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Published June 25, 2019 by Dave
Most of our days are filled with the routine, ordinary, and rather mundane events of life. Things like brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, driving to work, doing the laundry, mowing the lawn, watching tv…. Just regular run-of-the-mill stuff.
And most of our days are like that. Just another day – doing pretty much the same thing as you’ve done hundreds of times before.
But every once in a while, we have a different kind of day… A day that changes everything.
Coleson and Dana had one of those days yesterday. They may not have even fully realized it, but for them, yesterday changed everything! As they stood before friends and family and said their marriage vows to one another, their lives headed down a brand new path and things will be forever different in their lives.
John & Wendy had one of those days about 45 years ago! They celebrated 45 years of marriage a week ago Saturday and I’m sure they would testify that when they said “I do” 45 years ago – that was a day that changed everything!
And it’s not just wedding days that change everything. Sometimes its the day of the car accident that changes everything. Or the day your little one was born. Or the day you started that new job. Or whatever it is… Everyone once in a while, we have those days – those days that change everything!
Well, Joseph was about to have one of those days.
When we last left Joseph, he was in the prison in the palace of the guard in Egypt.
Some time before this he had been sold as a slave (by his brothers) and had been bought by a man named Potiphar. But Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph and he was thrown into prison for a crime that he never committed. But through it all, we were reminded last week that the Lord was with Joseph – even in the prison – and God caused everything Joseph did to succeed, causing him to quickly gain the trust of the prison keeper who then put him in charge of all the other prisoners.
As it happened, Pharaoh had thrown his cup-bearer and his baker into that same prison and so one day as Joseph cared for these two men, Joseph noticed that they seemed to be upset about something. They went on to tell Joseph that they had each had a dream that clearly had some important meaning, but didn’t know what that meaning was.
Well to make a long story short, God revealed to Joseph what the dreams meant and so Joseph was able to tell these two men the meaning of their dreams. He told them that in three days, the baker unfortunately would be executed by Pharaoh and the cup-bearer would be freed from prison and would get his job back. And then, as Joseph is explaining all this, Joseph also says this to the cup-bearer: (In Genesis chapter 40, verse 14…)
14 And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. 15 For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.” Genesis 40:14-15
It was probably a long-shot to hope for Pharaoh’s help, but that was probably Joseph’s only hope that he would ever get out of that prison.
Unfortunately, even though everything Joseph predicted happened exactly as Joseph had said, Joseph’s request for the cup-bearer to remember him would be denied, because it says at the end of chapter 40, verse 23….
23 Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought. Genesis 40:23
Talk about being ungrateful, eh? A guy interprets your dreams and tells you that your life’s going to be spared and you’re going to get your job back, and so how do you thank him? By forgetting all about him – never giving him another thought.
Well, that’s where we left off last week. Poor ol’ Joseph kidnapped from his homeland, sold as a slave, thrown into prison, and now completely forgotten about.
Joseph stayed in that prison for another two full years – until one day, something happened!
And unbeknownst to Joseph, this would be the day for him that changed everything.
We’ll pick up our story in Genesis chapter 41 – starting at verse 1.
Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. 2 In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. 3 Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank. 4 Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.
5 But he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. 6 Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind. 7 And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.
8 The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant.
9 Finally, the king’s chief cup-bearer spoke up. “Today I have been reminded of my failure,” he told Pharaoh. 10 “Some time ago, you were angry with the chief baker and me, and you imprisoned us in the palace of the captain of the guard. 11 One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning. 12 There was a young Hebrew man with us in the prison who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he told us what each of our dreams meant. 13 And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole.”
14 Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh. 15 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.”
Now let’s just pause here for a minute to wrap our heads around this situation. Joseph has been a slave in Egypt for about 13 year at this point. He’s been in the prison for at last two years – perhaps even more – we’re not told the exactly timeline. Suddenly, he’s pulled out of the prison and told to make himself presentable because he’s going to appear before Pharaoh. We don’t know if anyone told Joseph why he was appearing before Pharaoh, but Joseph would soon find out.
So now here’s Joseph, standing before Pharaoh and Pharaoh says to him, “I had a dream the other night, and I hear that you can interpret dreams.”
Now if you were Joseph, how would you reply? Remember, there is a LOT riding on how you answer this question.
First of all, this is probably Joseph’s one and only chance of ever getting out of that prison. There was no parol. No getting out for good behaviour. If Pharaoh decided at that point to send Joseph back to prison, it would almost be a guarantee that Joseph would live in that dungeon until he died. If Joseph isn’t able to interpret Pharaoh dreams, it’s pretty much game over for Joseph.
So I would think that Joseph would certainly want to prove to be valuable to Pharaoh! But on the other hand, if Joseph says he can do it, but he gets it wrong – that’d be game over too! I’m not sure how much confidence I’d have in that situation if I were Joseph. I mean, sure, Joseph got the baker and cup-bearer’s dreams right, but what about his own dreams about his family bowing down to him? That sure hadn’t come through. If I were Joseph, I’m not sure how much confidence I would have had that I could accurately interpret these dreams.
And based on Joseph’s reply that we read in the next verse, I don’t think Joseph had that much confidence in himself – but he sure had confidence in God. Look at how he replies to Pharaoh in verse 16.
16 “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” Genesis 41:16
Joseph didn’t have confidence in himself. He recognized that it was beyond his power to interpret these dreams. But he had absolute confidence that God could do it.
That’s such a great reminder to us. We don’t need to have more self-confidence – we need to have more God-confidence.
Did you know that there is an entire category of books on amazon dedicated to self-esteem? It’s actually a sub-category of self-help. But the self-esteem category itself has over 10,000 books – many of them best-sellers.
It’s obvious that there are a lot of people looking for ways to build their self-confidence. But I’m not sure we need to read more books on self-confidence – I think we just need to read the One Book on how have God-confidence.
I think one of the reasons why God has recorded so many of these great stories in the Bible is so that we can learn to have God-confidence. When we read about God dividing the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites to cross through, or about God knocking down the walls of Jericho so that Joshua could march right in or about God sending ravens to bring food to Elijah in the middle of a drought – these are incredible stories that strengthen and build our God-confidence.
That’s also why we like to have people share their testimonies in church every so often – because when we hear how God has been at work in their lives, that builds our God-confidence.
God-confidence is knowing that even when we are unable, God is able. Even when we are weak, God is strong. Even when we don’t know the answer, God knows everything. That’s God-confidence.
I think Paul was a man who learned to have great God-confidence. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 he writes:
I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9b-10
Paul, like Joseph, didn’t put his confidence in himself. He put his confidence in God. So much so, that he could boast about his weakness, because when he was weak, he knew that God would be strong. Paul goes so far as to say he took pleasure in his own weakness….
To me, that seems really weird! Do you take pleasure in your weakness? Are you happy when you’re unable? When you’re weak? Being weak doesn’t usually bring me much joy…
But Paul says he took pleasure in his weakness – in his own inability, in his own suffering – because that’s exactly when the power of God would work through him. Paul had joy knowing that God was able even when Paul was weak.
In fact in the book of Philippians, Paul writes this:
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
That’s absolutely true! When we feel incapable or unqualified – when we feel we simply can’t do whatever it is that need to be done – that’s ok. In fact, that’s a good thing.
When we are weak, that’s exactly when God has the opportunity to show just how strong and how able and how qualified He is. Nothing is too hard for Him. And because of that, we can do anything that God calls us to do – through the power of Christ who gives us His strength.
And I think Joseph would agree. It was beyond Joseph’s power to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams – but Joseph had complete confidence that God could do it.
So Joseph put his confidence in God and as a result, Pharaoh put his confidence in Joseph. It says in verse 17…
17 So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. “In my dream,” he said, “I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, 18 and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. 19 But then I saw seven sick-looking cows, scrawny and thin, come up after them. I’ve never seen such sorry-looking animals in all the land of Egypt. 20 These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows. 21 But afterward you wouldn’t have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.
22 “In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. 23 Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind. 24 And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean.”
25 Joseph responded, “Both of Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. 26 The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity. 27 The seven thin, scrawny cows that came up later and the seven thin heads of grain, withered by the east wind, represent seven years of famine.
28 “This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. 29 The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. 30 But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land. 31 This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased. 32 As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.
33 “Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. 34 Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. 35 Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities. 36 That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.” Genesis 41:17-36
Now there are probably a few things that we could point out from this passage, but here’s what caught my attention: Joseph mentions twice in those verses that through these dreams, God was warning Pharaoh in advance about what was going to happen. In the near future there would be a terrible famine throughout Egypt. For the next seven years, the land would produce bumper crops – there would be incredible prosperity, but then after those seven years of prosperity would be seven years of terrible famine. Twice, Joseph says how these dreams are a warning to Pharaoh about what God was going to do.
Now of course, we just can’t imagine any of our modern governments embracing a message like this. No prime minster or premier or president or governor that I know of, (even if they had a dream just like this) would ever listen to someone claiming that their dream was a warning from God. Our modern western culture is so secular that no one would ever entertain the thought that God would warning us of impending doom. Sure, they might listen to a meteorologist or maybe a climate change scientist – but certainly not a message from God.
But the reality is, God has given us (including our leaders) a very similar warning. Even though we may not be facing an impending famine, our nation is certainly facing an even more tragic future. God has warned us clearly in his Word that when we stray from following his commands and his principles – when we refuse live in obedience and submission to God – destruction naturally follows.
The Old Testament is filled with these kinds of warnings from God. In our adult Sunday School we’ve been going through the book of Hosea – and that’s what the book is about! Israel had forgotten about God and unless they changed their course, they would face destruction.
I think that’s true for Canada too. It might not be tomorrow, but unless Canadians begin to change course and turn back to God, we too will face eventual destruction. God has warned us clearly in his Word.
And so perhaps even more pressing for us today, is not the state of our nation, but the state of our own personal lives. If you’ve been coming to this church for any period of time, I’m sure that by now you’ve heard me talk about the sin that we are all born with. We are all born with a natural inclination to rebel against God – and we’ve all acted on that. We’ve sinned against our Creator and the Bible is very clear that the wages of sin is death. We deserve eternal separation and punishment from God.
But God in his mercy, sent His Son, Jesus Christ to live a sinless life and to then die on a cross – taking the punishment for our sin. Three days later He rose from the grave – He lives today and He has invited all of us to simply believe and trust in him so that we can have that eternal life and the joy and peace that He offers.
But the problem is, some of us may not have accepted that message. Some of us may not have heeded the warned from God of our impending destruction. And I know that sounds kinda harsh, but that’s the reality! Romans 2:5 says this:
5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. Romans 2:5-8
Just like God warned Pharaoh of the imminent famine and gave him a chance to escape (and even flourish) – so too, God has warned us. He has given us the chance to escape the punishment of sin and instead to flourish by accepting Jesus’ gift of Salvation. If you’ve never made that choice in your heart to accept God’s free gift of Salvation, I would strongly urge you to do that today. Choose life over death.
That’s exactly what Pharaoh did. He believed and accepted God’s warning through Joseph. We read in verse 37:
37 Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”
41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and placed it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothing and hung a gold chain around his neck. 43 Then he had Joseph ride in the chariot reserved for his second-in-command. And wherever Joseph went, the command was shouted, “Kneel down!” So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said to him, “I am Pharaoh, but no one will lift a hand or foot in the entire land of Egypt without your approval.”
45 Then Pharaoh gave Joseph a new Egyptian name, [zef-a-nath, pan-eh-ah] Zaphenath-paneah. He also gave him a wife, whose name was [A-scene-ath] Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. So Joseph took charge of the entire land of Egypt. 46 He was thirty years old when he began serving in the court of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence, he inspected the entire land of Egypt. Genesis 41:37-46
What an incredible day that must have been for Joseph. When he woke up that morning, he was a kidnapped slave, forgotten in prison. But by the time he went to bed that night, he was the second-in-command over all of Egypt. Life had completely changed for Joseph and would never be the same. What a difference a day makes!
That just goes to show that life can change in an instant! Sometimes God has to work and arranged everything for years before everything is in place for that one day…. But when that one day comes, everything changes! And some of you have experienced that yourself!
We talked at the beginning of this message about how one day changes everything. From weddings to car accidents, getting that job, losing that job, births, deaths – I think we’ve all had those reminders that one day can change everything.
Perhaps in your life you’ve been feeling a bit like Jospeh must have felt as he sat there in prison – 13 years as a slave – more than two years forgotten about in prison…. Maybe you feel stuck. Maybe you feel hopeless. Maybe you feel like nothing will ever change! But I’d encourage you to hold on and put your confidence in God – because one day can changed everything.
Maybe it’s a loved one who isn’t walking with the Lord – one day can change everything.
Maybe it’s a medical condition that looks hopeless – one day can change everything.
Maybe it’s marriage or some other relationship that’s struggling – one day can change everything.
Don’t lose hope. Put your confidence in God, because one day can change everything.
We were reminded from that passage in Romans that one Day Jesus Christ will return to bring judgement to the wicked and eternal life to those who have believed in Him. That’s going to be a day that will really change everything. It’s so important that we are ready for that one day.
Joseph was ready for his ‘one day that changed everything’. Even though he knew that in himself, he was unable to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, that wasn’t a problem – because he had placed his confidence in God.
And we need to do the same thing. There is no way that we can be good enough to stand before God. There’s no way we can earn God’s favor by the good things we do. And that’s ok – so long as we put our confidence in God. Our weakness, our inability to always do what is right isn’t a problem because Jesus has already done that for us. When we are weak, he is strong.
His perfect, sinless life is what gives us right standing before God. We simply need to put our trust, our hope, our confidence in Him.
And so if you’ve never done that before, perhaps today is a day for you that will change everything. Perhaps today is the day when you trade Jesus your sin for his righteousness. Perhaps today is the day that you exchange your guilt for his forgiveness. Perhaps today is the day that you will be freed from sin, and death and judgement and instead, will receive joy, and peace, and eternal life.
One day can change everything.
As for Joseph, that one day really did change everything – but that certainly wasn’t the end of his story. As I mentioned earlier, Jospeh has been in Egypt for about 13 years as a slave – He went on to live another 80 years in Egypt as second in command. So his story is far from over – and we’ll continue looking at his life next week.
Published in Sermons
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Silver Jubilee Celebration - (19th January, 2005.)
It gives us immense pleasure to indicate that CMDR successfully completed 25 years of its birth (2005). On the eve of silver jubilee celebration, the center came out with a series of Activity Bulletins based on its active involvement in various academic activities during 25 years of existence. Broadly it included Action Research, Research in Economics of Education, Health and Environment, Capacity Building, Research in Tobacco Economics, Gender Studies, Banking and Finance, Studies on Drought and Research in Ancient Indian Thought.
His Excellency Sri T.N Chaturvedi ji, Governor of Karnataka, laid the foundation stone for the existing new building on 19th January, 2005.
On the eve of silver jubilee year, the institute organized a series of seminars, symposium and conference in 2005. The first seminar in this series held during 19th and 20th January, 2005 was on ‘Scientific Thinking in Ancient Indian Society; its Current Relevance for the Debate on Intellectual Property Rights in WTO Negotiations.’
His Excellency Sri. T. N. Chaturvedi (second from left) is observing CMDR research publications (books, monographs & project reports).
Honourable Governor of Karnataka Sri. T. N. Chaturvedi is laying the foundation stone for the new campus of CMDR
His Excellency Sri. T. N. Chaturvedi (third from left) is releasing the Activity Bulletins of CMDR.
Honourable Governor of Karnataka Sri. T. N. Chaturvedi is lighting the lamp to inaugurate Silver Jubilee function of CMDR
Participants of the seminar on ‘Scientific Thinking in Ancient Indian Society; its Current Relevance for the Debate on Intellectual Property Rights in WTO Negotiations’ held on 19-20th January 2004 at the Centre.
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CMT News
Wade Hayes Shifts Gears
by Kimmy Wix 7/8/2003
Wearing a cowboy hat for Wade Hayes is still no act — it’s a genuine part of who he is. He’s still writing and singing straight-ahead, traditional country music, and although he chuckles at such a compliment, he remains one of country music’s most eligible bachelors. But while some things remain the same in “Wade World,” the barely 30-year-old artist is pretty psyched about being a bit older in both his personal and professional life. His brand new When The Wrong One Loves You Right album is a perfect indication of such growth and maturity.
“They say that your gears change about every ten years,” says Wade. “I guess I’m kinda in third gear right now, but I’m diggin’ getting older. I really am, because I’m finally thinking about things a lot differently these days and enjoying myself a lot more. I’ve spent most of my life really worrying about stuff, and I’m getting to the point now that I’m tired of it. In every aspect of everything, I just know that it’s all going to work out one way or another. And I say this now because I haven’t really gone through any big tragedies in my life, but I really feel like everything happens for a reason and we’re meant to learn from events in our lives.”
Wade learned early on that success could storm into your life like a heavenly shower. Having launched a series of top ten singles, including two No. 1 hits, and a certified gold album right out of the starting gate in late 1994, the young Oklahoma native also learned that the heavenly shower could surprisingly turn into a disappointing drizzle.
“I think one of the problems I had was that my career did take off so fast,” he explains. “We had two No. 1s and three top tens right in a row. For some reason I thought that was the way things were going to be throughout my whole career. When things slacked off a little bit, I freaked out completely. Now, I understand that I probably wouldn’t be a real happy or appreciative person if my career had continued to have grown like it did that quickly. I know now that I really needed to take some time to learn a lot more things. I feel I know better now how to handle my business and become a better writer, picker and singer.
“I would have never thought this way a year ago. But I guess during this last year, something just snapped and I woke up one morning and realized how much time I was spending making myself sick simply worrying about things. Then I thought to myself, ’This is so ridiculous!’ I’d never really been able to comprehend that before. So I know it’s all because I’m getting older.”
Don’t fret — you can still count on Wade to wail out such hits as “On A Good Night,” “Don’t Stop” and his phenomenal “Old Enough To Know Better” when you catch him in concert. He will, be the first to admit that he’s finally old enough to know better, as well as old enough to care more about some things than in years past. Simply worshipping the possibility of the next No. 1 record or gold album isn’t a live or die situation for Wade anymore.
“That’s always been nerve-wracking, but I know now that I’ve spent way too much time worrying about things like that,” he admits. “That doesn’t get you anywhere except not feeling good about yourself. I’m just really over that kind of thing these days. I just want to enjoy myself, have fun and free up some of that gray matter to spend on other things that are more important.”
It’s quite obvious that Wade’s music is more important than ever. His new When The Wrong One Loves You Right disc, produced by Don Cook and Chick Rains, unfolds his best work yet. Cuts such as “The Day She Left Tulsa,” “Are We Having Fun Yet,” the scorching title cut, and the emotion-pondering, heart-spilling ballad, “This Is My Heart Talking Now” not only gush with the kind of music and singing that keeps country music’s true heritage alive, but unveils an obvious maturity leap for Wade himself.
“I just think that now I’m really getting out of that ’young country’ phase and making songs that relate to my age group now. I’m getting close to 30 now, and I feel that something is changing — tastes or whatever. Maybe that’s why making this album was harder for me. It was definitely the hardest one to make, but on the up side of that, it’s definitely the best one. I don’t think that three years ago I would’ve been able to record a song like ’The Day She Left Tulsa,'” admits Wade. “It’s just a really intense song with a real mature subject. Then there are other songs on the album like ’This Is My Heart Talking Now’ that I think are real mature-sounding songs, too.”
Reaching a new maturity level with his music has so far been as inspiring for Wade’s fans as it has for him personally. For Wade, it sparks yet another example of how discovering a new comfort level in his career makes life even happier.
“I think that the fans really appreciate that type of maturity level, too,” he explains. “We’ve been doing most of these songs from the new album live, and most of the people who are coming to the shows know all the words to them anyway. They seem to really like them a lot. So I think this new transition is going to be fine. And we’ve really come a long way with our stage show. Nowadays, it all just flows from song to song.”
As always, Wade’s steady flow continues to include his unyielding admiration and love for the classic country tradition. Whether it’s crooning out Glen Campbell’s stirring “The Wichita Lineman” or simply keeping his own music within the realms of tried and true country class, he’s ever loyal to the music that brought him to the dance.
“Man, I just love that music!” he exclaims with a burst of excitement. “Just this week, I’ve been listening to one of Merle Haggard’s box sets, and I’ve just really gotten into it. I can get away from it for a long time, and then I have to come back to it and go through these phases where I’m in this Waylon Jennings kind of mood. I’ll be that way for a couple of months, then I’ll get into a Haggard mood or a Willie Nelson mood; and that kind of music is all I’ll want to listen to. Even today, I’ve heard all those songs a million times, but I still just love them.
“And I don’t mind talking about it, because some people just don’t realize what some of those guys did and just how important they really are. You just can’t do what Merle Haggard has done. Just anybody couldn’t do that. You have to realize that this guy has written hundreds of songs, and not just songs, but great songs. He sings as well as anybody can, and plays fiddle and guitar. Besides that, he was a great lookin’ man back then — he had it all. People like him are uncommon. There are some young country fans out there who really do get that, and there are some who really think that type of music is too twangy. But that’s cool, too. I guess I do it more for self indulgence than anything else.”
In addition to self indulging in an exciting new tour this year, which will mark the first in almost a year and a half, Wade has learned to back off a bit from some of the high-speed gears he was shifting earlier.
“Oh yeah, I did finally quit all that ridiculous working out business,” he admits with a laugh. “I guess I just got lazy,” he laughs again. “I got to a point with it all that I felt like I had to do this now and had to do that then. It was such a constraint situation. But I’m sure once we get back on the road and I have a different schedule, I’ll try to find a happy medium in between the opposite ends.”
Kimmy Wix
Tags: Wade Hayes
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Anthony Weiner Media Circus; Royal Baby Media Frenzy
Aired July 28, 2013 - 11:00 ET
FRANK SESNO, HOST: A new sexting scandal surfaces at the height of Anthony Weiner's bid to become New York City's next mayor. His wife comes to his defense.
HUMA ABEDIN, WIFE OF ANTHONY WEINER: I love him. I have forgiven him. I believe in him. And as we have said from the beginning, we are moving forward.
SESNO: Was the media spoon-fed? The story of redemption that now outrages even the Big Apple.
An heir to the British throne is born, breaking news on both sides of the Atlantic. William, Kate and the newest royal meet the media crush and the king of irony.
Are White House press briefings a waste of time? We'll hear a case for ending them.
Al Jazeera America is coming soon to a channel near you. A fresh new voice or an outlier on the dial?
And, "House of Cards" scores big as Netflix basks in more than a dozen Emmy nominations. How Netflix is transforming television.
I'm Frank Sesno and this is RELIABLE SOURCES.
SESNO: Well, call it deja vu all over again. For the second time in two years, Anthony Weiner is at the center of a sex scandal, admitting this week he continued sexting after he resigned from Congress, where his behavior first surfaced. A gossip Web site, thedirty.com, you probably read that every day, well, they posted some lewd chats and pictures.
The New York mayoral candidate faced the media on Tuesday.
REPORTER: When you said there was more out there, you didn't say there was more out there from the point after you resigned in June of 2011. How do you explain that?
REPORTER: When was the last text --
ANTHONY WEINER (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I can't -- I can't say exactly.
REPORTER: What do you say about those people who want you to drop out of the --
REPORTER: You said some things were true online, some things weren't true. Tell us what was not true.
REPORTER: Why should we trust your judgment?
SESNO: For the New York media and the rest of us, it couldn't get any weirder than this, the tabloids ran wild, with double entendres. The media focused on his sinking fortunes, his wife Huma Abedin's decision to stand by her man.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN: Huma's trouble. New revelations this morning that Anthony Weiner's wife almost left him. So, why did she stay?
NORMA O'DONNELL, CBS NEWS: I think one of the questions people have is how does she stand by, why does she stand by him with something like this?
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS: It seems like what Huma is saying, is, voters, you can trust him because I have forgiven him.
SESNO: And a new wrinkle just today. Anthony Weiner's campaign manager has quit.
So, joining us now -- two people who have written about this unsavory story.
Lois Romano, senior political reporter for "Politico" and Errol Louis, host of "Road to City Hall" on New York 1, and a CNN contributor.
Errol, let me start with you, since you have been covering this story. It's weird. It's unsavory. But what's been the toughest part of just reporting?
ERROL LOUIS, NEW YORK 1: Well, the toughest part of just reporting is that you have to parse every word apparently that Anthony Weiner says. I mean, he has come to the press and lied repeatedly, that happened back in 2011 and as part of his redemption process and trying to get back on the campaign trail, he has said, well, look, that's behind me and I'm starting a new chapter and I want to have a different kind of a conversation. But then it turns out that he continued and he continued to mislead. There's something called, you know, sort of lying by omission and it's arguable that something like that has just happened.
SESNO: Lying by omission and lying by commission.
Lois, were the media just romanced by this guy? I mean, this sort of narrative of sin, apology, of redemption, that seemed to be carrying the day until that news conference.
LOIS ROMANO, POLITICO: Well, everybody wants redemption, but I don't think for a second, anybody was romanced by him. I mean, what he did --
SESNO: Pretty gaudy piece in magazines not long ago and --
ROMANO: Exactly. But readers wanted to know the inside story. I mean, you know, let's not eliminate the voyeurism here. So, yes, they were talking about redemption, but it was the first time we heard him speak, so it was a very interesting story.
Do I think the media was totally duped? I don't. I think there was a little skepticism. But what do you do if you don't know? You don't have the text.
SESNO: But do you have the subtext.
ROMANO: Yes, you have the subtext, right.
SESNO: So, there have been all kinds of double entendre headlines. "The New Yorker" had a field day with a cover story that kind of makes you smile, but also makes you cringe. There you go -- you can read into what you want.
Errol, how do you grade the media for coverage?
LOUIS: I think the media gets a B and I think what we've had is something akin to what happens on the road during rush hour where every individual driver is doing what he or she was supposed to do. But when they all do it together, you've got a traffic jam and nobody goes anyplace.
So I think every individual news organization was probably doing what they were supposed to do. What it has resulted in, however, is these gigantic scrums where the candidate is out trying to talk to individual voters and there might be literally 20 or 30 reporters, whole bunch of cameras all over them, it changes the story, it distracts from what serious campaign coverage is supposed to look like, and no individual person is doing the wrong thing, but collectively, we've got a real problem.
SESNO: And there was an element here, or a moment here where he might actually be a serious candidate, where he was bumping up in the polls until that news conference.
LOUIS: No, no, look, he is a serious candidate. SESNO: Even now? You don't think he's a serious candidate today, though.
LOUIS: Even now, he is polling second. Even now, there are people who defend him. Even now, he's got upwards of $4 million to spend on paid advertising. Even now, he's making media and community appearances until today, Sunday.
So, and his name will appear on the ballot no matter what he does, because he is legally entitled to that in six weeks from now. So, he is a candidate, there are other candidates in the race who would love to have his polling numbers by the way. And so, it's way to soon to count him out.
SESNO: Lois Romano, there has been a parade of editorials calling for him to get out. Here's what "The New York Times" wrote, "The seriously evasive Mr. Weiner should take his marital troubles and personal compulsions out of the public eye, away from the cameras, off the Web and out of the race for mayor of New York City."
"The New York Post", "In another day, Weiner would be a punch line instead of a leading candidate for mayor, which is revealing of New York politics, as it is of Anthony Weiner."
And "The New York Daily News," "He's not fit to lead America's premier city."
Are these editorial opinions having any impact? Do the editorial pages anymore lead, reflect public opinion or are they utterly irrelevant?
ROMANO: Oh, I don't think they're relevant. I think the polls are showing that.
I mean, look, the guy was running -- is running for mayor of the most important financial center in the world. The coverage to this point was merited.
And I think that Weiner himself made it a spectacle. But if you look between Friday and today, it actually has toned down a little bit and I think that's because his polls are plummeting. We're caring less.
SESNO: Errol, what's the impact of these editorials in New York City.
LOUIS: They appear to have had quite serious impact, the one you showed from "The New York Daily News." I mean, it was a front page editorial. There was indeed the very next day, a poll taken and his support seem to have been cut in half.
So, it's definitely playing a role. But you have to keep in mind, Frank, we have a runoff system in New York City. So, he doesn't have to place first. He doesn't have to a majority.
All he has to do is play second in a situation where nobody else gets 40 percent. He's still poised to be able to do that if he gets a couple of strokes of luck. So, again --
SESNO: Lois, Anthony Weiner is not the only one in the media crosshairs, his wife, Huma Abedin is as well. "The New Post" had a cover, "What's wrong with you?" it asked.
You wrote about this, you said, "Abedin is no longer a victim. She's been down this road before with her husband, made an informed choice to hang in there. She's a smart, skilled, and discreet operative who has worked for Hillary Clinton for two decades."
Two questions, is it fair to zero in on her in all of this? Is this her story? And how much does the Hillary Clinton connection bump her to a whole new level of coverage?
ROMANO: Well, first of all, it is 100 percent, because she has put herself in the middle of this story.
SESNO: She's not the candidate.
ROMANO: But she's made herself a prop in the redemption. I mean, she did all the magazine pieces, and when she chose to speak -- remember, she did not speak in 2011. She said, "I love him, I trust him, so you should trust him."
The Clinton thing plays a big part of this because she is very close to Hillary Clinton. And, you know, this is not good for the Clintons. This is not good for every story to compare this tawdry situation to what happened to Bill Clinton and Hillary.
SESNO: Errol, last word to you, where does this story go from here? And what does it say about New York City and the New York media?
LOUIS: Well, I think where it goes from here is anybody's guess. I think what it says about the media, though, is that -- you know, we're like anybody else. I mean, you have to cover the candidates, you have to take them at their word until you know, otherwise. You have to dig and go behind their statements, try and present the truth to your audience.
I think we collectively have all tried to do that even under these very strange circumstances. And then when the editorial boards kick in, and they try to sort of make a judgment about how people should interpret all of this information, they're doing their job, too.
SESNO: Well, thanks for doing your job, Errol Louis and Lois Romano.
And for those of you who want a serious take on the New York City race, "Smile," it says. "One of you is going to be the next mayor of New York." It's "The New York Times" magazine section this week and it has a good, deep dive on the personalities and the substance of the New York mayoral race.
The duchess of Cambridge gives birth to the next generation of royalty. It touches off a media frenzy. Was coverage of the royal baby over the top?
SESNO: Weeks before the newest British royal made his debut, the media jockeyed for prime position outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital. It was hurry up and wait.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
O'DONNELL: A lot of buzz and a lot of waiting when it comes to the royal birth.
AMY ROBACH, ABC NEWS: Any day now, any hour now.
MAX FOSTER, CNN: I know what it feels like to be a sort of statue or some sort of monument, because we have become like a tourist attraction.
KATE SNOW, NBC NEWS: Someone says or sees or hears something, and we all jump.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
SESNO: One BBC reporter positioned outside of the hospital admitted -- well, the truth.
SIMON MCCOY, BBC NEWS: Well, plenty more to come from here, of course, none of it news because that will come from Buckingham Palace. But that won't stop us.
SESNO: None of it news?
Joining us now to discuss the coverage of the royal birth, from "London Times" Europe editor, Catherine Mayer, and Tim Ewart of ITN News. And in New York, Joe Concha of Mediaite.
So, welcome to all of you. Thank you very much.
Tim, I'd like to start with you. You wrote a piece entitled "Royal baby sparks media circle outside hospital."
And here's what you wrote, "There are a few crumbs to be thankful for: it hasn't rained. Mickey's place behind the Lindo does good fish and chips, and the hospital allows to use its loos. That's it."
Why so much focus on a royal baby?
TIM EWART, ITN NEWS: It was -- it was madness, what can you say? The only point I would make is that it's very easy to create a media circus. I started to go there about two weeks before Kate went into hospital because I had to be there for each of our news shows. And once you start going, you can't stop. And everybody was in the same position and it was a crazy thing. There was so much rumor, so much speculation, when would she go in and so on. But, you know, you have to be in it to win it.
I was not the first, by the any means to be there. There were some U.S. networks that had been down there more than two weeks by the time it happened. But, you know, it's very easy to make yourself look very stupid --
SESNO: How are the ratings? How are the things? Are people really interested in this?
EWART: Well, our ratings were very, very high for the day that it happened. I mean, we got a 37 percent share which is enormous. And however cynical you want to be about the royal family and I have only been covering them for four years and I am fairly cynical, I'll be honest with you.
The reality is that people love it. They love it in the States, and they love it here.
SESNO: All right. Catherine Mayer, let me come to you. "TIME" magazine, you're covering this thing as well. I want to put up a private eye cover story, or magazine cover. This is big, really big. "Woman Has Baby."
CATHERINE MAYER, LONDON TIMES: Yes.
SESNO: Why are we so fascinated by the royal family?
MAYER: Well, you see, there are good reasons to be fascinated by the royal family. You name me any other institution in this day and ages that can regularly bring hundreds and thousands of people on to the street, not in protest, but in celebration.
This is an extraordinary institution. It's one of the great role models for change management. It is peculiar, anachronistic, exciting, bizarre, weird, one of the great exemplars of social power.
But the problem with the way in which the royal baby coverage was handled was that as Tim says, and he's been to modest to say that his station actually won the ratings war in this country. But for many people, it went from bump, not just Kate's bump, but expected ratings bump, to slump.
And actually, as I'm sure you know in America, the ratings were not good. They were not good in Australia. But there was --
SESNO: Joe Concha, let me jump in here. I'm going to pick up on what Catherine is talking about and tell us why do you think the ratings weren't so great in America? JOE CONCHA, MEDIAITE: Well, Frank, it depends on where we're talking about. So, FOX and NBC got a first trimester bump. Just a small one, barely noticeable. But CNN seemed to put more resources towards the story. They're doing more human interest stories now, particularly in a nonelection. And as a result, they preempted, for instance, their 10:00 p.m. show, and they doubled the ratings in that slot for a show called "Will and Kate Plus One".
But I think the bottom line is in America, you know, it was embraced, I think -- Americans love reality TV, they yearn for Camelot, the Kennedys are an afterthought, so what royal family do we have left? The Bushes.
SESNO: But we kicked these people out of here a couple of 100 years ago.
CONCHA: We did, we did, but we still yearn for the class of maybe the Brits. Because we had, the royal family or the Brits, I'm sorry, the Bushes, the Clintons and, of course, you know, the Kardashians starring special guests Kanye West and Northwest. So, I think we have to go across the pond to get that class and dignity that Americans don't see with the Kennedys being an after thought and the Bushes and Clintons --
SESNO: Let me come back across the pond as you suggest, to Tim again for just a minute.
Tim, you know, there's a real irony here as William brought his new baby out and his wife to meet the media, the same media he blames in many ways for the death of his mother. But now he is and his family is in the focus and in the glare, and they will never climb out of it because they've got this child and obviously there's so much more.
What do you make of all of that and how does this coverage accommodate his concerns and sensitivities?
EWART: Well, I think William is becoming far more friendly with us than perhaps he was. And I think you kind of need to bear two things in mind. There are those of us who cover the royal family on a regular basis. There's a small courtier of us. Think for example of the White House press corps, the regulars.
Our critics would call us sycophants. I think that's possibly a little unfair. But we're the regulars. Floating around the edge are paparazzi who make a lot of money out of photographs of the type, for example, that we saw of Kate, in the south of France, besides the swimming pool, topless, the couple on the honeymoon -- we don't do that.
And I think that William and Kate have recognized, particularly William -- I mean, she has no reason to be upset with us, but he clearly does.
SESNO: Well, let me ask you this. Let me ask you this. Here in the United States, the president of the United States, Barack Obama and his wife and presidents before them recently have asked the media to stay out of their children's private lives, out of their lives and they pretty well obeyed or adhered to that. How is it going to go with the royals?
Are the paparazzi going to dial it back, do you think?
EWART: Yes, it's going to go -- we will almost entirely, we will do as we are asked. You know, we will not hang out around parks to see if Kate's walking the baby or if she's going shopping with him or anything like that. We will restrict ourselves to officially sanctioned events.
SESNO: Let me bring in here Catherine, I quick thought.
MAYER: Can I -- can I also say that there was a game changer here in the hacking scandal. You know, you mustn't forget that the hacking scandal in this country started because the phones of Prince William and Prince Harry and members of their household.
And that has caused also a re-evaluation from the tabloid side of how the royals are going to be covered. It may not last.
SESNO: Joe, last question to you on this one.
CONCHA: Sure.
SESNO: Do you think that this new generation, this next generation of royal, gives a new generation of coverage to this fascinated American audience you talk about?
CONCHA: I think so, because Kate and Will --
SESNO: You think we'll see more specials on cable television?
CONCHA: Oh, I think absolutely, because these two people and eventually the baby are so likable. They're like the opposite of the Weiners. So, therefore I don't think the press are going after them as hard because Kate has such sympathy. She's such a likable person that people is so likable that I think coverage is for the most part going to be good.
And, oh, by the way, you have those Australian DJs that did that prank call and eventually forced that nurse to commit suicide. Remember that a while ago, I think the media is very careful about hey, let's not screw with these guys, because again they are so likable that we don't want to have any negative coverage as being seen as harassing.
SESNO: Well, I'm going to thank all of you for coming, and, Joe, good luck with your royal baby on the way. I understand that's well in progress. So, good luck with all of that.
I will close --
CONCHA: Thank you, Frank.
SESNO: You bet.
I'll close with this one point, a letter to the editor in "The Washington Post" from Harry Foxwell, Fairfax, Virginia. He writes this is about the royal baby. "Please relegate all future reporting of America's small minded fascination with British royalty, with the endless nitpicking on how to address the new offspring to the inner pages of the style section where it belongs, reserve the front pages," he writes, "for important news."
When we come back, will Al Jazeera become important news and become a reliable source? Fifty million American homes are about to find out as Al Jazeera America gets ready to launch.
SESNO: Al Jazeera is set to launch its American news channel next month, the old Current TV. The network has used big promises and big bucks to lure some prominent personalities, who used to work for places like CNN, ABC, CBS.
Will al Jazeera America veer from the mother ship's editorial brand in order to gain a foothold and maybe even curry favor in the U.S.?
Joining me from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is David Marash, a former ABC News correspondent, former anchor of al Jazeera English.
And, Dave, it's a real pleasure to see you again. How are you doing?
DAVID MARASH, FORMER ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I'm doing pretty well, Frank. Thanks. It's great to be with you.
SESNO: Well, it's great to have you here. Let me ask you just flat out, what do you expect from al Jazeera America?
MARASH: I expect them to put on the air a product that is much more traditional television news than any of their competitors, which is that it's going to be filled with reports from the scenes from news is happening, and a lot of these reports are going to be video packages rather than as we call them in the business live two-ways.
So, I think that they're going to try to compete for an American audience by giving them more traditional news per hour than any of the other news channels, including CNN.
SESNO: Now, they are pumping millions, hundreds of millions of dollar into this enterprise. I have a map here of some of the places they're going to open bureaus up in the United States. They range from Seattle and San Francisco to New Orleans and Miami and Nashville, Tennessee and even Detroit which just declared bankruptcy.
MARASH: What they're doing is they're trying to flood the country with bureaus and reporters who will be able to get to any scene and will be rooted in a lot of American communities because, as I say, the hallmark of their brand is we are on the scene with real reportage. The American news channels have tended to substitute studio discussion or live reports from the scene in which the reporter literally has his back to the story because his face is, as mine is now, towards the camera.
So I think al Jazeera is going to try and out-report its competition and hope that that strikes a cord with American viewers.
SESNO: You left al Jazeera in 2008, under a cloud. You said this is not the network I joined, you were not approving of the kind of journalism they were reporting. And in fact, al Jazeera America is going to confront a huge problem in this country is that a lot of people who don't know it think that it's the enemy, for lack of a better term.
Is that a problem? Is that an issue?
MARASH: Well, the image issue is real. I have to say that the criticisms that I made which were pointed and limited, which said that at time, they not have a lot of authentic American reporting and that sometimes they tended to substitute attitude for reporting.
After I left -- and by the way, I have been making these criticisms in-house for a considerable period before I left, but after I left, that seemed to act as a kind of the face. And many of the things that I questioned, they have responded to and the quality of reporting on al Jazeera English from the United States has greatly improved.
And in the rest of the world, quite frankly I think they out- report all of the other news channels, including CNN International and BBC, simply because they've got have got more reporters on the scene doing more video packaged reports than their reports --
SESNO: You know, it's funny you mentioned, David, because I stepped out of my house yesterday, across the fence from my neighbor who was there having an iced tea or something with a friend who said, oh, yes, I was just watching al Jazeera, because they're doing such a great job out of Egypt and Tahrir Square. They seem to already have made something of a mark, when going with the old current TV and getting into 50 million house holds. I wonder what they're going to become a real presence on the news dial.
MARASH: It's a tough question, Frank, because remember, Current TV may have had access to 50 million homes, but it was generally from a far outside position on channel dial, they would be channel 544, whereas CNN might be 24. SESNO: Yes, that's not exactly--
MARASH: -- might be 32.
SESNO: -- not exactly routine viewing.
MARASH: There's also going to be a standard deaf channel. Frank and a lot of the competition, including CNN, is now telecasting in hi- def. And viewers will notice a visual difference.
SESNO: There's another side of this debate --
MARASH: -- for serious reporting, there's going to be a place to go.
SESNO: There's another side of this debate, though, that's fascinating and that's the side of the debate that's coming out of Qatar, the home of the network of Al Jazeera global and some of them folks who know it very well, which is that Al Jazeera might actually be toning down its distinct voice, backing away from its distinct point of view to come into America and curry favor here.
Is that a danger?
MARASH: I don't know that danger is the right word. But will they play to their market? Of course they will. Al Jazeera Arabic has a slightly different editorial stance from Al Jazeera English, which has a slightly different editorial stance from Al Jazeera Balkans. And Al Jazeera America will have its own slightly unique editorial stance. In fact, one of the things that I'm curious about is, once America no longer watches Al Jazeera English, once their market is the whole English speaking world minus the U.S., is that going to be reflected in editorial judgments? But I think that the American channel is going to be mostly run by Americans specifically for an American audience, and you'll see that reflected in their editorial content.
SESNO: They've brought in Kate O'Brian from ABC to be the president of the channel. They've brought in David Frost, used to be at CNN, all before that, ABC, to be the editorial skipper of the ship. They brought in some prominent names, Joie Chen, Ali Velshi and others, who watchers of -- viewers of this program will all know very, very well. What's that tell you about their prospects on the dial? Final thought.
MARASH: Well, that they want to address an American audience with familiar faces and familiar voices in an authentically American way, and I think that they're going to do that.
SESNO: Dave Marash, thanks very much. Great to see you, and we'll watch together and then compare notes.
MARASH: (Inaudible), Frank. Look forward to it.
SESNO: All right. Thanks again.
Ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES:
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No, I didn't say that.
QUESTION: Every single detail, but it's beyond --
CARNEY: I think you're parsing my words. You can editorialize all you want and I have no doubt that you will, but that is a ridiculous statement.
SESNO: My next guest says the White House and the press are bitter enemies. He has a prescription. He may have a point.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SESNO: For most reporters, the White House press briefing is a daily ritual, also a sparring match. Most everyone leaves feeling frustrated.
My next guest offers a suggestion. Writing in "The New Republic," "The daily briefing has become a worthless chore for reporters, an embarrassing nuisance to administration staff and a source of added friction between the two camps.
"It's time to do the humane, obvious thing and get rid of it all together."
Joining me is Reid Cherlin. He was President Obama's assistant press secretary from 2008 through March of 2011. He's now a freelance journalist.
Why kill it?
REID CHERLIN, FORMER OBAMA ASSISTANT PRESS SECRETARY: Well, I just think it's a waste of time.
SESNO: Oh, come on, this is where taxpayer dollars are put to work to some degree. It may be a circus at times, but there's some degree of daily accountability there.
CHERLIN: Well, you know, I think when you real start looking at it, there really isn't that much of a degree of daily accountability. I would definitely agree that the White House needs to answer questions, should answer questions and it does answer questions.
But the way that it does it is, hours throughout the briefing, throughout the day, starting when morning reporters on this network get up in the 5 o'clock hour and start emailing people, hey, what's your position on Egypt today. They know the answer. By the time it gets to the briefing, which is an old institution that predates the Internet by decades, everyone kind of knows what -- SESNO: I will agree with that, and I will day in full disclosure that, for this network and for the Associated Press, when I covered the White House -- I did a little calculation yesterday -- I think I have attended nearly 3,000 White House press briefings. And it's torture and there's a Stockholm syndrome and all of that.
But nonetheless, there's some degree of discipline imposed on the White House. You're going to show up there every day and, reporters, you're going to show up there every day and spar away but have something to talk about and take something to the American people.
If you eliminate that, then you're just White House tweets, White House blogs and dotgov. It's the White House propaganda machine.
CHERLIN: Well, I don't think that's entirely true because I think, again, we talk about the way that the briefing is supposed to be. And I think a lot of us think about it the way that we remember it, frankly, from "The West Wing," the snow, not the way that --
SESNO: Was never the way it was.
CHERLIN: No, no, right. But if you look at how it actually goes day to day, it has its moments; basically in the first couple of minutes, the White House establishes its positions of the day. After that, there's no accountability happening.
SESNO: I have a few moments here.
SESNO: From the sublime to the ridiculous, the best and worst of Jay Carney.
CARNEY: The United States remains deeply concerned by the increasing violence across Egypt. We are committed to trying to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
QUESTION: And about the congressional picnic that has been postponed, what was behind that --
CARNEY: The president did not communicate with Jay-Z over this trip.
SESNO: So we have Jay-Z and presidential picnics, but we also have Iran and Egypt and things happen so fast and happen every day, if you didn't have this, what would we have, in your world?
CHERLIN: Well, I think you would have the same thing you have now, which is if you watch, and I think Jay does quite a good job actually for what he's supposed to be doing. But if you watch, what he's doing is largely reading statements, particularly on foreign policy, out of the briefing book. Now on foreign policy, that's important; those statements are carefully crafted and each word carries a lot of weight.
But the fact is, they get e-mailed hours before that; they're going to be e-mailed all day. I just think that this -- in this day and age, information is kind of like water, it's just going to find its way downhill. And it's -- the way things are going now, it just gets out earlier; it gets out faster and more efficiently and better. And then I think what that does is it hollows out the briefing, so that everyone kind of knows what's going on, and there's just a lot of rancor in there.
SESNO: Well, maybe we should require the briefing to be more substantive then. Maybe Jay Carney should come prepared not to just read from the briefing book but to take people inside of a process.
Mike McCurry (ph), a former White House press secretary, says the biggest mistake he ever made was allowing the camera to turn on in that briefing.
CHERLIN: Well, and this is a point, I think, I tried to make in the piece, in limited space, which is Mike (ph) told me the same thing.
Once you turn the cameras on -- and particularly you have the cameras facing backward and they're shooting the correspondents all asking the same question, because they include that in their package for the nightly news; here's me, the heroic reporter, challenging the press secretary on this, even though the other five other correspondents have just done it. It creates an air of theatricality that gets everyone's eyes rolling --
SESNO: Well, there are daily briefings at the State Department. There are daily briefings at the Pentagon -- or near daily briefings at those places -- and they have a totally different tenor and tone.
CHERLIN: Right.
SESNO: Largely because the White House is such a center of politics. And the president is trying to set the agenda. The president -- you -- are trying to set the agenda. And what reporters are doing is pushing back and saying, wait a minute, you shouldn't set the agenda; we should set the agenda or the news should set the agenda.
CHERLIN: Sure. I guess I would just say does the briefing ever really drive the agenda? The briefing is almost every day a reflection of kind of what the top news is. And that's totally fair. And to a certain extent, there's value in that. But we all sort of know what the story of the day is. We have an hour set aside, where everyone kind of fights about it and really no new information comes out. And then at the end of that hour and a half, or hour and 15 minutes, everyone's kind of where they started; we can feel good about the fact that we have an open society where, in theory, the White House is being challenged. I just think that if we did some of these things, like turned off the cameras, had more of the gaggle type format, where it's the reporters asking the press secretary tough questions, but it's off the camera -- or off-camera, rather -- that tends to be much more (inaudible).
SESNO: How about more access to the President of the United States, you know? President Obama, your boss, did fewer news conferences and formal gatherings with the informed press corps, who follows him on a daily basis, than anybody since Ronald Reagan in (inaudible).
CHERLIN: And I think he should do more. And you know, I never asked --
SESNO: So we can do that? We can say his former press secretary is calling on Barack Obama to hold more news conferences?
CHERLIN: Absolutely. Absolutely.
SESNO: How many more?
CHERLIN: Absolutely.
SESNO: How about a daily news conference?
CHERLIN: I -- look, I would be for that in --
SESNO: A daily briefing from the President of the United States?
CHERLIN: Well, look, daily from the President of the United States, you might get into something that's tossed around a lot, about watering down his forcefulness.
But I think if you look at it, every time he speaks to an issue, he's giving the right (inaudible) definitive answer.
SESNO: So we'll come back to him for news and Q&A and we'll see where it goes. Thanks very much.
CHERLIN: Thank you.
SESNO: Coming up, why Francis Underwood is changing the way you'll watch television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HOUSE OF CARDS")
KEVIN SPACEY, ACTOR, "FRANK UNDERWOOD": As for me, I'm just a lowly House majority whip. I keep things moving in a Congress choked by pettiness and lassitude. My job is to clear the pipes and keep the sludge moving. (END VIDEO CLIP, "HOUSE OF CARDS")
SESNO: Netflix began mailing DVDs in those red envelopes back in 1997. Today it brags about being the world's leading Internet television network.
I discussed this TV revolution with Peter Rubin, senior editor for "Wired" magazine and HLN digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong.
FRANK SESNO, CNN SVP AND WASH. BUREAU CHIEF: Gentlemen, thanks very much for joining us.
Let's do the numbers here, because they're really incredible.
Netflix shows were nominated for 14 primetime Emmys. They spent $100 million on "House of Cards;" they're spending $300 million on primetime programming over the next three years. At least that's what they say they're going to be doing.
The stock price is up over 300 percent in the last year.
Why didn't I buy that one?
Let me ask you, is this just blowing up television in front of our eyes here?
PETER RUBIN, "WIRED" MAGAZINE: Well, certainly. I mean, this is the first time, you know, with the Emmy nominations that Netflix has pulled up a seat to the grownups' table.
There was a time, if you can remember, where cable networks weren't eligible for Emmys and as soon as they were, HBO pulled up a seat and said, let's go.
I think Netflix, this is their first real push in this direction. They had kind of an abortive start with a series called "Lillyhammer," that didn't really connect with viewers.
But through this new initiative, they're really -- the development pipeline is fantastic and as we've seen, spending $100 million up front for two seasons of a show with a pedigree like "House of Cards" has paid off already.
SESNO: Mario, who's watching this Netflix?
MARIO ARMSTRONG, DIGITAL LIFESTYLE EXPERT: I mean, it's really like who's not watching. You know, it's gotten to the point now where, look, Netflix hasn't shared how many people watch. This is a problem with investors, with the metrics of what Netflix decides to share. What Netflix does share is the amount of subscriptions that people are connecting to this -- to this service.
So a lot of people from a wide variety of demographics apparently are tuning in. I know my mom is well aware of and can use Netflix. So it has this ease of use and simplicity, but it also has fresh content that also appeals to a younger generation.
And as Peter just mentioned, as well, with this Emmy now, these Emmy awards, that will also raise the bar now. Talent will now start paying attention to online programming as something that's real. Executives and producers as well are now saying this is a real deal opportunity for distribution of real content.
SESNO: So if they offer you a contract, you're taking it?
ARMSTRONG: Absolutely.
ARMSTRONG: What are you waiting for?
SESNO: Peter, they had 630,000 new subscribers in the second quarter; they're projecting for the third quarter something between 690,000 and maybe a million and a half. This is one of the most watched companies in all of media right now.
RUBIN: It really is. I mean, there -- while their numbers for the actual mail order DVD service continue to go down, obviously streaming has supplanted that as the preferred mode of delivery for so many people and so the digital subscriptions have only gone up. They're hovering somewhere around 30 million.
And if you look at this compounding over the next few quarters, you're looking at a network that has a viewership of 40 million to 50 million people which dwarfs HBO's, which for so long, obviously, has kind of been the name in premium television.
SESNO: All right. So let me ask you both this question: if the model is changing and audience behavior is changing and the production model is changing, how will that change the content that we're getting?
Are we going to get better content, more content?
ARMSTRONG: Oh, I think you're absolutely going to see a lot more content. I mean, this is just the tip of the iceberg. You're going to start seeing things that are more documentaries that are originally produced, comedy specials that are produced.
I also think that the fact that we do what's called binge viewing -- for those that don't know, that's the, you know, ability to just watch a whole season over a weekend, if you will, that is changing how producers actually think and how directors think.
SESNO: And I know people who do that, by the way. And they'll sit there and they'll watch eight episodes, 10 episodes. That's like 8-10 hours of television.
SESNO: Go ahead, Peter.
RUBIN: Not only is Netflix a -- not only is Netflix supporting this, but in many ways they're actually encouraging it. I mean, the practice has been to, when they release a season or a new show, they do it all at once. All of "House of Cards" was released on February 1st. All of "Arrested Development" came out on the first day.
And now with the most recent series, all of "Orange is the New Black," the new series from "Weeds" creator Jenji Kohan, all the episodes are available at once. They're really begging people to jump in.
SESNO: What does this mean for traditional television, the CBSs, the ABCs, even the HBOs of the world?
RUBIN: Well, barring HBO, I mean, the broadcast networks and most cable networks are operating with an ad-driven platform. HBO and Netflix are not. And I think that's why you're seeing Netflix adopt a model that's maybe most akin to HBO's creator-driven model, which is you go and you attract the best creators.
You give them complete creative control and the talent, the acting talent comes to that. That's what we saw with "House of Cards;" that's what we saw with "Orange is the New Black," and that's what we're going to keep going.
SESNO: Mario, jump in. I'm not sure.
ARMSTRONG: The idea that you could create your own content and distribute it is something that's just huge, especially when you have the ability to send that information out globally.
So you don't have the same restrictions; you don't have the same limitations. And you don't have the same cost model structure that you have in traditional media.
And that does have TV executives paying attention, worrying about whether or not that ad-driven model, which is traditional television, will be able to really go up against something like Netflix.
SESNO: Peter, what about Netflix news? Any chance of seeing anything like that?
RUBIN: I like that, though. Netflix news.
It sounds great at first blush, but I think Reed Hastings knows which side his bread is buttered on. I think they are an entertainment company. And I think establishing an infrastructure for, you know, a full coverage news network --
SESNO: My last question, Mario, is to you, because this is really just the tip of the iceberg. We can talk about Netflix all we want, but it's lots of stuff going on there.
And one of the new ones -- and you've written about this -- is this Google Chromecast. Talk about that for a second. It's the same genre.
ARMSTRONG: This is TV. This is the idea of Google creating a little USB stick that essentially plugs into the HDMI port of your television set, connects to your Internet connection and it enables you to be able to stream content from your phone or your tablet right to your television.
So no middlemen, no bunch of wires, no complicated technology. You have competitors like Apple TV boxes, Roku boxes, all of these set-top boxes, trying to make it easy for us to see Internet programming on our big screen TVs.
Once that can be done simple and easy like Chromecast is doing with Google, I think we'll see a lot larger audiences that normally don't look at online programming now start to do so, because it can happen on (inaudible) --
SESNO: OK, Peter, last question to you really quickly, how -- Google Chromecast, Netflix, HBO on Demand, Apple, Amazon, all of it, how fast is this change in television going to happen, change in viewing going to happen?
RUBIN: Well, it's already begun. I mean, we're seeing shows that are nothing but water cooler talk with a fraction of the viewers that even a cult classic 10 years ago would have had.
You know, the broadcast marketplace has fragmented so much and more people are watching more shows that quality has risen to the top, despite the fact that they have smaller and smaller viewerships.
SESNO: All right. Peter Rubin, Mario Armstrong, thanks very much.
And we'll be right back.
SESNO: Finally, a wink and a nod today to some media that matters.
First, a tragic story, a searing piece of video and some remarkable journalism as a train derails horribly in Spain, killing at least 78 people. The Associated Press took the video and went to work. A video producer advanced it frame by frame. The AP estimated distances between pylons, counted railway ties and used a time stamp on the video to calculate the train's speed.
One estimate: 89 to 119 miles an hour; using a different technique, 96 to 112. The posted speed limit, 50 miles an hour. In less than two hours, the AP went from video to story, providing vital information.
For instincts, initiative and transparency in reporting, the AP proved itself a reliable source.
But another story gets a thumbs down on coverage: Iraq. The place looks like it's imploding. Sectarian violence has been escalating with near daily bombings and killings. Syria's civil war may be making things worse. An assault on Abu Ghraib prison sprung more than 200 convicts connected to Al Qaeda in Iraq. But where is the American news media? Most have gone home. The last American news bureau there, CNN's, closed in May. There are still producers, stringers and reporters, and they're doing their best, but the big presence and the sustained coverage is a fraction of what it was.
The reason? U.S. troops have gone home and the exorbitant cost. But this story about Iraqi stability, regional security and America's legacy and, yes, oil, still matters. It's won't be easy. Americans are war weary. The coverage needs to be about more than bombs and bullets.
But the news media need to make the time, space and commitment to stay with this story because it's not going away. And it's America's story, too.
Thanks for watching RELIABLE SOURCES. I'm Frank Sesno in Washington. If you miss a program, you can now go to iTunes on Mondays and check out our podcast. Just search for "Reliable Sources" in the iTunes store.
Join us again next Sunday morning at 11:00 am Eastern for another critical look at the media. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley begins right now.
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Minutes November 7, 2017
Meeting of November 7, 2017
The Board of County Commissioners of Wabasha County, Minnesota, convened in Regular Session at the Wabasha County Courthouse, in the City of Wabasha, Minnesota on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 9:00 a.m.
The meeting was called to order by Board Chairperson Key.
The following Commissioners were present: Goihl, Hall, Key, Springer, Wobbe
SPRINGER-HALL
Motion to approve the agenda
Staff Updates:
Anniversaries:
Traci Green, Court Services, 10 Years of Service
Larry Howe, Information Technology, 5 Years of Service
Administrator Updates:
WOBBE-SPRINGER
Minutes: October 24, 2017
Resolution to Approve Performance Evaluation of Wabasha County Administrator
Whereas, Michael Plante was appointed as Wabasha County Administrator on March 4, 2014,
Whereas, in a closed session on October 24, 2017 at 9:35 a.m. the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners conducted an annual performance evaluation of Michael Plante,
Whereas, the Administrator outlined goals that had been achieved over the past year,
Whereas, the Administrator outlined several areas he would like to focus on in the upcoming year including the county’s organizational structure, minimizing potential budget increases and continuing to work on building relationships and partnerships within the organization and with community stakeholders,
Now Therefore be it Resolved by the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners approve the annual Performance Evaluation of the Wabasha County Administrator, Michael Plante.
Approval of Agreement with Hildi Inc
Whereas, an actuarial study is necessary to provide data needed for disclosure in the County’s financial statement under GASB Statements No. 45 and 75, and
Whereas, the County had contracted with Hildi Inc to provide the actuarial services to the County previously, and
Whereas, the next actuarial review is required for fiscal year 2018.
Now Therefore, be it resolved, that the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners hereby approves the attached agreement for consulting services between Hildi Inc and Wabasha County.
A Resolution Approving The Joint Powers Agreement By And Between The County Of Wabasha And The Port Authority Of The City Of Saint Paul Relating To The Mn Pace Program And Designating The Port Authority As The Implementing Entity To Administer The Program On Behalf Of The County
Whereas, Minnesota Statutes, Sections 216C.435 and 216C.436 (the "Act") authorize the City to provide for the financing of the acquisition and construction or installation of energy efficiency and conservation improvements (the "Improvements") on qualifying real property located within the boundaries of the County; and
Whereas, the Act authorizes the City to designate an authority other than the City to implement the program under the Act on behalf of the County; and
Whereas, the Port Authority of the City of Saint Paul ("Port Authority") has created a program under the Act known as the Property Assessed Clean Energy Program ("MN PACE") for purposes of implementing and administering the activities described in the Act, and the Port Authority is willing to implement and administer that program on behalf of the County; and
Whereas, the County and the Port Authority desire to enter into a written Joint Powers Agreement whereby the County will designate the Port Authority as the implementing entity to implement and administer the MN PACE program on behalf of the County to finance the Improvements.
Now Therefore Be It Resolved, the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners that execution of the Joint Powers Agreement by and between the County and the Port Authority is hereby approved and that the Port Authority is hereby designated as the implementing entity to implement and administer the MN PACE program on behalf of the County.
GOIHL-SPRINGER
2017 Teamster Jailers/Dispatchers Collective Bargaining Agreement
Whereas, the Wabasha County Negotiation Team met in negotiations and mediation with the Teamster Jailer/Dispatcher collective bargaining unit, and;
Whereas, the parties have reached a Tentative Agreement, and;
Whereas, the Negotiation Committee has reviewed the agreement and it met with their unanimous approval, and
Whereas, the Teamster Jailer/Dispatcher Union has voted to accept the agreement as presented
Now Therefore Be It Resolved by the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners approves the adoption of the attached agreement.
SPRINGER-WOBBE
Whereas, the following applicant wishes to have their MN Lawful Gambling Exempt Permit approved:
Kevin Majerus American Legion Post 598
Whereas, Exempt Permit is for gambling at Mac’s Park Place 57444 406th Ave Mazeppa, MN 55956, Mazeppa Twp.
Whereas, the application have been approved by Mazeppa Twp Board. The permit runs for 1 day, Jan 13, 2018.
Now Therefore be it Resolved by the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners hereby approves, the MN Lawful Gambling Exempt Permit for American Legion Post 598 at Mac’s Park Place of Mazeppa.
GOIHL-HALL
Resolution Authorizing Issuance, Awarding Sale, Prescribing The Form And Details And Providing For The Payment Of $3,670,000 General Obligation Capital Improvement Plan Bonds, Series 2017a
Be It Resolved by the Board of Commissioners (the “Board”) of Wabasha County, Minnesota (the “County”), as follows:
SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION AND SALE.
1.01. Authorization. On October 3, 2017, this Board held a public hearing on the adoption of its Capital Improvement Plan (the “CIP”) and the question of issuing General Obligation Capital Improvement Plan Bonds (the “Bonds”), after notice duly published in the official newspaper of the County as set forth in Minnesota Statutes, Section 373.40, subdivision 2. No petition requesting a vote on the question of adopting the amendments to the CIP or issuing the Bonds was filed within 30 days of October 3, 2017. This Board hereby finds that the Bonds may be issued without an election pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 373.40, subdivision 2.
By Resolution adopted October 3, 2017 (the “Preliminary Resolution”), this Board authorized the issuance and sale of the Bonds in the approximate aggregate principal amount of $4,100,000. Proceeds of the Bonds will be used to finance various capital improvements identified in the CIP, including the acquisition of the Wabasha County Criminal Justice Center (the “Building”) located at 848 17th Street East in the City of Wabasha, Minnesota, which Building is currently leased by the County from Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (the “Bank”). The proceeds of the Bonds being used to purchase the Building will be applied to refund in a current refunding the County’s Certificates of Participation, Series 2008B, dated, as originally issued, as of June 1, 2008 (the “Series 2008B Certificates”), maturing on February 1 in the years 2019 through 2028 and outstanding in the principal amount of $4,530,000 (the “Refunded Bonds”), which Series 2008B Certificates were issued to finance the construction of the Building.
The Refunded Bonds are expected to be called for redemption and prepayment on February 1, 2018 (the “Redemption Date”). The refunding of the Refunded Bonds is being carried out for the purposes described in Minnesota Statutes, Section 475.67, subdivision 3, section (b)(2)(i) and in compliance with Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 475.
The County finds that the maximum principal and interest to become due in any year on the Bonds and all other bonds issued by the County (approximately $481,000) under Minnesota Statutes, Section 373.40 is less than 0.12 percent ($3,719,955) of the taxable market value of property in the County (approximately $3,099,962,500).
1.02. Sale. The County has retained Springsted Incorporated, as independent municipal advisor, to assist the County in connection with the sale of the Bonds. The Bonds are being sold pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 475.60, Subdivision 2, paragraph (9), without meeting the requirements for public sale under Minnesota Statutes, Section 475.60, Subdivision 1. The proposals have been opened and publicly read and considered, and the purchase price, interest rates and true interest cost under the terms of each bid have been determined. The most favorable proposal received is that of Robert W. Baird & Company, Incorporated, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (the “Purchaser”), to purchase the Bonds at a price of $3,983,548.03, the Bonds to bear interest at the rates set forth in Section 2.01. The proposal is hereby accepted, and the Chair and the County Administrator are hereby authorized and directed to execute a contract on the part of the County for the sale of the Bonds with the Purchaser. The good faith deposit of the Purchaser, if any, shall be retained and deposited by the County until the Bonds have been delivered and shall be deducted from the purchase price paid at settlement.
1.04. Issuance of Bonds. All acts, conditions and things which are required by the Constitution and laws of the State of Minnesota to be done, to exist, to happen and to be performed precedent to and in the valid issuance of the Bonds having been done, now existing, having happened and having been performed, it is now necessary for the Board to establish the form and terms of the Bonds, to provide security therefor and to issue the Bonds forthwith.
SECTION 2. BOND TERMS; REGISTRATION; EXECUTION AND DELIVERY.
2.01. Maturities; Interest Rates; Denominations and Payment. The Bonds shall be originally dated as of December 7, 2017, shall be in the denomination of $5,000 each, or any integral multiple thereof, of single maturities. The Bonds shall mature on February 1 in the years and amounts stated below, and shall bear interest from date of original issue until paid at the annual rates set forth opposite such years and amounts, as follows:
Maturity Amount Rate Maturity Amount Rate
2019 $325,000 4.00% 2024 $430,000 4.00%
2020 360,000 5.00 2025 445,000 3.00
2023 410,000 4.00
The Bonds shall be issuable only in fully registered form. The interest thereon and, upon surrender of each Bond, the principal amount thereof shall be payable by check or draft issued by the Registrar described herein; provided that, so long as the Bonds are registered in the name of a securities depository, or a nominee thereof, in accordance with Section 2.07 hereof, principal and interest shall be payable in accordance with the operational arrangements of the securities depository.
2.02. Dates and Interest Payment Dates. Upon initial delivery of the Bonds pursuant to Section 2.06 and upon any subsequent transfer or exchange pursuant to Section 2.05, the date of authentication shall be noted on each Bond so delivered, exchanged or transferred. Interest on the Bonds shall be payable semiannually on February 1 and August 1, commencing August 1, 2018, each such date being referred to herein as an Interest Payment Date, to the person in whose name the Bonds are registered on the Bond Register, as hereinafter defined, at the Registrar’s close of business on the fifteenth day of the calendar month next preceding such Interest Payment Date, whether or not such day is a business day. Interest shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.
2.03. Redemption. The Bonds will not be subject to redemption prior to their stated maturities.
2.04. Appointment of Initial Registrar. The County hereby appoints U.S. Bank National Association, St. Paul, Minnesota, as the initial registrar, transfer agent and paying agent (the “Registrar”). The Chair and County Administrator are authorized to execute and deliver, on behalf of the County, a contract with the Registrar. Upon merger or consolidation of the Registrar with another corporation, if the resulting corporation is a bank or trust company authorized by law to conduct such business, such corporation shall be authorized to act as successor Registrar. The County agrees to pay the reasonable and customary charges of the Registrar for the services performed. The County reserves the right to remove the Registrar upon 30 days’ notice and upon the appointment of a successor Registrar, in which event the predecessor Registrar shall deliver all cash and Bonds in its possession to the successor Registrar and shall deliver the bond register to the successor Registrar.
2.05. Registration. The effect of registration and the rights and duties of the County and the Registrar with respect thereto shall be as follows:
(a) Register. The Registrar shall keep at its principal corporate trust office a bond register in which the Registrar shall provide for the registration of ownership of Bonds and the registration of transfers and exchanges of Bonds entitled to be registered, transferred or exchanged.
(b) Transfer of Bonds. Upon surrender for transfer of any Bond duly endorsed by the registered owner thereof or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer, in form satisfactory to the Registrar, duly executed by the registered owner thereof or by an attorney duly authorized by the registered owner in writing, the Registrar shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more new Bonds of a like aggregate principal amount and maturity, as requested by the transferor. The Registrar may, however, close the books for registration of any transfer after the fifteenth day of the month preceding each interest payment date and until such interest payment date.
(c) Exchange of Bonds. Whenever any Bonds are surrendered by the registered owner for exchange the Registrar shall authenticate and deliver one or more new Bonds of a like aggregate principal amount and maturity, as requested by the registered owner or the owner’s attorney in writing.
(d) Cancellation. All Bonds surrendered upon any transfer or exchange shall be promptly canceled by the Registrar and thereafter disposed of as directed by the County.
(e) Improper or Unauthorized Transfer. When any Bond is presented to the Registrar for transfer, the Registrar may refuse to transfer the same until it is satisfied that the endorsement on such Bond or separate instrument of transfer is valid and genuine and that the requested transfer is legally authorized. The Registrar shall incur no liability for the refusal, in good faith, to make transfers which it, in its judgment, deems improper or unauthorized.
(f) Persons Deemed Owners. The County and the Registrar may treat the person in whose name any Bond is at any time registered in the bond register as the absolute owner of the Bond, whether the Bond shall be overdue or not, for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of, the principal of and interest on the Bond and for all other purposes; and all payments made to any registered owner or upon the owner's order shall be valid and effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability upon Bond to the extent of the sum or sums so paid.
(g) Taxes, Fees and Charges. For every transfer or exchange of Bonds (except for an exchange upon a partial redemption of a Bond), the Registrar may impose a charge upon the owner thereof sufficient to reimburse the Registrar for any tax, fee or other governmental charge required to be paid with respect to such transfer or exchange.
(h) Mutilated, Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Bonds. In case any Bond shall become mutilated or be destroyed, stolen or lost, the Registrar shall deliver a new Bond of like amount, number, maturity date and tenor in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation of any such mutilated Bond or in lieu of and in substitution for any Bond destroyed, stolen or lost, upon the payment of the reasonable expenses and charges of the Registrar in connection therewith; and, in the case of a Bond destroyed, stolen or lost, upon filing with the Registrar of evidence satisfactory to it that the Bond was destroyed, stolen or lost, and of the ownership thereof, and upon furnishing to the Registrar of an appropriate bond or indemnity in form, substance and amount satisfactory to it, in which both the County and the Registrar shall be named as obligees. All Bonds so surrendered to the Registrar shall be canceled by it and evidence of such cancellation shall be given to the County. If the mutilated, destroyed, stolen or lost Bond has already matured it shall not be necessary to issue a new Bond prior to payment.
(i) Authenticating Agent. The Registrar is hereby designated authenticating agent for the Bonds, within the meaning of Minnesota Statutes, Section 475.55, Subdivision 1, as amended.
(j) Valid Obligations. All Bonds issued upon any transfer or exchange of Bonds shall be the valid obligations of the County, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Resolution as the Bonds surrendered upon such transfer or exchange.
2.06. Execution, Authentication and Delivery. The Bonds shall be prepared under the direction of the County Administrator and shall be executed on behalf of the County by the signatures of the Chair and County Administrator, provided that the signatures may be printed, engraved or lithographed facsimiles of the originals. In case any officer whose signature or a facsimile of whose signature shall appear on the Bonds shall cease to be such officer before the delivery of any Bond, such signature or facsimile shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes, the same as if such officer had remained in office until delivery. Notwithstanding such execution, no Bond shall be valid or obligatory for any purpose or entitled to any security or benefit under this Resolution unless and until a certificate of authentication on the Bond has been duly executed by the manual signature of an authorized representative of the Registrar. Certificates of authentication on different Bonds need not be signed by the same representative. The executed certificate of authentication on each Bond shall be conclusive evidence that it has been authenticated and delivered under this Resolution. When the Bonds have been prepared, executed and authenticated, the County Administrator shall deliver them to the Purchaser upon payment of the purchase price in accordance with the contract of sale heretofore executed, and the Purchaser shall not be obligated to see to the application of the purchase price.
2.07. Securities Depository. (a) For purposes of this section the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Beneficial Owner” shall mean, whenever used with respect to a Bond, the person in whose name such Bond is recorded as the beneficial owner of such Bond by a Participant on the records of such Participant, or such person’s subrogee.
“Cede & Co.” shall mean Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC, and any successor nominee of DTC with respect to the Bonds.
“DTC” shall mean The Depository Trust Company of New York, New York.
“Participant” shall mean any broker-dealer, bank or other financial institution for which DTC holds Bonds as securities depository.
“Representation Letter” shall mean the Representation Letter pursuant to which the sender agrees to comply with DTC’s Operational Arrangements.
(b) The Bonds shall be initially issued as separately authenticated fully registered bonds, and one Bond shall be issued in the principal amount of each stated maturity of the Bonds. Upon initial issuance, the ownership of such Bonds shall be registered in the bond register in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of DTC. The Registrar and the County may treat DTC (or its nominee) as the sole and exclusive owner of the Bonds registered in its name for the purposes of payment of the principal of or interest on the Bonds, selecting the Bonds or portions thereof to be redeemed, if any, giving any notice permitted or required to be given to registered owners of Bonds under this resolution, registering the transfer of Bonds, and for all other purposes whatsoever, and neither the Registrar nor the County shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Registrar nor the County shall have any responsibility or obligation to any Participant, any person claiming a beneficial ownership interest in the Bonds under or through DTC or any Participant, or any other person which is not shown on the bond register as being a registered owner of any Bonds, with respect to the accuracy of any records maintained by DTC or any Participant, with respect to the payment by DTC or any Participant of any amount with respect to the principal of or interest on the Bonds, with respect to any notice which is permitted or required to be given to owners of Bonds under this resolution, or with respect to any consent given or other action taken by DTC as registered owner of the Bonds. So long as any Bond is registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of DTC, the Registrar shall pay all principal of and interest on such Bond, and shall give all notices with respect to such Bond, only to Cede & Co. in accordance with DTC's Operational Arrangements, and all such payments shall be valid and effective to fully satisfy and discharge the County’s obligations with respect to the principal of and interest on the Bonds to the extent of the sum or sums so paid. No person other than DTC shall receive an authenticated Bond for each separate stated maturity evidencing the obligation of the County to make payments of principal and interest. Upon delivery by DTC to the Registrar of written notice to the effect that DTC has determined to substitute a new nominee in place of Cede & Co., the Bonds will be transferable to such new nominee in accordance with paragraph (e) hereof.
(c) In the event the County determines that it is in the best interest of the Beneficial Owners that they be able to obtain Bonds in the form of bond certificates, the County may notify DTC and the Registrar, whereupon DTC shall notify the Participants of the availability through DTC of Bonds in the form of certificates. In such event, the Bonds will be transferable in accordance with paragraph (e) hereof. DTC may determine to discontinue providing its services with respect to the Bonds at any time by giving notice to the County and the Registrar and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. In such event the Bonds will be transferable in accordance with paragraph (e) hereof.
(d) The execution and delivery of the Representation Letter to DTC by the Chair or County Administrator, if not previously filed, is hereby authorized and directed.
(e) In the event that any transfer or exchange of Bonds is permitted under paragraph (b) or (c) hereof, such transfer or exchange shall be accomplished upon receipt by the Registrar of the Bonds to be transferred or exchanged and appropriate instruments of transfer to the permitted transferee in accordance with the provisions of this resolution. In the event Bonds in the form of certificates are issued to owners other than Cede & Co., its successor as nominee for DTC as owner of all the Bonds, or another securities depository as owner of all the Bonds, the provisions of this resolution shall also apply to all matters relating thereto, including, without limitation, the printing of such Bonds in the form of bond certificates and the method of payment of principal of and interest on such Bonds in the form of bond certificates.
2.08. Form of Bonds. The Bonds shall be prepared in substantially the form found at EXHIBIT A.
SECTION 3. USE OF PROCEEDS. Upon payment for the Bonds by the Purchaser, the County Administrator shall deposit and apply proceeds of the Bonds as follows: (a) $3,939,316.60, together with certain other amounts, including amounts on deposit in the funds originally established for the Refunded Bonds, shall be deposited into the Bond Fund established under the Trust Indenture for the Refunded Bonds to be applied to the redemption thereof on the Redemption Date; (b) $44,231.43 shall be used to pay costs of issuance of the Bonds and (c) $-0- will be deposited in the Bond Fund described hereinbelow.
SECTION 4. GENERAL OBLIGATION CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN BONDS, SERIES 2017A BOND FUND. The Bonds shall be payable from a separate General Obligation Capital Improvement Plan Bonds, Series 2017A Bond Fund (the “Bond Fund”) of the County, which Bond Fund the County agrees to maintain until the Bonds have been paid in full. The moneys on hand in the Bond Fund from time to time shall be used only to pay the principal of and interest on the Bonds. Into the Bond Fund shall be paid: (a) any amount in excess of the amounts described in Section 3; (b) all taxes collected pursuant to Section 5; (c) all excess amounts on deposit in the funds maintained for the payment of the Refunded Bonds upon the retirement of the Refunded Bonds on the Redemption Date; and (d) any other funds appropriated by the Board for the payment of the Bonds. The principal of and interest on the Bonds shall be payable from the Bond Fund, and the money on hand in the Bond Fund from time to time shall be used only to pay the principal of and interest on the Bonds. On or before each principal and interest payment date for the Bonds, the County Auditor is directed to remit to the Registrar from funds on deposit in the Bond Fund the amount needed to pay principal and interest on the Bonds on the next succeeding principal and interest payment date. If the balance in the Bond Fund is at any time insufficient to pay all interest and principal then due on all Bonds payable therefrom, the payment shall be made from any fund of the County which is available for that purpose, subject to reimbursement from the Bond Fund when the balance therein is sufficient, and the County covenants and agrees that it will each year levy a sufficient amount of ad valorem taxes to take care of any accumulated or anticipated deficiency, which levy is not subject to any constitutional or statutory limitation.
SECTION 5. PLEDGE OF TAXING POWERS. For the prompt and full payment of the principal of and interest on the Bonds as such payments respectively become due, the full faith, credit and unlimited taxing powers of the County shall be and are hereby irrevocably pledged. In order to produce aggregate amounts not less than 5% in excess of the amounts needed to meet when due the principal and interest payments on the Bonds, ad valorem taxes are hereby levied on all taxable property in the County, the taxes to be levied and collected in the following years and amounts:
Levy Years Collection Years Amount
See attached levy calculation
The taxes shall be irrepealable as long as any of the Bonds are outstanding and unpaid, provided that the County reserves the right and power to reduce the tax levies from other legally available funds, in accordance with the provisions of Minnesota Statutes, Section 475.61.
SECTION 6. BOND FUND BALANCE RESTRICTION. In order to ensure compliance with the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and applicable Treasury Regulations thereunder (the “Regulations”), upon allocation of any funds to the Bond Fund, the balance then on hand in the Bond Fund shall be ascertained. If it exceeds the amount of principal and interest on the Bonds to become due and payable through February 1 next following, plus a reasonable carryover equal to 1/12th of the debt service due in the following bond year, the excess shall (unless an opinion is otherwise received from bond counsel) be used to prepay the Bonds, or invested at a yield which does not exceed the yield on the Bonds calculated in accordance with Section 148 of the Code.
SECTION 7. DEFEASANCE. When all of the Bonds have been discharged as provided in this Section, all pledges, covenants and other rights granted by this Resolution to the registered owners of the Bonds shall cease. The County may discharge its obligations with respect to any Bonds which are due on any date by depositing with the Registrar on or before that date a sum sufficient for the payment thereof in full; or, if any Bond should not be paid when due, it may nevertheless be discharged by depositing with the Registrar a sum sufficient for the payment thereof in full with interest accrued from the due date to the date of such deposit. The County may also discharge its obligations with respect to any prepayable Bonds called for redemption on any date when they are prepayable according to their terms by depositing with the Registrar on or before that date an amount equal to the principal, redemption premium, if any, and interest then due, provided that notice of such redemption has been duly given as provided herein. The County may also at any time discharge its obligations with respect to any Bonds, subject to the provisions of law now or hereafter authorizing and regulating such action, by depositing irrevocably in escrow, with a bank or trust company qualified by law as an escrow agent for this purpose, cash or securities which are authorized by law to be so deposited, bearing interest payable at such time and at such rates and maturing or callable at the holder’s option on such dates as shall be required to pay all principal and interest to become due thereon to maturity or earlier designated redemption date, provided, however, that if such deposit is made more than ninety days before the maturity date of the Bonds to be discharged, the County shall have received a written opinion of Bond Counsel to the effect that such deposit does not adversely affect the exemption of interest on any Bonds from federal income taxation and a written report of an accountant or investment banking firm verifying that the deposit is sufficient to pay when due all of the principal and interest on the Bonds to be discharged on and before their maturity dates or, if notice of redemption as herein required has been irrevocably provided for, to such earlier redemption date.
SECTION 8. TAX COVENANTS; ARBITRAGE MATTERS AND CONTINUING DISCLOSURE.
8.01. Covenant. The County covenants and agrees with the owners from time to time of the Bonds, that it will not take, or permit to be taken by any of its officers, employees or agents, any action which would cause the interest on the Bonds to become includable in gross income of the recipient under the Code and applicable Regulations, and covenants to take any and all affirmative actions within its powers to ensure that the interest on the Bonds will not become includable in gross income of the recipient under the Code and applicable Regulations. The County represents and covenants that all improvements financed from the proceeds of the Bonds are and will be owned and operated by the County and available for use by members of the general public on a substantially equal basis. The County has not and will not enter into any lease, management contract, operating agreement, use agreement or other contract relating to the use, operation or maintenance of the financed facilities or any part thereof which would cause the Bonds to be considered “private activity bonds” or “private loan bonds” pursuant to Section 141 of the Code.
8.02. Arbitrage Certification. The Chair and County Administrator being the officers of the County charged with the responsibility for issuing the Bonds pursuant to this Resolution, are authorized and directed to execute and deliver to the Purchaser a certificate in accordance with the provisions of Section 148 of the Code and applicable Regulations, stating that on the basis of facts, estimates and circumstances in existence on the date of issue and delivery of the Bonds, it is reasonably expected that the proceeds of the Bonds will not be used in a manner that would cause the Bonds to be “arbitrage bonds” within the meaning of the Code and the applicable Regulations.
8.03. Arbitrage Rebate. The County acknowledges that the Bonds are subject to the rebate requirements of Section 148(f) of the Code. The County covenants and agrees to retain such records, make such determinations, file such reports and documents and pay such amounts at such times as are required under Section 148(f) and applicable Regulations to preserve the exclusion of interest on the Bonds from gross income for federal income tax purposes, unless the Bonds qualify for an exception from the rebate requirement pursuant to one of the spending exceptions set forth in Section 1.148-7 of the Regulations and no “gross proceeds” of the Bonds (other than amounts constituting a “bona fide debt service fund”) arise during or after the expenditure of the original proceeds thereof.
8.04. Qualified Tax?Exempt Obligations. The Board hereby designates the Bonds as “qualified tax?exempt obligations” for purposes of Section 265(b)(3) of the Code relating to the disallowance of interest expense for financial institutions, and hereby finds that the reasonably anticipated amount of tax-exempt obligations which are not private activity bonds (not treating qualified 501(c)(3) bonds under Section 145 of the Code as private activity bonds for the purpose of this representation) and are not excluded from this calculation by Section 265(b)(3)(C)(ii) of the Code which will be issued by the County and all subordinate entities during calendar year 2012 does not exceed $10,000,000.
8.05. Continuing Disclosure. (a) Purpose and Beneficiaries. To provide for the public availability of certain information relating to the Bonds and the security therefor and to permit the Purchaser and other participating underwriters in the primary offering of the Bonds to comply with amendments to Rule 15c2-12 promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 C.F.R. § 240.15c2-12), relating to continuing disclosure (as in effect and interpreted from time to time, the Rule), which will enhance the marketability of the Bonds, the County hereby makes the following covenants and agreements for the benefit of the Owners (as hereinafter defined) from time to time of the outstanding Bonds. The County is the only obligated person in respect of the Bonds within the meaning of the Rule for purposes of identifying the entities in respect of which continuing disclosure must be made. If the County fails to comply with any provisions of this section, any person aggrieved thereby, including the Owners of any outstanding Bonds, may take whatever action at law or in equity may appear necessary or appropriate to enforce performance and observance of any agreement or covenant contained in this section, including an action for a writ of mandamus or specific performance. Direct, indirect, consequential and punitive damages shall not be recoverable for any default hereunder to the extent permitted by law. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in no event shall a default under this section constitute a default under the Bonds or under any other provision of this resolution. As used in this section, Owner or Bondowner means, in respect of a Bond, the registered owner or owners thereof appearing in the bond register maintained by the Registrar or any Beneficial Owner (as hereinafter defined) thereof, if such Beneficial Owner provides to the Registrar evidence of such beneficial ownership in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Registrar. As used herein, Beneficial Owner means, in respect of a Bond, any person or entity which (a) has the power, directly or indirectly, to vote or consent with respect to, or to dispose of ownership of, such Bond (including persons or entities holding Bonds through nominees, depositories or other intermediaries), or (b) is treated as the owner of the Bond for federal income tax purposes.
(b) Information To Be Disclosed. The County will provide, in the manner set forth in subsection (c) hereof, either directly or indirectly through an agent designated by the County, the following information at the following times:
(1) on or before twelve (12) months after the end of each fiscal year of the County, commencing with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017, the following financial information and operating data in respect of the County (the Disclosure Information):
(A) the audited financial statements of the County for such fiscal year, prepared in accordance with the governmental accounting standards promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board or as otherwise provided under Minnesota law, as in effect from time to time, or, if and to the extent such financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with such generally accepted accounting principles for reasons beyond the reasonable control of the County, noting the discrepancies therefrom and the effect thereof, and certified as to accuracy and completeness in all material respects by the fiscal officer of the County; and
(B) to the extent not included in the financial statements referred to in paragraph (A) hereof, the information for such fiscal year or for the period most recently available of the type contained in the Official Statement under the headings: “County Property Values,” “County Indebtedness” and “County Tax Rates, Levies and Collections” which information may be unaudited.
Notwithstanding the foregoing paragraph, if the audited financial statements are not available by the date specified, the County shall provide on or before such date unaudited financial statements and, within 10 days after the receipt thereof, the County shall provide the audited financial statements. Any or all of the Disclosure Information may be incorporated by reference, if it is updated as required hereby, from other documents, including official statements, which have been submitted to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (the MSRB) through its Electronic Municipal Market Access System (EMMA) or the SEC. The County shall clearly identify in the Disclosure Information each document so incorporated by reference. If any part of the Disclosure Information can no longer be generated because the operations of the County have materially changed or been discontinued, such Disclosure Information need no longer be provided if the County includes in the Disclosure Information a statement to such effect; provided, however, if such operations have been replaced by other County operations in respect of which data is not included in the Disclosure Information and the County determines that certain specified data regarding such replacement operations would be a Material Fact (as defined in paragraph (2) hereof), then, from and after such determination, the Disclosure Information shall include such additional specified data regarding the replacement operations. If the Disclosure Information is changed or this section is amended as permitted by this paragraph (b)(1) or subsection (d), then the County shall include in the next Disclosure Information to be delivered hereunder, to the extent necessary, an explanation of the reasons for the amendment and the effect of any change in the type of financial information or operating data provided.
(2) In a timely manner, not in excess of 10 business days after the occurrence of the event, to the MSRB through EMMA, notice of the occurrence of any of the following events (each a “Material Fact,” as hereinafter defined):
(A) principal and interest payment delinquencies;
(B) non-payment related defaults, if material;
(C) unscheduled draws on debt service reserves reflecting financial difficulties;
(D) unscheduled draws on credit enhancements reflecting financial difficulties;
(E) substitution of credit or liquidity providers, or their failure to perform;
(F) adverse tax opinions, the issuance by the Internal Revenue Service of proposed or final determinations of taxability, Notices of Proposed Issue (IRS Form 5701-TEB), or other material notices or determinations with respect to the tax status of the Bonds or other material events affecting the tax status of the Bonds;
(G) modifications to rights of Bond holders, if material;
(H) Bond calls, if material and tender offers;
(I) defeasances;
(J) release, substitution, or sale of property securing repayment of the Bonds if material;
(K) rating changes;
(L) bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership, or similar event of the obligated person;
(M) the consummation of a merger, consolidation, or acquisition involving an obligated person or the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the obligated person, other than in the ordinary course of business, the entry into a definitive agreement to undertake such an action or the termination of a definitive agreement relating to any such actions, other than pursuant to its terms, if material; and
(N) appointment of a successor or additional trustee or the change of name of a trustee, if material.
As used herein, for those events that must be reported if material, an event is material if a substantial likelihood exists that a reasonably prudent investor would attach importance thereto in deciding to buy, hold or sell a Bond or, if not disclosed, would significantly alter the total information otherwise available to an investor from the Official Statement, information disclosed hereunder or information generally available to the public. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, an event is also material if it would be deemed material for purposes of the purchase, holding or sale of a Bond within the meaning of applicable federal securities laws, as interpreted at the time of discovery of the occurrence of the event.
For the purposes of the event identified in (L) hereinabove, the event is considered to occur when any of the following occur: the appointment of a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer for an obligated person in a proceeding under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or in any other proceeding under state or federal law in which a court or governmental authority has assumed jurisdiction over substantially all of the assets or business of the obligated person, or if such jurisdiction has been assumed by leaving the existing governing body and officials or officers in possession but subject to the supervision and orders of a court or governmental authority, or the entry of an order confirming a plan of reorganization, arrangement or liquidation by a court or governmental authority having supervision or jurisdiction over substantially all of the assets or business of the obligated person.
(3) In a timely manner, to the MSRB through EMMA, notice of the occurrence of any of the following events or conditions:
(A) the failure of the County to provide the Disclosure Information required under paragraph (b)(1) at the time specified thereunder;
(B) the amendment or supplementing of this section pursuant to subsection (d), together with a copy of such amendment or supplement and any explanation provided by the County under subsection (d)(2);
(C) the termination of the obligations of the County under this section pursuant to subsection (d);
(D) any change in the accounting principles pursuant to which the financial statements constituting a portion of the Disclosure Information are prepared; and
(E) any change in the fiscal year of the County.
(c) Manner of Disclosure.
(1) The County agrees to make available to the MSRB through EMMA, in an electronic format as prescribed by the MSRB, the information described in subsection (b).
All documents provided to the MSRB pursuant to this subsection (c) shall be accompanied by identifying information as prescribed by the MSRB from time to time.
(d) Term; Amendments; Interpretation.
(1) The covenants of the County in this section shall remain in effect so long as any Bonds are outstanding. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, however, the obligations of the County under this section shall terminate and be without further effect as of any date on which the County delivers to the Registrar an opinion of Bond Counsel to the effect that, because of legislative action or final judicial or administrative actions or proceedings, the failure of the County to comply with the requirements of this section will not cause participating underwriters in the primary offering of the Bonds to be in violation of the Rule or other applicable requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any statutes or laws successory thereto or amendatory thereof.
(2) This section (and the form and requirements of the Disclosure Information) may be amended or supplemented by the County from time to time, without notice to (except as provided in paragraph (c)(2) hereof) or the consent of the Owners of any Bonds, by a resolution of this Board filed in the office of the recording officer of the County accompanied by an opinion of Bond Counsel, who may rely on certificates of the County and others and the opinion may be subject to customary qualifications, to the effect that: (i) such amendment or supplement (a) is made in connection with a change in circumstances that arises from a change in law or regulation or a change in the identity, nature or status of the County or the type of operations conducted by the County, or (b) is required by, or better complies with, the provisions of paragraph (b)(5) of the Rule; (ii) this section as so amended or supplemented would have complied with the requirements of paragraph (b)(5) of the Rule at the time of the primary offering of the Bonds, giving effect to any change in circumstances applicable under clause (i)(a) and assuming that the Rule as in effect and interpreted at the time of the amendment or supplement was in effect at the time of the primary offering; and (iii) such amendment or supplement does not materially impair the interests of the Bondowners under the Rule.
If the Disclosure Information is so amended, the County agrees to provide, contemporaneously with the effectiveness of such amendment, an explanation of the reasons for the amendment and the effect, if any, of the change in the type of financial information or operating data being provided hereunder.
(3) This section is entered into to comply with the continuing disclosure provisions of the Rule and should be construed so as to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (b)(5) of the Rule.
SECTION 9. CERTIFICATION OF PROCEEDINGS.
9.01. Registration and Levy of Taxes. The County Administrator is hereby authorized and directed to file a certified copy of this resolution in the records of the County, together with such additional information as required, and to issue a certificate that the Bonds have been duly entered upon the County Auditor’s bond register and the tax required by law has been levied.
9.02. Certification of Records. The officers of the County are hereby authorized and directed to prepare and furnish to the Purchaser and to Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Bond Counsel, certified copies of all proceedings and records of the County relating to the Bonds and to the financial condition and affairs of the County, and such other affidavits, certificates and information as may be required to show the facts relating to the legality and marketability of the Bonds as they appear from the books and records under their custody and control or as otherwise known to them, and all such certified copies, certificates and affidavits, including any heretofore furnished, shall be deemed representations of the County to the facts recited herein.
9.03. Official Statement. The Preliminary Official Statement relating to the Bonds prepared and distributed by Springsted Incorporated is hereby approved. Springsted Incorporated is hereby authorized on behalf of the County, to prepare and distribute to the Purchaser within seven business days from the date hereof, a supplement to the Official Statement listing the offering price, the interest rates, selling compensation, delivery date, the underwriters and such other information relating to the Bonds required to be included in the Official Statement by Rule l5c2-12 adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The officers of the County are hereby authorized and directed to execute such certificates as may be appropriate concerning the accuracy, completeness and sufficiency of the Official Statement.
Resolution Number: 2017-214
Denial of Kirk & Kate Bremer Conditional Use Permit Application
Whereas, On September 13, 2017 an application was submitted by Kirk and Kate Bremer for a Conditional Use Permit to allow for the operation of a dog boarding/daycare facility on parcel 08.00026.06 located in Section 8, Township 111 North, Range 12 West, Town of Lake (30460 Miller’s Creek Court); and
Whereas, The Wabasha County Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on October 23, 2017 to provide an opportunity for the public to present any testimony related to the request; and
Whereas, The Wabasha County Planning Commission discussed the matter after the public hearing and with a vote of 5-0 recommends to the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners that the request be denied.
Now Therefore Be It Resolved, the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners denies the Conditional Use Permit application submitted by Kirk and Kate Bremer for a dog boarding/daycare facility based upon the reasons as follows:
1. The conditional use will be injurious to the use or enjoyment of other properties in the immediate vicinity and will substantially diminish or impair property values in the vicinity.
2. The applicant has not and/or will not provide adequate measures to prevent or control offensive odor, fumes, dust, noise, vibration, or light which constitute a nuisance or disturbance to the neighbors.
Eggenberger Conditional Use Permit
Whereas, On October 10, 2017 an application was submitted by Michael Eggenberger for a Conditional Use Permit to allow for a dog training business on parcel 08.00265.00 located in Section 8, Township 111 North, Range 12 West, Town of Lake (30525 Miller’s Creek Court); and
Whereas, The Wabasha County Planning Commission discussed the matter after the public hearing and with a vote of 5-0 recommends to the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners that the request be approved with five conditions.
Now Therefore Be It Resolved, the Wabasha County Board of Commissioners approves the Conditional Use Permit for Michael Eggenberger with the conditions as follows:
1. The conditional use permit to operate a dog training business for the described property in the application shall only be valid for Michael Eggenberger and shall not be transferable to any other individual.
2. The applicant shall abide by all representations and commitments made during the permitting process as well as before the Planning Commission, in accordance with all conditions to the conditional use permit, taken as a whole, as approved by the Planning Commission and the County Board.
3. The number of dogs allowed to be boarded overnight as part of the training business shall be limited to three. The number of dogs that are participants in scheduled daytime training events shall be limited to six. Nuisance standards found in Chapter 9.02 of the Wabasha County Zoning Ordinance shall still apply.
4. The applicants shall meet sanitary requirements for the collection of dog waste and wastewater.
5. The applicants shall comply with all relevant regulations and standards of Wabasha County and the State of Minnesota.
By consensus the board delegated organizational restructuring and personnel decision making to the County Administrator.
SPRINGER-GOIHL
Motion to Recess to Wabasha County 4-H Award Banquet, November 19, 2017 at 6:00pm, American Legion in Millville, MN
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Alzheimer’s Walk Raises More Than $267,000
Thousands gather to raise money and awareness.
Debbi Johnson of Centreville joined the 2017 Northern Virginia Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Her team consisted of members of her church, New Life Christian Church in Chantilly and her employer, Freddie Mac, including Ange Roeske, Denise Hargand, Kevan Fareed, Vandana Sharma, Christina Kangelaris, Elizabeth Gibson, Kathy Perrow, Keshia Jackson, Joanne Macomber, Aslynn Hogue, William Hogue, Debbi Johnson, and Kristen Johnson. Photo courtesy of Debbi Johnson
By Marilyn Campbell
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Klemens
Elizabeth Klemens of Arlington joined the 2017 Northern Virginia Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Her team was called the Amyloid Plaque Attackers, named after the plaques that form on the brain when Alzheimer’s is present.
Photo courtesy of Ilissa Belanger of Fairfax
Ilissa Belanger of Fairfax joined the 2017 Northern Virginia Walk to End Alzheimer’s along with her husband Tim Belanger. Her team, Walkers for Miriam and Anita, was named in memory of her mother and mother-in-law respectively.
“I hope to raise money for treatment to slow it down or find a cure so that no one has to go through it.” — Ilissa Belanger
More than 1,000 people pounded the pavement in Reston last month and raised more than $267,000. The 2017 Northern Virginia Walk to End Alzheimer’s, held at the Reston Town Center, exceeded its fundraising goal of $250,000.
Held each year in more than 500 communities around the country, The Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer’s seeks to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.
Ilissa Belanger of Fairfax walked to raise money and awareness of the disease.
“Both my mother and mother-in-law had Alzheimer’s and it’s a difficult thing to go through,” Belanger said. “I want to help other families who have to go through it. I hope to raise money for treatment to slow it down or find a cure so that no one has to go through it.”
This was Belanger’s 10th year participating in the walk. This year she was part of a 15-member team, Walkers for Miriam and Anita, named in memory of her mother and mother-in-law respectively.
“We do walk in honor or memory of our loved ones, but also their caregivers,” she said. “It’s important to support the caregivers as well. In my case, it was my father and father-in-law who were wonderful as their wives were going through it.”
Debbi Johnson of Centreville joined the walk for a second year in honor of her former mother-in-law. Her team consisted of members of her church, New Life Christian Church in Chantilly and her employer, Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation).
“I do charity walks because I feel that it’s important to serve,” said Johnson. “I felt that I should do something for Alzheimer’s because there are many people I know who have been affected.”
Janet Davis of Burke walked in honor of her 83-year-old father who has been living with Alzheimer’s for 10 years. Both her mother and her father joined the walk this year.
“The disease has happened gradually and it’s very sad to watch,” she said. “My dad still has function and can dress and feed himself, but sometimes he can’t remember my mom’s name or my name. We’re very vocal about our support of Alzheimer’s.”
Elizabeth Klemens, a 27-year-old nurse who lives in Arlington, participated in the walk for the first time this year. “My personal experience is that my grandfather had Alzheimer’s and he died five years ago at 78, but he suffered for about 10 years,” she said. “I’m a nurse at Reston hospital and I volunteer at the Walter Reed Adult Day Health Center, and I see the effect of Alzheimer’s or dementia on almost a daily basis, so I’m very familiar with the disease.”
Caryl Grant of Alexandria walked in memory of her mother who died in 2009. Her team also consisted of her husband, daughter and son-in-law. “My mother had Alzheimer’s and I watched her deteriorate and it was heartbreaking,” she said. “The hardest thing about it for us and other people is watching them disappear and trying to figure out the best thing to do.”
The Promise Garden ceremony is a walk day event that helps illustrate the diverse reasons for participation. Participants received a Promise Garden flower in a color that represents their connection to the disease. Blue represents someone with Alzheimer's or dementia. Purple is for someone who has lost a loved one to the disease. Yellow represents someone who is currently supporting or caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. Orange is for everyone who supports the cause and vision of a world without Alzheimer’s.
Walking to End Alzheimer's
Walk to End Alzheimer’s Held in Reston
Reston Hosts Walk To End Alzheimer’s
Walking to End Alzheimer’s
Students Give Gift to Teacher
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by Redhawk | Feb 9, 2011 | Broken Trails, Castle Walls, Reading, Slow Movin', Tiopa Ki Lakota |
Things are gearing up in my neck of the woods, and it’s time I once more dusted off this blog in an attempt to keep people updated on what’s going on with me. This time I got smart — I did some research, and actually have topics to discuss, as well as a deadline. I’m aiming for a post every Wednesday.
Playing a little catch up:
Broken Trails is still in limbo at the moment. I’m waiting for the editor to either be assigned, or go over the manuscript and return it to me. PD Publishing has it scheduled for release in winter of this year. They’ve been through a lot of mayhem the last year, so seem to be a bit behind schedule. Cross your fingers!
I’ve been writing like a fiend. The first Sanguire novel, The Strange Path, is complete. I’m working on book two, Lady Mistress, which I hope to have finished by mid-April. I’ve outlined it to about 80,000 words, and am at the 31k mark already! WOOT!
Finally, I hope to have some exciting news to share in the weeks to come!
Now onto the week’s topic:
What To Write?
* “What made you decide to use the Lakota tribe rather than the Cherokee in your historical romance?”
* “Why is your main character running a traveling circus?”
* “Portland? Why set that novel in Portland?”
* “How did you make the connection between American Indians and cyberpunk?”
Loaded question, hundreds of different answers depending on whom has asked. It’s asked in a variety of different ways, too. All I can say is that ideas come from everywhere! It’s simply a matter of listening for them, and heeding them when they speak to you.
As a teenager, my creative writing teacher assigned the class an idea journal. Every time we came up with an idea no matter how lame, we were to write it down. She checked our notebooks every week, and I remember receiving a couple of ‘trite’ and ‘overdone’ comments. Out of two dozen ideas, only two or three didn’t pass her muster. Not bad for a kid who’d never been much of a writer up to that point.
I still do that now. I have a spreadsheet these days, rather than a sheet of notebook paper, but it works as well. I even have a list of potential titles — a turn of phrase or a song lyric that gave me the trembles… ”Oh, yeah!” I’ve got about sixty ideas lined up at the moment, some with notes attached. A few are already completed — the Infinity Series, Castle Walls, On Azrael’s Wings — and some may never see the light of day. They’re too trite, too overdone. But they’ll remain on the list on the off chance that they’ll be relevant and fresh if I come up with a decent hook.
Take Castle Walls. Evil usurper takes over kingdom, former princess flees. Usurper sends out the dogs to find her, but she finds herself a safe place, preparing to live the remainder of her days as a commoner. But the Usurper finds her, the battle ensues, and he dies. She becomes a heroine. Pretty standard fantasy novel. She’ll be required to meet all sorts of strange critters (dwarves, elves, unicorns, etc.,) eventually working her way back to the beginning.
That idea’s been sitting on the burner for… *author scratches the back of her neck in thought*… almost twenty-five years. But honestly, all fantasy novels have orcs and ogres and trolls. Mine would just be another to add to the growing mountain of fantasy fiction, even if I did write it as a romance rather than a strict genre piece. Inspiration struck when I attended my first Cirque du Soleil show. Front row, stage right, I was utterly awed at the talent and colors and music and showmanship and… Well, you get the idea.
What if the former princess finds herself amongst circus people? A medieval Cirque du Soleil flashed through my mind, mixing with Carny starring Jodie Foster and Gary Busey, and The Sword and the Sorcerer with Lee Horsley. Throw in an old short I wrote in my twenties, a nightmare written to the instrumental interval in the song ‘Castle Walls’ recorded by Styx, and what do you get?
BAM! Castle Walls!
Let me list a few of my ideas and where they came from. Some will be familiar to the long-time readers, and others are still in the germination stage:
* ‘Slow Movin’’ — a series of short stories about a young butch growing up in small town middle America. I picked up Slow for a song of the same name by Mary Dolan. Check her album out.
* Sanity Walks Away (song lyric title) — a Conqueror fanfic idea I had back in the day where the scene in the Hercules episode, ‘Armageddon’, was the final scene of the story. The idea was to show the Destroyer of Nations destroying the woman she loved.
* Burning Man — happened to see an article on it years ago while working on CyberEpic. What if someone was being burned to death inside the Burning Man? What if that cued the murder mystery between a Corp security officer and a state/federal police officer in the same world I was writing in? Could they get along, fall in love, find the killer despite the fact that their respective employers were at war?
* ‘Proxy Personals’ — a short story I wrote years ago. I found a personal ad in the local liberal newspaper, Willamette Weekly, that was too good to pass up. I used it as the basis for story.
* Tiopa Ki Lakota — I received an email from a fan who’d really enjoyed CyberEpic. She thought I should delve into the historical aspect of the American Indian people. Her six pages of email intrigued me, though I would never use her plot points. I began doing research into various time periods and tribes. I found multiple books on the Oglala Lakota, to include a verbal calendar. As I played around with different ways to use the calendar, I eventually found a book on the Lakota language (Reading and Writing the Lakota Language by Albert White Hat Sr.) There were no other language books to choose from, so Tiopa Ki Lakota was centered in the Lakota tradition.
Songs, newspaper articles, chance words overheard on the bus, books, anything can give you an idea. Write it down! Even if you don’t use it immediately, you might have cause to use it in the future. I’ve heard that creativity is simply the process of taking two disparate things and mashing them together to make something new.
Thanks for reading this far! See you next week!
Can I get some assistance? If you have any questions for me, or suggestions you want me to write about, please let me know! The comment form below will require a valid email address to ensure you’re a real person. (I don’t collect the addresses or do anything with them, so you won’t be getting future spam from me.) If that’s not to your taste, you can email me — the link is up above on the left.
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FROM NY WITH LOVE
Linda Bernal, Hector Arce Espasas, Kathryn Garcia, Jaime Gecker, Hector Madera Gonzalez, Douglas Gordon, José Lerma, Angel Otero, Elizabeth Peyton, Tobias Rehberger, Christopher Rivera, Martha Rosler, Spencer Sweeney and Rirkrit Tiravanija.
Curated by Glorimarta Linares
23 Mar - 7 May, 2010
Don’t Projects has invited Glorimarta Linares to bring From NY with Love to Paris. The exhibition will feature the works of 14 artists, in a wide range of mediums including painting, drawing, collage, lithography, photography and installation.
Since moving to New York in 2005 to work with artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, Linares has developed close, even personal relationships with many artists, affording her a unique perspective on New York’s contemporary art scene. A selection of works by Hector Arce Espasas, Kathryn Garcia, Hector Madera Gonzalez, José Lerma, Elizabeth Peyton, Tobias Rehberger, Martha Rosler, Spencer Sweeney, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Anton Vidolke was assembled in Puerto Rico in 2009 to form From NY with Love. For the exhibition’s second incarnation Linares will bring to Paris an even broader selection of works by both emerging and established artists she encountered in the New York art scene.
New York Times April 2010
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Posts Tagged ‘William Petit’
Is Elie Wiesel “the world’s most famous hypocrite”
…instead of the world’s most famous Holocaust survivor?
Just one year ago, Elie Wiesel gave a speech in Connecticut, while a jury was in session just miles away, calling for the death penalty to NOT be given to two men who had committed an appalling crime against a family of four. Wrapping himself in self-righteousness, he intoned “Death is not the answer” to the man, William Petit, who had lost his wife and two beautiful young daughters to a couple of amoral monsters, and to Petit’s supporters.
The crime committed was so brutal and horrible, and senseless too, that for this writer the death penalty is too good for these perpetrators. You can read about it here and here.
Did Elie Wiesel have the right to barge into this family’s tragedy as some sort of “spiritual advisor”, for which he was not asked? Of course not. Did he have any right to bring his “holocaust experience” into their personal grief as some kind of Jewish lesson in humanity? No, and it’s in the worst of taste but he is used to flaunting his imaginary suffering to audiences who have been indoctrinated and conditioned to respond like Pavlov’s dogs to his trite phrases.
The murderers of this family should not be given the death penalty, says Elie Wiesel.
Left, Haley, 17 and Michaela, 11 with their 48 year-old mother Jennifer Petit–all torture-murdered. Sole survivor William Petit on right.
Wiesel tells them, “I know your pain … believe me, I know.” Does he? He is oblivious to this man’s pain when he tells him he should not desire the death penalty for those who committed such savage acts upon his loved ones. We know exactly what happened to these three women with horrifying exactitude. We do NOT know what happened to Wiesel’s mother, father and sister. With the Petits we have the bodies, and the manner of death and the culprits are forensically determined; not so with Wiesel’s family and so many others–no bodies and no forensic evidence at all. Their deaths, especially in the manner assumed, remain conjecture.
It seems Wiesel wants to prevent Gentiles from getting justice for evil done to them, while justice for Jews has always required full punishment … an eye for an eye. He recently called for bringing Mamoud Ahmadinejad to trial as a war criminal at the Hague simply because he has said he doesn’t believe in the mythical Holocaust. Wiesel wants to make holocaust denial a crime in the U.S. and put “deniers” in prison. Yet he also wants these child rapists and souless murderers to remain in prison for life, being fed, clothed and given health care, side by side with holocaust deniers!
Is Elie Wiesel an evil force in the world or just a fool?
Iran has the death penalty. We need the death penalty to deter human trash like these two murderers. Wiesel’s campaign to abolish the death penalty in the U.S. is part of the attempt to further destroy our society and beautiful, gifted white people.
“Death is not the answer” for men who tie girls to their beds, rape them, douse them with gasoline and set them on fire, says Elie Wiesel.
Haley’s bed on which she was tied to be burned to death. The same was done to her younger sister.
What we know happened in Cheshire, Connecticut has no relation to what happened to Elie Wiesel’s family in 1944 in Hungary and Poland. I believe it is the fire–the torching of the live bodies and of the house itself–that drew Wiesel’s attention to this case. The religio/historical accounts written by Jews, such as in the Talmud, are suffused with stories of being burned (destroyed) by fire. Elie Wiesel himself coined the term “holocaust” to describe the expulsion, deportation and incarceration (not incineration) of Jews in concentration camps that took place in 1942-45. Even though many deaths did occur, none were by fire or burning. However, Jewish mythology demands fiery deaths.
Left: The Petit family home set ablaze by the murderers to conceal their DNA.
In addition to his offensiveness to Petit and his sister and mother who attended the trial with him, Elie Wiesel is a hypocrite because he never said “Death is not the answer” when Germans were being put to death by the hundreds as “Nazis” and nazi collaborators. He never said “Death is not the answer” when Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to die by an all-Jewish court proceeding in Israel. He never said “Death is not the answer” as Israelis murdered Palestinians in secret prisons. But once he decided to make a reputation for himself as a humanitarian, he has taken up opposition to the death penalty.
Why the death penalty? Well, to prevent justice for families like the Petits, who are white and blonde. Their sufferings should never be taken as seriously as the ‘holocaust of the Jews.’ Wiesel has likened the death of a Jewish child as equivalent to, or greater in significance than, the death of Jesus Christ. The burning death of 11 year-old Michaela can never be allowed to compete with a Jewish child.~
Addendum (added Wed. Oct. 26)
Both of the murderers have been found guilty and one, Steven Hayes, has been given the death penalty. The younger man, Joshua Komisarjevsky is currently back in court for the penalty phase which began yesterday. His attorneys plan to highlight Komisarjevsky’s “troubled” childhood, and that he didn’t get the “help” he needed.
Well, of course, people who do things like Hayes and Komisarjevsky did have “troubled childhoods;” there is something wrong with them from birth. But all those who experience difficult childhoods don’t do what they did. We cannot allow offenders to weasel out of paying an appropriate price for their destruction of other’s lives and property; if we do, no one can be held responsible for anything … which is pretty much what has happened to our society.
Even if this sick person also receives the death penalty, which I hope he does, it will be years before either one of them faces what the jury recommended for them. In the meantime, Elie Wiesel will be doing all he can to help them weasel out of it.
Category Featured | Tags: Tags: Elie Wiesel, hypocrite, Jennifer Petit, Jr, William Petit,
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http://appserver-9e10888e/content/capitol-hill-update-june-5-2017
Capitol Hill Update: June 5, 2017
By Jason Pye
The House and Senate are in session this week.
It will be a relatively slow week on the floor of the House. The lower chamber will take up a resolution, H.Res. 354, condemning the violence against protesters in mid-May outside of the residence of the Turkish ambassador and a resolution, H.Res. 355, condemning the terrorist attack on May 22 at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, United Kingdom. The House will also consider the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act, H.R. 390, which would support those who are assisting people in Iraq and Syria who have been the victim of genocide and war crimes. These three measures are on the suspension calendar, meaning three-fifths of the House will have to vote affirmatively to suspend the rules for passage.
Later in the week, the House will consider the Anti-Border Corruption Reauthorization Act, H.R. 2213. The bill, which is subject to a rule to limit or prevent amendments, would expand the waivers for polygraph testing of applicants to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The only remaining bill on the floor of the House this week is the Financial CHOICE Act, H.R. 10, sponsored by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas). The bill, which is subject to a rule, will reform the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, known as "Dodd-Frank," by reining in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), ending the policy of "too big to fail" that Dodd-Frank codified into law, and reduce regulation that is hampering the financial sector.
Unfortunately, language in the Financial CHOICE Act that would have repealed the Durbin amendment to Dodd-Frank that created debit card swipe fees was removed by the House Rules Committee. Nevertheless, the Financial CHOICE Act is still a solid bill, and FreedomWorks will key vote in favor of passage.
There are a couple committee hearings of note this week. The House Budget Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday entitled, "The Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Pro-Growth Policies." The committee has already heard testimony from Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and OMB Director Mick Mulvaney on President Donald Trump's FY 2018 budget proposal. When the committee will begin marking up the budget isn't clear, but this hearing is another part of the beginning of the process.
The White House will make a big push on infrastructure this week, and air traffic control reform will be a focus. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday that will focus on the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The committee is also working on air traffic control reform, though it's not clear when Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) plans to introduce and mark up legislation.
Separately, there have been reports in recent days that the House could vote on another omnibus, containing the 12 appropriations bills for FY 2018, before the August recess. Considering how bad the FY 2017 passed in May was, this is unwelcome news. House conservatives were promised a return to regular order, which means the consideration of appropriations separately. If another massive omnibus is considered by the House, it's a failure of Republican leadership.
There are still several subcabinet nominees whose confirmations are pending in the Senate. As for legislation, it's still unclear when the upper chamber will vote on the American Health Care Act, H.R. 1628. The work on the bill in the Senate is only now beginning, according to Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).
To say that there are mixed messages coming from the Senate right now would be an understatement. Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) recently said that there would be a vote on the American Health Care Act before the August recess, which is consistent with what FreedomWorks has heard. But Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said "tax reform is an easier lift," suggesting that the bill may have to be broken "into two pieces" to address the short-term problems in the nongroup market before diving into more comprehensive insurance reform. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has made similar comments.
Separately, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) is playing down any expectations for a vote on the American Health Care Act in 2017, telling a local television station, "It's unlikely that we'll get a health-care deal."
This week, however, all eyes will be on the Senate Intelligence Committee. The committee will hear testimony from former FBI Director James Comey about whether President Trump pressured him to end the probe into the ties Gen. Michael Flynn, who briefly served as President Trump's national security advisor, had with Russia.
The Senate committee schedule for the week can be viewed here.
Tags Financial CHOICE Act, H.R. 10, Durbin amendment, FY 2018 Budget, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, federal aviation adminstration, FAA, Air Traffic Control, House Appropriations Committee, appropriations, omnibus, American Health Care Act, H.R. 1628, Fundamental Tax Reform, Tax Reform
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Support Bills to Defund the National Public Radio and the Corporation for Public Broadcast, H.R. 3392 and H.R. 3393
On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the bills to defund the National Public Radio (NPR) and the Corporation for Public Broadcast (CPB), H.R. 3392 and H.R. 3393 respectively, both sponsored by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.). Put simply, it is not the role of the federal government to be funding the arts including news outlets or entertainment sources such as NPR and CPB.
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Key Vote
Key Votes on Amendments to H.R. 3055
On behalf of FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to vote in the manner prescribed for each amendment below to the Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, H.R. 3055. As is always the case, FreedomWorks reserves the right to key vote any amendment brought to the floor for a vote.
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FreedomWorks Supports Rep. Chip Roy’s Request for Recorded Votes on Amendments to H.R. 2740
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In response to Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-Texas) request for recorded votes on H.R. 2740, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Legislative Branch, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, Jason Pye, FreedomWorks Vice President of Legislative Affairs, commented:
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FreedomWorks’ Member of the Month for June 2019: Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas)
BY Sarah Anderson
FreedomWorks is proud to honor Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) as the member of the month for June 2019. He serves in the House of Representatives to represent Texas’ 21st Congressional District, which spans to the north and west of Austin, Texas. But in reality, Rep. Roy serves not only to represent his constituents but also to better the lives of all Americans by exposing and fighting against the status quo Washington ways that have put us $22 trillion in debt and left us more burdened by government than our founding fathers ever could have imagined.
On behalf of FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to vote in the manner prescribed for each amendment below to the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Legislative Branch, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, H.R. 2740. As is always the case, FreedomWorks reserves the right to key vote any amendment brought to the floor for a vote.
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Key Vote NO on the Supplemental Appropriations Act, H.R. 2157
On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to vote NO on the Supplemental Appropriations Act, H.R. 2157, sponsored by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.). The Supplemental Appropriations Act would provide for an additional $17.2 billion in emergency relief funds with no offsets, although the Disaster Relief Fund still has more than $29 billion in it. The bill would also further other big-government policies, including duplicative agriculture subsidies, National Flood Insurance Program reauthorization, and community development block grant spending.
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Key Vote NO on the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief, H.R. 268
On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your senators and ask them to vote NO on the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief, H.R. 268. According to the text posted by the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill would spend $13.45 billion for disaster relief without offsets.
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Support the No Budget, No Pay Act, S. 39
On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the No Budget, No Pay Act, S. 39. Introduced by Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), the No Budget, No Pay Act would put skin in the game for Congress to get serious about its power of the purse and get back on track to doing its job.
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Will Democrats Finally Pay Attention to the National Debt?
Debatably the most important power delegated to Congress is its power of the purse. However, it never uses this power correctly. This week, the United States’ national debt surpassed the $22 trillion mark. Also this week, Congress passed a multi-hundred-billion dollar spending bill in order to cover for its inability to do its job properly. Congress was behind schedule by nearly half of an entire year on funding the government for this fiscal year.
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In Any Congress, Principles Must Come Before Party
Limited government conservatives remain disgruntled in Congress, both when in the majority and when in the minority. Republicans campaign on shrinking government, lowering taxes, embracing free markets, and upholding the constitution. But members who actually hold themselves to these promises once in Congress exist only in small pockets.
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On-demand test environment using automated chat clients
Provided is a computer system and method for interactive and on-demand test environment using automated chat clients. A computer-implemented method includes receiving by a server a request from a computer in the computer test environment to instantiate a chat session with the test computer in the computer test environment wherein the server hosts an instant messaging service, the request identifying the test computer as a chat user; instantiating a chat session in response to the request between the test computer and at least one computer in the computer test environment; accessing data concerning test results performed on the test computer by the server to enable responding to chat session data requests; and responding to chat requests by one or more participants to the chat session via parsing the data concerning the test results accessed by the server. The computer-implemented method also includes broadcasting instant messages from the test computer to the participants of a chat session.
Morris, Daniel E. (Round Rock, TX, US)
G06F15/173; G06F15/16
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20070100960 Managing content for RSS alerts over a network May, 2007 Eichstaedt et al.
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20070150565 Surveillance network system June, 2007 Ayyagari et al.
OLUDE AFOLABI, OLATOYOSI
Greg Goshorn P. C. (9600 Escarpment, auite 745-9, AUSTIN, TX, 78749, US)
1. A computer-implemented method for acquiring test results from one or more tests performed in a computer test environment including at least one test computer, the computer-implemented method comprising: receiving by a server a request from a computer in the computer test environment to instantiate a chat session with the test computer in the computer test environment wherein the server hosts an instant messaging service, the request identifying the test computer as a chat user; instantiating a chat session in response to the request between the test computer and at least one computer in the computer test environment; accessing data concerning test results performed on the test computer by the server to enable responding to chat session data requests; and responding to chat requests by one or more participants to the chat session via parsing the data concerning the test results accessed by the server.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the data concerning the test computer includes one or more test results and test status of a test program running on at least the test computer.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising: broadcasting one or more messages from the test computer to the one or more participants, wherein the broadcasting is according to a hierarchy supplied by the test computer, the hierarchy identifying participants in an order to receive the messages and matching appropriate participants to a subset of the messages, the broadcasting being performed periodically or in accordance with markers present in a test program.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the data concerning the test computer includes test data loaded on the test computer or the server, the data concerning the test computer being configured to be accessed via a chat session and configured to be parsed.
5. A computer-implemented method for a test computer to disseminate test result data, the computer-implemented method comprising: instantiating by one or more computers in a computer test environment a chat session independent of human interaction via an application programming interface (API) as a function related to invoking a test on the test computer; contacting by the one or more computers in a computer test environment predetermined users as participants to the chat session; and sending by the one or more computers in a computer test environment one or more messages to one or more of the participants via the API in response to markers present in a test program running on the test computer.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the function results in the chat session being instantiated upon occurrence of one or more of the invoking the test, a predetermined time after the invoking the test, reaching one or more markers included in the test, or receiving an indication to instantiate the chat session in response to test parameters determined after invoking the test.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the API interacts with a script identifying the participants to be sent the one or more messages.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 further comprising: responding to messages received by one or more of the participants via a predefined set of responses associated with a status of the test.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the markers cause the API to deliver predetermined messages via a chat application.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the API is configured to access a dictionary of key words, the key words invoking a real-time response from the test computer to provide a response to the participant sending a message.
11. A computer system comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including a module configured to enable an interactive chat session between to one or more participants of a chat session and one or more computers in a computer test environment, the module configured to identify the computer system as a chat user and as one of the one or more computers in the computer test environment and instantiate the chat session to enable near real time access by one or more participants of the chat session of data concerning testing by a test computer in a computer test environment.
12. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the module is configured to access a dictionary of key words, the key words invoking a near real-time response from the test computer to provide a response to a participant in the chat session sending a message.
13. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the module is configured to enable disseminating test result data from the test computer, the module including: an application programming interface (API) responsive to instantiation of a chat session independent of human interaction by invoking a test on the test computer, the API configured to contact predetermined users as participants to the chat session.
14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the API is configured to respond in near real-time to the one or more participants of the chat session to provide the data concerning the testing by the test computer in the computer test environment.
15. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the API is configured to interact with a script identifying the participants to the chat session.
16. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the API is configured to respond to one or more messages received by the one or more of the participants in the chat session via a predefined set of responses associated with a status of the test.
17. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the API is configured to contact the one or more participants in the chat session as a function of one or more markers present in a test program running on the test computer.
18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the markers cause the API to deliver predetermined messages via a chat application.
The present invention relates generally to delivery of electronic messages, referred to as “chat,” and, more specifically, to a system and method for using automated chat clients in a test environment.
Large distributed test environments can include hundreds of test computers and multiple platforms. Distributed test environments are used to test any number or variety of software products. Software testing can include functional testing, operating system testing, testing for games, software development, database environments, communication software and any software wherein a large distributed test environment with many machines would be suitable. Such environments typically generate reports and store them in a central repository. Typically, results can be emailed following a request, or a user can log onto a local test computer to gather test results.
A problem with the current methods for gathering test results is that users requiring test results must specifically ask for the results, know where and how to obtain the results and obtain the information via a web source, such as through a virtual private network (VPN), an email request or physically logging into a test computer and acquiring results. The known methods for acquiring results are cumbersome and require a user to remember to obtain results. Furthermore, testing can include unpredictable end times or cause problems that are not easily resolved by looking at results gathered after a test has completed running.
What is needed is a system and method for determining the status of software testing in a distributed environment that operates in near real time.
Provided is a computer system and method for interactive and on-demand test environment using automated chat clients. A computer-implemented method for acquiring test results from one or more tests performed in a computer test environment including at least one test computer includes receiving by a server a request from a computer in the computer test environment to instantiate a chat session with the test computer in the computer test environment wherein the server hosts an instant messaging service, the request identifying the test computer as a chat user; instantiating a chat session in response to the request between the test computer and at least one computer in the computer test environment; accessing data concerning test results performed on the test computer by the server to enable responding to chat session data requests; and responding to chat requests by one or more participants to the chat session via parsing the data concerning the test results accessed by the server. The data concerning the test computer can include one or more test results and test status of a test program running on at least the test computer. The computer-implemented method can include broadcasting one or more messages from the test computer to the one or more participants, wherein the broadcasting is according to a hierarchy supplied by the test computer, the hierarchy identifying participants in an order to receive the messages and matching appropriate participants to a subset of the messages, the broadcasting being performed periodically or in accordance with markers present in a test program.
The data concerning the test computer can include test data loaded on the test computer or the server, the data concerning the test computer being configured to be accessed via a chat session and configured to be parsed.
Another embodiment is directed to a method for a test computer to disseminate test result data in near real time. The computer-implemented method includes instantiating a chat session independent of human interaction via an application programming interface (API) as a function related to invoking a test on the test computer; contacting predetermined users as participants to the chat session; and sending one or more messages to one or more of the participants via the API in response to markers present in a test program running on the test computer. In one embodiment, the API interacts with a script identifying the participants to be sent the one or more messages. The function can result in the chat session being instantiated upon occurrence of invoking the test, a predetermined time after the invoking the test, reaching one or more markers included in the test, or receiving an indication to instantiate the chat session in response to test parameters determined after invoking the test. The markers can cause the API to deliver predetermined messages via a chat application.
In one embodiment, The computer-implemented method includes responding to messages received by the participants via a predefined set of responses associated with a status of the test. For example, the API can be configured to access a dictionary of key words, the key words invoking a real-time response from the test computer to provide a response to the participant sending a message.
Another embodiment is directed to a computer system including a processor; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including a module configured to enable an interactive chat session from the computer system to one or more participants of a chat session, the module configured to identify the computer system as a chat user and automatically instantiate the chat session to enable near real time access by one or more participants of the chat session of data of data concerning testing by a test computer in a computer test environment. In an embodiment, the module is configured to access a dictionary of key words, the key words invoking a near real-time response from the test computer to provide a response to a participant in the chat session sending a message. Also in an embodiment, the module is configured to enable disseminating test result data from the test computer, the module including an application programming interface (API) responsive to instantiation of a chat session independent of human interaction by invoking a test on the test computer. The API contacts predetermined users as participants to the chat session.
In an embodiment, the API responds in near real-time to the one or more participants of the chat session to provide the data concerning the testing by the test computer in the computer test environment. Also, in the embodiment, the API interacts with a script identifying the participants to the chat session. In an embodiment, the API responds to one or more messages received by the one or more of the participants in the chat session via a predefined set of responses associated with a status of the test and contacts the one or more participants in the chat session as a function of one or more markers present in a test program running on the test computer. In an embodiment, the markers cause the API to deliver predetermined messages via a chat application.
A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer architecture that supports the claimed subject matter;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a distributed computer environment appropriate for embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Those with skill in the computing arts will recognize that the disclosed embodiments have relevance to a wide variety of applications and architectures in addition to those described below. In addition, the functionality of the present invention can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The hardware portion can be implemented using specialized logic; the software portion can be stored in a memory or recording medium and executed by a suitable instruction execution system such as a microprocessor.
With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary computing system for implementing the embodiments and includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer 10. Components of the computer 10 may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit 20, a system memory 30, and a system bus 21 that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit 20. The system bus 21 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.
The computer 10 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the computer 10 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, and removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer 10. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.
The system memory 30 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 31 and random access memory (RAM) 32. A basic input/output system 33 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 10, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 31. RAM 32 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 20. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates operating system 34, application programs 35, other program modules 36 and program data 37.
The computer 10 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only, FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive 41 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 51 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 52, and an optical disk drive 55 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk 56 such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 41 is typically connected to the system bus 21 through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 40, and magnetic disk drive 51 and optical disk drive 55 are typically connected to the system bus 21 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 50.
The drives and their associated computer storage media, discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 1, provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer 10. In FIG. 1, for example, hard disk drive 41 is illustrated as storing operating system 44, application programs 45, other program modules 46 and program data 47. Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system 34, application programs 35, other program modules 36, and program data 37. Operating system 44, application programs 45, other program modules 46, and program data 47 are given different numbers hereto illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands and information into the computer 10 through input devices such as a tablet, or electronic digitizer, 64, a microphone 63, a keyboard 62 and pointing device 61, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include a joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 20 through a user input interface 60 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor 91 or other type of display device is also
The computer 10 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 80. The remote computer 80 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 10, although only a memory storage device 81 has been illustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN) 71 and a wide area network (WAN) 73, but may also include other networks. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet. For example, in the present invention, the computer system 10 may comprise the source machine from which data is being migrated, and the remote computer 80 may comprise the destination machine. Note however that source and destination machines need not be connected by a network or any other means, but instead, data may be migrated via any media capable of being written by the source platform and read by the destination platform or platforms.
When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 10 is connected to the LAN through a network interface or adapter 70. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 10 typically includes a modem 72 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN 73, such as the Internet. The modem 72, which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus 21 via the user input interface 60 or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 10, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates remote application programs 85 as residing on memory device 81. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.
In the description that follows, the invention will be described with reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations that are performed by one or more computers, unless indicated otherwise. As such, it will be understood that such acts and operations, which are at times referred to as being computer-executed, include the manipulation by the processing unit of the computer of electrical signals representing data in a structured form. This manipulation transforms the data or maintains it at locations in the memory system of the computer which reconfigures or otherwise alters the operation of the computer in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art. The data structures where data is maintained are physical locations of the memory that have particular properties defined by the format of the data. However, although the invention is being described in the foregoing context, it is not meant to be limiting as those of skill in the art will appreciate that some of the acts and operation described hereinafter can also be implemented in hardware.
According to an embodiment, computer 10 can be configured as a computer that includes an instant messaging application in accordance with an embodiment. One of the many computer networks suited for use with the present invention is indicated generally at 200 in FIG. 2. Embodiments include those in which the system 200 contains one or more domains or realms, such as one or more Microsoft Windows NT domains or Kerberos realms. The system 200 can include a local area network 202 connectable to other networks 204, including other LANs or portions of the Internet or an intranet, through a gateway or similar mechanism.
The system 200 includes several file or object servers 206 that are connected by network signal lines 208 to one or more network clients 210. The servers 206 and clients 210 can be configured by those of skill in the art in a wide variety of ways to operate according to embodiments described herein. The servers 206 can be configured as Internet servers, as intranet servers, as directory service providers or name servers, as software component (e.g., COM or Java) or other object servers, or as a combination thereof. The servers 206 can be single processor or multiprocessor machines. The servers 206 and clients 210 each include an addressable storage medium such as random access memory and/or a nonvolatile storage medium such as a magnetic or optical disk.
Suitable network clients 210 include, without limitation, personal computers 212, laptops 214, workstations 216, dumb terminals, information appliances, and/or embedded processing systems. The signal lines 208 may include twisted pair, coaxial, or optical fiber cables, telephone lines, satellites, microwave relays, modulated AC power lines, and other data transmission “wires” known to those of skill in the art. Signals according to the invention may be embodied in such “wires” and/or in the addressable storage media (volatile and/or nonvolatile).
A given computer may function both as a client, such as one of network client computers 210, and/or as a server 206. Although particular individual and network computer systems and components are shown, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention also works with a variety of other networks and computers.
The servers 206 and the clients 210 are capable of using floppy drives, tape drives, optical drives or other means to read storage media 222. Suitable storage medium 222 includes a magnetic, optical, or other computer-readable storage device having a specific physical substrate configuration. Suitable storage devices include floppy disks, hard disks, tape, CD-ROMs, PROMs, RAM and other computer system storage devices. The substrate configuration represents data and instructions which cause the computer system to operate in a specific and predefined manner as described herein. Thus, the medium 222 tangibly embodies a program, functions, and/or instructions that are executable by the servers 206 and/or network clients 210 to perform embodiments substantially as described herein.
Embodiments described herein are directed to using a distributed test environment. FIG. 2 represents an exemplary network capable of being implemented as a distributed test environment. Each of servers 206 and clients 210 can be implemented as a test computer to test a software program. Servers 206 and clients 210 can also be implemented as combined test computers to test software programs requiring a combination of machines running simultaneously, serially or in other configurations possible in a distributed test environment.
The computers 206 and 210 can be implemented as target “test” machines” and include a client running thereon. In an embodiment, each target “test” machine can be configured to orchestrate a test execution and reporting mechanism for testing software. A client executes a test on the target machine and the results of those tests are reported/saved. In one embodiment, the results are saved on a local machine. In other embodiments, the results are saved on a remote machine or automatically reported via an email client application.
According to embodiments herein, the “test” client can include one or more programmable application programming interfaces (APIs). An API refers to a software interface that allows a computer program to invoke another computer program, subsystem, component, library, service or the like. In an embodiment, the “test” client invokes, via at least one API, an instant messaging client application. More specifically, computers 206 and 210 are configured to operate the “test” client that instantiates an API upon completion of, for example, to run an instant messaging client capable of instantiating real time text messaging, referred to as “chat,” messages.
A “chat,” also referred to as an instant messaging, or “IM” is a type of communications service that enables a kind of private chat room with another individual or group of individuals to communicate in real time over the Internet, analogous to a telephone conversation but using text-based, not voice-based, communication. Typically, the instant messaging system provides an alert whenever a party on a private list is online. Chat sessions can take place between two people or more. In an embodiment, however, the client invoking the API is not a person. Rather, a “test” client identifies the computer on which the client is operating as if the machine is a person. Thus, each machine shown in FIG. 2 as part of a distributed computing system is uniquely identified on an instant messaging server, in like manner as a person would be identified.
Referring to FIG. 3, a flow diagram illustrates an embodiment for enabling a test client in a distributed computing system to provide data via a chat session. Block 310 provides for invoking a test on one or more client machines. Block 320 provides for instantiating a chat session including each of the client machines in the distributed computing system as chat users. The instantiation could be via an API that interfaces with a chat application upon a determination that a test has been started. The API could include a module that interacts with a script identifying the users to be included on messages, and interacts with the test program. Block 330 provides for automatically contacting and messaging predetermined users to the chat session. The predetermined users could be individuals associated with the test that could benefit from the information concerning the status and results of the testing.
Block 340 provides for delivering predetermined messages to users from the test computer. The predetermined messages can be generated via the test program by having the test program include markers that cause the API to deliver predetermined messages via the chat application. For example, if the test program has a marker at a half-way point or has indicia of test completion capable of being marked, the API could be associated with those markers and include a message to be instantly messaged upon reaching those markers.
In one embodiment, the predetermined users could be associated with the markers such that those users responsible for certain portions of a testing procedure are notified only when relevant markers are reached by the test client. Likewise, the API can be configured to send certain users messages only if there is a failure or if testing completed unsuccessfully or successfully. For example, a user/machine could be associated with determining statistics of the testing and interested only in determining whether a set of tests passed or failed. The API could be configured so that such a user/machine only receives pass or fail messages.
Block 350 provides for responding to received messages via the chat session responsive to a predetermined set of questions. Specifically, an embodiment provides that if the test client is online, a user that is included in a chat session can ask the client one or more questions regarding the status of the test. The API can include a dictionary of key words that can invoke a response from the test client and provide a status message to the user. For example, if the test program has markers therein, the dictionary can be loaded with those relevant key words indicative of the status at that point identified by the marker.
The programmable API enables the test computer or test program to be set up to send real-time messages to users concerning the status of the machine, test or processes that are running on the machine, series of machines, or computing environment. More particularly, the chat application disseminates results in near “real-time”. Depending on how the programmable API is set up, the chat application can send an instant message to each user identified on a contacts list for the machine, test or process such that a message would appear on each contact computer that is logged in to a chat application.
Thus, the test computer interfaces with the chat server and is able to display the same status as any other chat contact. The “test” client can display such state information as “active,” “away,” “do-not-disturb” and the like to indicate the state of a test. For example, if a “test” system is available for testing purposes, the contact list could identify the “test” system as “available.” Likewise, if the “test” system is not available, the contact list could identify the “test” system as “online but away” or “do not disturb”.
In one embodiment, the programmable API enables the test computer to send real time results to other users identified on the chat server. The API sends specific information in the message, such as links to create an FTP of a virtual desktop connection to the machine so that the person receiving the message could have direct access to the target test computer.
In another embodiment, the API provides a method for the test computer to perform multiple invites for a group of individuals to evaluate the messages and immediately have a location and chat session open to discuss.
According to embodiments described herein, to implement a chat session, one or more computers shown in FIG. 2 include an instant messaging client application. More particularly, a client can include a test infrastructure/client that has a method for interacting and receiving results from a test computer. Either a chat client/server interface or another infrastructure performs The computer-implemented method for interacting and receiving results client as one of skill in the art will appreciate will benefit from the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the chat client instantiates as a process as a class of computer program that runs in the background, rather than under the direct control of a user.
Referring now to FIG. 4, a method is illustrated that discloses an embodiment for operating a computer operating in a test environment as a client computer to connect with a server with the capability of automatically contacting users on a user list of test result information and the like. Block 402 provides for a computer operating in a test environment to load a test program for opening an instant messaging client. Block 404 provides for the computer operating in the test environment to connect with a server operating an instant messaging client. Once the computer operating in the test environment is connected to the server, block 406 provides for having the computer operating in the test environment to log into the server. The computer operating in the test environment sends the server the connection information, which can include IP address and number of the port assigned to a chat client. The server can also provide the user names present on an associated contacts list.
Typically, the server creates a temporary file that has the connection information for a user and the list of contacts. The server can check to see if any of the users in a contact list are currently logged in and highlight those available for instant messaging, by providing the connection information for those users, such as whether the users are idle, active or the like. Likewise, the server can send the client connection information to those users on the list of contacts that are signed on. According to an embodiment, the temporary file is used to identify the test computer and provide test results. More particularly, block 408 provides for, after loggings into the server, having the computer operating in the test environment identify a chat session as a test computer session. Once identified as a test computer session, a script loaded on the test computer can download results to the temporary file or other appropriate file that can be queried by users that are part of the chat session, including users present or not present during the chat. Thus, block 410 provides for loading test computer results onto an appropriate file, such as a temporary file. The file can be on the chat server or on the computer operating in the test environment. Where ever located, for efficiency or for other purposes, the test results loaded for access via a chat session can be organized to be responsive to a chat application. More specifically, the results can be organized to enable parsing. Block 412 provides for parsing the test results after receiving chat session questions from the chat session. The temporary file can be accessed via a query application included in the chat application, disposed within a server, or in a location appropriate as one of skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate. The parsed questions can be associated with a list of responses. For example, if a result is unexpected or a failure, a response could include a failure response or an indication that the test needs to be repeated.
Referring now to FIG. 5, a flow diagram illustrates a method that could be performed by a server to monitor a test computer in accordance with an embodiment. As shown, block 502 provides for enabling a computer in a test environment or a computer logged into the test environment according to a predetermined security protocol to connect to a test computer running a client application for instant messaging. Block 504 provides for having the test computer identify user names present on an associated contacts list for the test computer user. Block 506 provides for the server to receive connection information from the test computer user and a list of contacts and to open a chat session. Block 508 provides that a script running on the test computer causes test computer to contact the server via an API or other appropriate communication method, either periodically or upon predetermined events server with status information concerning a test or with result information. Block 510 provides for having the test computer broadcast the messages received by the server to attendees of the chat session. According to one embodiment, the test computer or the server as directed by the test computer broadcasts messages according to a hierarchy provided by the test computer to the server such that some messages are broadcast to all attendees, and other messages are reserved for certain users in accordance with the hierarchy. Thus, for example, a supervisor may be interested in only test result information and not status information. Such a supervisor would receive only test result information as directed by the hierarchy.
While the invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, including but not limited to additional, less or modified elements and/or additional, less or modified steps performed in the same or a different order.
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NOVEL SKIN PEEL COMPOSITION IN MASQUE FORM
The present invention is directed to a method of reducing the appearance of skin changes associated with intrinsic and/or extrinsic aging, involving the steps of: (a) providing a first composition containing: (i) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of at least one hydroxy acid; (ii) optionally, from about 1 to about 15% by weight of at least one weak organic acid; and (iii) remainder, to 100%, water; (b) providing a second composition containing: (iv) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of L-ascorbic acid powder; (v) optionally, from about 1 to about 10% by weight of an extract of emblica; (vi) from about 10 to about 60% by weight of a water-soluble film-forming polymer; and (vii) remainder, to 100%, of a water-absorbing thickening agent; (c) mixing (a) and (b) to form a finished composition; (d) applying the finished composition onto the skin, just after mixing, in order to form a masque on the skin; and (e) removing the masque from the skin after a predetermined period of time.
Feng, Sue (Edison, NJ, US)
Rousseau, Gina (Westfield, NJ, US)
L'ORÈAL S.A. (Paris, FR)
424/78.03
A61K8/81; A61Q19/08
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WORSHAM, JESSICA N
L''Oreal USA (Patent Department 133 L''Oreal Way Clark NJ 07066)
1. A method of reducing the appearance of skin changes associated with intrinsic and/or extrinsic aging comprising: (i) providing a first composition containing: (a) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of at least one hydroxy acid; (b) optionally, from about 1 to about 15% by weight of at least one weak organic acid; and (c) remainder, to 100%, water; (ii) providing a second composition containing: (d) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of L -ascorbic acid powder; (e) optionally, from about 1 to about 10% by weight of an extract of emblica; (f) from about 10 to about 60% by weight of a water-soluble film-forming polymer; and (g) remainder, to 100%, of a water-absorbing thickening agent; (iii) mixing (i) and (ii) to form a finished composition; (iv) applying the finished composition onto the skin, just after mixing, in order to form a masque on the skin; and (v) removing the masque from the skin after predetermined period of time.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein (a) is glycolic acid.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein (b) is citric acid
4. The method of claim 1 wherein (f) is a copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone and vinylacetate.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein (g) is corn starch.
6. A kit for reducing the appearance of skin changes associated with intrinsic and/or extrinsic aging comprising a multi-unit receptacle containing: (a) a first unit containing: (i) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of at least one hydroxy acid; (ii) optionally, from about 1 to about 15% by weight of at least one weak organic acid; and (iii) remainder, to 100%, water; (b) a second unit containing: (iv) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of L-ascorbic acid powder; (v) optionally, from about 1 to about 10% by weight of an extract of emblica; (vi) from about 10 to about 60% by weight of a water-soluble film-forming polymer; and (vii) remainder, to 100%, of a water-absorbing thickening agent; and (c) optionally, a third unit for mixing the contents of (a) and (b).
7. The kit of claim 6 wherein (a)(i) is glycolic acid.
8. The kit of claim 6 wherein (a)(ii) is citric acid.
9. The kit of claim 6 wherein (b)(vi) is a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate.
10. The kit of claim 6 wherein (b)(vii) is corn starch.
REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/250,301, filed Oct.9, 2009, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention is directed to a novel skin peel composition which, when applied onto the skin, forms an efficacious masque. More particularly, the invention relates to a composition containing high levels of both a hydroxy acid and ascorbic acid in a carrier which, after being applied onto skin, forms a masque.
Skin renewal can be stimulated by removal of the outer keratinous layer of the skin system. Such removal can be effected mechanically, for example, by rubbing with an abrasive composition, or chemically. Chemical exfoliation and peeling are effected by agents that interact with the complex structure of the skin, removing the outer layer to expose the underlying layers. Skin-renewal stimulating compositions and agents can provide anti-aging benefits, for example, a reduction of keratoses, freckles, wrinkles, fine lines and epidermal and dermal atrophy. The newly exposed skin is smoother and appears younger.
In recent years the use of cosmetic and pharmacological formulations containing skin-renewal simulating acids, such as alpha hydroxy acids (“AHAs”) or retinoic acid, to obtain antiaging and dermatologically therapeutic benefits has become widespread. Scientific and clinical reports, as well as much subjective evidence, have shown that substantial improvements in skin appearance and condition can be obtained by means of skin-renewal stimulating acids, which are believed to be attributable to increased rates of skin cell renewal, and the removal of outer layers of dead cells.
Chemical peeling can be done in varying degrees of depth. A light or superficial peel is generally one which is comparatively superficial in effect, and medium or deep chemical peels are ones in which peeling agents are used to produce a moderate to severe wound to the skin. Medium or deep peels achieve a much more dramatic and visible effect, and do so quickly, in minutes or hours, but usually result in pain and inflammation of the skin.
It is an object of this invention to provide a safe and highly efficacious peel for reducing the appearance of skin changes associated with intrinsic and/or extrinsic aging.
It is another object of this invention to provide a safe and highly efficacious peel for use in the treatment of regional hyperpigmentation caused by melanocytic hyperactivity, as well as for localized hyperpigmentation and benign melanocytic proliferations, such as senile pigmentary spots, actinic photosensitization and post-lesion scarring.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a selection of peels beneficial in the treatment and prevention of acne.
The present invention is directed to a method of reducing the appearance of skin changes associated with intrinsic and/or extrinsic aging, involving the steps of:
(i) providing a first composition containing:
(a) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of at least one hydroxy acid;
(b) optionally, from about 1 to about 15% by weight of at least one weak organic acid; and
(c) remainder, to 100%, water;
providing a second composition containing:
(d) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of L-ascorbic acid powder;
(e) optionally, from about 1 to about 10% by weight of an extract of emblica;
(f) from about 10 to about 60% by weight of a water-soluble film-forming polymer; and
(g) remainder, to 100%, of a water-absorbing thickening agent;
(iii) mixing (i) and (ii) to form a finished composition;
(iv) applying the finished composition onto the skin, just after mixing, in order to form a masque on the skin; and
(v) removing the masque from the skin after a predetermined period of time.
The present invention is also directed to a kit for use in reducing the appearance of skin changes associated with intrinsic and/or extrinsic again, the kit comprising a multi-unit receptacle having:
(a) a first unit containing:
(i) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of at least one hydroxy acid;
(ii) optionally, from about 1 to about 15% by weight of at least one weak organic acid; and
(iii) remainder, to 100%, water;
(b) a second unit containing:
(iv) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of L-ascorbic acid powder;
(v) optionally, from about 1 to about 10% by weight of an extract of emblica;
(vi) from about 10 to about 60% by weight of a water-soluble film-forming polymer; and
(vii) remainder, to 100%, of a water-absorbing thickening agent; and
(c) optionally, a third unit for mixing the contents of (a) and (b).
Other than in the operating examples, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients and/or reaction conditions are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”.
First Composition
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first composition containing a mixture of a hydroxyl acid and water.
Suitable hydroxy acids for use in the first composition include hydroxymonocarboxylic acids such as, for example, glycolic acid; lactic acid; glyceric acid, and the like. A particularly preferred hydroxyl acid is glycolic acid.
The hydroxy acid is typically present in the first composition in an amount of from about 20 to about 60% by weight, such as from about 25 to about 50% by weight, and from about 30 to about 45% by weight, all weights being based on the total weight of the composition.
It may also be desirable to employ at least one weak organic acid. Examples of suitable weak organic acids include, but are not limited to, citric acid; lactic acid; acetic acid; formic acid; and oxalic acid. A particularly preferred weak organic acid is citric acid.
The weak organic acid, if employed, will typically be present in an amount ranging from about 1 to about 15% by weight, such as from about 5 to about 12% by weight, and from about 7 to about 10% by weight, all weights based on the total weight of the first composition.
In an effort to accelerate evaporation time for the first composition, it may also be desirable to employ a co-solvent having a high flash-point. An example thereof is an alcohol, such as ethanol. A particularly preferred co-solvent is denatured alcohol. The co-solvent, if employed, is typically present in an amount of from about 1 to about 10% by weight, such as from about 1 to about 7% by weight, and from about 3 to about 5% by weight, all weights being based on the weight of the first composition.
Second Composition
The present invention also employs a second composition, in powder form, the composition containing a combination of L-ascorbic acid, an extract of emblica, at least one water-soluble film forming polymer, and a water-absorbing thickening agent.
The L-ascorbic acid is preferably employed in an amount of from about 20 to about 50% by weight, such as from about 20 to about 40% by weight, and from about 25 to about 30% by weight, all weights being based on the total weight of the second composition.
As used herein, the terms “an extract of Emblica officinalis,” “emblica extract” or “an extract of emblica” mean any extract of the fruit of the Emblica officinalis or Phyllanthus emblica tree. Such extracts may be prepared by any method known to those skilled in the art. In addition, the terms “an extract of Emblica officinalis,” “emblica extract” and “an extract of emblica” mean any compounds or mixtures of compounds that are isolated or purified from crude extracts of the fruit of the tree. Such compounds or mixtures of compounds may be isolated or purified by any method known to those skilled in the art. For example, compositions comprisingemblica extract, as well as its individual chemical components are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,268, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The extract of emblica is generally employed in an amount of from about 1 to about 10% by weight, such as from about 2 to about 8% by weight, and from about 3 to about 5% by weight, all weights being based on the total weight of the second composition.
Examples of water-soluble film-forming polymers which may be mentioned are: proteins, for instance proteins of plant origin such as wheat proteins and soybean proteins; proteins of animal origin such as keratins, for example keratin hydrolysates and sulfonic keratins; anionic, cationic, amphoteric or nonionic chitin or chitosan polymers; polymers of celluloses such as hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, methylcellulose, ethylhydroxyethylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose, and quaternized cellulose derivatives; acrylic polymers or copolymers, such as polyacrylates or polymethacrylates; vinyl polymers, for instance polyvinylpyrrolidones, copolymers of methyl vinyl ether and of malic anhydride, the copolymer of vinyl acetate and of crotonic acid, copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone and of vinyl acetate; copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone and of caprolactam; polyvinyl alcohol; polymers of natural origin, which are optionally modified, such as: gum arabics, guar gum, xanthan derivatives, karaya gum; alginates and carrageenans; glycoaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid and derivatives thereof; shellac resin, sandarac gum, dammar resins, elemi gums and copal resins; deoxyribonucleic acid; mucopolysaccharides such as hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate, and mixtures thereof.
Particularly preferred water-soluble film-forming polymers are copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone and of vinyl acetate. The polymer is preferably employed in an amount of from about 10 to about 60% by weight, such as from about 20 to about 55% by weight, and from about 30 to about 50% by weight,. all weights being based on the total weight of the composition.
Suitable water-absorbing thickening agents include, for example, corn starch, flour, wheat starch, and the like. A particularly preferred water-absorbing thickening agent is corn starch. The water-absorbing thickening agent is typically employed in an amount of from about 20 to about 60% by weight, such as from about 25 to about 50% by weight, and from about 30 to about 40% by weight, all weights being based on the total weight of the second composition.
Auxiliary Ingredients
The first and/or second compositions of the present invention may also include, if desired, various types of auxiliary ingredients. Examples thereof include preservatives, conditioning agents, and the like.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of reducing the appearance of skin changes associated with intrinsic and/or extrinsic aging, involving the steps of: (a) providing a first composition containing: (i) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of at least one hydroxy acid; (ii) optionally, from about 1 to about 15% by weight of at least one weak organic acid; and (iii) remainder, to 100%, water; (b) providing a second composition containing: (iv) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of L-ascorbic acid powder; (v) optionally, from about 1 to about 10% by weight of an extract of emblica; (vi) from about 10 to about 60% by weight of a water-soluble film-forming polymer; and (vii) remainder, to 100%, of a water-absorbing thickening agent; (c) mixing (a) and (b) to form a finished composition; (d) applying the finished composition onto the skin, just after mixing, in order to form a masque on the skin; and (e) removing the masque from the skin after a predetermined period of time.
It is imperative that the first and second compositions are mixed just prior to application onto the skin, so as to minimize oxidative degradation of L-ascorbic acid. It is equally important that second composition be in powder form, prior to its being mixed with the first composition, so as to inhibit exposure of the L-ascorbic acid to water/moisture.
Once the first and second composition and mixed, in situ, to form the finished composition, it is then applied onto a target area of the skin for a predetermined period of time. The precise period of time will depend on the particular skin change being addressed, whether hyper pigmentation, acne, wrinkles, or some other appearance of skin change associated with intrinsic and/or extrinsic aging.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a kit for reducing the appearance of skin changes associated with intrinsic and/or extrinsic aging, the kit comprising a multi-unit receptacle having: (a) a first unit containing: (i) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of at least one hydroxy acid; (ii) optionally, from about 1 to about 15% by weight of at least one weak organic acid; and (iii) remainder, to 100%, water; (b) a second unit containing: (iv) from about 20 to about 50% by weight of L-ascorbic acid powder; (v) optionally, from about 1 to about 10% by weight of an extract of emblica; (vi) from about 10 to about 60% by weight of a water-soluble film-forming polymer; and (vii) remainder, to 100%, of a water-absorbing thickening agent; and (c) optionally, a third unit in which the contents of (a) and (b) can be mixed.
The present invention will be better understood from the examples which follow, all of which are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to unduly limit the scope of the invention in any way.
Example 1 shows a first and second composition used for reducing the appearance of skin hyper pigmentation.
Composition one contains the following:
Type Nom INCI US %
ACTI-1 GLYCOLIC ACID 40.0000
ACTI-1 CITRIC ACID 10.0000
SOLV-1 ALCOHOL DENAT. 5.0000
SOLV-1 WATER 45.0000
Composition two contains the following:
ACTI-1 ALLANTOIN 0.2000
ACTI-1 DISODIUM EDTA 0.1000
BOT-1 ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE 0.3500
BOT-1 PHYLLANTHUS EMBLICA FRUIT EXTRACT 4.0000
C20690792 SILICA 2.5000
POLY-1 VP/VA COPOLYMER 23.1500
POLY-1 ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH 40.0000
POLY-1 CELLULOSE GUM 1.5000
VITA-1 PANTHENOL 1.2000
VITA-1 ASCORBIC ACID 27.0000
Compositions 1 and 2 were mixed together to form a finished composition. The finished composition was then immediately applied onto a target area of skin in order to reduce the appearance of signs of hyperpigmentation, and left there for approximately 5 minutes. Once applied onto the skin, the finished composition began to form a masque, enabling the actives contained within the masque to perform more efficaciously on the target area. Afterwards, the masque was rinsed from the target area.
Previous Patent: USE OF AT LEAST ONE (DIHYDRO)JASMONIC ACID DERIVATIVE FOR TREATING DRY SKIN
Next Patent: COMPLIANT BIOCOMPATIBLE POLYMER COMPOSITIONS FOR MEDICAL USES
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Rent Facilities
Music at the Mansion
Previous Shows, 2017-18
Donate a Tree
Tour the Park
Below are previous shows which we presented at Music at the Mansion during the 2016-17 season. See previous shows for 2015-16, 2014-15, 2013-14.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2016, 8PM:
Spuyten Duyvil
w/ guest Hannah Rose Baker
Seeing a Spuyten Duyvil (pronounced “SPITE-en DIE+vul”) show for the first time is like “throwing a cherry bomb into a lake” (Rich Warren, WFMT). It wakes you up. Their brand of original and traditional American Roots music blends Olde Time, Blues, 2nd Line, Bluegrass, and Folk Rock with a pinch of Punk Rock energy to create a uniquely modern mix. Lead by song-writing couple, Mark Miller and Beth Kaufman, this six piece powerhouse brings barn burning energy to venues throughout the East Coast and Midwest.
It’s an exciting time for the Hudson Valley based band. They have just released their third full length CD, “The Social Music Hour Vol 1”. A love letter to the Anthology of American Folk Music, the project features lyrically relevant, known but not worn out, open for suggestion songs that thrives with re-interpretation. Familiar, forgotten words find new meaning in this historically informed but thoroughly contemporary treatment. Old wood, plaster, real spaces, vintage guitars and hot tubes are captured in warm, analog tones by studio designer and engineer Jim Keller (Willie Nelson, Nellie McKay). Recorded by the full band (no click, no net), the tracks burst with life, joy and vitality.
A festival favorite, the band has played featured shows at Citi Field, The Philadelphia Folk Festival, Musikfest, The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and Clearwater. 2016 finds the band heading to Florida to headline the South Florida Folk Festival, to Israel to headline the Jacob’s Ladder Festival along with a series of shows for the American Embassy, to Vermont for Roots On The River, to New York for Caramoor’s American Roots Music Festival, to Massachusetts for the New Bedford Folk Festival and to Long Island for The Great South Bay Music Festival.
Opening the evening is fiddler, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Hannah Rose Baker. Hannah currently makes her home in Somerville MA and she began studying classical violin as an elementary school student in Atlanta, Georgia. Four months spent in Ireland as a teen introduced her to traditional music, and she switched over to old time music in college. With degrees in music and anthropology, Hannah brings her knowledge of the history of traditional American music and its cultural significance to both her playing and teaching.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016, 8PM:
Jill Sobule w/ guest Emilyn Brodsky
We are pleased to announce the return of Jill Sobule to Music at the Mansion. Jill played at our very first show in November 2013 and helped establish our concert venue, now in its 4th year.
Jill Sobule is a Denver-born singer, songwriter, storyteller, guitarist and gypsy. Over seven albums and nearly two decades of recording, Jill has mused on topics such as the death penalty, anorexia, shoplifting, reproduction, the French resistance movement, adolescence and the Christian right.
Her recording career began in 1990 with her debut album “Things Here are Different,” recorded by Todd Rundgren. Her 1995 self-titled album, “Jill Sobule,” yielded the hit songs “I Kissed A Girl” (the original) and “Supermodel.” Since then, she has continued to record, produce and tour with an ever-growing loyal fan base. Jill is considered a pioneer in crowd sourcing, with her 2009 fan-funded record, “California Years.” She continues to be at the forefront of exploring and creating new models for artists in an ever-changing changing music industry.
She’s performed with Neil Young, Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, Cyndi Lauper, Tom Morello and Warren Zevon and inducted Neil Diamond into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. She can be seen live as a solo performer as well as the co-star of the “Jill & Julia Show,” an unusual and mesmerizing combination of song and storytelling in collaboration with comedian/actress Julia Sweeney. She also served as songwriter/composer for the hit Nickelodeon network show “Unfabulous” during that show’s three-season run. She composed the music for the off-Broadway show “Prozak and Platypus” and her songs have appeared in a multitude of films including “Mind the Gap,” in which Jill herself co-starred. She has been a political troubadour for NPR stations across America and most recently performed original music at the keynote session for Netroots Nation. Jill is a longtime participant as well as musical contributor at TED.
A veritable gypsy, Jill divides her time between a busy touring schedule and a variety of other projects. The recently released “A Day at the Pass” finally captures an ongoing collaboration between Jill and John Doe (from the iconic punk band X) and was recorded live at The Pass studio on one fine day in Los Angeles. She is currently recording her next record, “Dottie’s Charm’s” – a collaboration between her and 11 of her favorite authors, including: Rick Moody, David Hajdu and Jonathan Lathem, Jill is also working with Steve Cosson (The Civilians), Jim Lewis (Fela!) and Robin Eaton (a longtime collaborator) on the musical, Times Square.
In the words of New York Times pop music critic Jon Pareles, “Jill Sobule can claim her place among the stellar New York singer-songwriters of the last decade. Topical, funny and more than a little poignant…grown-up music for an adolescent age.”
She’s an American original.
Emilyn Brodsky is a singer/songwriter who has performed with The Magnetic Fields, Amanda Palmer, The Hold Steady, TV on the Radio, and many more. You may have seen her sing songs off her critically-acclaimed album “Emilyn Brodsky Eats Her Feelings” on HBO’s “Girls” and Fusion’s “The Chris Gethard Show.” She lives in New York City in an ancient mansion with a coven of witches. Emilyn enjoys tea, essential oils, and meat on the bone. Her new album, “Emilyn Brodsky’s Digestion,” was released in October 2016 on Dead Stare Records.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017, 8PM:
Without question, one of the brightest lights on the American progressive/art rock scene, IZZ melds classic and modern prog influences, strong melodies, and stirring guitar and synthesizer solos into a familiar yet refreshing musical stew. They have consistently delivered their innovative and unique original sound with rising praise for each album released.
IZZ was formed under the musical vision of brothers Tom and John Galgano. In 1996, Tom brought together fellow Manhattanville College classmates, all musically trained, to write, arrange and perform original, adventurous music. IZZ’s lineup includes percussionist (and Blind Brook legend) Greg DiMiceli, Paul Bremner (guitars), Anmarie Byrnes (vocals), Laura Meade (vocals), and Brian Coralian (drums). They have released seven studio albums, including “Ampersand Volume 2” in 2016, and have appeared at many festivals including CalProg (Los Angeles), NEARFest (Bethlehem PA), Terra Incognita (Quebec), and Progtoberfest (Chicago).
Videos of IZZ:
SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2017, 8PM:
Vance Gilbert w/ guest Paul Sforza
Vance Gilbert burst onto the singer/songwriter scene in the early 90’s when buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking ’em dead at open mics. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Vance started out hoping to be a jazz singer, and then discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of acoustic folk music. Once word got out about Gilbert’s stage-owning singing and playing, Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her Fat City Tour. Noted not only for being the ever consummate performer, Gilbert has recorded 12 albums, including 4 for Philo/Rounder Records and a duo album with friend Ellis Paul. Along with being opener of choice for artists as varied as Aretha Franklin, Arlo Guthrie, and Anita Baker, 2006 and 2007 found Gilbert opening 140+ shows for comedian George Carlin. Most recently he’s the opener of choice for Paul Reiser and The Subdudes.
Considered by many to be an integral part of the national folk scene, Gilbert’s approach to the acoustic singer songwriter idiom is significant. Gilbert’s compositions, while frequently employing sophisticated melodies and harmonies that attest to his jazz roots, remain sublime attestations to the storyteller’s craft. He even has a tune on a Grammy Nominated children’s album. How rounded is that?
Rye Brook native and New York City-based Paul Sforza’s latest single “Eternity” is an instantly memorable slice of acoustic pop/soul that evokes classic sounds of the 70s. It’s the first track from his recently released EP Make Something Beautiful, produced by Scott Patton, best known for his guitar work with hit country duo Sugarland. Before returning home to New York, Paul spent many fruitful years on the Atlanta music scene, where his debut album Lifelines received praise for its “impeccably crafted” songs from Creative Loafing, Atlanta’s #1 lifestyle publication. Since his return home, Paul’s songs have garnered critical praise as well as listener interest, including semifinalist honors in the 2013 UK Songwriting Contest and Honorable Mention in the 2014 SongDoor International Songwriting Contest. Paul has continued to build his NYC following with performances at Rockwood Music Hall, Pianos, The Bitter End, The Knitting Factory, The Bowery Electric, Caffe Vivaldi, and Silvana.
Vance Gilbert performs “Welcome to Love Town”:
Vance Gilbert performs “Zombie Pattycake”:
Paul Sforza performs “Making a Garden Grow”:
SUNDAY, APRIL 2, 2017, 3PM:
An Afternoon of Opera and American Classics
Spend a spring afternoon in Crawford Mansion enjoying an amazing lineup of classically-trained vocalists. Join Savannah Bisset (Soprano), Cara Collins (Mezzo Soprano), and Christopher Cooley (Pianist) in an afternoon of Opera and American classics. Program highlights will include selections from Bizet, Gounod, Massenet, Mozart, Offenbach, Puccini, Saint-Säens, and Verdi. The program of America Classics will include selections from Rodgers & Hammerstein, Sondheim, and Weill.
Savannah Bisset, soprano, made her New York debut as Marguerite in André Grétry’s Richard Coeur-de-lion which was reviewed in the “New York Times” and “Opera News”. Bisset has performed with the NY Opera Exchange, LOFT Opera, and New York Lyric Opera Theatre, singing the role of Mozart’s Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, as well as with the Cantanti Project performing Marguerite from Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots, and Ophélie in Thomas’ Hamlet. Recent engagements have included recital performances in Canada and the United States, including singing the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute at Opera on the James in Virginia, and Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto.
Mezzo-soprano Cara Collins is a senior at the State University of New York, Purchase College Conservatory of Music, where she studies under the direction of Dr. Sherry Overholt. Recently she has performed the role of Elizabeth Proctor in Robert Ward’s The Crucible. She has also performed as Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Mutter and Sandmännchen in Hänsel und Gretel, and Hippolyta in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Cara will play the role of Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea in the Conservatory’s Spring production. In concert, Cara has performed as a mezzo-soprano soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria, the Saint-Säens Christmas Oratorio, Händel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Vespers.
Christopher Cooley has concertized with various instrumental and vocal soloists in five continents, as well as Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. As a soloist, he has played with the University of Texas Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Florida, and the Musica Bella Orchestra of New York. As a collaborative pianist, he has served on the staff of Opera Lirica (Orvieto, Italy), Centro Studi Italiani (Urbania, Italy), Ibla Grand Prize Competition (Sicily) in which he was also a winner, the Austrian-American Mozart Academy (Austria), Opera Ischia (Forio, Italy), the Castleton Festival (Virginia), and the Piatigorsky Seminar for Cellists (L.A.). Since 2006, Mr. Cooley has collaborated regularly with soprano Lauren Flanigan on music written for her by composers from Stephen Schwartz to Thomas Pasatieri. They have performed together at numerous venues, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Café Sabarsky’s Cabaret series at the Neue Gallerie, the McCarter Theater in Princeton, and the George London Foundation Recital Series at the Morgan Library. Chris holds degrees from Florida State University, the University of Texas-Austin, and a doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music. He is also an accomplished composer, arranger, and orchestrator.
SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2017, 8PM:
Jazz at the Mansion featuring:
Erena Terakubo w/ guest Tuomo Uusitalo
Erena Terakubo was born in Sapporo, Japan in 1992. She began playing the alto saxophone at the age of nine. Between the ages of 10 and 15, she participated in the Sapporo Junior Jazz Orchestra, where she had the opportunity to have jazz clinics with musicians including Herbie Hancock and Tiger Okoshi. Terakubo later attended the Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program, where she was rewarded a full-tuition scholarship and was selected for the Berklee Summer Jazz Workshop with Terri Lyne Carrington. In 2011, she was chosen as one of just six Presidential Scholars from across the world to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating in 2014.
In 2010, she recorded her first album, “North Bird” with Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, Lee Pearson, and Peter Bernstein. The album was released in Japan by Japanese major record label King, reached no. 1 on the Japanese jazz charts, and was awarded Swing Journal’s Gold Disc. Later that year, she performed with Ron Carter, Omar Hakim, and Will Boulware as part of the Tokyo Jazz Festival. In 2011, Terakubo recorded her second album, “New York Attitude” with Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Lee Pearson, and Dominick Farinacci, and in 2013, her long-awaited third album “Burkina” with Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Lenny White & Jimmy Cobb set a high valuation on her ability.
Her concert appearances have included Tokyo Jazz Festival, Sapporo City Jazz Festival, Jazz Week Osaka 2010 (with Michel Camilo Trio), Nagoya Jazz Festival (with Yosuke Yamashita), Kitara Hall (with Sapporo Symphony Orchestra), and D.C. Jazz Festival 2012. She has been fortunate to work with musicians such as Sadao Watanabe, Terumasa Hino, Eddie Gomez, Jimmy Cobb, and Anthony Jackson.
Tuomo Uusitalo is an award-winning pianist, composer, arranger and educator. Having released two albums as a leader, and appearing on numerous albums as a sideman, he has established himself in the New York jazz scene, and continues touring internationally both as a leader as well as sideman. Born in Tampere, Finland, Tuomo graduated with honors from University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (Austria) in 2012, and relocated to New York City. He performs regularly around the city at venues including Smalls, Mezzrow, Fat Cat, Zinc Bar, Cornelia Street Cafe, ShapeshifterLab, Cleopatra’s Needle, Garage, University of the Streets, and Arturo’s.
Erena Terakubo performs “There Will Never Be Another You”:
Tuomo Uusitalo perform “Yardbird Suite”:
Friends of Crawford Park is a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization. Crawford Park is located at 122 North Ridge Street, Rye Brook, NY 10573
© Copyright 2019 Friends of Crawford Park
Site design by LauraKleinDesign, LLC
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Mixing Investment Adviser and Brokerage Services
October 2007 | Hannah Terhune, Esquire, Capital Management Services Group
Trendy money managers and brokers take on the role of chief cook and bottle washer when they opt to be all things to all clients. In the context of this article, we are interested in those situations when they opt to be their client’s broker (or introducing broker) and investment adviser (either to a fund or private client). By becoming a broker, the money manager can significantly increase his bottom line as he is now entitled to sales commissions, third-party selling fees and in some cases increased access to margin (a key point if the manager runs a hedge fund or a proprietary trading firm). As his client’s investment adviser, the money manager can earn those hefty tax-advantaged advisory fees we have all been reading about in the mainstream press for months. Purveyors of both advisory and brokerage services need to be aware of the mix of statutes and judicial doctrines that affect them. The purpose of this article is to flag the concerns of the investment adviser and the weightier concerns of the broker.
Brokers (B) typically set up as an investment adviser in one of two ways. He may either register his brokerage as an investment adviser or establish an affiliated investment advisory business. Investment advisors (IA) transition to the brokerage business either by registering his investment adviser business as a broker or by establishing an affiliated brokerage firm. When a service provider offers both investment adviser and brokerage services to his clients, the broker/investment adviser (B/IA) will execute client transactions through its affiliated brokerage firm. Endemic to this kitchen table arrangement are economic conflicts that trigger regulatory and client concerns, if not headaches.
The primary concerns are as follows:
Is the adviser departing from its duty of best execution by causing its advisory clients to pay too high a price for securities execution?
Is the adviser churning accounts in order to generate sales commissions?
A B/IA must “test for integrity” all his sales and advisory activities under the following statutes and judicial doctrines.
Investment Advisers Act of 1940
The Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (IA Act) does not impose any specific restrictions on the B/IA with respect to an affiliated brokerage. In play is the general fiduciary duty imposed on investment advisers by Section 206 of the IA Act. A B/IA should use an affiliated broker only if he can satisfy the duty of best execution. The B/IA’s use of an affiliated broker must be fully and clearly disclosed in the B/IA’s Form ADV Part II (Schedule F). Appropriate disclosure may include a clause in the advisory contract allowing the client to acknowledge that the B/IA is affiliated with the B/IA’s brokerage or that the B/IA is also a broker. The client must explicitly authorise the B/IA to execute transactions consistent with the B/IA's duty of best execution. The B/IA’s Form ADV Part II (Schedule F) should explain the B/IA's practice of engaging in affiliated brokerage transactions.
Planning: Review Schedule F of Form ADV Part F to make sure your disclosures are up to date as well as accurate.
Affiliated brokerage transactions are of interest to an SEC (or state SEC) inspection team. When (not if, but when) the B/IA is audited, the inspection team will review the B/IA's disclosures with respect to affiliated brokerage transactions and review whether the commissions paid to an affiliated brokerage are in accordance with industry standards.
Affiliated Broker-Dealers
Three other statutes and a handful of judicial doctrines impose specific regulatory restrictions on the provider of affiliated brokerage services. Those statutes are the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Company Act of 1940, and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974.
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The IA covers those situations where an IA is itself a member of a national securities exchange or affiliated with a member. Section 11(a) of Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (SEA) prohibits an exchange member from engaging in transactions on the exchange floor for an account in which it or an affiliated IA has investment discretion unless the advisory client gives authorisation and the client is provided with an annual statement of the compensation paid to the exchange member in connection with those transactions.
Investment Company Act of 1940. The Investment Company Act of 1940 (IC Act), at Section 17(e)(2), limits the sales (and other) commissions paid to an affiliated broker-dealer. Payments have to be “usual and customary.” The limits imposed on affiliated broker payments by Section 17(e)(2) of the IC Act vary depending on the transaction. Rule 17e-1 of the IC Act establishes guidelines as to when commissions are deemed to fall within the usual and customary standard. Commission must be reasonable and fair compared to the commission received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time. The rule also requires that a fund's board of directors (in the case of a mutual fund) adopt procedures designed to achieve compliance with the rule. They also have to make sure (at least quarterly) that any affiliated broker transactions comply with the rule. A mutual fund must disclose its business practices involving affiliated brokers.
Caveat: Proprietary trading firms make a lot of money marking up broker commissions. Those firms truly attempting it all: providing investment adviser, broker, and proprietary trading services need to be very cautious in its billing practices.
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974. Employee public and private pension plans are the largest single category of institutional holders of corporate stocks. It is common to find pension plans being handled by a B/IA. In such cases, when the fiduciary duties of the B/IA to the plan are prescribed by ERISA. ERISA permits a fiduciary to use an affiliated broker for plan transactions under limited circumstances. The transactions must be executed pursuant to a written authorisation executed by a plan fiduciary who is independent of the investment adviser or broker. Such authorisation is made by the plan sponsor (typically the employer). The written authorisation must be terminable at will by the plan without penalty. The affiliated broker must make annual disclosures concerning (among other things) the total of all charges incurred by the plan that relate to securities transactions.
The scope of ERISA is broad. The applicability of ERISA will depend on whether the plan is covered by the statute and on whether the broker falls within the ERISA's definition of the term "fiduciary." Under ERISA, a fiduciary is a person who (1) exercises any discretionary authority or control regarding the management of a plan or the management or disposition of its assets; (2) renders investment advice for a fee or other compensation (direct or indirect) or has authority or responsibility to do so; or (3) has any discretionary authority or discretionary responsibility in the administration of the plan. A broker is a fiduciary if it exercises discretionary authority as to the investments of a plan or if it provides the plan with investment advice for a fee (beyond the normal compensation of a broker). In addition, if a broker is named as a trustee of a plan, it will fall within the definition of fiduciary.
Department of Labor regulations provide, however, a person will be deemed to be giving investment advice only if (1) the person has discretionary authority or control; and (2) there is an understanding between the plan and the fiduciary that the advice will serve as a primary basis for the plan's investment decisions, and that the person will render individualised investment advice based on the particular needs of the plan. For a brokerage firm to be an ERISA fiduciary, it must have discretionary authority over management of the plan or discretionary authority or control over the assets. If an employee of a broker is the investment adviser to a plan (meaning that he is responsible for making investment decisions for the plan's account), both the employee and the firm employing him are fiduciaries under ERISA.
ERISA requires fiduciaries to discharge their duties solely in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan. They must also act with skill, prudence and diligence. They must diversify the investments of the plan so as to minimise the risk of large losses, unless under the circumstances it is clearly prudent not to do so. That is quite a large burden.
Caution: A fiduciary of a plan is personally liable for any losses resulting from a breach of his duties. The fiduciary may be required to restore to the plan any profits that the fiduciary has made through his breach of duty, and may also be subject to other equitable or remedial relief.
While affiliated broker fees paid on behalf of a plan generally constitute prohibited self dealing, the Department of Labor established an exemption. Affiliated brokers can charge fees under certain conditions. Affiliated broker transactions cannot be excessive either in amount or frequency.
Hindsight: A pension plan fund claimed that E F Hutton Co, a fiduciary and investment adviser of the plan, had breached its fiduciary duty by charging the fund excessive commissions and by paying a portion of these commissions to investment managers (who also were fiduciaries of the fund). The fund also made a claim against a director of Hutton and the registered representative who handled the fund's account for making intentional misrepresentations about Hutton's fees. The court denied the director’s motion for summary judgment on grounds that even if he was not himself a fiduciary, he knowingly participated in the fiduciaries' activities.
Judicial Doctrines
Courts impose common law duties on the B/IA which serve as an additional restraint on behaviour, much like the statutes cited in this article.
Duty of Care. A broker owes his customer the legal duties of reasonable care, utmost good faith, integrity, and loyalty. A broker must disclose to his customer all material facts within his knowledge that in any way affect the transaction or the relationship. A broker's exact duties depend on the scope of his agency. A broker who has authority to make and manage investments or who effectively controls his customer's account (even though he does not have formal discretionary authority over the account) owes his customer duties of faithful service. This is a standard similar to that imposed on the trustee of a formal trust.
The fiduciary duties of a broker include the duty to use the skill and diligence necessary to protect his customer's interests. Negligent conduct may be a breach of fiduciary duty. A broker must employ such care, skill, prudence, diligence and judgment as might reasonably be expected of a person skilled in his calling.
A client does not have to prove wrongful intent in order to establish a breach of fiduciary claim. Neither constructive fraud nor breach of fiduciary duty requires actual dishonesty or actual intent to deceive.
Caveat: There is some limited authority holding that a breach of a broker's duty of loyalty requires a showing that the broker acted with intent to deceive. In determining the applicable standard of care in a particular situation, a court may take into consideration a variety of authorities, including the rules of self-regulatory organisations, the internal rules and practices that the brokerage firm adopted to govern the conduct of its employees, industry customs and professional practices. The content of these rules and practices will shed some light on the broker's knowledge of the risks involved and the precautions taken to prevent the risks.
Caveat: None of these ‘authoritative’ sources automatically establishes the proper standard of care. A court could very well go off on a tangent and create a new or higher standard of care.
Duty of Loyalty; Prohibition against Self-Dealing. Among the duties imposed on every broker (including a broker handling a non-discretionary account) is the duty to avoid self-dealing. A broker cannot refuse to disclose any personal interest he has in a particular recommended security. Brokerage firms simultaneously engage in a variety of activities for clients and for their own account. Brokers are supposed to act in a customer's best interest and refrain from self-dealing unless the customer consents (after full disclosure). A broker can be held accountable for breaching his duty of loyalty whenever the broker has a direct economic interest in the transaction.
Example: It is a breach of fiduciary duty for a broker to trade secretly for his own account ahead of an order that a customer has given for execution.
Duty to not to Misrepresent. A broker's duty of good faith to his customer (regardless whether the account is discretionary or non-discretionary) includes a duty not to misrepresent any fact material to the transaction.
Duty to not to Recommend Unsuitable Securities. A broker who recommends a security or investment program that is unsuitable for his customer in light of the customer’s financial situation, needs or investment objectives can be held accountable for a breach of fiduciary duty or for negligence.
Duty to Monitor the Performance of the Account. A broker handling a discretionary account owes a duty to his customer to monitor the account’s performance. A broker handling a non-discretionary account normally does not have such a duty. If a broker does not have discretionary authority, the agency relationship begins when the customer places an order to buy or sell a security and ends when the transaction ordered is complete. A broker does not automatically assume a continuing obligation to keep abreast of the securities in non-discretionary customer accounts or to advise these customers of any information that might affect the securities.
Duty to Transact Business after Receiving Prior Authorisation from the Customer. A broker handling a non-discretionary account is under a duty to his customer not to buy or sell securities unless the customer gives prior approval for each transaction. An agent owes his principal a duty to act only as authorised.
Providers of B/IA services need to be aware of the “black letter law” and common law doctrines that govern his services. Providers of B/IA services should not only avoid impropriety but also the appearance of such. A good reputation of 20 years can be lost in five minutes. See you in the Soup!
Hannah Terhune is an attorney. Ms Terhune and her staff of professionals, through Capital Management Services Group, provides advice to a wide range of clients, including investment advisers, active traders, hedge funds, forex funds, commodity pools, proprietary trading firms, and brokers. Ms Terhune has written over 100 articles and white papers on hedge funds and tax matters. Ms Terhune holds degrees in law from New York University (LLM in Taxation, 1991) and George Mason University (JD, 1989). She has served as a Lecturer in taxation and business at George Mason University and at Catholic University. Her prior military service includes serving as Judge Advocate in the US Army Special Forces. For more information, please visit www.capitalmanagementservicesgroup.com.
I came across this article in Eurekahedge's monthly newsletter which you may be interested in: http://www.eurekahedge.com/NewsAndEvents/News/793/Mixing-Investment-Adviser-and-Brokerage-Services
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Morgan & Morgan Announces That a Class Action Lawsuit Has Been Filed Against SolarWinds, Inc. - SWI
August 04, 2015 16:03 ET | Source: Morgan Securities Law
NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Morgan & Morgan announces that a class action lawsuit has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased or otherwise acquired SolarWinds, Inc. ("SolarWinds" or the "Company" (NYSE:SWI) securities between April 28, 2015 and July 16, 2015, inclusive, (the "Class Period").
If you purchased SolarWinds securities during the Class Period, you may, no later than September 29, 2015, request that the Court appoint you lead plaintiff of the proposed class. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. Any member of the purported class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member.
If you want more information about the SolarWinds Securities Class Action, contact Morgan & Morgan at 1(800) 732-5200 or email info@morgansecuritieslaw.com
The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose, among others: (1) that the Company's domestic business was struggling; (2) that the Company's growth of core license products and resulting license revenue was lower than expectations and guidance; (3) that the overall quality of the "demand capture" the Company was garnering for certain core products was dropping; and (4) that as a result of the foregoing, defendants' statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
On July 16, 2015, SolarWinds announced that its second quarter earnings failed to meet its revenue forecast. Additionally, SolarWinds lowered its full-year 2015 outlook from $512-$527 million to $502-$512 million. On this news, shares of SolarWinds fell $11.51 per share or over 24% to close at $35.54 per share on July 17, 2015.
About Morgan & Morgan
Morgan & Morgan is one of the nation's largest 200 law firms. In addition to shareholder rights, the firm also practices in the areas of antitrust, personal injury, consumer protection, overtime, and product liability. All of the Firm's legal endeavors are rooted in its core mission: provide investor and consumer protection and always fight "for the people."
Morgan & Morgan
Peter Safirstein, Esq.
New York, NY 10036
info@morgansecuritieslaw.com
More articles issued by Morgan Securities Law
Morgan Securities Law
http://morgansecuritieslaw.com
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Hay Festival Segovia, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Junta de Castilla y León and others, supports future generations of creators, readers and authors, offering an educational programme for children and young adults. A special initiative that brings them closer to literature and music, encouraging passion for reading, creative writing and communication of thoughts through any kind of language, including the poetry of social media.
Poets at Plaza San Martín
This year the Festival founds Poets at Plaza San Martín. National Youth Poetry Prize winner Ángela Segovia is one of the most outstanding and original poets of the new generation, contributing to the spread of poetry fever among young adults with an active social media presence. She and Antonio Lucas, LOEWE Poetry Award winner, will attend a reading in Segovia, giving voice to the power of the new generation.
My own and others'
My own and others’ is Hay Festival Segovia’s project to promote reading and gather, in a place of communion and expression, voices of calibre. At this year's festival, readers participating in the series will be Ibero-American public figures. Let´s celebrate this place for thought, cohabitation and welcoming surroundings, let´s celebrate their cultures. Let´s celebrate that we are here and now. After the success of last year, San Martín Square will fill itself with poetry, culture, music and dancing during the Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as the Jardín del Romeral de San Marcos with its stalwarts and their favourite readings during the Saturday and Sunday mornings. New for this edition of My own and others’, José Antonio Municio, expert on the history of the garden, will reveal some of its secrets to us.
Hay Festival Workshops: Making and doing
An initiative where the workshop is considered a vital part of enjoying culture. That’s why we offer a wide and varied programme of workshops for families, teenagers and young adults. Since poetry is the main leitmotiv of this year's festival, British Council Segovia offers the workshop 'Poetry in Family'. El País will teach us to take advantage of all the material obtained during a conversation for the elaboration of different journalist works. Storytel workshops, forty years after the last literary boom in Spain, remember generations of authors who have to come back to that intimacy, in a literary world that knows almost everything about its readers after the internet revolution and the rise of social media. In visual arts, Ricardo Cárdenas provides the industrial key to creating studied pieces of art and performance.
ABOUT USCONSULTANCYFOUNDATIONSHOPPRESS & MEDIASPONSORS & PARTNERSCONTACT US
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Politics | Polity
Opinion | Analysis
Business | R&D
Culture | Society
Reading Greece
Rethinking Greece
Media & Greece
Government | Policy
Arts in Greece
Filming Greece
Innovative Greece
MediaGov.gr
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Quo Vadis Europa? | Anastasia Poulou on the protection of social rights in the EU
Anastasia Poulou is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy in Munich. Prior to this, she was a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence. Anastasia Poulou holds a PhD in Law from the University of Heidelberg, which addresses the impact of the Eurozone crisis on social rights in the EU and the role of courts adjudicating social rights in times of crisis. For her doctorate Anastasia received the second prize of the German Thesis Award by the Koerber Foundation. She received the award during a special ceremony at the German Bundestag in Nov. 13, 2016.
In her thesis, Dr Poulou explores the terms and conditions of financial assistance, as stipulated in the agreed MoUs between the countries’ government and EU institutions, as well as the domestic laws used to implement the agreements. She examines whether social rights, as guaranteed under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, in four countries affected by the economic crisis - Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Cyprus - had been violated, and who is to be held responsible. Anastasia Poulou’s current work investigates the new typology of European governance in the area of social policies and its impact on the design of national welfare systems.
Greek News Agenda* asked Anastasia Poulou to comment on MoU’s austerity measures and their consequences on social rights in Europe and the prospects of EU’s social policy:
MoU’s austerity measures in Greece and other European countries include cuts in labor rights and the right to free negotiation. Do these cuts violate social rights guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU? Who is responsible for these violations?
In all cases of European financial assistance, Eurozone countries received loans which were made dependent on their compliance with extremely broad in scope economic policy conditions. Even informally regulating economic policies, the conditions related to what one would call the core of social policy, namely healthcare and pension systems, education, and labour sectors. For example, in the case of Greece the minimum wage established by a national general collective agreement had to be reduced by 22%. This reduction, introduced by law and without the consent of the collective bargaining parties, constitutes an interference with the right of collective bargaining protected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. This measure was so detailed and left no leeway to the Member State concerned, that the interference with the right of collective bargaining can already be attributed to the EU institutions proposing the measure. On the contrary, in the case of healthcare, the conditions entailed reforms, which aimed at the general objective of reducing public expenditure, but left a margin of appreciation to the national authorities with regard to their implementation. Hence, in this case a potential violation of right to healthcare could not be attributed to the EU institutions, but only to the Member State implementing the measures.
How can social rights be protected in times of crisis? Should social policy decisions be free from EU interference?
The development of the welfare state has been historically linked with the establishment of nation states. In this context, the enjoyment of social benefits is conceived as a key part of national identity and citizenship, and thus every Member State had, at least till the Eurozone crisis, some leeway in the allocation of social benefits. Even if one disagrees with the absolute confinement of the welfare state to the nation state, the question of who has the power to decide on the social benefits available to citizens should be considered carefully. Even though formally the EU has limited competences in the field of social policy, in times of crisis EU citizens feel left out of decisions that affect their ability to design and enjoy their welfare system. Given the fact that alienation from the European project is a real danger, an important challenge that EU social policy has to face is to reconsider ways in which EU citizens could meaningfully participate and co-determine decisions that directly or indirectly affect their social well-being.
Social policy regimes vary across Europe. What do austerity policies in the European periphery mean for the EU’s social policy as a whole?
A significant part of the European population, mainly in the European periphery, is sceptical about the European integration process because they feel that they have lost out in recent developments. The burden of austerity invariably falls on the most vulnerable populations, multiplying the disadvantages to which they had already been exposed. At the same time, the cuts in social benefits and assistance in countries, where social policy regimes have always been relatively weak, sharpens the inequalities between the European periphery and the rest of the Member States. Hence, the big challenge that EU social policy has to face after the financial crisis goes to the heart of what “Social Europe” means and how it can protect a minimum of social rights for all EU citizens.
Can European Commission‘s “Pillar of Social Rights” defend Europe’s values and social model in the context of the current fiscal orthodoxy/“rules-are-rules” policies?
The preliminary outline of the ‘European Pillar of Social Rights’, presented in March 2016 by the European Commission, should be welcomed as an attempt to defend European social values in a period when matters within social policy are framed primarily as a burden on public finances and an obstacle to economic success. Nevertheless, the preliminary outline of the Pillar presented is still far from the desired outcome. The draft text fails to give concrete suggestions on how to operationalize social rights in the framework of the new EU economic governance and treats social policy as subordinate to economic policies. These weaknesses will have to be overcome, if the Pillar aspires to become a weighty reference tool to drive social reforms in the EU and not just a simple reminder of the existing EU social “acquis”.
*Interview by Nikolas Nenedakis
Read Anastasia Poulou recent articles: Towards A European Pillar Of Social Rights: An Opportunity Not To Be Squandered; Europe cannot ignore the social impact of economic “recovery”
© 2015 | Greek News Agenda. All rights reserved.
General Secretariat for Media & Communication
Fragoudi 11 and Al. Pantou, Kallithea 10163, Greece
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For Release:
Contact(s):
Michelle Ong (202) 728-8464
Nancy Condon (202) 728-8379
FINRA Fines 10 Firms a Total of $43.5 Million for Allowing Equity Research Analysts to Solicit Investment Banking Business and for Offering Favorable Research Coverage in Connection With Toys"R"Us IPO
WASHINGTON — The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced today that it has fined 10 firms a total of $43.5 million for allowing their equity research analysts to solicit investment banking business and for offering favorable research coverage in connection with the 2010 planned initial public offering of Toys"R"Us.
FINRA fined the following firms.
Barclays Capital Inc. – $5 million
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. – $5 million
Credit Suisse Securities (USA), LLC – $5 million
Goldman, Sachs & Co. – $5 million
JP Morgan Securities LLC – $5 million
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. – $4 million
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. – $4 million
Morgan Stanley & Co., LLC – $4 million
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC – $4 million
Needham & Company LLC – $2.5 million
Susan Axelrod, FINRA Executive Vice President, Regulatory Operations, said, "FINRA's research analyst conflict of interest rules make clear that firms may not use research analysts or the promise of offering favorable research to win investment banking business. Each of these firms used their analyst to solicit investment banking business from Toys"R"Us and offered favorable research. This settlement affirms our commitment to policing the boundaries between research and investment banking to ensure that research is not improperly influenced."
Brad Bennett, FINRA Executive Vice President and Chief of Enforcement, said, "The firms' rush to assure the issuer and its sponsors that research was in synch with the pitch being made by their investment bankers caused them to overstep the prohibitions against analyst solicitation and the promise of favorable research. Today's actions reaffirm the importance of these prohibitions to maintaining the integrity of the research function against whatever pressures may exist to monetize the reputation and work product of the analysts."
In April 2010, Toys"R"Us and its private equity owners (sponsors) invited these 10 firms to compete for a role in Toys"R"Us' planned IPO. FINRA found that each of the 10 firms used its equity research analyst as part of its solicitation for a role in the IPO. Specifically, Toys"R"Us asked equity research analysts from each of the 10 firms to make separate presentations to Toys"R"Us' management and sponsors for the purpose of ensuring that the analysts' views on key issues, including valuation factors, were aligned with the views expressed by the firms' investment bankers. Each firm understood that the performance of their analysts at the presentations would be a key factor in determining whether the firm received an underwriting role in the IPO. These presentations took place during the solicitation period on May 5, 2010. As detailed in the settlement documents, each of the firms implicitly or explicitly at these meetings or in follow-up communications offered favorable research coverage in return for a role in the IPO. For example, certain analysts voiced a positive outlook on the company and its potential IPO during their May 5 presentations. All of the firms except for Needham provided the valuation to Toys"R"Us and its sponsors, which sought the combined view of research and investment banking on key valuation factors. Throughout the course of the solicitation period, Toys"R"Us made clear to the firms that the purpose of these requests was to vet the analyst's views to determine their consistency with the valuation provided by its investment bankers.
In addition, FINRA found that six of the 10 firms — Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Needham — had inadequate supervisory procedures related to research analyst participation in investment banking pitches.
Toys"R"Us and its sponsors offered each of the 10 firms various roles in the IPO but it eventually decided not to proceed with the offering.
In settling this matter, the 10 firms neither admitted nor denied the charges, but consented to the entry of FINRA's findings.
FINRA's investigation was conducted by Mark Bernstein, Gary Carleton, Catherine Cottam, Erin Griffith, Jack Hanlon, Margery Shanoff, Michael Smith, and William Thompson under the supervision of Eric Brooks, Director, and James Day, Vice President and Chief Counsel in the Department of Enforcement. FINRA appreciates the assistance of the Securities and Exchange Commission in referring the matters.
Investors can obtain more information about, and the disciplinary record of, any FINRA-registered broker or brokerage firm by using FINRA's BrokerCheck. FINRA makes BrokerCheck available at no charge. In 2013, members of the public used this service to conduct 16.5 million reviews of broker or firm records. Investors can access BrokerCheck at www.finra.org/brokercheck or by calling (800) 289-9999. Investors may find copies of this disciplinary action as well as other disciplinary documents in FINRA's Disciplinary Actions Online database.
FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. FINRA is dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation and complementary compliance and technology-based services. FINRA touches virtually every aspect of the securities business – from registering and educating all industry participants to examining securities firms, writing rules, enforcing those rules and the federal securities laws, informing and educating the investing public, providing trade reporting and other industry utilities, and administering the largest dispute resolution forum for investors and firms. For more information, please visit www.finra.org.
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Reel Rumbles
From Book to Screen
Book to Screen: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
by David Conrad · May 19, 2016
As fictional British spies go, John le Carré’s George Smiley does not have quite the hold on the public imagination that Ian Fleming’s James Bond enjoys. Yet while shorter and portlier than Bond, Smiley is no slouch. Five actors have portrayed him over a period of five decades, and his most famous adventure, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, has been adapted twice. The first was a 1979 BBC miniseries starring Alec Guinness, that elder statesman of English actors, and it had six hours in which to get to the bottom of Le Carré’s mystery. The next was a 2011 film starring Gary Oldman, and it got to the core of the double-agent drama in just over two hours. Exponentially different runtimes and different visions rooted in different filmmaking eras make Tinker, Tailor an illustrative case study in book-to-screen adaptations.
The novel’s opening chapter positions the story in time and place with more precision than either of the screen adaptations. An awkward boy named Bill Roach living at a rural English boarding school becomes intrigued with a new teacher. The new teacher, Jim, is well-travelled and fluent in several languages, has a winking manner, walks with a peculiar gait, and lives alone in a dismal trailer at the edge of the school grounds. He dotes on a vintage automobile, an Alvis, which he describes as the “best car England ever made,” and they don’t make them anymore “thanks to Socialism.” Through Bill’s eyes, Le Carré describes the distant hills, the cloudy skies, the school’s church, its football field, and its backbiting, provincial staff. Even the boy’s adventure books, Biggles and the like, that populate its library shelves. It is a picture that must have been intimately familiar to generations of English readers who had grown up during the war or in the early postwar decades. Tinker, Tailor is set in the early 1970s, but its settings, more often than not rural or at least suburban (the opening sentence contains a reference to a horseracing track in Somerset) are quaint and coated in the decaying patina of history. On film, such wistful geo-cultural vistas tend to be reduced to establishing shots, so it’s difficult for viewers to appreciate just how much passion Le Carré brings to their description.
Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) with his Alvis and trailer in 2011’s TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY
Literary parallels are not hard to find between the pastoral settings and the spy story, between the B-plot at the boarding school and the A-plot about a traitor in the British intelligence community. At this juncture in the Cold War, England’s days as a great power are well behind her. “The Circus,” Le Carré’s euphemism for British intelligence, is a rusty organization playing second fiddle to “The Cousins,” the Americans. The head of the agency, Control, has recently passed away after many years at the helm, most of the last of which were unproductive, and his second-in-command George Smiley is in retirement. So is the brilliant but eccentric Connie Sachs, whose institutional memory for all things Circus has no peers; she can give you the biography of every Russian agent Moscow Center planted in the West from 1945 through the 1960s, but nobody wants to listen to ancient history anymore. There are still some old hands in high places, most notably Smiley’s colleague and rival Bill Haydon, but for the most part, the change of guard is complete. The bright young people the Circus recruited out of Oxford and Cambridge before and during the war — people like Smiley, Bill Haydon, and the mysterious schoolteacher Jim — have grown old. Much like the Alvis automobile, the like of them will not be made again.
The past, though, had not been without problems. For several years prior to the events of Tinker, Tailor, Control’s spy network had suffered one catastrophe after another. Missions failed, agents got shot or went AWOL. Except for an anonymous Russian source dubbed Merlin who regularly passed information to the Circus, Moscow was winning the espionage war. And Control didn’t even trust Merlin. He sent Jim to Czechoslovakia to chase a lead, but Jim had gotten shot, forcing him into retirement as a boarding school teacher. Around the same time, a low-level British agent named Ricky Tarr got a tip-off about a double-agent in the Circus, but went into hiding when his informant, a Russian agent named Irina, wound up in a coma and was bundled back to Moscow.
John Hurt as Control in the 2011 film against a delightfully retro backdrop
The novel explains all this backstory, and the backstories of each principal character, through a series of interviews conducted by the patient, long-suffering Smiley. In both screen adaptations, Smiley’s interviews are bookends for extended flashback sequences. In the 2011 movie, Tom Hardy plays Ricky Tarr. As he narrates to Oldman’s Smiley, we see him and Irina carry on their fateful romance in Istanbul. His flashback sequence ends with Tarr’s local branch chief dead, a victim, presumably, of one of Irina’s cohort. There are two key differences between the 2011 version of Tarr’s story and the novel’s: first, the novel sets Tarr and Irina’s story in Hong Kong, not Istanbul; secondly, Tarr’s boss doesn’t die in the novel. Perhaps Istanbul is more alluring to 21st-century filmgoers than Hong Kong, or perhaps filming sites for the Turkish city are easier to come by. Certainly, viewers are kept more alert by the tacked-on violence.
The people to ask about the change of venue and the additional bloodshed might be Karla Films, one of the production companies behind the 2011 movie. “Karla” is the codename of the head of Soviet intelligence at Moscow Center. He is Smiley’s archnemesis, and the story of their feud’s origin is one of the most significant differences between the Oldman version and the 1979 miniseries. In the Guinness version, Smiley and Karla’s 1950s meeting in a Delhi prison is told in a flashback. The totally silent Karla was played by a then-largely-unknown actor named Patrick Stewart — yes, that Patrick Stewart! In the newer Oldman version produced in part by Karla Films, the Karla backstory is one of the few not given the flashback treatment. Instead, Oldman’s Smiley leans forward in a chair, speaking ostensibly to his protégé Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) but in actuality speaking to the empty chair in front of him, as though seeing Karla himself. Throughout 2011, it was rumored that Tinker, Tailor could result in a first Oscar win for Gary Oldman, and his Karla monologue might have been intended to seal the deal. Oldman ultimately lost to Jean Dujardin – and given the memorable tension of the 1979 Guinness/Stewart pairing (Star Wars’ Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Trek’s Jean-Luc Picard in the same scene!) the absence of Karla in the 2011 version is regrettable.
Guillam, whose perspective Le Carré often uses to describe and analyze Smiley, is shown to be gay in the 2011 film. In the novel, he is something of a womanizer, and in the 1979 miniseries, only his characteristic short temper is emphasized. Le Carré’s novels — including this one, as we shall see — do feature canonically gay or bisexual characters, but perhaps in 2011, this was the most convenient way to add depth to Guillam’s character.
Deviations aside, the existence of a production company called Karla Films raises intriguing questions for fans of the Le Carré novels. Did they intend to adapt Le Carre’s next two books in the so-called Smiley vs. Karla trilogy? If so, they would become the first to adapt the second entry in the series, The Honourable Schoolboy, but it takes place largely in Hong Kong. They wouldn’t be able to switch the setting to Turkey this time, as the proximity of Red China and the Vietnam War are crucial to that book. Theirs would be the second adaptation of the trilogy’s final piece, Smiley’s People, which had its own six-episode BBC miniseries starring Guinness in 1982. (Incidentally, the late Alan Rickman had a bit part in that series.)
The folks at the BBC must have felt they had no reason to jazz up the text. Tinker, Tailor wasn’t yet a period piece in 1979, and the obvious and subtle rifts the story depicts between East and West, England and America, and England’s various generations and classes were all readily apparent to the miniseries’ audience. The series is aggressively opaque at times; there is nothing here for the dilettante or the thrill-seeker, just a slow-and-steady procedural about a dour old spy interviewing his colleagues. Yet Guinness has an undeniable, quiet charisma that surpasses even Oldman’s chameleonic quality; like the textual Smiley, Guinness’s version speaks seldom, but with self-deprecating wisdom and a considered finality. Oldman, by comparison, seems more inquiring but less knowing. Not all authors enjoy the screen versions of their creations, but Le Carré has highly praised Guinness’s Smiley. Of course, the 2011 film received his support as well; he appears in it as an extra at a Circus holiday party.
Novelist and former British intelligence operative John le Carré in a cameo from the 2011 adaptation of TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY
It’s time for the spoiler. The traitor in the Circus is Bill Haydon. He is a member of the old guard, a contemporary of Smiley’s, but vastly different in personality. Haydon is written to have had a prodigious, bisexual love life, and both adaptations stay true to that concept. He carries on an affair with Smiley’s wife, a carefully-considered betrayal of his colleague that parallels his exquisitely-crafted betrayal of his nation. But he had been in love with Jim, too, decades earlier when the two were students. The novel ends with Bill’s arrest and merciful assassination by Jim, followed by an exeunt that illustrates Jim’s bond with his young student Bill Roach. One Jim, two Bills; a cycle set to repeat, or a second chance? Smiley’s ascension to Control’s old position, which closes the 2011 film, is undoubtedly a cause for optimism, but Karla remains at large, a white whale to Smiley’s Ahab. Neither the 1979 version nor the newer film really nail the Bill Roach scenes — they demand a novelist’s touch — but both adaptations do well enough with Bill Haydon, who is loosely based on real-life double-agent Kim Philby. In the 2011 movie, Colin Firth’s Haydon is an obvious villain from the start, but the pathos when a weeping Jim (Mark Strong) shoots him bespeaks the betrayal’s many facets and is creatively accompanied by a nostalgic French rendition of “Beyond the Sea.” The 1979 movie handles the climactic murder clinically, without the 2011 movie’s blatant emotionality, while the novel describes it only indirectly, after the fact.
For committed Le Carré fans, the 1979 version is the clear favorite. It is faithful, unhurried, and Guinness remains the definitive on-screen Smiley. Yet the supporting cast in the 2011 film is effective. Its aesthetic is slick and tidy where the miniseries’ is shadowy and rather grubby; there are tableaus to enjoy in each. Despite two good adaptations, Tinker, Tailor’s dense plot, thematic schema, and careful, economical portraits of people and places are still best enjoyed in writing.
Rank Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) here >
Rank all Unglamorized Spy Films here >
Rank all films based on John le Carré stories here >
Tags: Alec GuinnessBill HaydonBill RoachGary OldmanGeorge SmileyJim PrideauxJohn le CarreRicky TarrSoldierSpyTailorTinker
David Conrad
David has a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin. He loves foreign films, westerns, war flicks, and has read nearly every word J.R.R. Tolkien ever wrote. David lived in Japan for three years and is always eager to talk about it. Follow him on Twitter at @davidaconrad or email him at david@flickchart.com.
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Travis McClain says:
I went with several friends to see the 2011 version. I was the only one who’d read any le Carré at that point, and I think the only exposure any of them had had to his universe at all was that a few had seen the film adaptation of The Tailor of Panama. After the movie was over, I remember everyone seemed to be processing what they’d seen. They were reserved and quiet, not because they had been bored, but because there was just a lot to follow and consider.
If any singular characterization befits le Carré, it must surely be “slow burn”. His tales demand attentiveness and patience, but reward those investments with complexities aplenty. Even taken out of context of any other Smiley episodes, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is rich with in-story history. Take, for instance, the relationship dynamics between Smiley and Bill Haydon. One could watch just one of these two screen versions and learn enough to get the gist of it and to fill in the blanks from their own life experiences. The character is outwardly reserved and guarded, never volunteering anything to anyone, and Guinness and Oldman both nailed that aspect. Consequently, there’s no way for either actor to have really done much to share with us any of Smiley’s inner thoughts and feelings; it would have been a betrayal.
However, for those who explore beyond Tinker, there’s quite a bit to learn about the effect that the end of his marriage to Ann had on Smiley. He worshiped his wife and, given the chance, would have continued being subservient to her simply to still be with her. He’s a puzzle solver by nature, drawn more to concepts than to human beings (save Ann). The final confrontation between Smiley and Haydon at the end of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is graspable without any of this extracurricular knowledge, but it’s all the more intense if you have it. That’s the genius of le Carré.
David Conrad says:
I enjoy a lot about the miniseries casting, but most of its actors didn’t find their way into this piece. The one I especially wish I’d had occasion to mention, so I’ll do it now, is Siân Phillips, who played Ann Smiley. She’s exactly as I imagine Ann. Being a member of a landed family on the Cornish coast, Ann also relates to the rural settings and class dimensions of TTSS, the latter of which in particular deserves more attention than I gave it here.
Complexity is an understatement! I saw both of these adaptations before reading the novel, and it was only after I read it that I finally grasped how the Circus had gotten pulled so thoroughly “inside out” and how Smiley had put it right. The same was true of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, which is built around a similar though simpler ruse, but the movie was still somewhat opaque to me until I read the book.
On another note, I noticed this time around that the 2011 film combines the characters Gerald Westerby and Sam Collins into one character with the personality of Collins and the name of Westerby, which seems to be a pretty clear indication that “Karla Films” doesn’t intend to adapt The Honourable Schoolboy. I think that’s a shame, I think it would make a pretty fascinating period piece at this point. I’m just not too keen to see Oldman continue in this role, though, I don’t think he conveys enough intellectual depth.
On one hand, I kind of appreciate that they refrained from inventing some kind of expository scene of Smiley telling us how devastated he was by the end of his marriage. On the other hand, I do feel that Cinematic Ann has none of the heft of Literary Ann. She’s a character who looms large over Smiley from the very first page of Call for the Dead. Their divorce is ultimately the real reason that he eventually agrees to return to the Circus; there’ll never be another Ann, and at least the Circus affords Smiley a way to apply his aptitudes at something constructive. Literary Smiley would bail on the Circus the moment Ann would ask him about reconciliation. Cinematic Smiley conveys none of these things, so viewers don’t fully appreciate what his return means to him. Agreeing to become Control’s successor at the end isn’t just about the Circus. It’s about Smiley finally letting go of Ann — which is why it matters that the mole turns out to be Bill Haydon.
It was never a crusade to get revenge against Haydon for Smiley, and that’s important. Cinematic Smiley shows the proper outward restraint and composure at all times, and I give Gary Oldman credit for that, because it’s a lot harder to create a character without being given either expository dialog or the leniency to be demonstrative in other ways. For people who haven’t acted, I would suggest just trying to have a conversation — doesn’t really matter with whom, or about what — without letting themselves explain anything verbally while also keeping a tight leash on their tone, pitch, volume, facial expressions, and body language. It’s difficult! It also has the effect of frequently making the other person feel uncomfortable and intimidated, which of course services Smiley.
I think the miniseries sidesteps most of this because of Alec Guinness’s age at the time of production. His Smiley is weary and just wistful enough at times that we get the sense this is a guy who’s got a lot of history and baggage. Oldman’s Smiley seems younger and more virile, despite the conspicuous silver/gray hair. I don’t quite feel Oldman’s Smiley has as much water under the bridge.
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JOHN KEBLE, "the true and primary author" of the O...
Evelyn Underhill and High Mass "crossing of the bo...
JOHN KEBLE, "the true and primary author" of the Oxford Movement (Newman)
John Keble, priest, theologian and poet, was born in 1792. He was a leading figure in the “Oxford Movement” (otherwise known as the “Catholic Revival”) in the Church of England, which Newman always regarded as having begun with Keble’s sermon in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin on 14th July, 1833. He famously preached on “National Apostasy.” Keble was a fellow of Oriel, who in 1827 had published "The Christian Year", a popular volume of poems for Sundays and festivals. He was also Oxford’s Professor of Poetry from 1831 to 1841.
Keble, Newman, Pusey and others published Ninety “Tracts for the Times”, hence the reference to them as “Tractarians.” They sought a spiritual revival by recalling the Church of England to its true Catholic heritage. Their followers became known as “Anglo-Catholics." They had a lasting influence on the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion.
After 1841, Keble retired to his country vicarage in the village of Hursley, near Winchester. He wrote tracts and hymns. He was above all a devoted parish priest, who modeled the pastoral ministry for which the Catholic Revival was renowned. Keble famously said that if the Church of England collapsed, it would be found in his parish. He was at the same time shy and reserved, and forcefully strong-minded. He preached earnestly and affectionately. He was buried in the Churchyard at Hursley after his death in 1866. His wife Charlotte died a few weeks later and was buried with him. They had no children. Keble College, Oxford, was named in his honour when it was founded in 1869.
The following essay on Keble was published in 1913 by the Catholic Literature Association.
BIRTH AND EARLY YEARS
John Keble, ‘the true and primary author’ of the Oxford Movement, as Newman says of him in his Apologia, was born at Fairford in Gloucestershire on St. Mark’s Day, 1792, being thus eight years older than Dr. Pusey, nine than Newman, ten than Isaac Williams, and eleven than Hurrell Froude. His father was a scholar of parts who had been a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, before becoming vicar of Coin St. Aldwyn’s, near Fairford; his mother was a lady of Scotch descent, the daughter of the incumbent of Ringwood in Hampshire. Both his parents had been brought up in the great tradition of the Caroline divines, and from them John Keble learnt the old Catholic doctrines of the Real Presence, the Apostolical Succession, and the Visible Church. He was educated by his father at home, and won an open scholarship at Corpus Christi College when he was not yet fifteen years old.
At Oxford Keble had the most brilliant academical career of his time. In 1810, when he was only a little over eighteen, he obtained the very rare distinction of a double first-class in Classics and Mathematics. In the following year he was elected to an open Fellowship at Oriel College, and immediately proceeded to win both the Latin and the English Essays. Isaac Williams in his Autobiography tells us that these achievements invested him with a bright halo and something of awe in the eyes of an undergraduate,’ and Newman, writing in 1823, says, ‘Keble is the first man in Oxford.’
Almost immediately after reaching his twenty-third birthday, he was ordained Deacon by the Bishop of Oxford on Trinity Sunday, 1815, and Priest in the following year. His fellowship served him as a title, but he also assisted his father at Coin, riding over each Sunday from Oxford for the purpose. The following extract from a letter to Coleridge, written just before his ordination, will show the spirit in which he approached his life-work: ‘Pray for me earnestly, my dear, my best friend, that he would give me his grace, that I may not be altogether unworthy of the sacred office on which I am, rashly I fear, even now entering; but that some souls hereafter may have cause to bless me. Pray that I may be free from vanity, from envy, from discontent, from impure imaginations; that I may not grow weary, nor wander in heart from God’s service; that I may not be judging others uncharitably, nor vainly dreaming how they will judge me, at the very moment that I seem most religiously and most charitably employed.’
In 1817 he was appointed Tutor at Oriel, and retained this office for six years, devoting himself almost entirely to academical work. At the end of this time his mother died, and he at once decided to leave Oxford that he might live near his father. Accordingly, he became curate of Southrop, near Fairford, being responsible also for two other small villages East Leech and Burthorpe. Here he remained for three years, refusing in 1824 the Archdeaconry of Barbados, and leaving in the following year to become curate-in-charge of Hursley, near Winchester. In September, 1826, the death of his favourite sister caused him to change his plans again, and he returned to Fairford to act as his father’s curate. In 1835 his father’s death left him free to accept the living of Hursley, and there he remained until his death.
PREPARATION FOR THE MOVEMENT
When Keble left Oriel to become curate at Southrop, several of his pupils followed him to read with him during the Long Vacation for their degree. Among these pupils was Richard Hurrell Froude, who eagerly drank in his convictions and ideas, and determined to be their mouthpiece and champion. The seeds of the coming revival were sown in the association of these two men. ‘Froude,’ says Dean Church, ‘took in from Keble all he had to communicate’--principles, convictions, moral rules and standards of life, hopes, fears, antipathies. And his keenly tempered intellect, and his determination and high courage, gave a point and an impulse of their own to Keble’s views and purposes. As things came to look darker, and dangers seemed more serious to the Church, its faith or its rights, the interchange of thought between master and disciple, in talk and in letter, pointed more and more to the necessity for coming action.’
The religious outlook was dark indeed. Rarely had things looked blacker for the English Church than they looked a hundred years ago. For a generation the clergy had been closely allied with the Tory Party, and the Whigs were now in power, with the result that the Church had become exceedingly unpopular both with the Government and with the people, particularly in the large towns. The tyranny of the State over the Church had been steadily increasing during the eighteenth century, and had now become almost complete. Added to this there had been since the French Revolution a rapid growth of secularism throughout England. The popular philosophy of the time regarded religion as ‘the rubbish of superstition,’ and looked to education, enlightenment, and reason to provide the cure for the ills from which mankind was suffering. The internal condition of the English Church was not such as to afford much hope that it would be able to meet successfully the onslaughts of these combined forces. With but scanty realization of sacramental life, dull and conventional services, worldly bishops and clergy, and a widespread absence of devotion and enthusiasm, the Church was not likely to have a powerful hold on the hearts of her children.
Such was the condition of affairs when, in 1826, Froude returned from Southrop to take up a Fellowship at Oriel. He came back to Oxford filled with Keble’s ideas of reform and renewal, and passionately determined to make them public and aggressive. At Oriel he found a colleague who was growing dissatisfied with the Evangelicalism in which he had been brought up, and whose keen and eager mind was ready to receive the Catholic ideas which Froude had learned from Keble. This was John Henry Newman, in some respects the greatest of the Oxford Leaders. ‘Keble had given the inspiration,’ says Dean Church, ‘Froude had given the impulse; then Newman took up the work, and the impulse henceforward, and the direction, were his.’
It was Froude who was responsible for bringing Keble and Newman together. With death in view he said, at the end of his brief life: ‘You know the story of the murderer who had done one good deed in his life. Well, if I was ever asked what good deed I had done, I should say I had brought Keble and Newman to understand one another.’
THE ASSIZE SERMON
In 1832 Froude and Newman went on a voyage to the Mediterranean in an unsuccessful attempt to patch up Froude’s failing health. While in Sicily Newman had a serious illness, and his recovery from it strengthened in his mind the conviction that he had a work to do for the Church. His verses--’Lead, kindly Light’--written at this time, show the spirit that was in him. But he looked to Keble to lead the way. In a letter from Sicily to a friend, he writes: ‘We are in good spirits about the prospects of the Church. We find Keble is at length roused, and (if once up) he will prove a second Ambrose.’ He and Froude, with Keble and others, had already begun a book of poems, Lyra Apostolica, which was to rouse the slumbering Church, and had taken for its motto a line from Homer:’ And let them know that I too long have held aloof from war.’ In July, 1833, the travellers were back in England again, and on the 14th of that month Keble gave the signal for concerted action in the Assize Sermon which he preached before the University. ‘I have ever considered and kept the day,’ writes Newman in his Apologia, ‘as the start of the religious movement of 1833.’
The text of the sermon was i Sam. xii. 23: ‘As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.’ The preacher’s aim was to draw public attention to the grave and pressing dangers that threatened the Church both from State interference with her liberties, and from the widespread decay of religious convictions. At such a time it was the duty of all who valued the cause of the Apostolic Church to devote themselves to its defence. ‘Surely,’ said the preacher, ‘it will be no unworthy principle if any man is more circumspect in his behaviour, more watchful and fearful of himself, more earnest in his petitions for spiritual aid, from a dread of disparaging the holy name of the English Church in her hour of peril, by his own personal fault and negligence. . . . There may be, as far as he knows, but a very few to sympathize with him. He may have to wait long, and very likely pass out of this world, before he see any abatement in the triumph of disorder and irreligion. But if he be consistent, he possesses to the utmost the personal consolations of a good Christian; and as a true Churchman, he has the encouragement which no other cause in the world can impart in the same degree; he is calmly, soberly, demonstrably sure that, sooner or later, his will be the winning side, and that the victory will be complete, universal, eternal.’
The sermon was published on July 22, under the title National Apostasy. It does not seem to have excited much attention at the time. One of the two judges before whom it was preached is said to have remarked that it was ‘an appropriate discourse.’ Dr. Pusey, we are told, considered ‘some passages rather too pointed.’ But there were others who had a truer realization of its significance. To Newman’s judgment, already quoted, may be added the words of Dr. J. B. Mozley, one of the ablest of the Tractarians, and one of the deepest thinkers of his time: ‘I cannot help thinking it a kind of exordium of a great revolution--shall I call it?--coming on, whether rapidly or slowly we cannot tell, but at any rate most surely.’
Ten days later a conference was held at Hadleigh in Suffolk, to consider what practical steps could be taken to carry on the campaign. This conference was attended by the Revd. Hugh James Rose, Rector of Hadleigh; the Revd. William Palmer, a Dublin graduate who had settled at Oxford; the Revd. the Hon. Arthur Philip Perceval, an Oriel man and a fellow of All Souls, who had been a pupil of Keble; and the Revd. Richard Hurrell Froude. Keble was prevented by home-ties from coming, and Newman also was absent.
This meeting had no immediate results except to show that those who attended it were practically agreed both in their principles and in their conviction that definite action must be taken. But the Conferences were continued in Oxford, and had two main results. First, an Address to the Archbishop was prepared, expressing devoted adherence to the Apostolical Doctrine and Polity of the Church. This was ultimately signed by more than 7,000 clergy, and was presented in February, 1834. It was followed by a similar Lay Address which was signed by 230,000 heads of families.
The second result was of far greater importance. It was decided ‘to provide and circulate books and tracts to attempt to revive among Churchmen the practice of daily common prayer, and more frequent participation of the Lord’s Supper; to resist any attempt to alter the Liturgy on any insufficient authority, and to explain any points in discipline or worship which might be liable to be misunderstood. Thus were born the Tracts for the Times. These were short papers--at first price 1d. or 2d.--dealing with important points of Faith and Practice. Later on, they developed into elaborate treatises. Newman was mainly responsible for the Tracts, writing nearly a third of the first series himself. Indeed, he claims in the Apologia that he began the Tracts ‘out of his own head.’ Seven of the Tracts were written by Keble (Nos. 4, 13, 52, 54, 57, 60, 89).
The story of the development of the Movement thus begun will be told in other booklets in this series. Throughout the long struggle, until his death in 1866, Keble remained in the background at Hursley, helping with his writings, his advice, and above all with the stimulus and inspiration of his spirituality. Both Newman and Pusey ever regarded him as their leader and head, and bore constant witness to his influence as the guiding power of the Movement he had done so much to begin.
‘THE CHRISTIAN YEAR’
Keble, as Dean Church says, was ‘born a poet,’ and while he was still at Oxford had formed the idea of a complete collection of poems to illustrate the Church’s Year. But he underestimated the value of his own compositions, and it was only after much hesitation that in 1827 he published anonymously in two small volumes The Christian Year. These poems were meant to throw light and interest on the services of the Prayer Book, and to quicken meditation and devotion. The plan of the book is simple. There is a poem for every Sunday and Holyday in the year, and a poem for each of the Occasional Services in the Prayer Book. Some of these, or rather extracts from them, are familiar to us as hymns--e.g., ‘Ave Maria! blessed Maid!’; ‘Bless’d are the pure in heart’; ‘There is a book who runs may read’; ‘New every morning is the love’; ‘Sun of my soul!’ But the majority of the poems are quite unsuitable for hymns; their tone is that of quiet personal meditation rather than of corporate worship. Throughout they are deeply Scriptural in thought and expression, and are full of clear Church teaching. Moreover, they are instinct with the beauty of nature. Keble had the deepest sympathy with what was then a new school of poetry which, with Wordsworth as its representative, was searching out the deeper relations between nature and the human soul. He lived in the heart of the country, and studied nature unceasingly. He had an eye for the ‘soft green willow’ and for ‘the greenest dark tree.’ For him there is a sermon ‘in every leaf, in every nook.’ In the poem for All Saints’ Day he rose to his utmost heights in showing how nature can reflect our deepest feelings:
How quiet shows the woodland scene,
Each flower and tree, its duty done,
Reposing in decay serene,
Like weary men when age is won.
The volume was a success at once. Keble’s sister writes, soon after its publication: ‘The commendation from all the choicest people is so great as to satisfy even our voracious appetite for praise.’ Newman, no unworthy judge, describes the poems as ‘quite exquisite.’ A second edition was called for within the year, and in twenty-five years the sale had reached more than a hundred thousand copies. It is not too much to say that The Christian Year has secured a place which has been granted to no other volume of religious poetry in the language.
One result of the publication of these poems was Keble’s election to the Professorship of Poetry at Oxford, an office which he held for ten years (1831-1841). This had the advantage of bringing him up to Oxford once a term for his terminal lecture, so that through the most eventful years of the Tractarian Movement he was able to be in constant personal touch with the other leaders.
Three other books of poems may here be mentioned: Lyra Apostolica, to which reference has already been made, containing nearly fifty of Keble’s poems; The Child’s Christian Year, which was edited by him, but of which only four of the poems are known definitely to be his own; and Lyra Innocentium, a book of poems about children and their ways, which he published anonymously in 1846.
KEBLE AS A THEOLOGIAN
Though Keble was by no means so prolific a writer as either Newman or Pusey, he made some valuable contributions to the theology of the Movement. His share in the Tracts for the Times has already been mentioned. In 1836 he edited an edition of Hooker’s works with critical notes, and he also wrote a Life of Bishop Wilson for the Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology. After his death, twelve volumes of his sermons were published by Pusey and other friends. Pusey said of these that their chief characteristics are affectionate simplicity and intense reality.
The most important of his prose writings, however, was his treatise on Eucharistical Adoration. This was written in support of Archdeacon Denison, who had been attacked for two sermons preached in Wells Cathedral in which he stated that the Body and Blood of Christ are received by those who eat and drink unworthily, and that worship is due to the real though invisible presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist under the forms of bread and wine. On refusing to retract these statements, Archdeacon Denison was deprived of his vicarage and archdeaconry, but this sentence was overthrown by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council on February 6, 1858. Keble had published his treatise in the previous year, after the sentence of deprivation had been pronounced. It consists partly of a careful examination of the grounds of the practice of Eucharistical Adoration, partly of a consideration of the duty of Churchmen in face of the judgment. Its object was, not to reason out at large what he calls ‘that great and comfortable, and I will add necessary, truth of the Real Presence,’ but rather, ‘calmly, and not without deep reverence of heart,’ to allay troublesome thoughts which interrupt devotion. The book is consequently almost as much a devotional treatise as a theological disquisition; and it is lighted up, here and there, by touches of the poetry which played like sunshine round Keble’s deepest thought. Liddon in his Life of Pusey describes it as ‘perhaps the most beautiful of Keble’s contributions to the theological treasures of the Church of England.’
KEBLE'S CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE
Newman, when asked to describe Keble, said that it was impossible to paint a man who would not sit for his picture. These words seem to point to the innate humility which is the foundation virtue of the saintly life, and which was the central feature of his character. He was absolutely without ambition, with no care for the possession of power or influence, hating show and excitement, and distrustful of his own abilities. It was not his way to set store on anything that he did; he was impatient of allusions in conversation to The Christian Year, which he published anonymously, and would refer to in conversation without naming it as ‘that book.’
Though shy and awkward with strangers, he was happy and at ease among his friends, and their love and sympathy drew out all his droll playfulness of wit and manner. ‘Keble is certainly great fun,’ wrote J. B. Mozley to a friend. His keen sensitiveness made him quick of temper, so that he could speak of himself in later days, in intimate correspondence, as ‘a certain testy old clerk whom you know of.’ It led, too, to moods of melancholy, which he struggled against by deeds of active kindness, and by falling back upon the deepest religious motives. ‘The best cure for melancholy,’ he once said, ‘is to go out and do something kind to someone.’
There was a note of unearthliness about him which was immediately recognized by those who came into intimate contact with him, and made an abiding impression on them. He had the air and mien of one who was living very close to God, and this gave him a separateness and dignity with which it was impossible to trifle or take liberties. Yet he was so conscious of his own sinfulness that he really esteemed others better than himself, and poured out his penitence in language which to those who have not his sense of the holiness of God might well seem extravagant and unreal. By the younger Tractarians he was regarded with reverential awe. ‘The slightest word he dropped,’ says Mozley in his Reminiscences, ‘was all the more remembered from there being so little of it, and from it seeming to come from a different and holier sphere. His manner of talking favoured this, for there was not much continuity in it, only every word was a brilliant or a pearl.’
Throughout his ministry his advice was constantly sought, not only by friends and parishioners, but by strangers needing direction for their own spiritual life, or guidance in ecclesiastical questions. His Letters of Spiritual Counsel, published four years after his death, show how wise he was in direction, and yet how humble. Their tone is always this: ‘I am a very bad person for you to have come to; I have had little experience and little knowledge. I need your prayers and forgiveness much more than you need mine, and whatever I say, you must see if it is right, and then act upon it.’ ‘You write so humbly, it would perplex me at times; only I construe it my own way,’ wrote Pusey to him. Liddon called him the wisest man he had ever known.
In personal appearance he was about middle height, with rather square and sloping shoulders, which made him look short until he pulled himself up, as he often did with ‘sprightly dignity.’ His head, says Mozley, ‘was one of the most beautifully formed heads in the world,’ the face rather plain-featured, with a large unshapely mouth, but the whole redeemed by a bright smile which played naturally over the lips; and under a broad and smooth forehead he had ‘clear, brilliant, penetrating eyes which lighted up quickly with merriment kindled into fire in a moment of indignation. Liddon tells us that in his later years his face was like an illuminated clock, all lit up with the spiritual fire that burned within.
Keble died on March 29, 1866, at the age of seventy-four, and was buried at Hursley on April 6. One who witnessed the funeral says: ‘the stream of clergy who followed seemed as if it would never end.’ His abiding memorial is the great College at Oxford which bears his name, and which was opened in 1870 as a monument of loving homage to his venerated personality. ‘The days will come, I suppose,’ said Liddon, ‘if indeed they have not yet come, when young men looking at those buildings will ask the question, “Who was Keble?” To have made it inevitable that that question should be asked by successive generations of Oxford students, is to have added to the moral wealth of the world. For the answer to that question cannot but do good to the man who asks it. It is not high station, or commanding wealth, or great public exploits, or wide popularity of opinions, which will explain the foundation of the College--raised as it is to the memory of a quiet country clergyman, with a very moderate income, who sedulously avoided public distinctions, and held tenaciously to an unpopular School all his life. Keble College is a witness to the homage which goodness, carried into the world of thought, or, indeed, into any activity, extorts from all of us, When we are fairly placed face to face with it; it is a proof that neither station, nor wealth, nor conspicuousness, nor popularity, is the truest and ultimate test of greatness. True greatness is to be recognized in character; and in a place like this character is largely, if not chiefly, shaped by the degree in which moral qualities are brought to bear upon the activities of the mind. The more men really know of him, who, being dead, has, in virtue of the rich gifts and grace with which God had endowed him, summoned this College into being, the less will they marvel at such a tribute to his profound and enduring influence.’
The village of Hursley is very near Winchester. Back in January I drove a friend there to visit the church and John Keble’s grave. I’ve been there twice before. Each time I found the church open, and although it’s not really a “shrine” - there is almost no Keble memorabilia on display - it is a lovely house of prayer. Just being there, reflecting on the challenge that lay in front of the fathers of the Oxford Movement, together with the crises of our own time, it was natural to mumble the invocation “John Keble, pray for us”! Here are two photos:
Labels: John Keble, Oxford Movement, Poetry, Restoration Churxh, Theology
Evelyn Underhill and High Mass "crossing of the boundary between natural and supernatural worship"
High Mass at Pusey House, Oxford
(From the Pusey House website)
I love this part of Douglass Shand Tucci's article THE HIGH MASS AS SACRED DANCE in which he quotes Anglican spiritual guide, Evelyn Underhill. Her words pretty well sum up the impact on me of the first High Mass I wandered into as an impressionable teenager. I am fortunate in my ministry as a priest to have served parishes in which this form of worship was kept going. In one of them, "Gospel Preaching : Traditional Catholic Worship" was the motto we used on the pew bulletin!
High Mass was mostly swept away in our time by well-meaning people who thought they were making the Church more "relevant" to our culture. But, while it would be foolish to imagine that everyone has the cultural predisposition to being drawn to the Lord by the kind of worship described here, I can assure readers that many, including "unchurched" young people ARE drawn when this supernatural worship is offered as part of the new evangelisation!
Indeed, the yearning for the dimensions of worship spoken of in the following article lies behind the current movement to restore the transcendent and numinous which much of the Western Church has lost over the last sixty years.
Tucci's entire article, of which this is an extract, can be found HERE. (To assist the reader of this extract, I have renumbered the endnotes.)
The distinguished Anglican scholar, Evelyn Underhill traced what could be called the graph of the Mass: from the liturgy of lessons and Gospel, “God’s uttered word in History,” and the Great Intercession, “the unstinting, self-spending with and for the purposes of God, by intercessory prayer,” of the Offertory, where Christ, she wrote, “enters the Holy Place as the representative of man, offering the humble material of man’s sacrifice, that he may come forth from it as the representative of God, bringing to man the Heavenly Food.” And, finally, to the Great Thanksgiving - when the gifts of bread and wine, set apart from the natural world for the Mystery, yield - “the invisible Holy Presence; Who comes under these lowly signs into the Sanctuary with an escort of incense and lights, and is welcomed by the enraptured Alleluias of the Cherubic Hymn, announcing the Presence of God.”
What better has been written of this tremendous moment of the Sanctus when “all that truly happens,” she wrote, “happens beyond the rampart of the world”? Sursum corda - Lift up your hearts, sings the celebrant. “The early liturgies leave us in no doubt,” she continued, “as to what this movement implied: ‘To the heavenly height, the awful place of glory. . . .’ This cry, and the people’s response, come down to us from the earliest days of the Church.” It marks, she declared, “the crossing of the boundary between natural and supernatural worship”; the knowing search for what she called “that ineffable majesty on which Isaiah looked, which is the theme of the earliest Eucharistic prayers, and which inspires the great Sanctus of the B Minor Mass, with its impersonal cry of pure adoration.” This is the world communicants enter as they approach the altar rail, wrote Underhill, where “the ‘Table of Holy Desires’ with its cross and ritual lights stands on the very frontier of the invisible.” (1)
Has anyone in our time set before architect or musician, so uncompromisingly, the task the liturgy forces upon them? As Underhill put it in another place, “movement and words combine to produce an art form which is the vehicle of [the Church’s] self-offering to God and communion with God.” The liturgy, she knew, is “an action and an experience that transcend the logical levels of the mind and demand an artistic rather than an intellectual form of expression.” (2) The honours of the church on earth significantly describe in her text what they describe, audibly and visually, in the mass. Bach is there as well as the cherubim, on the frontier of the invisible.
She knew well the risks of the medium; she knew the dangers of depending on an imperfect art to make a perfect art-form. But she knew too that to eschew art, worship must be “thin, abstract, notional: a tendency, an attitude, a general aspiration, moving alongside human life, rather than in it.” Worship thus embodied by the arts, she declared, “loses-or seems to lose-something of its purity; but only then can it take up and use man’s various powers and capacities ... thus entering the texture of his natural as well as supernatural life. Certainly, it is here that we encounter the greatest danger, that form will smother spirit.... But the risk is one which man is bound to take. He is not ‘pure’ spirit, and is not capable of ‘pure’ spiritual acts .... (3)
. . . most Anglicans continue to trivialize ceremonial and even to overlook its significance. They typically bury themselves throughout the liturgy in hymnal, prayer book, or service leaflet - on the dubious premise that to read what is being said is to understand it better. This, in turn, has had disastrous effects on church lighting, which frequently overthrows every attempt of the architect to create an evocative liturgical environment . . . Modern art has also sometimes strained the principles of liturgical art severely. That these principles can survive in modern work of great originality is clear. For example, consider Jean Langlais’ Messe Solennelle. Relentlessly liturgical, suggestive often of plainchant, its solemn, quiet and sometimes even lyrical texture is nonetheless so taut that when the tension erupts into Langlais’ massive, fiercely impassioned dissonances, the effect is a stunning and almost numbing grandeur of sound that evokes the mysterium tremendum with an uncanny distinction.
Is the High Mass, as Cram and others have thought, humanity’s “greatest artistic achievement”? Infrequently. Most church people have the erroneous impression that the very simple Low Mass is the most primitive form of Christian worship and that the solemn liturgy is a medieval elaboration. Actually, Low Mass is the medieval innovation . . .
Anglicans as well as Roman Catholics cannot be blamed for forgetting that the ancient High Mass, resplendent with lights, music, incense and full ceremonial, has always remained the theoretical norm of the western church as it is still the actual norm of Eastern Christendom. (4) Forgetful of this fact, we forget another: that “art in worship is not a mere imitation of the creative work of God; nor is it only a homage rendered to Christ; by giving embodiment to invisible realities it continues the Incarnation of the Word.” (5) Indeed, the Church has held that it “brings about objectively and in our very midst, the highest form of reality, the Summum Pulchrum, God Himself.’ “(6) Confronted with this astonishing purpose, and the distinguished art it has yielded, the art historian can only declare that in thus reaching “beyond the rampart of the world” for what Underhill called “that ineffable majesty upon which Isaiah looked,” the art of the High Mass is not only august but unparallelled.
(1) The material quoted in this and the preceding paragraph is drawn from Evelyn Underhill's The Mystery of Sacrifice: A Meditation on the Liturgy (New York, 1954), unpaged introduction and pp. 18-40. The Mystery of Sacrifice was first published in 1938.
(2) Evelyn Underhill, Worship (New York, 1936), p. 33. See also p. 29.
(3) Ibid., p. 14.
(4) Ibid., p. 245.
(6) Hammenstede, "The Liturgy as Art," pp. 41-42.
Labels: art, Ceremonial, Evelyn Underhill, High Mass, Supernatural, Tucci
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Society for the History of the Humanities
Baltimore 2016
Proceedings of ‘The Making of the Humanities’ conference series (Open Access):
The Making of the Humanities Volume I: Early Modern Europe
The Making of the Humanities Volume II: From Early Modern to Modern Disciplines
The Making of the Humanities Volume III: The Modern Humanities
The journal History of Humanities
Editorial paper: A New Field: History of Humanities by Rens Bod, Julia Kursell, Jaap Maat and Thijs Weststeijn, History of Humanities, 1(1), 2016, pp. 1-8.
Essay on the History of the Humanities in the Chronicle: How a New Field Could Help Save the Humanities by Rens Bod, The Chronicle Review, 24 February 2017.
Useful Reference Books and Textbooks:
Andrew Abbott, Chaos of Disciplines (Chicago: University of Chicago Press 2001)
Rens Bod, A New History of the Humanities. The Search for Principles and Patterns from Antiquity to the Present (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2013)
Jan Eckel, Geist der Zeit: Deutsche Geisteswissenschaften seit 1870 (VandenHoeck & Ruprecht 2008)
Michel Foucault, Les Mots et Les Choses. Une Archéologie des Sciences Humaines (Paris: Editions Gallimard 1966)
Anthony Grafton and Lisa Jardine, From Humanism to the Humanities. Education and the Liberal Arts in 15th and 16th Century Europe (London: Duckworth 1986)
Geoffrey Galt Harpham, The Humanities and the Dream of America (Chicago: Chicago University Press 2011)
Susan Hockey, Electronic Texts in the Humanities. Principles and Practice (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2000)
Jerome Kagan, The Three Cultures. Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and the Humanities in the 21st Century (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2009)
G.E.R. Lloyd, Disciplines in the Making. Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Elites, Learning and Innovation (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2009)
Robert E. Proctor, Defining the Humanities: How Rediscovering a Tradition Can Improve our Schools. Second edition with a curriculum for today’s students (Bloomington: Indiana University Press 1998)
Helen Small, The Value of the Humanities (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2012)
Roger Smith, Being Human. Historical Knowledge and the Creation of Human Nature (New York: Columbia University Press 2007)
Hans Joachim Störig, Kleine Weltgeschichte der Wissenschaft (new edition, Fischer Taschenbuch 2007)
James Turner, Philology: The Forgotten Origins of the Modern Humanities (Princeton: Princeton University Press 2014)
Subscribe to get the latest news directly in your email inbox.
History of Humanities, Issue 4.1 is out! May 28, 2019
Call for Papers and Panels ‘The Making of the Humanities VIII’ February 28, 2019
Issue 3.2 of History of Humanities is out! December 10, 2018
Short Conference Report MOH7 and Pictures! November 23, 2018
Copyright© 2019 · Society for the History of the Humanities · Log in
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A Year of Photographers in the Picture
A little shy of a year agowith the world’s attention focused on a change of power in North Koreaa photo of Kim Jung Il’s funeral, released by KCNA (North Korean Central News Agency), sparked controversy. The image had been manipulatedless for overt political ends, more for visual harmony. Blog Submission . The photo’s offending elements, photoshopped from the image, were not political adversaries or top secret information, but a group of photographers who had disturbed the aesthetic order of the highly orchestrated and meticulously planned occasion.
KCNA/Reuters
Dec. 28, 2011. A limousine carrying a portrait of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il leads his funeral procession in Pyongyang.
In an age where seemingly every occasion is documented through photography from every conceivable anglean estimated 380 billion photographs will be taken this year aloneit’s not only North Korean bureaucrats who are wrestling to keep hoards of other photographers out of their pictures.
Photographers frequently appear in news photographs made by others. Banks of cameras greet celebrities and public figures at every event; cell phones held high by admirers become a tribute in lights, but a distraction to the viewer. Amateurs and professionals, alike, appear in backgrounds and in foregrounds of images made at both orchestrated events and in more candid moments. squido lense . The once-invisible professional photographer’s process has been laid bare.
On occasion, photographers even purposefully make their fellow photographers the subject of their pictures. The most difficult picture to take, it seems, is one without the presence of another photographer either explicitly or implicitly in the frame.
Everyone wants to record their own version of realityironically, it turns out, because by distracting oneself with a camera, it’s easy to miss the true experience of a moment. At a recent Jack White concert, the guitarist requested that audience members stop trying to take their own photos. “The bigger idea,” his label noted in a statement, “is for people to experience the event with their own eyes and not watch an entire show through a tiny screen in their hand. We have every show photographed professionally and the pictures are available from Jack White’s website shortly after to download for free.”
The abundance of camera phones and inexpensive digital cameras has changed the photographic landscape in countless and still-incompletely understood ways, and it’s not just the North Korean government trying to find ways around the hoards of photographers making their way into everyone else’s shots. Here, TIME looks back on the past year to highlight an increasingly common phenomenon: the photographer in the picture.
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography, photojournalism, Uncategorized and tagged Audience Members, bahrain, Cairo, Candid Moments, Central News Agency, Chicago, Conceivable Angle, Contemporary Photography, Egypt, Fellow Photographers, Florida, Foregrounds, Funeral Procession, Gaza, Georgia, Greece, Hoards, Italy, Jack White, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jung Il, Korean Central News, Korean Central News Agency, Korean Leader, Man on the Wire, New Hampshire, North Korea, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il, Photographer, Photographers, Photographs, Photography., Political Adversaries, Professional Photographer, Rome, Secret Information, Tibet, Tribute In Lights, True Experience, United States, Visual Harmony, Washington, West Bank, World on December 27, 2012 by Phil Bicker.
RNC In Pictures: The Protests
Tropical Storm Isaac led organizers to cancel Monday’s lineup at the Republican National Convention, but protests in Tampa went ahead mostly as planned. Some protesters even camped out in the rain on a rented lot, dubbed “Romneyville.” Some met up with a larger group of several hundred activists and “Occupiers,” who marched one mile from Perry Harvey Park to the Tampa Bay Times Forum, where Republican delegates are gathering this week. Hoisting placards and chanting slogans, protesters from as far as California registered their disapproval of the GOP ticket throughout the day. Security was intense. Photographer Grant Cornett was on scene to capture the scene.
Adam Sorensen is an Associate Editor at TIME covering politics.
Grant Cornett is a New York City-based photographer. LightBox previously featured his photography in Beautiful Decay.
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography, Uncategorized and tagged activists, Associate Editor, Beautiful Decay, Contemporary Photography, Cornett, Day Security, Disapproval, Florida, GOP, Gop Ticket, grant cornett, Harvey Park, Mitt Romney, Occupy wall Street, Organizers, Photo Essay, Photographer, Photographers, Photographs, Photography., Placards, Politics, Protest, Protesters, Protests, Republican Delegates, Republican National Convention, RNC, Romneyville, Slogans, Sorensen, Tampa, Tropical Storm on August 28, 2012 by Adam Sorensen.
Faces of Protest for Trayvon Martin
After Trayvon Martin was shot to death in Sanford, Florida on Feb. 26, police told his parents that no arrests would be made, even though Trayvon was a minor and his shooter had already confessed. Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law, which allows shooters to invoke self-defense rights, seemed to protect George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who shot Trayvon, from all sides.
“I had no doubt in my mind what the Sanford Police Department was telling me – it didn’t sit well with me at all. Not knowing – our son,” Tracy Martin told TIME in an interview last month. “I knew at that point that my mission, personal mission, had begun. And that mission was to seek justice for my lost son.”
Hundreds of thousands of Americans soon joined this mission. Protests crisscrossed the country like wildfire, from Miami to Detroit to Los Angeles to New York to Atlanta. Churches bused participants across state lines. Entire families came, pushing infants in strollers, waving homemade signs, marching from city halls to civic centers to police stations and refusing to be overlooked. Hoodies defied Florida’s 80-degree heat. Skittles became a symbol of justice. Boycotts flared up against companies with ties to the Stand Your Ground law. And word spread that Trayvon resembled another Martin, whose mountaintop address often played in the background as crowds chanted, “No justice, no peace.”
Forty-five days and 2.2 million petition-signatures later, on April 11, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder in Trayvon’s death. His trial arraignment date is set for May 29.
More photos: Trayvon Martin’s death sparks national outrage, mourning
In the midst of this emotional time for so many, photojournalist Andrew Kaufman traveled across Florida to document the groundswell of protests in Miami and Sanford. During that time he began to compile the work in journals with cut up contact sheets and handwritten text. “I had to make these pictures,” says Kaufman. “Seeing the anger and frustration in the news, I felt compelled to see and talk to the people who were taking their feelings to the streets.”
Kaufman was in Sanford when special prosecutor Angela Corey filed second-degree murder charges against Zimmerman. Many people he encountered told him they felt relieved that an arrest had finally been made. But, as Travyon’s family lawyers also pointed out after the arrest announcement, there can be no real celebration. “The worst part of this project,” Kaufman says, “is knowing that Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother, won’t have her son any more.”
Andrew Kaufman is a Miami based photographer who has been a contributor to TIME since 1998. You can see more of his scrap books on his blog here.
Elizabeth Dias is a writer/reporter in TIME’s Washington bureau. Follow her on Twitter @elizabethjdias
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography, photojournalism and tagged Andrew Kaufman, Atlanta Churches, City Halls, Civic Centers, Contemporary Photography, Degree Heat, Doubt In My Mind, Emotional Time, Florida, Forty Five Days, George Zimmerman, Groundswell, Handwritten Text, Homemade Signs, National Outrage, news, Personal Mission, Petition Signatures, Photo Essay, Photographer, Photographers, Photographs, Photography., Rally, Sanford Florida, Sanford Police Department, Second Degree Murder, Symbol Of Justice, Tracy Martin, Trayvon Martin on April 16, 2012 by Elizabeth Dias.
Exclusive: Photos of Miami’s Homeless by Lee Jeffries
Last month LightBox featured the work of Lee Jeffries, a self-taught photographer who is crusading to bring attention to the plight of the homeless. Most recently, he traveled to Florida from the end of January through early February to continue the series he began in London four years ago.
It was a poignant time for Jeffries to be in Miami. The Sunshine State held its Republican primary on Jan. 31., and the following day, contest winner and GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney said in an interview that he was “not concerned about the very poor” because “we have a safety net there.” In Miami, the photographer documented some of the city’s most impoverished—many of whom have fallen through the “safety net” Romney described and find themselves homeless, living on the streets. As he does on every trip, Jeffries met and spent time with people on an individual basis—listening to their life stories, taking their portraits and trying to help them in any way he could.
Here LightBox presents an exclusive first look at Jeffries’ latest images of his powerful and moving portrait series on the homeless population—a series that has previously taken him from his native Manchester, England, to Rome, Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas. Jeffries says first few days of each trip are always tentative. He tends to make small steps into the areas he has researched prior to his visit. This time around, Jeffries focused on Miami Beach, Downtown Miami, Fifth Street and Overtown, which has achieved a certain notoriety for being one of the tougher areas of town.
As this trip progressed Jeffries found that each area of Miami had its own distinct characteristics. Miami Beach, which includes South Beach, had a homeless population that tended to drift in from the downtown areas during the course of the week, perhaps for safety or the relative ease of panhandling from the richer tourists. Seeing downtown Miami’s sidewalks literally lined with homeless people surrounded by bags or trolleys of their entire worldly possessions immediately took Jeffries’ mind back to the hundreds of homeless people he had encountered lining Fifth St. and St. Julian, the address of Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood.
In Overtown, located just above downtown, Jeffries found a mix of homeless people and housed families. Originally called Colored Town during the city’s segregated past, it is a major center of the African-American population and Jeffries says he found the community a little daunting to enter at first. But that didn’t last long. “I soon met some people who touched my heart so deeply I will never forget them,” he says, noting that only chance stood between their situation and that of anyone else.
One such person was Latoria, a 29-year-old who has lived in Overtown for just over a year and whose genuine sadness made a particularly deep impression on the photographer. “I spent time with her every day of my trip since our first meeting,” says Jeffries. “Her uncompromising addiction to crack cocaine was both obvious and tragic and I often watched helplessly as she fed that addiction. Perhaps the most moving aspect for me was witnessing her almost child-like vulnerability. There was just something about her that just screamed the tragedy of a wasted life.”
Then there was Terri, also living in Overtown, who has been on the streets on and off since she was 13; ”Flowers,” a cool Jamaican property owner; “Cooper,” a homeless man Jeffries met in a cemetery; and “Calvin” from Overtown, who was shot in the eye 1981 during a gang war.
“They are all part of the community,” Jeffries says, “and that is exactly what places like Overtown and Downtown Miami are: communities of people who shouldn’t be feared but respected and embraced and helped wherever possible. I have the utmost respect for every person I met there, and I hope I left with theirs.”
See Jeffries’ earlier work on LightBox here.
Lee Jeffries is a photographer based in Manchester, England. See more of his work here. Jeffries asks that readers interested in helping the homeless population of Miami visit Caring for Miami.
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography, Uncategorized and tagged Contemporary Photography, Contest Winner, Distinct Characteristics, Downtown Miami, First Few Days, Florida, Frontrunner, Homeless, Homeless Population, Jeffries, Latoria, Lee Jeffries, Living On The Streets, Manchester England, Miami, Mitt Romney, Moving Portrait, Native Manchester, Out There, Overtown, Photographer, Photographers, Photographs, Photography., Photos Of Miami, Plight Of The Homeless, Poignant Time, Portrait Series, Portraits, Poverty, Republican Primary, Small Steps, Sunshine State on February 16, 2012 by Phil Bicker.
Pictures of the Week, January 27 – February 3
From deadly clashes in Syria and Egypt, to the first anniversary of the Tahrir square uprising and the walk-up to this year’s Super Bowl, TIME’s photo department presents the best images of the week.
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography and tagged Air Force, Alpine Skiing World Cup, Anniversary, Australia, Australian Open, Awards, Bangladesh, Barack Obama, Brazil, Cairo, Chinese Lantern festival, Chinese New Year, Closeup, Contemporary Photography, Czech Republic, Davos, Deadly Clashes, Egypt, election, England, Flood, Florida, Friday of Rage, Gandhi, India, Iran, Israel, January 27, Madhav Narayan festival, Manama, Mitt Romney, Moscow, Newt Gingrich, Novak Djokovic, Photo Department, Photo Images, Photographer, Photographers, Photographs, Photography., Pope Benedict Xvi, Presents, Protesters, race, Rafael Nadal, St. Stephenis cathedral, Super Bowl, Switzerland, Syria, Tahrir Square, Taiwan, Tehran, Uprising, Vatican City, Vienna, Vietnam, voters, World Economic Forum, World War II re-enactors on February 3, 2012 by TIME Photo Department.
A Sunshine State of Mind for the Florida Primary
Spanish photographer Ricardo Cases is known for his signature bright colors—colors that were on vivid display in his most recent book, Paloma Al Aire, which captures the traditions of pigeon racing. This week, TIME asked Cases to turn his eye to a different kind of sport: politics.
The photographer traveled to Florida to cover Tuesday’s Republican presidential primary, which Mitt Romney easily won. Although Cases had never photographed American politics before, he said he found the atmosphere one that was well suited for his photographic process.
“Florida has everything I need to work: color, color, color, good weather and all the consequences of these four factors in the development of the society,” he said in an email to TIME.
Cases was not very familiar with the topic he was sent to shoot, but he didn’t need to do much preparation to capture these vibrant images of candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the voters he hoped to persuade, as well as events for Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. In fact, Cases said he rarely does much preparation for a shoot, preferring to rely on randomness as a catalyst for his pictures. “What stimulates me is the freshness of the first encounter with a new place, with a new people,” he said. “I think that chance is a great tool for a photographer.”
And now that he’s experienced that moment with birds and politicians alike, what’s his take-away for the future?
“It’s easier to work with politicians,” he said, “because they can’t fly.”
Ricardo Cases is a Spanish photographer. See more of his work here.
Interview with Ricardo Cases translated by Javier Sirvent.
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography, Spain, Uncategorized and tagged American Politics, Bright Colors, Catalyst, Contemporary Photography, First Encounter, Florida, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Freshness, Good Weather, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Miss Florida, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Photo Essay, Photographer, Photographers, Photographic Process, Photographs, Photography., Pigeon Racing, Politicians, Politics, Presidential Primary, primary, Randomness, Republican, Ricardo Cases, Rick Santorum, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Sunshine State, Time Cases, Vibrant Images on February 1, 2012 by Lily Rothman.
Pictures of the Week, January 20 – January 27
From the State of the Union and the Year of the Dragon to ballot boxes and backstage fashion, TIME’s photo department presents the best images of the week.
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography and tagged 20 January, Aurora Borealis, Australian Open, Ballot Boxes, candiate, Chinese New Year, Closeup, cocaine, Contemporary Photography, Costa Concordia, Dragon, Egypt, Fashion Time, Fashion Week, fire, Florida, Gabrielle Giffords, Homeless, January 20, January 27, Joe Paterno, Kim Jong Un, Mitt Romney, Nadal, Newt Gingrich, North Korea, Obama, Occupy, Photo Department, Photo Images, Photographer, Photographers, Photographs, Photography., Poodles, Poverty, Presents, President Barack Obama, primary, Protests, Ron Paul, State of the Union, Tahrir Square, tennis, Year of the Dragon on January 27, 2012 by TIME Photo Department.
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Home Entertainment Movies 14 Bollywood Classic Movies You Cannot Afford to Miss
14 Bollywood Classic Movies You Cannot Afford to Miss
Watch these bollywood classic movies on Zee Classic every Saturday
Bollywood movies have always been the most popular mode of entertainment in India. We are all familiar with the on-screen running around the trees, high-octane action sequences, twins separated at birth reuniting decades later with a sprinkle of romance and lots of mirch masala.
We leave the theaters after watching these movies wanting our lives to be a perfect film story with a happy ending. Here are 14 bollywood classic movies you cannot afford to miss.
Salaam Bombay!
In 1988, Mira Nair made her directorial film debut with Salaam Bombay! which chronicled the lives of a group of street children in Mumbai. Inspired by the actual street children of Mumbai who starred in the movie, the film won awards across the globe for its authenticity and unwavering portrayal of the life of Mumbai’s abandoned and homeless youth.
The list of achievements is a long one for this movie. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, the National Board of Review Award for Top Foreign Film, the Golden Camera and Audience Awards at the Cannes Film Festival, and three awards at the Montréal World Film Festival.
‘Salaam Bombay!’ was India’s second film submission to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film was among the list of “The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made” by the New York Times.
Catch ‘Salaam Bombay!’ on 16th July at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Mirch Masala
For some Ketan Mehta will always remain the man who made Mirch Masala. An attention grabbing film, it rotates around the gender divide in the society. It is the story of Sonabai (Smita Patil) and her struggle to protect her sanctity from the evil Subedar (Naseeruddin Shah) and a village full of sexist men. The dusty and dried surroundings of Kutch shown in the movie probably are an illustration for the values of a male and class-dominated Indian culture.
Amongst other things Mirch Masala has gone down in history as one of Smita Patil’s finest performances with Forbes including her performance in the film on its list, ‘25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema’.
Catch ‘Mirch Masala’ on 23rd July at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro
Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro is a rare film and an attempt to showcase the dilemmas faced by urban Muslims thoughtfully but boldly. In addition to the portrayal of Bombay’s mohalla life, it also shows the joys of friendship and camaraderie and pleasure of loafing around. Salim Langda (Pawan Malhotra) is a confident petty thief. Salim earns his livelihood by doing odd jobs for the big bosses of Bombay’s underworld. His final ambition is to ape these underworld kings whose status he envies.
Saeed Mirza, the director, has a long history of making films which have ridiculed stereotypes to which minorities are subject to in popular Hindi films and this movie is one of his finest creations. The film won the 37th National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and the National Film Award for Best Cinematography in 1989.
Catch ‘Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro’ on 30th July at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Ek Doctor Ki Maut
Ek Doctor Ki Maut is an award winning film by the noted Bengali director Tapan Sinha, which depicts the ostracism, bureaucratic negligence and insult of a doctor and his research, instead of recognition and credit. This movie is loosely based on the life of Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay, an Indian physician who pioneered the IVF treatment just around the same time when another leading scientist, Dr. Robert Edwards was conducting separate experiments in England.
The film won the 38th National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film, National Film Award for Best Direction and National Film Award – Special Jury Award awarded to the male lead, Pankaj Kapoor.
Catch ‘Ek Doctor Ki Maut on 6th August at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Gandhi (1982) was produced and directed by Richard Attenborough and written by John Briley. Starring Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Roshan Seth and Martin Sheen, it is one of the most iconic films of all times.
Gandhi is the highest Oscar winning film of all time – claiming eight awards from 11 nominations, including Best Film – although it almost never got made! The late director Richard Attenborough revealed in of his interviews “It took me 20 years to get the money to get that movie made. I remember my pitch to 20th Century Fox. The guy said: ‘Dickie, it’s sweet of you to come here. You’re obviously obsessed. But who will be interested in a little brown man wrapped in a sheet carrying a beanpole?’ I would have loved to have met that guy after the Oscars!”
Attenborough knew that he would be telling one of the 20th-century’s most remarkable stories, that of the Indian lawyer who returned from racially segregated South Africa to drive the British out of his home country through successive acts of non-violent protest.
Catch ‘Gandhi’ on 13th August at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Also Read – Hits and flops Bollywood Films 2015
Ardh Satya
Ardh Satya is directed by the very talented Govind Nihalani. The film is based on a short story by D.A. Panvalkar and the script is written by Vijay Tendulkar. It has Om Puri, Smita Patil, Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah and Sadashiv Amarpurkar in lead roles. It is the story of Anant Welankar, son of a retired constable in Maharashtra Police, who is forced to let go of his dream of pursuing an MBA and join the Police force.
After Aakrosh, Ardh Satya is the second film made by Govind Nihalani. It is brutally honest in the depiction of the trials, tribulations, character and conflicts of its protagonist. In times when everything and everyone has a price, it is a hard hitting journey of an honest man… a part of which remains back to haunt you long after the credits have rolled.
Catch ‘Ardh Satya’ on 20th August at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Pestonjee
Pestonjee is a film directed by Vijaya Mehta, starring Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi in lead roles. The film is an intimate look into the life and mannerisms of the Parsi community especially those living in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) in the 1950s and 60s.
‘Life is for living, not for complaining.’ says the cover to ‘Pestonjee’. Phirohshah aka Phiroj (Naseeruddin Shah) and Pestonjee aka Pesi (Anupam Kher) are the best of friends. They are almost like twins. There is no life without one another and they also hope to get married at the same time. But destiny has something else stored for them.
Catch ‘Pestonjee’ on 3rd September at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Qissa
All of us have grown up with different kinds of stories that were narrated to us. Some of them will be overlooked while some will be lost with the passage of time. But, the story of Qissa is timeless. Irrfan Khan as Umber Singh, Tisca Chopra as Mehar, Tilotama Shome as Kanwar Singh, Rasika Dugal as Neeli are the main protagonists of the movie.
Anup Singh’s Qissa is a powerful, haunting, superbly crafted film about the complexities of character and sexuality. Does personality stem from a society or nation you were conceived in, your sex, sexuality or just the environment you were brought up in and situations that formed you? The film packs these profound inquiries into a simple story.
Catch ‘Qissa’ on 10th September at 10 PM on Zee Classic
27 Down is a film directed by Awtar Krishna Kaul, featuring Raakhee and M.K. Raina in lead parts. The film is description on 27 Down, the Bombay-Varanasi Express. Sanjay (M K Raina), the son of a railroad employee, gives up on his dreams of becoming an artist when his father demands he come back to the family occupation. He gauges life in train sounds and journeys. The requests of congruity influence his connection with a young lady Shalini (Rakhee).
27 Down is one of those rare gems of the Indian silver screen that merited more credit than what it really received. Despite it being made 40 years ago, it manages to remarkably portray the relationship between two young adults as they get together and try to discover themselves in each other through their conversations, meaningful connections and silent solitude!
Catch ’27 Down’ on 14th September at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Gangoobai
“Apne pasand ki cheez milna badi baat hai.
Agar sab kuch mil gaya, lekin apne pasand ki cheez hi na mili toh matlab kya hai jeekay!”
(“It is a big thing, to get what one desires.
If you have everything, but cannot get that one thing you desire, then what is the point of living!”)
Directed by Priya Krishnaswamy, Sarita Joshi is the main protagonist in Gangoobai. The story revolves around an elderly maid who strives to accomplish her dream of buying a costly Gara sari and changes the lives of individuals she comes in contact with while in Mumbai to purchase the sari.
Catch ‘Gangoobai’ on 1st October at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Mammo
Mammo (1994), a film by Shyam Benegal, is the first film in the series of Muslim trilogy including Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001).
The film portrays the flinching truths frequently confronted by the powerless, post-partition. It reminds of the emotional torture of being torn far from one’s roots over and over; in spite of one turning a blind eye or making a noise for change in the circumstances which they have no control over. It makes one appreciate something which is frequently is taken for granted until it is lost or gone for good. The character of Mammo (Farida Jalal), abandons her family and home behind for love and moves to Pakistan. They live in peaceful co-existence until her husband leaves Mammo defenseless and desolate.
Even though the motion picture is named after Mammo, the film tells two stories, one of Mammo, obviously, and other of youthful Riyaaz…His life and companions, his trysts with cigarettes, adult films, his shame that he is not as affluent as his companions, him trying to find himself, his bothering on seeing a stranger trying to be a part of his family and his ambition of turning into an author in the future.
This movie is also the recipient of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance by Farida Jalal and National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress by Surekha Sikri.
Catch ‘Mammo on 27th August at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Massey Sahib
Massey Sahib is a 1985 film directed by Pradip Krishen, featuring Raghuvir Yadav in the main role. It was Pradip Krishen’s first film, and was based on a novel Mister Johnson written by Joyce Cary in 1939. The film also has stars like Arundhati Roy, who was yet to pen down her first novel and win the Man Booker Prize, alongside Barry John and Veerendra Saxena.
This story revolves around a man who is stuck in the crossfire where British Frontier principles smothered Indian freedom and colonializes it. This is a story told from an Indian perspective. Francis Massey (Raghuvir Yadav) works as a secretary for a British government officer in central India. Francis tries to out-do his employer in an attempt to be more British than him. He dresses British and even has a church wedding.
He is not the most productive or gifted specialist, and his supervisor, the Commissioner Charles Adam (Barry John), regularly mediates on his benefit. But, Massey’s unexpected fate is entirely past the Commissioner’s mediation.
Even though Raghuvir Yadav has never won a National Award…he did win two International Awards for the Best Actor for Massey Sahib, FIPRESCI Critic’s Award, Venice Film Festival, 1986 and the Best Actor Silver Peacock, IIFI, 1987.
Catch ‘Massey Sahib’ on 17th September at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan
Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastan (ADKAD), a film dear to Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s heart, was a masterpiece of the parallel silver screen development that was a tribute to Indian producers. The motion picture revolves around the internal clashes of a person born and brought in a city, who battles to comprehend the significance of his life and those encompassing him, including family and companions. It stars Shreeram Lagoo, Rohini Hattangadi, Satish Shah, Suresh Oberoi (in a cameo), Om Puri and Dilip Dhawan.
Arvind Desai (Dilip Dhawan) is a single child of a rich specialist (Shriram Lagoo) who deals in extravagant luxury handcrafted products. His has conflicting emotions for his dad. While he detests his commanding nature, he respects his aura, power and sharp mind. He has long examinations on workmanship and governmental issues with a Marxist companion (Om Puri). Much against his desires, his marriage is orchestrated to a young lady from a high-class family who has quite recently returned from Paris.
It’s a film about the trans-generational exchange of qualities and the repercussions of the prevalent legacy influencing the value system in the future.
Catch ‘Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan’ on 8th October at 10 PM on Zee Classic
The Good Road
The Good Road is a 2013 Indian drama film written and directed by Gyan Correa. The film won the trophy for Best Gujarati film at the 60th National Film Awards. Also, it was the first Gujarati film ever chosen to represent India at the Oscars. The motion picture is described in a hyperlink arrangement, where a few stories are interwoven, with the focal point of the story being an expressway in the country terrains of Gujarat close to a town in Kutch.
A family on a holiday lose their child… A truck driver’s last rid… A young lady in search of hope… This is an adventurous journey, across a national highway, and into the heart of a concealed India, where demonstrations of extraordinary sympathy are shown to outsiders.
Catch ‘The Good Road’ on 15th October at 10 PM on Zee Classic
Don’t want to miss above mentioned bollywood classic movies then stay tuned to Zee Classic Tv Channel.
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10 Years of Movie Entertainment and Beyond!
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Home / TALK OF THE TOWN / Do Your Own Virtual Car Stunt in "F8 Greenscreen Event"
Do Your Own Virtual Car Stunt in "F8 Greenscreen Event"
Ravenfox13 11:23:00 PM TALK OF THE TOWN
Ever wondered how car stunts in Fast & Furious films are made? You may stop imagining now, and experience it instead!
To mark the April 15 release of Fast & Furious 8 in the Philippines, Universal Pictures will mount the “F8 Greenscreen Event” – a playful and highly shareable initiative that celebrates the FAST franchise and allows the fans to become part of the FAST family.
Universal Pictures has created a unique mini green screen studio for fans to star in their very own Fast & Furious stunt scene experience which offers the thrill of hitting the accelerator in one of the movie’s supercars.
Fans can enter the mini studio, take the driver's seat and join the Fast family in an immersive experience to create their own personalized video which can be shared across Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Check out the promo video here: https://www.facebook.com/uipmoviesph/videos/1467743259966736/
Visit the #F8 Greenscreen at the following locations and star in your own Fast stunt for the ultimate #F8Experience.
APRIL 1 - 2: Uptown Mall Cinema Lobby
APRIL 8 - 9: Robinsons Galleria Cinema Lobby
APRIL 15 - 16: SM Mall of Asia Music Hall
For details on how to participate, visit https://www.facebook.com/uipmoviesph.
About Fast & Furious 8
On the heels of 2015’s Fast & Furious 7, one of the fastest movies to reach $1 billion worldwide and the sixth-biggest global title in box-office history, comes the newest chapter in one of the most popular and enduring motion-picture serials of all time: Fast & Furious 8.
Now that Dom and Letty are married and Brian and Mia have retired from the game—and the rest of the crew has been exonerated—the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.
From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family.
Fast & Furious 8 features a returning all-star cast, as well as a star-studded array of newcomers to this world – Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Helen Mirren, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky, Scott Eastwood with Kurt Russell and Charlize Theron.
Opening across the Philippines on Black Saturday, April 15, Fast & Furious 8 is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.
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Home > Kolkata > Major fire in Nandaram Market, none injured
Major fire in Nandaram Market, none injured
Team MP13 July 2019 5:16 PM GMT
Kolkata: A fire broke out at Nandaram Market on Saturday afternoon reminding the locals of the tragedy that struck the same building around 10 years ago. No injuries or casualties have been reported from the incident till reports last came in.
Unlike the previous incident, the extent of the damage in Saturday's fire has been much less as the fire officials checked the spread of the flames on a war footing. As there are no occupants in many of the shops of the ill-fated structure, it became easier for the fire-fighters to undertake the firefighting mechanism.
Some residents spotted smoke billowing out of the ninth floor of the building on Saturday afternoon and informed the fire brigade. They began the rescue operations before the fire tenders reached the spot.
As many as 15 fire tenders were pressed into action to douse the flames. The firemen climbed up the rooftop of an adjacent building and sprinkled water on the room that caught fire. They restricted it from spreading to other floors. The fire officers accompanied by the local residents conducted searches on various floors to ensure that no one was trapped. People who were inside the building rushed downstairs as soon as they came to know about the fire. The fire personnel brought the situation under control within a couple of hours but the cooling process continued till late Saturday evening. Police also restricted the traffic movement in the area following the incident.
Police and fire officials said a godown which stored various garments on the ninth floor caught fire. The exact cause and extent of the damage are yet to be ascertained. The Director General (DG) of the Fire and Emergency department Jagmohan who rushed to the spot after the incident said it was under control. Apparently, it appears that the fire fighting system of the building partially worked. He said that no injuries or casualties have been reported in the incident so far.
State Fire minister Sujit Bose also visited the spot and supervised the fire-fighting mechanism. He also spoke to the locals there. Bose told the reporters that the fire was completely brought under control and the cooling process was being undertaken. The fire officials are investigating if inflammable materials were stored inside the room where the fire broke out.
It may be mentioned here that a major fire broke out at Nandaram Market in January 2008 in which 4,000 shops were gutted.
The market remained closed for a couple of years after the incident and the operations begun in some parts of the building following the clearance from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in 2013.
Team MP
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A-Tube-Space-Project
Gan Zhiyi, Chen-Huasha, Johnny Golding, Michael David Stubbs, Tomasz Wendland
Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum, China Academy of Art
Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT), Polish Mediations Bienniale Foundation
Royal College of Art (RCA, London)
The Project shall be implemented under the rules of Committee. The members of the Committee shall be five (5) persons in total. Each organizer and co-organizer shall recommend one person as a member of the committee. The Committee of the Project shall have one (1) Chairperson and one (1) Secretary-general who shall chair a working group of administration. The Chairperson of the Committee shall be appointed according to the adoption of rotation system for a term of two (2) years. Within the last month of the term of office, members of the Committee shall co-elect the Chairperson for the next two (2) year term. The Committee shall establish a permanent position during the whole of the Project. This position will be named: Secretary-general. A specific person shall be appointed by the Committee, whose term of service shall have no limitation in principle.
A-Tube’ space
A-Tube’ space is a selection and evaluation of worldwide site-specific artworks created for the ‘A-Tube’ space of Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum. It aims to build and increase a global interdisciplinary exhibition platform for contemporary art, a laboratory for creative industry of contemporary urban culture, as well as provide an advanced, practice-led research environment to encourage and nurture multiple, international, community and diverse urban imaginations of contemporary art research practice, education and academic exchange. The spirit of the Project will emphasise a trans-disciplinary approach to include contemporary philosophy, analogue/digital new media technologies and the sciences (quantum physics, meta-mathematics for example). This transdisciplinary platform will emerge from and be conditioned by the perspective of art research and practice.
At the 2018 Year 0 A-Tube event, a world-wide call for participation will formally be launched for Year 1. From 2019 onwards, the Project shall take place once every two (2) years. It is co-launched by Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum, China; China Academy of Art; the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT), Liverpool, UK; and the Mediations Bienniale Poznan, Poland. The Royal College of Art (RCA, London) will act in the capacity of advisor. These cultural institutions form the its Committee.
The Project is committed to outreach in finding and nurturing international cutting-edge and innovative works. It will promote excellence in art through a participatory and inclusive approach both locally and globally. Future outreach may include research residencies at the Minsheng Art Museum, and possible workshops/conference/symposia at partnership sites when appropriate. The Project and the manner of its outreach shall be implemented under the decision-making of the Committee.
The Project shall set up a panel of international jury members who shall have full responsibility of selection and evaluation of relevant submissions starting from Year 1 (2019). The international jury shall be made up of 5 judges recommended by the Committee for a term of two (2) years. By the end of the term, members of the Committee shall co-elect the jury of next edition.
Settings of Awards
Awards in Year 0
One (1) award In Year 0, to be given to the selected artist / event agreed by the Committee. This Artist / Event will have a budget of up to €30,000Euros.
Awards in Year 2 onwards
Two (2) awards in Year 1 onwards shortlisted artworks shall win the Prize of Nomination / Open Call Programme. Each of them shall be awarded a cash prize of €30,000 Euros or the RMB equivalent of this amount (currently, around 300,000 RMB) and be presented at A-Tube for 60 days. Detailed dates of exhibition shall be fixed according to the official exhibition timetable of Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum. Relevant judges who nominated the artworks shall become the curators of the exhibitions. The Committee shall also provide an opportunity of overseas exhibition with each award-winning artwork.
Shortlisted artworks that fail to win the prizes shall be presented in other exhibition spaces at Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum. The exhibitions shall be curated by professional curators who are to be recommended by the working group of the Project.
Requirements for Artists and Artworks
Artworks applying for the Project shall consist of two parts, either as Nomination and/or as Open Call Submission. Chinese and overseas artworks based on Nomination shall be nominated by members of the international jury; free / open call submission contributions shall be solicited on a global scale. Artworks applying for the Project shall be any type of new media art, including video art, installation art, sound art, performance art, interactive art, virtual art, moving image, lens based media and etcetera which shall also provide a sense of on-site experience with the audience. Proposals of the submissions shall be originally and only created in these two years. Ideas and creation of the applied artworks shall be fully considered with the actual size and spatial experience of the specific site – A Tube. Once selected as a shortlisted artwork, the relevant artist shall be responsible for communication with his/her/their dealer and/or collector if the artwork has already been represented or collected. If the proposal cannot be implemented due to the failure of negotiation, it shall be taken as the artist voluntarily relinquishes his/her/their award eligibility. No award winner shall replace his/her/their to-be-exhibited artwork without authorization. Any replacement of the to-be-exhibited artwork must be agreed by the jury. The jury shall reserve the right to refuse the request of replacement from the relevant award winner.
Applicants shall make sure that the submitted artworks or proposals can be viewed completely. If there are any video materials involved, applicants must save the complete version by using such media as DVD and Blu-ray Disk. If there is a need for spatial construction, applicants must attach detailed description, visualized presentation as well as construction drawings of the artwork. Artworks of other kinds of format may be permitted, but this will shall depend on certain circumstances to be discussed with the Working Committee. All the submissions shall adapt their ways of presentation to the operability of setting up an exhibition at A-Tube.
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Why Independent?
Values-Based Investing
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Olympic Wealth Management LLC
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529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 College Savings Program
Looking for a tax-advantaged college savings plan that has no age restrictions and no income phaseout limits — and one you can use to pay for more than just tuition?
Consider the 529 college savings plan, an increasingly popular way to save for higher-education expenses, which have more than tripled over the past two decades — with annual costs (for tuition and fees, and room and board) of more than $48,510 per year for the average private four-year college.1 Named after the section of the tax code that authorized them, 529 plans (also known as qualified tuition plans) are now offered in almost every state.
Most people have heard about the original form of 529, the state-operated prepaid tuition plan, which allows you to purchase units of future tuition at today's rates, with the plan assuming the responsibility of investing the funds to keep pace with inflation. Many state governments guarantee that the cost of an equal number of units of education in the sponsoring state will be covered, regardless of investment performance or the rate of tuition increase. Of course, each state plan has a different mix of rules and restrictions. Prepaid tuition programs typically will pay future college tuition at any of the sponsoring state's eligible colleges and universities (and some will pay an equal amount to private and out-of-state institutions).
The other type of 529 is the savings plan. It's similar to an investment account, but the funds accumulate tax deferred. Withdrawals from state-sponsored 529 plans are free of federal income tax as long as they are used for qualified college expenses. Many states also exempt withdrawals from state income tax for qualified higher education expenses. Unlike the case with prepaid tuition plans, contributions can be used for all qualified higher-education expenses (tuition, fees, books, equipment and supplies, room and board), and the funds usually can be used at all accredited post-secondary schools in the United States. The risk with these plans is that investments may lose money or may not perform well enough to cover college costs as anticipated.
In most cases, 529 savings plans place investment dollars in a mix of funds based on the age of the beneficiary, with account allocations becoming more conservative as the time for college draws closer. But recently, more states have contracted professional money managers — many well-known investment firms — to actively manage and market their plans, so a growing number of investors can customize their asset allocations. Some states enable account owners to qualify for a deduction on their state tax returns or receive a small match on the money invested. Earnings from 529 plans are not taxed when used to pay for eligible college expenses. And there are even consumer-friendly reward programs that allow people who purchase certain products and services to receive rebate dollars that go into state-sponsored college savings accounts.
Funds contributed to a 529 plan are considered to be gifts to the beneficiary, so anyone — even non-relatives — can contribute up to $15,000 per year in 2019 per beneficiary without incurring gift tax consequences. Contributions can be made in one lump sum or in monthly installments. And assets contributed to a 529 plan are not considered part of the account owner's estate, therefore avoiding estate taxes upon the owner's death.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 allows distributions from 529 plans to be used to pay up to a total of $10,000 of tuition per beneficiary (regardless of the number of contributing plans) each year at an elementary or secondary (k-12) public, private or religious school of the beneficiary’s choosing.
Major benefits
These savings plans generally allow people of any income level to contribute, and there are no age limits for the student. The account owner can maintain control of the account until funds are withdrawn — and, if desired, can even change the beneficiary as long as he or she is within the immediate family of the original beneficiary. A 529 plan is also extremely simple when it comes to tax reporting — the sponsoring state, not you, is responsible for all income tax record keeping. At the end of the year when the withdrawal is made for college, you will receive Form 1099 from the state, and there is only one figure to enter on it: the amount of income to report on the student's tax return.
Benefits for grandparents
The 529 plan could be a great way for grandparents to shelter inheritance money from estate taxes and contribute substantial amounts to a student's college fund. At the same time, they also control the assets and can retain the power to control withdrawals from the account. By accelerating use of the annual gift tax exclusion, a grandparent — as well as anyone, for that matter — could elect to use five years' worth of annual exclusions by making a single contribution of as much as $75,000 per beneficiary in 2019 (or a couple could contribute $150,000 in 2019), as long as no other contributions are made for that beneficiary for five years. If the account owner dies, the 529 plan balance is not considered part of his or her estate for tax purposes. (If the donor makes the five-year election and dies during the five-year calendar period, part of the contribution could revert back to the donor's estate.)
As with other investments, there are generally fees and expenses associated with participation in a Section 529 savings plan. In addition, there are no guarantees regarding the performance of the underlying investments in 529 plans. The tax implications of a 529 savings plan should be discussed with your legal and/or tax advisors because they can vary significantly from state to state. Also note that most states offer their own 529 plans, which may provide advantages and benefits exclusively for their residents and taxpayers. These other state benefits may include financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors.
Before investing in a 529 savings plan, please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully. The official disclosure statements and applicable prospectuses — which contain this and other information about the investment options, underlying investments, and investment company — can be obtained by contacting your financial professional. You should read these materials carefully before investing.
By comparing different plans, you can determine which might be available for your situation. You may find that 529 programs make saving for college easier than before.
Sources: 1) The College Board, 2018
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Home Tobi Osho, New face Of Gospel Music In Africa
Tobi Osho, New face Of Gospel Music In Africa
Gospel Music In Africa is one that is gradually gaining force especially with the rise of so many gospel artistes from the continent.
The scanty Gospel Industry is gradually becoming a large gathering especially in Africa. Though Gospel Music started abroad and the most successful Gospel artistes in the world are not Africans, however, Africans are now becoming a great force to reckon with in the Gospel Music Industry, the western world now revere African Gospel Artistes which is a great plus for God’s kingdom.
This won’t be possible without the impact of the likes of Tope Alabi, Sammy Okposo, Tim Godfrey, Nathaniel Bassey, Lanre Teriba, Mike Abdul,Kenny Kore, Eben, Sonni Badu, Frank Edwards, Sinach, etc.
They have done wonderfully well in making sure gospel songs is heard far and wide, even beyond Africa, they have ministered in several countries across the globe, singing Gospel music and saving people through it.
Meanwhile, there is time for everything, even the bible confirmed this, there will be a time when they all won’t have such strength again, it’s just the bitter truth but it seems Africa has nothing to worry about, another Gospel Musician with a lot of anointing has been discovered, he came into the industry not quite long but what God has done through him is amazing.
He started singing at a tender age of 9 in his church choir, started leading people in praise and worship after which a producer discovered him, took him to his studio to record his first song. He proceeded to higher institution, Covenant University, Ota and during his first year, he was awarded as ‘The New Kid On The Block’ due to his popularity in singing for God, similarly, he won a music scholarship when he was graduating school. He was known for his consistency, vocal prowess and spirit filled ministrations.
As we all know, Ministry is different from just singing, it requires more dedication, commitment. All this while, Tobi Osho was singing because he has that talent, he sang and the spirit moved but at that time, he wasn’t in the Gospel Music Ministry, he was a normal Gospel artiste not until he went for NYSC to serve his father’s land In 2015 where God spoke to him that he needed him to be a full time Gospel Minister with preference to pure worship which he obeyed immediately and kicked off in 2016.
Ever since then, he has been known on Facebook for Live Videos of him worshipping and viewers with instant testimonies, through his live videos, a lot of people with disease, pain have been healed, he is also known for short Videos of him doing some worship songs on his Instagram Page.
Two years down the lane, Minister Tobi Osho has become a force in the Gospel Music Ministry not just in Nigeria but Africa as a continent. In two years, he has Featured Kenny Kore in a song titled ‘Atobajaiye’, in two years he has won awards, in two years, he released an EP titled Beyond Sound in 2017, In two years, he has been to Ghana, Benin Republic and several states in Nigeria including the northern part to minister in songs. Above all, in two years, he has won so many souls to God’s kingdom through songs.
No doubt, with this, Minister Tobi Osho is the new face of Gospel Music in Africa and we stand in expectation of what God will still do with his ministry.
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www.bso.org/shop: £12.00
Seiji Ozawa Hall 10th Anniversary Celebration
Ludwig Van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat, Opus 127 (1st movement)
Juilliard String Quartet July 1, 2001
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Sonata in D minor, Opus 108 (2nd movement)
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Emanuel Ax, piano July 19, 2001
Béla BARTÓK (1881-1945)
String Quartet No. 2, Opus 17 (2nd movement)
Emerson String Quartet July 25, 1995
Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Berceuse in D-flat, Opus 57
Dubravka Tomsic, piano July 16, 2003
La Danse de Puck
Richard Goode, piano August 1, 2002
György LIGETI (1923-)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano July 20, 2003
Toru TAKEMITSU (1930-1996)
Shuteiga ("In an Autumn Garden"): Enbai ("Melisma")
Reigakusha July 23, 1996
Augusta Read THOMAS (1964-)
Two movements from Spirit Musings
Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center July 18, 2003
"Unbewegte laue Luft," Opus 7, No.8
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano; Peter Serkin, piano July 10, 2003
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
"Irrlicht" from Winterreise, D. 911
Matthias Goerne, baritone; Eric Schneider, piano July 10, 2002
Hugo WOLF (1860-1903)
"Kennst du das Land"
Mitsuko Shirai, mezzo-soprano; Harmut Höll, piano July 18, 1996
Leporello�s Catalogue Aria from Don Giovanni
Thomas Quasthoff, bass-baritone; Freiburg Baroque Orchestra August 11, 1999
Idris LEWIS
"Bugail Aberdyfi" ("Shepard of Aberdovey")
Byrn Terfel, bass-baritone; Malcolm Martineau, piano August 11, 1998
TRAD. (arr. James Erb and Donald Bartholomew) "Shenandoah"
Chanticleer August 5, 1999
Astor PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992) (arr. José Bragato)
Escualo
KREMERata Baltica/Gidon Kremer, artistic director and violin soloist August 5, 1998
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - NO NUMBER [75:57]
The Boston Symphony Orchestra created this disc to celebrate the 10th anniversary (1994-2004) of the opening of Seiji Ozawa Hall at their summer quarters in Tanglewood, Massachusetts. It is a souvenir collection of great live performances with no other unifying theme beyond the location of the recordings.
Ozawa Hall is a wonderful place to attend concerts. The setting is pastoral, the hall attractive in a modern-barn-like vernacular, the seating is practically opulent, the site lines are wonderful, and the sound is enchanting. The stage can fit a small orchestra, but the venue is used mostly for chamber concerts and recitals, and it has an intimate feeling that benefits such programs. So let�s celebrate, but first a caveat.
It would be easy to criticize the selections on this CD, but that�s not really to the point. In choosing fifteen relatively short performances, they�re sure to find something to offend everyone; why did they leave out such and such a composer or artist? Given the compromises necessary in making such a compilation, I accept the choices as they are. They are certainly admirably diverse, and in this they are a reflection of the diversity of the programming at Tanglewood as presented by some of the best-known summer regulars.
The first half of the CD, eight tracks worth, presents chamber works in alphabetical order by composer, from Beethoven to Augusta Read Thomas. Actually, the intent seems to have been a division into three chamber works, three solo piano pieces, and three nearly contemporary works, with the last of the one and the first of the other overlapping.
The first movement of Opus 127, the 12th of Beethoven�s sixteen string quartets performed by the Juilliard String Quartet is lyrical, passionate, and everything one would expect from such an august group. Yo-Yo Ma playing the second movement, Adagio, arranged for cello of Brahms Violin Sonata in d-minor with Emanuel Ax at the piano, is similarly lovely.
Next up, the Emerson Quartet, and you can feel them sitting on the edge of their chairs as they dig into the second movement of Bartók�s String Quartet No. 2, Allegro molto capriccioso. They are, in fact, capricious in a devilishly compelling way that is a hallmark for them. Then it�s back to more romantic fare with Dubravka Tomsic, the Slovenian pianist, playing Chopin�s Berceuse. She�s a bit of a dark horse in this hit parade, but a favorite of the Boston Symphony, and her Berceuse shows a deftly romantic-without-being-fussy touch. It is as relaxed as the Emerson�s are taut.
Another softly rocking piano piece, but playfully so, Debussy�s La Danse de Puck from Préludes, Book 1, and Richard Goode plays with an expressive freedom that keeps the mood light, but also with a distinct edge of Shakespearean menace. Puck is not all fun and games, he just appears to be. From expressive to the metronome-like Étude, Book II, No. 8, titled Fém, of the Hungarian-born composer, György Ligeti. The French pianist, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, is as precise as the piece�s polyrythms and clusters are, perhaps, intentionally misleading. It is the listener who is on the edge of his seat through this one.
Next, the unexpected, at least if you were expecting strictly "classical" fare. Toru Takemitsu, the prolific Japanese composer, was obsessive in his pursuits, especially in his love of movies and feeling for nature. Takemitsu wrote nearly one hundred film scores, and while Shuteiga ("In and Autumn Garden") is not one of them, it has the feel of program music: Japanese flutes are bird-like, the oddly nasal shawms (a double-reed instrument) are more insect-like. The narrative is punctuated by drum beats and sticks. It�s an acquired taste, but one can imagine that in the setting of Ozawa Hall, the effect could be quite stirring.
The most recently composed piece on the CD, Spirit Musings for violin and chamber orchestra, and the only one by an American, Augusta Read Thomas, is unfortunately also the least successful. The performance by the Tanglewood Music Center Fellows is intense, but it is ultimately sound and fury signifying nothing.
The rest of the CD is vocal music followed by an encore. Three "art songs," by Brahms, Schubert, and Wolf, are well-known works. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson with Peter Serkin, Matthias Goerne with Eric Schneider, and Mitsuko Shirai with her husband, Hartmut Holl, all give performances that are beautiful, intelligent, and that feel just right for the works presented. Leporello�s Catalogue Aria ("Madamina") from Mozart�s Don Giovanni, K.527, receives a similarly spot-on performance from Thomas Quasthoff and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. These singing performances are all flawless, but the combination of tracks lacks any kind compelling flow.
Perhaps the performances that work best on this CD are the final three "light" works. They do a better job of standing on their own. Bryn Terfel sings a traditional Welsh song, "Shepherd of Aberdovey," with a combination of heart-tugging lyricism, tragic sadness, and native pride. The American all-male chorus, Chanticleer, performs an arrangement of "Shenandoah" with similar feeling, but also with remarkable variety. Starting with Gregorian chant, it moves into close harmony, a remarkably pure-sounding male soprano solo, soprano with echoes, and ending with a Gregorian note leading back to close harmony.
For the encore, Gidon Kremer�s orchestra of young and talented string players, KREMERata BALTICA, performs an arrangement of an Astor Piazzolla tango, Escualo, that is easily the most virtuosic and most immediately satisfying of all the tracks on the CD. It makes one want to go out and buy their complete CD of Piazzolla arrangements.
Which brings us to the ultimate problem with collections such as this one. The whole is no greater than the sum of its parts, and the parts are too diverse to present any kind of coherent picture. So we have a sampler of curiosities. As such, the familiar Beethoven quartet, however magnificently performed, is just another performance. And the same can be said for most of the works recorded here. One would like to be able to say that there is a spontaneous quality to these live performances that is missing from most of today�s faultless recordings, but there�s too much jumping around to get a sense of this.
On the other hand, taken as a portfolio of works presented, it�s evident that Tanglewood in general, and Ozawa Hall in particular, are very much alive with music. The performers, the repertoire, the explorations are diverse in a way that remains exciting, even for an institution as august as Tanglewood. The real intention of this CD is to encourage us to visit, which, in the end, is the more satisfying experience.
Clay Andres
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Published on May 31st, 2014 | by Bryan
‘Anchorman’ Director Adam McKay In Talks To Take Over As Ant-Man Director – UPDATED
Update: Adam McKay has removed himself from the running to take over as director of ‘Ant-Man’. The Hollywood Reporter (who broke the news) says that it was his decision and his alone to withdraw from the talks.
The original story is below.
According to sources of Variety, the director of the Anchorman series, Adam McKay, is in advanced talks to take over the director duties from Edgar Wright who left the ‘Ant-Man’ project last week due to creative differences (it is believed that Marvel made changes to the script that Wright and fellow Brit Joe Cornish had written without their knowledge).
McKay would be making his first steps in to the Superhero genre of movies after directing films such as ‘The Other Guys’, ‘Step Brothers’ and the ‘Anchorman’ trilogy. His working relationship with Paul Rudd, who will be playing Scott Lang in Ant-Man, in the ‘Anchorman’ movies has no doubt played a big part in him getting the chance to take over the directorial role.
Despite the director problems, ‘Ant-Man’ is still being lined up for release in July next year with filming due to start later this Summer. Depending on how much SFX will be needed in the movie, it could be a tight squeeze in getting the movie ready. But Marvel have managed to hit their mark every time so far so at the moment, there shouldn’t be any need to fear they’ll have to push the movie back a bit.
‘Ant-Man’ is set for release on July 17, 2015.
Tags: Adam McKay, Ant Man, Marvel, Marvel Cinemtic Universe, Paul Rudd
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Joshua 12-18 / March 25 & 26 (Day 85 & 86)
Joshua 15:63 says, “As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.”
Israel could not drive out all the Jebusites out of Jerusalem at this time, but David would destroy them and make it his capital. It appears that David had his sights on the city for a long time. After he killed Goliath, the bible says he brought his head to Jerusalem. I guess he wanted to notify them of their future. It says in 1 Samuel 17:54, “David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem…”
Read Joshua 17:14-18 one more time,
“Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the LORD has blessed us until now?" 15) So Joshua answered them, "If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you." 16) But the children of Joseph said, "The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel." 17) And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, "You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, 18) but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong."”
The Bible speaks of “little faith,” “faith,” and “great faith.” Here the children of Joseph are showing little faith. They had faith to begin to take the land God had for them, but when circumstances looked a little bleaker they fell into doubt. “Little faith” is what Jesus said Peter had when he walked on the water, but began to sink after looking at the wind and waves. How often to Christians begin in faith but slip into doubt after circumstances began to look a little worse. Let your faith in God’s provision and grace for you rise to the occasion. Don’t be small in your thinking. Is the greatest problem or circumstance anyone has ever had too great for God to solve?
Joshua 18:1 says "Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them."
Note: They set the Tabernacle up in Shiloh until David took Jerusalem.
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Northern Plains Potato Growers Association→
The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPPGA) was first organized in 1946 by a handful of concerned potato growers who felt that the Valley's potato industry needed to be more united. This group actually donated their own funds for the first year to kick things off. It didn't take long before the Association was officially formed and boasted 600 grower-members from both sides of the Red River.
The priorities set by the first Board of Directors - research and promotion - has never changed. However, the means of accomplishing these priorities have varied over the years. Much of the first 15 years was devoted to organizing, developing funding mechanisms, and dealing with legislative work, marketing control, traffic and regulation study, potato research and promotion, and public relations.
In 1956, the Association purchased land five miles south of Grand Forks, ND, to establish the nation's first and only grower-owned potato research farm. Since then, the Red River Valley Potato Research Farm, as well as other research areas, have provided ample space for potato research on soil types representative of the Red River Valley. The land is made available to researchers from the University of Minnesota, North Dakota State University, and USDA for various types of research and experiments with variety development, disease control, insect control, processing quality, and storage concerns.
The 1960's signified opportunities for growth and success to Red River Valley Potato Growers. By 1960, the Association had 2,500 members, the highest number of members ever. The Association concentrated heavily on promotion and sent out marketing representatives to many areas in the United States calling on merchandising managers, brokers, chain store buyers, chip manufactures, and other receivers of fresh potatoes. Yet, the 1960's also brought great change to the Valley. An increased consumer demand for processed potatoes opened new windows of opportunity for many Valley potato growers.
During the 1970's, the Valley's chip industry became very strong and Valley growers experienced expanding potato acreage and increased yields of chipping potatoes. Association officials spent much time negotiating contracts with processors.
Throughout the 1980's and 1990's the industry has seen dramatic changes because of the nation's economics and politics. Farms have become fewer and acreage has become larger. The most exciting changes have been the technological advances that have built our industry to its current standing.
In 2002 the Association realized the need for an irrigated research site to compliment the non-irrigated site near Grand Forks. A site was purchased and operated near Tappen, ND from 2002 to 2008. In 2009 the irrigated research site was moved to the Forest River Colony near Inkster, ND.
Potatoes grown in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota are the highest quality found anywhere. It is with pride and dedication, that the potato growers in this area combine a superior work ethic with modern, state-of-the art equipment and facilities to supply excellent quality potatoes.
The Red River Valley has several unique growing conditions found nowhere else in the world. The results of a mammoth glacial lake, the Red River Valley has been blessed with the rich, black soil. The land is flat and virtually free of stones, with few hills and slopes which make it ideal for consistently producing one of the finest potato crops anywhere.
Today after significant advances in production and technology, the Red River Valley can boast being the nation's third largest potato-producing area in the nation. The Red River Valley is also the only region that produces in volume for four of the major potato markets; chip, fresh, seed, and process.
The Association has seen its potato acreage expand to new areas of North Dakota and Minnesota with the prevalence of irrigation. The 1990's have brought new interest in integrated pest management with a consumer demand to move away from pesticide use. But, the newest and most exciting change is that of biotechnology. Biotechnology has become commonplace and has brought the first genetically altered potato into the market. As we embark upon the 21st century, technological advances will continue to pave the way into and throughout the next century.
The NPPGA today has approximately 250 grower members. The NPPGA works for its potato growers in the areas of research, promotion and marketing, communication, and legislation.
A group of 10 potato growers who represent all of the Association's growing areas make up the Board of Directors. In addition, six individuals are elected to serve on the Executive Committee, three from the Board, one from the Minnesota Potato Council, one from the North Dakota Potato Council, and one from the Potato Associates. These individuals work directly with a President who manages a staff of various professionals to carry out the Association's Mission. The Association also has several committees to deal with the many different areas of the potato production.
Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers ...
Northern Food Grade Soybean ...
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Ben Smith becomes a Director
We are delighted to announce that Ben Smith has accepted a promotion to the Board of Pierce and has become one of our Directors.
Ben graduated in 2001 with MEng (Hons) from Durham University. Following a career in engineering, Ben joined Pierce in 2005 when he retrained as a Chartered Accountant.
Following a stint in industry as an accountant for a blue chip company, Ben returned to Pierce. Since then he has advised a broad range of clients as a general practitioner and has developed a specialism in Research and Development Tax Claims.
Ben looks after a substantial number of SME clients and will be growing his portfolio in the immediate future.
Client Testimonials:
“I moved to the North west from my home in the Midlands in 1992 to run a business in Pendle. I was fortunate to be able to secure the professional support of Graham Boyes and his team, right from the beginning. In 2013 the business, grown from those roots, was sold and I retired. In the intervening years our enterprise had changed significantly but at every stage its development was ably assisted by advice from the same source.
The final period of my involvement in the business was concerned with its sale to our most significant customer. It was during an extended period of frenetic, sometimes traumatic activity that my fellow shareholders and I got to know and appreciate the skills and professionalism of Ben Smith. His knowledge of the process of disposal, his ability to handle the accounting complexity and also to understand the legal implications, helped to ensure a successful transaction.
It is testimony to Ben’s abilities that our purchaser has been very complimentary about his role and shares the same high regard as we have for him. I congratulate him on his well deserved appointment; Pierce has a valuable asset and one which I shall miss contact with in my retirement.” Philip Cox
“I have been in business for over 35 years. Ben is, without doubt, the best accountant that I have ever worked with” Philip (Pip) Stewart
Email: b.smith@pierce.co.uk
This entry was posted in Blogs, Business Consultancy, News by mduggan.
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November 6 - 12, 2011: Issue 31
Above; 'Shearing around the flank'
Blade Shearing in Australia
The main seasons for shearing in Australia are Autumn and Spring. Sheep shearing, shearing or clipping is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or "sheared", depending upon dialect). The annual shearing most often occurs in a shearing shed, a facility especially designed to process often hundreds and sometimes more than 3,000 sheep per day.
Blade shears were the original method for cutting off the fleece. Blade shears consist of two blades arranged similarly to scissors except that the hinge is at the end farthest from the point (not in the middle). The cutting edges pass each other as the shearer squeezes them together and shear the wool close to the animal's skin. Blade shears are still used today but in a more limited way. Blade shears leave some wool on a sheep and this is more suitable for cold climates where the sheep needs some protection from the elements. For those areas where no powered-machinery is available blade shears are the only option. Blades are more commonly used to shear stud rams.
Shearing Records: On 10 October 1892, Jackie Howe set a record of 321 sheep shorn in 7 hours and 40 minutes, using blade shears. He had previously set a weekly aggregate record of 1,437 sheep over a total working week of 44 hours and 30 minutes. While Howe's weekly aggregate record remained until at least 2005, his daily record tally was broken using machine shears by Ted Reick in 1950.
Kevin Sarre was one of the world’s greatest 20th Century machine shearers. He won many shearing championships including five Australian Titles, was a Golden Shears Winner in 1963 and held World Shearing Record in 1965 of shearing 346 Merinos. In 1963, Kevin in assosciation with the Australian Wool Board, was instrumental in the development of the revolutionary Tally-Hi shearing technique, and went on to supervise the training of this technique throughout Australia. The Tally-Hi shearing technique reduced the time taken to shear a sheep by approximately 30 seconds. Kevin’s daughter daughter Deanne holds the Australian women’s shearing record, having shorn 392 sheep in a day.
Henry Salter (1907–1997) MBE won the first organised shearing contest at Pyramid Hill in 1934 and in 1953 was a machine shearing champion. He continued to use blade shears until he was well into his 80s. In 1946 Salter organised the first Australian shearing school at Kerang, Victoria. During the next 26 years he taught 6,557 students the art of shearing. In 1968 Henry Salter was made a Member of the British Empire for his services to the wool industry.
John Hutchinson O.A.M. from South Australia is a former Australian Shearing Champion who won the first of six Australian championships and demonstrated shearing at the Osaka World Expo. In 1999 John was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his contribution as a shearer trainer and teacher.
Dwayne Black holds six world records, mainly in shearing endurance or marathon events. On 6 October 2002 he shore 570 Merino lambs in 9 hours at Yeeramulla, Badgingarra, Western Australia. In April 2005, he spent 9 hours shearing 513 Merino ewes, 6 more than the previous world record. In October of the same year he shore 519 crossbred lambs at the showground, Bendigo, Victoria.
On 2 March 2007, Broomehill shearer Brendan Boyle set the world 24-hour sheep shearing record by shearing 841 full wool Merino sheep, and in the process raised over $20,000 for the fight against prostate cancer. It was the first time a record has been set in 24 hours sheep shearing. However, for the record to be officially recognized, it needs to be overseen by the World Sheep Shearing Records Committee. This committee has a set of rules, and official referees in three member countries for the specific purpose of ensuring records are set under the same rules and consistent referees in these countries.
Some parts of this are extracted From: Sheep shearing. (2011, October 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sheep_shearing&oldid=456628610
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Invoking Ram Rajya - Rajiv Gandhi to Narendra Modi
4:31 AM Narendra Modi , Rajiv Gandhi No comments
Narendra Modi and RAjiv Gandhi
Today (5th May 2014), Congress has accused Narendra Modi for invoking Lord Ram Rajya during the Election Campaign at Faizabad (UP), in the viscosity of Ayodhya. Congress has also blamed Modi for using the picture of Ram as a backdrop. Even Mahatma Gandhi was dreaming of Ram Rajya, to denote better governance. It remains to be seen how the EC is going to deal with this accusation.
Inyterestingly, Rajiv Gandhi started his 1989 Election Campaign from the same Faizabad (UP) invoking Ram Rajya. Wall Street Journal, one of the leading Amnerican newspaper wrote an article on this issue. I quote the relevant portion from the following link.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/12/06/ayodhya-the-battle-for-indias-soul-chapter-four/
He (Rajiv Gandhi) launched his campaign from the neighboring city of Faizabad in the autumn of 1989.
On a large field, before a crowd of thousands, he gave a speech from notes that had been prepared by Mani Shankar Aiyar, his special assistant and speechwriter. But, said Mr. Aiyar, the prime minister slipped in an unscripted reference to “Ram Rajya.”
The phrase connoted the ideal governance that Lord Ram had practiced when, Hindu scripture says, he ruled Ayodhya thousands of years before. It had been a term used by Mahatma Gandhi during India’s independence struggle. But it also was used by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to promote the movement to construct a Ram temple. When Rajiv Gandhi used the phrase, his opponents accused him of pandering to divisive Hindu sentiment.
Still, Mr. Gandhi further embraced the Ayodhya issue soon after. In early November 1989, just weeks before the general election, the prime minister sent Buta Singh, the home minister, to the town to participate in a “shilanyas,” or symbolic temple foundation-laying ceremony.
Interestingly, in 1980s, both Congress and BJP were competing with each other in wooing Ram Bakthas to capture votes.
Political snooping in India - How Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi snooped in the past?
3:29 AM Congress , Narendra Modi No comments
Narendra Modi and Shinde
Now Congress is levelling charges against Modi for snooping a girl at Gujarat. Though the Union Cabinet passed a resolution long back to appoint a judicial commission, till date the Congress Government has not appointed any judge to head the commission. Now Shinde has been making announcements that he would appoint a judge before the announcement of results. The alliance parties of Congress NC and NCP have objected to the hurry of the Government. Many political analysts suspect the motive of the Congress Government to hype the so called snooping by Modi Government. As I am writing this article, I get the news that the Government has deferred the appointment of Judge and leave it to the next Government, under pressure from the allies.
Interestingly, in the past, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi have snooped Menaka Gandhi, Zail Singh and P V Narasimha Rao.
Even recently, under UPA II, news came about how the then Home Minister Chidambaram was snooping Pranab Mukherjee, before he became the President.
India Today has carried a story on the political snooping.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/gallery/politics-of-snooping/1/4934.html
Famous instances of snooping in Indian politics
Former Intelligence Bureau (IB) joint director Maloy Krishna Dhar, in his book Open Secrets: India's Intelligence Unveiled, has revealed several instances when the intelligence agency bugged the homes and offices of top politicians.
Around 1980, as Indira Gandhi planned to make an electoral comeback, the IB bugged the phones of the former prime minister and several of her aides, including R.K. Dhawan, allegedly on the orders of the government. It had planted discreet watchers around Indira's 12, Willingdon Crescent home. Dhawan's parental home at Atul Grove Lane was under blanket intelligence coverage as was his Golf Links house.
Maneka Gandhi
The IB was ordered to carry out a "silent Watergate-type nocturnal break-in" into the offices of Surya, a glossy magazine run by Maneka Gandhi, to retrieve the original manuscript of SHE - the censored chapter of Indira aide M.O. Mathai's autobiography that was said to have "scurrilous" details of the rumoured relationship between the two.
Maneka was said to be circulating the document among IAS officers as a tool to defame her estranged mother-in-law. Dhar says in his book that he, along with his deputy K.M. Singh, broke into Surya's offices late in the night and managed to recover the manuscript.
Zail Singh
Dhar was asked to covertly record the conversation that took place during a meeting between then Union home minister Zail Singh and an emissary of Sikh priest-turned-extremist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale at the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Delhi.
The meeting between Zail Singh and the emissary was said to have "produced tonnes of vital intelligence on the developing imbroglio in Punjab". The orders came from someone close to Indira Gandhi.
P.V. Narasimha Rao
In his book, Dhar claims he "stumbled upon another techInt (technical intelligence) operational coup rather accidentally" when he was asked to sweep then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's office with bug-detecting devices in January 1992.
Dhar tumbled upon a forgotten micro-recording monitoring machine, implanted inside the phone of an aide to the PM by the IB during V.P. Singh's rule. "The end products, I understand, were delivered to Rajiv Gandhi even when Chandrashekhar warmed the seat for the former. In the melee of fast political and bureaucratic changes, someone had forgotten to remove the spy contraption from the PMO," says Dhar.
Can a Rajya Sabha Member become the Prime Minister? - Era Sezhian quotes the Parliament debate.
2:19 AM Constitution , Indira Gandhi 1 comment
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh files his nomination papers for Rajya Sabha elections, in Guwahati on May 15. Photo:PTI
This is an article by Shri Era Sezhian (92), a well known Parliamentarian in the magazine Frontline.
Source: http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/no-prime-minister/article4794547.ece
The highest traditions of parliamentary democracy require that the Prime Minister be a person elected to the Lok Sabha. It was also a solemn declaration made in 1966 by the Congress and its government. By ERA SEZHIYAN
AFTER his heavy responsibility and laborious work for over 17 years to bring about a functioning democracy in India as head of the Interim Government and as Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru breathed his last on May 27, 1964. His demise plunged the country into deep and inconsolable melancholy.
Within 17 months of that came the bombshell of a news: the death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent on January 10, 1966. It benumbed the nation, particularly the Congress party. Its president K. Kamaraj had in 1964 managed to have Lal Bahadur Shastri elected unanimously as Prime Minister. However, he faced a more difficult situation in choosing a Prime Minister in 1966 as Congress leaders such as Morarji Desai, Jagjivan Ram, Y.B. Chavan and Gulzarilal Nanda (caretaker Prime Minister) were in the fray.
The Congress Parliamentary Party relied on Kamaraj to find an amicable solution.
He was keen to have as Prime Minister someone who would be able to lead the Congress party in the general election of 1967. Ultimately, he decided on Indira Gandhi. He was aware that his friends Morarji Desai and other members of the group called Syndicate would not accept Indira Gandhi at any time. However, Kamaraj proceeded intensely to mobilise support for Indira Gandhi by contacting important leaders and Chief Ministers.
At the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting on January 15, 1966, only Indira Gandhi and Morarji Desai remained as contestants. Mediapersons were waiting anxiously to know whether it was a “girl” or a “boy”. At the end of the counting, the announcement was that it was a “girl”.
Indira Gandhi was profusely thankful to Kamaraj who was solely responsible for the unforeseen event of her becoming the Prime Minister. In the formation of the Cabinet, Kamaraj insisted that Indira Gandhi retain most of the Ministers of the Shastri government, and she acted accordingly.
In her biography Indira Gandhi, Pupul Jayakar noted: “She [Indira] needed Kamaraj’s support and therefore she assumed the role of a pupil, agreeing to every move suggested by him” (page 178, Penguin Books).
Kamaraj’s ‘mistake’
In June 1966, Indira Gandhi made a drastic devaluation of the Indian rupee, by 35.5 per cent at one stroke. Pupul Jayakar wrote in her biography: “It was shortly before the devaluation of the rupee that she spoke to Kamaraj. He was very upset and angry and felt that the Prime Minister should not have relied on bureaucrats and advisers who had little understanding of the political scene. Speaking to a friend, Kamaraj commented on the great mistake in making Indira Prime Minister: ‘A great man’s daughter, a little man’s great mistake.’” (page 197).
In the chessboard of politics, a small error in moving a pawn may result in a great defeat because of the well-placed formidable queen piece on the opposite side.
When Indira Gandhi was appointed Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the Shastri Cabinet, she was not a member of either House of Parliament. She got elected to the Rajya Sabha on August 26, 1964. She retained the position when she became Prime Minister in 1966.
“Unhealthy conventions”
H.V. Kamath, a Member of Parliament noted for his acumen for constitutional and parliamentary procedures (as revealed in his active participation in the Constituent Assembly on each and every Draft Article taken for consideration), moved a private member’s Bill in the Lok Sabha for the amendment of Articles 75 and 164 of the Constitution.
The Bill said thus in the Statement of Objects and Reasons: “The highest traditions of the parliamentary democracy, with a bicameral set-up, demand that the Council of Ministers at the Centre and in the States, should consist of members who are directly elected by the people and that the Prime or Chief Minister should in no circumstances be a member who has been elected indirectly.”
As Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was not an elected member of the Lok Sabha, the Bill attracted the attention of the media and MPs in the labyrinthine political situation of 1966. Initiating the discussion of the Bill on April 15, 1966, Kamath said: “India should set an example in this matter of constitutional and parliamentary manners. The Constitution should stipulate categorically that the Prime Minister of the Union should be an elected member of the Lok Sabha…. Of the 16 Ministers of the present Cabinet, seven are from Rajya Sabha and nine from Lok Sabha. No other parliamentary democracy in the world shows such an example with regard to its own Cabinet. I am sorry to point out that one member who had been defeated in the last election had been appointed to the present Cabinet….
“The point I am trying to make out is that we are establishing bad traditions, setting up unhealthy conventions, which are antithetical to the principles and spirit of parliamentary democracy and to even the letter of the Constitution.”
As a large number of members wanted to participate in the debate, Hiren Mukherjee, leader of the Communist Party of India, suggested: “The time may be extended. This is a matter of great importance and [the] Prime Minister should have been here. Some Cabinet Minister ought to be here. The government disregards this debate, because they have a majority.”
Regarding the constitutional conventions of the United Kingdom, Kamath said: “In Great Britain, regarding the House of Commons from whom we have borrowed much of our Constitution, no member of the House of Lords has been the Prime Minister since the resignation of Lord Salisbury in 1902…. Is it not a mockery of the spirit and letter if the Cabinet is headed by a person who is not a member of that House to which the Cabinet is collectively responsible? When in 1945, the British government was carrying [on] in full swing the war against Japan after the fall of Germany, still general elections were held in Great Britain. Here the government is fighting shy to conduct even a byelection in the country under the excuse of an emergency. But in [the] fitness of things, Srimathi Indira Gandhi should get elected to this House and I am sure that she will face a byelection successfully, and after winning come here.”
Pointing out the practice in other parliamentary democracies, Kamath said: “In Canada, another Commonwealth country, all Ministers in charge of departments of government must be members of the House of Commons…. In Ireland, only the members of the Dail Eireann can be members of the Executive Council…. In Germany, the Federal Chancellor, nominated by the Federal President, must be then elected by the Bundestag, which is the lower House.”
Prime Minister and Lok Sabha membership
In conclusion, Kamath remarked that he was not against the Rajya Sabha. He had respect for that House, and his only demand was that the Prime Minister should be an elected member of the Lok Sabha.
H.N. Mukherjee, CPI leader, said: “I cannot understand why the House does not take this matter seriously enough. Government seems to think that this is a matter which being a constitutional amendment has not the foggiest chance of being passed and, therefore, they can make short shrift of it. Here is a matter of principle, as Congress member [Harish Chandra] Mathur has made it clear. Congress members may not agree with all the provisions of the Bill, but the main point is that the Prime Minister must belong to the Lower House…. It is not against any particular Prime Minister. It is based on a principle…. Lal Bahadur [Shastri] is dead and his seat is vacant. Was it not possible for the Prime Minister to contest that seat, which ought to be a very safe seat for a Congress candidate? This kind of thing like the Prime Minister being a member of the representative elected House becomes a categorical imperative. To quote Erskine May: ‘It is the Prime Minister’s duty to express the sense of the House on formal occasions on motions of thanks or congratulations and motions of confidence.’”
H.N. Mukherjee warned about emerging Chief Ministers who would indulge in the process of choosing Prime Minister: “Already there are indications in the country that the Chief Ministers—satraps—Kamath described them as subedars—are becoming too powerful, and if in addition to the power which they have come to enjoy in the Congress set-up—they dominate in the discussions to decide who is to be the Prime Minister..., then, Sir, where is parliamentary democracy leading us to?”
As more members wanted to participate in the discussion, the House adopted a motion extending its time.
Yashpal Singh (Independent) and Viswanath Pandey (Congress) moved amendments to the Bill seeking circulation of the Bill for public opinion. Kamath welcomed the idea.
Harish Chandra Mathur, a senior Congress leader in the Constituent Assembly and also a member of the Rajya Sabha (1952-56) and the second and third Lok Sabhas, spoke: “As far as the basic principle of the Bill is concerned, I think there can be no two opinions and it will have my full support…. So far as the Prime Minister is considered, it is the first time that we are faced with a difficult situation…. I feel that the only correct thing could have been for the Prime Minister, even before taking the oath before the President, to have resigned from that House. Without being a member of any House, she could be the Prime Minister for six months and then the election should have followed…. I have been advocating all the time that it is time to do away with the emergency…. But it is very significant and important that the government and the Prime Minister make a policy decision that they subscribe to this particular view.
“You are probably aware that the late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had made [it] abundantly clear to all the Cabinet Ministers from the other House that if they were to continue in the Cabinet after the elections, they must contest the elections and come to this House. I think at present, all that is necessary is a clear enunciation of that policy and a commitment by the government.”
Healthy convention or constitutional amendment?
Said R.K. Khadilkar, a senior Congress leader from Maharashtra, a valiant participant in the freedom struggle from 1930 to 1948, a founder-member of the Congress Socialist Party and a member of the second and third Lok Sabhas: “I support the principle of the Bill; whether it should be by amending the Constitution or by a convention should be left to the House, because in Britain, as Kamath pointed out that it is by convention…. Those who have popular support, those who are in touch with the people, with their aspirations and all that, alone lead the country and lead the government and for that it should be a healthy convention.”
N.C. Chatterjee, Independent member in the first and third Lok Sabhas, said: “It is not merely in the fitness of things, but really parliamentary democracy will not be working properly, if that member is not responsible to the really elected democratic chamber…. How can you compel the Prime Minister or move a vote of no-confidence against the Prime Minister unless he is here, a member of the House directly responsible for this House. Without casting any reflection on anybody, without making it a party question, I think all members of this House should support this measure that in the Constitution we should have a provision that the Prime Minister should be an elected member of this House....”
The Bill evoked 32 members of the House to participate in its consideration—19 from the Congress party and 13 from the opposition. All but one of the Congress members participating in the discussion supported the Bill in principle but wanted to develop it by convention.
Speaking on April 29, 1966, on behalf of the government, Jaisukhlal Hathi, Minister of State for Home, said: “I may say at once that so far as the government and the party and all of us are concerned, those who believe in democracy, in parliamentary method, there can be no doubt in principle that the Prime Minister should be normally a member elected to Lok Sabha.”
Further he stated: “Therefore it is a question of having conventions, and nobody would deny that we should set up healthy conventions and such conventions as have force more than any law, more than any written law.”
Hathi lastly observed: “While the spirit behind the Bill is acceptable, it would not be proper to have such a provision in the Constitution. There may be occasions—that too for a limited period—[when] a Prime Minister has to be from the other House.”
In his reply, Kamath said: “I thank the warm support not merely in the House, but in the press and among the people as well. It has been said by several honourable members that we may not amend the Constitution for this purpose. Why not a convention, a healthy tradition as it has grown up in other countries to support the grand edifice of parliamentary democracy…. I wish, and pray to God also, that such a tradition grows in our country. I would like to remind you all that of the manifold ways in which healthy traditions have not grown in this country, but also traditions are set at naught in various ways. I would only point out one or two instances….
“Press reports recently have said that in Himachal Pradesh, the warrant of precedence has been newly devised: to put the President of the local Congress Committee to come next to the Chief Minister. I do not know under what provision this has been devised. It is almost like putting Kamaraj next to the Prime Minister. Next, the Governor of Kerala flew from Trivandrum to Delhi to take part in the party election and indulge in partisan attitude. When the matter was raised, the convenient argument was trotted out that there was no code of conduct for Governor. Because of these things, as traditions detrimental to parliamentary democracy have been built up; hence I would like to have the Constitution amended for this purpose.”
The House was adjourned on that day (April 29, 1966). At the next session of the private members’ business on May 13, 1966, the voting was to be taken as per the Rules of Procedure in respect of a Constitution Amendment Bill. As the government opposed the amendment Bill, the Bill was negatived when the division was taken.
Indira Gandhi successfully contested the 1967 election to be a member of the Lok Sabha and attended the Lok Sabha on March 7, 1967, as the Leader of the House.
The Leader of the House is an important functionary directly and immediately responsible for issues in that House to which the Cabinet is solely accountable.
When in 1991, P.V. Narasimha Rao was elected Prime Minister, he was not a member of either House of Parliament; however, within the time prescribed, he won a byelection from the Nandyal Lok Sabha constituency by an enormous lead of over five lakh votes—a Guinness record.
When major parties such as the Congress, the Janata Party, the Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party formed governments, the Prime Minister was invariably a member of the Lok Sabha.
After the 2004 election, the Congress was to form the government with the support of 14 of its electoral allies and the outside support of the Left parties.
At the time, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had been elected to the Lok Sabha. Though she was called by the President to form the government, she chose Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister.
Solemn commitment
The question is: What happened to the solemn commitment made by the Indira Gandhi government during the Lok Sabha debate of the H.V. Kamath Bill in 1966?
Speaking on behalf of the government, the Minister of State for Home said: “So far as the government and the party and all of us are concerned, those who believe in democracy, in parliamentary method, there can be no doubt in principle that [the] Prime Minister should be normally a member elected to Lok Sabha…. It should not be that there should be a total ban or bar. In exceptional circumstances for a limited period, there should be no objection if the Prime Minister is also from Rajya Sabha…. Therefore it is a question of having conventions and nobody would deny that the conventions have force more than the law, more than the written Constitution.”
The following issues need to be clarified:
Was the appointment of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister in 2004 not a departure from the solemn declaration made in 1966 by the Congress government and the Congress party on the acceptance of the principle that the Prime Minister should be an elected member of the Lok Sabha—a principle to be implemented by “convention having more force than the written Constitution”?
The government stated in 1966 that “there may be occasions—that too for a limited period—a Prime Minister has to be from the other House”. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has continued in the post of Prime Minister for over nine years. Is it a “short period” as visualised in 1966?
In the Lok Sabha debate in 1966 Congress member Harish Chandra Mathur referred to the decision of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that “all the Cabinet Ministers from the House [Rajya Sabha], if they were to continue in the Cabinet after the elections, must contest the elections and come to Lok Sabha”. Is there an exemption to the post of Prime Minister in the case of Manmohan Singh?
H.V. Kamath pointed out in the Lok Sabha that one member who had been defeated in the prior election was appointed to the Cabinet of Indira Gandhi—incidentally at that time it attracted wide criticism and evoked critical comments in the media. Has this point any relevance now in the case of Manmohan Singh who, despite being defeated in the 1999 general election from the South Delhi parliamentary constituency, continues to be Prime Minister?
Regarding the preference for parliamentary system over the presidential system, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee, explained: “Under the non-parliamentary system, such as the one that exists in the U.S.A., the assessment of the responsibility of the executive is periodic. It takes place once in two years. It is done by the electorate. In England, where the parliamentary system prevails, the assessment of responsibility of the executive is both daily and periodic. The daily assessment is done by Members of Parliament, through questions, resolutions, no-confidence motions, adjournment motions and debates on addresses. Periodic assessment is done by the electorate at the time of the election which may take place every five years or earlier. The daily assessment of responsibility which is not available under the American system is, it is felt, far more effective than the periodic assessment and far more necessary in a country like India. The Draft Constitution in recommending the parliamentary system of executive has preferred more responsibility to more stability.”
The daily assessment can be done only by the Lok Sabha in India; hence the Prime Minister should necessarily be an elected Member of the Lok Sabha.
Role of Prime Minister in a parliamentary system
In his meritorious treatise Cabinet Government, Ivor Jennings stated: “The government owes a responsibility to the House of Commons alone. A vote in that House can compel the government either to resign or to advise dissolution of the House. The Prime Minister is not merely chairman of the Cabinet; he is, also, responsible for the party organisation. That organisation matters in the House of Commons and does not matter in the House of Lords. Even when the government has the majority in the House of Lords, the effective decisions are taken in the lower House. It is essential, in practice, that the Prime Minister should have his finger on the pulse of Parliament; that is in the House of Commons” (page 24).
More categorical was the assertion of Walter Bagehot in his The British Constitution: “A Prime Minister must show what he is. He must meet the House of Commons in debate; he must be able to guide the Assembly in the management of its business, to gain its ear in every emergency, to rule it in its hours of excitement. He is conspicuously submitted to searching test, and if he fails, he must resign” (page 58).
In his nine years of adorning the venerable post of Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has failed miserably in all his duties which require no searching test; the only option before him is resignation.
Era Sezhiyan was a Rajya Sabha member. Email: erasezhiyan@gmail.com
General Elections 2014 - Predictions by TN Ashok
1:31 AM Election analysis 1 comment
T N Ashok, political analyst (inset)
2014 general elections is getting curious. There is a tremendous
ground swell for Modi as the Prime Minister from the BJP led NDA judging by the programmes and advertisements beamed day in day out by almost all the TV channels, at least in northern India. Its bordering on a hype being created by the channels, which some political observers claim, is a determined objective to occupy the mind space of the voters before the elections so that they remember the BJP symbol and Modi as the man to vote for.
BJP has also put up some weak candidates against some powerful adversaries. One could say it’s a token fight as BJP itself knows that the outcome is not going to be in their favour. Take for instance Smriti Irani, a BJP MP and a onetime popular TV serial actress, is contesting against the mighty Rahul Gandhi. She is a political light weight against Rahul because she longer enjoys the TV serial advantage. Also AAP has put up a verse writer Kumar Vishwas in the same amethi constituency of Rahul Gandhi, he is popular but not a giant killer.
So the strategy of the leading political parties is very clear: While the canons are arraigned against each other, top leaders are spared – BJP dare not oppose Sonia Gandhi, Congress dare not oppose Modi, AAP dare not oppose Rahul or Sonia. So it’s all token fights ‘while public posturing may be different to keep a semblance of a fight in front of the voters.
On AAP, which is campaigning vigorously in the northern belt of UP and Bihar and even in Maharashtra in Western India, the party came with a lot of expectations from the people in the Delhi assembly polls capturing some 28 of 40 seats, but faltered by first seeking its adversary Congress’s support to form the government and 2) resigning in haste over the lok pal bill betraying the trust of the Delhi voters. My reckoning of election trends and views from trusted sources in the political firmament, the party has lost its momentum and cannot muster more than 20 seats maximum, But that’s enough for them to create havoc at the centre with the lung power they will have through their intellectuals and might of knowledge power.
Areas they could get votes: UP, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Karnataka and some scattered seats in rest of India.
Gut feeling: For all the so called Modi hype in the media, the BJP Led NDA front is just crossing the 200 figure mark with or without the allies???? But that would be a setback for the BJP. Both Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries and Gautam Adani of the Adani industrial group, both hail from Gujarat land of Modi, are known admirers of Na Mo and his style of development in Gujarat. Wanting the same in rest of the country and obviously irked by the policy paralysis in the Manmohan Singh government, they are said to be funding the election campaigns
of Na Mo to the hilt.
Some NRI s from USA and UK and some parts of Europe are also said to have pumped in huge quantities of money in the elections on fears that Modi might be their last best bet for stable, effective and good governance for the country, as any 3rd front alliance based on opportunism and no clear objectives or ideals on investments or economic policies could take the country down further from where the
Congress led UPA alliance had left the country with its populist
schemes of an expenditure splurge in the midst of a recession that showed no signs of abating. All major industries are backing Modi as they want the country out of policy paralysis. Evidence can be seen in the statements of trade bodies such as CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM.
Again we have some uncorroborated reports purportedly fed by
Intelligence agencies that the BJP in its last ditch effort to seize
power at the centre, having found a powerful candidate such as Modi to catch the imagination of the people, had splurged upwards of Rs 100 crore each on top TV channels in terms of advertisement and endorsement support. No one has any idea of how much the campaigning in the electronic media has cost the BJP but, it’s in hundreds of crores , informed sources said.
Whether the election coverage by some of these TV channels helps create a hype around Modi as the possible saviour of the country in the political and economic front bringing in stability in both spheres is something that has to be tested because the BJP election campaign has to successfully translate into votes.
Is the Modi hype a balloon or real? : How strong is the ground swell for Modi, will it stay inflated or burst is the million dollar
question. One hopes the Modi hype does not end up as a damp squib as the India shining campaign of 2009 because this time around the BJP has mustered all its strength to swing it to power – projecting a charismatic candidate such as Modi, who has the power of oratory and the magical skills of marketing. Enormous funding for the election campaigns, a huge army led for the first time by its potent grass root force the RSS which has jumped into the election fray.
It’s no secret that in political campaigns, cadre based parties always hold the trump card, BJP has a tremendous cadre in the RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Baj Rang Dal etc. Barring the CPI and CPM or the DMK, none of the other political parties have this advantage of a cadre based working system
What seems to be clear is that with the new 10 crore voters in the age group of 18 to 25 voting for the first time, the possibility of a 3rd front emerging to form the government as in the period before 2004 does not seem a possibility. Majority of them are said to be anti-congress because of unemployment situation during the recession and they are said to be going either with BJP or the AAP. They will decide the new government as they hold the swing vote.
Based on the above scenarios emerging, it’s safe to make some educated guesses as to the outcome of the people’s verdict based on some pre poll surveys.
Scenario One: Modi Wave: Based on his personal charisma and Gujarat model of development as BJP led NDA’s election campaign USP.
BJP + plus NDA allies = 270 to 300 seats.
(BJP 190 to 250 seats and allies 80 to 50 seats)
Scenario Two: Vote for change not necessarily based on a Modi WAVE.
Key states which matter:
Uttar Pradesh (80), Bihar (50), Rajasthan (25), Madhya Pradesh (40), Punjab (13), Maharashtra (48), Gujarat (26), West Bengal (42).
Media reports suggest that BJP has put in max efforts in UP and Bihar to get anything between 80 to 90 seats destabilising the current war lords there in terms of BSP led by Mayawati and SP led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and obliterating the Congress. Rajasthan, MP and Chattisgarh, where BJP regimes already administer the state, are expected to get them the additional numbers. Maharashtra where BJP is tied up with the potent Shiv Sena and Gujarat, home state, could provide the swing, unless division in the shiv sena ranks as between the rivalries of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray upsets the apple cart and splits the votes in favour of the Congress and NCP in Maharashtra. Low voting in the state has also causes some fears.
Guestimates: Uttar Pradesh -- BJP 49, BSP 16, SP 14, and Congress 06.
Bihar: BJP 24, JD (U) 13, RJD
10, Cong 04
Rajasthan BJP 22 rest others
MP BJP 27 rest others
Punjab BJP+ SAD 19 rest others
Maharashtra BJP + SS 24, Cong+NCP 20
Gujarat BJP 20, Cong 04, AAP 01.
As per this projection, BJP should get 185 out of 315 seats in seven key states in north and west and central India. This not an entirely a wave but something short of it.
In the south projections for key states are: Karnataka: Congress will do well with 18 seats, BJP 10, JD(S) 8. Andhra Pradesh: YSR Congress 19 seats, Congress 06, TDP 15 and TRS 08. Tamil Nadu AIADMK 23, DMK 10, Congress 02, BJP alliance 04.
This projection gives BJP 204 out of 382 seats in 10 key states. The remaining 13 seats with 161 seats hold the key to government formation.
It’s anybody's guess that with the most powerful publicity blitz ever launched by a political party in a general election centred around one personality, the BJP will emerge as the single largest party. But will it fall short of the mark or succeed in mustering the right numbers to form the government? Wait and Watch. The suspense has not yet abated. May16 is not far away. Lot of surprises could be in the offing.
For feedback send mail to ashoktnex@gmail.com
By T N Ashok (a former election analyst of pti).
Debate on the Gujarat Development Model
1:03 AM Narendra Modi No comments
The 2014 General Elections is in full swing. Nearly four-fifth of the nation has voted, indicating its preference for candidates. While the early days of poll campaigns have been marked by debates on issues such as secularism, communalism, discussions are now swinging towards the advocacy of the Gujarat Model of Development for the nation as being canvassed by its proponents.
As is normal in a democracy, there are also opponents to the recommendation of this model of development for the whole nation as they question the credentials and veracity of reports of success of such a model.
Leading the political leaders who criticised the Gujarat Type of Model of Development was the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalitha, claiming Tamil Nadu had a better model of industrial development. Soon enough, the media labelled the issue, ‘Modi vs Lady’ and sought to fan a controversy.
Stalin, son of the DMK leader, M Karunanidhi , leading opposition party leader, added his own bit to the topic by including ‘Daddy’ (referring to his father, Karunanidhi), claiming the DMK regime under his father brought in more development. Congress Vice-President, Rahul Gandhi, in his keenness to counter Modi, inadvertently supported his political rival, Jayalalitha.
Amidst this flurry of pros and cons over the Gujarat model of development, I decided to investigate what it was about the Gujarat model under Modi’s regime that has drawn so much discussion in the public domain and sucked political leaders into a virtual verbal maelstrom.
I visited Gujarat in the third week of April 2014 and had interactions with many people, including some Government officials, political leaders, and the general public. Whatever the official claims of efficacy from the departments of the state government advocating the Gujarat development, one can find visible evidences of growth, improvement in irrigation systems, infrastructure development and e-Governance, uninterrupted 3-phase electricity in all villages, linking of rivers and creating more water bodies. Other states are trying to implement the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) model introduced in Ahmedabad.
In the last 10 years, Official sources claim that Gujarat has laid 5000 kilometres of six-lane roads. After the 2002 riots, Gujarat has not witnessed a single riot and curfew till date, the sources said.
After 2003, Modi has been focusing on good governance, the sources I talked to said, pointing out that the issue of ration cards, driving license, property card, redressal of grievances, getting electricity connection – all get done with consummate ease, without having to pay a single rupee as consideration to any government official or anyone in the public administration machinery.
Empowerment has been effectively delegated to various functionaries. The Chief Minister personally reviews the functioning and the status of public grievances through video conferencing with all Districts and Ministers, every fourth Thursday of the month, I was told.
Modi had set a vision, ‘BIG2020’ to make Gujarat a globally preferred place to live and conduct business. Within five years of the announcement of this vision, the state attracted Rs.6500 billion crore of foreign investment in 687 projects, official figures shared with me claimed. Gujarat is one of these rare states that utilises in entirety, the funds allotted by the Central Government for the state development projects.
Definitely, there are other states which have enough development in their regions to showcase. But in my personal opinion, the main difference between Gujarat and the other states is that Modi has succeeded in making the six crore people of his progressive state to feel they themselves part of the great change That is evidence for you as to why Modi has won the state elections for four consecutive terms and the right to govern the state, as people pinned great hopes on him to change their lives further.
I hope all political parties and panelists maintain a healthy debate on the Development Models that they propagate during the rest of the campaign, corroborating their claims with credible evidence, so that the electorate can make out for themselves what real development is and what is on paper. My interactions with responsible people in Gujarat has pointed to the efficacy of the Gujarat model of development.
By K. Srinivasan
Souce: www.prpoint.com/ezine/presense0414.pdf
Narendra Modi, Prime Ministerial candidate – An analysis
12:53 AM BJP , Narendra Modi No comments
Early days of Narendra Modi
Even as political parties hit the campaign trail with their leaders delivering spirited speeches to elect them to power, it is worth looking at the profile of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, who has virtually become a household name in every nook and corner of the country. Billboards dot every city in the country showing the vest-coated Modi with the slogan “Ab ki baar, Modi ki sarkar” (this time round it is Modi’s reign). Radio spots tout a woman called corruption, wanting to quit the country after 10 years because Modi is now coming to clean the stable (the country) of corruption.
After having missed the bus in 2004 despite a successful run by then PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and again in 2009 because of party in-fighting, BJP has now mounted a powerful nation-wide campaign, projecting Narendra Modi as the man of the hour to fight corruption and inefficiency, and to take bold decisions to kickstart the economy that has remained stagnant during the past few years.
BJP’s gamble on the strong, no-nonsense man, Modi, acclaimed for his Gujarat-type development model, has evoked mixed responses nation-wide, with some swearing by him and some others questioning the efficacy of his economic fundamentals. Yet, sixty-four year old Narendra Damodardas Modi, born in Sep 1950 in Vadnagar, Gujarat, has occupied mind space across the nation.
Let us look at the profile of this much discussed man, described by his detractors as an autocrat of Hitler’s mettle and some others calling him a strong administrator, who could crack the whip to get the administration and its bureaucrats moving. In 1970, Modi joined the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a full-time pracharak (propagandist). He also helped his father and his brother in the family business of a tea stall. He was an average student at school, but he was recognised for his brilliant oratory skills.
Modi was appointed the National Secretary of BJP after the successful 1995 Gujarat Elections, during which campaign he demonstrated his organisational skills and his ability to return his party to power in the state. He continues to successfully retain power for over a decade, winning every election since then, convincingly.
Bharath Matha Mohan, one of Modi’s close associates from 1978 till date, said, “Modi is affectionate with all the people, and is deeply committed to the nation. He has never shied away from taking up any challenging responsibility. He has an amazing, photographic memory and he can remember a person and recall the association and the conversations even after many years”.
Taking over as Chief Minister of Gujarat
Narendra Modi led BJP to a massive victory in 1995 (121 seats) and 1998 (117 seats) in the State Elections in Gujarat. BJP came to power in 1995 for the first time and since then it has retained power. In January 2001, when Keshubai Patel was the Chief Minister, a massive earthquake devastated the state, hitting Bhuj. Nearly 20,000 people died and properties worth thousands of crore were damaged. Keshubai Patel was not in good health at that time and the administrative machinery was not equipped well enough to handle a calamity of such magnitude. BJP faced much criticism from the public.
Seeing his immense capabilities, the BJP leadership then entrusted the task of Chief Ministership to Narendra Modi. Modi was not even an MLA and lacked any experience in governance. After a long deliberation, BJP confidently decided to make him the Chief Minister because of his effective organising abilities and dedication. “It is a rarest of the rare decision in politics” said Mohan, recalling those tumultuous days. On 7th October 2001, Modi took charge as the Chief Minister, from Keshubai Patel.
Major challenge – History of Communal riots
With minimal experience in disaster management, Modi rose to the occasion displaying his remarkable leadership skills in organising relief to the victims. He rebuilt the entire devastated area within three years, which normally could have taken more than 10 years.
Gujarat has been in the grip of communal riots since 1714. Even in the post-independence era, thousands of people belonging to different communities continued to die in communal clashes. Justice Reddy Commission and Justice Davy Commission, which examined the issue of communal riots in Gujarat, recorded 2938 such instances in the 1960s. Though the official estimate of the death toll in the 1969 riots was 5000, the actual death toll was reported to be more than 15,000. 1980s and 1990s also saw many communal clashes, resulting in huge loss of human lives and properties, belonging to the Hindus and the Muslims. Many parts of Gujarat were under curfew for many days.
On 27th Feb 2002, 58 Hindu Karsevaks were burnt alive by some miscreants in Godhra Railway Station. This sparked a communal clash between the Hindus and the Muslims the following day, in 36 different places in the state.
Though the army took control of the situation the following day i.e. on 1st March 2002, 1100 lives of both communities were lost by that time.
Facing adverse criticism as a man new to the government, Modi resigned and dissolved the assembly in July 2002. The Governor however, requested him to continue in office. On 24th Sep 2002, the famed Akshardam Temple was attacked by Pakistani terrorists. This created yet another big challenge to the Gujarat Government. In the Dec 2002 elections, BJP, led by Modi, secured 127 out of the 182 seats in the Assembly, and he became the Chief Minister for a second term.
A more confident Modi launched initiatives to overcome the challenges, facing the state, and he set himself to improve the governance of the state.
In the 2007 elections, he secured 117 seats and in 2012 elections, he secured 115 seats. Modi thus assumed his office for the fourth term as Chief Minister, a rare feat by any chief minister. The closest anyone has come to this record is the Congress ex-Chief Minister of Delhi, Ms Shiela Dikshit. She was successfully elected for three terms. She is now the governor of the state of Kerala.
After 2002, not a single incidence of communal clashes or death has been reported in Gujarat. The state has not placed any area under curfew ever since.
Narendra Modi is both the most admired as well as the most abused or maligned politician of this nation. We gathered some first-hand information from different sources in Gujarat to find out why this was so and how much of it was myth and how much of it, reality.
Modi introduced new systems to improve the state governance and to maintain peace in the state. The State Wide Attention on Grievances with Application of Technology (SWAGAT), launched in April 2003, is an initiative to redress public grievances. On the fourth Thursday of every month, the Chief Minister holds a video conference with all his ministers, his secretaries, the district collectors and other field functionaries to review pending grievances and the progress of projects in the pipeline.
United Nations Award for better Governance
In 2010, the United Nations presented an award in the category of ‘Improving Transparency, Accountability and Responsibility in Public Service’ to the Gujarat Government . “The real test of good governance is its grievance redressal system. In an ideal democratic system, people should be able to voice their problems freely and also get them resolved quickly”, Modi had stated in one of his speeches.
In order to give more microscopic attention to the villages and towns, Modi increased the number of districts from 26 to 33 and also divided the Taluks to facilitate better attention to the welfare of the people. He introduced the Apno Taluko, Vibrant Taluko (ATVT) Scheme to empower the officials at the grassroot level to take quick decisions.
Since 2003, Modi has been organising a three-day ‘Chintan Shibir’ (brain-storming session) annually in one of the resorts. All his Ministers, State Secretaries, and field-level IAS officers as well as other functionaries are invited to participate. Many eminent people like Dr Abdul Kalam, Secretaries from the Government of India, and experts from different fields were invited as guests, to share their views. During these three days, various group discussions are held on different problems, and at the end of it, the officials returned to their offices, equipped with effective decisions and solutions.
Modi would spend all the three days in the same campus. He would interact with the officials in small groups, during the breakfast, lunch and dinner sessions, to understand their problems. This Shibir is a unique governance model practised only in Gujarat and successfully running for the past 10 years. It is learnt that other states are planning to replicate this model. The Gujarat Government has received several awards at national and international levels, for its model of governance.
Prime Minister Dr Man Mohan Singh presenting Excellence in Public Administration Award to Gujarat Government in April 2013
In 2013, the Prime Minister presented an award for public administration to the Gujarat Government.
When we spoke to one of the District Collectors of Gujarat (name withheld due to the moral code in force), he said that Modi used to motivate all the officers with his oratory skill and would individually encourage them. “I am fortunate to work with Mr Modi. He is a good motivator. At the same time, he also ensures that projects are completed on time. He does not behave like a boss. He is always a leader and a mentor”, the IAS officer said with pride.
Another senior bureaucrat from New Delhi said that Modi had been focusing on infrastructure development, education, healthcare, industry and trade for long term benefit. He would refer to the example of interlinking the rivers, Sabarmati and Narmada, as this has helped improve the irrigation and water supply in many parts of the state.
“Agriculture productivity is 9%, as against the national average of 2%. The latest reports indicate that this national average has now touched 4%. Modi is one leader capable of using existing and available resources for development”, the bureaucrat added.
Criticisms against Narendra Modi
Although the people of Gujarat have voted Modi’s government into power for the fourth term in succession, the opposition parties and some Muslim leaders criticise him, comparing him with Adolf Hitler and allege his involvement in the post-Godhra riots. They also allege that discrimination is shown by Modi to the people of a particular religious faith.
Some of his critics say that the development story of Gujarat as projected by Modi was a farce and they claim that many villages in the state, still do not have power and electricity.
How others perceive?
On behalf of ezine, PreSense, I spoke to Dastagir Sheik (56), a car driver from Ahmedabad. He has been living in Gujarat since his birth. He said that he had seen riots and curfew for many years in the earlier decades, but after 2002, the state had remained peaceful. The Hindu and Muslim communities were engaged profitably in their own avocations. “Earlier, some people from both the communities were not gainfully employed. Thus, they used to engage in rowdyism, creating communal tension. They were also involved in illegal activities. But now, the progress in the state’s economic development has ensured that everyone was occupied. A strict vigil by the authorities deters people from unlawful acts” Dastagir added.
Jaffar Sadig (32), a shop-keeper from Vadodra, endorsed similar views. He raved about the leadership of Narendra Modi. “Mr Modi is not a Hitler. He is a strong person. He has control over the entire administration. Corruption is minimal in Gujarat. We should not linger on the past riots. We need to move ahead. I will definitely vote for Modi, who is standing from our constituency. Besides me, a majority of the Muslims will vote for him”, he added confidently.
“It is pointless to continue accusing Modi for what happened in 2002. Even the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court has not found any valid allegation against him. In the past 11 years, there has not been a single instance of riot reported. I do not understand why the media is spreading false information and not covering the success stories.”, Mohan added.
The District Collector (name withheld), with whom I spoke over the telephone, said that whenever the people came with their grievances, the Administration examines the issues to find suitable solutions for the people.
“In our district, we used to have low voltage and power fluctuation for various reasons. Immediately, we added a few more sub-stations and resolved the problem within a few days. We do not believe in ignoring the grievances. We believe in resolving them. Narendra Modi has set systems in place like Chintan Shibir, SWAGAT, ATVT, for effective functioning of the systems”, he added.
When asked about the negative projection of the Modi Government by the media, all of those interviewed were unanimous in saying, “Let anybody visit Gujarat and see for themselves. We do not understand why the media is projecting incorrectly, when there are many positive results to cover and share”.
What is unique in Modi that differentiates him from others?
When there were many leaders in the party, why was Modi chosen as the Prime Ministerial Candidate? What is the uniqueness in him that made him the PM candidate? When I asked this question to Mohan, his long-time friend, he immediately responded that his organising ability and effective administration were the main qualities and reason.
Mr.N. Vittal, retired IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre and the former Central Vigilance Commissioner of India, was closely associated with Narendra Modi in 2003, in establishing the good governance model. “The so-called secular English electronic media pry into Modi’s affairs with microscopic scrutiny. Even trivial issues are exaggerated to malign him. In the past 10 years, he has brought about good model of governance. The media does not bother to talk about this”, Vittal says.
“I have worked with several politicians. Mr Modi is a great listener and learner. He is like a sponge, which can absorb water immediately. He can absorb knowledge quickly. When you say something to him, he is able to comprehend and think ahead quickly. I have seen this quality only in Rajaji (C.Rajagopalachari)”, Says Vittal.
It was Dalai Lama who said, “When you talk or speak, you are only reiterating or recalling what you already know. But when you listen, you are on the learning curve; you learn a lot.”
We can say that Modi is among the rare breed of politicians who has developed the ability to listen to others to emerge with solutions to public problems.
By K. Srinivasan and T N Ashok
source: www.prpoint.com/ezine/presense0314.pdf
This site is authored by K. Srinivasan, Founder of Prime Point Foundation, Chennai. Srinivasan is a communication consultant. He is also a social activist, deeply interested in encouraging youngsters towards good politics and governance. Every year, he is also presenting Sansad Ratna Awards to the top performing Lok Sabha Members.
He can be contacted at prpoint@gmail.com.
Rise and fall of Rajiv Gandhi - General Elections 1984 - Emergence of communal politics in large scale
Rise and fall of V P Singh - General Elections 1989 - Emergence of caste politics in large scale
Rise and fall of Indira Gandhi - General Elections 1980
Post Emergency scenario - Rise and fall of Janata Government
Indian democracy came to a grinding halt in 1975 - Part III
Dr B R Ambedkar's last speech in the Constituent Assembly on adoption of the constitution (25th Novembr 1949(
Modi Sarkar – 40 Months of Governance – A Quick Survey Rings a Warning Bell
The Making of the Indian Constitution – Interesting Facts
Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar - Another Forgotten Legend in Indian History
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Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Sthalekar born in Poona, India, moved to Australia when she was 4. Lisa plays for Australia (Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars), New South Wales (Lend Lease Breakers) and Gordon Women’s Cricket team. One of the key players in the team, she is a right-handed all rounder who bowls off spin and was rated as the leading all rounder in the world when rankings were introduced. She is the first woman to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in ODIs.
Lisa made her debut in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) late in 1997–98 as a specialist bowler. It took her a number of seasons to go up the batting order and it wasn’t until Belinda Clark left that she had the opportunity to open the batting in 2001-02.
This was after she was called into the Australian team in 2001 for the first time. Playing as a bowler, she made her One Day International (ODI) debut against England and ended the tour of the British Isles with five wickets from as many matches.
In early 2003, she made her Test debut against England and made 120 not out, her maiden century, in her second match. One of her greatest highlights came when playing in the 2005 World Cup triumph in South Africa and scoring 55 against India in the final.
In the 2007 Quadrangular series (top 4 nations) Sthalekar was named player of tournament scoring 394 runs at an average of 98.5. The other World Cup success came through the T20 format in 2010. Held in the West Indies, Australia played against New Zealand in a thrilling match that came down to the last ball. Sthalekar was named in the Team of the Tournament for her all rounder performance.
Lisa Sthalekar recently became the highest all time wicket-taker in the WNCL claiming 150 scalps, this is to go along with being the most capped player in the competition. She has also been part of 12 successful winning WNCL titles and lead the team to 5 successive titles.
Print, TV & Radio Media
Lisa had the audience captivated. The story of the rise of women's sport in this country is hard to ignore, and her path was amazing. There was a woman in the room who didn't leave wondering where women's sport is headed, and the men gave it all more respect.
Indian Executive Club
"There are no videos available at this time for Lisa Sthalekar"
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Let’s Help Jerrie Mock!!!
This is The Jerrie Mock Story. I didn’t know that she was the first woman to fly solo around the world. I only discovered this because I met Nancy Roe Pimm. She wrote this book to help people to learn about Jerrie.
I’m writing this post because I want to help Nancy. Her latest mission— to see Jerrie Mock selected for the National Aviation Hall of Fame. I hope you’ll read her one-page letter of nomination. Please read all the way to the end to discover how you can help Jerrie too.
Jerrie Mock is the first woman to cross both the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean, the first woman to land a plane in Saudi Arabia, the first to fly across the Pacific Ocean in both directions, the first to fly across the Pacific Ocean in a single-engine airplane, the first woman to fly from the United States to Africa via the North Atlantic, and on April 17, 1964 Jerrie Mock became the first woman to fly solo around the world.
Geraldine (Jerrie) Lois, the daughter of Timothy and Blanche Fredritz, was born in Newark, Ohio on November 22, 1925. Jerrie took her first airplane ride in a Ford Trimotor at age seven and declared, “I’m going to be a pilot when I grow up.” As Jerrie grew, so did her dream. In middle school she announced to her friends, “I’m going to be a pilot, and I’m going to fly around the world.” As a young girl she followed the flying adventures of Amelia Earhart. Jerrie was devastated when Amelia disappeared in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Jerrie studied aeronautical engineering at The Ohio State University before she married Russell Mock in 1945. Jerrie earned her private pilot’s license in 1958, and she managed Price Field airport in 1961, making her the first woman to manage an airport. In 1962, Jerrie and Russell Mock purchased a nine-year-old Cessna 180. As she planned and prepared to follow her childhood dream, Jerrie discovered that if successful, she would be the first woman to fly solo around the world. Brigadier General Richard Lassiter and Capitan Art Weiner from the United States Air Force helped Jerrie prepare navigation maps, check weather forecasts, and get the necessary clearances from embassies around the world. Jerrie accomplished her dream in a single engine plane with no GPS. She relied on a Bendix VHF radio, dual short-range radios, long-range radio, twin radio-direction finders, maps, compasses, and a plane with added gas tanks capable of carrying 183 gallons of aviation fuel.
She earned the Aero Classic Aviation Progress Award, Amelia Earhart Memorial Award, the American Institute of Aeronautics Distinguished Service Award, Experimental Aircraft Association Special Award, Louis Bleriot Silver Medal, Milestones in Manned Flight Trophy, National Aviation Trades Association Special Award, Ohio Governor’s Award, Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame, and the National Pilot’s Association Pilot of the Year Award. After her historic flight, President Lyndon Johnson invited Jerrie Mock to the White House to receive the Federal Aviation Agency Gold Medal for Exceptional Service. The United States Air Force invited Jerrie to fly in a supersonic F-101 Vodoo Fighter and they named a street at Rickenbacker Air Force Base in her honor (Jerrie Mock Avenue). When Jerrie learned that the three Russian women, Marina Raskova, Polina Osipenko, and Valentina Grizodubova had taken the international record for straight -line distance from her childhood hero Amelia Earhart on September 24-25, 1938, Jerrie vowed to take it back. Jerrie Mock shattered the Russian record when she flew for thirty-one hours non-stop (4,528 miles), on April 9-10, 1966, to bring the record back to the United States! She went on to set a many more records: non-stop flight over a closed-course on July 1-2, 1966, 500-kilometer closed-course speed record on September 28, 1966, and a world closed-course record for speed over a recognized course on June 28-29, 1966. When Jerrie Mock delivered and donated her Cessna P-206 on October 30, 1969 to missionaries in Papua, New Guinea, she set nine records in eleven days. A bronze statue of Jerrie Mock was unveiled on April 17, 2014 at Port Columbus International Airport. On December 17, 2015, Jerrie Mock was honored as a person outstanding in the field of aviation, nationally and internationally, with an induction into the First Flight Society at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. An American-Afghan refugee met with Jerrie Mock in 2014. Jerrie gave Shaesta Waiz advice and encouragement to fly around the world. In September 2017, Shaesta followed her dream and became the first woman from Afghanistan, and the youngest woman to fly around the world. Shaesta considers Jerrie Mock her hero and mentor. Jerrie Mock inspires us all to believe that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, girls and women included!
Shaesta Waiz is in the first photo. The second is her hero and mentor, Jerrie Mock. If you agree with Shaesta and Nancy, please go to the The National Aviation Hall of Fame by JUNE 1st and send a message in support of Jerrie. With your help, I hope we get Jerrie into the Aviation Hall of fame.
1. Copy, paste, and go to this link on the internet by June 1st: www.nationalaviation.org
2. Find the HOME bar. Scan across to Nominations and click on it.
3. Scroll to the bottom to: Contact NAHF. Then fill in Name, Email, and Message.
4. Click Submit, and you will have helped Jerrie Mock find her place in the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
Thanks for using your words to help Jerrie Mock find her place in the Hall of Fame. Any person who’s the first to fly solo around the world, certainly deserves a spot there.
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Holykatana
Disney Traditional
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Bambi (1942)
Make Mine Music (1946)
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
The Sword In the Stone (1963)
The Aristocats (1970)
Robin Hood (1973)
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Oliver & Company (1988)
Pocahontas (1995)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Treasure Planet (2002)
Disney 3D
Dinosaur (2000)
The Wild (2006)
Mars Needs Moms (2011)
Planes (2013)
Zootopia (2016)
Moana (2016)
A Bug's Life (1998)
WALL*E (2008)
DreamWorks 3D
Shark Tale (2004)
Bee Movie (2007)
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009)
Puss In Boots (2011)
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
The Croods (2013)
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)
Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
Zemeckis Motion Capture
The Polar Express (2004)
Beowulf (2007)
Other 3D
Hoodwinked! (2005)
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
Open Season (2006)
Surf's Up (2007)
Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
The Lorax (2012)
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Bugs Bunny Superstar (1975)
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979)
The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981)
1001 Rabbit Tales (1982)
Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island (1983)
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988)
Charlie Brown Features
A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)
Snoopy, Come Home (1972)
Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977)
Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (1980)
DreamWorks Traditional
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
The Road To El Dorado (2000)
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
Other Traditional
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)
Gulliver's Travels (1939)
Mr. Bug Goes To Town (1941)
Animal Farm (1954)
Gay Purr-ee (1962)
The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)
Charlotte's Web (1973)
Fantastic Planet (1973)
Allegro Non Troppo (1977)
Watership Down (1978)
The Secret of NIMH (1982)
The Last Unicorn (1982)
The Plague Dogs (1982)
The Flight of Dragons (1982)
The Brave Little Toaster (1987)
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)
The Thief and the Cobbler (1993)
Anastasia (1997)
Waking Life (2001)
Curious George (2006)
Chico & Rita (2010)
A Cat In Paris (2010)
Ernest & Celestine (2012)
Wallace and Gromit
A Grand Day Out (1989)
The Wrong Trousers (1993)
Wallace and Gromit In a Close Shave (1995)
Cracking Contraptions (2002)
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)
Other Stop-Motion
The Adventures of Mark Twain (1986)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Chicken Run (2000)
Corpse Bride (2005)
ParaNorman (2012)
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)
The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds (1984)
Laputa: Castle In the Sky (1986)
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Porco Rosso (1992)
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Ponyo (2008)
The Wind Rises (2013)
Other Notable Anime
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997)
The End of Evangelion (1997)
Metropolis (2001)
Millennium Actress (2001)
Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door (2001)
The Animatrix (2003)
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Ghost In the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
Paprika (2006)
Tales From Earthsea (2006)
A Letter To Momo (2011)
Partial Animation
Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
Song of the South (1946)
Tron (1982)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
Osmosis Jones (2001)
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Huff philosphical as his run of success takes a dive 'down under'
An unfortunate mechanical failure on Rotek Racing’s Audi R8 LMS took the team out of the running at the four-hour mark of the 2014 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hours at Australia’s legendary Mount Panorama circuit (7-9 February).
However, 2012 FIA World Touring Car Champion, Rob Huff, reflects on his extraordinary achievements in some of world motorsport’s most prestigious endurance racing contests, after his run of success came to a disappointing end ‘down under’.
“An extraordinary run of success in endurance racing came to an end ‘down under’ in what was shaping up to be yet another lucrative race,” said Huff. “Three visits to the podium in quick succession – victory in the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill in California with a Rotek Racing Audi TTRS and two second places in the Dunlop Dubai 24 Hours and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona – really stirred my imagination and passion for endurance racing. Once you’ve tasted success like that, you only crave more!
“It was a pretty tricky start to the Bathurst 12 Hours weekend for the Rotek Racing team. Starting with a strong baseline configuration developed in 2013, we discovered that the circuit’s newly-laid asphalt was providing very little grip and we still had some work to do to perfect the setup.
"This wouldn’t normally be a problem, but one red-flag stoppage after another gave us very little time to optimise the Audi R8 LMS. I was really grateful to have somebody of Oliver Gavin’s calibre as a teammate at this point. While he had never driven the circuit before, he’s a pro and knows what he’s doing. Working together, we had a brilliant setup by the end of first practice!”
The 34-year old Briton from Newmarket, continued: “The plan for qualifying was for Oliver to set a benchmark time on Saturday morning and then for me to go out with sticky tyres in the second session. Gearbox troubles prevented me from setting a time, but Oli had already shown his class by recording a 2m07.990s; a time that was more than good enough to seal the Class B pole by over half a second! What a ripper, as they say out here in Aus!
“Oli was nominated to start the race and did a superb job, bringing the car up the order to not only lead the class, but the race outright on a couple of occasions.
"Richard Meins took the reins at the two-hour point, just as the race was interrupted by a huge crash on the mountain involving a front-running Ferrari 458 Italia and Nissan GT-R.
“Meins picked up the baton well, running solidly to maintain the initiative in class and extend Rotek's lead over the chasing pack. I think we had a lap on our nearest rival as the Safety Car was deployed in response to another heavy shunt involving a Class A Lamborghini.
“Unfortunately, this is when our car developed a misfire. Rotek Racing’s crew did everything they could to resolve the problem, running a series of system checks and restarts before identifying a damaged valve spring in the car’s V10.
"It was bitterly disappointing to have to call it a day, but that’s racing and you have to take the rough with the smooth in this sport. It was ours to lose in class, with nobody matching us for pace and consistency. In fact, the way the race was developing, we had a real shot at an overall podium finish. That, and the fact I had a lot of local support from TRW and Surge Gyms, makes the retirement even more difficult to take.”
Huff concluded: “Having said that, when I take everything into consideration, I have to be happy about how my foray in endurance racing has panned out. Having already proven my worth in touring cars by winning the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) title, I was eager to expand my horizons and demonstrate that I can be force in other forms of racing. I think I’ve succeeded in that sense and, while the WTCC remains at the top of my list of priorities, I hope my recent performances are only the start of something special.
"I'd really like to thank Rotek Racing for the opportunity of competing at Bathurst. They're a great bunch of guys who all work so hard and, while the win was out of reach this time, I know it'll be achievable next time around.”
For more information on Rob Huff's racing activities, please visit the official www.robhuff.com website, 'like' his Facebook page or follow @HuffSport on Twitter.
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Reigning Champion Huff hopeful of podium finishes in Hungarian WTCC encounter
Reigning Champion, Rob Huff, believes he can tackle the established frontrunners for podiums when the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) resumes in Hungary (4-5 May).
Situated 20km North east of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, the spectacular Hungaroring plays host to Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2013 WTCC season.
The undulating venue acts as a natural amphitheatre for the 50,000-plus partisan spectators, who flock to the circuit in their droves in support of home hero Norbert Michelisz year after year.
A unique and vibrant atmosphere combined with a circuit configuration that promotes door handle-to-door handle racing, makes the Hungarian weekend a tantalising prospect for Huff.
The reigning WTCC Champion has had a character-building start to his title defence, but challenged for the podium places last time out in Slovakia.
He emerged from a sensational race-long battle with old sparring partners Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini in a respectable fourth place and feels he finally has the tools to consistently compete with the established frontrunners.
The Newmarket-based racer says achieving race victories at such an early stage of the season would be like winning a billion HUFs – the name for Hungary’s national currency, the Hungarian Forint – for his ALL-INKL.COM Munnich Motorsport team, but reckons a spot on the podium is more realistic.
“I think my ALL-INKL.COM Munnich Motorsport team turned a corner with the SEAT Leon in Slovakia, as I really felt at home in the car for the first time this season,” said Huff.
“I was slightly disappointed to miss out on the podium last weekend, but feel I have a great shot in Hungary. All I need is a clear run at the Chevrolets and Hondas and I think we’ll be in the running for a place on the winners’ rostrum.
He added: “Of course, race wins would be mega, although I think we have a more realistic chance of finishing in the top three. But whatever happens, you can guarantee that both the atmosphere and the racing will be electric!”
Coverage of this weekend’s WTCC action from the Hungaroring will be beamed live across the globe on Eurosport. A re-run of qualifying will be broadcast from 7.30 on Sunday 5 May, with Rounds 5 and 6 later that same day from 11.15 and 13.15 respectively.
For more information on Rob Huff, please like his Facebook page or follow @Huffsport on Twitter.
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Home » 2015 News » Premiering at PulpFest 2015
Premiering at PulpFest 2015
Aug 3, 2015 by Mike Chomko
As they do every year, a number of publishers have chosen to roll out new titles at PulpFest 2015. Altus Press, Murania Press, and Stark House Press will be premiering reprints of classics from the past, while Adventures in Bronze, Airship 27, and Meteor House will debut new work inspired by the great fiction of the past. And since PulpFest will be hosting four New Fictioneer readings, expect to meet some of the creators of today’s pulp fiction at the convention. Check out our schedule page for the times of our readings.
Tarzan. Doc Savage. The Shadow. All three of these iconic characters will be at PulpFest, courtesy of Adventures in Bronze and author Will Murray. You’ll be able to get signed copies in both hardcover and softcover of the fully authorized editions of RETURN TO PAL-UL-DON and DOC SAVAGE: THE SINISTER SHADOW. They’ll be available at PulpFest 2015 where their author, pop culture historian Will Murray, will be appearing on four different panel presentations.
Although it originally appeared in 2007, THRILLING DETECTIVE HEROES certainly deserves a mention here. Edited by John Locke and John Wooley, it was published by Adventure House, one of the leading publishers of pulp reprints and reference works in the country. On Thursday, August 13th, at 8:40 PM, John Wooley and Adventure House publisher John Gunnison will pay a visit to some of the continuing characters that were featured in the Thrilling line of detective pulps. Join them for a discussion of “Thrilling Detectives” during our Thursday evening presentations in PulpFest‘s second-floor programming area at the Hyatt Regency. Their discussion will center around many of the characters featured in THRILLING DETECTIVE HEROES, a book that also includes the most complete history of the Thrilling Group of pulp magazines ever to be published. You’ll be able to pick up a copy at the Adventure House tables during the convention and have one of its editors and its publisher sign it for you. That won’t happen on ebay!
New pulp fans will see a number of books for the very first time at PulpFest 2015, courtesy of Ron Fortier and Rob Davis of Airship 27 Productions. Frederick C. Davis’ occult detective, Ravenwood, the Stepson of Mystery, will appear in his first, full-length novel. Author Micah Harris links the classic pulp hero with one of the most notorious crimes in Hollywood history in RETURN OF THE DUGPA. Also debuting is the second volume of SIX-GUN TERRORS in which the Wild West meet WEIRD TALES. Fred Adams, Jr. weaves a weird western novel concerning warriors able to transform themselves into beasts!
As he does every year, Mike Chomko will be premiering the latest books from America’s leading pulp reprint house Altus Press. Thanks to an arrangement with Altus publisher Matt Moring, Mike will be offering both hardcover and softcover editions of THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF THE MOON MAN, VOLUME ONE; THE MASKED RIDER ARCHIVES, VOLUME TWO; THE BLACK BAT OMNIBUS, VOLUME THREE; and five books written by H. Bedford-Jones, including THE DEVIL’S BOSUN, GHOST HILLS, and WILL O’ THE WISP. Mike will also have the first ten volumes of the recently released ARGOSY LIBRARY, including Lester Dent’s GENIUS JONES, Victor Rousseau’s DRAFT OF ETERNITY, Otis Adelbert Kline’s THE SWORDSMAN OF MARS and W. Wirt’s WHEN TIGERS ARE HUNTING. Mike Chomko, Books has been one of the leading purveyors of pulp reprint books and periodicals since the early nineties. Look for his tables just inside the entrance to the PulpFest 2015 dealers’ room and say hi to the convention’s marketing and programming director.
We’re very happy to have Rich Harvey and Audrey Parente of Bold Venture Press as one of this year’s fifty exhibitors. Since 1992, Bold Venture has been publishing quality reprints of classic pulp fiction. At this year’s convention, Rich and Audrey will be premiering John Wooley’s and Robert Leslie Bellem’s HOMICIDE HIGHBALL: THE LOST DAN TURNER MOVIE SCRIPT, Richard Lupoff’s DREAMER’S DOZEN, PULP JAZZ: THE CHARLES BOECKMAN STORY, the latest issue of PULP ADVENTURES featuring stories by Bellem, Lupoff, Stewart Sterling, and others, and Audrey’s own PULP NOIR: A CLUTTERED ROMANCE, in which two avowed hoarders of paper memorabilia try to make room in their lives for each other. It’s a funhouse mirror image of the world of collecting pulps and comics. Bold Venture Press brings you vintage pulp fiction and exciting new stories. Learn for yourself at PulpFest 2015.
Dick and Norma Enos of Fantasy Publishing will have a new adventure of Rick Steele at PulpFest 2015. Watch for DEATH ON THIN ICE, the latest yarn featuring the ace trouble buster from the fifties. A former test pilot with a trio of “ace” assistants, Rick will go anywhere in search of adventure. It’s part one of THE MONSTER OF CHINATOWN and you’ll see it at PulpFest.
John D. Haefele, who will be part of our panel on the development of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, will be offering copies of his landmark study, A LOOK BEHIND THE DERLETH MYTHOS: ORIGINS OF THE CTHULHU MYTHOS. Published by The Cimmerian Press, Haefele’s book answers numerous questions about the Lovecraft/Derleth controversy with fresh evidence and thunderous revelations, covering in unprecedented detail everything from the notorious “Black Magic Quote” to Derleth’s infamous “posthumous collaborations” with Lovecraft. Signed copies will be available at Mike Chomko, Books.
On Saturday, August 15th, co-authors William Patrick Maynard and Alexandra Martukovich will be on hand to sign copies of FURTHER ENCOUNTERS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, released by Titan Books in 2014. Their story, “The Adventure of the Coin of the Realm,” was one of twelve stories selected by George Mann for this new collection of Sherlock Holmes stories from a variety of exciting voices in modern horror and steampunk. Visit Bill’s tables in the PulpFest dealers’ room to meet the authors.
Meteor House, a publisher of science fiction and fantasy that specializes in works set in the worlds created by Philip José Farmer and and original science fiction and fantasy novels and novellas, hopes to offer four new books at PulpFest 2015. Jim Beard’s and Duane Spurlock’s AIRSHIP HUNTERS delves into the mystery of 19th-century UFOs as the skies are haunted by mysterious airships and unfathomable secrets. Can two agents of a newly formed secret government agency discover the truth behind the greatest mystery of them all? HADON, KING OF OPAR, written by Christopher Paul Carey, picks up fourteen years after the novel THE SONG OF KWASIN, co-authored by Farmer and Carey. FLIGHT TO OPAR features nearly 4,000 words cut from Farmer’s original manuscript when it was originally published in 1976. Lastly, EXILES OF KHO is a new hardcover edition of the out-of-print prequel to Philip José Farmer’s beloved Khokarsa adventure series.
Ed Hulse and Murania Press will be offering a new issue of the award-winning “Journal of Adventure, Mystery and Melodrama in American Popular Culture” BLOOD ‘N’ THUNDER at this year’s PulpFest. The Summer 2015 issue takes a detailed look at the classic Munsey and Popular Publications pulp FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES. Also appearing will be a Wold Newton article on “The Secret Son of Bran Mak Morn,” a piece entitled “32 from ’32: A Banner Year for Fantastic Cinema,” the story behind the all-but-forgotten radio dramatization of KING KONG, and much more.
Ed will also have several new titles from the MURANIA PRESS book line at the convention — William Corcoran’s THE PURPLE EYE, a 60,000-word novel that could very well have served as the template for Popular’s hero pulps, and three volumes of crime and mystery yarns written by Johnston McCulley, the creator of Zorro — ALIAS THE THUNDERBOLT, THE RETURN OF BLACK STAR, and THE SPIDER SPINS HIS WEB.
In the business of reprinting some of the best mysteries and supernatural fiction of the past 100 years, Stark House Press hopes to have several new titles ready for PulpFest 2015. Douglas Sanderson wrote a series of white hot thrillers in the 1950s which were published under his two pseudonyms, Martin Brett and Malcolm Douglas. But he also published a good many novels under his own name, and Stark House is proud to reprint two of them: NIGHT OF THE HORNS & CRY WOLFRAM. Peter Rabe was a psychology professor turned hardboiled crime writer back when Gold Medal ruled the original paperback racks of the fifties and sixties. The second volume of Rabe’s fictional study of the use and abuse of power features the final three stories of the Daniel Port gangster series. Other titles that Stark House hope to have ready for PulpFest include Robert W. Chambers’ THE KING IN YELLOW & THE MYSTERY OF CHOICE, two collections of decadent horror fiction that will feature an introduction by noted critic, Stefan Dziemianowicz; Bruno Fischer’s THE BLEEDING SCISSORS & THE EVIL DAYS, two hard-boiled classics from one of Cap Shaws’ BLACK MASK boys; and Ed Gorman’s GRAVE’S RETREAT & NIGHT OF SHADOWS, two classic western mysteries. Mike Chomko, Books will be representing Stark House at the convention.
These are just a few of the great publications that you’ll find in the PulpFest 2015 dealers’ room. So what are you waiting for? Book a room for three nights and register now for “Summer’s Great Pulp Con.” To book a room for this year’s convention, please visit www.pulpfest.com/2015/06/16872/.
August Derleth
Bold Venture Press
Cimmerian Press
Doc Savage
Haefele
Peter Rabe
Philip Jose Farmer
Robert W. Chambers
Stark House
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Weird Al Yankovic: Alpocalypse
"Weird Al" Yankovic Live! - The Alpocalypse Tour is the concert event to end ... more
"Weird Al” Yankovic is the most successful comedy recording artist of all time, best known for hit song parodies such as “Amish Paradise,” “Eat It” and “White & Nerdy”. A three-time Grammy Award winner, Yankovic caught his first big break after sending in an unsolicited tape to the Dr. Demento Radio Show. The song, a parody of The Knack’s “My Sharona” called “My Bologna” (recorded in the bathroom of Al’s college campus radio station), was a smash on the good Doctor’s show and became Al’s first national record release.
Inspired by the likes of Stan Freberg, Tom Lehrer and Mad magazine, Weird Al has parodied numerous musical icons throughout a career that now spans four decades. Michael Jackson, Queen, Eminem, Madonna, U2, Billy Joel, Nirvana, Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga are just a few of the artists who have agreed to have their songs satirized by Yankovic. His last two albums Straight Outta Lynwood (2006) and Alpocalypse (2011) both debuted in the Billboard Top Ten, and the video for his platinum single “White & Nerdy” dominated the Internet and stayed at #1 on the iTunes chart for months.
In addition to writing and directing his own music videos (and a few for other artists as well), Yankovic has helmed a number of eclectic projects, including the web series Face to Face, the interactive fair attraction Al’s Brain in 3-D and the opening sequence for the Leslie Nielsen film Spy Hard. He made an appearance in all three Naked Gun movies, and also co-wrote and starred in the cult classic film UHF (1989).
Yankovic’s numerous television appearances include his popular AL-TV programs for MTV and VH-1, his concert specials for Comedy Central and the Disney Channel, and his Saturday morning series The Weird Al Show for CBS. Al also added “New York Times bestselling author” to his resume with the release of his 2011 children’s book When I Grow Up and its 2013 follow-up My New Teacher and Me!
Weird Al has performed over 1,300 concerts to date and continues to tour the world with his band.
Weird Al Yankovic: Alpocalypse (DVD)
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POLICE OFFICERS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT
Chapter P‑18
2 Right to organize and bargain collectively
3 Strike and lockout prohibited
4 Collective bargaining by municipality
5 Notice to initiate bargaining
6 Effect of collective agreement
7 Appointment of mediator
8 Duties of mediator
Interest Arbitration
9 Request for interest arbitration board
10 Establishment of interest arbitration board
11 Appointment of members
12 Appointments by Minister
13 Terms of reference
14 Methods of arbitration
15 Matters to be considered
16 Award
17 Filing and service of award
18 Incorporation of award
19 Reconvening of interest arbitration board
20 Grievance procedure
21 Model clauses
22 Appointment of single arbitrator
23 Appointment to grievance arbitration board
24 Ineligibility
25 Speeding up decision
26 Court reference as to application of Police Act
27 Difference when no collective agreement in effect
28 Majority decision and award
29 Effect of award on collective agreement
30 Powers of arbitrator
31 Attendance of witness and production of evidence
32 Parties bound by award
33 Appeal of award
34 Enforcement of award
35 Arbitration Act
Unfair Practices
36,37 Prohibited practices
38 Complaint of unfair practice
39 Inquiry into complaint
40 Settlement of differences
41 Service of documents
42 Capacity of police association
43 Powers of Board
44 Jurisdiction of Board
45 Prevalence of Act
46 Offence and penalty
HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, enacts as follows:
1 In this Act,
(a) “bargain collectively” and “collective bargaining” mean to negotiate or negotiation with a view to the conclusion of a collective agreement or the revision or renewal of a collective agreement;
(b) “bargaining agent” means
(i) the police association that represents a majority of the police officers who hold the rank of inspector or higher, excluding the chief constable and deputy chief constables, or
(ii) the police association that represents a majority of the police officers who hold ranks lower than that of inspector;
(c) “bargaining unit” means
(i) the police officers of a municipal police service who hold the rank of inspector or higher, excluding the chief constable and deputy chief constables, or
(ii) the police officers of a municipal police service who hold ranks lower than that of inspector;
(d) “Board” means the Labour Relations Board under the Labour Relations Code;
(e) “collective agreement” means an agreement in writing between a municipality and a bargaining agent containing terms or conditions of employment;
(f) “Director” means the person appointed pursuant to the Public Service Act as the Director of Mediation Services;
(g) “dispute” means a difference or apprehended difference arising in connection with the entering into, renewing or revising of a collective agreement;
(h) “lockout” includes
(i) the closing of a place of employment by a municipality,
(ii) the suspension of duties by a municipality, or
(iii) a refusal by a municipality to continue to employ police officers,
for the purpose of compelling the police officers of a municipal police service or to aid another employer in compelling the employees of that employer to accept terms and conditions of employment;
(i) “Minister” means the Minister determined under section 16 of the Government Organization Act as the Minister responsible for this Act;
(j) “open period” means, with respect to a municipality and a bargaining agent,
(i) if no collective agreement is in effect, any time, or
(ii) if a collective agreement is in effect, any time after notice to commence collective bargaining is served under section 5;
(k) “police association” means an association of either
(ii) the police officers of a municipal police service who hold ranks lower than that of inspector
that is limited to members of one municipal police service and has collective bargaining among its objects;
(l) “police officers” means the members of the municipal police service appointed for policing duties and duties incidental to those duties;
(m) “strike” includes
(i) a cessation of work or duties,
(ii) a refusal to work or carry out duties, and
(iii) a refusal to continue to work or carry out duties,
by 2 or more police officers acting in combination or in concert or in accordance with a common understanding for the purpose of compelling the municipality to agree to terms or conditions of service or to aid other employees to compel their employer to accept terms and conditions of service or employment;
(n) “trade union” means a trade union within the meaning of the Labour Relations Code or the Public Service Employee Relations Act, but does not include a police association.
1983 cP‑12.05 s1;1988 cP‑12.01 s67;1988 cL‑1.2 s207
Right to organize and bargain collectively
2(1) All police officers, except the chief constable and deputy chief constables, have the right
(a) to be members of a police association and to participate in its lawful activities, and
(b) to bargain collectively with the municipality to which they are appointed through a bargaining agent,
except that no police officer shall remain or become a member of a trade union or of an organization that is affiliated, directly or indirectly, with a trade union.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), if an application by a local authority within the meaning of the Special Forces Pension Plan to bring its police officers under that Plan has been granted, there is no right to bargain collectively for pension benefits.
1983 cP‑12.05 s2;1985 cS‑21.1 s51;1993 cP‑30.7 s10
Strike and lockout prohibited
3(1) Notwithstanding section 2, no police officer, bargaining agent or person acting on behalf of a bargaining agent shall strike, cause a strike or threaten to cause a strike.
(2) No municipality shall lock out or threaten to lock out members of a bargaining unit.
1983 cP‑12.05 s3
Collective bargaining by municipality
4(1) A municipality may
(a) bargain collectively with a bargaining agent, and
(b) bargain through a committee appointed to bargain on its behalf.
(2) A municipality may authorize the municipal police commission appointed by the municipality under the Police Act to bargain collectively with a bargaining agent on its behalf.
Notice to initiate bargaining
5(1) Either the bargaining agent or the municipality may
(a) when no collective agreement is in force, at any time, or
(b) when a collective agreement is in force, not less than 30 and not more than 90 days preceding the expiry of the term of the collective agreement or within any longer period that may be provided for in the collective agreement,
by notice in writing require the other party to meet and bargain collectively.
(2) A notice to commence collective bargaining is to be served at least 10 days before the time fixed in the notice for the commencement of collective bargaining.
(3) When a notice to commence collective bargaining has been served pursuant to this section, the bargaining agent and the municipality, without delay, but in any event within 15 days after notice is served, shall
(a) meet and commence, or cause authorized representatives to meet and commence, to bargain collectively in good faith, and
(b) make every reasonable effort to enter into a collective agreement.
Effect of collective agreement
6 A collective agreement entered into by a bargaining agent and a municipality, insofar as its provisions do not conflict with this Act, is binding on
(a) the bargaining agent and every member in the bargaining unit on whose behalf the agreement has been entered into, and
(b) the municipality.
Appointment of mediator
7(1) During an open period
(a) either or both parties to a dispute may request the Director to appoint a mediator, or
(b) the Minister may require the Director to appoint a mediator,
to assist the parties in resolving the dispute.
(2) The Director
(a) may appoint a mediator if the Director receives a request under subsection (1)(a), and
(b) shall appoint a mediator if the Director is required to do so under subsection (1)(b).
(3) When a mediator is appointed, the dispute shall be referred to the mediator and the parties notified accordingly.
Duties of mediator
8(1) A mediator shall, in any manner that the mediator thinks fit, inquire into the dispute and endeavour to effect a settlement.
(2) During the mediator’s inquiry the mediator shall
(a) hear any representations made to the mediator by the parties to the dispute,
(b) mediate between the parties to the dispute, and
(c) encourage the parties to the dispute to effect a settlement.
Request for interest arbitration board
9(1) If a dispute cannot be resolved, either or both parties to the dispute may make a request for the establishment of an interest arbitration board to
(a) the mediator, if one has been appointed with respect to the dispute, or
(b) the Director, if no mediator has been appointed with respect to the dispute.
(2) When the Director receives a request under subsection (1)(b), the Director shall appoint a mediator in accordance with section 7(2) and forward the request for the establishment of an interest arbitration board to the mediator.
(3) The mediator shall endeavour to effect a settlement in accordance with section 8 and shall, not later than 14 days after the mediator receives a request under subsection (1) or (2),
(a) list the items in dispute and the items that have been settled by the parties, and
(b) forward the list and the request for the establishment of an interest arbitration board to the Minister.
Establishment of interest arbitration board
10 When the Minister receives a request for the establishment of an interest arbitration board, the Minister,
(a) if the Minister considers it appropriate, may direct the parties to continue collective bargaining and may prescribe the procedure or conditions under which collective bargaining is to take place, or
(b) if the Minister is satisfied that the dispute is appropriate to refer to an interest arbitration board, may establish an interest arbitration board in accordance with this Part.
1983 cP‑12.05 s10
Appointment of members
11(1) If the Minister decides to establish an interest arbitration board, the Minister shall notify the parties to the dispute in writing accordingly and require each of them to appoint a person to act as a member of the interest arbitration board within 10 days after that notification.
(2) The 2 persons appointed under subsection (1) to act as members of an interest arbitration board shall appoint a 3rd person within 10 days after the date the 2nd person is appointed to act as a member and chair of the interest arbitration board.
Appointments by Minister
12(1) If a party to the dispute fails to appoint a person as a member of an interest arbitration board, the Minister may appoint a person to act as a member.
(2) If the 2 persons appointed as members of an interest arbitration board fail to appoint a person to act as a member and chair, the Minister may appoint a person to act as a member and chair.
(3) The remuneration and expenses of the persons appointed under subsection (1) or (2) or section 11 shall be paid,
(a) in the case of a person who was appointed or who should have been appointed individually by a party, by that party, and
(b) in the case of the chair, jointly by the parties.
(4) If a vacancy occurs in the membership of an interest arbitration board, it shall be filled in the same manner as provided for the appointment of the member or chair, as the case may be.
(5) The members of an interest arbitration board have the powers, duties and immunities of a commissioner under the Public Inquiries Act.
(6) A judge of the Court of Appeal or of the Court of Queen’s Bench may be appointed as a member of an interest arbitration board.
1983 cP‑12.05 s12;1999 c26 s19
13 When 3 persons are appointed to act as members of an interest arbitration board, the Minister, by notice in writing to the chair, shall
(a) establish the members as an interest arbitration board, and
(b) list the items in dispute to be resolved by the interest arbitration board.
Methods of arbitration
14(1) On receipt of a notice under section 13, the interest arbitration board shall inquire into the items in dispute and endeavour to effect a settlement.
(2) If the interest arbitration board is unable to effect a settlement, it shall consider the position of the parties on each item in dispute and determine what method or combination of methods of arbitration it shall implement to resolve any or all of the items in dispute.
(3) Without restricting the generality of subsection (2), the method or combination of methods of arbitration determined under that subsection may include the method of arbitration known as “final offer selection”.
Matters to be considered
15 To ensure that wages and benefits are fair and reasonable to the police officers and the municipality and are in the best interest of the public, the interest arbitration board
(a) shall consider, for the period with respect to which the award will apply, the following:
(i) wages and benefits in private and public and unionized and non‑unionized employment;
(ii) the continuity and stability of private and public employment, including
(A) employment levels and incidence of layoffs,
(B) incidence of employment at less than normal working hours, and
(C) opportunity for employment;
(iii) the general economic conditions in Alberta;
(b) may consider, for the period with respect to which the award will apply, the following:
(i) the terms and conditions of employment in similar occupations outside the employer’s employment taking into account any geographic, industrial or other variations that the board considers relevant;
(ii) the need to maintain appropriate relationships in terms and conditions of employment between different classification levels within an occupation and between occupations in the employer’s employment;
(iii) the need to establish terms and conditions of employment that are fair and reasonable in relation to the qualifications required, the work performed, the responsibility assumed and the nature of the services rendered;
(iv) any other factor that it considers relevant to the matter in dispute.
1983 cP‑12.05 s15;1988 cL‑1.2 s207
16(1) As soon as possible after a dispute is referred to the interest arbitration board, and in any case within
(a) twenty days after the date on which it is established, or
(b) any longer time that may be agreed to by the parties to the dispute or fixed by the Minister,
the interest arbitration board shall make an award and in its award shall deal with each item in dispute.
(2) An award of a majority of the members of an interest arbitration board is an award of the interest arbitration board, but if there is no majority, the award of the chair is the award of the interest arbitration board.
(3) The Arbitration Act does not apply to arbitration under this Part.
(4) Subject to subsection (5), no award, proceeding or decision of an interest arbitration board shall be questioned or reviewed in any court, and no order shall be made or process entered or proceedings taken in any court, whether by way of injunction, declaratory judgment, prohibition, quo warranto or otherwise, to question, review, prohibit or restrain the interest arbitration board in any of its proceedings.
(5) An award, proceeding or decision of an interest arbitration board may be questioned or reviewed by way of an application for judicial review in the nature of certiorari or mandamus if the application is filed with the court not later than 30 days after the date of the award, proceeding or decision of the interest arbitration board.
RSA 2000 cP‑18 s16;2009 c53 s136
Filing and service of award
17(1) On making an award, the interest arbitration board shall
(a) file a copy of it with the Minister, and
(b) serve a copy of it on the parties to the dispute.
(2) An award of an interest arbitration board is binding on
(a) the bargaining agent and every member of the bargaining unit, and
(b) the municipality,
and the parties shall forthwith give effect to it.
(3) The terms of the award shall be included in a collective agreement.
(4) The Minister may publish an award in any manner the Minister considers fit.
Incorporation of award
18(1) If either of the parties to the dispute neglects or refuses to participate in the preparation of a collective agreement in accordance with section 17(3), the other party may prepare the agreement giving effect to
(a) the award of the interest arbitration board, and
(b) any other matters that are agreed to by the parties,
and shall submit the agreement to the interest arbitration board to certify that the agreement accurately incorporates the award of that interest arbitration board.
(2) When an interest arbitration board receives a collective agreement pursuant to subsection (1) and is satisfied that the collective agreement gives effect to its award, the interest arbitration board shall certify the collective agreement as accurately incorporating its award.
(3) A collective agreement certified under subsection (2) is binding on the persons and organizations referred to in section 17(2).
Reconvening of interest arbitration board
19(1) If a question arises concerning the award of an interest arbitration board within 30 days from the date on which the award was made, the Minister, at the request of the parties, may direct the chair of the interest arbitration board to reconvene the interest arbitration board for the purpose of deciding the question.
(2) When the interest arbitration board makes its decision under subsection (1), it shall forward a copy of the decision to the Minister and the parties to the dispute, and the decision is binding on the persons and organizations referred to in section 17(2).
20 Every collective agreement shall contain a method for the settlement of differences arising
(a) as to the interpretation, application or operation of a collective agreement,
(b) with respect to a contravention or alleged contravention of a collective agreement, and
(c) as to whether a difference referred to in clause (a) or (b) can be the subject of arbitration
between the parties to or persons bound by the collective agreement.
Model clauses
21 If a collective agreement does not contain the provisions required under section 20, the collective agreement is deemed to contain those of the following provisions in respect of which it is silent:
(a) If a difference arises between the parties to or persons bound by this collective agreement
(i) as to the interpretation, application, operation or contravention or alleged contravention of this agreement, other than a difference concerning a matter to which the Police Act or the regulations under that Act apply,
(ii) notwithstanding subclause (i), with respect to the termination of the services of a police officer for reasons other than disciplinary reasons, or
(iii) as to whether the difference can be the subject of arbitration,
the parties agree to meet and endeavour to resolve the difference.
(b) If the parties are unable to resolve a difference referred to in clause (a), either party may notify the other in writing of its desire to submit the difference to arbitration.
(c) The notice referred to in clause (b) shall
(i) contain a statement of the difference, and
(ii) specify a name or a list of names of the person or persons it is willing to accept as the single arbitrator.
(d) On receipt of a notice referred to in clause (b), the party receiving the notice
(i) if it accepts the person or one of the persons suggested to act as arbitrator shall, within 7 days, notify the other party accordingly, and the difference shall be submitted to the arbitrator, or
(ii) if it does not accept any of the persons suggested by the party sending the notice shall, within 7 days, notify the other party accordingly and send the name or a list of names of the person or persons it is willing to accept as the single arbitrator.
(e) If the party sending the notice referred to in clause (b) accepts the person or one of the persons suggested to act as arbitrator under clause (d)(ii), it shall within 7 days notify the other party accordingly, and the difference shall be submitted to the arbitrator.
(f) If the parties are unable to agree on a person to act as the single arbitrator, either party may request the Minister in writing to appoint a single arbitrator.
(g) The arbitrator may, during the arbitration, proceed in the absence of any party or person who, after notice, fails to attend or fails to obtain an adjournment.
(h) The arbitrator shall inquire into the difference and issue an award in writing, and the award is final and binding on the parties and on every employee affected by it.
(i) The parties agree to share equally the expenses of the arbitrator.
(j) The arbitrator shall not alter, amend or change the terms or conditions of the collective agreement.
1983 cP‑12.05 s21;1988 cP‑12.01 s67
Appointment of single arbitrator
22(1) If the parties to a collective agreement that provides for the appointment of a single arbitrator are unable to agree on a person to act as a single arbitrator within 14 days after the notice requiring that the matter go to arbitration, or any longer period that the collective agreement may contain for the selection of a single arbitrator, either party may request the Minister in writing to appoint a single arbitrator.
(2) The parties shall share equally the remuneration and expenses of a single arbitrator appointed under subsection (1).
Appointment to grievance arbitration board
23(1) When a grievance arbitration board or other body is to be appointed or established pursuant to the terms of a collective agreement
(a) if either party to the collective agreement fails or neglects to appoint a member or members within 7 days after the written notice from the other party of the appointment of the other party’s member or members, the Minister shall, on the request of the other party, appoint a person or persons the Minister considers fit for the purpose, and that person or those persons are deemed to be appointed by that party,
(b) if the appointed members fail to agree on a person to act as a chair within 7 days from the date of the appointment of the last appointed member, the Minister shall appoint a chair on the request of either party, and
(c) if the chair or any member of the grievance arbitration board refuses to act or is or becomes incapable of acting, a new chair or member may be appointed in the same manner as the original chair or member was appointed.
(2) The remuneration and expenses of the person, persons or chair appointed under subsection (1) shall be paid
(a) in the case of a member or members appointed under clause (a) or (c) of that subsection, by the party who fails or neglects to appoint the member or members, or
(b) in the case of the chair appointed under clause (b) or (c) of that subsection, equally by the parties.
(3) When both parties agree, the time within which any of the appointments is to be made may be extended.
Ineligibility
24 No person shall be appointed as an arbitrator or as a member of an arbitration board or other body who is directly affected by the difference or has been involved in an attempt to negotiate or settle the difference.
Speeding up decision
25 When a difference has been submitted to an arbitrator, arbitration board or other body and one of the parties to the difference complains to the Board that the arbitrator, arbitration board or other body has failed to render an award within a reasonable time, the Board may, after consulting with the parties and the arbitrator, arbitration board or other body,
(a) issue whatever directive it considers necessary in the circumstances to ensure that an award will be rendered in the matter without further undue delay, or
(b) appoint a new arbitrator, arbitration board or other body to act in the place of the arbitrator, arbitration board or other body complained against.
Court reference as to application of Police Act
26(1) Where a question arises between the parties over whether a matter is a difference as to the interpretation, application, operation, contravention or alleged violation of the collective agreement or is a matter to which the Police Act and the regulations under that Act apply, either party or any arbitrator before whom the matter arises on the arbitrator’s own motion may, by application, refer the matter to a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench.
(2) The procedure in a reference shall be as determined by the judge.
(3) The judge on hearing the reference may do all or any of the following:
(a) make any finding of fact that is necessary;
(b) quash, vary or confirm any action taken by either party, or by the arbitrator;
(c) amend or waive any time limit as the judge sees fit;
(d) refer the matter back to the parties or to the arbitrator for further consideration.
(4) Subject to subsection (3)(c), the judge by the judge’s decision shall not alter, amend or change the terms of the collective agreement.
(5) The decision of the judge is binding on both parties and on all persons affected.
(6) The judge may make any award as to costs of the reference that the judge considers fit.
Difference when no collective agreement in effect
27 If a difference arises between the municipality and the bargaining agent or a person bound by the collective agreement during the time between the date the collective agreement ceases to be in effect and the date on which a new or renewed collective agreement comes into force, the provisions that were contained in the collective agreement pursuant to sections 20 and 21 apply to the parties and the difference as if the collective agreement had remained in effect.
Majority decision and award
28(1) A decision of the majority of the members of a grievance arbitration board or other body is the decision of the grievance arbitration board or other body, but if there is no majority, the decision of the chair governs, and the chair’s decision is deemed to be the award of the grievance arbitration board or other body.
(2) Every arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body shall, immediately on making an award, file a copy of the award with the Director.
(3) The award of an arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body shall be served on the parties to the difference by double registered mail or personally, and the arbitrator or the chair of the grievance arbitration board or other body shall, at the request of any of the parties to the difference, make an affidavit or an affirmation that the award has been served.
(4) On receipt of the award of the arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body, the Director may publish the award in any manner the Director considers fit.
Effect of award on collective agreement
29 No arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body shall by its award alter, amend or change the terms of a collective agreement.
Powers of arbitrator
30(1) The arbitrator or the chair of the grievance arbitration board or other body may
(a) at any reasonable time enter any premises, other than a private dwelling, where work is being done or has been done by police officers or in which a municipality carries on business or an undertaking or where anything is taking place or has taken place concerning any difference submitted to that person or it and inspect and view any work, material, machinery, appliance or article in the premises and question any person under oath in the presence of the parties or their representatives concerning any matter connected with the difference;
(b) authorize any person to do anything that the arbitrator or chair of the grievance arbitration board or other body may do under clause (a) and to report to the arbitrator or grievance arbitration board on it;
(c) correct in any award any clerical mistake, error or omission.
(2) An arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body
(a) may accept any oral or written evidence that it, in its discretion, considers proper, whether admissible in a court of law or not, and
(b) is not bound by the law of evidence applicable to judicial proceedings.
Attendance of witness and production of evidence
31(1) If, in the opinion of an arbitrator or the chair of a grievance arbitration board or other body,
(a) the attendance of a person is required, or
(b) the attendance of a person to produce a document or other thing is necessary,
the arbitrator or the chair of the grievance arbitration board or other body may cause to be served on the person concerned a notice to attend or a notice to attend and produce a document or other thing, as the case may be, signed by the arbitrator or chair.
(2) If a person fails or refuses to comply with
(a) a notice to attend, or
(b) a notice to attend and produce a document or other thing,
issued under subsection (1), a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench, on application of the arbitrator or the chair of the grievance arbitration board or other body, may issue a bench warrant requiring the attendance of the person or the attendance of the person to produce the document or other thing, as the case may be, before the arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body.
Parties bound by award
32 The award of an arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body is binding on the municipality, the members of the bargaining unit and the bargaining agent, and the municipality, members of the bargaining unit and the bargaining agent shall do or abstain from doing anything, as required of them by the award.
Appeal of award
33(1) Subject to subsection (2), no award or proceeding of an arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body shall be questioned or reviewed in any court, and no order shall be made or process entered or proceedings taken in any court, whether by way of injunction, declaratory judgment, prohibition, quo warranto or otherwise, to question, review, prohibit or restrain the arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body in any of that person’s or its proceedings.
(2) The decision or proceedings of an arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body may be questioned or reviewed by way of an application for judicial review in the nature of certiorari or mandamus if the application is filed with the court not later than 30 days after the issuance of the award of the arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body.
Enforcement of award
34(1) If any member of a bargaining unit, a bargaining agent or a municipality fails to comply with an award of an arbitrator or grievance arbitration board or other body, any municipality, bargaining agent or police officer affected by the award may, after 30 days from the date on which the award is made, or by the date provided in it for compliance, whichever is the later date, file a copy of the award with the clerk of the Court of Queen’s Bench at the judicial centre closest to the place where the cause of the proceedings before the arbitrator or grievance arbitration board or other body arose.
(2) On filing a copy of an award with the clerk of the Court pursuant to subsection (1), the award of an arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body has the same force and effect, and all proceedings may be taken on it, as if the award were an order of that Court.
Arbitration Act
35 The Arbitration Act does not apply to arbitrations under collective agreements.
Prohibited practices
36(1) No municipality and no person acting on behalf of a municipality shall
(a) participate in or interfere with the formation or administration of a police association, or
(b) contribute financial or other support to a police association.
(2) A municipality does not contravene subsection (1) by reason only that it
(a) in respect of a police association for the members of its police force
(i) permits a member or representative of a police association to confer with them during working hours or to attend to the business of the police association during working hours without deduction in the computation of time worked by the member and without deduction of wages in respect of the time so occupied,
(ii) provides free transportation to representatives of the police association for purposes of collective bargaining, the administration of a collective agreement and related matters, or
(iii) permits the police association to use its premises for the purposes of the police association,
(b) makes to a police association donations to be used solely for the welfare of the members of the police force and their dependants.
(3) No municipality and no person acting on behalf of a municipality shall
(a) impose any condition in a contract of service that restrains, or has the effect of restraining, a police officer from exercising any right conferred on the police officer by this Act;
(b) deny to any member of a police association any pension rights or benefits to which the member would be entitled except for the dismissal of the employee contrary to this Act;
(c) seek by intimidation, threat of termination or any other kind of threat, by the imposition of a pecuniary or other penalty or by any other means, to compel a person to refrain from becoming or to cease to be a member, officer or representative of a police association;
(d) suspend, discharge or impose any financial or other penalty on a member of a police association or take any other disciplinary action against such a person, by reason of that person’s having refused to perform an act prohibited by this Act;
(e) discriminate against a person in regard to service or conditions of service or intimidate, refuse to employ, dismiss or threaten to dismiss or in any other manner coerce a person or impose a pecuniary or other penalty on a person, because the person
(i) is a member of a police association,
(ii) has been expelled or suspended from membership in a police association,
(iii) has testified or otherwise participated or may testify or otherwise participate in a proceeding authorized or permitted under a collective agreement or in a proceeding under this Act,
(iv) has made or is about to make a disclosure that the person may be required to make in a proceeding authorized or permitted under a collective agreement or in a proceeding under this Act,
(v) has made an application or filed a complaint under this Act, or
(vi) has exercised any right under this Act.
37 No police association and no person acting on behalf of a police association shall
(a) require a municipality to terminate the service of a member of the police association because the member has been expelled or suspended from membership in the police association;
(b) expel or suspend a person from membership in the police association or deny membership in the police association to a person by applying to the person in a discriminatory manner the membership rules of the police association;
(c) take disciplinary action against or impose any form of penalty on a person by applying to the person in a discriminatory manner the standards of discipline of the police association;
(d) deny a member or former member of the bargaining unit the right to be fairly represented by the police association with respect to the member’s or former member’s rights under the collective agreement;
(e) expel or suspend a person from membership in the police association or take disciplinary action against or impose any form of penalty on a person by reason of the person having refused to perform an act that is contrary to this Act;
(f) discriminate against a person in regard to service or membership in a police association or intimidate or coerce a person or impose a pecuniary or other penalty on a person, because the person
(i) has testified or otherwise participated or may testify or otherwise participate in a proceeding authorized or permitted under a collective agreement or in a proceeding under this Act,
(ii) has made or is about to make a disclosure that the person may be required to make in a proceeding authorized or permitted under a collective agreement or a proceeding under this Act, or
(iii) has made an application or filed a complaint under this Act.
Complaint of unfair practice
38(1) Any municipality, member of a bargaining unit, bargaining agent or other person may make a complaint in writing to the Board that there has been or is a failure to comply with any provision of this Act that is specified in the complaint.
(2) The Board has no jurisdiction to hear a complaint made pursuant to section 37(b) or (c) unless the complainant establishes to the satisfaction of the Board that
(a) the complainant presented an appeal to the police association in accordance with the appeal procedure established by the police association, and
(b) the police association failed to deal with the matter within 6 months of the date the complainant made that appeal.
(3) Subsection (2) does not apply when the Board is satisfied that
(a) the action or circumstance giving rise to the complaint is such that the complaint should be dealt with without delay, or
(b) the police association has not given the complainant ready access to a reasonable appeal procedure.
Inquiry into complaint
39(1) When a complaint is made to the Board under section 38, the Board or a person designated by the Board may cause to be served a notice of the complaint on the person against whom the complaint is made.
(2) When a complaint is made, the Board or a person designated by the Board may appoint an officer to inquire into the complaint and endeavour to effect a settlement.
(3) When the Board or a person designated by the Board does not appoint an officer under subsection (2) or when the appointed officer is unable to effect a settlement within a period that the Board or the person designated by the Board considers to be reasonable in the circumstances, the Board may inquire into the complaint.
(4) The Board may refuse to inquire into any complaint in respect of a matter that, in the opinion of the Board, could be referred by the complainant to an arbitrator, grievance arbitration board or other body pursuant to a collective agreement or to any other body pursuant to this Act or the Police Act.
(5) When the Board is satisfied after an inquiry that a municipality, police association, police officer or other person has failed to comply with any provision of this Act that is specified in a complaint, the Board may issue a directive to rectify the act in respect of which the complaint is made and, without restricting the generality of the foregoing,
(a) may issue a directive or interim directive to the municipality, police association, police officer or other person concerned to cease doing the act in respect of which the complaint was made,
(b) may issue a directive to require the municipality, police association, police officer or other person
(i) to reinstate any police officer suspended or discharged contrary to this Act;
(ii) to pay to any police officer or former police officer suspended or discharged contrary to this Act compensation not exceeding the sum that, in the opinion of the Board, would have been paid by the municipality to the police officer, together with a sum not exceeding the amount of interest paid by the police officer on money borrowed to support the police officer and the police officer’s family during the time the police officer was so suspended or discharged;
(iii) to reinstate or admit a person as a member of a police association;
(iv) to rescind any disciplinary action or pecuniary or other penalty taken or imposed contrary to this Act;
(v) to pay to a person compensation not exceeding a sum that, in the opinion of the Board, is equivalent to the pecuniary or other penalty imposed on a person contrary to this Act;
(vi) to pay to a police officer in respect of a failure to comply with section 36 compensation not exceeding a sum that, in the opinion of the Board, is equivalent to the remuneration that would have been paid to the police officer by the municipality if the municipality had complied with that section.
(6) When the Board is satisfied after an inquiry that a municipality, police association or authorized representative of either of them is failing or has failed to comply with section 5(3), the Board
(a) shall issue a directive directing the municipality, police association or authorized representative concerned to bargain in good faith and make every reasonable effort to enter into a collective agreement, and
(b) may prescribe the procedure or conditions under which collective bargaining is to take place.
(7) If any directive or interim directive made by the Board pursuant to subsection (5) or (6) is not complied with, the Board may, on the request of a person affected by the directive or interim directive, file a copy of the directive or interim directive with the clerk of the Court of Queen’s Bench at the judicial centre closest to the place where the complaint arose and, on being filed, the directive or interim directive is enforceable as a judgment or order of the Court.
(8) A directive or interim directive under subsection (5)(a) to cease a strike or lockout is binding on the police association, police officer, municipality or other person to whom it is directed with respect to the strike or lockout referred to in the directive or interim directive and any future strike or lockout that occurs for the same or a substantially similar reason.
(9) Nothing in this section or in section 44 excludes the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to strikes or lockouts that are not permitted by this Act.
(10) If in the opinion of the Board the complaint is without merit, the Board may reject the complaint at any time.
(11) Nothing in this section detracts from or interferes with the right of a police commission or police chief to suspend, transfer, lay off or discharge police officers for proper and sufficient cause.
Settlement of differences
40(1) When a difference exists concerning the application or operation of this Act, any party to the difference may refer the difference to the Board.
(2) When a difference is referred to the Board pursuant to subsection (1), the Board or a person designated by the Board may appoint an officer to inquire into the difference and endeavour to effect a settlement.
(3) When the Board or a person designated by the Board does not appoint an officer under subsection (2) or when the appointed officer is unable to effect a settlement within a period that the Board or the person designated by the Board considers to be reasonable in the circumstances, the Board may inquire into the difference.
(4) After conducting an inquiry under subsection (3), the Board may decide the difference and issue any directives it considers appropriate to ensure compliance with and enforcement of this Act.
Service of documents
41(1) Except when this Act otherwise provides, if anything is required or permitted to be served under this Act, it is deemed to be properly served if it is served
(a) in the case of an individual,
(i) personally or by leaving it for the individual at the individual’s last or most usual place of abode with some person who is apparently at least 18 years old, or
(ii) by mailing it to the individual by registered or certified mail at the individual’s last known post office address;
(b) in the case of a municipality,
(i) personally on the chief administrative officer or a designated officer or by leaving it for that officer at the municipal office with some person who is apparently an officer, employee or agent of the municipality and apparently at least 18 years old, or
(ii) by sending it by registered or certified mail to the chief administrative officer or a designated officer at the address of the municipal office;
(c) in the case of a police association,
(i) personally on the president, secretary or an officer of the police association or by leaving it at that person’s address with some person who is apparently at least 18 years old, or
(ii) by sending it by registered or certified mail to the address of the president, secretary or an officer of the police association.
(2) If it is necessary to prove service of anything for the purposes of this Act,
(a) if service is effected personally, the actual date on which it is served is the date of service;
(b) if service is effected by registered mail or certified mail, service of it is deemed to have been made 5 days after the date of mailing;
(c) if service is effected by leaving it with a person apparently at least 18 years old, service of it is deemed to have been made on the date it was so left.
1983 cP‑12.05 s41;1994 cM‑26.1 s642(52)
Capacity of police association
42 For the purposes of this Act, a police association is capable of
(a) prosecuting and being prosecuted, and
(b) suing and being sued.
43(1) All the provisions of the Labour Relations Code relating to the powers and jurisdiction of the Board, its chair, vice‑chairs, members and officers, hearings procedure, enforcement of orders, appeals and rights, privileges and immunities of the Board, if those matters are not provided for specifically in this Act, apply and have effect as if this Act formed part of the Labour Relations Code.
(2) In addition to its powers under the Labour Relations Code, the Board may decide for the purposes of this Act whether
(a) a body is a municipality;
(b) an organization is a police association;
(c) a person is a police officer;
(d) a collective agreement has been entered into;
(e) a person, bargaining agent or municipality is bound by a collective agreement;
(f) a municipality or a police association is a party to a collective agreement;
(g) a collective agreement has been entered into on behalf of any person;
(h) a collective agreement is in effect;
(i) the parties to a dispute have settled the terms to be included in a collective agreement;
(j) a police association represents a majority of persons in a bargaining unit;
(k) a person is a member in good standing of a police association;
(l) a person is included in or excluded from a bargaining unit,
and the Board’s decision is final and binding.
Jurisdiction of Board
44(1) The Board has exclusive jurisdiction to exercise the powers conferred on it by or under this Act and to determine all questions of fact or law that arise in any matter before it, and the action or decision of the Board on them is final and conclusive for all purposes, but the Board may, at any time, reconsider any decision, order, directive, declaration or ruling made by it and vary, revoke or affirm the decision, order, directive, declaration or ruling.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), no decision, order, directive, declaration, ruling or proceeding of the Board shall be questioned or reviewed in any court, and no order shall be made or process entered or proceedings taken in any court, whether by way of injunction, declaratory judgment, prohibition, quo warranto or otherwise, to question, review, prohibit or restrain the Board or any of its proceedings.
(3) A decision, order, directive, declaration, ruling or proceeding of the Board may be questioned or reviewed by way of an application for judicial review in the nature of certiorari or mandamus if the application is filed with the court and served on the Board not later than 30 days after the date of the Board’s decision, order, directive, declaration or ruling or reasons in respect of it, whichever is later.
Prevalence of Act
45 Subject to section 60 of the Police Act, if a conflict arises between this Act and
(a) any other Act, or
(b) any bylaw or regulation of a municipality,
this Act applies.
Offence and penalty
46 Any person, municipality or police association that contravenes
(a) this Act, or
(b) the regulations
is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of not more than $1000 and in default of payment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days.
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'We are alone': Extended family separated at border
Colleen Long And Amy Taxin
Pediatrician Lisa Ayoub-Rodriguez speaks Tuesday at a shelter in El Paso, Texas, about treating migrant children released from Border Patrol detention centers along the Southwest border. (Cedar Attanasio / AP)
WASHINGTON — A 12-year-old boy entered the U.S. from Mexico with his brother and uncle, fleeing violence in Guatemala, but is now without them in a packed Texas border facility. Honduran sisters, 8 and 6, were taken from their grandmother when they arrived. An 8-year-old Guatemalan boy was separated from his aunt and cousin.
One year after President Donald Trump ended his widely criticized practice of separating migrant children from their parents, his administration is again under fire for a different kind of family separation crisis — one involving extended families.
Unlike last year, when at least 2,700 children were separated from their parents under a "zero tolerance" program, these minors have been taken from aunts, uncles and grandparents under a policy meant to guard against human trafficking. This policy has been the practice for years — long before Trump became president. But the recent surge in families trying to cross the border suggests children are being separated from relatives much more frequently, and because of systemic delays, they are held without caregivers longer.
Some are being kept in the U.S. Border Patrol facility in Clint, Texas , where advocates, attorneys and lawmakers have described overcrowded, fetid conditions and children as young as infants being held for weeks.
"We are housed in a room with dozens of other children, some as young as 2," the 12-year-old boy said in a declaration filed last week with a federal court seeking to require inspections of the facilities . "Many do not have their parents with them. I have to take care of many of the other children who are sad and cry. I do my best to help other children who are sad."
The 8-year-old Honduran girl said in a declaration that she and her sister were taken from their grandmother "and now we are alone."
"I have to take care of my little sister. She is very sad because she misses our mother and grandmother very much."
Minors are supposed to be transferred from Border Patrol custody within 72 hours and are then kept at a government-run shelter until a sponsor is identified and they are released. Often sponsors are parents, aunts, uncles or siblings who have been vetted. But because of overcrowding and delays with Health and Human Services, the agency that manages the care of minors in government custody, children are kept in Border Patrol stations longer.
A report released Tuesday by Homeland Security's inspector general found that a third of the children in Border Patrol custody in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley had been held there longer than 72 hours. The report warned that many children had no access to showers, limited access to a change of clothes, and no hot meals in two facilities until the week inspectors arrived.
Homeland Security officials have said they are complying with the law when separating children from non-legal guardians and have grave concerns over the possibility of trafficking, but have echoed advocates' worries about the conditions for children in border facilities not meant to detain them.
The government has not said how many children have been separated from their extended families at the border, but some data presents a window into the regularity with which it occurs. For example, of the 13,330 minors in the custody of Health and Human Services at the end of May, 1,849 were under 12 years old. Those numbers are generally constant over the past several months. Advocates say these children were likely to have come with an adult, while older teenagers were more likely to have crossed alone.
Teams from Homeland Security Investigations, under Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have been sent to the southern border to help determine cases of fraud; more than 50,000 immigrants traveling in family groups have been crossing the border each month. By comparison, last year around the same time, there were about 8,000 crossing.
Between mid-April, when investigators were sent, and June 21, they interviewed 2,124 families, identified 316 family cases as fraudulent, meaning people were posing as nuclear family members. But those numbers would include extended family who initially claimed to be parents. Of that, about 530 people, and it could be more than one adult per family unit, were referred for prosecution, ICE officials said. By comparison, from October 2017 to April 2018, Homeland Security officials said there had been about 300 cases of fraud.
Even when adults tell officials outright that they are grandparents or siblings, the children are generally separated from them unless they are legal guardians.
Under U.S. law, the children are then considered unaccompanied minors and have a legal case separate from any relatives, except their parents.
The law was developed in part because U.S. Border Patrol agents aren't trained to determine whether someone is truly a relative and a decent caregiver or an ill-intentioned trafficker posing as one.
"I think a lot of people are struggling with, what if the situation is you have a grandmother or uncle who has effectively raised the child? That is a traumatic separation from the child," said Jennifer Podkul, senior director for policy at Kids in Need of Defense.
Their experience can be just as traumatizing as a separation from a parent, especially if the child was raised by an aunt or uncle. That trauma can lead to mental health and physical health issues later on.
"If that child sees the person as a loving caregiver, separation can be incredibly disruptive and it threatens their health," said Dr. Julie Linton, a pediatrician and a leader of the immigration health special interest group at the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Clara Long, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said she has seen immigrants sent to wait in Mexico for their asylum hearings tell the court they arrived on the border with a child and they no longer know where the child is.
In one case, a 19-year-old girl from Guatemala traveled with her 14-year-old sister. The younger girl was released to their brother in the U.S., but the older girl was returned to Mexico.
Long said laws should be changed so that immigrant children are able to stay with their primary caretaker, and that might be someone who isn't a parent. "Sometimes it's like I have been raised by my grandma my entire life, or my aunt, and now she has to flee," Long said. "What they need to do is again change border enforcement so it is a humanitarian response."
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Fairies of San Francisco
Oz Stuff
Steampunkery
SF Steampunk
Older Photography
First day of the rest of my life
So here it is, September 2011. It's time for a new start, website wise at least. It's about time. While I loved the original version of Shadarko.com I feel it's time for me to take it into my own hands to really get it working. Sure I'm working on a site that's templates, but right now it's enough and it's worlds better than what was available to me back in 2000 when I first used homestead.com for a website. My hopes here are to keep a website that's actually up to date on my artistic goings on and perhaps the adventures I find myself in.
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Antonio Asis
Featured WorksThumbnailsBack
Antonio Asis. Geometría Libre, 1971. Acrylic on metal, wood, 21 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 6 1/8 in.
Antonio Asis. Untitled [Multiples] Ed. 4/20, 1971. Acrylic, metal, 11 13/16 x 11 13/16 x 4 1/2 in.
Antonio Asis, Untitled from the series Chromatisme Quadrillé Polychrome, 1966, Gouache on paper, 11 3/4 x 8 3/8 in. (29.8 x 21.2 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled from the series Chromatisme Quadrillé Polychrome, 1960, Gouache on paper, 6 1/4 x 6 3/16 in. (15.9 x 15.8 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled. [PA Edition of 20], 1995, Print, 7 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. (19.7 x 19.7 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled from the series Cercles Concentriques, 2011, Gouache on cardboard, 7 3/8 x 7 1/2 in. (18.7 x 18.9 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled from the series Cercles Concentriques, 1962, Gouache on cardboard, 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (19.1 x 19 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled, 1960, Gouache on paper, 8 7/8 x 6 7/8 in. (22.5 x 17.5 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled from the series Cercles noirs et blanc en progression, 1962, Gouache on cardboard, 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. (40 x 40 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled from the series Labyrinthe Polychrome, 1985, Acyrlic on wood, 19 5/8 x 19 5/8 in. (49.8 x 50 cm.)
Antonio Asis, ST4 Edition of 40. Ed.38/40, 2013. Lithograph, 19 7/16 x 19 11/16 in.
Antonio Asis, Chromatisme en noir et gris No. 1251, 1980. 8 1/4 in. x 8 1/4 in.
Antonio Asis, Untitled from the series Cercles Concentriques, 2008. Gouache on cardboard, 8 3/8 x 8 3/8 in.
Antonio Asis, Esquisse noire, 1958, Gouache and ink on paper, 3 9/16 x 8 7/8 in. (9.2 x 22.6 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled, 1955, Graphite on paper, 1 5/8 x 2 1/4 in. (4.1 x 5.8 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled, 1960, Graphite on paper, 3 1/2 x 5 7/16 in. (8.9 x 13.9 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled, 1960, Gouache and ink on paper, 3 1/2 x 4 9/16 in. (8.9 x 11.7 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled, 1960, Ink on paper, 8 1/4 x 5 5/16 in. (21 x 13.5 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Esquisse, 1955, Graphite on paper, 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 in. (13.7 x 20.9 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled, 1958, Ink on paper, 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (8.9 x 14 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled, 1954, Graphite on paper, 3 3/8 x 2 1/16 in. (8.6 x 5.3 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Untitled, 1955, Graphite on paper, 8 1/4 x 5 5/16 in. (21 x 13.5 cm.)
Antonio Asis, Geometria Libre Sicardi Gallery 2014
ANTONIO ASIS (1932-2019, Argentina/France)
Antonio Asis began studying art at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes when he was 14. Subsequently, at the Escuela de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón, he studied composition with Héctor Cartier who encouraged the young artist to explore the many diverse applications of the principles of design and composition. The class was influential for Asis, as were the after-class conversations with his classmates, which continued at the Bar Splendid, a local café at the intersection of Ayacucho and la Avenida Las Heras in Buenos Aires. Throughout the 1940s, Asis explored abstraction and non-representational art; with the publication of Arturo magazine in 1944 and the creation of the Asociación Arte Concreto-Invención, Buenos Aires was an important site for the development of post-war abstraction.
In the spring of 1956, Asis moved to Paris, like many of his colleagues and friends, where he quickly became part of an international circuit of kinetic artists; among others, he befriended Yaacob Agam, Nicolas Schöffer, Jesús-Rafael Soto, Jean Tinguely, and Victor Vasarely. Surrounded by this dynamic milieu, he began a series of work in which he considered how the phenomena of light could be mediated through photography. Shortly afterward, he began to study vibrations between colors and the many possibilities within monochromatic compositions. Like many of his rioplatense colleagues, Asis was deeply influenced by the ideas of Max Bill and Georges Vantongerloo, important artists and theorists of European abstraction. In 1971, Asis co-founded an artist group, Position, which included Carlos Agüero, Armando Durante, Hugo Demarco, and Horacio García Rossi, all Argentine artists living in Paris, and all interested in movement and the vibrations of light. Antonio Asis lives and works in Paris, France.
Paintings on Paper 1960-76, The Drawing Room, New York, NY, USA
Untitled BoothD5, KaBe Contemporary, Miami, FL, USA
The Illusive Eye, El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY, USA
Cercles Concentriques 1661-2011, The Drawing Room, East Hampton, NY, USA
Antonio Asis: Geometría Libre, Sicardi Gallery, Houston, TX, USA
Antonio Asis: Selected Work 1970-2003, The Drawing Room, East Hampton, NY, USA
Antonio Asis: From Color to Motion, KaBe Contemporary, Miami, FL, USA (with exhibition catalog)
Antonio Asis, Espace Meyer Zafra, Paris, France
Circulos Cromaticos, Galeria Freijo Fine Art, Madrid, Spain
Antonio Asis, RCM Galerie, Paris, France
Antonio Asis: Un Universo Vibrante, Museo Nacional de Tres de Febrero, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Antonio Asis: Interferencias Celestes, Galerie N. Mariño, Paris, France
Galerie Nerry Mariño, Paris, France
Hommage à Antonio Asis, Espace Meyer Zafra, Paris, France
Chromatic Energies, Sicardi Gallery, Houston, TX, USA (with exhibition catalog)
Expression visuelle, Galleria Arte Struktura, Milan, Italy and Galerie Claude Dorval, Paris, France (with exhibition catalog)
Atelier Antonio Asis – Oeuvres des années 50 à 70, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, France (with exhibition catalog)
Centre de Recherche Artistique Contemporaine, Verifica 8+, Venice, Italy
Galerie J. & J. Donguy, Paris, France (with exhibition catalog)
Galleria d’Arte Santostefano, Sarnico, Italy
Galleria la Polena, Genova, Italy (with exhibition catalog)
Maison de la Culture, Rennes, France (with exhibition catalog)
Estudio Actual, Caracas, Venezuela (with exhibition catalog)
Galerie Krebs, Bern, Switzerland (with exhibition catalog)
Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO), Miami, FL, USA
Collection Jean et Colette Cherqui, Paris, France
Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Latinoamericano (MACLA), La Plata, Argentina
Museo de Arte Moderno de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
Museo de Arte Moderno Jesús Soto, Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela
Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende (MSSA), Santiago, Chile
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain
Museo Nacional de Nicaragua, Managua, Nicaragua
Museo Nacional Tres de Febrero (MUNTREF), Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), TX, USA
Asis, Esmeraldo, Ferrari, Fernández Arriaga, Gego, Glassford, Maggi, de la Mora, Orensanz, & Ríos October 20 - December 17, 2016
Sculpture / Vision
Asis, Cruz-Diez, Ferrari, de Freitas, Le Parc, Sobrino, Soto, Tomasello January 21 - February 27, 2016
Un tournant | A turning point
Antonio Asis, Martha Boto, Hugo De Marziani, Horacio Garcia Rossi, Gregorio Vardanega July 14 - August 29, 2015
Prints from Latin America July 10 - August 26, 2014
Antonio Asis: Geometría Libre
Works from the '60s May 9 - July 3, 2014
Antonio Asis, Manuel Espinosa and Antonio Lizárraga
Works on Paper December 15, 2012 – February 16, 2013
Asis/Esmeraldo/Espinosa Lizárraga:
Works on Paper, 1960-2000 September 10 – October 8, 2011
Asis, Cruz-Diez, de Barros, Esmeraldo, Le Parc, Soto & Tomasello May 31 – June 30, 2010
Marked Pages II
July 10 – August 23, 2008
June 30 – August 25, 2007
Un Universo Vibrante
Asis, Boto, Cruz-Diez, Le Parc, Sobrino, Soto, Tomasello
La Patinoire Royale, Brussels November 26, 2015 - March 26, 2016
Asis, Cruz-Diez, Ferrari, de la Mora, Sobrino, and Tomasello
Sicardi Gallery | Dallas Art Fair April 9 - 12, 2015
Asis, Cruz-Diez, Esmeraldo, Espinosa, Ferrari, Sobrino, Soto, Tomasello
Sicardi Gallery | Art Basel Miami Beach 2014 [Booth H05] December 4-7, 2014
Asis, Cruz-Diez, Espinosa, Ferrari, Glassford, Tomasello
Sicardi Gallery | Expo Chicago 2014 September 18 - 21, 2014
Asis, Cruz-Diez, Esmeraldo, Espinosa, Le Parc, Soto, and Tomasello
Sicardi Gallery | Art Basel Miami Beach, 2013 [Booth H05] December 5-8, 2013
Asis, Cruz-Diez, Dal Verme, Ferrari, Glassford, de la Mora, Siquier, Tomasello
Sicardi Gallery | Expo Chicago [Booth 605] September 19-22, 2013
Arden Quin, Asis, Blaszko, Cruz-Diez, Ferrari, Tomasello
Sicardi Gallery | The Armory Show - Modern 2013 - Pier 92 [Booth 416] March 7 - 10, 2013
Blaszko, Cruz-Diez
Asis, Ferrari, Tomasello, Cruz-Diez, Soto, Esmeraldo, De Barros, Le Parc and Espinosa
Sicardi Gallery | The Armory Show - Pier 92 [Booth 328] March 3 - 6, 2011
Asis, Cruz-Diez, Esmeraldo, Espinosa, Ferrari, Soto and Tomasello
Antonio Asis | Murmures et dialogues colorés cinétiques
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_Writers
_Photographers
_Right Sides Only
_Faith on the Frontstretch
_Rookie Stripe
_NASCAR Fantasy Fusion
_Trackin' Trucks
Original Photos
Home / Donny Schatz / Greg Hodnett / Joey Saldana / Press Release / World of Outlaws / Media Tabs Schatz to Repeat as World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Champion
Media Tabs Schatz to Repeat as World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Champion
Schatz, Saldana and Hodnett are favorites to win highest-paying events
CONCORD, N.C. - Feb. 4, 2013 - Donny Schatz has been designated as the favorite to win the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship in 2013.
A variety of 55 members of the sprint car media selected the five-time and reigning champion to garner the prestigious title again this season. They also tabbed Schatz to repeat as the winner of the Knoxville Nationals with Joey Saldana the favorite to claim the Kings Royal and Greg Hodnett the top pick to win the National Open.
Schatz ended last season by recording eight wins, 20 podiums and 24 top fives in the final 29 races to earn his first World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship since winning four straight from 2006-09 to become this season's favorite.
"I don't know if you'd say a favorite," Schatz said. "There are a lot of competitive cars out there on the road with the World of Outlaws and at the tracks where we race. It keeps a guy on his toes. You can't sit on your hands too long. You have to be game on and think outside the box to get a little bit of speed or do things a little better than anything else.
"We definitely want to be repeat champions. Going into this year I feel a lot more relaxed and a lot less weight on my shoulders."
Almost exactly half of the voters picked Schatz as the No. 1 and he was the only driver to be on every ballot, which asked the media members to rank the top five for the 2013 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series title. Five points were awarded to first-place votes, four points to second-place votes and so on.
Schatz, who was voted as low as third a total of four times, earned 243 points. Craig Dollansky, who tied a career best with a second-place finish in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series last season, was voted second with 172 points and 15 first-place votes.
Sammy Swindell ranked third with 131 points and eight first-place votes with Steve Kinser (90 points) edging Joey Saldana (86 points) for fourth place. Kinser and Saldana each received two first-place votes.
Daryn Pittman, who returns full time to the series as a driver for Kasey Kahne Racing, was tabbed sixth (47 points). Kraig Kinser picked up one first-place vote and 24 points to rank seventh with Cody Darrah (10), Jason Sides (7) and Paul McMahan (6) rounded out the top 10.
Kerry Madsen, Dale Blaney, Hodnett, Chad Kemenah and Bryan Sebetto also received at least one point.
The media were also asked to select a winner in each of the three highest-paying events - the $150,000-to-win Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa; the $50,000-to-win Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio; and the $50,000-to-win National Open at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Schatz, who has won the last two Knoxville Nationals and six of the last seven, was picked as the favorite in that event by 30 media members. Swindell, the 1983 winner, had 11 votes with 12-time Knoxville Nationals champion Steve Kinser third with six votes.
Saldana nabbed 18 votes to become the No. 1 selection for the Kings Royal, which he won in 2002 and 2006. Swindell - a three-time winner who claimed the event last season - ranked second with 12 votes and Schatz - the 2007 and 2009 champion - was third with seven votes.
Greg Hodnett had 13 votes to be favored as the National Open winner. Schatz, who won last season's event to establish a record five National Open wins, is second with eight votes. McMahan was third with seven votes.
The 2013 season, which currently includes 89 races at 57 tracks in 25 states and three Canadian provinces, kicks off at the 42nd annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment at Volusia Speedway Park near Barberville, Fla., with a three-day event beginning on Friday, Feb. 15.
Tickets can be ordered online by clicking WorldofOutlaws.com/tickets or by calling 877-395-8606. Every night is a doubleheader and there are FREE Fan Pit Passes with every ticket.
2013 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Media Poll:
1. Donny Schatz (27)…………………………………………………..243
2. Craig Dollansky (15)………………………………………………..172
3. Sammy Swindell (8)………………………………………………...131
4. Steve Kinser (2)………………………………………………………..90
5. Joey Saldana (2)………………………………………………………..86
6. Daryn Pittman …………………………………………………………47
7. Kraig Kinser (1)………………………………………………………..24
8. Cody Darrah……………………………………………………………10
9. Jason Sides.…………………………………………………………….7
10. Paul McMahan……………………………………………………….6
Others Receiving Votes: Kerry Madsen 4, Dale Blaney 2,
Greg Hodnett 1, Chad Kemenah 1, Bryan Sebetto 1.
Knoxville Nationals Favorite:
1. Donny Schatz………………………………………………………..30
2. Sammy Swindell…………………………………………………….11
3. Steve Kinser………………………………………………………….6
4. Craig Dollansky………………………………………………………3
5. Daryn Pittman ………………………………………………………..2
6. Brian Brown/Joey Saldana/Shane Stewart…………………1
Kings Royal Favorite:
1. Joey Saldana…………………………………………………………18
2. Sammy Swindell …………………………………………………….12
3. Donny Schatz ………………………………………………………..7
4. Dale Blaney…………………………………………………………..5
5. Craig Dollansky/Daryn Pittman……………………………………...3
7. Steve Kinser/Kerry Madsen………………………………………….2
9. Chad Kemenah/Paul McMahan/Tim Shaffer………………………..1
National Open Favorite:
1. Greg Hodnett ……………………………………………………….13
2. Donny Schatz ……………………………………………………….8
3. Paul McMahan ………………………………………………………7
4. Daryn Pittman ……………………………………………………….6
5. Sammy Swindell……………………………………………………..5
7. Cody Darrah/Craig Dollansky……………………………………….3
9. Dale Blaney/Lance Dewease/Danny Dietrich/
Doug Esh/Fred Rahmer/Tim Shaffer………………………………..1
Press release courtesy of the World of Outlaws.
Media Tabs Schatz to Repeat as World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series Champion Reviewed by Unknown on Monday, February 04, 2013 Rating: 5
Tags Donny Schatz X Greg Hodnett X Joey Saldana X Press Release X World of Outlaws
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Eroge translated into English •
Games for Windows •
PlayStation 2 games •
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2001 video games •
Romance anime and manga
Drama anime and manga
List of Dreamcast games
Bishōjo game
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2003 anime OVAs
Suika (visual novel)
Suika (水夏) is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Circus and was first released on July 27, 2001 for the PC as a CD-ROM, followed by a DVD-ROM release on August 31, 2001. It was followed by...
Suika (visual novel) - Wikipedia
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Social Networking in the 1600s
Submitted by adminsnn on Tue, 06/25/2013 - 23:41
SOCIAL networks stand accused of being enemies of productivity. According to one popular (if questionable) infographic circulating online, the use of Facebook, Twitter and other such sites at work costs the American economy $650 billion each year. Our attention spans are atrophying, our test scores declining, all because of these “weapons of mass distraction.”
Yet such worries have arisen before. In England in the late 1600s, very similar concerns were expressed about another new media-sharing environment, the allure of which seemed to be undermining young people’s ability to concentrate on their studies or their work: the coffeehouse. It was the social-networking site of its day.
Like coffee itself, coffeehouses were an import from the Arab world. England’s first coffeehouse opened in Oxford in the early 1650s, and hundreds of similar establishments sprang up in London and other cities in the following years. People went to coffeehouses not just to drink coffee, but to read and discuss the latest pamphlets and news-sheets and to catch up on rumor and gossip.
Coffeehouses were also used as post offices. Patrons would visit their favorite coffeehouses several times a day to check for new mail, catch up on the news and talk to other coffee drinkers, both friends and strangers. Some coffeehouses specialized in discussion of particular topics, like science, politics, literature or shipping. As customers moved from one to the other, information circulated with them.
The diary of Samuel Pepys, a government official, is punctuated by variations of the phrase “thence to the coffeehouse.” His entries give a sense of the wide-ranging conversations he found there. The ones for November 1663 alone include references to “a long and most passionate discourse between two doctors,” discussions of Roman history, how to store beer, a new type of nautical weapon and an approaching legal trial.
One reason these conversations were so lively was that social distinctions were not recognized within the coffeehouse walls. Patrons were not merely permitted but encouraged to strike up conversations with strangers from entirely different walks of life. As the poet Samuel Butler put it, “gentleman, mechanic, lord, and scoundrel mix, and are all of a piece.”
Not everyone approved. As well as complaining that Christians had abandoned their traditional beer in favor of a foreign drink, critics worried that coffeehouses were keeping people from productive work. Among the first to sound the alarm, in 1677, was Anthony Wood, an Oxford academic. “Why doth solid and serious learning decline, and few or none follow it now in the University?” he asked. “Answer: Because of Coffea Houses, where they spend all their time.”
Meanwhile, Roger North, a lawyer, bemoaned, in Cambridge, the “vast Loss of Time grown out of a pure Novelty. For who can apply close to a Subject with his Head full of the Din of a Coffee-house?” These places were “the ruin of many serious and hopeful young gentlemen and tradesmen,” according to a pamphlet, “The Grand Concern of England Explained,” published in 1673.
All of which brings to mind the dire warnings issued by many modern commentators. A common cause for concern, both then and now, is that new media-sharing platforms pose a particular danger to the young.
But what was the actual impact of coffeehouses on productivity, education and innovation? Rather than enemies of industry, coffeehouses were in fact crucibles of creativity, because of the way in which they facilitated the mixing of both people and ideas. Members of the Royal Society, England’s pioneering scientific society, frequently retired to coffeehouses to extend their discussions. Scientists often conducted experiments and gave lectures in coffeehouses, and because admission cost just a penny (the price of a single cup), coffeehouses were sometimes referred to as “penny universities.” It was a coffeehouse argument among several fellow scientists that spurred Isaac Newton to write his “Principia Mathematica,” one of the foundational works of modern science.
Coffeehouses were platforms for innovation in the world of business, too. Merchants used coffeehouses as meeting rooms, which gave rise to new companies and new business models. A London coffeehouse called Jonathan’s, where merchants kept particular tables at which they would transact their business, turned into the London Stock Exchange. Edward Lloyd’s coffeehouse, a popular meeting place for ship captains, shipowners and traders, became the famous insurance market Lloyd’s.
And the economist Adam Smith wrote much of his masterpiece “The Wealth of Nations” in the British Coffee House, a popular meeting place for Scottish intellectuals, among whom he circulated early drafts of his book for discussion.
No doubt there was some time-wasting going on in coffeehouses. But their merits far outweighed their drawbacks. They provided a lively social and intellectual environment, which gave rise to a stream of innovations that shaped the modern world. It is no coincidence that coffee remains the traditional drink of collaboration and networking today.
Now the spirit of the coffeehouse has been reborn in our social-media platforms. They, too, are open to all comers, and allow people from different walks of life to meet, debate, and share information with friends and strangers alike, forging new connections and sparking new ideas. Such conversations may be entirely virtual, but they have enormous potential to bring about change in the real world.
Although some bosses deride the use of social media in the workplace as “social notworking,” more farsighted companies are embracing “enterprise social networks,” essentially corporate versions of Facebook, to encourage collaboration, discover hidden talents and knowledge among their employees, and reduce the use of e-mail. A study published in 2012 by McKinsey & Company, the consulting firm, found that the use of social networking within companies increased the productivity of “knowledge workers” by 20 to 25 percent.
The use of social media in education, meanwhile, is backed by studies showing that students learn more effectively when they interact with other learners. OpenWorm, a pioneering computational biology project started from a single tweet, now involves collaborators around the world who meet via Google Hangouts. Who knows what other innovations are brewing in the Internet’s global coffeehouse?
There is always an adjustment period when new technologies appear. During this transitional phase, which can take several years, technologies are often criticized for disrupting existing ways of doing things. But the lesson of the coffeehouse is that modern fears about the dangers of social networking are overdone. This kind of media, in fact, has a long history: Martin Luther’s use of pamphlets in the Reformation casts new light on the role of social media in the Arab Spring, for example, and there are parallels between the gossipy poems that circulated in pre-Revolutionary France and the uses of microblogging in modern China.
As we grapple with the issues raised by new technologies, there is much we can learn from the past.
Tom Standage is the digital editor at The Economist and the author of the forthcoming book “Writing on the Wall: Social Media — The First 2,000 Years.”
Source: nytimes.com
mid ages
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Excerpt from Homily for Libermann Day (2nd February) 2018
In looking back we are capable of finding the wisdom for what lies ahead. In its darkest hours, after the French Revolution and before the merger with Libermann in 1848, the Congregation was fragmented and dispersed; at one particular stage it was even reduced to a total of just six members.
Tombs of young Irish Spiritan Brothers who died in India in the 1860s
In 2017 Serge Ballanger, Pat Palmer and I set off to Kolkota in search of the tombs of the early Spiritans in India. Trained in the Holy Spirit Seminary in Paris while Fr. Schwindenhammer was Superior General of the Congregation, Spiritan missionaries were sent from France over a period of some 60 years...
Visit to Vienna’s Abbey of the Holy Cross
Last year I had the honour of staying near Vienna, in Stift Heiligenkreuz (“Abbey of the Holy Cross” in English). Founded in the time of St. Bernard, this is the second-oldest Cistercian monastery in the world and was visited in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI. Even though the church-going population of Catholic Austria is less than 10 per cent, the monastery today is full of young monks; it currently has no fewer than six novices and as many postulants.
Celebrating the memory of Blessed Jacques Laval C.S.Sp.
by Admin on Thurs 7 Sept 2017
The annual feast-day of Blessed Jacques Laval, who is venerated as the Apostle of Mauritius, is celebrated on 9th September. In Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, this is not just a Spiritan or diocesan feast-day but is celebrated across the entire nation. It is quite a spectacle to see Adventists, Anglicans, Catholics, Hindus, Shias and Sunnis all converging on the tomb of the Spiritan. One thing that many of the pilgrims will have in common is that they represent the poorest sections of society.
Looking back at a year on a Pastoral Experience Programme in Ireland Tewodros Awala Meles C.S.Sp.
Adjusting to life in Ireland Looking back at a year in Ireland where I did my Pastoral Experience Programme in Ballintubber / Ballymoe, a rural – and beautiful – Spiritan parish in Ireland’s Diocese of Elphin. Away from my native Ethiopia, I was exposed to a culture different from my own.
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Spiders, more specifically their venom, are the next enticing source of pharmaceuticals. Many of the peptides found in various species of spiders’ venom are pharmacologically active. We are acutely aware of the nasty neurotoxic effects but other components of venom demonstrate a variety of drug-like effects, including analgesic, antimicrobial, hemolytic, antiarrhythmic, and even enzyme inhibition. The possibilities for drug discovery are enormous.
Spiders are the most prevalent venomous species on the planet. Since most spider venoms are actually a complex mixture (a toxtail, if you will), of mostly peptides along with some other organic compounds. It is estimated that there could be over 12 million unique peptides produced by the venomous portion of our 100,000+ species. So far, we have just scratched the surface, with the latest total on the ArachnoServer listing over 1500 toxins from just 100 species. This database curates data from UniProt, a scientific consortium, with a mission to “provide the scientific community with a comprehensive, high-quality and freely accessible resource of protein sequence and functional information.” The ArachnoServer itself also uses the World Spider Catalog for its taxonomy identification. No mention of radioactice spiders here.
Most peptides do not make for good drugs because of their innate instability and limited human absorption. But here is where spider venom gets really cool. It turns out that in most spider toxins the biologically active peptide is “packaged” in what is called a “inhibitor cystine knot (ICK),” which essentially embrace the peptide to create a very stable mini-protein. Crazy shtuff. Without getting too deep into this science, suffice it to say that new studies are looking at oral dosage forms for humans. The ICK peptides are resistant to pH extremes, proteolytic enzymes, and high temperatures.
The most exciting area of spider venom research is in the area of treatment of chronic pain. In light of our current opioid dilemma, the possibility that we could have a non-addictive pain reliever is exciting. Our growing knowledge of certain neural ion channels playing a role in the inception and perception of pain, coupled with our growing knowledge of these spider peptides, may lead to some new effective remedies. A group of researchers in Australia is studying the peptide toxin – known as ProTx-II – that inhibits pain signals by binding to the membranes of nerve cells. This toxin is found in the venom of the Green Velvet Tarantula.
We already have pharmaceuticals derived from venom found in the animal kingdom. Pharmacists will know the drug the venom-derived drug approved by the FDA, exenatide (a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist), which helps treat type 2 diabetes. It was originally isolated from the saliva of the Gila monster, a venomous lizard.
There is a pretty good article from the British Journal of Pain here at the NIH.
drugs, pain, pharmacy
Buy Anxiety
Tiffany Davis, PharmD (Food Allergy Pharmacist)
Very interesting. Captopril is another example of snake venom being developed into a human medication. The Brazilian (bothrops) jararaca was noted to drop a man on the spot due to a sudden, severe bp decrease. Venom is fascinating.
Good point. Captopril was our introduction to the role of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in regulating blood pressure. The pit viper was a great help to medicine!
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LISBOA INTIMA REVIEWS
TRADISOM
Tradisom is an important Portuguese Music label, publisher and blog focusing on traditional music, widely distributed throughout Portugal and on line.
Record review, January 17, 2016
[Translated from the Portuguese]
This is not to mention of course the great flute star Susan, who seduces everyone with her brilliant performance and who managed to make Verdes Anos ("Green Years"), the duo with Pedro Jóia, one of the two magical moments of the album. The other is undoubtedly the meeting of two monsters of the music - Carlos do Carmo and Ivan Lins, that presented us with a brilliant and unique duet (the first ever recorded between Carlos and Ivan), "Fado do Ultramar" ... The final result of this true cauldron of musical delicacies is an Instrumentally irreproachable disc (great production and arrangements by the magician Robert Sadin), sonorously engaging and vocally seductive, where it also worth mentioning the excellent and judicious choice of repertory, in all titles really unassailable.
Lisboa is, we all know, a multifaceted capital where the multiplicity of sound mixes with myriad colors of astonishing brilliance (see the views of some of the world's most respected photographers) and this was reflected in Susan's thematic choices that absorbed all these predicates to merge them with her music. The result in an album of singular and infinite beauty that makes the capital of the seven hills, to the sound of this project, even more beautiful, more seductive, more refined, more incomparable, more dazzling and perhaps even more ... intimate! CD Ampla Portugal.
"Lisboa Intima" , with a flute as its guide, is perfectly executed with versatility and elegance by the Grammy winning principal flutist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Susan Palma-Nidel. The album is based on Portuguese songs from Fado to traditional music (Trás-os-Montes and Beira-Baixa). Also, as if all this were not enough, the project "Lisboa Intima" features two major Portuguese voices, the "prince" Carlos do Carmo and the beloved Né Ladeiras in a return we must celebrate after a hibernation which inexplicably lasted for a number of years and deprived us of an enchanting voice and one of the women who best sings in Portugal, as well as another third voice from Brasil - Ivan Lins, famous and celebrated singer-songwriter, author of international successes such as Comecar de Novo ("Starting Over), Desesperar Jamais ("Never despair") Tempo Novo ("New Time") and Somos Todos Iguais Nesta Noite ("We are all the same tonight").
The guest instrumentalists are truly extraordinary and exemplary . They demonstrate their art, mastery and talents through the (unfortunately only) eight tracks of the album. From the great Jose Manuel Neto (Portuguese guitar of fado) to the master of the cavaquinho, Júlio Pereira, Carlos Manuel Proença (guitar of fado), the incomparable and distinguished Pedro Jóia (guitar), Carlos Barretto (bass) and Mário Delgado (guitar).
Interview with Susan Palma-Nidel by Nuno Pacheco, in Publico, Portugal’s leading newspaper, November 13, 2016
By Nuno Pacheco
Venerated American flute player recorded in Portugal with Carlos do Carmo, Né Ladeiras, Ivan Lins and Júlio Pereira. Translated from the Portuguese.
Can a chance visit to a bookstore lead to a recording with great musicians? It can, and the case of Lisboa Íntima is a good example of this. In 2014, flutist Susan Palma-Nidel (from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra) and her husband, lawyer and producer Richard O. Nidel, spent a week in Lisbon after attending a wedding in the Canaries. Friends in Lisboa took them to the Livaria Ler Devagar, a bookstore in Alcântara, and they were in awe of the space, bought many records, which they brought back to New York. Susan explains: "We have a large collection of records from around the world and we started to listen to Portuguese records many years ago, but marveled at what we heard from Ler Devagar saying to each other, “what is this?" Richard had already introduced Susan to many names of Brazilian Artists, music they love, and in 2012 she recorded her album Elegante, with musicians such as Branford Marsalis and Ivan Lins. In November of 2014 Ivan Lins suggested to Carlos do Carmo that he contact Richard when he (Carlos) was in New York. At this moment, Susan and Richard had fallen in love with the Carlos do Carmo albums they bought in Lisbon and the pieces of the puzzle began to come together. "We knew they were friends for many years but soon learned that they had never recorded together, so Ivan challenged us to do that, with him, here in Lisbon."
And it was like the history of “Stone Soup” **. What began as an unprecedented duet turned into a passionate album with an extraordinary roster of musicians: Né Ladeiras, Júlio Pereira, José Manuel Neto, Pedro Jóia, Carlos Barretto, Ruca Rebordão, Carlos Manuel Proença, Mário Delgado, Miguel Veras, João Moreira, Nuno Abreu, Chris Wells, Jose Salgueiro. "She (Né Ladeiras) is a wonderful singer," says Susan. "We heard that she had stopped singing for several years, but we were able to find her. We contacted her, and she eventually agreed to record. We have since become very close friends, even treating ourselves as sisters."
On the album she sings Ó que Estriga Tenho Na Roca and José Embala O Menino, popular themes from Trás-os-Montes and Beira Baixa. But there are also themes from Amália (Alfama), Carlos Paredes (Verdes Anos), Júlio Pereira (Ler Devagar), Ivan Lins (Iluminados), José Mário Branco (Fado Ultramar) with music by Ivan, the duet he and Carlos do Carmo sing on the disc. The multifaceted Robert Sadin, winner of three Grammys, did the production and arrangements. Executive production is by Richard O. Nidel, co-mentor of this work.
“It is very interesting that a small country has so many regions and such interesting musical genres in those regions, besides fado. And I like them all!" Says Susan. The transition from classical to popular music has been a stimulus for her. "There are many similarities. There are, in both, sounds and harmonies that touch our hearts. When I met Pablo Ziegler many years ago, [Astor] Piazzolla's pianist for ten years, we became friends and he composed pieces of Tango-Jazz for Orpheus. I realized how much I enjoyed the freedom to be able to go beyond the limits of classical music.” After Elegante, Lisboa Íntima is another step in this path, which does not separate her from the territory where she has gained renown and prestige on a world scale. Richard says: "This was a labor of love and a fantastic experience. We love the city (Lisboa), and we have made lots of friends here." Susan adds: "Some people ask me: why not, for example, a Coimbra Íntima? Or a Porto Íntima? My answer is this is just a start. There's a lot to do yet."
**A long story based on a folk tale popular in many cultures, in Portugal today it is essentially a great bean and sausage soup from the city of Almeirim in the Ribatejo region, but the gist of the reference is something great made from nothing.
Read Original Article ›
On November 13th at Ler Devagar Bookstore, José Manuel Neto, Mário Delgado, Pedro Jóia, Carlos Barretto, Ruca Rebordão and Né Ladeiras took to the stage together with Susan Palma-Nidel at Livraria Ler Devagar on November 13, 2016. They treated us with songs from the album "Lisboa Intima", the result of the strong connection between the extraordinary American flute player Susan Palma-Nidel and Portugal, with traditional Portuguese music and other unforgettable compositions of Lusophonia music. The professional and personal relationship between the musicians presented the art in a way we were privileged to witness.
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Portman Street, W1C
Buildings in this area date from the nineteenth century or before
Road · Marylebone · W1C ·
Portman Street is a road in the W1C postcode area
VIEW THE MARYLEBONE AREA IN THE 1750s
Marylebone - so good they named it once but pronounced it seven different ways.
Marylebone is an area in the City of Westminster North of Oxford Street and South of Regents Park. Edgware Road forms the Western boundary. Portland Place forms the eastern boundary with the area known as Fitzrovia.
Marylebone gets its name from a church, called St Mary's, that was built on the bank of a small stream or bourne called the Tyburn. The church and the surrounding area later became known as St Mary at the bourne, which over time became shortened to its present form Marylebone.
Today the area is mostly residential with a stylish High Street. It is also notable for its Arab population on its far western border around Edgware Road.
Marylebone station, opened in 1899, is the youngest of London's mainline terminal stations, and also one of the smallest, having opened with half the number of platforms originally planned.
Originally the London terminus of the ill-fated Great Central Main Line, it now serves as the terminus of the Chiltern Main Line route.
The underground station is served by the Bakerloo Line, opening on 27 March 1907 by the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway under the name Great Central (following a change from the originally-intended name Lisson Grove). It was renamed Marylebone in 1917.
Central London, north west (1901) FREE DOWNLOAD
Central London, north west.
John Rocque Map of London (1762) FREE DOWNLOAD
John Rocque (c. 1709–1762) was a surveyor, cartographer, engraver, map-seller and the son of Huguenot émigrés. Roque is now mainly remembered for his maps of London. This map dates from the second edition produced in 1762. London and his other maps brought him an appointment as cartographer to the Prince of Wales in 1751. His widow continued the business after his death. The map covers central London at a reduced level of detail compared with his 1745-6 map.
John Rocque, The Strand, London
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Mode adds Python support changes pricing to $19 per user per month
Mode adds Python support, changes pricing to $19 per user per month
http://ift.tt/1YR37ap
Mode Analytics, a startup with a cloud service that data analysts can use to query and visualize data, is announcing today that it’s going beyond the SQL query language and adding support for the Python programming language that’s popular among data scientists.
The startup is also announcing new prices. Rather than charging $250 per month for every analyst and giving free access to everyone else within a company, Mode will now charge $19 per month for every user through a new “standard” plan. A more feature-rich and more expensive “plus” plan is also now available. The change reflects the fact that many people start off as regular users and gradually ascend to analyst status.
“Everyone should have access to the same level of analytical tools. You shouldn’t be limited to only being a viewer,” Mode cofounder and CEO Derek Steer told VentureBeat in an interview.
The arrival of Python support indicates that Mode is expanding its relevance beyond SQL jockeys. The startup is trying to appeal to a wider audience. And that could mean competing more directly with data science collaboration tools such as Adatao, Domino Data Lab, and Yhat. When asked about the potential for overlap, Steer said Mode tends to be used for communicating findings to shareholders, while other services focus more on helping people build, deploy, and maintain models.
And Mode could presumably be used as a business intelligence tool. Some of those services require would-be users to connect with salespeople before getting access, but that’s not the case with Mode; if you want to try it, you can just sign up and start right away.
Many Pythonistas are accustomed to working iteratively inside Python notebooks, but those take time to set up, and they’re not very accessible for non-technical people. So Mode has built full-featured Python notebooks into its cloud service while also making them the basis for shareable and code-free reports that people can tinker with even if they lack Python know-how.
Mode can take in data from several databases and data warehouses, including Amazon Web Services’ Redshift, Google Cloud Platform’s BigQuery, Apache Hive, MySQL, and Microsoft’s SQL Server.
To help people get up to speed with Python, Mode is adding an extensive tutorial for the language. This sits right alongside the SQL tutorial introduced a couple of years ago. The new educational material in itself could lure; more than 250,000 people have checked out the SQL material, Steer said.
San Francisco-based Mode started in 2013 and announced a $7.5 million funding round last year.
Mode Analytics, Inc. provides online service for collaboratively analyzing data. It hosts a central repository of work and surfaces it to analysts in real time, allowing them to address prob... All Mode Analytics news »
Track Mode Analytics's Landscape to stay on top of the industry. Access the entire ecosystem, track innovation & deals. Learn more.
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Rice Scientists ID New Catalyst for Cleanup of Nitrites
US - Chemical engineers at Rice University have found a new catalyst that can rapidly break down nitrites, a common and harmful contaminant in drinking water that often results from overuse of agricultural fertilizers.
Nitrites and their more abundant cousins, nitrates, are inorganic compounds that are often found in both groundwater and surface water. The compounds are a health hazard, and the Environmental Protection Agency places strict limits on the amount of nitrates and nitrites in drinking water. While it's possible to remove nitrates and nitrites from water with filters and resins, the process can be prohibitively expensive.
"This is a big problem, particularly for agricultural communities, and there aren't really any good options for dealing with it," said Michael Wong, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice and the lead researcher on the new study.
"Our group has studied engineered gold and palladium nanocatalysts for several years. We've tested these against chlorinated solvents for almost a decade, and in looking for other potential uses for these we stumbled onto some studies about palladium catalysts being used to treat nitrates and nitrites; so we decided to do a comparison."
Catalysts are the matchmakers of the molecular world: They cause other compounds to react with one another, often by bringing them into close proximity, but the catalysts are not consumed by the reaction.
In a new paper in the journal Nanoscale, Wong's team showed that engineered nanoparticles of gold and palladium were several times more efficient at breaking down nitrites than any previously studied catalysts. The particles, which were invented at Wong's Catalysis and Nanomaterials Laboratory, consist of a solid gold core that's partially covered with palladium.
Over the past decade, Wong's team has found these gold-palladium composites have faster reaction times for breaking down chlorinated pollutants than do any other known catalysts. He said the same proved true for nitrites, for reasons that are still unknown.
Rice, Research, Fertilizer
Honeybee Veterinary Medicine
The Scoop on Poop – Why is Manure Important?
Targeted Technology to Solve Agricultural Challenges
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culture / Sports
Serena Williams Is Officially The Winningest Woman In Grand Slam History
The tennis star just got her 307th win at the U.S. Open.
By Nikita Richardson
A photo posted by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Aug 25, 2016 at 6:26am PDT
It was only two months ago that Serena Williams won her 22nd Grand Slam title, tying with Steffi Graf for the second most Grand Slam titles in tennis history. If she should win the U.S. Open this month, she'll finally eclipse Graf, but in the meantime Williams has broken another record.
Today, she beat Sweden's Johanna Larsson and clinched her 307th Grand Slam win in her professional career. That win put Williams ahead of Martina Navratilova and officially made her the winningest woman in Grand Slam history. Just one more win and she'll be the winningest tennis player regardless of gender.
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100 Inspirational Female Environmentalists
Here is a series of comprehensive lists of female environmentalists from well known environmental organizations and individuals. From activists to sustainability focused business women, this ethnically and geographically diverse group of women includes both young and old and everything in between.
While we are seeing a growing number of young feminist climate activists, there is still so much that needs to be done in the area of gender equality. The inclusion of women is key to climate action. Whether in the workplace or in the home, women are the greener sex. Simply put, empowering women is synonymous with climate action.
Women are still subject to gender-based violence, restrictive gender roles, non-representative political and business leadership, and continuing economic inequalities. It is important to realize that gender equality is a critical issue for both women and men. Women are not only the key to finding solutions they are disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation, this is especially true of indigenous women.
Although women make up roughly half of the global population only about one in three delegates at the COP21 climate talks were women, and only one in ten are heads of state.
There are so many inspiring women who are leading the charge to combat climate change. Here are a series of lists of inspirational female environmentalists as selected by a wide range of organizations and individuals (some of these women appear several times on separate lists).
Here are Greenpeace's Annie Leonard's leading women and groups of women assembled by Greenpeace's Annie Leonard:
Nayyirah Sharrif and Melissa Mays are two incredible women working tirelessly in Flint right now to organize a community that's been irreparably poisoned by their own water. Follow Flint Rising and Water You Fighting For to find out how you can help them.
Women have also been at the forefront of efforts to stop Shell's Arctic drilling. This includes Raging Grannies in Seattle, Allison Warden, an Iñupiaq interdisciplinary artist in Alaska and all the brave young women who climbed oil rigs and hung off bridges.
Here are By Maria Ivanova's top female climate champions. Ivanova is an academic and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary-General, top female climate champions:
Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN climate change convention
Rachel Kyte, the World Bank’s vice president and climate change envoy
Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres and leader of a group of 100 institutional investors managing nearly US$10 trillion in assets focused on the business risks and opportunities of climate change.
Nancy Pfund, venture capital investor and one of Fortune’s Top 25 Eco-Innovators
Laurence Tubiana, French special representative at COP21 and ambassador for climate change
Fatima Nana Mede, permanent secretary of the Nigerian environment ministry, she discovered and exposed a corruption scheme that had siphoned over one billion Nigerian dollars (about US$5 million).
Achala Abeysinghe, the legal and technical adviser to the chair of the least developed countries in the UN. She leads the European Capacity Building Initiative, which trains UNFCCC negotiators from vulnerable developing countries.
Winnie Byanyima, a former Ugandan aeronautical engineer and current director of Oxfam International, she also cofounded the Global Gender and Climate Alliance and was the cochair of the World Economic Forum in 2015
Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and founder of the Mary Robinson Foundation-Climate Justice, a center for thought leadership, education and advocacy for those vulnerable to climate change impacts.
Julia Slingo, chief scientist at the United Kingdom’s weather service and the first woman president of the Royal Meteorological Society, has called for a radical overhaul of the way climate scientists relay their message
Katharine Hayhoe, evangelical Christian climate scientist, embraces the idea of engaging religion and science in understanding and resolving climate change.
Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner a poet and activists residing on the front lines of climate change in the Marshall Islands
Ursula Rakova, is the executive director of the NGO Tulele Peisa in Papua New Guine
Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a Canadian Inuit activist and author of The Right to Be Cold, filed a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2005 on behalf of Inuit communities in Canada and Alaska claiming that US failure to curb greenhouse gas emissions results in an incursion on their cultural and environmental human rights.
Cameron Russell a model and activist who spearheaded People’s Pilgrimage, a march across the Brooklyn Bridge in October 2015 to raise awareness about climate change.
Here are the Friends of the Earth's top picks for the leading female environmental activists from Friends of the Earth:
Berta Cáceres (1973 – 2016): Berta was murdered in her hometown in Honduras on 3 March. She was an indigenous, environmental and human rights activist she knew well the risks she faced. She waged a campaign that successfully pressured the world’s largest dam builder to pull out of the Agua Zarca Dam.
Bina Agarwal (1951 – present): Indian economist, a leading thinker and advocate of women’s roles in land management and conservation since the 1980s, she has influenced governments, international agencies and others worldwide. In 2004-5, Agarwal led a successful campaign in India to secure equal rights for Hindu men and women to own and inherit property, including land, in the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act.
Gro Harlem Brundtland (1939 – present): First female Prime Minister of Norway and chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development, whose 1987 Brundtland Report led to international action on sustainable development, including Agenda 21. Brundtland was one of the main targets of the massacre on Utøya island in 2011, but had left the island shortly before Anders Behring Breivik arrived.
Erin Brockovich (1960 – present)American activist made famous by a 2000 film about her work on the legal case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company for water contamination. She continues to bring legal cases for environmental pollution and public health. Brockovich has recently focused on cases related to women’s reproductive and pharmaceutical care.
Petra Kelly (1947 – 1992): Co-founder of the German Green Party and leading international activist for peace and non-violence, ecology, feminism and human rights. Petra Kelly spent her teenage years in the USA where she was inspired by the civil rights movement.
Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964): American scientist and conservationist whose 1962 book Silent Spring on artificial pesticides is credited with sparking the environment movement. Her powerful style of writing attracted widespread media attention, inspiring people to take action across the world. Before writing Silent Spring Carson worked as a marine biologist and wrote bestselling books, articles and radio scripts about marine life.
Arundhati Roy (1961 – present): Arundhati Roy is a novelist, writer and political activist on human rights and environmental issues. One of the spokespeople of the alter-globalisation movement she continues to be a target of the Indian government for her activities. Arundhati's novel 'The God of Small Things' won the Booker Prize in 1997. She donated all the prize money as well as royalties from her books on the project to the campaign against the Narmada Dam.
Octavia Hill (1838 – 1912): English social reformer who co-founded the National Trust and saved iconic London green spaces such as Brockwell Park to improve the health and wellbeing of the poor. Hill was the first to use the term Green Belt for London.
Wangari Maathai (1940 – 2011): Kenyan activist and politician, renowned for using community based tree planting to reduce poverty and conserve the environment, and for being the founder of the Green Belt Movement. When Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, she was the first African woman and the first environmentalist to do so. The Green Belt Movement has now planted more than 51 million trees across Kenya.
Here are 350.org's staff picks for the most inspiring women in the climate justice movement:
Melina Laboucan-Massimo: Climate & Energy Campaigner Greenpeace Alberta Tar Sands Campaign “She’s an amazing leader from the frontlines of the tar sands and has worked tirelessly to connect the issue of missing & murdered indigenous women with climate justice.” Read: “Missing and murdered: What it will take for indigenous women to feel safe”
Lidy Nacpil: Convener of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice and Asia coordinator of Jubilee South, vice president of the Freedom from Debt Coalition of the Philippines. She also serves on the board of 350.org and is the coordinator of the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice.
Naomi Klein: Author, journalist, activist Beyond the fact that she is an incredibly intelligent woman who brings the world some honest truths it needs to hear — in her many interviews with the press she continually highlights the role of so many of the women on the frontlines of fighting climate change.
Koreti Tiumalu Pacific Coordinator 350.org “This woman inspires me to become the best I can be in this movement. She took me under her wing and showed me all the amazing things that can happen if I believe. Strong and courageous with a warm heart, these are the important things that make an inspiring woman.” Read: “Faith, Culture and the Climate Movement”
Christine Milne: An Australian Senator and leader of the parliamentary caucus of the Australian Greens. “I cannot even begin to imagine where we would be in Australia without her years of leadership on climate. She is without a doubt one of the most knowledgable people in Australia when it comes to climate policy and is unbelievably generous with her time, especially with young people.” Read: An economy that serves people and nature, not the other way around
Amelia Telford, Maria Clague and Larissa Baldwin Organisers at Seed “Seed is an amazing project which is organising young Indigenous Australians around the country to take part in the fight for climate justice. It’s difficult work that hasn’t really been done before but it is so vital to the climate fight. The work they are doing is absolutely vital and the fact that it is being led by three young women is just so cool.” Read: Interview with Amelia in The Guardian
Ewa Jasiewicz: Aunion organiser and journalist and part of Reclaim the Power, Fuel Poverty Action, and London Palestine Action. “She’s an all-round radical uncompromising activist. She’s involved in Palestine solidarity work, union organising, and is a journalist/writer as well – and does everything amazingly. She occupied a gas-powered power station in a high profile story here in the UK. She’s also leading efforts against fuel poverty, and working with pensioners’ associations in the process. She’s not one who engages with mainstream climate stuff and is uninterested in working at the margins – she *makes* the margins into the mainstream. She’s amazing at connecting the dots. She’s super smart and kind.” Read: Resisting the Dash to Extract: Every Space is a Weapon, If You Hold It Right
Wangari Maathai: The founder of the Green Belt Movement and the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate “When you talk of women and climate in Africa, you’ve gotta talk about Mama Trees! Sadly, she passed away in 2011, but she left an amazing legacy in Africa and Kenya especially and we still reference her a lot in our work.”
Anjali Appadurai: “It was just a short speech, but I remember her talking at the 2011 Durban conference, and it hitting me like a lightning bolt… the power and the clarity and the compassion of what she said has stuck with me for years.”
Inna Datsiuk, Olga Monchak and Helen Angelova: “These three started the Ukrainian Youth Climate Association few years ago and have been developing it to become a leading youth-based movement building organization in the region.”
Iryna Stavchuk and Nastassia Bekish: ” Iryna is a leading climate and policy expert at National Environmental Center of Ukraine and a mom, rocking the analytical work and inspiring many to step on the climate activism path.” “Nastassia is a mother of two, climate policy adviser at Green Alliance Belarus and a co-coordinator of CAN-EECCA together with Iryna Stavchuk.”
Tatyana Kargina: “One of the brightest environmental activists in Russia, tirelessly leading on numerous fights, including the iconic movement against Copper-Nickel mining in Voronezh region in place named Khoper and numerous others.” Read: 8 марта: женщины и изменения климата
Giovanna Di Chiro: The Lang Professor for Issues of Social Change at Swarthmore College, and Policy Advisor for Environmental Justice at Nuestras Raíces, Inc. in Holyoke, Massachusetts. “Because she articulates environmental, climate and reproductive justice; because she’s not only a thinker but is involved in organising (toxic tours); because of her claim to “bring ecology back home”.” Read: “Sustaining Everyday Life: Bringing Together Environmental, Climate and Reproductive Justice”
Colette Pichon-Battle: Executive director of the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy In a 2014 interview she said: “Today should not have to be about reminding the nation that thousands of Gulf Coast residents continue to be impacted by the environmental and economic damage created by the BP oil disaster. The request by coastal residents four years later is the same as in 2010. Clean up the oil. Pay for the damage. And ensure that this never happens again.”
Shadia Wood: Founder and Director of Project Survival Media. “Shadia is an inspiration because she partners with women around the world to tell stories from the front lines of the climate crisis — empowering them to make beautiful videos, amplify underrepresented voices, and become catalysts for change in their communities.” Anna Goldstein: U.S. Deputy Director 350.org. “The way she combines pragmatism and idealism, joy and seriousness, playfulness and responsibility, wisdom and humility, she’s truly an inspiration — I can’t count the number of times I’ve thought, I hope I can be more like Anna.”
Oo Nie Kie: She was a young woman from the Karen ethnic minority in eastern Burma, and also my good friend and neighbor. Oo Nie Kie had an effervescent personality and took care of many people around her. Educating women and whole communities in Karen state about the connections between gender justice and environmental justice was her passion. Even though Karen areas were still thick in a civil war with Burma’s military regime, she would spend weeks in villages at a time running training programs. I recorded this little video below one night after we cooked dinner, and just let her talk about some reflections. She had just returned to the Thai-Burma border after seeing the environmental devastation in her home. Not only do Karen women have to face the atrocities of the Burma Army, as well as patriarchy, but also abuses from foreign companies building pipelines through the region. When Oo Nie Kie passed away in September 2009 it was a massive blow to the community.
Here is the Climate Council's list of female climate champions:
Barbara Buchner: How will we pay for action on climate change? An Austrian Citizen, Buchner holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Graz and currently leads the Climate Policy Initiative’ work on global climate finance. As climate finance systems – or simply, how we pay for action on climate change – become an ever-more dominant theme of climate policy debate, expertise like Buchner’s will increasingly be in demand. You can watch an interview with Buchner conducted by Climate Change TV at the Warsaw climate talks last year.
Sharan Burrow: Leading the workers’ fight on climate. Initially trained as a teacher, Burrow has been active in the Australian trade union movement for several decades. In 2010, she became head of the International Trade Union Confederation, the world’s largest trade union federation which through its 325 affiliated organisations represents 176 million workers in over 160 countries. In May this year Burrow led a renewed ‘Unions4Climate’ movement, explicitly designed to contribute to the political debate on the run up to Paris 2015 and offering the powerful line that ‘There are no jobs on a dead planet’. You can follow her on Twitter @SharanBurrow.
Winnie Byanyima: Oxfam’s leader bringing expertise on gender and climate change. A Ugandan aeronautical engineer turned politician, Winnie Byanyima has been Executive Director of Oxfam International since May 2013. A world authority on the gender dimension of climate change, you can watch an interview with her held at the Durban climate talks on the topic. As Director of the gender team of the United Nations Development Program, she co-founded the Global Gender and Climate Alliance. At the Warsaw climate talks last year, she led a mass walk out from civil society organisations under a “polluters talk, we walk” banner, especially frustrated by the idea that ‘clean coal’ might be suggested as action on climate change. Byanyima has also recently acted as a spokesperson on Oxfam’s work unpicking the role of the food industry as emitters of greenhouse gases. Follow her on Twitter: @Winnie_Byanyima.
Heidi Cullen: Climatologist leading us through Years of Living Dangerously. Heidi Cullen is currently Chief Climatologist for Climate Central, a US-based nonprofit news organisation that analyses and reports on climate science. With a PhD in climatology and postdoctoral experience in scientific research, Cullen went on to be the Weather Channel’s first on-air climate expert. She is one of the many women working to make climate science communications part of mainstream media and most recently has acted as Chief Science Advisor for the influential Years of Living Dangerously series. You can follow Cullen on Twitter @HeidiCullen.
Judith Curry: Blogger and scientist favoured by sceptics. Judith Curry is fast becoming the go-to scientist favoured by the more sceptical ends of the climate debate, though she is more than capable of making a name for herself in her own right. An established climate scientist, well known for her research on hurricanes and Arctic ice, Curry is currently Chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Troubled by the way those who do not fit with scientific consensus are treated by the scientific community and broader environmental discourse she regularly speaks up for the role of dissent and free speech in climate science. It is fair to say this doesn’t always win her friends in either science or the green movement. Curry is an active blogger, reflecting her commitment to transparency of the debate within science, and can be found on Twitter @curryja.
Christiana Figueres: Most powerful woman in climate? Heads the UNFCCC. Christiana Figueres is possibly one of the most powerful woman in climate change, heading the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and thus playing a key role in all the major global talks, including the ones in Paris in 2015. In defending the 2013 Warsaw talks as more than the disaster many wrote them off as, Figueres highlighted the role of women. She has a background in sustainable development and politics on a global level as well as her native Costa Rica. She can be found on Twitter @CFigueres.
Tamsin Edwards: Scientist making a name for herself as a fearless communicator. A relatively junior climate scientist, at least compared to those who usually act as public voices for the profession, Edwards is making a name for herself as a prolific and fearless communicator, especially online. Currently a research associate at the University of Bristol exploring uncertainty in earth system modelling, Edwards initially trained in high energy physics. Happy to argue about power and the patriarchy along with the science, she is respected by many sceptics for the time she devotes to engagement with their communities. Although she’s had her fair share of battles with other scientists,especially on issues of advocacy, it is fair to say she is highly respected by this community too, as well environmentalists. You can follow her on Twitter @flimsin and read her blog – All Models are Wrong – hosted by the Public Library of Science.
Joanna Haigh: Solar expert, rare female Fellow of the Royal Society. Joanna Haigh was recently appointed co-director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and Environment at Imperial College and is expected to raise its profile along with her own. She is already well known for her work on solar viability and climate modelling, but this new post will give her a platform to engage in a broader set of issues. Haigh was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2013 (part of a still very small number of women to hold such status) and has experience of offering clear rebuttals to politicians applying less-than-rigourous approach to climate change. You can listen to an interview with Haigh on her life in science – including experience of working with the IPCC – recorded by BBC Radio in summer 2013.
Katherine Hayhoe: Evangelical Christian climate scientist and communicator. Katherine Hayhoe is another example a climate scientist who is increasingly devoting her time to public communications. What distinguishes her from many others is that she is also an evangelical Christian; both her parents were missionaries and her husband is a pastor. Hayhoe eschewed ideas of a necessary divide between Christianity in belief in global warming, winning many allies along the way. She played a key role in the recent Year of Living Dangerously series and you can listen to a recent NPR interview where she reflects on the connections between Christianity, conservatism and climate change. She can be found on Twitter @KHayhoe.
Connie Hedegaard: Danish politician, been leading EU work on climate. A Danish conservative politician with a background in journalism, Connie Hedegaard played a key role in the 2009 Copenhagen climate talks acting as Minister for Climate and Energy. In February 2010 she was appointed European Commissioner for Climate Action under the second Barroso Commission. She’s a familiar face in global climate negations and an advocate for continued diplomatic work, even if it takes time. In arguing the 2012 talks in Doha were not a complete write-off, she concluded “Although frustration is a renewable source, it does not reduce emissions. To overcome frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the final goal that all parties have signed up a global climate deal by 2015”. You can follow her on Twitter @CHedegaardEU.
Lesley Hughes: Scientist standing up to politicians’ scepticism in Australia. Our very own Climate Councillor: From the Road to Paris website: Lesley Hughes is a globally recognised expert on the impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems, but she’s also notable for her role in the Climate Council. This is an independent non-profit organisation formed by former members of the Climate Commission, which had been a government organisation until it was abolished following the election of Tony Abbott. The startup funding for this new Council was raised through crowdfunding, and Hughes is one of six expert Councillors at the organisation. Hughes therefore not only plays a key role in our recognition of how biodiversity loss intersects with global warming, but is also on the forefront of battles between scientists and sceptic politicians.
Naomi Klein: Writer inviting us to consider ideological sides of climate debate. Environmental politics has always played a role in Naomi Klein’s work and she has been active in the recent waves of divestment campaigns, including a critique of the green movement’s own portfolio. We can expect more with her new book, which focuses on climate politics and is due for release in September 2014, well timed to intervene in the debates surrounding the big UN talks in New York. Klein offers an alternative amongst the increasing vogue for capitalist-friendly climate discourse, though her 2011 articleCapitalism vs the Climate may be showing its age. You can follow her on Twitter @NaomiAKlein.
Annie Leonard: New head of Greenpeace USA, community organiser. The in-coming head of Greenpeace USA, Annie Leonard is best known for her 2007 animated documentary,The Story of Stuff, which explores the lifecycle of material goods and offers a critical perspective on excessive consumerism. The film is credited with taking a networked approach to engagement, building a community around educational resources, materials for faith based groups and showings of the film itself. Similar approaches have been very successful in anti-fracking movement as well as the recent rise of 350.org, and it is expected that Leonard will take this focus on community organising to her new role at Greenpeace. She is less active on Twitter than some others in the field, but can be found@AnnieMLeonard.
Corinne Le Quéré: Scientist highly respected in communications and policy. Originally from Canada with a PhD in oceanography, Le Quéré is one of the Directors of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Professor of Climate Change Science and Policy at the University of East Anglia. Her research speciality is the interactions between climate change and the carbon cycle, but she is also highly respected as a passionate and thoughtful communicator who is active in policy. Le Quéré has been an author on the last three IPCC Assessments and wrote about her experience of the 2013 process.
Gina McCarthy: Head of the EPA, face of Obama’s recent climate push. As head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy fronted Obama’s recent climate pushincluding the public health framing of the issue. A longtime civil servant and expert on environmental health and air quality, McCarthy’s appointment was not a straightforward process. Indeed, it took almost five months to be confirmed by Senate, the longest an EPA nominee has ever had to wait. As Time’s Bryan Walsh wrote at the time, this may have well ended up being the easiest part of her job. You can follow her on Twitter @GinaEPA and read her Reddit Ask Me Anything.
Naomi Oreskes: Historian of science pointing out the ‘merchants of doubt’. A historian of science with a background in geology, Naomi Oreskes’ book ‘Merchants of Doubt’ – co-authored with Erik Conway – is one that has made the shift from standalone publication to a whole way of talking about a dimension of political debate. The book explores the ways uncertainties inherent in scientific work may be over-inflated – over climate change but with parallels in earlier controversies over tobacco, acid rain and the hole in the ozone layer – including the active lobbying that happens through aspects of the scientific community. Before Merchants of Doubt, Oreskes was already well known for her work on the scientific consensus on climate change, is a frequent contributor to the media and recently joined Twitter @NaomiOreskes.
Mary Robinson: First female President of Ireland, UN Special Envoy for Climate Change. Mary Robinson is best known as the first female President of Ireland, a post she held between 1990 to 1997. She then acted as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (until 2002), and in recent years has become increasingly vocal on issues of climate change, setting up the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice in 2010 and, this month, being appointed UN Special Envoy for Climate Change. In the wake of Rio+20 in 2012 she wrote about the conference as an example of political failure but also found hope in young people, women, trade unions, grassroots communities, faith-based organisations, the private sector and other civil society organisations. Robinson also sits on the board of the European Climate Foundation and is part of the Elders.
Julia Slingo: Helping us understand climate and weather. Chief scientist at the Met Office – the United Kingdom’s weather service – Julia Slingo recently made headlines with a call for climate scientists to reach out with poetry. With a career in climate modelling and research spanning several decades, she was awarded a Damehood in 2014 for her contribution to weather and climate science. She contributed to the highly influential Stern Review and was the first woman President of the Royal Meteorological Society. Before joining the Met Office she was the Director of Climate Research in NERC’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science, at the University of Reading, where she is still a Professor of Meteorology. You can listen to a recent BBC Radio interview exploring her career and occasional interactions with climate sceptics.
Koko Warner: World authority on climate change and migration. Koko Warner works at the UN university and is a world authority on an issue which is gaining more and more attention: climate change and displacement. Warner has undertaken pioneering work on environmentally induced migration and was a lead author for the recent IPCC report on adaptation. Despite headlines describing a “prophecy of doom” with hundreds of millions of people displaced, as the Climate Change and Migration Coalition argued, the report suggested migration could provide ways for some people to escape the worst impacts of climate change, and expanding opportunities for mobility may reduce vulnerability for many populations. This marked some change from the last IPCC report, but is reflects current thinking on climate migration.
Ailun Yang: Helping unpick low-carbon development in China and elsewhere. Ailun Yang leads the World Resources Institute’s work on low-carbon development in major developing countries like China and India. She previously headed the climate and energy campaign at Greenpeace China, working closely with Chinese renewable energy industries. Her current work focuses on the global coal market and continues to explore China’s power sector. Yang is an expert on China-US relations as they relate to climate and energy issues, and is an active Chinese non-governmental spokesperson on this issue in the media.
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Now On Netflix - SUICIDE SQUAD
A team of dangerous and unstable 'super villains' is assembled as a special task force.
Review by Eric Hillis
Directed by: David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Ben Affleck, Jai Courtney, David Harbour, Common, Ezra Miller, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Scott Eastwood
There's a sight gag in David Ayer's comic book adaptation, Suicide Squad, involving a "badass tough guy" and a My Little Pony toy. Sound familiar? If so, you'll have seen another of 2016's superhero efforts, Deadpool. "Surely that's a coincidence?" you might ask. After all, Ayer's film would have gone into production long before anyone saw the Ryan Reynolds film. But let's not discount those late in the day reshoots, which many speculated were prompted by the critical and public bashing of Zack Snyder's 'dark' take on Batman V Superman. Ayer and his cast were called back onto the backlot long after the release of Deadpool, a surprise box office smash.
One of the biggest issues with the current crop of soulless wannabe blockbusters is the lack of any indication that they're crafted by people who actually like movies. Watch the box office smashes of the 1980s and you're left in no doubt that the likes of Spielberg, Zemeckis and Dante live and breathe cinema; their movies call back to previous golden ages, while today's blockbusters merely call back to whatever movie proved a hit six months ago.
Suicide Squad was initially billed as a fresh, 'edgy' addition to the cinematic superhero roster, but the finished product is devoid of risk taking. There's nothing to suggest anyone involved gives two hoots about the source material; this is merely a checklist of tentpole tropes, lazily cobbling together moments we've seen countless times before.
If you've seen the many trailers you'll know we're offered yet another of those ubiquitous beams of light jetting into the sky from a metropolitan area. This one is controlled by 'Enchantress', a witch who possesses June Moone, an archaeologist played by the woefully miscast Cara Delevingne, who looks all of 16 here, which makes her romance with Joel Kinnaman's soldier Rick Flag look decidedly dodgy.
Why is Enchantress shooting a giant beam of light into the sky? Who knows? Who cares? At this point does anything in these movies matter? We all know we're simply being exposed to advertising for the next installment in the franchise. Here we get the set up for a future movie involving every troubled teen's favourite villain, The Joker (Jared Leto). His presence adds nothing to what little story there is here; Leto is simply a hype man for a movie we'll be suckered into seeing in a couple years time. He's onscreen for a combined total of no more than five minutes and only interacts with one member of the main cast, which confirms his widely reported irritating method acting antics of sending live rats and used contraceptives to his co-stars as nothing more than the immature actions of an attention seeking plonker.
Of course, such tales are all part of a publicity campaign to prepare us for how 'out there' and 'edgy' Suicide Squad is. In reality it's as conservative as a Christopher Reeve Superman movie (but naturally nowhere near as fun). The opening 20 minutes tells us how insane and dangerous the various squad members are through a series of vignettes that play like trailers for far more interesting movies than the one we end up seeing, but once the squad is assembled and sent off on their generic mission they all oddly get a dose of the feels and become about as dangerous as a Hare Krishna commune.
Those opening vignettes expose just what a bad decision it was for DC to introduce all these characters in one movie. We're introduced to the various SS members the way hopeful pop stars are revealed on TV talent shows - here's Mike in his butcher's shop in Bradford, here's Deadshot at work assassinating generic mobsters.
Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, who for obvious reasons has hogged the marketing, is particularly ill served. We're told she falls so head over heels for The Joker that she's willing to sacrifice her own life for him, yet the film never shows us why she would be so attracted to Gotham's least eligible bachelor. It would be financial suicide to leave out such a fan favourite, but Quinn's presence in this story makes no sense; she possesses no skills related to the mission whatsoever, along with the small matter of her being a complete sociopath.
For most of the movie, Robbie serves as little more than eye candy, but that's the least of the film's problems when it comes to its female characters. Not one, but two women are punched in the face and knocked unconscious by men here, and another moment has Deadshot threaten to do the same to Quinn. All three beats are played for laughs. There are four women in the movie: one's a blond bimbo, one's a career woman who seems to have attained her position by being a ruthless bitch, and the other two are crude Asian and Latina stereotypes. Not that the men fare much better in that department: Jai Courtney plays a drunk Aussie while Jay Hernandez is a tattooed Latino gangbanger. You'll find matchstick figures on school desks sketched less crudely than this lot.
What Suicide Squad fails to understand about 'guys on a mission' movies is that's it's the guys that matter, not the mission. The Dirty Dozen, that classic of the sub-genre, spends the vast majority of its running time on the assembly and training of its rag tag squad, letting us get to know the various reprobates involved, before sending them into battle in the final act as fully formed characters. The Suicide Squad are dropped into their warzone in the film's second act, allowing no time for character development.
Suicide Squad's lack of ambition can be summed up by its soundtrack choices; you'll hear more inventive playlists at German football stadiums. 'Fortunate Son' is there of course, along with 'Seven Nation Army', and it wouldn't be a generic Hollywood movie without a few bars of 'Sympathy for the Devil' for good measure. The latter is played over a scene involving Will Smith's Deadshot, despite the movie featuring another character whose Spanish name translates verbatim as 'The Devil', which speaks volumes about the lack of effort on display here.
When we meet the movie's villains, and they turn out to be literally faceless, we're left wondering if maybe we're watching some meta dissection of the generic nature of the superhero movie genre, or maybe Ayer is indulging in some extravagant trolling? Nah, it's just summer, and nobody can be bothered at this time of year.
In his 1991 hit 'Summertime', Will Smith sang "If it ain't broke then don't try to fix it, and think of the summers of the past." As far as Hollywood's current situation is concerned, it's very much in need of fixing, and we can but dream of summers past.
Suicide Squad is on Netflix UK now.
Labels: By Eric Hillis, Netflix, New Releases
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Rainwater Harvesting Incorporated into Connecticut School
Home/News/Rainwater Harvesting Incorporated into Connecticut School
HAMDEN, Conn. (October 7, 2013) – The engineers at Diversified Technology Consultants (DTC) used every green technology available to construct Bridgeport’s Fairchild Wheeler Multi-Magnet High School, the most environmentally friendly school in the state of Connecticut.
The roof alone features a green design with wind turbines and solar panels to generate renewable power, while a rainwater harvesting system, designed by DTC project engineer James Stenquist, CPD, LEED AP, leads runoff water to a 90,000 gallon cistern, which was built into the foundation of the building.
Located below the parking area, the collected water is properly treated then transported throughout the 300,000 square foot building to be used as flushing water.
“We use the International Plumbing Code, which would require approximately 3 million gallons of water per year usage. With all the water saving features, our design anticipates using 1.4 million gallons per year,” explained Stenquist.
In order to make it all possible, Stenquist collaborated with other DTC engineers in the areas of structure, civil, mechanical, electrical and plumbing during the planning and construction phases of the project.
“It was a challenging design,” he said. “It’s a 3,000 year old concept now being incorporated into code and system designs. It saves a huge amount of water, which makes it an exciting design. It was such a large system, so to do it for a public school was thrilling. The owner, construction manager, and architect supported it all the way through.”
The system was manufactured by Hamden-based Burt Process Equipment and is expected to gather nearly 2.7 million gallons of water annually.
Low flow lavatories, sinks, showers, water closets and urinals were incorporated to achieve an overall 44% savings in water per year.
“We anticipate more than half the amount of water usage to be saved each year,” Stenquist said. “This helps the environment, creates water savings for treatment instead of using potable water, and since water isn’t as plentiful as it once was, these savings make a difference.”
The school is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.
DTC2019-04-08T07:47:03+00:00News|Comments Off on Rainwater Harvesting Incorporated into Connecticut School
A Panel Discussion on Qualified Opportunity Zones, April 24, 2019
Fairchild Wheeler Interdistrict Magnet Campus wins 2016 MacConnell Award
Brian Skelcher, PE
Focus on Design
Meet our MEP
Ardash Megeurdichian joins DTC
DTC Cheers Dunkin Donuts Stadium Opening
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The 90s: a concept-book – advantages and disadvantages
by Virginija Cibarauskė
Jonas Žakaitis is a curator of conceptual and interdisciplinary art exhibitions. His first book, The 90s, is, to some extent, an interdisciplinary phenomenon. Its concept, a fundamental element of contemporary exhibitions, is its structure. The concept of an exhibition—the idea presented in its title and description—provides meaning to separate pieces; outside of the context of an exhibition, these pieces could easily obtain other meanings or none at all. In this regard, Žakaitis’s book is conceptual, too, as its content— short, fragmentary images, scraps of conversations, verbal portraits—is compiled into a meaningful unit through reference to the nineties, a distinct period in Lithuania’s cultural history.
The nineties, also known as the time of “wild capitalism,” is a remarkably fashionable epoch today, eagerly claimed by people between the ages of 18-26 and those that identify with the hipster culture. References to the decade are displayed in their outfits (colourful synthetic sweatsuits, bleached jeans, harlequin leggings) and in the interiors of fashionable cafés and restaurants. In an interview with cultural expert Jurij Dubriakov published in the weekly Literatūra ir menas (Literature and Art), writer Jurga Tumasonytė asserts that “Both 40-year-olds and 30-year-olds and even 20-year-olds began to claim their right to the last decade of twentieth century. For instance, some will write novels about their post-Soviet youth, while others—people young enough to be their children—will open a café that’s bursting with nostalgia for this decade.” Žakaitis’s text Prousto klausimynas (The Proust Questionnaire) is revealing in this regard, as an interviewee who doesn’t have strict opinions on other things (the eclecticism of tastes and beliefs is one of the essential qualities of hipsters) names the fall of the USSR in 1991 as a global event that made the greatest impact on him.
In the most common sense, this period in Lithuania was a mad, wild, strange epoch, when social and economic changes were happening very intensely and were completely unpredictable. For example, members of hitherto respectable professions (scientists, tutors, employees of governmental institutions, and even employees of factories that were being closed wholesale) were suddenly without work. Meanwhile, the formerly persecuted “profiteers,” who sensed the changes and managed to exploit them, became rich overnight. Banks were being established and brought to ruin and former teachers were trading in Polish sweaters, while young people dreamed of a fast-track career in criminal organizations. In other words, it was a time of major upheavals, and events were no longer dependent on traditional logic or laws of cause and effect. Generally, Žakaitis’s The 90s depict this period through structural analogies rather than in a direct way (although there are some direct ones, such as Žiedas [The Ring], Restoranas Sankt Peterburgas [The Saint Petersburg Restaurant], Dėstytojas [The Lecturer]). The stories are characterised by the mode of an absurd, specific lack of logic and fragmentariness. In the blurb of the book, such a worldview is described as a blending of reality and surrealism, or simply “new realism”.
Žakaitis’s texts often imitate images “from life.” Written either in first-person or third-person, the stories resemble overheard conversations, memories, and fragments of larger tales. The language is mostly conversational. At times, punctuation marks are omitted completely, thus creating an impression of a speech stream. The stories are mainly directed at a supposed addressee who sometimes shows up in the text, adopting the role of an interviewer. When the interviewer does not show up, he or she remains a listener, silent but always present. Here, a parallel can be drawn with documentary or pseudo-documentary shows, where the speaker tells their story-testimony to the camera and the supposed viewers behind it, or to the creator of the show, sitting beside the interviewee and asking questions. This structure, inspired by documentaries, the genre of conversation, and the portraits of the speakers themselves with their seemingly absurd experiences bring to mind Bedalis ir labdarys (Underdog and Benefactor) (2013) by Paulina Pukytė, especially the “aboriginal” stories (Religinis sinkretizmas [Religious Syncretism], Trys moterys [Three Women], Abdi, Pakistanas and others), which attempt to resurrect the characteristics of a distant culture.
Unlike Pukytė, who toys with the idea of found footage, the origins of Žakaitis’s new realism reside, most likely, in social networks, primarily Facebook, as well as personal blog posts: fragmentary stories usually told from the first-person perspective, comments on the latest news and opinions, various reminiscences, images, and “stolen conversations,” which reveal humorous or otherwise important pieces of actually or supposedly overheard conversations. In Conversazione, which functions as a meta-text, one of the speakers introduces himself as a writer working on his first book and mentions a story about a squirrel living in a printing house, which is also the first story of The 90s. He claims to be writing “extracts.” Besides, they are autobiographical in nature: “Practically all of them are somewhat autobiographical, something that actually happened to me, or stories of people I met” (p. 104). Therefore, in addition to reflecting on a specific period of Lithuanian history, the collection toys with definitions of both genres and autobiography. Dobriakov labels Žakaitis’s book “retro-futurism,” i.e. a critical and analytical contemplation how the nineties is still relevant today and how they shaped the present.
In the book, The 90s is a space-time in which the subject is deprived of will, purpose, and direction, when all sorts of strange things “live through you”: “You live your life, do your work, engage in everyday life and so on, and you don’t know the things that live through you, and you can’t know them. I just try to imagine them sometimes. You know, like animals, for example, they look at us and observe what we do, they conform, but they don’t really understand what people do. They follow a different logic. [...] Along come melodies we’ve never heard before, all sorts of sensations, completely new information, and we here can only accept it. You know, we do accept those signals. They act through us, but we can’t tell what form they’re in, and what, perhaps, they expect from us” (p. 51). The point of writing is to mark these forms, to identify them, even if in a limited way, or at least to register the “signals.”
“Things” in the nineties were strange, above all, for their novelty: occupied by the Soviet Union, Lithuania spent forty years behind the Iron Curtain and it was only upon its fall that Western culture came pouring in through the borders in a powerful surge: not just material goods, but also a variety of ideas, theories, and ways of life. All of this created a certain state of weightlessness and magical relativism. Sodas (The Garden) (p. 23-24) is an allegory of such space-time. It’s a strange formation without any order or structure, where plants and people turn up and disappear again, and the garden keepers are no more familiar with the rules of the garden than its plants. Fear of uncertainty is identified as one of the essential qualities of this garden: “At times, you’re overcome with this fear or something, a bad feeling. You think perhaps you’re the only one running mad, but it’s not like you’re the only one. This feeling is out there. Maybe it has a different name, but you can see it’s there. Plants have that uncertainty, too, you know, and they don’t know, as well. The plants don’t know? I ask. Yes, comes a reply, they don’t know. It only seems like they do. But why the confidence, you say? I ask again. Well because you have to have confidence. If nobody knows how it’s going to be, you have to have confidence, he says.” (p.24). Another important aspect of being in the garden is that it’s impossible to understand anything, and all we can do is observe and imitate in an attempt to conform (“See who does what: that’s it.”).
Specifically, fortune tellers, sects and the like flourished in the nineties (e.g., Mama galėdavo pasiversti bet kokiu daiktu – Mother Could Transform Into Any Kind Of Object). People were looking for answers and explanations, but the only “logical” explanations at the time were fatal coincidences, magic, etc. (e.g., Žiedas), or innate abilities of an unfathomable nature that are expressed through a person who himself might not want to express anything at all (Visas gyvenimas – Whole Life).
Žakaitis’s characters are usually people finding themselves in a situation that is normal to them but atypical to the reader, who is, at all times, an outside observer. For instance, a person stuck in a cryptic time and space, signs of high culture and experiences of poverty bound in his consciousness (Rusijoje – In Russia); young people meeting in a fair and talking, for some reason, about plane and car crashes they have read about (Mugė – The Fair); an elderly man watching teenagers riding their skateboards (Skeitai – Skates). These are the stories of everyday life, but this life is oddly magical: the story about a printing house (Spaustuvė – Printing House) is taken over by a squirrel using a coffee machine, while the security guards of a market (Centrinis – Central) converse not about themselves but about a grandfather brought to the market by children, who has Alzheimer’s.
Žiedas (p. 16-18) is a typical story of the nineties. A person’s life turns upside down in a single day. From a wealthy respectable businessman, he becomes nothing, for no apparent reason: “he owned one of the largest businesses in our city, this furniture factory. He was well-off: a family, four children, a house and all. But one day, everything sort of shattered. […] It looked like he was teleported to a parallel life, where everything’s the same, except that he was now a liar and a crook in everyone’s eyes. In a couple of weeks, he lost everything, his family, his business, his friends. He was homeless, basically, without even realizing what had happened.” (p. 16-17). At the end of the story, an explanation is found, but it is mythic-fantastic in nature rather than grounded in actual facts.
The title of the book immediately draws the reader’s attention to the remembrance of particular historical period and the specific effect of strangeness that results from the gap of a few decades. Nevertheless, the content can also be interpreted through the lens of a broader analysis of memory. Memory forms and even upstages the subject: “over time, I catch myself remembering all sorts of things and people with whom I haven’t had anything to do with for a while now, but I can’t get them out of my head. It’s like they’re involved in a variety of affairs in my head, but I can’t do anything about it anymore. It’s like everything’s happening without me. You know what I mean. I don’t know if I do, but I nod my head. Piles of memories, you say, and I’m growing smaller and smaller among them.” (p. 84). Often, it is not the significant people and events that are remembered, but rather the ones that we can call peripheral. That in itself forms an opposition to a classic story, in which, paraphrasing Anton Chekhov’s principle, a rifle hanging on the wall must go off. In Žakaitis’s texts, the reader is continually presented with rifles and non-rifles, but they don’t go off. Despite the intrigue and the expectation that something is about to happen or simply that someone is about to come and explain everything, nothing of the sort is ever brought about.
As is the case with the objects in the aforementioned contemporary exhibitions, if not for the “concept” uniting them, Žakaitis’s stories would remain, to some extent, artistically uninventive. Halfway through, the book becomes monotonous and predictable, especially if the book is read in a linear way. Paradoxically, the texts are predictable precisely because of their illogical quality, their absurdity, and their imitation of “documentaries” —having been used more than once or twice, their approach is no longer effective. The book’s format is specific and not entirely “spot-on”—it’s a pdf. It’s neither an electronic book, nor a scanned paper one, although it can be downloaded from its own website. A pdf—a digital copy of a paper book, or simply an imitation, to be more exact— doesn’t work well for Žakaitis’s texts. As long as the collection is read as a regular book, various weaknesses become noticeable: uninventive language (similar to conversational language, but not similar enough to become a focus of attention) and nearly identical structures and situations. I imagine putting these images and overheard conversations on an internet site would be more worthwhile: making use of interconnectivity, adding visuals, or perhaps even recording some of the “conversations” in an audible format and so on.
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Art Phillips dead at age 82: Former mayor set the stage for Vancouver’s future as a livable city
Doug Ward, Vancouver Sun 03.30.2013
Carole Taylor and Art Phillips on the seawall in Coal Harbour.Peter Battistoni / VANCOUVER SUN
Aug. 22, 1974 -- A crowd gathers on nearly-completed Granville Mall to hear opening ceremonies presided over by mayor Art Phillips. Workmen scurried up to last minute but failed to finish job.George Diack / PNG
Mayor Gregor Robertson presents former Vancouver Mayor Art Phillips with the Freedom of the City Award in council chambers at City Hall in Vancouver on Tuesday, July 6, 2010.Jenelle Schneider / Vancouver Sun
B.C. Lions receiver Jim Young holds the ball for then-Mayor Art Phillips to kick in this 1974 photo. Geroy Simon will break Young’s record for career pass receiving for a B.C. Lion when he plays in the game against Montreal Friday.Brian Kent / Vancouver Sun
Former Vancouver mayors gather together. Left to right are; Jack Volrich, Art Phillips, Philip Owen, and Mike Harcourt.Bill Keay / Vancouver Sun Files
Art Phillips was "the best mayor Vancouver ever had": Gordon Campbell
Pete McMartin: Art Phillips Park — can we get it right this time, please?
The birth of Cool Vancouver through architectural photography
In his two terms as mayor of Vancouver in the 1970s, Art Phillips set the foundation for Vancouver’s later emergence as a model for downtown density and neighbourhood-oriented communities.
From reversing a plan to run a freeway along the city’s waterfront to saving the Orpheum Theatre and developing False Creek’s south shore, Phillips sought to create a city that integrated livability with growth.
Phillips was instrumental in preserving pockets of green space in the downtown core — including the cherry-tree lined Discovery Square park at Dunsmuir and Burrard. The former mayor craftily saved the park from development when he convinced the Bentalls and the Royal Bank to buy the space and hold it for rapid transit — a full decade before rapid transit was a reality in Vancouver.
It was his capacity for that type of forethought that led many to tout Phillips, who died Friday at the age of 82, as one of Vancouver’s most important political figures.
“He was a visionary,” said longtime friend Michael Francis, who led a successful effort to have Discovery Square renamed Art Phillips Park this spring.
Francis said Phillips was beloved by many citizens of Vancouver who appreciated his years of service to the city.
“I spent the last year immersed in people who love Art,” said Francis, former chairman of the Simon Fraser University board of governors. “They all love him for different reasons. They love him because he saved the Orpheum, they love him because they saved the entrance to Stanley Park, they love him for False Creek. There’s just a myriad of people who want to tell you why they love him.”
A dedication ceremony for the newly named Art Phillips Park, where the former mayor often walked his dog, Daisy, had been expected to take place this spring when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. But it was delayed when Phillips’ health started to decline, said Francis. Phillips died from complications resulting from an infection.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson echoed Francis’s sentiments Friday, calling Phillips a “visionary leader.”
“He helped shape Vancouver through his vision and commitment to public service,” Robertson said in a statement. “He was a champion of livability and inclusivity.”
“During his time in office, Art fundamentally changed the political and social direction of our city.”
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS OF ART PHILLIPS
Phillips became mayor in 1972 and held the office until 1976, at a time when urban reform movements were reshaping civic politics and planning in many North American cities. In Vancouver, these reformist forces created TEAM (The Electors’ Action Movement) — and Phillips, as mayor, was its leader.
“He was a remarkable golden boy for that time,” said Gordon Price, a former city councillor.
“He was a striking guy, almost matinee-idol handsome. But with the gravitas of an investment manager.”
Phillips assumed power at city hall after making a fortune with his investment firm, Phillips, Hager and North.
In contrast to previous pro-developer regimes, the centrist TEAM led by Phillips kept real estate development on a tighter leash and made sure city planners took into account environmental and quality of life concerns — not just the wishes of developers.
Phillips and TEAM helped establish a new consensus about development that crossed all political lines — one that stressed local neighbourhood planning, public consultation and inclusive neighbourhoods with mixed income.
“It so clearly defined the movement of the city from one era to another,” said Price.
“He and TEAM set the foundations for the city that are still serving the city today.”
Under Phillips and TEAM, highrises and freeways were out, livability and local neighbourhood planning were in.
Coun. Geoff Meggs said Phillips fundamentally changed the way Vancouver made planning decisions. “(He) made it much more community based and community directed and saw potential where others saw problems.”
Michael Geller, a real estate consultant and media commentator, noted the former mayor had one lament: that he’d hoped to see issues of poverty and homelessness resolved in the Downtown Eastside.
“While he was proud of the city, that was one of the areas where he saw a need for improvement.” Geller said. “He was just troubled by the poverty and poor living conditions.”
The city’s 32nd mayor was given the city’s highest honour, Freedom of the City, by Robertson in 2010.
Asked about Phillips’ time in office after the honour was announced, former mayor and premier Mike Harcourt told The Vancouver Sun: “That was when we marched to a different drummer, when we said no to a freeway and yes to a livable city.
“Art was so much the person behind all of this.”
Also at the time of the 2010 honour, another former mayor and premier, Gordon Campbell, said Phillips “changed Vancouver forever, from his fight against a waterfront freeway to his fight for neighbourhoods and saving the Orpheum Theatre.
“The things we take for granted today are the things he started. In my mind, he was the best mayor Vancouver ever had.”
Phillips and his party came to power on a wave of citizen activism, which had forced previous mayor Tom Campbell (dubbed Tom Terrific) to kill plans to build a freeway through Strathcona and Gastown, among Vancouver’s most significant cultural and architectural neighbourhoods.
Campbell came to be seen as the conservative nemesis of Vancouver’s vibrant ’60s counterculture. Phillips was seen as the anti-Campbell, more in tune with the new baby boom generation that was beginning to flex its demographic might.
TEAM’s approach was an abrupt switch from that of the long-ruling Non-Partisan Association, which had promoted the freeway and continued industrial development of False Creek.
Phillips, along with other TEAM councillors like Walter Hardwick, had a different vision for the south shore of False Creek — a neighbourhood that would become mixed income, high density but non-highrise.
The redevelopment of False Creek and adjacent Granville Island were federally funded but were planned under Phillips’ TEAM.
The planning approach nurtured during Phillips’ two terms as mayor would later inspire what became known worldwide as Vancouverism — the creation of high-density neighbourhoods with plenty of community amenities around the central downtown core.
Phillips also created the property endowment fund, which protectively holds all of the city’s investments in lands and leases, in response to what he saw as previous councils’ wrong-headed sales of land in order to balance annual budgets.
Phillips’ star quality was cemented when he married Carole Taylor, a striking broadcast journalist from Toronto. The two met when Taylor interviewed Vancouver’s mayor for CTV’s W5. A long-distance courtship ensued, followed by marriage and two children. Taylor would become a successful politician in her own right, first as a city councillor and later as provincial finance minister.
Journalist Allan Fotheringham said Phillips and Taylor “were the city’s glamour couple. They were the city’s version of John and Jackie Kennedy or Brian and Mila Mulroney.”
Shortly after their marriage, the couple moved to a condo in the fledgling False Creek South neighbourhood, immediately giving it credibility.
“People were skeptical about whether anyone would want to live in False Creek South,” recalled Price.
“But once Art Phillips and Carole Taylor bought a townhouse in Leg in Boot Square, it became popular.”
Phillips was born Sept. 12, 1930. He attended Lord Byng secondary school in Vancouver and studied commerce at the University of B.C. The tall, athletic Phillips was a basketball star at both schools. Shortly after graduation, Phillips married his first wife, Patti.
When he quit civic politics after his second term, many assumed that he would become a national political figure, perhaps federal finance minister.
Phillips did win election to Parliament in 1979 as a Liberal in Vancouver Centre, but was defeated the following year in his bid for re-election.
After his defeat, Phillips returned to his investment firm. He re-entered public life in 1985, when the Social Credit government named him critical industries commissioner.
Phillips bowed out of the job after two years and returned again to his investment firm.
He would maintain a low public profile from then on, content in his role as the husband of Taylor, who would become one of B.C.’s best-known public figures.
“He was a modest and self-effacing guy,” said former councillor Price.
“He didn’t like to do interviews and never, as far as I know, wrote about this era. “I guess he assumed that his accomplishments would speak for themselves, and I guess, to some degree, they have.”
Phillips is survived by Taylor, his six children, several grandchildren and one great-grandchild. A celebration of his life will be held in April.
With files from Kelly Sinoski and Jessica Barrett
Leave your condolences on the passing of Art Phillips in the comment section below, or email your memories of the former mayor to sunwebfile@vancouversun.com.
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Eddie Barella - 10am to 3pm weekdays
The name they gave me is Eddie Barella, what’s up? My unhealthy obsession with rock and comedy was diagnosed in middle school. At age 15 I used an unreliable dial-up internet connection to create my own internet radio station¬¬—broadcasting to a vast audience of zero (on a good day). One can only talk to themselves for so long before important questions are asked, so fast forward to today, and it’s a dream come true to hang out with you, play rock, and try to find irony in everything this crazy world throws at us. For requests from Eddie call 1-855-869-7625.
http://facebook.com/theedonair
http://twitter.com/theedonair
Robbie Knight 3-8p M-F and assorted weekends
Hi, I’m Robbie Knight! Mom raised me on classical music and Bluebird Jazz records. But when I heard metal music, that was LIFE. I love all the Metals and the music that inspired them. I never outgrew comics, action movies or stupid jokes. And I never developed an "indoor voice". I blame that on being a game warden's kid but it's just that I'm loud, really. Life sounds better cranked up to 11.
https://twitter.com/robbieknight
https://www.facebook.com/RobbieKnightRocks/
https://www.instagram.com/robbieknightrocks/?hl=en
Bolognious Francine Marconi 8p-1a
8p-1a ET) WHola Rockternative enjoyer, my name is (Bolognious Francine) Marconi. Soup makes me real sweaty. I will most likely be a radio DJ until I’m a lifeless husk. To be a witness as that story unfolds follow me on socialized medias. http://twitter.com/marconibologna
http://facebook.com/marconibologna
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http://snapchat.com/add/marconibologna
WOODY 1-6 AM
Hey, I’m Woody. I started working in radio in 2011, and I’m still doing it so there must be something to it. Maybe it’s all the money! Hahahahahaha! No, that’s not it. Anyways, I don’t have a social media because I’m not exactly what you would call a “social” person. Besides, there’s nothing I have to say that can’t be followed by, “Here’s Nickelback.” Thanks for listening, Here's Nickleback.....
Hey, I’m Twitch. I grew up in the strip club capital of the world; Tampa, Florida. My first job was cooking BBQ outside of one of these fine establishments. I got into radio by relentlessly prank calling the evening DJ until he finally had enough, and asked me to produce his show. Now I am married, have two little kids (Whose names escape me at the moment), and pass the time with craft beer and fine bourbon. I also like to cook, box and sleep... when the girls let me.
real:rock | djs | contact | eeo | rules
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Raul Bova
If you ever encounter a crossword clue that reads “talented charming Italian actor - 4 letters” you may well fill out “Bova” in the grid -no need to bother counting letters. Raul is internationally renowned and one of the most popular actors on the contemporary Italian film and television scene.
His artistic qualities, combined with a talent in making professional choices, have enabled him to work with directors of the calibre of Pupi Avati, Lina Wertmuller, Ferzan Ozpetek and co-star with A-list cast including Sophia Loren, Giancarlo Giannini, Anthony Quinn, sir Fahrid Murray Abraham, Sylvester Stallone. He won the approval of the most demanding film critics which earned him many prestigious awards. A versatile actor, he played romantic leads, comic parts and action heroes adding layers and depth to his character roles with passion and devotion.
Raul obtained his mass audience appeal with Ultimo, the legendary Carabinieri officer who served on the front line combating the organized crime. In the fourth sequel of the series, Ultimo works with the Environmental Operations Task Force against criminal organisations committing trafficking and illegal waste disposal. One of his favorite roles, Raul is truly inspired by his TV character which draws extensively on the real life of Captain Ultimo who “provides a good, clean role model for young people to follow the rules and is a symbol of liberty, strength and hope”.
In real life as in his acting, Raul is very committed in social work extending his action to a number of charity activities and campaigns. In 2007 he posed together with young people affected by the Down Syndrome for the AIPD calendar and has played football several times for the “Partita del Cuore”, a yearly-held charity soccer match. He co-founded the Captain Ultimo Foundation with the aim to contrasting the activity of the organized crime and to promoting legality and social justice. In 2010, Raoul was nominated FAO’s Goodwill Ambassador. In this capacity, Raul has vigorously promoted the 1billionhungry petition against hunger and the Run for Food. In 2011 together, with his wife Chiara,, he started a new charity “Coloriamo i sogni”. Supporter and face of the ecologist organization "
ForPlanet", he advocates for saving the forests of our planet. In line with his commitments, as a YUNGA Ambassador.
Raoul Bova describes his TV series character: Captain Ultimo conveys a message to young people, corruption is a no-win game (La Repubblica – June 2011)
http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2011/07/11/cronaca-per-fiction-raoul-bova-in-prima.html
Raul Bova blows the wistle on hunger (The Washington Post article, October 2010)
http://www.fao.org/getinvolved/getinvolved-home/getinvolved-news/detail/en/item/47540/icode/
Raul Bova on “Ultimo” TV mini-series Official Trailer (2012)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL_vOjTGw4k
Raul Bova on La Repubblica Radio/TV (2007)
http://video.repubblica.it/copertina/raoul-bova-io-e-i-giovani/10054/11700
Raul Bova is nominated FAO Goodwill Ambassador, World Food Day Ceremony (Rome, 2010)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/faonews/5084049678/in/set-72157625042926965
Raul Bova on flickr
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=raul%20bova
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Which Solar Stocks Are Reclaiming Their Value?
By Paul Ausick September 9, 2013 11:20 am EDT
From all-time highs in 2007 and 2008, most solar makers’ stocks have plunged to around 50% of their value six years ago. U.S. solar makers First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) and SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) rose to heights of nearly 340% and 150%, respectively of their September 2007 prices. China’s Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE) rose 265%, Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) rose nearly 170% and Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) rose nearly 375%.
How the mighty have fallen. Only Canadian Solar now trades above its share price of six years ago, and once mighty Suntech is in bankruptcy and likely will be carved up when it emerges. The only stock trading at anything resembling those earlier nosebleed levels is SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ: SCTY), which went public just last December and rose to more than 300% of its IPO price earlier this year before dropping about half that gain. Except for Suntech, all these stocks have posted gains in 2013, from around 24% at First Solar to more than 300% at SunPower and Canadian Solar.
Investors are anticipating consolidation in the Chinese solar sector, where Yingli, Canadian Solar and Suntech ply their trade, while U.S. makers First Solar, SunPower and SolarCity have focused on design, engineering and system installation to stage a comeback — or in SolarCity’s case a burst of excitement.
We thought we’d take a look at these companies to try to determine if opportunity for value still lurks in the once-high flying sector.
First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) closed at at $37.45 on Friday and is trading around $38.17 Monday morning. The company has a market value of around $3.73 billion. The consensus target price from Thomson Reuters is $41.61, and the 52-week range is $19.68 to $59.00. First Solar does not pay a dividend. The implied upside to the consensus target is 11%, and note that the target is well above the 52-week high. Short interest in the stock totals 11.24 million shares, or 22% of the float.
SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) closed Friday at $23.05 and is trading at around $23.58. The company has a market value near $2.86 billion. The consensus target price is $27.67, and the 52-week range is $3.90 to $28.15. SunPower does not pay a dividend. The implied upside to the consensus target is 20%, but that the target is below the 52-week high. Short interest in the stock totals 10.88 million shares, or 26.1% of the float.
SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ: SCTY) closed Friday at $29.61 and trades around $29.76. The company has a market value of about $2.33 billion. The consensus target price is $37.00, and the 52-week range is $9.20 to $52.77. SolarCity does not pay a dividend. The implied upside to the consensus target is 25%, and that the target is well above the 52-week high. Short interest in the stock totals 4.36 million shares, or 20.2% of the float.
Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) closed at $13.77 on Friday and is trading at $14.09 Monday morning. The company has a market value of around $620 million. The consensus target price is $19.75, and the 52-week range is $1.95 to $16.40. Canadian Solar does not pay a dividend. The implied upside to the consensus target is 43%, and that the target is above the 52-week high. Short interest in the stock totals 2.45 million shares, or 8.1% of the float.
Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE) closed Friday at $5.59 and trades around $5.56. The company has a market value of near $869 million. The consensus target price is $3.52 and the 52-week range is $1.25 to $5.87. Yingli does not pay a dividend. The stock already trades higher than its consensus target price, meaning there is no implied upside. Short interest in the stock totals 10.28 million shares.
Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) closed Friday at $1.15, and anyone still holding Suntech shares will be lucky to get a dime on a dollar once the company’s bankruptcy reorganization is complete.
First Solar’s stock is nearest to being fully valued, while analysts still see upside in SunPower and SolarCity. SunPower has had the biggest run-up this year, and after a slight slide in August, is once again turning up. SolarCity’s slide has not really turned around yet.
Among the Chinese players, Yingli already trades above its consensus target and would seem to be a good candidate for a short play. Suntech is dead money, and Canadian Solar, though its implied gain resembles a value trap, expects to post a profit for the full fiscal year as margins have improved significantly.
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Read more: Energy Business, featured, solar energy, value stocks, Canadian Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSIQ), First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR), SolarCity (NASDAQ:SCTY), SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR), Suntech Power Holdings Co., Lt... (NYSE:STP), Yingli Green Energy Hold. Co. ... (NYSE:YGE)
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American Red Cross of New Jersey is looking for heroes
monkeybusinessimages
March is Red Cross Month so the American Red Cross is looking for heroes across New Jersey to either give blood, become a volunteer or make a financial donation during one of its biggest events.
"Giving Day" is March 28, a 24-hour fundraising campaign that supports the work of the Red Cross.
Spokeswoman Diane Concannon says the American Red Cross of New Jersey is known for helping people displaced by tragedies such as house fires. She says last year, the Red Cross responded to more than 800 house fires in the Garden State, helping more than 1,900 families.
Volunteers take the call from the fire department at 2 a.m., said said.
"They'll leave their homes. They'll meet the family on the street. They'll provide emotional support as well as financial assistance." That includes shelter, food and clothing.
Volunteers are also out there teaching CPR classes and first aid and educating the community about fire safety. She hopes people in New Jersey will take part in the home fire campaign from April 28 to May 13. That's when the Red Cross visits communities and teams of volunteers install thousands of free smoke alarms.
Concannon says monetary donations are desperately needed to help set up shelters for larger-than-life disasters and to provide food, water and cleaning supplies that hopefully New Jersey will not see for quite some time. Donations can be made at www.redcross.org/givingday.
Blood donations are also crucial. The winter months were quite challenging for the Red Cross with blood donations because of weather situations canceling blood drives, as well as the outbreak of the flu.
There is always a critical need for both blood, especially O-negative, which is the universal donor. For more information on where and when to give blood is at www.redcrossblood.org.
Events in New Jersey during Red Cross Month
March 1 Blood Drive at Bally's Atlantic City
An American Red Cross blood drive will be held on March 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Bally’s Hotel and Casino, 1900 Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City. To make an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org.
March 1 Harlem Globetrotters Recognize Red Cross Month in Lincroft
The American Red Cross enters the second season with the Harlem Globetrotters as its official charity partner through the team’s Great Assist initiative. The Globetrotters will recognize Red Cross Month during their 7:00 p.m. game at Collins Arena in Lincroft.
March 3 Red Cross Home Fire Campaign in Morristown
Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event with Mayor Timothy P. Dougherty, Morristown Fire Department, OEM, CERT, Red Cross volunteers and community partners.
March 3 Harlem Globetrotters Recognize Red Cross Month in Trenton
The Red Cross enters the second season with the Harlem Globetrotters as its official charity partner through the team’s Great Assist initiative. The Globetrotters will recognize Red Cross Month during their 7:00 p.m. game at Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton.
March 4 Red Cross Month Kick-Off Aboard Battleship New Jersey in Camden
Join the ceremony and flag raising on Sunday from noon to 1:00 p.m. aboard the Battleship New Jersey at 62 Battleship Drive in Camden.
March 4 New Jersey Devils Recognize Red Cross Month in Newark
The New Jersey Devils will recognize Red Cross Month during their game with the Vegas Golden Knights at 5:00 p.m. at the Prudential Center in Newark.
March 10 Red Cross Home Fire Campaign in Perth Amboy
Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event on March 10 with Mayor Wilda Diaz, Perth Amboy Fire Department, Red Cross volunteers and community partners.
March 10 New Jersey Devils Blood Drive at the Prudential Center in Newark
The New Jersey Devils and official partner RWJ Barnabas Health to host their second annual blood drive in coordination with the American Red Cross. The event will take place on Saturday, March 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. To make an appointment, visit newjerseydevils.com/blooddrive.
March 15 Raising Spirits in Buena
Join the Red Cross Southern Shore Board of Directors for this fundraising event on March 15 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Buena Vista Country Club, 301 Country Club Lane in Buena.
March 17 Red Cross & Clover Gala in Farmindale
Join the Red Cross on St. Patrick’s Day for their 35th annual fundraising gala on March 17 from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. at Eagle Oaks Golf & Country Club, 20 Shore Oaks Drive in Farmingdale.
March 24 Red Cross Home Fire Campaign in Trenton
Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event on March 24 with Mayor Eric E. Jackson, Trenton Fire and Emergency Services, Red Cross volunteers and community partners.
March 26 Red Cross Legislative Day at the State House
Red Cross volunteers and employees will be at the State House on March 26 as the State of New Jersey Senate and General Assembly present a joint resolution to the American Red Cross New Jersey Region recognizing March as Red Cross Month.
March 28 Giving Day
The Red Cross is asking everyone to support people impacted by disasters and #help1family on Giving Day – Wednesday, March 28. Your donation can help provide hope and urgent relief such as food, blankets and other essentials to people who need it most. Giving Day is a 24-hour fundraising campaign supporting the work of the Red Cross, helping people across the country in need of emergency assistance. Donate now by visiting redcross.org/givingday.
Source: American Red Cross of New Jersey is looking for heroes
Filed Under: newsletter, Red Cross
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he knew concussions throughout NASCAR career put him in 'real danger'
Oct 17, 2018, 10:49 AM ET
PlayStephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images, FILE
WATCH Dale Earnhardt Jr. opens up about his new memoir
Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the final victory lap of his storied NASCAR career in 2017 and now the legendary driver is sharing diaries he kept about the concussions he suffered and the "real danger" they posed.
In his new book, "Racing to the Finish: My Story," the former 88 car driver describes the injuries he sustained while racing and how he documented his progress before finally coming to the conclusion in 2016 that he had to stop.
"It got to a point to where I couldn't stand up. I couldn't turn my head without falling over and my eyes were not working right focusing and tracking an object," Earnhardt said Wednesday on "Good Morning America."
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images, FILE
In this file photo, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 AXALTA Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Nov. 17, 2017, in Homestead, Fla.
He added, "I couldn't lock on things and I was having a real, real problem and it got so bad I finally said, I can't drive. I got to stop."
(MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. opens up about retirement, says he hopes to still 'be a part of the sport that I love')
In 2012 Earnhardt went to the University of Pittsburgh medical center, a facility that treats other professional athletes. Earnhardt met with Dr. Mickey Collins about an injury he sustained that year.
"That wasn't the first concussion but that was the most serious one and I went and got help," he said.
I can't operate a race car much less drive to the grocery store
Earnhardt got back on the race track and began winning again.
"I won about seven races in a couple of years and everything's great. I started crashing again and symptoms were coming back after these crashes and they were getting more and more pronounced with each crash and I was trying to handle it myself," he admitted.
"Racing to the Finish: My Story" by Dale Earnhardt Jr. is available on Amazon.
He continued, "If I had a crash and had symptoms -- I would write a diary and, you know, how I felt after the wreck, how I felt that night, all the next day for several days and so that helped me kind of understand the progress of the symptoms and if they were getting better or worse. And I started making a habit of this and ended up accumulating about 12 concussions in a very short period of time. It got to a point to where I couldn't stand up."
I was able to close the book on my career my own way and I was completely comfortable with that
Earnhardt said he couldn't operate a race car much less drive to the grocery store, which is when he knew it was time "come clean" and share the journal with his family.
"I had gotten so far down the rabbit hole it took us six months to get it fixed and get back so I missed the whole [first] half of the 2016 season," he said.
(MORE: Parents link concussion with football, but ignore other contact sports: survey)
After continued treatment and work with Dr. Mickey, Earnhardt decided to finish out the remaining year on his contract with JR Motorsports before announcing his retirement.
Chris Trotman/Getty Images, FILE
In this file photo, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, talks to his crew in the garage at Daytona International Speedway, July 1, 2016, in Daytona Beach, Fla.
"I was relieved because I knew I didn't have what it took physically to keep going through that process," he said. "As a race car driver you're going to be in accidents, some that aren't in your control and some that are. And I knew that I was putting myself in real danger by continuing that career long term."
And he said he stands by his decision to retire.
"We went and raced in 2017 and had a great time doing it and was able to close the book on my career my own way and I was completely comfortable with that decision, still am today," he said.
NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he knew concussions put him in 'real danger'
+NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. to retire at the end of the year
+Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he hopes to still 'be a part of the sport that I love'
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Surname: Cass
Descendants of William Sturdy of Attleboro MA and Slatersville RI
William Sturdy, as he was thenceforth known, then shipped on an American schooner lying at Leghorn, and bound for the United States. He finally landed at Beverly, Mass., June 9, 1809. From the port of Beverly he made several voyages as mate of American schooners, but finally abandoned the seas. He married in Beverly Clarissa Whittemore, who was born in that town Jan. 28, 1794. After their marriage they settled in Attleboro, Bristol county, where Mr. Sturdy bought land lying on the west shore of the Falls pond and engaged in farming until 1827. Here ten of his fourteen children were born. About that time, 1827, “the initial efforts in cotton manufacturing on the Blackstone had opened the way for the employment of minors,” and Mr. Sturdy availed himself of this opportunity because it had become impossible for him to procure a proper subsistence for his large family from his farm. In that year he sold out and removed to the Blackstone Valley, locating at Slatersville, town of North Smithfield, R. I., where he and his children found employment in the cotton mills. He later settled in Blackstone, Mass., where he died Oct. 16, 1834. He was a hardworking man, honest and upright in his dealings, and his large family of fourteen children reflected great credit on their home training. The wife and mother died Feb. 13, 1856.
Weymouth ways and Weymouth people
Edward Hunt’s “Weymouth ways and Weymouth people: Reminiscences” takes the reader back in Weymouth Massachusetts past to the 1830s through the 1880s as he provides glimpses into the people of the community. These reminiscences were mostly printed in the Weymouth Gazette and provide a fair example of early New England village life as it occurred in the mid 1800s. Of specific interest to the genealogist will be the Hunt material scattered throughout, but most specifically 286-295, and of course, those lucky enough to have had somebody “remembered” by Edward.
Governor Houston’s Life Among the Indians
The year following his failure to secure the contract, Houston spent writing letters defending his acts and denouncing the officials who had been discharged. In addition to the Indian officials, he poured his wrath and denunciation on Colonel Hugh Love, a trader on the Verdigris whom Houston accused of being in league with the Indian Agent to rob the Creeks; Love replied to Houston with some spirited charges against the latter. Stung by the contents of an article appearing in a Nashville paper, in a burst of passion Houston gave to the press of Nashville a most intemperate letter, July 13, 1831, beginning:
Western Garrison Life
Grant Foreman describes the early life in a Western Garrison; providing insights on some of the traders in the region, the deaths of Seaton, Armstrong, Wheelock and Izard, all soldiers obviously familiar to him. But he also shares the story of the elopement of Miss Sarah Knox Taylor, daughter of General Taylor, to Lieutenant Jefferson Davis… yes, THAT Jefferson Davis.
An interesting section of the chapter are the references to the punishments inflicted upon the soldiers in the event of their disobedience.
Painted by Catlin in 1834, the picture attached is of Clermont, chief of the Osage Tribe. Clermont is painted in full length, wearing a fanciful dress, his leggings fringed with scalp-locks, and in his hand his favorite and valued war-club.
Washington Irving at Fort Gibson, 1832
The McIntosh Creeks had been located along Arkansas River near the Verdigris on fertile timbered land which they began at once to clear, cultivate, and transform into productive farms. The treaty of 1828 with the Cherokee gave the latter a great tract of land on both sides of Arkansas River embracing that on which the Creeks were located. This was accomplished by a blunder of the Government officials, in the language of the Secretary of War, 1U.S. House, Executive Documents, 22d congress, first session, no. 116, President’s Message submitting the memorial of the Creek Indians. “when we had not a
Richard Dexter Genealogy, 1642-1904
Being a history of the descendants of Richard Dexter of Malden, Massachusetts, from the notes of John Haven Dexter and original researches. Richard Dexter, who was admitted an inhabitant of Boston (New England), Feb. 28, 1642, came from within ten miles of the town of Slane, Co. Meath, Ireland, and belonged to a branch of that family of Dexter who were descendants of Richard de Excester, the Lord Justice of Ireland. He, with his wife Bridget, and three or more children, fled to England from the great Irish Massacre of the Protestants which commenced Oct. 27, 1641. When Richard Dexter and family left England and by what vessel, we are unable to state, but he could not have remained there long, as we know he was living at Boston prior to Feb. 28, 1642.
Portrait and Biographical Record of Seneca and Schuyler Counties, NY
In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to succeed,
An Historical Sketch of the Seneca County Medical Society
At the anniversary meeting of the Seneca County Medical Society held at Waterloo, July 23, 1885, a resolution was introduced by Dr. S. R. Welles, and adopted by the Society, that a committee be appointed which should prepare biographical sketches of members of the Society from its earliest history to the present time. As a result, this manuscript was published which includes 75 biographies of the early pioneers of the Seneca County Medical Society.
Treaty of August 11, 1827
Treaty with the Chippewa, Menominee and Winnebago at the Butte des Morts on Fox River in the Territory of Michigan, August 11, 1827.
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ADC Therapeutics
Leader of advancing antibody drug conjugates
ADC Therapeutics to Appoint Peter Hug, Ph.D., to Board of Directors
Lausanne, Switzerland, January 3, 2019 – ADC Therapeutics, an oncology drug discovery and development company that specializes in the development of proprietary antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), today announced that Peter Hug, Ph.D., will be appointed to its board of directors. Dr. Hug is a 35-year veteran of Roche.
Dr. Peter B. Corr, Chairman of the Board of ADC Therapeutics, said, “Peter’s breadth of global commercial and leadership experience from his long tenure at Roche will enhance our efforts as we continue progressing our pipeline of pyrrolobenzodiazepine-based ADCs through the clinic. His commercial expertise will be particularly valuable as we get closer to submitting our first Biologics License Application for ADCT-402 (loncastuximab tesirine), which is currently being evaluated in a pivotal Phase II clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. We are thrilled to welcome Peter to our board of directors and look forward to his contributions.”
Dr. Hug held positions of increasing responsibility at Roche from 1983 until his retirement at the end of 2018. He most recently served as Head of Roche Pharma EEMEA Region, which comprises Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Turkey, Middle East and Africa. Previously, he was Head of Pharma Region Europe, during which time he led a successful transformation of its European commercial operations. Prior to that, Dr. Hug served as Executive Vice President of Roche Pharma Partnering, a role in which he was responsible for licensing, strategic alliances and mergers and acquisitions. In earlier management roles within Roche, he was involved with multiple product launches, including hematology and oncology therapies. Dr. Hug is a graduate of the University of Basel, Switzerland.
Dr. Hug said, “I’m delighted to join ADC Therapeutics’ Board of Directors as the company advances multiple clinical-stage programs with its potent ADCs in both hematological and solid tumor cancers. I look forward to working with the board and leadership team to drive continued progress and ultimately bring important new cancer therapies to patients.”
About ADC Therapeutics
ADC Therapeutics SA is an oncology drug discovery and development company that specializes in the development of proprietary antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting major hematological malignancies and solid tumors. The Company’s ADCs are highly targeted biopharmaceutical drugs that combine monoclonal antibodies specific to surface antigens present on particular tumor cells with a novel class of highly potent pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD)-based warheads via a chemical linker. The Company has five PBD-based ADCs in ongoing clinical trials in the USA and Europe, and a deep pipeline of other preclinical ADCs in development. ADC Therapeutics has world-class partners, including AstraZeneca and its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune. The Company is based in Lausanne (Biopôle), Switzerland and has operations in London, San Francisco and New Jersey. For more information, visit www.adctherapeutics.com.
Dr. Chris Martin
Chris.martin@adctherapeutics.com
Tel.: +41 (0) 21 653 0200
EU Media Contact
Alexandre Müller
Dynamics Group
amu@dynamicsgroup.ch
USA Media Contact
Tony Plohoros
tplohoros@6degreespr.com
Tel.: +1 908-591-2839
Legal Notice / Privacy Policy / © 2019 ADC Therapeutics SA / All rights reserved / Site Credits
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Yam.
There are actually numerous tubers grown all over the world that are called ‘yams’. Each has a different medicinal profile, some even come from a different family, thus it seemed more helpful to have this general section on ‘yams’, describe some of the different varieties and then use the observations to show the differences medicinally. Thus all the observations for yams are grouped under this heading, but the variety is made clear in the analysis.
Some varieties of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) are also called yam in parts of the United States and Canada, although elsewhere sweet potato is called sweet potato! Sweet potato has its own entry on the site.
Yams are farmed on about 5 million hectares in about 47 countries in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Nigeria is the top producer with about 38 million tonnes, followed by Ghana with over 6.5 million tonnes, the Ivory coast with over 5.5 million and Benin, Togo and Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad.
In one of the sadder aspects of yam cultivation, economics has entered yam production. Yams in general have very high medicinal properties, but because Yam production requires high labour, the crop has low yield per hectare compared to other crops, has a long growing season and is difficult to preserve and store over extended periods of time, economists have been pressurising farmers to grow crops which have nowhere near the medicinal or nutrient value. One crop they are touting as an alternative is cassava . Unlike cassava, however, edible, mature, cultivated yams do not contain toxic compounds, which cassava does. Personally, if I was a yam farmer, I would tell the economists to take their alternative crops and stuff them up …... well you get the idea.
Despite the high labor requirements and production costs, consumer demand for yam is very high in certain subregions of Africa, making yam cultivation quite profitable to certain farmers.
Too many economists, not enough farmers.
The varieties of yam
Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, the elephant foot yam or whitespot giant arum or stink lily, is a tropical tuber. It is of Southeast Asian origin and grows in its wild form in India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries. As a crop, it is grown primarily in Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the tropical Pacific islands. In India this species as a crop is grown mostly in Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa. In the Hindi belt of India it is popularly known as "oal" (ol (ওল) in Bengali, suran or jimikand in Hindi, senai kizhangu in Tamil, suvarna gedde in Kannada, chena (ചേന) in Malayalam, oluo in Oriya, kanda gadda in Telugu and kaene in Tulu. It is a popular vegetable in various cuisines, and it is the root that is eaten. The plant gives off a putrid smell. The pistillate (female) and staminate (male) flowers are on the same plant and are crowded in cylindrical masses.
Dioscorea family
Yam is the common name for some plant species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae) that form edible tubers. These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania. There are over 600 varieties of yams and 95 percent of these crops are grown in Africa. Native to Africa and Asia, yam tubers in this family can vary in size from that of a small potato to over 60 kg (130 lb) and the tubers can grow up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in length. Some may even grow to weigh up to 70 kilograms (154 lb). The vegetable has a rough skin which is difficult to peel, but which softens after heating. The skins vary in colour from dark brown to light pink. The majority of the vegetable is composed of a much softer substance known as the "meat". This substance ranges in colour from white or yellow to purple or pink in mature yams.
White and Yellow yams
Dioscorea cayenensis
Dioscorea rotundata, the "white yam", and Dioscorea cayenensis, the "yellow yam", are native to Africa and are the most important cultivated yams. The White yam's tuber is roughly cylindrical in shape, the skin is smooth and brown and the flesh usually white and firm. Yellow yam is named after its yellow flesh, a colour caused by the presence of carotenoids. It looks similar to the white yam in outer appearance; its tuber skin is usually a bit firmer and less extensively grooved. Both are large plants; the vines can be as long as 10 to 12 meters (33 to 39 ft). The tubers most often weigh about 2.5 to 5 kg (5.5 to 11.0 lb) each but can weigh as much as 25 kg (55 lb). After 7 to 12 months growth the tubers are harvested.
Winged or Purple yam
Dioscorea alata, called "winged yam" and "purple yam", was first cultivated in Southeast Asia. Although not grown in the same quantities as the African yams, it has the largest distribution world-wide of any cultivated yam, being grown in Asia, the Pacific islands, Africa, and the West Indies. Even in Africa, the popularity of this yam is second only to white yam. The tuber shape is generally cylindrical, but can vary. Tuber flesh is white and watery in texture. In the Philippines it is known as "ube" and is used as an ingredient in many sweet desserts. In Indonesia it is known as "ubi". In Vietnam, it is called khoai mỡ and is used mainly as an ingredient for soup. In India, it is known as ratalu or violet yam. In Hawaii it is known as uhi. In Japan it is called daijo or beniimo. Uhi was brought to Hawaii by the early Polynesian settlers and became a major crop in the 19th century when the tubers were sold to visiting ships.
Mountain yam
Dioscorea pentaphylla L. is also known as the Mountain Yam or Fiveleaf yam. It is native to southern and eastern Asia (China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Philippines, etc.) as well as New Guinea and northern Australia. It is widely cultivated as a food crop and naturalized in Cuba and on several island chains in the Pacific (including Hawaii). Dioscorea pentaphylla is a prickly vine that may reach 10 meters in length. The alternately arranged leaves are compound, divided into 3 to 5 leaflets each up to 10 centimeters long. The plant produces horseshoe-shaped bulbils about a centimeter long. New plants can sprout from the bulbils. The vine grows from a tuber and specimens may weigh 3 pounds, it is the tuber that is eaten not the bulbils.
Chinese yam
Dioscorea opposita, "Chinese yam", is native to China. The Chinese yam plant is somewhat smaller than the African, with the vines about 3 meters (10 feet) long. It is tolerant to frost and can be grown in much cooler conditions than other yams. It is now grown in China, Korea, and Japan. It was introduced to Europe in the 19th century when the potato crop there was falling victim to disease, and is still grown in France for the Asian food market. The tubers are harvested after about 6 months of growth. They are eaten as a vegetable, used to make noodles, and used in traditional medicine.
Air Potato, Potato Yam
Dioscorea bulbifera, the "air potato", or potato yam is found in both Africa and Asia, with slight differences between those found in each place. It is a large vine, 6 meters (20 ft) or more in length. It produces tubers; however the bulbils which grow at the base of its leaves are the more important food product. They are about the size of potatoes (hence the name "air potato"), weighing from 0.5 to 2 kilograms (1.1 to 4.4 lb). Some varieties can be eaten raw, while some require soaking or boiling for detoxification before eating. It is not grown much commercially since the flavour of other yams is preferred by most people, however it is popular in home vegetable gardens because it produces a crop after only four months of growth and continues producing for the life of the vine. In 1905, the air potato was introduced to Florida and has since become an invasive species in much of the state.
Lesser yam
Dioscorea esculenta, the lesser yam, was one of the first yam species cultivated. It is native to Southeast Asia and is the third most commonly cultivated species there, although it is cultivated very little in other parts of the world. Its vines seldom reach more than 3 meters (10 feet) in length and the tubers are fairly small in most varieties. The tubers are eaten baked, boiled, or fried much like potatoes.
Bitter yam
Dioscorea trifida
Dioscorea dumetorum, the cultivated bitter yam is popular as a vegetable in parts of West Africa; one reason being that their cultivation requires less labour than other yams. Wild forms of bitter yams do contain some toxins that taste bitter. Wild bitter yams are not normally eaten except at times of desperation in poor countries and in times of local food scarcity. They are usually detoxified by soaking in a vessel of salt water, in cold or hot fresh water or in a stream.
Cush cush yam
Dioscorea trifida, the cush-cush yam, is native to the Guyana region of South America and is the most important cultivated New World yam. Since they originated in tropical rain forest conditions their growth cycle is less related to seasonal changes than other yams. Because of their relative ease of cultivation and their good flavour they are considered to have a great potential for increased use.
The elephant-foot yam is widely used in Indian medicine and is recommended as a remedy in all three of the major Indian medicinal systems: Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. The majority of the observations below apply to Elephant Foot Yam, rather than the other types. The corm is prescribed for bronchitis, asthma, abdominal pain, emesis, dysentery, enlargement of spleen, piles, elephantiasis, diseases due to vitiated blood, and rheumatic swellings. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India also indicates the use of corm in prostatic hyperplasia.
The USDA Nutrients database does not specify the type of yam, but the following provides some good indicators. Most roots tend to be high in minerals but not as high in vitamins. Yam, if we look at the chart below has high mineral and vitamin content and is a very good food.
Yam, raw
Vitamin A equiv.
(1%) 7 μg
(10%) 0.112 mg
(3%) 0.032 mg
(6%) 23 μg
(21%) 17.1 mg
(2%) 0.35 mg
(2%) 2.3 μg
(2%) 17 mg
(17%) 816 mg
Yam, like many other root crops, however, is not a good source of essential amino acids. It is rich in phenylalanine and threonine but limiting in the sulphur amino-acids, cystine and methionine and in tryptophan.
On the Japanese island of Rishiri, yams and yam products are regarded as a folk remedy for the treatment of impotence, …. likely because of its evocation of virile phallic imagery, according to the common folk medicine theory of sympathetic medicine.
In Bihar Elephant foot yam is used in oal curry, oal bharta or chokha, pickles and chutney. Oal chutney is also called "barabar chutney" as it has mango, ginger and oal in equal quantities, hence the name barabar (meaning "in equal amount"). In West Bengal, these yams are eaten fried or in yam curry. The plant body of elephant foot yam is also eaten in West Bengal as a green vegetable called Bengali: ওল শাক "ol shaak". In Cambodia, it is known as toal thom (ទាល់ធំ).
Yam is an important food for Nigerian and West African people. It contributes more than 200 calories per person per day for more than 150 million people in West Africa, and is an attractive crop in poor farms with limited resources. It is rich in starch, and can be prepared in many ways. It is available all year round, unlike other, unreliable, seasonal crops. These characteristics make yam a preferred and good tasty food and a culturally important food security crop in some sub-Saharan African countries.
The most common cooking method in Western and Central Africa is by boiling, frying and roasting the yam. The yam is sliced and peeled and cut into chunks. Boiled yam may be eaten with palm oil, or a pepper or palaver sauce. Among the Akan of Ghana, boiled yam is mashed with palm oil and served with eggs.
In the Philippines, the purple ube species of yam (Dioscorea alata), is eaten as a sweetened dessert called "ube halaya", and is also used as an ingredient in another Filipino dessert, halo-halo. In Indonesia, it is mashed and mixed with coconut milk and sugar. It is also used as an ingredient for ice cream. In Vietnam, the same purple yam is used for preparing a special type of soup canh khoai mỡ.
The mountain yam (Dioscorea opposita), is known in Japan as nagaimo or yamaimo (山芋?) and eaten raw and grated. Another variety of yam, Jinenjo, is used in Japan as an ingredient in soba noodles. Purple yams (Dioscorea alata) are grown in Okinawa and are known locally as daijo (大薯) or beniimo (紅芋). This purple yam is popular as lightly deep fried tempura as well as being grilled or boiled. Additionally, the purple yam is a common ingredient of yam ice cream and traditional wagashi sweets, cakes and candy.
In India the yam is boiled, then sautéed and may be sprinkled with turmeric or a few lovage seeds. The yam is called Soot’hnee and may also be sautéed in butter and dusted with dry mango powder [amchoor]. In central parts of India, the yam is finely sliced, seasoned with spices and deep fried. In southern parts of India, it is known as Karunai Kizhangu (கருணைக்கிழங்கு) in Tamil, and is ‘a popular accompaniment to fish curry’. In the southern part, especially in Kerala, you can see both purple and white coloured yams, locally known as "Kaachil or Kavuttu".
Dr Duke's list of Chemicals and their Biological Activities in: Amorphophallus campanulatus BLUME (Araceae) -- Elephant-Foot Yam 021428
Dr Duke's list of Chemicals and their Biological Activities in: Dioscorea alata L. (Dioscoreaceae) -- Greater Yam, Winged Yam 021429
Dr Duke's list of Chemicals and their Biological Activities in: Dioscorea bulbifera L. (Dioscoreaceae) -- Air Potato, Potato Yam 021430
Dr Duke's list of Chemicals and their Biological Activities in: Dioscorea sp. (Dioscoreaceae) -- Wild Yam 021427
Dr Duke's list of mercury chelating plants 017825
Dr Duke's list of Plants containing ARGININE 017958
Dr Duke's list of Plants containing GLYCINE 017955
Dr Duke's list of Plants containing PHENYLALANINE 017936
Dr Duke's list of Plants containing PROLINE 017956
Dr Duke's list of Plants containing SELENIUM 020550
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antianorectic activity 018409
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antianorexic activity 018410
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antibph activity 018354
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Anticoeliac activity 018431
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Anticold activity 018430
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antidote (Aluminum) Activity 018326
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antidote (Cadmium) Activity 018329
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antiheartburn Activity 019973
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antikeratitic Activity 019936
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Antipapillomic Activity from multiple chemicals 018899
Dr Duke's list of Plants with Metal chelating ability from FERULIC ACID - PART 1 018253
Dr Duke’s list of Plants with a number of chemicals having AntiMeniere's Activity 021279
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Memória da ocupação de Embaixada US em Jakarta 1994 (6)
Deixo aqui a petição dirigido ao Presidente Norte Americano, Bill Clinton que trizíamos para a manifestação na Embaixada Americana em Jakarta.
The Honourable President of the United States of America,
Mr. Bill Clinton
On behalf of the East Timores student and worker communities, we come to you today, Mr. President, to present the following petition.
It is our wish, on their occasion of the Third Anniversary of the massacre of 12 November 1991, to remind the world that demands for a serious and independent investigation of the Santa Cruz slayings have gone unheeded purely and simply as a result of the West's economic relations with Jakarta and that a systematic violation of human rights in the form of the repression of student, persecution, intimidation, detention and torture continue in East Timor to this day.
Given that we are rapidly approaching the year 2000, set as the time limit for the total eradication of all forms of colonialism and oppression of Peoples;
Given that under your Administration, the United States has proven once again to the world its moral responsibility in relation to the defence of the universal principles of freedom, justice and peace with the successes it has achieved in the difficult Middle East peace process, in the prevention of a second invasion of Kuwait by Iraq and your government's support of the restoration of democracy in Haiti.
We wish to remind you, Mr. President, of the 19 year old conflict in East Timor.
It is our hope that, in an effort to reddres the error of President Ford who, during his stay in Indonesia just days prior to the fateful day of 7 December 1975, gave the green light to Indonesia's Military invasion and occupation of East Timor, you will be prepared to make use of the great moral stature achieved by the United States of America through its condemnation of the violation of the fundamental rights of human beings and peoples to make the following demands of President Suharto:
1. The release of East Timorese Resistance Leader, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, and of all East Timorese political prisoners.
2. That the president of Indonesia, who has stated his preparedness to engage in dialogue with anti-integration elements, agree to the participation in such talks of the true representatives of the people of East Timor, including members of the four components of the Resistance the East Timorese Church, CNRM, UDT and Fretilin.
3. That Jakarta grant access to an independent and impartial mission with the aim of conducting a serious investigation into the Santa Cruz massacre.
The Jakarta regime fails to acknowledge the universal nature of Human Rights, arguing that cultural considerations and those of a socio-economic nature must be taken into account. It is this understanding of Human Rights which the regime relies upon to justify its violation of the same in Indonesia.
We therefore appeal to you, Mr. President, to remind President Suharto,
1. of the existence of elderly and incapacitated Indonesian political prisoners who should, as a matter or urgency, be granted amnesty,
2. of the existence of Indonesian political prisoners who after 30 years in jail continue to face the death penalty
Finally, we appeal to you to exert pressure upon Jakarta,
1. to recognise the right of Indonesian workers to organise, to assemble and to freedom of expression.
2. to free union leaders Muchtar Pakpahan and Amosi whose “crimes” are their defence of the right of Indonesian workers.
We firmly believe that the ethical concerns which have guided America’s foreign policy in relation to other countries extend also to Indonesia, and thus we deposit great hope in the decisive influence which the United States of America is able to bring to bear in realizing a solution to the East Timor case which constitutes a flagrant violation of universal principles of International Law.
Jakarta, 12 November 1994
With the highest consideration,
On behalf of East Timorese Student,
On behalf of East Timorese Workers.
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Cyclosporin treatment for rheumatoid arthritis: a placebo controlled, double blind, multicentre study.
A W van Rijthoven,
B A Dijkmans,
H S Goei The,
J Hermans,
Z L Montnor-Beckers,
P C Jacobs,
A Cats
The efficacy and safety of cyclosporin for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were assessed in a six month double blind, placebo controlled, multicentre study. The initial dosage of the drug was 10 mg/kg daily for two months. There were many discontinuations in both the cyclosporin group (eight out of 17) and the placebo group (six out of 19). Of the patients who completed the six months of therapy, those who had received cyclosporin showed a significant improvement in the number of swollen joints, the Ritchie articular index, and pain at active movement and at rest, compared not only with their condition at the start of the study, but also with the end results of the placebo group. Major adverse reactions to the drug were gastrointestinal disturbances and nephrotoxicity, which were probably due to the relatively high dosages of cyclosporin given in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ard.45.9.726
Lay summaries
EULAR textbooks
Copyright © 2019 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & European League Against Rheumatism. All rights reserved.
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ARt Image Exploration Space
An interactive image manipulation system that enables the exploration and organization of fine digital art
Access ARIES here and create a free account
Art historians have traditionally used physical light boxes to prepare exhibits or curate collections. On a light box, they can place slides or printed images, move the images around at will, group them as desired, and visually compare them. The transition to digital images has rendered this workflow obsolete. Now, art historians lack well-designed, unified interactive software tools that effectively support the operations they perform with physical light boxes.
To address this problem, we designed ARIES - ARt Image Exploration Space, an interactive image manipulation system that enables the exploration and organization of fine digital art. The system allows images to be compared in multiple ways, offering dynamic overlays analogous to a physical light box, and supporting advanced image comparisons and feature-matching functions, available through computational image processing.
ARIES was presented at 2017 IEEE Visualization Conference and publised at Computer Graphics & Applications:
ARIES: Enabling Visual Exploration and Organization of Art Image Collections.
Lhaylla Crissaff, Louisa Ruby, Samantha Deutch, Luke DuBois, Jean-Daniel Fekete, Juliana Freire and Cláudio T. Silva.
IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 38 (1), 2018, 91-108.
Creating a project and uploading images
Grouping images
Lightbox canvas
Adding metadata (typing)
Adding metadata (editing a .csv file)
Comparison tool - rect tool
Comparison tool - lens tool
Adding tags
Relative size tool
Wall tool
Lhaylla Crissaff is a professor in the Department of Geometry at Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil. Her research interests cover most aspects of visual computing, especially scientific and information visualization. During 2015, she was postdoctoral researcher at New York University, when she helped develop ARIES - ARt Image Exploration Space in collaboration with The Frick Collection. Crissaff received her PhD in applied mathematics from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2009. Contact at lhayllacrissaff@id.uff.br.
João Rulff is a research associate at NYU Tandon School of Engineering since 2017, under the supervision of Professor Claudio Silva. He worked as a research assistant at Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil, where he received his B.Sc. in Computer Science. In conjunction with his B.Sc he had completed internships at IBM, SLAC-Stanford and STI-UFF. Rulff also spent one year as a visitor student at Monmouth University. Contact at jlrulff@nyu.edu.
Marcos Lage is a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil, where he is one of the principal investigators of the Prograf Laboratory. His research interests include most aspects of visual computing, especially scientific and information visualization, numerical simulations, geometry processing, and topological data structures. Lage has a PhD in applied mathematics from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. Contact him at mlage@ic.uff.br.
Louisa Wood Ruby is Head of Research at The Frick Art Reference Library and runs both the Scholars' Program and the Digital Art History Lab [DAHL]. The Scholars' Program aims to promote collaboration and facilitate the exchange of ideas and dissemination of new work among researchers while the DAHL seeks to increase awareness of methodological and scholarly trends in digital humanities and art history. Ruby received her Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University and is a member of the College Art Association, The Renaissance Society of America, The Sixteenth Century Society, CODART [Curators of Dutch and Flemish Art], and currently serves as Vice-President of the Historians of Netherlandish Art.
Samantha Deutch is an Assistant Director of the Center for the History of Collecting at The Frick Collection, Frick Art Reference Library. Deutch is the author of the Center's award winning Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America [https://tinyurl.com/jnpybft], and has been working collaboratively on developing tools for image and data analysis, access, and preservation. She has served as Secretary on the board of the New York chapter of the Art Libraries Society of North America [2010–2012], is currently serving as Secretary for national society, and chaired the steering committee of the New York Digital Art History Group.
Juliana Freire is a professor of computer science and engineering and data science at New York University. She holds an appointment at the Courant Institute for Mathematical Science, is a faculty member at the NYU Center for Urban Science and at the NYU Center of Data Science. Her recent research has focused on big-data analysis and visualization, large-scale information integration, web crawling and domain discovery, provenance management, and computational reproducibility. Freire is an active member of the database and web research communities, with over 170 technical papers, several open-source systems, and 12 US patents. She is an ACM Fellow and a recipient of an NSF CAREER, two IBM Faculty awards, and a Google Faculty Research award. She has chaired or co-chaired workshops and conferences, and participated as a program committee member in over 70 events. Her research grants are from the National Science Foundation, DARPA, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, Sloan Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, W.M. Keck Foundation, Google, Amazon, AT&T, the University of Utah, New York University, Microsoft Research, Yahoo! and IBM. Contact at juliana.freire@nyu.edu.
Cláudio T. Silva is a professor of computer science and engineering and data science at New York University. His research includes the intersection of visualization, data analysis, and geometric computing, as well as the analysis of urban and sports data. In 2013, he was selected as an IEEE Fellow and in 2014 he won the IEEE Visualization Technical Achievement Award. He helped develop MLB.com’s Statcast player tracking system, which won the Alpha Award for Best Analytics Innovation/Technology at the 2015 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. In 2015, he was elected chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Visualization and Computer Graphics. Contact at csilva@nyu.edu.
Google Chrome (version 64 or higher)
XRDS: Crossroads, The ACM Magazine for Students
Iconograph in Art History Blog
Copyright © ARIES 2018
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Click to copyhttps://apnews.com/Business%2520Wire/a0193ec77b1b4b72a875e04240375225
Press release content from Business Wire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
Business Wire: Business
PRESS RELEASE: Paid content from Business Wire
Concord Law School at Purdue University Global Commencement Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Nation’s First Fully-Online Law School
Concord Law School Dean Martin Pritikin speaks at the commencement for the nation's first fully online law school marking its 20th anniversary. (Photo: Business Wire)
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 28, 2019--Concord Law School at Purdue University Global, the nation’s first fully-online law school, honored 69 graduates while celebrating its 20 th anniversary on February 28 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
Concord Law School Dean Martin Pritikin speaks at the commencement for the nation’s first fully online law school marking its 20th anniversary. (Photo: Business Wire)
The commencement’s keynote address was delivered by the Hon. Karen Ackerson Gauff, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, minister, veteran and author. Purdue University Global Chancellor Dr. Betty Vandenbosch also delivered remarks.
Concord Law School Dean Martin Pritikin conferred degrees on graduates and recognized them for their academic achievements. The class included 37 who earned Juris Doctor (JD) degrees and 32 with Executive Juris Doctor (EJD) degrees. The JD degree is for those who intend on becoming a licensed attorney while the EJD was created for those interested in gaining doctorate-level legal skills for careers other than law practice. Those attending the ceremony traveled from 16 states as far away as New Hampshire and Hawaii.
In its first 20 years, Concord Law School has educated more than 2,300 graduates. Concord joined the Purdue University system in April 2018 when it was acquired as part of the former Kaplan University.
“We are so proud of our graduates who, between their law school studies and their outside job, family, or military commitments, typically have been putting in 70-plus hour weeks for the last three of four years,” said Martin Pritikin, the dean of Concord Law School. “For the last two decades, Concord’s mission has been to provide access to high quality legal education to dedicated individuals like these who schedules, geography, or other life circumstances precluded a traditional law school path. We look forward to continuing to do so for decades to come.”
During the ceremony, which was broadcast on Facebook Live, the following students were recognized for outstanding achievement:
Crystal Morgan, JD (Colorado Springs, Colo.) received the Sue Lane Award, which honors strong work ethic, compassionate nature and service to the community
Barbara Hodgson, JD (Yorba Linda, Calif.) earned the Jack Goetz Award for the highest cumulative grade point average in the JD program
Brian Acunto, EJD (Brigantine, N.J.) was awarded the EJD Award for Excellence for the highest cumulative grade point average in the EJD program
Student Bar Association Awards were presented to Therese Brandi Wallace, JD (Londonderry, N.H.), Steve Hufford, JD (Portland, Ore.) and Crystal Morgan, JD (Colorado Springs, Colo.) for their service and dedication to the student organization
In her remarks, Judge Gauff said, “The Concord online model of law school is at the forefront of revolutionizing the legal educational system, by conferring upon the non-traditional law student the tools of access, innovation and flexibility. These graduates showed courage in choosing this route to obtain their legal education; now they are charged with using that same courage to make an indelible mark on the world.”
Judge Gauff also administered the attorney oath of the State Bar of California to graduate Dainey Thomas, JD (St. Francis, Wisc.). She is one of more than 550 Concord graduates who have passed the California Bar exam.
About Concord Law School
Concord Law School is part of Purdue University Global, a public, nonprofit school within the world-class Purdue University system. Founded in 1998, Concord was the first U.S. law school to offer students a traditional law school program online, including interactive live classes, frequent testing with extensive feedback, and nationally respected faculty members. Offering rigorous, rewarding online degree programs, Concord provides students with a first-rate law school education that is affordable and reflects the needs of today’s employers, delivered in a convenient, highly supportive environment.
About Purdue University Global
Purdue University Global is the extreme personalization online university, providing students the competitive edge to advance in their chosen careers. It offers a hyper-tailored path for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits, and other considerations – no matter where they are in their life journey.
Purdue Global serves approximately 29,000 students, most of whom earn their degree online. It also operates 14 locations in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Maryland, Maine, Missouri and Wisconsin. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue University’s flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates two regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest, Indiana, as well as serving close to 6,000 science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University (IUPUI) Indianapolis campus.
For more information about Purdue Global, please visit www.PurdueGlobal.edu. For more information about Concord Law School, visit www.concordlawschool.edu.
CONTACT: Greg Ten Eyck
gregory.teneyck@purdueglobal.edu
KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: EDUCATION UNIVERSITY CONTINUING OTHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LEGAL TRAINING
SOURCE: Concord Law School
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Dwele
Some Kinda...
I'm Cheatin'
Sketches of a Man
I Think I Love U (Album Version)
Wants, World, Women
Drive the Future
Can't Take It (Remixes)
Defected Radio Episode 104 (hosted by Simon...
The Remix Suite, Vol. 1
Elzhi
BB Queen
Acerca de Dwele
Dwele, nee Andwele Gardner, is an R&B singer, producer and storyteller that stays true to the grind -- he's worked with the likes of Common and Kanye West and was nominated for a 2008 Grammy for his cover of Earth, Wind and Fire's "That's the Way of the World." Hailing from the rich musical hit factory of Detroit, Dwele found his soul-man footing thanks to his fertile surroundings and, most importantly, his audiophile father, who tragically passed away early on, but left sonic seedlings for Dwele to sow. At the age of six, Dwele started to learn the piano and eventually picked up trumpet, guitar and bass as well. After leaving his initial emcee aspirations behind, the rapper-turned-singer dropped a demo tape in 2000. His falsetto lit the Motor City underground on fire, piquing the interest of hip-hop troupe Slum Village. This led to his big break, crooning the hook on Slum Village's hit "Tainted." He quickly followed that with his 2003 debut Subject and the breakthrough single "Find a Way." After some time on the road, he released his sophomore LP, Some Kinda, in 2005. Sketches of a Man (2008) is signature Dwele -- smooth, seductive and true to his Detroit roots. Angela Bruno
Amp Fiddler, Les Nubians, PJ Morton, Raheem DeVaughn, The Foreign Exchange, V
Dwele, nee Andwele Gardner, is an R&B singer, producer and storyteller that stays true to the grind -- he's worked with the likes of Common and Kanye West and was nominated for a 2008 Grammy for his cover of Earth, Wind and Fire's "That's the Way of the World." Hailing from the rich musical hit factory of Detroit, Dwele found his soul-man footing thanks to his fertile surroundings and, most importantly, his audiophile father, who tragically passed away early on, but left sonic seedlings for Dwele to sow. At the age of six, Dwele started to learn the piano and eventually picked up trumpet, guitar and bass as well. After leaving his initial emcee aspirations behind, the rapper-turned-singer dropped a demo tape in 2000. His falsetto lit the Motor City underground on fire, piquing the interest of hip-hop troupe Slum Village. This led to his big break, crooning the hook on Slum Village's hit "Tainted." He quickly followed that with his 2003 debut Subject and the breakthrough single "Find a Way." After some time on the road, he released his sophomore LP, Some Kinda, in 2005. Sketches of a Man (2008) is signature Dwele -- smooth, seductive and true to his Detroit roots.
Angela Bruno
What's Not To Love
The Bling Ring: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
A Pimp's Dream
M-Eye-C
I Think I Love U (Remix)
Sound Signature Sounds, Vol. 2
Fever (Clean)
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Courses Overview
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There’s more than one route into studying in our creative community. From Evening & Saturday Courses, to Foundation and BA courses, to research degrees, you’ll find a path through AUB that suits you. Simply select the course level you’d like to study.
Found a course that you’d like to apply for? Simply select from the boxes below to find out how to apply for each of our courses and for advice on entry requirements.
We believe people learn best in a vibrant, caring environment. We want to help you thrive while you’re here.
On campus, you’ll find lots of great resources, facilities and, most importantly, a friendly environment. Lots of the courses overlap or collaborate, so you’ll meet plenty of new friends studying other subjects.
You can find out more about life at AUB by exploring the sections below.
Established in 1883 as a specialist institution, Arts University Bournemouth is a leading University offering high quality specialist education in art, design, media and performance across the creative industries.
We’re passionate about the creative subjects we teach and continue to encourage curiosity, risk-taking and adventure in exploring and pushing subject knowledge and its boundaries.
The University is situated two miles from the centre of Bournemouth, on the border between Bournemouth and Poole. Here are details on how to get in touch and how find us.
At AUB, our flourishing research and scholarship culture celebrates and enables original investigation; extending knowledge fields and developing new understanding within the arts.
By promoting the pursuit of innovation and creativity, we encourage opportunities for establishing and sharing best practice in research and foster the development of critical perspectives that have traditionally lain outside discrete disciplines. We encourage the use of reflective teaching and learning practices as part of an interactive relationship with research.
Staff research is supported from within AUB by grants for particular projects and by a Research Fellowship programme offering generous remission from teaching and administration. Researchers are also encouraged to apply for external funding for the full range of research from practice through history and theory.
Recent grants received include those from:
AHRC – The Arts & Humanities Research Council
NESTA – National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts
The Paul Mellon Centre
A proactive Research Forum enables staff to present work in progress and to hear and participate in discussions of research by distinguished visitors. Training and advice is available to those intending to apply for external funding.
The University occupies a significant position in the cultural nexus of the south west. The University’s own Gallery is an important showcase for creative work and there are established links with other arts institutions in the area.
AUB awarded The Queen's Anniversary Prize 2017
You are here: AUB awarded The Queen's Anniversary Prize 2017
BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design Graduate / Student / Alumni Award / University News / Costume – Published 2nd Dec 17
AUB is celebrating after it was announced that its BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design course has been recognised as a centre of excellence by The Queen’s Anniversary Prize 2017.
The prestigious award is organised by The Royal Anniversary Trust, an independent charity promoting world class excellence and achievement through The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education. AUB has been awarded the prize for ‘distinguished degree level education in costume design for the UK’s leading creative industries’.
AUB were also recognised for outstanding work in education for the film industry with the Queen’s Award in 1998 (formerly as the Arts Institute at Bournemouth) and are one of two specialist institutions to have received the award on two occasions.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Stuart Bartholomew CBE, staff members from the BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design Team and students from the course were invited to the reception at St James Palace on Thursday 30 November, where the prizes were announced. The Royal Anniversary Trust will award a prize certificate which has been signed by HM The Queen herself.
The prize citation reads:
The University is recognised as a centre of excellence for degree level education in costume design, having grown from providing a relatively small course into a comprehensive and influential programme.
It contributes significantly to the UK’s high reputation in this branch of the creative industries and thereby to the UK economy. The production environment of the education and training covers film, television and theatre, placing special emphasis on students’ work being informed and underpinned by a sound academic understanding of historical and social contexts, and of the materials and methods of the time.
This approach has produced graduates with a rounded education in the subject and well prepared for the demands of the industry. The overall cohort in the subject at under and postgraduate level currently stands at 200, achieving in 2016 an outstanding (100%) rate of progression into relevant employment.
Alumni achievement is evidenced by numerous international awards including Oscar nominations in costume design and extensive involvements in high-profile and internationally successful UK television productions, including “Downton Abbey” and “Sherlock”, and in live theatre. The University was also responsible for innovative and widely acclaimed costume design work for events at Weymouth for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
The award will also be recognised at a formal presentation of prizes and reception at Buckingham Palace on the 22nd February 2018.
Some examples of projects BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design students and alumni have worked on:
ITV’s Victoria
Victoria was premiered in August 2016 on ITV. Several BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design alumni were employed as key costume team members, working with the cast, including Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria and Tom Hughes as Prince Albert, to produce the detailed and meticulously researched costumes. Of particular note is 2015 graduate, Milly Barter, who has worked on both series as a Creative Skillset Trainee.
In 2013, AUB was the first university to achieve accreditation for costume in the UK.
Replica of Elisabeth de Valois’ gown 1560
The dress, headdress and jewellery were made by 2015 graduate Emily Ryan as an interpretation of the 1560 portrait of Elisabeth de Valois painted by Alonso Sánchez Coello, that is held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. The cutting is exemplary, including the highly complex conical sleeve, held together with gold aiglets. Emily also created the jewels and decorations that adorn the dress, using laser cutting and moulds to manufacture cabochons and filigree mounts.
AUB celebrates 80 years of working the camera at Wimbledon 1937-2017
This summer, 70 first-year students performed on location at a local tennis club to recreate the atmosphere of the 1937 Wimbledon Championships. Costumes were made from a series of 30 designs created by recent graduate, Tiffany Dawson. The project was a collaboration between the BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design, BA (Hons) Make-up for Media and Performance and BA (Hons) Film Production courses. The film was written and directed by Mark Sephton with cinematography by Vlad Jakovlev.
Image courtesy of ITV’s Victoria.
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Home Golf Rules Golf Rule Changes for 2012
Golf Rule Changes for 2012
Brian O'Hare
AFTER what has been termed an “exhaustive four year review” the world’s governing golf bodies have announced the rules of the game will remain largely unchanged.
That may sound like a huge anti-climax for some but for many will just reinforce the great game of golf’s rich and ongoing heritage.
There has been one significant change however, eliminating what was a very unfair penalty to a player whose ball moved on the putting green because of a wind gust or the like.
The key European and US governing bodies have also got their acts together to present a united and co-ordinated presentation of golf rules.
In the announcement today, The R&A and the United States Golf Association (USGA) said the publication of the new Rules of Golf for 2012-15 would be for the first time be designed, published and presented jointly.
The bodies said that following the exhaustive, four-year review of golf’s 34 playing Rules, nine principal Rules have been amended to improve clarity and ensure penalties are proportionate.
The significant changes include:
• Ball Moving After Address (Rule 18-2b). A new exception is added which exonerates the player from penalty if their ball moves after it has been addressed when it is known or virtually certain that they did not cause the ball to move. For example, if it is a gust of wind that moves the ball after it has been addressed, there is no penalty and the ball is played from its new position.
• Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions (Rule 13-4). Exception 2 to this Rule is amended to permit a player to smooth sand or soil in a hazard at any time, including before playing from that hazard, provided it is for the sole purpose of caring for the course and Rule 13-2 (improving lie, area of intended stance or swing or line of play) is not breached.
• Time of Starting (Rule 6-3a). The rule is amended to provide that the penalty for starting late, but within five minutes of the starting time, is reduced from disqualification to loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes at the first hole in stroke play. Previously this penalty reduction could be introduced as a condition of competition.
Commenting on the revisions The R&A’s Director of Rules and Equipment Standards David Rickman said: “The key point is that the Rules of Golf will remain fundamentally the same. We have undergone a pretty extensive review although what has come out of that has been relatively modest.
“The Rules of Golf are constantly evolving and our hope is that what we have produced for 2012 is clear, informed by common sense and reflective of the demands of the modern game.”
USGA Senior Director of Rules of Golf Thomas Pagel said: “We have produced a unified code of the Rules of Golf for 60 years and although the context has been the same, we often found the perception that there were different Rules in place depending upon where you were to play the game.
“Now the book will not only have the same content, but it will also be presented in a uniform fashion with similar formatting and covers; this will truly be a single code governing the Rules of the game that reflects the strong collaboration between The R&A and USGA.”
The most significant change (Rule 18-12b) will see an end to situations like the one witnessed during the final round of this year’s Open Championship when Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy was penalised when his ball was moved on the 7th green by the wind after he had addressed it.
Padraig Harrington, three-time Major winner and R&A – Working for Golf Ambassador, said: “I am delighted with the changes, in particular the ball moving after address. Every time the wind blows I am worried that my ball is going to move and I am worried about grounding my putter, distracting me from trying to hole my putt.
“This change will speed up play, there won’t be as many suspensions and players won’t be getting penalised or disqualified unfairly. It is definitely giving us players a little bit of a break.”
There has been a unified code of golf since 1952 but until now The R&A and the USGA have published the same rules in separate editions, thereby giving the impression to some that the rules were different. However, this year sees identical publications with only some spellings and respective logos changing depending whether the edition serves the US and Mexico or the rest of the world.
Golfing legend Arnold Palmer welcomed the announcement of a jointly published edition of the Rules. He said: “What has happened with The R&A and the USGA is wonderful. In the years I have been associated with the game and got to know The R&A and what their efforts are and having lived with the USGA all my life, one of the things I have always thought is we should be closer together.”
The complete text of all changes to the Rules and video summaries of the changes can be found on the R&A website
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Brian is an award winning golf writer and is the founder and editor of Australian Senior Golfer. He is a former Sydney journalist who had little interest in golf till he hit his first ball at the age of 49 (and a half). Since then golf has just about overtaken his life. Brian founded ASG in April 2008 and has since covered every Australian Open, Presidents Cups, World Cups and numerous other big men’s and women’s tournaments, spending days inside the ropes with the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Greg Norman, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Karrie Webb, and many others. He has also played in, and reported on, numerous amateur tournaments, particularly senior and veteran events, around the country. Brian is a member of the Australian Golf Media Association and won the award for Best News Report for 2016 - 2017
Gordon Claney claims yet another one with 2019 National Match Play Championship win: Australian senior amateur golfing wrap July
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Posts Tagged ‘He Xiangyu’
Gao Minglu’s maximalist exhibition blurs boundaries between traditional and contemporary Chinese art
CONTEMPORARY CHINESE ART CHINESE AVANT-GARDE
Contrasts Gallery Shanghai was the host of the recent exhibition “Mind Space: Maximalism in Contrasts” curated by distinguished art scholar and curator Gao Minglu. While visually the works in the exhibition referenced Western modern or conceptual art, the philosophical underpinnings were quite different. Artists Zhu Jinshi, Zhang Yu, Lei Hong and He Xiangyu participated in the show.
All works in the exhibition where chosen because they fall under the term “maximalism”, a term used by Gao Minglu when discussing the philosophical core of Chinese abstract art. Gao characterises the art in “Mind Space: Maximalism in Contrasts” as being “incomplete and fragmented records of daily meditation.” According to the him, they are like a diary or running account showing the daily workings and activities of the artist, be they trivial or not, rather than a complete work of art. In this way, they present some similarities with Western postmodernist deconstruction.
Zhu Jinshi, Hui Neng's Work, 2010, ink on rice paper, 2000 x 72 x 130 cm.
Generally, the work of artists in the maximalism tradition is less popular or has largely been ignored. According to Gao, this is partly because of its lack of political subject matter and partly because of its literati aesthetics. Literati painters were Chinese scholar-officials who were not concerned with technical skill and commonly created black ink paintings. The style of the brushstroke was said to reveal something about the inner life of the artist.
“Although it [Maximalism] has never achieved mainstream popularity (in comparison with Political Pop and Cynical Realism), for decades some Chinese artists have devoted themselves to this low-key avant-garde practice.” Gao Minglu, taken from his essay ‘Mind Space: Maximalism in Contrasts’
How can we come to understand works created in the maximalist tradition? The curator states in his essay, Does Abstract Art Exist in China?, “to decode these works, the audience must do more than read the physical form of a work (that is, it’s surface, or text). It must understand the entire process of making the art, the context underlying the work.”
The four artists: Zhu Jinshi, Zhang Yu, Lei Hong and He Xiangyu
Zhu Jinshi (b. Beijing, 1954) is one of China’s leading avant-garde artists and was a member of the now legendary Stars Group, an artist collective active between 1979 and 1983. Zhu has dedicated the bulk of his career both in China and Germany to the exploration of abstract art and installation work. His medium of choice is Chinese rice paper and ink which he also uses in the exhibited installation, Soaking. Here he fills a metal container with ink and places a pile of rice paper partly immersed in this ink. The half of the paper that is outside the ink gradually changes colour without intervention from human hands. It is a work in progress and uses rice paper and ink; these literati characteristics put the work squarely within the maximalist tradition.
Zhu Jinshi, Soaking, 2008, 170 x 100 x 50 cm.
Like Zhu Jinshi, Zhang Yu (b. Tianjin, 1959) has also chosen rice paper and ink for his installation. For the past twenty years he has been using his finger prints; he dips his fingers into paint or water and randomly places them onto ink painting scrolls. He uses this “language” to express the relationship between our bodies and life. According to curator Gao,”[b]y being transformed from individual identification into repetitious ‘abstract’ marks, the fingerprints lose any expressional and symbolic meaning but regain a universal beauty and infinity through the process.”
Zhang Yu, Fingerprint 2004.10-1, ink on rice paper, 200 × 260 cm.
For The Coca-Cola Project, young artist He Xiangyu (b. Dan Dong, 1986) cooked tens of thousands of litres of Coke which crystalized the dark liquid. He then made ink out of the created substance and used this “ink” to create his paintings and for writing calligraphy.
He Xiangyu, Skeleton no. 1, 2009 125 x 80 cm
Lei Hong’s (b. Sichuan Province, 1972) work has the characteristic marks of Western abstract art – with its myriads of dots, lines and squares – but conceptually his motives are quite different. According to the artist, these marks are not born out of artistic concepts but rather out of imagery, akin to traditional Chinese ink painting.
The curator of the exhibition, Gao Minglu.
Gao Minglu and Contrasts Gallery
Gao Minglu, is an author, critic, curator, and scholar of contemporary Chinese art. He currently serves as Head of the Fine Arts Department at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts and is a Research Professor in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh. He has curated many exhibitions in the U.S. and China including the “China/Avant-Garde” exhibition (1989), “Inside Out: New Chinese Art”(1998), “The Wall: Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art” (2005), “Apartment Art in China, 1970s-1990s” and “Yi School: Thirty Years of Chinese Abstraction” (2008). An art research center in Beijing is named after him, the mandate of which is to work as an alternative research space into contemporary art in China that is neither involved with the government nor with commercial art galleries.
Contrasts Gallery is a Shanghai based gallery which was founded by Pearl Lam in Hong Kong in 1992. The focus of the gallery is to promote cultural dialogue and exchange between the East and West, not only in art but also in design and architecture.
Related Topics: Chinese artists, curators, gallery shows
Xu Zhen takes on Middle Eastern identities and cultures as the new artists’ collective alias Madeln at the Ikon Gallery, UK – June 2010
Questioning “Made in China” – Interview Avant-Garde Beijing Artist: Huang Rui – October 2009
Sneak a peak at the Chinese art collection and private residence of dealer diva Pearl Lam – March 2009
Top 5 books on Chinese art by Chinese art specialist, Pippa Dennis – October 2008
Subscribe to Art Radar Asia for more on styles within contemporary Chinese art
Posted in China, Chinese, Conceptual, Curators, Drawing, Events, Gallery shows, Groups and Movements, Ink, Painting, Professionals, Scholars, Shanghai, Venues | Tagged: Apartment Art in China 1970s-1990s, art, art curator, art scholars, Asian art, China/Avant-Garde, Chinese art curator, Chinese art scholars, Chinese contemporary art, Contrasts Gallery Shanghai, cynical realism, Does Abstract Art Exist in China?, Fingerprint 2004.10-1, Gao Minglu, He Xiangyu, Hui Neng's Work, Inside Out: New Chinese Art, Lei Hong, literati painters, Maximalism, Mind Space: Maximalism in Contrasts, Nooshfar Afnan, Pearl Lam, Political pop, Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, Soaking, Stars Group, The Coca-Cola Project, The Wall: Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art, University of Pittsburgh, Yi School: Thirty Years of Chinese Abstraction, Zhang Yu, Zhu Jinshi | Leave a Comment »
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Waqar Younis says Pakistan need to be ‘A plus’ to beat India
Waqar Younis says Pakistan need to be 'A plus' to beat India
Waqar Younis believes Pakistan will need an “A-plus” performance if they are to beat arch-rivals India in a high-stakes World Cup match on Sunday.
Pakistan’s 41-run defeat by champions Australia at Taunton on Wednesday has left them eighth in the 10-team table.
Although they still have more than half of their group games still to play, Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side cannot afford many more slip-ups if they are to finish among the top four that will qualify for the semi-finals.
“When Pakistan play India it’s always a huge game, but their meeting on Sunday is shaping up to be more crucial than ever,” Pakistan fast-bowling great Waqar wrote in a column for the International Cricket Council.
“If Pakistan want to stay in the tournament, they have to bring an A-plus performance and win that game.”
“The match has always meant so much to both countries. There will be billions watching the game.”
History will be against Pakistan at Old Trafford, with India having won all six previous meetings between the subcontinental cricket giants at the World Cup.
India are also in fine form, with Virat Kohli’s side having beaten both South Africa and Australia in their two previous group games before Thursday’s no result against New Zealand.
“Pakistan’s track record is very mixed, but that’s all gone,” said Waqar. “That’s all history. It’s a new game, a new day.”
But Waqar said Pakistan could take heart from the last major one-day international tournament in England and Wales, when they lost to India in their opening match of the 2017 Champions Trophy only to bounce back in style to thrash them by 180 runs in the final.
Left-arm quick Mohammed Amir returned career-best figures of 5-30 against Australia on Wednesday as the defending champions were dismissed for 307.
Waqar, who formed a superb new ball-partnership with left-arm pace great Wasim Akram, said Pakistan needed to do more to back up Amir.
“Mohammad Amir didn’t get any support from the other end (against Australia).No one really saw the comeback coming and for that, you have to take your hat off to Amir. Full marks to him for the way he bowled.
“Even with the new ball, I thought he bowled quite nicely. He could have picked up more than five wickets in the end. He was unfortunate with a couple of nicks early on.
“Amir bowled superbly. He showed us all his cutters, variations and short-pitched deliveries.”
The gifted Amir’s career looked finished when he was given a five-year ban and jail sentence for his role in a spot-fixing scam during the 2010 Lord’s Test against England.
“I think we all know Amir is mentally very, very strong,” said Waqar. “He showed once again that class is permanent — he is, no doubt, a match-winner.”
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(Halifax, NS) The Mi'kmaw Sport Council of Nova Scotia is delighted to announce the appointment of Kevin Sandy as the Chief Executive Officer of the Halifax 2020 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) Host Society.
"I am tremendously excited and honoured to play a key role in planning the games which will be hosted in Mi'kmaw territory," said Mr. Sandy. "I look forward to working with all stakeholders in Nova Scotia. Our vision will be to honour and respect the games that empower, inspire and teach our youth, while promoting Indigenous culture and heritage."
Mr. Sandy will provide strategic leadership, support and knowledge to ensure effective planning, implementation and delivery of NAIG in accordance with the Host Society Board’s vision and mandate. He will also work with the NAIG Council and the Mi’kmawey Debert Elder’s Advisory Council on developing a stronger cultural program consistent with the council’s three guiding principles.
“We are excited to welcome Kevin Sandy to our province,” said Leo Glavine, Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage. “His experience, knowledge and expertise in the area of business and sport development, as well as his understanding of Indigenous customs, culture and history make him very well-suited to the position. I am confident that Mr. Sandy will make a positive impact on the North American Indigenous Games.”
Mr. Sandy is a leader in the area of sport development. He has played, coached and managed numerous teams capturing international, national and provincial championships in lacrosse and basketball. Mr. Sandy has major event experience including:
2015 Pan Am Parapan Games
2017 North American Indigenous Games
2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and Opening Ceremonies
“NAIG is an exciting opportunity for our city and province,” said Halifax Mayor Mike Savage. “It is wonderful that someone with Kevin’s depth of experience is onboard to ensure these will be games to remember.”
The 2020 North American Indigenous Games will include Over 5,000 sport and cultural participants from 756 nations compete in 15 sports. The Games will take place in Halifax from July 12 – 18, 2020. The North American Indigenous Games were developed to improve the quality of life for Indigenous peoples by supporting self-determined sports and cultural activities that encourage equal access to participation.
Mr. Sandy will be supported by the Host Society Board Chair Tex Marshall and Vice-chair Jamie Ferguson along with a strong team of board leaders within Nova Scotia in various sectors.
Media contact: Kevin Sandy
The Aboriginal Sport Circle National Body is now accepting nominations for the 2019 Tom Longboat National Awards. The Tom Longboat Awards were established...
The Government of Canada just announced investments to expand sport and physical activity programming in Indigenous communities. ASCNWST is excited to see...
Leadership Development...
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Nine Ashby & Geddes Lawyers Are Identified as Leading Individuals in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2018)
The 2018 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business has recognized nine Ashby & Geddes attorneys as “Leading Individuals” in their respective areas of practice: Steven J. Balick (Intellectual Property), William P. Bowden (Bankruptcy/Restructuring), John G. Day (Intellectual Property), Catherine A. Gaul (Chancery), Stephen E. Jenkins (Chancery), Andrew C. Mayo (Intellectual Property), Ricardo Palacio (Bankruptcy/Restructuring), Karen B. Skomorucha Owens (Bankruptcy/Restructuring), and Philip Trainer, Jr. (Chancery). In addition, the firm was ranked for excellence in three of its practice areas: Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Chancery, and Intellectual Property.
Ashby & Geddes’ Bankruptcy/Restructuring practice is “highly regarded for its sophisticated counsel on complex reorganization matters.” Head of the group, Bill Bowden, is noted for his “experience in bankruptcy law, and familiarity and working relationships with the Delaware bankruptcy Bench,” while Rick Palacio was described as a “very clear thinker, articulates issues well and has a very good presence in court.” Karen Owens was praised as “outstanding” and “smart, responsive and always on top of things.”
The firm’s Chancery practitioners are a “highly recommended team with a strong track record in the Court of Chancery.” Sources commented that “the level of responsiveness and quality of the service are first-rate.” Steve Jenkins is “a highly regarded practitioner” known to be an “extraordinarily effective” attorney who “understands the Delaware courts very well,” while Lee Trainer is “incredibly responsive, highly knowledgeable and very practical.” Catherine Gaul was praised for her “sound judgment” and someone who has a “great sense of the best way to accomplish things.”
Chambers describes Ashby & Geddes’ Intellectual Property attorneys as “adept at handling a range of work on both the plaintiff and defense side of IP litigation,” with market commentators reporting that “[t]hey are a really good shop and have some really good attorneys,” who “are always easy to work with and well prepared” and who “provide thoughtful commentary on strategy in Delaware.” Steve Balick was described as “very conscientious, thoughtful and responsive,” while John Day was noted for being “a great attorney who is responsive, knowledgeable, and technical.” Andrew Mayo was described as “hard-working and smart” and as having “great credibility with the judges.”
Chambers and Partners assesses business lawyers across the country using independent researchers to conduct in-depth interviews with clients and lawyers. Individual lawyers and firm practice areas are ranked on the basis of legal knowledge, experience, ability, effectiveness, and client-service. For more information about Chambers and Partners, visit here.
Karen B. Owens Appointed District of Delaware Bankruptcy Judge by United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Ashby & Geddes Named to U.S. News and Best Lawyers® 2019 “Best Law Firms” List
Randall Teti Selected As The 2018 Winner of the Bruce M. Stargatt Legal Ethics Writing Competition
Ashby & Geddes Attorneys Selected For Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2019 Edition
© 2017 Ashby & Geddes, P.A. | 302-654-1888 | 500 Delaware Avenue, 8th Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801
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We’ve all done it at one time or another – woken up the day after a Bank Holiday party with an awful hangover and wishing we’d never gone in the first place. Some of us might have struggled to remember the night before, but however horrible we felt it was nothing compared to the experience of Roscoe Arbuckle.
Arbuckle was an American actor, one of the great comics of Vaudeville and the silent screen. He weighed 266 pounds and was widely known by the name ‘ Fatty ‘.
Unfortunately there is no time available for Arbuckle’s birth so we have to construct one for noon on that day. The noon chart works particularly well in this case but for sake of accuracy we will have to ignore the house positions and Ascendant as these are dependent on the time of day. The Moon also can move positions over 24 hours but it is almost certainly still close to the Sun and Mars.
Roscoe Arbuckle had an extraordinary chart. He was born with the Sun, Moon and Mars in conjunction in Aries. Aries is the first of all the signs. The Sun is in Aries just as Spring is bursting through so the Aries personality is youthful and extremely energetic, wishing simply to assert itself in whatever environment it finds itself in. Having the Sun, Moon and Mars together in the same sign simplifies things as one’s needs, habits, instincts and drives are the same as one’s essential goals. For Arbuckle life was there to be lived and he would have been driven strongly by this Arian energy to just get out there and do it. The sex drive with this combination is powerful and demands expression.
With this much Aries life would be like driving a fast car with no brakes. Saturn is the planet that applies the handbrake and holds our energy in check. Most people do have their own inner Saturn and use personal restraint to check their own expression. For some people, particularly those with a strong fiery energy who have difficult aspects to Saturn, the restraint comes from the outside. They will come across obstacles, restrictions and frustrations which will force them to slow down because they can’t do it themselves. Mars and Saturn are opposites, like fast and slow, go and stop, action and inhibition.
Arbuckle’s Sun / Moon / Mars conjunction is opposite Uranus. This opposition adds a strong degree of wilfulness to an already very assertive cocktail. It is also indicates sudden and disruptive events that cause considerable conflict and tension. Mars is exactly opposite to Uranus pointing to a serious accident that would happen.
The tension from this opposition focuses by T Square onto Saturn which suggests a big downfall and a depression or serious restriction coming out of the disruptive accidental event suggested by Mars and Uranus.
Pluto would only make one aspect with the planets in the T Square. The first part was square to the Sun from 1916 – 18. Arbuckle began his screen career with Keystone in 1913 as an extra for $3 a day, quickly working his way up through the acting ranks to become a lead player and director. The films were so lucrative and popular that in 1918 he was given a three-year, $3 million contract equivalent to about $50 million now.
By 1916, Arbuckle’s weight and heavy drinking were causing serious health problems. An infection became so severe that amputation of his leg was considered and he became addicted to pain killers.
Pluto’s square to the Sun showed the sudden rise to the absolute peak of his career, by 1918 he was the industry’s 2nd highest earner after Chaplin. It also showed the serious health problems that were the evidence of his extreme weight and non stop lifestyle.
In September 1921 Pluto reached 10 degrees Cancer joining the T Square and triggering the Mars / Saturn opposition.
Arbuckle’s career was destroyed by a wild party in September 1921, during Labor Day weekend, at which an actress, Virginia Rappe, was injured, allegedly while having sex with him. She died the following Friday, from acute cystitis.
Arbuckle endured three widely publicized trials which lasted from November 1921 to April 1922 for rape and manslaughter. His films were subsequently banned and he was publicly ostracised.
After the first two trials, which resulted in hung juries, Arbuckle was acquitted in the third trial and received a formal written apology from the jury; however, the trials scandal has mostly overshadowed his legacy as a pioneering comedian. Although the ban on his films was lifted within a year, Arbuckle only worked sparingly through the 1920s and his career as a big film star was finished.
Roscoe Arbuckle’s life was utterly dominated by Pluto’s transit through his T Square. From the sudden propulsion to megabucks superstardom under the first aspect to the Sun, through the sudden death and sex scandal whilst aspecting the Mars / Uranus opposition to the resultant depression and ending of his film star career and status in conjunction with Saturn in the mid twenties, Pluto gave everything and took it all away leaving him with a lifelong hangover.
For the rest of us, the next time we’re tempted to go on a day long binge on a Bank holiday weekend just consult the planetary ephemeris first.
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WebCT
'BBA Engaged' Student Profiles
Beedie School of Business > Ideas@Beedie > Olympic hopefuls among 2018 Ryan Beedie Leadership Award recipients
Olympic hopefuls among 2018 Ryan Beedie Leadership Award recipients
Ryan Beedie, whose donation has funded the Ryan Beedie Leadership Award
The 2018 recipients of the Ryan Beedie Leadership Award have been chosen, with five outstanding new undergraduate students at SFU’s Beedie School of Business receiving the award. The students will each receive support of $20,000 over four years, in recognition of their commitment to leadership while at high school.
Each of the recipients has demonstrated leadership through remarkable achievements, both academic and extracurricular, prior to joining SFU Beedie. Among this year’s cohort are a world-champion kickboxer with dreams of representing Canada at the 2020 Olympic Games, a track star with Olympic ambitions of his own, an accomplished equestrian, a student who founded his own non-for-profit organization dedicated to raising money for healthcare, and a member of the university football team.
In its second year, the Ryan Beedie Leadership Award is funded by a $500,000 gift made by Beedie School of Business alumnus Ryan Beedie in 2016, which will support 25 undergraduates over five years (five students per year). Ryan Beedie’s donation follows 2011’s $22 million donation from the Beedie family—the largest gift in SFU’s history—to establish the Beedie School of Business.
“The more students I meet through my involvement with SFU, the more impressed I am by their energy, ambition and accomplishments,” says Mr. Ryan Beedie.
“This year’s recipients of the awards are, once again, exceptional young people and it is my hope that this support will allow them to fulfil their obvious potential and develop into inspirational leaders.”
Meet the honorees:
Nicholas Bauernschmitt
Nicholas is an NCAA athlete on the Track and Field team at SFU. His passion for running began when he was in high school and since then, it has continued to grow. Currently, aside from competing on SFU’s track team, he is also training to qualify for Team Canada, and hopes to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
“Being able to receive the Ryan Beedie Leadership Award is a great honor and it feels incredibly nice to have my accomplishments recognized,” says Nicholas. “This award continues to motivate me to do better as it serves as a constant reminder that hard work and effort pays off. With this award, I will take advantage of the additional resources and programming available to me and continue to build a better me.”
Natalia Bean
Natalia is a quiet, yet driven individual. From a young age, she has pursued her passion for horseback riding and, later, equestrian show jumping, achieving notable successes in the sport. Aside from competing, Natalia also helps train horses for competitions.
“Winning this award was a pleasant surprise and I am extremely grateful to be a recipient for it,” Natalia says. “The award has provided a great amount of financial support, allowing me to focus on my studies and continue to compete. I would like to thank those on the selection committee and Ryan Beedie for creating this award.”
Nicholas Giffen
Nick has always been an active individual; from training in karate and receiving his black belt, to playing football and receiving BC Top Provincial AA Offensive Lineman of the Year award, he works hard in everything he does. This year, Nick will join SFU Beedie and play on SFU’s Football team.
“I am grateful to have received the Ryan Beedie Leadership Award as it provides me with a lot of opportunities to succeed at the Beedie School of Business,” he says.
“I am really excited to start my academic career and the financial aid of the award takes a great amount of the stress away from paying for my education and allowing me to focus on my experience here. As well, the staff support and programs I get as an award recipient are very helpful. In all, receiving the award helps recognize my accomplishments and acts as a great motivator to continue to work hard and strive for the best.”
Joseph Piccolo
World champion kickboxer, business owner of a landscaping company and a dedicated student are a few titles people use to refer to Joseph Piccolo. In 2017, Joseph won his first World Championship Title in Orlando, Florida and is currently training with hopes of qualifying for the Canadian team to compete in the 2020 Olympics.
“It is an honour and delightful surprise to receive this distinguished award. I am eager to embrace the opportunities this award offers,” he says.
Arman Turna
As well as a high-achieving student, Arman is the Founder and CEO of Global Cure Foundation, a registered not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising money for healthcare. He is passionate about Finance, Economics, Innovation, public speaking as well as philanthropy, and has ambitions of working within the investment banking industry in the future.
“I am extremely humbled to be receiving such a prestigious award and will take the most I can from the programs being offered to me,” says Arman. “I am always looking for new opportunities for growth, and this leadership award is presenting me with everything I can ask for; mentorship programs, connections as well as help through my university life.”
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Jerry Sheppard
Associate Professor, Strategy
B.S. (Penn State), M.B.A. (Indiana University), Ph.D. (University of Washington), C.P.A.
Burnaby Room: WMC 4387
Burnaby Phone: 778.782.4918
Email Address: sheppard@sfu.ca
Curriculum Vitae: View
Jerry Paul Sheppard is an Associate Professor of Strategic Management at the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada. His research focuses primarily on why things go wrong in organizations. Specifically his research concerns organizational decline, turnaround, survival and failure. His PhD dissertation from the University of Washington in 1989 won the Strategic Management Society Best Dissertation Award. He has published journal articles in the Journal of Management, Long Range Planning, Journal of Business Ethics and Social Science Research. Dr. Sheppard has presented papers at the Academy of International Business, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, and the Academy of Management. His most recent work includes Strategic Management: Competitiveness & Globalization, 3rd Canadian Edition, with Hitt, Ireland, Hoskisson and Rowe.
Business policy; corporate failure and survival; business, government and society; corporate governance; interorganizational arrangements.
Sheppard, J. (2015). Getting published: Achieving acceptance from reviewers and editors. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 9(2), 117-132. http://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-02-2015-0024
Sheppard, J., & Young, M. (2007). The routes of moral development and the impact of exposure to the Milgram Obedience Study. Journal of Business Ethics, 75(4), 315-333.
Sheppard, J., & Chowdhury, S. D. (2005). Riding the wrong wave: Organizational failure as a failed turnaround. Long Range Planning, 38(3), 239-260.
Sheppard, J., Nayyar, P. R., & Summer, C. E. (2000). Managing your doctoral program: A practical orientation. Production and Operations Management, 9(4), 414-438.
Sheppard, J. (1995). Beautifully broken benches: A typology of strategic bankruptcies and the opportunities for positive shareholder returns. Journal of Business Strategy, 12(2), 99-134.
Sheppard, J. (1995). A resource dependence approach to failure prediction. Social Science Research, 24(1), 28-62.
Sheppard, J. (1994). Strategy and bankruptcy: An exploration into organizational death. Journal of Management, 20(4), 795-833.
Sheppard, J. (1994). Board interlocks, size, composition and organizational failure. Business Review, Cambridge, 12(1), 15-27.
Sheppard, J. (1994). The dilemma of matched pairs and diversified firms in bankruptcy prediction models. Journal of Business Research, 11(2), 9-25.
Books, Book Chapters and Monographs
Sheppard, J. P., & Chowdhury, S. D. (2012). The story of a tortoise: How Toyota fell from the top spot. In Mueller, J., & Wells, P. (Eds.), Learning through cases: Contemporary challenges in corporate governance (pp. 267-283). Summertown, United Kingdom: Rossi Smith Publishing Ltd.
Teaching Related Material
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., Rowe, W. G., & Sheppard, J. (2009). Strategic management: Cases for competitiveness & globalization (3rd Canadian Edition). Toronto, Canada: Nelson Thompson Learning.
Sheppard, J., & Chowdhury, S. D. (2008). Case 4: Becoming competitive: An industry note on the Canadian telecommunications industry. Toronto, Canada: Nelson College Indigenous.
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., Sheppard, J., & Rowe, R. G. (2008). Cases for strategic management: competitiveness & globalization (3rd Canadian Edition), teaching notes. Toronto, Canada: Nelson Thompson Learning.
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., Sheppard, J., & Rowe, W. G. (2008). Strategic management: Competitiveness & globalization (3rd Canadian Edition), Instructor notes: Concepts. Toronto, Canada: Nelson Thompson Learning.
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., Sheppard, J., & Rowe, W. G. (2008). Strategic management: Competitiveness & globalization, concepts (3rd Canadian Edition). Toronto, Canada: Nelson Thompson Learning.
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., Sheppard, J., & Rowe, W. G. (2008). Strategic management: Competitiveness & globalization (3rd Canadian Edition), Instructor notes: Cases. Toronto, Canada: Nelson Thompson Learning.
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., Rowe, R. G., & Sheppard, J. (2007). Strategic management: Competitiveness & globalization (2nd Canadian Edition). Toronto, Canada: Nelson Thompson Learning.
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., Rowe, R. G., & Sheppard, J. (2007). Strategic management: Cases for competitiveness & globalization (2nd Canadian Edition). Toronto, Canada: Nelson Thompson Learning.
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Home > Politics > Environment > Skye High Tourism
Skye High Tourism
Highland Council estimates that there were over 660,000 visitors to the Isle of Skye in 2017, on an island where there are only 10,000 permanent residents. Airbnb has over 500 listings across the island – where there are only 5000 homes on Skye. Stark figures at the heart of the highlands massive over tourism crisis that’s about to get far worse. Liam McGuckin reports.
Skye, do they have the stones to deal with the problem?
In the previous five years, this Hebridean Island has received a rise in visitors incomparable with any other destination in Scotland. The rapid acceleration of tourism peaked this March as CNN, broadcasting to over 200 countries, warned of overcrowding in Venice, Barcelona and the Isle of Skye.
Boasting some of the UK’s most pristine landscapes, there is little preventing a rise in tourism. Forced to contend with a global reputation, all eyes are on Skye, as locals desperately seek a solution to the issues exacerbated by the increase in visitor numbers.
Social media has influenced the recent trend, ensuring tourism seeps into every corner of the island. The incessant and pervasive ability to share information has distorted Skye’s image, pushing it to a level of popularity beyond its capacity.
Inversely, the problem of social media has also been a part of the solution. Facebook groups and online forums have provided space for locals to vent their frustrations. Permitting the island’s residents to share their grievances, name and shame poor practices, and even occasionally work collectively to find resolution.
Stacked onto the growing list of concerns are standing stone piles, which have become a grinding source of annoyance. Cairns, as they are locally known, are interlocking stones places one on top of another. Historically built to indicate a landmark, a trial, or even a burial site, their purpose today appears to be as multifaceted.
There are locations on Skye where up to fifty of these standing stone piles are erected. It has caused strife amongst the locals and some tourist operators who attribute it to the speeding up of erosion, and as potentially dangerous to children and livestock.
The perpetrators of these seemingly benign standing stone structures are almost exclusively tourists. Unaware of the historical implications of erecting the Cairns, they appear to materialise for any number of idle, ill-conceived reason. The flippancy of such practice has divided opinion, online.
So, the craft of placing stones, one on top of another, is part of a much more complicated picture. #nofilter. The issue silhouettes a far more significant problem for the Isle of Skye. To an outsider, it represents a community’s struggle for control, signifying a point to channel the island’s growing resentment at the mismanagement of a runway tourism train.
The standing stone issue does not stack up. Those convinced of the environmental erosion, and its subsequent deterioration, are at best, fanciful. The Fairy Glen, a popular location for the Cairns, is subject to thousands of visitors each week traipsing over the earth, and the innumerable vehicles that decimate the roadside verges. Each form of erosion is as severe, if not more, than the repositioning of stones in the area.
The call to prohibit the practice echoes the recent attempt to ban plastic straws. On the one hand, the straw embodies the systemic frivolity of choice and the flagrant malpractice of a society consumed by plastic: on the other, to stop their production is only the very tip of the whole problem.
Single-use plastic is a 21st-century quagmire that requires unified action. To stand, self-indignant, sipping from a glass is to rest your laurels at the top of a much greater battle, while actively ignoring the totality of the situation.
I do not support the decision to erect standing stone piles for pseudo aesthetical reasons, or for most other, but I do not think it deserves the same platform on today’s environmental stage.
Prof. Jane Downes, director of the Archaeological Institute of the Highlands and Islands, observed the current jeopardy of approximately half of the 3000 archaeologist sites on Orkney due to climate change accelerated by human activity (1). Higher levels of rain and rising sea levels are already affecting a number of sites across the island. The residents of Skye might soon be thankful for the standing stone piles – they may be the only places for tourists to stand soon enough!
If it were seriously an argument pitched on environmental uncertainty, then I would ask, where is the opposition for the reopening of a commercial runway on Skye?
The last commercial flight to the island was back in 1998. Proposals to redevelop the airfield would require an investment of over £2 million. The service, to operate from Skye to both Glasgow and Edinburgh, could transport as many as 15,000 visitors a year (2).
Given what we already know about the CO2 emissions, the development of a commercial airline is a direct juxtaposition to the Paris Climate Agreement.
It is easy then to view the standing stone fiasco on Skye as representative of the current model of tourism. The bottom rock denotes the island’s infrastructure, above it, the accommodation, the facilities, the work-opportunities, the environment, and then the community itself – sat precariously on top. Moreover, when you characterise like this, it is not difficult to identify that the locals are poised on an improbable structure – where balance is everything.
Future proposals for ongoing problems are numerous, and there are many calling for a tourist tax to be implemented. And this is often the case; whenever an issue reoccurs many will turn blindly and reach for the neoliberal yardstick to take measure of the solution. It ignores the larger picture: that there are no straight lines on the island, and the volume of visitors to Skye is just not sustainable. The brazen attempt to throw money at the issue falls short of finding a pragmatic solution to the myriad of compounding problems associated with mass tourism.
The Highland Council estimated that there were over 660,000 visitors to the Isle of Skye in 2017(3) – on an island where there are only 10,000 permanent residents.
Airbnb has over 500 listings across the island – where there are only 5000 homes on Skye.
With landlords turning to short-term leases, for short-term profits, local MSP, Katie Forbes, reiterates the reality of rural poverty and homelessness in the Hebridean Islands.
This model of tourism, uncharted and untested, is having an adverse effect on Skye. It threatens its very existence. When communities are repeatedly hollowed out, replaced with transient travellers, the very reason for coming there becomes an inverted idea. Culture and tradition lose all meaning, and over time are reduced to the superfluous, as gimmicky tat. The very essence of a place, plundered by wave after wave of tourism, is eventually washed away, eroded by a mindless sea. And, just like the standing stones, their story folds over time until it finally becomes arbitrary and meaningless.
Autumn storms roll in, and uncertainty clouds residents here on the Isle of Skye. Where equilibrium and balance are everything, there is desperate need to realign priorities before another busier season ensues.
(1) New York Times – Saving Scotland’s Heritage from the Rising Seas, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/25/climate/scotland-orkney-islands-sea-level.html
(2) Hitrans – Study Identifies Costs of Trailing a Skye – Glasgow/Edinburgh air service, https://hitrans.org.uk/News/Story/224
(3) The Highland Council -Spotlight on Skye’s tourism challenges, para 4 https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/11285/spotlight_on_skye_tourism_challenges
By Liam McGuckin
Published on 14th October 2018
Leave a Reply to Mullfan Cancel reply
Sheena Gadday says:
The issue would be far less severe were rural public transport improved. That’s where future efforts should be focused. As the author points out, it is car traffic (and parking) that is doing the environmental damage, not people per se. The number of private vehicles allowed on to the island at any one time could and should be limited and shuttle buses/local taxis/hire should take over. Same goes for other islands e.g. limiting tourist vehicles would free up much needed space for locals on the Arran and Bute ferries and restore traditionally car-free places like Cumbrae to their formerly idyllic selves.
I’ve seen far greater numbers of people descending on rural/semi-rural locations elsewhere in Europe with far fewer effects, mostly down to better train and bus networks. Maybe it’s even time to restore the tram network on Bute (ask your gran).
Graeme Purves says:
15th October 2018 at 10:41 am
Indeed! The Highlands and Islands Development Board took a strategic view of the transport needs of rural communities and tourists way back in the 1970s. The valuable initiatives it took in that area were dismantled when the Tories came to power and imposed their neoliberal ideology on public transport provision.
SleepingDog says:
In situations like this, I would turn to the standard text on driving visitors away from tourist destinations, and ask What Would Scooby Doo? Clearly the cairns are an opportunity, so I suggest a robot monster clad in local stones which at rest resembles a badly-constructed pile, that lumbers into a menacing biped shape when tourists approach (and lighting conditions are poor enough to confuse shaky attempts at mobile cameraship). With any luck, visitors will be put off without needing to resort to fake crushed-tourist installations. Just, you know, don’t leave any clues; ban camper vans; and watch out for pesky kids.
Roland Stiven says:
Skye, like most of rural Scotland has pretty rubbish infrastructure which affects everyone who lives there. Apart from the trunk road and the new road to Sleat. It makes getting children to school, going to the shops, getting about for work take twice as long as needs be, public transport services take longer and are less efficient and less used as a result. Intercity bus, rail to Kyle and Mallaig all take forever. Living there is hard work. Build infrastructure for the people who live there, build homes, build diverse businesses. Stop supporting and subsidising tourism businesses.
I couldn’t agree more – especially about building homes. And these need to be kept for people who want to live and work in Skye all year round, so there would have to be restrictions on their use ( no short term rentals) and their sale ( not on the open market). The same applies to other areas eg Argyll, Edinburgh.
I couldn’t agree more. Especially what you say about homes for people who want to live and work in Skye all year round. It looks as if the time has come for restrictions on use ( no short term lets) and sale ( not on the open market).
Wul says:
The government wouldn’t even need to build the homes for locals. Just let local people have a serviced building plot for, say £5k, to cover fees and services and let them get on with building their own homes. A low interest govt. loan could be provided over 10 – 20yrs to help pay for the plot.
Many of the folk living and working on Skye are “newcomers”; adventurous, resourceful go-ahead people with tenacity. They would be well able to make a home for themselves if given land to build on. The more “indigenous” locals have a long history of helping to build each others’ houses. People just need to have the free use of their own land.
w.b. robertson says:
visited Skye in late September for the first time in decades. was shocked and embarrassed to be Scottish. was assured that every bed in the island was booked. prices were a rip off. Cannot understand why tourists want to visit the place since there was “nothing being staged to encourage them”. suggest a) strict inspection and licensing system for hotels and b & bs; b) a complete halt on any public cash going into promoting the island`s tourism; c) increased effort made by the tourists board to publicise other more worthy parts of Scotland.
SquirrelTowers says:
I grew up in Devon and in the 80’s there were already what I would describe as ‘fake’ villages, like Salcombe. These we where tourism has removed locals to such an extent that in Winter there are literally no lights on and shops such as the bakers shut until the spring. Salcombe had been a fishing village until the 50/60’s arrived and it was adopted by the London yachting fraternity and ‘celebrities’. Now average house prices are 667k with a waterfront house over £2 million. They like many ‘charming’ and ‘quaint’ coastal villages in Devon and Cornwall operate park and ride schemes to manage the huge numbers of visitors. It’s not a great thing….unmanaged tourism. The locals resent the grockles even though they know their economy depends upon them.
It’s really a symptom of our huge inequality isn’t it?
One group with money to burn, and another group earning a poor crust by servicing the former’s frivolous leisure time.
Alistair Danter, Project Manager, SkyeConnect DMO says:
Tourism is the economic driver for the Skye Economy, it provides a direct livelihood for around 3000 people, with a positive knock on effect for many other sectors, probably most notable the building and construction industry. You are correct that Skye received in the region of 660,000 visitors this year (a reduction on the previous 2 years) , the English Lake District will have received between 18 and 20 million. The Isle of Skye is 1/3 larger than Malta which has a population just approaching half a million and with a diverse economy that includes agriculture, manufacturing, a service industry and tourism. The issue is not simple, visitor behaviour has changed significantly in recent years, while visitor numbers to Skye increased by around 14% between 2014 and 2016, visitor numbers to the “Fairy Pools” increased by 54%, other locations witnessed reduced visitor numbers. A combination of Social media, international films and new visitor demographies has driven attention to probably 5 key “pinch points” on Skye all on single track roads which comprise 66% of the island’s road network. Away from these locations the picture is significantly different to the one that you portray. Air BnB can be painted as a saviour or sinner, the collaborative economy platform has provided opportunities for both existing businesses and those with accommodation but in low paid jobs to increase their annual income. The flip side is that it has taken accommodation away from the local market, the solution is not to ban or get rid of the system but a) to look at sensible regulation that recognises the needs of the local community, visitors and business, several other countries have managed this successfully., and b) to build more affordable accommodation, the two are not mutually exclusive.
There are many businesses and community organisations working hard on Skye to make it a great place to live and visit, could I invite you to help with this work.
Alistair, I would agree with some of the points that you outline. Including the blithe suggestion of Air BnB as either hero or villain, as it merits a more nuanced approach than that. It is, of course, a vital secondary income for some of the families on the island. Moreover, I champion your call for sensible regulations at this pivotal stage. I just hope that the article was clear in that tourism is not implicitly the problem, providing it is equitable and well managed. Rather, in this the epoch of sustained growth there is a need for space to actively reflect, and frame future development on the Isle of Skye. I worry though that in the depth of your quantitive points that perhaps you’re overlooking something more fragile than the infrastructure. The community. Unless regulations are agreed then set, the reality of destinations like Skye to be hollowed by corrosive tourism is palpable. I see that you didn’t mention it, however, the proposal for the redevelopment of the runway is equally disparaging. Pitched at a time of environmental uncertainty, how is there limits to assure this isn’t a service hijacked by rich tourists?
Anyway, thank you for the response. I would, of course, take you up on the offer.
Alistair Danter says:
Liam – hi, I would agree that the community is potentially fragile + wrote an article on that very subject for the Skye & Lochalsh Echo a few months back. You are right that we should not focus on the numbers game however identifying certain quantities does have a value in trying to piece together what is happening when there is such a strong change in visitor behaviour over such a short period of time. May the debate continue!
Mullfan says:
22nd October 2018 at 6:06 pm
I think this quote from Roberta Brandes Gratz, award-winning journalist and urban critic, is relevant: “…if you do it for the local, the visitor will come. If you do it for the visitor, the local will lose its character…” and the visitors, i.e. tourists, won’t return.
I would agree, my best holidays have been where there are obviously vibrant local communities.
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Finding Inspiration Through Art
Art is one of the biggest sources of inspiration in the world. From paintings to music compositions, art comes in many forms, and each creation has a story behind it. Even if you have no interest creating art, the simple act of checking it out can be a great source of inspiration for other personal projects. If you are finding yourself at a creative standstill, see why so many people turn to art to find creative new ideas.
Art Invokes Ideas & Emotions
Art is an excellent source of inspiration because it can represent so many ideas. Many of the artists who create paintings, sculptures, and other works will invoke their own personal beliefs and ideas into them. As humans, we are inclined to analyze, and many of us try to deduce the meaning behind famous works of art. Long story short, art gets people thinking.
In addition, art can make us feel certain emotions. Some works of art make people feel overwhelming joy and others can make people feel sad or angry. Even if an artist had no specific intentions when crafting a piece of art, people can still interpret it in their own unique ways. It’s part of the reason why people are so passionate about the artistic process.
The Stories Are Inspiring
It isn’t just the art itself that can inspire people to work harder. Each piece of art has a story behind its creation, and that comes to us from the artist who developed it. People like hearing about how famous pieces of art came to life, and it’s those stories that can serve as sources of inspiration.
The artistic process is rarely an easy one, and most artists go through trials and tribulations to bring us their finished products. Many fledgling artists have trouble bringing their ideas to life, so they can sympathize with these stories. Hearing about artists who defied the odds and finished their creations can inspire people to have another go with their own ideas.
It Sparks Discussion
Another reason why art is such a good source of inspiration is because people interpret it in their own ways and as a result, some people will interpret art in ways others won’t. Plenty of people will share similar opinions on a particular piece, but this isn’t always the case.
Because of this, we are inclined to share our interpretations with the people around us so we can see how different our opinions can be. By having discussions with others we are exposed to ideas that we may not have come up with on our own. This allows us to go back to our own projects with a fresh mindset.
Art Can Be Found Anywhere
The biggest reason why art is such a good source of inspiration is because it’s readily accessible. Art can be found in museums, but you can also find it being used as décor in office buildings and houses. You don’t even have to go out to find art; artists express themselves online as well, and a simple search will get you a treasure trove of inspirational pieces.
Not only that, but art comes in many forms beyond paintings and sculptures. Music is also a form of art, and many people have been inspired by listening to tracks from their favorite musicians. It’s easy to surround yourself with art, so if you ever suffer from a creative block all you have to do is take in the art around you to find inspiration.
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London Times: Scale of trade ...
AdvoCat News 2010 02
London Times: Scale of trade in rare animals in U.K., Ireland
Revealed: the scale of trade in rare animals
John Mooney
The young man who drove into the car park of the Outlet shopping centre in Banbridge, Co Down, last Friday morning may have looked like a typical shopper, but he was there to sell, not to buy.
Richard Potter, a pet-shop owner who has a lucrative sideline selling rare and endangered species, had arrived to seal his latest deal.
The focus of investigations by law-enforcement agencies in Ireland, Britain and other European countries, Potter had arrived to meet a “client” who had agreed to buy four lemurs, an endangered primate native to the tropical jungles of Madagascar.
Potter, who describes himself as an animal broker, did not suspect that the client, by whom he expected to be paid €6,146, was a Sunday Times journalist. A deposit of €116 had already been paid.
“Here they are,” he said, opening the door of his van. Inside were two dirty pet carriers each containing a pair of rare lemurs that cowered in the darkness.
“I gave you the worst pet carriers I had, as I knew I wouldn’t be getting them back,” said Potter. He refused to reduce his asking price and produced documents that he claimed entitled him to sell the animals.
Before the deal was concluded, Potter was approached by animal-welfare inspectors and members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), who surrounded his van. He did not try to leave, but remained calm. A check of his “paperwork” by the Ulster Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Uspca) revealed that it was irregular, allowing the police to confiscate the lemurs.
Jungle World, a pet shop in Ballymena, Co Antrim, which Potter uses to trade in endangered species, was among the premises raided afterwards. When a search party entered a converted shed at the rear, which Potter calls a “jungle park”, they found another lemur, a young ring-tailed specimen.
The menagerie of exotic creatures astounded officials. A family of pygmy African mongooses was found living in an empty aquarium. A small colony of marmosets screeched when the police came too close. Other cages contained meerkats, spider monkeys, skunks and sugar gliders, tiny marsupials from Indonesia.
Inside a black bin-liner, the search team found a dead Asian short-clawed otter. The animal, which Potter had offered to sell for £1,000 (€1,360) the previous day, had climbed out of its cage and strangled itself on a cable.
Unlike the lemurs, many of the animals found in Potter’s shop are not listed as “endangered”, so the police had no powers to seize them. Instead, Potter will be asked to show where he bought them. If he cannot produce receipts, the menagerie may be seized. If he can produce receipts and prove their origins, he will be free to sell the animals.
How is it that endangered and dangerous wild animals, including species protected by international law, are being sold from the backs of vans to buyers in Northern Ireland and the republic? And is Ireland a destination of choice for unscrupulous animal dealers?
THE scale of the trade in endangered species in Ireland has been uncovered by the Sunday Times, after an investigation in which a reporter posed as an animal collector seeking dangerous and rare wildlife.
It found a secret but vibrant trade in vulnerable species in contravention of international and European legislation.
Potter is known as by far the biggest player in the burgeoning trade. He is among a handful of wildlife dealers who can source some of the world’s rarest creatures from zoos, animal parks and private collectors in Britain, mainland Europe and farther afield.
It is a highly profitable business for Potter, who boasts that he can obtain most species for the right price. Nothing is off-limits.
As he walked between the cages in his “jungle park”, which the public can visit, Potter pointed to a selection of primates that he is selling, among them a pair of large spider monkeys, before discussing the possible sale of an exotic cat.
“We can get anything. I have been offered prides of lions in the past,” said Potter, who let three macaque monkeys out of their concrete cage to run free along the roof of an adjoining building.
“The guys I work with give me commission on the price that you pay,” he said, adding that he could arrange delivery to any location, north or south of the border. The apparent ease with which Potter could source a large cat was impressive. Two days after the first meeting, he sent an email offering a selection of exotic, but dangerous, felines.
“There is an albino tiger at £15,000, a white lion, price unknown, pair of pumas, awaiting price, and some ocelots and servals,” he wrote.
Days later, in another email, he offered to supply a pair of European lynx, a threatened species of large cat that is native to the forests of northern Europe.
He wrote: “Female 08 and male 09. Are in Europe, but you could have them by this weekend. £6,500 delivered. Unbelievable price. Hope you will give this your immediate attention. Many thanks, Richard.”
To proceed, he asked for a 50% deposit upfront and 50% on delivery. In an attempt to secure the sale, he said the purchase of a lynx, which had been sourced from a dealer in Belgium, could be profitable should they produce young in the spring.
“If they breed, you’d be sitting on a small fortune if they had a litter of kittens. You would be able to sell them off, no problem,” he said. Other species offered included a variety of primates, Asian otters and skunks.
So how does a pet shop owner import and sell rare and dangerous creatures like a lynx.
THE trade in endangered wildlife is governed by the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).
In the European Union, it works by impsoing strict conditions on the trade in creatures that are facing extinction in the wild. The import, export, and sale of all species covered by the convention is regulated through a licensing system that is enforced throughout the EU.
Species that are particularly vulnerable are listed on three appendices, known as Cites I, II and III, according to the level of protection needed.
The two species of lemurs seized from the back of Potter’s van last week, are at the top of the Cites list on its appendix I, as they are endangered, so dealing in wild specimens is banned. But few realise that dealing in captive-bred lemurs, can be permitted if a Cites permit, known as an article 10, is issued.
These allow zoos and animal sanctuaries to sell and exchange captive-bred animals for use in breeding-programmes once they have been registered with a Cites authority, usually a government department in the animal’s country of birth, and implanted with a microchip, the details of which are listed on the specimen’s own article 10 certificate.
Most EU countries pride themselves on the strict enforcement of Cites, but the system is open to abuse. Article 10 permits can be faked, doctored, switched or duplicated.
In Potter’s case, some of the lemurs were found to have no microchip implanted. Some of the article 10 papers that Potter produced when confronted by the police were irregular.
Rob Parry-Jones, the regional director of Traffic Europe, a wildlife trade-monitoring group, said document fraud of this kind was one of the biggest challenges in regulating the wildlife trade.
“Traffic is aware of a number of instances where reptiles have been imported with documentation claiming they were bred in captivity, when in fact they were collected from the wild,” he said.
“In other instances, permits have been used to import specimens legally, but are then copied and used to launder smuggled specimens,” he said.
The number of lemurs and other protected species that Potter has sold is unknown. In one conversation, he admitted to supplying six white-fronted brown lemurs, which are unique to the rainforests of eastern Madagascar, to a collector in Cork and a ring-tailed specimen to another “customer” from the republic.
In Northern Ireland and Britain, the purchase and sale of such animals is governed by the Dangerous Wild Animals (DWA) Act. It was introduced in Northern Ireland in 2004 to stop people keeping dangerous species such as lemurs and lynx in their gardens after several big cats were seized from “private keepers”, but pet shops, zoos and circuses were exempted from the law.
Potter appears to use the exemption afforded to his pet shop to import dangerous creatures and sell them to customers south of the border, no questions asked.
A loophole in the law permits him to register dangerous animals in his own name, but sell them on without having to alert the authorities. “It’s all above board,” he said.
When he offered to supply the Sunday Times with a lynx, he offered to register the animal in his own name with the Belgian authorities if they asked for details of the person buying the cat.
“No one would know that you have it, just me, you and the wall,” he said.
As there is no legislation in the republic, the owners of dangerous or protected species are not required to register them with any authority.
Stephen Philpott, the Uspca’s chief executive, said the exemption afforded to Potter made a “mockery” of laws designed to protect the public from dangerous animals.
“The DWA exemption to pet shops is best described as a joke,” he said. “This man is importing all types of dangerous animals and endangered species and selling them to the highest bidder, particularly to people in the republic, where it’s legal to keep a tiger in your back garden.”
Will Travers, the chief executive of the Born Free Foundation, which campaigns against the trade in wildlife, said exotic animals required special care, as such creatures retained all the necessary “aggression, fear and behavioural characteristics” that would allow them, potentially, to exist in the wild.
“Many of these animals have extremely complex environmental and social needs that are impossible to meet in a private or domestic environment. Without a complex physical environment, the welfare of these animals is always compromised,” he said.
Potter’s activities are now the subject of a full investigation by the police, the Uspca and Cites enforcement agencies in Europe.
Yesterday, the Uspca and police continued to search for a number of lemurs which they suspect are in the hands of unlicensed keepers in Northern Ireland.
The whereabouts of lemurs and other animals sold to collectors from the republic are likely to become the focus of investigation in the coming weeks.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article7035080.ece
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Bipartisan Tip Sheet – December 2012
By Abbey Brandon
A monthly roundup of events featuring Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) founders, senior fellows, project leaders and staff.
Who: Shai Akabas, Senior Policy Analyst, Economic Policy Project
What: On December 11 at 2:00PM EST, BPC and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) will host a free webinar on the fiscal cliff and its potential impact on regional development organizations and local governments. Shai Akabas, a senior policy analyst at BPC, will provide an in-depth look at the implications for the economy and federal spending. Learn more and register here.
6:00PM MT
Who: President Alvaro Uribe, BPC Senior Fellow
What: BPC Senior Fellow and former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will make keynote remarks at the Arizona launch of the McCain Institute for International Leadership in Phoenix, Arizona. More information is available here.
8:30AM EST
Who: General James L. Jones, BPC Senior Fellow
What: General Jones, a co-leader of BPC’s Energy Project, will speak at the National Press Club on the state of post-election energy policy. The discussion will offer insights into how the winners of the 2012 elections will and should approach energy and national security, climate and the environment, the economy, and other emerging issues. More information is available here.
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Texas Professor Attempts World Record Longest Texas History Lesson
kasto80
File this under records that didn't need to be broken. A University of North Texas history professor in Denton, Andrew Torget, will attempt a 24 hour long Texas history presentation. And you can be there, or watch it online.
In the annals of the Guiness Book Of World Records, most of them these days are pointless and kind of stupid. From the most rotations while hanging from a power drill, to the most balloons popped with your back, there are lots of "world records" that are mostly made up because no one does those things, ever.
But presenting the world's longest Texas history lesson is at least commendable. And I'm sure it will be grueling and a bit of an endurance challenge, standing and talking for 24 hours straight.
Andrew says he'll start with the very beginning of Texas history and cavemen, and work his way to the present. All to raise awareness, and donations for, the UNT libraries.
The public is welcome to attend, if you happen to be in Denton August 24th at 9 AM, and have 24 hours to kill.
Categories: Events, Texas News
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Dr. Joseph Mercola: Roundup, Aspartame & Intermittent Fasting – #228
Why you should listen –
Dr. Joseph Mercola comes on Bulletproof Radio today to discuss how sitting down harms us, why you should intermittently fast, and the truth about Aspartame and Roundup. Enjoy the show!
Click here to download the mp3 of Dr. Joseph Mercola: Roundup, Aspartame & Intermittent Fasting – #228
Dr. Mercola is a well-known osteopathic physician (DO) and a three-time New York Times Bestselling author. He is the founder of Mercola.com, which is the #1 Natural Health site on the Internet with over one million subscribers. Dr. Mercola was named the top Ultimate Wellness Game Changer by the Huffington Post in 2009. He has been featured in various media outlets such as TIME magazine, LA Times, ABC News, CNN, Fox News, Today Show, Dr. Oz, Forbes Magazine and others. His primary passion is transforming the conventional medical paradigm in the United States.
What You Will Hear
0:15 – Cool Fact of the Day!
0:55 – Welcome Dr. Mercola
3:25 – Why Dr. Mercola never sits down
7:19 – Intermittent fasting
10:00 – Thoughts on fruit
15:12 – Aspartame
21:50 – Grass fed beef
25:25 – Round-Up
38:38 – Improving the gut biome
44:18 – Fluoride
51:50 – Top three recommendations for kicking more ass and being Bulletproof!
Dr. Joseph Mercola
The Great Bird Flu Hoax
The No-Grain Diet
Effortless Healing
Sweet Deception
Joseph Mercola on Facebook
Twitter – @mercola
Joseph Mercola on Youtube
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Scientists Disrupt the Aging Game – James Peyer #569
Pushing the Boundaries of Conventional Medicine with Caspar Szulc #544
The Future of Upgrading Humans and the Military – Andrew Herr #540
Tobacco smoke enema
What Makes Sitting So Detrimental to Your Health?
Dr. Ron Rosedale
Fructose effects on triglycerides
Fructose consumption and cancer: is there a connection?
Aspartame: By Far the Most Dangerous Substance Added to Most Foods Today
Pepsi Removing Aspartame
American Grassfed Association
Regenerative agriculture
Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues
Glyphosate (Roundup) poisoning
Altered Genes, Twisted Truth by Steven Druker
Tox-Sick by Susanne Somers
Sluggo
Iron pyrophosphate
Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride
Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS)
Dr. John J Cannell
Natto
Kinetic starter culture
Dental fluorosis
Why Portland refuses to fluoridate its drinking water
Abundance 360
Bold by Peter Diamandis
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Elon Musk: Renaissance Man
How To Lose 75 Pounds in 75 Days with Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting
Bulletproof Coffee Shop
Bulletproof Conference
Moldy Movie
Bulletproof Diet Book
Questions for the podcast?
Leave your questions and responses in the comments section below. If you want your question to be featured on the next Q&A episode, submit it in the Podcast Question form! You can also ask your questions and engage with other listeners through The Bulletproof Forum, Twitter, and Facebook!
Click here to download PDF of this transcript
Dave: Hey everyone, welcome to Bulletproof Radio. I’m Dave Asprey, and yes, I have a little bit of laryngitis caused by sitting in my hyperbaric oxygen chamber without putting the oxygen through water the way you’re supposed to. My own fault, dried myself out, but hey, I’m all oxygenated so maybe it was worth it. Today’s cool fact of the day is that in the 18 and 1900s, doctors used to give tobacco smoke enemas as emergency resuscitators. The theory was that the warm smoke would warm your body and start breathing. I probably don’t have to tell you but that treatment didn’t have a great success rate. It turns out though there is an effect of nicotine on oxygen levels in the brain so maybe they had some little inkling of that but I don’t think that’s really something I’d recommended anymore.
Today’s guest needs no introduction. He is none other than Dr. Joseph Mercola, founder of the number one natural health site on the Internet, mercola.com with one and a half million subscribers. He’s written 3 New York Times bestsellers, the great bird flu hoax, the no grain diet and effortless healing. You’ve seen him on just about every major media outlet and he’s also a tech guy, a computer hobbyist since the mid-80s, with an interest in the Internet that led him to create his website in 1997. Dr. Mercola, welcome to the show, it’s an honor to have you on.
Joseph: Thank you for having Dave, appreciate it.
Dave: I’m going to do my best to keep my voice strong during this but this is probably the lowest quality voice I’ve had. I wanted to make sure I got you want to show to talk about Effortless Healing, because it’s coming out in softcover pretty soon.
Joseph: Yes, paperback, real soon.
Dave: You’ve been one of those guys I’ve wanted to have on the show for a long time because you’ve written extensively for going out almost 97 to 2007, going on more than 15 years now of just consistently writing stuff that oftentimes doesn’t match the mainstream. You’re one of the guys who’s actively stood up and invested a lot of your personal assets in fighting for GMO labeling so people can know whether it’s in their food or not. You’ve also stepped up on a bunch of other controversial issues. The number one question that I think listen want to know about and what I want to know about is, what’s motivating you? Why you do this?
Joseph: I’m just passionate about health. Somewhat of it is a bit of a selfish perspective because I want to know as much as I can about how to stay healthy myself which is one of the reasons which is why I started the newsletter, learning from breaking news and information that leading scientists have dedicated large amounts of their lives, taken decades to figure out. Then they’ve published these findings, then I want to know about it. I figure if it’s interesting to me it’s probably interesting to a lot of other people, and it turns out it is.
The challenge with most physicians is that they are trained in this jargon that makes it almost incomprehensible to communicate with most of individuals. We’ve simplified the terminology and the words and really seek to communicate in a clear concise way the information that drives me to learn more about health. Many people find it helpful.
Dave: What changes have you had in your personal health or your personal performance, over the past number of years you’ve been doing this? What have you done to yourself that really has changed things for you?
Joseph: Life is a journey. Health is a journey too. I’m always learning new things. It probably is best to work backwards because it’s hard to remember all of them. I’ve learned so much from having the opportunity to introduce some really incredible people and some novel ideas. The most recent one probably was not sitting down. I’ve been an athlete most of my life. I started exercising in 1968 and even ran a 250 marathon. If I ran that a century ago, it would have been a world record, but I ran mine in the early 80s.
I thought I was in good shape but after I was transitioned to full time editor on the newsletter, I was doing a lot more sitting than when I was seeing patients. I had this progressively increasing back pain that troubled me quite a bit. I was seeing a number of different chiropractors, really incredibly good chiropractors and different stretches and strengthening exercises and inversion tables, lasers, infrared saunas, you name it. I did dozens and dozens of different strategies, and yet the pain persisted, never got better until I finally learned about sitting down and the importance of not sitting down.
I learned it from Dr. Vernikos initially, who is one of the scientists that was responsible for taking care of the astronauts’ health. She just helped me understand the importance of not sitting, but what I would do is still sit down and stand up every 10 to 15 minutes, that it didn’t work. I tried that for 6 months to a year until I interviewed Dr. Levine who is one of the leading researchers in this area out of the Mayo Clinic. He convinced me just to stand up. I did that, basically eliminated almost all of my sitting. I sit for less than 30 minutes a day typically. My back pain has never returned, unless I’m forced to sit for prolonged periods like on a plane or a long car ride. That was important.
Dave: A few people have commented that I’m standing up for my podcast as well. When I record these things I just about always stand up. You’re only the second guest out of 200, pushing 240 guests now who also stood up, except for Kelly Starrett who is a functional moving …
Joseph: Yeah, I’ve interviewed Kelly too, I love Kelly.
Dave: Cool, he’s a great guy. He’s doing a stand up desk at his kids school right now.
Joseph: Yeah, he’s a real innovator. I just like his personality, it’s great.
Dave: He’s very enthusiastic and all. It’s interesting though, out of 200 something people, many of them health and movement nutrition experts, the number of people who are standing up, you, Kelly, and me. Why?
Joseph: It’s new information. I was skeptical for the longest time before I really applied it personally. It just didn’t make sense. I thought that this exercise I was doing was more than enough to compensate for it, but the studies are really clear, really really clear. There’s thousands of them that say you could be exercising an hour, 2 hours a day and be a professional athlete and if you’re sitting 12 to 16 hours a day, no amount of exercise is going to compensate for that. It’s just metabolically you can’t, and then physically and structurally too, at least for me it was a big issue.
I think there’s this disbelief somewhat like there was with smoking. Many people call sitting the new smoking, but the same thing, people were in disbelief when they were smoking. They didn’t understand that it can cause loads of disease, heart disease and cancer. Now we know. That was one. I had a girlfriend 7, 8 years ago that got me into some bad eating patterns. I gained about 10 pounds. I was up to almost 200 pounds. It wasn’t muscle. I had extra body fat. I must have been up to like 20% or so. Learned about intermittent fasting and the importance of that.
That was a huge benefit of my life, but then also learned that it’s not something you do all the time. Definitely it’s targeted for a specific time. Usually when you get rid of your insulin resistance, then you don’t need it anymore. Could be a problem. You could lose way too much weight if you continue on something like that. You’re working out pretty extensively. You have to be careful. Most people don’t have to worry about that.
Dave: Yeah, that was. It seems like over the years you’ve definitely added intermittent fasting and maybe you’ve increased the amount of fat in your recommendations. What led you to increase fat in the nutritional stuff that you write about?
Joseph: You don’t really have much of an option. I’m a big fan of Dr. Ron Rosedale, who was one of my early mentors. He really is the person who first made me aware of the importance of insulin resistance in 1995, so 20 years ago I was in a meeting with him in Chicago. Maybe 20 of us in a room, was a small natural medicine meeting. He went on for 3 hours about diabetes and insulin resistance. It was a new topic to me. Even now 20 years later the central core of my understanding of why most people get sick is because they have insulin resistance, it’s persuasive.
In order to address that, you have to lower your carbohydrates. Too much protein is a problem because that also increases insulin. Then you’re really left with facts. You just have to differentiate the types of fats and healthy fats. One time I was eating 70, 80% fat but now that I’m not insulin resistant and my body fat is at pretty much ideal, 11% or so, I probably had a lot more fruit than I typically do, and some grains. Maybe 40% fat or something like that.
Dave: Grains but no what and no gluten I’m assuming.
Joseph: No wheat. I like quinoa. Some rice.
Dave: Quinoa and rice? Why quinoa versus rice?
Joseph: Quinoa is really high in protein. It balances it out. It adds variety to my diet is one of the reasons I picked it. It seems to be a really decent grain and some other nutrients in there.
Dave: From the fruit perspective, there’s all this stuff written and a lot of which I support about fructose and triglycerides, fructose and cancer, fructose and advanced glycosylation, aging of tissues and all. There are a group of people who say, fruit doesn’t count because it is fiber that cancels out the fructose effect. Where do you fall in your perspective on fructose from fruit versus fructose from high fructose corn syrup? I know one’s better than the other, but should be still care about fruit?
Joseph: Absolutely. I would not advise the majority of people watching this, although your audience might be a little different from mine, to consume large amounts of fruits. It’s probably an unwise idea if you’re insulin resistant. How do you know if you’re insulin resistant? Are you overweight, are you diabetic, are you having problems with high blood pressure, or are you taking statin drugs? If any of those conditions, or even better have your doctors measure your fasting insulin level.
If any of those show that you have insulin resistance, then it’s probably wise to stay away from fruit or at least have it in small quantities. Basically we recommend less than 15 g of fructose a day. Obviously there’s a wide range of fructose in fruit depending on which one you choose. As long as you keep it low, you’re probably okay but if you have insulin resistance you want to be really careful. If you don’t, then you can have it and monitor those other variables. As long as they’re normal you’re probably okay.
You definitely don’t want high fructose corn syrup because that’s an unnatural product. Being healthy really isn’t that hard. That’s what I learned after 30 years of studying health is, it gets down to some pretty simple basics. One of them is to eat real food, what a concept. Stay away from processed foods, that’s one of the reasons why you want to avoid high fructose corn syrup. Orange, mango, tangerine, these are real foods. If you have them in high amounts, the insulin is a problem. It’s still a real food, that’s what you want to focus on. That’s a simple principle in the works really quite well. The fiber and the fruit is also important to modulate some of them, the spikes in the insulin, although Dr. Rosedale would probably disagree with my perspective on this. I still think it’s probably okay. I’ve gone back and forth on it but I’m at the point where I think it’s okay. In fact I had 5 dozen fruit trees on my property that I planted, in the process of producing fruit.
Dave: There’s also the pleasure principle, fruit tastes good.
Joseph: Oh yeah, absolutely.
Dave: I recommend from my research, if you’re going to have it, probably at dinner or after dinner, get a little bit of the serotonin effect from it but keep your overall levels low. If you’re having fruit for breakfast, fruit for lunch, fruit for dinner, because fruit and vegetables are good for you together with the same thing. You’re probably not going to like what happens especially if you do it every day.
Joseph: Have it seasonally too. Ideally it’s best to grow it yourself. I live in Florida so I have an opportunity to grow a lot of different fruit trees.
Dave: That’s cheating, in it? Because you grow fruit year round?
Joseph: Doesn’t bear fruit year-round. I don’t live in southern Florida. They can do that. Most of the year we’re able to harvest something for free.
Dave: I’m up in Canada and we just planted a few trees. We’ll have a 4 week season where there’s fruit.
Joseph: Yeah, you’re really restricted to apples, pears.
Dave: Yeah, a few cherries when we’re looking.
Joseph: Cherries would be good up there too. The cherries in Florida aren’t as good.
Dave: Yeah, that’s a fair point. The avocados in Florida, let’s talk avocados. They’re one of your favorite fruits, they’re one of my favorite fruits. Why do Florida avocados taste like water balloons? Have you noticed the difference?
Joseph: Yeah, I don’t have many Florida avocados. Typically I get the Haas ones, although I’m growing down here, I live in North Central Florida so you can still grow the Haas types. There’s different variants. They take a while to mature. My trees are just starting to bear fruit now.
Dave: That’s a lovely time. The avocado thing is something a lot of Californians don’t know, but there’s tropical avocados and there’s the Haas variety which are creamier. The nutrition factors for them are very different. The amount of fat you’ll get from one specie of an avocado versus another, from memory I think it’s about a 30% difference in the amount of fat.
Joseph: Which one has more, the Haas?
Dave: The Haas. The tropical ones you get in Hawaii or Florida or sometimes in Vietnam or somewhere in Southeast Asia, they are watery. Instead of the fat there’s water. They’re still good for you, but you just have to eat more of them and I don’t know about the sugar content difference. I was astounded when I had Hawaiian guacamole, I’m like, what’s wrong with this? It didn’t have the creamy character to it that I’d come to expect.
Joseph: Yeah. The Florida avocados are really big. I typically get the Haas. Typically I go up one a day. They’re really good in smoothies too. You can’t use a full one, you’ve got to use a third or even a quarter.
Dave: Yeah, because they’re just big.
Joseph: Yeah.
Dave: There’s a few things that I’d love to run through that are controversial where you’ve been a leading voice on these. These are the ones where generally I’m in alignment with what you say there. I think that your research is sound and that you’ve got a lot of courage because you just come out there and say some things like, look, this is the way it is. There’s always controversy on the Internet. Let’s talk about aspartame. Can you give me the short run down based on your experience, based on your research on why it’s bad, what it does?
Joseph: Aspartame, it was about aspartame right?
Dave: Yeah.
Joseph: Aspartame is the most pernicious artificial sweetener. I wrote a book earlier which is called sweet deception, was really targeted for Splenda. In fact was threatened by Johnson and Johnson before I published it, that if we published it they were going to sue us. It was a 20 page letter from a big New York law firm. Nevertheless we spent a little extra time on our references and documentation They never sued us because everything we said was true.
The reason why aspartame is the worst, because it’s the most toxic. Briefly it’s pivoted as being natural, but it’s essentially an ester bond between phenylalanine and aspartic acid. When it breaks down to the body, your body doesn’t have the metabolic machinery to detoxify it like other species do. Humans just don’t. As a result it goes into the body, passes the blood brain barrier, there it’s detoxified to methanol. A potent neurotoxin. I’m sorry, formaldehyde. The methanol breaks down to formaldehyde. The formaldehyde is just, it destroys your brain cells and de-natures your DNA, it’s bad news. Toxic as can be, it can cause seizures, migraines, even brain tumors. It’s really clear. The evidence is uncontroversial if you carefully analyze it.
If you look at the studies that were published early on, it was like 85% of the studies that were done by industry show that there was no problem where 90% of the ones that were independent showed problems with it. It was really clear. Thankfully industry has caught up to this, I think largely as a result of our targeted exposure on this. If you type in aspartame on the Internet using Google, we’ll come up number 2. They didn’t like that. The sales of diet sodas in general, aspartame being the leading component most of the diet sodas are down 6% the last 2 years. What does that translate you? I was curious what type of impact we’re having financially on these company. Do you know what that number is? 6% decrease in sales annually?
Dave: It’s got to be like 3 billion or something.
Joseph: $10 billion.
Dave: Oh, I love that.
Joseph: $10 billion loss. Just recently Pepsi announced that they’re taking aspartame out.
Dave: That’s the biggest win ever, by the way. Just full credit, your voice has been one of the ones that made that happen. I think you really have been leading that, so thank you.
Joseph: Yeah, you’re welcome. I don’t know that many are aware of that but it’s been important for us. In fact, there’s some interesting developments that you will see next year that will literally blow the top off of the entire diet industry. We’ve got some things in the works that it’s going to be mainstream news front page. You will be surprised next year once this thing launches. It’s really exciting, we’re taking them down.
Dave: It is.
Joseph: A while ago we realized, I can provide information. We’ve been doing this about 20 years, 18 years this year. Actually 18 years. 5 years and we said, listen, you can continue to educate people. We do that, but we have to play more aggressive roles, so we turned into an activist. We been active in the GMO labeling issue. I think we’re going to be victorious there too. We’re definitely causing changes in the direction of Monsanto and these other evil corporations. We’re making progress.
Someone needed to step up and take a leadership role and work with other people getting coordinated and collaborated to focus on this. They outnumber us in volume of influence of their resources. They have access to billions and billions of dollars, and we just have a few millions. That’s nothing. The number is more than 1000 to 1. We copy a lot of their strategies because their strategies work. It’s pretty interesting what you can do if you’re committed and you’re dedicated and you coordinate with a lot of like-minded individuals. There’s some incredible people out there. We just connect with them, work together cohesively and basically we’re able to clobber them. We will ultimately be victorious in many of these fronts.
Dave: Just maybe last year I went to a conference at Stanford on neuro-marketing, which is using brain science to look at the people as they look at what’s happening with ads. You look at an ad, what does it do to your brain? Sitting right next to me was the CMO for Monsanto. You’re saying their ad techniques work? The big companies like that really do go out and do every little thing they can do.
Joseph: They can afford it.
Dave: Yeah, they can.
Joseph: It’s crazy. It is amazing how effective you can be when you’re dealing with garbage and lies and deception and fraud, because these techniques are so powerful. It’s not so much a technique, but there’s even more powerful strategic interventions that you can do, and they aggressively deploy. We learn by following what they’re doing. We deploy similar strategies because they work. It’s pretty effective how we’re able to make some dents. One of the most recent ones was the strategy, well, I can’t go into that because it’s still under the discussion of …
Dave: Don’t mess anything up here, you’re doing good work.
Joseph: Yeah, it’s pretty amazing what you can do.
Dave: When you talk about we, obviously you’re not in this all by yourself…
Joseph: Oh no. I’m pretty much the voice. I get some of the ideas and I’m the content team leader, but I have a whole team that’s responsible. The person that runs the company is Steve Rye. He’s a really high power strategic incredibly good thinker. Right now he’s going to be, I just spoke to him today, he’s going out to Denver tomorrow and he’s going to be meeting with the American grass fed people out there, and slow meat, I don’t know if you’re aware but most grass fed beef in the US is not grown in the US.
Dave: Yeah, Australian and New Zealand and Africa.
Joseph: We’re changing that. We’re changing that. There’s the American Grass-fed Beef Association, we’re cooperating with them. We’re having this whole big strategy of raising the beef that we eat in the US on properly 100% pasteurized beef. We’re using the byproducts, the organs, a lot of other things for foods and for pet foods. There’s so many things that can be done. People weren’t interested. We have the ability to take that knowledge, coordinate things and then offer it to people because we’ve got the influence of reaching a lot of people. We’re reaching 10 million unique visitors every month now.
Dave: That is unbelievable.
Joseph: Interesting that it’s grown so much.
Dave: Bulletproof gets 10% of that. One of the things that I learned from grass fed more than 10 years ago as part of restoring my wife’s fertility, I just will not eat grain fed meat because it just makes me feel awful. The Bulletproof coffee shop is a restaurant opening in Santa Monica actually this month. We are featuring grass fed beef, but not just grass fed beef. Grass fed beef from this ranch and then from this ranch and then from this ranch, just like wine. Wine from this winery is different. Beef from this beef-ery different. We want to show people, taste it, see how you feel. Once they taste it once at the Bulletproof coffee shop, they can go out and they can get grass fed beef and find out the difference it makes for them. That will change the demand for grass fed beef which will of course change the supply, which is what you’re talking about doing. Thanks for that work.
Joseph: The problem is you have to have a finishing operation which actually butchers the cattle. It can’t be mixed up, it has to be dedicated to them. You need a large volume for that to work. It’s just a matter of coordinating the efforts and the supplies so that they could keep that plant busy.
Dave: There’s also differences when you’re butchering grass fed cattle and you cool the carcasses. If you cool them wrong, it’s tough. If you cool them right, it’s tender. It’s just different than grain fed meet. A lot of places just aren’t even equipped to do the work.
Joseph: Yeah, the devil is in the details. Do it right otherwise it’s not going to work. Once it’s done right it’s an amazing food.
Dave: It really is. This year, when I’m home, all of the beef that I eat actually ate the grass from the front part of my property. We’re raising the grass but not the cows yet. It makes a difference in how you feel and how your kids perform, how your brain performs.
Joseph: Yeah, that’s good. Ideally one of my passions is regenerative agriculture because some of the projections are that within the next 60 years we’re going to lose most of the topsoil on the planet. We’ll not be able to sustain the human race. It’s a relatively urgent need. It’s 60 years away, but it’s not that far. What I learned is that integrating animals into the process is a really powerful way to do that. The best soil ever developed on Earth supposedly is in the American Great Plains when they had all these herbivores, these buffaloes that were depositing their waste and trampling it in and having these cocktail cover crops go to further the amount of organic content and carbon that can integrate into the soil.
Dave: Let’s talk about glyphosate or Roundup. It’s an antibiotic, it kills bacteria. When you spray it on that healthy soil, what happens to that soil?
Joseph: A number of things. It chelates out the minerals. It’s originally patented out as a chelator and an antibiotic. The reason it works as an antibiotic is because it takes away the minerals. Zinc and manganese are two of the most potent ones. It is bad news. It really devastates, if you put glyphosate or Roundup, Roundup is actually much more toxic. Some of the studies show it might be 100, 200 times more toxic than glyphosate because the surfactants in Roundup make it much worse. Totally disrupts cell membranes, mitochondria. It’s bad news.
If you put it in sterile soil, guess what? It doesn’t work. The way it works is through the soil microbes. Then they cause diseases to the plant that basically cripple it because it’s immune system is severely compromised. It’s really devastating. Not only is it the issue with GMO crops and the Roundup that they’re spraying on it, but they’re actually spraying it on non-GMO crops. Like wheat, who doesn’t eat wheat? Virtually very few people. They use it to dry it and it’s just as damned dangerous once it gets in there because it’s integrated into every single cell of the plant. They use it to kill the wheat and then dry it out. You cannot wash this stuff off. The average American, how much glyphosate or Roundup do you think the average American is eating every year?
Dave: I’ve never quantified it but it’s got to be a ridiculous amount because it’s sprayed on a crop. You eat the crop.
Joseph: It’s their body weight. About 150 pounds a year.
Dave: No way. How that can be?
Joseph: They’re not eating that much glyphosate, they’re eating that much food sprayed with glyphosate and integrated into the cells. They’re spraying basically a billion pounds of this stuff every year. It is dangerous as can be. It is absolutely ridiculous if you’re getting away with a sham. It all relates to this legislation. I don’t know if you saw my interview with Steven Druker who wrote the book Altered Genes. He knew about this stuff 10 years before I did and he actually sued the FDA in 1997 for their 1992 ruling on glyphosate that essentially allowed it to be grass generally recognized as safe, which was the essential reason why it’s used worldwide now because of that 1992 FDA ruling.
Through clever deceptive techniques his case was dismissed. Even though they showed the basis of it, they said it wasn’t relevant to this case because it was introduced after they made the decision. It’s just so insane. It’s really a phenomenal book. He helped me understand that it’s not so much Monsanto that’s really the pernicious evil in this while operation. Who do you think was responsible for this if it isn’t Monsanto? They are the bullet. Who pulled the trigger?
Dave: DuPont I would guess?
Joseph: Who’s that?
Joseph: No, it’s not a company. Those are the bullets. The one who pulled the trigger was a molecular biologist. Scam above all. If they weren’t in on this collusion they would’ve never gotten away with it. There’s no way the FDA would have ever made that ruling in 1992. It was about 18 years. They introduced genetically engineered products and then there was this really bad feedback from the public, they said, “No, we can’t have that.” They said, “This isn’t going to work, we’ve got to change our strategy.” They all got together and had agreed to tone down this thing. They just took that strategy thinking that if the public disagreed us, we can’t get our funding. They were all willing to collusion on this. A few of them weren’t. They basically helped save us, some of these early molecular biologists. It essentially was a molecular biologist that ruined this whole strategy. The professional scientific community.
You remember that speech that Eisenhower gave when he was president when was basically leaving the office, remember how he warned us of the military-industrial complex? Remember that? I’m sure you’ve seen videos of it, quite famous video. He also warned the scientific elite even as much as the military-industrial complex. That’s the problem we have. That’s the problem we have with molecular biologists and the safety of GMO foods, same damn problem we have with vaccines. That they get away with this nonsense, that they can essentially mandate it for the entire population, or virtually the entire population with virtually no insurances or guarantees of certainty, none. We just want to do it.
Dave: One of the things about a glyphosate that’s really interesting to me is that when you spray it on fungus it causes the fungus to make a lot more mycotoxin. I’ve just completed, I’m launching next week a film called Moldy. I’ve for 2 years been filming this. I’ve interviewed guys like Richard Schumacher, Mark Hyman, Daniel Amen. A whole bunch of people have been affected by environmental mold growing in their homes. We tortured our soil microbes so much that the fungus in the soil started making more toxins than it did historically. There’s been genetic changes and there’s been toxin level changes. Glyphosate is one of the things that made what grows behind your dry walls so toxic.
The connection between what’s happening in our homes and what’s happening in our cropland and in our soil is undeniable, but it’s almost unheard of. I’m particularly interested in the angle of, if some plants get sick, when you spray glyphosate or Roundup on them, what happens to the fungus? Are you familiar with that story? I know you’ve written some things about it but that may have been your team. Are you up to date on mycotoxins?
Joseph: I just interviewed Suzanne Somers. Her new book is Toxsick, T-O-X-S-I-C-K. She and her husband were both exposed to it. Her husband had had a progressive neurological disease and they wanted to do something. They basically thought he was dead. She was diagnosed with cancer. No one figured out it was toxic mold in this home they were in, because her home in Malibu was destroyed and they had to go in this rental home, which was a really high-end home but it was loaded with toxic mold in the basement. She figured it out and got better and didn’t go on any of the anticancer drugs.
70% of the microbes in the soil are fungal. That’s one of the reasons why I’m so excited about using wood chips as a soil amendment to build, not only increase the concentration of carbon in the soil but to actually massively increase the mycorrhizal fungi. Increase earthworm population, decrease irrigation needs, almost eliminate the use of fertilizers. It’s a beautiful thing. When you do these things and you use these proper biological regenerative agricultural approaches, you don’t need products like glyphosate and Roundup which devastate the soil microbiology, cause the fungal elements to mutate to the point where they’re making toxins that are even more pernicious to humans. Certainly not beneficial for the plants.
They just have set this whole ecological balance and they’re pushing it in the wrong direction. You don’t have to do that. It really is sad, just simple basic principles. I love regenerative agriculture because initially it was a puzzle to me. I didn’t know how to get plants to grow healthy but there’s a lot of similarities between that and health, so I was able to pick it up relatively quickly. I’m in the middle of this pilot project of my own personal property to see how it works. Once it does, I’m going to promote my next book, will be Effortless Gardening.
Hopefully encourage a nationwide repeat of what we did in World War II with the victory gardens where the vast majority of the produce produced in the United States was grown in people’s backyards, which I think is really where we’re heading towards. In 60 years we’re not going to have any commercial topsoil left. That’s not a good thing.
Dave: Yeah, we’re independent.
Joseph: The only way to get your own food is grow it. That’s a good thing because you can make incredibly nutrient dense food if you grow it locally. Another important part of the growing your own healthy food is our minerals, obviously. That’s one of the reasons why, even organically grown food isn’t necessarily good because it depends on what they did with the soil and how they were able to bring the mineral contents up. One of the things I’ve learned is that minerals from the ocean can be very useful here if you are able to effectively remove all the sodium chloride which can be highly toxic to most plants, especially citrus plants. If you remove them all then you’ve got 62 minerals that usually can catalyze these great limited actions and you can maximize genetic potential of the plant.
When you use these things typically in their ionic ocean minerals and you do them in a foliage spray, unbelievable. You just see tremendous growth, resistance to disease and the taste and the flavor of the food is just incredible. It’s amazing what simple things like ground cover and these minerals and healthy seeds, arum seeds, the type of food you can produce.
Dave: It’s remarkable. I live about a 10 minute walk from the ocean and this year my family will grow all of its own food.
Joseph: Excellent, that’s hard to do.
Dave: It is, we’re on 32 acres and we’re turning it into an organic perma-culture farm. We’re in very much alignment there.
Joseph: Do you circulate your family’s waste back into the land?
Dave: We have a septic tank. From that perspective we do. Do you mean compost waste or something else?
Joseph: Yeah. That’s what I do with my own urine. I live in, I guess it’s a suburb, municipality. I save all my urine and I put that in the plants. Diluted of course.
Dave: That’s got to be really good for them. I do something a little simpler since you can’t see anyone from where I live. I just walk out and pee wherever I feel like. Do it the old-fashioned way. Exactly.
Joseph: You’ve got to have chickens for sure.
Dave: There will be ducks and geese but they’re not in yet. Ducks eat slugs better than chickens and chickens are common. Duck eggs are also so creamy and delicious.
Joseph: What works for slugs too is something called Sluggo, S-L-U-G-G-O.
Dave: Is that the copper stuff?
Joseph: No. It’s a natural product. I think it’s iron pyrophosphate. It’s toxic as heck to slugs and it’s a nutrient in the soil. It’s a win-win.
Dave: That works. People who are listening now might be going, oh my God, Dave and Dr. Mercola just started talking about killing slugs and ducks. The whole point, the reason we’re talking about this is you and I both care very much about health and how we feel. If you want control of your biology, if you want to actually be in charge of your life you’ve got to be in charge of what you put in your mouth. Right now not only is this a cost-effective way to do it, but this is a way to get higher quality than you could buy at the grocery store for any amount of money. That’s why it’s worth doing. That’s why if you want to really make a lot of money as a young person, start a business where you go and you manage the garden for someone in they’re backyard when they’re too busy to do it. There’s a huge wave for that.
Joseph: Yeah, I’m a big fan of science and technology. I’m absolutely convinced of the eventual integration of artificial general intelligence, which will eliminate literally tens of millions of jobs. You know we have an unemployment problem already in this country. There’s no question, it’s going to get massively worse. There’s no way the economy in this country is going to get any better any time soon, it just isn’t. That’s a fact. That’s great advice you have. That is one good strategy, because people need to eat. If you become proficient at these tools and techniques and serve them in that way, you’ll always have a job.
Dave: Yeah. There’s also something that comes from Buddhist teachings. Buddhists say, minimize the number of people who touch your food. I have no idea whether that scientifically validated but there’s something to it.
Joseph: It makes sense, you can’t process it if many people are touching it. I feel like it’s just more difficult.
Dave: You can’t process it. It may be something more subtle than that where there’s something about, oh, this cucumber grew in my backyard and I’m eating it for dinner. It may synchronize you with your biome. There’s talk about communication between soil microbes and the microbes in your stomach. Maybe there’s benefits to having the soil microbes from your backyard talk to the things in your stomach to tell your system about what’s going on in the environment. There’s just stuff we don’t know but you feel better when you eat this.
Joseph: No question. You asked early on one of the things I was doing. I think it was like 5 years ago now, we connected with, I had dinner with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. She is a neurologist who has a child, a son with autism and got passionate about this and now does that full-time. She’s really known for the GAPS diet which is gut associated psychology syndrome. The basic strategy there is ultimately use fermented food. She has a lot of bone broths. It’s a transitional diet that she puts people on, but ultimately people wind up on the fermented foods to optimize your gut.
I started doing that once after I had dinner with her. Basically realized that these bacteria are making a lot of good things. Not only are you getting the volume of the beneficial microbes, but I said, “How many are we getting?” We sell a really good high potency probiotic with incredible strains, one of the best on the market. I think 1 or 2 capsules is 100 billion, which is pretty high potency. I said, “If I’m eating the fermented vegetables, how many are in there?” We did the analysis, it was like 10 trillion. It was more than a whole bottle of our probiotics, and just in 2 or 3 ounces of the fermented vegetables. I said, “This is good, I don’t need to take anymore probiotics.”
Then I said let’s make this better, because one of the important nutrients that most people don’t get enough of, almost everyone seeing this video is deficient in this, is vitamin K2. I was one of the guys who really heavily promoted the use of vitamin D. Probably I was the main catalyst to get it implemented and adopted in the United States. I didn’t invent it or anything of course but I just popularized it.
Dave: You inducted…
Joseph: Endlessly persistent with it. I am grateful that people have adopted it but vitamin D doesn’t work. It works in conjunction with K2 and it is massively important for increasing your bone density, but more important reducing cardiovascular disease. It sucks out the calcium from the lining of the blood vessel and puts it back into the bone. You can have the best vitamin D levels in the world and it’s not going to do that. It’s not designed to work that way. It needs to work with K2.
Where do you get K2? It’s fermented foods. The highest source in the world is Natto which is produced by a pieces of bacteria called Bacillus subtilis. I said, “Let’s see if we can do something.” We changed and played, we had the startup culture that I made my fermented foods with, we changed and played with it. We got to the point where it’s making 4, 500 micrograms of vitamin K2. Typically, a vitamin K2 supplement is about 200 micrograms and it’s pricey. It’s a dollar, 2 dollars a pill. You can ferment your own food with the specific starter culture. We developed one called kinetic starter culture. You get vitamin K2 for free and you get 10 trillion bacteria.
Dave: Do you sell that?
Joseph: You have to spend 50 dollars of supplements every day to equal that, and it’s real food.
Dave: Is that something you sell?
Joseph: Yeah, kinetic culture, but you’ve got to make the vegetables yourself.
Dave: That is so interesting. One of my biggest complaints about fermented food Dr. Mercola, is that you don’t know what it is. Most people just dump their cabbage in a bucket and then they don’t control temperature, they don’t control time and they don’t know what their fiber culture is until they’re getting histamine, they’re getting histamine…
Joseph: A lot of people use wild fermentation. They’re getting a week, it takes 3 weeks to do it and it’s an experiment.
Dave: Wild fermentation I think can be dangerous because of what we just talked about where things like the spraying of the soil changes the toxicity of the fungus, so then all of a sudden you get yeast out there. What’s happening, whatever that yeast is making maybe it’s good for you, maybe it isn’t, but you just don’t know. It’s a fermentation roulette from my perspective.
Joseph: That’s a good tech tip. I just had a discussion with my CEO right for this call. I didn’t realize, it’s still relatively, it’s not appreciated. Vitamin K2 isn’t emerging. It’s really only a very small number of people who understand this, probably a good percentage of your audience I would assume. It’s huge, it’s important. It’s a very small fraction of people who get 100 percent of vitamin D. The best way to do it is to just get it for free in the food you make. You can buy an supplement and swallow it, but why do it when you get it for free?
Dave: You can also do the good old-fashioned cultured butter. I’m well known for promoting butter.
Joseph: Yeah, I don’t think it has, you need about 200 micrograms. Depending on the way to culture it, I don’t know if it would be therapeutically or clinically useful. It might only be 20, 30 micrograms.
Dave: Interesting, I’ll check that out.
Joseph: You have to look it up or send it to a lab and measure it if you’re going to use it regularly.
Dave: It also depends on the quality of the butter and the quality of the fermentation and all. I’ll actually take that as an…
Joseph: Butter is good for other reasons. I go through a pound of butter almost every week, certainly every two weeks. I love butter.
Dave: It’s ridiculous for me what adding butter back in, I was a raw vegan for a while. I used to weigh 300 pounds and had mold toxicity and Lyme disease and chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. All the bad things you could get. What a difference putting butter back in with my vegetables made.
Joseph: Yeah, it’s good stuff, it really is. It should be raw and grass-fed ideally.
Dave: Yeah, I think grass-fed is terribly important. Raw if you can find it, great. If you find cultured, not raw, but still grass fed, there’s lots of benefits to that.
Joseph: That’ll work.
Dave: It’ll work but it’s not the best. Something that can affect fermentation, something that can affect other things like your gut microbe is fluoride. You’ve also been one of those guys out there who’s been saying for many many years, fluoride is a drug. My grandfather was a fluoride chemist on the Manhattan project. He said, “I wouldn’t put that stuff anywhere near my body.” I drink water with it as a kid and my teeth show excessive fluoride and I don’t touch the stuff. I don’t let my kids touch the stuff. Why should people listening to this podcast consider making sure there is no fluoride in their water? What’s bad about it?
Joseph: Right now we have 40% of American adolescents has dental fluorosis, which is cosmetic damage to the outside of your teeth, which is sounds like what you had when you were younger. That’s one. That’s just cosmetic. You’ve got to think, if it’s causing my teeth to be discolored, what the heck is it doing to my bones? It’s not good. It’s well-documented to cause osteonecrosis of the jaw. It’s a fact. That’s one of the dangers. It’s a halogen, one of the other pernicious problems with it, especially if you’re a woman. Hypothyroidism is an epidemic in the Western world. Fluoride will actually displace the iodine in the thyroid causing you to be relatively hypothyroid.
It’s really hard to get fluoride out of the water. It sounds like where you live it’s not an issue because you’ve got your own well, with 32 acres. If you live in a municipality it’s almost invariably going to be fluoridated. We were successful in keeping fluoride out of the water in Portland, 28th largest city in the United States. They’ve always been fluoride free but the city Council there decided we’re going to change this. The pro-fluoride movement said we’re going to make an example of Portland. We were able to intervene 2 years ago and help them in the support to defeat that initiative. Portland is the largest city in the US that’s not fluoridated.
Dave: Portland has special powers. They’ve been able to block Uber which is just insane. I don’t know how anyone can do that. That city will go to the ends of the earth to do what it wants so I’m pleased that they did that.
Joseph: Yeah, I’m pleased too although I don’t know about Uber. I’m a big fan.
Dave: Me too, I love Uber.
Joseph: I like this technology, it just seems to make so much sense.
Dave: If you can stop Uber you have almost unlimited power, that’s what I’m saying. I also take Uber, I don’t rent cars anymore. I was sad when I got to Portland, I didn’t know what to do but I hitchhiked. It was almost the same.
Joseph: Yeah, that’ll work. It clearly will be a non-issue in the relatively near future because we’re going to have self driving cars. They exist now. I own a Tesla and told within the next month, they’ll be able to have a software download, we’ll be able to self drive on the highway. It’ll be here and you won’t even have to own a car. You’re just calling up on your phone, band bang, comes and picks up, you don’t have to worry about insurance, parking, none of that stuff, Your garage, use your garage for an office.
Dave: A lot of people probably don’t know that about you but you’re a technology futurist guy. I hang out with Peter Diamandis, the SpaceX people.
Joseph: I don’t know him personally but he’s a good guy.
Dave: I’m a member of his mastermind, his abundance 360. I’ve had the great fortune to spend several days with him. All of the guys at that level are saying exactly what you’re saying, which is, yeah, self driving cars. They’re not 10 years the way, they’re half. Mining asteroids for minerals, I’ve held the equipment that is being sent to the asteroids in my own hands. This is happening, the world is changing in a way that we don’t know about. The thing that sucks is that you and I both know this, but it doesn’t matter if we have self driving cars if there isn’t any food because we killed our soil.
Joseph: Or you’re sick as can be because you’re eating the wrong food.
Dave: We’ll have only self driving ambulances, that’s the only thing we’ll need to just shovel us back and forth.
Joseph: So true. Most of those guys don’t understand the health component, they really don’t. They said that, it’s been my experience.
Dave: They didn’t but the last time I was at one of these groups, there’s 20 of these guys with more money than the average person by orders of magnitude. I pulled out my little crack bag full of vitamins, I take 100 supplements a day. Instead of looking at me like a crazy person like they had for years in Silicon Valley, most of these guys said, “Oh, you too?” They pull out their own little bags of vitamins, they’re all paying attention. That is a big change as important as self-driving cars.
Joseph: It’s not the supplements, it’s the food.
Dave: They’re doing both.
Joseph: You have to have the Kefir.
Dave: If you eat crap, supplements won’t fix it. If you eat great food, supplements still help.
Joseph: Yeah, absolutely. I take a number myself. One of the other things that I’m doing, just so this isn’t an associated tangent, because an artifact of not sitting. Well, I’m walking. I walk 2 hours a day when I’m home. I usually walk it on the beach so I’m able to read. Now I can read 2 books a week, that’s my average. Sometimes it’s 1, sometimes it’s 3. I’ve read both of Peter’s books Bold In Abundance and, I don’t know if you’ve read the biography of Elon Musk recently. It was just published a few weeks ago.
Dave: It’s on my list, I heard it from NPR.
Joseph: It is just beyond, you have to read this book. It is one of the most inspiring books I’ve read in a long long time. He is an amazing individual, absolutely amazing. He will go down, he will far eclipse Steve Jobs and Bill Gates together.
Dave: Yeah, I met him at SpaceX, I almost called it Steve X. Met him at SpaceX. Yeah, the guy is unstoppable mentally. He’s driven by something I have not seen before. It don’t matter.
Joseph: The key to be successful is to be passionate. Boy, if you look up passionate in the dictionary, it’ll probably have his name there. The book is written so well and it just details all the experiences, the great amount of experiences that he’s had in his life that demonstrates that passion and that commitment, that drive, that dedication. Just insurmountable in the midst of what appears to be imminent failure on multiple times. It was a really inspiring book, very encouraging for anyone.
Dave: What makes me think about Dr. Mercola, is how you and I and a few other people can be the Elon Musks of our soil because we need that level of innovation to fix what’s already been done to the soil. Without that level of world changing, it’s going to be ugly 100 years from now. It’s fixable though, I absolutely believe it.
Joseph: We’re making changes in trends. You got to get this critical threshold or tipping point of people to understand, appreciate and apply, then it starts to spread. That’s my new passion really is regenerative agriculture. That’s why spend a lot of my spare time is understanding this deeper and really applying it and start to teach it to individuals.
Dave: I had no idea. We’re so much in alignment on that. Maybe if I’m in Florida sometime I’ll look you up if we both are in the same place, I’ll look to your garden. If you’re ever on Vancouver Island, you’re always invited to check out my garden.
Joseph: Which island are you on?
Dave: I’m on main Vancouver Island. I’m looking out over Salt Spring but I am on the Vancouver Island side.
Joseph: Yeah, it’s a nice area.
Dave: We’re coming up on the end the show. There’s one question that I’ve asked everyone on the show and I think your answers might be different than anyone else after a couple hundred episodes. Given everything you know from your work and just from your life, if someone came to you today and said, “Look, I want to perform better at anything.” What are your top 3 recommendations? If you want to kick more ass, do these three things.
Joseph: Perform better at anything?
Dave: Yeah, whatever you’re here to do. Some people are moms, some people are dads, some people are entrepreneurs, some people play soccer. Whatever you love.
Joseph: Clearly based on the core of my understanding of how to optimize your health is to not be insulin resistant. Do whatever it takes to not be insulin resistant. Typically if you are, there’s going to be intermittent fasting. All the principles we talked about are alluded to this conversation, which is healthy fats and minimizing the grains, the fruits, all of that. Be insulin and leptin resistant, it’s cousin is actually even more important. It’s easier to measure insulin.
I think a hidden one that I ignored for many many years and more fully appreciate is sleep. Make sure you’re sleeping 8 hours. It sounds simple and stupid and your parents probably told you about it all for years, but somehow most of us think we’re exceptions. You’re hard driving, you’ve got a lot of stuff to do and no time left to do it. You’ve got a family. You compromise your sleep. Make sure you’re getting 8 hours of sleep would be huge.
I think really, 3 is hard. One of the things to focus on is your fluid intake, and from my perspective is to optimize your water. There’s a lot of ways to do that. We didn’t talk about them but structured water is massively important. Making sure you’re structuring it with a specific types of minerals. Structured water is energized water, so water inside of cells. It’s water that you get if you take a fruit and squeeze the juice out of it or a vegetable, you have vegetable juices. All that water is structured, the vegetable does it or the plant does it for you. There are mechanical devices that will structure it for you too.
Then you can also have water that’s high in hydrogen gas which is a whole topic. That would take about an hour to explain but that’s what happens in our gut, the production of hydrogen gas. That’s all related to the water intake. If you’re drinking healthy water you’re not drinking soda or Gatorade or these other power drinks like Red Bull or something.
Dave: The opposite of structured water, right.
Joseph: Yeah, yeah. Did I get 3?
Dave: That was three. You had insulin resistance, structured water and sleep.
Joseph: Yeah. Some basics, but there’s so many more that you could talk about like passion …
Dave: Let’s do 4 more. You’re the only guy to get a bonus 3 because you spent your life doing this stuff. What would your next 3 be?
Joseph: What we talked about is just to be passionate, because will drive you. Elon is the classic example there. Just truly authentically, not academically, intellectually, but at your core just passionate about something, you’re going to be successful at whatever it is as long as it’s your true authentic passion. That’s key. An artifact of that is to be joyful as part of that process.
A secondary effect from sleep is meditation, which I think is another powerful discipline that certainly a lot of people appreciate and do but many people fail to implement. I’ve been playing with that for the last year and able to meditate for about 30 minutes a day. I use the technology that is able to monitor my brain waves. It can tell me what levels of mediation …
Dave: You and me both, I love it.
Joseph: That’s what I do. Love, it’s the ultimate important driving in your relationships. Ideally your spouse or your children, your parents and your relatives and friends. I think that’s the key.
Dave: Awesome. Dr. Mercola, thank you for being on Bulletproof radio today, I really appreciate it.
Joseph: Thank you for having me, thank you for all you do. You’re doing some great work there. There’s not a lot of people that understand this at the core level like you do. I appreciate you spreading the word, and congratulations. I think the last time I looked you’re in the top 10 natural health sites, so that’s pretty darn good. That’s quite an achievement.
Dave: Thank you so much, I’m working to help a lot of people similar to the way you are.
Joseph: Obviously you are. Just remember that the more people you help with this information the more you’re going to be vilified. They don’t like that.
Dave: I’ve noticed that. It actually threw me for a little while. Thanks to some encouragement from J.J. Virgin, I think she really helped me out and Michael Fishman and actually Tim Ferris too.
Joseph: He’s a good guy.
Dave: Yeah, he’s a good guy. He’s like, “Here’s how to deal with them.” Oh, that’s right. I just don’t worry about it. You’ve certainly been vilified but from what I can see, you’re directionally accurate. If there’s something that needs tweaking, you’ve shown a willingness to change your recommendations like eat more fat, add intermittent fasting, add high intensity interval training. Over the years you’ve clearly evolved and been very public about it. What else can people ask for?
Joseph: Yeah, just be honest and know that life’s a journey and just share what you learn and be honest about it. That’s awesome. All right, thanks again Dave, thanks again for all your work. Keep up the good work.
Dave: All right. If you enjoyed today’s show, do me a favor, go out there and check out Effortless Healing, Dr. Mercola’s book, and check out his work because it’s good work. While you’re at it, I would love it if you went on to iTunes and you said Bulletproof radio rocks, give us the thumbs up or a star or whatever you do on iTunes to say that we’re good. Thank you so much.
fastinggut microbiomesupplements
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Global Mobile Apps Market will Reach $20+ Billion
The mobile applications (apps) business has reached maturity and is now growing exponentially. Apps generated impressive revenues of $12 billion in 2012, and in total 46 billion apps were downloaded in the year, taking the cumulative all-time total downloads to 83 billion.
By comparison, the all-time cumulative total number of downloads stood at 37 billion at the end of 2011 -- which more than doubled by 2012, according to the latest market study by Portio Research.
Moreover, during 2012, more apps were downloaded than in the previous 5 years combined.
This doubling of the market is forecast to happen once again in 2013. Portio's forecasts show that 2013 will see 82 billion apps downloaded worldwide -- taking the cumulative total to 165 billion apps by the end of the year.
Revenues are also forecast to grow rapidly. During 2012 app revenues reach $12 billion, in 2013 the forecast is for worldwide app revenues to reach $20.4 billion.
From this doubling of the apps business in 2013, Portio forecasts that downloads will continue to grow to exceed 200 billion per year by the end of 2017, and revenues in 2017 will reach $63.5 billion.
While the global mobile subscriber base is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.8 percent over the period 2012 to 2017, and annual handset shipments are expected to increase at a CAGR of 6.6 percent over the same time frame -- apps downloads are forecast to grow at 35.9 percent CAGR.
Portio's assessment shows that in mature markets, usage of apps per person is starting to level off, in Europe and North America, the number of apps downloaded per person is reaching a stable level. What’s driving the growth in the app download business is the rapid growth in smartphone and tablet sales.
Smartphone shipments worldwide are expected to reach 823 million this year, in 2013. Smartphones accounted for around 41 percent of total handset shipments during 2012. It's also expected to reach 46 percent during 2013, and more than half (56 percent) of total handset shipments will be smartphones by 2017.
From 680 million smartphones shipped in 2012, Portio expects to see 1296 smartphones shipped in 2017.
Tablet shipments are forecast to average a CAGR of 24 percent over the period 2012-2017, rising from 2012 shipments of 136 million, to 2013 shipments of 208 million, going on to 2017 shipments of 398 million devices.
In summary, Portio forecasts that over the period 2012-2017, the number of mobile apps users will grow at a CAGR of 29.8 percent, to reach 4.4 billion users by the end of 2017 -- that's 4 times as many apps users as there are today.
tags: app store, applications, apps, mobile, smartphone, software, tablet
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Research article | Open | Published: 24 April 2015
Dichotomisation using a distributional approach when the outcome is skewed
Odile Sauzet1,
Mercy Ofuya2 &
Janet L Peacock2
BMC Medical Research Methodologyvolume 15, Article number: 40 (2015) | Download Citation
Dichotomisation of continuous outcomes has been rightly criticised by statisticians because of the loss of information incurred. However to communicate a comparison of risks, dichotomised outcomes may be necessary. Peacock et al. developed a distributional approach to the dichotomisation of normally distributed outcomes allowing the presentation of a comparison of proportions with a measure of precision which reflects the comparison of means. Many common health outcomes are skewed so that the distributional method for the dichotomisation of continuous outcomes may not apply.
We present a methodology to obtain dichotomised outcomes for skewed variables illustrated with data from several observational studies. We also report the results of a simulation study which tests the robustness of the method to deviation from normality and assess the validity of the newly developed method.
The review showed that the pattern of dichotomisation was varying between outcomes. Birthweight, Blood pressure and BMI can either be transformed to normal so that normal distributional estimates for a comparison of proportions can be obtained or better, the skew-normal method can be used. For gestational age, no satisfactory transformation is available and only the skew-normal method is reliable. The normal distributional method is reliable also when there are small deviations from normality.
The distributional method with its applicability for common skewed data allows researchers to provide both continuous and dichotomised estimates without losing information or precision. This will have the effect of providing a practical understanding of the difference in means in terms of proportions.
Researchers and practitioners in medicine often use continuous measurements to classify subjects as either normal or abnormal according to a particular cut-off. This dichotomisation is typically done for one of three reasons. The first is to facilitate a treatment decision for an individual, such as to give anti-hypertensive drugs if systolic blood pressure is over 160 mmHg. Secondly dichotomisation may be used to enable the quantification of the proportion in a population with abnormal outcome, such as the proportion of babies with low birthweight, i.e. birthweight under 2500 g. Thirdly dichotomisation is used to provide estimates that are more clinically meaningful for example in comparing two groups when a difference in say, mean birthweight in two groups may be difficult to interpret while a difference in the proportion with low birthweight is intuitively more meaningful. Dichotomisation is thus commonly seen and used but is known to be problematic because of the obvious loss of information and reduced statistical power.
The distributional approach [1,2] was developed to remedy this problem by providing a way to dichotomise a continuous outcome without losing precision by considering the proportion below a cut-off as a function of the mean and standard deviation of the distribution. In this way researchers may present both a mean difference and a comparison of proportions below a given cut-off with equivalent precision. With dual outcomes, the dichotomisation of continuous data is statistically rigorous.
The distributional method requires that the data follow a normal distribution or can be transformed to normal, for example by using a logarithmic transform. Many common health outcomes, e.g. blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), are not normally distributed because of perturbations due to the presence in the population of a few people with very high blood pressures or BMIs. This process has been described to lead to a skew-normal distribution of outcomes [3].
A small systematic review was undertaken to illustrate the ways in which three common outcomes, blood pressure, body mass index, and gestational age areanalysed and presented in medical journals. To do this the Pubmed database was searched using the terms blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and gestationalage OR preterm birth and all their related Mesh terms. One hundred and ninety studies were retrieved, and after screening the full texts, 49 eligible studies wereidentified (blood pressure (BP): 23, BMI: 13, gestational age (GA): 13). Among the BP studies, analysis used the continuous data in 17/23 studies, dichotomous in 9/23 and both in 3/23. BMI was analysed as continuous in 9/13 studies and dichotomous in 5/13. One study included both continuous and dichotomous outcomes. Thepattern for GA was different as most studies (12/13) used the dichotomous form, while 3/13 used thecontinuous outcome and two studies use both forms. Over all three outcomes, authors rarely (4/49) commented on thedistribution of the data. Those are typical outcome for which the distributional method for dichotomisation could be beneficial because the population at risk are defined by a threshold. It is not known how robust the distributional method is to small deviations from normality. In this paper we investigate if the distributional method remains reliable in the case of deviations from normality and propose a generalisation of the distributional method to allow for skewness in distributions using the skew-normaldistribution.
The methods section consists of two parts. In the first part we derive the estimates and standard error for the skew-normal distributional method for dichotomisation, and in the second part we provide the methods for two studies. The first study consists in illustrating the skew-normal method with real data and the second in assessing the robustness of the normal method to smalldeviation trom normality and to validate the skew-normal method through simulation. The research reported does not require any ethical approval due to its methodological nature.
Distributional method for the dichotomisation of skewed data
The skew-normal distributional method
The normal distributional method has been previously described in detail [1] and [2]. In brief it provides a large sample approximation for the estimation of proportions and their standard errors assuming a normal distribution for the underlying population with parameters obtained from the data. The skew-normal distributional method uses the skew-normal distribution which has beenextensively studied in [3]. This distribution is a generalisation of the normal distribution which works by adding a third parameter α which defines the skewness (if α=0, the distribution is normal). The method of derivation of the distributional standard error for the proportion above or below a threshold is similar to one in [1] using the delta method.
Lets $\overline {X}_{n}$ be the sample mean of n independent identically skew-normal distributed random variables X i , i=1…n with mean μ, variance σ 2 and skewness parameter α. Lets x 0 be a threshold of interest. The random variable $p(\overline {X}_{n})$ for the proportion of the population with outcome value under the threshold x 0 is defined as
$$ {\small{\begin{aligned} p(\overline{X}_{n})=\int_{-\infty}^{x_{0}}2\frac{e^{\frac{-1}{2w^{2}}(t-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}}\left(\int_{-\infty}^{\alpha(t-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha'))/w}\frac{e^{\frac{-1}{2}r^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi}}dr\right)dt \end{aligned}}} $$
where α ′=μ−w μ z and $w^{2}=\sigma ^{2}/(1-{\mu _{z}^{2}})$ with $ {\mu _{z}^{2}}=\frac {2}{\pi }\frac {\alpha ^{2}}{1+\alpha ^{2}}$ (see [3])
From the delta method we obtain that $ p(\overline {X}_{n})$ is approximately normally distributed with standard deviation
$$\frac{w^{2}}{\sqrt{n}}\left(1-{\mu_{z}^{2}}\right)p'(\mu)^{2} $$
We outline the derivation of $p'(\overline {X}_{n})$ the formula for the standard deviation in the Appendix.
Let n 1, n 2, μ 1, μ 2,α,s d, p 1, and p 2 be the sample sizes, the sample means, the pooled sample skew coefficient, the pooled sample standard deviation and the skew-normal distributional estimates of the proportions under the threshold x 0 in each group for the two groups being compared. For each i=1,2, α i′=μ i −w i μ z .
Let d, rr and or be the skew-normal distributional estimates of the difference in proportions, risk ratio and odds ratio. The following formulae provide the variances (s e 2) for these estimates or theirlogarithm.
$$ {\fontsize{8}{12}{\begin{aligned} se(d)^{2}&\,=\,\!\frac{{w_{1}^{2}}}{\sqrt{n_{1}}}\left(1\,-\,{\mu_{z}^{2}}\right)\left(\!\frac{2e^{\frac{-1}{2{w_{1}^{2}}}(x_{0}-(\mu_{1}+\alpha_{1}'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi {w_{1}^{2}}}} \Phi(\alpha\frac{x_{0}-(\mu_{1}\,-\,\alpha_{1}')}{w_{1}}\right)^{2} \\ &+\frac{{w_{2}^{2}}}{\sqrt{n_{2}}}\left(1\,-\,{\mu_{z}^{2}}\right)\left(\!\frac{2e^{\frac{-1}{2{w_{2}^{2}}}(x_{0}-(\mu_{2}+\alpha_{2}'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi {w_{2}^{2}}}}\Phi(\alpha\frac{x_{0}\,-\,(\mu_{2}\,-\,\alpha_{2}')}{w_{2}} \right)^{2}\\ se(log(rr))^{2}&\,=\,\frac{1}{{p_{1}^{2}}}\!\frac{{w_{1}^{2}}}{\sqrt{n_{1}}}\left(1\!-{\!\mu_{z}^{2}}\right) \left(\!\!\frac{2e^{\frac{-1}{2{w_{1}^{2}}}(x_{0}-(\mu_{1}\!+\alpha_{1}'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi {w_{1}^{2}}}} \Phi(\alpha\frac{x_{0}\,-\,(\mu_{1}\!\,-\,\alpha_{1}')}{w_{1}}\!\!\right)^{2}\\ &+\!\frac{1}{{p_{2}^{2}}}\!\frac{{w_{2}^{2}}}{\sqrt{n_{2}}}\!\left(1\,-\,{\mu_{z}^{2}}\right)\!\left(\!\!\frac{2e^{\frac{-1}{2{w_{2}^{2}}}(x_{0}-(\mu_{2}+\alpha_{2}'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi {w_{2}^{2}}}}\Phi(\alpha\frac{x_{0}\,-\,(\mu_{2}\!\,-\,\alpha_{2}')}{w_{2}} \!\right)^{2}\\ se(log(or))^{2}&=\frac{1}{(p_{1}(1-p_{1}))^{2}}\frac{{w_{1}^{2}}}{\sqrt{n_{1}}}\left(1-{\mu_{z}^{2}}\right) \\&\quad\times \left(\frac{2e^{\frac{-1}{2{w_{1}^{2}}}(x_{0}-(\mu_{1}+\alpha_{1}'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi {w_{1}^{2}}}} \Phi(\alpha\frac{x_{0}-(\mu_{1}-\alpha_{1}')}{w_{1}}\right)^{2}\\ &+\frac{1}{(p_{2}(1-p_{2}))^{2}}\frac{{w_{2}^{2}}}{\sqrt{n_{2}}}\left(1-{\mu_{z}^{2}}\right)\\& \quad\times\left(\frac{2e^{\frac{-1}{2{w_{2}^{2}}}(x_{0}-(\mu_{2}+\alpha_{2}'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi {w_{2}^{2}}}} \Phi(\alpha\frac{x_{0}-(\mu_{2}-\alpha_{2}')}{w_{2}} \right)^{2} \end{aligned}}} $$
These standard errors use more information than the standard errors used for proportion estimate obtained from the data. They depend on the underlying distribution and not just on the sample proportion and sample size.
Proportions and transformed data
Transformed data presents difficulties of interpretation because it may not be possible to back-transform to the natural scale and even when this can be done, the meaning is changed. However the proportion below a cut-point is not affected if the transformation function is continuous and monotonic such as logarithm, square root, reciprocal etc. The proportions of patients with a condition defined by a threshold remain unchanged under a transformation of the outcome. In mathematical terms:
If y is an outcome and Y a certain threshold such that for example, if the outcome for patient i, y i is smaller than Y then patient i is to be treated then for f a continuous increasing function
$$\text{if}~~ y_{i}<Y~~ \text{then}~~ f(y_{i})<f(Y). $$
And for g a continuous decreasing function then
$$\text{if}~~ y_{i}<Y ~~\text{then}~~ g(y_{i})>g(Y). $$
Among the usual functions used for transforming data, the logarithm, the square root and the square (all three applied only to positive values) are increasing functions. The inverse function (1/x) for positive outcomes or taking the opposite value (-x) are decreasing functions therefore a proportion in the lower tail in the original scale will be in the upper tail in the transformed scale.
Study 1: Examples from data from several observational studies
To illustrate the use of the distributional method for the dichotomisation of skewed outcomes, we present the analysis of skewed data using the skew-normal distributional method and compare the results with the normal distribution method for transformed data. The data come from two observational studies: Birthweight (BW), body-mass index (BMI) and gestational age (GA) are outcomes taken from the St George’s Birthweight Study [4] and systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured on stroke patients included in the South London Stroke Register[5,6] which was set up in 1995 and records all first-ever strokes in an inner city area of South London.
Study 2: Robustness to small deviation from normality and validation of the skew-normal method
We assess the robustness of the (normal) distributional method in the presence of skewness for two reasons: to find out if the results remain reliable even if the data are not exactly normally distributed and to establish the necessity of an alternative method for the case of data with more skewness. We also validate the the skew-normal method. Data were generated from 1. a lognormal distribution with skewed upper tails and 2. using a left and right skewed skew-normal distribution. The data were analysed using the normal distributional method and for the skew-normal data also using the skew-normal method. The log standard deviation $\sigma ^{2}_{\log }$ provides a measure of skewness for the lognormal data via the ratio of the expected value by the median which is equal to $\exp \left (\frac {\sigma ^{2}_{\log } }{2}\right)$ . Values for the log standard deviation considered in this study range between 0.02 and 1. The parameter α of the skew-normal distribution was used as a measure of skewness for the skew-normal data ranging from -20 to 20. The values -1 and 1 provide small deviation from normality.
The validity of the distributional method is assessed through the bias of the estimate, how well the standard error (se) is an accurate measure of the variability of the estimate and the coverage of the 95% confidence interval of the true value. The varying parameters used for the simulation are the cut-point, the skewness (by varying the log standard deviation, from 0.02 to 1), the effect size (mean difference over standard error, from 0.01 to 0.5) and the sample size (20 to 500).
Simulations were performed using the statistical software R. The following algorithm was followed 20 000 times for each set of parameter values. For each simulated dataset, the mean and standard error are obtained to compute the normal distributional estimates with standard error for the difference in proportion, risk ratio and odds ratio.
Summaries are then obtained for the 20 000 datasets in the following way:
Mean values over the 20 000 datasets are obtained for all estimates and standard errors.
Standard deviations over the 20 000 datasets are also obtained for difference in proportions, RR and OR in order to be compared to the mean standard errors.
The mean bias (defined as the relative difference between true values and estimates) is obtained for all estimates
The coverage of the 95% distributional confidence interval (DCI) is computed as the proportion of datasets for which the true value of the parameter was in the DCI.
Study 1: Skew-normal distributional method illustrated with data from several observational studies
Normal data
Data from the St George’s Birthweight study [4] were used to compare the proportions of low birthweight (LBW) babies among smoking and non-smoking mothers. Results are given in Table 1a.
Birthweight data for term babies is known to be normally distributed [7] (Figure 1) and the distributional method can be used without transformation.
The mean BW (SD) in the non-smoking group was 3452g (435) for 983 observations and for the smoking group 3267g (441) for 494 observations
The data are normally distributed (see above) and standard deviations can be assumed to be equal.
The difference in means (SE) between smoking and non-smoking mothers is 184 (24) with 95% CI [137, 232]
The normal distributional estimates for the difference in proportions in LBW between smoking and non-smoking mothers was 0.025 (0.004) with 95% DCI [0.017, 0.033].
The skew- normal distributional estimates for the difference in proportions in LBW between smoking and non-smoking mothers was 0.024 (0.004) with 95% DCI [0.016, 0.032].
Histograms of birthweights for term babies with normal curve.
Table 1 Application of the skew-normal method to some common outcomes and comparison with the normal method applied to transformed data
Lognormal data
A dataset from The South London Stroke Registry provided the last recorded systolic blood pressure (SBP) before the first time stroke of 1896 patients. There are known differences in the risk of stroke for ethnic minorities in the UK[5,6] and here we look at the difference in proportions of high blood pressure between white and non-white patients. Results are given in Table 1b.
SBP is a right skewed outcome (see Figure 2a.) and the proportion of interest is in the right tail (patients with SBP ≥160). A logarithmic transformation provides a normally distributed outcome. In the transformed scale, high blood pressure patients are those with transformed SBP above log(160) =5.075.
The mean (SD) SBP for the white ethnicity group was 144 mmHg (24) (transformed scale: 4.96 (0.17)) for 1235 observations and for the non-white group is 149 mmHg (26) (transformed scale: 4.99 (1.7)) for 661 observations.
The transformed variable log(SBP) can be assumed to be normally distributed (see Figure 2b.) and the standard deviations to be equal.
The mean difference in SBP is 5.11 (1.2) with 95% CI [2.74, 7.49] (original scale)
The normal distributional method reflecting the difference means on the transformed scale provided estimates for the difference in proportions (SE) of high blood pressure between non-white and white patients of 0.068 (0.016) with 95% DCI [0.036, 0.100].
The skew-normal distributional method reflecting the difference in means on the original scale provided estimates for the difference in proportions (SE) of high blood pressure between non-white and white patients of 0.061 (0.017) with 95% DCI [0.028, 0.093].
Histograms of systolic blood pressure (original and transformed scale).
Data from the St George’s Birthweight study [4] were used to obtain the BMI from the height and weight of pregnant women at the beginning of pregnancy. The usual threshold of 30 kg/m 2 to compute the proportion of mothers with obesity was used. Results are given in Table 1c.
The histogram of BMIs (Figure 3a.) showed a right skewed distribution. Taking the inverse of BMI provides a distribution which is approximately normal (Figure 3b.). We estimate the proportions of pregnant women with inverse BMI under 1/30 =0.033.
The mean (SD) BMI in the multipari group was 23.8 (4.0) (transformed scale: 0.0430 (0.0062)) for 890 observations and for the primipari group was 23.0 (3.4) (transformed scale: 0.0444 (0.0059)) for 891 observations.
The two groups can be assumed to have the same standard deviation.
The mean difference in BMI between multipari and primipari was of 0.88 (0.16) with 95% CI [0.53, 1.22] (original scale).
The normal distributional method reflecting the difference in means on the transformed scale provided estimates for the difference in proportions of 0.022 (0.005) with 95% DCI [0.013, 0.031].
The skew-normal distributional method reflecting a difference in means on the original scale provided estimates for the difference in proportions of 0.020 (0.004) with 95% DCI [0.012, 0.029].
Histograms of BMI (original and transformed scales) with normal curve.
Other types of transformations
A newborn is considered preterm if its gestational age (GA) is under 37 completed weeks. Due to the natural termination and to medical intervention the duration of gestation does not normally go much over 43 weeks while there are a small number of very early birth, the distribution of GA is therefore left skewed.While we tried to perform a transformation, this one remains imperfect and the results show that using the skew-normal distributional method is the best alternative to reflect the difference means on the original scale. Results are presented in Table 1d.
The first transformation is to take 45-GA which provides a right skewed positive outcome. Then a log transformation provides a fit close to normal (see Figure 4b.). We want to estimate the proportion of live births such that log(45-GA) >log(45-37)02.07 and
There were 856 primipari mothers with mean GA of 38.34 weeks (1.96) (transformed scale: 1.64 (0.36)) and 874 multipari mothers with mean GA 39.52 weeks (2.12) (transformed scale: 1.67 (0.31)).
The transformed data can be assumed to have a normal distribution and the standard deviations to be the same in both groups.
The difference in means (SE) is 0.12 (0.10) with 95% CI [-0.08, 0.31] (original scale)
The normal distributional estimate obtained on the transformed scale for the difference in proportions (SE) of pre-term live births between primipari and multipari mothers was 0.020 (0.009) with 95% DCI of [0.003, 0.037] (marginally significant reflecting a small significance for the mean difference in the transformed scale).
The skew-normal distributional estimate obtained on the original scale for the difference in proportions (SE) of pre-term live births between primipari and multipari mothers reflecting the difference in means was 0.010 (0.007) with 95% DCI of [-0.024, 0.006].
Histograms of gestational age (original scale and transformed) for term babies with normal curve.
Study 2: Robustness of the distributional method and validation of the skew-normal method
Results of the simulations are summarised in Table 2 for the log-normal data and in Table 3 or the skew-normal data. Bias of estimates are summarised with the 3rd quantile of the absolute value. This shows that the bias for all sample size and skewness under 0.1 (log normal) remains small but then increases to level which may not be acceptable. For skew normal data, the normal method provides satisfactory results for small coefficients of skewness (±1 in these simulations). For RR and OR, the estimates are biased for small sample sized as seen in [2] but for sample size of 50 (100 for OR) per group or more the estimates are more robust to skewness that the difference in proportions. With increasing skewness the normal method is no more reliable but then the skew-normal method provides acceptable results for the skew-normal data. For small skewness parameter the skew normal method is unreliable and the normal method muss be used.
Table 2 Summary of the simulation results per sample size per group and skewness (measured by the log-standard deviation)
Table 3 Summary of the simulation results comparing skew normal and normal methods of dochotomisation per sample size per group and skewness of the skew-normal data
Bias of standard error defined as the difference between the mean standard error and the standard deviation relative to the standard deviation are summarised in Tables 2 and 3 with the 3rd quantile of the absolute value. This shows that the standard error reflects well the true variability of the parameter estimates unless the skewness is very large (log normal data) or if the sample size is small (20 per group) for the skew normal method.
The results for bias of estimates and of standard error are reflected in the coverage of the 95% (normal) distributional confidence interval also shown in Tables 2 and 3 with the interquartile range.
Our small review of the literature mentioned in the introduction showed that in 49 studies, only 4 authors described the distribution of their data. Skewed data were often analysed and presented as means, perhaps because they are easier to interpret on the original scale. Relatively few authors present both the continuous and dichotomous form of their outcome, when in fact the dual presentation provides a richer summary of the data. The distributional method provides a way to remedy this by providing dichomomised estimates that sits alongside its continuous outcome comparison but which does not lose power. However, the distributional method requires the data to follow a normal distribution and so we have sought to generalise the normal distributional method by adding a parameter and using the skew-normal distribution. We have performed two studies to complement the skew-normal method. In Study 2, we have seen using simulations that small deviation from normality did not affect the reliability of the normal distributional method, but for larger skewness a correction was required. We also saw that for larger skewness, the skew-normal method was reliable even for smaller sample sizes (50 per group or more, less so for 20 per group). In Study 1, we illustrated the skew-normal method with real data. We have shown with the gestational age example that a good transformation is not always available and the skew-normal distributional method is a better alternative. But more generally, the distributional method applied to transformed data will reflect the difference in means on the transformed scale (leading to potentially different conclusions) while both the skew-normal and normal distributional methods will reflect the difference in means in the original scale and the most appropriate should bepreferred.
In study 1, in the birthweight example we saw that for data almost normal the skew-normal and normal methods provided similar results. However the sample size in this dataset was large. Study 2 showed that for data almost normal the skew normal method did not perform well unless the sample size was large enough. The reason for this remains unclear but if the data looks normal and the sample size is nor large, the normal method should be preferred.
In this paper we presented only unadjusted estimates of comparison of proportions. But the method can be applied after a linear regression (also mixed models). Software are available [8] for Stata and R.
This study has dealt with the two following issues: we have shown that the normal distributional method continued to perform well even if the actual distribution was slightly skewed showing that the method could be used with confidence with real data which will only be approximately normal. We have also generalised the method to include skewed data. The distributional method with its applicability for skewed data allows researchers to provide both continuous and dichotomised estimates without losing information or precision. This will have the effect of providing a practical understanding of the difference in means in terms of proportions.
We outline the derivation of $p'(\overline {X}_{n})$ of the skew-normal distributional proportion under the threshold x 0. Formula 1 can be writen as the product of two functions:
$$p(\overline{X}_{n})=A(\overline{X}_{n})\times B(\overline{X}_{n}) $$
$$\frac{d}{d\overline{X}_{n}} p(\overline{X}_{n})=A(\overline{X}_{n})\times \frac{d}{d\overline{X}_{n}} B(\overline{X}_{n})+\frac{d}{d\overline{X}_{n}}A(\overline{X}_{n})\times B(\overline{X}_{n}) $$
which gives
$$ \begin{aligned} \frac{d}{d\overline{X}_{n}}p(\overline{X}_{n})&=\int_{-\infty}^{x_{0}}(2/w^{2})(t-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha')) \frac{e^{\frac{-1}{2w^{2}}(t-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}}\\ &\quad\times\left(\int_{-\infty}^{\alpha(t-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha'))/w}\frac{e^{\frac{-1}{2}r^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi}}dr\right)dt-\\ &\qquad\frac{2\alpha}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}}\int_{-\infty}^{x_{0}}\frac{e^{\frac{-(\alpha^{2}+1)} {2w^{2}}(t-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}}dt \end{aligned} $$
The first part can be simplified using an integration by parts giving
$$\begin{array}{*{20}l} \frac{d}{d\overline{X}_{n}}p(\overline{X}_{n})&=-2\frac{e^{\frac{-1}{2w^{2}}(x_{0}-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}} \Phi(\alpha(x_{0}-(\overline{X}_{n}-\alpha')/w)\\ &+2\frac{\alpha}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}}\int_{-\infty}^{x_{0}}\frac{e^{\frac{-(1+\alpha^{2})}{2w^{2}}(t-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}}-\\ &\qquad\frac{2\alpha}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}}\int_{-\infty}^{x_{0}}\frac{e^{\frac{-(\alpha^{2}+1)} {2w^{2}}(t-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}}dt \end{array} $$
The last two members of the equation simplifying, it remains that
$$p'(\overline{X}_{n})=-2\frac{e^{\frac{-1}{2w^{2}}(x_{0}-(\overline{X}_{n}+\alpha'))^{2}}}{\sqrt{2\pi w^{2}}} \Phi(\alpha(x_{0}-(\overline{X}_{n}-\alpha'))/w) $$
The value above is the building block to compute the standard error for the skew-normal distributional estimates of differences in proportions, risk ratios and odds ratios in a similar way as in [2] under the assumption of equal variance and equal skewness.
Peacock JL, Sauzet O, Ewings SM, Kerry SM. Dichotomising continuous data while retaining statistical power using a distributional approach. Stat Med. 2012; 31(26):3089–103.
Sauzet O, Peacock JL. Estimating dichotomised outcomes in two groups with unequal variances: a distributional approach. Stat Med. 2014; 33(26):4547–59.
Azzalini A. The skew-normal distribution and related multivariate families. Scand J Stat. 2005; 32(2):159–88.
Peacock JL, Bland JM, Anderson HR. Preterm delivery: effects of socioeconomic factors, psychological stress, smoking, alcohol, and caffeine. BMJ. 1995; 311(7004):531–5.
Heuschmann PU, Grieve AP, Toschke AM, Rudd AG, Wolfe CDA. Ethnic group disparities in 10-year trends in stroke incidence and vascular risk factors the south london stroke register (slsr). Stroke. 2008; 39(8):2204–10.
Stewart J, Dundas R, Howard R, Rudd A, Wolfe C. Ethnic differences in incidence of stroke: prospective study with stroke register. BMJ. 1999; 318(7189):967–71.
Wilcox AJ. On the importance - and the unimportance - of birthweight. Int J Epidemiol. 2001; 30(6):1233–41.
Sauzet O. ado files distdicho. R package. 2014. http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/osauzet/distributional.htm.
The authors want to thanks the very helpful comments and suggestions made by the reviewers. We acknowledge support of the publication fee by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Open Access Publication Funds of Bielefeld University.
Epidemiology and International Public Health, School of Public Health, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
Odile Sauzet
Division of Health and Social Care Research King’s College London and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, London, UK
Mercy Ofuya
& Janet L Peacock
Search for Odile Sauzet in:
Search for Mercy Ofuya in:
Search for Janet L Peacock in:
Correspondence to Odile Sauzet.
OS and JLP designed the study. OS developed the skew-normal distributional method and performed the simulation work and MO the review. All authors contributed to the redaction of the article. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Dichotomisation
Distributional method
Birthweight
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According to the report that the BBC star named Jeremy Vine says sorry after throwing a joke that a young girl who recently became Britain’s Youngest qualified pilot could possibly crash into a house. 16-year-old Ellie Carter said that she had been left “heartbroken” because of the ignorant comment. Ellie Carter has accused Jeremy Vine […]
A homeless men targeted a man to hand over his wallet & cellphone in Manchester City
According to the report that the four homeless men attacked a man and rob his wallet. It has been reported that the men have been jailed more than 10 years. According to the report that the victim had been on a night out with friends in Manchester City Centre and the suddenly he was attacked […]
An amazing live TV bust up two proud Welshmen was being sparked when an EU supporter claimed Brexiteers in their country are like turkeys voting for Christmas.
It has been reported that the BBC has went to the Rhondda Cynon Taff in South Wales, where 52.5% voted to leave the EU & 47.5$ voted to say. Brexiteer also responded saying: ‘Don’t call people from the Valleys turkeys. I’m a Valley boy’. He added that there should be no fear of quitting the […]
A teenager died after he fell down from a cruise line after attempting to climb
According to the report that on Friday, 16-year-old named Laurent Mercer died after falling from Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas ship. It has been reported that Mercer was on a cruise with his family at that time. A representative from the Royal Caribbean said: ‘The ship’s medical team responded to the pier and attempted […]
The Internet is changing the world of dating: You can also find a partner by DNA
Tinder from a man’s perspective. We tried a virtual dating site
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Ted-Jan Bloemen strikes Olympic silver in the men’s 5000m speed skating
February 11, 2018 Jeremy Freeborn
Ted-Jan Bloemen (Dave Holland, Canadian Olympic Committee)
Ted-Jan Bloemen of Calgary, Alberta has won Canada’s third medal of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang on Sunday. Bloemen won the silver medal in the men’s 5000m speed skating event.
Bloemen won the silver medal by the absolute smallest of finishes. He posted a time of 6:11.616 to beat Sverre Lunde Pedersen of Norway by two one thousandths of a second.
Bloemen got off to a strong start in his race, seemed to falter in the middle stages before having a fantastic finish. Bloemen earned a podium spot by 2.46 seconds over Peter Michael of New Zealand, who finished in fourth place with a time of 6:14.07.
It was also an historic men’s 5000m speed skating race. Sven Kramer of the Netherlands broke his own Olympic record by a full second. He posted a time of 6:09.76 in Pyeongchang on Saturday after having a winning time of 6:10.76 at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi four years ago. Kramer also becomes the first speed skater ever to win three consecutive gold medals in the men’s 5000m.
Bloemen also becomes only the second Canadian ever to win a medal in the men’s 5000 metre speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games. The first was Willy Logan of Saint John, New Brunswick, who won the bronze medal at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid. Logan also won the bronze medal at the Olympic Winter Games in 1932 in the men’s 1500m.
Team Canada now has three medals at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Max Parrot of Cowansville, Quebec and Mark McMorris of Regina, Saskatchewan won a silver and bronze medal respectively in the men’s slopestyle snowboarding on Saturday.
Winter Amateur Sports Newsspeed skating
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RPMI Railpen
APFC
PIFSS
Constellation is an innovative joint venture spanning Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Premier institutional investors
Capital Constellation (“Constellation”) combines the expertise and capital base of three of the world’s premier institutional investors – APFC, RPMI Railpen and Wafra, on behalf of PIFSS – to catalyze the next generation of promising private equity and alternatives managers. These partners of Constellation, together, manage more than $200 billion in assets, and have made an initial commitment of $700 million to Constellation. Constellation’s mission is to partner with talented investment teams, enabling them to break through the challenges of initial fundraising by providing strategic and operational support and creating an aligned, substantial and long-term capital base.
Constellation is advised by Wafra, a leading manager of private equity and alternative investment funds, building on its experience of partnering with pioneering investor entrepreneurs to translate their visionary investment strategies to deliver lasting benefits for both asset owners and investment managers.
Constellation is a private equity platform dedicated to building the next-generation private equity investment managers by providing catalytic investment capital to experienced and aligned investor entrepreneurs. The partnership aims to create a diversified portfolio of manager ownership interests in investment firms that we believe will prove to be enduring and successful.
Constellation is a unique partnership of premier institutional investors. With our experienced teams, we leverage our deep network of institutional peers and industry experts to invest and form partnerships that enhance our investment pipeline and, ultimately, our returns.
Head of Private Markets, RPMI Railpen
Board Member, Capital Constellation
read bio +-
Paul Bishop is the Head of Private Markets of RPMI Railpen. RPMI Railpen invests the assets of the UK railway industry pension schemes. Mr. Bishop is responsible for RPMI Railpen’s private market portfolios covering fund investment, co-investment and direct investment activity. He joined RPMI in 2011 and was previously responsible for leading the investment management team in researching, selecting and monitoring the Scheme’s investments across multiple asset classes. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Bishop was Chief Investment Officer of a UK life assurance and asset management company responsible for the management of portfolios across public and private markets. Mr. Bishop also has experience as a Senior Investment Consultant. He is a CFA Charterholder and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.
Stephen Moseley
Head of Alternative Investments, APFC
Steve Moseley is the Head of Alternative Investments of the Alaska Permanent Fund (“APFC”), an endowment established in 1980 to provide for all current and future generations of Alaskans. He leads the APFC’s private equity fund investment, co-investment, and direct investment activity. Before joining the APFC, Mr. Moseley restructured, managed, and sold Marston-Ross Corporation, a Connecticut-based family investment office. Before that he was president of StepStone Group, a global manager of diversified private market assets and, prior to that, co-president of the direct investment division of StepStone’s predecessor company, Pacific Corporate Group (“PCG”). During his time at PCG, Mr. Moseley also served as CIO. Earlier in his career, Mr. Moseley served as a vice president in investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston (“CSFB”) and as a principal in CSFB’s private equity investment affiliate, Windward Capital Partners. Before CSFB, Mr. Moseley was an investment banker with Merrill Lynch in New York, Tokyo and London. Mr. Moseley received his MBA from Yale University and his BA from Wesleyan University.
Russell Valdez
Chief Investment Officer, Wafra
Russell Valdez is the Chief Investment Officer and serves on Wafra’s Management Advisory Committee and Board of Directors. Mr. Valdez oversees all negotiated alternatives transactions spanning strategic partnerships, real assets, private equity and alternative finance and real estate. He leads investments in investment management firms and finance companies across the spectrum of real assets. He serves on the boards of Ara Partners, Oak Hill Advisors, LOGIX Fiber Networks and Suntex Marinas.
Previously, Mr. Valdez was a Corporate Associate at Covington & Burling, practicing in private equity and mergers and acquisitions. His experience also includes positions at Chemonics International and Visa Europe.
Mr. Valdez earned a BA from Stanford University and a JD from Harvard Law School.
Daniel Adamson
Senior Managing Director, Wafra
President, Capital Constellation
Daniel Adamson is a Senior Managing Director and serves on Wafra’s Management Advisory Committee. Mr. Adamson leads Wafra’s efforts in business and product development, building financial and strategic solutions for sovereign investors and pension funds. He is also the President of Capital Constellation, a joint venture between asset owners in Europe, North America and the Middle East, investing in the next generation of alternatives managers.
Previously, Mr. Adamson held senior positions at Ares Management and Bridgewater Associates. He began his career at McKinsey & Company.
Mr. Adamson earned a BA, summa cum laude, from Yale University, an MPhil in Politics from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar and a JD from the Yale Law School. He currently serves on the External Advisory Board for Strategic Investment Funds at the World Bank.
Capital Constellation’s Better Alignment of Interests: Private Briefing
May 15, 2019 – One-year-old Capital Constellation seeks better alignment of interest between LPs and GPs through long-term ownership stakes in firms launching their inaugural funds.
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Capital Constellation Enters into Strategic Partnership with Motive Partners
NEW YORK, NY, October 29, 2018 – Capital Constellation (“Constellation”), a provider of catalytic investment capital to investor entrepreneurs, announced today the closing of a strategic investment with Motive Partners (“Motive”), an investment firm for technology businesses that power the financial services sector.
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Capital Constellation, Inc.
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2018 CALIFORNIA CONFERENCES
California Conferences: A quarterly series hosted by Capitol Weekly,examining critical public policy issues. Each event includes bipartisan panels, a keynote luncheon presentation and is filmed for broadcast by the California Channel.
For more information on any events call Capitol Weekly’s Tim Foster at 916 444 7665.
Upcoming Conferences:
Join Capitol Weekly for TAX REFORM. This day-long conference will be held on May 22, 2019 in Sacramento and will be filmed for broadcast by the California Channel. Our Keynote speaker will be Senator Robert Hertzberg.
This day-long conference will be held on February 28, 2019, and will be filmed for broadcast by the California Channel. Our keynote speaker will be Senator Scott Wiener.
A POST-MORTEM OF THE ELECTION – NOVEMBER 8, 2018
Join Capitol Weekly and the McGeorge Capital Center for Law & Policy on Thursday, November 8 in Sacramento for A Post-Mortem of the 2018 Election.This program promises to be an exciting, unique and informative overview of the November 6 election providing analysis, opinions and insight. What happened? Why? What happens next?
CHILDREN’S HEALTH – September 13, 2018
Our annual look at health care in the Golden State focuses this year on the challenges for children’s health care, including access, quality of care, funding streams, MediCal and more. Our Keynote speaker will be Ted Lempert, President, Children Now.
Call Capitol Weekly at 916 444 7665 for more information.
Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 Party – August 14, 2018
Join Capitol Weekly for the Tenth Anniversary of the Top 100 at a lively end-of-session reception on Tuesday, August 14. You’re invited to celebrate with us at this very special mixer. Enjoy a hosted bar, delicious snacks and live entertainment from the Little Charlie Caravan in one of the most beautiful historic settings in the city. You’ll have fun! You’ll be the first to receive a copy of Capitol Weekly’s 2018 Top 100 Book.
California Cannabis – May 24, 2018
We’ll look at the intersection of state, local and federal law, the regulatory framework, environmental impacts, banking and distribution concerns,and the evolution of the state’s Marijuana industry. Our Keynote speaker will be Lori Ajax, Chief of California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control
CALIFORNIA HOUSING CRISIS – FEBRUARY 8, 2018
Half the state’s households struggle to afford the roof over their heads, and homeownership in the state is at its lowest rate since the 1940s. Dwindling inventory and market forces beyond regulatory control have caused skyrocketing prices in many areas. What can be done to ease the crisis? Our Keynote speaker will be Senator Jim Beall.
HEALTH CARE in CRISIS – September 21, 2017
Four panels of experts will present fast-paced discussions of changes in California’s health care system, Medi-Cal, the opiod crisis and the prospects for Universal Health Care. Our Keynote speaker will be Diana Dooley, Secretary of Health and Human Services and Chair of Covered California.
Immigration – November 9, 2017
California is at odds with President Trump’s stance on immigration – how does the Golden State respond to new federal policy?
Carbon Free California – March 8, 2017
— REGISTRATION CLOSED —
California continues to lead the nation – if not the world – in setting ambitious goals for carbon emission reductions. But many questions remain how to achieve 40 percent GHG emission reductions in a state with a rapidly growing and diverse population and more than 27 million vehicles.
– – REGISTRATION CLOSED —
From outlaw drug to big time moneymaker – what does legal marijuana look like in California? We explore the legislative and regulatory impacts on state and local government.
A POST-MORTEM OF THE ELECTION, NOVEMBER 10, 2016
–REGISTRATION CLOSED —
We dissect the results of the November 8 General Election less than 48 hours after the polls close. This exciting, informative overview looks at what happened, why, and what happens next? Over two dozen experts and insiders will discuss the results of the election and provide a look-ahead at what it means for 2017 – and beyond.
Former Governor Gray Davis will deliver the Keynote address.
For more information call Capitol Weekly at 916 444 7665
CALIFORNIA HEALTH, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
Health care is a major issue in today’s California. Thus far, the governor’s call for a special legislative session has not produced solutions — will the 2016 elections? We will examine health care policy in California, including the expansion of Medi-Cal, and the impact and performance of Covered California, the state’s health benefit exchange.
Click here for more information, or call Capitol Weekly at 916 444 7665
CALIFORNIA VOTES: A 2016 Ballot Measure Forum,Sept 8, 2016 –REGISTRATION CLOSED —
Capitol Weekly and Capital Public Radio present CALIFORNIA VOTES: A 2016 Ballot Measure Forum, which will examine six of the most important measures on the November ballot. We’ll examine Proposition 53: Public Works Projects; Proposition 55: Tax Extension; Proposition 61: Prescription Drug Costs; Propositions 62 & 66; The Death Penalty; Proposition 64; Marijuana Legalization. The event will be held Thursday, September 8 in Sacramento. Admission is free, but registration is required.
Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 Party, August 9, 2016 –REGISTRATION CLOSED —
Each year, Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 names the most powerful movers and shakers in California politics – everyone except elected officials. We look at those who devote their professional lives to fighting for – or against – issues of state politics and policy, including lobbyists, bureaucrats, activists, trade group leaders, capitol staffers and even journalists. Tuesday, August 9, 5:30-7:30.
WATER: 2016, APRIL 28, 2016 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
As Californians live through a historic drought, the state’s leaders seek solutions to an age-old problem. New groundwater rules, restrictions on water use, and fights over proposed storage and transportation projects loom in 2016.
PUBLIC PENSIONS, FEBRUARY 11, 2016 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
Capitol Weekly and the University of California, UC Center present: PUBLIC PENSIONS. This day-long conference will be held in Sacramento on February 11, 2016.
EDUCATION, NOVEMBER 12 2015 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
We look at California’s education landscape: with battles between charter schools and the educational establishment, and the Vergara decision hovering over all, uncertainty is the only given.
HEALTH CARE, SEPTEMBER 23 2015 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
We will examine health care policy in California, including the impact and performance of Covered California, the state’s health benefit exchange.
Keynote speaker is Diana Dooley, Secretary of Health and Human Services.
CAPITOL WEEKLY TOP 100 PARTY, AUGUST 25, 2015
Capitol Weekly will unveil the 2015 Top 100 List at a special end-of-session reception at the Senator Hotel on Tuesday, August 25. You’re invited to celebrate with us at this lively mixer featuring drinks and a special Tapas 100 appetizer menu. You’ll have fun – and you’ll be the first to receive a copy of Capitol Weekly’s 2015 Top 100 Book!
Space is limited! Click here or call 916 444 7665 to reserve your tickets today!
CALIFORNIA GAMING, MAY 21 2015 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
On May 21, 2015, Capitol Weekly & UC Center will host California Gaming, a day-long conference looking at the serious business of gaming in California. Gaming – casinos, horse racing, cardrooms – is big business in California; the stars are aligning this session for major changes to this growth industry. This will be the 15th conference since 2010 on critical state issues jointly sponsored by Capitol Weekly and the University of California’s UC Center.
WATER 2015, FEBRUARY 19, 2015 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
On February 19, 2015, Capitol Weekly & UC Center will host a conference: WATER 2015, a day-long program looking at the future of water in California. WATER 2015 will feature two dozen water experts and decision makers looking at water policy in California. Panelists will discuss The Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the distribution of supplies, storage options, the impact of the Water Bond, new groundwater legislation, and conservation of the state’s most precious resource. Our Keynote speaker will be California State Senator Lois Wolk, (D-3rd District). This day-long event will be held in Sacramento on February 19, 2015.
A POST-MORTEM OF THE 2014 ELECTION, NOVEMBER 6, 2014 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
Join Capitol Weekly, UC Center and Leadership California Institute on Thursday, November 6 in Sacramento for A Post-Mortem of the 2014 Election. This program promises to be an exciting, unique and informative overview of the November elections providing analysis, opinions and insight. Immediately following the Post-Mortem conference will be a Welcome Reception for new legislators. The reception is free to all conference attendees. The day-long conference will be held in Sacramento on November 6, 2014.
HEALTH CARE, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
One year after the launch of Covered California, Capitol Weekly and the University of California UC Center Sacramento present A Conference on Health Care, examining the California health care landscape. We’ll examine the impact of the Affordable Care Act, and look at how the ACA is shaping the future of health care in California. The day-long conference will be held in Sacramento on September 23, 2014.
THE TOP 100, AUGUST 19, 2014 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 is a highly anticipated annual publication profiling the biggest, non-elected names in Sacramento. Each year we announce the list at a lively cocktail reception in Sacramento. The 2014 Top 100 Party will be held at the Senator Hotel on August 19, 2014.
ONLINE GAMING, MAY 22, 2014 –REGISTRATION CLOSED–
On May 22, 2014, Capitol Weekly & UC Center will host A Conference on Online Gaming, a day-long program looking at the future of online gaming in California. This will be the 11th conference since 2010 on critical state issues jointly sponsored by Capitol Weekly and the UC Center.
WATER, FEBRUARY 20, 2014 –REGISTRATION CLOSED– Farmers need it, environmentalists protect it, Southern California wants it and Northern California has it. With a population of nearly 39 million, the demand for water is unprecedented in a state that has experienced disputes over water virtually since its inception. On February 20, 2014, Capitol Weekly & UC Center will host A Conference on Water, a day-long program looking at the future of water in California.
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by Willa Zhang on July 23, 2018, 01:12 pm MDT
www.metrolighting.com
Industry: Built Environment
Products: Lighting fixtures
Husband-and-wife co-founders Lawrence Grown and Christa Rybczynski are fusing a craft aesthetic and sustainable practices in their eye-catching lighting.
Grown and Rybczynski graduated from architecture school in Cincinnati in the early '90s as a recession was beginning to hit. Drawn by the jobs, progressive politics, and Craftsman and Victorian architecture in the San Francisco Bay Area, they moved west, where Christa found work as an architectural intern and Lawrence landed at an architectural salvage company. "I learned about hardware, plumbing, doors, windows, and lighting," says Grown. "I rebuilt dozens of lighting fixtures and kind of fell in love with that."
Designing lighting fixtures as a hobby quickly turned into a side business before it became a full-time venture. "Looking back, it was really a leap of faith," says Rybczynski. "We started with a studio behind the garage of the apartment we were living in, then progressively moved into larger and larger commercial spaces."
Their first studio was a storefront off a main thoroughfare which came with opportunities for exposure. "There was a convenience store down the street, and people would park in front of our storefront and grow curious about our lighting fixtures, so it kind of took off organically," she adds.
Grown believes manufacturing products that are sustainable and architectural have always been the driving forces behind Metro Lighting, both from a design and business perspective. "I have a passion for organic architecture and Art Nouveau -- the idea of using nature as the basis for design," says Grown. "Business practices have fallen in line. We always felt it was important to do the right things, and for a long time, very few people cared. But as the culture has shifted towards a sustainable mentality, more people are shopping with their values, and we're right there."
Becoming a certified green business, one that is 100 percent solar-powered, is what Grown suggests has provided both value opportunities and savings. "We're well known in local sustainable design circles such as the West Berkeley Design Loop, which I helped found. One of our biggest savings has been installing a 120-panel solar array on the roof. We're about finished with our payback period for that. So from here on out, all of our electric power will be free."
Metro Lighting also has a strong commitment to supporting local manufacturing, he adds. "We make our fixtures in our studio, which is on-site behind the lighting showroom. There, we do sheet metal work, assembly, finishing, wiring, and testing. Aside from the basic lighting parts that we buy from a wholesaler in Los Angeles, we have custom components made for us in L.A. and in Berkeley. Our glass is all crafted locally as well, throughout California but as close to the Bay Area as possible."
As manufacturing has increasingly shifted overseas, Metro Lighting has maintained its local ties by continuing to source out local suppliers. "We could move production overseas and make things inexpensively, and therefore be more profitable," says Grown. "But that's just not who we are, and that's not the business we want to grow. It's extremely important to us to support local artisans and keep traditional handcraft in California."
Some of the company's first projects were for Noah's Bagels, making custom lighting for more than 40 locations, as well as designing period lighting for residential renovations in Oakland. "We do custom work as well as design our own lines of lighting," says Grown. "The custom work represents about 20 percent of our sales with large projects such as full houses, restaurants, hospitality. Around 50 percent of our sales are from our standard product lines, and the remaining 20 to 30 percent are customized to the customer's preference."
The business has grown mostly through word of mouth, which he attributes to its unique design aesthetic. "We know from Google that people are mostly finding us by searching specifically for Metro Lighting. We've got a particular style that some people would call a fresh take on timeless designs," says Grown. "I think that the thing that really sets us apart, other than the fact that we design and build almost everything we sell, is that we're selling directly to the public. We can invest more in the product with higher quality materials and craftsmanship than what can be found in the mass market."
Challenges: Marketing. "We feel like we have an amazing product line and wonderful people, but we have had trouble getting the word out and creating distribution across the country," says Rybczynski. "We've got excess capacity and we have room for growth, so we'd like to get more products to the public, and support more local skilled artisans."
Adds Grown: "We've got a great story but we're just not great at telling it."
Opportunities: "I see a lot of growth potential," says Grown. "This involves getting the word out locally for our in-showroom sales, getting to know more local architects and designers, and the possibility of distribution through wholesale once we finalize that line."
Needs: "At some point, we'll be hiring someone to help us with our marketing and sales, and volunteer marketers," says Grown. "Along with growth, we'll need to do some work on our infrastructure -- software, customer management, production management -- but right now we're in pretty good shape."
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Diane Gaeta Marshall-Green
Compare your height to Kelli Garner
Kelli Garner is 165.1 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall
Who is Kelli Garner?
Kelli Garner is an incredibly talented American actress famed for her role in the biographical film The Aviator.
Kelli's career was launched in 2000 as she played a role in the television film Time Share. This eventually led to her being cast in an episode of the supernatural drama series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Over the past years of being in the limelight, Kelli has attained the most recognition for starring in the 2015 drama film The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe.
She has also been cast to portray the lead character Kate in the 2019 movie The Enemy Within.
Kelli is straight. She seems to be particularly attracted to Hollywood actors. In the past, she has been romantically involved with various stars such as Johnny Galecki, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Logan Marshall-Green.
Kelli has also kept her family out of the prying eyes of the public and none of them are known.
Kelli has maintained her privacy when it comes to her religious beliefs. However, it seems as though she has some kind of connection to Christianity.
Before pursuing a career in acting, she had goals of becoming a soccer player as she was very skilled at the sport.
She is also skilled at playing the guitar.
At the 2006 Method fest, she received the title of Best Actress for her impeccable role in the drama film Dreamland.
She has a cat named Derek.
Shannon Woodward
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Classic Blondes
An Appreciation of Old Hollywood Blondes
Jayne Mansfield’s Death
I want to note that I am not including photos in this piece. If you want to see them, there are plenty of sites that offer them (Find A Death has them). There are a ton of misconceptions out there about Jayne’s death and I hope that this article sorts out any confusion that may have lingered for people over the years. I’ve done a quick Q&A style to make the article easy to navigate.
Was the road cloudy either by fog or a mosquito truck?
No. According to Richard M. Rambo, who was driving the truck that Ronnie Harrison (Jayne’s driver) ran into, the road was clear. There was still some fog from when the mosquito truck had sprayed earlier but it was in the marsh and drifting towards Lake Catherine, away from the highway. James McLelland, the man driving the fog truck, also states that there was no fog on the highway because the wind kept carrying it off. Finally, Mava Fountain, who pulled onto the scene shortly after the accident (and wound up taking Jayne’s children to the hospital with her boyfriend) testified that there was no fog on the road. Furthermore, the police department did testing and found that there was, you guessed it, no fog on the road.
What does this tell us?
Well, first off, there was no fog on the road. I would be willing to bet that Ronnie had drifted to sleep when he collided with the truck. The truck also was not stopped, it was moving. The report claims that the truck was moving at 20 mph while Ronnie was driving at 60. There were no marks on the road, indicating that Ronnie had not attempted to stop, further supporting that he may have been asleep.
When did the accident happen?
According to Major Edward Reuther, it was reported shortly after 2:15 am. This puts it around 2:00 am, not the commonly recited 2:30 am.
Was Jayne drunk? (This question always confuses me being she wasn’t driving)
Jayne likely hadn’t been drinking in the car but her blood alcohol content was a .08, which was not considered intoxicating at the time. Sam was found to have no traces of alcohol, nor did Ronnie. Hollywood Babylon claimed that Jayne was drinking in the car but the police report states that the two bottles of alcohol in the car had their seals intact. After Jayne was paid $1,250 for the night by Gus, she asked for a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of scotch, which she was given. Stevens claimed that Jayne and Sam Brody had two cocktails while he was paying them at 12:45 am (although it was likely earlier than this) and had been drinking before then but he didn’t know how much either party had consumed.
Why was Ronnie Harrison driving them and what time did they leave?
Jayne and Sam had earlier demanded a limo but Gus couldn’t get them one and they wouldn’t rent a car. Jayne offered Ronnie $20 to take them to New Orleans, which he accepted, although he hadn’t slept in roughly 24 hours. Ronnie agreed to drive the couple at roughly 8:40 pm, on June 28th. He went home to take a nap and arrived back at the club at 11:00 pm (although Gus would at first claim 12:40 am) to take Jayne to New Orleans. Ronnie, Sam, and Jayne then stopped at the Edgewater Gulf Hotel, where Jayne and co were staying, to pick up the kids, the chihuahuas, and the luggage. A hotel employee remembered this happening at exactly 12:45 am. Gus Stevens employees would claim that the chihuahuas, children, and luggage were already in the car. Whether or not Jayne stopped at the Edgewater is up for debate. The group likely left around 1:00 am. Ronnie was driving on a suspended license dating back to 1964, when he was involved in another accident.
How many chihuahuas were in the car?
There were four. Two died, most likely Precious Jewel and Emerald who were bred by Hilary Harmar of Surrey, England, and two lived, Dorothy and Cow. There is footage available showing Dorothy and Cow being put in the back of a police car as well as pictures showing the two that passed away. Momsicle and Popsicle are commonly claimed to have been the two dogs that perished in the accident but both were still in quarantine in the UK. It is unknown what happened to them but I like to think they found a new home that had as much love as Jayne’s did. As far as I know, both Dorothy and Cow were adopted out to people in Mississippi.
Was Jayne decapitated?
No, Jayne was not decapitated. Jayne suffered a crushed skull and was scalped. The death certificate and the over 65 page police report both support this.
AprilRenee December 27, 2018 December 27, 2018
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Tag Archives: Earth
Poverty Changes
£14,000 is quite a large amount of money. Enough for 70,000 Freddos, a decade’s worth of holidays, two new Nissan Pixo’s, several thousand potatoes or a gold standard racing pigeon. However, if you’re trying to live off just that amount in modern Britain, it quickly seems quite a lot smaller. Half of that could easily disappear on rent, whilst the average British family will spend a further £4,000 on food (significantly greater than the European average, for one reason or another). Then we must factor in tax, work-related expenses, various repair bills, a TV license, utility & heating bills, petrol money and other transport expenses, and it quickly becomes apparent that trying to live on this amount will require some careful budgeting. Still, not to worry too much though; it’s certainly possible to keep the body and soul of a medium sized family together on £14k a year, if not absolutely comfortably, and in any case 70% of British families have an annual income in excess of this amount. It might not be a vast amount to live on, but it should be about enough.
However, there’s a reason I quoted £14,000 specifically in the figure above, because I recently saw another statistic saying that if one’s income is above 14 grand a year, you are one of the top 4% richest people on planet Earth. Or, to put it another way, if you were on that income, and were then to select somebody totally at random from our species, then 24 times out of 25 you would be richer than them.
Now, this slightly shocking fact, as well as being a timely reminder as to the prevalence of poverty amongst fellow members of our species, to me raises an interesting question; if £14,000 is only just about enough to let one’s life operate properly in modern Britain, how on earth does the vast majority of the world manage to survive at all on significantly less than this? More than 70% of the Chinese population (in 2008, admittedly; the rate of Chinese poverty is decreasing at a staggering rate thanks to its booming economy) live on less than $5 a day, and 35 years ago more than 80% were considered to be in absolute poverty. How does this work? How does most of the rest of the world physically survive?
The obvious starting point is the one stating that much of it barely does. Despite the last few decades of massive improvement in the living standards and poverty levels in the world in general, the World Bank estimates that some 20% of the world’s populace is living below the absolute poverty line of surviving on less than $1.50 per person per day, or £365 a year (down from around 45% in the early 1980s- Bob Geldof’s message has packed a powerful punch). This is the generally accepted marker for being less than what a person can physically keep body and soul together on, and having such a huge proportion of people living below this marker tends to drag down the global average. Poverty is something that the last quarter of the century has seen a definitive effort on the part of humanity to reduce, but it’s still a truly vast issue across the globe.
However, the main contributing factor to me behind how a seemingly meagre amount of money in the first world would be considered bountiful wealth in the third is simply down to how economics works. We in the west are currently enjoying the fruits of two centuries of free-market capitalism, which has fundamentally changed the way our civilisation functions. When we as a race first came up with the concept of civilisation, of pooling and exchanging skills and resources for the betterment of the collective, this was largely confined to the local community, or at least to the small-scale. Farmers provided for those living in the surrounding twenty miles or so, as did brewers, hunters, and all other such ‘small businessmen’, as they would be called today. The concept of a country provided security from invasion and legal support on a larger scale, but that was about it; any international trade was generally conducted between kings and noblemen, and was very much small scale.
However, since the days of the British Empire and the Industrial Revolution, business has got steadily bigger and bigger. It started out with international trade between the colonies, and the rich untapped resources the European imperial powers found there, moved on to the industrial scale manufacture of goods, and then the high-intensity sale of consumer products to the general population. Now we have vast multinational companies organising long, exhaustive chains of supply, manufacture and retail, and our society has become firmly rooted in this intense selling international economy. Without constantly selling vast quantities of stuff to one another, the western world as we know it simply would not exist.
This process causes many side effects, but one is of particular interest; everything becomes more expensive. To summarise very simply, the basic principle of capitalism involves workers putting in work and skill to increase the value of something; that something then gets sold, and the worker then gets some of the difference between cost of materials and cost of sale as a reward for their effort. For this to work, then one’s reward for putting in your effort must be enough to purchase the stuff needed to keep you alive; capitalism rests on the principle of our bodies being X% efficient at turning the food we eat into the energy we can use to work. If business is successful, then the workers of a company (here the term ‘workers’ covers everyone from factory floor to management) will gain money in the long term, enabling them to spend more money. This means that the market increases in size, and people can either sell more goods or start selling them for a higher price, so goods become worth more, so the people making those goods start getting more money, and so on.
The net result of this is that in an ‘expensive’ economy, everyone has a relatively high income and high expenditure, because all goods, taxes, land, utilities etc. cost quite a lot; but, for all practical purposes, this results in a remarkably similar situation to a ‘cheap’ economy, where the full force of western capitalism hasn’t quite taken hold yet- for, whilst the people residing there have less money, the stuff that is there costs less having not been through the corporation wringer. So, why would we find it tricky to live on less money than the top 4% of the world’s population? Blame the Industrial Revolution.
Standard | | Tagged absolute poverty, annual income, £14 000, bills, Bob Geldof, booming economy, brewers, Britain, British Empire, budgeting, business, capitalism, chains of supply, China, civilisation, colonies, concept, consumer products, cost of sale, country, Earth, economics, efficient, effort, energy, European average, exchanging, expenses, expensive, fact, family, farmers, food, Freddos, free market, general population, global average, goods, heating, high intensity, holidays, humanity, hunters, income, industrial revolution, industrial scale, industry, interesting question, international economy, international trade, invasion, keep body and soul together, kings, law, legal, live, living standards, local community, majority, manufacture, marker, materials cost, modern britain, money, multinational companies, Nissan Pixo, noblemen, People's Republic of China, petrol, pooling, potatoes, poverty, poverty levels, poverty line, practical purposes, prevalence, price, quarter of a century, racing pigeon, reminder, rent, repair, resources, retail, reward, richest, security, shocking, side effects, small businessmen, small-scale, species, spending money, statistic, summarise, survive, tax, transport, TV license, untapped resources, utilities, west, western economy, western world, work, work-related expenses, workers, world bank | 0 comments
The Offensive Warfare Problem
If life has shown itself to be particularly proficient at anything, it is fighting. There is hardly a creature alive today that does not employ physical violence in some form to get what it wants (or defend what it has) and, despite a vast array of moral arguments to the contrary of that being a good idea (I must do a post on the prisoner’s dilemma some time…), humankind is, of course, no exception. Unfortunately, our innate inventiveness and imagination as a race means that we have been able to let our brains take our fighting to the next level, with consequences that have got ever-more destructive as time has gone by. With the construction of the first atomic bombs, humankind had finally got to where it had threatened to for so long- the ability to literally wipe out planet earth.
This insane level of offensive firepower is not just restricted to large-scale big-guns (the kind that have been used fir political genital comparison since Napoleon revolutionised the use of artillery in warfare)- perhaps the most interesting and terrifying advancement in modern warfare and conflict has been the increased prevalence and distribution of powerful small arms, giving ‘the common man’ of the battlefield a level of destructive power that would be considered hideously overwrought in any other situation (or, indeed, the battlefield of 100 years ago). The epitomy of this effect is, of course, the Kalashnikov AK-47, whose cheapness and insane durability has rendered it invaluable to rebel groups or other hastily thrown together armies, giving them an ability to kill stuff that makes them very, very dangerous to the population of wherever they’re fighting.
And this distribution of such awesomely dangerous firepower has began to change warfare, and to explain how I need to go on a rather dramatic detour. The goal of warfare has always, basically, centred around the control of land and/or population, and as James Herbert makes so eminently clear in Dune, whoever has the power to destroy something controls it, at least in a military context. In his book Ender’s Shadow (I feel I should apologise for all these sci-fi references), Orson Scott Card makes the entirely separate point that defensive warfare in the context of space warfare makes no practical sense. For a ship & its weapons to work in space warfare, he rather convincingly argues, the level of destruction it must be able to deliver would have to be so large that, were it to ever get within striking distance of earth it would be able to wipe out literally billions- and, given the distance over which any space war must be conducted, mutually assured destruction simply wouldn’t work as a defensive strategy as it would take far too long for any counterstrike attempt to happen. Therefore, any attempt to base one’s warfare effort around defence, in a space warfare context, is simply too risky, since one ship (or even a couple of stray missiles) slipping through in any of the infinite possible approach directions to a planet would be able to cause uncountable levels of damage, leaving the enemy with a demonstrable ability to destroy one’s home planet and, thus, control over it and the tactical initiative. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to focus on a strategy of defensive warfare and any long-distance space war becomes a question of getting there first (plus a bit of luck).
This is all rather theoretical and, since we’re talking about a bunch of spaceships firing missiles at one another, not especially relevant when considering the realities of modern warfare- but it does illustrate a point, namely that as offensive capabilities increase the stakes rise of the prospect of defensive systems failing. This was spectacularly, and horrifyingly, demonstrated during 9/11, during which a handful of fanatics armed with AK’s were able to kill 5,000 people, destroy the world trade centre and irrevocably change the face of the world economy and world in general. And that came from only one mode of attack, and despite all the advances in airport security that have been made since then there is still ample opportunity for an attack of similar magnitude to happen- a terrorist organisation, we must remember, only needs to get lucky once. This means that ‘normal’ defensive methods, especially since they would have to be enforced into all of our everyday lives (given the format that terrorist attacks typically take), cannot be applied to this problem, and we must rely almost solely on intelligence efforts to try and defend ourselves.
This business of defence and offence being in imbalance in some form or another is not a phenomenon solely confined to the modern age. Once, wars were fought solely with clubs and shields, creating a somewhat balanced case of attack and defence; attack with the club, defend with the shield. If you were good enough at defending, you could survive; simple as that. However, some bright spark then came up with the idea of the bow, and suddenly the world was in imbalance- even if an arrow couldn’t pierce an animal skin stretched over some sticks (which, most of the time, it could), it was fast enough to appear from nowhere before you had a chance to defend yourself. Thus, our defensive capabilities could not match our offensive ones. Fast forward a millennia or two, and we come to a similar situation; now we defended ourselves against arrows and such by hiding in castles behind giant stone walls and other fortifications that were near-impossible to break down, until some smart alec realised the use of this weird black powder invented in China. The cannons that were subsequently invented could bring down castle walls in a matter of hours or less, and once again they could not be matched from the defensive standpoint- our only option now lay in hiding somewhere the artillery couldn’t get us, or running out of the way of these lumbering beasts. As artillery technology advanced throughout the ensuing centuries, this latter option became less and less feasible as the sheer numbers of high-explosive weaponry trained on opposition armies made them next-to impossible to fight in the field; but they were still difficult to aim accurately at well dug-in soldiers, and from these starting conditions we ended up with the First World War.
However, this is not a direct parallel of the situation we face now; today we deal with the simple and very real truth that a western power attempting to defend its borders (the situation is somewhat different when they are occupying somewhere like Afghanistan, but that can wait until another time) cannot rely on simple defensive methods alone- even if every citizen was an army trained veteran armed with a full complement of sub-machine guns (which they quite obviously aren’t), it wouldn’t be beyond the wit of a terrorist group to sneak a bomb in somewhere destructive. Right now, these methods may only be capable of killing or maiming hundreds or thousands at a time; tragic, but perhaps not capable of restructuring a society- but as our weapon systems get ever more advanced, and our more effective systems get ever cheaper and easier for fanatics to get hold of, the destructive power of lone murderers may increase dramatically, and with deadly consequences.
I’m not sure that counts as a coherent conclusion, or even if this counts as a coherent post, but it’s what y’got.
Standard | | Tagged 9/11, airport security, AK-47, alive, animal skin, artillery, atom bomb, atomic bomb, attack, big guns, black powder, bow, bow and arrow, cannons, castles, cheapness, clubs, consequences, control, counterstrike, creature, dangerous, dead, deadly, defence, defend, defending, defensive warfare, destroy, destructive, destructive power, detour, dug in, Dune, durability, Earth, Ender's Shadow, fast, fighting, firepower, First World War, fortifications, get lucky, goal of war, gunpowder, high-explosive weaponry, humankind, imbalance, intelligence, James Herbert, Kalashnikov, land, life, lone murderers, military, missiles, mode of attack, modern age, modern warfare, moral, moral argument, morality, mutually assured destruction, Napoleon, nuclear bomb, occupation, offence, Orson Scott Card, people, physical violence, planet, population, rebels, risky, running away, sci-fi, science fiction, shields, small arms, space weapons, spaceships, survive, tactical initiative, theoretical, trenches, walls, war, warfare, weapons, wipe out, world trade centre | 0 comments
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