018, with work to identify learning needs and refresh existing guidance taking place this summer.
In Scotland, RSE is taught through Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education (RSHP) but is not compulsory. The Scottish Government is currently conducting a review of RSHP.
We have been campaigning for higher quality relationships and sex education for many years.
Our Shhh… No Talking report, published in July 2016, detailed the experiences of RSE lessons from over 900 young people aged 16-25 across Britain. The report highlighted the inadequate or non-existent provision in many schools.
The report’s main findings included:
99% of young people surveyed thought RSE should be mandatory in all schools.
97% thought it should be LGBT-inclusive.
One in seven respondents had not received any RSE at all.
Over half (61%) received RSE just once a year or less.
Half of young people rated the RSE they received in school as either ‘poor’ or ‘terrible’.
Just 2% rated it as ‘excellent’ and only 10% rated it as ‘good’.
95% were not taught about LGBT relationships.
Meanwhile, several key topics were absent from respondents’ experiences of RSE:
75% of young people were not taught about consent
95% had not learned about LGBT sex and relationships
89% were not taught about sex and pleasure
97% missed out on any discussion around gender identity.
When it came to learning about HIV, three out of five respondents either did not receive any information about HIV or did not remember receiving information about HIV in school.
Shhh… No Talking
Report on LGBT-include relationships and sex education in the UK (PDF)
LGBT+ teaching is a serious must. Kids go around never really knowing what to do with people of their gender/sex because there is literally nothing. It’s not even mentioned. It’s terrifying how erased we are.
Non-binary/demiboy bisexual, sixth form age
RSE in England
In March 2017, we achieved our first win when the UK Government announced that RSE would become compulsory in all schools in England by September 2019. This includes primary, secondary, academy, state-maintained, free school and private schools.
However, the Government missed its own target and there is now a 12-month delay, so schools in England will only have compulsory RSE by autumn 2020. We are unequivocal that this timeline must not slip any further.
In March 2019, the House of Commons voted overwhelming in support of replacing existing RSE guidance and regulations from the year 2000 that is still used in schools. The House of Lords confirmed this vote and in April 2019 the final hurdle was over and RSE will become mandatory in all schools as of September 2020.
Despite this, our work is far from over. We will continue to work with the Government, Peers, decision makers, civil servants, charity sector colleagues and young people to ensure the following key points are delivered:
Lessons are genuinely LGBT-inclusive.
Up-to-date information on HIV and sexual health form a core part of the curriculum.
Clear inspection criteria for Ofsted when evaluating the quality of lessons.
Opportunities for teachers to receive training and continual professional development courses so that they can be confident when delivering lessons.
See below for our consultation responses to the Department for Education.
Download our evidence submission to the Department for Education (PDF)
Consultation submission
Download our response to the guidance consultation (PDF)
Response to DfE consultation on RSE guidance 2018
RSE in Wales
In December 2017 an expert panel chaired by Professor Emma Renold, Professor of Childhood Studies at Cardiff University, published its report The Future of the Sex and Relationships Education Curriculum in Wales. This contained 11 recommendations, including that SRE be made a statutory part of the new curriculum for all schools in Wales under the revised name of Sexuality and Relationships Education, and specialised SRE teacher training to be introduced with clear career progression routes.
The findings of the SRE expert panel’s report reflected many of our concerns about the content and delivery of RSE to date: it is inconsistent, heteronormative, often negative and too biologically focused, with little reference to matters around consent, pleasure, and the positive aspects of sex and relationships. RSE also has a low status and priority in schools, which leads to poor training and support for teachers and a lack of resources for the subject overall.
In May 2018, the Cabinet Secretary for Education announced that she would be accepting all the recommendations of the review. SRE will become Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in advance of the new curriculum being rolled out nationally in 2022, with existing guidance to be updated accordingly.
This updated guidance will be accompanied by greater support for schools on a range of topics such as education for LGBTQI+ learners, prevention of violence against women and girls, and domestic abuse. In relation to the new curriculum, the Cabinet Secretary announced £200,000 for the four education consortia in Wales to kickstart the process of identifying professional training and learning needs for RSE.
There has been a lot of progress and we are confident that SRE in Wales is heading in the right direction, but we still have a number of concerns and will be working with the Welsh Government and other stakeholders on these as the new RSE curriculum develops.
First, there are no plans to change the principle of parental right to withdraw their children from RSE lessons. This is disappointing, but we hope the rights-based principle and ‘whole school’ approach that will underpin RSE in the new curriculum (ie mainstreaming key RSE themes throughout all Areas of Learning and Experience) should go some way to addressing this.
Second, there are also no plans to change the situation with regard to faith schools, which can continue providing only RSE that is ‘consistent with their ethos’. While faith schools inWales have so far been very supportive of the new RSE proposals, we nevertheless believe that there needs to be clear guidance about what happens if a school’s ‘ethos’ conflicts with legal equalities in relation to marriage, sex, sexuality, and gender reassignment for example. There is also potential for conflicts with the rights of children and young people to impartial information with regards to sexuality and sexual health.
We will continue to engage with the Welsh Government, National Assembly members, and other partners throughout the RSE curriculum development process.
RSE in Scotland
We have contributed to research conducted by HIV Scotland looking at the teaching of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education across the 32 local authorities in Scotland.
In September 2017, HIV Scotland published its report calling for a 21st century approach to teaching HIV, including providing young people with information about HIV treatment and prevention. We continue to support the work of HIV Scotland in lobbying the Scottish Government to make the subject compulsory in all schools.
We have a history of collaboration on sex and relationship education with partners at the Sex Education Forum. You can find out more about their work on their website.
If you have any questions about this campaign, please contact Mark Lewis on [email protected].
Make PrEP available
Funding of HIV services
Can't Pass It On
Q&A with Dr Michael Brady
Relationships and sex education
Women and HIV: Invisible No Longer
HIV and ageing
Sexual health in Wales
The HPV vaccine is routinely offered to all girls in Britain and soon to be introduced to boys aged 12-13 from September 2019. Read more about HPV vaccine
We are working to ensure everyone in Wales has access to high quality, consistent sexual health services. Read more about Sexual health in Wales
Find out what we're campaigning on and how you can help improve sexual health in the UK. Read more about Our campaigns
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For campus
Carnegie promotes UCCS to research university in new classification
Jan. 3, 2019 | Jared Verner, director of university communications
An expanding doctoral program and increases in research activity led to a promotion for UCCS in the new Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UCCS is now among doctoral universities with high research activity, commonly referred to as “R2” by Carnegie.
“Our faculty and students have earned this new designation for their development of research-focused degree programs and work that advances our understanding of the world,” said Provost Tom Christensen. “We are excited for what this means for the future with the development of new programs and the new opportunities for research.”
In the latest update to the national Carnegie Classification release since 2015, the organization recognized 259 “research one” and “research two” universities who graduated at least 20 doctoral students in each year with at least $5 million in research activity. The research activity index was used to determine the cutoff between R1 institutions with “very high research activity” and R2 schools with “high research activity.”
UCCS has met the minimum in research funding for the last 15 years, but growth in doctoral programs with a research focus led to the new classification. In the last five years, an average of 22.6 students earned Ph.D. degrees, compared to an average of 9.6 students in the previous five years.
“The growth and development of our doctoral programs have long been goals for UCCS, and we’re seeing the results of those efforts with our new classification,” said Kelli Klebe, dean of the graduate school. “I commend faculty for engaging graduate students in meaningful research activities which are crucial for classification as a research institution.”
The new classification makes UCCS one of six R1 and R2 institutions in the state of Colorado, along with Colorado School of Mines (R2), University of Denver (R2), CU Boulder (R1), CU Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus (R1), and Colorado State University – Fort Collins (R1). UCCS is the only research-level institution in southern Colorado in the Carnegie Classification.
“This is a prestigious recognition for UCCS. We expect this new classification to help us attract even more top-notch faculty to our campus and to make our faculty more competitive for research funding in the coming years,” said Jessi L. Smith, associate vice chancellor for research. “Our faculty are engaged in discovering and creating new knowledge that directly benefits our community and society at large. Our students are learning from and working with the best experts in their field. This teacher-scholar synergy is the hallmark of UCCS and I’m looking forward to seeing the new opportunities that will develop as our research mission continues to take hold.”
The Carnegie Classification has been the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education since 1970. Derived from empirical data on colleges and universities, the Carnegie Classification was originally published in 1973, and subsequently updated in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018 to reflect changes among colleges and universities. This framework has been widely used in the study of higher education, both as a way to represent and control for institutional differences, and also in the design of research studies to ensure adequate representation of sampled institutions, students, or faculty.
You can help UCCS fuel Success
No matter their size, one-time gifts make a big difference at UCCS. Make your gift today!
UCCS Fund for Excellence: To provide a flexible funding source to address to the campus's most promising priorities in support of enhancing student success and UCCS's prominence as an institution of higher education.
Scholarship Fund: To provide scholarships to eligible students at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
UCCS Student Relief Fund: To provide need-based awards for UCCS students who are not eligible for federal or state financial aid and have graduated from a high school or received a GED within the United States.
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Al Jardine
Remembering The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson
In celebration of the late Beach Boys singer, a special collection of some of Carl’s greatest performances.
reDiscover The Beach Boys’ ‘Holland’
It may not have been one of the group's most commercially successful LPs, but 'Holland' was, and remains, an admirable, self-contained and cohesive body of songs.
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The Beach Boys’ Slow-Blooming ‘Sunflower’
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The group's landmark 1971 album 'Surf's Up' was both socially relevant and evocative of their initial glory.
Beach Boy Al Jardine’s Finest Hour
We turn the spotlight on the unsung Beach Boy with a specially-compiled playlist of 20 tracks featuring his finest work.
If You Like The Four Freshmen… You’ll Love The Beach Boys
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“The RPO Sound Better Than The Originals!” Beach Boys Talk Orchestral Album
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5 Ways to Power the Green Cars of the Future
Sustainability made simple
Batteries, Supercapacitors, Hydrogen, Hydraulic Hybrids, Compressed Air...
Personal transportation is a big part of our lives, but unfortunately the current system pollutes the air and disrupts the climate. Walkable neighborhoods, bikeable cities, and fast public transit can greatly improve things, but cars will also probably stick around for the foreseeable future. Engineers and scientists are working on new ways to make the green cars of the future go (the main challenge is with power storage - power generation is also crucial, but it's a whole other article). Let's look at some of the most promising technologies.
T-shaped GM Volt lithium-ion battery pack made by LG Chem. Photo by Michael Graham Richard
Chemical batteries are the most obvious ways to store electrical power, which can then be used to move a car with one or many electric motors. A lot of progress has been made in the past few decades, from lead-acid batteries to NiMH to Lithium-ion, but that improvement has had a bigger real-world impact on the portable electronics industry than the transportation sector. The Tesla electric Roadster is probably the best-known vehicle to use lithium-ion batteries, and all the gasoline-electric hybrids made by major automakers use NiMH batteries (the new Toyota Prius, new Honda Insight, Ford Fusion hybrid, Nissan Altima hybrid, etc).
While making batteries certainly has a non-negligible environmental impact, it still seems to be a big improvement over burning thousands and thousands of gallons of fossil fuels over the life of one cars. Thankfully, it also seems like the new battery chemistries are also greener than the old ones: Lithium-ion batteries, unlike NiMH or lead-acid batteries, "are mostly made of lithium metal oxides with zero lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBBs or PBDEs. In fact, there no heavy metals, nor any toxic materials." For more information about how they are recycled, see What Happens to a Tesla Electric Car Battery at the End of its Life. Another benefit of lithium-ion batteries is that there are many, many possible chemical combinations and that there's still lots of room for improvement in reducing cost and improving power storage capacity. Many labs, including MIT's battery lab, are working on just that, and even Google is investing in battery makers.
Capacitors. Photo: Flickr, CC.
Supercapacitors (sometimes also called hypercapacitors) are devices that can store electricity, a bit like batteries, but their different characteristics mean that they have different pros and cons. Unlike batteries, supercapacitors don't have 'memory'. They can be charged and discharged an unlimited number of times without degradation of storage capacity, which means that you can charge and discharge them completely (batteries in hybrids and EVs are usually only cycled within a fraction of their full charge to extend their lives). They can also be charged and discharged much faster than batteries (so that very fast recharge stations for EVs would be possible). The main downside is that so far their energy density has been much lower than chemical batteries, so they store only a fraction of the power.
A supercapacitor able to store close to as much power (or more!) as a chemical battery at a reasonable cost would be the holy grail of electric transportation. Many universities and companies are working on that. MIT is working on nanotube-enhanced supercapacitors and the secretive EEStor, which has recently gotten some patents, claims to have made big breakthroughs, though we're still waiting to actually see one of their Electrical Energy Storage Units (EESU) put to some real-world tests. Another promising research field is graphene ultracapacitors.
Hydrogen pump. Photo: Flickr, CC.
Ah! Hydrogen. Everybody knows about it, probably in good part because it has such a great angle for the media: "Only water comes out of the tailpipe!"
The main problems with it are that it takes energy to get hydrogen in its pure form (f.ex. via electrolysis of water), so it's not actually a fuel but rather a way to store energy that is produced some other way, we don't currently have a hydrogen infrastructure, and fuel cells are expensive.
Lots of very smart people are working on solutions to all of these problems. For example, new ways to purify hydrogen and generate it from microbes are under development, fuel cells are becoming incrementally cheaper (though still expensive), and Honda has started leasing some hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity cars in California where there are a few hydrogen refueling stations. But this probably won't be available on a large scale for a while...
This post continues on page 2!
Batteries, Supercapacitors, Hydrogen, Hydraulic Hybrids, Compressed Air... Personal transportation is a big part of our lives, but unfortunately the current system pollutes the air and disrupts the climate. Walkable neighborhoods, bikeable cities, and
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This Iraqi Life: 10 Years Later, Baghdad Is a Tough Place to Live In
Zainab Salbi is there—and describes bombs, power outages, and glimmers of hope.
David Sessions
Updated 07.12.17 12:12AM ET / Published 03.22.13 4:45AM ET
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
Last Friday in Baghdad, in between the bombings that punctuate everyday life in the city, there was a brief moment of celebration—the power had somehow stayed on for two straight days.
“Electricity cuts off more than once a day, sometimes every few hours,” says Zainab Salbi, who escaped from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq when she was 19 and returns every year to visit her family. You have to maintain your own generator if you want uninterrupted power, she explains, and that means paying for fuel on top of electricity and other shoddy public services. “The big complaint is that it now costs more to maintain a worse lifestyle.”
On the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, its legacy is mixed at best. The complaints heard around Baghdad are variations on a theme: the breakdown of public order since the U.S. military leveled most of Iraq’s institutions and turned the capital into a perpetual war zone. Two of Iraq’s worst post-U.S. problems—the daily danger foisted on civilians by warring tribal factions and the unreliable public-works programs provided by the country’s weak government—come together to create an atmosphere where life is constantly interrupted by fear and inconvenience.
“There are bombs constantly,” Salbi said over a shaky phone connection from Baghdad. “It’s all people talk about in their daily conversations. Yesterday there were eight bombs. The day before it was nine. It never stops.”
Salbi went to college in the U.S. and eventually founded Women for Women International, a nonprofit humanitarian organization. Though she has lived outside of Iraq for two decades, she has experienced through her visits the contours of life there, from the days of Hussein to the American soldiers and the uncomfortable void they have now left behind.
“Before we at least had the security to go anywhere,” Salbi said. “We go out like normal, but we don’t have the security of knowing we will come back. If someone is running even a half an hour late, you start worrying about bombs.” Security measures come primarily in the form of checkpoints for vehicles, and that only compounds the frustration. “What used to take 15 minutes—to go from my uncle’s house to my family’s house—now takes two and a half hours. The checkpoints are literally every other block, and literally they check every single car.”
The one bright spot on the grim Baghdad skyline, Salbi says, is Iraq’s blossoming political culture, which, even if debate and elections have a limited ability to improve daily life, have opened a new world of political expression. “There’s an upcoming municipal election, and flyers are everywhere.” Political debate is open and vigorous, and families discuss politics again. “That is something that we didn’t think about all our lives—that we could live in a society with freedom of expression.”
But mixed up with Iraq’s newly open politics is the return of religious extremism, which, no longer suppressed by Saddam, has taken over society and wields immense power in the Iraqi government. It’s one of the facts of contemporary Iraq that Salbi denounces most passionately.
“It’s absolute bullshit, and you can quote me on that,” she said. “Religious zealots from both sides [Sunni and Shiite] have taken over. It has become a far, far, far more conservative, reserved society.” Salbi said that, as a woman who doesn’t wear a headscarf, she feels “naked” on the streets, and that she hasn’t met an Iraqi woman who prefers the current climate to the more permissive society they remember from the 1970s and ’80s, before economic sanctions against Saddam and the first Gulf War weakened the secular government and shifted power to religious leaders.
“Iraqi society didn’t only change in 2003,” Salbi said. “When you ask Iraqis, the comparison is between the ’80s and now. Back then, my mother used to go to any party she wanted at any time of the night, sometimes with her friends or with family members. That was normal.” Now, many women wear headscarves, and religious political parties impose their conservatism through state ministries, like mandatory sex segregation in schools and hospitals.
Salbi certainly doesn’t miss Saddam—”he was a horrible, horrible dictator”—but believes that with him perished every other achievement that had made life in Iraq relatively secure and stable. For Iraqis, some of the most infamous U.S. strategic blunders, like disbanding the Iraqi Army, created a daily life where they are constantly exposed to chaos. “They got rid of Saddam and destroyed the country in the process, and that is not what we wanted.”
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Accidents Jul 15th 2019 - 7pm
ND pipeline leak spills into Missouri River tributary
Music Mar 29th 2019 - 9am
ND State Fair announces 2019 concert lineup with Justin Moore, Tim McGraw and Weezer
Nation Jul 16th 2019 - 5pm
Trump lashes out at minority lawmakers ahead of House vote to condemn his racist tweets
All-star break gave injured Twins time to heal
Written By: Betsy Helfand / St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jul 12th 2019 - 6pm.
Minnesota Twins left fielder Eddie Rosario (20) hits a double in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Target Field on June 25, 2019. Jesse Johnson / USA TODAY Sports
CLEVELAND — Eddie Rosario didn’t use many words to describe the progress he’s made on his sprained left ankle, instead staying succinct in his evaluation.
“Better, good,” he said.
But still, the Twins didn’t activate their left fielder ahead of Friday, July 12’s second-half opener. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Rosario would do “live game speed-type activity” in the next couple of days, and that when Rosario was able to do that comfortably, he would return.
Baldelli said Rosario has been swinging and running and looks good doing both.
Rosario suffered the injury rounding the bases June 26 against Tampa Bay. At the time, he was hopeful he could avoid a stint on the injured list. That didn’t happen. Rosario was eligible to come off the IL the day before the all-star break, and many expected he would be back Friday. Rosario instead predicted Friday he would be ready soon, and Baldelli called that a fair assessment.
“I like the fact that he wants to be out there and he’s ready and he’s probably getting a little antsy and anytime he’s going to be off the field for an extended period of time, he’s not happy about it. I want him to want to be on the field,” Baldelli said. “That’s great. I think also we want to make sure that he’s ready for the long haul and that when we bring him back, we’re not having to check on him and make sure that he’s doing OK.”
Also on the injury front, Baldelli said the reports on first baseman C.J. Cron, who was placed on the IL with a thumb issue before the break were good and while he said he wasn’t sure if Cron would come back after 10 days — which would be early next week — if not, it would likely be soon after.
“His thumb is not in good shape at all. But I do think there gets to be a point where this happens sometimes in the game and it can linger and go on for a very long time with these irritations and sometimes bone bruises in hands,” Baldelli said. “I think he’s going to be OK and find a way to be able to play with this successfully in the second half.”
The Twins made one roster move Friday, activating reliever Blake Parker, who welcomed his second son, off the paternity list. They sent Devin Smeltzer, who pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball Sunday, to Triple-A.
The Twins will also need to make a roster move Saturday to add Jake Odorizzi from the IL. Odorizzi, who developed a blister this month in Oakland, is scheduled to start Saturday night’s game.
The Twins released Chase De Jong, who was at Triple-A Rochester. De Jong briefly appeared for the Twins in April. Since then, he had been pitching for the Triple-A Red Wings, where he was 0-5 with a 9.73 earned-run average in 45 1/3 innings.
Fox Sports North’s Twins ratings for the first half of the season were up 41 percent. Average viewership was 105,000 households nightly. They drew the third-highest viewership of all major league teams in the first half.
The Rochester Red Wings, the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, were among the top 25 minor league teams in merchandise sales in 2018.
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Gay marriage: it's only fair
I backed same-sex weddings in New York for the sake of democracy. British lawmakers should too
Sun 2 Jun 2013 13.00 EDT First published on Sun 2 Jun 2013 13.00 EDT
Michael Bloomberg: 'As a mayor, I know that legalising same-sex marriage has sharpened New York City’s competitive edge, because it has made us an even more attractive place to live and work.' Photograph: by Mario Tama/Getty Images
Across Europe and the US support for same-sex marriage is growing, and for a simple reason: it is consistent with democracy's promise of equal rights for all people. As long as government is in the business of handing out marriage licences, all couples – regardless of their sexual orientation – deserve equal status in the eyes of the law.
I believe that it is only a question of when – not if – same-sex marriage is accepted as a normal and legal part of democratic societies. Here in the US, the change is happening rapidly. Two years ago, I helped lead the push for same-sex marriage in New York, and we were able to pass a law with bipartisan support.
At the time, we debated many of the questions that the UK parliament has been considering over the past weeks and months – including whether churches would be forced to perform same-sex marriages and whether "civil unions" are enough for same-sex couples. In the end, a majority of our legislators agreed that civil unions would relegate same-sex couples to second-class status – and that in approving marriage licenses, government should not discriminate between sexes. In addition, the law was written to ensure that no church would be forced to solemnise a marriage in contravention of its beliefs. And since the law has passed, none has.
Religious tolerance is a vital part of a democratic society. But religious rules should never dictate society's laws. Some religions prohibit eating pork. Others prohibit drinking alcohol. Others prohibit divorce. That is their right. But we reject any attempt to impose those prohibitions on society, because the freedom to engage in those activities should be no less protected. The same is true of same-sex marriage.
New York City embodies America's commitment to freedom and opportunity, diversity and tolerance, and that is why we remain such a magnet for immigrants, visitors and investors. People want to live in places where they are free to be themselves – to practise their religion as they wish, to express their political views as they wish, and to love and marry whom they wish.
Cities and countries that actively protect those freedoms will attract talented and creative people who wish to live freely, fostering a culture – and economy – that is stronger for it. As a mayor, I know that legalising same-sex marriage has sharpened New York City's competitive edge in the global economy, because it has made us an even more attractive place to live and work – not just for gay men and women, but for all people who want to live in a tolerant and free community. And as someone whose company is building a new European headquarters in London, I can say that same-sex marriage would make the UK an even more attractive place for companies to do business, because freedom attracts talent.
In America, support for same-sex marriage is building far beyond New York. Twelve of our 50 states have now legalised same-sex marriage. About one-fifth of all Americans now live in a place that has legalised same-sex marriage. In Washington, a majority of US senators have expressed support for marriage equality. And when President Obama said last year that he believed that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, the American people did not vote him out office, even though some suspected it would hurt his re-election campaign.
It did not – because, as polls here show, a majority of Americans believe that same-sex marriages ought to have the same legal recognition as traditional marriages. Among younger Americans, it isn't even close: more than 80% of 18- to 29-year-olds support the freedom to marry. They will define the future. And just as young civil right activists in the 1950s and 1960s ended decades of discriminatory laws against African-Americans, today's young people will do the same for gays and lesbians.
Britons and Americans are beginning to see marriage equality for what it is: the reasonable next step in a shared history that includes extending suffrage to women and creating legal protections prohibiting discrimination. As the House of Lords votes on the issue, I hope its members will look to the future – and decide on which side of history they want to be.
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Eton spawns a new breed of stage and screen luminaries
Renowned as launch pad for politicians and TV personalities, the school has found new role as source of acting talent
Vanessa Thorpe, arts and media correspondent
Sat 21 Jan 2012 17.17 EST First published on Sat 21 Jan 2012 17.17 EST
Eton College. 'We don't do drama just for its educational value,' says Simon Dormandy, head of theatre. 'We do a play as a work of art.' Photograph: Corbis
From Wellington to Gladstone, and Macmillan to Cameron, Eton College has long been a seedbed for British politics and for the diplomatic service. More recently a smattering of television personalities, conductors and Olympic sportsmen have also been able to look back at schooldays spent on the celebrated playing fields. Now though, that famously establishment school near Windsor is increasingly being hailed as a first-rate launch pad for a theatrical career.
Leading Old Etonian actors such as Tom Hiddleston, Harry Lloyd, Eddie Redmayne, Henry Faber and Harry Hadden-Paton are suddenly at the top of the list for casting directors on the most prestigious film and television projects.
This week Hiddleston, star of Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, is in Wales filming Sir Richard Eyre’s Henry IV, along with Faber and Lloyd, the actor last seen in Great Expectations and now appearing in cinemas in The Iron Lady. Meanwhile, Redmayne, of the Golden Globe-nominated film My Week with Marilyn, stars in the BBC adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong, and Haddon-Paton, who appeared in Terence Rattigan’s Flare Path, is shortly to open at the National in She Stoops to Conquer.
So, while the mostly well-connected and wealthy families who send their sons to Eton might hope one day to see them wielding influence in the boardroom, if not in Whitehall, the school’s highly motivated drama department is merrily turning out a growing number of the country’s young stage talent.
For Simon Dormandy, head of theatre at Eton, the success is not simply because there are more roles out there for actors who conform to an “Eton type”. He argues that his stable of stars are just as likely to be playing against the stereotype.
Like fellow Old Etonians Dominic West and Damian Lewis, who made their names with American roles in the television shows The Wire and Band of Brothers, Hiddleston and Redmayne are capable of convincing audiences in roles well beyond their personal experience. As Eton’s head quipped at a school event last year: “When HBO want a gritty, hard-bitten, authentically American character to head up a mini-series they instinctively think: Old Etonian.”
“We really don’t do a line in floppy hair here,” confirms Hailz-Emily Osborne, director of drama at Eton, as she walks down the corridor that links the professionally kitted-out, 400-seat theatre to the more modest studio performance spaces. The walls are lined with production shots from which well-known faces leap out in nascent form.
There is a young Redmayne playing a woman in a sun hat in A Passage to India. An angelic Hiddleston is pictured in a 1998 production of Stoppard’s Arcadia. And Boris Johnson’s younger brother Leo can be seen mugging away.
And there are more bright stars to come, yet to gain wider recognition, says Osborne: Nyasha Hatendi, seen in Garrow’s Law, Sebastian Armesto, Sam Hoare, Julian Ovenden, Will Barrett, and the comedy duo Tom Palmer and Tom Stourton, who recently made the Channel 4 comedy pilot Totally Tom.
This startling line-up of achievement will be celebrated next month by the setting up of Eton’s first drama bursary. “Music has always been part of the curriculum. With drama it is different,” says Dormandy, who learned his trade working with Declan Donnellan at Cheek by Jowl theatre company and who now plans to leave Eton after 15 years to return to “the business” as a director.
Dormandy, known unofficially to the boys as “Dormo”, is pretty clear about what makes drama work so well there. Evidence that other public school actors, such as Old Harrovian Benedict Cumberbatch, are also doing well is beside the point, he claims.
“For me the importance the work has here in the boys’ lives is the reason they do such good work afterwards,” he says. “That importance arises from many things. One is that we don’t do drama just for its educational value. We do a play as a work of art, to be explored at its fullest. Another reason is that there’s an intensity here because the boys are boarding.”
The most able pupils, Dormandy says, are stretched with demanding roles, but all are encouraged to go on to university. “Although with some boys it is clear they would make a mess of university because they are just so desperate to act.”
The school is not trying to produce professional actors, Osborne emphasises, but drama, like everything else at Eton, is taken very seriously. “And if a boy wants to write a play, we take that seriously too,” she says.
The drama department boasts a full-time designer, a carpenter and a manager, as well as a part-time wardrobe mistress. This weekend sees final studio performances of Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan, before the curtain goes up on Martin Crimp’s Attempts on Her Life. Productions of Ben Hecht’s The Front Page and Alan Bennett’s The History Boys are waiting in the wings for February. The school’s director-in-residence, Rebecca Steel, is also helping to open up the world of movement and dance with productions devised in school.
“They are just boys, I have found, like other young people I have worked with before in Stockton-on-Tees,” says Steel. “But they are all clever and so they are sometimes more analytical in their approach and I need to get them to stop thinking.”
Before Dormandy leaves Eton a new opera is planned, along with a potentially controversial production of sex-themed play Spring Awakening, in collaboration with a girls’ school, and Eton’s biggest Edinburgh festival season yet.
Tellingly, boys do not perform as Etonians up in Scotland. “It would create the wrong expectations,” says Dormandy, who went to Marlborough school. He admits his pupils do have a built-in advantage when it comes to confidence because they know they have already managed to get into a top school. It is a confidence that lends a commanding stage presence. “You can certainly believe it when they play Romans ordering armies about,” laughs Osborne.
“Normally you have to get actors to hold themselves better and be more aware of their posture, but here we sometimes have to persuade them to loosen up a bit,” adds Dormandy.
So who will be the next Hugh Laurie, the Old Etonian currently earning more than anyone else in drama for his turn as an American doctor in House? Informed money appears to be on the young junior boy, or “F Blocker” in Eton terminology, who recently astounded audiences playing Adriana in A Comedy of Errors. The production line continues.
• This article was amended on 13 July 2018 to correct a reference to the name of Boris Johnson’s brother, Leo.
Martin Crimp
You don't have to be posh to be an actor (but it certainly helps)
They're all over the screen with their floppy fringes and cut-glass accents. Are posh actors edging out working-class talent?
Published: 7 Mar 2012
Through the glass ceiling: from Newham to Eton on a scholarship
Fifteen-year-old Ishak Ayiris grew up in one of the country's poorest boroughs, but now he's off to Eton. It will change his life, but it won't change his values, he tells Emine Saner
Posh performing arts: is theatre becoming a club for upper-class actors?
Theo Bosanquet: Old Etonians such as Tom Hiddleston and Eddie Redmayne are just the half of it. The costs of entering the profession mean that theatre is in danger of becoming a playground for the privileged
Eton: why the old boys' network still flourishes
The new archbishop of Canterbury is the latest Old Etonian to make it to the top of the establishment. But what is it about the school that makes it such a breeding ground for leadership?
Eton headmaster Tony Little: 'I don't feel defensive about what we do'
Eddie Redmayne: 'Come February, the world will be sick of my face'
Tom Hiddleston: 'I never wanted to be the go-to guy for tails and waistcoats'
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‘I don’t think elegance is relevant’: Vetements’ Demna Gvasalia, the world’s hottest designer
The 36-year-old Georgian, now Balenciaga’s creative director, is bored of fashion as fantasy and has eschewed the tropes of Parisian glamour for flea market catwalks and crumpled styling. Where can he go next?
Jess Cartner-Morley
@JessC_M
Tue 6 Feb 2018 09.00 EST Last modified on Mon 2 Jul 2018 09.50 EDT
‘Taking risks is something I got used to as a kid’ ... Demna Gvasalia.
To understand what makes Demna Gvasalia the hottest designer in Paris right now, you first need to forget everything you think you know about Paris. Forget Catherine Deneuve, forget Jane Birkin, forget Françoise Hardy. Forget trenchcoats, silk blouses, ballet pumps and straw baskets. Forget Amélie in Montmartre and Carrie Bradshaw in Ladurée.
The Paris of Gvasalia, designer of Vetements and Balenciaga, is not that Paris. Instead, it is the Paris you might recognise if you were gripped by the latest series of gritty French police drama Spiral. It is the city we glimpse through the eyes of Louise, the nanny in Leïla Slimani’s novel Lullaby, when she makes the after-work journey from her employers’ chic 10th arrondissement home to her down-at-heel neighbourhood. It is a city of phone shops and fast food, a city where glamour means tight jeans and fake handbags, a city where background noise is a different language on every street corner, not a harmonious Édith Piaf soundtrack.
A fortnight ago, Gvasalia showed his new Vetements collection there during men’s fashion week, on a makeshift catwalk marked out on the threadbare carpet of Les Puces de Saint-Ouen flea market, models weaving between stalls loaded with gold ornaments, piles of rugs, haphazard ornamental mirrors. As a venue, it was about as far from the tropes of fashion week – lavish hotel ballrooms, expensively neutral all-white marquees – as it is possible to get. The models wore headscarves and raincoats, slogan T-shirts and zip-up fleeces.
Not your average catwalk ... Vetements’ autumn/winter 2018 show at Saint-Ouen’s flea market. Photograph: Victor Boyko/Getty Images
“I don’t think elegance is relevant,” says Gvasalia, cheerfully. It is the week after the show and he is holed up in his Paris studio, trying to fend off a cold in the brief lull before buildup to his Balenciaga show on 4 March begins in earnest. “Vetements is about the street, and on the street I don’t think elegance is what people are aiming for.” At most fashion shows, looks are kept fastidiously under plastic until the 11th hour, with backstage dressers helping the models into them at the last moment, to avoid creases or marks. At this show, which Gvasalia styled himself, the models were dressed early and then sat around chatting until the show. As a result, the clothes looked a little lived in. “We do things differently here, I suppose. But, at the same time, it’s the same. Because whether it’s a Vetements hoodie or a couture dress, it’s still about the person putting it on and thinking: ‘I am happy with this, I am happy with how I look.’”
For a man who once told Vogue that “being down to earth is the new black”, Gvasalia’s rise through the ranks is the stuff of fashion fairytales. He burst on to the scene in 2014 with Vetements, his cult design collective, and the following year was a riot of hot-ticket fashion shows in gaudy Chinese restaurants, yellow DHL T-shirts on the catwalk and patchwork Frankenjeans, which for a time were even harder to get hold of than Birkin bags. Vetements became the most influential label in modern fashion. (The trends for trophy hoodies and the vogue for long, loose floral dresses, rather than sundress-sized ones, started here.)
‘As a venue, it was about as far from the tropes of fashion week as it is possible to get’ ... a model wears part of the autumn/winter 2018 collection at Saint-Ouen. Photograph: Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
The next year, Gvasalia was named creative director of the eminent house of Balenciaga and his world became as glamorous as it was hip. (Put it like this: Kanye West was already turning up to Gvasalia’s shows; once he got the Balenciaga gig, Kim Kardashian started showing up, too.)
“What is different about my point of view is pragmatism,” says Gvasalia. “The fashion world isn’t the real world and my aesthetic is a kind of hyperrealism. I am not interested in trying to live in some kind of dream. I’d be bored to death.” Last year, he moved the Vetements headquarters from Paris to Zurich, where he and his younger brother and chief collaborator Guram Gvasalia, CEO of the label, live. He is phlegmatically unromantic about his departure from fashion’s most storied city. “I do most of my research on my screen, so I can be anywhere; what does it matter?”
Gvasalia was born in 1981 in Sukhumi, Georgia. The strict Soviet aesthetic of his childhood was obliterated in 1989, with the fall of the iron curtain: suddenly, there was pop music, Coca-Cola, Vogue magazine, a collage of clashing visuals. The most recent Vetements show was “closer than ever to my eastern European background”, Gvasalia says. “It was 100% me, 100% my aesthetic.” The cast included a 16-year-old girl “from the area of Georgia I grew up in – it was a coincidence, we cast her from Instagram, but when I put her in a red jacket and flowery dress, with a headscarf and boots, she looked just like one of the women from the area I grew up”. When Gvasalia was 10, civil war broke out and the brothers fled with their mother and grandmother through the Caucasus mountains. Forced by the terrain to abandon their car, they continued on foot, selling a Kalashnikov to buy a horse for their grandmother, and settled in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi. It is a startlingly unusual background for a fashion-week darling and one which Gvasalia relates with matter-of-fact pithiness.
“Taking risks is something I got used to as a kid and that is in the DNA of Vetements,” he says. “In fashion now, you need to take risks to survive.” Vetements has shown womenswear during the menswear shows, hoodies during haute couture week, adapting and evolving as the Gvasalia brothers see fit. (“We started the brand from scratch and I cannot adapt a four-year-old brand to industry rules that are a century old.”) Early on, buyers from Barneys in New York who visited the Vetements showroom inquired about the brand’s minimum order, a rule put in place by most houses to protect their bottom line through economies of scale. They were told that there was no minimum order, only a maximum one; Vetements strategy was to ensure that demand would outstrip supply and so build buzz. Eyebrows were raised all over Paris, but the tactic worked.
Gvasalia cast male models with their children for Balenciaga’s spring/summer 2018 show, presenting a collection inspired by ‘young dads in the park with their kids at the weekend’. Photograph: WWD/Rex/Shutterstock
Right now, Gvasalia has an obsession with honesty. “Look what’s going on in Hollywood,” he says. “Look what’s going on everywhere around us. We need to be transparent.” The recent Vetements show addressed in trademark blunt fashion the issue of Gvasalia’s creative debt to the legacy of Martin Margiela, for whose label he worked for several years. “Researching how Margiela influenced me as a designer meant touching on some delicate questions about influence and appropriation. It seemed important to me to ask those questions,” he says. The collection included a version of Margiela’s famous cleft-toed Tabi boot – itself a version of a 15th-century sock adapted for the Japanese market, where people wanted to wear them with thonged sandals. “I put the Tabi in because I wanted to directly address the issue of appropriation. What is a source, what is an influence, what is a copy? The answers are difficult to define.”
In step with the zeitgeist, Gvasalia is as keen on technology as he is on authenticity. His next project, for Balenciaga, is an experiment in “a new, technological kind of savoir-faire”. Digital fittings are being trialled on the computer screen, with a view to “installing a part of the Balenciaga atelier that is purely digital”. (Balenciaga, which is owned by Kering, has a budget that offers Gvasalia scope for experimentation beyond what is possible at Vetements.) I ask him how he thinks this new technology will change fashion and he laughs. “I don’t know yet. I can’t see the future. But I think pretty much everything is going to change.”
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Introducing the new Guardian Weekly
Our global print weekly has had a makeover. Subscribe to Guardian Weekly
Katharine Viner
Wed 10 Oct 2018 05.43 EDT Last modified on Thu 15 Nov 2018 12.42 EST
The 12 October issue of The Guardian Weekly Photograph: Guardian Weekly
Today, I am delighted to reveal a new-look Guardian Weekly, a beautiful magazine featuring our best reporting and writing from around the world.
Before the Guardian launched our first website in the mid-1990s, the only way for most readers outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland to read our journalism was in the Guardian Weekly. Those readers included an imprisoned Nelson Mandela, who described the Guardian Weekly as his “window on the wider world”.
Launched by our esteemed editor CP Scott in 1919, the Weekly was the Guardian’s response to the end of the first world war and the new world order being sculpted in the wake of the Treaty of Versailles.
Its aim was to keep readers around the world informed by delivering them the Guardian’s journalism and to showcase what was “best and most interesting in the Guardian, what is most distinctive and independent of time, in a compact form”.
Nearly a century later, that purpose remains.
The Guardian Weekly is a curated collection of the world’s most important stories and the most interesting writing published in the Guardian, our Sunday newspaper the Observer, theguardian.com and our international digital editions in Australia and the United States.
Inside the new 64-page magazine you will find a round-up of the week’s most important news headlines, plus in-depth reporting and analysis of the biggest stories of the week.
A visual history of the Guardian Weekly
You will also find the best of our features writing, from long reads to interviews and essays. There is an opinion section featuring famous Guardian voices and new viewpoints from around the world. There is also an expanded arts section, extensive book coverage and – by popular demand – a page of puzzles.
Photograph: Guardian Weekly
The new Guardian Weekly will now have three editions – Australia, North America and a global edition for the UK and the rest of the world.
Guardian Weekly is printed on three continents and delivered to readers across the planet with free postage. Our subscribers help support the Guardian and Observer’s quality, investigative reporting. Subscribe to the Guardian Weekly today and help us deliver the independent journalism the world needs.
Let us know what you think here.
Editor-in-chief, Guardian News & Media
About Guardian Australia
About Guardian US
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Moose Review
A couple years ago I reported on the health and population of the majestic moose in Northern Minnesota so I thought I would do a review.
I had reported that the moose in this area were declining in a rapid freefall but that decline. Though still steep, has now slowed a bit. The good news is it is encouraging to see some progress of sorts.
Unfortunately, the bad news is that some biologists are concerned the Minnesota moose is fast reaching a tipping point of no return and that is something almost incomprehensible if you have ever spent time in the north woods where wild is king. In 2006, the Minnesota moose population was estimated (by aerial survey) to be around 8300. In 2016, just ten years later that population fell to 3600. The year 2017 found a slight rise in to 3800. If one looked at just the numbers we could be a bit consoled, but, as biologist stated, one has to consider the population and how spread out it is (they have to find each other to make babies) in conjunction with the number of deaths that are occurring (population recovery).
Moose were once a common occurrence in northwestern Minnesota but they have been listed as virtually extinct in that former range. Extinct. (I hate that word!) The population has dropped 60% in the northeastern range. This alarming overall drop has Minnesota DRN (Department of Natural Resources) considering listing the moose under the Endangered Species Act.
Listing the MN moose with the ESA would allow funding for habitat preservation and study that would hopefully result in tamping the fall in population and bring them back to continue their reign as the icon of the north.
As with all things, there are those who find this particular issue not too concerning, but to me it is important because moose belong in the woods and we do not know what happens to the northern woods if they disappear. We think we know, but we don’t - because we are not privy to the Grand Plan. Last week in a blog we saw how the tiny, thin abscission membrane on the end of a twig changed the look and reaction of leaves on trees.
If the abscission membrane can make that big of a difference it makes one wonder what happens when an animal as large as a moose disappears from the forest. The physical aspects are certainly a consideration in regards to underbrush, predators and the effects on other wildlife, but also the energetic personality would be catastrophic. How would the forest look if it were not complete? If one piece is removed, do the rest follow suit in time?
The northern forest was designed by The Divine, who are we to say all the pieces do not need to be present to make it a forest.
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Jan 6 Shorter Glenn Greenwald: The Klan Has Important Points to Make!
"Barack Obama", "Glenn Greenwald", "Ron Paul", "foreign policy", "national security", "racism", "wall street reform"
Yesterday, Glenn Greenwald published a weird defense of his shameless promotion of Ron Paul, while strenuously contending that despite Ron Paul's core as a white southern racist, Greenwald only supports his foreign policy/civil libertarian agenda. When told to find another spokesperson for those views given Paul's baggage, Greenwald easily puts the burden of finding such a spokesperson on his critics.
The article from Greenwald has an easy corollary and translation: Yes, yes I know the Klan is horrible. But they are making an important point! So stop telling me I shouldn't popularize the Klan!
Is it fair to compare Paul with the KKK? You tell me: Paul is an avowed opponent of the Civil Rights Act, which he believes "destroyed privacy" (ah yes, Glenn Greenwald's big privacy concern and his support of Paul on that finally opens its door), published these things in his own newsletter:
Some samples: A December 1989 newsletter quoted by James Kirchick in the New Republic predicted "Racial Violence Will Fill Our Cities" because "mostly black welfare recipients will feel justified in stealing from mostly white 'haves.' "
Another letter said "I think we can assume that 95 percent of the black men in that city [Washington] are semi-criminal or entirely criminal."
An August 1992 edition of the Ron Paul Report labeled former Rep. Barbara Jordan (D) of Texas "the archetypal half-educated victimologist," according to the Houston Chronicle.
And it didn't end there.
But Glenn Greenwald - who's displayed spectacular racist tendencies all by himself with no assist from his anti-war soulmate Ron Paul - contends that it is not Paul's racism and homophobia that impresses him. And just because Paul is "crazy" on these issues, his "important" views on war and foreign policy and civil liberties (as opposed to civil rights, which Paul is categorically opposed to) contribute important things to the debate and that there is no one else on the national political stage that gives voice to those issues. Besides, who you callin' crazy?
labeling people “crazy” as a means of dismissing their views — basically depicting political disagreement as a mental illness — is one of the oldest and stalest means of discrediting people who dissent; it’s basically the prime weapon used to enforce mainstream orthodoxy and punish dissidents. Taken to its most extreme and odious conclusion, the Soviet Union institutionalized anyone challenging Communist orthodoxy in mental hospitals, and China now does the same.
Oh I see. Yeah, you see, Paul is not really crazy. He's been made out to be so because his views are inconvenient to the "bipartisan consensus" on "assassinations." Not only is Paul not crazy, calling him crazy is just like the Soviet Union and Communist China's suppression of free speech. Greenwald might be getting peeved by the usage of it, but it is more than obvious that he suffers
I hardly think Greenwald wants pointers from me, but here's one if he's listening: when you are trying to make the point that calling someone "too extreme" is just a tool of the political establishment, try not to tell your opponents that they are just like the Communist Soviets and Chinese.
But Ron Paul is not referred to as crazy because his views are inconvenient to the political orthodoxy in America. Let's see just exactly which of his views Greenwald finds so attractive
The chances that any of these issues will be debated in an Obama/Romney presidential contest are exactly zero. On all of these issues — Endless War, empire, steadfast devotion to the Israeli government, due-process-free assassinations, multiple-nation drone assaults, escalating confrontation with Iran, the secretive, unchecked Surveillance and National Security States, the sadistic and racist Drug War, the full-scale capture of the political process by bankers and oligarchs — Romney is fully supportive of President Obama’s actions (except to the extent he argues they don’t go far enough: and those critiques will almost certainly be modulated once the primary is over, resulting in ever greater convergence between the two).
Ahh. Hey, I have an idea. Let's take an old-school approach to see just how much the facts fit Glenn's contention that essentially, on these things, Obama is horrible and right wing, the same as the Romney and the GOP.
Endless War/Empire: Glenn Greenwald is nothing if not a bumbling fool skipping around talking about "endless war" by a president who was not only elected on the platform to the end the war in Iraq but kept his promise and has already brought America's adventure in Iraq to a close, withdrawing all US troops. In Glenn Greenwald's perverted thought process, that is exactly the same as, or only marginally different from, Mitt Romney's demand that 30,000 US troops be left in Iraq in perpetuity. Complete drawdown = leaving 30,000 troops. Roughly. Also, complete withdrawal = endless war. More or less. Welcome to Glenn Greenwald math, class.
With respect to Afghanistan, President Obama also has already begun the drawdown.
Read Greenwald's piece further, and you will notice him whining about Libya as well - an intervention by the President under the NATO (that is, our treaty obligations) umbrella in order to enforce a UN resolution. The intervention did not put a single American soldier on the ground, and the Libyans have full control of their country as Gaddafi is now dead. Maybe with Greenwald Math, that qualifies as empire, too, but I doubt it makes the cut under any reasonable definition of empire.
Due-process-free Assassinations and Drone Assaults: No idea what the hell this means, and I suspect that neither does Glenn. Oh, wait. Hang on a second. Drone assaults. Assassination. Ohh, I guess Greenwald is still grieving the deaths of Osama bin Laden and Anwar Al-Awlaki - Al Queda's head and the world's most heinous terrorist, and Al Queda's recruiter, active participant and planner in Yemen. Right, it's terrible horrible no good very bad that Obama ordered "assassinations" of those two. Yes, we must have a legitimized political faction in this country that sticks up for bin Laden and elevates his death to political "assassination" like he were a head of state.
The difference between Romney and Obama here of course is that Obama actually got the SOB's; Romney never would have, just like Bush didn't.
"National Security State": Let's translate: giving Americans any idea that there are legitimate threats out there who seek to harm our country is, by Glenn's definition, creating a 'national security state.' Providing law enforcement and the administration the tools to effectively fight those who would seek to harm this country (not "terror" the emotion, but the people) is nothing short of a Nazi scheme.
You can agree or disagree with the President on the re-authorization of certain PATRIOT Act provisions (after they'd been amended to include greater judicial and Congressional oversight in 2006 with Obama's support). You can challenge it on civil liberties grounds. But you cannot call what the President has done a "national security state" (if one is to follow its proper definition of effective military rule) and be sane.
For someone accusing others of using tactics to shut down debate on an issue (like calling your opponent 'crazy') Glenn seems to have a particular blind spot (likely intentional) when using fucked up tactics to shut down debate from his side - like throwing out "national security state" in apparent reference to Nazi Germany.
Of course, all of this would not be complete without a little Israel-bashing just for the hell of it.
Israel: We have known Greenwald's anti-semitic core for a while (another part of his heart where Ron Paul lives), but characterizing President Obama's support of Israel's right to exist and defend itself as a sovereign nation as "steadfast support of the Israeli government" displays Greenwald's stunning and cunning ability to lie. Not only has President Obama been the first president to openly say that a two-state solution needs to begin at the 1947 borders with mutually agreed upon land-swaps (this has been US policy for a while, but none dared say it before Obama), the President faced the wrath of the right wing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. But the people of Israel answered that by standing with President Obama as members of the US Congress rushed to genuflect before Netanyahu.
Maybe Glenn can tell us of another reasonable solution to the middle east, other than what the President has described. You know, that would make real contrast with the President's support for Israel. Is that position simply withdrawal of US aid to Israel (as well as to Egypt, Palestine, and a whole host of other middle eastern countries that enjoy US foreign aid)? Or does the US have to actively back Hamas? For all we know, Glenn may be more tempted for the latter given the way he's elevated terrorists like Osama bin Laden to head-of-state status by condemning his "assassination."
Notice how easily Glenn manipulates anti-Israeli propaganda:
Iranian nuclear scientists are actually being murdered. That is almost certainly happening through some combination of Israeli and American actions — at the very least with the approval and complicity of the Obama administration.
And what is Glenn Greenwald's evidence that the assassinations of these scientists are happening through "some combination of Israeli and American actions?" Why, the Iranian government. From the article Greenwald himself links to make this point:
In the previous cases, Iranian media outlets and spokesmen accused the Mossad, the CIA and MI6 of being behind the strikes. [...]
According to Iran, the attacks show that those responsible - Iran blames Israel and the Mossad - are determined to strike at scientists involved in Iran's nuclear program.
Funny, isn't it, how the avowed civil libertarian with profound distrust of government suddenly thinks that you should take the Iranian government at its word? Heh, I guess the libertarian streak of distrust of government only applies to the American and Israeli governments; not the Iranian ones. Or maybe this isn't about civil libertarian concerns at all. It's just finding a way to bash Obama.
A few more thoughts on the isolationist view of foreign policy: Before we move onto the discussion of the other "issues", let me just point out that Ron Paul is an absolute isolationist, who as recently as Iowa caucus night advocated for the US to leave the United Nations and NATO. Of course, Paul is also a conspiracy theorist who thinks that land use regulations will result in one-world government. There is nothing "progressive" about an isolationist foreign policy, and nor is any intervention whatsoever automatically qualified as "empire." None other than one of our most revered progressive presidents - if not the most revered progressive President in history - Franklin Roosevelt, took us to World War II. Following it, another progressive hero, Harry Truman helped establish the United Nations. And said Harry Truman was also the President who first recognized Israel as a sovereign nation.
But wait, the fun isn't over yet. Did you know this vehemently anti-war, anti-interventionist Glenn Greenwald was actually a proponent of George W. Bush's neo-con war in Iraq as well as the war in Afghanistan? Tipping my hat to our very own GN for this find, let me quote Glenn Greenwald in his own damn book:
During the lead-up to the invasion, I was concerned that the hell-bent focus on invading Iraq was being driven by agendas and strategic objectives that had nothing to do with terrorism or the 9/11 attacks. The overt rationale for the invasion was exceedingly weak, particularly given that it would lead to an open-ended, incalculably costly, and intensely risky preemptive war. Around the same time, it was revealed that an invasion of Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein had been high on the agenda of various senior administration officials long before September 11. Despite these doubts, concerns, and grounds for ambivalence, I had not abandoned my trust in the Bush administration. Between the president’s performance in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the swift removal of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the fact that I wanted the president to succeed, because my loyalty is to my country and he was the leader of my country, I still gave the administration the benefit of the doubt. I believed then that the president was entitled to have his national security judgment deferred to, and to the extent that I was able to develop a definitive view, I accepted his judgment that American security really would be enhanced by the invasion of this sovereign country.
So much for our fearless, government-distrusting, anti-imperial leader, huh? See, he had to support his president and "defer to his national security judgments." Of course, that was President Bush. President Obama deserves no such deference. Why? He's a Democrat. He's black. Take your pick.
Anyway, let's move on to further craziness.
"Sadistic and Racist" Drug War: I couldn't stop laughing at this one. The guy who goes around proactively spreading the idea of the black president as a rapist and his most ardent supporters (the black community) of cheering him on suddenly is concerned about racism. Not that there shouldn't be any debates on drug policy. After all, the President has himself said that drug legalization is a legitimate topic for debate. But crackpots like Ron Paul and Glenn Greenwald are about as good spokespeople for drug legalization as Bristol Palin is for abstinence.
No, I'm not suggesting Paul and Greenwald are drug addicts. But frankly, I'd like to have whatever it is they are blowing up their rear ends.
And is the self-proclaimed Protector of All Things Good and Holy and Constitutional suddenly claiming that the President not enforce a federal law (the Controlled Substance Act) that is clearly constitutional? If Obama were ignoring it, though, I am quite certain we would hear from Greenwald how the President is ignoring his Constitutional duties, just like he freaked out at Obama's actions in Libya.
"Capture of the political process" by Banks and Oligarchs: Hmm, it turns out Glenn Greenwald stands on both sides of this. Please, Glenn, quit bloviating about the influence of big money on our political process when you support the Supreme Court's radical decision to allow unlimited corporate spending in elections. I mean, seriously. WTF.
Yes, our political process is too beholden to money. So just where was Glenn Greenwald when Barack Obama was fighting (with eventual success, I might add) to put in the toughest regulations on Wall Street since the 1930s, empowering regulators to break up banks and financial institutions that pose a risk to the system and creating the nation's first ever consumer protection agency? Where was Greenwald as the President fought Republican efforts to gut the law?
Oh, right. Greenwalds idol Ron Paul does not like the Dodd-frank law, in fact he favors repealing it.
Does a theme emerge from the above critic of the issue positions Greenwald and Paul are looking to have debated? From Greenwald Math to yapping about corporate spending while supporting Supreme Court decisions to open the floodgates of corporate money, Ron Paul isn't termed "crazy" in order to avoid the discussion of his positions, he's termed so because of them. Paul's and Greenwald's positions are marginalized because they are positively, provably, nuts.
When the core is rotten (in Paul's case with racism, homophobia and anti-semitism), everything one does is not only tainted but at a closer look, loony. The issues they address may seem important, but what they are doing about them remain as deranged as ever. Seen with the help of reality, absolutism in almost all its forms is lunatic - whether that absolutism is absolute anti-interventionism championed by Ron Paul or neo-con 1% threat doctrine enunciated by Dick Cheney. If you want to bring issues to the fore, do it yourself, and quit looking to make the southern racist your spokesperson. Rationality is not the racist's strong suit - whether in human relations or in public policy.
This, by the way, is why you don't sit down and listen to the Klan, even if it looks like they are about to make an unrelated, good point. So Glenn, stop telling us that we need to shut up because the Klan has something important to say. It doesn't.
Jan 6 CI: The Year of the Vote
Jan 5 Tracking Republican Front Runner Racism
Sep 11 Glenn Greenwald's Transparent Hypocrisy and Barack Obama's Record
Nov 21 Glenn Greenwald, #Occupy, Glass Houses and Stones
Oct 4 Al-Awlaki's death brings together ideological soulmates Glenn Greenwald and Ron Paul
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22 research reports forecast sustained robotics industry growth
By Frank Tobe | October 5, 2017
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has just released their two annual World Robotics 2017 reports covering 2016 results. The reports rigorously examine industrial, professional service and personal service robot sales and units sold. As the robotics industry grows, so too do the number of research reports from other sources. Twenty of those research reports are also profiled below.
International Federation of Robotics Annual Reports
The fact-based backbone for many of the research reports shown below is the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) annual World Robotics Industrial Robots and World Robotics Service Robots reports. These two books represent the official tabulation and analysis from all the robot associations around the world and cover all aspects of industrial and service robotics.The 2017 reports cover 2016 activity.
Industrial Robots: By 2020 the IFR estimates that more than 1.7 million new industrial robots will be installed in factories worldwide. In 2017 robot installations are estimated to increase by 21% in the Asia-Australia region. Robot supplies in the Americas will surge by 16% and in Europe by 8%.
Service Robots: The IFR estimated that sales of all types of robots for domestic tasks – e.g. vacuum cleaning, lawnmowing, window cleaning – could reach almost 32 million units in the period 2018-2020, with an estimated value of about €10 bn ($11.7 bn). At the same time total unit sales of professional service robots are estimated to reach a total of almost €16 bn ($18.8 bn) – about 400,000 units will be sold.
The two reports can be purchased from the IFR for $2,100 (€1800 + VAT where applicable). The reports can also be purchased separately: the industrial report in pdf format costs $1,400 (€1200) and the service report $700 (€600).
Unmanned air, land and sea vehicles
Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), Sept 2017, Value Market Research, $3,950
The UUV market is projected to grow from $2.69 billion in 2017 to $5.20 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 14.07%.
Emerging robotic technologies for marine applications, Sept 2017, Frost & Sullivan, $4,950
Key trending applications include: autonomous surface vessels, unmanned underwater vehicle/robots, and shipboard robots.
Mobile robots and drones in material handling and logistics, July 2017, 162 pages, IDTechEx, $4,995
IDTechEx forecasts that the mobile robotics in material handling and logistics will become a $75 bn market by 2027 and more than double by 2038.
Global military unmanned maritime systems market, July 2017, Frost & Sullivan, $4,950
Frost & Sullivan forecast that UMS will transition from research and testing to a procurement focus by the early 2020s.
Global military unmanned aerial systems market, July 2017, Frost & Sullivan, $1,500
Forecasts prominent military UAS manufacturers to grow to between $11 billion and $12 billion annually by 2020.
Healthcare robotics
Patient monitoring and assistance robots market, July 2017, 126 pages, Research n Reports, $2,800
The global patient monitoring and assistance robots market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 30.27% during the period 2017-2021.
Robotic exoskeletons market, Sept 2017, 105 pages, eMarketOrg, $2,900
Featured companies included in the report: ReWalk Robotics, Ekso Bionics, Cyberdyne, Lockheed Martin, Parker Hannifin, Panasonic ActiveLink, Rex Bionics, Hocoma, Honda, Bionik Labs.
Medical robotics and computer-assisted surgery, May 2017, 122 pages, BCC Research, $5,500
This market is expected to increase from $4.0 billion in 2016 to $6.8 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.3% for 2016-2021.
Global cylindrical robot market, June 2017, 106 pages, Research n Reports, $3,500
Defines and forecasts steady growth for this speciality industry: Neurosurgery Navigation System, Spinal/Trauma Surgery Navigation System and by End user Hospitals and Clinics.
Industrial and collaborative robots
Collaborative robots market, Sep 2017, 150 pages, MarketsandMarkets, $5,650
The collaborative robots market is expected to be worth $4.28 Billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 56.94% between 2017 and 2023.
Top technologies in advanced mfg and automation, April 2017, Frost & Sullivan, $4,950
Metal 3D printing and robotics will drive opportunities in multiple industries.
Transformative technology adoption and attitudes, July 2017, ABI Research, $3,500
Manufacturer adoption of collaborative robots is strong, becoming more aggressive in the near term.
Global packaging robots market, April 2017, 105 pages, Variant Market Research, $4,995
Estimated to reach $5 billion by 2024; growing at a CAGR of 14.6% from 2016 to 2024.
Global industrial robotics rental market, July 2017, 92 pages, TechNavio, $2,650
Forecasts the rental market to grow at a CAGR of 13.58% during the period 2017-2021.
Industrial robots in China 2020, May 2017, 129 pages, STM Stieler Market Research
Despite the already high sales level, robot sales rose again by 28% last year. China will be responsible for 40% of the worldwide demand by 2019. STM is forecasting the growth momentum will continue in 2017 and beyond.
Sensors for robotics, Oct 2017, 122 pages, BCC Research, $5,500
The global market for sensors for robotics should reach $840 million by 2022 from $510 million in 2017 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.5%, from 2017 to 2022.
Military robots market, Sept 2017, 188 pages, Markets and Markets, $5,845
The military robots market is projected to grow from USD 16.79 Billion in 2017 to USD 30.83 Billionby 2022, at a CAGR of 12.92% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2022.
Top technologies in advanced manufacturing and automation, April 2017, Frost & Sullivan, $4,950
Customer service robots, August 2017, 74 pages, Tractica, $4,200
Worldwide revenue of customer service robots for retail, travel, hospitality reached and other customer-facing apps was $53.77 million in 2016 and Tractica expects that the market will continue to grow to $87.97 million by the end of 2022; a very low CAGR of 8.9%.
Robotics in Industrial, Enterprise, Military, and Consumer Products, Services, and Solutions, August 2017, 268 pages, Mind Commerce, $2,350
With the substantial amount of capital behind global industrial automation, the industrial robotics sector will continue a healthy growth trajectory.
Frank Tobe
Frank Tobe is the founder of The Robot Report and co-founder of ROBO Global which has developed a tracking index for the robotics industry, the ROBO Global™ Robotics & Automation Index. The index of ~90 companies in 13 sub-sectors tracks and captures the entire economic value of this global opportunity in robotics, automation and enabling technologies.
Yogesh Godse says
Global Packaging Robot Market Report, published by Variant Market Research, forecast that the global market is expected to reach $5 billion by 2024 from $2 billion in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 14.6% from 2016 to 2024. By geography, Asia-pacific and Rest of the World are expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.2% and 12.1%, respectively, during the forecast period. Source: https://www.variantmarketresearch.com/report-categories/semiconductor-electronics/packaging-robots-market
Growth in manufacturing industries, requirement for intelligent modernization to decrease product delivery time, and increased demand for high automation in packaging line are the major factors driving the global packaging robot market. However, high capital investment is a major challenge for market players. Various innovative features such as high accuracy and low product damage offered by packing robots would provide new business opportunities for the market in near future.
Frank Tobe says
Your research report was included in the article you cited:
Filter gives robots greater spatial perception for 6D object pose estimation
MIT robot performs Bottle Cap Challenge
Automated system from MIT generates robotic actuators for novel tasks
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Life At Vintage Oaks
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Oil and gas. Technology. Health care. They’re the cornerstones of Texas’ industry and also three of the many reasons so many people are coming to Texas and living in New Braunfels. Thinking of making a move? That’s a smart move, with numerous dynamic careers you’d want to relocate to Texas for.
The energy sector
The state’s economy is growing rapidly, topping lists like CNBC's Top State for Business in America for 2018 and attracting a workforce from all over the country and the world and buyers who are looking forward to living in New Braunfels. The CNBC ranking marked a return to the top for Texas, which last came in at No. 1 in 2014. “Riding the rising tide of energy prices — and the job growth that goes with it — Texas lands the top spot,” they said. “This is familiar territory for the Lone Star State, which becomes the first four-time winner in our annual study, now in its 12th year.”
Texas added more than 350,000 new jobs in the last year “with the largest increase in the energy sector,” said CNBC. And, in fact, 1 in 7 jobs created in the United States in the past year was created in Texas.” Rising energy prices, which have largely been responsible for the economic push over the past year, “have a ripple effect, according to Roger Guenther, executive director of the Port of Houston, which is seeing booming traffic in related products, like imported steel pipe.”
Other industries pushing the economy forward
But oil and related industries are not alone in bolstering the Texas economy. Among the 39 Texas companies in the Standard and Poor's 500 index are ExxonMobil but also AT&T and Texas Instruments. “And it boasts some of the nation's largest privately-held companies,” including Hunt Oil but also H-E-B, which is headquartered in San Antonio.
“Texas is no one-trick pony, notching top 10 finishes not just in Economy but in five of our 10 categories of competitiveness, including Workforce (No. 7), Infrastructure (No. 1), Technology and Innovation (No. 9) and Access to Capital (No. 3),” said CNBC. “The state finishes with 1,651 out of 2,500 possible points.”
CNBC included a total of 60 metrics across 10 categories. Washington, which was No. 1 last year, fell to second in this year’s rankings, followed by Utah, Virginia, and Colorado in the top five.
Much of Texas’ economic strength continues to be focused on Austin, No. 1 on U.S. News and World Report's new list of the 125 Best places to live in America, San Antonio, No. 14 on the list, and the area in between. That includes New Braunfels, currently the second-fastest-growing city in the nation. This impressive region of the state is also home to several popular new-home communities, including Vintage Oaks, the fastest-growing community in the Hill Country for five consecutive years.
Employment growth in New Braunfels over the last several years has helped fuel population growth in the city and bring more attention to buying a home in New Braunfels in communities like Vintage Oaks, with its great location convenient to both Austin and San Antonio and in the heart of a desirable, growing city. Yet, Vintage Oaks is prized for its private feel and Hill Country setting with stellar views, as well as its resort amenities including multiple pools; a lazy river; a children’s playground; ball fields and sport courts; miles of walking trails that wind through the masterplan; a future Fitness Center; and the Tuscan Clubhouse.
Vintage Oaks is a 3,900-acre masterplan that offers Hill Country land ranging from 1–14 acres in both gated and non-gated neighborhoods and custom, semi-custom, and small-lot homes for sale.
For more information about living in New Braunfels or buying a home in New Braunfels visit Vintage Oaks. You can also instantly get information about our newest property release below.
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Topic: Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot News
Entertainment News // 5 months ago
Netflix: What's coming and going in February 2019
"Velvet Buzzsaw" starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Ken Jeong's new comedy special and "The Umbrella Academy" are headed to Netflix.
Bryan Cranston will return to Broadway in 'Network' adaptation
Bryan Cranston will return to Broadway this fall with the lead role in "Network," the stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning 1976 film.
Entertainment News // 1 year ago
'Tootsie' musical to play in Chicago before opening on Broadway
"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" alum Santino Fontana has signed on to star in a stage musical version of the classic comedy film "Tootsie."
Kristin Chenoweth to star in 'Death Becomes Her' stage adaptation
Universal Theatrical Group is developing a stage play based on the 1992 film "Death Become Her" that will star Kristi Chenoweth in a lead role.
Music // 2 years ago
Elton John to adapt 'The Devil Wears Prada' for Broadway
Elton John and Paul Rudnick will write a musical adaptation of "The Devil Wears Prada" for Broadway.
Will Chase returns to Broadway in 'Something Rotten!' after 'Nashville' shakeup
Will Chase is no stranger to Broadway's "Something Rotten!"
10 original series coming to Netflix
A look at upcoming Netflix original series in 2016 and 2017.
Spider-Man actor spotted on 'Doctor Strange' set
Tom Holland visited "Doctor Strange" director Scott Derrickson on set this week, prompting rumors Spider-Man may appear in the movie.
Romeo Beckham stars in Burberry short film
Romeo Beckham, the 13-year-old model and son of David and Victoria Beckham, stars in luxury brand Burberry's Festive Film this year.
Jamie Bell stars as the Thing in 'Fantastic Four' photo
Jamie Bell stars as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, in a new photo from the upcoming reboot of "The Fantastic Four."
Stevie Wonder producing miniseries about the Underground Railroad
Stevie Wonder is executive producing a TV miniseries based on Betty DeRamus' acclaimed book "Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories From the Underground Railroad."
Julie Walters set for Richard Harris honor at the BIFAs
Actress Julie Walters is to be honored at Sunday's Moet British Independent Film Awards in London, organizers announced.
Mirren to play Queen Elizabeth II again
British actress Helen Mirren is to play Queen Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan's new play, "The Audience," the drama's producers said Friday.
Sports News // 6 years ago
Olympics to close with star-studded show
The man in charge of the closing ceremony at the London Olympics says Sunday's extravaganza will run three hours and include plenty of pop stars.
Elton John to resume performing
Elton John's representatives say the British pop icon, who was hospitalized last week, will begin his European concert tour as planned in Wetzlar, Germany.
We didn't quite know how ('Billy') would go down in New York
Daldry delighted by 'Elliot' response Dec 09, 2008
AT&T signs multi-year deal with IBM worth 'billions'
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of 'Everington' in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older brother, and Julie Walters as his ballet teacher. In 2001, author Melvin Burgess was commissioned to write the novelization of the film based on Lee Hall's screenplay. The story was adapted for the West End stage as Billy Elliot the Musical in 2005; it opened in Australia in 2007 and Broadway in 2008.
The film was theatrically released by the Motion Picture Association of America with an R rating for "language", when released on video, the film was re-cut to a PG-13 for "some thematic elements"; this cut version removes many of the used F-words.
The film is set during the UK miners' strike (1984–1985) and centres on the life of Billy (Jamie Bell), his love of dance and his hope to become a professional ballet dancer. Billy's father (Gary Lewis) and brother Tony (Jamie Draven) are both out on strike. Billy's mother is no longer alive and Billy and Tony's nan (Jean Heywood) also lives with the family.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Billy Elliot."
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Hands On: Users React to the Yo App
Ayaz Nanji | July 23, 2014
The Yo mobile app—a simple messaging service launched in June that allows users to only send the word “Yo” to their contacts—has earned the dubious distinction of being the most mocked product of the year.
Seemingly every media outlet and tech pundit has already taken a swipe at Yo, including VentureBeat (“the stupid app that raised $1.2 million“), Robert Scoble (“the pet rock of 2014“), and The Verge (“a source of cheap giggles“).
All the snark is understandable—Yo makes for an easy target with its extremely simple idea, quick funding (which recently jumped to $1.5 million), and outspoken founder—but is it deserved?
The app has already achieved 2 million downloads, so consumers are at least giving it a shot. So, what do they think of Yo?
And, just as importantly, what lessons can designers and developers learn from the release of the product?
We ran a study with 20 mobile users—10 who had already received an invite to use the app from a friend and 10 who had not—to see how they reacted to both the current experience and some of the company’s future plans.
Here’s what we learned:
1. People (not surprisingly) have very little patience for major bugs.
2. A colorful design and simple interface can go a long way.
3. A new social app may only be as successful as its social integrations.
4. Sometimes people simply won’t get your idea. That’s OK.
5. Simple interactions are (occasionally) really fun for users.
6. People are (sort of) curious about external notifications sent via an app.
7. People see a real value in being able to complete simple tasks via an app.
View our highlight reel of users exploring the app, or watch it in the video below.
Yo’s creator has said that the app only took 8 hours to create. Unfortunately, this often shows.
Users agreed that Yo is buggy—really, really, buggy—and these issues often affect the entire app experience.
Some of the code issues with Yo are behind-the-scenes—such as its lax security—but others are clearly visible to consumers.
Of the 20 people we asked to use the app, 13 experienced technical issues that prevented them from fully installing it (in particular, many never received an essential SMS code). The rest did manage to install the app but encountered other major bugs while using the product, such as full crashes while trying to edit their user names.
Oops, that crashed the app. I guess let’s go back in.
Not surprisingly, many people quickly gave up on using the app after encountering these bugs—a reminder that consumers are quick to abandon an app if it’s not viewed as being fully-baked (and a reminder that seeing the number of times an app is downloaded doesn’t tell the full story).
The Yo app may have taken a lot of flack from the press for its simple premise, but many test participants appreciated the clarity. In fact, once users were able to access the app, they universally reacted well to its straightforward look and interface.
Everything in the app is colorful, big words, easy to find; everything is to the point.
The quick and clear tutorial that follows the install of the app was particularly well-liked, with a number of participants indicating that they found it both funny and informative.
Yo doesn’t break new ground with its presentation—it just relies on bold colors, all-caps typography, and minimalist presentation—but users agreed that it’s this simplicity that makes the app so engaging.
A major problem that test participants encountered with the app is that it was not of much use unless they already had friends on it.
Of course, this is the chicken-or-the-egg problem that all social platforms face: They are only useful to users once they have users.
However, users agreed that Yo makes finding and inviting friends especially difficult. The app’s integration with a mobile phone’s address book was viewed as pretty good, but the Facebook and Twitter integrations were seen as very basic—allowing only the option of sending out a mass tweet or post to find/invite friends rather providing a way to reach them individually.
I don’t really understand how to do this. I don’t know how to invite a specific friend on Facebook. I really can’t find anyone on Yo.
Understandably, all of the participants shied away from inviting their entire list of social contacts to Yo and so many were left feeling stuck. Users agreed that not having a large network of people to “Yo” limited the product—highlighting how critical well-thought-out integrations are for new social apps.
Some users were befuddled by Yo—calling the app “weird” or saying they “just don’t get it.”
Some said they don’t see why they would ever use it instead of texting/messaging, some cited fatigue in trying to keep up with all the social platforms out there, and one said she simply doesn’t like the word “yo” all that much.
How often would I use this app? Maybe on occasion with my daughter. I’m more likely, frankly, to send her a text message to see how she’s doing.
But other users reacted positively as soon as they saw the app, calling it “cool” or saying they “loved it.”
What do those conflicting reactions mean?
Perhaps simply that an app doesn’t have to appeal to everyone (including tech pundits) as long as there is a large enough group who does “get it.”
For those users who did like the app, one word came up over and over: Fun.
The experience of both sending and receiving a “Yo” made most testers laugh, and a few kept sending “Yo”s over and over to the same contacts.
My sister and I just send each other these in the middle of the day to be silly and stuff like that. It’s just kind of a fun thing.
However, even those who enjoyed the experience said that they couldn’t see themselves using Yo as their main means of communication with friends and family, since it doesn’t allow for expressing complicated ideas and emotions.
A few users likened the Yo experience to “Poking” on Facebook—a simple way to communicate to someone that you are thinking about them.
However, Facebook has been phasing out Pokes for a long time in favor of more complex interactions, so the comparison could be either a curse or a roadmap for Yo—perhaps simple interactions can evolve into richer communication over time, or perhaps they just lead to a dead end.
Yo has said that it sees the product as being useful for businesses or organizations that need to communicate something to people—for example, a dry cleaner that wants to tell a customer that their clothes are ready for pick-up.
The company has even made the news recently after a group used it to warn Israelis of possible incoming rocket attacks.
When asked about Yo’s potential as a platform for notifications, test participants said the idea is interesting and said they can see it being used for basic things such as knowing when a car is done at a repair shop.
However, they also expressed doubts:
What would happen if the business needed to communicate something more complex (i.e., “Your food is 10 minutes late.”)?
What would the advantage be of sending a “Yo” over just sending a text message?
Overall, users agreed that getting notifications from businesses and organizations on their mobile phones is appealing, but they are just not sure that Yo is the best platform for these.
Well, what if there is a problem with my laundry and they want to notify me? If they just sent a “Yo” I wouldn’t know what that means.
7. People see a real value in being able to control things via an app.
The other big idea that Yo has been showcasing is its IFTTT (If This Then That) integration, which allows users to complete simple tasks by sending a message, such as turning on their air conditioner.
This idea was greeted warmly by a number of test participants, with two calling it “awesome.” Users agreed that there is an almost endless number of uses for this functionality—from starting a car remotely to turning off their home lights while away.
It seems this app is very simple to use, so if through the simplicity of this I was able to do tasks, that would help me out. That would be awesome.
In particular, users seemed to like the idea because it played to Yo’s core strength: simplicity. As a few noted, the minimalist interface and one-touch functionality would be perfect for easily managing these sorts of tasks.
Have you used the app? Developers, do you think Yo is brilliant, or would you change it completely? Let us know in the comments!
About the author: Ayaz Nanji is a digital consultant, contributing writer for UserTesting, and proud data nerd. He has worked as a content strategist and content creator for a whole bunch of places, including Google/YouTube, The Travel Channel, AOL, and The New York Times.
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“Remember to ‘G.I.V.E.!’”
Gratitude: Don’t take things for granted and always give appreciation for any help you receive.
Initiative: Find ways to obtain the experience that you need to get you where you want to go.
Volunteer: Not only does it provide a great pathway to happiness, but it will also likely help your career by broadening your people network and enhancing your experience. Be a mentor.
Execute: When you take initiative to do something, make sure that you have the time to do it well.
“I fundamentally believe that a diverse workforce is key to the success of any organization. America needs to continue to innovate in the STEM fields to maintain its competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Increasing the number of women in STEM will increase the diversity in the workforce, thereby enhancing the opportunities for innovation and job creation.”
The USPTO leads its peers in achieving workforce diversity across both the public and private sectors. Fun fact: The USPTO has a higher rate of women leaders than those of several tech industry titans in Silicon Valley. That kind of achievement speaks volumes, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“The agency breaks down barriers to advancement by providing an environment for everyone to thrive regardless of gender, race or affiliation,” says Harris, a Texas-raised transplant who left electrical engineering to pursue a legal career. After working at both law firms and corporations, she landed a job as the chief intellectual property counsel at AOL in the Washington, D.C. area.
Joining the USPTO was the next natural career move, working at the nation’s IP powerhouse and serving as the principal legal advisor to Michelle K. Lee, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO.
What does she enjoy most about working here?
“No question… the employees,” she says. “I have never met a more impressive group of hardworking, extremely talented people in my entire career.”
This page is owned by USPTO Jobs. Published on: Nov 17, 2015 11:49 AM EST Last Modified: Sep 16, 2016 02:02 PM EDT
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e-boutique selection
Between the Finger Rings
Poetic Complications
Extraordinary Dials
Historic Pieces
Creations inspired by the Far-East
Drawing of a vanity or cigarette box cover, 1925, Van Cleef & Arpels Archives
Spurred on by significant archeological finds, first-hand accounts of journeys around the world, and the rise of Universal Exhibitions, the Western world’s fascination with the East intensified during the 1920s.
To satisfy their clientele’s taste for exoticism, the Maison designed jewelry inspired by the Far East, in particular the Chinese and Japanese cultures.
Jade, lacquer, coral, mother-of-pearl, enamel, pagodas, dragons, landscapes, cherry blossoms, Chinese calligraphy, peonies… These are just some of the Far Eastern forms, colors, materials, themes, and savoir-faire, which have graced Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations from the 1920s to the present day.
Nécessaire au dragon, 1923, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection / Nécessaire au Dragon retail card, 1923, Van Cleef & Arpels' Archives / Articulated Chinese bracelets retail cards, 1924, Van Cleef & Arpels' Archives
For this nécessaire, Chinese culture contributes the emblematic Dragon, along with a contrasting red and black color scheme, and the use of enamel for a smooth lacquer-like finish.
These designs for articulated bracelets alternate Chinese- and Japanese-inspired motifs set with rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, and onyx.
Portico Clock drawing, circa 1920, Van Cleef & Arpels' Archives
The extraordinary clock design from the 1920s is a Mysterious Clock and is shaped like the portico of Shinto temples. Its dial displays the traditional Japanese savoir-faire of mother-of-pearl marquetry.
Chinese inspired vanity case, circa 1925, Van Cleef & Arpels' Archives / Vanity in colored mother-of-pearl marquetry by artist Vladimir Makovsky, 1925, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
Vanity cases offered another ideal surface for Japanese mother-of-pearl marquetry. Many of them were adorned with Far Eastern designs and landscapes. The 1925 green jasper creation is signed by the Russian artist Vladimir Makowsky, who created Van Cleef & Arpels’ most elaborate and impressive vanities. Settled in Paris after many journeys to Asia, he had mastered the art of mother-of-pearl marquetry.
Japanese inspired clip pendant, 1924, Private Collection
This 1924 pendant plaque displays a different take on the Japanese art of marquetry and landscape representation. It features a pierced composition set with diamonds, onyx, brightly colored sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, suspended to a long chain made of diamond and onyx.
Turquoise table clock and tobacco case, 1930, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection / Chinese Perfume Bottle, 1925, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
Far Eastern decoration and craftsmanship were reinterpreted in many objects designed for Western tastes and functions, combining the savoir-faire of both cultures.
This engraved turquoise creation, an 18th century Chinese perfume bottle transformed into a table clock and tobacco case by Van Cleef & Arpels, perfectly illustrates this blend of different cultures.
However, the red lacquer perfume bottle, although very similar, is not an authentic 18th century piece, but created in 1925 by the Maison. Adorned with a phoenix and Chinese-style cloud design, and accompanied by an ivory stirrer, this bottle near-perfectly mimics Chinese bottle design.
Magicien Chinois pocket watch, 1927, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection / Chapeau Chinois necklace, 1931, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
Over the decades this Far Eastern inspiration continued to fascinate the Maison, living on and evolving as it was reinterpreted in various Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations.
The Magicien Chinois pocket watch from 1927 and the Chapeau Chinois set from 1931 are obvious references to the Chinese culture.
Dragon clip, 1969, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
This Dragon clip from 1969 is a magnificent tribute to the Chinese mythical creature, which is a positive symbol of power, strength, and good luck. As so often in Chinese culture, the Dragon is depicted chasing a ball and represents the pursuit of wisdom, among other symbolic meanings.
Kikumakie clip, 2004, Lacquered Butterflies collection
Today, Far Eastern inspiration and savoir-faire are still being reinterpreted in various ways for many of the Maison’s High Jewelry collections. This Butterfly clip was created using the traditional art of Japanese lacquer…
Sérénité necklace, 2008, Les Jardins collection
… while this necklace from the collection Les Jardins is inspired by Japanese zen gardens.
Opéra Chinois earrings, 2011, Bals de légende™ collection
These earrings, from the Bals de Légende™ collection, offer a very modern interpretation of traditional Chinese Opera singers.
If you are interested in this theme, you may also like :The Chapeau Chinois set
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Published on The Voice Online (https://www.voice-online.co.uk)
Home > Home > NHS 70: Hundreds celebrate the health service at festival
NHS 70: Hundreds celebrate the health service at festival
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Promote To Homepage
The event, held at Alexandra Park in Moss Side, brought together all sectors of the Manchester community
Abigail Reid
PA_Page_10_Lead_-Tony_Chess_and_Sons_of_Africa_Drummers.jpg [1]
HUNDREDS of people came out to celebrate the contribution that migration has made
to the NHS and receive invaluable health advice at the same time.
The event, held at Alexandra Park in Moss Side, brought together all sectors of the Manchester community with numerous health stalls and celebrations of song and dance.
Jointly organised by Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN), Manchester Local Care Organisation and BUZZ, the Health Walk and Festival provided an opportunity for people from all walks
of life to get together and learn about health from the numerous medical experts and information stalls.
And for those who wanted to get started on a wholesome lifestyle right away there was a health walk around the park.
Chair of CAHN, Faye Bruce, said: “We wanted to recognise the many people in our community who have been the life and blood of the NHS in many ways and give them an opportunity to celebrate that.”
CAHN is a non-profit organisation that works with the Caribbean and African community to impact change for health and wellbeing.
The free event featured singers, dancers and musicians including Tony Chess and the Sons of Africa Drummers and live reggae band, Trevor Roots and The Collaborators.
Healthy food options were provided by Dougy’s Caribbean Takeaway, which has establishments in both Moss Side and Chorlton.
Among the speakers at the event was clinical director of Manchester Health and Care, Dr Manish Kumar, who re- counted tales of her parents’ own passage here from India and how, in overcoming the barriers they faced, they helped to pave the way for future generations.
There were also speeches from Sonia Stewart from the Jamaica Society of Greater Manchester, MPs Lucy Powell and Afzal Khan, Associate Director of Manchester Foundation Trust Mags Bradbury and the Lord Mayor June Hitchen.
Eleanor Etim from Old Trafford attended on the day to find out what healthcare provisions were available to her.
She had a free health check, courtesy of Kapoor Pharmacy Services who provide these services freely at their pharmacies in Chorlton and Rochdale in Greater Manchester. “I normally have to book to see my doctor if I want my blood pressure checked and it can be difficult to get an appointment, so it’s good to know that there’s a chemist nearby that I can walk into and have this done,” said Eleanor.
“I also spoke to a podiatrist at one of the stalls and I’ll be going to have my feet treated soon.”
At other stalls, among a host of other service providers, visitors were able to sign up with the Manchester Blood Donor Centre and find out about fostering and adoption services with Caritas Care and Adoption Matters.
This is the first event of its kind, but there are high hopes it will continue as an annual Windrush community festival.
Read every story in our hardcopy newspaper for free by downloading the app.
NHS at 70: The need to embrace technology [2]
Heroes in the NHS: The nurse who helped Grenfell victims [3]
Posted on: 08/07/2018 07:00 AM
Source URL: https://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/nhs-70-hundreds-celebrate-health-service-festival
[1] https://www.voice-online.co.uk/sites/default/files/PA_Page_10_Lead_-Tony_Chess_and_Sons_of_Africa_Drummers.jpg
[2] http://www.voice-online.co.uk/app/
[3] https://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/heroes-nhs-nurse-who-helped-grenfell-victims
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Portland Live This Week
7/17: One OK Rock
7:30pm Crystal Ballroom
7/17: Yeek
8pm Holocene
7/18: Lizzo
6:30pm Edgefield
7/18: Youth Brigade
7pm Bossanova Ballroom
7/18: Korgy & Bass
8pm Kendall Planetarium at OMSI
7/18: Deaf Telepathy
9pm The Lombard Pub
7/19: Cuco
8pm Hawthorne Theatre
7/19: Bright Raven
9pm Alberta Street Pub
7/19: Deerhunter
9pm Roseland Theater
7/20: Gypsy Temple
9pm Doug Fir Lounge
7/21: Michalangela
7pm The 1905
7/21: Will West
8pm Mississippi Studios
7/22: Reel Big Fish
7/23: Joey Bada$$
7pm WaMu Theater
7/23: Terri Lynn Davis
7pm Landmark Saloon
7/23: Laryssa Birdseye
7:30pm The Secret Society
7/23: Black Pistol Fire
7/24: Aan
Peter Hook Revisits Some of New Order's Classics
Vortex Music Magazine
Hooky, the ex-New Order member, in conversation with Vortex in advance of revisiting both ‘Low-Life’ and ‘Brotherhood’ in their entirety at the Wonder Ballroom on November 20 with his band The Light.
by Marlowe Merrill
Wonder Ballroom
Hooky: Photo by Mark McNulty
On the heels of a series of successful tours supporting Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures and Closer as well as New Order's first two studio efforts, Movement and Power, Corruption & Lies, famed Manchester bassist Peter Hook is continuing the effort by performing, in their entirety, New Order's third and fourth albums, Low-Life and Brotherhood, an artistic high point for the band.
Performing in Portland at the Wonder Ballroom on Thursday, November 20, Hooky’s current tour features the singles and B-sides from New Order’s most prolific period. From August 1983 up to 1987, the band will take the audience from “Confusion” to “True Faith” with both Low-Life and Brotherhood performed in full alongside plenty of other New Order fan favorites. Peter Hook And The Light will also be supporting themselves by performing a selection of Joy Division material prior to the two-album set.
Vortex had the opportunity to ask Hook some questions about the upcoming tour celebrating some of New Order's most critically praised work.
While revisiting this specific era in New Order’s history, were there any songs that the band had no intention of ever performing live, either due their complexity or just because they didn't fit in?
Photo by William Ellis
There are lots of songs in our new Low-Life and Brotherhood set that have either not been played for a very, very long time or that have never been played live at all! It's such a shame because they are great songs, and that is why I am very happy to now be able to play them all—my band are very capable so it makes it possible, which is fantastic. When we were together as New Order, the other members of the band would not play any of this material and would just refuse to play a lot of the old stuff, I think out of sheer laziness. They would rather play the same greatest hits set every night and just phone in the performance. Now, I am delighted to finally be able to play everything.
Of the material from the Low-Life and Brotherhood era, what has been the most difficult to reproduce live?
It has been a lot of hard work getting everything ready for the tour. Some songs have never been played live before so you have no reference point. It is with things like that that I am very grateful to my band who really do such a great job in bringing the songs to life. As always, the most difficult ones to reproduce are the synth-based, more dancey tracks where you are relying on sequencers and a lot of electronics. Getting that right can be a painstaking job but it is so worth it in the end because people are so happy to hear these tracks again.
What were some of the influences the band felt while writing these albums, especially compared to the previous records Movement and Power, Corruption & Lies?
Low-Life is a great album because it is a total mix of rock and pop, which is New Order at our best. With Brotherhood, we made an album of two halves: the first five are acoustic, the last four are electronic. I was skeptical about that at first, but over time I have realized that it does work for that album. We were always being influenced more and more by synths and electronics and we continued to use new equipment all the time, which helped to create some of the biggest songs on these albums like “Sub-culture” and “Bizarre Love Triangle.”
What was the general atmosphere during the writing and recording process of Low-Life and Brotherhood compared to some of the band’s previous ones?
The general atmosphere during this period was pretty good. Bernard [Sumner, New Order’s lead singer] and I were getting on, and we were writing great songs. It was only later on when the wheels started to fall off! Movement was a very difficult album to record because we were obviously still reeling from the death of Ian [Curtis, Joy Division’s lead singer], but as things moved on to Power, Corruption & Lies and then Low-Life and Brotherhood, it got easier and felt more comfortable.
Are there any songs you've rediscovered or gained a newfound appreciation for on this tour?
Absolutely, yes. I was unsure how a song like “Face Up” would work for example, but the crowd response to playing that one again has been unbelievable! A song like “Murder” too, which has never been played, sounds great and just makes me think, “Why did we not play these?” “Sub-culture” is another one that is very good to play live. I also gained a new appreciation for the last three tracks on Brotherhood: “All Day Long,” “Angel Dust” and “Every Little Counts.” It's just great to be able to get the songs back.
Photo by Craige Barker
What have been some of the most enjoyable tracks to perform on this tour so far?
I love the fact that we can play “As It Is When It Was” again—that has always been one of my favorite New Order tracks that was overlooked for far too long. It's great to get “State of the Nation” back too for the same reason. “Confusion” is one that the fans love so it's great to see their reactions to that, and “Lonesome Tonight” seems to have a cult following, so I'm just pleased to be able to play them all and make people happy.
With the huge success of your book, Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division, do you have any plans of writing a book detailing your time with New Order?
Yes, absolutely. I am writing my New Order book at the moment and it will be called Power, Corruption & Lies: Inside New Order. Barney has obviously put his own book out recently so this will be an opportunity for me to set the record straight after that. I am looking forward to putting it out, hopefully it won't be too long now.
Something I always appreciated about New Order’s music were your 12-inch mixes and B-sides. Some of my favorites include “Kiss of Death” and “Perfect Pit,” both from “The Perfect Kiss” 12-inch. Another standalone B-side is, of course, “The Beach.” Was there any specific process the band went through when releasing 12-inch mixes or B-sides?
We really liked to dub it up. You'll find that a lot of our remixes and B-sides are basically just dubbed up versions of the actual tracks. “The Beach” was the dub version of “Blue Monday” of course; then there was “Beach Buggy,” which is a dub version of the dub version! The good thing about playing the songs now is that we can include elements from these versions in our live performances.
One of my all-time favorite New Order songs is “The Perfect Kiss.” I read that the song wasn’t performed for a significant period of time due to its complexity. Did you have any trouble figuring out the arrangements for performing this song live on the current tour?
“The Perfect Kiss” is a very complex song because it has so many different parts. But the most important thing is that all those parts come together to create one of our very best songs. When I came to figure out "The Perfect Kiss” for this tour, I knew I had to do the 12-inch version—the definitive version in my eyes. The version we used to play as New Order was too short and was missing some great bits. Now, our version is totally complete and people seem to really appreciate that. It took a while to get it going, but now we have it! Frogs, cowbell, bass solo and everything else!
Press Play on #PDXmusic Podcasts: Storytellers Telling Stories, That Much Further West, Haute Garbage and DIY Musician Podcast
Dan Cable, Ryan J. Prado, Katey Trnka - Jun 5, 2019
Explore the stories behind the music—and the music biz—with some of Portland's best podcasters.
Press Play on #PDXmusic Podcasts: Dan Cable Presents, The Future of What, Klyph Notes and Tour Punisher
Ryan J. Prado, Katey Trnka - May 30, 2019
Hear Fox and Bones on Making the Move with Tara Velarde [Podcast Premiere]
Tara Velarde - Jan 17, 2019
Featuring conversations with working musicians, Making the Move digs into the creative ways artists structure their careers, sustain their financial and artistic needs, and balance their...
In Conversation with Gina Chavez
Harris Newman - Oct 15, 2018
Award-winning Latin pop songstress Gina Chavez chats with Vortex to teach us about love, creativity and writing from the heart.
Peter Hook And The Light at the Wonder Ballroom on May 11, 2018
Photos by Anthony Pidgeon
Vortex Picks
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Probes of Coleman payments sought
By Jerry Seper - The Washington Times - Friday, November 14, 2008
Sen. Norm Coleman, already in the political fight of his life, is now facing calls for investigations by the FBI and the Senate ethics committee into allegations that a major fundraiser and longtime friend illegally diverted thousands of dollars to the Minnesota Republican.
The Alliance for a Better Minnesota, a pro-labor group, made the requests in the wake of lawsuits filed separately in Texas and Delaware accusing Nasser J. Kazeminy, a native of Iran and chairman of Minneapolis-based NJK Holding Corp., of improperly channeling $75,000 to Mr. Coleman through a company where the senator’s wife works and of seeking to send at least $25,000 more.
“These are serious allegations. With all of the news media covering these lawsuits, which state that money was funneled to Norm Coleman, we need to know what actually happened,” said Denise Cardinal, the alliance’s executive director. “There should be a thorough, formal investigation.”
Mr. Coleman, awaiting next week’s scheduled recount to determine whether he won re-election over political upstart Democrat Al Franken, said that he would “not only welcome such an investigation, but I am eager to have it move forward immediately.”
He denied any wrongdoing, saying the accusations were an attempt to “besmirch my family’s good name and reputation.”
“The fact that a United States senator is being used as a tool of extortion by private parties should be of concern to all Minnesotans,” the statement said. “This investigation should move forward, and it is my hope that those who were behind this matter, their motives and what their connections may be to my political opponents be reviewed aggressively by the appropriate authorities and the media.”
Neither the FBI nor the ethics committee would comment.
Of the 2.9 million votes cast in Minnesota on Election Day, Mr. Coleman had a 209-vote lead over Mr. Franken, a comedian. The Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), a Washington watchdog group, said the two candidates spent more than $35 million - one of the most expensive congressional races ever.
One suit filed in U.S. District Court in Houston by Paul McKim, former chief executive officer at Deep Marine Technology Inc. (DMT), said he was ordered to forward the $75,000 in three separate payments to Hays Cos., an insurance broker in Minneapolis where Laurie Coleman is employed.
Company officials said in the suit, filed Oct. 27, that Mr. Kazeminy, a major DMT stockholder, told them, “U.S. senators don’t make (expletive deleted).”
“In March 2007, Kazeminy began ordering the payment of corporate funds to companies and individuals who tendered no goods or services to DMT for the stated purpose of trying to financially assist U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota,” the suit said. “He was going to find a way to get money to U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and wanted to utilize DMT in the process.”
Another suit filed by DMT shareholders in the Court of Chancery in Wilmington, Del., accused the company’s controlling shareholders of allowing Mr. Kazeminy and others to “exploit and loot the corporation for their own economic benefit or improper purposes” in a scheme to “disguise improper payments in 2007 of at least $75,000 to the wife of a United States senator for no legitimate business purpose.”
That suit said the shareholders were told that Mr. Kazeminy instructed DMT Chief Financial Officer B.J. Thomas and Mr. McKim to send quarterly payments of $25,000 to Mr. Coleman “because the senator needs the money.” When the two men refused, saying the payments would be improper, the suit said, Mr. Kazeminy ordered that the payments be directed instead to the Hays Cos. as “service fees.”
“There was no valid business reason for a payment to Hays of any amount; Hays provided no services of any type to DMT,” the suit said.
Through his attorney and spokeswoman Amy Rotenberg, Mr. Kazeminy vehemently denied the allegations.
“Mr. Kazeminy has always been an exemplary individual and corporate citizen and is deeply offended by these false and reckless claims made by those seeking money,” Mrs. Rotenberg said. “It is his hope that when all inquiry is completed, the facts are known, and the lawsuit eventually dismissed, the truth will be as prominently reported as have been these false claims.”
The Hays Cos., which said it provides risk-management consulting services to DMT, called the accusations “libelous and defamatory,” adding in a statement it intended to “protect our name and our reputation vigorously with whatever means necessary.”
The company said Mrs. Coleman is legally licensed to sell insurance in Minnesota and has been an independent contractor for Hays since 2006.
“We are pleased with her work, and we find any allegations that she accepted money for work she was not responsible for to be outrageous and contemptible,” the company said.
The Delaware suit, filed Nov. 3, said Mr. Thomas, the chief financial officer, was forced to resign and that Mr. McKim later was fired. After Mr. Thomas left the firm, it said, his successor was John Hudgens, who instructed company officials to delete references to the Hays firm in invoices from DMT. It said the order was “an apparent effort to cover up evidence of DMT’s payments to Hays.”
According to the CRP, Mr. Kazeminy has contributed nearly $780,000 to Republican candidates, political action committees and other committees since 1999. He and his wife, Yvonne, have donated more than $115,000 to Mr. Coleman since 2000, according to Federal Election Commission records.
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Pa. DEP urges Senators to fight MTBE measure that would undermine cleanup
Latest version of federal energy bill includes language that could shield MTBE manufacturers from legal claims...
HARRISBURG, PA, June 2, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty again urged the state's U.S. senators to oppose the inclusion of a "safe harbor" provision in federal energy legislation that would essentially grant manufacturers of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) immunity from claims that the fuel additive is "defective in design or manufacture" and seriously undermine efforts to clean up groundwater and surface water contaminated by MTBE.
"Creating a liability shield to protect the MTBE manufacturing industry undermines state and private efforts to remove widespread soil and water contamination," McGinty said. "Supporting this kind of deal for responsible parties amounts to imposing tens of millions of dollars in new taxes that Pennsylvanians will have to pay for cleanup."
Her letter urges U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum to oppose a provision that blocks product liability and other lawsuits against MTBE manufacturers and oil companies. That provision was included in a version of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that the U.S. House of Representatives passed April 21. The measure now is with the U.S. Senate for consideration.
The Rendell administration previously sent letters to the senators in September 2003 and November 2003 urging their opposition to the liability shield when Congress was debating an earlier version of the federal energy bill.
Granting such immunity from liability could impede efforts to secure the cleanup of MTBE contamination. State and federal funding for such cleanups is already limited at best; statutory remedies against the manufacturers are also limited. Common law claims against manufacturers, seeking either injunctive or monetary remedies, provide important tools to clean up MTBE contamination.
Scientific evidence has established that MTBE poses risks to human health. MTBE is absorbed rapidly and extensively from the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of humans. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified MTBE as a possible human carcinogen on the basis of studies that show MTBE to be a carcinogen in animals. Health complaints related to MTBE have included headaches, dizziness, irritated eyes, burning of the nose and throat, coughing, disorientation, and nausea.
MTBE is also readily soluble in water and migrates quickly through groundwater. This renders the cleanup of contamination from leaking underground storage tanks much more difficult and expensive. MTBE has caused extensive contamination of both groundwater and surface water across the country, including Pennsylvania, where the southeastern portion of the state has been particularly affected.
A nationwide study by the U.S. Geological Survey found MTBE in 86% of wells sampled in industrial areas, 31% sampled in commercial areas,
23% in residential areas and 23% in areas of mixed urban land use, parks, and recreational areas.
For more information, visit DEP's Web site at www.dep.state.pa.us, Keyword: "MTBE."
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Reed takes lead as Masters takes shape without Tiger in mix
by: DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer
Posted: Mar 22, 2019 / 01:38 PM CDT / Updated: Mar 22, 2019 / 01:38 PM CDT
AUGUSTA, GA – APRIL 06: Patrick Reed of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 6, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Patrick Reed is leading a major championship for the first time, and his confidence is so high that he can only see what’s ahead of him.
Maybe that’s just as well at this Masters.
Reed started and finished the front nine with three straight birdies. He answered Marc Leishman’s bold shot for an eagle by polishing off another run of three straight birdies. It added to a 6-under 66 and a two-shot lead over Leishman going into the weekend at Augusta National.
Right behind them are five major champions.
Nowhere near him are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the two names that generated so much of the buzz for a Masters that otherwise is living up to expectations.
None of it matters to Reed, who is going after his first major.
“Everyone wants to win, and if you don’t believe you can win them, then you probably shouldn’t be playing in them,” Reed said. “I believe that if I play the golf that I know how to play that I can win majors. … There’s a lot of holes left, and I just need to go out and keep to my game plan, play some solid golf and just go out and continue shooting in the 60s and see if it gets the job done.”
Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson still have a say in that.
Woods and Mickelson probably don’t.
Woods hit one shot into a cluster of magnolia trees and another into Rae’s Creek. He didn’t make a birdie until the 13th hole and had to settle for a 3-over 75, leaving him 13 shots behind. No one has ever won the Masters when trailing by more than eight shots going into the weekend.
“I’m going to have to shoot a special weekend and I need help,” Woods said. “I’m not in control of my own destiny.”
Mickelson smacked a shot into the trees trying to escape a forest and made triple bogey, deposited a tee shot into Rae’s Creek on No. 12 for a double bogey and shot a 79, matching his worst score at Augusta National. He started the day four shots out of the lead. He ended the day making the cut on the number.
Even without them, the show is just getting started.
Reed was a runner-up at the PGA Championship last summer, though he played the final hole without a chance to win. His best performance on the big stage has been in the Ryder Cup.
“Going to treat it just like another day, go out and try to do what I’ve been doing and stick to my game plan and try to make some more birdies,” Reed said.
He was at 9-under 135.
Leishman seized on his moment with the best shot of the day. His tee shot on the 15th was too far left, leaving trees between him and the flag. Instead of laying up from 210 yards, he closed with the face of a 5-iron, aimed toward the right bunker.
“I meant to hook it 30 yards, and I put 40 yards of hook on it,” Leishman said with a smile.
The ball narrowly cleared the mound at the front of the green, caught the slope and settled 6 feet away for an eagle.
“We’re not here to lay up,” Leishman said. “It’s a major. You’re going to have to take some chances at some point during the week if you want to win, and that was a time where I thought I had to take a chance. I’ve been hitting that shot well on the range and I thought it was a prime opportunity to give it a test. And it came off.”
Stenson (70) was four shots behind. McIlroy (71) is off to his best 36-hole start in seven years and is looking as poised as ever to capture the fourth leg of the career Grand Slam. Spieth lost his two-shot lead on the first hole and was on the verge of getting left behind until he made a key par putt to close out the front nine with a 40, and then salvaged a 74 to join McIlroy just five shots behind.
“I’ve always been comfortable around the lead,” McIlroy said. “It’s a place that I’m thankfully quite familiar with and know how to deal with.”
Looming was Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world, who made a 45-foot par putt on the 16th to atone for several birdie putts in the 10-foot range he missed. Johnson had a 68 and was six shots behind, along with Thomas, who had a 67.
Eleven of the 17 players still under par at the halfway point can be found among the top 20 in the world.
Spieth was happy to be near the top after the way he started – a tee shot into the trees on the right and a three putts for a double bogey, and then a drive to the left and three more putts for a bogey. Just like that he was behind, and it kept getting worse. He made bogey from the middle of the fairway on No. 7. He three-putted from long range on the par-5 eighth. And he was headed for a 41 on the front nine until he made a 10-foot par putt.
“I’m still in this golf tournament,” Spieth said. “With the way the back nine was playing today, the wheels could have come off there. But I made some nice par saves and was able to grind out some phenomenal second-shot iron shots and good two-putt birdies.”
Woods made bogey on the opening hole with a sand wedge from the fairway. He really came undone when his second shot to the fifth bounded over the green and into a grove of magnolia trees. He took a penalty drop to clear room through the branches, put that in the bunker and made double bogey. Very little went right except for a pair of birdies on the par 5s on the back nine.
Looking at the white leaderboards only made him feel worse. The cut is for the top 50 and ties and anyone within 10 shots of the lead. Woods kept seeing Reed make birdies, and he knew he was well outside the 10 shots.
“I was hoping to keep it within 10. I didn’t know what my position was, but I think I’m in,” he said after his round.
He was tied for 40th.
More Golf Stories
Tee Time Augusta: PSU Altoona golfer perseveres through the loss of his father
by Jack Wascher / Apr 14, 2019
Tiger’s win makes for memorable Masters
by Staff / Apr 14, 2019
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods' drama-filled win Sunday at Augusta National made for a memorable Masters.
The severe weather that threatened to create havoc on the course never materialized, but the chaos came anyway. The leaderboard was a volatile place for about an hour, with players rising and falling every few minutes.
The world reacts to Woods’ fifth Masters win
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods won the Masters and nearly stopped the Twitterverse in its tracks.
There were shout-outs from two presidents who have played with the five-time champion, congrats from a cavalcade of actors and musicians and most fitting, perhaps, were the celebratory toasts from a parade of A-list athletes including Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Serena Williams.
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Bill Hendrick
Bill Hendrick wrote health news and features, general interest stories, and science and business news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from March 1979 to August 2008. Before joining the AJC, Hendrick worked for eight years for The Associated Press, winding up in Manhattan as a foreign desk editor. He's best known in Atlanta for predicting the 1987 stock market crash two months before it happened, winning several national and state awards. After graduating from the University of Georgia in March 1971 with a degree in journalism and a minor in European history, Hendrick served as editor of a weekly paper in the Atlanta area for a few months before joining The AP. His reporting assignments have taken him to every continent except Antarctica and to almost every state. Besides health, science, and business, his interests include history, psychology, and racquetball.
WebMD Biography
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3 dead, 24 injured in Malaysia shopping mall explosion
Malaysian security personnel inspect the site after an explosion at the City One Megamall. Photograph:( AFP )
AFP Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Dec 04, 2018, 05.10 PM (IST)
Three people were killed and 24 injured Tuesday when a powerful explosion rocked a shopping mall in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, but a fire official said it was not caused by a bomb.
The official Bernama news agency said the blast could have been caused by a leaking gas tank.
Wan Abdul Mubin, head of the fire rescue department in the state capital Kuching, told AFP his office received an emergency call at around 0737 GMT. "We scrambled 39 officers to the scene. We are investigating the cause of the explosion. It is one of the worst tragedies in the state in years. But it is not a bomb," he said.
"We recovered the bodies of three men. And we have helped in the evacuation of 24 people injured to the nearby public hospital," he added.
Wan Abdul said the explosion happened near a store on the ground floor of the shopping mall that was undergoing renovation.
A video clip of the aftermath showed the facade of the store torn apart, with some people screaming for help.
"I was purchasing a pizza in front of the shop when suddenly a strong explosion occurred," George Sting, 39, told Bernama.
"The workers in the shop immediately ran out," he said, adding that some were seriously injured.
Wina Simion, 46, who was sitting near the store with her family members said the explosion caused their table to flip.
United States welcomes construction of Kartarpur corridor
Peru's 'fugitive' ex-president Toledo arrested in US, faces extradition
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WLWT Investigates: Racial makeup of Hamilton Co. inmate population
Inmate population down 23 percent; African-American component down 9 percent
Todd Dykes
WLWT News 5 investigative reporter Todd Dykes looks at the Hamilton County inmate population.
Of the tens of thousands of people booked into jail at the Hamilton County Justice Center from 2010 to 2014, more than half have been African American men and women.Based on numbers provided to WLWT News 5 investigative reporter Todd Dykes by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, which oversees the Justice Center, 51 percent of inmates processed in 2014 were African-American, two times the African-American population in Hamilton County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.Watch this story"When you have this dramatic racial disparity, people don't trust the system," Stephen JohnsonGrove, deputy director of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, said. "They think it's rigged."JohnsonGrove continued, "If you look nationally, the trend is if you're African-American, you're more likely to get policed, more likely to get arrested, more likely to get prosecuted, more likely to get sentenced to a jail term and for a longer period of time."While JohnsonGrove thinks the inmate numbers should prompt a call to action, Peterson Mingo, the pastor of Christ Temple Full Gospel Baptist Church in Evanston, is more conciliatory.Mingo see positives in the numbers. For example, the overall inmate population at the Hamilton County Justice Center has fallen during each of the past five years, dropping by 23 percent from 2010 to 2014, though it's important to note that current Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil uses a different method to count individual inmates than did his predecessor, Sheriff Simon Leis.And even though the number of African-Americans booked as part of the total annual jail population dropped at a slower pace, by 9 percent, the figures are still encouraging to Mingo."The trend, I believe, is going to continue," Mingo said. "People are looking at different opportunities that are available now: training, schooling. And so, they're looking at life a lot differently.""There are a lot of young men and women who are coming out of school now, and they're going into the trades, and they're going into the apprenticeship programs," Mingo said. "They're looking at the future now as they never looked at it before. And so they don't feel all that desperation that they have to sell drugs, that they have to rob somebody."Duane Garland, 20, understands the desperation Mingo is talking about."I done seen a lot of people that I grew up with, you know, die. You know? And that don't feel good," Garland said. "It's just like, I don't want to be like that."Last summer, Duane's cousin was killed in South Cumminsville while he held his baby. A year before, a classmate was gunned down in Duane's Evanston neighborhood."He didn't deserve that, you know? He was a good person," Garland said.Garland credits his family for keeping him on a good path.The road hasn't been as easy for Dwayne White, 22, despite being mentored by several basketball coaches and by people like Mingo."I actually learned a lot of stuff from them. Like, a lot of do's and don'ts, even though I knew wrong from right," White said.Even so, White has made mistakes which sent him to jail in Hamilton County for short periods of time."It was just rough for real. It was a rough time in my life," White said. "It's just a path that I don't want to go back to."White has learned some tough lessons, and he has this advice for anyone temped to engage in criminal activities, especially violence."Sometimes you got to just put your pride to the side, man. There's better ways to handle things," White said. "There's been a lot of violence going on and, like, you got to just put the drama to the side, like, let's just let the violence go, man. The world would be a much more peaceful place if everybody just be right."With regard to the inmate population at the Hamilton County Justice Center, White is not surprised by the numbers. Like Mingo, he's glad fewer people are being locked up in general."That's just letting people know that a change is somewhat in progress," White said. "So that means people are just doing the right thing and are more worried about living life than dying."Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil said a person's race is irrelevant."From our perspective, we don't look at race. We're looking at human beings that violated the law. Race has nothing to do with it," Neil said. "People that violate the law are of all races, and the numbers are the numbers."What's most important to Neil, and to community leaders like Mingo, is the increasing number of programs aimed at helping inmates avoid going back to jail."When people come out of the Justice Center, there's usually a net that can catch them," Mingo said. "The net has always been there, but there were holes in it, and the holes are closing. The holes are closing. Right now, if you're willing to apply yourself, you can do just about anything.""We're a business that, we don't want repeat customers," Neil said. "We're trying to put ourselves out of business."Neil's Chief Deputy Mark Schoonover, echoed that sentiment, "If we can do things like partner up with local drug treatment programs and things of that nature to give these people the chance that they need once they walk out the door to not come back then that pays off for us and all of society."Even JohnsonGrove, who believes the jail inmate numbers point to what he calls a "severe racial disparity," is pleased with the progress that's been made in recent years."I think we should be proud of the fact that our county government has invested so extensively in re-entry," JohnsonGrove said.Garland and White agreed. They know programs are in place to help people who are sentenced to jail."Good things could come by, you know, if people give other people chances." Garland said. "Maybe that can change that person, you know? Maybe some people do what they do because they don't have chances. They don't have chances, so they think, 'Oh, I'm just going to give up on life. I'm just going to be out here, and I'm going to sell some drugs.'""It's all about knowing somebody. It's all about talking with somebody," White said. "If you sit and go through a problem for long, and there's so much on your shoulder that can make you become, like, somebody that you really don't want to. But if you open your mouth and you talk to people and reach out to people like Pastor Mingo (it) opens doors for you. That's all I can say."More information:Hamilton County Sheriff's Office: http://www.hcso.org/Hamilton County Sheriff's Office/Court & Jail Services: http://www.hcso.org/corrections/Evanston Neighborhood (incl. Christ Temple Full Gospel Baptist Church): http://evanstoncinci.org/spirituality/
HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio —
Of the tens of thousands of people booked into jail at the Hamilton County Justice Center from 2010 to 2014, more than half have been African American men and women.
Based on numbers provided to WLWT News 5 investigative reporter Todd Dykes by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, which oversees the Justice Center, 51 percent of inmates processed in 2014 were African-American, two times the African-American population in Hamilton County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Watch this story
"When you have this dramatic racial disparity, people don't trust the system," Stephen JohnsonGrove, deputy director of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, said. "They think it's rigged."
JohnsonGrove continued, "If you look nationally, the trend is if you're African-American, you're more likely to get policed, more likely to get arrested, more likely to get prosecuted, more likely to get sentenced to a jail term and for a longer period of time."
While JohnsonGrove thinks the inmate numbers should prompt a call to action, Peterson Mingo, the pastor of Christ Temple Full Gospel Baptist Church in Evanston, is more conciliatory.
Mingo see positives in the numbers. For example, the overall inmate population at the Hamilton County Justice Center has fallen during each of the past five years, dropping by 23 percent from 2010 to 2014, though it's important to note that current Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil uses a different method to count individual inmates than did his predecessor, Sheriff Simon Leis.
And even though the number of African-Americans booked as part of the total annual jail population dropped at a slower pace, by 9 percent, the figures are still encouraging to Mingo.
"The trend, I believe, is going to continue," Mingo said. "People are looking at different opportunities that are available now: training, schooling. And so, they're looking at life a lot differently."
"There are a lot of young men and women who are coming out of school now, and they're going into the trades, and they're going into the apprenticeship programs," Mingo said. "They're looking at the future now as they never looked at it before. And so they don't feel all that desperation that they have to sell drugs, that they have to rob somebody."
Duane Garland, 20, understands the desperation Mingo is talking about.
"I done seen a lot of people that I grew up with, you know, die. You know? And that don't feel good," Garland said. "It's just like, I don't want to be like that."
Last summer, Duane's cousin was killed in South Cumminsville while he held his baby. A year before, a classmate was gunned down in Duane's Evanston neighborhood.
"He didn't deserve that, you know? He was a good person," Garland said.
Garland credits his family for keeping him on a good path.
The road hasn't been as easy for Dwayne White, 22, despite being mentored by several basketball coaches and by people like Mingo.
"I actually learned a lot of stuff from them. Like, a lot of do's and don'ts, even though I knew wrong from right," White said.
Even so, White has made mistakes which sent him to jail in Hamilton County for short periods of time.
"It was just rough for real. It was a rough time in my life," White said. "It's just a path that I don't want to go back to."
White has learned some tough lessons, and he has this advice for anyone temped to engage in criminal activities, especially violence.
"Sometimes you got to just put your pride to the side, man. There's better ways to handle things," White said. "There's been a lot of violence going on and, like, you got to just put the drama to the side, like, let's just let the violence go, man. The world would be a much more peaceful place if everybody just be right."
With regard to the inmate population at the Hamilton County Justice Center, White is not surprised by the numbers. Like Mingo, he's glad fewer people are being locked up in general.
"That's just letting people know that a change is somewhat in progress," White said. "So that means people are just doing the right thing and are more worried about living life than dying."
Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil said a person's race is irrelevant.
"From our perspective, we don't look at race. We're looking at human beings that violated the law. Race has nothing to do with it," Neil said. "People that violate the law are of all races, and the numbers are the numbers."
What's most important to Neil, and to community leaders like Mingo, is the increasing number of programs aimed at helping inmates avoid going back to jail.
"When people come out of the Justice Center, there's usually a net that can catch them," Mingo said. "The net has always been there, but there were holes in it, and the holes are closing. The holes are closing. Right now, if you're willing to apply yourself, you can do just about anything."
"We're a business that, we don't want repeat customers," Neil said. "We're trying to put ourselves out of business."
Neil's Chief Deputy Mark Schoonover, echoed that sentiment, "If we can do things like partner up with local drug treatment programs and things of that nature to give these people the chance that they need once they walk out the door to not come back then that pays off for us and all of society."
Even JohnsonGrove, who believes the jail inmate numbers point to what he calls a "severe racial disparity," is pleased with the progress that's been made in recent years.
"I think we should be proud of the fact that our county government has invested so extensively in re-entry," JohnsonGrove said.
Garland and White agreed. They know programs are in place to help people who are sentenced to jail.
"Good things could come by, you know, if people give other people chances." Garland said. "Maybe that can change that person, you know? Maybe some people do what they do because they don't have chances. They don't have chances, so they think, 'Oh, I'm just going to give up on life. I'm just going to be out here, and I'm going to sell some drugs.'"
"It's all about knowing somebody. It's all about talking with somebody," White said. "If you sit and go through a problem for long, and there's so much on your shoulder that can make you become, like, somebody that you really don't want to. But if you open your mouth and you talk to people and reach out to people like Pastor Mingo (it) opens doors for you. That's all I can say."
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office: http://www.hcso.org/
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office/Court & Jail Services: http://www.hcso.org/corrections/
Evanston Neighborhood (incl. Christ Temple Full Gospel Baptist Church): http://evanstoncinci.org/spirituality/
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Leader Penalised at Open
The third round of the Ricoh Women’s British Open ended in drama on Saturday when the leader, Sun-Ju Ahn, was given a two stroke penalty on the final hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.
Ahn was taking her third shot from an uphill lie within the bunker short and left of the 18th green when television crews reported that she had used her feet to move the sand down the side of the bunker in an effort to get her feet on the same level and she was penalised under decision 13-3/3. She viewed the TV coverage of the incident and graciously accepted the penalty.
The 26-year-old Ahn, with 23 professional wins on the LPGAs of Japan and Korea, had birdied the third hole and bogeyed the fifth before picking up three birdies on the back nine, at holes 13, 15 and 16. She then made a par on the last for a 69, which would have seen her finish on five-under-par, but after the application of the two stroke penalty, her third round score was revised to 71 for a total of three-under-par.
That left her one stroke behind fellow South Korean Inbee Park, who shot 68 for a total of four-under-par, and alongside Suzann Pettersen and Shanshan Feng in a share of second going into the final round.
“It’s disappointing but it’s my mistake,” said Ahn. “I still have a day to go and I have to stay focused and try my best tomorrow. I didn’t know about the rule but all I was trying to do was make a stance. I’m surprised by it, but if that’s the rule, I just have to abide by it and refocus.
“The ball was placed on a very upslope lie, so it was hard to make a stance. So what I was trying to do was fix a stance but after the review it was determined that I used my feet to try to make an even lie. But you know, my intent wasn’t to break the rules. It was just to set my feet firm in the sand just to be able to make the shot. But if that’s the rule, there was no intent and I can’t do anything about it.”
Four-time major winner Park, who won the first three majors of 2013, could celebrate her 26th birthday by putting herself in the perfect position to win the championship for the first time.
Park said: “We can see from the scores that it’s moving day. The first two days I didn’t hit the shots well enough to get the results I wanted but today my ball striking was great today and I didn’t miss any greens.
“A couple of three putts for a bogey and I missed a short putt for a birdie on the last. Those three shots are left out there but I got off to a great start. The first four holes here are really difficult but I had a great start and am in a great position for tomorrow.”
Pettersen, who claimed her second major victory at last year’s Evian Championship, was back in the hunt following a round of 68, containing three straight birdies from the sixth hole, two bogeys on 13 and 15, an eagle on 17 and a birdie on 18.
Having missed the first major of the year due to back injuries, Pettersen is hoping to make up for lost time.
She said: “I've been pretty good now since the U.S. Open and I'm looking forward and I'm in good shape and I have no worries.”
Pettersen won her first career major at the 2007 McDonald’s LPGA Championship and she added: “There's definitely a little bit of wanting to try and win all five majors by the time my career is over. And I feel like my game is suitable for all different courses. You've just really got to adjust and play smart and adjust accordingly. I'm right where I want to be for tomorrow but who knows, I'll go out tomorrow and give it my all but at the same time play smart.”
Amelia Lewis and Julieta Granada share fifth place on two-under-par going into the final round, while there are seven further players, including England’s Charley Hull, a stroke further behind in a tie for seventh place.
Hull dazzled the home galleries on Saturday morning with a six-under-par 66, containing nine birdies, including twos on all four of the par threes.
Although she had struggled on the last hole in the first two rounds, losing two balls out of bounds resulting in scores of six and seven respectively, she finally mastered the hole, making a chip and a putt for birdie from the back of the green.
Only three strokes behind Park going into the final round, Hull said: “After yesterday’s round, I heard I think, Peter Alice said that this golf course is too hard for us - but it’s not today!
“I can still win it if I have a good day tomorrow. If the wind gets up tomorrow, even par could win it,” she said.
There have been only two home winners of the Ricoh Women’s British Open since the championship was designated a major in 2001: Karen Stupples in 2004 and Catriona Matthew in 2009. There have been seven British winners of the championship in total, with the inclusion of Jenny-Lee Smith (1976), Vivienne Saunders (1977), Janet Melville (1978), Laura Davies (1986) and Alison Nicholas (1987). Four British women have won major championships: Davies, Nicholas, Catriona Matthew and Karen Stupples.
If Hull were to win, she would be the youngest ever major champion, aged 18 years, three months and 23 days, six-and-a half months’ younger than Morgan Pressel, who won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship aged 18 years, 10 months and nine days. She would also become only the fifth teenager to win a major, after Pressel, Lexi Thompson, Yani Tseng and Inbee Park.
In the race for the Smyth Salver for the leading amateur, Emma Talley of the United States goes into the final round in a share of 38th place on five-over-par and two strokes ahead of England’s Georgia Hall, who shared the prize with Lydia Ko last year.
Collated scores at the end of round 3:
212 - Inbee Park (KOR) 72 72 68
213 - Shanshan Feng (CHN) 73 71 69, Suzann Pettersen (NOR) 72 73 68, Sun-Ju Ahn (KOR) 75 67 71
214 - Julieta Granada (PAR) 72 70 72, Amelia Lewis (USA) 72 71 71
215 - So Yeon Ryu (KOR) 71 70 74, Mo Martin (USA) 69 69 77, Amy Yang (KOR) 71 72 72, Beatriz Recari (ESP) 74 67 74, Eun-Hee Ji (KOR) 74 70 71, Charley Hull (ENG) 73 76 66, Stacy Lewis (USA) 71 74 70
216 - Marina Alex (USA) 72 76 68, Angela Stanford (USA) 74 72 70, Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 73 70 73
217 - Lydia Ko (NZL) 72 76 69, Jessica Korda (USA) 72 72 73, Ai Miyazato (JPN) 72 73 72
218 - Jiyai Shin (KOR) 72 75 71, Meena Lee (KOR) 73 75 70, Azahara Munoz (ESP) 72 72 74, Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) 75 68 75, Rikako Morita (JPN) 75 75 68, Sophie Giquel-bettan (FRA) 76 69 73, Jenny Shin (KOR) 73 72 73, Chella Choi (KOR) 73 73 72
219 - Karine Icher (FRA) 76 72 71, Ayako Uehara (JPN) 68 79 72, Morgan Pressel (USA) 70 74 75, Laura Davies (ENG) 75 72 72, Paula Creamer (USA) 75 73 71
220 - Mika Miyazato (JPN) 78 72 70, Lee-Anne Pace (RSA) 75 73 72, Erina Hara (JPN) 73 74 73, Brittany Lincicome (USA) 76 72 72, Miki Saiki (JPN) 76 71 73
221 - Anna Nordqvist (SWE) 72 78 71, Jeong Jang (KOR) 73 74 74, Giulia Sergas (ITA) 76 73 72, Emma Talley (USA) 72 73 76
222 - Pornanong Phatlum (THA) 73 74 75, Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 74 75 73, Nikki Campbell (AUS) 77 72 73, Mina Harigae (USA) 70 78 74, Brittany Lang (USA) 73 75 74
223 - Diana Luna (ITA) 76 72 75, Xi Yu Lin (CHN) 74 74 75, Ayaka Watanabe (JPN) 76 72 75, Thidapa Suwannapura (THA) 76 74 73, Belen Mozo (ESP) 77 72 74, Georgia Hall (ENG) 73 72 78, Kristy Mcpherson (USA) 74 76 73, Sarah Kemp (AUS) 70 79 74
224 - Dori Carter (USA) 73 76 75, Alison Walshe (USA) 74 76 74, Vikki Laing (SCO) 78 68 78, Haru Nomura (JPN) 75 73 76, Jee Young Lee (KOR) 76 72 76
225 - Beth Allen (USA) 77 73 75, Christina Kim (USA) 79 71 75
226 - Austin Ernst (USA) 76 73 77, Alena Sharp (CAN) 74 76 76, Il Hee Lee (KOR) 76 74 76, Valentine Derrey (FRA) 79 70 77
227 - Hannah Jun (USA) 75 71 81, Hee Young Park (KOR) 76 72 79, Lexi Thompson (USA) 72 77 78, Ji Young Oh (KOR) 76 73 78
228 - Becky Brewerton (WAL) 77 73 78
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Home > Community > Arts and culture > Artist in Residence > 2018 Artist in Residence
Paula do Prado
Paula is a Sydney based artist working with a range of media including textiles, photography, text, painting and object/installation. Her works are compelling, multi-layered and rich with cultural references to her experience of migrating to Australia from Uruguay, and the surrounding concepts of identity, race and gender. Her practice draws on materials, sayings and imagery collected from many different sources including the generations of her family history. By sharing her own personal stories, her work creates a dialogue around issues of immigration and multiculturalism, which are just as relevant now as ever.
Follow Paula's journal documenting her Artist in Residence journey or visit her website for more information.
Josee Vesely-Manning
Josee is a multi-displinary artist and has worked for several years in both Melbourne and Sydney. She has successfully delivered projects and exhibitions for a diverse range of galleries, festivals and funding bodies including The Australia Council, Arts Victoria, The City of Port Philip Cultural Development Fund, Gertrude Contemporary, Sydney Festival, Underbelly Arts Festival, SCA Galleries and Artist Led Spaces throughout Melbourne and beyond. In her practice she explores themes of environmental degradation and material obsolescence within an invented and idiosyncratic universe of magic and anarchy.
Visit Josee Vesely-Manning's website for more information
Tomas Maceiras Prego
Painter Tomas Ernesto Maceiras Prego was born in Havana, Cuba and is now Sydney based. His creative practise is enclosed within the framework of the traditional language of the genres of painting. He is particularly interested in the classical modern tradition that emerged after the secularisation of the arts.
His purpose is to use those forms that have become clichés as a platform of expression and to link them to the actual urban culture. He creates a sort of visual dissonance by adding layers of paint similarly to a collage. The final appearance is one that seems ragged and wore out. That is because the idea of time and decay is, as he sees it, the abstract motivation of all that he wants to express and represent.
Visit Tomas Maceiras Prego's website for more information
Rone Waugh
Rone Waugh aka Wu Long has worked in many genres including abstract expressionism, abstract figurative painting, pop art, sculpture, and installation. After several years working in New York, Rone Waugh is now becoming established back home in Australia and China. Rone has been awarded a residency in China each year for the past five years. His painting work is heavily influenced by his interest in Chinese art and culture.
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What do we mean by "evangelical"?
- a response by Dr. Leon Morris
An evangelical is a gospel man, a gospel woman. "Evangelical" derives from 'evangel' : "gospel". By definition an evangelical is someone concerned for the gospel. This means more than that he preaches the gospel now and then. It means that for him the gospel of Christ is central. It is, of course, his message and he preaches it, constantly. But it is more than a subject of preaching. The gospel is at the centre of his thinking and living.
The Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians of the gospel he had brought them by saying that it is of the first importance that "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor.15:3). It seems to me that everything that matters to the evangelical arises from this basic proposition.
"Christ died." The cross is the great, basic act of God. "For our sins." That is the stubborn fact that made the cross necessary. It points to the truth that there is that in every member of the human race which makes for evil rather than for good. This has been caricatured as though evangelicals were saying that every member of the race is as bad as he can be. They are not. They are saying that none of us is perfect. None of us always does what deep in his heart of hearts he knows he ought to do. None of us measures up to God's standard.
This stops the evangelical from being swept off his feet by the promise of any earthly utopia. He will join as readily as the next in any scheme for the betterment of others. It is part of the outworking of the love he sees on the cross that he does so. These days we are realizing more of the importance of this part of our duty to our neighbour than we used to. That is all to the good. But the evangelical does not put his trust in human endeavours. He is a pessimist. He sees that dictatorships of the left and dictatorships of the right alike end up in oppression. He sees that democracies all too often end up in muddle and soulless bureaucracy. He will do his best to make any system work, but his trust is not in systems. Every system has to work on the raw material of sinners. The evangelical is clear-sighted about this. That man is a sinner puts a firm limit on his ability to do good.
And it puts an end to the possibility of his attaining the ultimate good. The fact that he is a sinner means that he cannot work out his eternal salvation. Sin leaves its mark on life here and has consequences for the hereafter.
But the great, wonderful truth is that "Christ died for our sins." What was impossible for men God in Christ has perfectly accomplished. He has defeated sin now and for eternity. The evangel is a message about a salvation with both temporal and eternal consequences.
Evangelicals insist with Scripture that the atonement is objective as well as subjective. It does have its effect on us, but its effect is not limited to our subjective experience. Whole books have been written on the atonement and they will doubtless continue to be written until Christ comes back. They help us understand a little of that great atoning act but none of them fully explains it. How can they? They are written by sinful people, people who are themselves immersed in the world's evil and are making their own contribution to it. They cannot stand outside it and see what needs to be done about it. But for the evangelical the significant thing is not our inability to explain it. The significant thing is that Christ died for our sins. Whatever needed to be done He has done. Nothing can be added to that perfect divine work.
For that reason the evangelical will find himself called upon to protest from time to time against systems which claim to be Christian but which do try to add to Christ's work, whether by calling on men to accomplish their salvation by their good deeds or by their liturgical observances or by anything else. Christ, no less than he Died, no less that. All our shabby shibboleths vanish before His sacrificial love.
Confronted with the cross I may respond and turn to Christ in faith and love. Or I may harden my heart. To respond to Christ's love is to become a different person. The whole set of the life is changed. Evangelicals have always insisted on the necessity for conversion. This may happen in one sudden, blinding experience (as with Saul of Tarsus). Or it may happen gradually (as with Timothy). The time is immaterial. The turning is everything. And it happens to all who come to Christ. The evangelical despairs of no one. The evangelical is an optimist.
It is easy to see the cross as a magnificent incentive to laziness. Christ has done everything. I can do nothing. Therefore I will do nothing. But that is not the way the New Testament sees it. John can write, "Herein is love, not that we love God (we will never understand love if we start from the human end), but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Then he goes on, " Beloved, if God so loved us we ought to love one another, too" (1 Jn. 4:10-11). Notice John's verb. We ought, we ' owe it' to love one another. Love is not an occupation for somewhat soppy and sentimental citizens with a distaste for determined action. It is a demand made on all God's people as their response to His great love and it is love that overflows in activities for others as 1 Corinthians 13 makes clear for all time. Love is demanding. Christ did not die, as someone has put it, "for the flim-flam of respectable Christianity". Away with that kind of nonsense! Christ died for our sins, died to put them away so that we become loving people.
We of the human race know a love for attractive people, for beautiful people, for those who love us. Christ's love is for sinners (Rom. 5:8), a love which puts away sin and rebukes all our self centredness so that love becomes our mainspring. This means in the first instance that we love other believers. The evangelical sees the church, the beloved community, as an integral part of the purpose of God. And in the second instance it means loving those outside. It means being loving people, for we are the followers of Him who died for sinners. It means evangelism as we bring to sinners the best gift we have.
Evangelicals have sometimes been regarded as hard-liners, people without sympathy for those who deviate by a hairsbreadth from our respectable orthodoxy. Who can say that we are guiltless? "Envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness" are endemic in the human race and we have our share. Repentance for our past sins and a discovery of ways in which we can show that loving response which the New Testament sees as flowing from the cross is therefore an authentic part of evangelicalism.
But the cross speaks not only about love but about lowliness. Nowadays we are told that "small is beautiful". Put in these terms the thought is new. But its essence has always been part of evangelical religion. The cross condemns all self-seeking. How can anyone who has entered into the meaning of the cross seek great things for himself? The evangelical is a servant of God's people, a servant of the church, and a servant of the community of which is a part. He is one who has heard a call to take up his cross (Luke. 9:23). His life style is different because of what the cross means to him.
There is a further implication. The standard set before him is one he cannot reach. He knows that. But he knows too that on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down on the infant church in the likeness of cleansing fire and powerful wind. "It was not yet 'spirit'", John wrote concerning Jesus' life, "because Jesus was not yet glorified" (Jn7:39). But when Jesus had accomplished His great work the Spirit came. The indwelling and empowering of the Spirit is an integral part of the Christian life as the evangelical understands it. He uses words like 'sanctification' and 'holiness' which speak of the need for a standard he can never reach for himself but which speak also of what the Spirit does in the believer.
"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." The reference to Scripture means that the death of Christ was in line with the will of the Father. A great divine purpose was worked out in the atonement, a purpose revealed in the Bible.
Evangelicals have always put a great emphasis on the place of the Bible. This has not been out of perverse dogmatism, but from a profound conviction that it is important to the Christian faith. Many religions in the world are religions of ideas. One could say that in those cases it is the ideas and not the people who originated them that matter. It could be said that it does not greatly matter whether Gautama Buddha or Muhammed ever lived. What matters is that there are certain great ideas associated with their names and that by those ideas millions of our fellow men live.
But this kind of reasoning does not apply to Christianity. It is true that Christianity has some great ideas and it does not matter greatly who originated them. But what Paul is telling us is something different. He is saying that something happened. Christ died. This is not simply an idea. It is a historical fact. The gospel message is that once God came into history in the person of Jesus Christ. He came to live a life of lowly service and to die on Calvary's cross "for our sins".
Christianity is a historical religion in a way that no other religion is. Unless we have access to the facts we are cut off from our roots. And our access is by way of "the Scriptures". They are the means God has given us to bring us the gospel. So evangelicals have always thankfully received this good gift of God and have regarded it as of the utmost importance that we have a Bible on which we can rely. They point to the express teaching of our Lord himself and to that of the apostles. And they point to the necessity for the facts of the gospel to be reliably attested.
There are other things that evangelicals hold. I am not giving an exhaustive list of evangelical convictions. I am saying that they all stem from the evangel . The whole system of the evangelical is the outworking of the gospel. With whatever blunderings and mistakes the evangelical tries to unfold the implications of salvation through the cross and to live by them. The evangelical man or woman is, above all else, a product, and a bearer of the gospel.
Reprinted with permission from "Working Together", the magazine of the Australian Evangelical Alliance, 1998 Issue 4.
*Rev. Dr. Leon Morris was a founding member and former Chairman of the Evangelical Alliance of Victoria. A former principal of Ridley College, Melbourne, he is an internationally renowned New Testament scholar, and has had a very fruitful ministry worldwide, as a speaker, theologian, and author of fifty one books, of which nearly two million copies are in circulation.
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RIP | Kieron Durkan
Posted:Wed 28 Feb 2018
Author:Geraint Parry
The club has been so saddened to hear of the untimely passing of former player Kieron Durkan, at just 44 years of age.
After coming through the ranks, he patiently waited on his first team chances, but always had a smile on his face and went onto make his mark in the club’s history.
Affectionately know as Kizza to all at the Racecourse, he will always be remembered for his goal in the 2-1 FA Cup win over Premier League Ipswich Town in 1993/94, when he scored a superb right-footed volley that nearly burst the net.
That set up a fourth-round visit to Old Trafford to face reigning champions Manchester United – when he was at it again, to score an early goal and give us a 1-0 lead – a moment that the travelling supporters present will never forget.
Kieron begin his footballing career playing youth football in Runcorn and Widnes, before attending training with Crewe Alexandra and Manchester City, before Mick Buxton brought him to Wrexham.
He progressed through the various age groups to sign a YTS with the Reds in 1990, with both the Youth and Reserve teams, collecting Welsh Youth Cup winners’ medals after beating Swansea City and Cardiff City in successive finals.
He made his senior debut in September 1991, as a second half substitute for Mickey Thomas at Mansfield Town. Further appearances came before he emerged as a more regular member of the team in 1994/5.
Kieran celebrates his goal against Ipswich Town with Gary Bennett
These displays encouraged the Republic of Ireland to select him for their U21 squad and caps followed against the likes of England and Austria.
He was a fine crosser of the ball and Stockport County signed him for £100,000 in February 1996, going on to play in their promotion season of 1996/97, while also reaching the semi-finals of the Coca Cola Cup.
In March 1998, he joined Macclesfield Town, helping them to promotion. He would make 99 league and cup appearances for The Silkmen before moving to Rochdale in the summer of 2001 – scoring 13 times.
There was a return to Wales in 2003, when Kieron signed for Swansea City, managed by Brian Flynn, his boss at the Racecourse. There were also stints with Caernarfon Town, Cefn Druids, Runcorn and Leek Town.
After retiring from football, Kieron is believed to have been a PCSO in the Widnes area.
Former Wrexham, Wales international and Manchester United winger Mickey Thomas said: “He was a really nice lad and his family will be devastated. My thoughts are with them.”
Chairman of Wrexham Supporters Trust Pete Jones added: “His name will always live on in Wrexham with those special goals: that one that put Ipswich out of the FA Cup and the goal that put Wrexham 1-0 up against Man Utd.
“He’s never been far from Wrexham fans’ hearts.”
Our deepest sympathies go to his family and friends at such a sad time.
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Mike Perkins
Illustrator Judge – Biography
Photo © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons
Mike Perkins is an illustrator for Marvel Comics who has worked on Captain America, Thor and The X-Men. After wrapping up a thirty-one-issue adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand he transitioned into illustrating Astonishing X-Men and has now re-launched Deathlok.
He has been nominated numerous times for Eisner and Harvey Awards, and has won the Eagle Award. He counts being on the New York Times Bestseller list and being exhibited in Munich, London and Paris amongst his career achievements.
He has been an Illustrators of the Future judge since 2017.
Find out more at: www.mikeperkinsart.com
All Illustrators Judges
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Franchise Trade and Regulation Update - September 2015
NLRB Issues Advice Memo Finding That Franchisor Is Not Joint Employer
By: David L. Cahn
On April 28, 2015 the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), Office of the General Counsel, issued an Advice Memorandum to the NLRB’s Chicago area regional office finding that a restaurant franchisor and its Chicago area development agent are not joint employers with a Chicago franchisee. This is an important development in light of the current pursuit by the NLRB’s General Counsel of joint employer cases against McDonald’s Corporation.
The Advice Memo, in the case of In Re. Nutritionality, Inc. d/b/a/ Freshii, involves a union organizing effort at a Freshii “fast casual” restaurant owned in Chicago by single unit franchisee. The franchisee terminated employees who were attempting to organize a union for the employees of the restaurant. The Region requested advice as to whether franchisor Freshii Development, LLC (“Freshii”) or its development agent for the “Chicagoland” region is a joint employer.
The essential thrust of the Advice Memo is that Freshii’s control over the franchisee’s operations, as implemented through the development agent, “are limited to ensuring a standardized product and customer experience, factors that clearly do not evince sharing or codetermining matters governing the essential terms and conditions of employment.” While this was a sufficient conclusion under the NLRB’s current “joint employer” standard, the Advice Memo held that even under the more inclusive “industrial realities” standard advocated by the General Counsel in the McDonald’s cases, Freshii and the development agents are not joint employers.
The Facts That Determined The Outcome
Freshii’s franchise agreement expressly disclaims any involvement in the franchisee’s employment or labor relations practices. More specifically, while the franchisee must comply with “System Standards,” on pain of potential termination if it fails to cure a breach of the standards within 30 days of receiving a default notice, the franchise agreement, “the franchise agreement specifies that System Standards do not include ‘any personnel policies or procedures or procedures,’ which Freshii may make available for franchisees’ optional use, and that the franchisee alone will ‘determine to what extent, if any, these policies and procedures might apply’ to its restaurant operations.”
\While Freshii’s Operations Manual contains advice on human resources, such as hiring and scheduling employees, how to calculate “labor cost percentage” and how to project labor costs in scheduling, all of this falls in the realm of training and the franchisee is free to accept or reject the advice. While Freshii provides a sample employee handbook, many of its franchisees (including the development agent) obtain other handbooks containing different employment policies.
The development agent provides extensive training to the franchise owner before store opening, and some direct training to the restaurant’s staff around the grand opening, but thereafter the franchisee is solely responsible for training and supervising its staff. The development agent conducts monthly store inspections and also informally “drops by” Freshii restaurants to monitor things like whether the employees are wearing uniforms, store cleanliness, and food preparation, and provides reports to both the franchisee and the franchisor if there are deviations from standards. On one occasion the development agent told a different franchisee that there were too many employees working during a slow time of day, but the franchisee was not required to change its scheduling policies.
While Freshii has a section of its website where prospective employees can apply for a job at a specific location, the only thing Freshii does with the information is forward it to the franchise owner. The franchisee exclusively decides who to hire as its employees.
Freshii has no standard software to monitor employee scheduling or labor costs. This is a substantial difference from the facts alleged in the McDonald’s cases. Individual franchisees are exclusively responsible for setting employee wages and benefits, and the complaining employees (and the union sponsoring them) were unable to produce any evidence that franchisees need to consult with Freshii or the development agent to grant wage increases, decreases, or changes to benefits.
While the development agent can raise an issue about an employee’s performance in a review, there was no evidence that any employee had ever been disciplined or discharged by a Freshii franchisee because of a development agent’s comments. By contrast, Nutritionality (the franchisee) has disciplined and discharged employees without consulting Freshii or the development agent.
Finally, and most pertinently, the evidence was that when the union began to organize at Nutritionality’s store, Nutritionality’s owner told the development agent about it. The development agent did not respond but reported it to Freshii, and neither Freshii nor the development agent communicated with Nutritionality about the organizing effort.
Legal Conclusions
Under the NLRB’s existing standard, the alleged joint employer “must meaningfully affect matters relating to the employment relationship such as hiring, firing, discipline, supervision and direction.” Since neither Freshii nor the development agent has any meaningful impact over Nutritionality’s hiring, compensation, scheduling, discipline, or ongoing supervision, the conclusion that they are not joint employers was self-evident.
Under the standard proposed in the McDonald’s cases and in a case pending against Browning-Ferris Industries of California, the NLRB would examine “the totality of the circumstances, including the way that separate entities have structured their commercial relationship,” to determine whether “the putative joint employer wields sufficient influence of the working conditions of the other entity’s employees such that meaningful [collective] bargaining could not occur in its absence.” This is referred to as the “industrial realities” test. Even under that relaxed standard, the Advice Memo states, “[B]ecause Freshii does not directly or indirectly control or otherwise restrict the employees’ core terms and conditions of employment, meaningful collective bargaining between Nutritionality and any potential collective bargaining representative of the employees could occur in Freshii’s absence.”
By finding that they are not, the effect is that the unfair labor practice claims against the franchisor and development agent will be dismissed. This obviously does not suit the agenda of the union conducting the organizing drive, since it wants to organize all employees of stores operating under a trademark – regardless of franchise ownership. Organizing the few employees in a single store is unlikely to yield sufficient union dues to be worth the time devoted by union staff.
However, this is potentially a huge win for franchising. The decision affirms that a restaurant franchisor’s “requirements regarding food preparation, recipes, menu, uniforms, décor, store hours, and initial employee training prior to a franchise opening are not evidence of control over [its franchisees’] labor relations but rather establish [its] legitimate interest in protecting the quality of its product and brand.” If the NLRB follows this reasoning going forward, this sort of ruling will mean that “the sky is not falling” on traditional and reasonable franchising practices.
Why Maintain Your Company Charter? Moe's Southwest Grill Will Tell You
Occasionally corporations and limited liability companies neglect to make the periodic filings required by their state of formation. Even more often, companies that open locations outside of their state of formation do not register as a foreign entity with that other state's business regulatory agency. The May 29, 2015 decision by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in Guy Named Moe LLC T/A Moe’s Southwest Grill v. Chipotle Mexican Grill of Colorado LLC et al., No. 2270, Sept. Term 2013, is an important reminder to restaurant operators and other business owners of just how dangerous it can be for a company to ignore those basic state filing requirements.
In 2012 the Annapolis department of planning and zoning approved Chipotle Mexican Grill’s application to open a restaurant in downtown Annapolis about 400 feet from a Moe’s Southwest Grill location owned by A Guy Named Moe, LLC (“Moe’s”). The Maryland Court of Special Appeals denied Moe’s standing to appeal this zoning approval because its limited liability company (“LLC”) had not been registered to do business in Maryland during the time period to appeal the zoning decision.
The Land Use Article in § 4-401(a) of the Maryland Code grants standing to petition the circuit court for judicial review of a city or county’s zoning decision to a “person” who is a “taxpayer” or a “person aggrieved” and files suit within 30 days of the zoning decision. A “person” includes any business entity properly registered under Maryland law. After Moe’s filed a case protesting the zoning decision for Chipotle, the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County dismissed the suit, holding that Moe’s did not have taxpayer standing because it did not pay real property taxes to the local jurisdiction whose zoning action was being challenged on appeal. The circuit court also determined Moe’s was not “a person aggrieved” because business competition does not constitute not a sufficient grievance in zoning decisions.
The Court of Special Appeals affirmed the dismissal, but on different grounds – that Moe’s petition was void since Moe’s did not have a right to do business in Maryland at the time of filing. Moe’s is a Virginia LLC, and all foreign LLC’s doing business in Maryland are required to register with the State Department of Assessment and Taxation (“SDAT”) in accordance with the relevant part of the Maryland Limited Liability Company Act, Corporations & Associations Code (“C.A.”) § 4A-1002(a). Moe’s registered in December 2015, but when it failed to file a 2006 personal property tax return with SDAT and pay the requisite $300 filing fee to remain registered, SDAT forfeited its right to operate in Maryland in November of 2006 under C.A. § 4A-1013. For the following seven years Moe’s did not revive this registration and thus continued to do business in Maryland with no right to do so.
C.A. § 4A-1007(a) bars unregistered foreign LLCs that are doing business in Maryland from maintaining a suit in Maryland courts. The Court of Special Appeals concluded that since Moe’s should not have even been operating its restaurant in Maryland at the time of the appeal, the appeal was “a nullity from the moment it was filed.” The SDAT did not restore Moe’s right to do business in Maryland until September 24, 2013, when the proper personal property tax returns were filed and the appropriate fees were paid. Unfortunately for Moe’s, this was already about 5 months past the 30-day deadline to appeal zoning decisions.
Learn from Moe’s mistake and stay on top of this! Even if Moe’s attorneys did notice this issue immediately they still might not have been able to receive the requisite charter within the 30 day period to file suit because reviving a forfeited charter or foreign registration can take time.
Be cautious and make sure your business is compliant with all state filing requirements to maintain limited liability status in any state where it is regularly doing business. As the Moe’s case demonstrates, failure to do so can cost your business the ability to protect its rights and have other substantial legal repercussions.
"You Made Your Bed, Now Lit In It!" Dickey's BBQ and Franchisees Stuck Litigating and Arbitrating
Takeaway: Before you enter a franchisee/franchisor agreement, try to devise an efficient and fair dispute resolution system so you don’t end up in this sticky situation.
Where and how a dispute between a franchisor and franchisee must be decided can have a major impact on the outcome of the case. Franchisees generally want the case to be decided in the court where they live and by a jury, while franchisors want it decided in their city and by a private arbitrator or a judge. State regulation of franchise sales intended to bolster franchisee’s rights on this issue can result in the franchisor and franchisee having to engage in both arbitration and court litigation in two different states. We explore how franchisors and franchisees might reasonably avoid that unwieldy situation.
The Maryland Securities Commissioner, as a condition of approving a registration, routinely requires franchisors to agree that its Maryland franchisees will have the right to bring a claim in a Maryland court for violation of the Maryland Franchise Registration & Disclosure Law (the “Franchise Law”) – even if the franchise agreement requires arbitration of all claims in the franchisor’s home state. However, what happens when a franchisor files an arbitration demand against a Maryland franchisee in its home state, and then the franchisee sues in a Maryland court alleging violation of the Franchise Law? In Chorley Enterprises, Inc. v. Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that the franchisor’s claims must be decided through arbitration in Texas, but the franchisees’ Franchise Law claims must be decided by a jury trial at the U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
The court’s reasoning was solid and logical. Dickey’s franchise agreement included a provision, specific to stores located in Maryland, stating that the franchisee had the right to sue in courts located in Maryland for claims arising under the Franchise Act. Otherwise, the agreement had a broad clause requiring arbitration of all claims arising from or related to the agreement or the parties’ relationship. The court noted that Dickey’s did not seek to obtain registration by the Maryland Securities Commissioner without including the litigation carve-out for Franchise Act claims, and it did not seek a court order declaring that the Securities Commissioner could not require such a carve-out from the arbitration provision. Instead, it chose to include the language typically required by the Securities Commissioner so that it could sell Maryland franchises. Accordingly, the court ruled that Dickey’s “made its own bed” and therefore would have to defend the Franchise Act claim in court.
However, the decision was not a clear victory for the franchisee. The next step in the dispute will be for the U.S. District Court judge to decide whether to delay the franchisees’ court case until the arbitration is completed in Texas. (The arbitration had been stayed pending the appeals court ruling.) If the court does so, then the franchisees will have to defend against Dickey’s claims in the arbitration and probably present their evidence showing that the Franchise Act violations, to convince the arbitrator that the franchise agreements are unenforceable. But win or lose in arbitration, to preserve their right to have a jury trial of their Franchise Act claims, the franchisee will have to present its case a second time in court to actually get a judgment against Dickey’s.
Is there a way to solve this mess going forward? Franchisors registering in Maryland probably should not include an addendum provision allowing franchisees to pursue Franchise Act claims in Maryland courts. If the Securities Commissioner demands that change, as is likely, then the franchisor should consider offering to agree that all claims (including Franchise Act claims) will be decided through arbitration, but the venue for arbitration will be in Maryland. The location of the dispute resolution is the big issue for franchisees, and having everything decided in one proceeding is ultimately to the benefit of both parties. Such a franchisor will benefit being able to avoid facing a franchisee group or class action in court and from having cases decided by arbitrators rather than court juries.
For most prospective franchisees, it would be best to negotiate away the right to bring a claim under the Franchise Act in Maryland court, if the franchisor will agree that all claims will be decided through arbitration conducted in or near Maryland. If dispute resolution is necessary, most franchisees will be better off not being stuck on “two tracks” and instead have all issues decided efficiently in a fairly convenient forum – even if that means giving up the right to have its “day in court.”
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The Bipartisan Budget Act Partnership Audit Change: Is It Time to Update Your Operating Agreement?
What the New BBA Procedures Mean:
As a result of the Bipartisan Budget Act (“BBA”) enacted in 2015, beginning this year partnership audits (which means the audits of any entity taxed as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, most typically limited liability companies (“LLCs”) and limited partnerships) will be governed by the IRS's newly centralized audit regime. Considering how many franchisees and franchisors are LLCs and are treated as partnerships for tax purposes, these new rules demand the attention of people involved in franchising, real estate and many other business ventures.
Under the new partnership audit rules, within the context of an IRS audit for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, the IRS, by default, is allowed to – and in most cases, will – deal exclusively with a single representative of a tax partnership, the Partnership Representative (“PR”). The actions of the PR will bind the entity under audit (and, in certain cases, its owners) for the years under audit, regardless of whether the PR's actions are permitted by the business entity's governing documents. Stated another way, the IRS is not restricted by an entity's partnership agreement or operating agreement, and may rely solely on the actions of the PR as evidence of his or her authority to so act.
Additionally, under the BBA, tax partnerships can be assessed by default at the partnership level, rather than at the level of the partner or member (hereafter, “Member”), which is a significant shift away from their traditional treatment as pass-through entities whose tax burden was passed through to its owners.
Role and Responsibilities of the PR:
Under the BBA, the PR is granted an extensive, and in many cases, exclusive, role within the IRS's audit process. The PR's power includes having exclusive control over: (1) binding the Members to adjustments or settlements offered by the IRS, without being required to consult with the Members, (2) deciding whether to seek judicial review of an IRS determination, and (3) deciding whether to make certain elections that can shift the burden of paying remaining taxes from the partnership or LLC to the Members (a “Push Out Election”).
Further, and perhaps most importantly, under the new regulations, the PR is the designated recipient of IRS communications, but is not required under the BBA to keep the Members informed about IRS communications. Fortunately, there are several paths to manage the role of the PR, as described below.
BBA Elections:
There are three important elections partnerships and LLCs should consider under the new partnership audit regime.
The first election that can be made is to opt out of the new partnership audit regime, a decision that is made on an annual basis as part of the entity's federal income tax returns. To be eligible for this election, the entity must have 100 or fewer Members, none of which are themselves partnerships, trusts or disregarded entities. Partnerships and LLCs should consider their own circumstances when deciding whether electing out is permitted or desirable.
The second important election for partnerships and LLCs to consider is whether to make a Push Out Election in the event of an audit. This election may have various economic advantages based on available tax benefits and deductions.
The third important election for partnerships and LLCs to consider is whether all of the Members should make an amended return filing, rather than having the imputed underpayment paid at the partnership or LLC level. The opportunity for this election arises when the business entity is assessed an imputed underpayment. If the entire amount of the assessment is reflected on the Members' amended returns, then the partnership would not be liable for the assessment.
How to Address These Concerns:
While the PR may be treated as having common law fiduciary duties to the partnership or the LLC and its Members, the Members should seek more specific legal protection. To most effectively and explicitly obtain such protections, Members should address these issues by amending their existing partnership agreements or operating agreements and other governing documents to address concerns raised by the BBA. Further, Members should discuss the BBA elections described above with their attorney and accountant, and consider (a) whether to demand an annual election to opt out of the BBA rules, and (b) if that is not feasible, who would be the person best suited to act as PR for the entity, and how the PR's actions should be restricted or shaped.
The Members may also want to provide some protection to PRs by including appropriate indemnification provisions in the partnership agreement or operating agreement.
The above issues, and other issues raised by the BBA, should be addressed now to resolve any potential conflicts before they arise. Consequently, if you are an owner of an LLC or partnership, you should discuss with your attorney how their governing documents can be amended to provide protection for your investment in that franchise or other business venture.
Jordan M. Halle
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April 13, 2015 Leave a comment Share
Maptime
This entry is part 5 of 7 in the series xyHt in print April 2015
A new source of support for mapmakers is spreading internationally.
With so many sectors and niches, the spatial/IT industry was falling into silos. Then, seemingly from out of nowhere groups started appearing, first in the United States and then in Europe, under the label “Maptime,” in a similar fashion to the hackathons a decade ago. What is Maptime? Co-founder Beth Schechter explains.
Maptime is an open learning environment for all levels and degrees of knowledge. We offer intentional support for mapmaking beginners, including tutorials and educational resources, and now a growing international community.
This focus on the beginner is a large part of what sets us apart. My experience learning to make maps was neither fun nor easy. I have countless memories of being up late at night, looking through forums trying to solve problems that I didn’t quite understand and finding myself afraid to ask questions for fear of ridicule. If it weren’t for my innate fascination (and very patient programmer friends), I would have given up long ago.
Maptime co-founder Alan McConchie (back, left) teaches Tilemill 1 and 2 at a Maptime meetup at Stamen’s offices in 2014. Credit: Christie Hemms.
The popularity of Maptime has taught me that I’m not alone in this. There are lots of people who are just as fascinated with learning how to make maps but hesitate to get involved with hostile online communities and/or to devote extra time to learning something technically challenging alone, with minimal support.
We welcome questions, and not one of them is too basic. People crave learning in this kind of environment, and they come to us in droves. The community has grown rapidly and organically as a result.
Beth Schechter
xyHt: How did you and the other co-founders create Maptime?
The foundation of Maptime was just as organic as the community it created. The original idea was based in basic Zen intentionality: if you want to do something, you have to create time for it, and then you have to do it regularly. I also heard a lot of my girlfriends say they wanted to learn but could never find the time. I’m pretty sure I said that myself, too.
Sparked by Alyssa Wright’s State of the Map 2013 talk about the lack of diversity in OpenStreetMap, I made the decision to make the time, once a week, to devote to this practice. Anyone would be welcome. Camille [Teicheria], one of our cofounders and former coworker at Stamen [a data visualization, mapping, and design studio in San Francisco], was by my side when this happened. She supported a lot of our first meetups before taking on a coding educational endeavor all her own at Hackbright Academy.
Alan [McConchie] and I met at that same State of the Map, and shortly after that he joined the Stamen team. He loves to teach, and he loves to Tweet, so in no time he started helping out with lessons and get-togethers, Tweeting about it all the way. That’s how we met Lyzi [Diamond], who was in Portland at the time and had been thinking about doing something similar. Maptime was a perfect framework for her, so she started a Maptime in Portland. Her passion has attracted chapters all over the place, and her energy for onboarding new chapters and prolifically creating educational materials seems endless. Now Camille is back, using her newly developed technical prowess as a developer at Mapbox and also helping us move Maptime forward. Together, we make a really great team.
The framework allows for anyone to use their talents to help the cause. Like writing? There’s blog posts to be done. Design? Technology? The website always needs a thing or two. We encourage all chapters to have multiple organizers, too, so that organizing duties can be shared. I’ve found, to my delight, that our participants all really want to help, so it’s just a matter of finding the right thing for them to do.
I first found out about Maptime in the summer of 2014 and was immediately inspired by their ethos, intentions, and approach. I have for a long time thought that the barriers of entry into the world of geo are too high, and training can be either hard to find or very expensive. With the abundance of open software and open data, this should no longer be the case.
Maptime is one of the current movements looking to reset the balance and make learning accessible to all. It’s been well documented that the making of maps has become democratized, so let’s democratize the learning too. The Maptime website states: “Our mission is to open the doors of cartographic possibility to anyone interested by creating a time and space for collaborative learning, exploration, and map creation using mapping tools and technologies.”
I discovered Maptime through Twitter and was directed to Maptime.io. I knew that it started in the U.S., but after looking at the Chapters map and panning across The Atlantic I was surprised to discover that there were no chapters in the UK. I work for Ordnance Survey, the great British national mapping agency, so I’m fortunate to be closely connected to the industry and know that there is a fantastic, innovative group of map-makers here on our shores.
Where better to start a chapter than Southampton, a city with a rich history (Titanic, Spitfire) and home to the Ordnance Survey and a university with a fantastic geography department. I reached out to Maptime HQ, and they were supportive in helping me get my chapter off the ground. They supplied useful documentation and pointed me in the direction of all the available resources.
I set about looking for a venue and a sponsor (just to cover the venue cost), as I was keen to keep the meetups free to attend. It didn’t take me long to find a venue that fits the bill perfectly. The Art House is in the city center, and its ethos aligns with that of Maptime. It is fabulously informal, run by volunteers, and harnesses and supports local communities.
The guys at the Open Source Geospatial Laboratory very kindly agreed to sponsor the inaugural meetup in November 2014, and so Maptime Southampton was born!
Since that initial meetup we have had two more, and they have been great successes with 20 people at each. We have covered OpenStreetMap, Mapbox Studio, and Leaflet and have already started planning a QGIS workshop for our next monthly meetup. I am also lucky enough to now have four offers of sponsorship: a great sign that there is real interest in what we’re doing.
I would encourage anyone in the mapping/geo industries to start a local chapter—it’s a great place to learn a ton of new stuff, share knowledge, and socialize with like-minded people. Organizing a Maptime chapter has been fun and rewarding, and I am excited to learn more at our future events alongside a really great group of people. I’ve got loads of ideas about different formats for our meetups and also plan to have social outings.
If you’re interested in starting up a chapter, visit maptime.io for more information. The whole Maptime community is really supportive, and it’s a great thing to be part of!
From a Local Maptime Organizer—Charley Glynn, Maptime Southampton (@MaptimeSOTON)
xyHt: What do you think is the appeal of Maptime?
Before Maptime, there really wasn’t a great way to find resources in plain speak about how to use the technology, much less an intentionally kind and supportive community. We want to make it easy for people to learn, and people are attracted to that kind of space. It’s also free to attend. People no longer have to pay to find out whether they do or do not like a subject, at least not this one!
Outside of this intention and framework, our social media presence is a huge reason why we’ve become so popular. If I were doing this alone, it never would have happened this way. Lyzi and Alan are social media butterflies. It’s thanks to them that the idea has been able to spread.
It’s also worth noting that it wasn’t just the founders who were having these ideas around cartographic education. OpenGeoCleveland, for example, was already doing educational work before cobranding with Maptime. The idea hit at just the right time.
I used to work for Burning Man and do lots of volunteering for Burning Man artists. During this time I fell in love with their “10 Principles,” which I still keep close to my heart. The principles of Radical Inclusion, Radical Self Expression, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Participation, and Immediacy all are very important to the spirit of Maptime. They aren’t written into any rules, but they are felt in our actions and spirit.
Alan McConchie, Lyzi Diamond, and Camille Teicheria
xyHt: Was it always the intention for Maptime to grow in the way that it has?
Maptime started with no thought of expansion, but we did like the idea of it being a model for learning that could be easily adopted. The model worked, and our community really enjoys supporting one another, so we’ve stuck together and grown.
There are groups starting in Europe, Africa, and Asia now, and we’ve also received inquiries from South America. It blows us away. One of our biggest challenges now is localization. Someone reached out months ago from Japan asking if any of us spoke Japanese, and I was crestfallen not to be able to make the connection. I never would have thought that these would be the challenges we’d be trying to solve when we started this a year and a half ago.
xyHt: Where do you see Maptime going?
Maptime is working quickly to become a bonafide 501(c)(3) nonprofit so that we can start fundraising and expanding what we do. Stamen has been an important part of this process, helping us to get on our feet through legal support and then some.
In the future, we hope to put on a Maptime conference, offer trainings to our organizers, and work with kids. I’d also love to find a way to use Maptime as a bridge to technology education in low-income or otherwise at-risk communities. Our mission is to get these tools into the hands of everyone who wants to use them, and our future actions will follow suit.
What sets us apart is that we have created, rather organically, a growing international community of people who are all interested in teaching and learning about everything related to making web maps.
Series Navigation << RFIDMapping Peripheral >>
Article by Nicholas Duggan FRGS Cgeog (GIS)
A Chartered Geographer with more than 15 years experience in GIS, data management, and geospatial innovation, Nicholas has consulted and provided work for most industry sectors such as offshore & onshore renewables, environmental, maritime archaeology, offshore & onshore survey, land management, public rights of way, demography, shipping, and traffic management. Nicholas currently is the CTO of the end-to-end geospatial solutions company The Carto Group, Follow him on twitter: @dragons8mycat His LinkedIn profile is here: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dragons8mycat
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Columbia Business School » About Us » Why Columbia Business School? » Access » New York City
The Branding in the Arts immersion course gives students the opportunity to learn about how companies in the arts industries (visual arts, theater, classical music, and culinary arts) are addressing new challenges and opportunities while maintaining centuries-old traditions.
At the Very Center of the World's Most Dynamic Business Environment
Columbia’s location in New York City cannot be underestimated when choosing an MBA program. The city fuels so much of what happens at the School, and the School feeds back into the city with current students, new graduates, and visiting faculty members.
Our students rave about the Morningside Heights neighborhood that surrounds the Business School. It's easy to understand why. To the west of campus is Riverside Park. A stretch of green space abutting the Hudson River, it's a great place to bike, run, or stretch out in the sun. To the east is Morningside Park, which slants down to nearby Harlem.
Since its inception, Columbia Business School has maintained a symbiotic relationship with New York City. The city is the nexus for business research and the implementation of ideas that impact industries. Columbia Business School’s proximity to an extraordinary concentration of business leaders means that our students get constant access to the best minds in business, who regularly visit to teach, speak, and meet with students. (In fact, no business school has more on-campus visits than we do.) Columbia Business School alumni have found their place in nearly every top industry in the city and are often willing to help with internships, job strategies, and one-on-one advice.
The Ultimate Urban Laboratory
At Columbia, the Business School and the city are intertwined. And no matter what your specific interest, New York is the perfect place to explore it. Often, students find our more than 100 student-run clubs and organizations a good place to start. In the Small Business Consulting Program, for example, students work closely with real businesses from the area, advising owners while gaining hands-on experience putting the theory they learn in the classroom into practice. Past clients have included everything from a local theater company to Harlem retailers to a foundation for war veterans and their families.
There are plenty of other ways you'll engage with the city as a student, as well, thanks in large part to our extensive local alumni network. The Media and Technology Program's annual Career Night, for instance, draws more than 800 students and alumni, including executives from major firms like the New York Times, BET, and Reuters. Courses like Experiential Marketing bring students to brick and mortar retail outlets to analyze their practices, and recruiting events regularly involve field trips to corporate headquarters in the city.
Throughout their experience at Columbia, our students find the School inseparable from the global business hub it's located in. Columbia isn't just in New York, it is New York.
Speakers a year visiting campus, offering unparalleled access to the pulse of business.
Alumni around the world — an impressive network to tap into as a student and after you graduate.
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Columbia Business School » About Us » Why Columbia Business School? » Community » Diversity
Robert F. Smith '94, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, speaks with Darius Gant ’17 at the Columbia Black Business Students Association's ELEVATE conference on March 25, 2017.
A Unique Culture of Diversity and Openness
At Columbia Business School, we believe that diversity strengthens any community or business model and brings it greater success. That's why we're committed to promoting diversity in all its forms by making sure that those from different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and professional backgrounds are represented in our community.
Columbia Business School is committed to promoting diversity in all its forms by recruiting students from an array of professional backgrounds, socioeconomic upbringings, racial and ethnic identities, and geographic locations. Nowhere is this commitment more apparent than in MBA clusters and learning teams, which are designed to bring together students from a range of backgrounds to help them learn together, both about the material and one another.
We are constantly finding ways to further promote diversity, particularly through our more than 100 student organizations. These student-led groups provide opportunities throughout the semester for all students to celebrate the many different cultures present at Columbia Business School, and many are also involved in the career recruiting process and student-run conferences. The goal behind clubs affiliated with particular affinity groups is not only to provide a network of support for those students, but also to promote collaboration among clubs across our community.
In addition to the fellowships and scholarships designed to foster diversity in the Full-Time MBA Program, Columbia Business School is also closely affiliated with several national organizations that work to improve the diversity of leaders in the business world.
Management Leadership for Tomorrow
Columbia Business School is a partner school with Management Leadership for Tomorrow, a national nonprofit organization that has made groundbreaking progress to correct the dramatic under-representation of minorities in leadership positions. MLT actively works with business schools to increase the presence of minorities in MBA programs as preparation for leadership roles in corporations, nonprofits, and entrepreneurial ventures.
National Black MBA Association
The National Black MBA Association leads in the creation of educational opportunities and economic growth for African Americans by providing innovative programs to stimulate intellectual and economic growth, building partnerships with the nation’s top business associations, and increasing awareness and access to graduate management education programs and career opportunities.
National Society for Hispanic MBAs
With more than 8,000 members in the United States, the National Society for Hispanic MBAs works to foster leadership by Hispanic professionals through graduate management education and professional development. NSHMBA works to prepare Hispanic students for leadership positions in business, so that they will be poised to provide the cultural awareness and sensitivity vital in the management of the nation’s diverse workforce.
Riordan Fellows Program
The Riordan Fellows Program assists recent college graduates who are considering graduate education in business management. Its core purpose is to educate, prepare, and motivate these individuals to competitively apply and succeed in top MBA programs and management careers.
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity provides educational and career programs to young people from underserved communities to maximize their opportunities for educational and professional success. More than 6,000 students have graduated from Sponsors for Educational Opportunity programs and work in a wide range of industries and locations.
Ten School Diversity Alliance
The Ten School Diversity Alliance (TSDA) is a joint effort by the nation’s leading business schools to affect and influence the diversity of MBA campuses, organizations, and the global community. Through TSDA, Columbia Business School partners with the following institutions to promote greater diversity in the business world: Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Chicago Booth School of Business, UVA Darden School of Business, and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Student-run clubs and organizations, so you can learn by doing.
Number of countries where alumni can be found.
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D
Academy Award® winner Peter Jackson continues his Middle-Earth saga that follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) who's swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. In the company of thirteen dwarves and the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), Bilbo enters the Lonely Mountain in possession of Gollum's "precious" ring and his keen blade, Sting. With an all-star cast, including many acclaimed actors from The Lord of the Rings (such as Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis and more), and the effects wizardry of Jackson's award-winning Weta Workshop, Tolkien's epic story comes to life as never before imagined.
Desolation of Smaug
Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt
Dubbing Languages:
Subtitle Languages:
English, French, Portuguese
Theatrical Release Year:
Customer reviews are independent and do not represent the views of Zavvi.
Even though this movie was massively dismissed by critics and audiences alike, I'm a big fan of 3D technology and I was lucky enough to watch it in HFR (High Frame Rate) format... which enhances the experience immensely! That's why I bought this bluray, (even though is not HFR, only some 4K TVs would be able to reproduce that frame rate) also because of the extended edition adds to the story, not to mention TWO discs full of EXTRAS!!
13/09/16 by darkbytes
Smaug 3D
Very good film, looks very good in 3D.
12/01/15 by Tricky
On with the good stuff
By now, you must know what to expect from the second instalment of The Hobbit. After an enjoyable opening film we finally get down to the real action. There are several plot strands that kick off in the final third of the film - not to mention the most obvious cliffhanger of the franchise to date. The main advantage of this particular extended addition is the inclusion of extra scenes that detail the whereabouts of Thorin's presumed dead father. And of course, the usual plethora of bonus documentaries make this the most comprehensive package for Jackson fans. You will undoubtably be left yearning for the 'Battle of The Five Armies' release after this....
12/01/15 by jumbalooyah
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Toyota teams with Tesla to start building all-electric vehicles
In a joint venture, the two companies intend to start mass production of vehicles for availability by 2012.
By Joe McKendrick | May 21, 2010 -- 08:01 GMT (01:01 PDT) | Topic: Innovation
Toyota Motor Corporation announced that is teaming up with Tesla Motors to develop electric vehicles, parts, and production system and engineering support. The two companies intend to form a team of specialists to further those efforts. Toyota will be investing $50 million to kick-start the deal. (Remember when cars could be kick-started?)
Tesla's all-electric Roadster Sport
Toyota introduced the first-generation Prius hybrid vehicle in 1997, and produced approximately 2.5 million hybrids in the twelve years since. Late last year, Toyota started lease of Prius Plug-in Hybrids, which can be charged using an external power source such as a household electric outlet. The company also plans to introduce all-electric vehicles into the market by 2012 separately from those produced in the Tesla partnership.
Presumably, the Tesla electric models would be targeted for the mass market with lower price points than Toyota's own offerings. According to the announcement, Tesla’s goal is to produce increasingly affordable electric cars to mainstream buyers. The company designs and manufactures electric vehicles and powertrain components. Up until this point, Tesla has been a high-end automaker, with about 1,000 of its all-electric high-performance Roadsters now out on North American roads. Tesla also says it is currently the only automaker in the U.S. that builds and sells highway-capable all-electric vehicles in serial production.
In a related bit of positive news, it was announced that production of the electric cars would take place at the Fremont, Calif., auto factory that Toyota shuttered earlier this year. Vehicle production is set to begin in 2012, and about 1,000 workers will be hired for the venture.
Tesla was founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in 2003 in Menlo Park, California, with the goal of producing all-electric sports cars. Another co-founder, Elon Musk, founder of PayPal, is CEO. Tesla is named after Nikola Tesla, who designed the first electric motor, along with launching today's electric power industry.
(Photo: Tesla's all-electric Roadster Sport. Credit: Tesla Motors)
More from Joe McKendrick
Advice for technologists on promoting AI ethics
Filling stadiums with serverless computing
Serverless: applications only when you need them - no more, no less
Fewer people seek AI jobs: is the market cooling off, or too hot to handle?
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ZERO ANTHROPOLOGY
A Canadian anthropological approach to the study of empire and the human condition
MAX FORTE
BRENDAN STONE
DONNCHADH MAC AN GHOILL
ELIZA JANE DARLING
JAMIL HANIFI
JOHN STANTON
LIST OF ALL POSTS
ALERT PRESS
ZA PROJECT PAGE
Canadian Academic Boycott of Israel: Why We Need to Take Action
by Maximilian C. Forte
[This post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone in any boycott movement, apart from those of the writer. This post should not be read as an indication of the content of any private discussions, nor is it intended to tell or instruct others on what they should be doing to boycott Israel. Posts directly related to the one below are: Campus Gaza: Academic Boycotts and Complicit Silence (12 Jan. 2009); Boycott Israel: Montreal Professors and Academic Employees (24 Jan. 2009); Boycott Israel! – More anthropologists on Gaza (II).]
There is also the issue of what a country becomes when it loses its ability to question power, views military values as the highest ideals, ignores international law, and becomes indifferent to the suffering of the most innocent and defenseless….we are witnessing a crime against humanity for which indifference and silence makes one deeply complicit with the killing and disappearance of young children. Gaza reminds us that the “dark times” that haunted Arendt’s generation can now be seen in the images of wounded and dead children and should serve as a desperate reminder of what it means when politics, social responsibility, and justice, as the lifeblood of democracy, become cold and indifferent in the face of death.
— Henry A. Giroux, Global TV Network chair in English and Cultural Studies at McMaster University in Canada (“Killing Children with Impunity,” CounterPunch, 14 January 2009)
There’s a clear chill in the air. And it’s not just coming from the deep freeze of winter that’s descended on us. It’s coming from the targeted silencing of many people world-wide concerned about human rights violations — myself included — who have dared to speak out against the Israeli state’s military offensive against the people of Gaza. Opposing and targeting the policies of the Israeli state is not opposing and targeting Jews. Neither is criticizing Israel synonymous with challenging Israel’s existence. Yet, criticize the State of Israel and face individually targeted and unprecedented criticism, threats and personal attacks — tantamount to a new form of McCarthyism.
— Sid Ryan, President, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Ontario, op-ed in The Toronto Sun, 19 January 2009. (link)
More than twenty years ago we in the United Nations took the lead from civil society when we agreed that sanctions were required to provide a nonviolent means of pressuring South Africa to end its violations. Today, perhaps we in the United Nations should consider following the lead of a new generation of civil society, who are calling for a similar non-violent campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions to pressure Israel to end its violations.
— Father Miguel D’Escoto Brockman, President of the United Nations General Assembly (source)
Occupied Minds
A university, in a democracy. A dome of silence, an absence of criticism. I have to wonder how institutions that boast of enhancing and developing individuals’ capacities for citizenship, for appreciation of diversity, and sensitivity to humanity, can so quickly turn a cold face to genocide. Something is seriously wrong, and it’s not just Israel, it’s us.
That is, it has been us, all of us, until recent years. There has been a growing movement of academics across the U.K. and North America to begin to take the only action available, in an international system that is heavily skewed in favour of a handful of powers, where double standards, false promises, and empty charters prevail. We have to take action, because no one else will.
First, the British Association of University Teachers (AUT) voted to boycott Haifa and Bar-Ilan Universities in April, 2005, and repealed the boycott a month later (link), but the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) continued to seek an academic boycott up to a year later. Then, also in the U.K., on 16 January 2009, over 200 academics, musicians, writers and artists signed a petition that expressed outrage against Israel and called not just for a ceasefire, but for a boycott, divestment, and sanctions. There was no ambiguity nor ambivalence in the statement, it was direct and unequivocal:
The massacres in Gaza are the latest phase of a war that Israel has been waging against the people of Palestine for more than 60 years….The goal of this war has never changed: to use overwhelming military power to eradicate the Palestinians as a political force, one capable of resisting Israel’s ongoing appropriation of their land and resources. Israel’s war against the Palestinians has turned Gaza and the West Bank into a pair of gigantic political prisons. There is nothing symmetrical about this war in terms of principles, tactics or consequences. Israel is responsible for launching and intensifying it, and for ending the most recent lull in hostilities.
Among the names of scholars that I recognized are internationally prominent and respected ones such as Ernesto Laclau, Etienne Balibar, Eric Hobsbawm, Slavoj Zizek, Paul Gilroy, and John Hutnyk; anthropologists such as David Graeber, Alexander King, and Martha Mundy; and Caribbeanists such as Diana Paton and Paul Sutton. They were among those who expressly took sides in this conflict, specifically the side of the people of Gaza:
Israel must lose….If we believe in the principle of democratic self-determination, if we affirm the right to resist military aggression and colonial occupation, then we are obliged to take sides… against Israel, and with the people of Gaza and the West Bank….We must do what we can to stop Israel from winning its war.
Student actions, protests, and petitions for boycotts against Israel are to be found even in the United States (source).
While we have spoken of universities being “occupied” in protest here on this blog, whether in Greece, New York, or across the U.K., I think that we are making a mistake in speaking in terms of occupation. Occupation, annexing territory, monopolizing space, is what oppressors do. When we “take” a university, we are liberating it, restoring it as a free zone, reasserting its autonomy.
We urgently need autonomy when it comes to a university system tied up with the goals of state (not the public, except only in name), serving international power on the side of Israel. It is urgent because it is abundantly clear that virtually every single point that the Israeli state has advanced as a justification for this war has been completely debunked. Even commonly held and widespread myths have fallen to pieces, whether they be the “human shields” tale, or that Hamas is seeking the destruction of Israel. Indeed, with respect to the latter, Hamas’ leader, Ismail Haniyeh told European parliamentarians: “Our conflict is not with the Jews; our problem is with the occupation.” There is nothing outlandish, repugnant, nor unreasonable about that position, but it happens to be the kind of statement that gets buried by the Western mass media, deliberately. Likewise, Hamas made repeated attempts to extend the truce, and accepted a two-state solution. And likewise, Israel has continued to reject such efforts, yet boasting that it alone wants “peace” (the peace of the dead, obviously.)
Liberated Minds
As academics, trained to ask questions, to think critically, to search for reasons and unearth evidence, some of us can no longer take the official justifications of the leading war states at face value, those states being the U.S. and Israel. Some will notice that Israeli government and military spokespersons repeat a consistent doctrinaire line, regardless of masses of contrary evidence that they are made to confront, and assume that rights are only Israel’s. In addition to dogmatic recitations of the “facts” as the Israeli state wishes to cast them, there is a quick embrace of any technicality that can provide cover for justifying mass slaughter. This kind of inhumane pounding of a people, on the thinnest of pretexts, the mentality and practice of genocide, is absolutely unacceptable and repugnant when conducted in the name of “liberal democracy” and in the names of all us who are said to live in “liberal democracies.” For those who missed some of the supporting material on which these observations rest, please read: An Unfolding Pattern of Genocide: Notes from Gaza.
This then is our fight too.
Let us now turn our attention to some of the reasons various persons and institutions have given in order to challenge the call for an academic boycott of Israel.
(1) The Academic Freedom Debate
A boycott violates our academic freedom
James L. Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed on 7 January 2008 that “we don’t see that the way to express our opposition to what a government is doing is by penalizing academics in that country.”
Turk seems to be making two possible mistakes. One is to say “we” — I also belong to CAUT, as do most of the signatories to the petition that was circulated recently among Montreal universities and colleges. Clearly, “we” are divided. Clearly, Turk needs to stop talking for the rest of us, before consulting the rest of us. On the other hand, by “we” he may have meant the CAUT executive body, which does not necessarily solve the problem.
The second mistake comes in the form of an assumption, and that is that Israeli academics are disconnected from the state. It seems to be a mighty step backward, in terms of all that we have learned of knowledge and power, the political economy of academia, the benefits of domination shared by those who produce knowledge for domination, and of the many binding ties between academia and the state, to suddenly agree that we can neatly separate the two.
For her part, Costanza Musu, a professor at the University of Ottawa, echoes some of the same concerns in, “University of Ottawa professor Costanza Musu: Why boycotting Israeli professors is wrong,” National Post, 06 January 2009, which in the interest of full disclosure, is Canada’s leading right-wing newspaper. Musu states:
“Another immediate consequence of such a boycott is of course giving the students the false impression that Israel is a monolithic country, where dissent does not exist and debate does not include criticism of the government. As in any democratic country, professors in Israel have differing opinions of the government’s actions”.
The problem with Musu’s statement is this: we boycotted South Africa, which was even less monolithic, as it included vigorous internal opposition movements in all sectors of society.
Musu goes further, and ridicules the call for the boycott, by suggesting that the boycott call issued by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Ontatio) would require visiting Israeli astrophysicists to stand before a class and deliver a political denunciation of Israel before proceeding to lecture. While Musu lampoons one single tactic of the proposed boycott, she spares the rest of the proposed boycott actions from any criticism.
Musu emphasizes the issue of our pedagogical practices, the need to bring in speakers to her class that represent all sides, and again the issue of academic freedom. With all due respect, this strikes me as a selfish and narrow way of thinking. Our academic freedom, and our props for class, do not trump everything else on earth. Academic freedom is vital, but not so paramount that it rises above the interests of human beings subject to genocidal practices. I would rather live in a world with justice, and no concept of academic freedom, than the reverse.
Incidentally, a few days later, again in the National Post, a Jewish-Canadian professor supported the call for a boycott (source).
Musu referred to CUPE’s boycott call (more on that to follow). It must be noted that CUPE restated its position on 10 January 2009, saying the boycott would be aimed at institutions, and not individuals, as part of the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign:
“In the process of examining academic boycott initiatives by other organizations around the world, and similar actions that helped end apartheid in South Africa, it has become clear that the position is not banning individuals. Rather an academic boycott should focus on issues of investment, partnership, fundraising and joint projects,” said Ryan. “That will also be our approach.” (source)
What about academic freedom for Palestinians?
There is another side to academic freedom that has not been considered so far: the Palestinian side. Dr. David Lloyd (U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel) told Inside Higher Ed, “Israeli institutions are complicit in immense infringement on Palestinian academic freedom, so it’s really hard, it seems to me, for Israeli institutions to claim the rights of academic freedom that they are so systematically denying to their Palestinian counterparts.” In addition, he argued: “We feel that we should not collaborate with Israel as long as it is refusing academic freedom to Palestinians. It is really a profoundly moral issue.” Lloyd also observed, “Presidents of universities have spoken out against the boycott of Israeli academics in the past. They are not speaking out against the systematic and gradual destruction of Palestinian institutions by Israel.”
What does academic freedom have to do with divestment?
There is no argument, based on academic freedom, that can be used against a university’s divestment from companies that do business with Israel. To divest is to merely achieve a neutral position for the university. To invest is an active stance, and it demands direct challenge. The question will be: do our universities in Canada, and here in Quebec, have any investments and are those companies in which they invest doing business with Israel? Moreover, and along the same lines, it impinges on no one’s academic freedom to insist that the university finally begin to reject donations from private and corporate donors with an active pro-Israel agenda. Not to do so is to compromise the neutrality of the administration, which in the case of Concordia saw the last president, Claude Lajeunesse, intervening in rare political debate, against a boycott of Israel. He was silent on almost all other political issues, except this one.
We cannot have an administration beholden to one particular set of especially sanguine and virulent special interests. We also have had administrations that defended invitations to Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak to speak at Concordia — many of us view these two as accomplised war criminals, whose only right to speak should be before a human rights tribunal. It is in the defense of no one’s academic freedom to have such figures dirty our doorstep, but it is an offense against those of us who think of the university as our home, and who worry about how we may all be represented in the wider world if our university is used to provide cover for genocidal heads of state.
We should be serving humanity, be concerned for humanity, and Concordia ought to show more sensitivity and respect for humanity if it is to be taken seriously and to be protected as an institution worth preserving in very uncertain times. I am not even introducing here the contextual reality that American imperial and Israeli genocidal causes are vastly unpopular in Quebec, the political state in which Concordia must work, but which the senior executives in charge seem to ignore.
(2) “Boycott me, please!“
If my state were to engage in an open slaughter of people living on First Nations reserves, I would deeply resent foreign states and consumers backing up and supporting the government in my country. I would want a total boycott, I would not want further propping up of an unjust situation — let me be clear: as an academic, and as a citizen of this state, I would demand that everyone overseas boycott me. I would not want your “solidarity.” I would not be giving my first and most important thoughts to selfish concerns about my career, my publishing, my research funds, my prestige, my ability to travel to conferences, etc. I would want to be banished, so I could also manifest how vastly unpopular our country had become in the eyes of the world and that we need to do something drastic to change our situation.
I therefore do not understand, nor do I accept, the notion that out of concern for academic freedom, all other freedoms must be drowned. Academic freedom is neither just individual, nor is it absolute and paramount. And as with all rights, responsibilities are attached. Instead of academic selfishness, common as it is, let us see greater academic social responsibility.
Having said that, it is very important to note that at least some Israeli academics have in fact called to be boycotted:
“We, as Israeli citizens, raise our voices to call on EU leaders: use sanctions against Israel’s brutal policies and join the active protests of Bolivia and Venezuela. We appeal to the citizens of Europe: please attend to the Palestinian Human Rights Organisation’s call, supported by more than 540 Israeli citizens (http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/658-a-call-from-within-signed-by-israeli-citizens): boycott Israeli goods and Israeli institutions; follow resolutions such as those made by the cities of Athens, Birmingham and Cambridge (US). This is the only road left. Help us all, please!”
Along the same lines, and also contrary to the fallacy that a boycott of Israel is, somehow by its very nature “anti-semitic,” Naomi Klein who is herself from a Jewish family in Montreal, reported in a recent article,
“roughly 500 Israelis [540], dozens of them well-known artists and scholars, sent a letter to foreign ambassadors stationed in Israel. It calls for ‘the adoption of immediate restrictive measures and sanctions’ and draws a clear parallel with the anti-apartheid struggle. ‘The boycott on South Africa was effective, but Israel is handled with kid gloves.… This international backing must stop’.”
(3) On the Nature of an Academic Boycott
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in Ontario, representing teaching and research assistants, originally called for barring Israeli academics from speaking, teaching or conducting research at the province’s universities unless they first condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza. The proposed boycott would not have necessarily applied to Israeli-born Canadian academics or to Israeli Arabs.
CUPE’s boycott plan included calling on Ontario universities and university workers to:
Refuse to participate in academic cooperation, collaboration or joint projects with Israeli universities, such as participating in conferences in Israel, refereeing or editing articles for Israeli journals, or evaluating research proposals for Israeli institutions.
Advocate a boycott of Israeli universities, including suspension of all forms of funding and subsidies.
Promote divestment from Israel by Ontario academic institutions.
Work toward the condemnation of Israeli policies and actions in the occupied territories by pressing for resolutions to be adopted by academic and professional organizations and associations.
CUPE Ontario is taking this action in response to an appeal from the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees.
Sid Ryan, President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Ontario), speaking on 09 January 2009:
The U.S. Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, launched recently, enumerated the following goals:
Refraining from participation in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration or joint projects with Israeli institutions that do not vocally oppose Israeli state policies against Palestine.
Promoting divestment and disinvestment from Israel by international academic institutions.
supporting Palestinian academic and cultural institutions directly without requiring them to partner with Israeli counterparts as an explicit or implicit condition for such support (source).
The BDS project for an academic boycott, includes the following aims:
Institutionalizing a ban on cultural and academic exchanges, programmes, and visits with Israel.
Using Israeli performances, visits, and film screenings as an opportunity to highlight occupation and apartheid amongst the wider public.
Undermine the academic contribution to the Israeli economy that sustains the occupation and end all cooperation on projects used to create propaganda, know-how and weapons used to sustain the Israeli apartheid structure and to oppress and expel Palestinians.
Forging ties of cultural and academic support and solidarity with Palestinian universities and academics as well as with Palestine by artists and performers from across the world.
AAUP reactions to some proposed boycott measures
The American Association of University Professors in 2006 issued a statement opposing academic boycotts, “in view of the Association’s long-standing commitment to the free exchange of ideas.” The AAUP particularly opposes boycotts in which institutions would be boycotted unless they “vocally oppose” Israeli policies:
“We especially oppose selective academic boycotts that entail an ideological litmus test….We understand that such selective boycotts may be intended to preserve academic exchange with those more open to the views of boycott proponents, but we cannot endorse the use of political or religious views as a test of eligibility for participation in the academic community.”
Cary Nelson, president of the AAUP and a professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, added:
“I think it’s inappropriate to expect institutions to take positions on a nation state’s policy…. How would an institution in the United States take a stand on national policy? Would the Faculty Senate vote, would the administration impose a policy, would the entire campus vote, would the students have an equal vote?”
My question is: when is there ever a boycott that does not contain an “ideological” test? In addition, universities always take positions on a nation state’s policy, as a matter of course, as a vital function of their very existence when they depend on state funds especially. So why is there a problem only when we take positions that are critical of a nation state’s policy? I especially object to Nelson’s absolutist view of the freedom of academic exchange.
And what about, again, South Africa?
The AAUP noted that, in fact, “Some individuals, publishers (University Microfilms), and organizations (the American Library Association, for example) did engage in an academic boycott, but the AAUP limited its protests against apartheid to resolutions of condemnation and to divestment, because it was considered wiser to keep open lines of communication among scholars in accordance with principles of academic freedom.”
Resolutions of condemnation and divestment. Those measures were fine with the AAUP when it came to South Africa’s apartheid regime, a regime strongly supported by Israel. These form part of most plans for an academic boycott of Israel.
In addition, the AAUP executive makes a very difficult argument that a boycott would close lines of academic communication. Unless the AAUP thinks that a proposed boycott is even considering the impossibility of shutting down the whole Internet, it would seem that this is a non-issue, entirely, and the concern can thus be dismissed out of hand.
The AAUP has not rejected the idea for some kind of protest action against Israel, we must note, as it stated:
Other kinds of sanctions and protests ought to be considered. Some of them are listed in the Palestinian call we cited at the beginning of this report, such as resolutions by higher education organizations condemning violations of academic freedom whether they occur directly by state or administrative suppression of opposing points of view or indirectly by creating material conditions, such as blockades, checkpoints, and insufficient funding of Palestinian universities, that make the realization of academic freedom impossible. These and similar actions may be more effective in obtaining better conditions for academic freedom. But if boycotts are to be used at all, economic boycotts seem a preferable choice, both tactically and as a matter of principle. Colleges and universities should be what they purport to be: institutions committed to the search for truth and its free expression. Members of the academic community should feel no obligation to support or contribute to institutions that are not free or that sail under false colors, that is, claim to be free but in fact suppress freedom. Such institutions should not be boycotted. Rather, they should be exposed for what they are, and, wherever possible, the continued exchange of ideas should be actively encouraged. The need is always for more academic freedom, not less.
Once more, there is an absolutist conception of academic freedom, premised on the assumption that it is a value that reigns above all others, and comes with no responsibilities. There cannot be academic freedom of any merit in a social and political context where there is no freedom. The essential thrust of the AAUP position is easy to discern: condemn, but do not act. It’s a selfish position, because if AAUP members were under physical assault, one can be sure that they would be quick to call for concrete action.
(4) Attacking Palestinian Education
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) outlined the attacks on educational facilities and students in Gaza (while proposing to take no action of its own):
“On 27 December, Human Rights Watch reported that an Israeli air-to-ground missile struck a group of students leaving the Gaza Training College, adjacent to the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in downtown Gaza City, killing eight students and wounding 19 others. Two days later, on 29 December 2008, Israel bombed the Islamic University of Gaza, destroying the science laboratory block and destroying or damaging other blocks of buildings, including the library. Although Israel has claimed that the science laboratory facilities were used as “a research and development center for Hamas weapons,” this claim has been denied by officials of the Islamic University, and according to the New York Times of January 1, 2009, Israel has not produced any evidence for its claim. On January 3, the Israeli air force destroyed the American International School, and, on January 6, 30 people were killed and 55 injured when Israeli artillery shells landed outside a United Nations-run school in Gaza.
“These latest assaults on Palestinian students and educational institutions raise renewed questions about the ongoing violation of academic rights. Palestinian students have been frustrated in their right to study, not just in the West Bank and Gaza, but at universities abroad, as most recently demonstrated by the Israeli government’s refusal to allow Palestinian students awarded prestigious Fulbright fellowships to leave for the United States . University students living in Gaza have not been able to leave in order to attend universities throughout the world, let alone at Birzeit University in the West Bank. Students in the West Bank itself have to negotiate roadblocks and checkpoints to get to their classes – often never making it.” (link)
Indeed, CAUT is right to say that these are only the latest actions. Others precede them:
Israeli forces bulldozed the educational studies campus of al-Aqsa University in Gaza on 16 March 2004.
Over 300 schools have been damaged by Occupation military attacks.
Bir Zeit university was sealed by a military checkpoint for 2 1/2 years between 2001-2004.
In 2003 Hebron University and the Palestine Polytechnic University were closed for 6 and 3 months respectively.
BDS reports that many aspects of Israeli cultural life are directly linked to the occupation, expulsion and systemic discrimination of the Palestinian people. Israeli architects and designers are engaged in the construction of settlements, roads and facilities on illegally confiscated Palestinian land. Israeli writers and intellectuals continue to promote the myths of Zionism among a global public via their novels and essays.
In addition, BDS explains that while Palestinian culture is suppressed, Israeli academic institutions offer strategic analysis and advice to military-intelligence agencies. Israeli scientists have developed technologies for some of the weapons used by the IDF. Israeli academia provides material and intellectual support to the ongoing occupation and violence against Palestinian people. At an ideological level, BDS adds, academics such as Professor Arnon Sofer of Haifa University (who is infamous for his argument that Arab Israelis pose a ‘demographic threat’ to the State of Israel) produce the research, arguments, and new leaders for the Israeli state. Israeli universities are closely linked to the Israeli economy that supports and enables the ongoing occupation.
BDS makes an excellent point that is being forgotten or ignored by those who resist or question the call for an academic boycott of Israel:
“Israeli academics cannot exempt themselves from boycott on the grounds of ‘academic freedom’ while they fail to speak up for the academic freedoms of Palestinians.”
If academic freedom is what really mattered in this discussion, it would be made to matter for all, and not just held as the inviolable, paramount, and absolute right of a privileged few.
(5) The Need to Take Action Now
Sid Ryan of CUPE-Ontario thus seems justified in observing the double standards at work in challenging calls for a boycott of Israel. As he stated:
“Boycotts have traditionally been used as a non-violent way to protest what is unfair and to affect governments to change. In the campaign to end colonial rule in India, Gandhi called for a boycott of British universities and colleges as well as all British-made goods. The U.S. began a boycott of the Moscow 1980 summer Olympics after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. There has been a furor in the media during last two weeks over CUPE Ontario’s human rights stand. It is as though Israel is beyond reproach despite the human rights violations being perpetrated in Gaza” (source).
Ryan also noted that, “Canada played a major role in an international boycott of South Africa. That highly successful effort included academic, political, economic, cultural and sports boycotts. The goal was to end apartheid” (source).
Who is doing anything?
What else is being done? By whom? Who will take action? Or shall we all stand and stare, jaws dropping ever lower? Why does the plight of innocent civilians in Gaza not move more institutions and governments into action?
There are many reasons of course, and one of the most important reasons is geopolitics, and the official pre-alignment with Israeli policy. We have thus been fed intolerable idiocies, such as the “human shields” fallacy, and the constant refrain that “Israel has the right to defend itself” (and apparently, it’s an exclusive right, a preserve of the Israeli state alone). Those who have been doing something, on the ground in Gaza, have told us, over and over, accounts that run completely contrary to the official propaganda as mentioned above. Listen to Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza:
In the meantime, the position of the Canadian government has been to ignore such atrocities, leaving it up to citizens to take matters into their own hands. As reported in “Reactions in the Americas to the Israel/Palestine Conflict“:
Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Lawrence Cannon, also issued a statement in which he pointed to Israel’s “clear right to defend itself” against continuing attacks by militants he accused of “deliberately” targeting civilians. “First and foremost, those rocket attacks must stop. At the same time, we urge both sides to use all efforts to avoid civilian casualties and to create the conditions to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need in Gaza”. Cannon also urged renewed efforts to reach a truce. Canada also blamed the Hamas for the UNRWA school incident, in which 40 civilians were killed when Israeli shells hit the school. Canada’s junior foreign minister Peter Kent added on Tuesday that there must be a strong, binding resolution to the conflict. “Canada believes there must be an immediate ceasefire, but only if it’s durable ceasefire, and if Hamas is prevented or is willing not to rearm and resume its terrorist rocketing at some point down the road. On January 12, 2009, Canada stood alone before a United Nations human rights council yesterday, the only one among 47 nations to oppose a motion condemning the Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
Thus far, over 300 Canadian academics have signed a petition to the government of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, calling for the implementation of sanctions against Israel (source). I might add that number was nowhere close to the maximum, as the call for signatures was not widely circulated and some of us did not hear of it until after the fact. In addition, or own movement has started in Quebec, with a similar number of signatures. On y va!
SOME RESOURCES:
CUPE Ontario’s Response to Gaza Crisis (documents, articles, videos, Q&A)
Global BDS Movement: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions for Palestine
The Islamic University (Gaza): “Where’s the Academic Outrage Over the Bombing of a University in Gaza?”
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9 thoughts on “Canadian Academic Boycott of Israel: Why We Need to Take Action”
marcy/مارسي newman/نيومان
thanks for posting this blog entry on the boycott. for american readers who are interested in signing on to the american academic and cultural boycott of israel campaign we have a website where they can submit their endorsement: https://usacbi.wordpress.com/
Maximilian Forte
Many thanks Marci!
Boycott Arab terror.
Boycott Hamas and Hizbollah, who shoots rockets into Israeli towns.
Group who blow up school buses and restaurantes,r using civilians as human shields.
It is amazing to me, that there is so much confusion over who the terrorists are. Hamas is a terrorist organization that condones and facilitates suicide bombings and will kill every Jew on the planet if they have the chance.
Israel is an energetic democracy with a vibrant press. Israel is a free country that abides by the rule of law. By contrast, if a writer were to go to Gaza or Iran, for instance, and start writing bad words, he might wind up on the news, dead
“Boycott Hamas and Hizbollah” — that is already happening: in Canada, both are outlawed as terrorist organizations and no Canadian citizen is allowed to send them money. Hamas is not recognized as the legitimate, democratically elected government (this must appall you, given your love of democracy). Gaza is under a blockade, and Hamas is internationally sanctioned. So you already got your wish, I am surprised you did not know this.
But why the focus on Hamas and Hizbollah? Who, among any of the signatories of any petition for a boycott, has said that a boycott is about supporting Hamas and Hizbollah?
More generally, why are they engaged in any “terror” at all? To say they would kill every Jew on the planet is not the answer: it is a myth. What you are evading is what your own words should be telling you: Israel is wonderful…for Israelis (and not all Israelis either, because they practice discrimination against Arab Israelis, Mizrahim Jews, and Falashas). Recently the Knesset sought to ban all of the Arab Israeli political parties from taking part in elections — did you know that about this wonderful liberal democracy? Did you also not know that Israel, with its vibrant press, stopped journalists from entering Gaza? Did you know that Israeli troops have murdered journalists in Gaza, even when they were clearly marked as being PRESS? But I suppose that as long as you have your comforting myths, none of this even registers in your mind.
Israel abides by the rule of law. Sure. Its laws. Otherwise it acts in violation of several key UN Security Council resolutions and simply dismisses judgments of the International Court of Justice. Anyone can abide by the law when you have the power to set the laws that favour you…that was also true of Hitler, he very much abided by his own laws. This kind of “lawfulness” is actually meaningless.
There are only two points of fact on which I can agree. Hamas and Hizbollah have killed innocent civilians, and certainly children will meet anyone’s standard of “innocent.” Iran has in fact arrested, and even tortured (to death) some critical journalists. That is what we know.
However, again, this boycott is not about supporting them. You misunderstood, but I also suspect you did not even try to read what I actually wrote.
Kim Johnston
I’ve been struggling with this since Klein’s call for a boycott on Jan 8th. Your piece makes the necessity for action concrete. Thank you.
Thanks for visiting and for your comment.
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James, do you live in Israel? I do, and I watch the press lie and manipulate in order to make sure no one knows that Palestinians don’t want to kill Jews, they just want their freedom. Among them, 14% support Hamas (http://www.zmag.org/blog/view/2486 you won’t see it on the news)
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St. Kitts and Nevis is moving in the right direction, says Prime Minister Harris
Prime Minister Harris (centre) introducing some members of the Peoples Labour Party National Executive.
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, March 18, 2019 (PLP PR Media Inc.) — The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is moving in the right direction and with its unparalleled beauty and charm it is acting like a magnet, having attracted citizens of other countries who want to make it their home.
Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris made the revelation on Saturday March 16 while delivering the feature address at the Public Session of the third Annual Peoples Labour Party (PLP) National Convention held at the Patsy Allers Playground in West Basseterre.
“As we celebrate the fourth anniversary of the Team Unity Government, and at our third convention, we can feel proud as residents of St. Kitts and Nevis to be part of a beautiful history in the making,” said Prime Minister Harris, who is also the National Political Leader of the Peoples Labour Party, which is one of the three parties in the ruling Team Unity Administration.
“You heard it before me – our country is moving in the right direction,” said Dr Harris. “St. Kitts and Nevis has become the magnet for people everywhere, wanting a better quality of life.”
Persons have been coming from the United States of America, Canada, Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti, and Dominican Republic among other countries, and according to Prime Minister Harris, they have preferred to stay on because they fell in love with St. Kitts and Nevis having determined that the quality of life here was better. He noted that they are welcome to participate peacefully and productively in the country’s social economic life.
“You must ask yourself what it is about our beautiful country that so many people are becoming magnetised by the developments here and want to make our country their home.” commented Prime Minister Harris. “They like Marcus Garvey, the great black philosopher, are impressed by the beauty and charm of our country – the beauty of its physicality and the beauty and goodness of all Kittitians and Nevisians.”
The Peoples Labour Party, along with its colleagues and partners is engaged in creating a beautiful model of nation building with patriotic persons and entities, Dr Harris noted. The party was holding the convention in keeping with Article 5 of its Constitution which mandates that the convention should be held every March.
“We are here too out of love for our democratic way of life – people at the heart of the democracy which we promised,” said the PLP National Party Leader. “Their views, their needs, their wants, their aspirations and expectations are what prompt us into action. Yes, like all the entities in the Team Unity Movement, the Peoples Labour Party puts people first.”
The Peoples Labour Party’s National Political Leader took time to introduce members of the party’s new National Executive, which was largely returned unopposed with only two new members who were elected unopposed at the Private Session of the 2019 National Convention which was held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort on Wednesday March 13.
Among those attending the PLP 2019 National Convention included the Chairman of the People’s Action Movement (PAM), one of the three political parties in the Team Unity Administration. The Nevis-based Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM), the other party in the Team Unity Administration, was represented by Deputy Leader the Hon Alexis Jeffers, Minister the Hon Eric Evelyn, Junior Minister the Hon Hazel Brandy-Williams, the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) PRO, Mr Keith Scarborough.
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The Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900, Contents
Topic: BatzB - Slingersfontn
The Battle of Slingersfontein
South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900
The Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900, Outline
Australian Forces, Roll of Honour
New Zealand Forces, Roll of Honour
The Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900
The Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900, Roll of Honour
South African (Second Boer) War
Citation: The Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900, Contents
Posted by Project Leader at 1:49 PM EAST
Updated: Monday, 17 January 2011 7:27 AM EAST
The location of Slingersfontein in South Africa.
Slingersfontein, in central Cape Colony about eighteen kilometres east of Rensburg station on the railway line between Naauwpoort and Colesberg, was the scene of two actions between Australian troops and Boers in early 1900 during the Second South African War. The first engagement occurred on 16 January, when part of a patrol comprising men of the New South Wales Lancers and the 1st Australian Horse (another New South Wales unit) were ambushed by Boers. Before dawn that day the party had set out from Slingersfontein camp with orders to reconnoitre north towards Norval's Pont on the Orange River.
After proceeding a few kilometres the patrol split into two groups - the first under Lieutenant R.M. Heron of the Lancers, the second under Lieutenant WV. Dowling of the Australian Horse. The former took his men on a route which carried them past Norval's Farm, where they halted to make inquiries of the Boer owners. Heron had taken the precaution of posting a sentry to watch the rear of the farm, however, and when this man rejoined the party he reported that as soon as the Australians departed the place an enemy force had openly ridden in. When making his way back to camp at 1 p.m., Heron accordingly made a wide detour around the farm.
Meanwhile, the 21 men with Dowling (fourteen Lancers and seven Horse) had an uneventful patrol before turning for their base that afternoon. Dowling, too, decided to check out a Boer farm located eight kilometres short of his destination - accounts are unclear if it was the same farm - and, after being well received by the family there, rode on at about 2 p.m. Being so close to the main camp it seems probable that the members of the patrol were less vigilant than they should have been, although it is also clear that the Boers (who had been lying in wait all day for Heron's return, not noticing when this group passed it by in the distance) had made cunning use of a concealed fold in the apparently open plain.
The Australians suddenly came under fire from about 50 Boers who rode towards them at full gallop from 500 metres away. Caught by surprise and clearly outnumbered, the men made towards a kopje (small hills some 250 metres off with the idea of mounting a stand until help arrived. The troopers had actually dismounted and begun opening fire on their pursuers, when they were themselves heavily engaged on all sides by more Boers w ho were lying in concealment including on the hill they had occupied. With Dowling already out of action, a warrant officer gave the order to mount up again.
The harried band then raced in the direction of the camp, until they found their escape route impeded by a tightly stretched six-strand farm fence topped with barbed wire. The horses of several of the men were shot from under them during this flight, with those dismounted being immediately taken up behind other riders. Although six men managed to find gaps in the wire through which they were able to ride clear of the trap, the remainder were left with nowhere to go. Fourteen of the Australians were taken prisoner - including Dowling who, like several others, was wounded. One man had been shot dead and another who was mortally wounded were left on the scene; the latter, found the next day crudely bandaged by the Boers, died while being conveyed back to camp in an ambulance.
An inquiry into the incident found that no blame attached to anyone, but the Australian cavalry -both the Lancers and the Horse - were retired down the railway line to a rest camp at Arundel. Moreover, they took no further part in operations in the Colesberg sector before being transferred west early in February to join the forces being prepared on the Modder River for a renewed push to relieve Kimberley.
The second action, on 9 February, saw men of the West Australian Mounted Infantry (WAMI) involved in a gallant stand which did much to erase the stain of Dowling's defeat the previous month. That afternoon a troop of twenty men of the WAMI under a British officer, Captain Hatherley Moor, accompanied a squadron of Inniskilling Dragoons on a reconnaissance to the east. After proceeding only some five kilometres, the patrol made contact with a 400-strong Boer commando which was in the process of preparing gun positions from which to shell the British camp at Slingersfontein. Subjected to a hot fire by the enemy force, the Dragoons turned and got away to take up a defensive position some distance off. Moor's West Australians retired to an isolated kopje on one flank and decided to make a fight of it.
The WAMI men maintained their position until nightfall, even though effectively surrounded by Boers occupying hills on three sides and subjected to artillery fire. During this time, they defied all efforts to overrun them. When called upon to surrender, Moor ordered his men to display their fixed bayonets and challenged the enemy to come and get them. Under cover of gathering darkness, the Australians then braved the Boer riflemen covering the rear slopes of their kopje by retiring two or three at a time, carrying their wounded. By this means they got clear, and the frustrated commando made off.
Moor's party suffered three men killed in the action (one of whom was initially reported as missing), and six wounded. One of the latter was so badly hit that he had to be left behind during the retirement; later that night an ambulance went to the scene and retrieved him, but he died a month later in hospital near Cape Town. The West Australians performance was highly praised in a brigade order issued the day after the fight, and the scene of their stand subsequently became known as 'West Australia Hill' or often 'Australian Hill'.
Panorama view of Slingersfontein Camp.
Extracted from the book produced by Chris Coulthard-Clark, Where Australians Fought - The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1998, pp. 64-66.
P.L. Murray (1911) Official Records of the Australian Military Contingents to the War in South Africa, Melbourne: Government Printer.
L.M. Field (1979) The forgotten War, Carlton, Vic. Melbourne University Press.
Citation: The Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900, Outline
Australian Forces
The Roll of Honour contains the names of all the Australian men from the known to have served and lost their lives during the Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900.
Alfred BUTTON, 1st Tasmanian Mounted Infantry, Killed in Action, 9 February 1900
Michael CONWAY, 1st West Australian Mounted Infantry, Killed in Action, 9 February 1900
Atherly GILHAM, 1st Tasmanian Mounted Infantry, Killed in Action, 9 February 1900
George Allman GRIFFEN, 1st Australian Horse, Killed in Action, 16 January 1900
Geoffrey Gordon William HENSMAN, 1st West Australian Mounted Infantry, Killed in Action, 9 February 1900
John William POWELL, 1st South Australian Mounted Rifles, Killed in Action, 9 February 1900
Citation: The Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900, Roll of Honour
The Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900, New Zealand Forces, Roll of Honour
New Zealand Forces
Poppies on the Auckland Cenotaph plinth
Samuel Walker GOURLAY, 1st New Zealand Mounted Rifles, Killed in Action, 16 January 1900.
Citation: The Battle of Slingersfontein, South Africa, 16 January and 9 February 1900, New Zealand Forces, Roll of Honour
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CLS Amazons Football Club
Chester-le-Street Amazon's Girls & Womens Football Club
Player Voice
Match Reports / Blog
I am extremely proud to stand as patron for the wonderful CLS Amazons Football Club which is close to my heart and for whom I have the utmost respect and admiration. My association with the club began in 2005 when I was approached to provide support to the original Amazons which at the time where the only girls team. I was immediate impressed by the incredible spirt, courage and determination of this team as they often suffered heavy defeats but they simply refused to give up and were driven by a love of playing football and by a unique bond which still exists today in the team which is now the highly talented Amazons Women team. This trailblazing team laid the foundations for the club which has grown and developed beyond belief and is now proudly represented by 13 teams and over 200 players from the age of 5 years old!! While the size of the club has grown dramatically the core values remain the same with the main emphasis on inclusion, fairness and development while giving girls and women the opportunity to play football regardless of their age or ability. It is these values and this ethos which makes CLS Amazons FC unique and this is why I am so committed to supporting and promoting this club. Their story is so compelling and inspirational and they are making such a significant positive contribution to the lives of so many people. It is an absolute privilege to be associated with an organisation of this quality and distinction.
Bruce Shepherd O.B.E.
Patron of CLS Amazons Football Club
I am so proud of the Amazons. I have never known such a friendly, inclusive and close knit club. It is one big happy family. The club provides great opportunities for the girls not only to develop their sporting skills but also to develop personally by boosting their confidence, resilience and great social skills. I have also been impressed with the support the parents offer by getting involved in coaching, fundraising and other volunteer activities within the club.
Cllr Tracie Smith
Match Day Information
Information for Coaches – Match Day
Over playing in Children July 12, 2019
Tournament day for our Amazon’s – Flamingos and Diablos & Aztecs today…. June 30, 2019
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Poppy Hills Launches Newly Renovated Web Site
(PEBBLE BEACH) - Poppy Hills has launched a newly renovated Web site, www.poppyhillsgolf.com Tuesday night. The enhanced site boasts a clean, fresh look with a modern design making it even easier to make an online starting time.
Other features include a comprehensive virtual tour with audio commentary, updated pro shop and instruction news, a section on weddings and a photo gallery from the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Other standard features, such as weather, directions, contact information and a link to the course's parent Northern California Golf Association website (www.ncga.org), are also clearly displayed.
Poppy Hills is a challenging course that weaves through the Del Monte Forest. The venue plays host to many prominent tournaments including the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in early February.
The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design opened in 1986 and is the home course for the NCGA. It was the first course in the United States to be owned and operated by an amateur golf association. The par-72 layout measures 6,857 yards from the black tees with a rating of 74.3/144.
In the October 17 issue of GolfWorld, the magazine announced its first "Readers' Choice Awards." Poppy Hills was selected 41st on the list of the top 50 public courses. A 2007 Zagat Survey ranked Poppy Hills the 12th "Most Popular Course" in the U.S., and the layout was named "National Course of the Year" in 2006 by the National Golf Course Owners Association. The golf shop was named as one of the "Top 100 Golf Shops" in 2008 by Golf World Business magazine.
Poppy Hills also includes a picturesque grass driving range, practice putting, chipping, bunker facilities and a video swing analysis system. The course welcomes public play and it is recommended for visitors to join the NCGA to receive nearly a 75-percent discount off the $200 public green fee.
Rocky Gap Unveils Late-Season Golf Package
Guests of the Four-Diamond Western Maryland Resort Can Play the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course for $25 through November
(CUMBERLAND, Md.) – Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort – home to the state’s only Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course – today announces the Legendary Tees golf package. Through November, guests can play the award-winning resort course for only $25 per round with the purchase of a $119 double occupancy room.
“Our guests have enjoyed the beauty and challenge of this Jack Nicklaus Signature Course year after year and it’s a pleasure to offer them the opportunity to play for such an incredible price,” says Rocky Gap General Manager Tim Grambley. “At only $25, guests may want to play additional rounds, which, with the many subtleties and nuances of this design, is an excellent idea.”
With 18-hole rates to play Rocky Gap ranging from $70 to $95 for resort guests, the savings via the Legendary Tees package are considerable.
Rocky Gap’s award-winning golf course – given 4 Stars by Golf Digest – is a design masterpiece that features two unique playing experiences. The par-72 track features a front nine that weaves its way along the mountainside and boasts dramatic elevation changes, while the back nine features expansive, gently rolling fairways and scenic vistas with breathtaking views of the wooded splendor.
In addition to championship golf, Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort also offers many packages ranging from treatments at the Garden Spa to holidays, romance and family. For more information on those packages and the resort, visit www.rockygapresort.com or call 800-724-0828.
An on-site Family Adventure Planner also is available to help guests schedule off-site adventures that can include:
* Horseback riding;
* Hiking and biking;
* Rides on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad;
* Sporting clays; and
* Custom rock climbing and rappelling trips.
Conveniently located within two hours of Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Washington D.C., the all-inclusive resort sits at the gateway to Rocky Gap State Park and is nestled at the base of Evitts Mountain, on the pristine shores of Lake Habeeb.
About Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort
Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort is a 215-room resort located on 243-acre Lake Habeeb in the lush forested mountains of Western Maryland. Amenities include the Rocky Gap Garden Spa which features the renowned line of Eminence spa products, miles of marked hiking trails highlighting Mother Nature's glory, a 7,000-yard Jack Nicklaus Signature Design course with five sets of tee boxes to match the skill level of any golfer, and an on-property adventure outfitter for horseback riding, hiking and biking, whitewater rafting and corporate team building.
Nike Golf Introduces New Men and Women's Hybrid/Iron Mixed Set Within its Award-Winning Slingshot Family
(BEAVERTON, Ore.) - Nike Golf's Slingshot family, a multiple award-winner for it's game improvement technology in its irons, continues on the path of technological advancement with the introduction of the Slingshot HL (High Launch) Mixed Set for men and women.
Available on November 1, 2008, Nike Golf is bringing hybrids and irons together and modifying four key areas of club head design to optimize performance. In the hybrids of the Slingshot HL Mixed Set, the areas of modification include the slingback design; low and deep profile; keel sole; and increased offset. The irons of the new Slingshot HL Mixed Set have modified the slingback design; variable sole width; progressive offset; and club head profile.
As in Nike Golf's previous Slingshot iron introductions, both the hybrids and irons that make up the new Slingshot HL Mixed Set feature Nike's distinctive Slingback design. In the men's and women's hybrids (#3, #4, #5), the Slingback bar positions the weight further back increasing the Moment of Inertia (MOI) and providing stability. In the men's irons (#6 - PW), the Slingback design is positioned strategically in each club to achieve the desired ball flight. In the women's hybrid/iron set, the Slingshot HL utilizes an ultralight shaft from UST and a Nike proprietary Winn grip for the ultimate in comfort and vibration absorption.
More Features and Benefits for Men and Women's Models
Slingshot HL Mixed Set - Hybrids (#3, #4, #5)
- Low and Deep Profile - Weight is strategically positioned low and back making it easier to get the ball airborne.
- Keel Sole - The keel sole design increases the playability from the fairway and the rough.
- Increased Offset - Increases the opportunity to square the hybrid at contact for straighter golf shots.
Slingshot HL Mixed Set - Irons (#6 - PW)
- Variable Sole Width - Narrows progressively throughout the set (mid irons are wider for higher launch; short irons are thinner to provide greater control).
- Progressive Offset - Greater offset in the mid irons help square the clubface for straighter shots. Minimal offset in the short irons increase shot making control.
- Club Head Profile: Elongated profile in the mid irons increases MOI for stability on off-center hits.
The Slingshot HL Women's set feature distinctive characteristics with its unique and elegant houndstooth pattern on the irons shaft and head. This houndstooth design is harmonious with the popular design highlighted in several of Nike Golf's women's apparel and accessories.
Availability: Nov. 1, 2008 at golf shops and specialty stores nationwide.
Men's and Women's Right and Left Hand: Hybrids #3, #4, #5 (19˚, 23˚, 26˚) Steel S/R MSRP: $699.99; Graphite S/R/A/W MSRP: $799.99
Titleist Introduces New Vockey Design Spin Milled Wedges
From Pitching Wedge to Lob Wedge, Lofts Range from 48 to 64 Degrees
(Fairhaven, MA) - Building on the proven product success that has made Vokey Design Wedges the most played at every level of competitive golf, Titleist introduces its most comprehensive Spin Milled line ever. Evolving from a rich heritage as the finest individual short game tools in golf, the new Vokey Spin Milled family has been developed as a complete set of high performance wedges. The line includes nine lofts ranging in two-degree increments from 48° to 64°, multiple bounce options, and tour-inspired sole grinds in three player-preferred finishes. These options create a matrix of performance characteristics to fit a wide range of player styles, course conditions and shot-making requirements.
“Being able to hit precise shots from into and around the green requires a full range of wedge choices that provide the player with the proper yardage gaps, turf performance, and the ability to hit it close from the sand,” said Steve Pelisek, General Manager, Titleist Golf Clubs. “It makes perfect sense for better players to dial in their wedge choices with the new Vokey Design Spin Milled line because they can have a prominent effect on their ability to shoot lower scores.”
With continuous input from tour players, club professionals and better playing amateurs, Titleist Master Craftsman Bob Vokey has created new Spin Milled pitching, gap, sand and lob wedges that represent an ideal blend of technology and craftsmanship. All the new models feature CAD-generated profiles that are perfectly sized and blended from one loft to the next. Characterized by progressive toe shapes, the heads feature a rounder profile as the lofts increase, and progressive toplines that instill visual continuity and confidence. CAD designed with precise progressive heel-to-toe sole radius, the higher lofts feature more radius to keep the leading edge low as the clubface is opened. The leading edges are squarer in the lower lofts, serving as a visual aid to achieve better alignment. In the higher lofts, leading edges are more curved, minimizing the likelihood of thin shots. Leading edge entry angles are consistent throughout all lofts to promote consistent and predictable club and turf interaction through impact.
During the tooling process, the sole and back of each Spin Milled wedge was handcrafted on the bench by Vokey and his team, consisting of the industry's finest tool makers. The line features wedges with tour inspired sole grinds, based on the prototype M, T, E and TK grinds that Vokey created when out on Tour. These unique grinds were previously only available to the Tour players, but now all golfers can benefit from the shot-making and performance advantages these grinds provide.
“I'm thrilled that we are now able to bring a full line of hand-crafted, Tour-inspired wedges to all golfers,” said Vokey. “In a manner of speaking, the sole is the ‘soul’ of the wedge. It controls how the club reacts with the turf and dictates what kinds of shots a player is capable of executing with a certain wedge. On Tour, players spend time with me, refining the soles of their wedges to where the effective bounce and playability are in perfect balance. Over the years, we have developed different grinds and identified them by a letter or letters as a kind of shorthand for the most common player preferences that we encounter.”
All Vokey Design Spin Milled wedges are engineered from soft 8620 carbon steel and employ Tour-validated Spin Milled technology. The faces of all Spin Milled wedges are precision milled to be perfectly flat. Spin Milled grooves are CNC-machined using a special circular saw-style cutting tool. The resulting grooves feature a steeper draft angle with maximum allowable depth under USGA rules and provide 30 percent more groove volume. This increased volume increases the amount of moisture, grass and debris that can be removed from the clubface surface at the moment of impact, resulting in cleaner ball-face contact. Spin Milled grooves feature a tighter edge radius that increases grip on the ball, particularly under wet conditions or in heavy, grassy lies. A series of micro-edges are milled into the face of each wedge producing 300 percent higher face friction than polishing. The resulting additional ball spin is particularly advantageous on partial shots, where groove size and depth have much less impact on spin.
Together, Spin Milled grooves and micro-edge face texture combine to provide up to 10 percent more spin in dry conditions and up to 85 percent more spin in wet conditions than a wedge with conventional grooves.
Vokey Design Spin Milled wedges are available in three finishes, non-glare Tour Chrome, Oil Can and Black Nickel. The stock shaft is Dynamic Gold S200. The stock grip is Titleist Golf Pride Tour Velvet.
“I have always said that thanks to Titleist I have the best research and development team in the world, and that is the PGA Tour,” said Vokey. “I am a listener at heart and I listen to and watch what tour players are looking for and work with them until they have exactly what they want. Now, all golfers will be able to benefit from all of the player feedback and testing and refinement that we have done for years.”
Sandia Golf Club Receives 4 ½ Stars from Golf Digest
(ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico) - Sandia Golf Club was honored in Golf Digest's 2008-2009 edition of "Best Places You Can Play" golf guide with 4 ½ stars out of a total possible rating of five stars.
Located in Albuquerque, N.M., Sandia Golf Club features a world class golf experience that offers a visually stunning and strategic 18 hole golf course designed by Scott Miller, complete practice facility and a 16,000 square foot "Pueblo" style clubhouse featuring restaurant, golf shop and expansive patio. According to Golf Digest, a four-star rating is considered "outstanding" and a five-star rating is considered "superb." The ratings are based on reviews from Golf Digest readers who cast a ballot after playing daily-fee courses across the country.
"The readers of Golf Digest have responded and decorated Sandia Golf Club with a very notable honor," says Dave Goff, vice president of operations for OB Sports (the management company that oversees operations of the golf facility at Sandia. "This is yet another testament to the commitment of the Pueblo of Sandia to provide a world class golf experience for guests of Sandia Resort and Casino."
Sandia Golf Club no stranger to such awards having garnered awards such as "Development of the Year" by Golf Inc Magazine, Top 100 Golf Shops in The Country, Golf World Business and being selected as one of the Top 10 Best New Courses In The Country by Golf Magazine.
John Daly on Where to Play Golf
This week's special guest on America's syndicated "Where to Play Golf" Radio Show is American Golfer favorite John Daly.
The Golf Guys also visit with author of "Ghost Stories of Sarasota" Kim Cool.
In addition, former NBC-TV anchorman Mike Robinson hosts another segment of "Golf: It's a Crime!"
Tune in each week on a station near you for our Featured Destination, New Product Segment, Trivia, Golf Tip of the Week, Golf Vacation of the Week, 19th Hole Drink of the Week and more ... or listen on-line at www.wkrs.com Saturdays 7 to 8 a.m. EST, www.wlip.com Saturdays 8 to 9 a.m. EST or www.wrnn.com Saturdays 6 to 7 a.m. EST ... or at www.wheretoplaygolf.com.
Where to Play Golf Radio Show broadcasts every weekend on radio stations in golf destinations like Milwaukee, Chicago and Myrtle Beach and streams worldwide on the internet. In addition, they film one-hour Where to Play Golf, Vacation & Travel TV Specials.
Pocono Mountains Pair Championship Golf with Variety, Multi-Service Meeting Facilities
Four-County Destination in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Mountains Offers Something for Groups of Any Size, Weekend, Midweek Value-Laden Packages
(POCONO MOUNTAINS, Pennsylvania) – The Pocono Mountains – conveniently located within close proximity to New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. – pair championship golf with myriad meetings facilities which offer a wide spectrum of services, settings and amenities. From an afternoon meeting to a weeklong convention, the venerable Pocono Mountains is the ideal location in which to host a successful event.
The Pocono Mountains properties are competitively priced and well versed in catering to a variety of groups and organizations – from the largest corporations to small businesses and groups, from religious retreats to teambuilding programs and everything in between. All fall within the expertise of the Pocono Mountains’ hospitality professionals.
“Pocono Mountains resort and meeting venues tailor packages to meet the needs of each event, however diverse, and being centrally located has made our properties easy to access,” says Carl Wilgus, President and CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.
Understanding successful events aren't solely about what takes place within the meeting facility, an assortment of amenities await, including nature trails, lakes, golf courses, ski slopes,a casino, waterparks and shopping venues. The Pocono Mountains provide something for every golfer's taste – stern enough to challenge the best players or docile enough for a novice to enjoy a round in this spectacular setting. The four-county destination is flush with hundreds of holes of golf from legendary designers from the Golden Era of golf course architecture such as Donald Ross and A.W. Tillinghast and today's top names like the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus.
For those looking for golf meeting opportunities to fit a variety of schedules, the Pocono Mountains also feature indoor golf and a nine-hole lighted golf course for evening play.
Off the golf course, three rivers and countless streams allow for outdoor water activities such as fishing, kayaking and white water rafting, while sporting clays, biking, horseback riding, camping and hiking are plentiful. In addition, snow boarding, downhill and cross country skiing are just a few of the winter activities available in the Pocono Mountains.
A popular vacation spot for generations, the Pocono Mountains have undergone a reinvention over the last few years and offer state-of-the-art meetings facilities, while not losing the charm and comfortable familiarity people have grown to know and embrace.
Looking forward to a getaway? The Pocono Mountains offer a wide array of stay-and-play packages, while allowing visitors an opportunity to relax and reconnect in the authentic, forested beauty.
For more information on scheduling the perfect meeting while discovering golf's great destination secret, visit www.800poconos.com or call 800-POCONOS (800-762-6667).
Ritson-Sole Golf School and Pawleys Plantation offer package deal
(PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C.) - The Ritson-Sole Golf School and Pawleys Plantation are offering the "Best Ever Golf School Package" through Feb. 27, 2009. The package combines deluxe accommodations, golf on Pawleys Plantation's award-winning Jack Nicklaus-designed course, daily breakfast, and three-days of golf school at the on-site Ritson-Sole Golf School, which is currently ranked one of the top five golf schools in America.
The rates for the "Best Ever Golf School Package" range from $799 to $899 per person, according to season. The package, based on double occupancy, includes three nights accommodations in a luxurious one-bedroom suite, two rounds of golf with carts on Pawleys Plantation's signature Jack Nicklaus course, three breakfasts, and three-days of golf instruction at the highly acclaimed, on-site Ritson-Sole Golf School, known for offering top quality instruction at an affordable price.
"Our goal is to grow the game of golf," said Mel Sole, owner and chief instructor for the Ritson-Sole Golf School. "We believe that people shouldn't have to pay high prices for top quality instruction so we offer a first class golf experience at a price most people can afford."
Pawleys Plantation's on-site golf school has several instructors including owner and Golf Magazine Top Teacher, Mel Sole. Class size is limited to four students to ensure plenty of individual attention.
Pawleys Plantation was recently named "one of the most underrated golf resorts" in the Southeastern United States by readers of Travel & Leisure Golf magazine. Results of the magazine's annual reader survey on the "World's Best Golf Resorts" were reported in the 2008 September/October issue of the magazine and at www.tlgolf.com.
About The Ritson-Sole Golf School
The Phil Ritson-Mel Sole Golf School provides personalized instruction for all golfers from beginner to advanced, and also specializes in working with corporate clients. One of only 10 academies to remain on Golf Magazine's prestigious "Top 25 Golf Schools" list since the ranking debuted in 1999, the school has consistently been rated by national golf and travel magazines as one of the best golf schools in the United States.
For more information on the Phil Ritson-Mel Sole Golf School contact the school at 800-624-4653 or visit their Web site at www.ritson-sole.com.
'Golf My Way' Available on DVD
Want to play better golf? American Golfer recommends Jack Nicklaus' "Golf My Way."
NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. - For the first time in over a decade, Jack Nicklaus will offer to the public, on www.NicklausProShop.com, Golf My Way in a deluxe, two-disc DVD set featuring his insights and instruction broken down through playing lessons that focus on various aspects of the game and appeal to golfers of all skill levels.
Never before has this famed instructional series been offered on DVD. The footage, much of which was filmed 25 years ago in the midst of Nicklaus' record-setting career, has been digitally re-mastered, using today's unrivaled production technology, to greatly enhance the quality and appeal of these timeless golf lessons.
"From the days of Jack Grout, who taught me the game as a kid and through the decades, to my most recent work with Jim Flick, I have not changed my approach to teaching the game," Nicklaus said. "My desire is to teach people how to play and enjoy the game just as I was taught. Golf My Way is the composite of how I have always played the game and how I have always taught the game."
In 1974, Nicklaus authored what would become the most successful golf instruction book of all time, Golf My Way. Translated into numerous languages across the globe, Golf My Way quickly gained international appeal and worldwide distribution. It became known as the instruction source for golfers of all generations and skill levels looking to take up or improve their game. Golf My Way was the book former British Open champion Greg Norman credits for how he first learned the game of golf in the 1970s. Fast forward to today, and it is the very same book (translated into Korean) that K.J. Choi gives credit to for teaching him the game. In between Norman and Choi, millions of people around the world have employed the instruction from Jack Nicklaus in Golf My Way to learn and enjoy the game.
In 1983, Nicklaus took the teachings of Golf My Way and recorded hours of instruction for the first offering of Golf My Way on VHS. The video quickly became the top-selling golf instruction series in the market. Powered by the sales success of Golf My Way, Nicklaus then recorded Golf My Way II and several shorter versions focused on specific aspects of the game to be offered in alternative video products over the following decade.
The Resort at Pelican Hill Sets Opening Date
The Destination Resort Boasts Unparalleled Luxury, Spectacular Ocean Views, Extravagant Villas and Bungalow Suites, Inspired Architecture, 36 Stunning Holes of Tom Fazio-Designed Golf, World-Class Spa and 'Coliseum' Pool
(NEWPORT BEACH, Southern California) - The Resort at Pelican Hill, the long-awaited destination resort overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, will open its doors Nov. 26, offering guests a level of service and luxury that is unmatched in the resort world. The Resort at Pelican Hill will blend the principles of Italy's most renowned Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio, with chic and casual California elegance.
Boasting inspiring, expansive views of the Pacific Ocean and Newport Coast, The Resort at Pelican Hill will feature: 128 villas with an unparalleled array of appointments, immersing guests in the absolute finest of everything; 204 luxuriously appointed bungalow suites; a rejuvenating spa with 22 treatment rooms and a menu of the world's most celebrated therapies; world-class restaurants including authentic Northern Italian cuisine at Andrea; an iconic "Coliseum" pool, the largest circular pool anywhere, with tiered decks and the most luxurious cabanas of any resort; and Pelican Hill Golf Club with 36 dramatic holes by Tom Fazio, nearly all with ocean panoramas.
The resort is rising on a 504-acre site that is one of the most serene and beautiful coastal settings in Southern California, where the Pacific laps uncrowded beaches and thousands of acres of coastal habitat are permanently protected as open space or designated for recreational use only.
The Resort at Pelican Hill captures the essence of an Italian seaside village, terraced on a verdant hillside in harmony with the natural environment.
"With the final touches being put on one of the most awaited resorts ever built, The Resort at Pelican Hill is emerging as a masterpiece in the art of hospitality," said Ralph Grippo, president of the Irvine Company Resort Properties, the developer and operator of the resort. "The unprecedented attention to detail - in every aspect of the property and guest experience, from the distinct and refined architecture to the most innovative and comprehensive personalized service program - is setting The Resort at Pelican Hill apart and establishing it as a new paradigm among the world's finest resorts."
The Resort at Pelican Hill was inspired by the Renaissance belief that humanity is uplifted by aspiring to perfection. And underpinning this quest for perfection is the one aspect of Pelican Hill that will most set it apart: service that is extraordinary, precedent-setting and the most personalized of any resort.
The service will begin before the guest's arrival - with a level of pre-planning unrivaled in the luxury resort world -with a personal travel designer planning and arranging every aspect and detail of the Pelican Hill experience, everything from having golf clubs pre-shipped to the resort to scenting the suite with the preferred aromatherapy. Once at the resort, the most highly trained, around-the-clock staff - from personal butlers to concierges, even chefs to cook personal meals - will see to your every need, completely customize and individualize your experience, and create a truly one-of-a-kind stay for you.
Opening rates for bungalows start at $695, and $1,450 for villas, based on availability. For more information and reservations, call 800-820-6800.
USGA Museum Opens The Pynes Putting Course
The USGA Museum has opened The Pynes Putting Course, a 16,000-square-foot putting green that will allow visitors to test their skills using replicas of antique putters and balls from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The course will be open to visitors during regular museum hours from early spring to late fall, weather permitting. The green fee is $5 with paid admission to the museum and includes a souvenir square-mesh golf ball. Visitors will be able to use replicas of four classic putters ‑‑ such as Bob Jones' famous Calamity Jane II ‑- to play the nine-hole course, which will be re-routed on a weekly basis.
Named for Evelyn and Percy Pyne, who lived on the grounds of the country estate that is now home to the USGA, the course was inspired by the world-renowned Himalayas putting green in St. Andrews, Scotland. That green, which has served as home to the Ladies' Putting Club of St. Andrews since 1867, has long welcomed visitors from all over the globe.
"We hope that the experience of playing the putting course will increase visitors' appreciation for golfers of the past and their skills," said Rand Jerris, director of the museum. "We hope there are some golfers who come and get hooked on the history of the game. It's a place where families are welcome, and it may be the first time some visitors ever get to putt on a grass green."
The green was designed by Philadelphia-based architect Gil Hanse, who also spent more than two days on a shaper to fashion the putting surface's dramatic mounds and swales. USGA Green Section staffers Jim Moore and Dave Oatis oversaw the agronomic details of the green, which utilizes Declaration, a creeping bentgrass strain developed at Rutgers University with the assistance of USGA Green Section funding.
Paul Ramina, GCSAA Class A director of grounds at nearby Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, and Hamilton Farm GCSAA superintendent member Pat Husby also offered their services in training the USGA grounds staff on cutting-edge green maintenance.
For more about creating the green, visit http://www.usga.org/news/2008/september/putting_green.html.
adidas Golf Introduces ClimaProof® Storm 3-Way Convertible Jacket
Exceptionally Versatile Garment Easily Converts from Long Sleeve to Short Sleeve to Vest
CARLSBAD, Calif. - adidas Golf has introduced the ClimaProof Storm 3-Way Convertible Jacket, a versatile piece of equipment that can be worn three ways - long-sleeve, short-sleeve or vest - depending on the weather. Its unique combination of construction, modern materials and intelligent features make it a must-have for serious golfers who want to perform their best in the elements while enjoying the best possible protection against wind, rain and cold.
"Our ambition was to reinvent the rain jacket to make it more versatile, so it can be worn in a variety of conditions, and to make it less restrictive, so that every type of shot can be executed with absolute freedom," said Tiss Dahan, adidas Golf's senior director of apparel. "Judging by the positive feedback we've received from our Tour Staff professionals and the many other players we worked with to develop this jacket, we succeeded."
The ClimaProof Storm 3-Way Convertible Jacket unites advanced structural design and modern four-way stretch properties to eliminate excess material that would otherwise get in the way of the swing. That includes a thin-yet-warm removable 360° compression wrap inner layer that also delivers increased support and precludes the need for a liner, eliminating bulk. An athlete can make a full swing with complete freedom while wearing this jacket, and can also chip and putt without the distraction of excess material impeding the motion of the arms and hands.
ClimaProof
"What I love about the jacket is that when I bend down to putt or chip it's not bulky, so it doesn't bother my stroke," said Dustin Johnson, winner of the 2008 Turning Stone Classic.
Converting from long-sleeve to short-sleeve, and from short-sleeve to vest and vice-versa, is easy and quick.
"This jacket gives you so much versatility, you can take the sleeves off and turn it into a vest, you can tailor your jacket to how severe the weather is," said European Ryder Cup player and 2007 European Tour Order of Merit winner Justin Rose. "It's by far the most technologically advanced jacket I've ever seen."
Critical jacket features developed to increase comfort and convenience while eliminating distraction include:
* Convertible sleeves with stretch-elbow articulation for easy movement
* Shaped and adjustable cuffs for snug, comfortable fit
* Inner collar that flips up for added protection from the elements
* Bonded paneling in critical comfort zones to eliminate seams that can rub, chafe and irritate
* Waterproof zipper that makes a storm flap unnecessary
* Innovative silicone grippers on each shoulder that prevent bag-strap slippage
* Concealed venting for excellent breathability
* Concealed internal right pocket
* Waterproof to 20,000 mm
* Breathable to 15,000g/m2/24hrs
The ClimaProof Storm 3-Way Convertible Jacket was introduced on tour at this year's Open Championship, where it was worn by adidas Golf Tour Staff professionals including Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose and Sean O'Hair. Colors: black, zinc-black and Barez. Sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL. Includes a three-year waterproof warranty. Available in stores now. The MSRP is $275.
Also new is adidas Golf's ClimaProof Storm Pants, which were created to match the Convertible Jacket and make for a complete rainsuit. Features include hidden stretch waist tabs, ergonomic back-pocket entry, back-knee articulation, three-way adjustable length, four-way stretch material. Colors: black, zinc-black. Sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL. Includes a three-year waterproof warranty. Available in stores now. The MSRP for the ClimaProof Storm Pants is $170.
Editor's Note: To date, American Golfer has been dedicated to golf courses and resorts, but clothing and equipment are vital to the game. Expect to see more variety in the coming weeks and months.
Bermuda's Port Royal Golf Course To Host 2009, 2010 PGA Grand Slam Of Golf
(PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.) - Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda, which the late architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. deemed it his finest work outside of the United States, has been named the site for the 2009 and 2010 PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf, the season-ending showcase of the game's premier foursome and one boasting the most difficult qualification requirement in the game - a major championship - is televised by TNT to a worldwide audience.
This week, Bermuda's Mid Ocean Club is hosting the 26th PGA Grand Slam of Golf, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 14-15. Next year's 27th PGA Grand Slam of Golf will be held at Port Royal Golf Course on Oct. 19-21.
Port Royal Golf Course, a public course that opened for play in 1970, has undergone a $13.7 million renovation that extends the layout 281 yards to 6,842 yards. The course will be reopened in January 2009.
"The PGA of America is honored to continue the PGA Grand Slam of Golf tradition on the island of Bermuda at Port Royal Golf Course," said PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb. "Bermuda's combination of unmatched hospitality and community support for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf has enhanced the season-ending meeting of the game's elite foursome. We look forward to working with all of our friends in Bermuda in presenting the PGA Grand Slam of Golf next fall to the world."
"We are so proud to extend our valued partnership with The PGA of America and the Grand Slam of Golf," said Ewart F. Brown, Premier of Bermuda and Minister of Tourism. We are especially proud to have an event as prestigious as the Grand Slam at Port Royal -- a spectacular public golf course that belongs to the people of Bermuda and speaks loudly to our country's commitment to the game."
"My hat is off to the members and staff at the Mid Ocean Club. Last year, and once again this year, they've shown Bermuda and the world they can handle a top-notch golf event with expert precision. From the course maintenance to the hospitality to the volunteer effort -- they have set the bar extremely high."
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf features a $1.35 million purse, with the winner receiving $600,000, second place $300,000, third place $250,000 and fourth place $200,000.
TNT's prime-time broadcast of the event reaches a worldwide audience of 88.9 million U.S. homes and international viewers in more than 100 countries.
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is hosted by the Bermuda Department of Tourism, Mid Ocean Club and the Fairmont Southampton.
The 6,842-yard, par-71 Port Royal Golf Course began its renovation program in January 2008, a project that includes rebuilding tees and greens and installing TifEagle grass. All bunkers have been redesigned and a reverse osmosis plant and course irrigation system has been installed.
Established in 1979, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf has grown from an 18-hole, single-day charity event to a 36-hole annual showdown that matches professional golf's best against each other.
The winners of the 2009 major championships qualify to play in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf: The Masters April 9-12; at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.; the U.S. Open Championship, June 18-21; at Bethpage State Park (Black Course) in Farmingdale, N.Y.; the British Open Championship, July 16-19; at Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland, and the 91st PGA Championship, Aug. 13-16, at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.
Past PGA Grand Slam of Golf Champions include: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Tom Lehman, Ben Crenshaw, Greg Norman, Nick Price, Angel Cabrera and Ian Woosnam.
The PGA of America Since 1916, The PGA of America's mission has been twofold: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.
By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the $76 billion golf industry. By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere.
The PGA of America also conducts four professional golf events: the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Senior PGA Championship and PGA Grand Slam of Golf. The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.
The Territory Climbs Golfweek’s 'Top 100 Residential Golf Courses’ in America List
Southwest Oklahoma Golf and Residential Community’s Latest ‘Best-of’ Acclaim Highlighted in the Wall Street Journal
(Southwest Oklahoma) – The Territory, an award-winning golf and residential community near the quaint, progressive town of Duncan, today announces that it has once again been named a “Top 100 Residential Golf Course” in America. The Wall Street Journal recently published the rankings with The Territory (No. 37) moving up one spot despite newer residential courses debuting in 2008.
This ranking further enhances The Territory’s reputation as a top-of-the-bell-curve course and community. The Territory stands side by side with internationally known courses at Isleworth (No. 52) – Tiger Woods’ home course – Kiawah Island, Pronghorn and La Quinta.
Rick and Barbara Braught developed The Territory to introduce a casual yet elegant golf residential community which is family friendly and set in the unspoiled beauty of the region.
“Being recognized as one of the top residential courses in America is testament to the hard work and dedication that has gone into The Territory since Day 1 of the planning process and continues on a daily basis,” says owner Rick Braught. “Our ongoing mission is to provide a top-notch golf, residential and lifestyle experience at The Territory.”
Distinguishing The Territory from a vast majority of residential courses across the country – many of which also are honored with Top 100 praise – the Randy Heckenkemper design feels like a golf course first, and a residential development second. The golf experience remains the focus from the first tee shot to the final putt.
The Territory – a modified target-style design that unfolds over rolling hills and through fields of native vegetation – stretches to 7,100 yards from the tips and features five sets of tees. A state-of-the-art training facility and a three-hole short course add to the golf-related chops, while fine culinary dishes are the norm at the Prairie House. The swimming pool and activity courts are often venues for planned events or a break from the day-to-day grind.
The “Top 100 Residential Courses” list was published in partnership with Golfweek Magazine, which sends hundreds of course rating panelists around the country annually to identify the best courses in their respective categories. Golfweek and the Wall Street Journal are partnering to provide this valuable information to their combined readerships.
For more information on The Territory, call 580-475-0075 or visit www.territorygolf.com.
Fort Mill Golf Club Unveils Renovations
(FORT MILL, S.C.) -- Fort Mill Golf Club, a cornerstone of golf in the southeast for six decades, has unveiled the dramatic results of a comprehensive $3 million renovation program, according to Gene Roper, director of golf operations for course owner Leroy Springs & Company, Inc.
The unveiling of the course renovation marks a pair of milestones at Fort Mill; the 60th Anniversary of its Donald Ross-designed front nine which opened in 1948, and the 50th Anniversary next year of its George Cobb-designed back nine dating to 1959.
"Fort Mill Golf Club is the product of two of the country's most storied and prolific golf course architects, Donald Ross and George Cobb," says Roper. We're thrilled today to share the restored luster of their original designs with golfers around the region."
Fort Mill Golf Club is owned and operated by Leroy Springs & Company, a non-profit company dedicated to supporting the recreation, education, and community needs of citizens in Chester Township, Fort Mill Township and Lancaster County in South Carolina.
The company operates golf courses in all three communities and oversees operations of the Anne Springs Close Greenway and Leroy Springs Recreation Complex, both in Fort Mill, as well as the Leroy Springs Recreation Center in Chester.
The Fort Mill course, which gracefully rolls through venerable stands of live oaks and pines, was brought to impeccable standards for playability, agronomics and aesthetics under the direction of golf course architect Clyde Johnston, who in 2001 designed Springfield Golf Club, a sister course to Fort Mill located just a few miles away.
Johnston, a former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and member of The Donald Ross Society, relied on a 1947 course master-plan drawing from Ross to plan renovations to the Fort Mill front nine.
Although Ross's drawing did not provide a legend for design elements of mounds, slopes, hollows and rough, all of which he indicated by a varying series of hash marks, Johnston used his previous experience and design plans from other Ross courses of that era to assist in interpretation of the Fort Mill master plan.
Less specific design drawings were available for the George Cobb back nine, so only modest design changes were made there, with just two bunkers being added and four removed across the nine holes.
The renovation of the Fort Mill course included the rebuilding of all tee and green complexes, and the conversion of the greens from bent grass to the heartier and more heat tolerant MiniVerde™ grass, a Bermuda hybrid that retains the smoother and quicker putting characteristics of bent grass.
Additionally, all the bunkers on the course were rebuilt, with several on the front nine being repositioned or eliminated to match Ross's design drawings for the original nine holes. The bunkers on the back nine were redesigned to reflect the look of the Ross-style bunkers on the front.
Measuring 6,801 yards from the back tees, the renovated par-72 Fort Mill Golf Club now actually plays 25 yards shorter than the original layout, evidence to the stoutness of the design from a half-century ago.
"We understand that at one point the original Fort Mill nine holes had the second highest course rating (difficulty) in all the Carolinas after Pinehurst #2, Ross's acknowledged masterpiece," revealed Roper. "It is a testament to the design balance and strategic shot values of the original course that it didn't require lengthening in an era of rapid technological advancements in golf equipment."
The $3 million renovation program at Fort Mill Golf Club also involved the clubhouse, with a major remodel of all public areas and redesign of the exterior and deck area to take advantage of commanding views of the course.
Located in Fort Mill, SC, Fort Mill Golf Club is a semi-private facility open to daily-fee play and annual memberships. For further information or to book a tee-time at Fort Mill call the golf shop at 803-547-2044 or visit online at www.playfortmill.com.
Sun Valley Resort Appoints Jeffrey Petersen as Director of Golf
(SUN VALLEY, Idaho) – Sun Valley Resort today announces that Jeffrey Petersen has been named the Director of Golf. Petersen, a member of the PGA of America, has served as the Head Professional at Sun Valley Resort since 2005.
Petersen ascends to the top golf post during a dynamic time for the venerable resort. Sun Valley introduced the first nine holes in August of the new White Clouds Course, which will ultimately have 18 championship holes. Sun Valley also recently unveiled the 18-hole Sawtooths Putting Course, a 25-acre practice facility, the Sun Valley Pavilion, and the 58,000-sqare-foot Sun Valley Club, which houses an indoor golf practice facility complete with virtual golf and video analysis and instruction. The Sun Valley Club also houses merchandise shops, indoor and outdoor restaurants and bars, and will double as the Nordic Ski Center during the winter.
“Being named the Director of Golf at Sun Valley is a dream come true and an honor,” says Petersen. “Sun Valley is a world-class resort and I look forward to helping guide the enhanced golf amenities and operation with the help of a tremendous team and ownership.”
Prior to joining Sun Valley Resort, Petersen served as the Assistant Golf Professional at Sage Lakes Golf Course in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He began his golf career in 1996 at the Logan Golf and Country Club in Logan, Utah, where he attended Utah State University and played on the golf team.
The White Clouds Course – which was designed by Donald Knott of Knott, Brooks, Linn Golf Course Design Group of California – joins the award-winning, 18-hole Trail Creek Course at Sun Valley. Originally unveiled in 1937, the Trail Creek Course was renovated by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in the late 1970s with Knott then serving as lead architect under RTJ Jr.
Off the golf course, Sun Valley offers something for everyone. From horseback riding and year-round outdoor ice skating, to a gun club, miles of hiking/biking trails and myriad dining options, the resort is an oasis in the beautiful mountains of Idaho.
For more information about Sun Valley Golf Resort, please call 800-894-9941 or visit www.sunvalley.com.
About Sun Valley Resort
There can only be one original ski resort and since 1936 Sun Valley has held that distinction. Born out of a desire to bring the mystique of the European ski resorts to America, Sun Valley quickly became a phenomenon without peer on this continent or any other. America’s first destination resort, where the world’s first chairlift was engineered, Sun Valley was built to enchant the nobility and celebrity of the day. Today the patina of old world charm blends beautifully with everything modern, easily accessible with non-stop daily air service.
Long known for the world-class skiing on Bald Mountain’s 9,150-foot summit and the beginner-friendly Dollar Mountain, Sun Valley was originated in 1936 by Union Pacific Railroad. In addition to skiing and golf, Sun Valley is flush with activities including ice skating, horseback riding, hiking/biking, tennis, target shooting at the Gun Club, spa, summer outdoor symphony series, and many others.
It is located in the Northern Rockies region of south central Idaho and is open year-round with four distinctly beautiful seasons. There are more outdoor recreations here than any other destination resort in the U.S. Sun Valley Resort is privately owned by the R. Earl Holding family, owners of Sinclair Oil Corporation. Sister properties include Snowbasin Ski Resort, Grand America Hotel, Little America Hotel and Towers, all SLC, UT., Westgate Hotel, San Diego, CA, Little America Flagstaff, AZ, Little America, WY, and Little America, Cheyenne, WY.
Circling Raven Golf Club Posts September Successes
(WORLEY, Idaho) – Circling Raven Golf Club – the highly decorated amenity of the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel – posted an impressive 10 percent increase in the numbers of rounds played month over month vs. September 2007.
Furthermore, the acclaimed golf course, located 45 minutes east of Spokane Airport in the Idaho panhandle, achieved a 9 percent increase in overall revenue month over month.
These are impressive performances considering the overall economy, as well as the golf resort industry have struggled for much of 2008.
“We are gratified that our golfers and our guests continue to value Circling Raven such that it remains a coveted, must-play for them,” says Director of Golf Tom Davidson.
Circling Raven has discounted its green fee rate to $40 on weekdays, $49 on weekends for October, with both rates including golf car and practice facility access and golf balls.
The reason for the immense discount is two-fold: as a good-will gesture to area residents and guests as well as to account for greens being aerated this week which change their condition from immaculate to merely playable as they replenish.
Weekday green fees in peak season are $80, $95 on weekends. Considering that courses of Circling Raven’s acclaimed stature – see the partial list of awards it has garnered immediately below – often charge double and triple that price, this is a substantial bargain.
Recent honors bestowed upon Circling Raven:
Top 100 Courses You Can Play 2008-09 (out of nearly 14,000 U.S. public-access courses) – GOLF Magazine
Top-40 Casino Courses in the U.S. (No. 4) – Golf Digest
Top U.S. Resort Courses – Golfweek Magazine 2007 and 2008
America's Top Golf Courses - Zagat Survey 2007-08 rankings
No. 1 Tribal Golf Course in America - Native American Casino Magazine 2008
“Top 36 Resort Courses in the West” – Fairways + Greens Magazine 2007
Resort Merchandiser of the Year – Inland Empire Chapter of the PGA 04, 05, 06, 07. 08
Service Excellence Award by the Coeur d’Alene Area Chapter of the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor
For more information about Circling Raven Golf Club or Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel call 1-800-523-2464 or visit www.circlingraven.com.
About Circling Raven Golf Club and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel
Owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and convenient to Spokane (WA) airport, the casino resort and golf club are nestled on a reservation covering 345,000 acres of mountains, lakes, old-growth forest and farmland. The resort spans the western edge of the northern Rocky Mountains. Tribal history also tells us that Circling Raven was a spiritually powerful leader, his name coming from his close relationship to the raven, who helped guide him on his journeys, warn him of danger and show him where to find fish and game.
Circling Raven was created amid a unique blend of wetlands, grasslands and woodlands. At 7,189 yards, the par 72 championship layout meanders through 620 acres, only 100 representing cultivated ground. Wildlife is abundant, including elk, deer, moose and an occasional black bear. In fact, the opening was delayed due to damage on two greens by migrating elk.
Yardages: Gold, 7,189; Blue, 6,578; White, 6,108; Red, 5,389; Green, 4,708
Total Acreage: 670 (including practice area, practice green and clubhouse)
Amenities: The clubhouse is 6,500 square feet, including the Twisted Earth Grill and full service bar. Both locker rooms include showers and lockers. The practice facility covers 25 acres; separated into areas for wedges, sand play and all clubs in the bag. The resort adjacent to the course includes 202 hotel rooms, casino, events center, buffet, and
The Coeur d’Alene Casino offers 1,800 machines for play in smoking and non-smoking areas, off-track betting for horse and dog races, high-stakes bingo, entertainment and many other amenities. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week every day of the year. The resort is regularly voted the most popular casino in the Inland Northwest.
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Kingdom II: Shadoan review (Mac OS Classic)
Non-3DO related chat here please.
Moderators: Devin, Bas, 3DOKid
goldenband
Post by goldenband » Mon Dec 30, 2013 1:23 am
As I posted here in the review thread, my fiancée and I recently beat Kingdom: The Far Reaches on the 3DO, after setting it aside for a year. With Christmas coming up, I thought it'd be nice to pick up the sequel, Kingdom II: Shadoan, which unfortunately never made it to 3DO (though it was released on the CD-i).
The DVD version sounded cumbersome and we don't have any DOS machines in the house, so I ended up purchasing a sealed copy of the Mac OS Classic version on Ebay from a very nice seller, and that's what I'm reviewing here.
Others may want to go with the DOS or CD-i versions, and I expect those are similar, but I've read that the DVD version doesn't offer savegame functionality. If that's correct, it should be avoided -- trying to play through Kingdom II without being able to save is a surefire headache!
Packaging (it's nice!)
This Mac OS version was released in the late 1990s, and comes in a typical "big box" (roughly 10" x 9" x 2") with a 5" x 7" lenticular hologram card mounted on it that, depending on your viewing angle, can show up to five different images of Lathan in combat with a dragon. This was a pleasant surprise! Apparently the card can be removed from the box, but we didn't try.
Inside the box are:
the game's two CDROMs in a slimline case with artwork;
a 40-page full-color manual, 5 1/2" x 8", with a glossy cardstock cover and full-color map in the center;
and a "7 Secrets Strategy Guide" that's really just a folded sheet of paper, sealed with a red sticker, with seven hints inside that were written by Dustin Gannon, a 15-year-old kid (!). We didn't open it until after beating the game, and it wouldn't have helped much anyway.
The exposed side of the strategy guide sheet also has "Important Notes" to tell you about the removable card -- and the game's signature song, a sappy number entitled "Where Do We Go From Here (Calaces Song)". The back of the box claims the "soundtrack [is] being distributed to 3,000 radio stations" and features "the first hit song ever to come from a video game"...yeah, not so much.
A note for Macintosh users (everyone else can ignore)
tl;dr: To play the 1990s Mac version of Kingdom II: Shadoan, you really need an older Mac, unless someone can patch the game to fix the mouse problem in Classic.
Almost everyone has Intel Macs these days, but a few folks out there still have PPC machines. In case someone might consider trying to run the 1990s release of Kingdom II: Shadoan on their PPC Macs in Classic mode, let me warn you: it will boot, but won't work properly, and based on my experience I assume you need a Mac that, at the very least, can boot into OS 9 or earlier.
My fiancée has an iBook G4 running OS X Tiger, which she pulls out when she needs a laptop (she's mainly an iPad user these days). She occasionally uses it to play old CDROM games like Oregon Trail II, and outside of one or two small quirks, they generally run quite well in Classic. Naturally, we hoped Kingdom II: Shadoan would work too.
The game did install with no problems and boot right away, but everything seemed painfully slow and the FMV wasn't playing. After tweaking some settings -- reducing the display to 640x480 and 256-colors, plus a couple minor changes in QuickTime which may or may not have had any effect -- we got the FMV to play fairly nicely.
But now we ran into a second problem: no matter what we tried, the cursor was horribly laggy, and seemed to only be updating once per second. As soon as it reached the edge of the screen and turned into a normal Mac OS pointer, no problem, but as long as the game's custom cursor was displayed it was unplayably jerky. And in a game like this, you need fairly quick, accurate cursor movements, or you're toast in the timed puzzles.
Next we tried a Mac G5 that I have, in hopes that throwing a lot more CPU power at the problem would help. Nope, no difference. Clearly, there's some kind of issue in the game's mouse polling code, and a patch would be needed to make the mouse work properly in Classic.
I made a futile attempt at getting SheepShaver up and running -- what a headache that one is! -- before I finally tried one last thing: an old PowerBook 1400cs running System 7.5.5, which I'd given up for dead years ago because of a battery/power problem, but suspected I could bring back to life.
Long story short, it worked! We had to set it to 256 colors and keep subtitles off to get full-speed FMV playback without stuttering, but after that we were fine.
If you've played Kingdom: The Far Reaches on 3DO, it won't take you any time at all to get used to Kingdom II: Shadoan. Heck, you pretty much pick up exactly where the first game leaves off, right down to your inventory. While the interface is slightly different, the basics are all the same, and you even ask Daelon for the same types of scrolls (more on that later, though!). One upgrade in the Mac OS version is that you get unlimited save slots, which is obviously very helpful for testing out different approaches to each puzzle (or for seeing how outlandishly you can get poor Lathan to die).
The map in Kingdom II includes the three kingdoms you explored in the first game (Weigard, Iscar, and Illes), but you won't be able to visit any of them, even with a Traveling spell. Instead of going back to Daelon's house to get scrolls, you make contact with him through a special Portal, but otherwise he only shows up occasionally.
The quality of the animation is about the same as the first game, but some of the graphics are noticeably different. In particular, the boyish figure from Kingdom: The Far Reaches now looks like a man in his early 20s, and sports a mullety 'do akin to a bright-red version of Egon Spengler's haircut in "The Real Ghostbusters". I'm not sure when the drawing and animation for Kingdom II were done, but if they did them in the 1990s, they did a good job of keeping the style more or less the same.
The music and sound effects are also comparable, but I think the quality of the voiceover work in Kingdom II: Shadoan is noticeably better. Anyone who's ever met Nordon the Huntsman knows how bad some of the first game's line readings can get, and several important bits of dialogue in Kingdom: The Far Reaches were borderline incomprehensible thanks to poor audio or excessive use of effects. Those issues are pretty much absent from Kingdom II; everything is crisp, clean, and easy to understand. About the only exception is early in the game, when Lathan encounters a potentially misleading road sign; his confused response sounds for all the world like a stoned teenager.
In addition to the paper manual, Kingdom II: Shadoan offers extensive in-game resources, including a book for you to take notes and a set of reference works that talk about the game's characters, places, and so on. Oddly, those references make a point of singling out a female character for a detailed description, but she's extremely minor and has no speaking lines or significant action. Perhaps this relates to the back-of-the-box text, which talks about the game's "rare appeal to the female audience", but that's a joke at best: if anything, it has fewer significant female characters than the first game.
I won't talk extensively about the puzzles in Kingdom II: Shadoan. It's easy to get started, the game is quite lavish with hints, and the number of red herrings is quite small. If you hit a wall, you can pretty much always solve it by either reading the manual more carefully, systematically visiting previous locations and searching for things you missed, or trying every item you're allowed to use until one works. Even watching the game's promo materials can offer a small hint. And several puzzles have multiple solutions, or randomly vary between playthroughs -- and in at least two cases, you have to pay careful attention to subtle details, or risk failing when you're tested later on.
However, just as we got completely stuck in the first game, we were totally stumped by Kingdom II: Shadoan. Now, when we got stuck in Kingdom: The Far Reaches, it was our fault for overlooking a location and missing an important early item tucked away there. Playing on Apprentice mode actually made our mistake harder to figure out, since a lot of puzzles were removed, but the dialogue associated with those characters was left in, which ended up being confusing. Once we played on Wizard mode, the game actually made more sense, and so paradoxically was less challenging.
We also played Kingdom II: Shadoan on Apprentice mode at first, and everything seemed to be going well, but one thing didn't make sense: no matter what we did, Daelon wouldn't give us any more scrolls. Even after making it through over half of the game's puzzles, we still weren't getting anything from our wizardy friend. This made us tear our hair out with frustration: what on earth did we need to do in order to get him to cough up a set of scrolls? Had we missed something? We even tried restarting from scratch, again on Apprentice: no dice.
Well, since playing Apprentice mode actually threw us off in the first game, I thought that might be the problem here too. And sure enough, as soon as we switched over to Wizard mode and started a new game, Daelon was as helpful as a VIP concierge, giving us scrolls right away until we had the full set in no time. With those in hand, we blasted through the game in just a few hours.
Afterwards I looked at a walkthrough, and it says that tons of puzzles are supposed to be removed in Apprentice mode -- but on our attempts, we were hitting all of them. Our best guess is that either the whole Apprentice mode is bugged in the Mac OS version of Kingdom II: Shadoan, or (total speculation) we caused a glitch by asking for a scroll that we don't need to beat Apprentice mode (but do need in Wizard mode). Who knows what the problem is, but it's an inexcusable game-breaking glitch, and probably drove some poor kids to drink back in the day.
Speaking of kids, by the way, there's a parental install option that omits the goriest scenes from the game. Even on the default settings, there's nothing that traumatizing, but I suppose it's a reasonable way to make the game accessible to a younger audience.
Finally, the biggest and best battle in the game actually happens about halfway through. The final battle is short and easy by comparison, and a bit of a letdown.
If you played Kingdom: The Far Reaches on 3DO and enjoyed it, it's well worth seeking out a copy of Kingdom II: Shadoan and finding out how the story ends. I can only imagine what it would have felt like to play the laserdisc game Thayer's Quest in the arcades -- or to be one of the bare handful of people who owned the ill-fated Halcyon system! -- and have to wait fifteen years for a resolution, albeit with renamed characters.
(Speaking of Thayer's Quest, my understanding is that version of the game has been reissued as well, but is kind of a mess.)
Copies of Kingdom II: Shadoan are very inexpensive, especially the DVD version, but it's worth holding out for the big-box version of the game to get all the extras that came with it. Just be warned that if you want to play it on Mac OS, you'll need an old computer that can boot Classic natively -- unless you can write a patch to fix the mouse bug, of course!
Return to “General Forum”
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Welcome to Around People Finder,
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Richard Mosse
April 26 – June 9, 2018
Artist Talk: April 26th, 6-7 PM
Opening Reception: April 26th, 6–9 PM
Richard Mosse’s new series, The Castle, is a meticulous documentation of refugee camps and staging sites along mass migration routes into the European Union from the Middle East and Central Asia.
To create each “heat map,” Mosse employs a military-grade thermal video camera that can detect human body heat from a distance of 30.3km. The camera depicts a heat signature of relative temperature difference, showing the incandescence of bodily warmth in relation to the climatic conditions of the surrounding environment. Regarded as a weapons technology, the camera is protected under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), making it difficult to transport over international borders. Designed for border surveillance, battlefield situational awareness, insurgent detection, tracking, and targeting, as well as search and rescue, this camera can be understood as part of the military-humanitarian complex that constitutes the EU’s response to the ongoing mass-migration crisis.
The result of numerous preparatory visits, often revealing changing immigration policy, Mosse has filmed each site from high elevation to reveal camps that are frequently closed, off limits, or restricted. Mosse has gathered the source footage used to composite the resulting “heat maps” by attaching this super-telescopic heat-sensitive camera to a robotic motion-control arm. These durational photographs are thermal panoramas made up of hundreds or sometimes thousands of overlapping “cells” or individual frames, a truncated spatio-temporal form that speaks to the lived experience of refugees indefinitely awaiting asylum and trapped in a Byzantine state of limbo. In Skaramaghas (2016)—one of several works from The Castle series that comprise this exhibition—Mosse documents a refugee camp adjacent to a busy container port in Athens, revealing the glaring disconnect between the brisk free trade of globalized capitalism and the dehumanizing erosion of international refugee law in European nation states.
Describing space, detail, and perspective in ways that seem to echo depictions of medieval cityscapes, or certain kinds of classical painting, such as those by Pieter Breughel or Hieronymus Bosch, these images document the fences, security gates, portaloos, loudspeakers, food queues, tents, and temporary shelters of camp architecture, as well as isolated disembodied traces of human and animal motion and other artifacts that disrupt each precarious composition and reveal its temporal construction. The various ways in which each camp interrelates with adjacent citizen infrastructure are made apparent—by turns marginal, ruderal, isolated, overlooked, concealed, integrated, dispersed, regulated, militarized—allowing the reader to meditate on the situations in which these people are forced to live, and what that shows us about the approach and policies of each host nation and community.
To make Grid (Moria) (2017), a central work in the exhibition, Mosse returned to Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on numerous occasions over a two-year period, during which the camp went from being an open facility to a restricted one, and was partially burned twice in protest by refugees. Moria has some of the worst conditions of any refugee camp in Europe. On Mosse’s last visit, in January 2017, extremely cold conditions had resulted in the hypothermic death of refugees living in tents. Grid (Moria) is comprised of an array of 16 video screens displaying original source footage used to construct each “heat map,” showing the automatic pan and tile motion and resulting vibration of the long-range camera mounted on the robotic arm. Each video screen plays back the same clip at a different interval, being a kind of musical round or “perpetual canon” in visual terms.
Reading heat as both metaphor and index, these images do not attempt to represent the refugee crisis in a seemingly “transparent” or objective way. Instead, they ask how the notion of “the visible” might be expanded and how, by using a scopic technology against itself, the conditions of visibility might be fundamentally restructured. The Castle allows the reader to meditate on the current conditions of refugees through ideas of hypothermia, exposure, climate change, mortality, and biopolitics.
Curated by Bonnie Rubenstein
https://scotiabankcontactphoto.com/2018/primary-exhibition/arsenal-contemporary-toronto-the-castle
Image: Richard Mosse, “Souda Camp, Chios Island,” 2017. © Richard Mosse. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. http://www.richardmosse.com/
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She think she kawaii
In-Residence Dates: Jan 19,2015 - Mar 23,2015
Autumn Knight
Autumn Knight is a Houston-based interdisciplinary artist. Knight’s performance and installation work has been included in group exhibitions at various institutions including Diverseworks, Art League Houston, Project Row Houses, Houston, TX, Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX, Crystal BridgesRead more
11102,11198,11199,11200,11201,11202
Why did you go to Japan in preparation for this residency and what were your goals in visiting?
Essentially it sprung out of an interest in Japanese culture I’ve had for a long time. While there, I thought deeply about cultural co-option, and appropriation vs. admiration and appreciation. The nuances of American, African-American, and Japanese sensibilities came into focus on this trip. I also wanted to give myself parameters to work within while at Artpace. I visited during the start of the New Year—the country’s busiest holiday. This wasn’t so great for seeing museums, galleries, and performances, but it was a great opportunity to visit shrines and to observe (and participate in) rituals associated with this time of year. In Tokyo and Kyoto, it was easy to join the masses in public celebration and reflection, but harder to get invited to the private space of people’s homes—something that I was really interested in.
How did that experience translate into your space?
Meiji Jingu Shrine was one of the most populated shrines I visited in Tokyo on New Year’s Day. Among the many activities you could get into there (walking around, entering the shrine, eating good food), you could also get a fortune for the year for 100 yen (close to a dollar). To receive a fortune, you shook a tin can until a chopstick fell out. The number on the chopstick (1-100) corresponded with a number on a drawer inside a large chest of drawers. You open the drawer and there is your fortune! I’ve played around with the idea of dispensing fortunes and the omnipresence of automation in Japan by creating fortunes that dispense themselves automatically.
My work often deals with bittersweetness and discomfort, so the fortunes are both hopeful and full of skepticism. This skepticism is related to what I imagine many Black Americans (like myself) are experiencing at this moment in America. I’ve used an episode of the television show Good Times to think about the eternal roller coaster of fortune/misfortune—a constant presence on every Good Times episode. JJ also says “Sayonara!” on this episode—so it was perfect.
What are some of the themes in your exhibition?
Matcha or green tea powder is definitely a theme in the work. I liked matcha before visiting Japan; when I got there, it was in everything—foods, desserts, and drinks! In the exhibition, matcha is used as a symbol of (my relationship with) Japanese culture. It is a tactile and textural way to talk about consuming culture in many ways.
Another theme is mimicry. I explore the intention of mimicry—to learn, to become—by inserting myself into Japanese comedy sketch television (via green screen). I also included a sculpture/installation that has faux Japanese architecture and is meant to represent elements of Japanese spaces—minimalist—tight, yet airy. All of these things I am recreating as failures at becoming Japanese. (This is also why I’ve included a screen door—a very American, Southern housing feature that is performative in its own way.) These acts of mimicry are about questioning why we mimic other cultures. What psychological, emotional, and spiritual spaces are activated when we encounter, adore, or even mimic other cultures?
Finally, there is this idea of quiet—a very rich and internal world—that is somehow present. There were so many people in Japan, yet it was very quiet. I had been reading The Sovereignty of Black Quiet: Beyond Resistance in Black Culture, a book by Kevin Quashie, before the trip. In this book of essays, Quashie articulates the ways in which Black American culture has remained in a state of public resistance and expressiveness (necessarily) for eons. He advocates for shifting to a development of our “interiority” or harnessing “quiet” in an effective, progressive way. He notes that there is a difference in “quiet” and “silence,” which can be forced on you by others.
There was a sense in Japan that the silences were very full, and this was very meditative. This might not show up in what one sees when they walk in the gallery space, but it definitely influenced the performance, the videos, and the installation.
Cesar Garcia
Director and Chief Curator, The Mistake Room
They shot my dad, they shot my dad!
A prophecy in the history of things
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Strong Winds And Waves Batter Arctic Sea Ice
As Earth warms, the intensity of storms is rising across the globe. At least eight people died in Vanuatu, as it was hit by Cyclone Pam. "It hit Port Vila at an incredible 340 kilometres an hour", mentions a recent news report. The left part of the image below shows Cyclone Pam reaching speeds as high as 144 kilometers an hour (89.48 mph, green circle) on March 12, 2015, 1500Z, while three further cyclones feature on the Southern Hemisphere.
At the same time, on the Northern Hemisphere, winds reached speeds as high as 101 km/h (62.76 mph, bottom green circle), 120 km/h (74.56 mph, middle green circle) and 112 km/h (69.59 mph, top green circle), as shown on the right part of above image.
The image on the right shows winds with speeds as high as 125 km/h (77.67 mph) batter the coast of Greenland on March 13, 2015 (green circle).
The image below shows strong winds moving from the North Atlantic into the Arctic Ocean on March 13, 2015.
The video below, with cci-reanalyzer.org forecasts for March 13 - 20, 2015, shows strong winds battering the Arctic Ocean at both the Pacific and Atlantic ends.
The combination image below shows winds around Greenland (top) and winds penetrating the Arctic Ocean (bottom).
Waves as high as 41.5 ft (12.65 m) were recorded between Svalbard and Norway on March 13, 2015 (green circle on the left part of the image below), while waves as high as 23.13 ft (7.05 m) were recorded close to the edge of the sea ice on March 15, 2015 (green circle on the right part of the image below).
The updated image below shows waves higher than 10 m (33 ft) near Svalbard close to the edge of the sea ice on March 16, 2015 (green circle).
Meanwhile, it more and more looks like the 2015 sea ice extent maximum was reached on February 25, as illustrated by the image below.
The image below (added later, ed.) shows Arctic sea ice area up to March 18, 2015 (top), and Arctic sea ice extent up to March 20, 2015 (bottom). Briefly, the difference between area and extent could be compared to Swiss cheese. Area is the cheese without the holes, while extent measures the cheese in addition to the holes. For more on this, see this NSIDC FAQ.
Strong winds can cause high waves that can break up the sea ice. At the same time, strong winds can speed up currents that push sea ice out of the Arctic Ocean, while bringing warmer water into the Arctic Ocean, as illustrated by the image below.
The image below shows sea surface temperatures of 20.9°C (69.62°F, green circle left) recorded off the coast of North America on March 14, 2015, an anomaly of 12.3°C or 26.54°F.
The image below shows sea surface temperature anomalies in the Arctic Ocean on March 15, 2015.
The big danger is that warm water will trigger further releases of methane from the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean. Peak daily methane levels recorded in early 2015 averaged a very high 2370 parts per billion, as illustrated by the image below.
Natalia Shakhova et al. estimate the accumulated methane potential for the Eastern Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS, rectangle on image right) alone as follows:
- organic carbon in permafrost of about 500 Gt;
- about 1000 Gt in hydrate deposits; and
- about 700 Gt in free gas beneath the gas hydrate stability zone.
Hydrates can become destabilized by pressure changes that can be caused by earthquakes and resulting shockwaves and landslides, or that can be caused by wild temperature swings.
Hydrates can also become destabilized by a small temperature rise that can be caused by influx of warmer water from outside the Arctic Ocean or by warm surface water being mixed down by storms.
Waters in the ESAS are quite shallow, averaging less than 50 m depth over its 2x10ˆ6 km2 area, while methane hydrates in the ESAS can exist at depths as shallow as 20 m.
Where heat is able to penetrate the sediment along cracks, some hydrate destabilization can occur, which in turn can trigger larger destabilization, as methane escaping from a hydrate expands to 160 times its earlier volume; this explosive expansion can cause further destabilization of sediments containing methane in the form of hydrates and free gas.
The situation is dire and calls for comprehensive and effective action, as discussed at the Climate Plan blog.
Post by Sam Carana.
Posted by Sam Carana at 3:15 AM
Labels: Arctic, extent, maximum, sea ice, waves, winds
Scott Kraemer March 17, 2015 at 7:27 AM
Incredible information relevant to every living creature on this fragile planet. I fear people are about to learn a very severe lesson....
A. Randomjack March 18, 2015 at 6:22 AM
We'll likely soon need Antarctic News as well ;-)
Along with the Pine Island Glacier in western Antarctica, which should tip into the ocean when it breaks from the ground line and raise sea level by 3 to 5 meters when it does...
A similar threat, the Totten Glacier Catchment in eastern Antarctica this time, will raise sea level by 3,3 meters as NASA revealed yesterday : http://climate.nasa.gov/news/2254/
Those two threats alone will add 6 to 8 meters to sea levels, and most likely within 25 years...
When climate denier trolls claim that the sea ice extent around Antarctica is doing fine, that really means little. Even Albedo isn't much affected since that happens during the long Antarctic night. Antarctic sea ice is now thinner then it used to be and also melts away faster when summer arrives. The so called increase in coverage is attributed to stronger winds and some fresh water melt on the surface.
In my opinion, It's time to move out of Florida and away from coastal cities.
A. Randomjack March 24, 2015 at 5:46 PM
Arctic Methane Paper Please
Hello. I encountered someone that showed me an IPCC paper on methane. I didn't have any paper to post back at him proving the Arctic Methane Bomb or Monster,
Could I please have a link to such a paper? Apart from reading it, I'd like to show it in his face ;-) since Mr doesn't want to watch a video. In one way, I understand him, a paper is a paper.
Sam Carana March 24, 2015 at 10:03 PM
Did you see the post: Just do NOT tell them the Arctic Methane Monster exists
Methane Levels Early 2015
September 2015 without Arctic Sea Ice?
Save the Arctic sea ice while we still can!
March 4, 2015 - Arctic Sea Ice Extent Hits Record ...
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« Ann Arbor DDA Embraces Vinyl Art Wraps
Church Addition Gets Planning OK »
Draft of Revised Downtown Zoning Ready
October 5, 2013 at 1 pm
Draft recommendations for possible changes to zoning in downtown Ann Arbor are now available, in advance of an Oct. 8, 2013 working session of the Ann Arbor planning commission. The 25-page report was prepared by ENP & Associates, the consultants hired by the city earlier this year to conduct a downtown zoning review. [.pdf of draft recommendations]
An example of a possible development on East Huron – between Sloan Plaza and Campus Inn – with proposed zoning changes. (Image from draft report by ENP & Associates.)
By way of background, in late 2009 – after a multi-year process and considerable debate – the city council adopted the A2D2 (Ann Arbor Discovering Downtown) zoning. The intent was to review the zoning after a year, to see whether the changes resulted in the kind of downtown development that the city wants. However, in part because relatively few projects were brought forward in the first year or two after the A2D2 zoning was put in place, an A2D2 evaluation was not conducted in the original timeframe.
Interest in a review was heightened by a proposal for the 14-story 413 E. Huron apartment project on a site zoned D1, the highest density allowed. The proposal spurred controversy in part because of its location adjacent to a residential historic district.
So on April 1, 2013, the city council directed the planning commission to review A2D2 and address three specific questions: (1) whether D1 zoning is appropriately located on the north side of Huron Street between Division and South State, and on the south side of William Street between South Main and Fourth Avenue; (2) whether the D1 residential FAR [floor area ratio] premiums effectively encourage a diverse downtown population; and (3) whether a parcel on the south side of Ann Street adjacent to city hall should be rezoned “to the appropriate zoning for this neighborhood.” That parcel, currently a surface parking lot, is now zoned D1.
On April 1, the council set a deadline of Oct. 1 to deliver recommendations to the council. Councilmembers subsequently approved the 413 E. Huron project on May 13, 2013 on a 6-5 vote.
Over the past few months, the consultants – Erin Perdu and Megan Masson-Minock – have been conducting public forums, focus sessions, surveys and other means of getting feedback on the current zoning, as well as on ideas for zoning changes. The work has taken longer than anticipated, so the council will likely receive a final report in November. According to the draft report, the consultants heard from 131 individuals in person and received 142 survey responses. The draft recommendations are based on that feedback, as well as discussions with planning commissioners.
The recommendation are:
Rezone the Ann Street site from D1 to D2, a zoning designation that has a lower height – 60 feet, compared to 180 feet. The consultants also recommend rezoning the city-owned property on a portion of parcels on the south side of Ann Street – where the city hall, Justice Center and fire station are now located. The recommendation is to rezone the northern half of those parcels from D1 to D2.
Reduce the maximum height of the East Huron 1 character district – on the north side of Huron, between Division and State – from 150 feet to 120 feet, but add diagonal requirements to allow for a building with a “tower” of up to 160 feet. [Diagonals are a method of controlling shape, and typically allow for taller but less massive buildings.]
Change the height maximum in the Main Street character district to 150 feet – compared to the existing 180 feet maximum – when within 20 feet of a residentially zoned area, and add diagonal requirements. This would affect the zoning requirements for the area along William Street.
Require approval of the Design Review Board for a project to be eligible for any premium. Premiums are considered “by right” increases to FAR [floor area ratio] if certain criteria are met. For example, in D1, the basic “by right” FAR is 400% – meaning that if a building covered the entire lot, it could be four stories tall. If the use of the property is residential, that can increase the FAR to 700%. This reflects a priority on residential buildings. This recommendation also proposes changes to the current design review process, to more clearly define certain aspects of the review.
Revise the residential premium to be more specific about the types of units that will be eligible for premiums.
Revise the affordable housing premium so that providing affordable housing is mandatory in order to receive any residential premium. Eliminate the affordable housing 900% FAR “super-premium.”
Include other types of premiums in addition to the those currently available. Some options might be providing an incentive for developers to include balconies on new residential developments, providing a premium for certain types of retail on the ground floor of new developments, or allowing/encouraging open spaces that are managed and programmed privately rather than merely requiring a contribution to the parks fund (or dedication of public spaces).
The draft report also identifies some issues that should receive additional attention from the city, but that were outside the scope of this particular project. Those issues are: (1) consider a review of D1 zoning for other “sensitive” properties that were not identified in the city council resolution, such as some areas of South University and Thayer; (2) survey what other communities have done to regulate the shading impacts of new high-rise developments, in addition to requiring step-backs and diagonals; and (3) further study of the sewer and stormwater infrastructure, and the connection between new development and requiring city residents to disconnect their footing drains.
The consultants plan to present their draft report to the planning commission on Oct. 8, with commissioners considering the recommendations formally at their Oct. 15 regular meeting. For more background, see Chronicle coverage: “Priorities Emerge in Downtown Zoning Review” and ”Downtown Zoning Review Moves Forward.”
The following terms describe the content of this article. Click on a term to see all articles described with that term: Ann Arbor planning commission, D1 zoning, downtown zoning, ordinance revisions, zoning ordinance
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Dangers with Russia
ROBERT DAVID ENGLISH, renglish [at] usc.edu
English is on the faculty of the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California and served as the School’s director from 2013-2016. He recently wrote the piece “Russia, Trump, and a New Détente” for Foreign Affairs.
He said today: “The intensity of Washington’s fury over Russia’s misdeeds is matched only by its confusion over what those misdeeds are, and its exaggeration of Moscow’s supposed threats to divide Europe, to dominate the Middle East, and to undermine the United States. Threat inflation has reached levels not seen since the early Cold War, cutting off rational debate over Russian policy and fueling perilous levels of confrontation. This new Russophobia threatens to derail any chance of the détente that a new U.S. administration pragmatically outlined during the election campaign, and that both Washington and Moscow sorely need.”
English writes in his recent piece in Foreign Affairs: “These ordinary Russians are the forgotten people — the hard-working teachers, doctors, and mechanics whose savings, careers, even health were destroyed by the catastrophe of the 1990s. They are the fledgling voters who saw their new democracy bought and sold by Yeltsin and his cronies, and the onetime admirers of the United States who longed for a leader to restore their pride in Russia after a decade of humiliation. Under Clinton, the United States treated Russia like a defeated enemy and capitalized on its weakness to expand NATO. Claims that this was merely a defensive expansion were belied by NATO’s bombing of Serbia, a Russian ally, in 1999. Under President George W. Bush, the United States further intimidated Russia by abrogating the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, imposing punitive tariffs, launching a reckless invasion of Iraq, continuing to expand NATO, and further encircling Russia by cozying up to Georgia and Ukraine.”
English’s books include Russia and the Idea of the West: Gorbachev, Intellectuals, and the End of the Cold War (Columbia University Press).
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Home | Mises Library | The Birth of a Monster
The Birth of a Monster
Tags The FedMoney and BanksMoney and Banking
02/16/2019David Howden
The Federal Reserve’s doors have been open for “business” for one hundred years. In explaining the creation of this money-making machine (pun intended — the Fed remits nearly $100 bn. in profits each year to Congress) most people fall into one of two camps.
Those inclined to view the Fed as a helpful institution, fostering financial stability in a world of error-prone capitalists, explain the creation of the Fed as a natural and healthy outgrowth of the troubled National Banking System. How helpful the Fed has been is questionable at best, and in a recent book edited by Joe Salerno and me — The Fed at One Hundred — various contributors outline many (though by no means all) of the Fed’s shortcomings over the past century.
Others, mostly those with a skeptical view of the Fed, treat its creation as an exercise in secretive government meddling (as in G. Edward Griffin’s The Creature from Jekyll Island) or crony capitalism run amok (as in Murray Rothbard’s The Case Against the Fed).
In my own chapter in The Fed at One Hundred I find sympathies with both groups (you can download the chapter pdf here). The actual creation of the Fed is a tragically beautiful case study in closed-door Congressional deals and big banking’s ultimate victory over the American public. Neither of these facts emerged from nowhere, however. The fateful events that transpired in 1910 on Jekyll Island were the evolutionary outcome of over fifty years of government meddling in money. As such, the Fed is a natural (though terribly unfortunate) outgrowth of an ever more flawed and repressive monetary system.
Before the Fed
Allow me to give a brief reverse biographical sketch of the events leading up to the creation of a monster in 1914.
Unlike many controversial laws and policies of the American government — such as the Affordable Care Act, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or the War on Terror — the Federal Reserve Act passed with very little public outcry. Also strange for an industry effectively cartelized, the banking establishment welcomed the Fed with open arms. What gives?
By the early twentieth century, America’s banking system was in a shambles. Fractional-reserve banks faced with “runs” (which didn’t have to be runs with the pandemonium that usually accompanies them, but rather just banks having insufficient cash to meet daily withdrawal requests) frequently suspended cash redemptions or issued claims to “clearinghouse certificates.” These certificates were a money substitute making use of the whole banking system’s reserves held by large clearinghouses.
Both of these “solutions” to the common bank run were illegal as they allowed a bank to redefine the terms of the original deposit contract. This fact notwithstanding, the US government turned a blind eye as the alternative (widespread bank failures) was perceived to be far worse.
The creation of the Fed, the ensuing centralization of reserves, and the creation of a more elastic money supply was welcomed by the government as a way to eliminate those pesky and illegal (yet permitted) banking activities of redemption suspensions and the issuance of clearinghouse certificates. The Fed returned legitimacy to the laws of the land. That is, it addressed the government’s fear that non-enforcement of a law would raise broader questions about the general rule of law.
The Fed provided a quick fix to depositors by reducing cases of suspensions of their accounts. And the banking industry saw the Fed as a way to serve clients better without incurring a cost (fewer bank runs) and at the same time coordinate their activities to expand credit in unison and maximize their own profits.
In short, the Federal Reserve Act had a solution for everyone.
Taking a central role in this story are the private clearinghouses which provided for many of the Fed’s roles before 1914. Indeed, America’s private clearinghouses were viewed as having as many powers as European central banks of the day, and the creation of the Fed was really just an effort to make the illegal practices of the clearinghouses legal by government institutionalization.
Why Did Clearinghouses Have So Much Power?
Throughout the late nineteenth century, clearinghouses used each new banking crisis to introduce a new type of policy, bringing them ever closer in appearance to a central bank. I wouldn’t go so far as to say these are examples of power grabs by the clearinghouses, but rather rational responses to fundamental problems in a troubled American banking system.
When bank runs occurred, the clearinghouse certificate came into use, first in 1857, but confined to the interbank market to economize on reserves. Transactions could be cleared in specie, but lacking sufficient reserves, a troubled bank could make use of the certificates. These certificates were jointly guaranteed by all banks in the clearinghouse system through their pooled reserves. This joint guarantee was welcomed by unstable banks with poor reserve positions, and imposed a cost on more prudently managed banks (as is the case today with deposit insurance). A prudent bank could complain, but if it wanted to use a clearinghouse’s services and reap the cost advantages it had to comply with the reserve-pooling policy.
As the magnitude of the banking crisis intensified, clearinghouses started permitting banks to issue the certificates directly to the public (starting with the Panic of 1873) to further stymie reserve drains. (These issues to the general public amounted to illegal money substitutes, though they were tolerated, as noted above.)
Fractional-Reserve Free Banking and Bust
The year 1857 is a somewhat strange one for these clearinghouse certificates to make their first appearance. It was, after all, a full twenty years into America’s experiment with fractional-reserve free banking. This banking system was able to function stably, especially compared to more regulated periods or central banking regimes. However, the dislocation between deposit and lending activities set in motion a credit-fueled boom that culminated in the Panic of 1857.
This boom and panic has all the makings of an Austrian business cycle. Banks overextended themselves to finance the booming industries during America’s westward advance, primarily the railways. Land speculation was rampant. As realized profits came in under expectations, investors got skittish and withdrew money from banks. Troubled banks turned to the recently established New York Clearing House to promote stability. Certain rights were voluntarily abrogated in return for a guarantee on their solvency.
The original sin of the free-banking period was its fractional-reserve foundation. Without the ability to fund lending activity with their deposit base, banks never would have financed the boom to the extent that it became a destabilizing factor. Westward expansion and investment would still have occurred, though it would have occurred in a sustainable way funded through equity investments and loans. (These types of financing were used, though as is the case today, this occurred less than would be the case given the fractional-reserve banking system’s essentially cost-free funding source: the deposit base.)
In conclusion, the Fed was not birthed from nothing in 1913. The monster was the natural outgrowth of an increasingly troubled banking system. In searching for the original problem that set in motion the events culminating in the creation of the Fed, one must draw attention to the Panic of 1857 as the spark that set in motion ever more destabilizing policies. The Panic itself is a textbook example of an Austrian business cycle, caused by the lending activities of fractional-reserve banks. This original sin of the banking system concluded with the birth of a monster in 1914: The Federal Reserve.
Image source: flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/37815348@N00/6682415005/sizes/l
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End of an era – QuickBird’s final image
By: DigitalGlobe
On January 27, 2015, one of DigitalGlobe’s oldest and most historically significant imaging satellites re-entered Earth’s atmosphere after completing its 13-year mission on orbit. QuickBird made more than 70,000 trips around the planet, capturing some 636 million square kilometers of high-resolution earth imagery that contributed to humanity’s understanding of our changing planet.
In its final orbit before its imager was turned off, QuickBird captured this stunning view of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on December 17, 2014. The satellite’s orbit had decayed to approximately 300 kilometers, resulting in an image with incredible ground resolution of 41 cm.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. developed QuickBird, which was the highest resolution commercial satellite at the time, as well as DigitalGlobe’s subsequent WorldView-1, WorldView-2, and WorldView-3 satellites. QuickBird played a key role in the establishment of the commercial remote sensing industry and helped pave the way for what is now the world’s most capable imaging satellite constellation.
QuickBird imagery dating back to 2002 will remain available in our imagery catalog.
Learn more about DigitalGlobe’s satellite imagery and geospatial products on our website: http://www.digitalglobe.com/
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. and The Boeing Company technicians prepare
to mate QuickBird with its launch vehicle adapter.
The Boeing Delta II rocket carrying QuickBird lifts off on October 18, 2001, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
DigitalGlobe moves to the cloud with AWS Snowmobile
DigitalGlobe signs reseller agreement with Hitachi
Fun facts about DigitalGlobe satellites
Frequently Asked Questions about
WorldView-4
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Category Archives: snobbery
Apple, cluefulness, comment-fishing, community-building, consumerism, consumption, economics, Education, education systems, Empowerment, idealism, Institutions, knowledge people, Learning, learning and teaching, librarians, naïve, prestige, product and process, productivity, professionals, ramblings, respect, satisfaction, snobbery, soapbox, social capital, wishful thinking
Concierge-Style Service
April 7, 2012 alex 1 Comment
Disclaimer: This is one of those blogposts in which I ramble quite a bit. I do have a core point, but I take winding roads around it. It’s also a post where I’m consciously naïve, this time talking about topics which may make economists react viscerally. My hope is that they can get past their initial reaction and think about “the fool’s truth”.
High-quality customer service is something which has a very positive effect, on me. More than being awed by it, I’m extremely appreciative for it when it’s directed towards me and glad it exists when other people take advantage of it.
And I understand (at least some of) the difficulties of customer service.
Never worked directly in customer service. I do interact with a number of people, when I work (teaching, doing field research, working in restaurants, or even doing surveys over the phone). And I’ve had to deal with my share of “difficult customers”, sometimes for months at a time. But nothing I’ve done was officially considered customer service. In fact, with some of my work, “customer service” is exactly the opposite of “what the job is about”, despite some apparent similarities.
So I can only talk about customer service as a customer.
As job sectors go, customer service is quite compatible with a post-industrial world. At the end of the Industrial Revolution, jobs in the primary and secondary sectors have decreased a lot in numbers, especially in the wealthiest parts of the World. The tertiary sector is rapidly growing, in these same contexts. We may eventually notice a significant move toward the quaternary sector, through the expansion of the “knowledge society” but, as far as I know, that sector employs a very small proportion of the active population in any current context.
Point is, the service sector is quite big.
It’s also quite diverse, in terms of activities as well as in terms of conditions. There are call centres where working conditions and salaries are somewhat comparable to factory work (though the latter is considered “blue collar” and the former “white collar”). And there are parts of the service industry which, from the outside, sound quite pleasant.
But, again, I’m taking the point of view of the customer, here. I really do care about working conditions and would be interested in finding ways to improve them, but this blogpost is about my reactions as someone on the other side of the relationship.
More specifically, I’m talking about cases where my satisfaction reaches a high level. I don’t like to complain about bad service (though I could share some examples). But I do like to underline quality service.
And there are plenty of examples of those. I often share them on Twitter and/or on Facebook. But I might as well talk about some of these, here. Especially since I’m wrapping my head about a more general principal.
A key case happened back in November, during the meetings of the American Anthropological Association, here in Montreal. Was meeting a friend of mine at the conference hotel. Did a Foursquare checkin there, while I was waiting, pointing out that I was a local. Received a Twitter reply from the hotel’s account, welcoming me to Montreal. Had a short exchange about this and was told that “if my friend needs anything…” Went to lunch with my friend.
Among the topics of our conversation was the presentation she was going to give, that afternoon. She was feeling rather nervous about it and asked me what could be done to keep her nervousness under control. Based on both personal experience and rumours, I told her to eat bananas, as they seem to help in relieving stress. But, obviously, bananas aren’t that easy to get, in a downtown area.
After leaving my friend, I thought about where to get bananas for her, as a surprise. Didn’t remember that there was a supermarket, not too far from the hotel, so I was at a loss. Eventually went back to the hotel, thinking I might ask the hotel staff about this. Turns out, it would have been possible to order bananas for my friend but the kitchen had just closed.
On a whim, I thought about contacting the person who had replied to me through the hotel’s Twitter account. Explained the situation, gave my friend’s room number and, within minutes, a fruit basket was delivered to her door. At no extra charge to me or to my friend. As if it were a completely normal thing to do, asking for bananas to be delivered to a room.
I’m actually not one to ask for favours, in general. And I did feel strange asking for these bananas. But I wanted to surprise my friend and was going to pay for the service anyway. And the “if she needs anything” message was almost a dare, to me. My asking for bananas was almost defiant. “Oh, yeah? Anything? How about you bring bananas to her room, then?” Again, I’m usually not like this but exchanges like those make me want to explore the limits of the interaction.
And the result was really positive. My friend was very grateful and I sincerely think it helped her relax before her presentation, beyond the effects of the bananas themselves. And it titillated my curiosity, as an informal observer of customer service.
Often heard about hotel concierges as the model of quality in customer service. This fruit basket gave me a taster.
What’s funny about «concierges» is that, as a Québécois, I mostly associate them with maintenance work. In school, for instance, the «concierge» was the janitor, the person in charge of cleaning up the mess left by students. Sounds like “custodian” (and “custodial services”) may be somewhat equivalent to this meaning of «concierge», among English-speaking Canadians, especially in universities. Cleaning services are the key aspect of this line of work. Of course, it’s important work and it should be respected. But it’s not typically glorified as a form of employment. In fact, it’s precisely the kind of work which is used as a threat to those whose school performance is considered insufficient. Condescending teachers and principals would tell someone that they could end up working as a «concierge» (“janitor”) if they didn’t get their act together. Despite being important, this work is considered low-status. And, typically, it has little to do with customer service, as their work is often done while others are absent.
Concierges in French apartment buildings are a different matter, as they also control access and seem to be involved in collecting rent. But, in the “popular imagination” (i.e., in French movies), they’re not associated with a very high quality of service. Can think of several concierges of this type, in French movies. Some of them may have a congenial personality. But I can’t think of one who was portrayed as a model of high-quality customer service.
(I have friends who were «concierges» in apartment buildings, here in Montreal. Their work, which they did while studying, was mostly about maintenance, including changing lightbulbs and shovelling snow. The equivalent of “building superintendent”, it seems. Again, important but devalued work.)
Hotel concierges are the ones English-speakers think of when they use the term. They are the ones who are associated with high-quality (and high-value) customer service. These are the ones I’m thinking about, here.
Hotel concierges’ “golden keys” («Clefs d’or») are as much of a status symbol as you can get one. No idea how much hotel concierges make and I’m unclear as to their training and hiring. But it’s clear that they occupy quite specific a position in the social ladder, much higher than that of school janitors or apartment concierges.
Again, I can just guess how difficult their work must be. Not only the activities themselves but the interactions with the public. Yet, what interests me now is their reputation for delivering outstanding service. The fruit basket delivered to my friend’s door was a key example, to me.
(I also heard more about staff in luxury hotels, in part from a friend who worked in a call centre for a hotel with an enviable reputation. The hospitality industry is also a central component of Swiss culture, and I heard a few things about Swiss hotel schools, including Lausanne’s well-known EHL. Not to mention contacts with ITHQ graduates. But my experience with this kind of service in a hotel context is very limited.)
And it reminds me of several other examples. One is my admiration for the work done by servers in a Fredericton restaurant. The food was quite good and the restaurant’s administration boasts their winelist. But the service is what gave me the most positive feeling. Those service were able to switch completely from treating other people like royalty to treating me like a friend. These people were so good at their job that I discussed it with some of them. Perhaps they were just being humble but they didn’t even seem to realize that they were doing an especially good job.
A similar case is at some of Siena’s best restaurants, during a stay with several friends. At most places we went, the service was remarkably impeccable. We were treated like we deserved an incredible amount of respect, even though we were wearing sandals, shorts, and t-shirts.
Of course, quality service happens outside of hotels and restaurants. Which is why I wanted to post this.
Yesterday, I went to the “Genius Bar” at the Apple Store near my university campus. Had been having some issues with my iPhone and normal troubleshooting didn’t help. In fact, I had been to the same place, a few months ago, and what they had tried hadn’t really solved the problem.
This time, the problem was fixed in a very simple way: they replaced my iPhone with a new one. The process was very straightforward and efficient. And, thanks to regular backups, setting up my replacement iPhone was relatively easy a process. (There were a few issues with it and it did take some time to do, but nothing compared to what it might have been like without cloud backups.)
Through this and previous experiences with the “Genius Bar“, I keep thinking that this service model should be applied to other spheres of work. Including healthcare. Not the specifics of how a “Genius Bar” works. But something about this quality of service, applied to patient care. I sincerely think it’d have a very positive impact on people’s health.
In a way, this might be what’s implied by “concierge medicine”: personalized healthcare services, centred on patients’ needs. But there’s a key difference between Apple’s “Genius Bar” and “concierge medicine”: access to the “Genius Bar” is open to all (customers of Apple products).
Sure, not everyone can afford Apple products. But, despite a prevailing impression, these products are usually not that much more expensive than those made by competitors. In fact, some products made by Apple are quite competitive in their market. So, while the concierge-style services offered by the “Genius Bar” are paid by Apple’s customers, costing those services as even the totality of the “Apple premium” might reveal quite decent a value proposition.
Besides, it’s not about Apple and it’s not really about costs. While Apple’s “Genius Bar” provided my inspiration for this post, I mostly think about quality of service, in general. And while it’s important for decision-makers to think about the costs involved, it’s also important to think about what we mean by high quality service.
One aspect of concierge-style service is that it’s adapted to specific needs. It’s highly customized and personalized, the exact opposite of a “cookie-cutter” approach. My experience at BrewBakers was like that: I was treated the way I wanted to be treated and other people were treated in a very different way. For instance, a server sat besides me as I was looking at the menu, as if I had been a friend “hanging out” with them, and then treated some other customers as if they were the most dignified people in the world. Can’t say for sure the other people appreciated it (looked like they did), but I know it gave me a very warm feeling.
Similar thing at the “Genius Bar”. I could hear other people being treated very formally, but every time I went I was treated with the exact level of informality that I really enjoy. Perhaps more importantly, people’s technology skills are clearly taken into account and they never, in my experience, represent a basis for condescension or for misguided advice. In other words, lack of knowledge of an issue is treated with an understanding attitude and a customer’s expertise on an issue is treated with the exact level of respect it deserves. As always, YMMV. But I’m consistently struck by how appropriately “Genius Bar” employees treat diverse degrees of technological sophistication. As a teacher, this is something about which I care deeply. And it’s really challenging.
While it’s flexible and adaptable, concierge-style service is also respectful, no matter what. This is where our experiences in Siena were so striking. We were treated with respect, even though we didn’t fit the “dress code” for any of these restaurants. And this is a city where, in our observations, people seemed to put a lot of care in what they wore. It’s quite likely that we were judged like annoying tourists, who failed to understand the importance of wearing a suit and tie when going to a “classy” restaurant. But we were still welcomed in these establishments, and nothing in the service made us perceive negatively judged by these servers.
I’ve also heard about hotel staff having to maintain their dignity while coping with people who broke much more than dress codes. And this applies whether or not these people are clients. Friends told me about how the staff at a luxury hotel may deal with people who are unlikely to be customers (including homeless people). According to these friends, the rule is to treat everyone with respect, regardless of which position in the social ladder people occupy. Having noticed a few occasions where respectful treatment was applied to people who are often marginalized, it gives me some of the same satisfaction as when I’m treated adequately.
In other words, concierge-style service is appropriate, “no matter what”. The payoff may not be immediately obvious to everyone, but it’s clearly there. For one thing, poor-quality service to someone else can be quite painful to watch and those of us who are empathetic are likely to “take our business elsewhere” when we see somebody else being treated with disrespect. Not to mention that a respectful attitude is often the best way to prevent all sorts of negative situations from happening. Plus, some high-status people may look like low-status ones in certain of these situations. (For instance, friend working for a luxury hotel once commented on some celebrities looking like homeless people when they appeared at the hotel’s entrance.)
Concierge-style service is also disconnected from business transactions. While the money used to pay for people providing concierge-style service comes from business transactions, this connection is invisible in the service itself. This is similar to something which seems to puzzle a number of people I know, when I mention it. And I’m having a hard time explaining it in a way that they understand. But it’s quite important in the case of customer service.
At one level, you may call it an illusion. Though people pay for a service, the service is provided as if this payment didn’t matter. Sure, the costs associated with my friend’s fruit basket were incurred in the cost of her room. But neither of us saw that cost. So, at that level, it’s as if people were oblivious to the business side of things. This might help explain it to some people, but it’s not the end of it.
Another part has to do with models in which the costs behind the service are supported by a larger group of people, for instance in the ad-based model behind newspapers and Google or in the shared costs model behind insurance systems (not to mention public sectors programs). The same applies to situation where a third-party is responsible for the costs, like parents paying for services provided to their children. In this case, the separation between services and business transactions is a separation between roles. The same person can be beneficiary or benefactor in the same system, but at different times. Part of the result is that the quality of the service is directed toward the beneficiary, even though this person may not be directly responsible for the costs incurred by this service. So, the quality of a service offered by Google has to do with users of that service, not with Google’s customers (advertisers). The same thing applies to any kind of sponsorship and can work quite well with concierge-level quality of service. The Apple Store model is a bit like this, in that Apple subsidizes its stores out of its “own pocket”, and seems to be making a lot of money thanks to them. It may be counterintuitive, as a model, and the distinction between paying for and getting a service may sound irrelevant. But, from the perspective of human beings getting this kind of service, the difference is quite important.
At another level, it’s a matter of politeness. While some people are fine talking financials about any kind of exchange, many others find open discussion of money quite impolite. The former group of people may find it absurd but some of us would rather not discuss the specifics of the business transactions while a service is given. And I don’t mean anything like the lack of transparency of a menu with no price, in a very expensive restaurant. Quite the contrary. I mean a situation where everybody knows how much things cost in this specific situation, but discussion of those costs happens outside of the service itself. Again, this may sound strange to some, but I’d argue that it’s a characteristic of concierge-style service. You know how much it costs to spend a night at this hotel (or to get a haircut from this salon). But, while a specific service is provided, these costs aren’t mentioned.
Another component of this separation between services and their costs is about “fluidity”. It can be quite inefficient for people to keep calculating how much a service costs, itemized. The well-known joke about an engineer asked to itemize services for accounting purposes relates to this. In an industrial context, every item can have a specific cost. Applying the same logic to the service sector can lead to an overwhelming overhead and can also be quite misleading, especially in the case of knowledge and creative work. (How much does an idea cost?) While concierge-style service may be measured, doing so can have a negative impact on the service itself.
Some of my thinking about services and their costs has to do with learning contexts. In fact, much of my thinking about quality of service has to do with learning, since teaching remains an important part of my life. The equation between the costs of education and the learning process is quite complex. While there may be strong correlations between socioeconomic factors and credentials, the correlation between learning and credential is seems to be weaker and the connection between learning and socioeconomic factors is quite indirect.
In fact, something which is counterintuitive to outsiders and misconstrued to administrators at learning institutions is the relationship between learning and the quality of the work done by a teacher. There are many factors involved, in the work of a teacher, from students’ prior knowledge to their engagement in the learning process, and from “time on task” to the compatibility between learning and teaching methods. It’s also remarkably difficult to measure teaching effectiveness, especially if one is to pay more than lipservice to lifelong learning. Also, the motivations behind a teacher’s work rarely have much to do with such things as differential pay. At the very least, it’s clear that dedicated teachers spend more time than is officially required, and that they do so without any expectation of getting more money. But they do expect (and often get) much more than money, including the satisfaction of a job well done.
The analogy between teaching and concierge services falls down quickly if we think that concierges’ customers are those who use their services. Even in “for-profit” schools, the student-teacher relationship has very little to do with a client-business relationship. Those who “consume” the learning process are learners’ future employers or society as a whole. But students themselves aren’t “consuming teaching”, they’re learning. Sure, students often pay a portion of the costs to run educational institutions (other costs being covered by research activities, sponsorships, government funding, alumni, and even parents). But the result of the learning process is quite different from paying for a service. At worst, students are perceived as the “products” of the process. At best, they help construct knowledge. And even if students are increasingly treated as if they were customers of learning institutions (including publicly-funded ones), their relationship to teachers is quite distinct from patronage.
And this is one place for a connection between teachers and concierges, having to do with the separation between services and their fees: high quality service is given by concierges and teachers beyond direct financial incentives to do so. Even if these same teachers and concierges are trying to get increased wages, the services they provide are free of these considerations. Salary negotiations are a matter between employers and employees. Those who receive services are customers of the employers, not the employees. There’d be no reason for a concierge or teacher to argue with customers and students about their salaries.
In a way, this is almost the opposite of “social alienation”. In social sciences. “alienation” refers to a feeling of estrangement often taking place among workers whose products are consumed by people with whom they have no connection. A worker at a Foxconn factory may feel alienated from the person who will buy the Dell laptop on which she’s working. But service work is quite distinct from this. While there may be a huge status differential between someone getting a service and the person providing it and there can be a feeling of distance, the fact that there’s a direct connection between the two is quite significant. Even someone working at a call centre in India providing technical support to a high-status customer in the US is significantly different from the alienated factory worker. The direct connection between call centre employee and customer can have a significant impact on both people involved, and on the business behind the technical support request.
And, to a large extent, the further a person working in customer service is from the financial transaction, the higher the quality of the service.
Lots has been said about Zappos and about Nordstrom. Much of that has to do with how these two companies’ approaches to customer service differ from other approaches (for instance, avoiding scripts). But there might be a key lesson, here, in terms of distancing the service from the job. The “customers are always right” ethos doesn’t jive well with beancounting.
So, concierge-style service is “more than a job”.
Providing high-quality service can be highly stimulating, motivating, and satisfying. Haven’t looked at job satisfaction levels among these people, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were quite high. What managers seem to forget, about job satisfaction, is that it has an impact beyond employee retention, productivity, and reputation. Satisfying jobs have a broad impact on society, which then impacts business. Like Ford paying high wages for his workers, much of it has to do with having a broader vision than simply managing the “ins and outs” of a given business. This is where Hanifan’s concept of social capital may come into play. Communities are built through such things as trust and job satisfaction.
Again, these aren’t simple issues. Quality customer service isn’t a simple matter of giving people the right conditions. But its effect are far-reaching.
It’s interesting to hear about “corporate concierge services” offered to employees of certain businesses. In a way, they loop back the relationship between high-quality service and labour. It sounds like corporate concierges can do a lot to enhance a workplace, even making it more sustainable. I’d be curious to know more about them, as it sounds like they might have an interesting position with regards to the enterprise. I wouldn’t be surprised if their status were separate from that of regular employees within the business.
And, of course, I wish I were working at a place where such services were available. Sounds like those workplaces aren’t that uncommon. But having access to such services would be quite a privilege.
Thing is, I hate privilege, even when I’m the one benefitting from it. I once quipped that I hated library privileges, because they’re unequally distributed. The core of this is that I wish society were more equal. Not by levelling down everything we have, but by providing broader access to resources and services.
A key problem with concierge-style services is that access to them tends to be restricted. But it doesn’t sound like their costs are the only factor for this exclusiveness. In a way, concierge-level service may not be that much more expensive than standard service. It might be about concierge-style services being a differentiating factor, but even that doesn’t imply that it should be so restricted.
I’d argue that the level of quality of service that I’ve been describing (and rambling on about) can be found in just about any context. I’ve observed the work of librarians, gas station attendants, police officers, street vendors, park rangers, and movers who provided this level of service. While it may difficult to sustain high-quality service, it does scale and it does seem to make life easier for everyone.
Apple Storeconcierge medicineconcierge servicescorporate concierge servicescustomer servicecustomer service representativescustomer supportflexibilityGenius Barjob satisfactionknowledge societyNordstrompost-industrial societytech supportternary sectorZappos
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Reply to Alex Gagnon’s Google Paradox
February 27, 2011 alex 1 Comment
[Tried adding a comment directly on Alex Gagnon’s Posterous blog, but it kept stalling. So I’ll post this here, which may make for a different kind of interaction. Besides, I’d like to blog a bit more.]
The Google Paradox – Marc-Alexandre Gagnon.
We seem to be finding very different answers to rather similar questions. So I sincerely hope we’ll have the opportunity to meet and discuss these things in a local café.
But still, a few thoughts, in no particular order.
Let’s be clear on what we mean by “culture.” Sounds like there’s a tension, here, between the ways the concept signifies in: “cultural industry,” “Minister of culture,” “pop culture,” “our culture,” and “nature vs. culture.” As a cultural anthropologist, I tend to navigate more toward the latter contexts, but there are significant connections through these diverse conceptual frames.
Speaking of significance… It can be a useful concept, with some links to “relevance.” Especially if we think about Relevance Theory as defined by Deirdre Wilson and Dan Sperber. Their theory is about communication and cognition, with some strange claims about semiotics. Significance can bridge the gap between their notion of relevance and what insight semiotics may provide.
Chances are, you’re not really singling out Google, right? Blekko and Bing are providing similar results for similar reasons. Google may be the target of most SEO, but current search engines share a fairly unified notion of “quality content.”
Speaking of quality… As mentioned on Twitter, we might think of quality as a social construct. Especially “now.” The modern era had a lot to do with tastemakers, which were given some “authority/influence/power” through a rather specific social process. Similar to what @ChrisBrogan and @Julien call “trust agents.” In sociology, we talk about “gatekeepers” in pretty much the same way. And Duchamp woke a few people up in showing the effects of museumization. We had similar things in music, though my courses in musical æsthetics paid relatively little attention to these.
The basic insight from most “posts” (postcolonialism, poststructuralism, postmodernism, postnationalism, postindustrialism…) is that rigid structures may crumble. Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, of course, but also the very idea of the Nation-State with “checkbox democracy” focused on the representation of predefined “interest groups.” Self-labeled arbiters of good taste, of course, but also the notion that “quality” is an immanent feature of the art object.
And speaking of art objects… People still talk about masterpieces, great works, and cathedrals. But we may also talk about the bazaar, “the eye of the beholder,” and “life as an art form.” Life is too short for everyone to be looking at the same old “artworks.” After all, “Life, sex, and art aren’t spectator sports.”
As for our logocentrism (“language media”), it’s difficult but possible to get beyond this ethnocentric bias. Part of this was prefigured in much 20th Century philosophy (from Russell to Davidson) and popular culture (Wings of Desire). But we can have a broader approach. In anthropology, we work on several things which are directly related to this, from linguistic anthropology and the ethnography of communication to cognitive anthropology and the anthropology of senses. We may live in a “visual” society but our obsession is with language. Which has a lot to do with the fact that the Internet was set in a Euro-American context.
But “our culture” isn’t a prison. We can adopt a broader worldview.
beautyBertrand RussellBingBlekkocheckbox democracycognitive anthropologycultural industryDeath of the AuthorDonald DavidsonDujka SmojeEric S. RaymondESReurocentrismgatekeepersGoogleImmanent ArtJohn FoleylobbyinglogocentrismMarc-Alexandre GagnonMarcel DuchampmodernistsMonique Desrochesmusical æstheticsmusickingphilosophy of languagepostindustrialismpostmodernismpostnationalismpoststructuralismRadiolabRelevance TheoryRoland Barthessensory anthropologysignificancespectator sportsThe Cathedral and the Bazaartrust agentsWim Wenders
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Intimacy, Network Effect, Hype
February 5, 2011 alex 4 Comments
Is “intimacy” a mere correlate of the network effect?
Can we use the network effect to explain what has been happening with Quora?
Is the Quora hype related to network effect?
I really don’t feel a need to justify my dislike of Quora. Oh, sure, I can explain it. At length. Even on Quora itself. And elsewhere. But I tend to sense some defensiveness on the part of Quora fans.
[Speaking of fans, I have blogposts on fanboism laying in my head, waiting to be hatched. Maybe this will be part of it.]
But the important point, to me, isn’t about whether or not I like Quora. It’s about what makes Quora so divisive. There are people who dislike it and there are some who defend it.
Originally, I was only hearing from contacts and friends who just looooved Quora. So I was having a “Ionesco moment”: why is it that seemingly “everyone” who uses it loves Quora when, to me, it represents such a move in the wrong direction? Is there something huge I’m missing? Or has that world gone crazy?
It was a surreal experience.
And while I’m all for surrealism, I get this strange feeling when I’m so unable to understand a situation. It’s partly a motivation for delving into the issue (I’m surely not the only ethnographer to get this). But it’s also unsettling.
And, for Quora at least, this phase seems to be over. I now think I have a good idea as to what makes for such a difference in people’s experiences with Quora.
It has to do with the network effect.
I’m sure some Quora fanbois will disagree, but it’s now such a clear picture in my mind that it gets me into the next phase. Which has little to do with Quora itself.
The “network effect” is the kind of notion which is so commonplace that few people bother explaining it outside of introductory courses (same thing with “group forming” in social psychology and sociology, or preferential marriage patterns in cultural anthropology). What someone might call (perhaps dismissively): “textbook stuff.”
I’m completely convinced that there’s a huge amount of research on the network effect, but I’m also guessing few people looking it up. And I’m accusing people, here. Ever since I first heard of it (in 1993, or so), I’ve rarely looked at explanations of it and I actually don’t care about the textbook version of the concept. And I won’t “look it up.” I’m more interested in diverse usage patterns related to the concept (I’m a linguistic anthropologist).
So, the version I first heard (at a time when the Internet was off most people’s radar) was something like: “in networked technology, you need critical mass for the tools to become truly useful. For instance, the telephone has no use if you’re the only one with one and it has only very limited use if you can only call a single person.” Simple to the point of being simplistic, but a useful reminder.
Over the years, I’ve heard and read diverse versions of that same concept, usually in more sophisticated form, but usually revolving around the same basic idea that there’s a positive effect associated with broader usage of some networked technology.
I’m sure specialists have explored every single implication of this core idea, but I’m not situating myself as a specialist of technological networks. I’m into social networks, which may or may not be associated with technology (however defined). There are social equivalents of the “network effect” and I know some people are passionate about those. But I find that it’s quite limiting to focus so exclusively on quantitative aspects of social networks. What’s so special about networks, in a social science perspective, isn’t scale. Social scientists are used to working with social groups at any scale and we’re quite aware of what might happen at different scales. But networks are fascinating because of different features they may have. We may gain a lot when we think of social networks as acephalous, boundless, fluid, nameless, indexical, and impactful. [I was actually lecturing about some of this in my “Intro to soci” course, yesterday…]
So, from my perspective, “network effect” is an interesting concept when talking about networked technology, in part because it relates to the social part of those networks (innovation happens mainly through technological adoption, not through mere “invention”). But it’s not really the kind of notion I’d visit regularly.
This case is somewhat different. I’m perceiving something rather obvious (and which is probably discussed extensively in research fields which have to do with networked technology) but which strikes me as missing from some discussions of social networking systems online. In a way, it’s so obvious that it’s kind of difficult to explain.
But what’s coming up in my mind has to do with a specific notion of “intimacy.” It’s actually something which has been on my mind for a while and it might still need to “bake” a bit longer before it can be shared properly. But, like other University of the Streets participants, I perceive the importance of sharing “half-baked thoughts.”
And, right now, I’m thinking of an anecdotal context which may get the point across.
Given my attendance policy, there are class meetings during which a rather large proportion of the class is missing. I tend to call this an “intimate setting,” though I’m aware that it may have different connotations to different people. From what I can observe, people in class get the point. The classroom setting is indeed changing significantly and it has to do with being more “intimate.”
Not that we’re necessarily closer to one another physically or intellectually. It needs not be a “bonding experience” for the situation to be interesting. And it doesn’t have much to do with “absolute numbers” (a classroom with 60 people is relatively intimate when the usual attendance is close to 100; a classroom with 30 people feels almost overwhelming when only 10 people were showing up previously). But there’s some interesting phenomenon going on when there are fewer people than usual, in a classroom.
Part of this phenomenon may relate to motivation. In some ways, one might expect that those who are attending at that point are the “most dedicated students” in the class. This might be a fairly reasonable assumption in the context of a snowstorm but it might not work so well in other contexts (say, when the incentive to “come to class” relates to extrinsic motivation). So, what’s interesting about the “intimate setting” isn’t necessarily that it brings together “better people.” It’s that something special goes on.
What’s going on, with the “intimate classroom,” can vary quite a bit. But there’s still “something special” about it. Even when it’s not a bonding experience, it’s still a shared experience. While “communities of practice” are fascinating, this is where I tend to care more about “communities of experience.” And, again, it doesn’t have much to do with scale and it may have relatively little to do with proximity (physical or intellectual). But it does have to do with cognition and communication. What is special with the “intimate classroom” has to do with shared assumptions.
Going back to Quora…
While an online service with any kind of network effect is still relatively new, there’s something related to the “intimate setting” going on. In other words, it seems like the initial phase of the network effect is the “intimacy” phase: the service has a “large enough userbase” to be useful (so, it’s achieved a first type of critical mass) but it’s still not so “large” as to be overwhelming.
During that phase, the service may feel to people like a very welcoming place. Everyone can be on a “first-name basis. ” High-status users mingle with others as if there weren’t any hierarchy. In this sense, it’s a bit like the liminal phase of a rite of passage, during which communitas is achieved.
This phase is a bit like the Golden Age for an online service with a significant “social dimension.” It’s the kind of time which may make people “wax nostalgic about the good ole days,” once it’s over. It’s the time before the BYT comes around.
Sure, there’s a network effect at stake. You don’t achieve much of a “sense of belonging” by yourself. But, yet again, it’s not really a question of scale. You can feel a strong bond in a dyad and a team of three people can perform quite well. On the other hand, the cases about which I’m thinking are orders of magnitude beyond the so-called “Dunbar number” which seems to obsess so many people (outside of anthro, at least).
Here’s where it might get somewhat controversial (though similar things have been said about Quora): I’d argue that part of this “intimacy effect” has to do with a sense of “exclusivity.” I don’t mean this as the way people talk about “elitism” (though, again, there does seem to be explicit elitism involved in Quora’s case). It’s more about being part of a “select group of people.” About “being there at the time.” It can get very elitist, snobbish, and self-serving very fast. But it’s still about shared experiences and, more specifically, about the perceived boundedness of communities of experience.
We all know about early adopters, of course. And, as part of my interest in geek culture, I keep advocating for more social awareness in any approach to the adoption part of social media tools. But what I mean here isn’t about a “personality type” or about the “attributes of individual actors.” In fact, this is exactly a point at which the study of social networks starts deviating from traditional approaches to sociology. It’s about the special type of social group the “initial userbase” of such a service may represent.
From a broad perspective (as outsiders, say, or using the comparativist’s “etic perspective”), that userbase is likely to be rather homogeneous. Depending on the enrollment procedure for the service, the structure of the group may be a skewed version of an existing network structure. In other words, it’s quite likely that, during that phase, most of the people involved were already connected through other means. In Quora’s case, given the service’s pushy overeagerness on using Twitter and Facebook for recruitment, it sounds quite likely that many of the people who joined Quora could already be tied through either Twitter or Facebook.
Anecdotally, it’s certainly been my experience that the overwhelming majority of people who “follow me on Quora” have been part of my first degree on some social media tool in the recent past. In fact, one of my main reactions as I’ve been getting those notifications of Quora followers was: “here are people with whom I’ve been connected but with whom I haven’t had significant relationships.” In some cases, I was actually surprised that these people would “follow” me while it appeared like they actually weren’t interested in having any kind of meaningful interactions. To put it bluntly, it sometimes appeared as if people who had been “snubbing” me were suddenly interested in something about me. But that was just in the case of a few people I had unsuccessfully tried to engage in meaningful interactions and had given up thinking that we might not be that compatible as interlocutors. Overall, I was mostly surprised at seeing the quick uptake in my follower list, which doesn’t tend to correlate with meaningful interaction, in my experience.
Now that I understand more about the unthinking way new Quora users are adding people to their networks, my surprise has transformed into an additional annoyance with the service. In a way, it’s a repeat of the time (what was it? 2007?) when Facebook applications got their big push and we kept receiving those “app invites” because some “social media mar-ke-tors” had thought it wise to force people to “invite five friends to use the service.” To Facebook’s credit (more on this later, I hope), these pushy and thoughtless “invitations” are a thing of the past…on those services where people learnt a few lessons about social networks.
Perhaps interestingly, I’ve had a very similar experience with Scribd, at about the same time. I was receiving what seemed like a steady flow of notifications about people from my first degree online network connecting with me on Scribd, whether or not they had ever engaged in a meaningful interaction with me. As with Quora, my initial surprise quickly morphed into annoyance. I wasn’t using any service much and these meaningless connections made it much less likely that I would ever use these services to get in touch with new and interesting people. If most of the people who are connecting with me on Quora and Scribd are already in my first degree and if they tend to be people I have limited interactions, why would I use these services to expand the range of people with whom I want to have meaningful interactions? They’re already within range and they haven’t been very communicative (for whatever reason, I don’t actually assume they were consciously snubbing me). Investing in Quora for “networking purposes” seemed like a futile effort, for me.
Perhaps because I have a specific approach to “networking.”
In my networking activities, I don’t focus on either “quantity” or “quality” of the people involved. I seriously, genuinely, honestly find something worthwhile in anyone with whom I can eventually connect, so the “quality of the individuals” argument doesn’t work with me. And I’m seriously, genuinely, honestly not trying to sell myself on a large market, so the “quantity” issue is one which has almost no effect on me. Besides, I already have what I consider to be an amazing social network online, in terms of quality of interactions. Sure, people with whom I interact are simply amazing. Sure, the size of my first degree network on some services is “well above average.” But these things wouldn’t matter at all if I weren’t able to have meaningful interactions in these contexts. And, as it turns out, I’m lucky enough to be able to have very meaningful interactions in a large range of contexts, both offline and on. Part of it has to do with the fact that I’m teaching addict. Part of it has to do with the fact that I’m a papillon social (social butterfly). It may even have to do with a stage in my life, at which I still care about meeting new people but I don’t really need new people in my circle. Part of it makes me much less selective than most other people (I like to have new acquaintances) and part of it makes me more selective (I don’t need new “friends”). If it didn’t sound condescending, I’d say it has to do with maturity. But it’s not about my own maturity as a human being. It’s about the maturity of my first-degree network.
There are other people who are in an expansionist phase. For whatever reason (marketing and job searches are the best-known ones, but they’re really not the only ones), some people need to get more contacts and/or contacts with people who have some specific characteristics. For instance, there are social activists out there who need to connect to key decision-makers because they have a strong message to carry. And there are people who were isolated from most other people around them because of stigmatization who just need to meet non-judgmental people. These, to me, are fine goals for someone to expand her or his first-degree network.
Some of it may have to do with introversion. While extraversion is a “dominant trait” of mine, I care deeply about people who consider themselves introverts, even when they start using it as a divisive label. In fact, that’s part of the reason I think it’d be neat to hold a ShyCamp. There’s a whole lot of room for human connection without having to rely on devices of outgoingness.
So, there are people who may benefit from expansion of their first-degree network. In this context, the “network effect” matters in a specific way. And if I think about “network maturity” in this case, there’s no evaluation involved, contrary to what it may seem like.
As you may have noticed, I keep insisting on the fact that we’re talking about “first-degree network.” Part of the reason is that I was lecturing about a few key network concepts just yesterday so, getting people to understand the difference between “the network as a whole” (especially on an online service) and “a given person’s first-degree network” is important to me. But another part relates back to what I’m getting to realize about Quora and Scribd: the process of connecting through an online service may have as much to do with collapsing some degrees of separation than with “being part of the same network.” To use Granovetter’s well-known terms, it’s about transforming “weak ties” into “strong” ones.
And I specifically don’t mean it as a “quality of interaction.” What is at stake, on Quora and Scribd, seems to have little to do with creating stronger bonds. But they may want to create closer links, in terms of network topography. In a way, it’s a bit like getting introduced on LinkedIn (and it corresponds to what biz-minded people mean by “networking”): you care about having “access” to that person, but you don’t necessarily care about her or him, personally.
There’s some sense in using such an approach on “utilitarian networks” like professional or Q&A ones (LinkedIn does both). But there are diverse ways to implement this approach and, to me, Quora and Scribd do it in a way which is very precisely counterproductive. The way LinkedIn does it is context-appropriate. So is the way Academia.edu does it. In both of these cases, the “transaction cost” of connecting with someone is commensurate with the degree of interaction which is possible. On Scribd and Quora, they almost force you to connect with “people you already know” and the “degree of interaction” which is imposed on users is disproportionately high (especially in Quora’s case, where a contact of yours can annoy you by asking you personally to answer a specific question). In this sense, joining Quora is a bit closer to being conscripted in a war while registering on Academia.edu is just a tiny bit more like getting into a country club. The analogies are tenuous but they probably get the point across. Especially since I get the strong impression that the “intimacy phase” has a lot to do with the “country club mentality.”
See, the social context in which these services gain much traction (relatively tech-savvy Anglophones in North America and Europe) assign very negative connotations to social exclusion but people keep being fascinating by the affordances of “select clubs” in terms of social capital. In other words, people may be very vocal as to how nasty it would be if some people had exclusive access to some influential people yet there’s what I perceive as an obsession with influence among the same people. As a caricature: “The ‘human rights’ movement leveled the playing field and we should never ever go back to those dark days of Old Boys’ Clubs and Secret Societies. As soon as I become the most influential person on the planet, I’ll make sure that people who think like me get the benefits they deserve.”
This is where the notion of elitism, as applied specifically to Quora but possibly expanding to other services, makes the most sense. “Oh, no, Quora is meant for everyone. It’s Democratic! See? I can connect with very influential people. But, isn’t it sad that these plebeians are coming to Quora without a proper knowledge of the only right way to ask questions and without proper introduction by people I can trust? I hate these n00bz! Even worse, there are people now on the service who are trying to get social capital by promoting themselves. The nerve on these people, to invade my own dedicated private sphere where I was able to connect with the ‘movers and shakers’ of the industry.” No wonder Quora is so journalistic.
But I’d argue that there’s a part of this which is a confusion between first-degree networks and connection. Before Quora, the same people were indeed connected to these “influential people,” who allegedly make Quora such a unique system. After all, they were already online and I’m quite sure that most of them weren’t more than three or four degrees of separation from Quora’s initial userbase. But access to these people was difficult because connections were indirect. “Mr. Y Z, the CEO of Company X was already in my network, since there were employees of Company X who were connected through Twitter to people who follow me. But I couldn’t just coldcall CEO Z to ask him a question, since CEOs are out of reach, in their caves. Quora changed everything because Y responded to a question by someone ‘totally unconnected to him’ so it’s clear, now, that I have direct access to my good ol’ friend Y’s inner thoughts and doubts.”
As RMS might say, this type of connection is a “seductive mirage.” Because, I would argue, not much has changed in terms of access and whatever did change was already happening all over this social context.
At the risk of sounding dismissive, again, I’d say that part of what people find so alluring in Quora is “simply” an epiphany about the Small World phenomenon. With all sorts of fallacies caught in there. Another caricature: “What? It takes only three contacts for me to send something from rural Idaho to the head honcho at some Silicon Valley firm? This is the first time something like this happens, in the History of the Whole Wide World!”
Actually, I do feel quite bad about these caricatures. Some of those who are so passionate about Quora, among my contacts, have been very aware of many things happening online since the early 1990s. But I have to be honest in how I receive some comments about Quora and much of it sounds like a sudden realization of something which I thought was a given.
The fact that I feel so bad about these characterizations relates to the fact that, contrary to what I had planned to do, I’m not linking to specific comments about Quora. Not that I don’t want people to read about this but I don’t want anyone to feel targeted. I respect everyone and my characterizations aren’t judgmental. They’re impressionistic and, again, caricatures.
Speaking of what I had planned, beginning this post… I actually wanted to talk less about Quora specifically and more about other issues. Sounds like I’m currently getting sidetracked, and it’s kind of sad. But it’s ok. The show must go on.
So, other services…
While I had a similar experiences with Scribd and Quora about getting notifications of new connections from people with whom I haven’t had meaningful interactions, I’ve had a very different experience on many (probably most) other services.
An example I like is Foursquare. “Friendship requests” I get on Foursquare are mostly from: people with whom I’ve had relatively significant interactions in the past, people who were already significant parts of my second-degree network, or people I had never heard of. Sure, there are some people with whom I had tried to establish connections, including some who seem to reluctantly follow me on Quora. But the proportion of these is rather minimal and, for me, the stakes in accepting a friend request on Foursquare are quite low since it’s mostly about sharing data I already share publicly. Instead of being able to solicit my response to a specific question, the main thing my Foursquare “friends” can do that others can’t is give me recommendations, tips, and “notifications of their presence.” These are all things I might actually enjoy, so there’s nothing annoying about it. Sure, like any online service with a network component, these days, there are some “friend requests” which are more about self-promotion. But those are usually easy to avoid and, even if I get fooled by a “social media mar-ke-tor,” the most this person may do to me is give usrecommendation about “some random place.” Again, easy to avoid. So, the “social network” dimension of Foursquare seems appropriate, to me. Not ideal, but pretty decent.
I never really liked the “game” aspect and while I did play around with getting badges and mayorships in my first few weeks, it never felt like the point of Foursquare, to me. As Foursquare eventually became mainstream in Montreal and I was asked by a journalist about my approach to Foursquare, I was exactly in the phase when I was least interested in the game aspect and wished we could talk a whole lot more about the other dimensions of the phenomenon.
And I realize that, as I’m saying this, I may sound to some as exactly those who are bemoaning the shift out of the initial userbase of some cherished service. But there are significant differences. Note that I’m not complaining about the transition in the userbase. In the Foursquare context, “the more the merrier.” I was actually glad that Foursquare was becoming mainstream as it was easier to explain to people, it became more connected with things business owners might do, and generally had more impact. What gave me pause, at the time, is the journalistic hype surrounding Foursquare which seemed to be missing some key points about social networks online. Besides, I was never annoyed by this hype or by Foursquare itself. I simply thought that it was sad that the focus would be on a dimension of the service which was already present on not only Dodgeball and other location-based services but, pretty much, all over the place. I was critical of the seemingly unthinking way people approached Foursquare but the service itself was never that big a deal for me, either way.
And I pretty much have the same attitude toward any tool. I happen to have my favourites, which either tend to fit neatly in my “workflow” or otherwise have some neat feature I enjoy. But I’m very wary of hype and backlash. Especially now. It gets old very fast and it’s been going for quite a while.
Maybe I should just move away from the “tech world.” It’s the context for such hype and buzz machine that it almost makes me angry. [I very rarely get angry.] Why do I care so much? You can say it’s accumulation, over the years. Because I still care about social media and I really do want to know what people are saying about social media tools. I just wish discussion of these tools weren’t soooo “superlative”…
Obviously, I digress. But this is what I like to do on my blog and it has a cathartic effect. I actually do feel better now, thank you.
And I can talk about some other things I wanted to mention. I won’t spend much time on them because this is long enough (both as a blogpost and as a blogging session). But I want to set a few placeholders, for further discussion.
One such placeholder is about some pet theories I have about what worked well with certain services. Which is exactly the kind of thing “social media entrepreneurs” and journalists are so interested in, but end up talking about the same dimensions.
Let’s take Twitter, for instance. Sure, sure, there’s been a lot of talk about what made Twitter a success and probably-everybody knows that it got started as a side-project at Odeo, and blah, blah, blah. Many people also realize that there were other microblogging services around as Twitter got traction. And I’m sure some people use Twitter as a “textbook case” of “network effect” (however they define that effect). I even mention the celebrity dimensions of the “Twitter phenomenon” in class (my students aren’t easily starstruck by Bieber and Gaga) and I understand why journalists are so taken by Twitter’s “broadcast” mission. But something which has been discussed relatively rarely is the level of responsiveness by Twitter developers, over the years, to people’s actual use of the service. Again, we all know that “@-replies,” “hashtags,” and “retweets” were all emerging usage patterns that Twitter eventually integrated. And some discussion has taken place when Twitter changed it’s core prompt to reflect the fact that the way people were using it had changed. But there’s relatively little discussion as to what this process implies in terms of “developing philosophy.” As people are still talking about being “proactive” (ugh!) with users, and crude measurements of popularity keep being sold and bandied about, a large part of the tremendous potential for responsiveness (through social media or otherwise) is left untapped. People prefer to hype a new service which is “likely to have Twitter-like success because it has the features users have said they wanted in the survey we sell.” Instead of talking about the “get satisfaction” effect in responsiveness. Not that “consumers” now have “more power than ever before.” But responsive developers who refrain from imposing their views (Quora, again) tend to have a more positive impact, socially, than those which are merely trying to expand their userbase.
Which leads me to talk about Facebook. I could talk for hours on end about Facebook, but I almost feel afraid to do so. At this point, Facebook is conceived in what I perceive to be such a narrow way that it seems like anything I might say would sound exceedingly strange. Given the fact that it was part one of the first waves of Web tools with explicit social components to reach mainstream adoption, it almost sounds “historical” in timeframe. But, as so many people keep saying, it’s just not that old. IMHO, part of the implication of Facebook’s relatively young age should be that we are able to discuss it as a dynamic process, instead of assigning it to a bygone era. But, whatever…
Actually, I think part of the reason there’s such lack of depth in discussing Facebook is also part of the reason it was so special: it was originally a very select service. Since, for a significant period of time, the service was only available to people with email addresses ending in “.edu,” it’s not really surprising that many of the people who keep discussing it were actually not on the service “in its formative years.” But, I would argue, the fact that it was so exclusive at first (something which is often repeated but which seems to be understood in a very theoretical sense) contributed quite significantly to its success. Of course, similar claims have been made but, I’d say that my own claim is deeper than others.
[Bang! I really don’t tend to make claims so, much of this blogpost sounds to me as if it were coming from somebody else…]
Ok, I don’t mean it so strongly. But there’s something I think neat about the Facebook of 2005, the one I joined. So I’d like to discuss it. Hence the placeholder.
And, in this placeholder, I’d fit: the ideas about responsiveness mentioned with Twitter, the stepwise approach adopted by Facebook (which, to me, was the real key to its eventual success), the notion of intimacy which is the true core of this blogpost, the notion of hype/counterhype linked to journalistic approaches, a key distinction between privacy and intimacy, some non-ranting (but still rambling) discussion as to what Google is missing in its “social” projects, anecdotes about “sequential network effects” on Facebook as the service reached new “populations,” some personal comments about what I get out of Facebook even though I almost never spent any significant amount of time on it, some musings as to the possibility that there are online services which have reached maturity and may remain stable in the foreseeable future, a few digressions about fanboism or about the lack of sophistication in the social network models used in online services, and maybe a bit of fun at the expense of “social media expert marketors”…
But that’ll be for another time.
agendasaimful actionanecdotesannoyancesbacnBig Yellow TaxiboundednessbrandingBruce Tuckmanbusiness networkingclassroom dynamicsclassroomsclosenesscommunity of experiencecommunity of practiceconscriptioncountry club effectcountry club mentalitycritical massculture of Human Rightsdeep interactiondefensivenessdemocratizationdigressionsDunbar numberEarly adopterselitismemicESReticexclusivenessexclusivityextraversionextrovertsFacebook in 2005Facebook's early daysfanboismfirst-degree networkfollowersFoursquarefriend requestfriend requestsGet Satisfactionget satisfaction effectgetting introducedGoogle BuzzGoogle Wavehalf-baked ideashalf-baked thoughtshistorical reconstructionhyperlativeillusion of social mobilityimposed membershipinfluential peopleinterested interactionsintimacyintimacy effectintimacy phaseintimate settingintroversionIonesco momentJaikujob searchlevel playing fieldLiminalityLinkedInmainstreamizationMark Granovettermeaningful interactionmeaningless connectionsmembershipmovers and shakersnetwork effectnetwork maturitynetworkingnotificationsonline mainstreampersonal narrativespersonality traitspushinessquality of interactionsquality of peopleQuorarite of passageRMSScribdseductive mirageselect clubsself-promotionsense of belongingsequential network effectsservice enrollmentservice notificationsShyCampsmart questionssnubbingsocial activismsocial butterflysocial groupssocial media entrepreneurssocial media Golden Agesocial media marketorssocial media startupssocial statusStatusNetstigmastrong tiessuccess storiesteaching addicttech coveragetextbook casesTwitterUniversity of the streets caféuptakeusage patternsuserbaseutilitarian networksweak ties
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Academics and Their Publics
Misunderstood by Raffi Asdourian
Academics are misunderstood.
Almost by definition.
Pretty much any academic eventually feels that s/he is misunderstood. Misunderstandings about some core notions in about any academic field are involved in some of the most common pet peeves among academics.
In other words, there’s nothing as transdisciplinary as misunderstanding.
It can happen in the close proximity of a given department (“colleagues in my department misunderstand my work”). It can happen through disciplinary boundaries (“people in that field have always misunderstood our field”). And, it can happen generally: “Nobody gets us.”
It’s not paranoia and it’s probably not self-victimization. But there almost seems to be a form of “onedownmanship” at stake with academics from different disciplines claiming that they’re more misunderstood than others. In fact, I personally get the feeling that ethnographers are more among the most misunderstood people around, but even short discussions with friends in other fields (including mathematics) have helped me get the idea that, basically, we’re all misunderstood at the same “level” but there are variations in the ways we’re misunderstood. For instance, anthropologists in general are mistaken for what they aren’t based on partial understanding by the general population.
An example from my own experience, related to my decision to call myself an “informal ethnographer.” When you tell people you’re an anthropologist, they form an image in their minds which is very likely to be inaccurate. But they do typically have an image in their minds. On the other hand, very few people have any idea about what “ethnography” means, so they’re less likely to form an opinion of what you do from prior knowledge. They may puzzle over the term and try to take a guess as to what “ethnographer” might mean but, in my experience, calling myself an “ethnographer” has been a more efficient way to be understood than calling myself an “anthropologist.”
This may all sound like nitpicking but, from the inside, it’s quite impactful. Linguists are frequently asked about the number of languages they speak. Mathematicians are taken to be number freaks. Psychologists are perceived through the filters of “pop psych.” There are many stereotypes associated with engineers. Etc.
These misunderstandings have an impact on anyone’s work. Not only can it be demoralizing and can it impact one’s sense of self-worth, but it can influence funding decisions as well as the use of research results. These misunderstandings can underminine learning across disciplines. In survey courses, basic misunderstandings can make things very difficult for everyone. At a rather basic level, academics fight misunderstandings more than they fight ignorance.
The main reason I’m discussing this is that I’ve been given several occasions to think about the interface between the Ivory Tower and the rest of the world. It’s been a major theme in my blogposts about intellectuals, especially the ones in French. Two years ago, for instance, I wrote a post in French about popularizers. A bit more recently, I’ve been blogging about specific instances of misunderstandings associated with popularizers, including Malcolm Gladwell’s approach to expertise. Last year, I did a podcast episode about ethnography and the Ivory Tower. And, just within the past few weeks, I’ve been reading a few things which all seem to me to connect with this same issue: common misunderstandings about academic work. The connections are my own, and may not be so obvious to anyone else. But they’re part of my motivations to blog about this important issue.
A thread on a mailing-list about linguistic anthropology. A paleoanthropologist interviewed for a radio show discussed language and cognitive evolution in a way which seemed to some linguistic anthropologists as conveying some misunderstandings about language.
Two posts on anthro blog Savage Minds, one on Facebook’s founders Mark Zuckerberg’s (mis)understanding of potlatch and gift economies. The other on broad ideas about “gift economies” among what some have called technolibtertarians.
A blogpost about “Common Knowledge” by writer, editor, and teacher Alexa Offenhauer.
A “linktrail” about language diversity, about which I blogged for the Society for Linguistic Anthropology.
A podcast episode about sociology which included a discussion of the relationships between sociologists and journalists.
Several things on my favourite academic blog, Language Log, which demonstrate the distance between popular and academic ideas about language.
But, of course, I think about many other things. Including (again, in no particular order):
A Language Log piece (that I consider seminal) about “raising standards by lowering them” (and extending the conversation between experts and the general population).
A post by Montreal-based entrepreneur Austin Hill about the “social economy as a gift economy.”
Two blogposts by LibriVox founder Hugh McGuire about “Why Academics Should Blog.” The first post made me react and the second post was in a small part motivated by my reaction. (As an aside, McGuire should be commended for his flexibility of thoughts. His abilirty to adapt his ideas as the result of thoughtful discussion has helped me have less “visceral” reactions.)
Some comments about para-academic by McGill psychologist Dan Levitin in his popular book on music cognition.
Bob White’s colloquium on intersubjectivity in ethnography (inspired by Johannes Fabian) which was part of a pivotal moment for me. (The connection to the issue at hand is in the importance of “being taken seriously.”)
My work as a teacher of both upper-level and intro courses.
Diverse conversations with fellow academics.
One discussion I remember, which seems to fit, included comments about Germaine Dieterlen by a friend who also did research in West Africa. Can’t remember the specifics but the gist of my friend’s comment was that “you get to respect work by the likes of Germaine Dieterlen once you start doing field research in the region.” In my academic background, appreciation of Germaine Dieterlen’s may not be unconditional, but it doesn’t necessarily rely on extensive work in the field. In other words, while some parts of Dieterlen’s work may be controversial and it’s extremely likely that she “got a lot of things wrong,” her work seems to be taken seriously by several French-speaking africanists I’ve met. And not only do I respect everyone but I would likely praise someone who was able to work in the field for so long. She’s not my heroine (I don’t really have heroes) or my role-model, but it wouldn’t have occurred to me that respect for her wasn’t widespread. If it had seemed that Dieterlen’s work had been misunderstood, my reflex would possibly have been to rehabilitate her.
In fact, there’s a strong academic tradition of rehabilitating deceased scholars. The first example which comes to mind is a series of articles (PDF, in French) and book chapters by UWO linguistic anthropologist Regna Darnell.about “Benjamin Lee Whorf as a key figure in linguistic anthropology.” Of course, saying that these texts by Darnell constitute a rehabilitation of Whorf reveals a type of evaluation of her work. But that evaluation comes from a third person, not from me. The likely reason for this case coming up to my mind is that the so-called “Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis” is among the most misunderstood notions from linguistic anthropology. Moreover, both Whorf and Sapir are frequently misunderstood, which can make matters difficulty for many linguistic anthropologists talking with people outside the discipline.
The opposite process is also common: the “slaughtering” of “sacred cows.” (First heard about sacred cows through an article by ethnomusicologist Marcia Herndon.) In some significant ways, any scholar (alive or not) can be the object of not only critiques and criticisms but a kind of off-handed dismissal. Though this often happens within an academic context, the effects are especially lasting outside of academia. In other words, any scholar’s name is likely to be “sullied,” at one point or another. Typically, there seems to be a correlation between the popularity of a scholar and the likelihood of her/his reputation being significantly tarnished at some point in time. While there may still be people who treat Darwin, Freud, Nietzsche, Socrates, Einstein, or Rousseau as near divinities, there are people who will avoid any discussion about anything they’ve done or said. One way to put it is that they’re all misunderstood. Another way to put it is that their main insights have seeped through “common knowledge” but that their individual reputations have decreased.
Perhaps the most difficult case to discuss is that of Marx (Karl, not Harpo). Textbooks in introductory sociology typically have him as a key figure in the discipline and it seems clear that his insight on social issues was fundamental in social sciences. But, outside of some key academic contexts, his name is associated with a large series of social events about which people tend to have rather negative reactions. Even more so than for Paul de Man or Martin Heidegger, Marx’s work is entangled in public opinion about his ideas. Haven’t checked for examples but I’m quite sure that Marx’s work is banned in a number of academic contexts. However, even some of Marx’s most ardent opponents are likely to agree with several aspects of Marx’s work and it’s sometimes funny how Marxian some anti-Marxists may be.
But I digress…
Typically, the “slaughtering of sacred cows” relates to disciplinary boundaries instead of social ones. At least, there’s a significant difference between your discipline’s own “sacred cows” and what you perceive another discipline’s “sacred cows” to be. Within a discipline, the process of dismissing a prior scholar’s work is almost œdipean (speaking of Freud). But dismissal of another discipline’s key figures is tantamount to a rejection of that other discipline. It’s one thing for a physicist to show that Newton was an alchemist. It’d be another thing entirely for a social scientist to deconstruct James Watson’s comments about race or for a theologian to argue with Darwin. Though discussions may have to do with individuals, the effects of the latter can widen gaps between scholarly disciplines.
And speaking of disciplinarity, there’s a whole set of issues having to do with discussions “outside of someone’s area of expertise.” On one side, comments made by academics about issues outside of their individual areas of expertise can be very tricky and can occasionally contribute to core misunderstandings. The fear of “talking through one’s hat” is quite significant, in no small part because a scholar’s prestige and esteem may greatly decrease as a result of some blatantly inaccurate statements (although some award-winning scholars seem not to be overly impacted by such issues).
On the other side, scholars who have to impart expert knowledge to people outside of their discipline often have to “water down” or “boil down” their ideas and, in effect, oversimplifying these issues and concepts. Partly because of status (prestige and esteem), lowering standards is also very tricky. In some ways, this second situation may be more interesting. And it seems unavoidable.
How can you prevent misunderstandings when people may not have the necessary background to understand what you’re saying?
This question may reveal a rather specific attitude: “it’s their fault if they don’t understand.” Such an attitude may even be widespread. Seems to me, it’s not rare to hear someone gloating about other people “getting it wrong,” with the suggestion that “we got it right.” As part of negotiations surrounding expert status, such an attitude could even be a pretty rational approach. If you’re trying to position yourself as an expert and don’t suffer from an “impostor syndrome,” you can easily get the impression that non-specialists have it all wrong and that only experts like you can get to the truth. Yes, I’m being somewhat sarcastic and caricatural, here. Academics aren’t frequently that dismissive of other people’s difficulties understanding what seem like simple concepts. But, in the gap between academics and the general population a special type of intellectual snobbery can sometimes be found.
Obviously, I have a lot more to say about misunderstood academics. For instance, I wanted to address specific issues related to each of the links above. I also had pet peeves about widespread use of concepts and issues like “communities” and “Eskimo words for snow” about which I sometimes need to vent. And I originally wanted this post to be about “cultural awareness,” which ends up being a core aspect of my work. I even had what I might consider a “neat” bit about public opinion. Not to mention my whole discussion of academic obfuscation (remind me about “we-ness and distinction”).
But this is probably long enough and the timing is right for me to do something else.
I’ll end with an unverified anecdote that I like. This anecdote speaks to snobbery toward academics.
[It’s one of those anecdotes which was mentioned in a course I took a long time ago. Even if it’s completely fallacious, it’s still inspiring, like a tale, cautionary or otherwise.]
As the story goes (at least, what I remember of it), some ethnographers had been doing fieldwork in an Australian cultural context and were focusing their research on a complex kinship system known in this context. Through collaboration with “key informants,” the ethnographers eventually succeeded in understanding some key aspects of this kinship system.
As should be expected, these kinship-focused ethnographers wrote accounts of this kinship system at the end of their field research and became known as specialists of this system.
After a while, the fieldworkers went back to the field and met with the same people who had described this kinship system during the initial field trip. Through these discussions with their “key informants,” the ethnographers end up hearing about a radically different kinship system from the one about which they had learnt, written, and taught.
The local informants then told the ethnographers: “We would have told you earlier about this but we didn’t think you were able to understand it.”
Aacademic disciplinesacademic figuresacademic obfuscationAlexa Offenhaueranecdotesanthropologistsareas of expertiseAustin Hillbanned booksbeing taken seriouslyBenjamin Lee Whorfboiling-downBourdieuBruno Nettlcautionary talescensorphipscommon knowledgeDan LevitinDarwinde MandisinformationdismissivenessdistinctionEdward SapirEinsteinesteemethnographersfieldworkersfighting ignoranceFreudGermaine Dieterlengift economiesHeideggerHugh McGuireimpostor syndromeintersubjectivity in ethnographyJames WatsonJohannes Fabiankey informantskinship systemsLanguage LogLingAnthlinguistslinkfestlinktrailLoose Leaf Writinglowering standardsMalcolm GladwellMarcel MaussMarcia HerndonMark ZuckerbergMarxmathematiciansmathematicsmisinformationmisunderstandingsNewtonNietzschenon-academicsNPRonedownmanshipoversimplificationpet peevespop psychpop psychologypopular psychologypopularizerspotlatchpsychologistspublicRegna DarnellrespectRousseausacred cowsSavage MindsscholarshipSchutzself-righteousnesssnobberySociety for Linguistic AnthropologySocratesstatussullied namessurvey coursestalking through one\'s hatupper-level coursesuseful fallacieswatered-downwe-ness
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Blogging and Literary Standards
December 7, 2008 dispar Leave a comment
I wrote the following comment in response to a conversation between novelist Rick Moody and podcasting pioneer Chris Lydon:
Open Source » Blog Archive » In the Obama Moment: Rick Moody.
In keeping with the RERO principle I describe in that comment, the version on the Open Source site is quite raw. As is my habit, these days, I pushed the “submit” button without rereading what I had written. This version is edited, partly because I noticed some glaring mistakes and partly because I wanted to add some links. (Blog comments are often tagged for moderation if they contain too many links.) As I started editing that comment, I changed a few things, some of which have consequences to the meaning of my comment. There’s this process, in both writing and editing, which “generates new thoughts.” Yet another argument for the RERO principle.
I can already think of an addendum to this post, revolving on my personal position on writing styles (informed by my own blogwriting experience) along with my relative lack of sensitivity for Anglo writing. But I’m still blogging this comment on a standalone basis.
Read on, please… Continue reading Blogging and Literary Standards →
10-year ruleacademic bloggingADDADHDaesthetic of the draftamateursAnglosanti-bookArianna HuffingtonAtwater LibraryauthorauthoritarianauthorityauthorsauthorshipautoritativeBaby BoomersBaby BustBaby BustersBernard ArcandblogsblogwritingbookscanonChristopher Lydondeconstructingdomain-agnosticEric RaymondExercices de styleexpert bloggersGabriel Tremblaygeneral publicgeneration gapsGeneration Xgenerationsgourmand readingHerbert SimonHuffington PostHugh McGuireindiscriminateIntersubjectivityJakobsonlearn by doingLibriVoxlinkfestLow-stakesMalcolm GladwellMedici effectnoveltyorganic collaborationparents these daysPhilip RossPierre Assoulinepro-bookPsychology 101QueneauRaymond Queneaurelease early release oftenRERORick Moodyrough draftsScientific Americansnobberysnobsstandardizationteen bloggingteenagersThe Daily Show with Jon StewartTheodor Adornotime to taskvervewisdom of crowdsyulbloggers
blog comments, comment-fishing, communitas, Communities, community-building, consumerism, cult of personality, cultural awareness, cultural capital, cultural diversity, ethnocentrism, Ethnography, Facebook, friendship, geek culture, globalization, groupthink, linkfest, mass media, networking, online communities, openness, popular culture, ramblings, rants, readership, sandboxes, snobbery, social butterflies, social butterfly effect, social capital, social dynamics, social networks, social support systems, socialisation, sociocentrism, sophistication, taste, trendiness, trust, U.S. exceptionalism, U.S. media
Manufacturing Taste
April 7, 2008 dispar 2 Comments
In a comment to my rant on naysaying, Carl Dyke posted the following link (to a Josh Ellis piece from 2003):
Mindjack – Taste Tribes
The piece itself is rather unremarkable. Although, it does contain comments about a few things which became important topics in the meantime such as recommendation systems and the importance of music listeners for individual artists. I’m not too concerned about the piece and I realize it’s “nothing new.” It mostly made me think about a number of things about which I’ve been meaning to blog.
I could react to the use of the term “tribe.” And there are obvious things to say in terms of social groups (family resemblance, community of experience, community of practice, communitas, homogamy, in-group knowledge, social network analysis, etc.).
But I guess my take is at the same time more personal and more cultural.
Contrary to what my Facebook profile may lead some people to believe, I am not a fan of anything or anyone. I’m not saying that I don’t like things or people. I do. In fact, I pretty much like everyone. But fandom isn’t my thing. Neither is fanboyism. So I don’t relate so well to Ellis’s description of networks based on appreciation of a band. Sure, in the past, I’ve participated in similar groups, such as online discussions about one of my favorite tv shows (which still has a fairly active online fanbase). And I did join several Facebook groups about things or people I like. But my personal attitude makes me react rather negatively to fanclubs and the kind of “taste-based community” Ellis so regrettably called “taste tribes.”
Nobody’s fault but my own. I just feel these groups tend to be too restrictive, too inward-looking and, well, too opinion-based.
I’m too much of a social butterfly to spend much time in any one of these groups. My engagement to a group of people can run deeply and my allegiance and faithfulness are sometimes rather strong. But I don’t like to restrict myself to certain groups.
Maybe I’m an “alpha socialiser” after all.
The cultural dimension also seems quite important to me, but it’s harder to explain without giving off the wrong signals. Not only do I react to what I perceive to be abuses of “pop culture references” (in part because I find them exclusionary), but I perceive a kind of culturally significant attachment to individual “cultural items” (“media,” as Ellis seems to call them) in “English-speaking North American popular culture.” I’m not saying that this tendency doesn’t exist in any other context. In fact, it’s likely a dimension of any “popular culture.” But this tendency is quite foreign to me. The fact that I conceive of myself as an outside observer to popular culture makes me associate the tendency with the common habits shared by a group I’m not a member of.
I’m sure I’ll post again about this. But my guess is that somewhat shorter blog entries encourage more discussion. Given the increasing number of comments I’m getting, it might be cool to tap my readership’s insight a bit more. One thing I’ve often noticed is that my more knee-jerk posts are often more effective.
alpha socialiseralpha socializerarbiters of tastecliquescommunitascondescensionconsanguinityconsensuscult of personalitycultural referencescynicismEckertendogamyesoteric humorfanboyfandomfavouritesgrassroots cliquein-groupinside jokesJosh Ellislinkfestnetwork analysisnetworkingNorthern Exposurepop culturesandboxessnobberysocial mobilitysocial support systemssocialisationtrendinesstribetrustWittgenstein
Beer, Coffee, hedonism, snobbery, sophistication, United States
Intro to Post-Starbucks Coffee
A podcast episode on coffee, with Karen Blumenthal, George Howell and Corby Kummer.
On Point : Coffee Buzz – Coffee Buzz
Blumenthal, author of a book about Starbucks, isn’t mentioned in the show notes but she seems to have set the tone of the show, to a certain extent.
In the rest of the show, I quite like the dynamic between the three main participants: the host, Tom Ashbrook, along with Howell and Kummer. Howell often tends to sound much more forceful in his opinions than he did in this show. And the different takes about Starbucks were quite nuanced.
The show does put Starbucks in the centre of the coffee revolution in the United States and then focuses on newer developments. The current period in the history of coffee in North America is sometimes referred to as the Third Wave, in which is imagined a world of openness and transparency in the coffee-related industries.
As I got my taste in quality coffee from a very different source than Starbucks, I hope that we can now go beyond the Starbucks mentality. In fact, I also hope that we get out of the wine comparisons. Not just because they’re boring but because they miss the point about coffee as a diverse drink. It’s not a very American thing to say but knowing coffee isn’t just about being to tell what is the “best coffee ever.”
One thing the coffee world could import from the wine world, is the idea of pairings. It actually works better for beer than for either wine or coffee, but it can work quite well with coffee, especially with different brewing methods.
BTW, I have nothing against wine. I just think that much wine tends to be much less satisfying than several other drinks including coffee, beer, tea, cider, mead, juice, milk, and water.
BeercommodificationCorby KummerdrinksGeorge HowellKaren BlumenthalNPROn PointsnobberyStarbucksThird WaveTom Ashbrookwine
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Which Part Of The Bible Should We Believe?
Talking with James Dobson earlier this week, Dr. Ben Carson asked "If the Bible is wrong on gay marriage, then why isn't it wrong on everything else?"
It's understandable that atheists and secularists take every opportunity to undermine the authority of the Bible.
But how can those who claim to be "Christian" square up with the notion that we can "selectively" accept biblical teaching on morality?
The Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist church and other denominations are being torn apart by this and similar issues.
Too many Pastors and political leaders continue to claim a belief in the Bible, yet condition their professed belief by only believing certain parts of it.
How does one chose which part to believe, and which not to believe?
Should the Bible shape the culture, or should the culture shape the Bible?
If the culture should shape the Bible, what then becomes the moral compass for society?
Dobson was interviewing Dr. Ben Carson, recently retired head of pediatric surgery at Johns Hopkins, on his radio program earlier this week.
Dr. Carson said to Dobson, "I find it difficult to understand why ministers are willing to abandon the Scriptures...I guess its go along and get along."
Dobson agreed saying he knows many formerly conservative pastors, many in large influential churches, who have abandoned biblical teaching on morality.
He said, "If they're right today, were they wrong yesterday?"
The so-called "Emerging Church" movement has subtly moved the focus from "knowing" the Truth, to seeking or "pursuing" the Truth.
The shift seems insignificant, but it isn't.
The "Emerging Church" often uses paintings, slides, drawings, candles and other visual expressions to stimulate dialog about moral and spiritual truth. This, they say, better relates to the Postmodern worldview and allows the church to relate to our present culture.
While none of these activities are inherently wrong in and of themselves, the results are destructive.
The problem with this attempt to relate is that it affirms rather than changes the culture. It leads to a place where morality, social construction (the culture), political movements, art, and even religion are relative to cultural norms, rather than absolute Truth.
While many in the Emerging Church movement claim a sincere attempt to "reach" the culture, in the end, the culture has shaped the church.
In order to relate, there is necessarily a subtle revision and shift of emphasis. A generation that has been indoctrinated in public education to believe all things are relevant and evolutionary can say they accept Jesus as Savior, but believe He is not the only way to God. That would be unfair, it would violate God's love and equality toward all people.
That idea stands in absolute contradiction to what Jesus Himself taught. He said that He is the "only" way to God.
This same generation can also believe the biblical model for marriage was good in the past, but things have changed, claiming Christian love, acceptance, equality and fairness as the basis for redefining marriage---and God's Word.
While the Christian church must reach the current culture in a relevant way, merely affirming their "lostness" is not a way to lead.
Scripture calls this "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it."
In the end the Bible was given, not to relate, but to save and transform. To present the Truth which sets people free. When the Bible is presented in the spirit of Christ's love it often conflicts with the cultural norms, but it also calls one to a better life---now and in eternity.
That message is relevant in every culture and in all times.
Relativism is morally destructive. It is also politically and culturally destructive.
Terence Jeffrey wrote an article this week tilted, "The American Left vs. God Given Rights."
While his purpose was a bit different than the point I make, it also makes our point.
Jeffrey refers to a recent opinion from Judge Henry Floyd of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, given after he declared Virginia's marriage---one man, one woman, unconstitutional.
He says the judge's perception of the disagreement over marriage is wrong.
He says this:
The opponents and proponents agree that marriage is a fundamental right," the judge wrote. "They strongly disagree, however, regarding whether that right encompasses the right to same-sex marriage. The opponents argue that the fundamental right to marry belongs to the individual, who enjoys the right to marry the person of his or her choice. By contrast, the proponents point out that, traditionally, states have sanctioned only man-woman marriages. They contend that, in light of this history, the right to marry does not include a right to same-sex marriage."
Neither of these arguments — as summarized by the judge — is true. Even if states had historically approved of same-sex marriage, that would not make such marriages a right. After all, some states had historically approved of letting some people hold other people in slavery — which was not a right, but rather a profound violation of the God-given rights of the people who were enslaved.
The truth is that all rights come from God, whether the state recognizes it or not.
If any other power claims to be the author of our rights, that power is attempting to usurp an authority that belongs only to God.
Our Founders made it abundantly clear that our rights come from God. America was founded on that Truth.
The progressive left today are claiming "rights" that God has not given, therefore they are not rights.
The Emerging Church is affirming all this under the guise of wanting to "relate."
Did God give doctors the right to kill unwanted,unborn children?
Did God give two men or two women the "right" to marry one another and then adopt children with the approval of the state?
Do children not have a God given right to a father and mother?
The secular progressives not only want this nation to recognize things that are not rights, as rights, but to abridge rights that are truly God-given and inalienable."
In this narrative, the state becomes God, the citizens become subjects.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Patrick Henry, one of our Founders said, "When people forget God, tyrants forge their chains."
More importantly the Bible says "There is a way that seems right to man, but the end is death."
I agree with a growing majority of Americans, our country is on the wrong track.
Our Founding Fathers knew the "right" way---they wrote it down in the Declaration of Independence. Many who followed them knew it as well.
It's time to sound the alarm in this generation and it must begin in the church.
If the church would proclaim the whole gospel with clarity and conviction, this generation could be changed and the culture restored.
This is not a time to remain silent---striving for relevance. The Word of God "is" relevant.
Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Bold. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.
Anonymous 7:08 AM, August 08, 2014
I think it's simple silly and certainly intellectually shallow to interpret the Bible literally. God did not talk to automatons who transcribed His thoughts word-for-word. Instead, the Bible is the word of God in the words of man. And those men were part of a culture, part of a time, that influenced how they wrote and how they thought. They wrote with their audiences in mind, using different genres to communicate God's message -- psalms, gospels, stories, letters, songs... Slavery was an accepted part of that time period. But God does not teach us that He wants us to be slave owners. And that's an important point: What is written in the Bible is not the same as what the Bible teaches. Taking it literally is like taking a library literally.
Oneaokguy 9:43 AM, August 08, 2014
Can you expand with more examples as I'm not sure this thought holds in all cases. There are some books in a library that teach facts that can be taken literally like the law of gravity. You jump out of a plane and you will fall.
Anonymous 11:23 PM, August 08, 2014
When God said "thou shall not kill", was he speaking figuratively? or literally? If figuratively, then I can kill anyone anytime. Oh, you mean I can't? Why? Because God speaks literally, through his people, word for word.
We play with fire when pick and choose which of God's clearly spoken word to follow. I've said this before, the Laodician church spoken about in Rev.3:14ff is alive and growing. Be discerning indeed!
Thanks Gary, again!
Thanks Craig that helped clarify your original post especially your last paragraph
Amonite 9:36 AM, August 12, 2014
God condemns slavery in the -same- passage he condemns homosexuality (I Tim 1:8-11). Both kidnapping/selling people into slavery, and men sleeping with each other sexually, are both condemned as 'contrary to sound doctrine' and nonconforming with the gospel. While it is good to understand the difference between poetry, parable, analogy, cultural context - etc - there is no getting around explicit passages. Homosexuality is condemned along with slavery, matricide, homicide, lawbreaking, perjury - etc. Are any of those ok just because the culture decides they are ok? No - the word helps us stand against the culture, we do not let the culture redefine the word.
That christians were to remain slaves if they were when converted is a different matter - here, peace and the testimony for God was far more important than using violence to break their chains. Conversely, masters who converted were to treat their slaves as brothers, not slaves. Culturally it would have been difficult to let them go, though that could be done as well. This is also why many Christians in early America didn't buy slaves, but if given them treated them well - as if they let them go without the proper paperwork or set up (or even with) they could be kidnapped or sold into slavery again.
There were 'bondslaves' as well, but this is a very different concept. These are poor people who would willingly enter a contract of servitude in exchange for shelter/wages/etc. It's more like 'live in work'. They were released from the work automatically every 7 years. Their bosses couldn't kill them or cheat them, etc. Some liked the arrangement so much that they chose to enter a life long contract, or have their family serve as well (similar to the medieval concept of serfs).
Anonymous 10:19 AM, August 08, 2014
The Bible isn't wrong on 'gay marriage':
Marriage is a thing of this world, there will be no 'marry or marriage'.
The ability to be celibate is a gift from God that not all can receive.
If one cannot remain celibate then they should marry.
There is no male or female in the body of Christ.
The marriage bed is undefiled.
Pretty clear - Christians can and should marry if they can't be celibate, gay or straight.
That's the miracle of Scripture - written by flawed mortal men but it says exactly what God wanted it to say and teaches the lessons we need to learn.
Anonymous 3:47 PM, August 08, 2014
Oh?....Are you saying that there is no difference between Any of the trees of the garden?
Are trees in the body of Christ?
Sheep or Goats? What are we willing to be? That's what's happening right now.
This IS a test. Will we hold to the Word and say what the Word says or not?
Lots of people need to get back to the beginning. It's a good place to start all over again.
Because there is a difference between right and wrong, something wrong should never be given the place of a right. Civil rights belong to things that are both civil and right.
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Fun facts about the 1960's
The 60's were a great time in American culture. There were so many big events that took place during this era that made the US what it is today. From the music, to political events, to new technologies, the 60's are time that so many of us will never forget. It is fun to go back and take a look at fun facts about the 60 s. There are many fun facts about the 60's that really made this decade stand out.
There were so many advancements in the 1960's. John Glenn was the first astronaut to orbit the earth, traveling our orbit 7 times. The first US rocket landed on the moon, and John Glenn was there as well. This was a huge step for the US in the cold war space race against the Russians. This whole space race was started with the launch and orbit of Russian space satellite Sputnik.
There were many different things that made the average American, the middle class. About 90 percent of the American population finally owned a television set. The minimum wage was set at $1.25 an hour. It was so much different than the minimum wage of our day and age. The median family income was also 6,000 dollars a year. This is almost the median income of families every month in 2013.
New technologies took Americans by storm in the 60's. One of the greatest new technologies was color Polaroid film. This film developed in just about one minute, giving the first instant photography to those who were taking photos. We are much luckier now with digital cameras which can take a photo and we can instantly see the results. The new advancements of television gave opportunities for individuals and families to see what they have never seen before. First lady Jackie Kennedy gave a virtual tour of the white house to Americans over TV. Over 46 million Americans tuned in for this tour of the white house.
There were also many firsts in the 60s. The first Wal-Mart store was opened, which has now turned into a retailer mega store. The first K mart was also opened. In Houston, plastic surgeons used the first silicone breast implant on a human. The first Beatles record was released. It was their single, "Love me Do." A musical revolution started and much of it is considered the sound of legends like no other. Does anyone remember Woodstock? Rumor has it, that if you said yes to this question, that you weren't there!
Things sure did cost a lot less back in the day. A semesters worth of tuition at Harvard cost just around $1,000 and now a days it would cost around $30,000. A new car would cost just around $2,500, where as a new car now is going to run you around $25,000.
Life seemed to be much simpler back in the 60's. Things weren't so complicated with so many different fast paced options. It was much easier to live a simple life and feel satisfied. Life was more basic, but modernization was on it's way. There wasn't really any big new thing you had to get every week, at least by today’s standards. The 60's were such a great time.
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A cherry a day
Placerville "U-pickers" get a taste of California at the American River Cherry Company, and it's just what the doctor ordered.
At the American River Cherry Company, the farm is always a flurry of activity. Cherry fans of all ages can be found plucking the juicy, red fruits right off the tree, filling their buckets with as much as they can get.
"They taste really, really sweet!" said 8-year-old Jessica Kever.
"We sampled a couple and they were good, really good!" said Julie Kever, Jessica's mom.
Shirley Rice and her husband, Dr. Reginald Rice, own this "U-pick" cherry company that's tucked away in the hills of Placerville, near the American River. The family-owned business has been in operation since 1984, when the couple moved from Boston to their current bucolic hilltop farm. And it's there in their "backyard," as they call it, where they've planted 15 acres of a variety of cherry trees.
"We have Rainiers, Vans, some called Olympus, some called Cashmere, but the mainstay that everybody recognizes is the Bing cherry," said Reginald.
And while they do have seasonal workers and sell to local stores and restaurants, the couple say "U-pickers" are the biggest part of their business.
"It gives us a great deal of joy because we like to see people come with their families," said Reginald.
This retired doctor now spends most of his time carefully tending to his orchards. And as it turns out, his calm bedside manner transfers nicely to the orchards.
"These plants don't give us a very good verbal history like people do, but there's a lot of similarities between being a farmer and doctor," he said. "Among other things, you need proper diagnosis and proper nutrition to keep these trees healthy."
And it's thanks to all that special TLC from farmers like Reginald that California has grown to become one of America's top cherry producers.
For more information about the America River Cherry Company, visit www.americanrivercherryco.com.
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Yeah, right! - Writings by Brian Murdock
A Signed Copy of My Books?
About Brian Murdock
“¡Hombre!” Javi was next to the car before I had even gotten out. I stood up and we hugged. “Welcome to La Mancha! Land of the Quixote!”
Like any good man from this region, Javi was fiercely proud of his homeland and every time you went to his place he would greet you as if it were the first time. “Take a deep breath,” he drew in an atmosphere of air and invited me to do the same. “Nothing like it,” he howled. “Have you seen the vineyards?”
“A million times.”
“I can never get tired of looking at them, can you?”
“No, never.” That was true, but even if it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t dare.
“And the zucchini. You wouldn’t believe how far it’s come along.”
“Actually I came to see your place. The new casa rural.”
“Haven’t you seen it yet?”
I sighed. “No, I haven’t. I was hoping to.”
“I could have sworn…coño…I’ll have to give you the grand tour. Come on!” He turned and walked through the new stone gate. “Mamá!! Brian’s here. Can you believe he’s never been to the place yet?”
“Well, if you’d invite your friends over from time to time, it would be nice,” she called back from inside the house. “Then they could see the place and recommend it to their friends.”
Oh, I don’t know. It certainly was a nice looking place after all. Two houses, not just one. I guess if they were going to get into construction, they might as well make the most of it and build a village. One was a handsome three-bedroom deal for the guests, with room for up to eleven people, I am told, if you squeeze everyone in Spanish style. It is ideal for couples or groups of friends.
The place looked pretty snazzy, with a porch that looks out over the vineyards giving everything a sort of Tuscany feel to it. Just the way I had told them to do. Good to see they listened to me every now and then. This house was connected by an overhead roof patio to another building almost identical in shape. It was for “eventos”, gatherings, parties, shindigs, bachelor weekends, hen weekends, even English classes. “I want you to teach the executives English. Who couldn’t learn English with Cencibel right next to you? I’ll even pay you. 100€ for the weekend sound good?”
“That’s about three or four hours of work. What about the rest of the weekend? Plus, I’ve got a job. I’d love to, but I’ve got a job already.”
“Let me show you the kitchen. Maybe that will change your mind.” Industrial. Plated, pleated, shod and sheeted with stainless steel and a battery of new appliances. Gas stoves….the only way to go. Now we’re talking.
I had to admit they had done a great job turning a one acre lot of land from something only a tractor or a dingo would love into a home away from home for the urban dweller with the cash to spend on getting out of town to look at some trees and eat and drink until they passed out. They even laid down a lawn, a rarity in those parts. I was impressed, absolutely, but by far the biggest surprise, and one which I am glad they went ahead with though I had been consulted, was the swimming pool, a welcome addition to any vineyard if you ask me, especially in La Mancha during the summer months. It’s the ideal way of keeping from withering away like a sunflower in August.
“It was my idea,” claimed Javi. “I knew otherwise the guests would be sizzling like overcooked pancetta if we didn’t. No one wants that to happen.”
You see, the decision to open a casa rural in those parts was a bit risky because no one really thinks of going to La Mancha for a weekend away unless their family is from there or they are following in the footsteps of Don Quixote, as some foreigners do, in which case, after about three days they begin to wonder just what the hell they are doing there. A pool was the saving grace. Javi was right on the mark. And it was in this watering hole that we could wallow and wade, discuss American and Spanish politics without breaking down into tears, sip a Spanish beer, and swat off an occasional insect which also wanted to share the refreshing atmosphere and somehow felt my head was the perfect runway.
Afterwards, Javier proudly showed me around the new premises. La Mancha always improves with the aging of the day. As the sun goes down, the reds become redder, the greens deeper, the browns and yellows richer. The sky starts to stretch out forever. They say, with an immense degree of certainty, that the universe is actually expanding at an ever-increasing rate. You get the sense you can actually see that happening before your very eyes right there and then.
Dinner was Mediterranean style, at least the way the Americans envision an outdoor Mediterranean dinner in the summer. Vegetables were picked straight from the garden, washed and carried to the kitchen. We grilled the zucchini and a couple of green peppers. We took an onion and a somewhat weary-looking head of lettuce and the reddest juiciest tomato you’ve ever seen or tasted. Outstanding.
Darkness came. We pulled the table from the deck out onto the lawn so we could feel the most of the fresh air and get the best view of the stars, which were out in legion. Javi was there with his wife and son, along with the grandmothers, a sister and brother, son inlaws, and a handful of cousins. All that was missing was for a few guards to be posted around the grounds shouldering shotguns to give it the full cosa nostra effect.
Javi gazed up into space after the final slivers of daylight had slipped away below the horizon. “Just look at that. Look at the Big Dipper. Big enough to carry a butt load of eggplants. You’ve never seen anything like that in…what’s the name of that state again?”
“Connecticut.”
“That’s right, ‘Connecticut’.” He did his best to replicate the sound so that it sounded somewhat like it came from the mouth of a native speaker and not a squirrel choking on acorns. “That’s a tough one, I tell you. Too soft too. You need something more macho like…”
“La Mancha,” I muttered to myself quietly.
“La Mancha! Yes. There’s a name for you. Rugged and mysterious. It’s no nonsense. No fucking around.”
I didn’t even bother to check for the look on Javi’s mother face or wait for a disapproving, “Javier, we don’t use that language at the dinner table.” It was never going to happen. Swearing has become such a standard part of everyday language here that unless you step right up to the queen and call her a slut to her face, you would be hard-pressed to find someone admonish “Hey, that’s taking things a little far.” Foul language has come to substitute all kinds of forms of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, comparisons, superlatives…even conjunctions.
I didn’t want to feel out of step with the others and agreed. “Absolutely. De puta madre. (the ‘mother’s whore’ – or basically ‘fucking great’”
“Amen,” sang out the grandmother.
If a fear of heights restricts your movements during your holidays, the La Mancha region is the place for you. Nothing about it suggests altitude will be an issue for the victims of vertigo. No driving off cliffs. No avalanches. No treacherous gorges. No terrifying edges of any kind. Suiciders will die of frustration trying to find a lofty ledge to plunge to their death from; it is simply not an option. They’ll be better off going for the knife, a gun or grab or a handful of pills. My home state of Connecticut, which boasts a hardly elevated Bear Mountain and its height of 700 meters and a prominence of a fearsome 100 meters, could be considered alpine by comparison.
And yet despite this celebration of flatness, the land doesn’t always stretch out like a tightly fitted sheet over an army bunk bed. It kind of rolls here and there gently, allowing the traveler enough of a perspective to enjoy the orography without fear. You have the red clay earth providing miles of foundation for the vines and olive trees, the bales of straw firmly laid upon the golden fields, the deep green bushy heads of the miles of vineyards looking like a legion of Secondary Actor Bobs, shading the little creatures of the land, and the majestic Holmes oaks that emerge from the fields like solitary wise men. Or friendless losers. Those are the trees that produce the acorns that feed the pigs that get slaughtered, salted, aged, sold, sliced, and consumed by people like you and me. People often note the nutty flavor and many don’t know where it comes from. There you have it. A bit of mindless trivia.
Each of those trees is registered in a bureaucratic log somewhere, penned into a leather bound volume of oddities or typed in snug into the memory of a hard drive or two. They cannot be touched without the permission of the regional government. If you were a dog, you’d be wary of peeing on one. As a result, every time I walk by one, I poke it bark or snap off a twig as a sign of defiance. Rebellion against the establishment.
It was my six thousandth time at the finca, more or less, where Javier and his family had their 150 acres of vineyards. That may sound impressive, but when set against the some 400,000 acres of vines planted in all of La Mancha, it’s a mere patch for these parts.
Before, the only real structure was a shed with no electricity or running water, a warehouse for storing agricultural machinery and whatnot, as well as a dozen farm animals or so. We used to broil our chorizos, chicken and steaks over the fireplace, and even whip up a delicious rice with rabbit dish in a deep iron pot, seasoned with thyme and rosemary stripped from their respective bushes nearby. I know it sounds Wyoming wild and all, but considering the Comanche were known to drink the stale water from a bison’s stomach to keep hydrated, I feel it was still fairly tame from that standpoint.
This was my first time at the new finca, now a casa rural, a country house you can rent out, pay loads of money to enjoy rural life for just about long enough until you can’t stand it anymore. Country house tourism is so popular in Spain it has become big business, enormous business, and it has managed to endure even the worst of the economic crisis. Javi and his family actually built their own just the year before, with three bedrooms and a kitchen and living room. It’s called Montehigueras, Fig Tree Hill, which defies all logic because there are no hills in that part, and if there ever was a fig produced on that land it has been long since dispatched to some unknown stomach, or plucked from the soil by a bird with a sweet beak. Apparently that’s the name of the land, so who am I to question it?
As usual, I packed a little more than I really needed. For a person with a reputation for being a total disaster, I take certain pride in the fact I try to foresee any and every unforeseeable eventuality when it comes to short-term travel. You just never know when you might go for a swim or get caught in a blizzard. For an excursion of one day, I stuffed two pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans, two t-shirts, two pairs of underwear, docksiders, running shoes, flip-flops, three pairs of socks and a sweatshirt, in case it cooled off at night, which, in the 100º+ daily heat in the center of the Iberian peninsula was an unlikelihood, but you never knew. Ah, and I also added three bottles of wine, which Javi had asked me to bring along. Javi’s family owns two very large wineries in La Mancha, but the fact is, you can never drink enough of the stuff in this region. No one can. There is so much that much of it is burned and turned into industrial alcohol. I took along a chardonnay from Somontano, a rosé from Cigales and a red from Valdepeñas figuring that all three colors would collide by the end of the evening.
I have to admit I was a little bummed about going to the finca. Kind of miffed. Somewhat snubbed. After all, I had grown up (Spain-speaking) honoring the simplicity of the land, eating with basic utensils, napping under pine trees, regarding the vineyards and saying, “don’t you think it would be a good idea build a real house here? One with a big kitchen for the grastronómica.”
Yes, I like to say it was my idea. Then they took it, built it in record time, and not once did I get a call, nary a whatsapp, to get invited over to review the blueprints, survey the land, oversee the works. Not once. Then, before I knew it, it was up and running. “The place is great. Come and see it,” Javi ordered me.
“I know,” I muttered and wanted to add, I told you so.
“We put a big industrial kitchen in there. You’re gonna love it!”
“All right, all right. Let me be the judge of that.”
Tags: spain
Boy, every year I get worse at this. Some people, actually a lot ot people, call this blogger burnout. I call it having a total lack of time to sit down and do one of things I like best: write…and write about Spain. Writing takes time, just like any kind of exercise. It requires dedication. When I go running, when I plan on running, I can take months before I actually take that first step, but after about day three, I start craving the activity. The same kind of happens with writing. It is soooo easing to slip out of the habit, no matter how much you enjoy it, primarily because, if you take it seriously enough, you don’t want to post a piece of crap. And to avoid that, you have to take the time to make it worthwhile. Not that I haven’t been spending time writing on other things; I just haven’t bothered to share it with anyone.
Plus, luckily for me, not much has been going on this year so far. Spain voted for no party to run the country and seven months and another election later, the situation is still the same. The Partido Popular has taken a slightly tighter grip on power, but it’s still a far cry from the majority it needs. The Socialist party is totally adrift, and Podemos is finally learning what it’s like to me on the other side of the court. Things were a lot easier when all it had to do was take pop shots at mainstream parties. Ciudadanos, trying to be like another Podemos but better dressed and more appealing to the rich young Spaniards who like to feel they are being radical, has begun to come across as an absurd alternative altogether. So, I get the feeling that there is a lot of meeting the new boss, the same as the old boss.
A good scream by Roger Daltrey would be nice here.
The seemingly little impact that this state of non-government, this legislative limbo, is both encouraging and disparaging. The former because it means a stable country can continue to carry on with its duties despite no one really directing it. The latter because it suggests how insignificant ruling parties really are. And let’s not mention the fact the political stagnation means nothing is really getting done. Try doing that at your place of work.
Ok, I’m off to see some friends who have a new casa rural in La Mancha. I’ll start a month long road trip…the way they used to to them. With no place in mind, La Mancha is a perfect destination to start off with. It’s the place of dreaming the impossible the dreams. Trust me, once you are out there, dreaming can get pretty wishful. But, as the song goes, I could really use a wish right now.
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Jay-Z's First Week Sales For "Magna Carta Holy Grail" Surpass Projections
Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" sold 528,208 copies in its first week on shelves.
First Week Sales Numbers For Meek Mill's "Dreams Worth More Than Money"
Meek Mill's sophomore album sold an impressive amount in its first week.
Cardi B Sets Record As Pardison Fontaine Tops Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop
Cardi B sets a new record with "Backin' It Up."
Eminem's "Killshot" Ties Him With Lil Wayne For Third Most Top 10 Hits Among Rappers
Eminem's "Killshot" debuts at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Dr. Dre's First Week Sales Numbers For "Compton: The Soundtrack"
To no one's surprise, Dr. Dre's "Compton: The Soundtrack" put up gaudy first week sales numbers.
97,361 Views 181 Comments
Logic, Jeezy, Ty Dolla $ign, & Justin Bieber First Week Sales Are In
Bieber reigns supreme; tough opening for Ty$.
Here Are The First Week Sales Projections For Big Sean & Jhene Aiko's "TWENTY88"
The numbers for the surprising collaborative project are in.
Future, Wiz Khalifa & Young Thug's First Week Sales Projections Are In
Future's "EVOL" is on top this week.
Future's Official First Week Sales For "DS2"
Future's first week sales numbers are as high as predicted.
First Week Sales Projections For Eminem's "Kamikaze"
The numbers are in. Kind of.
Drake's "Scorpion" Total Sales Number Revealed
Drake's "Scorpion" will score around 749K total in term of sales.
Drake & Future's "What A Time To Be Alive" First Week Sales Projections
Drake and Future will debut at #1 on the charts with "What A Time To Be Alive."
First Week Sales For 50 Cent's "Animal Ambition" Are Here
50 Cent lands at #4 on the Billboard 200 with "Animal Ambition."
First Week Sales For Wale's "Album About Nothing" & Ludacris' "Ludaversal"
Check out the first week sales numbers for Wale and Ludacris.
Every Song Off Drake's "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" Is Charting On Billboard
Drake breaks a record with 21 songs currently charting on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Nicki Minaj's "Megatron" Flops During Second Charting Week
This wasn't the comeback that Nicki Minaj pictured.
Kendrick Lamar's "DAMN." First Week Sales Projections Are In
Kendrick is predicted to top the charts next week.
Eminem & Dr. Dre See Sales Boost After "The Defiant Ones" Release
By Matt F
Eminem and Dr. Dre capitalize on their success.
Here Are The First Week Sales For Drake's "More Life" & Rick Ross' "Rather You Than Me"
Drake's latest debuts at #1 and sets a new streaming record.
First-Week Sales For Frank Ocean's "Blonde" & Tory Lanez' "I Told You"
Frank Ocean gets his first No. 1 with album "Blonde."
Fetty Wap's First Week Sales Projections Are In
Fetty Wap's self-titled album should have a solid sales week.
Sales Projections For Jeezy, Logic & Justin Bieber
It's a very competitive sales week.
All 14 Songs From The Weeknd's "Beauty Behind The Madness" Have Now Charted
The Weeknd's "Beauty Behind the Madness" is absolutely dominating the charts.
Kanye West Knows "Yandhi" Will Come Second To Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter V"
Kanye West has already accepted defeat against Lil Wayne.
XXXTENTACION's "BAD!" Debuts In Billboard 200 Top 20
XXXTENTACION's "BAD!" made a major debut on the charts.
Spotify Officially Responds To Nicki Minaj's Claims Of Discrimination Against Her
By Zaynab
A company representative for Spotify says they are still "big fans" of Nicki Minaj.
Fetty Wap's First Week Sales Numbers Are In
Fetty Wap will debut at the top of the charts this week.
Nicki Minaj's "Queen" & Trippie Redd's "Life's A Trip" Sales Projections Are In
How did Nicki Minaj and Trippie Redd fare with their latest projects?
Kawhi Leonard Harshly Criticized By NBA GM: "He Doesn't Rally His Team"
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Greening the United Nations' Human Development Index?
Morse, S. (2003) Greening the United Nations' Human Development Index? Sustainable Development, 11 (4). pp. 183-198. ISSN 0968-0802
To link to this item DOI: 10.1002/sd.219
The Human Development Index (HDI) introduced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1990 has helped facilitate widespread debate amongst development researchers, practitioners and policy makers. The HDI is an aggregate index, calculated on an annual basis by the UNDP and published in its Human Development Reports, comprising measures of three components deemed by them to be central to development: W income (the gross domestic product per capita), (ii) education (adult literacy rate) and (iii) health (life expectancy at birth). The results of calculating the HDI are typically presented as country/regional league tables, and provide a quick means for policy makers and others to judge performance. Perhaps partly because of the relative simplicity of the index, the HDI has managed to achieve a level of acceptance and use amongst politicians and policy makers that has yet to emerge with any indicator of sustainability. Indeed, despite its existence for 11 years, including nine years after the Rio Earth Summit, the HDI has not even been modified to take on board wider issues of sustainability. This paper will critically examine the potential for 'greening' the HDI so as to include environmental and resource-consumption dimensions. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Faculty of Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Geography and Environmental Science
Faculty of Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Human Environments
SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS GROWTH
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Living Life With CP
Embracing Life on Wheels
Living to Inspire
Prevalence of Cerebral Palsy Higher in Lower-Income, Rural Areas, Taiwan Study Finds
by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD
Low family income and living in rural areas are associated with higher prevalence of cerebral palsy, a study from Taiwan shows.
The research, “Association between socioeconomic status and cerebral palsy,” was published in the journal PLOS One.
Disability associated with cerebral palsy (CP) imposes significant demands on health, education, and social services, the study authors contend. That is why it is of vital importance to obtain updated data on the risk factors associated with CP in order to allocate appropriate health resources.
Research showed that the prevalence of CP is higher in developing countries such as Uganda and Egypt, than it is in Europe, Australia or the U.S. Moreover, the disease is less prevalent in Asian than in Caucasian children in the U.S., but researchers are still unclear whether this difference can be attributed to ethnic disparities. Data also showed that CP is more frequent in boys and in patients with low socioeconomic status (SES).
The research team analyzed the annual prevalence of CP among children in Taiwan age 7 or younger, as well as the association between CP prevalence and SES. The investigators used data from the Taiwan Health Insurance Research Database, recorded from 2002 to 2008.
The study focused on both total and severe CP. Total CP definition was based on medical claim records, but severe CP required a definite CP diagnosis and moderate-to-severe physical or mental disability.
Results showed that the annual prevalence of total and severe CP in Taiwan ranged from 1.9 to 2.8, and from 1.1 to 1.4 per 1,000 children, respectively. This is similar to data from Western countries, which contradicts previous reports.
Unlike total CP, which was higher in the period 2003-2008 than in 2002, severe CP remained stable throughout the seven years of analysis.
Matching previous data, boys were found to be 30 percent more likely to have CP than girls.
Regarding the association of CP and SES, children from families with low family income had a fivefold higher prevalence of both total and severe disease than middle- or high-income families. This result is in accordance with data from U.S. and U.K. studies.
“The trend of higher CP prevalence in low-income families warrants further investigation to reduce the CP rate in this population,” the researchers wrote.
Among the factors potentially explaining the link between SES and CP, maternal illness, inadequate prenatal care, poor nutrition, alcoholism, and smoking have been suggested.
Furthermore, CP was more frequent in patients living in rural regions, compared to those in urban or suburban areas. Because residents of rural areas are less likely to use medical services, it is important to expand access to these services to ensure optimal development and care of these children, the researchers emphasized.
The mortality rate of severe CP ranged from 12.2−22.7 per 1,000 children. These values are higher than those of developed countries. Further studies are warranted to analyze what drives this high mortality, they stated.
“Developing a nationwide CP register system to thoroughly understand the prevalence and causes of CP and provide improved healthcare to children with CP is imperative,” researchers concluded.
Tagged income, mortality, prevalence, risk, rural areas, Socioeconomic status, Taiwan.
Jose Marques Lopes, PhD
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Cerebral Palsy News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
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Sonja Swygert
Community Volunteer
Sonja E. Swygert was born and educated in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from Morgan State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and later obtained a Master of Education Degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her background in education led to teaching in the Baltimore City schools and teaching adult education in Brooklyn, NY. Next, she set up Galbraith Daycare Center in Washington, DC. Positions as director of Galbraith Daycare Center and director of Hahneman Daycare Center for Exceptional Children in Philadelphia compelled her to return to the classroom to work with children with special needs. She taught Head Start for special needs children at Green Tree School in Philadelphia. Ms. Swygert also held positions of Coordinator of Conferences and Scheduling, Student-Faculty Center, Temple University and Coordinator of Guest Relations/Volunteer Services, Temple University Hospital. After moving to Albany, New York, she was employed as Assistant Director of Conferences and Special Events at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.
Ms. Swygert returned to Washington, DC in 1995 and for eight years was an active fundraiser for Howard University, especially for the Moorland Spingarn Library and Howard University Hospital. While there, she was a member of The International Neighbors organization which was a club of Congressional and diplomatic wives. She also was a member of the Board of the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region for approximately three years. Presently, Ms. Swygert is a member of the Board of BabySteps and the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County. As an alumna of Morgan State University, she is still active with her graduating class to provide financial support to the University. About ten years ago, Ms. Swygert moved to Highland Beach, Annapolis where she served as town commissioner for three years. She now resides in the Historic District of Annapolis and has two adult sons, Patrick, Jr and Michael.
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You are here: Home / BOOK CLUB / BOOK CLUB: A Stranger In My Street
BOOK CLUB: A Stranger In My Street
Author: Deborah Burrows
The year is 1943 and there is a World War raging. Perth is plastered with propaganda posters and in the midst of an American invasion with troops stationed permanently in the city.
I went into this book with an open mind and a deliberate lack of expectations. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to be letting myself in for so I wanted to be open to all eventualities.
Perth is pumping, there are lots of parties and lots of dancing. The women in Perth are having a ball living it up with the American troops; they have more of everything and are extremely generous with the Australians that welcome them.
Meg Eaton isn’t enjoying anything about the war as she struggles back from the heartbreak of losing her love to the war. And then everything changes the day she discovers a body in the neighbour’s back yard, and meets the older brother her lover idolised.
The discovery of the body changes everything in this quiet little street, it starts to show people in a different light and demonstrate the discrimination faced by minority groups. Discrimination is present all the time, we see it even today in many different forms, but it seems that in times of war it becomes even more pronounced. All are judged on the actions of some. Men born in Australia of Italian parents are branded Italians, stereotyped and judged on the basis of their parentage, because the Italians are not fighting with the Australians in this war.
The discovery of Doreen’s body is the turning point for many people involved in this story and from this point on we delve into the lives of Perth natives and their American visitors throughout this bloody period of history. The men who were physically injured, psychologically damaged, those left behind by the men who didn’t make it home and the soldiers trying to make it bearable far from home.
On the surface this book is the story of a murder investigation in a quiet street where everybody knows everybody else, a street steeped in a sense of community where in most cases everyone feels at least a slight sense of responsibility for their neighbours.
It is also the story of a generation of men who faced horrors that defy understanding by those of us who never faced it, a tribute to their bravery and the demons that those who made it home had to live with for all of their days.
And it’s the story of corruption, addiction and deception that runs rife in a society plagued by rationing and conscription on their struggle back from the depression.
Of course there are also elements of romance so this books really does have a bit of everything.
If you are interested in the modern history of our country and the every day lives of people in a city affected by war but not in the first line of defence then I think this is a book you will enjoy. It was interesting to picture a Perth of today as it would have been during WWII, still struggling back from the depression.
The mystery and piecing together the puzzle of the murder captured me. The immediate finger pointed at the husband for reasons I won’t go into, by the police and the community. It is just that trusting Meg believes better of him and undertakes some sleuthing of her own.
Deborah Burrows has taken a dark time in our history and brought it to life in a way that I wasn’t expecting. The characters are vivid and I can actually picture Lagrange in his khakis, more so than the Americans in their tailored uniforms.
BOOK CLUB: Heart-Shaped Bruise
Book Review: Right As Rain
Book Club: The Enchanted Island
BOOK CLUB: Life Before
Filed Under: BOOK CLUB, POPULAR FICTION Tagged With: book club, deborah burrows, historical, macmillan, Perth, POPULAR FICTION, World War II
shelleyrae @ Book'd Out says
I’m mid way through this now and enjoying it so far 🙂
Set in Perth during World War II in 1943, A Stranger In My Street is a murder mystery filled with love, suspense and intrigue! Meg, lost in her boring life since her lover, Peter Lagrange, died eighteen months earlier, refuses to date or socialise with the troops because she feels nothing comes close to the love she shared and lost with Peter.
An unexpected encounter changes her life forever when she meets a handsome Australian troop who bears the same surname as Peter. Both curiosity and fear draw her to the stranger named Tom Lagrange – Peter’s big brother.
It is during this meeting that they both stumble across the dead body of Doreen Luca who is renown for flirting and frolicking with the troops while her husband is away. Meg and Tom become involved in their own detective work, trying to find out what happened to Doreen and Meg questions Tom’s involvement with Doreen, as she becomes suspicious he is hiding something from her.
Meg and Tom have one thing in common and that is their love for Peter. The emotional bond they develop enables Meg to release herself from her grief stricken state and enjoy life again through dancing, dating and deep conversations with Tom. They connect on both a physical and intellectual level however Tom is engaged to be married to a stunning Perth socialite.
The characters, especially Meg, are very believable and likeable, even if Tom comes across as somewhat arrogant in places and there is also his uncertain involvement in Doreen’s death! Tom’s character also has many levels as he fights his inner post war demons.
Burrows has done her homework thoroughly as the characters are typical of that era and it is clear she has established this story around well researched Australia during the World War II era. The book explores issues such as racism, social class, culture and women’s status in society and I can easily picture this novel as a movie or TV miniseries!
Kelly Jones says
I loved A Stranger In My Street. The historical side of Australians at war in 1943 and how Perrh and its surrounding areas coped with the onslaught of the Japanese, and I guess you would say an invasion of American soldiers who were there to help protect them and Australia. The history in the story I really was engrossed in, and it really opened my eyes to a few things, such as the detention of Italian immigrants because they were fighting with Hitler and were therefore all scorned even though they had no direct influence on the war and for all intents and purposes were Australian citizens if not Australian born. You never think that sort of hatred can exist but seeing how quickly the finger is pointed at an Italian for the murder simply because he is Italian and they were known to carry knives it really makes you see that propaganda is dangerous no matter where it happens.
Poor Meg has such a rough time in her young life, but I love her strength and how she looks all her troubles straight in the eye, and Tom with all his demons and nightmares is really a decent caring man.
I love how they investigate the murder getting to know each other along the way, and also introducing some very colorful characters such as Chad and Betty, and her young neighbors jimmy and Stan.
The mystery of the murder definitely carries through the story smoothly and I still hadn’t completely figured out who had done it until it was confessed.
The book was really enjoyable, and easy to read. I will definitely be recommending it to my friends.
I forgot to add, as I wrote this up last night when I had finished reading, that I loved how Meg described the dancing and jitterbugging, it lent a realness to the story that I loved and I could almost imagine that I was there in the ’30s enjoying the wartime dances with the local girls and the American soldiers.
Margot says
A romantic mystery set in wartime Perth, A Stranger in My Street fails to live up to its promise. The story is told through the eyes of Meg Eaton, a young woman who lost her boyfriend to war eighteen months previously and is still grieving.
Meg meets Tom Lagrange, her boyfriend’s brother, in her street looking for her neighbour Doreen. Later in the day Meg and Tom discover Doreen’s murdered body in a neighbour’s bomb shelter. The blurb at the back of the book however says that Meg meets Tom standing over a body in her neighbour’s backyard. This might have presented a more interesting scenario.
The police investigation into the murder is perfunctory as they are convinced Doreen’s husband. Frank is responsible for her murder. The murder takes a back seat to the developing relationship between Tom and Meg and Meg’s re-enagement with life as she begins to enjoy the social life provided by the American servicemen based in Perth for a large part of the book.
I think the book is constrained by the fact that it is told in first person. This results in things like the clumsiness of Meg eavesdropping on Tom’s interview with the police as a mechanism to gain some insight into Tom’s relationship to Doreen and why he was looking for her. It also means we don’t get to know the other characters, Doreen, Betty, the American servicemen, Phyllis, Tom’s fiancee and even Tom himself very well.
The best part of the book is the depiction of the social life and mores of wartime Perth.
Overall I found the book an easy but rather dissatisfying read.
A thoroughly enjoyable read . A Stranger in my Street was certainly an enthralling and enjoyable read which I was unable to put down . I was able to immerse myself in the story through the eyes of Meg who is still grieving the loss of her boyfriend . The story is set in Perth in 1943 when Australians were at war and American soldiers were based here. Meg meets Tom ( who turns out to be her boyfriends brother) and together they discover the body of her neighbour Doreen . The murder mystery aspect to the story is certainly a fascinating one as I for one usually have worked out the “killer” well before the end of the book but A Stranger in my Street certainly kept me guessing to the absolute last pages . The characters are engaging and the relationship between Meg and Tom convincing and I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone .Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read this novel and I will certainly be on the look out for future novels from this author
Lorraine Cormack says
I was really impressed by how absorbing this book was. I’d certainly expected to enjoy it, but it was amazing to glance up and realise I’d read the first 50 pages without noticing. It reels you in quickly and you’re thoroughly caught up in the novel before you have time to realise it.
Obviously I don’t know war-time Perth – I was born a quarter of a century after this book was set. And I only know modern Perth slightly, having visited a few times. Despite this, Burrows’ depicted Perth strongly enough that it felt familiar to me – I could recognise some of the places, and the atmosphere felt much as I would have expected from my historical studies and reading. So far as I know, too, Burrows was historically accurate in her details.
The most important thing for me, though, was the characters. They are what really dragged me into the story, and kept me caring about what was going to happen next.
Meg Eaton is the narrator and heroine. She’s a far more complex character than you find in many romance oriented novels. She is a young woman in a time when values and expectations are starting to change; traditional views about things such as sex outside of marriage are still publicly espoused, but many young people are quietly acting in a different way. Many have had it brought home to them all too bitterly that there may very literally never be a tomorrow. Meg is well aware of these contradictions; she tries not to hurt the older or more traditional people around her, but she still makes her decisions based on what she feels is right.
Meg is young, and relatively sheltered, and naïve in some ways. But she’s also intelligent, forthright, and caring. Importantly, for much of the novel she is able to articulate what is important to her and be true to that. Most readers are going to both empathise with and admire Meg. She’s a real drawcard to keep reading; you want to know what decisions she will make and what will happen to her.
Meg’s one blind spot seems to be Tom LaGrange. He is the older brother of the young lover she has already lost to the war. Meg does not know how she feels about him, and as she slowly starts to recognise her feelings, she’s unable to decide what to do about them (a problem she has with few other issues). Tom is more badly damaged by the war than Meg initially realises; and at first she is caught up by the way he underlines her lasting grief. But then he starts to help her move through it, and begin to find a way to open herself to life again. And soon she begins to look at him as more than a friend. Which is a problem; not only is he her lover’s brother, he’s engaged to a society beauty.
Around this story Burrows weaves a murder mystery, and a depiction of what damage war can wreak on both those who fight it and those who stay at home. The murder mystery was interesting, but not rivetting, and it isn’t really a major focus of the novel. It’s interesting that the time taken to resolve it is more reflective of real life (months) than most crime novels (days). The depiction of what war can do was both vivid and thought provoking.
I really enjoyed this novel, largely on the strength of the characters. I enjoyed finding out the unexpected aspects of their characters, and I enjoyed the way Burrows took some time to reveal some of these surprises. I liked the majority of the characters, and understood the ones I didn’t like. I strongly wanted to know what happened to people. I’d recommend this highly to readers who want an intelligent and realistic novel which includes a little from a few genres: romance, crime, and recent history. Like real life they’re all mixed in together, and it makes for an entertaining and engrossing read.
Sandra Argese says
Three words:
I was impressed.
The style of writing reminded me very much of my own, being highly dramatic, realistic and with a sense of romance at every turn. I loved the obvious depth of knowledge Burrows has about Perth; I really related to it, having lived here my entire life. It was a completely different perspective on a city I know and love. I really enjoyed the combination of many genres….there’s so much! There are historical references, a sense of romance, suspenseful mysteries and so much more 🙂
I really related to Meg for some reason; her innocence and knowledge combine to create an interesting character which includes a connection with Tom.
Overall, I enjoyed it. Great read.
A very interesting read, it hit all the points, mystery, murder, romance and a touch of history. Not being too much of a war fan I was glad Deborah Burrows was able to weave the history and facts of war into this novel without dwelling too much on the killing.
A great insight into what war life was like for the people of Perth. Deborah did well to integrate the forced detention of migrants, include racial issues all without the reader feeling malice toward the characters. What this author did well was to give a 3D view of the situation, how normal people felt and facts of the case all while delivering a truly enjoyable read.
At no point did the story fail or become boring but continued to draw little threads of information out to keep you reading.
The writing was also colourful enough to see Meg’s new dress, hear the music and see the dancing. The story had just enough twists and turns to keep you thinking “it was her”, “no it was him” but to be honest I did not guess until the end.
A book I am happy to recommend.
Simone says
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was not what I thought it was going to be. I just thought it was another romance set during war time, but it was so much more! There’s a murder mystery to solve too and I’ll admit that I wouldn’t make a very good detective as I had no idea ‘who done it’. The descriptions of war time in Australia were interesting, but the author didn’t go over the top talking about the war. The main character, Meg, was lovely and brave and the interactions between her and the male lead, Tom, we’re thoroughly enjoyable. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends.
Thank you once again Beauty and Lace for another great book to review. >:o)
I don’t want to say too much because I think that everyone will really enjoy reading A Stranger In My Street. It is a murder mystery of sorts, and cleverly so – not surprising as the author is herself a lawyer. Perhaps the best aspect of this novel is the wonderful description and imagery that really brings the war era alive, and not just in the cliche ways we are familiar from history class and films, but in a true, detailed depiction of Perth during this long ago time. Even the language used is appropriate to this era and I felt as though I had travelled back in time. It’s a delight!
Daydreamer says
I’ll start this review by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of history. It was always my least favourite subject at school – perhaps because of our monotonous teacher who was old enough to be in the textbooks herself – and I viewed much of what we learned as a dreary timeline of dates, events and names. To me, history neither had that spark of life (pun intended), nor the captivating fascination of other subjects.
This is why I was so surprised by how much I genuinely enjoyed this book. I’ll admit I was tentative at first when I actually received the book and saw all the pages, the weight of the novel in my hands capturing unwelcome flashbacks of the heavy textbooks we used in class. Yet once I began to read and immerse myself in the very different world of Perth during WWII, those textbooks became a distant memory (as they should be).
The strength of this book comes from its ability to beautifully capture and portray the holistic atmosphere of a vibrant city affected by the war, from the dances and parties of the social scene to the multi-layered war heroes and everyday Australian locals that bring the town to life. Hitting the right balance between descriptions, dialogue and narrative, the prose is written smoothly and consistently, and makes for an easy read. I was especially impressed with the meticulous details that Burrows seemed to effortlessly integrate throughout the book, such as the WWII propaganda posters that she even went so far as to describe and quote, without ambitiously over-scrutinizing the details as one might be tempted to do. Reaching the final pages, the notes on “Further Reading” displays the great lengths of research that was put into this book, and such effort certainly gives the novel a realistic, honest glow.
Further, the characters are well described and three dimensional. It is completely believable that such individuals could have lived in Perth in 1943, and Burrows does a brilliant job of bringing each of their personalities and mannerisms to life. In particular, I really enjoyed following the relationship between main protagonists, Meg Eaton and Tom Lagrange. Their relationship is complicated enough to start with as Tom is the older brother of Meg’s past lover who was recently killed in the war, but entwine that with a murder mystery, a fiercely jealous fiance, corruption in the army, unjust racism and a scandalous newspaper that reports it all, and you’ve just scratched the surface of this complicated plot.
All in all, I have to say that this book has restored my faith in history being more than comatose-inducing textbooks. I remember studying Australia during WWII in class and would have loved it if a book like this was a reading requirement, because I learned so much about the past from the story yet it never felt like studying due to the effortless integration. This is a lovely read that I would recommend to friends, especially if I know someone learning about WWII or is interested in history. For a debut author, this book is brilliant, and I look forward to future books by Burrows.
Thanks Beauty and Lace for this review opportunity… and a chance to reconnect with our fascinating past!
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Beth Guterman Chu
Chu, Beth Guterman
By BAE Editor on July 17, 2014 in Musicians
A native of Belmont, Beth Guterman Chu joined the St. Louis Symphony as Principal Viola in January of 2013. Before joining the orchestra, she was a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and performed with distinguished artists and ensembles including Itzhak Perlman, Menahem Pressler, Gil Shaham, David Fincke , Wu Han, Joseph Kalichstein, Edger Meyer, the Guarneri Quartet, and the Orion Quartet. Beth regularly teaches and performs at the Aspen Music Festival and School and Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra USA. She has recently participated in many summer festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Bravo Vail Valley Music Festival, and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival. She has recorded on the Deutsche Grammophon, Tzadik, and Naxos labels, and has toured across America, Europe, and Asia. She is a member of the conductorless East Coast Chamber Orchestra. She received her Artist Diploma at the New England Conservatory studying with Kim Kashkashian, and her bachelor of music and master of music degrees from Juilliard studying with Masao Kawasaki and Misha Amory. Beth resides in St. Louis with her husband Jonathan Chu, and their three children.
Chu, Jonathan – viola
Bodner, Jessica, viola
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