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Saudi Arabia's mining sector poised for serious expansion
Saudi ArabiaIndustry
Saudi Arabia has put in place ambitious plans to raise the value of its mining operations to reach SR260bn ($69.3bn) by 2030. Currently, the direct and indirect contribution of the sector to the Kingdom’s GDP is estimated to be around SR80bn ($21.3bn), with the sector accounting for 265,000 jobs, according to a speech made by Ali Al Naimi, former minister of petroleum and mineral resources, in October 2015.
A Priority Sector
The Kingdom has vast mineral resources which, due to the ready supply and market for its oil, remained largely untapped for decades. However, as the Kingdom attempts to diversify its economy and revenue stream away from its reliance on oil, mining has taken on more importance as a growth driver. This process began in 1997 with the establishment of the state-owned Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) and was followed in 2004 by the introduction of a revised mining code, which aimed to encourage greater investment in the sector. Today, mining features heavily in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Highlighting the importance being given to mining as the third pillar of the Saudi economy, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources has been reorganised, resulting in the formation of the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources. “Mining and the related downstream production that will follow suit will give a significant boost to non-oil economic growth,” Mohammed Khalid Al Ali, CEO of Arabian United Float Glass Company, told OBG. “There is substantial finance and support going towards innovation in the Saudi economy, but it is not well coordinated and is largely scattered. It needs to be unified under a common vision from all parties.”
Some industry players believe more regulatory changes need to be made to fully utilise the Kingdom’s mineral reserves. “Saudi Arabia is an incredibly mineral-rich country, but so far we have not leveraged this as fully as we should,” Ibrahim Alsenaidi, CEO of Advanced Mashreq Mining Company (AMMCO), told OBG. “Greater liberalisation is necessary to encourage the development of a robust mining sector. The government should allow the private sector to play a greater role and encourage foreign companies to come and invest here. They will bring expertise and take the risk, so it will benefit the government.”
At a workshop attended by senior officials and experts in December 2015, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud emphasised the government’s aim to attract more investment in the Kingdom’s mining sector, in part by reducing restrictions and obstacles. He also said that large-scale investments in mineral development were essential for finding alternative revenue streams for the Kingdom, and that Saudi authorities wanted to prepare an attractive climate for foreign investors interested in the country’s mineral resources. “There are opportunities for international collaboration and investment, especially in the areas of advanced mining techniques, research and development, and mining education,” Ali Al Jabrah, CEO of Astra Mining, told OBG.
Ma’aden
At present the mining sector in Saudi Arabia is dominated by Ma’aden. The company’s original focus was gold, but in the years since it was established the company has pursued opportunities in phosphate, ammonia and copper mining. The firm has entered into several significant joint ventures, and in 2008, 50% of Ma’aden was floated on the Saudi Stock Exchange.
In 2015 the company achieved its highest production levels to date in a number of segments, including phosphates, where production exceeded 2.6m tonnes of phosphate fertiliser, up from 2.4m tonnes in 2014; aluminium, with sales reaching 836,000 tonnes, compared to 663,000 in 2014; and gold, where production increased from 154,000 oz to 164,000 oz. Even so, the company’s net profit for the year was down 55% at SR605m ($161.3m) due to lower global commodity prices.
In January 2016 the company’s CFO, Khalid Al Rowais, highlighted a number of important milestones from the previous year that pointed towards future growth. These included the successful trial production at Ad Duwayhi mine – Ma’aden’s largest gold mine – and the start of trial production at the Kingdom’s largest copper mine, Jabal Sayid, which is being developed in partnership with Canada’s Barrick Gold.
Geographical Development
While the Kingdom is pushing the development of the mining sector as a way to diversify revenue streams, it is also promoting mining as a means of increasing employment opportunities and developing regions of the country. Gold, phosphates and bauxite are found in Saudi Arabia’s western and northern regions, which are far less developed than the east and coastal areas. “Mining now accounts 265,000-300,000 jobs; by 2030 the government wants to make that number 400,000,” Abdulkadir Farah, vice-president of business development at Modern Industrial Investment Holding Group, told OBG. “The government has demonstrated a clear desire to diversify the industrial base of the country, while also committing to policies that insure social harmony and economic equity within the Kingdom’s provinces,” he added, going on to say that the development of the mining sector also meets the dual role of fulfilling this commitment by extending financial resources, infrastructure and job creation initiatives to rural and less developed regions. “Ma’aden’s bauxite and phosphate mines, which are mainly in the central and northern regions of the Kingdom, are expected to transform the economies of the immediate regions, while also creating substantial value-added opportunities through the establishment of downstream industries in Ras Al Khair, including, for example, Ma’aden Aluminium and Ma’aden Phosphate,” Farah told OBG.
Ma’aden Gold and Base Metals Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ma’aden, operates five gold mines in Saudi Arabia, which have produced more than 4m oz of gold since 1988 and 164,000 oz in 2015 alone. Two additional gold mines are currently under development in line with the company’s stated goal to produce 500,000 oz of gold annually by 2017. The two mines it plans to open next are both open cast. In 2011 an Australian-Saudi joint venture, Ausenco, won a contract worth $150m to develop As Suq, which is around 365 km north-east of Jeddah, and Ad Duwayhi, which is located 450 km south-west of Riyadh. In October 2015 Ma’aden announced the start of trial production at Ad Duwayhi, located in Makkah Province. The mine is estimated to have 1.9m oz in reserves and, once operating at full capacity, it is expected to produce a total of 180,000 oz of gold per year, which would be one-third of Ma’aden’s total production. Commercial production started in April 2016.
More gold mines are expected to come on-line in the next few years thanks to a new $160m pipeline, which allows for the piping of treated waste-water from Taif city to the mine sites, thereby enabling the development of new mining projects without depleting precious local water supplies. “Thanks to our new 450-km treated water pipeline in the Arabian Shield, we anticipate opening more mining sites in the coming years, including those based on current development projects at Ar Rjum, Mansourah and Masarrah,” the company wrote in its 2014 annual report.
Secure Supply
The Kingdom relies heavily on treated water, and further development of this industry is critical for the country’s future. “In the Gulf region, desalinated water makes up the bulk of potable drinking water. This is especially the case in Saudi Arabia, where it accounts for almost 100% of the supply, yielding dependence on the supply of chemicals for desalination plants,” Jamal Fawzi Matalka, CEO of Specialty Chemical Industries, told OBG. Closer coordination with the GCC should help Saudi businesses, particularly in the area of food safety and drinking water, both of which are essential for the development of the new economic cities as they will require a steadily increasing amount of water. “Streamlining of regulation across the GCC has facilitated business in the region. In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority has invested in its online platforms to process requests or allow paperwork to be submitted in a more efficient manner, saving companies time and money,” Salman Al Hajjar, general manager, Al Safi Foods, told OBG.
Another important area of development in the mining sector is phosphates. The industry currently revolves around a Ma’aden subsidiary called the Ma’aden Phosphate Company (MPC), which is a joint venture between Ma’aden and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) that was formed in 2007 and operates the Al Jalamid mine in the north, as well as within Ras Al Khair Industrial City, which is located 90 km north of Jubail on the Gulf coast.
Ras Al Khair Industrial City is run by the Royal Commission of Jubail, which falls under the broader Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu. The facility includes plants producing phosphoric and sulphuric acids, as well as an ammonia facility, with a second coming on-line in 2017, and a phosphate plant that can produce 3m tonnes of fertiliser per year. In 2015 MPC produced 2.6m tonnes of fertiliser. “Last year Ma’aden made SR1bn ($266.6m) in profit off of phosphates alone. This is from a small capacity and only one company. Imagine how high the revenues would be generated for the economy with many companies operating at a large capacity,” AMMCO’s Alsenaidi told OBG.
The slate of new projects has made industry insiders optimistic about future growth prospects. “Mining is a very promising industry in Saudi Arabia. Phosphates have especially high potential, with diammonium phosphate being the most attractive given its competitive margins and high demand worldwide. We can be number one in the world for phosphate-based fertilisers if we develop this industry properly,” Abdulaziz Barakat Al Hamwah, vice-chairman and CEO of Modern Chemicals and Services Company, told OBG.
One project that could serve this goal is the facility being built in Waad Al Shamal, 20 km from Turaif. The project is being developed as a partnership between MPC, which owns 60%; SABIC, with 15%; and US-based Mosaic Company, with 25%. With its seven plants and ancillary facilities, Ma’aden says it is on course to become one of the world’s largest phosphate production facilities. Indeed, the facility could more than double the Kingdom’s total phosphate production capacity when it comes on-stream in late 2016.
In January 2016 the Ma’aden Waad Al Shamal Phosphate Company obtained four long-term loans totalling some SR4bn ($1.1bn) from the Saudi Industrial Development Fund. These will be used to construct a second ammonia facility, integrate associated infrastructure to the existing diammonium phosphate plants in Ras Al Khair, finance the construction of a sulphuric acid plant and power plant in Waad Al Shamal city, as well as to fund the construction of a phosphoric acid plant and a phosphate concentrate plant to be based in Waad Al Shamal.
Aluminium & Copper
Aluminium is a recent addition to the Kingdom’s mining assets. According to Ma’aden, 2014 was the year the company successfully completed its mine-to-market value chain. In May 2014 the first bauxite was produced in the company’s Al Ba’itha mine, located in Al Qassim Province. The following month Saudi Arabia’s first-ever can sheet coil was produced at Ma’aden’s Ras Al Khair rolling mill, with the company’s smelter reaching full production in July 2015.
The firm claims its aluminium facility, a $10.8bn joint venture with US firm Alcoa, is the world’s largest and most efficient integrated aluminium processing complex, able to produce the world’s most economical aluminium, with a smelter production capacity of 740,000 tonnes per year.
In January 2016 Ma’aden began initial production of copper at its joint venture with Barrick Gold at Jabal Sayid, 120 km south of Medina. Barrick acquired the asset in 2011 after it bought copper mining firm Equinox for $5.3bn, with Ma’aden coming on board after agreeing in July 2014 to buy 50% of the project for $210m. The mine’s production capacity is eventually expected to reach 51,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate per year, with the lifespan of the mine forecast to be around 15 years based on current reported reserves.
Ma’aden also mines three non-fuel, non-metal and non-gem materials – namely, low-grade bauxite, which is used in the production of cement; kaolin, one of the world’s most versatile clays; and caustic calcined magnesia – through a wholly owned subsidiary, Ma’aden Industrial Minerals Company, which was established in 2011. The company is also looking into refractory clays, kyanite, graphite, precipitated calcium carbonate products, potash and iron ore.
The Report: Saudi Arabia 2016
Industry chapter from The Report: Saudi Arabia 2016
Saudi Arabia using its industrial resources to make future growth less reliant on hydrocarbons Next article from this chapter and report
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Saudi Arabia 2016
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Crossing the Rubicon- The Killing of Dr Tiller and the End of the Pro-Life Movement
How can people who are allegedly pro-life promote an attitude of belief that dehumanizes their opponents and tolerates uncivil and at times inflammatory rhetoric which crosses all bounds of Christian conduct, leading to the murder of other people? This happened today in a Kansas Church where Dr. George Tiller was gunned down in cold blood by someone at least on the fringe of the pro-life movement. I think the answer is found at least in some part in yesterday’s post on Gordon Klingenschmitt and what I term the “Klingenban.”
A little over a month ago I published a piece called How Pro-Life People Make Themselves Look Like Idiots. This post dealt with the potential public health threat of the H1N1 Flu and posts that I had seen written by supposedly “Pro-Life” people condemning the government response to the threat. The people who posted this on a social networking page chief complaint that the government funded abortion, thus it was hypocritical to fund a response to H1N1. The argument made no sense and I rightly referred to them not as “pro-life” but “anti-abortion.” I phrased it in this way because I believe that people who think and talk this way have no respect for the lives of we, the “post-born.”
Many in the pro-life/anti-abortion movement have regularly used highly inflammatory rhetoric, referring to abortion providers as “murderers.” Used the images of the Holocaust to describe abortion and routinely show pictures of aborted babies in their protests, literature and websites. Now I am in no way saying that I am pro-abortion. I am pro-life. However, after I came home from Iraq I started seeing just how perverted some in the pro-life/anti-abortion movement had become. Not that I hadn’t noticed this prior to Iraq, but when I came home I became a lot more sensitive to people who routinely use the language and images that I described above. The use of such language imagery and often strong arm and bullying tactics by some in this movement has created a situation where they dehumanize their opponents. When this is done through the regular use of such language and imagery it creates a culture of hatred and draws often violent or psychologically disturbed people into it. It is true that people like these are often on the fringe of pro-life groups, but they have connections. These connections will be the end of the pro-life/anti-abortion movement as we know it today.
There have been a number of times that anti-abortion people have killed abortion providers or bombed abortion clinics. This was seen again today with the slaying of Dr. George Tiller who performed late term abortions in his Wichita Kansas clinic. Tiller was killed in his church. The man suspected, a Scott Roeder had posted on a number of occasions to the Operation Rescue website, even suggesting that Tiller be confronted in his church. That post is here. It was taken from a Google cache before Operation Rescue either took it down or blocked access to the site.
Scott Roeder Says:
Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp.
Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn’t seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller.
Roeder had also has ties to the Sovereign Citizen movement and was convicted in 1996 of having bomb components in his car. Likewise he is a veteran tax protester and was sentenced to 16 months in 1997 prison for breaking terms of his parole. We don’t know a lot more about him but at the best he is a troubled lone operator. Roeder followed up the post with this a few months later:
Scott Roeder
Mon September 03, 2007, 09:49:40
It seems as though what is happening in Kansas could be compared to the “lawlessness” which is spoken of in the Bible. Tiller is the concentration camp “Mengele” of our day and needs to be stopped before he and those who protect him bring judgement upon our nation.
The unintended consequences of the extreme rhetoric found in much of the pro-life/anti-abortion movement are seen in today’s action. When a movement describes their opponents as “murderers” “mass-murderers” and compares them to Nazi War Criminals such as Dr. Mengele it can and often does create a climate where the killing of someone is justified. Now admittedly I’m sure that the vast majority of those in the pro-life movement are not this kind of person. The problem is that within the movement there are people who think like this precisely because they have been spoon fed this rhetoric for years. Likewise there are those who oppose the government in other ways who affiliate themselves with pro-life/anti-abortion groups. This appears to be the case with Mr. Roeder.
Thus the problem, pro-life and anti-abortion groups have by their continual repeating of such language to describe abortion supporters and providers de-humanize them. By doing this they provide encouragement to people who are actual criminals, such as Scott Roeder and Eric Rudolph. The use of this rhetoric, imagery and sometimes threatening protests against abortion providers and supporters attracts people who are violent and unstable. The pro-life movement must be very careful and look at history. Groups like the Nazis in Germany associated with and co-opted otherwise law abiding groups in Weimer Germany. The danger is that people in the militia movement, the Freemen and other extremists will in fact will infiltrate the pro-life movement and by their violent actions bring about a crackdown by the government on such groups. Unfortunately I think that much of the pro-life and anti-abortion movement is patently unaware of the risks that their tactics entail. I believe that the protest of clinics, homes and places of worship of abortion providers is not effective, drives people who might be in general agreement with the movement into opposition and provides ready material for those who want to malign the movement.
As a military officer I refuse to be a part of any group which uses the methods that I have described above. While I may be pro-life, I believe that the movement has been compromised by actions of many of its leaders and that the linkage to radical right wing groups will be its downfall. When, not if this happens it will be the fault of leaders such as Randall Terry and others who have taken a legitimate cause and turned it into a business. From a position of faith, many in the movement are nothing more than Christian Taliban who will stop at nothing to see their interpretation of the faith is imposed on others. I know a good number of people in the pro-life movement. Most are good and loving people, concerned with the lives of both abortion providers and those who have had abortions. These too will be painted with the label of the Taliban because they tolerated this type of behavior from others in the movement. In fact they are the antithesis of the radical fringe which thrives on confrontation in order to fill their coffers. In fact I do not believe that many of the larger groups affiliated with the pro-life movement have any desire for Roe v. Wade to be overturned, it was they would have to get real jobs instead of living off of the donations of their supporters. We have crossed the Rubicon. The pro-life movement has effectively committed suicide with the killing of Dr. Tiller. God help us all.
Peace, Steve+
Filed under History, Loose thoughts and musings, philosophy, Political Commentary, pro-life anti-abortion, Religion
Tagged as anti-abortion, christain taliban, dr mengele, eric rudolph, george tiller, kansas abortion protests, militia movement, nazi war criminals, operation rescue, post-born, pro-life movement, randall terry, roe v. wade, scott roeder, soveriegn citizen movement, the freemen, weimar germany
Gordon Klingenschmitt and his Followers- The Klingenfraud and the Klingenban
Gordon Klingenschmitt in all his glory: Ride ’em Cowboy!
Note: Please know that I am not attacking historic, Evangelical Christianity, nor Christians, Evangelical or otherwise who live their faith proclaiming the Gospel in this post. Nor am I attacking anyone’s right to deeply held political beliefs. This post focuses on Gordon Klingenschmitt and others like him who make their living by lying about others using character assassination, the promotion of sedition, secession and pray for the deaths of their political opponents. Peaceful, law abiding protest and dissent are indispensable in our country. Likewise the New Testament teaching of Jesus to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” is antithetical to what Klingenschmitt and the Klingenban are now doing. Unfortunately this bright but unstable man promotes himself in the crassest manner. Though he says what he is doing is for Jesus, it is readily apparent that he is not proclaiming Jesus but himself. His lies and distortions have become legendary, yet he is a media darling of the Uber-Right. So please, if you are a conservative Christian, Protestant or Catholic who lives a life upholding the Gospel, love your neighbor, living peaceably with others this does not apply to you. It applies to those who have been so consumed by hatred for the political and religious left that rules of good behavior, respectful dialogue and public decency have been abandoned. They have been defined by and are now more faithful to extreme right wing political ideology than the Christian faith. For literary purposes I will refer to them by naming them after their most prominent figure: Former Chaplain disgraced Naval Officer, convicted criminal professional malcontent and protester Gordon J. Klingenschmitt. His followers are the Klingenban.
“One-Minute Prayer: Let us pray. Almighty God, today we pray imprecatory prayers from Psalm 109 against the enemies of religious liberty, including Barry Lynn and Mikey Weinstein, who issued press releases this week attacking me personally. God, do not remain silent, for wicked men surround us and tell lies about us. We bless them, but they curse us. Therefore find them guilty, not me. Let their days be few, and replace them with Godly people. Plunder their fields, and seize their assets. Cut off their descendants, and remember their sins, in Jesus’ name. Amen.” The Prayer of Gordon Klingenschmitt
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Matthew 5:44 Jesus Christ
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Romans 13:1-2
There are two types of religious Fundamentalists who exist in every religion including Atheism and Secularism, which can for some have an almost religious quality. There are those who while having and proclaiming their beliefs treat their opponents with respect, love and care. These folks live their faith, treat others as they would want to be treated, understand that others, even if they believe them to be wrong and maybe even “Hell-bound” still have a right to their beliefs and equal treatment under the law. In fact many of our nation’s most respected figures have been just these kinds of people. They have helped make the United States a place where anyone can live peacefully and have the chance to better their lives while contributing to the general welfare of the nation. They do not seek or desire that the Government take the side of any religious group. In fact the religious liberty provision in the Bill of Rights was the result of Virginia Baptists who were being discriminated against by the Anglican Church which at the time was the State Church in Virginia. These Baptists went to James Madison and presented their case and Madison included this in the Bill of Rights. This was an extremely important event in the life of our Nation. People forget that almost all of the original 13 colonies, save Rhode Island and Pennsylvania had established “State Churches.” Eventually these all were disestablished, the last being the Congregational Church in Massachusetts in the 1830s. The second type is the radical Fundamentalist. As I said these exist in every religion, even those religions which acknowledge no God. In recent times the focus has been on Moslem Extremists such as Al Qaida, the Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic Jihad, radical Iranian Ayatollahs and other radical Moslem groups. Likewise there are extremes in Judaism, Hinduism and other religions. Some atheists and secularists too have had their moments of insanity.
Mullah Omar: Klingenschmitt’s Kindred Spirit
The common thread that runs through all of these groups is that they want to be in control of the government wherever they are and enforce their interpretation of their beliefs on others. They are bullies of the faith. What they cannot convince you to agree with you on they will push the state to do. If the state is unwilling then be it through democratic process or hostile takeover they attempt to control the state and by doing so inflict their tyranny on others. Europe had a long history of this. It has occurred elsewhere in the world. In 1979 it was on full display when the Ayatollah Khomeini and his followers helped topple the Shah of Iran and then forced more secular reformers out of the government imposing their version of Islamic law. While not to the same degree we have seen similar things happen in the United States both before and after our founding. The Plymouth Bay Colony, which we are taught was founded on the principle of religious freedom, was just that. It was founded so that these colonists could be free from the Church of England and be the State Church. They were so heavy handed with dissenters that Roger Williams escaped, swimming the Narragansett to found the colony of Rhode Island. This became the first colony to guarantee religious freedom. Secularists in Revolutionary France conducted routine religious purges. Radical Hindus in India routinely target Christians and Moslems as well as Hindus of lower castes. All of this was or is done with the active cooperation or tacit approval of the state. If given the chance to actually influence policy Klingenfraud and his ilk would impose draconian measures on anyone who disagrees with them.
Yet, Klingenschmitt and the Klingenban exemplify this some of the most radical and compromised people who claim the name “Christian.” Klingenschmitt’s prayer while unusually bold faced is not an uncommon belief among this radical fringe. Numerous preachers re-interpret Romans 13: 1-7 180 degrees from what Paul and the early Church believed. They seem to forget that Paul lived his life in the Roman Empire, which for Christians who were called atheists because they refused to call Caesar “Lord” were persecuted and killed. Paul included. Yet at no time do we see Paul telling Christians to take up the sword or to rebel against the Empire. They died not for political power but for their faith which they refused to compromise. The early church was known for their peaceful response to their tormentors. The Epistle to Diognetus writes of the Christians’ response to the hatred they received stating that Christians: “…love those who hate them.” Tertullian in the Apology writes of Christian loyalty stating that Christians “…call upon God for the safety of the Emperor…” and that believers should know from Scripture “…that a superfluity of benevolence is enjoined on us, even so far as to pray God for our enemies and to entreat blessings for our persecutors.” Such responses are far from those of the Klingenban.
In opposition to the early Church the Klingenban seek political power and the negation of those that oppose them. Thus we see Klingenschmitt’s excoriation and prayer for the death of Michael Weinstein and Barry Lynn. Additionally we see the calls for Christians to be prepared to use violence to resist the state. Such attitudes in effect baptize behaviors that are not merely un-Christian but anti-Christian. Praying for the death of people because they insult or demean you is not a Christian attitude. It flies in the face of Jesus’ words on the Cross: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” It is as self seeking as those who came to this continent seeking religious liberty only for themselves and those willing to submit to them.
Klingenschmitt in practice actively question the faith of those who disagreed with him during his Navy career. I know of a Priest in a conservative Anglican church who while in seminary elected to go to the Norfolk Chapel to discuss the Navy Chaplaincy with a Navy Chaplain. He met with Klingenschmitt who instead of discussing what it was to be a Chaplain insinuated that the man was “unsaved.” Accordining to crew members who served with him on the USS Anzio he accosted those who were not his definition of Christian. He harrassed sailors when they returned to the ship from liberty. Instead of looking out for the mulitude of religious needs and protecting the religious liberty of his sailors, Klingenschmitt used his time in the Navy to advance his own agenda. Chaplains are mandated to protect the First Ammendment rights of men and women who away from home and away from thier religious tradition. They are also called to care for those with no religious beliefs. In both cases the requirement is to protect the religious rights of our sailors, not to advance our own agenda. We actually sign a statement when we come in the Navy that we will do this. His commanding officer gave him every chance and gave him more personal time that most commanding officers would ever give to a Chaplain, hoping to help him. For his efforts Klingenschmitt ensured that his commanding officer’s name was smeared in the right-wing media machine. He did the same to the Commanding Officer of the Naval Station Norfolk. Klingenschmitt spread such demented lies about this man that he was shunned by his church and pastor because they elected to believe the right wing media machine. It shows that if you repeat a lie often enough that people will believe it. Klingenschmitt is a bully and he was rightfully court-martialed after he refused non-judicial punishment for failing to obey a legal order not to wear his uniform at a political event, something that no-one in the military is allowed to do. He made life hell for us who served honorably and rather then submit to authority he avoided combat by bad mouthing his country, the Navy and his corps. He took your tax dollars and for months avoided providing ministry to any sailor or Marine. This was solely a result of his actions. While hundreds of Evangelical Christian Chaplains deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and served honorably in combat, Klingenschmitt made up story after story to keep himself in the news. He even still refers to mhimself as “Chaplain” because the group which re-ordained him after being defrocked has endoresed him as “Chaplain to America.” His website shows him in uniform protesting outside of the White House at the end of his hunger strike in 2006.
Klingenschmitt now markets himself as a victim of persecution, when in fact he brought everything on himself. In his last days as an officer, no longer a chaplain as his own Church had stripped him of both his ordination and endorsement to serve as a chaplain while waiting discharge. In spite of this one of his political allies in the Republican Party got Klingenschmitt invited to pray in uniform at the 2006 Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) Presidential Banquet at which the Vice President was scheduled to speak. I saw the notice online and promptly complained to the committee the day before the event about this as a Chaplain telling them that it “insulted all who served honorably.” I also let the Norfolk Naval Station Chaplain know what was going on. A call from the Commanding Officer of the base to the Chief of Naval Operations persuaded this political group not to let him attend the dinner or pray. Instead Klingenschmitt waited until the banquet was over and facing an nearly empty auditorium in his Service Dress Blue uniform prayed “in Jesus Name.” His photo at the podium was published in an article the next day on World Net Daily. The article obfuscated the fact that the conference had ended when he did this and the headline made it look like he had prayed there with CPACs blessing. Since then he has made his living in the margin of the far right speaking to churches and far right political groups and protesting wherever he can to keep some measure of media attention on him.
The Gordon Klingenschmitt Tour 2007
He, his allies and followers are no different than the Taliban except that they wear suits and not robes. Their agenda is eerily similar and should they ever gain control of this country they would bring in the worst type of persecution. Thankfully I think there is little chance of this, but they will still do everything they can to incite trouble and even violence. Klingenschmitt has prayed for the death of those opposing him, a group ran an advertisement in a Pennsylvania newspaper that said they wanted President Obama to meet the fate of Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy. Klingenschmitt’s allies actively twist and obfuscate the truth in order to advance their cause at the expense of those who oppose them. Klingenschmitt’s willing accomplice in the media Joseph Farah openly encourages military members to disobey orders because he does not feel that the President is eligible for the office. Unfortunately he is doing this in war, and if it were not for the tolerance of the Administration would be tried for sedition. This is something that Abraham Lincoln had no problem doing in the Civil War. Farah is opening promoting sedition in time of war, this is a crime. Conservatives were outrages when members of the Left did such things during the Vietnam war and the current war. Klingenschmitt, Farah and those like them will not only bring harm to others, but they will continue to discredit the Christian faith by everything they do. If they were not serious it would e funny. Klingenschmitt and the Klingenban are dangerous to all who believe in liberty and for the principles on which the United States was founded.
Finally, I know that there are many honest people who have been taken in by Klingenschmitt and his media spin machine. I encourage you to read for yourselves more about this man from sources other than his website and his allies who parrot what he says. Please know that I was a conservative Republican and worked for Gerald Ford’s campaign before I could vote. I harbor no animus to conservatives who oppose the Democratic Administration and Congress. The fact is that principled and respectful conservative opposition is needed, just as principled and respectful liberal Democratic opposition was needed when Republicans controlled the Presidency and Congress. Klingenschmitt and the Klingenban’s actions are neither principled nor respectful. Unfortunately they will attempt to destroy the country to save it. God help us all.
Tagged as abraham lincoln, al qaida, anglican church, apostle paul, assasination threats, ayatolahs, barry lynn, bill of rights, chaplain corps, chief of naval operations, christian faith, civil war, conservative political action committee, cpac, democrat party, diagnetus, funadmentalism, fundamentalist, gerald ford, gordon klingesnchmitt, hamas, hezbollah, hindu fundamentalists, iran, james garfield, james madison, john f kennedy, joseph farah, michael weinstein, naragansett river, navy chaplains, norfolk chapel, norfolk naval station, plymouth bay colony, president obama, religious liberty, religious right, republican party, rhode island, roger williams, roman empire, shah of iran, state churches, taliban, tertullian, united states, US Navy, uss anzio, virginia baptists, william mckinley, World Net Daily
Star Trek, God and Me 1966 to 2009
The Original Series Crew
I grew up with Star Trek. I remember as a kid when the original series was still on NBC and when it went into syndication I tried to watch it whenever it was on, or whenever I could get control of the television. There was something that captured my imagination, a glimpse of a positive future, possibility and adventure. Since I have always been seeking new frontiers, note my career in the military, Star Trek, the Original Series was an inspiration. Kirk, Spock, Scottie, McCoy, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov and Nurse Chapel became part of my life. When not watching it I was reading Star Trek novels, something that I countinued with the Next Generation. I was fascinated by the Klingons and Romulans, the though of other planets with other intelligent beings was something that did not frighten me, or casue me to question my Christian faith. Since I have always believed in a very big God, the fact that God did not have to be limited to just dealing with humans seemed, as Spock would put it “logical.”
No I know that some people could be offended by this, or could give me some flak for what I just said. But I see no reason why God couldn’t be working in all of the gazillion galaxies, solar systems, planets and maybe even parallel or alternate universes. Why not? What if there was a planet where there was no fall and the inhabitants didn’t screw it up? I think it would be cool. My God is big, in fact the Bible and the Christian tradition is pretty clear that God is like really super duper powerful and capable of handling a whole lot of stuff all at once. In fact we like to call God omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and a bunch of other om’s. Likewise, we believe that God is a creative God. So why would we look out and see this vast universe and say: “Nope Clem, just us out here.” So since I am backed up by the testimony of Scripture and Tradition about some of the attributes of God I think it is safe to say that God indeed could well be working elsewhere in the universe. If I believe that God is who Scripture state him to be, then I have to at least give some thought to this possibility. Can I positively say this is the case? No, but I can infer it from what the faith teaches me about God and by what science has revealed to us over the past couple of hundred years. None of this takes anything away from God working his plan of redemption through Christ with humanity.
USS Enterprise NCC 1701
Anyway that rabbit chased back into the woods, I continue. I followed the Star Trek movies, with The Wrath of Khan and the Voyage Home being my favorites. Not long after I learned to drive in high school a friend and I went to a Halloween party. I had made me a Mr. Scott uniform and my friend was dressed as an alien. After the party we headed home. We had just gotten on I-5 and I looked at him and said “set course 010 Warp 8” and being young and dumb took my 1966 Buick LeSabre 400 with a twin barrel carburetor up to about 90 MPH. I noticed a pair of headlights coming up behind me. I slowed down for the Benjamin Holt Drive exit and exited the freeway where a stoplight was red. Beside me pulled a CHP cruiser. The trooper looked at us, me with my Star Trek uniform and my friend in his alien suit, laughed and waved. I watched my speedometer like a hawk the rest of the way home and prayed that the trooper would not turn around to get me. Later in Germany I was driving my first German “beater” a 1976 faded powder blue Ford Escort, to my base on a Saturday with Judy. Ahead of us a Mercedes crept along. Since we were on a two lane state highway going through the hills of the Saarland along the bank of the Nahe River there was no way to get around this guy. I have never been patient when people clog the road by driving well below the posted speed limit, which in this case was 100 KM or 62 MPH. My little car known as the “Blue Max” had its emergency flasher located on the center of the dashboard. It was a red button about an in round. I looked at Judy and said “fire phasers.” I reached down pushed the button of and on and in front of us the strangest thing happened. There was a boom, a flash and the guy’s muffler and tail pipe dropped off. I avoided the debris and he coasted to a halt alongside the road. Judy and I both looked at each other with looks of shock and disbelief. Yet it had happened. I have tried this again on every other car that I have owned with no effect. I guess phasers are not standard on this side of the Atlantic.
The Bext Generation Crew
When Star Trek, the Next Generation, or TNG came out in 1987 I was a young Army Captain getting ready to go to seminary the following year. I fell in love with TNG and its cast. In fact during my clinical pastoral education residency my supervisor was able to use analogies from the TNG characters, Lieutenant Worf and Lieutenant Commander Data to help me gain insights into what was going on in me. I had a lot of affinity for both of these characters as someone who wrestled with where I fit and where was home. Something I shared with these characters. Likewise there were a couple of episodes dealing with Captain Picard entitled “Family” and “Tapestry” which actually woke me up to a couple of things in my life. I think I can say that the Deity Herself used them to help me through that time when I was still sorting through my life, vocation and issues of home and heart. I thought that the character development in TNG was great and I still will watch TNG whenever I come across it or want to pull out one of my DVDs. I liked the darkness of Deep Space Nine and the fact that baseball was a part of it. I did not take as well to Voyager or Enterprise as my life was getting really busy with military deployments and operations. As was the case I ended up collecting the entire TNG series on DVD. I also have a jacket similar to the TNG jacket in Science/Medical Blue with the communicator badge and Lieutenant Commander colar insignia. I also have a very rare Starfleet Chaplain pin with a white Greek Cross on it. This came out of one of the old TOS Technical Manuals dealing with rank and branches of Starfleet.
Deep Space Nine “Niners” Pennant
When I first saw the hints of the new movie a couple of years ago I wondered about it. I wondered how they could pull of the feel of the original series. I heard friends rave about it and every review I read was sweet. So since there were no ball games in the local area, though the Tides continued their winning was with a 13-2 victory in Columbus against the Clippers, we decided to go to dinner and a movie. We headed over to Gordon Biersch and had a nice dinner with great beer and went to the theater a couple of blocks away. The movie was great. The cast, most of whom I had seen very little of in other roles, had the feel of the old cast. Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Qunito (Spock), Karl Urban (McCoy) and Simon Pegg (Scotty) had great chemistry. The supporting cast worked well too. I was simply blown away as they pulled this off and managed to do a “prequel” which worked. As a side note, my undergraduate campus, California State University at Northridge served as Starfleet Academy. All in all it was a very satisfying experience and the crowd applauded loudly as the final credits came up, preceded by Leonard Nimoy doing a voice over as the Enterprise went by saying; “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life-forms and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before.” This was followed by the theme music of the original series as the credits rolled out. That was special.
So I guess I am a Trekkie, or Trekker, depending on which Star Trek sect I belong, but nonetheless, Star Trek has been, and will reamin part of my life. Thanks Gene Roddenberry, and all who over the years have brought the Star Trek universe to us.
Live long, and prosper my friends.
Filed under Baseball, Loose thoughts and musings, philosophy, Religion, star trek
Tagged as 1976 ford escort, buick le sabre, california state university northridge, captain kirk, captain picard, captain sisko, chris pine, cpe, csun, dr leonard bones mccoy, ds9, ensign chekov, gene roddenberry, gordon biersch, karl urban, lcdr data, lcdr montgomery scott, leonard nimoy, lt sulu, lt uhura, lt worf, simon pegg, star trek, star trek 2009, star trek enterprise, star trek next generation, star trek the voyage home, star trek voyager, starfleet, starfleet chaplain corps, starfleet medical, starfllet academy, the wrath of khan, trekker, trekkie, uss enterprise ncc-1701, zachary quinto
Going Nuclear….Kim Jung Il, Carlos Zambrano and Padre Steve get Sporty
This week we witnessed a couple of big explosions, that of a nuclear test conducted by North Korea and one at Wrigley Field conducted by Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Both were pretty sporty. However, there the difference is more than one being the test of a weapon of mass destruction and the other an emotional response after a close play at home. One was a deliberate premeditated act and the other in some sense a “crime of passion.” They are very different types of acts.
North Korea under the despotic Kim Jung Il decided to give the big fat flying middle finger to the United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia. It is interesting that even the Russians and Chinese seem kind of pissed about what the boy named Kim did. Kim now known as the “Great Leader” having been promoted from simply the “Dear Leader” is kind of wacky but in a dangerous sort of way. The surly North Koreans then decided that they no longer considered the 1954 armistice valid. This of course raised the pucker factor on the Korean peninsula and Japan. Nukes are serious stuff, ask the Japanese. I remember back in 2002 when my ship, the USS Hue City was deployed supporting Operation Enduring Freedom the Indians and Pakistanis came perilously close to a nuclear confrontation. We were in between the Indian and Pakistani fleets and their patrol aircraft buzzed us frequently. It was as my Captain said “A bit sporty.” Back in my days as a Company XO and Company Commander in Cold War Germany we waited for the day that the Russian would come across the Fulda Gap. While there I was trained as a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) Defense Officer. The training was kind of cool. We got to learn how much radiation, measured in “Rads” that we could take and live. We learned about blast effects, fallout patterns and decoding EAM’s. The really cool yet scary thing was that the 1:50,000 maps we used to plot the fallout patterns showed our housing areas. It really brought home that this was not a game. When the nuclear plant at Chernobyl had its little meltdown the radiation cloud actually went over where we lived. I think this is why some people refer to me having a “glowing” personality. So what the nutty North Koreans have done is kind of serious. Of course they do crazy stuff all the time, but this appears to be their first successful nuke test and significantly raises the stakes. Of course I want this to pass as it is baseball season and for the first time I have season tickets. I don’t want a huge war to screw this up. Of course I want it to not happen at all, but if it does I would prefer it to wait until after the baseball season is over.
Speaking of baseball, Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano was suspended for six games following this meltdown.
http://cubs.fandome.com/video/112492/Carlos-Zambrano-Tantrum-May-27-2009/
Now I will not cast stones at Zambrano. He plays with passionate fire and really strives for excellence. I have seen him pitch and he is amazing. I love to watch him and only wished that he pitched for the Giants. I have a passion for what I do and want to be the best at that I can. Like Zambrano I have had similar meltdowns when I have felt like I was getting screwed, be it by an umpire or someone else. I have been tossed from church softball games, pulled aside by coaches and when I watch Zambrano doing his thing I want to hide because I have done this before…well I didn’t take a bat to a Gatorade cooler, but had we had one I might have. I have thrown things, kicked dirt on umpires and got in people’s faces. As noted in a previous post when I was in the Army I got thrown out of the officer advanced course and did not help myself by having a Zambrano like meltdown in the process. I was so lucky to have Chaplain Rich Whaley save me on several occasions both when I got thrown out and when I was the assistance course leader of my Chaplain Officer Basic Course. With my PTSD I had a number of meltdowns at the tail end of my Iraq tour, before I knew I was whacked out, and have had my moments since I came home.
Now to be fair to me, I am not proud of those kind of outbursts. I usually feel worse afterward because I don’t like being out of control. I like to control my emotions and stay calm. I am like a Romulan in that aspect. I try to keep myself in perfect control but can blow it big, unlike my Vulcan cousins. I have been fortunate. First I had people who helped ensure that I did not destroy my Army career. Likewise, I have had a number of people in my life since I have come back from Iraq help me learn to manage this. In fact I was able to step back from the brink at one Chaplain Conference where I thought the main presenter had ambushed me and violated essential facets of how cases are presented. I discussed the matter with my colleagues and run a plan by my Department Head on how to publicly address the situation, get my point across and not look like an ass in doing so. It was like doing a “brush back” pitch rather than a “bean ball.” I was controlled and afterward got out before I could do anything stupid while department head smoothed ruffled feathers. The audience was pretty much in a state of shock when I did this, many in sat in silence as I finished and a number of my colleagues who felt the same way as I applauded when I finished. I left the room and a colleague came out with me and walked with me for a while to make sure that I was okay. I avoided going nuclear. I didn’t get tossed this time. It was a victory. At the same time I know that when I start playing softball or old man baseball again I will get fired up, and probably like Zambrano tossed out. If I go into coaching I will probably have arguments with the umpires and hopefully they will not be like this classic Minor League blow up…talk about nukes. This one is for the ages:
http://www.fandome.com/video/102293/Mississippi-Braves-Manager-Goes-Crazy/
Anyway, I do thank the Deity Herself from keeping me safe from my own tirades and am glad for all those who help me stay in the game and keep my head now. Because of them and others who have both helped and protected me in the past I hope to be able to mentor and teach others.
Filed under Baseball, Foreign Policy, Loose thoughts and musings, Military, PTSD
Tagged as Army, Baseball, carlos zambrano, chaplain conference, chaplain officer advanced course, chaplain officer basic course, chernobyl, chicago cubs, church softball, cold war, eam emergency action message, fallout patterns, germany, india pakistan conflict, indian navy, kim jung il, minor league meltdowns, navy, nbc defense, north korea, nuclaer weapon tests, pakistani navy, PTSD, romulans, softball, umpires, uss hue city, vulcans
Things I don’t get-Why do songs from my past get stuck in my head? Also Judge Sotomayor, Savior of Baseball
On Monday Friday of last week I went into work after two days of leave to hang out in the hospital with Judy and then after her release help her out a bit and ensure that she suffered no relapse. I stopped by the little coffee shop called the Dancing Goat for my 24 ounce cup of Southern Pecan (this shop does not have French Vanilla) coffee with 4 French Vanilla Creamers and 4 packets of Splenda. While I was there Pat, the lady who runs this shop and ensures that I get my free cups of coffee as I fill up my frequent flier card, had her boom box radio on. She usually has a station that plays R&B or R&B-Pop crossover classics playing in the background This particular morning as I was talking to Pat and fixing my coffee the radio station was playing a song from back in my high school days came on the radio. As I fiddled with my creamers and Splenda I heard Play that Funky Music White Boy by the Ohio players. I found myself flashing back to my days at Edison High School in Stockton California. The song got into my head. The whole day and night since I had the duty I found myself walking down the hallways singing and sometimes dancing to “And they were dancin’ and singin’ and movin’ to the groovin’ and just when it hit me, somebody turned around and started saying: Play that funky music white boy, play that funky music white, play that funky music white boy. Lay down and boogie and play that funky music ‘til you die, ‘til you die. As I did this I would occasionally draw the attention of staff members or visitors. I would kind of smile and say: “Sorry I hate it when that happens to me.” Unfortunately it happens far too regularly and I don’t understand why. Maybe one of my Psychciatry or Neurology colleagues can provide an answer. Judy would just tell me that I’m nuts, however this is not a clinical diagnosis, unlike my PTSD.
I couldn’t help it. I was consumed by this Ohio Player’s hit; every time I turned around I was singin’ “play that funky music white boy,,,” It was wild. Now I have had this happen with other hits from high school which once I hear them I can’t get them out of my head. A month or so ago it was the Commodore’s She’s a Brick House, a week ago it was the Top Gun Anthem. A couple weeks before that it was Wild Thing from Major League. I can’t help it, these songs get in my brain and I can’t let go. It sometimes reaches the level absurdity when I find myself singing Mel Brooks movie songs like Blazing Saddles, The Inquisition, Springtime for Hitler and High Anxiety. I don’t care what song it is, if I heard it back in high school or my first couple of years of college the song will stick and I won’t be able to rid myself of it. If you haven’t has someone walk in an elevator or come around a corner unexpectedly when you are “movin’ and a groovin,” you really can’t understand. The problem is it doesn’t have to be this song. It can be any song. It is scary and I just don’t get it.
When I was in high school my class was the first to go through high school under the “forced busing” program. The white guys and gals from the North Side were bussed down to Edison High School on the South Side. Over the years Edison’s demographics had become overwhelmingly Black, Hispanic and Asian. When the whites, Hispanics and Asians from the North side showed up it was culture shock, but not in a bad way. Our class was about 25% each of White, Black, Asian and Hispanic (Mexican.) We became the “Soul Vikes” and enduring friendships between kids of different races were formed which remain to this day. I think that our class was a prototype of the new America. Our 30th reunion was great and I am honored to be a part of the 1978 Soul Vikes. This experince helped me to come to love and appreciate R&B and soul. I may not have rythem or dance, but I love to be Movin’ and a groovin’.”
The fact that I am a proud member of the Soul Vikes of 1978 is not the issue. The thing that I don’t understand is just how a song that I haven’t heard in years takes over my life, even if only for a day. To me this is a mystery one of the things that I term: Things that I don’t get. If you see me doing this humor me.
Judge Sotomeyor: Savior of Baseball: Back in 1995 Baseball was faced with its most serious crisis. A player’s walk out that lasted well over 200 days. The MLB management was content to let things ride and it was getting close to the point of no return. Americans were rapidly becoming fed up with both the players and the owners, especially the owners. It was then Judge Sotomayor who stepped in and ended the crisis. She has been credited by many writers and players with saving the game. She has come under criticism by many and some like George Will, a baseball historian who I greatly admire take issue with this. However at the time the players and owners were on a self destructive path that could have destroyed the game. Baseball, it’s management at leadership among the owners and players union officials is far from perfect, but had they continued on the course that they were on in 1994-1995 it would have killed the game. Judge Sotomayor’s ruling, which favored the players unions did save the game from itself. As far as the rest of her record I have only superficially looked at it. She seems to be more liberal than some conservatives would like and more conservative than some liberals would like. Time will tell what kind of justice she will be should she be approved. Like any Justice she will be judged on her record. I do pray if she is confirmed that she will be true to the Constitution, law and people. Apart from that, as a member of the Church of Baseball, Harbor Park Parish, I will always be thankful for her actions in 1995.
Steve+
Filed under Baseball, Loose thoughts and musings, Political Commentary, things I don't get
Tagged as baseball strike of 1994-1995, blazing saddles, coffee, edison high school, george will, high anxiety, history of the world part one, judge sotomeyor, major league, major league baseball, mel brooks, ohio players, play that funky music white boy, playin' with the boys, she's a brick house, soul vikes, springtime for hitler, the dancing goat, the inquisition, the producers, top gun anthem, wild thing
Life’s Tough…It’s Tougher When You’re Stupid- The Peril of Misusing Principles, Attributes and Quotations Out of Context
I am cursed with having been born with a logical and analytical mind. As such it is a cross that I bear. This may sound pompous and even arrogant but unfortunately it is true. I am confronted every day with people, some of who that I love and adore who use principles and attributes badly and make themselves look foolish. Sometimes even bordering on being stupid. Often this involves personal hurts where because of something that was said or done a person makes a quantum leap intol illogical absurdity. For example, “My boss yelled at me thus my career is over.” That may or may not be true but it is not a foregone conclusion. Likewise something like this: “My friend did not call me back, they must hate me.” What is worse for hurt people is when they find a quote taken out of context and use it in an illogical manner. I had a dear friend do this the other day. I cannot break any confidence but I basically told my friend that if someone was wrong in something they said about my friend that my friend should tell them to go to hell. I also told my friend that if what the other person was true then that he needed to deal with it and make whatever corrections necessary.
I find that the use of principles and attributes as a lazy way for people to try to look intelligent. A person who uses them in such manner as a way to prove a point neither understand the principles or attributes of what they think that they understand. If physicians or scientists approached life in that manner we would be in big trouble. Yet we see it all the time in religion, popular philosophy, pop-psychology, popular leadership and management programs.
My friend made a comment on a social networking website regarding assumptions. It was a bad use of a bad quote, probably taken out of context, unless the person quoted was an idiot, which after reading stuff about him I believe that he is. The quote was by Don Miguel Ruiz and said: “The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth” There is a big problem with this. Good Old Don Mike is an idiot. Assumptions are how logical people begin the process of discovery through inductive and deductive reasoning. The problem with Don Mike is that he assumes that people who assume use assumptions in ignorance. You see Don Miguel is a “spiritual” teacher, and as a spiritual man of course he operates above logic. He lives in the world of unreality and illogic, however it looks like he makes good money doing it. Guys like this are actually dangerous because they say things that sound neat, but are absolutely idiotic. Now can we make bad assumptions about ourselves or others? Definitely. Crap I do it all the time, however that does not lessen the value of making and acting on assumptions. If the assumption is wrong, you re-assess and move forward. If someone makes an assumption about you which is wrong you don’t throw out the value of making informed decisions based on evidence and from that evidence making assumptions about how to proceed in the future. This can be in personal, financial, career, spiritual or any other dimension of life. We all make assumptions about ourselves and others and based on those assumptions live our lives.
Let’s take this quote about assumptions. Every month that we work we assume that we will get paid. It is part of the deal. We sign a contract or have a set pay scale and pay days. In the military we get paid on the 1st and the 15th of the month. I assume that when I read my pay advisement that that money will be in my bank account on the date the advisement says that it will. I operate on the assumption that I will be paid. If I am unemployed and have run out of unemployment benefits this may not be so. I should make the assumption that unless I get a job that I will not be able to buy my dog Milk Bones. True, Molly would not be happy about this but I would be a fool to assume that I will have money. This may happen. I may get a job or someone may help me out but I do not assume this to be the case.
One of the worst ways I see this is with religious people. Some of my fellow Christians for whatever reason believe that somehow God owes them. This of course comes from the “name it claim it, grab it stab it, God owes me because” heresy of the prosperity preachers. Unfortunately this crass, insipid and idiotic “theology” is not based on the assumption that God cares about them. It is however the presumption that because I did something that God is contractually bound to do it. It assumes wrongly that the Bible, believe a particular doctrine, give my money to the church or a ministry, or pray a certain way that God is obligated to do things the way that I want. This is an error of presumption as well as a theological heresy. It “cherry picks” scripture, something called “proof texting.” This is simply lifting the part of scripture that we like from its historical, cultural and theological context and arbitrarily determine that it means what we want it to mean. God loves us and cares for us but does not owe anyone anything. The Deity Herself assures me of this. The way I see it is that God is no respecter of persons, even me. Thus, I cannot presume on God.
Moving back to the topic of the misuse of principles and attributes by those who presume to be intelligent or spiritual: Principles and attributes have to be understood in context in order to be used correctly. Context includes the meaning of the writer or the person quoted. The context matters if we are to correctly interpret principles of life made by any individual. The Enlightenment Philosophers and Theologians called is the “situation in life, or Sitz im Leben. Things do not occur in a vacuum and how people arrive at their conclusions is as much a part of their environment and experience as the end product.
We see this in a number of ways. I love reading amateur historians, political or military pundits do this with the great military thinkers. I particularly get a kick out of people who quote Sun Tzu or Clausewitz out of context to make some point. I see this often. You can go to any bookstore and pick up a book of quotes or principles derived from some philosopher, theologian, military, business or political leader. They are usually entitled something like this: The Leadership Principles of __________. On occasion you might find a book of quotes, again usually out of context called ____________ Rules for Success in Life. Abe Lincoln and Winston Churchill are two of the most quoted in this manner. People love to do this with quotes of Jesus taken from the Gospels, of course who would argue with God incarnate. The problem is that the quotes are usually taken out of context and not congruent with the basics of the Christian faith. Even Scripture is abused in this manner. This is not assumption, it is presumption.
I remember a book entitled The Attributes of God which I read back in college. The problem with the book, from a Christian perspective, and the author was a Christian; was not that it’s assumptions about certain characteristics or attributes of God was wrong, it was the fact that God was approached through attributes rather than from the Cross. One does not know God simply through studying his attributes. If you are a Christian you know God through Christ who you know through the Cross, not just sayings of Jesus taken out of context. A person is not the sum of their attributes.
The same is true with those who quote various philosophers, theologians, political or military leaders out of context. People love to do this with Sun Tzu and Clausewitz. I have lost count of the books I have seen published in recent years that do this. To understand Clausewitz one has to understand the Enlightenment, Classic German Liberalism including the Philosophy of Kant, Hegel and Kierkegaard as well as the theology of theologians such as Scheilermacher. Clausewitz properly understood is more than a political-military philosopher but a man who understands the human condition. To reduce his work to cool quotes is to miss the point. Since most people can’t spell or correctly pronounce “Scheilermacher” I am sure that they have not read him. Same is true with Kant, Hegel and Kiekegaard. Without understanding this or Prussia’s defeat and and occupation by Napoleon’s Army and the subsequent recovery, one does not understand Clausewitz. Clausewitz deals with the human condition as amuch as he deals with political and military philosophy.
Now of course I chose the historical, military and religious examples because that is my academic background. However, to do this one uses all the facts that one has, analyzes them, evaluates them and uses deductive reasoning to determine the “truth” based on the facts on hand. However we have to understand that we never have all the facts, and that even “facts” that we have might not withstand the test of time or further examination. This is true in history and the sciences. It also has some basis in faith, which is why I prefer the historic Anglican-Catholic triad of Scripture, Tradition and Reason versus a Scripture alone or Scripture and Tradition basis for faith. Will I always be right? No, but I will use my errors to discover truth and not be content to remain in them. To plan we make assumptions about the future. Those assumptions must be tested as the situation develops. In Medicine physicians when diagnosing a condition make a differential diagnosis. It is a manner of testing our assumptions based on the facts on hand. The military uses a planning process in which assumptions are tested. Assumptions based on the evidence that we have are essential to planning for the future. Again this goes for personal matters as well. To quote MCDP-5 Planning, the Marine Corps Planning Process:
“the defining features of the planning challenge are uncertainty and time. More than anything else, considerations of time and uncertainty dictate our approach to planning. All planning is based on imperfect knowledge and involves assumptions about the future. All planning by definition is future-oriented, and the future by nature is uncertain. No matter how determined we are to be fully prepared for a situation, there are finite limits to our ability to plan for the future. The more certain the future is, the easier it is to plan.”
This is not easy, but making assumptions and planning for an uncertain future is far better than quoting people out of context to make it look like we have things figured out when we have never seriously studied them. As Sergeant Striker (John Wayne) said in the Sands of Iwo Jima: “Life’s tough, it’s tougher when you’re stupid.” Living life based on unstudied principles and attempting to determine the nature of someone by their attributes is not logical or rational. We have to be careful. This may not seem to be too spiritual but as Jesus said “Be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves.” Or as a Trekkie might say: Be as crafty as a Romulan but peaceful as a Vulcan.
Filed under Loose thoughts and musings, philosophy, Religion
Tagged as anglican, assumptions, classic german liberalism, clausewitz, differential diagnosis, don miguel ruiz, enlightenment, god, hegel, jesus, john wayne, kant, kirkergaard, marine corps planning process, mcdp-5, prosperity gospel, sands of iwo jima, schleiermacher, scripture, scripture reason tradition, sitz im leben, sun tzu, the attributes of god
Memorial Day 2009- Thoughts and Musings
I am again at the Medical Center on duty, but this not a bad thing. Before I begin my post I want to direct you to the post of the Abbess of the Abbey Normal and her thoughts on this Memorial Day. Her post is linked here: http://abbeynormalabbess.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/memorial-day-musings/
I Have also posted several links in this article. Peace, Steve+
Conaway Cemetery Portsmouth Naval Medical Center
I have been thinking a lot about the significance of Memorial Day the past week. I think about it more now than I used to. Now I have always thought a lot of it and observed it the best that I could. Yet having now been “boots on the ground” in Iraq travelling about the battlefield to take care of the spiritual needs of American Marines and Soldiers serving as advisers with the Iraqi Army, Police and Border forces it has more meaning. I am now a combat veteran. Last year I joined the VFW. I came back from the war different, PTSD kind of goons you up sometimes. I spent most of the past 15 months dealing with this, not sleeping and being in chronic pain. I’m now doing much better. In part this is due to the support I have at home and a work and the fact that I am no longer isolated. Being on staff at our Naval Medical Center has been good for me and I do not resent being the Duty Chaplain on this Memorial Day. I have far too many wonderful people I work with here to think anything like that. It is an honor to serve here with such fine people, Physicians, Nurses, Chaplains and other medical and support staff.
Another View Conaway Cemetery
Today has been really good no matter how the night goes. I participated in the annual Memorial Day observance at the historic Naval Cemetery on our grounds. It is but a mere two acres of land and dates to 1838 when it was established to allow the remains of those who died far from their homes repose. It has Navy Sailors, Marines and their families. It also holds the remains of Sailors from Great Britain, Russia, Germany, Japan and Brazil who died in the Norfolk area. Additionally the remains of Sailors of the Confederate States Navy are buried here. The service was organized by the Local Chapters of the Fleet Reserve Association, supported by the local Boy Scout troops and attended by veterans, active duty members and dignitaries from the City of Portsmouth City Council and a State Senator. It was a simple yet moving ceremony which involved a wreath-laying as well as Amazing Grace played on the Bagpipes and Taps. Our Color Guard presented the colors and our Commanding Officer, Rear Admiral Kiser was the guest speaker. Local news services were on hand to televise it, just as they televised others services throughout the region. One of these was on the Battleship USS Wisconsin which is the centerpiece of the local maritime museum at Norfolk’s Nauticus venue.
Our hospital is interesting. It dates to 1826 and is the first Naval and for that matter military hospital in our country. The motto here is First and Finest. Building One is the original hospital. It has a glass dome which at one time lighted the operating theater. It now is our command building with other administrative offices. The hospital has served in peace and war and was instrumental in the 1850s in caring for the victims of the Yellow Fever epidemic. It is now a teaching hospital and multi-faceted medical center with a national reputation.
The time at the service was neat as I mixed with our veterans of World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the current wars. Many proudly displayed their medals, ribbons and badges. When the National Anthem was played these men and women saluted as smartly as when they were on active duty. Many are involved with local veterans groups and some are volunteers at our hospital taking time to care for the needs of our patients and families. Among the dignitaries was Councilman Charles Whitehurst who is a member of the small historically black Episcopal Church where I worship. Mr. Whitehurst enlisted in the Marines in 1955 and rose through the enlisted ranks to Sergeant, was appointed as a Warrant Officer and the Commissioned as an Officer. He retired as a Major after Vietnam. Afterward Admiral Kiser was the Grand Marshal of the Portsmouth Memorial Day Parade, which is the oldest and longest running in the nation. A link to a local station’s coverage of this event is here: http://www.wvec.com/video/index.html?nvid=364992&shu=1
I was able to catch a glimpse of President Obama’s wreath laying at Arlington National Cemetery where in in short and solemn remarks he noted: “Why in an age when so many have acted only in pursuit of narrowest self-interest have the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines of this generation volunteered all that they have on behalf of others,” he said. “Why have they been willing to bear the heaviest burden?”
“Whatever it is, they felt some tug. They answered a call. They said ‘I’ll go.’ That is why they are the best of America,” Obama said. “That is what separates them from those who have not served in uniform, their extraordinary willingness to risk their lives for people they never met.”
I think that his remarks were perfect and honored those who serve now and those have gone before us.
The last service of this type that I attended was at the US Cemetery at Belleau Wood, France. It is the site of the battle in which the Marines in their first battle of World War One turned back the assault of the German Army which was advancing on Paris and launched a counter-attack. I was with Marines of the Marine Security Forces who were conducting a joint memorial service with French Marines. The next day I visited Normandy with the Marines and taught classes to them on the battle, looking at it from the German perspective. The day prior to the service I taught parts of the “staff-ride” of the battlefield discussing various aspects of World War one tactics, weaponry and equipment.
With Marines at Normandy
This is also most likely the last Memorial Day that my father will be alive. He served as a Navy Chief Petty Officer and retired in 1974. In 1972 he served “boots on the ground” at the city of An Loc which was surrounded for 80 days by the North Vietnamese Army. He was my inspiration to serve in the military. There are many veterans of World War Two, Korea and Vietnam who like him are in the twilight of their lives. I do pray that all will be remembered this Memorial Day. I was able to be with him the week before last. I expect it will be the last time that I see him.
Ted Williams as USMC Aviator
One interesting thing that I want to mention before I close was the effort that many professional ball players made back in World Wars One, Two and Korea. Some of the top players of all time gave up some of their prime playing years to serve. Christy Matthewson served in the Army in France during World War One. He was gassed and developed Tuberculosis and died at the age of 45 in 1925 never playing again. Yogi Berra served as a Navy Gunners Mate at D-Day. Ted Williams served in both WWII and Korea as a Marine Corps fighter pilot. He lost nearly 5 seasons to his service. One who studies statistics in baseball might want to extrapolate the numbers that Williams might have had if he had played on instead of serving. Hank Greenberg the first Jewish Major League superstar was drafted in 1940 and released just before Pearl Harbor when Congress voted to send men over 28 home. He then re-enlisted, was commissioned and served in the China-Burma-India Theater. Joe Dimaggio enlisted in the Army Air Force and served 2 ½ years from 1943-1945. Bob Feller volunteered for the Navy on December 8th 1941 and spent 4 seasons on the USS Alabama as a gun captain. Pee Wee Reese served in the Navy in the Pacific while Jackie Robinson served as an Army Officer and Larry Doby served in the Navy before breaking the color barrier to play Major League baseball. Whitey Ford, Willie Mays, Eddie Matthews and Ernie Banks were all called up for Korea along with Williams. Roy Gleason of the Dodgers was the last player to earn the Purple Heart as an Army Sergeant in Vietnam. Of course the world has changed. We have an all volunteer military no current Major League players, or for that matter NBA, NFL or NHL players serve in the military but many donate time and money to support military members and their families including Giant’s pitcher Barry Zito and Orioles pitcher Jamie Walker. Working with USAA these men have founded a non-profit group called “Strikeouts for Troops. A link to that organization is here: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3462236/9644105
Pat Tillman a defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals enlisted after 9-11 and was killed during a “friendly fire” incident while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan. He has been the only NFL, MLB, NHL or NBA player to volunteer for active duty in the current war.
Here are a few links to some baseball and veteran stories:
Link to video of Baseball Hall of Fame Player Monte Irvin talking about his service in World War Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKERxyAbg1w and link to Indians and A’s player Lou Brissie’s WWII experience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFwAXNR9q-k Jerry Coleman on his Marine Corps time as a dive bomber pilot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUlBgBxaWoY
Bob Feller’s, Buck O’Neal and Phil Rizzuto’s WWII memories: http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=bob+feller+american+veterans+&n=21&ei=utf-8&js=1&fr=yfp-t-105&tnr=20&vid=0001463818096 and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRyILkx_c2U
Link to Rick Monday’s saving the flag at Dodger Stadium in April 1976: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrV8QPQAhxo&feature=related
Let us remember our veterans, especially those who gave the last full measure to serve our country. Support the Honor and Remember flag campaign as well as the “Blue Star” and “Gold Star” families whose loved ones currently serve or have died on active duty in this time of war.
Filed under Baseball, History, iraq,afghanistan, Military, PTSD, vietnam
Tagged as afghanistan, an loc, arlington national cemetary, barak obama, barry zito, belleau wood, bob feller, buck o'neil, christy matthewson, conaway cemetery portsmouth, eddie matthews, ernie banks, fleet reserve association, gold star flag, hank greenberg, honor and remember flag, iraq, jackie robinson, jamie walker, jerry coleman, joe dimaggio, korean war, larry doby, lou bissie, marine security forces, memorial day, monte irvin, normandy, operation desert storm, pat tillman, pee wee reese, portsmouth city councilman charles whitehurst, portsmouth memorial day parade, portsmouth naval medical center, PTSD, rear admiral bob kiser, rick monday, roy gleason, strikeouts for troops, ted williams, usaa, vfw, vietnam war, whitey ford, world war i, world war ii, yellow fever, yogi berra
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Iman: You Get Better With Age
May 17, 2009 – 12:26 PM – 0 Comments
By Kevin Sessums Parade
More by Kevin
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‘Mrs. Obama is not a great beauty,” Iman says, startling me a bit. “But she is so interesting looking and so bright. That will always take you farther. When you’re a great beauty, it’s always downhill for you. If you’re someone like Mrs. Obama, you just get better with age.”
Legendary supermodel Iman, now 53, definitely knows something about great beauty—and honesty.
We are sitting in a chic bistro in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, and her golden, elongated beauty—Iman looks like a Modigliani portrait painted in honey—is swathed in an array of cashmere on this spring day.
See then-and-now photos of ageless supermodels from Iman to Cindy Crawford
For more than 20 years, Iman graced hundreds of magazine covers. She’s now a successful businesswoman with a new line of handbags and accessories to accompany her Iman skin care and fragrance line.
“I started the cosmetics in 1994 after I stopped modeling, out of my frustration as a woman of color not finding what I needed.”
Was it difficult being one of the first black supermodels?
“I did feel a bit ostracized,” Iman says. “You suddenly represent a whole race, and that race goes, ‘Well, that person does not represent our ideals of beauty.’ For lack of a better term, it becomes what it was like during slavery. One had the field n— and the house n—. There was this notion that I was chosen by white fashion editors to be better than the rest, which I am not. I did not like being thought of as the house n— whether it was spoken or whether it was understood. It always left a bad taste in my mouth. I call it ‘the politics of beauty’ because fashion can sometimes be an assault on one’s identity.”
Iman is the daughter of a diplomat, and she and her family became refugees in 1970 after her father’s Somali government fell during a coup. With only the clothes on their backs, the family fled to Kenya. She later studied political science at the University of Nairobi, and it was there that photographer Peter Beard discovered her.
See photos of models-turned-actresses
“He made up this weird story about finding me in the jungle,” Iman says. “But I had never been in a jungle! I understood what he was doing. I was an accomplice. Everyone, you see, needs a narrative.”
In 1977, Iman married NBA star Spencer Haywood. The couple had a daughter, Zulekha, now 30, and divorced in 1987. Five years later, Iman wed rocker David Bowie. They also have a daughter, 8-year-old Alexandria, who is known as Lexi. Almost a quarter-century separated Iman’s pregnancies.
“God! You’re making me sound even older than I am,” she says, cocking her cashmere beret. “People talk about the miracle of birth. No. There’s the miracle of conception. I did IVF, but nothing happened. So I began to think of adoption, and then I got pregnant. It was definitely a miracle.”
Was it difficult raising another baby so much later in life?
“The difference between rearing a child in your 20s and one in your 50s is one of patience,” Iman says. “I was at the height of my career when I had my first child, and I took her with me around the world. Then I had to root her in school. It was difficult to leave her behind. Now this one thinks she has it tough because both her old parents are at home with her all the time. When Lexi was about 4, she first saw a picture of David as Ziggy Stardust [one of Bowie’s flamboyant stage personas]. ‘Why is his hair orange?’ she wanted to know.” Iman laughs. “The makeup didn’t faze her.
See photos of fabulous Hollywood moms over 40
“David certainly has more of a sense of humor than the first man I married,” Iman continues. “With David, it’s a cabaret from morning to night. We can talk about literally anything—from fashion to religion.”
Does Iman still identify herself as a Muslim, the faith in which she was raised?
“I was never a practicing Muslim,” she tells me. “But I do consider myself a Muslim.” Iman’s first husband was a tall black athlete, and her second, when she married him in 1992, was known as The Thin White Duke. “For a Muslim,” I tell her, “You have rather catholic taste.”
Her laughter is heartfelt. “I do,” she says, continuing to laugh. “From men to books to everything.”
And with that, Iman excuses herself to head off to parents’ day at her daughter’s school.
“Lexi’s class has built a kind of diorama of a Native American village for all us moms to admire. Ah, my glamorous life,” she says with a maternal smile more beautiful—and private—than any she has ever displayed for a fashion photographer’s eager camera.
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Perceptual Labs
Brad Larson
Introducing Perceptual Labs
At Perceptual Labs, we apply leading-edge machine vision techniques to solve real-world problems on mobile devices and embedded computers. Machine vision is currently undergoing a revolution as a result of advancements in convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and they are a large part of the technologies in use at Perceptual Labs. Huge advances are being made every day in problems previously considered intractable, all through the use of CNNs or related technologies.
Why are they so useful? To answer that, I'd like to talk about how people have traditionally approached machine vision challenges.
Human-defined machine vision
Machine vision is the process of having a computer extract useful information from an image, video, or camera feed. That information can range from the simple, like what the average color of an image is, to the complex, like how many people were standing in front of a camera and where they are. We often take for granted how easy it is for us to look at a scene and understand what's present and where. However, try to write code to replicate even a small part of what people do every second and you'll find that this is one of the most challenging areas in computer science.
For decades, programmers have directly designed algorithms to operate on images and pull information from them. Many techniques have been developed to detect edges, corners, circles, lines, and other shapes. Points of interest and descriptors created from looking at the area around those points were used to recognize, match, and track various objects.
I've been personally fascinated by the acceleration of these machine vision algorithms using graphics processing units (GPUs). GPUs are built to handle massive amounts of parallel calculations on independent data, such as pixels in an image. Once relatively fixed in function, they've become more and more programmable to the point where modern GPUs can run fairly complex custom programs on large quantities of data.
In particular, I believed that GPUs had the potential to make machine vision practical on low power mobile and embedded computers. These camera-equipped handheld computers most people carry with them every day have so much untapped potential for helping to understand the world around us.
To that end, back in 2010 I experimented with GPU-accelerated video processing on the iPhone. In 2012, I built an open source framework around this called GPUImage to simplify GPU-accelerated image processing on iOS (and later Mac and Linux). I never could have predicted how widely this framework would be adopted, and among the diverse applications of it were many attempts at accelerating machine vision operations.
For tasks like object recognition and tracking, people had first attempted to design algorithms and operations for the entire process from taking in an image to delivering a result. I did this myself in pursuit of several problems, with mixed results.
Others attempted to use machine learning in various ways to solve parts of the problem. In the case of image classification, a popular approach was to use human-designed feature extractors (edge detection, feature detectors like SIFT, SURF, FAST, etc.) and machine learning for the final classification stages. It was generally assumed that a human had to be guiding at least some part of the design to create a competitive solution.
At about the time that I was starting to work on GPUImage in 2012, this all began to change. The annual ImageNet image classification challenge is a central place to gauge the state of the art in image classification software. In 2012, the winning entry used a convolutional neural network as described by Krizhevsky, Sutskever, and Hinton in their seminal paper "ImageNet classification with deep convolutional neural networks". Instead of having a feature extractor or classifier defined by a human, the entire network was trained from end to end on image data. It not only beat human-designed entries, those others weren't even close.
Neural networks as a concept have been around about as long as computing itself. They've gone through waves of popularity, each time coming back down to Earth after something limited their practical application. The first time, it was due to the fact that single-layer perceptrons provably couldn't solve certain problems. In the 1990s, interest grew around multi-layer neural networks. However, in a traditional neural network design, every neuron in a layer is connected to every neuron in a previous layer, and each of those connections has a separate weight to be learned. This leads to a combinatorial explosion of weights, which proved impractical to train and had the tendency to overfit training data. The interest in neural networks faded again.
A convolutional neural network is designed to address these shortcomings. Rather than connect every neuron between layers, it was found that you could use a fixed number of weights and simply move a window across a previous layer (perform a convolution) to generate output for the next layer. This reduced the number of weights required by orders of magnitude and let you build very deep networks (ones composed of many layers). This also turned out to be an operation that GPUs were ideally suited to run. For example, all of the edge detection operations I've written in GPUImage use convolutions and they can run in sub-millisecond times on the latest iOS GPUs.
For a great overview of the history of convolutional neural networks and their applications, I highly recommend the Nature review paper "Deep learning" by three of the pillars in the field: Yann LeCun, Yoshua Bengio, and Geoffrey Hinton.
I'll admit that at first, I wasn't convinced of the value of these techniques. I'd witnessed the problems of the mid-90's wave of interest in neural networks and been frustrated by their limitations in projects I'd worked on then. It took trying to solve an object recognition problem using FAST, SIFT, and related feature extractors, having that succeed less than 5% of the time, then testing out a stock CNN and have that work more than 90% of the time for me to sit up and pay attention. When I found my hand-coded processes unable to beat the results of even simple networks on complex problems, I was sold on their value.
Convolutional neural networks and the general techniques of deep learning (the design and training of neural networks with many layers) have proven to be applicable to an incredibly diverse range of problems. At Perceptual Labs, our focus has been on image processing on mobile devices and embedded hardware. We've been taking the lessons I learned in optimizing traditional machine vision algorithms for mobile GPUs and applying them to the design and deployment of CNNs on these low-power devices.
We've been able to perform image classification and object recognition:
The above examples are on live video from an iPhone using convolutional neural networks that we've designed and trained ourselves, deployed via an in-house software framework that works across iOS, Mac, and soon Linux. Our first public application using this technology is launching soon, and we'll be talking more about that and our other work in this blog.
I'm tremendously excited about the current pace of innovation in machine vision. If your organization has a unique, ambitious application in mind that would be enabled by high performance machine vision on mobile or embedded devices, and is looking for a partner to work with on this, please contact us.
Newer PostRealtime object detection on iOS
Perceptual Labscontact@perceptuallabs.com
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Chuck Spinney: Steven Walt’s Proof of Col John Boyd’s Strategic Theorem — Don’t Think, Just Keep The Money Moving….
Military, Officers Call, Strategy
Chuck Spinney
Boyd’s Theorem
(pounded with unrelenting ferocity into the heads of friends for over 30 years):
“People say the Pentagon does not have a strategy
They are wrong. The Pentagon does have a strategy; it is:
Don’t interrupt the money flow, add to it.”
— Col. John R. Boyd (U.S. Air Force, ret.)*
Fighter Pilot, Tactician, Strategist,
Conceptual Designer, Reformer
Now read the attached opinion piece to see why Steven Walt’s last sentence is dangerously wrong.
Lesson: If you want to understand U.S. foreign policy and U.S. military strategy, you need to climb down from Mount Olympus and dig into the dirt to discern and acknowledge its domestic roots.
Hint: A good place to start getting your hands dirty would be to investigate the real reasons why the Pentagon has refused to fix its corrupt and unauditable accounting system, a disgraceful state of affairs that is in violation of the law (i.e., the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990), not to mention the spirit and the letter of the Appropriations and Accountability Clauses of the Constitution (which, by the way, every member of the US government has taken a sacred unconditional oath to protect and uphold).
The Blaster
* New readers unfamiliar with Boyd and his seminal works will find an introduction and references to his strategic theories here, including especially Robert Coram’s highly readable biography, Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Little Brown).
Leaving Afghanistan: Not With a Bang, But a Whimper
Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy, 28/10/13
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/10/28/leaving_afghanistan_not_with_a_bang_but_a_whimper
One of the hardest things for a great power to do is reverse course when it’s made a strategic blunder, especially when it involves a war. Fred Ikle wrote a whole book about this problem — the classic Every War Must End — where he described many of political obstacles that getting in the way of cutting one’s losses and either making peace or just getting out. You know some of the reasons: politicians don’t like to admit they screwed up, the fallacy of “sunk costs” continues to drive policy, the military doesn’t like admitting defeat, etc. And even when the decision to end a war is made, it usually takes longer to get out than it should.
Case in point: Afghanistan. I don’t know if the United States and NATO could have achieved a meaningful victory in Afghanistan had the Bush administration not embarked on its foolish misadventure in Iraq. But it was clear by 2009 that doubling down in Afghanistan wasn’t going to produce an effective or fully legitimate Afghan government and wasn’t going to produce a strategically more favorable outcomefrom the perspective of U.S. interests. But President Obama decided to “surge” there anyway, mostly because he wanted to look tough on national security and feared the domestic backlash if he cut our losses and withdrew.
Now, some five years later, NATO and the U.S. are preparing to (mostly) leave. The corrupt Karzai government has been giving us a hard time about the terms under which the residual force would operate, however, and insisting that we accept their terms if we wanted to stay.
But instead of seizing this free gift and saying “da khoday pa amaan” (“goodbye” in Pashto), Secretary of State Kerry and other U.S. officials have done a full-court press to persuade Karzai & Co. to let us keep pouring resources into this bottomless pit. To do that, reports the New York Times, U.S. officials “are planning a more minimalist mission, with a force consisting of fewer combat trainers and more military managers to ensure that billions of dollars in security aid are not squandered or pilfered.”
I have two comments. First, if you’ve read any of the reports from the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), you’d know that vast sums of money have been squandered already. It therefore beggars belief that we’re going to do a better job of monitoring Afghan spending of our aid programs with a smaller force. Bottom line: a lot of the money spent in the future is just going to disappear.
Second, this whole enterprise looks like a can-kicking, face-saving operation, precisely the sort of long, drawn-out end that Ikle and others have described. In this regard, it is revealing to read what retired general David Barno, who led U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2003-05, told the Times we are going to get for this extra effort (my emphasis):
“The most important thing we can do is keep writing checks so the Afghan National Security Forces can remain funded – fuel, food, weapons, salaries. . . If that continues, they will be at least able to maintain a stalemate with the Taliban, and that is enough to keep the state up and running.”
That’s right: more than ten years of war, and we’ve managed to create a corrupt central government that cannot defeat the Taliban (who aren’t getting $4 billion a year in US aid, by the way). The government can manage a stalemate, but only if Uncle Sucker keeps thousands of troops there and keeps the money flowing. . . presumably forever.
I don’t quite know how to describe this policy, but I sure wouldn’t use the word “strategy.”
[emphasis added]
CategoriesMilitary, Officers Call, Strategy
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Next PostNext Stephen E. Arnold: Better Data Is Out There [Just Not From the US Government, or the Banks, or the Corporations, or Most Universities and Media….]]
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by Tom Breihan
"Weird Al", Flea to Join Pixies
For benefit shows
At a December 8 benefit show at the Echoplex in L.A., ["Weird Al" Yankovic](http://pitchfork.com/artists/10976-weird-al-yankovic/ ""Weird Al" Yankovic" ) will sing a Pixies song with members of the Pixies. This will obviously be an incredible thing to see.
Yankovic will sing the Doolittle jam "I Bleed". But maybe if we bug him enough, he'll subject a Pixies song or two to the "Weird Al" treatment. "Here Comes Your Spam"? "This Monkey's Gone to 7-11"? This needs to happen.
The show is one of two benefits, taking place December 8-9 at the Echoplex and the Echo, to raise money for Winston's Village, which supports the family of Winston Bertrand, a nine-month-old baby born with lymphatic and venous malformations, two rare and life-threatening conditions.
Pixies frontman Black Francis will host the events. He'll perform solo as well as with members of the Pixies (including Flea filling in on bass!) and with the Grand Duchy, his duo with wife Violet Clark. The December 8 show will also feature performances from members of Love and Rockets and She Wants Revenge, as well as Michael Penn and the 88.
The next night, Francis will host an evening of comedy. The bill includes Tim and Eric, Bob Odenkirk, Brian Posehn, and Pixies drummer David Lovering. Francis will perform on both nights, which raises the absolutely intriguing possibility of a Black Francis stand-up comedy set.
Black Francis
Yankovic
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You are browsing the archive for watkin’s folly.
Adam Green - July 16, 2012 in architecture, Images, Images-19th, Images-Engraving-Line, london stump, non-article, tower competition, watkin's folly
A selection of the more inventive entries to a competition to design a new tower for London. The year previous, 1889, saw the hugely successful Eiffel Tower go up in the centre of Paris, and the good people of London, not to be outdone, decided to get one of their own. A wonderful array of designs were put forward. Many were suspiciously similar to the Eiffel Tower and many erred on the wackier side of things, such as Design no.19, the “Century Tower”, reminiscent of a huge screw, and London Vegetarian Society’s design for an “aerial colony” which came complete with hanging vegetable gardens and a one-twelfth scale replica of the Great Pyramid on its summit. The very practical design number 37 by Stewart, McLaren and Dunn was eventually chosen to be awarded the 500 guinea prize-money and built in Wembley Park. Construction began in 1892 but the company in charge of the erection, The Metropolitan Tower Company, soon ran into problems including falling chronically behind schedule due to marshy ground and then financial difficulties which eventually led to their liquidation in 1889. Construction ceased after only 47 metres had been completed. The abandoned ‘tower’ (known as the Watkins Folly, or The London Stump) remained a spectacle in the park for a number of years before being deemed unsafe and blown up in 1904. Wembley Stadium ended up being built over the site for the 1923 British Empire Exhibition. When the stadium was rebuilt in 2000, the lowering of the level of the pitch resulted in the concrete foundations of the failed tower being rediscovered.
(All images extracted from Descriptive illustrated catalogue of the sixty-eight competitive designs for the great tower for London compiled and edited by Fred. C. Lynde (1890). See the book in its entirety, including descriptions and more design entries, here in our Text collections.
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Catalogue of the 68 competitive designs for the great tower for London (1890)
Adam Green - July 16, 2012 in architecture, competition, Eiffel Tower, london stump, london tower, non-article, texts, Texts: 19th, Texts: Non-fiction, Texts: Science, tower competition, watkin's folly, wembley
Descriptive illustrated catalogue of the sixty-eight competitive designs for the great tower for London compiled and edited by Fred. C. Lynde for the Tower Company; 1890; Industries, London .
A catalogue showing the entries for a competition to design a new tower for London. The year previous, 1889, saw the hugely successful Eiffel Tower go up in the centre of Paris, and the good people of London, not to be outdone, decided to get one of their own. A wonderful array of designs were put forward. Many were suspiciously similar to the Eiffel Tower and many erred on the wackier side of things, such as Design no.19, the “Century Tower”, reminiscent of a huge screw, and London Vegetarian Society’s design for an “aerial colony” which came complete with hanging vegetable gardens a one-twelfth scale replica of the Great Pyramid on its summit. The very practical design number 37 by Stewart, McLaren and Dunn was eventually chosen to be awarded the 500 guinea prize-money and built in Wembley Park. Construction began in 1892 but the company in charge of the erection, The Metropolitan Tower Company, soon ran into problems including falling chronically behind schedule due to marshy ground and then financial difficulties which eventually led to their liquidation in 1889. Construction ceased after only 47 metres had been completed. The abandoned ‘tower’ (known as the Watkins Folly, or The London Stump) remained a spectacle in the park for a number of years before being deemed unsafe and blown up in 1904. Wembley Stadium ended up being built over the site for the 1923 British Empire Exhibition. When the stadium was rebuilt in 2000, the lowering of the level of the pitch resulted in the concrete foundations of the failed tower being rediscovered.
(For more info see the Wikipedia article and also this blog where the pictures above came from. There is also a nice post on the subject over at London Particulars. Also check out our post in the Images collection for a selection of some of the more inventive designs.)
Open Library link
The life and death of Mr. Badman presented to the world in a familiar dialogue between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive (1900 edition)
The Dodo and its Kindred (1848)
Fancy Dresses Described or What to Wear at Fancy Balls (1887)
What to draw and how to draw it (1913)
Navaho Legends (1897)
A History of Mourning (1890)
The First Six Books of The Elements of Euclid (1847)
Paradise Found: the Cradle of the Human Race at the North Pole (1885)
A Manual of Gesture (1875)
Shin-Bijutsukai - Japanese Design Magazine (1902)
The Whole Booke of Psalmes collected into Englishe Metre (1584)
The Faerie Queene (1596)
The Practical Magician and Ventriloquist's Guide (1876)
How to Become a Magician (1882)
A Floral Fantasy in an Old English Garden (1899)
The Memoirs of Count Boruwlaski (1820)
Choregraphie (1701)
A Burlesque Translation of Homer (1797)
Geometrical psychology, or, The science of representation (1887)
Aino Folktales (1888)
Welsh Fairytales and Other Stories (1894)
Musaeum Clausum (1684)
An Account of a Fire-Ball, Seen at Hornsey, by William Hirst (1753)
Some Account of a Sheep Having a Monstrous Horn Growing from His Throat (1755)
A Theory of Pure Design: Harmony, Balance, Rhythm (1907)
An Alphabet of History (1905)
Natural History of Shakespeare; Being Selections of Flowers, Fruits, and Animals (1877)
The selection of Type is just as important as the selection of words (1939?)
Hand book of the carnival, containing Mardi-Gras, its ancient and modern observance (1874)
Original acrostics on all the states and presidents of the United States, and various other subjects (1861)
James Joyce's Chamber Music (1918 American Edition)
Madame Tussaud's Napoleon Relics, Pictures and Other Curiosities (1901)
Mythical Monsters (1886)
Yuletide Entertainments (1910)
Uriah Jewett and the Sea Serpent of Lake Memphemagog (1917)
The Eccentric Mirror: Reflecting a Faithful and Interesting Delineation of Male and Female Characters, Ancient and Modern (1807)
The attitudes of animals in motion, illustrated with the zoopraxiscope (1882)
The Diary of a Nobody (1919 edition)
Superstitions About Animals (1904)
Across the Zodiac: the Story of a Wrecked Record (1880)
Hydriotaphia/Urn-Burial and The Garden of Cyrus (1658)
Horse Laughs (1891)
Napoleon's Oraculum (1839)
Pirates (1922)
The Last American (1889)
The Danger of Premature Interment (1816)
English As She Is Spoke (1884)
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (1899)
The Book of Topiary (1904)
Wonderful Balloon Ascents (1870)
Cat and bird stories from the "Spectator" (1896)
Infant's Cabinet of Birds and Beasts (1820)
Castaway on the Auckland Isles: A Narrative of the Wreck of the "Grafton" (1865)
Letters From A Cat (1879)
Quarles' Emblems (1886)
The Medical Aspects of Death, and the Medical Aspects of the Human Mind (1852)
An account of the late improvements in galvanism (1803)
Armata: a fragment (1817)
Old French Fairytales (1920)
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Category: Sociology
The link between Trade Unionism and equality
November 29, 2014 September 9, 2018 · 16 Comments ·
In an article I wrote earlier this year – Conservatism in a nutshell – I outlined some basic themes of New Right Conservative ideology. I said:
Conservatives don’t like social spending or welfare – our safety net. That’s because when you’re unemployed and desperate, companies can pay you whatever they feel like – which is inevitably next to nothing. You see, the Tories want you in a position to work for next to nothing or starve, so their business buddies can focus on feeding their profits, which is their only priority. Cheap-labour conservatives don’t like the minimum wage, or other improvements in wages and working conditions. These policies undo all of their efforts to keep you desperate. They don’t like European Union labour laws and directives either, for the same reason.
Conservatives prioritise handing out our money to their big business partners, no matter what it costs us as a society. For example, a spending breakdown reveals how NHS funding has flowed to private firms, much of that money has gone to companies with corrupt ties to the Tories, whilst health care is being rationed, care standards have plummeted, services are cut, and by the end of the next financial year, health service workers will have had their pay capped for six years, prompting fully justified strike action.
Following the tide of sleaze and corruption allegations, Cameron “dealt” with with parliamentary influence-peddling by introducing the Gagging Act, which is primarily a blatant attack on trade unions (which are the most democratic part of the political funding system) and Labour Party funding, giving the Tories powers to police union membership lists, to make strike action very difficult and to cut union spending in election campaigns.
The Transparency of Lobbying, non-Party Campaigning, and Trade Union Administration Bill is a calculated and partisan move to insulate Tory policies and records from public and political scrutiny, and to stifle democracy. And there are many other examples of this government removing mechanisms of transparency, accountability and safeguards to rights and democracy.
We have witnessed a dramatic increase in levels of economic inequality this past four years, reflected in the fact that income differences between top earners and those on the lowest wages are now higher than at any time since records began. The UK now ranks as one of the most unequal societies in the developed world, even more unequal than the US, home of the founding fathers of neoliberalism. Our current levels of inequality have far exceeded the point at which campaigners need any further proof to show how socially corrosive and life-limiting the subsequent deepening poverty is.
Despite the legislative framework of Labour’s Equality Act, passed in 2010, there is a growing gender-based pay gap, continued abuse of agency workers, the problem of the two-tier work force and the contracting out of public services. Strong trade unions improve public services, too.
Speaking at a press conference on the first day of the 2014 TUC Congress, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
“The key message of this year’s congress is Britain needs a pay rise and I also expect many of the debates on the floor to focus on the importance of the coming general election for people at work.
Today, I want to highlight the threat posed by the Conservative Party’s promised manifesto proposals on strike ballots.
Because these proposals are designed to make unions weaker. And if unions become weaker, then the chances of people winning a pay rise, improving living standards and tackling inequality in Britain today will become a good deal harder.
The Conservative Party is not just proposing a few more bureaucratic obstacles that will make life a bit more difficult for trade unions.
Taken together, they would effectively ban strikes by the back door. And, on top of that, they would open up elected union leaders to increased surveillance by the state.
They are not just an attack on fundamental liberties. They will act to lower living standards for the majority of working people – whether or not they are union members.”
One half of the British population owns 9% of household wealth whilst the other half owns 91% of the wealth; and the five richest families in the UK are wealthier than the poorest 20% of the entire population.
Conservatives are always obsessed with “economic growth”, but we know from history that economic expansion in itself does not promote equality: it is the types of employment, the rules and structure of the economy and policies that matter most. Conservative governments always create high levels of inequality. Furthermore, they rarely manage to bring about the economic growth they promise. But recession due to reduced public spending is an inbuilt feature of neoliberalism, as we witnessed during the Thatcher era.
Inequality hinders growth in another important way: it fuels social conflict. However, social diversity has no negative impact on economic growth, despite what those on the blame-mongering Right would try and have us believe. It is economic policies that shape inequalities, not minority groups: they are the casualities of inequality not its creators.
Economic inequality is also about discrimination. Black and ethnic minority workers are disadvantaged in finding employment. Dismissal of pregnant workers is a widespread practice. Last year, the wage gap between men and women’s earnings increased and the progress previously made towards equal pay has been reversed.
Cameron’s government has mobilised resentment and fear on the part of relatively privileged social groups in relation to other subordinate or putatively threatening groups of politically defined Others – immigrants, unemployed people, disabled people, unionised workers, single mothers and so on.
Social inequalities and hierarchies are defended by Conservatives and secured in several ways. The defence of power, wealth and property, when threatened, tends to be micro-managed via rigid authoritarianism, through systems of mobilised prejudice and through free-market policies (the predictable effects of which are to transfer wealth upwards). All Conservative politics pivot on a fundamental commitment – the defence of privilege, status, and thus sustaining social inequality.
But it is only by shifting money from the high-hoarding rich to the high-spending rest of us, and not the other way around, that investment and growth may be stimulated and sustainable.
The Office of Budgetary Responsibility forecasts that the Coalition are facing a £17BILLION blackhole after the low pay that their own policies have strongly encouraged have caused a slump in tax payments to the treasury.
It is very clear that austerity is not an economic necessity, but rather, it is an ideological preference, used as a justification for “shrinking the State” whilst defending power, wealth and privilege.
The Coalition have introduced trade union laws which inhibit trade union recruitment, activity and collective bargaining. Employment rights are being removed, at a time when policies have reduced access to unfair dismissal protection and access to employment tribunals.
Trade unions are most effective when all workers are represented and therefore trade unionism encourages social inclusion. Collective bargaining and representational support will not work in the long term if some workers have substantially less to gain from the process than others.
For this reason, trade unions and the Labour Party have worked at eliminating sex, race and other forms of discrimination in the workplace. This has taken time, given how deeply ingrained inequalities have been in our society. We know that where trade unions are active, employers are more likely to have equal opportunities policies.
But for proper support of economic equality, trade unions need legal protection for their activities so they may operate freely and build effective social solidarity and promote egalitarianism. Trade unions seek increased participation by working people in the decisions that influence their lives and a fairer distribution of the nation’s wealth. That is the antithesis of Conservatism.
Freedom to speak out against injustice, to campaign for economic equality and to work together through trade unions are underpinned by rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). It’s no surprise that Cameron has pledged to exit the ECHR and to scrap Labour’s Human Rights Act.
To tackle economic inequality and build a fairer society, it is essential that trade-unions can operate freely and that collective bargaining is renewed. The impoverishment and exploitation of any one group of workers is a threat to the well-being and livelihood of everyone.
Building a future economy where the benefits of work and profit are shared requires legal reform in support of effective trade unions.
Lydia Hayes and Tonia Novitz from the Centre For Labour and Social Studies have written the following proposals, designed to change public policy, so that trade unions are better able to represent their members, by simplifying the statutory procedure for trade union recognition, and putting in place arrangements for sector-wide collective bargaining:
1. Introduce a legal framework through which trade unions can freely organise and engage in collective action to build economic equality.
2. Amend trade union recognition legislation so that all workers who choose to join a union can be represented in collective bargaining and other workplace matters.
3. Ensure the law provides for sectoral bargaining which can set minimum terms and conditions across an industry or a service sector.
4. Defend human rights which protect the functioning of trade unions (including rights to free speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of association).
5. Give trade unions access to workers and workplaces, so that they can advise on the benefits of membership and collective bargaining.
6. Enable workers to have access to information about trade unions at their workplace so that they can make an informed choice and easily join a trade union if they want to.
None of this will happen during the current government’s term, because Conservatism is in diametric opposition to trade unionism, equality, human rights and egalitarianism.
The Institute of employment Rights
Thanks to Robert Livingstone for the graphics.
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October 25, 2014 June 12, 2019 · 38 Comments ·
The European Convention on Human Rights, which came into force on 3 September 1953, guarantees a range of political rights and freedoms of the individual against interference by the State. The Convention came about as an international response to the horrors of World War Two, and the Holocaust.
Before the incorporation of the Convention, people in the United Kingdom could only complain of unlawful interference with their Convention rights by lodging a petition with the European Commission of Human Rights in Strasbourg. That all changed on 2 October 2000 when Labour’s Human Rights Act 1998 came into force, allowing UK citizens to sue public bodies for violations of their Convention rights in domestic courts.
David Cameron wants to scrap the Human Rights Act and has pledged to leave the European Convention. Human Rights are the bedrock of any democracy. He also wants to scrap consultations, impact assessments, audits, judicial reviews: all essential safeguards for citizens and mechanisms of democracy.
How policies are justified is increasingly being detached from their aims and consequences, partly because democratic processes and basic human rights are being disassembled or side-stepped, and partly because the government employs the widespread use of propaganda to intentionally divert us from their aims and the consequences of their ideologically (rather than rationally) driven policies. Furthermore, policies have become increasingly detached from public interests and needs.
A clear example of an ideologically-driven policy is the Welfare “Reform” Act, which is founded on a stigmatising, Othering narrative: benefit recipients are portrayed as the enemy that battles against fairness and responsibility. The mythological economic “free-rider,” a “burden on the state.” The “reforms” left people in receipt of lifeline benefits much worse off than they were, the word reform has been used as a euphemism for cuts.
Iain Duncan Smith’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a new propaganda scapegoating advertising campaign encouraging people to phone a hotline if they suspect somebody they know is fraudulently claiming benefits.
I’m sure that serious fraudulent claimants inform their friends and neighbours of their every activity, including holidays, sleeping arrangements, moments of intimacy and all of their benefit payment details, all the time, so that makes sense…
Mark Harper said: “Those who cheat the system need to know we will use everything in our power to stop them stealing money from hardworking taxpayers.”
Yet we know that there isn’t a real distinction between benefit claimants and hard-working taxpayers, as the Tories would have us believe. Many people on benefits are also in work, but are not paid a sufficient wage to live on. Most people claiming benefits, including disabled people, have worked and contributed income tax previously.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the poorest citizens, including people claiming benefits, pay proportionally more indirect taxes than the wealthiest citizens, such as VAT. The strivers/skivers rhetoric is simply a divert, divide and scapegoating strategy. Growing social inequality generates a political necessity for prejudices.
The real cost of out-of-work benefits is over-estimated in relation to the welfare bill for pensions and in-work benefits such as tax credits and housing benefit, obscuring the increasing role that the British state plays in subsidising the scandalously low wages paid by increasingly exploitative employers, in order to meet a minimum standard of living for the hardworking.
The hardworking taxpayer myth is founded on a false dichotomy, since it is estimated that around 70% of households claim benefits of one kind or another at some point in their lives. In the current climate of poor pay, poor working conditions, job insecurity, and high living costs, the myth of an all pervasive welfare-dependent something for nothing culture is being used to foster prejudice and resentment towards those unfortunate enough to be out of work. It also serves to bolster right-wing justification narratives that are entirely ideologically driven, which are aimed at dismantling the welfare state, while concurrently undermining public support for it.
As the Huff Post’s Asa Bennett points out, there are much bigger costs to the taxpayer that the government are reluctant to discuss.
For example, the tax gap, charting the estimated amount of taxes unpaid thanks to evasion, avoidance, error and criminality, soared to £34 billion, according to HM Revenue and Customs. This equates to £1 in every £15 owed in taxes not being collected last year.
The National Audit Office found that the Department for Work and Pensions had made £1.4 billion in declared benefit overpayments, an increase of nearly 6%.
Meanwhile, the DWP estimate that between £7.5 billion and £12.3 billion of the six main benefits it administered were left unclaimed in 2009/2010. On top of that. HMRC suggest that several billion pounds more is most in unclaimed tax credits, with childless families missing out on £2.3 billion worth. That’s a grand total of 22.1 billion that ordinary taxpayers aren’t claiming, even though they are entitled to do so.
Iain Duncan Smith’s Department have wasted an estimated total of £6,221,875,000.00 of taxpayers’ money on the implementation of Universal Credit and private company contracts, amongst other things. (See We can reduce the Welfare Budget by billions: simply get rid of Iain Duncan Smith ).
Duncan Smith’s claims that his policies are about fairness and saving taxpayers’ money, simply don’t stand up to scrutiny.
The policies are entirely ideologically-driven. We have a government that uses words like workshy to describe vulnerable social groups. This is a government that is intentionally scapegoating poor, unemployed, disabled people and migrants. One Tory councillor called for the extermination of gypsies, more than one Tory MP has called for illegal and discriminatory levels of pay for disabled people. A conservative deputy mayor said, unforgivably, that the “best thing for disabled children is the guillotine.”
These weren’t “slips”, it’s patently clear that the Tories believe these comments are acceptable, and we need only look at the discriminatory nature of policies such as the legal aid bill, the wider welfare “reforms” and research the consequences of austerity for the most economically vulnerable citizens – those with the “least broad shoulders” – to understand that these comments reflect how conservatives think.
This is a government that is using public prejudice to justify massive socio-economic inequalities and their own policies that are creating a steeply hierarchical society based on social Darwinist survival of the fittest neoliberal “small state” principles.
The Tory creation of socio-economic scapegoats, involving vicious stigmatisation of vulnerable social groups, particularly endorsed by the mainstream media, is simply a means of manipulating public perceptions and securing public acceptance of the increasingly punitive and repressive basis of the Tories’ welfare “reforms”, and the steady stripping away of essential state support and provision.
The political construction of social problems also marks an era of increasing state control of citizens with behaviour modification techniques, (under the guise of paternalistic libertarianism) all of which are a part of the process of restricting access rights to welfare provision and public services.
The mainstream media has been complicit in the process of constructing deviant welfare stereotypes and in engaging prejudice and generating moral outrage from the public:
“If working people ever get to discover where their tax money really ends up, at a time when they find it tough enough to feed their own families, let alone those of workshy scroungers, then that’ll be the end of the line for our welfare state gravy train.” James Delingpole 2014
Delingpole conveniently fails to mention that a majority of people needing lifeline welfare support are actually in work. He also fails to mention that while this government were imposing austerity on the poorest citizens, the wealthiest got generous handouts from the Treasury, in the form of tax breaks – hundreds of thousands of pounds each per year.
Poverty cannot be explained away by reference to simple narratives of the workshy scrounger as Delingpole claims, no matter how much he would like to apply such simplistic, blunt, stigmatising, dehumanising labels that originated from the Nazis (see arbeitssheu.)
This past four years we have witnessed an extraordinary breakdown of the public/private divide, and a phenomenological intrusion on the part of the state and media into the lives of the poorest members of society. (For example, see: The right-wing moral hobby horse: thrift and self-help, but only for the poor. ) Many people feel obliged to offer endless advice on thrift and self help aimed at persuading poor people to “manage” their poverty better.
Hannah Arendt wrote extensively about totalitarian regimes, in particular Nazism and Stalinism, which she distinguishes from Italian Fascism, because Hitler and Stalin sought to eliminate all restraints upon the power of the State and furthermore, they sought to dominate and control every aspect of everyone’s life. There are parallels here, especially when one considers the continued attempts at dismantling democratic processes and safeguards since the Coalition took office. Many policies are aimed at ‘incentivising’ certain behaviours and perceptions of citizens, using psychology to align them with political and defined economic goals. Citizens are increasingly seen by government as a means to an end.
Further parallels may be found here: Defining features of Fascism and Authoritarianism.
Between February 1933 and the start of World War Two, Nazi Germany underwent an economic “recovery” according to the government. Rather like the “recovery” that Osborne and Cameron are currently claiming, which isn’t apparent to most citizens.
This economic miracle, sold to the people of Germany, entailed a huge reduction in unemployment. However, the main reason for this was fear – anyone who was found guilty of being “workshy” (arbeitssheu) could then be condemned to the concentration camps that were situated throughout Germany. Hitler frequently referred to the economic miracle, whilst people previously employed in what was the professional class were made to undertake manual labour on the autobahns. People didn’t refuse the downgraded status and pay, or complain, lest they became Arbeitsscheu Reich compulsory labor camp prisoners, and awarded a black triangle badge for their perceived mental inferiority and Otherness.
Behaviour can be controlled by manipulating fear, using a pattern of deprivation. Benefit sanctions, for example, leave “workshy”people without the means to meet their basic survival needs and are applied for periods of weeks or months and up to a maximum of 3 years.
That the government of a so-called first world liberal democracy is so frankly inflicting such grotesquely cruel punishments on some of our most vulnerable citizens is truly horrific. It’s also terrifying that the media and the British public are complicit in this: they fail to recognise that the Social Darwinism inherent in Tory ideological grammar is being communicated through discourses and policies embodying crude behaviour modification techniques and an implicit eugenic subtext .
There were various rationales for the Nazi Aktion T4 programme, which include eugenics, Social Darwinism, racial and mental “hygiene”, cost effectiveness and the welfare budget.
The Aktion T4 programme used the term euthanasia as bureaucratic cover and in the minimal public relations efforts to invest what was essentially eugenics. It is clear that none of the killing was done to alleviate pain or suffering on the part of the victims. Rather, the evidence, including faked death certificates, deception of the victims and of the victims’ families, and widespread use of cremation, indicates the killing was done solely according to the socio-political aims and ideology of the perpetrators. The Nazis believed that the German people needed to be “cleansed” of the so-called racial enemies, but the Aktion T4 programme also included people with disabilities, the poor and the workshy.
Although many were gassed using carbon monoxide or killed by lethal injection, many more of these people deemed “life unworthy of life” were simply starved to death.
The Holodomor – “extermination by hunger” – was Joseph Stalin’s intentionaly inflicted famine, designed to destroy people in the Ukraine seeking independence from his rule. As a result, an estimated 7,000,000 people starved to death. The attitude of the Stalinist regime in 1932–33 was that many of those starving to death were “counterrevolutionaries” “idlers” or “thieves” who “fully deserved their fate”. In 2008, the European Parliament adopted a resolution that recognised the Holodomor as a crime against humanity.
Implementing policies that lead to members of vulnerable social groups starving, which is an INTENTIONAL political act, however, is not currently included in the UN Treaty definition of genocide. Nor are disabled people amongst the categories of groups protected by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
While I am very aware that we need take care not to trivialise the terrible events of Stalinist Russia and Nazi Germany by making casual comparisons, there are some clear and important parallels on a socio-political level and a psycho-social one, that I feel are crucially important to recognise.
Gordon Allport studied the psychological and social processes that create a society’s progression from prejudice and discrimination to genocide. In his research of how the Holocaust happened, he describes socio-political processes that foster increasing social prejudice and discrimination and he demonstrates how the unthinkable becomes tenable: it happens incrementally, because of a steady erosion of our moral and rational boundaries, and propaganda-driven changes in our attitudes towards politically defined others, that advances culturally, by almost inscrutable degrees.
The process always begins with political scapegoating of a social group and with ideologies that identify that group as the Other: an “enemy” or a social “burden” in some way. A history of devaluation of the group that becomes the target, authoritarian culture, and the passivity of internal and external witnesses (bystanders) all contribute to the probability that violence against that group will develop, and ultimately, if the process is allowed to continue evolving, extermination of the group being targeted.
Economic recession, uncertainty and political systems on the authoritarian -> totalitarian spectrum contribute to shaping the social conditions that seem to trigger Allport’s escalating scale of prejudice.
In the UK, the media is certainly being used by the right-wing as an outlet for blatant political propaganda, and much of it is manifested as a pathological persuasion to hate others. The Coalition clearly have strong authoritarian tendencies, and that is most evident in their anti-democratic and behaviourist approach to policy, human rights, equality, social inclusion and processes of government accountability.
Vulnerable groups are those which our established principles of social justice demand we intervene to help, support and protect. However, the Coalition’s rhetoric is aimed at a deliberate identification of citizens as having inferior behaviour. The poorest citizens are presented as a problem group because of their individual faulty characteristics, and this is intentionally diverting attention from wider socio-economic and political causes of vulnerability. Individual subjects experiencing hardships have been placed beyond state protection and are now the objects of policies that embody behaviourism, and pathologising, punitive and coercive elements of social control. Vulnerable people are no longer regarded as human subjects, the state is acting upon them, not for or on behalf of them.
People are still debating if Stalin’s Holodomor conforms to a legal definition of genocide, no-one doubts that Hitler’s gas chambers do, though Hitler also killed thousands by starvation.
Our own government have formulated and implemented policies that punish unemployed people for being “workshy” – for failing to meet the never-ending benefit conditionality requirements which entails the use of negative incentives, coercion and behaviour modification to “support” a person into work – by withdrawing their lifeline benefit. We also know that sanction targets have led to many people losing lifeline benefits for incoherent and grossly unfair reasons that have nothing to do with an unwillingness to cooperate or work.
Since benefits were originally calculated to meet basic living requirements – food, fuel and shelter – it’s inconceivable that the government haven’t already considered the consequences of removing people’s means of meeting these fundamental survival needs. Of course, the Tory claim that this draconian measure is to incentivise people to “find work” doesn’t stand up to scrutiny when we consider that there isn’t enough work for everyone, and certainly not enough work around that pays an adequate amount to actually survive on.
Furthermore, the Tories “incentivise” the wealthy by rewarding them with more money (such as the £107,000 tax break that was handed out to each millionaire every year from our own taxes by Osborne). It flies in the face of our conventional and established wisdom that reducing people to starvation and desperation will somehow motivate people to do anything other than to try and survive. (See Maslow’s Hierarchy, and two tragic accounts of the consequences of imposed sanctions.)
Tory austerity is all about ideology – the dehumanisation of the poor, and the destruction of public services and provisions – state infrastructure – and nothing to do with the state of the economy. It’s also about cutting money from the poorest and handing it to the wealthiest. Many economists agree that austerity is damaging to the economy.
There has been a media complicity with irrational and increasingly punitive Tory policies. But why are the public so compliant?
Decades of research findings in sociology and psychology inform us that as soon as a group can be defined as an outgroup, people will start to view them differently. The very act of demarcating groups begins a process of ostracisation.
As well as the political and social definitions of others, there also exists deeper, largely unconscious beliefs that may have even more profound and insidious effects. These are related to whether people claiming benefits are even felt to be truly, properly human in the same way that “we” are.
This is called infrahumanisation. Infra means “below”, as in below or less than fully human. The term was coined by a researcher at the University of Louvain called Jacque-Philippe Leyens to distinguish this form of dehumanisation from the more extreme kind associated with genocide.
However, I don’t regard one form of dehumanisation as being discrete from another, since studies show consistently that it tends to escalate when social prejudice increases. It’s a process involving accumulation.
According to infrahumanisation theory, the denial of uniquely human emotions to the outgroup is reflective of a tacit belief that they are less human than the ingroup.
Poor people, homeless people, drug addicts and welfare claimants are the frequently outgrouped. It is these most stigmatised groups that people have the most trouble imagining having the same uniquely human qualities as the rest of us. This removes the “infrahumanised” group from the bonds, moral protection and obligations of our community, because outgrouping de-empathises us.
This would explain why some people attempt to justify the cuts, which clearly fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable. This is probably why fighting the austerity cuts is much more difficult than simply fighting myths and political propaganda. I think the government are very aware of the infrahumanisation tendency amongst social groups and are manipulating it, because growing social inequality generates a political necessity for social prejudices to use as justification narratives.
During a debate in the House of Lords, Freud described the changing number of disabled people likely to receive the employment and support allowance as a “bulge of, effectively, stock”. After an outraged response, this was actually transcribed by Hansard as “stopped”, rendering the sentence meaningless. He is not the only person in the Department for Work and Pensions who uses this term. The website describes disabled people entering the government’s work programme for between three and six months as “3/6Mth stock”.
This infrahumanised stock are a source of profit for the companies running the programme. The Department’s delivery plan recommends using “credit reference agency data to cleanse the stock of fraud and error”.
The linguistic downgrading of human life requires dehumanising metaphors: a dehumanising socio-political system using a dehumanising language, and it is becoming familiar and pervasive: it has seeped almost unnoticed into our lives.
Until someone like Freud or Mellins pushes our boundaries of decency a little too far. Then we suddenly see it, and wonder how such prejudiced and discriminatory comments could be deemed acceptable and how anyone could possibly think they would get away with such blatantly offensive rhetoric without being challenged. It’s because they have got away with less blatantly offensive comments previously: it’s just that they pushed more gently and so we didn’t see.
It’s also the case that the government distorts people’s perceptions of the aims of their policies by using techniques of neutralisation. An example of this method of normalising prejudice is the use of the words “incentivise” and “help” in the context of benefit sanctions, which as we know are intentionally extremely punitive, and people have died as a consequence of having their lifeline benefit withdrawn.
As Allport’s scale of prejudice indicates, hate speech and incitement to genocide start from often subliminal expressions of prejudice and subtle dehumanisation, which escalate. Germany didn’t wake up one morning to find Hitler had arranged the murder of millions of people. It happened, as many knew it would, and was happening whilst they knew about it. And many opposed it, too.
The dignity and equal worth of every human being is the axiom of international human rights. International law condemns statements which deny the equality of all human beings.
As a so-called civilised society, so should we.
Techniques of neutralisation: Cameron says keep calm and carry on climbing Allport’s ladder
March 30, 2014 May 5, 2017 · 9 Comments ·
The Conservatives have deliberately created socio-economic conditions of austerity to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poorest. They have created cultural scripts that justify their policies, which also serve to alienate and demonise politically constructed categories of the other. Individuals in the most vulnerable social groups, as a consequence, experience feelings of being out-grouped, estrangement from their community and society, experience an outsider status and antagonism and aggression from other ingroups.
It’s recognised in social psychology that people define themselves to a large degree in terms of social groupings and generally, it seems people have a tendency to denigrate others who don’t fit into those groups, with a little prompting.
Others who share our particular qualities are identified as our “ingroup,” and those who do not are our “outgroup.” The Conservatives are basically manipulating an inclination we seem to have towards prejudice, in order to foster and extend social divisions and undermine social cohesion, by creating artificial categories of outgroups. The calculated “striver versus scrounger” rhetoric is one example of this.
Yet as humans we also possess a need to belong, and to be accepted by others. Conformity is one recognisable response of people managing feelings of rejection, of not belonging and of not being accepted. Division and isolation tends to foster obedience.
Alienation (isolation between groups also leads to engulfment within them, and some loss of identity) is the fundamental condition for inter-group conflict. The Asch conformity experiments were a series of laboratory experiments in the 1950s that demonstrated the significant degree to which an individual’s own opinions are influenced by those of a majority group.
Milgram demonstrated that conformity can take precedence over one’s own moral values and principles, and that authority figures and small-scale interactions within wider group behaviour can create significant barriers to individual autonomy.
Divide, diffuse, demoralise and divert certainly seems to be the current political strategy of governance.
However, although it is difficult to resist the majority opinion if each of us is isolated, follow-ups to the Asch experiment also showed that the number of dissenting voices among experimental subjects made a difference to the results – and that just one voice can make a difference amongst many, liberating others from the conformity and obedience tendencies.
Techniques of neutralisation are a linguistic and psychological method employed by people to develop a special set of justifications for their behaviour when such behaviour violates social norms and collective morality.
Such techniques allow people to neutralise and temporarily suspend their commitment to societal values, and to switch off their own “inner protests”, providing them with the freedom to commit deviant acts. Some people don’t have such inner protests – psychopaths, for example – but they may employ techniques of neutralisation to manipulate, and switch off the conscience protests of others.
It’s clear that this is a method frequently employed by the government and that the Tories systematically attempt to distort meanings, to minimise the impact of what they are doing.
For example, when they habitually use the word “reform” euphemistically, what they are referring to is an act that entails the removal of financial support. “Help” and “support” is Tory-speak that means to punish, to compel “behaviour change” (self-reliance without support from the state) and to remove further lifeline support from the group being threatened with Conservative “support”.
However, when people don’t have enough money to meet their basic needs – which is what welfare was designed to cover, originally (to meet the costs of food, fuel and shelter only) – they struggle and cannot meet higher level psychosocial ones. If people are left without the means to meet the costs of fulfilling their basic needs for long, they will die.
For example, the claim that the bedroom tax is “helping” people into work” or “helping child poverty” – when research shows that 96% of those affected by the bedroom tax can NOT downsize due to a lack of available homes in their area – is a completely outrageous lie. People can’t move as there is a housing crisis, which is due to a lack of affordable homes and appropriately sized accommodation.
How can policies that further impoverish the poorest citizens ever help them to find work or alleviate child poverty, as the government claims? It’s an astonishing lie.
This means that most people have to find extra rent costs from benefits that were calculated to meet only the costs of basic survival needs such as food and fuel, and furthermore, were calculated with the assumption that people on benefits also received full housing costs via housing benefit.
At a time when the cost of living has risen so steeply, and the value of benefits has actually decreased to the point where this essential support is now “manifestly inadequate” according to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, it’s inconceivable to regard the bedroom tax as anything other than grossly punitive to the most the poorest, disabled people and some of the most vulnerable citizens.
The idea of techniques of neutralisation was first proposed by David Matza and Gresham Sykes during their work on Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association in the 1950s. Matza and Sykes were working on ideas about juvenile delinquency, they theorised that the same techniques could be found throughout society and published their ideas in Delinquency and Drift, 1964.
They identified the following methods by which, they believed, delinquents/deviants justified their illegitimate actions, and Alexander Alverez identified these methods used at a sociopolitical level in Nazi Germany to “justify” the Holocaust:
Denial of responsibility. The offender(s) will propose that they were victims of circumstance or were forced into situations beyond their control. For example, the frequently cited statement that the perpetrator was “only carrying out orders from above.”
Denial of injury. The offender insists that their actions did not cause any harm or damage. For example, under the Nazi regime this took the form of special language which hid or disguised what was actually being done, euphemisms in which killing became “special treatment,” “cleansing”and many other similar examples.
Denial of the victim. The offender believes that the victim deserved whatever action the offender committed. For example, The Nazis ensured it was widely believed that Jews were involved in a conspiracy to enslave the whole world, so that killing them was self-defence. Although a fabrication, many Germans appeared to have believed it to be true.
Condemnation of the condemners. The offenders maintain that those who condemn their offence are doing so purely out of spite, or are shifting the blame from themselves unfairly. For example, claims made by the German government and the media that the other countries that were condemning the Nazis were historically guilty of worse crimes, such as the treatment of blacks and Native Americans in the United States and the treatment of native peoples in the French, British and Spanish colonies.
Appeal to higher loyalties. The offender suggests that his or her offence was for the greater good, with long term consequences that would justify their actions, such as protection of a friend/social group/nation. For example, German perpetrators of genocide thought of themselves as patriots, nobly carrying out their duty.Disengagement and Denial of Humanity is a category that Alverez added to those techniques formulated by Sykes and Matza because of its special relevance to the Holocaust. Nazi propaganda portrayed Jews and other non-Aryans as subhuman. Dehumanisation was explicitly orchestrated by the government. This also very clearly parallels Allport’s work, explaining how prejudice arises.
Any one of these six techniques can serve to encourage violence by neutralising the norms against prejudice, aggression and murder. To the extent that they are all implemented together, as they were under the Nazi regime, to that extent a whole society can seemingly forget its moral values and laws , in order to engage in wholesale prejudice, hatred and murder.
Our own government have deliberately manufactured and perpetuated misconceptions about disabled people via their rhetoric, intentional, strategic lies and manipulated statistics.
With the support of a conformist media, the coalition have officialised prejudice, scapegoating, vilification and alienation of already marginalised social groups, hatred – and they have given their permission for people to perpetrate hate crimes by their own negative role modelling.
Disability hate crime in 2011 was at its highest level since records began. Last year, it was also found that victims of disability hate crime are being let down by the criminal justice system and attacks are not being properly recorded, according to a report by three official inspectorates.
Recently, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have been reprimanded for series of rule breaches in which official statistics were used inaccurately, inappropriately, or to “spin” stories about benefit claimants in the media.
The Commons Work and Pensions committee cites examples where the UK Statistics Authority criticised the use of DWP statistics, including by the Secretary of State, Iain Duncan Smith, and Party Chairman Grant Shapps.
The Committee stated that the government was warned as early as 2011 to take more care over the way it presented information on benefits statistics to the media. Ministers had replied then by saying they had a “robust” system in place to ensure no abuses took place. But this was clearly a lie.
The committee notes, in a published report into DWP performance, that problems still remained and that the UK Statistical Authority had reprimanded the department a number of times in 2013 for the way it used welfare statistics.
The Department of Work and Pensions Select Committee report also highlights how government use of statistics are not being used objectively to shed light on policy implementation, they are being used instead to prop up misconceptions and established preconceptions. Anne McGuire said:
“The DWP ministers and its press office have been found guilty yet again of trying to pull the wool over the public’s eyes by its failure to be clear what exactly the statistics show.”
The DWP used its “new figures” to persuade two right-wing newspapers to run stories claiming that the rise in DLA claimants proved the need for reform.
The Sun newspaper claimed the number of DLA claimants on “handouts” was “soaring” at the rate of “one every ten minutes”, and that ministers believed the figures “proved they are right to scrap DLA from April” and replace it with the “tough” new PIP.
The Daily Mail claimed that a new DLA claimant was “signing on” every nine minutes, and that “the rush to secure the state payout is thought to be because its replacement will have tougher eligibility tests”. The article says:
“The cost to the taxpayer is now £13billion a year. An astonishing seven out of ten claimants – 71 per cent – have been offered the benefit for life without any checks to see if they still need it, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.”
The Daily Mail trivialising disability and illness. The caption reads – “Rise: A new applicant is signing on to claim DLA every nine minutes, the latest figures show”
“From April, DLA will gradually be replaced by the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is being introduced in an attempt to cut the nation’s benefits bill.”
Note the divisive dichotomy: tax payers are apparently a discrete group of people, portrayed as carrying the financial burden of this social group. However, both DLA and PIP are also classed as in-work support. Many disabled people claiming these benefits do so in order to remain independent and to support them in work. Both benefits were designed to meet the additional living costs that disabled people face because of their disability, to help them remain independent, and are not means tested.
A recent British Social Attitudes survey showed that the Tory austerity cuts may well have become aligned with public opinion, as views have hardened towards perceived “benefits scroungers”. This was a politically calculated outcome, and is used as a self-perpetuating justification for the government’s punitive policies that target the most vulnerable social groups.
It was both individual and collective behaviours that contributed to the Holocaust. Allport’s studies helped us to understand that severe, targeted, personally destructive scapegoating and bullying was a major part in the incremented stages of public acceptance of the unacceptable.
There are some thematic parallels between the social processes and history leading up to the Holocaust and the bigotry, prejudice and targeted bullying we are witnessing in our own society.
What really worries me is how it’s become everyday and almost ordinary to us. And how we fail to link micro and macro level prejudices and behaviours. Ordinary people become easily invested in the values of a morally bankrupt status quo and may participate in terrible behaviours that are seemingly unthinkable in civilised society. History has taught us that.
Perpetrators – in this case our own government – typically require assistance to manipulate the opinions of others, usually to portray their target as the miscreant. Allport’s Scale is a measure of the manifestation of prejudice in a society.
Gordon Allport is a psychologist who researched how the Holocaust happened. There are identifiable ideological parallels here. They are clear and real:
Stage 1. Antilocution. This is when speech is in terms of negative stereotypes and negative images. This is also called hate speech. It sets the stage for more severe outlets for prejudice. When a government does this, it is giving the public permission to hate others.
Stage 2. Avoidance: Members of the majority group actively avoid people in a minority group. No direct harm may be intended, but harm is done through isolation, and this may include also other forms of social exclusion.
Stage 3. Discrimination: Minority group is discriminated against by denying them opportunities and services and so putting prejudice into action. Behaviours have the specific goal of harming the minority group by preventing them from achieving goals, getting education or jobs, etc. The majority group harms the minority.
Stage 4. Physical Attack: The majority group may vandalize, burn or destroy minority group property and carry out violent attacks on individuals or groups. Physical harm is done to members of the minority group. Examples are lynchings of blacks, pogroms against Jews in Europe and British Loyalists in the 1700s. Incidents of hate crime against disabled people has risen massively since the Tories took office.
Final stage 5. Extermination: The majority group seeks extermination or removal of the minority group. They attempt to eliminate either the entire or a large fraction of a group of people (e.g., Indian Wars to remove Native Americans, lynchings of African-Americans, Final Solution to the “Jewish Question” in Nazi Germany, the Rwandan Genocide, and ethnic cleansing in the Bosnian War). When people deliberately or unthinkingly side with abusers to facilitate the destruction of a targeted victim/group, they play institutional roles very similar to the bureaucrats of the Nazi regime.
There are not just victim/target and perpetrator roles, bystanders play a key role in enabling perpetrators, too. Bystanders are not guilty of simply looking the other way. They are complicit in the abuse; often they are among the key enablers leading to the final elimination of the target. And whether that’s on the level of social groups that are being targeted, or individuals, it’s all part of the same methodology and ideology.
We know that the Asch experiment is related closely to the Stanford Prison and Milgram experiments, in that it tries to show how perfectly normal human beings can be pressured into atypical and irrational behaviour by authority figures, or by the consensus of opinion around them. Asch’s paradigm indicates that having social support is an important tool in combating conformity. Techniques of neutralisation may serve to help people (including the government) to rationalise acts of prejudice and violence.
However, these experiments lack a degree of ecological credibility – in that they do not necessarily relate to real-life situations, though they undoubtedly reveal something of our human tendencies.
We must challenge our own government’s attempts to normalise prejudice. One voice can make a difference amongst many. Social norms are the unwritten rules that govern social behaviour. These are customary standards for behaviour that are widely shared by members of a culture.
We know that it is possible for an articulate and vocal minority to stem the normative influence of a larger majority. It’s up to each of us to have a responsible role in meta-scripting or re-scripting those norms.
Wittgenstein once said: “The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”
Words are powerful. As well as describing, signifying, explaining, persuading, interpreting, deceiving and so on, they may also issue commands and instructions. We “spell” words. Spelling may also be described as “words or a formula purported to have magickal powers.”
With words, both spoken and unspoken, we can shape and re-shape the universe. We can create. Einstein changed the meaning of the word “mass” and transformed Newton’s universe of structures to become his own – one of events. It’s a different universe.
We can oppress, liberate or transform with a few intentional words. The choice is ours.
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welfare reforms and the language of flowers: the Tory gender agenda
August 8, 2013 December 17, 2015 · 17 Comments ·
In all places, then, and in all seasons,
Flowers expand their light and soul-like wings,
Teaching us, by most persuasive reasons,
How akin they are to human things.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Flowers from Voices Of the Night
Ring-a-ring-a-roses,
A pocket full of posies;
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down – Traditional
The axis of marginalisation
George Bernard Shaw immortalised the Victorian East End flower girls in Eliza Doolittle, in his play “Pygmalion.” The play is a sharp lampoon of the rigid British class system of the day and must also be read as a commentary on women’s striving for independence. The play was subsequently adapted numerous times, most notably as the highly romanticised musical “My Fair Lady” (and the film, starring Audrey Hepburn). But there was a historical reality behind Shaw’s fiction that was far less glamorous, he edited out genuine representation of so many miserable lives filled with a constant, dehumanising, gnawing ache of absolute poverty and oppression.
Assumptions about women’s roles have historically shaped public policy. And they still do. Historically the Victorian era was a time of many contradictions, such as the widespread cultivation of an outward appearance of dignity, a strict social code of conduct and prudish sexual restraint together, with the prevalence of social phenomena such as prostitution and child labour. Hardly surprising that an affluence of social movements arose from attempts to improve the prevailing harsh living conditions for so many under a rigid class system.
The Victorian era was founded on optimistic Modernist notions of progress, but it ought to serve as a historical lesson in the social evils of Elitism, the Victoran Era saw great expansion of wealth and power that was not shared or “trickled down” in the slightest. But it seems we never learn. Victorian Britain was a land of laissez-faire capitalism and self-reliance. Government regulation was minimal and welfare was left mostly to charity.
At the same time that explicit erotica was beginning to appear in newspapers, emotions and sexual feelings were expressed by means of cryptological communications through the use or arrangement of flowers. “Talking bouquets” called “nosegays” or “tussie-mussies” were used to send coded messages to the recipient, allowing the sender to express feelings that could not be spoken out loud in Victorian society.
The language of flowers was used by women to speak for women at a time when women often were discouraged from speaking for themselves in society. In the UK, (and the US) the language of flowers was a popular phenomenon and was traditionally associated with Victorian womanhood ideals for women to be pious, pure, domestic, and submissive to their husbands.
When a woman married, she had no independent legal status. She had no right to any money (earned or inherited), she could not make a will or buy property, she had no claim to her children, she had to move with her husband wherever he went. If her husband died, he could name the mother as the guardian, but he did not have to do so.
During Victoria’s reign, Britain was also ruled by an aristocratic elite that excluded democrats, radicals, and workers. The Government was not fully representative, since in 1832, only 20 percent of the population could fulfil the property qualifications to vote.
The Victorian era is almost synonymous with the ideology of “great men” – “outstanding” male individuals, whose features and life stories fill the National Portrait Gallery (founded 1856) and the patriarchal Dictionary of National Biography (launched 1882) while their exploits were hymned in key texts like Thomas Carlyle’s Heroes and Hero Worship (1841) and Samuel Smiles’s Self-Help (1859).
Throughout the era, “masculine” values of action, courage and endeavour supported military campaigns and commercial expansion. Women were allotted a subsidiary role, with patience and self-sacrifice the prime feminine virtues, and central to their domestic roles. Motherhood was idealised, alongside virginal innocence, but women were subject to pervasive denigration.
Towards the end of the century, strident misogyny was still strong in both popular fiction and academic writing – but as loudly as female inferiority was declared immutable, women everywhere began to demonstrating otherwise, challenging the axis of patriarchy, and the architects of their marginalisation.
Patterns of patriarchal authority were reinforced by social philosophers like Auguste Comte, Arthur Schopenhauer, Herbert Spencer, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and John Ruskin, this developed into a mid-century doctrine of “separate spheres” – men were figured as competitors in the amoral, economic realm while women were positioned as either decorative trophies or spiritual guardians of men’s immortal souls.
From the 1860s, social construction of the the Darwinian theory of “survival of the fittest” (a phrase coined by sociologist, Herbert Spencer, not Darwin) added a pseudo-scientific dimension which placed men higher on the evolutionary ladder. This theory of evolutionary ethics is an attempt to derive morality from “biological laws”, and is based on the general doctrine of evolution connected to Darwin. Malthus’ Essay on Population (1766-1834) was another significant influence on Victorian attitudes.
The mid-century was notable for its moral panic over prostitution, which developed – despite a “permissive” interval in the 1860s – into demands for male chastity outside marriage. At the end of the era, a socially shocking topic was that of the virginal bride (and her innocent offspring) infected with syphilis by a sexually experienced husband. But during the Victorian era, the concept of pater familias, meaning the husband as head of the household and moral leader of his family, was firmly entrenched in British culture.
It was women that were perceived as unclean and this perception was worsened through the First Contagious Diseases Prevention Act in 1864. Women suspected of being unclean were subjected to an involuntary genital examination. Refusal was punishable by imprisonment; diagnosis with an illness was punishable by involuntary confinement to hospital until perceived as cured.
The disease prevention law was only ever applied to women, which became the primary rallying point for activists who argued that the law was both ineffective and inherently unfair to women. The examinations were inexpertly performed by male police, women could be suspected based on little or no evidence, and the exams were painful and humiliating. After two extensions of the law in 1866 and 1869 the unjust acts were finally repealed in 1886.
Bringing together political and personal demands for equality, the slogan: “Votes for Women, Chastity for Men” was coined. Feminist ideas spread among the educated female middle classes, and the women’s suffrage movement gained momentum in the last years of the Victorian Era.
In addition to losing money and material goods to their husbands, Victorian wives became property to their husbands, giving them rights over their bodies and what their bodies produced; children, sex and domestic labour. Marriage abrogates a women’s right to consent to sexual intercourse with her husband, giving him ownership. Their mutual matrimonial consent therefore became a contract of surrendered autonomy for women.
While husbands quite often participated in affairs with other women, wives endured infidelity as they had no rights to divorce on these grounds and their divorce was considered to be a social taboo. Even following divorce, a husband had complete legal control over any income earned by his wife; women were not allowed to open banking accounts.
The context for such oppression was set around a century and a half ago, a few years before Queen Victoria ascended the throne, a Royal Commission of Parliament proposed a major reform of the Poor Law. The bastardy clauses of the New Poor Law of 1834 outlined that “women bear financial responsibilities for out-of-wedlock pregnancies.” In 1834 women were made legally and financially supportive of their illegitimate children.
It was a Conservative and Liberal project – largely influenced by Thomas Robert Malthus and disseminated by the 1834 Poor Law Report from His Majesty’s Commissioners for Inquiring into the Administration and Practical Operation of the Poor Laws and such novelists as Harriet Martineau – asserting that poverty arose from overpopulation and that women more so than men were responsible for determining demographic growth. (Yes, really).
Single mothers and their out-of-wedlock children represented the worst violators of independence and individualism, and the centuries-old welfare provisions offered them among the worst obstacles to a free market.
Radical critics perceived in the bastardy clauses a challenge to traditional notions of protecting society’s weak and of allowing the working class the “right” to receive parish and charitable aid. Furthermore, critics recognised that the sexual double standard inherent in the new clauses revealed the ideology of Liberalism: the Liberal system magnified rather than minimised the advantages enjoyed by society’s enfranchised and the disadvantages experienced by society’s weakest members.
The Commissions report, presented in March 1834, was largely the work of two of the Commissioners, Nassau Senior and Edwin Chadwick. The report took the outline that poverty was essentially caused by the indigence of individuals rather than economic and social conditions. Paupers claimed relief regardless of his merits: large families got most, which encouraged improvident marriages; women claimed relief for bastards, which encouraged immorality; labourers had no incentive to work; employers kept wages artificially low as workers were subsidised from the poor rate. (Aha, the Daily Mail and déjà vu)
The New Poor Law of 1834 was based on the “principle of less eligibility,” which stipulated that the condition of the “able-bodied pauper” on relief be less “eligible” – that is, less desirable, less favourable – than the condition of the independent labourer. “Less-eligibility” meant not only that the pauper receive less by way of relief than the labourer did from his wages but also that he receive it in such a way (in the workhouse, for example) as to make pauperism less respectable than work – to stigmatise it. Thus the labourer would be discouraged from lapsing into a state of “dependency” and the pauper would be encouraged to work.
The Poor Law “made work pay”, in other words.
Did I hear a collective, weary sigh, heavily laden with a strong sense of déjà vu? The parallels to be drawn here are no coincidence.
The Tory motto: the more things change, the more they stay the same
The Victorian era has made a deep impact upon Tory thinking, which had always tended towards nostalgia and tradition. Margaret Thatcher said that during the 1800s:
Not only did our country become great internationally, also so much advance was made in this country … As our people prospered so they used their independence and initiative to prosper others, not compulsion by the state.
There she makes an inference to the twin peaks of callous laissez-faire and the mythical “trickle down” effect. Yet history taught us only too well that both ideas were inextricably linked with an unforgivable and catastrophic increase in destitution, poverty and suffering for so many, for the purpose of extending profit for a few.
Writing in the 1840s, Engels observed that Manchester was a source of immense profit for a few capitalists. Yet none of this significantly improved the lives of those who created this wealth. Engels documents the medical and scientific reports that show how human life was stunted and deformed by the repetitive, back breaking work in The Condition Of The Working Class In England. Constantly in his text, we find Engels raging at those responsible for the wretched lives of the workers. He observed the horror of death by starvation, mass alienation, gross exploitation and unbearable, unremitting poverty.
The great Victorian empire was built whilst the completely unconscientious, harsh and punitive attitude of the Government further impoverished and caused so much distress to a great many. It was a Government that created poverty and also made it dishonourable to be poor.
Whilst Britain became great, much of the population lived in squalid, disease-ridden and overcrowded slums, and endured the most appalling living conditions. Many poor families lived crammed in single-room accommodations without sanitation and proper ventilation.
That’s unless they were unlucky enough to become absolutely destitute and face the horrors of the workhouse. It was a country of startling contrasts. New building and affluent development went hand in hand with so many people living in the worst conditions imaginable.
Michael Gove has written:
For some of us Victorian costume dramas are not merely agreeable ways to while away Sunday evening but enactments of our inner fantasies … I don’t think there has been a better time in our history” in “Alas, I was born far too late for my inner era.
A better time for what, precisely? Child labour, desperation? Prostitution? Low life expectancy, disease, illiteracy, workhouses? Or was it the deferential protestant work ethic reserved only for the poor, the pre-destiny of the aristocracy, and “the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate”?
In a speech to the CBI, George Osborne argued that both parties in the coalition had revitalised themselves by revisiting their 19th-century roots. When Liberal Democrat David Laws gave his first speech to the Commons as the secretary to the Treasury, Tory MP Edward Leigh said: “I welcome the return to the Treasury of stern, unbending Gladstonian Liberalism”, and Laws recognised the comparison to the Liberal prime minister,and said:
I hope that this is not only Gladstonian Liberalism, but liberalism tinged with the social liberalism about which my party is so passionate.
The Coalition may certainly be described as “stern and unbending,” if one is feeling mild and generous.
I usually prefer to describe them as “authoritarian”.
We know that the 19th-century Conservative party would have lost the election had it not been rescued by Benjamin Disraeli, a “one nation” Tory who won working-class votes only because he recognised the need and demand for essential social reform. Laissez-faire, competitive individualism and social Darwinism gave way to an interventionist, collectivist and more egalitarian paradigm. And there’s something that this Government have completely missed: the welfare state arose precisely because of the social problems and dire living conditions created in the 19th century.
The 19th century also saw the beginnings of the Labour Party. By pushing against the oppression of the conservative Victorian period, and by demanding reform, they built the welfare state and the public services that the current Government is now so intent on dismantling.
During the Victorian era, oppression of women was embedded deeply in psychic, political and cultural processes. It’s quite easy to see how some feminists came to attribute the characteristics of violence and hierarchical authoritarianism to men.
However, whatever claims we make as truths of our biological “natures”, the is/ought distinction highlights our (degree of) autonomy and emphasises our moral responsibilities and choices regarding social organisation, also. In this respect, debating the fundamentals of sex-based attributes and gender stereotypes is futile, because we have ethical and social obligations that transcend bickering about “biological facts.” The traditional binary opposition between “equality”and “difference” is a damaging one, especially in assessing the debate in terms of social rights and needs.
The welfare reforms present a particular challenge to the financial security and autonomy of women. The “reforms” have been strongly influenced by (a particular form of) economic modelling, and do not take into account the lived experiences or the impact of the cuts on those targeted. Conservative ideology also informs the reforms and the Government uses out-of-date model of households and concern about “dependency” on state, not within families.
The form of modelling depopulates social policy, dehumanises people, and indicates that the Tory policy-makers see the public as objects of their policies, and not as human subjects. We therefore need to ask whose needs the “reforms” are fulfilling.
Our welfare system has brought the UK a high degree of social and income equality. Economists, it seems, disagree on the effect that inequality has on economic growth, however. Some argue that it promotes growth, others insist that it’s a barrier, but very tellingly, most would like to live in a country with a high degree of income equality as one of the main indicators for a high score on the human-development index.
In developed Liberal democracies, the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for an acceptable quality of life.
The welfare state is funded through redistributionist taxation. Such taxation usually includes a larger income tax for people with higher incomes, called a progressive tax. This helps to reduce the income gap between the rich and poor.
The UK Government’s welfare “reform” programme represents the greatest change to benefits biggest changes to welfare since its inception. These changes will impact the most vulnerable in our society. In particular, women rely on state support to a greater extent than men and will be disproportionately affected by benefit cuts.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith (who didn’t manage to lead his party to an election due to losing a motion of no confidence) is largely responsible for this blitzkreig of apparent moral rigour, a right wing permutation of “social justice” rhetoric and harsh Victorian orthodoxy.
The Government asserts that its welfare “reform” strategy is aimed at breaking the cycle of “worklessness” and dependency on the welfare system in the UK’s poorest families. Poor Law rhetoric. There’s no such thing as “worklessness,” it’s simply a blame apportioning word, made up by the Tories to hide the fact that they have destroyed the employment market, as they always do.
The strategy fails to explicitly acknowledge the link between women’s poverty and child poverty, it fails to provide the supports needed in terms of flexible childcare and flexible working that women with children need in order to work, and it sets the “blame” for poverty squarely at the feet of the UK’s most disadvantaged families, stigmatising them further and pushing them deeper into poverty as an ideologically-driven means of “freeing” them from poverty.
The “reforms” (cuts) consist of 39 individual changes to welfare payments, eligibility, sanctions and timescales for payment and are intended to save the exchequer around £18 billion. How remarkable that the Department of Work and Pensions claim that such cuts to welfare spending will “reduce poverty“.
There’s nothing quite so diabolical as the shock of the abysmally expected: the brisk and brazen Tory lie, so grotesquely untrue. Such reckless rhetoric permeates Government placations for the “reforms”. The “reforms” were hammered through despite widespread protest, and when the House of Lords said “no“, the Tories deployed a rarely used and ancient parliamentary device, claimed “financial privilege” asserting that only the Commons had the right to make decisions on bills that have large financial implications.
Determined to get their own way, despite the fact no-one welcomed their policy, the Tories took the rare jackbooted, authoritarian step to direct peers they have no constitutional right to challenge the Commons’ decisions further. Under these circumstances, what could possibly go right?
Recently the Government effectively abolished the Child Support Agency. Very quietly. With immediate effect it is replaced, in part, by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). This will cover new arrangements for separated and divorced families where two or more children are involved – and will ultimately cover all separated families.
Closure of around one million existing cases starts next year. At which point, if families want to join the new CMS, they need to reapply, start from scratch and pay an initial £20 fee.
The most controversial measure is the introduction of charging for use of the service, which is being held back until 2014. Parents will be encouraged to bypass the CMS altogether and make their own arrangements.
The Government’s own analysis shows that one in 11 – 100,000 – families will drop out of the system entirely and stop getting maintenance for their children rather than go through the stress of reapplying.
Gingerbread, an organisation that campaigns for lone parent families have already pointed out that in such tough financial times, any missed payments could have a serious impact on children.
Whilst the Government claim that “encouraging parents to agree terms” regarding supporting children is a positive move, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that if such negotiations came with ease, then couples with children wouldn’t separate in the first place, surely.
There is already provision in the law for encouraging divorcing parents to reach an “agreement of terms”. There will usually be a family court adviser from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) to support with parents via mediation, including reaching agreements about child maintenance.
And what of those relationships that have been abusive – where one partner has fled domestic violence, for example?
According to Home Office figures, 1.2 million women reported that they experienced domestic abuse last year in the UK, including half a million victims of sexual assault.
Traumatised women who have just left violent partners, and whose children are distressed, have little respite from the Government imposed obligation to attend “work-focussed interviews” as a condition of getting money to live on. When claimants miss Jobcentre appointments and “work-focussed interviews”, they are sanctioned and lose their benefit, and the Housing Benefit which pays for a refuge place stops too.
Citizens Advice has reported a substantial increase in the number of people telling advisers they are victims. Their figures reveal that 13,500 people – 80% of them women – reported domestic violence to Citizens Advice last year.
There were 3,300 reported incidents between October and December 2012, an 11% increase on the same period the previous year. More than 30% of women have suffered domestic violence.
Convictions for domestic violence rose to 74% of prosecutions in the year leading up to to March – not far behind the average for other violent crime and up from 60% in 2005-6. At the same time the rape conviction rate was 63.2%, up from 62.5% last year. Ten years ago rape conviction rates were not recorded by the CPS.There is a hidden epidemic of abuse undermining decades of progress in the women’s liberation movement.
Obtaining legal assistance for cases of domestic violence is now much more difficult that it was last year. The legal aid budget is being cut by £350 million a year. With 57% of recipients of legal aid being women, thousands will find themselves without the means to get representation. It has been estimated that 54% of women suffering from domestic violence would not qualify for legal aid. That is unacceptable.
The Everywoman Safe Everywhere Commission, chaired by former Labour MP Vera Baird, says:
Just as there is now overwhelming evidence that women have borne the brunt of the economic recession so too it is clear the services designed to keep them safe are now under threat too.
The Commission found services offering help and counselling to abused wives and girlfriends have had their funding cut by 31% since May 2010. As a result women’s refuges are facing closure or having to cut services. There is also a real fear that cuts to housing benefit mean many will not be able to claim help towards staying in a refuge.
Research by Shelter and Cambridge University suggests that the reforms will in fact cost more in terms of the extra strain on local authorities, such as homeless accommodation services, and the National Health Service.
Income Support, Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit for lone parents will be reduced and lone parents will now face new sanctions if they do not find work promptly. They will only receive Income Support if their children are less than 5 years old. Lone parents whose children are older than 5 will have to apply for Job Seekers Allowance and find work regardless of local childcare opportunities.
Such difficult barriers to navigate ordinarily, but for someone enduring the trauma of abuse and fear, it is even more unacceptable to impose such punitive measureson such avery vulnerable social group.
Victims of domestic violence must now show medical evidence before they can qualify for legal aid in family cases. Women and children living with domestic violence may have to visit more than 13 different agencies to get the help they need. For some women the energy and resilience required to persevere and navigate complex services are understandably lacking.
Added problems are that many women are very afraid that their children may be taken into care, that they will be judged as poor parents; bad mothers. And they are right to be afraid.
I have heard professionals talk about women “choosing” to let a violent man back into the family home and expressing their opinion that her relationship with the violent man is obviously more important to her than her relationship with her children.
Yet their reality can be so very extreme and difficult to comprehend because of the utter desperation that these circumstances create – women have absolutely no choice when they have a knife at their throat, or the real and believable threat that the house will be set on fire and the children killed if she doesn’t allow her partner back in.
The risk of letting a violent partner back into the family home, even though this will mean facing daily violence and abuse and the possibility of your children being taken into care is less of a risk than not letting a violent partner back into the home. And we hear, almost on a weekly basis that “distraught” fathers/ husbands have killed or attempted to kill their partners and/or children.
Women also know from painful and bitter experience that the police, the courts, the women’s refuge, social services, the probation service cannot protect her or her children from a man who is determined, obsessive and relentless. Women who are killed by their partners or former partners almost always tell someone “he is going to kill me.” And how has that become normal, within our society?
Our response to domestic abuse, as professionals, as a society and as individual human beings is difficult to understand. We react strongly to reports of war crimes, of torture and institutional abuse and yet we tolerate the long term, unrelenting abuse of women and children in their own homes and blame and punish women when they cannot protect themselves or their children. And the Tory-led welfare processes further narrow the options for women and children experiencing domestic violence.
Refuges for women are reporting that their very existence is under threat from drastic changes to the UK’s welfare system. Without these vital services, more women will be at continued risk of abuse – or worse.
The housing benefit on which refuges depend is the lifeblood of the national network of services that keep women and children safe. But this vital source of income is now at risk. Many of refuges do not meet the official definition of “supported exempt accommodation,” which means that a lot of the women needing support will fall foul of the benefit cap rolled out in July.
This will be particularly damaging for women who pay two rents – one for the refuge they are living in temporarily, and the other for the home they have fled.
Women who move on from refuges and resettle in areas of high rent may also be plunged into debt as a result of the cap. Those who accumulate rent arrears may face eviction and be left with an impossible dilemma either to sleep rough or return to their violent partner.
The new universal credit scheme presents further problems for lone parents. Under this system, all benefit payments will go directly to one member of a couple. In cases of domestic violence, this could give perpetrators command of household income, further enabling them to control and isolate their partners.
One of the most devastating impacts of welfare reform has been the abolition of community care grants and crisis loans. These are two of the most crucial resources for women and children trying to rebuild their lives following abuse. For women moving to new, safe homes, these benefits enabled them to buy items such as beds and refrigerators. The local schemes that have been set up to replace them are underfunded and poorly managed, often providing food bank vouchers instead of cash.
One woman recently supported didn’t even have enough money to buy beds for her two small children. Another woman was delighted to secure a new home in a safe area, but was refused funding for furniture by her local scheme. When a refuge worker applied to children’s services on her behalf, their response was to offer to take her children into care. Is this really the kind of empowerment we must expect for victims of domestic violence who are struggling to forge new lives?
Local authorities are under enormous pressure to limit spending, and their response has been to prioritise funding for residents with a “local connection.” This move is deeply concerning, since women fleeing domestic violence frequently move great distances in search of safety.
One resident recently secured new housing in a different local authority from the refuge she had been staying in, but was refused funding assistance because she had did not qualify as a local resident.
The sum total of consequences of these new welfare processes is bleak. They are narrowing options for women and children experiencing domestic violence and threatening the survival of vital services like refuges.
Local and central Government must ensure that victims of domestic violence do not fall through the gaps in these reforms. Local authorities must train their staff in the complex dynamics and risks of abuse, so that every woman who needs support to rebuild her life is given professional, sensitive consideration, not subjected to a box-ticking exercise. Central government must ensure that refuges are included in the definition of supported exempt accommodation. This will help to protect funding for the network of safe houses that keep women and children safe across the country.
Domestic violence is a national problem. It is a problem that kills an average of two women every week. It is increasing, and we must not risk the reforms inflating this horrific statistic even further.
Gingerbread, the charity representing single parents, has campaigned against the “disproportionate” effects of the benefit cap on single parents who are not working. Families with a single parent make up three-quarters of those losing money in trials of the coalition’s £500-a-week benefit cap, new Government figures show.
Pilot schemes in four London areas discovered that 74% of people affected by the cap in its first few months were lone parents living with their children.
The effect on single parents in these areas has been found to be bigger than the national picture predicted in the Department for Work and Pensions’ impact assessment. It’s unfair that lone parents and their children should bear the brunt of the Government’s failure to address the underlying cause of housing benefit rises: the shortage of affordable housing and the greed of private landlords.
Fiona Weir, Gingerbread’s chief executive, said:
Thousands of young children from single-parent families will face deeper poverty, or the upheaval of having to move away from their family networks and communities as a result of this poorly conceived benefit cap.”
The Government has denied that its cap is aimed at forcing lone parents with young children to go back to work of course. Mark Hoban argued that the scheme is simply “designed to strengthen work incentives and create ‘fairness’ between those in work and those out of it”.
So Hoban and the Tories think that “fairness” is to impoverish lone parents and their children. The punitive approach to poverty didn’t work during the last century, it simply stripped the unfortunate of their dignity, and diverted people, for a while, from recognising the real cause of poverty. It isn’t about individual inadequacies: the poor do not cause poverty, but rather, Governments do via their policy and economic decision-making. Owen Jones recently claimed that “the political right is the inevitable, rational product of an unequal society”.
I disagree. Unequal society is and always has been the rational product of Conservative Governments. History shows this to be true. Tory ideology is built upon a very traditional feudal vision of a “grand scheme of things,” which is extremely and sharply hierarchical.
There are currently only 146 female MPs, out of a total 650 members of parliament. The Tories have only 48 female MPs and 256 male ones. To say that women are under-represented in parliament would be a gross understatement.
In an article titled “Gender Inequality and Gender Differences in Authoritarianism” by Mark J. Brandt and P.J. Henry, it is recognised that there is a direct correlation between the rates of gender inequality and the levels of authoritarian ideas in the male and female populations.
It was found that in countries with less gender equality where individualism was encouraged and men occupied the dominant societal roles, women were more likely to support traits such as obedience which would allow them to survive in an authoritarian environment, and less likely to encourage ideas such as independence and imagination.
In countries with higher levels of gender equality, men held more authoritarian views. It is believed that this occurs due to the stigma attached to individuals who question the cultural norms set by the dominant individuals and establishments in an authoritarian society, as a way to prevent the psychological stress caused by the active ostracising of the stigmatised individuals.
The private sphere is the part of our social life in which individuals enjoy a degree of authority, unhampered by interventions from Governmental or other institutions. Examples of the private sphere are our family, relationships and our home.
There has been an increasing intrusion by Government into the private domain, (the bedroom tax is a good example of this, since it affects our family sleeping arrangements and significantly reduces the choice of home we are permitted to live in) whilst at the same time, our participation in the public domain of work, business, politics and ideas is being repressed, and we are once again being contained in the private domestic sphere.
The enforcement of the public/private divide was a significant feature of the Victorian Era, too. This divide reflects gendered spaces of men and women. The mantra of second wave feminism, “the personal is political,” signifies the first attempt to break down the gendered division between the private sphere attributed to women and the public sphere and freedoms of men.
In the course of history, women’s voices have been silenced in the public arena. We must therefore contest majoritarian conceptions of the public sphere, once again, that underpin traditional notions of gendered spaces, whilst we also vindicate a robust private sphere that protects minorities from quasi-majoritarian political assault.
“For some of us Victorian costume dramas are not merely agreeable ways to while away Sunday evening but enactments of our inner fantasies … I don’t think there has been a better time in our history” – Michael Gove
God preserve us from the rigidly conservative and traditional inner fantasies that have spilled over into the policies of these lunatics, who have no regard, clearly, for human dignity, human rights and the equality of esteem and worth of all citizens.
Once again we see the most vulnerable bear the brunt of the ideologically-driven austerity measures. Welcome back to Victorian patriarchy. This Government refuse to listen, even worse, they go to great lengths to silence us, and they have not been reasonable.
But calm down dears, perhaps Cameron would be more responsive to a nice posy.
Equality impact assessments: the current legal position in UK
Government must show due regard, when developing new policies/processes, to their impact on race, disability and gender; Equality Act 2010 (April 2011) adds new categories
Processes should be in place to help ensure that :
– strategies/policies/services are free from discrimination;
– departments comply with equalities legislation;
– due regard is given to equality in decision making etc.; +
– opportunities for promoting equality are identified
Equality Impact Assessments: show impact on protected
– groups (including women) of proposed policy changes, to
– ensure that policies do what is intended and for everybody.
Coalition budget faces legal challenge from Fawcett Society over claims women will bear brunt of cuts
The Fawcett Society’s immediate response to the Chancellor’s 2013 Budget Statement
Government strategy – Preparing for the future, tackling the past -Child Maintenance – Arrears and Compliance Strategy 2012 – 2017
TUC Briefing: The Gender Impact of the Cuts
For help and advice about the CSA changes: gingerbread.org.uk .
If you are experiencing domestic violence, the free 24-hour National Domestic Violence Freephone Helpline is: 0808 2000 247
Advice on domestic violence and Legal Aid eligibility – Rights of Women
Women’s Aid – The Survivor’s Handbook
Darren Hill: U.K Welfare Reform and the Youth Contract.
Thanks to Robert Livingstone for his superb art work
Austerity is a con, the Tories are authoritarians and they conflated the fact-value distinction.
August 4, 2013 February 17, 2019 · 42 Comments ·
One of the first things I realised as an undergraduate is that social “sciences” aren’t. My very first essay was on the topic of the “scientific” basis of sociology and its methodology, and my reading took me deep into the labyrinth of history and philosophy of science. I concluded that science itself isn’t as “scientific” as we are led to believe, let alone a discipline that aims at the study of inter-subjectively constructed human behaviours in a social context. I’ve been attempting to rescue anyone that has succumbed to the mythical, positivist, fraudulent chimera called “objectivity” ever since.
As a critical interpretivist, I believe that social reality is not “out there” waiting to be discovered: we are constructing and reconstructing it meaningfully. However, politically, there’s been a marked shift away from understanding the lived experiences of real people in context: a systematic dehumanisation. The Tories have depopulated social policy. This is a characteristic of authoritarianism, and other hallmarks include stigmatisation of social groups, moral disengagement, moral exclusion, impunity, and a societal “bystander apathy”. (See also Allport’s ladder, which is a measure of the manifestation of prejudice and discrimination in a Society. It’s also an explanation of the stages of genocide, and how the Holocaust happened.)
And before anyone invokes Reductio ad Hitlerum or Godwin’s Law, I will point out in advance that it would be unreasonable where such a comparison is appropriate and reasonable, as it is in this case. (For example, in discussions of the dangers involved in eugenics, persecution and stigmatisation of any social group, or tolerance of racist and nationalist political parties, and propaganda campaigns used to promote and justify any of these). In such a context, the dismissal of someone’s proposition on this basis becomes its own form of association fallacy and Ad Hominem attack.
Upwards and onwards then.
Authoritarian legitimacy is often based on emotional appeal, especially the identification of the regime as a “necessary evil” to combat easily recognisable societal problems, such as economic crises.
Authoritarian regimes commonly emerge in times of political, economic, or social instability, and because of this, especially during the initial period of authoritarian rule, such Governments may have broad public support. Many citizens won’t immediately recognise authoritarianism, especially in formerly liberal and democratic countries. In the UK, there has been an incremental process of un-democratising, permeated by a wide variety of deliberative practices which have added to the problem of recognising it for what it is.
Authoritarian leaders typically prefer and encourage a population that is uninformed and apathetic about politics, with no desire to participate in the political process. Authoritarian Governments often work via propaganda to cultivate such public attitudes, by fostering a sense of a deep divide between social groups, society and Government, they tend to generate prejudice between social groups, and repress expressions of dissent, using media control, law amendments or quietly editing existing laws.
Many of us are unaware of the sheer extent to which this is going on. George Lakoff, researcher and cognitive linguist, said: “Conservatives have set up an incredible infrastructure. It’s a vast, unseen communication system and it’s very effective. This has been pointed out over and over to progressives and few seem to recognise the danger. They think it’s just propaganda and so they ignore it.” cognitive linguist. Lakoff is right. The deep and hidden state that the government have created is founded on nudge, ‘strategic communications’, data analytics and psychographic profiling. It includes the use of military grade psyops, aimed at changing people’s perceptions and decision making., with the ultimate aim of maintaining the status quo. This has profoundly perverted our democracy.
Whenever I listen to the Tories in Parliamentary debate, I’m reminded of the fact/value distinction – the alleged difference between descriptive statements (about what is) and prescriptive or normative statements (about what ought to be). Facts are one sort of thing, values another sort of thing, and the former never determine the latter. That’s the idea, anyway. But it isn’t considered to be very clear-cut when it comes to the “social sciences” such as politics and economics (although I would go further and propose that it’s not so clear-cut in the physical sciences, either. (Please see footnote).
The fact/value dichotomy was associated with the doctrine of logical positivism, that arose out of a supreme attempt at concept control. Beginning in the eighteenth century, some of the Enlightenment thinkers had declared that values (such as moral obligations) could not be derived from facts.
The verification principle, which is at the heart of the logical positivist doctrine, is a form of vigorous scientific anti-realism – restricting science to (empirically verifiable) observable aspects of nature. Inductive reasoning makes broad generalisations from specific observations. Such observations can be used to make “probability guesses” based on deductive reasoning.
This applies to many theoretical claims, including the beginning of time, gravity, the existence of matter (one of which is the Big Bang Theory), quantum events, the age of the Universe, the age of the Earth, the origin of the Moon, and the occurrence of other magical events in the past.
But the verification principle is itself unverifiable.
Values are involved in the very identification or determination of what is “fact”. As Einstein once said: “the theory tells you what you may observe.”
Similarly, in social research, the area of study is intentionally selected. There are problems related to the connection between observation and interpretation also. Perhaps every observation is an interpretation, since “facts” are seen through a lens of perceptions, pre-conceptions and ideology. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation choose to study poverty. Cynical Iain Duncan Smith simply changes the definition of it.
Tory values. How else can we explain the flagrantes et virulentes Tory political rhetoric manifested in media-wide chanting for the blood and souls of the poor for the sake of “austerity”? There are no “facts” that can ever justify the persecution of a social group.
All of the knowledge and understanding we possess, whether of “facts”, values, or anything else, is contained within our consciousness, as structured by intentionality. There isn’t an “objective”, mind-independent yardstick – we cannot step outside our consciousness to compare our ideas with anything else “out there” (please see footnote). We cannot experience our consciousness independently of intentionality, and we do have a degree of free-will and moral agency.
This means we have to face our morality, take responsibility for our ethical decisions and own our value-judgements. Rather than disguise them as “facts”, as the pseudo-positivist Tories frequently do.
It’s truly remarkable that Tories loudly attribute the capacity for moral agency to people claiming benefits, for example, formulating sanctions and “assessments” to both shape and question the morality of the poor constantly, yet stand outside of any obligation to morality themselves. It’s always someone else’s responsibility, never theirs.
Any claim to value-freedom in decision-making does not and cannot exempt us from moral responsibility, or justify moral indifference.
The consciousness of each of person is situated, rather than existing independently. A situation is an intentional act (or action) taken in social contexts as we experience them. Our understanding of our situation is embedded in conversational language. We are continually engaged in dialogues with other persons – “discourse”. Dialogue and narrative are how we make sense of the world.
It strikes me that in politics it all comes down to language. Those who can shape a controversial issue in the terms they prefer have the advantage in shaping public opinion. It’s called “framing”. Such concept control is a way of rigging the debate: You must talk about this controversial issue using our categories, terms, and definitions.
As a result, those who have the power to declare the terms of discourse have the power to determine the outcome of the debate, and furthermore, they have the power to determine what is accepted as “true or false”.
Really, for the Tories, it’s nothing more than linguistic bullying. You only need listen to Prime Minister’s Questions to understand this. For the Tories, both facts and values are irrelevant, despite their fake claims to fake empirical statistical data, all that matters is their ideological narrative. As a Society, we really need to pay much more attention to detail.
And we really need to challenge more. In terms of evidence, the Tories have not provided any verification that any of their policies work. There’s a growing body of rich qualitative data that reliably and consistently informs us that those policies do not work as claimed by the Tory-led Coalition, and the sheer volume of those accounts also informs us that this data is both credible and valid. So why are the Government so determined to ignore it?
Value-laden observation: their “theory” tells them what they may observe.
I’m not particularly au fait with economic theory, I just about grasp the differences between Keynes and Hayek, but I do know that after the British depression of the 1920s, Hayek promoted the idea that private investment, rather than Government spending, would promote sustainable growth. However, Keynes proposed that the Government’s job is to increase its own spending to offset the decline in public spending – that is by running a deficit to whatever extent necessary. To cut Government spending is a completely damaging policy in an economic slump. Keynes’s message was: you cannot cut your way out of a slump; you have to grow your way out. Eighty years on and the Tories have still not fully learned the lesson. Well, they probably have, but the fact is they simply don’t care enough to apply it.
I do understand ideology, and the case for austerity is not founded on economic principles, but rests entirely on social conservative ideology, with their wide embrace of neoliberalist principles.
The repetition of a lie ad nauseum is based on the idea Goebbels had – that repeated lies will somehow convince people that they are true. Cameron was busted when he repeatedly told the lie “We are paying down the debt.” Despite being rumbled, the Coalition have stuck with this lie doggedly. The bonus of the lie is that it may be used (and has been, repeatedly) to undermine the Opposition’s economic credibility, and the Tories particularly delight in the lie that it’s all Labour’s fault because they “overspent” as it further justifies austerity measures and starving public services of Government funding, with our paid taxes, as well as stripping our welfare provision and public services away.
The Tories have carefully planned these measures for a long time, and attacks on our human rights and public services can be seen in plans and policies of previous Tory administrations. Such attacks on the most marginalised and vulnerable citizens and the undermining and steady destruction of social programs and services that may offer any support are an integral part of Tory ideological grammar.
A leading British academic concludes that the last Labour Government has been tarnished by spin and propaganda, while the US treasury secretary follows Gordon Brown’s lead. Jack Lew, the relatively new US treasury secretary, wrote recently in the Financial Times: “While long-term fiscal policy requires tough decisions, we knew we could not cut our way to prosperity”.
William Keegan in today’s Guardian says “Lew has now taken up the baton from Gordon Brown when it comes to politicians who understand the nature of the huge deficiency of demand in the world economy. People go on about the need for supply-side policies, but the fact is that there is no shortage of supply, but of demand, which continues to be constrained by the vogue for totally unnecessary and hugely destructive policies of austerity”.
Keegan quotes the economist Simon Wren-Lewis, who is a widely respected in the profession, from the Oxford Review of Economic Policy. It covers the economic record of the 1997-2010 Labour Government in considerable and balanced detail: “The line that the Labour government was responsible for leaving a disastrous fiscal position which requires great national sacrifice to put right is pure spin”.
The austerity movement has damaged recovery from the economic depression, whilst it has also caused a crisis worldwide through its imposition upon many nations. The foundation research that was used to justify the austerity movement came from two Harvard Professors: Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff. A University of Massachusetts student Thomas Herndon found that their work was filled with mathematical errors in their research spreadsheets.
Their spreadsheets were their “proofs” that economic austerity promotes economic recovery and were used to “verify” this theory. The powers that be have imposed this fundamentally flawed doctrine, and the ill-effects fall squarely upon 99% of the people, leaving the wealthiest unscathed.Thriving, actually.
It’s is both infuriating and horrific to witness the sheer suffering and destruction that follows in the wake of these now debunked theories. The unemployment in Europe has reached record high levels high levels, Countries like Greece and Spain have widespread rioting in the streets and a new neo Nazi movement is gaining popularity throughout Europe.
The cost in human suffering is incalculable, but those fatuous academic asses supporting austerity are not concerned with people, they are concerned with their reputations and salaries, and with catering for the powerful wealthy. Their theories, rather than being based on informed facts, the result of real research and learning experiences, are NOT science: they are nothing more than by-products of overweening egotism in tandem with uncaring self interest. Such highly prized Tory values.
It gets worse. Huffington Post contributor: Mark Gongloff wrote this article : “Austerity Fanatics Won’t Let Mere Economics Stop Them From Thinking They’re Winning”, in it he writes: “Like Hiroo Onoda, the Japanese soldier who hid on an island in the Philippines for 30 years refusing to believe Japan had lost World War II, austerity fanatics are never going to admit their failure. Instead, they are going to keep pushing the policies that are making millions of people in Europe miserable”.
Another example of their denial is a piece by Michael Rosen of the American Enterprise Institute, a Conservative think tank, entitled “Austerity And Its Discontents”. He declares that, far from being shamed by the recent discovery of errors in influential research by Harvard economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, austerity fans have recently gained “the upper hand in the global argument over austerity”.
We really do need to shout down the public’s passive acceptance of grotesque inequality, social injustice, political justifications for intentionally inflicted and growing poverty and the steady removal of our civil rights. This is now the propaganda of a so-called liberal democracy.
Sure, many news articles circumvent the conspicuous propaganda of pernicious sophist, Conservative policies – manifestations of their socioeconomic Darwinist neoliberalist orthodoxy – which really makes the media complicit in such propaganda: diversions are a silent endorsement, after all.
The column of truth has holes in it, no matter which newspaper you read now.
There is a very conspicuous absence of counter agitprop, let alone any semblance of the grim truth. There is no representation of those with alternative principles, values and norms, the ones that challenge, with the potential to trigger much needed cultural changes. Public attitudes are being micromanaged. Whatever happened to counter-culture? There’s no Beat Generation, only a ‘being beat’ one. And we, the blogging Bohemians, and other underground dissenters, seceded from the conventionalities of an increasingly right wing public.
The wealthy one percent have their own problems, just not on par with ours. The ‘poor me’ rich have to face a modicum f Government regulation, taxes and those darned pesky workers who want fair wages and decent working conditions. The political solution has been to bring many of the 99% to a level slightly above starvation.
This ensures that they will work for any amount that helps them put some food on the table, to meet their basic survival needs. It necessitates that social welfare and support programs be destroyed so the plebs will have no choice but to seek shelter from material devastation at some exploitative, low paying job that keeps them just above subsistence. This adds to the profits of the 1%. The steady erosion of workers rights also a lowers the value of labour further, because there is now a large and pretty desperate, disposable reserve army of labour.
The pay and bonuses of bankers and the tax cuts for the very wealthiest have sunk our country into obscene levels of inequality. When banks receive money, they invest over 90% in assets like property, that does nothing for the economy. The rich benefit as the value of their assets rises, so 12% of the population now own half the country’s wealth.
Wide gaps in income levels, human rights violations, political corruption and authoritarianism. These conditions tend to happen together. Despite the emphasis and value that authoritarian regimes place on social conformity, and a reliance on passive mass acceptance, rather than popular support, history shows us that it cannot be maintained by repressive and coercive strategies.
In Britain, the minority are exceptionally well-housed, have gold-plated pensions, fine art, fine food, luxury yachts, a big say and shrinking taxes. Many of the rest of the population are fighting to survive. There is a chasm opening between them and the majority of society who are mostly in debt, suffering severely reduced welfare and tax benefits, unable to afford a home, increasingly forced to relocate away from their community, breaking kith and kinship bonds and ways of life, routines and many are being forced to travel for hours in order to pick up menial work for the rich to profit from.
Those in a run-down area lucky enough to own a flat pay eight times as much council tax proportionally as the very rich. That beggars belief, but its a social fact, one of many grim facts we are now facing, manifested directly from Tory class prejudice.
Edwardian levels of inequality led to the Great Depression. Austerity measures under Chancellor Hindenburg contributed to the rise of Nazism. The drop in household income in Japan between 1929 and 1931 led to a wave of assassinations of Government officials and bankers. Social policies after World War 2 turned the tables and brought peace, with inequality steadily dropping in Britain until recently. But inequality is now returning to pre-war levels.
In response to the atrocities committed during the War, the International Community sought to define the rights and freedoms necessary to secure the dignity and worth of each individual. Ratified by the United Kingdom, one of the first countries to do so, in 1951, those human rights originally established in the Universal Declaration have been steadily eroded since the Coalition gained Office. There’s a clear link between high levels of inequality and failure of Government’s to recognise human rights, and to implement them in policies.
Authoritarians view the rights of the individual, (including those considered to be human rights by the international community), as subject to the needs of the Government. Of course in democracies, Government’s are elected to represent and serve the needs of the population. Democracy is not only about elections. It is also about distributive and social justice.
The quality of the democratic process, including transparent and accountable Government and equality before the law, is critical. Façade democracy occurs when liberalisation measures are kept under tight rein by elites who fail to generate political inclusion. See Corporate power has turned Britain into a corrupt state and also Huge gap between rich and poor in Britain is the same as Nigeria and worse than Ethiopia, UN report reveals.
In the UK, democracy is very clearly faltering. It’s time to be very worried.
Thanks to Robert Livingstone for his brilliant illustrations.
My academic background is in sociology, history and philosophy of science, social policy and social psychology. I tend towards critical (Marxist) Phenomenology when it comes to ontology and epistemology: defining “social reality”. Experience is “evidence”. Existence is fact, which precedes essence.
Max Weber’s principle of Verstehen is a critical approach in all social sciences, and we can see the consequences of its absence in the cold, pseudo-positivist approach of the Coalition in the UK. Their policies clearly demonstrate that they lack the capacity to understand, or meaningfully “walk a mile in the shoes of another”. The Coalition treat the population of the UK as objects and not human subjects of their policies.
My own starting point is that regardless of any claim to value-freedom in social science, we cannot abdicate moral responsibility, and cannot justify moral indifference. We see this positive approach exemplified in our laws, human rights and democratic process. We are also seeing an erosion of this tendency to a globalisation of values, and inclusion of a recognition and account of the full range of human experiences in policy making. Indeed our policy has become an instrument of social exclusion and increasing minoritization.
We are being reduced to little more than economic statements here in the UK. We have a Government that tends to describe vulnerable social groups in terms of costs to the State, and responsibility is attributed to these social groups via media and State rhetoric, whilst those decision-makers actually responsible for the state of the economy have been exempted, legally and morally, and are hidden behind complex and diversionary scapegoating propaganda campaigns.
Sartre once said that oppressors oppress themselves as well as those they oppress. Freedom and autonomy are also reciprocal, and it’s only when we truly recognise our own liberty that we may necessarily acknowledge that of others. Conservatism has always been associated with a capacity to inhibit and control, and never liberate. We need to take responsibility for the Government that we have. In fact we must.
With regard to the philosophical issues raised regarding the physical sciences, to clarify, I believe that there is a mind-independent “reality”, that exists beyond the full grasp of our perception and conception of it: in this respect I am a transcendental realist. My point is that how we choose to perceive reality is very much our own business, and demonstrating a correspondence with reality and our description of it is very problematic. Wittgenstein once said that any attempt to demonstrate such correspondence by theory leads to an infinite regress of descriptions of descriptions of descriptions…
Although it’s fallible, the scientific method is pretty much all we have in terms of validation. My own sidestep criterion for the problems raised with methodology is to recognise the role that values play in determining “facts”, and take responsibility for those values. Identify and declare your interest in an area of research. Although we may have difficulty in proving something to be an ultimate truth, we may at least explore issues and give an increasingly coherent account of them. See Coherence theory of truth
It’s not possible to do full justice to the debate about objectivity and relativism, deduction and induction here, so I’ve posted a couple of links for anyone interested in pursuing it further:
These are reasonable starting points: Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Social Science.
Beastrabban has written an analysis of this article: Kittysjones on the Philosophical and Methodological Errors in the Tories’ Austerity Myth
I don’t make any money from my work. But if you like, you can contribute by making a donation and help me continue to research and write informative, insightful and independent articles, and to provide support to others. The smallest amount is much appreciated – thank you.
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It’s 17% That’s Under Copyright
by Pamela Chestek • December 28, 2013 • copyright • 2 Comments
I goofed, by a count of one. I previously said that there were nine (out of sixty) Sherlock Holmes works that were still under copyright. Turns out that there are ten, or 17%. And the Conan Doyle Estate’s efforts to extend the copyright life of the Sherlock Holmes character because a small number of stories are still protected by copyright didn’t work.
It’s really not that remarkable a decision. The parties agreed that 50 of the Sherlock Holmes works were published before January 1, 1923 and therefore in the public domain. This left the Doyle Estate having to make a creative argument and, like most creative arguments, it didn’t work.
Conan Doyle proffers a novel legal argument that the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson continued to be developed throughout the copyrighted Ten Stories and therefore remain under copyright protection until the final copyrighted story enters the public domain in 2022….
Conan Doyle argues that the effect of such a holding [that the pre-1923 story elements are free for public use] will be to dismantle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters into a public domain version and a copyrighted version. This is, however, precisely what prior courts have done. Silverman and Pannonia Farms instruct that characters and story elements first articulated in public domain works are free for public use, with the further delineation of the characters and story elements in protected works retain their protected status. Conan Doyle argues that the precedent exemplified in Silverman should pertain only to two-dimensional, “flat” characters and not to complex, three-dimensional characters such as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Conan Doyle fails to offer a bright line rule or workable legal standard for determining when characters are sufficiently developed to warrant copyright protection through an entire series, nor does it provide any case law that supports its position. Conan Doyle’s proposed distinction runs counter to prevailing case law. The effect of adopting Conan Doyle’s position would be to extend impermissibly the copyright of certain character elements of Holmes and Watson beyond their statutory period, contrary to the goals of the Copyright Act.
Thus, the works published before 1923 are in the public domain and anyone is free to copy them; those story elements that are in the post-1923 works are still protected by copyright.
Klinger v. Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd., No. 13 C 1226 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 23, 2013).
The text of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Tags: Arthur Conan Doyle, Copyright Act of 1909, Copyright Act of 1976, public domain, Sherlock Holmes, Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act
2 Responses to It’s 17% That’s Under Copyright
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Evangekine Haidey
Grave site information of Evangekine Haidey (1883 - 1961) at Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane, Spokane, Washington, United States from BillionGraves
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Life timeline of Evangekine Haidey
Evangekine Haidey was born in 1883
Evangekine Haidey was 11 years old when Mahatma Gandhi forms the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) in order to fight discrimination against Indian traders in Natal. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian activist who was the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahātmā – applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa – is now used worldwide. In India, he is also called Bapu and Gandhi ji, and known as the Father of the Nation.
Evangekine Haidey was 20 years old when The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were two American aviators, engineers, inventors, and aviation pioneers who are generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane. They made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft on December 17, 1903, four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. In 1904–05 the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.
Evangekine Haidey was 29 years old when The British passenger liner RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic at 2:20 a.m., two hours and forty minutes after hitting an iceberg. Only 710 of 2,227 passengers and crew on board survive. RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the early hours of 15 April 1912, after colliding with an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. There were an estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, and more than 1,500 died, making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time it entered service and was the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line. It was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Thomas Andrews, her architect, died in the disaster.
Evangekine Haidey was 37 years old when The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage in America. The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. It was adopted on August 18, 1920.
Evangekine Haidey was 56 years old when Adolf Hitler signs an order to begin the systematic euthanasia of mentally ill and disabled people. Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and was central to the Holocaust.
Evangekine Haidey was 62 years old when World War II: Combat ends in the Pacific Theater: The Japanese Instrument of Surrender is signed by Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and accepted aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in the Pacific and Asia. It was fought over a vast area that included the Pacific Ocean and islands, the South West Pacific, South-East Asia, and in China.
Evangekine Haidey was 70 years old when Jonas Salk announced the successful test of his polio vaccine on a small group of adults and children (vaccination pictured). Jonas Edward Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist. He discovered and developed one of the first successful polio vaccines. Born in New York City, he attended New York University School of Medicine, later choosing to do medical research instead of becoming a practicing physician. In 1939, after earning his medical degree, Salk began an internship as a physician scientist at Mount Sinai Hospital. Two years later he was granted a fellowship at the University of Michigan, where he would study flu viruses with his mentor Thomas Francis, Jr.
Evangekine Haidey died in 1961 at the age of 78
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Grave record for Evangekine Haidey (1883 - 1961), BillionGraves Record 3921893 Spokane, Spokane, Washington, United States
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NEWS ROUNDUP: FBI Probes Hillary Clinton’s Email Scandal…AND MORE
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s email scandal is still haunting her campaign. The FBI has launched an investigation to take a closer look at her private email account. According to government officials, the FBI contacted Platte River Networks, a technology firm in Denver that managed the system. The FBI has also been in contact with David Kendall, Clinton’s lawyer, to ask about a drive that contained emails she sent during her time as secretary of state. “The government is seeking assurance about the storage of those materials. We are actively cooperating,” said Kendall in a statement. A lawyer from the technology company and Justice Department officials have decided not to comment on the situation. Read more.
San Francisco Mayor Mentioned in Gang Probe
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is in hot water after his name was mentioned in a FBI investigation. During the prosecution of gang kingpin Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, it was discovered that local politicians – including Mayor Lee – may have had some type of involvement in campaign money laundering, state construction contract rigging, bribery schemes, and other illegal acts. “He’s trying to get off the trial, Mr. Raymond Chow. He’s doing anything he can. I have to take it with a grain of salt,” said Mayor Lee. “I ran a clean campaign … just last week the Ethics Commission closed out our campaign … if we did anything improperly, it would’ve shown up.” A state official, other city leaders, and an Alameda County prosecutor were accused of wrongdoing as well. Read more.
NBC Casts Dorothy for ‘The Wiz’ Remake
After much speculation about who would take the lead role in NBC’s live production of The Wiz, the network has finally made a decision. Actress Shanice Williams, 18, will take on the role of Dorothy. So far, the cast includes Queen Latifah as the Wizard, Mary J. Blige as the Wicked Witch of the West, and David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion. The Wiz is slated to air on NBC on December 3rd. Read more.
VIDEO SOURCE: NDN
Obama's Best Instagram Moments During His Last Year As President
2 photos Launch gallery
1. Who knew our president was the "baby whisperer?"
Source: 1 of 2
2. It's never too early (or late) to shoot some hoops in a suit.
Continue reading Obama’s Best Instagram Moments During His Last Year As President
NEWS ROUNDUP: FBI Probes Hillary Clinton’s Email Scandal…AND MORE was originally published on newsone.com
David Alan Grier , Hillary Clinton , Mary J. Blige , Mayor Ed Lee , queen latifah , roundup , San Francisco , the wiz
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Sleeping Pills: Which Ones for Which Patients?
By Kelleen Flaherty, MS
Insomnia is one of the most common comorbidities you’ll see in your depressed and anxious patients (Becker PM and Sattar M, Curr Treat Options Neurol 2009;11(5):349–357). But it is often misunderstood. Over the last several years there has been a shift in how we conceptualize insomnia co-occurring with psychiatric disorders. While the common view is that insomnia is caused by a primary psychiatric or medical condition, it is more accurate to simply say that patients have insomnia and depression at the same time. Insomnia is almost never an isolated problem.
In the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (an in-person structured health interview conducted by the CDC with 35,849 participants with insomnia), only 4.1% of respondents with insomnia reported having no comorbid condition. As compared with normal sleeper cohorts, insomnia was significantly associated with comorbidities such as chronic heart failure (3% comorbid with insomnia vs 0.7% in good sleepers), diabetes (10.8% vs 5.6%), obesity (29.4% vs 20.9%), hypertension (30.3% vs 16.6%), and anxiety or depression (clocking in with a whopping 45.9% in individuals with insomnia vs 9.3% in good sleepers). The adjusted odds ratio for depression or anxiety comorbid with insomnia is 5.64 (in other words, someone with depression or anxiety is more than five times more likely to suffer from insomnia than someone without) (Pearson N et al, Arch Int Med 2006;166:1775–1782).
The bottom line is that for the effective management of depression or anxiety with insomnia, you need to treat them at the same time. Treating depression without addressing comorbid insomnia will not only decrease the effectiveness of treating the depression, but contribute to its relapse (Roth T, Am J Manag Care 2009;15(Suppl):S6–S13).
A useful rule of thumb is that insomnia more commonly precedes a depressive episode, and more commonly follows an episode of anxiety. A large European study of 14,915 people showed that it was more common for a period of insomnia to come before a depression (41%), as opposed to depression preceding insomnia (29%). Similarly, depression relapse tended to be predicted by an insomnia prodrome. In this same study, the opposite pattern was found for anxiety: the anxiety preceded the development of insomnia. These results were replicated in several longitudinal studies (Roehrs T and Roth T, Clinical Cornerstone 2003;5(3):5–12; Ohayon M and Roth T, J Psych Res 2003;37:9–15).
A complete history for all of your patients should include a brief “How is your sleep?” Often this information will be supplied without prompting: “I can’t sleep at all. Can you give me something for that?”
Sure you can. It is important to determine first, however, why your patient can’t sleep. Common potential causes of insomnia that should be on your checklist include:
Sleep hygiene issues. For example, the patient who drinks super-caffeinated drinks so that she can stay up late finishing spreadsheets and answering important phone calls while she watches CNN after her nightly five-mile run—such a patient is unlikely to respond to a simple sleeping pill.
Sleep apnea.
Substance abuse.
Chronic insomnia. A patient who “just can’t get to sleep, no matter how hard he tries,” and who is “afraid it’s going to make him completely useless the next day” is likely to benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I; see the interview with Charles Morin in this issue).
Acute stress-induced insomnia. The patient with an acute, but likely transient bout of insomnia accompanying an event such as a death, birth, moving, or new job might benefit from a short course of hypnotics.
Insomnia comorbid with a psychiatric disorder. And then there is the patient—often with a mood disorder or anxiety—who just doesn’t sleep well; can’t get to sleep or stay asleep, and who genuinely suffers the next day as a consequence of it.
Any of these patients can benefit from CBT-I or at least some components of it, but for some, a sleeping pill is not only an option, it’s an important one. So if your patient is a candidate for a sleeping pill, which one should you use?
This article originally appeared in The Carlat Psychiatry Report -- an unbiased monthly covering all things psychiatry.
Want more, plus easy CME credit?
Sedating antihistamines. These are popular OTC choices. While diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is the most common antihistamine found in OTC sleep preparations (such as Tylenol PM and Advil PM), you’ll see other antihistamines such as doxylamine in these formulations as well. These medications can be effective, but they are often slow to act, can be associated with next-day “hangover” effects, and your patients may develop tolerance to them. Since these drugs are also muscarinic receptor blockers, you need to watch out for anticholinergic effects (eg, blurred vision, constipation), particularly in your older patients (Neubauer DN and Flaherty KN, Sem Neurol 2009;29(4):340–353). If your patient does respond well to diphenhydramine, recommend the solo preparation rather than the combination with acetaminophen or ibuprofen, which have their own side effects.
Benzodiazepines. Surprisingly to many, only five older benzodiazepines are formally FDA approved for insomnia: flurazepam (Dalmane), temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion), estazolam (Prosom), and quazepam (Doral). With the exception of temazepam, these medications are no longer commonly prescribed. Instead, modern psychiatrists tend to prescribe benzodiazepines such as diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and clonazepam (Klonopin) for insomnia, especially in patients with mood or anxiety disorders (Lader M, Addiction 2011;89(11):1535–1541). There is no evidence that FDA approval has conferred any hypnotic advantages—all benzodiazepines probably work equally well, though many of the older examples have disadvantages such as very long half-lives or, in the case of short-acting triazolam, troublesome side effects like amnesia.
All benzodiazepines bind non-specifically to the GABA receptor, which leads to side effects such as drowsiness, headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, and difficulty with concentration and memory. Tolerance, dependence, abuse, and withdrawal are well-known occupational hazards of the benzodiazepines (see the September 2011 TCPR for coverage of the tricky use of benzodiazepines in substance abusers).
Non-benzodiazepines. The first non-benzodiazepine hypnotic to appear was zolpidem (Ambien), now available as a generic. A new drug that binds only to certain subtypes of the GABA receptor, it is associated with fewer side effects, faster onset, less potential for abuse, and less next-day hangover (Drugs 1990;40(2):291–313). Other non-benzodiazepines followed zolpidem: zaleplon (Sonata, also available as a generic), eszopiclone (Lunesta, no generic yet), and zolpidem extended-release (Ambien CR, available as a generic). Zolpidem is also available as a rapidly-dissolving sublingual tablet (Edluar) and as an oral spray (Zolpimist); these were developed as faster-acting agents.
Melatonin agonist. The only drug in this class so far is ramelteon (Rozerem). Since it doesn’t bind to GABA, it doesn’t have the troublesome GABA-agonist side effects, and may be a good choice for patients with sleep phase disorders, insomnia associated with shift work or traveling across many time zones, or in patients with substance abuse problems. Ramelteon may also be a safer choice for older patients (Srinivasan V et al, Adv Ther 2010;27(11):796–813). Ramelteon doesn’t deliver the expected “kick” of a sleeping pill, and some patients do not feel it is as effective as a benzodiazepine or non-benzodiazepine hypnotic. Patients sometimes need to take it continuously for several weeks before noting a benefit. Unlike the benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines, which are C-IV scheduled substances, ramelteon is nonscheduled.
Sedating antidepressants and antipsychotics. Low dose tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline (Elavil), imipramine (Tofranil), and doxepin (Silenor) have long been used as off-label hypnotics. Recently a very low dose (3 mg to 6 mg) formulation of doxepin was approved by the FDA under the trade name Silenor (see TCPR April 2011 for a skeptical review of this agent). While effective, tricyclics can cause the usual slew of anticholinergic side effects, such as constipation and urinary retention, especially in the elderly (Med Lett Drugs Ther 2010;52(1348):79–80).
Other sedating antidepressants have also long been used off label to treat insomnia, such as trazodone (Desyrel) and mirtazapine (Remeron). Trazodone’s long half-life (mean of seven to eight hours) is helpful for keeping patients asleep all night, but can lead to next day sleepiness. Mirtazapine often causes too much weight gain to be useful for the long-term. Some of the antipsychotics, especially quetiapine (Seroquel) and olanzapine (Zyprexa), are also sedating and are often used off-label to manage insomnia—but given their high expense and risk of sometimes significant weight gain, hyperglycemia, tardive dyskinesia, and EPS, they are best reserved for the toughest cases.
TCPR’s VERDICT: Don’t assume everyone with insomnia needs a sleeping pill. But if your patient truly needs a pill, consider the available options and try to make the best match.
Click on the image to learn more or subscribe today!
This article was published in print 11/2011 in Volume:Issue 9:11.
The Carlat Psychiatry Report
Carlat Publishing provides clear, authoritative, engaging, independent psychiatric education to make you look forward to learning, with the goal of helping you feel smarter, more competent, and more confident in your ability to help your patients become happy. We receive no corporate funding, which allows a clear-eyed evaluation of all available treatments. Learn more and subscribe to one of their newsletters here.
Flaherty,, K. (2013). Sleeping Pills: Which Ones for Which Patients?. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 17, 2019, from https://pro.psychcentral.com/sleeping-pills-which-ones-for-which-patients/
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 10 Oct 2013
Study: Midlife Sleep Problems May Up Risk of Alzheimer's
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Tag Archives: democratic national convention
Whitewashing History at the Democratic National Convention
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the word whitewash as,
to gloss over or cover up (as vices or crimes), or
to exonerate by means of a perfunctory investigation or through biased presentation of data.
I got to thinking about whitewash, and whitewashing history in particular, during the Democratic National Convention. At the convention, a whole lot of whitewash was slopped around.
But what got me writing was the recent news of a bump in the polls for U.S. Senate candidate, Elizabeth Warren. That bump is being attributed to her speech at that convention, and I remembered that speech as very good example of how politicians whitewash history in order to win political points with white voters.
Now, I’m not trying to pick a fight with Elizabeth Warren. She’s no worse, and probably a lot better, than most politicians of both major parties. But consider what she said –
I’m here tonight to talk about hard-working people: people who get up early, stay up late, cook dinner and help out with homework; people who can be counted on to help their kids, their parents, their neighbors, and the lady down the street whose car broke down; people who work their hearts out but are up against a hard truth—the game is rigged against them. It wasn’t always this way….
…I grew up in an America that invested in its kids and built a strong middle class; that allowed millions of children to rise from poverty and establish secure lives. An America that created Social Security and Medicare so that seniors could live with dignity; an America in which each generation built something solid so that the next generation could build something better..
You and I both know that not everyone was able to participate equally in those programs and opportunities. But to hear Warren and other leaders of both parties talk about this rose colored past, approximately the period from 1934 to the mid 1960s, you’d think fairness was the cardinal American value of the time.
But of course they do know better. Elizabeth Warren was born in 1949. That means she was about 16 years old when Jim Crow laws were finally defeated.
Jim Crow laws, for those unfamiliar, started being established just 11 years after the end of the Civil War. They were created for the purpose of upholding white supremacy and, following the logic of slavery, ensuring a ready pool of Black workers who were cheap to hire because they were denied access to government assistance and unprotected by the law.
Elizabeth Warren was also born in Oklahoma, a state that kept its public schools segregated until 1955, when Warren would have been about 6.
Oklahoma was also the final destination for Native Americans subject to forced relocation as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The path by which Native Americans were forced to relocate is known as the Trail of Tears, in part because so many died along the way, including 4,000 members of the Cherokee Nation, a group I assume Warren knows something about.
The game, as Warren refers to it, was always rigged, and to the advantage of white people, especially white men. The great middle class she speaks of is largely a white phenomena, created in part via benefits of the GI Bill, a program that helped provide educations and home ownership opportunities to veterans, but that discriminated against some veterans by race.
Home ownership was a great boon to the white middle class, but even those GIs of color who were able to get mortgage assistance through the Bill faced red lining and restrictive covenants that limited opportunities to buy homes to the poorest neighborhoods. Education is a key to social mobility, but educational opportunity was denied to many vets of color, in spite of their service, and those that did go to school were often forced into separate and unequal institutions.
Social programs like Mothers’ Aid, established in the 1930s (and that eventually evolved into welfare as we now know it) helped many poor women and children rise out of poverty. But many women of color, especially in the South, were denied benefits under this program and its later iterations because they were considered valuable only as workers, not as mothers.
And these are just a few examples. The legacy of racial exclusion from these opportunities continues to this day. It’s time for those of us left out of this grand history of America to speak up. If we don’t, we may in fact return to that whitewashed past.
Tags: democratic national convention, dog whistle racism, elizabeth warren, Indian Removal Act of 1830, native americans, nostalgia, oklahoma, school segregation, trail of tears, Welfare, whitewashing history
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Random Ohio Reviews
CRYPTOZOHIO: Most Haunted
Some place seem to have residents that love the place. Really love it to death. Some places even have a lot of residents that seem to love the place beyond death. In Ohio a number of locations have decided to give themselves the title of “Most haunted…” Are they “The most Haunted”? Can anything really be the “Most.” We will let you decide. Here is a look in to some of them.
Most Haunted City:
The most haunted city in Ohio, or even one of the most haunted in the nation. Athens is located in the middle of the foothills of southeast Ohio. It is the hub of the area and most of the regions major services are located there. If people needed health care, higher education, or other things, they had to travel in to town. The Athens Lunatic Asylum was a mental health facility for over 100 years that served this purpose. It was known for performing lobotomies, electroshock therapy, hydrotherapy, and the use of psychotropic drugs. The hospital also had a cemetery on site. Around 1930 residents are buried in there. Many without names and just numbers. The facility is now The Ridges and houses the Kennedy Art Museum. As expected from a former mental facility, the location is said to be forever inhabited by many former patients.
The area that is Ohio University has more stories than rooms it seems. We have already mentioned the many stories and legends that the university holds. Some of these stories just don’t add up when looked into. This could be a case of students, wanting to believe in the strange, passing on legends to the newer crowd. Halloween is a big deal at OU with the Halloween block party being one of the largest in Ohio. Despite this large number of story that are made up, many more exist that are based in fact. This could be the former mental facility on campus, the area’s history as an American Indian village, or the fact that the school started almost 15 years before Ohio even became a state. A place does not get the title of one of the “Most Haunted Universities in America” with a few things happening.
Most Haunted House:
Slightly outside of the heart of Cleveland is what some say is the most haunted house in Ohio. Built around 1883 this house was the former residence of Hannes Tiedemann and his family. About ten years after the house was built it saw its first death, the Tiedemann’s 15-year-old daughter. Soon after the family’s grandmother passed away. Within 3 years 3 more children had died. A year later Louise, the family mother, passed away.
Soon the house was sold and used as a German social club for many years. In 1968 the Romano family bought the castle. After a while the family complained of ghost. They performed exorcisms and had ghost hunting groups investigate, all to no avail. After years of hauntings they sold the property to Sam Muscatello. Muscatello had plans for the place but needed cash. To make money he offered haunted tours. Many say that the stories of the location seemed to increase during this time. Muscatello was known for inviting the media to the house and promoting its haunted nature. In one of the towers he even found human bones, which some wonder if he placed there himself. Despite
Over the years many rumors have been attached to the location. Stories of bootlegging, murders, and eerie happenings. Even if the stories are the work of an overactive promoter, many people say they have felt things in the house.
Most Haunted Prison:
Ohio Reformatory
Of course the most famous prison in Ohio is the considered the most haunted. The Ohio Reformatory, Ohio’s official State Penal Museum. Opened to prisoners in 1896, the prison lasted almost 100 years. The Reformatory saw a large share of prisoners and was closed due to overcrowding.
With such a large population in a small area disease, accidents, and violence were bound to happen. During its time over 200 people died within the prisons walls. the East Cell block, the world’s largest free-standing cell block, was where most of the inmates were housed, but not the location of the most deaths. The 8 most haunted spots seem to be spread out all over the place. The most haunted being the location where men were left to themselves, Solitary Confinement.
Over the years many TV shows and movies have been filmed in the prison. The most famous being The Shawshank Redemption. The most popular thing to film however, besides music videos, is Ghost Hunting shows. Almost every paranormal show has taken time to visit.
Tours are given of the overall prison, the Hollywood history of the location, and the popular haunted areas. Tours can be booked from the Reformatory’s website: https://www.mrps.org/explore/paranormal-programs/ghost-walks
Most Haunted Government Building:
Ohio Statehouse
The cornerstone of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus was laid in 1839 and the building first opened for business in 1857. During that time many workers were from the nearby prison. Some even died during the construction. Throughout the lower levels and parking garage it is said that sounds of construction can still be heard. During the 1990’s restoration graffiti was found from the workers.
While many government building had been opened before it, the Statehouse is the most famous in the state. With all the people who have worked in the building, and the many famous visitors, it is also considered the most haunted. The most famous visitor said to revisit from time to time is Abraham Lincoln. He first visited in 1859. He returned in 1861 on his way to DC to be sworn in as president. It was inside the statehouse that he learned he had officially won the presidency. His final visit was in 1865 when he laid in memorial after his assassination. Some say that he can be seen wandering the rotunda. Sometimes he is seen with the daughter of Governor Samuel Chase. He is also said to dance with the lady in grey from the nearby Camp Chase cemetery. Along with the 4 working cannons the grounds of the Statehouse are guarded by Civil War veterans who never left their post. Some even say they are even guarding Lincoln to this day.
The most famous worker to have stayed is that of Thomas Bateman. Bateman was a clerk of the senate for over 50 years. Very studious and rule bound, it is said that at exactly 5 o’clock he can be felt moving from the senate floor to the hall way outside and the lights can be seen flickering to indicate the end of the work day. Along with Bateman many other workers have been heard late at night. Some say it is just the echoing of the stone floors, others say it is lawmakers forever trying to get one last bit of work done long after they should have left.
The State house offers haunted tours yearly along with its daily tours. Ohio Statehouse event page has information on this popular tours and many more things to do at the Statehouse..
Most Haunted Cemetery:
Woodland Cemetery – Dayton
While most cemeteries have a story or two about something “living” among the non-living, this location has a few more than most in the state. We have talked about the many hauntings at this picturesque location before. The most famous is of a dog who is said to return to visit his young owner. The statue of the dog has been said to breath and move the many tributes left beside it. Victims of Jack the Strangler , The Cincinnati Ripper, and many who made their own victims all rest uneasily throughout the grounds. The electric chair is responsible for quite a few of the graves, even as the story goes, one who helped to build it.
Haunted lantern tours and most of the scenic fall tours fill up early in September. To book checkout their website. Many other tours are available throughout the year. Even without the haunted aspect this is worth a visit.
http://www.woodlandcemetery.org/tours-and-events
Posted in History, Local Landscape, Seasonal and tagged Cryptozohio, cryptozoo, haunted, hidden in ohio, historic, local, Most Haunted, Most Haunted in America, Most Haunted in Ohio, Most Haunted in the, Ohio, Ohio history, outdoors, unique on October 8, 2018 by RandomOhio. 2 Comments
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As with any trip you are responsible for your own safety. Read all directions and follow all rules. We endorse exploring Ohio but we do not endorse breaking the law or getting hurt to do so.
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Armed Forces Fund 2018
Thursday, 13 September 2018, 11:00
by Rangers Charity Foundation
THE Rangers Charity Foundation’s work with services related charities will continue this season via its Armed Forces Fund which will again work with charity partners but for the first time will also be able to help smaller local and community-led projects too.
The Foundation has chosen to support SSAFA, Poppyscotland and the Coming Home Centre in Govan for season 2018/19 and have pledged to raise £3,000 for each, as well as an additional £6,000 to help smaller projects throughout the season which are improving the lives of veterans and serving personnel.
The first beneficiary of this new fund this season was Veterans First Point Lanarkshire, which works with veterans from all three services struggling with a variety of issues and operates in conjunction with the Scottish Association for Mental Health and the NHS. They received funds for new kit for their veterans’ football team, as well as training equipment and footballs.
The Rangers Charity Foundation has a long and proud tradition of working with services related charities and was a joint signatory, along with the Club, to the Armed Forces Covenant in 2016, receiving the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme’s Silver Award from the Ministry of Defence a year later in 2017.
The Foundation has donated over £168,000 in cash to armed forces and veterans’ charities to date, as well as significant in-kind support. Donations have included over £57,000 to veterans’ charity Erskine and £40,000 to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, as well as donations ranging from £5,000 – £7,500 to many others such as Combat Stress, Poppyscotland, RNRMC, AA Veterans Support and the RAF Benevolent Fund.
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, provides lifelong support to serving personnel, veterans and their families. Last year, SSAFA caseworkers in Glasgow delivered personalised support to over 750 members of the Armed Forces community in need, providing practical, emotional and financial help through its network of volunteer caseworkers.
Poppyscotland reaches out to those who have served, those still serving, and their families at times of crisis and need. The charity provides tailored support and funding to thousands of ex-Servicemen and women as well as other vital services in advice, employment, mobility, respite, housing and mental health support.
The Coming Home Centre’s mission is to serve those who have served, offering practical help and advice to veterans and a place to meet and enjoy peer support and camaraderie.
Set up in 2010 in the heart of Govan, close to Ibrox Stadium, the Coming Home Centre provides a place for veterans to get together, enjoy lunch or a cup of tea, and talk with their peers. The Centre offers veterans access to a wide range of support and advice and also runs a number of workshops, from music and art therapy classes to cooking and woodwork.
St Johnstone Fan Zone Gallery 25 September 2018
Armed Forces Day Today 23 September 2018
Download Today’s Programme 23 September 2018
Players Have To Deliver Again 22 September 2018
Club Statement 4 November 2015
Company Statement 27 March 2017
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Laser-guided system can detect dangerous materials half-mile away
Image: Brett Hokr
First responders can now identify explosives, biological agents or hazardous chemicals from a half mile and more, thanks to new technology developed at Texas A&M University.
The technology, which was developed by a team of researchers that includes Professor Vladislav Yakovlev of the university’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, makes use of lasers to traverse long distances and identify dangerous materials present within powders that commonly act as carriers for explosive nitrates and lethal biological agents such as anthrax and ricin. In addition, the laser-guided system has agricultural applications, particularly as a tool for precision farming, and forensic capabilities.
The work of the team, which includes Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy Marlan O. Scully, is funded by the National Science Foundation as well as the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The team’s findings are detailed in the scientific journals “Nature Communications” and “Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.”
The potentially life-saving technology is made possible by a high-powered laser that is beamed onto a powder for an extremely short amount of time (about a trillionth of a second), says Yakovlev, an authority on sensing instrumentation. When laser light contacts the molecules present within the powder, it experiences a scattering effect that researchers can analyze to construct a sort of molecular “fingerprint” that reveals the exact chemical makeup of the powder.
“As part of our research, we identified individual nitrates in powder at a distance of a half kilometer,” Yakovlev says. “In a single shot we were able to distinguish those chemicals with 99-percent accuracy, and now we’re working on identification from even greater distances.”
More at the Look College of Engineering
News coverage:
A&M researchers hone laser for explosives, drug detention (Bryan-College Station Eagle, Aug. 17, 2014)
#TAMUresearch
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Government and industry adopt model for predicting oil-spill impact
The only good thing about oil spills is that they are extremely rare. In fact, there has only been one recorded deep-water ocean spill. But their rarity presents its own problems when it comes to choosing how to react to them. That’s why research done at Texas A&M University to create stronger prediction models will play a critical role in assessing the pros and cons of tactics used in future spills.
The Texas A&M Oilspill Calculator model developed by Scott Socolofsky, professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, and his team is being used by the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration in its oil spill model GNOME (General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment).
The severity of an oil spill’s impact depends on the amount and source of oil, what courses of action responders choose and the physical properties of the oil.
The presence of oil in the ocean affects surface and subsurface organisms and resources linked in a complex way, including humans. Damages include that which we see directly impacting wildlife, such as coating birds or mammals with a layer of oil, and the toxicity of the oil itself, which may be poisonous at high enough concentrations.
Oil spill research at Texas A&M seeks to mitigate the effects of future spills, predict the hazard conditions under future spill scenarios and help with decision support in future spills for the response effort. It takes into consideration the solubility of oil, something previously ignored in past models, which allows for different predictions of impact on the ecosystem.
“With the Texas A&M Oilspill Calculator we are able to demonstrate the best choices for a blowout model and help to improve model prediction,” Socolofsky said. “Better predictions will save resources during the next major subsea blowout by helping to direct the response.”
The adoption of the model by government and industry earned Socolofsky a College of Engineering Research Impact Award this year. The team is also now working with NOAA to predict what might happen for an accidental blowout in the Arctic.
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UMBC baseball series comes down to extras
Eric Connor
The UMBC Retrievers baseball team entered the weekend in last place in the conference with an incredible opportunity to take down America East leaders Stony Brook, entering the series 11-4 in conference and 22-14 overall. After UMBC was previously swept by the Seawolves, this season, the Retrievers would seek revenge on their home turf looking to improve their conference record. In Game 1, UMBC freshman-pitcher Cooper Adams and Stony Brook pitcher Greg Marino were able to keep offenses quiet through the first three innings. The Seawolves were finally able to hit Adams in the fourth and fifth innings piling up five runs. UMBC’s only offense in Game 1 came in the fifth inning with a two-RBI double by senior-outfielder Terrence Pinkston and an RBI groundout by senior-infielder AJ Wright. Seawolves pitchers quieted Retriever bats for the remainder of the game.
Stony Brook once again exploded in the sixth inning with four runs to extend the lead to 9-3. They tallied extra runs in the eighth and ninth innings off a solo home run and RBI groundout. They were able to take Game 1 by an 11-3 margin, while UMBC was unable to generate any offense off Seawolves pitchers Marino and Adam Erickson in Game 1 of the doubleheader. Every Stony Brook hitter was able to reach base, but UMBC would look to bounce back in Game 2.
The Seawolves picked up where they left off in Game 1 and put up five runs in the top of the first inning. Nick Grande drove redshirt freshman-pitcher Nick Trabacchi’s second pitch of the game out of the park for a home run. The following runs came in from a two-RBI double, a sacrifice fly and an RBI single. UMBC came back and won the game despite being down 4-0 against second-place Hartford last weekend and would be put to the test again. In the bottom half of the first, Wright was able to bring in Pinkston for a run to cut the Stony Brook lead back to 5-1.
In the top of the second inning, once again, Grande hit a leadoff home run to extend the Seawolves lead back to five runs. UMBC was able to cut the lead back to four in the bottom half of the fourth inning due to sophomore-infielder Joey Goodwin’s RBI single. After the first two innings, Trabacchi settled in and pitched three straight hitless innings.
UMBC’s offense erupted in the fourth inning with an RBI groundout by Goodwin and RBI singles by freshman-infielders Blaze O’Saben and Pinkston. They two freshmen continue their phenomenal seasons with O’Saben and Pinkston hitting .279 and .345 respectively, cutting cut the UMBC deficit down to one. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Wright led off with another hit and junior-catcher Colin Casey scored Wright from first on an RBI double to tie the game at six. O’Saben struck out to get Stony Brook pitcher Aaron Glickstein out of the bases loaded jam.
Redshirt junior-pitcher Stephen Schoch would enter the game at the top of the sixth inning keeping the score tied. In the bottom half of the sixth inning, Pinkston would lead the inning off with a walk. Wright would drive Stony Brook pitcher Sam Turcotte’s first pitch of the game out of the park for a go-ahead two-run home run. Once again the Seawolves would leave Retriever runners stranded, but the damage was done, and Schoch ended the game on a strikeout to win the game 8-6.
Schoch picked up the win to continue his phenomenal 5-2 season campaign. He finished the second game of the doubleheader a triple shy of the cycle, tallying two runs. Senior-outfielder Raven Beeman finished with two runs on the afternoon. UMBC’s comeback win would improve their record to 20-20, setting up a rubber match against the Seawolves in Game 3.
After a clean first inning, UMBC’s Joe Milkowski was able to hit an RBI double in the second inning, scoring Goodwin. Later in the third inning, Wright continued where he left off in Game 2 and hit an RBI double scoring Pinkston. Stony Brook’s pitcher was able to settle in after the third inning. However, UMBC was able to command the game with a 2-0 lead thanks to UMBC junior-pitcher Bryan Gilliam who pitched a phenomenal five innings, only allowing three hits and one earned run.
The Seawolves picked up their first run in the sixth inning via an RBI double by Johnny Decker to cut their deficit to one, and senior-pitcher Andy Rozylowicz was able to escape the jam in the sixth inning. Stony Brook tied the game in the seventh inning after a controversial balk call that would eventually allow Brandon Janofsky to score on a wild pitch. Schoch would enter the game for the second time this weekend in the eighth inning, getting out of jams in the last two innings with runners in scoring position.
UMBC would then have the chance to win the series against first-place Stony Brook in the bottom of the ninth inning. A walk by Goodwin with one out would give the Retrievers a chance to score the game winner. Turcotte got out of the inning and would need free baseball to decide the series winner in Baltimore. For the first time this season, UMBC would need extra innings to decide the winner, having a wonderful opportunity to take the first place foe.
After having runners on first and second base with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Colin Casey grounded out to end the threat. In the top of the 11th inning, Stony Brook used stationary baseball to score the go-ahead run by Dylan Resk single preceding a sacrifice bunt, deep flyball to advance the runner to third and an RBI single. With the last chance to extend the game for UMBC in the bottom of the 11th, Beeman led the inning off with a single and was eventually advanced to second base with a sacrifice bunt. However, sophomore-infielder Andres Machado ended the game with a strikeout. In the most contested game of the series, UMBC fell short 3-2 to lose the rubber match.
The Retrievers fall to 20-21 overall and 6-12 in conference and remain last place in the America East. The Retrievers will have another home conference series next weekend as they face Binghamton this Saturday at Alumni Field. With only two conference series remaining for UMBC, they will need to seek a series win in order to chase down UMass Lowell or Maine in the conference tournament race, as only six teams will compete in the 2019 America East Tournament.
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Home » Allovertop » Top 10 Hottest Female Celebrities in the World 2019
Top 10 Hottest Female Celebrities in the World 2019
Allovertop, Beauty, Pet Supplies
Globalization has brought a new look at movie industry around the world, and one prominent industry is from the Hollywood. Moreover, more and more celebrities are outperforming in modeling, singing, and acting for the best world-class titles. Especially female celebrities who look sexy and breathtaking are building reputation in world record.
10. Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes was born on December 18, 1978 in Ohio. She has three sisters and one brother. While in high school life, Holmes was an outstanding student, who got 4.0 GPA when later she went to Columbia University. She started to star American movie, the Dawson’s Creek, that time roled as Joey Potter from 1998 to 2003. In 1998, Katie won a MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance in her role when she acted in Disturbing Behavior. S
09. Irina Shayk
Born in 1986, Russia, Irina Shayk became a supermodel and actress between 2007 and 2019. Irina really looks like an American woman, who’s got light eyes from her mother and a beautiful dark skin from her father. She has got one sister, Tatiana. While she was a student, she studied marketing. However, in 2004, she decided to join the “Miss Chelyabinsk 2004” and won the competition. Her achievement has gone so far as she ranks the first in the “50 Hottest Russian Women” issued by Complex magazine.
08. Queen Latifah
In fact, Queen Latifah has a real name called Dana Elaine Owens, who was born on March 18, 1970 in Newark, New Jersey. She went to Catholic School in Newark, where was raised by the Baptist when her parents got divorced. She is a multi-task person as a singer, writer, rapper, model, actress, and television producer. Besides, Queen has also won many rewards like Golden Globe Award, Image Award, Grammy Award and Screen Actor Guild Award.
07. Kristen Steward
Kristen is a very talented child. She has started acting on television since she was eight for school performance. In 2002, she got a nomination for a Young Artist Award after her breakthrough in Panic Room. However, her first well-known acting was Bella character in “The Twilight Saga”. This fortune and talent maybe be attributed to the fact that her parents were working in film and television, paving the way for their daughter in the movie industry. Her latest famous movie acting includes “Snow White and the Huntsman” and the “Cannes Selection on the Road”.
06. Jessica Biel
Born in Ely, Minnesota, Jessica Biel is both a business consultant and GM worker. Of course, this lady is beautiful and smart. Jessica spent her childhood life working as a vocalist for a musical theater. After staring as “Annie” in the “Beauty and the Beast”, she has decided to compete in the International Modeling in 1994. However, she found her fortune in the “7th Heaven” which made her a rising star. She also has other achievements in Roger Avary’s The Rules of Attraction (2002) and the Cellular (2004). Apart from being a celebrity, she has contributed her time to many charities.
05. Ashley Greene
Ashley was born on February 21, 1987 in Jacksonville, Florida. She went to University Christian School, and started working as an actor and model at the age of 17. Her well-known acting is Alice Cullen for Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight novels. Though she loved to be a model at the first place, she later found her passion in acting. This woman really loves Taekwondo as she has confessed being a tomboy. Sometimes, as a teenager, Ashley was seen as a “hot mess”. Today, she has begun acting more roles in other movies.
04. Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes was born on March 5, 1974 in Miami, Florida. She is not only an American actress but also model and singer. She went to Hoover High School in Glendale and pursued her university life at California State University in a major of marketing. In 2001, after roling in B movies, she had changed to a new job in Training Day. Afterward, Eva played in some movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, We Own the Night, Hitch and The Other Guys, Ghost Rider, and Stuck on You. Besides, she was also a designer from New York & Company in 2013.
03. Jennifer Lawrence
A daughter of a construction worker, Lawrence was born on August 15, 1990, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. When she was 14, she decided to convince her parents to take her to New York City in order to seek acting opportunity. Finally, she met her desire becoming an American actress. In 2008, she gained an Academy Award for Best Actress in the movies The Burning Plain and Winter’s Bone. Later in 2011, X-Men made her first commercial achievement.
02. Penelope Cruz
Bborn in Madrid, Spain, when Penélope Cruz Sánchez was young, she was known in her family for her funny performance. After she finished classical ballet at school, Cruz continued her career of dancing. Later Cruz became famous in the movie “The Greek Labyrinth” in 1993. In 1992, she also won the Oscar-winning Belle Epoque. Later in 2000, she found her tremendous project in Woman on Top.
1.Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis was born in USSR, later became Ukraine, to a family of mechanical engineer. At the age of 9, Mila started acting after her father created a opportunity for her on the radio. In 1995, she was given a role as Melinda in her first gig “Make a Wish, Molly”. Later, she made a lot of money in other films. Her latest masterpiece is “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” in which she played a free-spirited character called Rachel Jensen.
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Tag: Daniel patrick Moynihan
Beyond the Melting Pot?
The recent Coca Cola Ad during the Super Bowl stirred up quite a controversy. While most of the negative reaction to the ad was misplaced racism, the ad did bring up an important question that for the most part, went un-examined: that of the myth of America as the land of opportunities and a place where hard work is rewarded.
The U.S. is a land where diversity is welcome and embraced. That is true, to a large extent. But it is definitely not a ‘melting pot’, where all cultures blend into one. The American immigration model is one where immigrants still keep their ethnicity intact, and are proud to be Italian-American, Syrian-American or Chinese-American. This is a fact that is taken for granted and widely accepted. Though there may not be much “Italian” “Syrian” or “Chinese” left in the second or third-generation Americans, they are still proud of what Herbert Gans called their ‘Symbolic ethnicity’. Unlike in European countries, where the immigrants are really expected to give up their traditions and literally ‘melt in’ the expectation in the U.S. is different.
This melting pot hypothesis has been widely accepted and bandied about, as an exceptional American trait. But upon close examination, it seems to fall apart, as I have pointed out. The ‘American mythos’ as the Princeton Sociologist Robert Wuthnow has called it is just that – a myth, one that has helped us navigate the growing diversity, but it has deep flaws in it.
Wuthnow’s argument is simple. He says that the narratives that we use to define immigration and also America as a nation are not accurate and we tend to make mistakes when we make these assumptions. The fact that hard work is rewarded in all cases is one such assumption, Wuthnow says in his book American Mythos: Why Our Best Efforts to Be a Better Nation Fall Short. The book is based on narratives of immigrants and their efforts at assimilating in the U.S. There is a long-standing tradition of the immigrants assimilating in the country and making use of opportunities here, to succeed. To what extent is this part of the American mythos and how does it inform our understanding of America, is key, he points out. As Wuthnow goes on to say: “The deep narratives that shape our sense of national purpose are so inscribed in our culture that we accept them without thinking too much about them. The deep ways meanings of these stories influence how we think about ourselves, and at the same time bias us. For example, they encourage us to think that we are more religious than we are. They result in ideas on how to escape materialism and consumerism and are more wishful than what we imagine.” These assumptions become empty talking points or assumptions that we don’t closely examine and scrutinize, Wuthnow argues.
These myths, Wuthnow adds, are also about morality and about our rights and privileges and responsibilities. Taking the example of how early American thinkers imagined America, Wuthnow argues that there was a certain narrative that was created – of America as the land of for those who were saved. Material wellbeing in the newfound land was equated with spiritual health. This took on an emancipatory and religious tone, with the puritans claiming that the prosperity that they experienced here was due to their “passage,” through hardships. Walt Whitman wrote eloquently about the vision of America as a country that would welcome all and be a land that is full of ‘noble people’.
When Whitman wrote of America as:
Centre of equal daughters, equal sons,
All, all alike endear’d, grown, ungrown, young or old,
Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich,
Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love,
A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother,
Chair’d in the adamant of Time
He was also contributing to the American myth. Indeed, the trend of welcoming immigrants has been ongoing, despite a few hiccups along the way. Wuthnow also argues that the material progress that many immigrants made, instilled the belief in many of them that they were somehow superior to others. The immigrants also become ‘liminal figures’ who were quite literally between two places, the old home and the new ‘home’ in America.
The very notion of crossing over to come to a new ‘home’ in America is one that gives root to this idea. This is not always entirely positive, he seems to be saying. When he says “A society like this will always fall short of its aspirations, for our highest aspirations involve having a home, in which our values are nourished,” he could be interpreted as making a conservative argument. But one cannot deny that materialism and individualism in America has gone too far.
Wuthnow warns us that the success stories of the few cannot tell us the entire story of all those who came. Of course, there were those who didn’t make it, those who failed, destroyed their families to be in a new country. “ We must be careful how we approach these questions. Stories of the successful few are never accurate depictions of the many. They are not meant to be unvarnished truths even for their principal protagonists,” he says, pointing to the various gaps in this narrative that are often filled in by the ‘success stories.’
Robert Bellah et al in their book Habits of the Heart seem to be making similar arguments and Wuthnow borrows liberally from Bellah. Bellah argues in his book that there is a great emphasis on the individual in America and this needs to move away, and we need to re-focus our attention on groups, institutions. But there is a way for Americans to balance this individualism with commitment to the community, Bellah points out. While some exceptional people do it all the time, others struggle with this balance, he adds. Similarly, Robert Putnam, another political theorists has focused on the group and reaches the conclusion that we cannot bring about any change in the community unless the individual changes, for instance by deciding to watch less TV
Tensions in American society
Wuthnow’s argument is similar to the one made much earlier by Daniel Patrick Moynihan the New York Senator and academic, who wrote the famous book Beyond the Melting Pot with Nathan Glazer. The core thesis of the book is that immigrant groups retain their ethnicity and that in fact this is not a bad thing. The duo studied ethnic groups in New York City and found that the rise of Irish, Catholics could be attributed to their group cohesion and the fact that they were able to retain group loyalties. This was a controversial statement to make in the 1960s’ – a time of heightened sensitivity about topics related to race, ethnicity. But it seems that their prediction has come true and we are all the better for it.
While immigrants have made this country a truly unique and blessed place, the myth of the ‘self-made’ man or woman that so pervades our capitalist economy is dangerous, Wuthnow seems to be pointing. He says that like Horatio Alger’s self-made men, we are all motivated and inspired by this image of the person who picks himself or herself and starts all over again. While alluring, this is not entirely true, as it decontextualizes the people – removing from the picture all those who helped the person, the family support, the friends who helped this person or the banks that lent the person money, not to mention the unique economic conditions, including market conditions that made this success possible.
Wuthnow’s observations about the materialism, growing individualism and lack of connection with others as being a danger to our democracy are incisive, sharp and clear. As he poignantly says :“The inner-directed Americans of today must become other directed. An individualistic ethic should be replaced by a social ethic. The solution to individualism therefore is not to become more fully identified with a group of one’s peers. When that happens, individuality is lost. The person becomes weak, not strong. What is needed is interaction with the group, not identification with it. Interaction implies give and take.”
This may as well be a prophetic prediction. While the America of 2014 is resilient enough to rise up to the occasion and denounce those bigots and racists who balk at a TV Advertisement that shows diversity, it still does not have the depth of understanding to step back and look at the myths that it believes in. And more importantly, the America of 2014 assumes many of the taken for granted narratives about immigrants, materialism and sense of privilege that are part of the mainstream discourse. This needs to change and people need to be more self-reflective and nuanced in their understanding of these issues.
Author Sabith KhanPosted on February 16, 2014 Categories Charity, Christianity, Democracy, Education, islam, judaism, media, Middle East, modernity, Public Administration, Public Policy, USATags Coca Cola, Daniel patrick Moynihan, Diversity, Ethnicity, Maxwell School of Syracuse University, Melting pot, Robert Bellah, robert wuthnow, SociologyLeave a comment on Beyond the Melting Pot?
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Reading: Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille
Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille
Mark Robberds
In Georges Bataille's Story of the Eye, the two protagonists conclude their escalating series of transgressions with the murder of a priest, the narrative effectively ending with the subsequent removal of the corpse's eye. A similar incident occurs in Pynchon's first novel, V., when a group of Maltese children discovers a priest trapped in the ruins of a bombed building. The children remove several of the priest's body parts, including one of the eyes. The rudimentary elements of this coincidence–that in both Bataille's and Pynchon's stories the moral character of the priest is dubious, and that in both cases the murder/ mutilation is carried out by children–warrant investigation. Beyond these primary concurrences, however, Pynchon and Bataille share a much broader intertextual space.
How to Cite: Robberds, M., 1997. Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille. Pynchon Notes, (40-41), pp.19–27. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/pn.161
Published on 22 Sep 1997.
© the author(s)
Robberds, M., 1997. Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille. Pynchon Notes, (40-41), pp.19–27. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/pn.161
Robberds M. Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille. Pynchon Notes. 1997;(40-41):19–27. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/pn.161
Robberds, M. (1997). Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille. Pynchon Notes, (40-41), 19–27. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/pn.161
Robberds M, ‘Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille’ (1997) Pynchon Notes 19 DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/pn.161
Robberds, Mark. 1997. “Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille”. Pynchon Notes (40-41): 19–27. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/pn.161
Robberds, Mark. “Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille”. Pynchon Notes no. 40–41 (1997): 19–27. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/pn.161
Robberds, M.. “Visions of Excess: Pynchon and Bataille”. Pynchon Notes, no. 40-41, 1997, pp. 19–27. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/pn.161
Published by Open Library of Humanities
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The design philosophy for the renovation of the Old Art Museum at Duke University was to integrate the building’s past with its present. The goal was not to completely restore this building to its original 1929 form, but instead to pull all the pieces together from its beginning, its transformation in the ‘60s, and its current characteristics.
In keeping with ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONCOST PER SQ FT$121.24FEATURED IN2008 Educational InteriorsINTERIOR CATEGORYInterior RenovationSUB CATEGORYRenovation philosophy, the exterior facade was restored to its original 1929 appearance, and two interior stairs were recreated in their original locations and designed to incorporate historic elements. The original high ceilings were maintained to accentuate the large, historic windows. Interior renovations included new terrazzo floors, wood mouldings and flat, arched openings to replicate a Georgian-revival classroom building.
The Old Art Museum at Duke University stands as a welcoming, history-filled home to the offices and classrooms of the College of Arts & Sciences. The facility was designed to be flexible in the future by accommodating classrooms and offices for additional liberal-arts programs. The two main floors provide about 30,000 square feet of the building’s total 53,614 square feet.
The museum is seeking LEED silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Clark Nexsen
John Wadsworth Photography
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Shining Knights
Communication, Nicholson School of
Forensic Science, National Center of
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UCF Led Team Discovers New Venomous Snake
Posted: July 18th, 2016 ˑ Filled under: Biology, COS News, Faculty News, Graduate Student News, News, Staff News, Top News, UCF News ˑ
Story by UCF Today
An international team of scientists has solved a case of mistaken identity and discovered a new species of venomous snake.
The newly discovered Talamancan Palm-Pitviper is a striking green-and-black snake living in some of the most remote regions of Costa Rica. The coloring is a characteristic it shares with its close relative the Black-Speckled Palm-Pitviper. In fact, these two species look so similar that the Talamancan Palm-Pitviper went unrecognized for more than 100 years. It is a case of cryptic speciation, where two species look almost identical, but are genetically different.
“It’s a really interesting phenomenon,” said University of Central Florida biologist and professor Christopher Parkinson, who led the team that made the discovery. “It shows some of the complexities we deal with when cataloging biodiversity and underscores the importance of maintaining natural-history collections. Discovering this species would not have been possible without the specimens housed in natural-history museums.”
The team’s findings are published in this the July 15 online issue of the academic journal Zootaxa.
The team first discovered evidence of the new species in 2001 during a genetic analysis of the palm-pitviper clade. Parkinson, an expert in venomous snakes, and his graduate students noticed some unusual genetic differences among the snakes they were studying. They began questioning if they could have a distinct new species on their hands. However, these snakes live at high elevations, in low densities and are rare even in their natural habitat, making it difficult to find the samples needed for thorough comparisons.
To overcome this, Tiffany Doan, first author on the paper, turned to the University of Texas at Arlington’s Amphibian and Reptile Discovery Research Center, the Museo Zoología at the Universidad de Costa Rica, and several other museums across the country to generate the morphological data used in the project. These institutions house natural-history collections containing thousands of reptile specimens from decades of research. They gave Doan and her colleagues the ability to compare morphology of the suspect snakes to those of others, which had been placed in museum collections for 150 years. During the past 15 years, the team also amassed tissue samples from additional specimens to compare the DNA of the potentially new snake species to the DNA from other snakes in Central America. Their findings concluded that the snake was indeed a new species.
Although many parts of Costa Rica are well explored and the nation has invested in documenting its biodiversity, new species continue to be discovered.
“This discovery highlights the necessity for strong conservation initiatives,” Parkinson said. Many undisturbed areas around the world are being developed before scientists get a chance to document their flora and fauna. “There’s no telling what other species are yet to be found and how they might benefit mankind.”
In the case of venomous species like the Talmancan Palm-Pitviper and Black-Speckled Palm-Pitviper, those benefits may be closer than we realize. Snake venoms have proven to be a great source for protein discovery and drug development. While little is known above the venom of the Talamancan Palm-Pitviper, the Black-Speckled Palm-Pitviper was recently shown to possess an important toxin that poses an interesting evolutionary question. The toxin, called nigroviriditoxin, is similar to a neurotoxin found in some rattlesnakes and hasn’t been seen in a nonrattlesnake before.
So did the toxin evolve in a common ancestor, or did these snakes independently develop the same toxin?
“It’s certainly an interesting question, because it gets at some of the fundamental concepts in evolution” said Ph.D. student Andrew Mason.
Mason was part of the team describing the new species and his dissertation work will focus on learning how evolution has shaped the venoms of palm-pitviper species. “We are really interested in seeing how the venom of this new species compares to other palm-pitvipers, and especially the Black-Speckled Palm-Pitviper because they are morphologically very similar.”
Newly discovered Talamancan Palm-Pitviper.
Talamancan Palm-Pitvipers are small to medium sized pitvipers that are relatively slender. They are found in trees where their green and black pattern provides excellent camouflage. A large snake might reach about 30 inches, but most are less than 24 inches. Scientists believe their habitat to include only 100 km area in the north of the Talamancan Cordillera of Costa Rica.
“The discovery of this new cryptic species shows the advantages of using modern molecular techniques and phylogenetic reconstructions in the catalog of the planet’s biodiversity,” said Mahmood Sasa, professor at the Instituto Clodomiro Picado, a toxin research center and producer of snake antivenin from Universidad de Costa Rica and a co-author of the research paper. “This research is a good example of the synergies that result from collaborative studies between institutions and countries, each party contributing with their own expertise to achieve common goals.”
The research team includes: Tiffany M. Doan and Andrew J. Mason from the University of Central Florida; Todd A. Castoe from the University of Texas at Arlington, and Mahmood Sasa from the Universidad de Costa Rica and Palo Verde Biological Station run by the Organization for Tropical Studies in San Jose, Costa Rica. The National Science Foundation partially funded this project.
View original story on UCF Today.
Tags: Andrew J. Mason, Andrew Mason, Christopher Parkinson, National Science Foundation, Talamancan Palm-Pitviper, Tiffany Doan, Tiffany M. Doan, UCF Department of Biology, Zootaxa
© 2016 College of Sciences News. All images are copyrighted by their respective authors.
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Depression is common after people receive concussions
A new study reveals that approximately 1 in 5 individuals may experience mental health symptoms up to six months after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), suggesting the importance of follow-up care for these patients. Scientists also identified factors that may increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or major depressive disorder following mild mTBI or concussion through analysis of the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury (TRACK-TBI) study cohort.
The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.
“Mental health disorders after concussion have been studied primarily in military populations, and not much is known about these outcomes in civilians,” said Patrick Bellgowan, Ph.D., NINDS program director. “These results may help guide follow-up care and suggest that doctors may need to pay particular attention to the mental state of patients many months after injury.”
In the study, Murray B. Stein, M.D., M.P.H., professor at the University of California San Diego, and his colleagues investigated mental health outcomes in 1,155 people who had experienced a mild TBI and were treated in the emergency department.
At three, six, and 12 months after injury, study participants completed various questionnaires related to PTSD and major depressive disorder. For a comparison group, the researchers also surveyed individuals who had experienced orthopedic traumatic injuries, such as broken legs, but did not have head injury.
The results showed that at three and six months following injury, people who had experienced mTBI were more likely than orthopedic trauma patients to report symptoms of PTSD and/or major depressive disorder.
For example, three months after injury, 20 percent of mTBI patients reported mental health symptoms compared to 8.7 percent of orthopedic trauma patients. At six months after injury, mental health symptoms were reported by 21.2 percent of people who had experienced head injury and 12.1 percent of orthopedic trauma patients.
Dr. Stein and his team also used the data to determine risk factors for PTSD and major depressive disorder after mTBI. The findings revealed that lower levels of education, self-identifying as African-American, and having a history of mental illness increased risk. In addition, if the head injury was caused by an assault or other violent attack, that increased the risk of developing PTSD, but not major depressive disorder. However, risk of mental health symptoms was not associated with other injury-related occurrences such as duration of loss of consciousness or posttraumatic amnesia.
“Contrary to common assumptions, mild head injuries can cause long-term effects. These findings suggest that follow-up care after head injury, even for mild cases, is crucial, especially for patients showing risk factors for PTSD or depression,” said Dr. Stein.
This study is part of the NIH-funded TRACK-TBI initiative, which is a large, long-term study of patients treated in the emergency department for mTBI. The goal of the study is to improve understanding of the effects of concussions by establishing a comprehensive database of clinical measures including brain images, blood samples, and outcome data for 3,000 individuals, which may help identify biomarkers of TBI, risk factors for various outcomes, and improve our ability to identify and prevent adverse outcomes of head injury. To date, more than 2,700 individuals have enrolled in TRACK-TBI.
A recent study coming out of TRACK-TBI suggested that many TBI patients were not receiving recommended follow-up care.
“TRACK-TBI is overturning many of our long-held beliefs around mTBI, particularly in what happens with patients after they leave the emergency department. We are seeing more evidence about the need to monitor these individuals for many months after their injury to help them achieve the best recovery possible,” said Geoff Manley, M.D., professor at the University of California San Francisco, senior author of the current study and principal investigator of TRACK-TBI.
Future research studies will help identify mental health conditions, other than PTSD and major depressive disorder, that may arise following mTBI. In addition, more research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms that lead from mTBI to mental health problems and other adverse outcomes, such as neurological and cognitive difficulties.
Tagged with:brain, North America
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Let's Fix The Reason For The Snap In Avengers: Infinity War
by Cooper Hood
Thanos' snap in Avengers: Infinity War sent shockwaves through the Marvel Cinematic Universe as half of the universe's population was killed. As the movie explained, Thanos wanted to do this because of the growing population of the universe, and he's seen firsthand how overpopulation can wipe out a planet. This decision resulted in the deaths of Black Panther, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and more, leaving the surviving heroes to try and reverse the snap in Avengers: Endgame.
However, in the months that have followed Infinity War's release, Thanos' plan and methods have continued to be scrutinized. While it originally looked like he only killed sentient beings, it was later revealed that the snap actually killed half of all life, including animals and plants. Those involved with the film have tried to further elaborate on the plan and make sense of it, but they've really only complicated matters to where it now makes even less sense. Joe Russo stated on Infinity War's home release commentary track that saving the universe isn't actually Thanos' reasoning behind this quest at all, and that it was merely to try and prove that his method was right.
Related: Why Thanos' Infinity War Master Plan Won't Even Work
In the latest Screen Rant video, we've attempted to fix the reason why Thanos would do such an unthinkable and unexplainable act. This scenario is completely hypothetical, not only in terms of how Infinity War would've played out, but also because of real world legal complications. But, maybe Marvel Studios should've found a way for Galactus to be the reason behind Thanos' madness.
This is a fascinating alternate take on Infinity War and would've had lasting impacts on the MCU as a whole. Marvel would already be setting up their next super villain and would do so while showing their first one is actually trying to be a hero. Even though Galactus still cannot be involved in Endgame from a legal standpoint, there are plenty of other theories that something similar to this could happen. We still don't know what Thanos' role in Endgame is, so a reveal that there's another threat out there for the Avengers to fight would be quite the twist.
Fox currently owning Galactus' movie rights though is a major hurdle that make this possible. The scripts for Infinity War and Endgame have been in the works since 2016 and filming happened throughout 2017 and 2018. Even though Disney is now in the final stages of acquiring Fox's TV and film assets (which will revert X-Men and Fantastic Four characters like Galactus to Marvel Studios), this process had yet to begin when both of these films were in development. If Galactus somehow becomes connected to Thanos' motivations down the road, it will mark a major retcon. The criticisms of Thanos' plan are fair, but most are pleased with the version of the Mad Titan Avengers: Infinity War was able to bring to life and can't wait to see how it concludes later this year.
MORE: The Infinity Gauntlet Was Fused To Thanos' Hand At The End of Infinity War
Key Release Dates
Captain Marvel (2019) release date: Mar 08, 2019
The Avengers 4 / Avengers: Endgame (2019) release date: Apr 26, 2019
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) release date: Jul 02, 2019
Tags: the avengers 3
Robin Burks
Suits Season 9 Will Have One Final Firm Name Change
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15 Things You Didn't Know About GoldenEye 007
by Andy Andersen
– on Aug 20, 2017
in Lists, Game News
This month marks the 20th anniversary of GoldenEye 007—a Nintendo 64 classic that revolutionized the entire gaming world. And to a certain generation, it’s still the greatest video game of all time. GoldenEye was one of the first titles to truly feel communal (who knows how many hours of the game’s groundbreaking multiplayer mode were logged in basements and game dens across the country during the late '90s), and its revolutionary first-person shooter controls paved the way for Halo, Call of Duty, and just about every other shooter franchise to come. GoldenEye has one of the most indelible legacies in video game history, and 20 years later, we’re still unpacking all of its secrets.
Every cultural phenomenon finds itself acquiring a narrative that can only ever tell a small portion of the real story. As a key innovative entity of its time and place, GoldenEye’s history is full of rare anecdotes and interesting tidbits, and its legendary status often leaves its most fascinating facts left unexplored. Whether you were a devoted player of GoldenEye in the '90s or a casual fan with fond memories of being along for the ride, here are 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Goldeneye 007 to give you the full story of a legendary classic.
15 The Game Contains a Secret Chip with 10 '80s-Era Video Games
Video games have a long tradition of weird, sneaky Easter eggs. GoldenEye has a few unique Easter eggs of its own—the most mind blowing of which was only discovered a few years ago. Deep within the game’s code, a die-hard fan found a whole emulator for Rare’s ZX Spectrum system from the 1980s. The emulator offers ten playable games, including Sabre Wulf, Atic Atac, Lunar Jetman, and Alien 8.
The story behind this emulator chip is probably a lot less exciting than expected. It was a simple side-project for Rare to see if the N64 could host this type of emulator, and GoldenEye just happened to be the project on hand to test it out on. For most gamers, the real mystery is how to access the thing. Fortunately, there are plenty of experts out there to figure out the technical puzzle for the rest of us.
14 Weapon Reloading With The Rumble Pak?
There’s arguably nothing more important to the success of any first-person, third-person, or tactical shooter than fluidity of movement. GoldenEye 007 was a pioneer in offering fluid movement for first-person shooters, but one of the game’s early weapon reload concepts could have easily destroyed its gameplay--and the future of the shooter genre along with it.
In the early stages of development, the developers at Rare wanted GoldenEye players to have to physically unplug and re-insert the N64 Rumble Pak to reload a weapon. Fortunately, Nintendo ended up tabling the idea, as neither the Rumble Pak, nor the N64 controller, would have survived it. The physical reload also would have thrown a huge wrench in the player movement that made GoldenEye so successful and groundbreaking.
13 Super Mario 64 Was a Major Influence
It’s easy to forget just how mind-blowing it was when everyone's favorite 8 bit plumber entered a beautiful 64 bit world. Mario's first 3D rendering in Super Mario 64 was a big moment in video game history. It was quite literally a game-changer for everyone, including the team behind Goldeneye.
On the surface, Mario 64 and GoldenEye may have very little in common apart from their shared gaming system. But the GoldenEye crew implemented a number of game elements into their project as a direct result of seeing the new Mario game in action. GoldenEye designer Martin Hollis was particularly taken with Mario 64’s multiple-objectives-per-level setup, and applied the concept to his game pretty early on. Mario’s 3D collision detection algorithm—which prevents two 3D entities from overlapping—was also a huge help in building GoldenEye.
12 Donkey Kong Country Almost Completely Changed the Game
Goldeneye was worked through a number of incarnations before the Rare team turned it into a first-person shooter (there was even a racing game version in development for the Virtual Boy at one point). Due to the success of Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye came very close to being a 2D sidescroller.
Had the Donkey Kong-esque sidescroller version of Goldeneye come to fruition, it would have likely been a pretty awesome game. The Bond-brand of action lends itself well to the type of gameplay that Donkey Kong Country brilliantly executed (a side scrolling version of the tank chase would’ve especially been a blast). But ultimately, there’s no way the DK version of Goldeneye would have been the groundbreaking social shoot-em-up that we know and love. We’ll just have to wait till the next Bond movie to see 007 shooting out of an explosive barrel flying across the jungle at sunset.
11 The “All Bonds” Cheat Was a Hoax (Partially)
The N64 era is full of mythical tales of cheats that became the stuff of legend before we figured out how to quickly debunk them on the Internet. One popular GoldenEye rumor cheat that few players could confirm or debunk for a long time was the “All Bonds” cheat, which was supposed to give players the option to play as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, or Timothy Dalton as Bond in addition to Pierce Brosnan.
The "All Bonds" cheat was purportedly accessed through a simple cheat menu button-combination. An April Fool’s article in Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine gave further credence to the notion that everyone could play as their favorite Bond. The cheat has been long since debunked, but Rare has also confirmed that the option to play as any Bond was written into the game, but pulled at the last minute.
Good news, though: if you’re really feeling adventurous, all you have to do is dig into the game’s code to activate the "All Bonds" option and engage in the ultimate 007 showdown.
10 You Can Find the Movie in the Game
Wouldn’t it be cool to watch an entire 64 bit version of the Goldeneye movie? YES, but unfortunately, that’s not what “finding the movie in the game” refers to here. But you can find a “copy” of the film laying around somewhere sneaky in the world of the game. As is the case with all good easter eggs, all you have to do is know where to look.
A VHS tape of the movie can be found on a CCTV in Bunker 2 of the inventory menu. It isn't the most elaborate video game Easter egg out there, but in retrospect, it serves as a fun reminder that GoldenEye not only exceeded the quality of most movie tie-in games, but the popularity of the movie it was based on as well. The Bond brand is certainly responsible for much of the game's aesthetic appeal (as evidenced by the lesser success of the GoldenEye design team's non-Bond follow-up, Perfect Dark), but it doesn't account for the cultural phenomenon that the game created on its own merit.
9 Dr. Doak was a Real Guy
Dr. Doak is a GoldenEye character exclusive to the game, added to the story’s chemical weapons facility intro for extra gameplay. He was also a real guy, although not actually a double-agent chemical weapons professor that also competes in free-for-all shooting matches from time to time.
The real David Doak was actually one of the game designers who worked on GoldenEye before moving on to other notable titles like Perfect Dark, Time Splitters, and Time Splitters 2. While working on GoldenEye, his facial likeness and name were used for a double-agent character who helps Bond through a shootout in the chemical weapons facility at the beginning of the game’s single player campaign. The player always has the option to kill Dr. Doak at the end of the sequence, and we're sure the real David Doak would be disturbed by the number of players who have chosen to ruthlessly eliminate his 64 bit likeness over the years.
8 It Was Never Meant to Be Released with the Movie
In today’s ultra-curated entertainment market, it’s downright bizarre to think that a movie tie-in video game would ever be released two whole years after the film hit theaters, but that’s just how long Goldeneye 007 took to hit shelves. Surprisingly, the late release was no accident.
We should all be thanking our lucky stars that the Goldeneye development team was given ample time to create their groundbreaking game. Rushed development schedules always end badly for gaming properties, and GoldenEye would have been no exception. Instead, the game was given the time and care it needed to slowly mold into a classic. Unfortunately, time would not be as kind to the PlayStation adaptation of Pierce Brosnan’s 2nd Bond adventure, Tomorrow Never Dies—a lackluster third-person shooter that proves just how unforgiving a speedy development schedule can be.
7 How to Survive the Golden Gun
Playing “The Man with the Golden Gun” mode on multiplayer was always cutthroat as hell. The Golden Gun was a brutal weapon that guaranteed a kill with one bullet, so if any of your friends got it before you did, you were royally screwed.
What most players didn’t know was that there was a way (albeit a challenging one) to survive a shot from the Golden Gun. All you had to do was make sure your character was set to 10+ health in the multiplayer setup menu, have full body armor, and make sure you were only shot in the limbs instead of the torso or head. Pretty simple right? If not, there’s always running around frantically or trying to fight off your opponent up close with slappers.
6 Remnants of Scrapped Objectives Can Be Found in the Game
GoldenEye was a key early player in developing maps with multiple objectives on the N64. If you explore certain levels thoroughly enough, you can find some fascinating remnants of scrapped objectives. For example, the Dam level originally had an objective to retrieve Bond’s bungee equipment for the dam jump. If you use the full zoom sight of the sniper rifle, you can look across the reservoir and see a faraway building where the bungee equipment was hidden.
On other levels, you can find items, rooms, and switches that don’t appear to be there for any reason at all. GoldenEye has plenty of exciting objectives to keep any player occupied, but who knows what kind of awesome mini-adventures we’ve been missing out on for all these years.
5 Expectations for the Game Were Initially Low
The video game industry is still young, and definitely still in its experimental phase, so you can really never see a huge hit coming. Nintendo was apparently lukewarm about GoldenEye’s development from the beginning—so much so that they came dangerously close to pulling the plug on the whole project midway through production.
Looking back, you can hardly blame Nintendo for their apprehensions. At the time, console first-person shooters didn’t really sell, and Nintendo was largely unimpressed with the demos they’d seen. But eventually they decided to stick it out with GoldenEye, and wound up with their third highest-selling game ever as a result. Weird that we came so close to living in a world where we couldn’t yell at our friends for playing as Odd Job, or spend an hour playing “Slappers Only” and not get a single kill.
4 It was Originally Conceived as a Rail Shooter
We’ve already covered GoldenEye’s 2D sidescrolling iteration, but the scrapped concept that arguably came closest to being a reality was the rail shooter version of the game. After plans to release it in 2D on Super Nintendo were canned, GoldenEye designer Martin Hollis became quite taken with Sega’s arcade hit Virtua Cop, a 3D rail-shooter that seemed like the perfect blueprint for a James Bond game on paper.
Thankfully, the revolutionary free-roaming gameplay of Super Mario 64 intervened. Hollis saw an early demo of Mario and realized that a console rail-shooter would soon be completely obsolete. A tightly conceived GoldenEye rail shooter would likely have been a decent time, but it wouldn’t have given birth to the glorious multiplayer mode that made the game so popular.
3 The Multiplayer was an Afterthought
GoldenEye 007 literally took years to make, but the game’s multiplayer mode—easily the most popular and influential part of the title—was thrown together in a month. Not only that, but it was never part of GoldenEye’s actual production schedule. According to Martin Hollis, the whole thing was put together by designer Steve Ellis, without any permission from Rare or Nintendo. Multiplayer may very well not have existed, had it been built any other way.
There’s an alternate universe out there where the afterthought of adding GoldenEye's multiplayer was never put into action, where couches all over the world were never occupied by eager players engrossed in GoldenEye deathmatches, and where none of us ever played Halo, Call of Duty, or even Overwatch. The effect that GoldenEye’s multiplayer had on the entire gaming industry can’t be overstated.
2 It was Developed by a Team of Newbies
Many of history’s most influential moments are occupied by secret geniuses who had no idea what they were doing. Of the 10 (yes, only 10) people who made up GoldenEye’s development team, only two had ever worked on a video game before. Untethered from the constraints that come with experience and indoctrination, the team was freed up to make GoldenEye’s production a truly creative experience.
They were given ample time to craft each element of the game according to the dictates of their own inspiration. It’s the kind of production climate that the industry would be wise to replicate as much as possible. Just think how many more GoldenEyes we would have if today’s indie game developers had the industry support and licensing that this beloved classic was given.
1 Pierce Brosnan is awful at it
Despite the overall mediocrity of his last three entries in the 007 film series, Pierce Brosnan was a great Bond. He even managed to turn in a top-notch performance in the otherwise disastrous Die Another Day. He was a especially great in GoldenEye, so it’s a bummer he couldn’t play the game to save his life.
In a 2014 appearance on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon challenged Brosnan to a GoldenEye one-on-one multiplayer match. The actor played along like a good sport, but the game went south fast when he couldn’t manage to pick up a gun. Fighting off Fallon’s pistol fire with slappers didn’t pan out so well, and it wasn’t long before Brosnan’s side of the screen went red. Good thing Brosnan was a far more effective Bond in the movies.
What are your favorite memories of GoldenEye 007? Are there any obscure pieces of GoldenEye trivia out there that we missed? Let us know in the comments!
Tags: goldeneye
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The Organization as a Decision Making ‘Brain’
Best practices, Management, Methods, Research, Theory
An engaging perspective concerning organizational decision making dynamics is that an organization can be seen as a type of decision making computational system. An organization is composed of an assemblage of agents held together, in tension, by incentives (some shared, some selfish), assessment systems, and decision rights (power) accompanied with access to knowledge, some of which is protected. From the Human Resources discipline, this is the basis of ‘organizational architecture’, bound by Management Control Systems.
The Organizational Brain
In a 2010 Harvard Business Review article, ‘The Decision-Driven Organization’ (http://hbr.org/2010/06/the-decision-driven-organization/ar/1), it is proposed that organizations focus too heavily on formal management top-down structures when they should be more concerned with robust decision processes in terms of the interacting network of stakeholder roles and decision rights (Blenko et al, 2010).
The claim is that the fashion for perpetual reorganizations and restructuring misses a fundamental point: it is not the ‘power’ of individuals which drives strategic effectiveness, but rather the network of interactions and role-based rights which drive decision efficacy and agility. If we accept this ‘story’, even as a simple useful allegory, we can ‘map’ the ways in which actors interact in order to assess the robustness associated with decision-focused processes.
The organization can be seen as a type of ‘decision making machine’, albeit one which is quite slow and at times also quite flawed (through the influence of both inherent decision biases and agency forces). To the degree we consciously attempt to map potential process breakdowns which occur at the organizational communication network level, one can attempt to introduce intervention to overcome decision process shortcomings (i.e. when a process is followed, but the participants are not interacting in a robust way, or when biases such as overconfidence or availability sway a decision too quickly).
In complex, multi-staged decisions, there may be several social networks involved (each grounded by a different ‘phase’ in a staged decision process). In this case, a series of social decision networks begin to resemble something quite familiar: a neural network. Staged social decision networks, in aggregate, resemble a composite decision making ‘brain’.
If we think of an organization as a type of at times flawed decision making computer, we can consider building in redundancy and robustness in the ‘organizational brain’ via formal techniques for architecting neural network-based decision methods. Not science fiction, merely a recasting of our perspective concerning the nature of an organization as a network of agents, rather than a fractious and flawed mob of argumentative and self-centered individuals. If we cast off the notion that ‘organizational politics are inherently perverse’, we get closer to the ability to engineer organizational politics for strategic decision making fortitude.
In the research tradition, this connects to the theory of organizational sensemaking. Related emerging interdisciplinary research strands are: collective or organizational sensemaking; organizational multi-agent simulation (MAS); computational organization theory; socio-structural organizational decision analysis; and cyber-physical systems (CPS).
Each of the emerging research strands cited are similar in hybridizing socio-structural analysis with organizational research programs. Common themes include:
viewing organizations as holistic decision making mechanisms,
seeing individuals as role-based agents,
viewing organizational agents as interacting in relatively simple rule-based frameworks,
espousing the notion that agents interact in interlocking structural patterns, and
viewing the organization as being an agglomeration of shifting, multi-contextual social networks.
Embracing such an organic understanding of organizational decision making highlights the organization as a whole over individual and short-term interests. Such a perspective amounts to a paradigm shift in the way organizations are studied and managed.
SELECTED LIST OF REFERENCES
Blenko, M. W., M. C. Mankins, et al. (2010). “The Decision-Driven Organization.” Harvard Business Review.
Carrington, P. J., J. Scott, et al., Eds. (2005). Models and Methods in Social Network Analysis. New York, Cambridge University Press.
Davenport, T. H. and J. G. Harris (2007). Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning. Boston, MA, USA, Harvard Business School Press.
Davenport, T. H., J. G. Harris, et al. (2010). Analytics at Work: Smarter Decisions, Better Results. Boston, MA, USA, Harvard Business Review Press.
Grant, R. M. (1997). “The Knowledge-based View of the Firm: Implications for Management Practice.” Long Range Planning 30(3): 4.
Kaner, M. and R. Karni (2004). “A Capability Maturity Model for Knowledge-Based Decision making.” Information Knowledge Systems Management 4: 27.
Kiron, D. and R. Shockley (2011). “Creating Business Value with Analytics.” MIT Sloan Management Review 53(1): 10.
Kiron, D., R. Shockley, et al. (2011). “Analytics: The Widening Divide.” MIT Sloan Management Review(Special Report): 21.
Knoke, D., Yang, S. (2008). Social Network Analysis. London, SAGE Publications, Inc.
LaValle, S., M. S. Hopkins, et al. (2010). “Analytics: The New Path to Value.” MIT Sloan Management Review: 22.
LaValle, S., E. Lesser, et al. (2011). “Big Data, Analytics and the Path From Insights to Value.” MIT Sloan Management Review 52(2): 13.
Nutt, P. C. (2002). Why Decisions Fail: Avoiding the Blunders and Traps that Lead to Debacles. San Francisco, CA, USA, Berrett-Koehler.
Tan, C.-S., Y.-W. Sim, et al. (2011). “A Maturity Model of Enterprise Business Intelligence.” Communications of the IBIMA 2011: 11.
analytics, assessment systems, business analytics, complexity, decision architecture, decision making, decision management, decision processes, incentives, integrated analytics, management, management control systems, management culture, organizational architecture, organizational decision processes, social network analysis (sna), socio-structural analysis, systems theory, theory of the firm
About SARK7
Scott Allen Mongeau (@SARK7) is an INFORMS Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) and a Data Scientist in the Cybersecurity business unit at SAS Institute. Scott has over 30 years of experience in project-focused analytics functions in a range of industries, including IT, biotech, pharma, materials, insurance, law enforcement, financial services, and start-ups. Scott is a part-time lecturer and PhD (ABD) researcher at Nyenrode Business University on the topic of cybersecurity data science organizational management. He holds a Global Executive MBA (OneMBA) and Masters in Financial Management from Erasmus Rotterdam School of Management (RSM). He has a Certificate in Finance from University of California at Berkeley Extension, a MA in Communication from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Graduate Degree (GD) in Applied Information Systems Management from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). He holds a BPhil from Miami University of Ohio. Having lived and worked in a number of countries, Scott is a dual American (native) and Dutch citizen. He may be contacted at: webmaster@sark7.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smongeau/ Twitter: @sark7 Blog: sctr7.com Web: www.sark7.com All posts are copyright © 2019 SARK7 All external materials utilized imply no ownership rights and are presented purely for educational purposes.
View all posts by SARK7 →
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Adopting Analytics Culture: 1. Why Change Management? (1 of 7) →
3 Comments on “The Organization as a Decision Making ‘Brain’”
Henri Says:
Great article on decison making in large companies. We’re strong advocates for collaborative, group decision making in business. Collaborative decision-making has been proven to reduce the risk in decision making, and make the process more transparent and accountable.
We actually created a a tool specifically for collaborative, group decision making. It empowers you to tap into a company-wide knowledgebase which in turns leads to better decision making, by providing more support in the decision making process.
http://hexigo.com/group-decision-making
Adopting Analytics Culture: 5. How can change management be improved via analytics? (5 of 7) | BAM! Business Analytics Management... - June 12, 2013
[…] the key to applying SNA to gain insight into organizations is viewing organizations as networks of agents who are bound together by transactions or exchange-based ties. Workers are role-based ‘agents’ […]
Adopting Analytics Culture: 6. What information is gained from social network analysis? (6 of 7) | BAM! Business Analytics Management... - June 17, 2013
[…] culture requires organizational change management. Beyond analytics technology and expertise, analytics culture depends upon effective organizational decision making practices. In particular, evidence-based decision making best practices need to be sharpened via a focus on […]
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Everything You Need To Know About Betting On The Derby della Madonnina
The Milan Derby is always special, but the upcoming match at San Siro has a number of added incentives for Inter and AC Milan. For a start, just one-point separates both teams in the table. A victory for Inter is almost essential in the quest for Champion League football, especially given the Nerazzurri has a tough run-in with games against Lazio, Napoli, Juventus, Roma and Atalanta still to come.
But this match also has the feel of two teams who are on the up again. Yes, both Milan sides are still a considerable distance behind Napoli and Juventus, but a slow-build towards challenging for the title again is on the cards. The match is almost too close to call according to bookmakers, but that won’t stop the game being a big betting event.
Below we will take a look at some of the more interesting betting lines in the match, which will kick-off at 7.30pm GMT on 17th March. Odds are supplied by 888sport, which will also be covering the match with live betting markets:
Match Winner
AC Milan have been made the slight favourites with odds of 31/20 going against Inter’s 37/20. AC Milan have not beaten Inter in Serie A for over three years now, so Luciano Spalletti and Inter fans should have plenty of confidence going in to the game. However, five of the last 10 derbies in all competitions have ended in draws, so the draw at 43/20 looks like a statistically astute bet.
Predicting the correct score can be tricky when it comes to betting, but, as we know, Milan derbies have been fairly tight in recent times. Inter fans would be happy enough with a repeat of the last-gasp winner scored by Mauro Icardi in October. A repeat of that 1-0 victory is given odds of 15/2, with AC Milan 13/2 to win by the same scoreline. A 0-0 draw is also given a price of 15/2. Want something spectacular? A 4-3 Inter victory is chalked up at odds of 160/1.
First Goal
A very interesting market for Inter here: Only Juventus have opened the scoring more than Inter in Serie A this season. Spalletti’s men have, in fact, scored first in 18 out of 27 games, making the odds of 10/11 (stakes are returned if the game ends 0-0) for Inter to open the scoring another statistically shrewd bet. AC Milan, who have opened the scoring in 59% of matches, are shorter at 3/4.
In 2016 and 2017, the Milan Derbies had a run of high scoring games, best summed up by the thrilling 3-2 Inter victory in October 2017, with Icardi once again popping up again with a last-minute winner. But the three games since that time have only yielded two goals in total. For that reason, it looks smart to go for under 2.5 goals at 4/6, but even going under 1.5 goals looks tempting at 43/20.
Readers of this site will no doubt want to see a comprehensive victory for Inter, allowing them to march on through the spring and secure Champions League football. However, from a neutral perspective this looks like a draw. Perhaps a cagey affair, with both managers unwilling to roll the dice. Odds of 18/5 for a draw with both teams scoring looks like an interesting punt, leaving both teams still with all to play for in the coming weeks.
Man Utd Manager Solskjaer Cannot Understand Why Inter Target Lukaku Wants To Leave
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer today admitted he cannot understand why Romelu Lukaku would want to leave the club to join Inter. The Norweigian…
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1949 Rounds Rocket Race Car
RM | Sotheby's - THE MILHOUS COLLECTION 24 - 25 FEBRUARY 2012
350 (est.) bhp, 270 cu. in. Meyer-Drake Offenhauser DOHC inline four-cylinder engine, two-speed manual transmission, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 99.75"
• First mid-engine, rear-drive Indianapolis racing car
• Commissioned by Nathan Rounds and constructed by Lujie Lesovsky and Emil Diedt
• Provenance including Howard Hughes and William Harrah Collection
• Professional restoration followed by Pebble Beach entry in 1993
In auto racing, as in life, some innovators are game changers while others are dead ends. Still others, however, while not immediately successful, point the way. The Offenhauser dual overhead cam engine and the rear-engine Lotus-Fords are examples of game changers that transformed Indianapolis 500 racing. The archetypal Indy car pathfinder is the Rounds Rocket.
Nathan Rounds was a mysterious Los Angeles personality. Variously described as a “sportsman” and “mechanic,” at the time of his death in 1990 he had become a recluse. News reports said his estate, valued at a million dollars, was left to charity. By his own account, he had been a close friend of the equally eccentric Howard Hughes, the famed eccentric millionaire, aviator and industrialist. In 1949, Rounds commissioned race car constructor Lujie Lesovsky to build a mid-engine roadster for the Indianapolis 500.
The design began as a sketch from Rounds, a rudimentary layout drawing that ended just aft of the cockpit. It was said that he was enamored with the prewar Auto Union cars designed by Porsche, although he also had the later 1930s Gulf-Miller mid-engine racers, which re-emerged postwar as the Tucker Torpedo Special, to draw on. The Miller cars differed from Rounds, however, in being four-wheel drive.
Rounds reportedly gave Lesovsky a $3,000 retainer. Emil Diedt was engaged to perform the metalwork. The car came together at a slower pace, as Lesovsky and Diedt had other projects on the go. As a result, the Rounds Rocket was late to the gate, being completed with barely enough time for testing at Bonneville. It is said to have been timed at 140 mph before leaving for Indianapolis.
At the Brickyard, it was driven by Bill Taylor, then a rookie but later to become racing director for Mobil Oil and eventually head of USAC’s stock car effort. Taylor managed to get the car up to 124 mph but did not qualify for the race. The car was then lightened somewhat and returned in 1950. Sam Hanks and rookie Bill Vukovich made honest tries but were unable to make the grid, getting up to speed before the car suffered a half-shaft failure. Rounds took the car back to California and stored it in his mother’s Beverly Hills garage, still on the trailer. Although there is no documentation to that effect, because of Rounds’ claimed close ties to Howard Hughes, his racing team felt certain that Hughes money was behind the project. Indeed the money invested in the project in the late 1940s was certainly a very substantial sum. Furthermore, given its storage in Beverly Hills and perhaps even Howard Hughes’ close connections to the film industry, it is no surprise the car made a cameo appearance in the 1949 film The Big Wheel starring Mickey Rooney.
The car returned to Rounds’ mother’s garage and remained there until 1969, when Bill Harrah discovered and bought it. Appreciating its role in the development of Indianapolis racing, he had it restored, and it took its place in his vast collection. After Harrah’s death, the car was acquired by a Mr. Lee in 1987, who had had Bob Smith Coachworks of Gainesville, Texas perform a show-quality nut-and-bolt restoration. The car appeared at the 1993 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and was kept in climate-controlled storage until its purchase by the Milhous Collection in 1998, where it has been similarly cared for.
The Rounds Rocket remains in excellent condition. Its blue paint is unblemished, and the car wears the number 51, under which it raced in 1949. The cockpit is upholstered in red leather and equipped with a black crackle-finish instrument panel. The engine and its compartment are very clean and well detailed. The 6.00-6.50 Lester tires appear new.
An important stepping stone to the mid-engine, rear-drive cars that have dominated Indianapolis since the mid-1960s, the Rounds Rocket stands as a bridge between the Indy roadsters and the March Cosworths: Meyer-Drake power with mid-engine architecture. The fact that it constitutes yet another Howard Hughes mystery only adds to the intrigue.
Please note this vehicle will be sold on a Bill of Sale only.
1993 Ferrari 512 TR
€100,000 - €130,000
1949 Cadillac 62 Convertible
1960 Aston Martin DB4 Series I
HERSHEY 2019 - THE MERRICK AUTO MUSEUM COLLECTION
1933 Essex Terraplane Eight Series KT Five-Passenger Sedan
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President Obama and the next movement after #Selma50
by A.R. Shaw
The Edmund Pettus Bridge revealed the nature of racism in its most gruesome form. Fifty years after ”Blood Sunday,” more than 80,000 people converged on Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the anniversary of the shocking attack on peaceful marchers that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
But the mood in Selma on March 7 and 8, 2015, was celebratory as thousands marched, danced and witnessed performances by stars such as Doug E. Fresh, Chris Tucker and BBD. For 48 hours in Selma, it appeared as if everything was right with the world and we had finally overcome.
However, reality can come down like a sledgehammer. Today, Selma continues to struggle when it comes to equal pay and wealth distribution between Whites and Blacks. According to City-data.com, the median household income for Black families in Selma is only $17,675. Comparatively, the median household income for White families is $41,582. Most Blacks in Selma continue to struggle to break the chains of generational poverty, and that fact is painfully obvious as much of the town still looks like it was plucked straight from the 1960s.
On the national front, U.S. lawmakers have disrespected the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and others in the Civil Rights Movement by failing to fix a glitch in the Voting Rights Act. In 2013, the Supreme Court overturned the preclearance requirement that stopped states from changing voting laws under the Voting Rights Act without the approval of the Justice Department. But now that the condition of preclearance has been removed, right-wing states are figuring out ways to suppress the Black and Latino vote.
In Texas, the state will not allow students to use their state-issued college identification cards to vote, but those who have a gun permit can use it at the polls. With the extreme voter ID laws in place, more than 600,000 residents of Texas, who are majority Black and Latino, would not be able to vote.
Another pressing issue in America continues to be the police violence being used against unarmed Black men. Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Tony Robinson, Anthony Hill and Dillon Taylor were all unarmed when they were killed by police.
Protests across the nation created a firestorm and drew attention to the troubling issue. But work must still be done after several White officers were not indicted for killing unarmed victims.
That’s why it was critical for President Barack Obama to speak in Selma on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. America’s first Black president discussed the current state of race relations while also touching on how the nation must confront ongoing racist attitudes.
“In one afternoon 50 years ago, so much of our turbulent history — the stain of slavery and anguish of Civil War; the yoke of segregation and tyranny of Jim Crow; the death of four little girls in Birmingham; and the dream of a Baptist preacher, all that history met on this bridge,” Obama said.
President Obama also touched on the racist attitudes found to be prevalent in the Ferguson Police Department.
“I understood the question; the report’s narrative was sadly familiar. It evoked the kind of abuse and disregard for citizens that spawned the Civil Rights Movement. But I rejected the notion that nothing’s changed. What happened in Ferguson may not be unique, but it’s no longer endemic. It’s no longer sanctioned by law or by custom. And before the Civil Rights Movement, it most surely was,” he said.
He also spoke about police brutality and the high incarceration rates of young Black males.
“With such an effort, we can make sure our criminal justice system serves all and not just some,” President Obama said. “Together, we can raise the level of mutual trust that policing is built on — the idea that police officers are members of the community they risk their lives to protect, and citizens in Ferguson and New York and Cleveland, they just want the same thing young people here marched for 50 years ago — the protection of the law. Together, we can address unfair sentencing and overcrowded prisons, and the stunted circumstances that rob too many boys of the chance to become men, and rob the nation of too many men who could be good dads, and good workers, and good neighbors.”
In closing, President Obama paid homage to those who risked their lives and freedom to push for the right to vote.
“We honor those who walked so we could run,” he said. “We must run so our children can soar. And we will not grow weary. For we believe in the power of an awesome God, and we believe in this country’s sacred promise.”
Obama’s speech provided a sense of hope for a people who continue to fight for equality in a nation that was founded upon such principles. But moving forward, the next movement for justice must occur today. Who will be willing to stand up for the cause so that change can manifest in the next 50 years?
Story and images by A.R. Shaw
Tags: #Selma50, Alabama, Eric Garner, John Lewis, martin luther king jr, michael brown, President Obama, Selma, Tamir Rice, voting rights act
A.R. Shaw
A.R. Shaw is an author and journalist who documents culture, politics, and entertainment. He has covered The Obama White House, the summer Olympics in London, and currently serves as Lifestyle Editor for Rolling Out magazine. Follow his journey on Twitter @arshaw and Instagram @arshaw23.
A.R. Shaw March 12, 2015
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Helping journalists
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July 24, 2017 - Updated on July 26, 2017
Nine-year jail term for Vietnamese blogger
Citizen-journalists
Tran Thi Nga. photo : danlambao
At the end of a one-day trial yesterday, the blogger Tran Thi Nga was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years of probation on a charge of “anti-state propaganda.”
“We condemn this travesty of justice and summary way it was dispensed,” Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said. “The sole aim of this disproportionate sentence is to silence those who still defy a one-party state that tolerates no criticism. It is more than cruel because Tran Thi Nga’s health has worsened steadily ever since her arrest. We call for her immediate release so that she can receive appropriate medical care as quickly as possible.”
Detained since 21 January, when she was arrested at her Phu Ly home, this mother of two is facing up to 12 years in prison on a charge of violating article 88 of the penal code by “using the Internet to spread propaganda videos and writings.”
Blogging under the name of Thuy Nga, she defends migrant workers and people whose land has been seized by the state. She is also a member of Vietnamese Women For Human Rights, which supports and helps human rights defenders.
In September 2013, Nga walked into a complaints bureau in Phu Ly and accused several people there of being plainclothes police officers who had persecuted her and other citizens. She took care to film the scene and the video can be seen on YouTube, where it is has been reposted many times under different pseudonyms.
Although detained since January, Ngo saw her lawyer for the first time in May. He reported that her health has worsened steadily in prison. She is suffering from complications from an injury in May 2014, when five men beat her with steel rods after she visited Nguyen Tuong Thuy, a blogger who had just spoken about human rights at visiting US President Barack Obama’s residence.
“We are outraged by the detention of this activist, who has always fought courageously to protest against Vietnamese government persecution,” RSF said. “The authorities must free Tran Thi Nga, who has committed no crime and whose health is very worrying. She is not receiving adequate medical care and is eating very little.”
Vietnam’s one-party state is cracking down more and more on bloggers and activists, who are the only source of independently-reported news and information for the public. As a result, Vietnam is now the world’s second biggest prison for citizen-journalists, after China.
Last month, the dissident Pham Minh Hoang was deported to France after being stripped of his Vietnamese citizenship, and the blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh was sentenced to ten years in prison. The media are entirely government-controlled and just provide state propaganda.
Vietnam is ranked 175th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
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Prospero and Alonso
Date: July 30, 2016 Author: Michael Goodman Category: Act V, Ariel, Caliban, Comedy, Exterior, Ferdinand (The Tempest), H.C. Selous, Miranda, Prospero, The Tempest Tags: Alonso, Clowns and Jesters, Flying, Stephano, Trinculo
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Click Here For The Full Page
Illustrator: H. C. Selous
Engraver: Unknown
Original Illustration Size: 122 x 131 mm / 4″26 x 5″6
Illustration Number: 13/14
Source Text: The Plays of William Shakespeare / Edited and Annotated by Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke / Illustrated by H. C. Selous / With Thirty-five Full Page Wood Engravings after Frank Dicksee, RA., H. M. Paget, A. Hopkins, R. W.S., and others / And Thirty-five Photogravure Plates / Special Edition / Part I.
Published: London, Paris and Melbourne: Cassell & Company, Limited [1864–68?]
Look again?
Look again? Select Category Act (2,513) Act I (542) Act II (514) Act III (492) Act IV (481) Act V (484) Act Headers (539) Act I Headers (109) Act II Headers (108) Act III Headers (108) Act IV Headers (105) Act V Headers (108) Characters (1,114) Female (456) Ariel (30) Beatrice (22) Cleopatra (28) Cressida (17) Desdemona (30) Helena (All’s Well That Ends Well) (21) Hermione (21) Imogen (30) Isabella (18) Julia (11) Juliet (33) Katharina (24) Lady Macbeth (16) Miranda (18) Mistress Quickly (26) Olivia (16) Ophelia (19) Portia (10) Queen Gertrude (20) Rosalind (27) Silvia (12) Sycorax (2) Titania (13) Viola (15) Male (904) Benedick (19) Bertram (16) Bottom (27) Caliban (22) Coriolanus (Character) (30) Dogberry (9) Duke of Vienna (17) Ferdinand (The Tempest) (13) Hamlet’s Ghost (10) Iago (23) King Claudius (23) King Henry V (Character) (37) King Henry VIII (Character) (34) King John (Character) (24) King Lear (Character) (44) King Richard II (Character) (46) King Richard III (Character) (32) Leontes (21) Macbeth (Character) (25) Malvolio (15) Marc Antony (34) Oberon (9) Orlando (21) Othello (Character) (34) Petruchio (29) Prince Hal (35) Prince Hamlet (43) Prospero (26) Proteus (14) Puck (31) Romeo (28) Shylock (20) Sir Andrew Aguecheek (23) Sir John Falstaff (93) Sir Toby Belch (28) Timon of Athens (Character) (28) Titus Andronicus (Character) (6) Troilus (14) Valentine (18) Genre (3,047) Comedy (1,162) History (943) Tragedy (942) Illustrator/Editor (2,979) Charles Knight (877) H.C. Selous (599) John Gilbert (818) Kenny Meadows (685) Location (1,874) Exterior (1,222) Interior (656) Play (2,999) A Midsummer Night’s Dream (74) All’s Well That Ends Well (83) Antony and Cleopatra (78) As You Like It (77) Coriolanus (Play) (82) Cymbeline (90) Hamlet (Play) (107) Julius Caesar (76) King Henry IV Part I (85) King Henry IV Part II (93) King Henry V (Play) (105) King Henry VI Part I (80) King Henry VI Part II (83) King Henry VI Part III (78) King Henry VIII (Play) (92) King John (Play) (96) King Lear (Play) (86) King Richard II (Play) (84) King Richard III (Play) (95) Love’s Labour’s Lost (74) Macbeth (Play) (74) Measure For Measure (71) Much Ado About Nothing (83) Othello (Play) (85) Pericles (40) Romeo and Juliet (95) The Comedy of Errors (62) The Merchant Of Venice (83) The Merry Wives of Windsor (93) The Taming of the Shrew (77) The Tempest (83) The Two Gentlemen of Verona (84) The Winter’s Tale (86) Timon of Athens (Play) (76) Titus Andronicus (Play) (19) Troilus and Cressida (84) Twelfth Night (86) Preliminary Material (392) Dramatis Personae (67) Full Page Illustrations (154) Introductory Remarks / Notice (132) Title Pages (39)
2 thoughts on “Prospero and Alonso”
Michael Goodman · August 17, 2016 at 3:14 pm · · Reply
Does anyone else think that the character behind Caliban looks like he is holding a camera? (!)
Pingback: Blog 6: Living in the past – The truth in Empires
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Tag Archives: islamic studies
‘Su-Shi’ and interfaith dialogue with Anne Dijk and Arjen Buitelaar
Deviating slightly from our usual posts, we wanted to share with our readers an interview between Anne Dijk, a female Sunni scholar based in the Netherlands and Arjen Buitelaar, a male Shia scholar also from the Netherlands. They were interviewed by Arek Miernik who is from Poland, and the interview has been translated to English. You can read more about their backgrounds at the end of this post.
What is the idea behind Su-Shi and how did it come about as your project?
Arjen Since the outbreak of the ‘Arab Spring’ we notice heightened and more open tensions between the different Islamic creeds, mainly Sunnites and Shiites, and the voices of the extremes on both sides become louder. Of course this is a development that has been going on for several decades by now, and the extremes on both sides kind of hijack the voice of the common and good willing majority of Muslims. We see both sides recruit people to war zones in countries they have never been to, and tensions, incomprehension and impotency grow. This kind of reached a peak when Mosul was conquered by ISIL forces. It was that moment that Anne Dijk participated in a radio talk on the differences and similarities between Sunnites and Shiites, and she emphasized that the differences weren’t that big (more on jurisprudential level), but in practice it often seemed impossible to get the groups together even for something simple like an iftar. I then decided to approach her, because it was the bitter truth and despite the talks (and efforts) from authoritative scholars that we share so many commonalities, that we are brothers and sisters or even each other’s souls, and that we should work together, we see that communities simply don’t do that and we wanted to change that.
Anne The idea behind su-shi is that we want to bring together Sunni, Shia and all possible creeds within Islam, together, on an equal basis, to meet on a personal level. We don’t want to ‘create’ one single creed, or try to undermine the differences, which exist. We want to strengthen the ummah by informing about the differences and also speak out against stereotypes and prejudices that cause harm to both groups.
Often, the stereotypes of arguments against the opposite groups are based on prejudices, which often only hold for the extremes, and not for the mass-mainstream. Getting to really know each other, in a safe place, where genuine interest and curiosity for the other, is hardly happening. Talks on internet fora very often result in harsh language and conversations that get hijacked by extremes. That’s why we focus on small get-togethers, to really give a platform for personal meetings, based on proper (academic) information.
How do you create a “safe” and neutral space during your meetings and events? Considering the deep level of division and animosity that these differences can cause, exacerbated by current political events in the Middle East, how do you make sure that these divisive attitudes don’t make their way into your meetings?
Anne During the 1,5 year of preparation, before we went online, formal and open, we discussed this issue elaborately. How can we create a safe and neutral space? Of course we can never guarantee anything, but we made clear ‘houserules’. A few elements therein are, are that dialogue is the goal, not debate. Trying to convince the other of your own truth is not allowed either, sincere and open questions are. Tafkir is not allowed; anyone who considers him/herself Muslim deserves within sushi that we treat him/her as such. Per activity we try to make a ‘risk management’ – for example: we held a iftar last ramadan – what to do with the adhan? (su of shi time?) and what to do with the prayer? We try to prevent any kind if discussion of such issues: how? We talk about them openly and elaborate on potential differences. For example, we elaborated en public on the different times of braking the fast, and that the dates were presented for everyone who wanted to brake the fast at that moment (Sunnis) and that we would do one adhan at the shi time. Later, the prayer was open for everyone – everyone must feel free to be able to pray together, but if someone wanted to pray later, that was also fine.
Arjen I agree with Anne’s answer; these are good examples in practice. Within the core group we have a dozen different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds, so you can imagine we have lively talks on possible difficulties when organizing an event. I’d also like to emphasize that one of our core rules is to support respectful dialogue and denounce debate, which, in effect, could be focused on individual monologues only while dialogue forces to open up and listen to the other. It are these house rules that ensure the safe space individuals find themselves in. Added to that, it is important to note that we work with what we call an ‘oil spill formula’, by which we mean that every visitor is personally invited by someone he/she already knows within the ‘Su-Shi Community’. This way we ensure that people feel more secure to open up and say what is on their hearts. Another way we make sure people find themselves in a safe environment is that we do not use traditional set ups with podia for the speakers and people sitting on chairs for a few hours. Depending on the size of the group we either meet up at someone’s home and start with chit chat and dinner. Or like our last Iftar we met up in a ‘youth club’/lounge setting, having some armchairs, couches and tables to sit on, providing a more relaxed atmosphere and automatically ‘compelling’ people to mix up.
The idea of meeting ‘the other sect’ in this environment presupposes that participants already have a certain degree of openness to it. Did you have any reactions so far from those sectors among both communities which prefer to maintain division and hostility?
Arjen Yes we did, though this was outnumbered by massive support messages. A certain degree of openness is definitely needed, simply because within the extremes of religions and ideologies people and or communities build virtual walls around them that make it impossible to reach out to. When people consider the other to be the devil, or inspired by the devil, or a hypocrite of some sort, and subsequently consider his words to be deceiving, how could one ever be willing to listen to it?
And this is kind of the scope of the hostile messages we received. Some extreme Salafists and Quranists who did not and will not acknowledge the existence of other creeds to be Islamic, and who attempted to defame some of our members on a personal level simply because there’s not much to argument about the content of our stance.
Because it is our policy to engage in dialogue and approach everything positively, instead of bogging down in endless debates, we do not react on that. Instead, these two negative approaches have given us plenty of points to further elaborate and communicate through the positive platform we’ve created.
In your experience what are the main or most common reasons that the extreme sectors of each sect give as justification for their enmity towards the other sect? How much of it is theological, how much historical/political and how often is it perhaps rooted, or strengthened, by people’s personal experiences?
Arjen This is a fairly difficult question that needs some elaboration. It is most interesting that the extreme sectors from all creeds base themselves on core sources, just as much as mainstream creeds do. Sometimes even the exact same texts, yet interpreted differently. The narrower the boundaries of a sect become, the more stress they will put on their absolute authority to explain the meaning of texts and not to stray from the ‘right path’ by looking at explanations by authorities from outside their group’s ‘enclave’. The ‘other’ is literally demonized, and by defining ‘in-group’ and ‘out-group’ in terms of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’, and ‘divine’ and ‘satanic’ the justification easily becomes ‘theological’. It remains the question, however, whether the origins of the justification were theological by nature, or rather inspired by political motives. The same goes for stances on ‘historical truths’. These are based on the same kind of source texts that have alternatives that are consciously neglected, and have shortcomings. Subsequently these become indisputable dogma’s due to their absolute character, and are proposed as ‘real Islam’, yet are nothing more than fallacies. Used to manipulate and monopolize the conversation and hijack individual thought.
The main tradition that is used to justify sectarianism is that the prophet Muhammad ص would have said that Islam will be divided in 73 sects of which just one will enter paradise. This (weak tradition) is used to intensify the fear of individuals and groups to be amongst the dwellers of hell, causing people to know more about the ‘wrongs’ of the other than the ‘goods’ of themselves. With regards to other religions, Islam actually has the same opinion about truth as it has about herself. Christianity will be divided in 72 sects and Judaism in 71, both also have one rightly guided group. For Muslims it doesn’t seem to be their business to define which groups from other religions is the rightly guided one, as long as they do not interfere in Muslim matters. But as one reaction by a self-proclaimed institute wonderfully articulated their view on Islamic sectarianism: “the battle for influence over the Muslims continues…”
Yours is clearly grassroots, bottom-up project. Do you think that the established Muslim leadership like traditional ulama etc. are falling short in building intra-religious bridges among Muslims at the top-down level?
Arjen The answer to this question has multiple layers; it would be too easy to say that they do or do not. In my opinion there are many efforts being made by the established Muslim leadership to build bridges, but their (and this is not reserved to Muslims or religious communities) focus is mainly on people from the top segments, not on community level. In the past decade alone we have seen the Amman Message, which is a great document that Su-Shi uses as well in our argumentation, and the Marrakesh Declaration, which apparently has been improved over a longer period since the 1990s and in its recent update specifically gained attention for its focus on minority groups such as the Yazidis and Christians who suffer much in the Middle East as we speak. Other attempts are being made as well, such as the annual Ghadeer Khumm Festival in Najaf, which I personally attended in 2013, and where leaders from different religious communities spoke. Including more subordinated sects such as the Druze community. All these attempts are very valuable and should be cherished.
At the same time, we see that these innumerably valuable official declarations are not lived after in practice. In real life they remain theoretical documents, that are sometimes not even lived after by important leader figures who endorsed them at first. Or that important religious leaders make statements that, unintended, lead to deeper sectarian rifts.
In parts of the Middle East region tensions are so high since the beginning of this millennium, that it is, of course, very hard to maintain these statements. Leaders can communicate with each other and make agreements at top level, but when blood is shed at ground level people will rather follow a leader that speaks their mind.
The main reason why these declarations hardly have an effect on ground level, however, is that most Islamic – and in fact Abrahamic – faiths are exclusivistic is in nature. When ground level believers hear from their leaders that they should respect and embrace believers from other faiths and sects, and at the same time read in their jurisprudences that those people from other faiths and sects are intrinsically ‘impure’ (najis) because of their ‘infidelity’ or being born to ‘infidel’ parents, than that is at least confusing. In practice, among migrant communities in the West, this means we see, for example, how certain Shiite groups try to find escapes from the statement by the highest authorities that ‘Sunnis are not our brothers and sisters, but our souls’, and try to explain how this still means Sunnis are not on the guided path. And vice versa we see the tremendous influence of Wahhabism which too, albeit being an extreme side faction, affects mainstream Sunnism as well by planting its poisonous seeds of hatred towards others. There is no other way to break this way of thinking, that is imported along with or even strengthened through immigration, down but by starting to work on this from a grassroots, bottom-up project. A project in which the participants themselves can add to the thinking process, and can themselves speak out for peace and cooperation instead of having to depend for that on top level leadership.
Anne It’s indeed a bottom up approach that we have, and that’s for many reasons. 1. We want to grow slowly in order to build real trust based on personal connection in stead of theoretical words only. And 2. To put into practise what those ‘top down’ approaches have tried to formulate but failed to implement.
On a practical note, how do you fund your activities? The reason I’m asking is that as we know, with funding from established Muslim organisations often come agendas and expectations that might potentially jeopardise independence of a project or try to influence a project in a particular direction.
Anne We are up till now completely independent; meaning we don’t get any subsidies from any organisation from any denomination. We are very happy with our team; we all have a broad network so up till now we found free locations; the speakers were all unpaid and the food was covered by our volunteers alhamdulillah. But since we are a Foundation since this year, we are open for donations from individuals. Being independent and self-sustained makes you stronger. Maybe you grow slower, but inshaAllah the project can run longer. Being truly honest to your own values is the most important thing.
Arjen Before Su-Shi had become an organization and was still an idea, I have once organized an event in the Su-Shi spirit that we did receive donations for. From that I can confirm what you mentioned: there are donators that demand their agendas and expectations and try to influence what you do. This is very simple for me though; I reject such donators. Whenever the autonomy of a project or of our organization as a whole is in jeopardy, it isn’t worth what you gain. So when we think out a project, donators can support that of course, but not lay any conditions on us.
Arjen, you are Shia and Anne, you are Sunni. What are the rough percentages in terms of sects among all people involved your project and those attending your events?
Arjen It’s difficult to speak in percentages. Few of our participants have a very homogenous background themselves, however some do. And the same then goes for who they invite through our ‘oil spill’ method. Overall, however, I think that people from a Sunni and Shiite background make up the majority -both close to the half- of participants of our events.
Anne We must also admit that we try to work towards a fair share as well. Meaning: we very consciously have 50% of the board Sunni, 50% of the board shi’i and one ‘neutral’ board member. In this way we direct towards an almost equal percentage of participants as well. Over all, most of our participants would consider themselves Sunni of Shia, we had a few Quranist participants and people with an Allevi background that are enthusiastic as well.
What would be your personal message to people absolutely refusing to engage with the “other sect”, based in their conviction of the other sect’s “heresy” and their conviction that there is no “right” Islam outside their own school of thought?
Anne Allahu Alem. I would ask them so sincerely contemplate on this statement of “Allahu ‘Alem” and with this, try to focus on tazkiyya an-nafs, the cleansing of the soul. How can you, as an individual, be so sure? For me, in essence, ‘Allahu ‘Alem’ means absolute humbleness towards The Truth. Only God knows, that means, that we as human beings, per definition don’t.
Arjen I would like to emphasize that no layperson nor scholar is infallible, and that no matter what you personally believe, we do not all share the same beliefs and convictions. Nonetheless, we do live together, in a space that is becoming smaller and smaller. That brings tensions, but we are not animals. As humans we can use our reason to ‘defend’ our intellectual territories, we shouldn’t be so afraid of the other, and rather listen to each other. Dialogue is not about convincing one another, it is more about becoming stronger in your own convictions, but with respect for the other’s convictions in his or her own space.
Anne Dijk has a background in Religious Studies and a Master in Islamic Studies, specialised in Islamic Jurisprudence (Sunni). Fascinated by the transformations of the schools of law (madhahab) and the internal discussions, she found out that there is a deep ethical essence within the jurisprudence that differences of opinions (ikhtilaf) were deeply respected in history. In the hardened debate within Muslim communities nowadays, about ‘what is really Islamic’, she missed this ethical attitude. As Director of Fahm Institute she works on diverse ways to more understanding (fahm) of Islam. She is de co-founder of Su-Shi Intrafaith Dialogue, because she believes that world peace should start within yourself.
Arjen Buitelaar has a background in History and a Master in Religious Studies. From his Master’s thesis till now, he is conducting research of the Shi’ite communities in the Netherlands, at the moment primarily focusing on the role of rituals and symbolism in the shaping of (group) identity. Due to the increasing tensions between Sunnis and Shi’is since the start of the so called Arab Spring, he found it necessary to start with the Su-Shi Intrafaith Dialogue initiative to create better understanding between different Islamic creeds.
Arek Miernik has a background in English literature, is an Al-Mahdi Institute graduate, and leading figure of the wider Muslim community in Poland. Though primarily involved with the Polish Shi’i community, he doesn’t confine himself to it and is a heard voice in opinionated media on the wider Muslim community and its status in society. He is the heart behind the Strefa Islam blog, where this interview was originally published in Polish.
Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the original author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the website. The above interview was conducted by another organisation and not SSWH but has been reproduced with the permission.
Categories: Anti-Muslim Hatred, Anti-Semitism, Extremism, Hatred, Identity, Interfaith, interviews, Islam, Leadership, Role models, shia-sunni, Spirituality, su-shi, Women | Tags: academic, europe, extremism, identity, Interfaith, islam, islamic studies, Islamophobia, middle east, muslim women, religious studies, scholar, shia-sunni relationships, spirituality, su-shi, women, world peace | Permalink.
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Song of the Lark
← The Schumanns, Symphonies, and Brahms, Part 2
Layoffgate? … or something like that →
The Schumanns, Symphonies, and Brahms, Part 3
Here’s the last part of the November Lark Notes, the third part of an essay called The Schumanns, Symphonies, and Brahms. Part I here; Part II here. Buy tickets to the Minnesota Orchestra Musicians’ show here.
It took many years, and many pieces, for Brahms to come to term with the Schumann prophecy.
His first piano concerto, dating from 1859, was his first large-scale work featuring an orchestra. Portions of it had come from the sonata for two pianos in d-minor. Many historians have noted that the initial theme of the first movement bears a resemblance to a fall: Schumann’s leap into the Rhine, perhaps? He admitted openly to Clara that the glowing second movement was a portrait of her. As for the last movement, he was so conflicted about what to do, he unabashedly copied the form of Beethoven’s third piano concerto.
When he finally got around to writing his first published work for orchestra alone, he tried calling the piece a symphony, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. So he hedged his bets: he labeled the D-major serenade a “Symphony-Serenade.” But he soon realized he was kidding himself, and he so he scratched out the word Symphony entirely. He wrote to Joachim: “I had such a beautiful, big conception of my first symphony, and now! – ” The dash said it all.
He was getting nowhere with the highly anticipated Big Work. During this frustrating time he circled back to Clara for intellectual and emotional companionship. In January 1861 he wrote to her, “I sometimes wish to see [you] for the first time again, so that I might be able to fall in love with you all over again. But all the same things are well as they are. Don’t you feel the same?” Practical as ever, she returned, “I by no means wish you to see me again for the first time in order that you may be able to ‘fall in love with me’ (if indeed that can ever have happened); rather love me dearly, truly, and for ever and ever – that is the best of all.”
In 1862, she received a packet of music from Brahms: “imagine the surprise!” she wrote Joachim, “the first movement of a symphony.” It was indeed. Unfortunately, she’d have to wait over a decade for the music to be finished and performed. Once again, Brahms had gotten stuck. He began to look like a horse in quicksand.
Brahms had never trusted his ability to orchestrate. He picked up what he could from studying others’ scores, and he was lucky to have a brilliant string-playing adviser in Joseph Joachim, but he always felt more at ease with the piano. He worked hard, however, at gaining a deeper familiarity with other instruments, and throughout the 1860s the chamber and orchestral works began piling up…many of them masterpieces.
Ein deutsches Requiem was a milestone in his creative development. There he masterfully wielded not just an orchestra, but a chorus, too. The premiere was scheduled for Good Friday 1868; he would be on the podium conducting. It was clear that no matter how the Requiem was received, his life afterward would be forever altered. If the piece was a success, it would help win him the financial security that might lead to a symphony. If it bombed, he’d have to spend a great deal of time and energy digging from beneath the fallout.
In the spring of 1868, he and Clara had been quarreling – in part over her breakneck touring schedule – and she had told him she couldn’t attend the premiere. But then at the dress rehearsal the night before the concert, she appeared. A mutual friend had begged her to come and, depressed and exhausted, she’d relented and boarded a train for Bremen. Before the performance, he walked up the aisle triumphantly with Clara on his arm. She took her seat and Brahms ascended to the podium to conduct. The work was a great success, and Clara was reduced to tears.
In the summer of 1873 Brahms wrote the Variations on a Theme by Haydn. If it was his goal to write a statement piece for orchestra before finally embarking on a symphony, then mission accomplished. The technique Brahms displays is of jaw-dropping quality. With this work, which usually lasts a little over a quarter of an hour, he succeeded in blending old and new, classicism and romanticism, technique and emotion, all in a mature, unmistakably Brahmsian voice. The years of tireless labor were finally paying off.
With the Haydn variations in particular, Johannes Brahms had thrown down a gauntlet. Finally the time was right for a symphony.
In 1875, he turned down an invitation by saying, “Your letter was a great temptation to leave my pretty house…but all the same I stay sitting here, and from time to time write highly useless pieces in order not to have to look into the stern face of a symphony.” He was able to ignore the “highly useless pieces” (i.e., the C-Minor Piano Quartet and String Quartet in Bb Major) long enough to finally emerge with a draft.
At 43, entering middle age, Johannes Brahms was finally ready to fulfill the prophecy of his youth. He would make the case that music didn’t need a complicated program attached to it to be deeply meaningful. He would attempt to resurrect a storied genre that Wagner had declared dead. And, most personally, he would write something to make Clara and the memory of Robert proud.
He finished the first symphony in August 1876 while summering near Clara. She was originally hesitant about the initial two-piano reduction, but by the time she heard the piece live in her hometown of Leipzig in January 1877, she had changed her mind. “The last movement, with its inspired introduction, made an extraordinary impression on me…then it gradually brightens in the most marvelous manner until it breaks into the sunny motif of the last movement, which makes one’s heart expand like a breath of spring air after the long, dreary days of winter…”
Biographer Jan Swafford writes:
The year he completed the First Symphony is the same year Wagner brought the titanic Der Ring des Nibelungen to the stage, in his own theater at Bayreuth. Brahms’s achievement was no less stunning in his terms: to compose at the top of his skill and imagination despite the tramp of giants thundering around him, to epitomize his singular integration of Classical formalism and Romantic expression, to integrate Western musical technique stretching from Palestrina through Bach to Haydn and Mozart, and symphonic form from Haydn through Beethoven to Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Schumann. In sheer ambition, tenacity of purpose, and power of expression, what Brahms achieved in the forty-four minutes of the C Minor symphony rivals Wagner’s achievement in the twelve hours of the Ring.
Three additional symphonies would follow in 1877, 1884, and 1885. All were masterworks. After Brahms was finally able to commit a first symphony to paper, the others came more easily. In fact, the second symphony was written in a mere four months.
Musicologist Carl Dahlhaus once opined that Brahms ushered in “the second age of the symphony.” If his music didn’t end the war between advocates of program music and abstract music, as Robert Schumann had hoped it would, it did aid in proving the relevance and power of purely instrumental music, and helped to pave the way for later symphonic giants like Shostakovich, Mahler, and Sibelius.
Clara died in 1896 at the age of 76. The last piece she performed in public was Brahms’s two-piano arrangement of the Haydn variations. She was buried next to Robert.
Few couples did more for nineteenth century music than the Schumanns. His contributions have been well-documented, and in the process, hers tend to be overlooked. Her attempt to balance family and career encouraged untold numbers of women to pursue the art professionally. She introduced many “heavy” works to recital programs, especially those by Bach and Beethoven. Before Clara, few memorized their programs, or held solo recitals. She served as the muse and champion of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. And perhaps most importantly, she helped popularize the idea of performer as vessel: an approach that many musicians subscribe to even today, almost two hundred years after her birth. It was a legacy fit for a queen of the keyboard.
Brahms tried to get to her funeral, but a series of miscommunications made him late after a horrific forty-hour journey. Completely spent by the nightmare, exhausted with grief, he wept at the Schumanns’ grave. Afterward he confessed to a friend: “Now I have nobody left to lose.”
Four months later, Brahms was diagnosed with cancer. He died less than a year after Clara. But his music, the fruit of his emotional and intellectual collaboration with the Schumanns, lives on. That fruit is ours for the taking.
Filed under Women In Music
Tagged as Brahms, Clara Schumann, LarkNotes, Schumann
5 responses to “The Schumanns, Symphonies, and Brahms, Part 3”
jrettger
Very helpful commentary and it is wonderful to have the music to accompany it! Thank you.
I know this is an older post (I’ve only just read it) but would there be any chance you could do a history of Caroline Wichern? I know so very little about her outside what’s on her Wikipedia page and a tiny bit of family history.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Wichern
Thank you and excellent post! :)
Stefanie Przybylska
Dear Emily,
The timing of your reposting couldn’t be better! I’ve just spent the last couple of weeks covering Schubert, Fanny Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn, Clara and Robert Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz as well as program and absolute music. Next Tuesday I introduce Brahms and play his third symphony for my class. Thank you for reposting your blogs, and for sending me the link to the lecture recital about Clara Schumann!!!
So great! Be sure to mention the Free But Lonely theme! :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._3_(Brahms)
I went old school and pulled out my score-thanks!
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Tag Archives: Pir Tajdin
Special Series: Ismaili Expressions on the Imamat — (III) Ismaili Imams on Succession, the Noor of Imamat, and Imam’s True Reality
“The Imam’s true face is to be perceived with the eyes of the heart.
He has thousands of physical habitations, but his true home is traceless;
He has had a thousand names, but all of them refer to one reality.”
33rd Ismaili Imam ‘Abd al-Salam, 15th Century
1. SUCCESSION
Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III. Photo Copyright National Portrait Gallery, London
by Elliott & Fry photograph.
By Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah,
His Highness the Aga Khan III
“I appoint my grandson Karim, the son of my son Aly Salomone Khan to succeed to the title of Aga Khan and to be the Imam and Pir of all my Shia Ismailian followers.”
2. THE MOMENT OF SUCCESSION, THE HEREDITARY INSTITUTION AND THE NOOR OF IMAMAT
A portrait of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV during his enthronement in Geneva, Switzerland after his grandfather, His Highness the Aga Khan III, passed away on July 11, 1957. Photo by Philippe Le Tellier/Paris Match via Getty Images.
By Mawlana Shah Karim al-Hussaini Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan
“The [installation] ceremony is a public installation of the Imam. The Ismailis pay homage to the Imam and that is when you are recognised by the world at large as the Imam.
“Officially as soon as one Imam passes away, his successor takes on from the very minute the Imam has passed away .” [1]
“The Ismaili Imamat is a supra-national entity, representing the succession of Imams since the time of the Prophet….today the Ismailis are the only Shia community who, throughout history, have been led by a living, hereditary Imam in direct descent from the Prophet.
“…As the 49th Imam, I have for the past 50 years, looked after two inseparable responsibilities: overseeing the spiritual wellbeing of Ismailis, as well, at the same time, as focusing on improving their quality of life and that of the people with whom they live.” [2]
“For hundreds of years, my spiritual children have been guided by the Rope of Imamat; you have looked to the Imam of the Age for advice and help in all matters and through your Imam’s immense love and affection for his spiritual children, his Noor has indicated to you where and in which direction you must turn so as to obtain spiritual and worldly satisfaction. [3]
3. TWO 15TH CENTURY ISMAILIS IMAMS ON ZAHERI AND BATINI DIDAR, AND IMAM’S ESSENCE
(a) Imam Mustansir bi’llah
Pandiyat-i- Jawanmardi or Counsels of Chivalry is a compilation of the guidance of the 32nd Ismaili Imam, Mustansir bi’llah, who lived in the 15th century. This book contains exhortations to the faithful on the necessity of recognising and obeying the current Imam and on how to live a truly ethical life. The circumstances that led to the compilation of the work are intriguing, and are alluded to in many of the manuscripts copies as follows:
When Pir Taj al-Din passed away, a number of people from the Sindhi Ismaili Community went to the Imam. Upon arrival they pleaded: “Our Pir Taj al-Din has passed away. Now we are in need of a Pir.” The Imam then had the Counsels of Chivalry compiled and gave it to them saying: “This is your Pir. Act according to its dictates.”
In one of the chapters, the Imam enumerates the importance of both the Zaheri and Batini aspects of the Imam’s Didar. He recognizes and acknowledges the sacrificing spirit of the Jamat, in serving him and in observing religious duties.
“They (the Jamat, the community) have given up their property, and even their lives. All of them have faithfully submitted their religious dues. Others have travelled long distances through arduous conditions by land and sea, braving storms and incurring great expense.
“Some attend religious assemblies to increase their knowledge while others, without any worldly motive, perform acts of charity to benefit the poor.
“Some have acted with noble actions in the cause of faith, including special devotions, worship and especially remembrance (zikr), continually invoking the Lord throughout the night, never neglecting God for even a moment, and worshipping him out of passionate devotion.
“All believers are urged to come into the presence of the Imam and to see him with their own eyes.
“Thus, the esoteric (batini) vision, realized through pious works and the constant remembrance of God during the nightly vigil, as well as the exoteric (zaheri) vision, achieved by travelling to the Imam’s residence and beholding the gateway of God’s mercy, become the ultimate purpose of human life.
“Piety should be for the purpose of recognizing and beholding God, which is achieved through the recognition and vision of the Imam of one’s time.”
(b) Imam ‘Abd al-Salam
There is an ode of the 33rd Ismaili Imam ‘Abd al-Salam in which he says that the talisman (anything that has magical powers) that can open the treasure trove of spiritual meaning of the Holy Qur’an is the Imam. This ode is lucidly explained by Dr. Shafique Virani in his path breaking book, “The Ismailis in the Middle Ages.”
In the ode the Imam observes that the true essence of the Imam cannot be recognized with earthly, fleshly eyes, for these can only see his physical form, perishing like all else with the passage of time. His true face is to be perceived with the eyes of the heart. He has thousands of physical habitations, but his true home is traceless; he has had a thousand names, but all of them refer to one reality.
The Imam continues by saying that today he is known as ‘Abd al-Salam, but tomorrow the physical body will be gone and the name will change, yet the essence will remain in the next Imam of the lineage. Those who look at the Imam as they squint will consider him like any other human being, but as soon as the eyes of the heart perceive correctly, his true status is discovered. In form the Imams change, but in meaning and substance they are changeless. Human language cannot attain to the majesty of the Imams.
The Imam is the most precious ingredient in the supreme elixir (miraculous substance) of eternal life-red sulfur. He is not simply a pearl, but the ocean that gives birth to pearls. The existence of the Imam, who leads humankind to a recognition of God, is the very pinnacle of creation.
Date posted: July 10, 2015.
Previous posts in this special series:
Special Series: Ismaili Expressions on the Imamat — (II) The Beatific Vision of the Imam of the Time
Special Series: Ismaili Expressions on the Imamat and Imam of the Time — (I) The Preamble of the Constitution of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims
[1] Click http://www.nanowisdoms.org
[2] Click In a Dynamic and Stirring Address to Members of the Canadian Parliament, His Highness the Aga Khan Shares His Faith Perspectives on the Imamat, Collaboration with Canada, the Muslim World Community (the Ummah), the Nurturing of Civil Society, Early Childhood Education, Voluntary Work, and the Unity of the Human Race
[3] Farman Mubarak Pakistan Visit 1964, published by the Ismailia Association for Pakistan. Quoted also in Ilm magazine, July 1975, Volume 1, Number 1, page 27, published by the Ismailia Association for the United Kingdom (known since 1986 as the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board or ITREB)
Note: Reading 3 compiled from The Ismailis in the Middle Ages, by Shafique N. Virani, and Pandiyat-i Jawanmardi, translated by Professor Vladimir Ivanow). Image courtesy of roseannapiter.com
To give a feedback, please click Leave a comment.
Posted By: Malik Merchant, Editor Category: Festivals and Celebrations, His Highness the Aga Khan III, His Highness the Aga Khan IV, Ismaili History, Ismaili Theology and Philosophy, Shia Islam, The Doctrine of Imamat Tags: Ismaili Imamat, Noor of Imamat, Pandiyat Jawanmardi, Pir Tajdin, Succession, Zaher and Batin
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Brow Beat
When Did People Start Saying “Bucket List”?
By June Thomas
Nov 09, 20112:11 PM
Jack Nicholson at ‘The Bucket List’ premiere, 2007.
Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images
Update, May 29, 2015: Vocabulary.com executive editor Ben Zimmer considered the origins and evolution of the term bucket list in a May 29, 2015, Wall Street Journal column. According to Zimmer, (and word researcher Hugo van Kemenade), when used in this context, the phrase originated with Bucket List screenwriter Justin Zackham; the earlier usages mentioned in this column were misdated.
I love a cultural coincidence.
Two of the TV shows I watched last night mentioned bucket lists. On Glee, Kurt Hummel, all of 17, whipped out his iPhone and showed his boyfriend, Blaine, a few of the things he intends to do before he dies. (My favorite: “Arrive at school in a hot air balloon.”) On NCIS, Tony DiNozzo, shaken by a terrorist attack, became hyperaware of his own mortality and printed out a list that included more prosaic choices: “Date a Bond girl and/or Miss Universe. Develop a catch phrase. The luge.” When I tweeted about this, @magazinemama reminded me that on last week’s Parks & Recreation, doofus Andy was also working on a bucket list. His items included winning the lottery, making the best grilled-cheese sandwich ever, and remaking Kazaam (this time getting it right).
This got me wondering: Where did the term bucket list come from? Surely it didn’t originate with the Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman film from 2007 in which, to quote the Internet Movie Database, “Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.”
I turned to the newly released fifth edition of the American Heritage Dictionary, but, sadly, it’s not included. Executive editor Steve Kleinedler told me that, although he’s been keeping an eye on the term, it needs a few more years in usage before it proves itself worthy of addition to the big book.
A quick search through Google Books suggests that though the phrase was popularized by the 2007 film, it was indeed used occasionally before Jack and Morgan hit the road. Its first application seems to have been in computer programming: e.g., “Guava compiler knows statically that there are no references from buckets inside of one bucket list to objects inside another.”
In 1993, the phrase showed up in a different context: a National Labor Relations Board report indicating agenda items that must be postponed (getting warmer): “The conferees were told that if comments or questions came up concerning bargainable issues or items that required more information, these matters should be placed in a ‘bucket list’ to indicate that they could not be considered at the conference.”
In 2004, the term was used—perhaps for the first time?—in the context of things to do before one kicks the bucket (a phrase in use since at least 1785) in the book Unfair & Unbalanced: The Lunatic Magniloquence of Henry E. Panky, by Patrick M. Carlisle. That work includes the sentences, “So, anyway, a Great Man, in his querulous twilight years, who doesn’t want to go gently into that blacky black night. He wants to cut loose, dance on the razor’s edge, pry the lid off his bucket list!”
Bonus cultural coincidence: Parkour has also cropped up in several TV shows of late—most recently Inspector Lewis (those wacky Oxford students!), New Girl, Happy Endings, and Work of Art. (It was on The Office, which usually lags behind the cultural zeitgeist—Scranton!—back in 2010.) Parkour’s origins are more straightforward. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, it derives from the French term parcours de combattant—literally, “combatant’s course,” or more loosely, obstacle course. It is also related to the Medieval Latin percursus, the past participle of percurrere, meaning to run through or rove.
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HomeNeil Finn
Be Intrigued…
May 17, 2010 991 sleevenotes 1
CROWDED HOUSE 'Intriguer' [Release Date 14/06/2010] CD I CD/DVD Crowded House return with the release of a brand new album, single and UK tour for spring 2010. 'Intriguer' is released by Mercury Records on June 14th and is a classic return to form for the band, featuring heartfelt and evocative lyrics […read more…]
The Stars Collide For Oxfam
August 12, 2009 991 sleevenotes 0
The first '7 Worlds Collide' album, a collection of amazing musical talents from across the globe in aid of Medicin Sans Frontiers, was a unique live performance, fusing the varied talents of a stellar cast across a range of cover versions to create a series of shows that culminated in […read more…]
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The hardest thing for me is to define who or what I am. Each time I try to define myself, I discover something new about me. How tedious and insipid it would be if we could pinpoint what we are… I would rather say your presence in my world defines me better and I would look forward to the way you would see me and my world.Life with its undefinable, ever renewing novelties is what drives into thoughts and activities whether photography, travelling, teaching, acting, philosophy. It is a vast canvas endlessly splashing new colours, strokes, and collage of moments and experiences. And in my activities, I am passionately trying to pace up with the creative magic of the invisible artist. I would like to be known for my multifaceted identity – the actor in me as a teacher, the writer and photographer in me as a traveller.
According to the words of a friend… “Santhosh Kumar Kana is a multi-talented, multi-passionate, versatile, and a very creative human being. He is a dynamic and innovative teacher, blogger, writer, traveller, motivational speaker, singer, anchor, and actor and each talent opens up a new dimension of his personality. He might at times appear outlandish but I have always felt there was a deeper meaning, something more philosophical to this eccentricity. And he always carries an element of grace and dignity with a little bit of mystery in that. The trait of seeking novelty is one of the prime forces that keeps him going. I would not be wrong if I say he is a free spirit that wanders with the most vibrant imaginations, someone who builds masterpieces no matter what task he is given. He has a constant thirst to see the world and spend time on experiences rather than materialistic objects. He balances his extroversion by diving into his own mind with introspective thoughts. He shows an intense eagerness to all his subjects of interest, a force that is powerful enough to inspire everyone around him.”
Bio Mr Santhosh Kumar Kana is a dynamic teacher with over 17 years of experience having worked in different parts of the country and also abroad. He has been working as a Post Graduate Teacher of English for Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, since 2002. He is currently working for a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kochi. A polyglot and an eclectic, he meaningfully integrates his wide range of knowledge and exposure effectively in teaching. With innovative strides in teaching making fruitful and creative implementation of technology and theatrical skills, he has carved a niche for himself in the profession. The short films he made with students adopting the lessons prescribed for study have become a rich resource for students, teachers, educationists and academicians. He was a columnist for the English daily The Deccan Herald, where he wrote a series of articles on grammar titled “Grammar is no Hammer on the Head” in the DH Education supplement in 2008 and 2009. He published his first book Kallavandi in 2015, and it is a collection of 41 poems in Malayalam. The book was published by Lipi publications and features poems that create a sweet hypothesis of love, confession, loneliness, satire, travels, and creativity. His second book Kathmandu, published in 2016 becomes Malayalam’s first exclusive travelogue about Kathmandu. This is a travelogue and a handbook which includes chapters on different places in Kathmandu There are chapters on music, art, culture, festivals, movies of that country. In fact, this book helped him gain recognition as a traveller. His poems and articles have appeared in magazines and journals in English and Malayalam.
Conversing with Vibrant Minds
Teaching offers me a dais for the performer in me, and the classroom is my performing space- a dynamic space that opens new visions and challenges. I had a lot of stage exposure in different forms since childhood. This removed my basic inhibitions and fear and helped me become comfortable with an audience. Teaching involves a mutual communication, an interaction with vibrant minds. A teacher should renew and evolve continuously to be successful. Just how a book gets life from both the writer and the reader, the classroom gets life through the teacher and the students. A teacher is never the centre of the classroom, but a catalyst that helps in evoking brilliant ideas in the minds of students. Every time I cross the threshold of the classroom, there is some invisible energy that gets into me and takes my thought and words to a higher level of communication. I think it might be the presence of my students, their curious eyes, and the positive vibe they exude in the classroom. You can never step into the same river twice, similarly, you cannot step into the same classroom twice. A classroom is in a state of flux and it comprises of young minds. Furthermore, I believe that you need to break the patterns in learning, instead of contributing to monotonous, habituated patterns of conditioning. While teaching, I always see myself through the eyes of the learner. I learn the classroom and the students before they learn from me.
Journeys of Self-Discovery
I believe that the basic human instinct to travel arises from the desire to experience novel visions, an escapade from the daily boredom of life. I also like a bit of adventure, be it my journeys or my life as such. Luckily for me, my job required me to travel from one place to another. And travel is not just a physical journey. It also offers a mental rejuvenation which in turn refreshes our soul. Out of my journeys, the unplanned ones had been more rewarding than the planned ones; they say one destination leads us to a better destination. I like to break the usual travel itineraries and patterns and wander off to discover new places and sights. And travel is much more than that, it is about interacting with the local crowd, learning about the exotic and ethnic culture, music, and the heritage. Architectural shapes, elements, and decors also attract me. I have cherished the travels that came with a zing of adrenalin, with activities like paragliding, raft sailing, and trekking.
Stories beyond Words
Visual intelligence works a lot for me, and that explains why I am fond of photography. I have always been captivated by visuals and each visual represents a frame, something that already exists and the camera is a simple tool to capture it. Perhaps that is why I call my photography, ‘My Sensitive Camera’. The world presents an infinite scope of photography and it is our perception that creates good images. I believe that a good picture is one that has an essence of emotion and a story to tell. Light and darkness blending in a golden hue speak on its own in my pictures. I have also been inspired by the sky. The sky provides an infinite canvas with an endless source of possibilities, an entity that keeps changing forever. I admit I am not an expert in the technical aspects of photography, that way you can call me an illiterate photographer. My photo editing is limited to simple cropping and subtle enhancements; most of the photographs are raw and untouched
Dissolution of Ego
Either there or not there a lone and long journey, a discovery of what you are not (ego), ultimately dissolving the ego. I believe that the more you are eloquent about it, the more you drift away from it. The funniest part is that ego is an illusion that makes you feel what you are ‘not’ is what you are, and it is actually ignorance. Ego bounces off the enlightened omnipresent around you, like pitter-patter raindrops hitting on yourself every time. An ego is searching for what you are not. Spirituality is the U-turn to actuality from what you are not. A halo or an aura is a visual representation of one’s consciousness. The higher the level the brighter the aura. Spirituality is opening the door to life, a life energy that is unleashed, it’s awakening, and it’s consciousness. Or in other words, ego is an accumulation of unwanted baggage in life, while spirituality is the dissolution of that luggage
Imbibing another Self
My initiation into the theatre and art happened in my childhood when a professional theatre group in my village (in North Kerala) approached me to play the role of Raja Harischandra’s son Lohitaksha. They had seen me acting in some amateur stage performances in the village with some of my friends for every important festival or occasion. I agreed and was fortunate to come into touch with artists of varied calibre and nature. I remember, we used to travel to far off places to stage the drama. At college, I once again came into contact with theatre lovers and kept getting a variety of roles in various theatre competitions. I was also very fond of mime where I felt the potential of an actor is put to the utmost challenge. It was while doing post-graduation in English at Pondicherry University that I got the best training in theatre. The drama department of Pondicherry University called SOPA (Shankaradas Swamigal School of Performing Arts) with exponents of Therukoothu and folk arts as faculty. Some of them had acted in films too. A friend once planned to make a stage adaptation of Herman Hesse’s renowned novel, Siddhartha and I played Buddha. It was an unforgettable experience as it blended music and stage movement so effectively to create the impact of a river on stage, the most abiding presence in the novel. It is here I started getting the initial insight into stage techniques. I later started experimenting on stage with humorous skits and serious themes, thus discovering my flair for writing and direction. I staged a musical adaptation of Edassery’s “Poothappattu” in my village along with a group of my friends, and there I learned more about direction and script writing from stage experience. The learning process continued when I started working in my school where I slowly discovered good sets of actors and technicians to give life to my ideas on stage.
Writing I write what I feel and feel what I write. Writing should come from within, it should be a feeling, a deeper call and my writings are my soliloquies since childhood. The range of my writings manifests their crescendo and pitch in terms of emotions and thoughts. At times heavy, at times like a sprinkle. Words are quite sensitive and must be handled sensitively. I use words to discover their innate silence. 1586
Vocal Odyssey I love doing anchoring for amateur to high profile functions. Compering is finding the silence between words. It is not a self-projection, it is about being less of yourself and creating maximum impact. I have also done voice narration for a documentary, recitation for a music programme and dubbing for a feature film. Oration is another field of my interest. Most of my speeches on various occasions are available online as texts or videos.
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Will The Steelers Be Able To Keep Free Agent Cornerback Keenan Lewis?
Posted on December 27, 2012 at 11:51 am
The Pittsburgh Steelers will most certainly look to try and sign unrestricted free agent cornerback Keenan Lewis to a long term deal prior to the start of free agency, but the Oregon State product would be best served to at least check out the market with the Steelers best offer in hand.
Below are what I believe to be the biggest named unrestricted free agent cornerbacks hitting the market this upcoming offseason along with their 2012 stats and Lewis is most certainly included in that bunch. His 69 total tackles and 23 passes defensed will most certainly raise some eyebrows with teams as will his ability to play though injuries.
PLAYER COMB TOTAL AST SACK STF FF INT PD TD/A
Cary Williams 74 67 7 1 1 0 4 17 6
Keenan Lewis 69 54 15 0 2 1 0 23 3
Quentin Jammer 63 54 9 0 3 1 2 8 7
Sheldon Brown 59 52 7 1 3 1 3 12 2
Sean Smith 57 52 5 0 0 3 2 12 6
Derek Cox 55 54 1 0 1 1 4 11 1
Chris Houston 54 43 11 0 3 2 2 9 3
E.J. Biggers 46 37 9 1 3 2 1 6 3
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie 45 38 7 0 0 0 3 17 4
Aqib Talib 40 33 7 0 1 0 2 10 3
Brent Grimes 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
So how much will Lewis stand to get as a top notch free agent cornerback? Below are the contracts of the top free agents from last offseason with the top three earners getting an average year value of around $8-10 million.
2012 Free Agency Top Cornerback Signings
Lardarius Webb (RFA) – Signed with Ravens – Signed a six-year, $52.742 million contract that included a $10 million signing bonus.
Cortland Finnegan – Signed with Rams – Signed a five-year, $50 million contract that contained $27 million guaranteed, including a $5 million signing bonus.
Brandon Carr – Signed with Cowboys – Signed a five-year, $50.1 million contract that contained $25.5 million guaranteed, including a $10 million signing bonus.
Carlos Rogers – Signed with 49ers – Signed a four-year, $29.3 million contract that included a $5 million signing bonus.
Terrell Thomas – Signed with Giants – Signed a four-year, $17.4 million contract that contained $11 million guaranteed, including a $1 million signing bonus.
Aaron Ross – Signed with Jaguars – Signed a three-year, $9.75 million contract that included a $1 million signing bonus.
Keep in mind that the guaranteed money is always the biggest factor here, as is the structure. Also keep in mind that the franchise tag for the cornerback position is scheduled to be $10.668 million.
The Steelers will most likely try to keep Lewis with an average value of around $7-8 million on a four or five year deal with a signing bonus of anywhere between $8-10 million. Will that be enough to keep him in Pittsburgh? It is hard to say, but Lewis most certainly would like to stay with defensive backs coach Carnell Lake, who is responsible for his fantastic development. Money of course talks the loudest so it will be interesting to see if Lewis will be willing to give a hometown discount to remain with the Steelers.
Related Items:Aaron Ross, Aqib Talib, Brandon Carr, Brent Grimes, Carlos Rogers, Carnell Lake, Cary Williams, Chris Houston, Cortland Finnegan, Derek Cox, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, E.J. Biggers, Keenan Lewis, Lardarius Webb, Quentin Jammer, Sean Smith, Sheldon Brown, Terrell Thomas
Colbert Downplays Poor Record Of Drafting Cornerbacks
Ex-Steeler FB John Kuhn Announces Retirement
Film Room: How In The World Did Jesse James Get So Open?
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The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR®) has advocated for women’s health for over two decades through science, policy, and education. Modeled after the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Model for Change, SWHR Interdisciplinary Networks examine knowledge gaps and identify focused innovative directions for conditions that disproportionately, differently, or exclusively affect women.
Please note that membership in the Networks is by invitation only. We do not consider unsolicited proposals.
“Advancing science through activities of leading researchers, catalyzing new research initiatives and focusing the community on the most urgent and tractable health problems for women provide the critical foundation for effective advocacy.”
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The Interdisciplinary Research Network Model
The interdisciplinary research models allows for a unique style of collaboration among carefully selected experts by SWHR in a particular disease field. The rationale for the networks rests on these key principles:
The best people: The Network members are established senior investigators with fully-funded research programs with high level of success in their field. Typically, 10-13 experts, researcher administrators or physicians from various disciplines are invited to participate in the network.
Multi-year: The Networks are typically 3-5-year programs, which allows for effective collaborations, meaningful planning and production of preliminary results, thereby impacting the scientific field.
Multi-disciplinary and Multi-sites: Each network represents the broadest range of scientific disciplines and experienced thought leaders from diverse institutions.
Peer-driven science and the right question: The expert panel will identify knowledge gaps in a particular field that will generate sub-questions. The network will engage individuals most likely to make significant contributions to the field.
Estrogen-Driven Diseases (2019-Present) Learn more.
Migraine (2017-Present) Learn more.
Alzheimer’s Disease (2016-Present) Learn more.
Urological Health in Women (2015 – 2019) Learn more.
Sleep (2014-2018) Learn more.
Link between Domestic Viol ence & Chronic Disease (2013 – 2015) Learn more.
Study of Exercise & Breast Cancer (2011 – 2014) Learn more.
Cardiovascular Disease (2009 – 2014) Learn more.
Musculoskeletal Health (2007 – 2014) Learn more.
Metabolism (2003 – 2009) Learn more.
Sex, Gender, Drugs & the Brain (2002 – 2007) Learn more.
Get to Know Our Network Members
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View Obituary The Durango Herald Obituaries
Stanley C. Sager
Stanley C. "Stan" Sager Stanley C. "Stan" Sager, loving husband and father, died in Albuquerque on Sunday, May 12, 2019, at the age of 89. His beloved wife of 66 years, Shirley A. Sager, survives him, as do daughters, Gayle Sager Keenan and husband J. Michael Keenan, and Ann Sager. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Meghann Keenan Brown and husband Jason, Brett Robertson and husband Craig, Daniel Keenan, Max Fawver and wife Sharon, James Fawver, all of Albuquerque, Kevin Fawver of Wichita; and by his great-grandchildren, Alyssa, Hunter, and Adrien Fawver, Jack and Alexandria Robertson; as well as by his sisters, Lola Lewis of Liberty, MO, and Portia Maxon of Topeka, KS; and many nieces and nephews. Stan was predeceased by his son, Dr. Kurt M. Sager; grandson, Thomas Michael Keenan; great-grandson, Jaden Kurt Fawver; his brother, Richard Sager and wife Marge; and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. I. Sager. Stan was born in Concordia, KS, in 1929, and attended Clyde, Kansas schools. As a senior he earned a Navy scholarship to Kansas University. Upon graduation from KU in 1951, he was commissioned as a U.S. Naval officer. He attended amphibious training at Coronado, CA, and helped take the USS Logan, APA 196, out of mothballs for service in the Korean theater. Stan sailed to what was then Occupied Japan on the Logan, where he was transferred to the LST 602. In 1952, he and the former Shirley Wilkie were married. Eight months later he contracted a paralyzing case of polio while on training exercises with Marines at Camp Pendleton, CA, to prepare for his second tour in waters off Occupied Japan and Korea. Left by the polio as a paraplegic and placed on the Navy retired list, Stan was a good-natured man whose disability did not hold him back. With his wife's encouragement, he attended law school at Washburn University in Topeka with help of classmates who carried him in his wheelchair up and down two long flights of stairs every school day. Each afternoon he took physical therapy at the VA hospital and cared for son Kurt to give Shirley a break. He graduated with Dean's Honors. He turned down employment offers from the Kansas Supreme Court and the VA because they planned special accommodations for his disability while he insisted he could compete in a law practice without such accommodations. He taught himself to walk on crutches against medical advice in the belief that few clients would hire a lawyer in a wheelchair in those pre-ADA days. He then practiced law with a tax firm in Topeka until he and Shirley decided to move to Albuquerque with their three small children. A natural storyteller, Stan took great joy in telling wild and humorous yarns to his children and, later, to his grandchildren. He also enjoyed helping daughter Gayle homeschool her three children by assisting with the science curriculum. For years he taught adult Bible classes at his church, St. John's United Methodist, and was an adjunct professor at the UNM School of Architecture, where he taught seminars on legal issues for design professionals. He was a regular seminar presenter at Bar Association and AIA programs. Stan had two law practices: one with his law firm, Sager, Curran, Sturges and Tepper, which grew to 23 lawyers with offices in Albuquerque and Las Cruces under his management, and one at night, when he would return to his office to do pro-bono work. He was admitted to practice law in all New Mexico and Kansas courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Tax Court. He received numerous awards from the State Bar for his work with low income New Mexicans, including the coveted Professionalism award. He was instrumental in organizing the Department of Internal Audit for The United Methodist Church and chaired the denomination's audit committee. He was elected three times as lead N.M. delegate to the Methodist General Conference and was elected to chair its Legislative Committee on Finance and Administration in 2000. He was awarded the Judge Woodrow B. Seals honor from the Perkins School of Theology, SMU. He was a State Bar Commissioner, chaired the Lawyer Referral for the Elderly Project, which included over 300 volunteer attorneys statewide, was an original member of the NM Legal Services Commission and was treasurer of the NM Conference Methodist Foundation and of the Zia Chapter, Paralyzed Veterans of America. He was president of the Child Guidance Center and of Sandia Kiwanis, amd gave pro-bono services in organizing the Roadrunner Food Bank, the Storehouse, Grace Incorporated, The Confraternity of the Sacred Heart of Mary, and many United Methodist churches and other charities. As a practicing attorney he represented many architectural and engineering firms and occasional physicians and surgeons. He authored numerous historical articles and wrote two published books, ¡Viva Elfego! and Four Corners: Where the Holy Spirit Touches Navajo Hearts and numerous treatises on internal auditing, disability and professionalism. He was awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Law by Washburn School of Law, to whose graduating class he delivered the keynote commencement address in 2013. Stan, in his later years, returned to using a manual wheelchair, in which he rolled over much of the US and all Canadian provinces with Shirley. They drove all over Europe and Brazil, even though hotels were often less than ideal for a disabled person. Whatever architectural barriers or human prejudices he faced, Stan remembered the saying that had gotten him through the hard early days of his disability, with Shirley's backing: "Do my best with what I've got." That's what he did. Family members wish to thank, as Stan did, the wonderful people at the SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) Unit at the VA as well as other units there for their constant, kind, and professional care. Warm thanks, also, to the caregivers from Home Instead, Anthony and Jeanette, in particular. Many thanks to Washburn students and faculty who made law school possible. Finally, many thanks to friends and associates across the Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John's United Methodist Church, 2626 Arizona St. NE, Albuquerque, 87110, or to the New Mexico State Bar Foundation, P.O. Box 92860, Albuquerque, 87199. A funeral service will be held on Monday, May 20, 2019, 10:00 a.m. at St. John's United Methodist Church, 2626 Arizona St. NE. Burial will follow on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, 11:15 a.m. at Santa Fe National Cemetery. Please visit the online guestbook for Stan at www.FrenchFunerals.com
FRENCH Funerals & Cremations - University
Santa Fe National Cemetery
, , NM
St. John's United Methodist Church
2626 Arizona St. NE, , NM
2626 Arizona St. NE, NM
All arrangements are locally delivered to FRENCH Funerals & Cremations - University by a local Albuquerque, NM florist.
In Our Thoughts Arrangement-BASKET INCLUDED
In Our Thoughts Arrangement- BASKET INCLUDED
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The In Our Thoughts™ Arrangement is a symbol of pure peace and caring kindness. White roses, tulips, freesia, Oriental lilies, double lisianthus, Monte Casino asters and snapdragons are beautifully offset by bright green Bells of ireland, ivy vines, and an assortment of lush greens to create an elegant display that conveys your deepest sympathies for thier loss. Arrives in a large round whitewash basket.
Sku: ftd-S8-4452S
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Next:PROCUREMENT: Russia Battles Incompetent Shipyards
Intelligence: How To Spot North Korean Spies
June 14, 2013: In the last 55 years over 25,000 North Koreans have made their way to South Korea, and only three have returned to North Korea. These three are regularly presented on North Korean media, talking about how they returned north because life is better there. But North Koreans now know this is not true and South Korean intelligence experts believe that the three who returned were really spies sent south as refugees and in fear of getting caught. Spending the rest of their lives in a South Korean prison was the only incentive that could send them north again.
South Korea intelligence agencies know this because they have collected a lot of information on how North Korea operates, by interviewing the steady flow of refugees arriving in South Korea (via China and the South Korean embassies in neighboring countries like Thailand). For the last decade, over a thousand of these refugees have arrived each year. In the last few years China and North Korea have increased their efforts to reduce that number, which peaked at 2,900 in 2009, and was 1,500 last year. These determined and desperate people keep coming and they have much to tell.
Separate interviews are compared and checked against each other to obtain an updated and accurate first-hand view of life in the north. Computers make this easy. This process also helps detect the spies North Korea tries (often with success) to get into the south via the refugee route. Some of these spies are detected and turned (allowed to become South Korean “double agents” and feed false information back to their controllers in the north).
While the refugees detail the growing decline in living standards up north, it’s also become clear that there is a very real generational shift in loyalties in the north. The generation who grew up during the 1990s famine (that killed about ten percent of the population and starved most of the rest for years) no longer believes in the North Korean dictatorship. Many who came of age before 1990 still do, but for most everyone under 30 the state is the enemy and self-reliance, and not a benevolent dictatorship, is the only way to survive. This has apparently made it easier to turn the North Korean spies trying to get into South Korea as refugees. Some of these spies are classified as hardcore believers in the northern government, but a growing number are found to be more flexible in their outlook.
The North Korean government has been fighting these new attitudes more and more, as this generation of unbelievers grows larger each year. The more astute members of the northern leadership see this as a no-win situation. Eventually most North Koreans will be very hostile to the state and more adept at making money in spite of the government, or simply getting out of the country. Most of the leadership is still afraid of enacting Chinese style economic reforms because they believe a more affluent population would seek revenge for the decades of misrule and tyranny. The Chinese say that didn’t happen in China. The North Koreans point out that, as bad as the Chinese communists were in the 1950s and 60s (killing over 50 million people via starvation, labor camps, and execution), that was not as bad (proportionately) as what the North Koreans have suffered. Moreover, the North Korean leaders point out that, historically, Koreans have been a bit more excitable and brutal when aroused by misrule. The Chinese say times have changed but the North Korean leaders are not yet willing to bet their lives on that being the case.
The refugees report that most North Koreans understand that the police state up there is strong enough to suppress any uprising now or in the foreseeable future and that the only real threat to the dictatorship is intervention (openly or via a coup) by China. Few refugees from the north believe there will be a successful rebellion up there anytime soon and that’s why they took such large risks to get to the south.
NAVAL AIR: U.S. Navy Ships Get a New UAV
PROCUREMENT: Russia Battles Incompetent Shipyards
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Tag Archives: face-to-face
Baseless Case Against Turkish Christians Further Prolonged
Posted on February 16, 2010 by particularkev
Justice Ministry receives international inquiry about progress of trial.
SILIVRI, Turkey, February 15 (CDN) — Barely five minutes into the latest hearing of a more than three-year-old case against two Christians accused of “insulting Turkishness and Islam,” the session was over.
The prosecution had failed to produce their three final witnesses to testify against Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal for alleged crimes committed under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code. The same three witnesses had failed to heed a previous court summons to testify at the last hearing, held on Oct. 15, 2009.
This time, at the Jan. 28 hearing, one witness employed in Istanbul’s security police headquarters sent word to inform the court that she was recovering from surgery and unable to attend. Of the other two witnesses, both identified as “armed forces” personnel, one was found to be registered at an address 675 miles away, in the city of Iskenderun, and the other’s whereabouts had not yet been confirmed.
So the court issued instructions for the female witness to be summoned a third time, to testify at the next hearing, set for May 25. The court ordered the witness in Iskenderun to submit his “eyewitness” testimony in writing to the Iskenderun criminal court, to be forwarded to the Silivri court. No further action was taken to summon the third witness.
International Inquiry
Judge Hayrettin Sevim, who has presided over the last five hearings on the case, informed the plaintiff and defense lawyers that recently his court had been requested to supply the Justice Ministry with a copy of relevant documents and details from the case file.
An inquiry outside Turkey about the progress of the case, he said, prompted the request.
Seven different state prosecutors have been assigned to the case since Prosecutor Ahmet Demirhuyuk declared at the fourth hearing in July 2007 that “not a single concrete, credible piece of evidence” had been produced to support the accusations against the Protestant defendants. After Demihuyuk recommended that the charges be dropped and the two Christians acquitted, he was removed from the case.
Originally filed in October 2006, the controversial Article 301 case accused Tastan and Topal, both former Muslims who converted to Christianity, of slandering the Turkish nation and Muslim religion while involved in evangelistic activities in Silivri, an hour’s drive west of Istanbul in northwestern Turkey.
After Turkey enacted cosmetic changes in the wording of Article 301 in May 2008, all cases filed under this law require formal permission from the justice minister himself to go on to trial.
According to the Turkish Justice Ministry, only eight of more than 900 Article 301 cases sent for review since the law’s revision have been approved for prosecution. On Friday (Feb. 12) the Justice Ministry declined in writing a Compass request last month for a list of the eight cases in question.
Despite the lack of any legally credible evidence against Tastan and Topal, the Silivri case is one of those eight cases personally approved by the Justice Minister.
According to a CNNTURK report dated Dec. 8, 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama raised the Article 301 issue with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their last face-to-face meeting in Washington, D.C.
“I think those asking about this don’t know what Article 301 is,” Erdogan reportedly said. “Until now it has only happened to eight persons.”
This month the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticized Turkey’s revision of Article 301, declaring that the government should simply abolish the law.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg also warned earlier this month that Turkey is violating Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights to the extent that the European Court of Human Rights may impose sanctions on Turkey over Article 301.
Noting that the Assembly welcomed previous amendments to the law, the most recent PACE report declares it “deplores the fact that Turkey has not abolished Article 301.”
Posted in Barack Obama, Christianity, European Union, Islam, Turkey, USA | Tagged 2006, 2007, 2009, abolish, abolished, accusations, accused, acquitted, action, activities, address, against, Ahmet Demirhuyuk, alleged, amendments, approved, armed, article 10, article 301, asking, assembly, assigned, attend, Barack Obama, baseless, case, changes, charges, Christian, Christianity, Christians, city, CNNTURK, committed, concrete, confirmed, controversial, converted, copy, cosmetic, Council of Europe, court, credible, crimes, criminal, criticized, declared, declares, declined, defendants, defense, deplores, details, different, documents, drive, dropped, during, earlier, employed, enacted, European Convention on Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights, evangelistic, evidence, extent, eyewitness, face-to-face, fact, failed, female, file, Final, forces, formal, former, forwarded, found, fourth, further, government, Hakan Tastan, happened, Hayrettin Sevim, headquarters, hearing, heed, identified, impose, inform, informed, inquiry, instructions, insulting, international, involved, Iskenderun, Islam, issue, issued, Istanbul, judge, Justice Minister, Justice Ministry, last, law, lawyers, legally, meeting, most, Muslim, muslims, nation, next, northwestern, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, outside, over, pace, Parliamentary Assembly, penal code, permission, Persecution, personally, personnel, piece, Plaintiff, police, presided, President, previous, Prime Minister, produce, produced, progress, prolonged, prompted, prosecution, prosecutors, Protestant, raised, receives, recent, recently, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, recommended, recovering, registered, relevant, religion, removed, report, requested, require, revision, sanctions, security, session, Silivri, simply, single, slandering, Stasbourg, submit, summoned, summons, supply, support, surgery, testify, testimony, third, time, trial, Turan Topal, Turkey, Turkish, Turkishness, unable, under, USA, violating, warned, Washington D. C., welcomed, West, whereabouts, witness, witnesses, Word, wording, writing | Leave a comment
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Startups and nonprofits set sights on closing the achievement gap through internet access
Cosette Jarrett 2 years
Cosette Jarrett Contributor
Cosette Jarrett is a freelance writer from Salt Lake City, Utah. Her work focuses on consumer technology and digital connectivity. You can follow her future projects on Twitter.
More posts by this contributor
How the startup world is bringing digital nomadism closer to reality
Kids growing up in low-income neighborhoods have always faced extra challenges when it comes to keeping up with their middle- to high-income peers. And with the dawning of the digital age, low-income students now face a new, unprecedented challenge: access to high-speed internet.
More than ever, students are required to go online to complete homework, collaborate on projects and conduct research. For students with no internet access at home, this can be a daunting challenge. Even though 85 percent of the nation has access to broadband internet, one White House release noted that less than half of the households in the lowest income bracket have an internet subscription at home.
“While many middle-class U.S. students go home to internet access…too many lower-income children go unplugged every afternoon when school ends,” according to the White House release. “This ‘homework gap’ runs the risk of widening the achievement gap, denying hardworking students the benefit of a technology-enriched education.”
In response, the White House launched ConnectHome in 2015. This initiative set out to bring high-speed internet to more than 275,000 low-income families in 28 communities across the nation. Likewise, companies like Microsoft, Google and Comcast have rolled out programs to help bridge the digital divide.
Although these large-scale programs are leading the way, it’s smaller, grassroots startups that will ensure the delivery of high-speed internet to every home in America. Startups and nonprofits across the country are stepping up to help low-income families connect to the internet. They deliver programs that aim to facilitate the personal, academic and professional growth of their local communities.
One of the most established organizations delivering internet access to those who can’t afford it is Connecting for Good. This nonprofit based in Kansas City formed in 2011, after Google announced that Kansas City would be the first city to receive Google Fiber. By the end of 2012, Connecting for Good had installed its first free Wi-Fi network, providing connectivity to almost 400 low-income residents.
It’s crucial for all children to have access to the tools and resources they need.
In addition, the group provides digital literacy training and offers refurbished laptops for just $50. Connecting for Good is funded through grants and private donations, and one of its co-founders was named the manager of President Obama’s ConnectHome program.
In the Bronx, where one-third of the residents go without home internet, startup Neture, Inc. aims to provide reliable, high-speed internet access to all. Founded in 2014, Neture launched its third phase last summer, and currently provides a combination of free and low-cost internet to several Bronx neighborhoods. The company also provides free computers as amenities in some apartment complexes, and is devoted to teaching digital literacy.
Because the achievement gap is a mosaic of different challenges, some startups are focused more on teaching tech skills and harnessing available tech to improve student support. Even though these organizations aren’t providing internet access, the ultimate success of all of these ventures — and the children they hope to help — will depend on unilateral access to home internet.
Code Fever is a southern Florida startup on a mission to encourage under-resourced and minority students to learn coding. The company hopes to inspire these students, ages 13 to 21, to create their own tech-related startups in their communities and become the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) leaders of the future. Code Fever started in 2013 and raised $75,000 through crowdfunding efforts.
TalkingPoints is another organization working to bridge the achievement gap with technology. The founders wanted to provide a way for parents, students and teachers to overcome language barriers, so they developed a multilingual texting platform that can translate text messages into the language of the recipient. Teachers can text parents in English, and the parents are able to read the message (and respond) in their own language. TalkingPoints is free to schools and supported by grants and private donations.
In a world that keeps getting faster and more tech-savvy every day, it’s crucial for all children to have access to the tools and resources they need to become productive, successful members of society. As time goes on, home internet access will become increasingly necessary for students to engage, grow and perform at school. Fortunately, government programs, big business initiatives and grassroots startups are already well on their way to making high-speed internet accessible to every household.
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TV ReviewsMom
Emily Todd VanDerWerff
Since 2007, TV Club has dissected television episode by episode. Beginning this September, The A.V. Club will also step back to take a wider view in our new TV Reviews section. With pre-air reviews of new shows, returning favorites, and noteworthy finales, TV Reviews doesn’t replace TV Club—as usual, some shows will get the weekly treatment—but it adds a look at a bigger picture.
There are four or five different shows crammed into Mom. At least one of them is a potentially great show. One of the others could make for a largely enjoyable time-waster, like one of the other sitcoms from co-creator Chuck Lorre, The Big Bang Theory. But the others are all varying degrees of messy to distractingly awful. CBS seems to put on at least one new multi-camera sitcom per year that has enough good buried in it to hope for a return to a format TV that has done so well throughout its history—only to disappoint fans by steering the show directly toward mediocrity. Mom seems doomed to be that sitcom this year.
First, the good: Anna Faris turns what could have been an overstuffed main character into someone that makes sense almost immediately. Faris has to balance being a single mother, a working-class waitress in an upscale restaurant (thus always surrounded by that which she will not have), a disappointing daughter, part of a love triangle, and a recovering addict throughout the first episode of Mom. She’s not completely successful, but it’s doubtful anyone could have been. She does manage, however, to find a stable core that unites all of these versions of her character, along with a way of delivering all of the exposition necessary to keep these many personas juggling without making it seem ridiculous.
Joining Faris in the best version of this show—the one that could evolve into an all-time classic with a little love and care—is Allison Janney as Faris’ mother. The center of the show is the bruised relationship between the two, where mistrust and disappointment run deep on both sides, and the series is smart enough to leave as an open question whether this relationship is what’s causing Faris to struggle in her relationship with her own teenage daughter. (Though Faris is playing a woman roughly the same age as herself, she had a daughter in high school, then a son a few years later.) There’s not as much depth in the script as Faris and Janney bring to it, but both are clearly having fun playing up the invective between the two characters. In particular, the scenes where both struggle with their respective addictions have a ring of truth to them. It’s presented as a constant struggle, where a lot of sitcoms might make it an obstacle to be overcome easily enough.
It’s the rest of the show that’s lacking. Though Faris does her best in the scenes in her workplace, there’s little reason to feature stories there, and even less reason to have two of the series’ regulars be stationed there. Perpetually fretting boss Nate Corddry and asshole chef French Stewart might be fun in small doses, but given the way the latter gets all the pilot’s easiest punchlines, it seems likely the show will keep going to the restaurant over and over for cheap, unsatisfying gags. It’s not even that this stuff is particularly bad—it could make for a serviceable workplace sitcom told from an unusual point of view—but the economic fears and class consciousness that drive the more interesting material only appear fleetingly here, and it pales in comparison to whatever Faris and Janney get up to.
There are other nice touches around the edges. Supporting players as diverse as Matt Jones (as the father of one of Faris’ children) and a one-scene janitor get to have little jokes and spins on the material, providing a sense that everyone in this world has something to say, even if that’s not true. There’s a late scene with some genuinely funny jokes in it—one hinges on the pronunciation of Faris’ character’s name and comes out of nowhere—and the kind of comedic rhythm that can only come in a multi-camera sitcom where plots start piling up. Plus, there’s a chance for Lorre and his co-creators, Eddie Gorodetsky and Gemma Baker, to redo one of Lorre’s earlier, flawed series, Grace Under Fire, which seemed like it was building toward something terrific until it was undercut by circumstances beyond the show’s control.
Yet it’s not hard to look at the restaurant material—with punchlines as basic and obvious as “The correct answer was ass” in response to a character being asked what something tastes like—and see how it might gradually crowd the other, better, darker stuff right out of the frame. Unlike with Michael Patrick King and 2 Broke Girls, Lorre is smart about recalibrating his shows to play to their most promising elements. (Without this skill, most people would never have heard of Jim Parsons.) At the very least, Mom should become something watchable, thanks to its cast and that particular skill of Lorre’s.
But there’s a better show rattling around in here, one that speaks to America’s current economic anxieties and what it means to live a life constantly on the edge, in the middle of nowhere. Maybe Lorre and company go for broke on critical acclaim with this one, but making a big, crass show about a woman whose dark past gets shoved aside in favor of her wacky co-workers as often as possible would be so much easier. Mom, more than any show on his résumé, might ultimately prove what Chuck Lorre is made of.
Created by: Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, Gemma Baker
Starring: Anna Faris, Allison Janney, Nate Corddry, French Stewart
Debuting: Monday at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS
Format: Multi-camera half-hour sitcom
Pilot watched for review
Recent from Emily Todd VanDerWerff
John Mulaney surprises us with his top 5 multi-camera sitcoms
Daniel Radcliffe tells us why he loves The Office
Frank’s Place celebrated the best of human life—and of New Orleans
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Simon Cowell Talks About One Direction’s Break, Find Out What He Had To Say Inside!
on August 28, 2015 at 9:35 am
We made some people mad with our last One Direction post. Basically, fans of the band didn’t appreciate us saying that this break could be the end of One Direction. We didn’t make the post to start a war. Honestly, we were just looking at history. When boy bands start taking breaks and working on solo projects, that usually means the end is near.
Simon Cowell, the genius who put these guys together, talked about the upcoming break during a press event at the X Factor launch. And while he admits he believes this break was needed, he also seems a little unsure if they will get back together.
I’ve known for a while that they were going to take this year off. They had to because of their workload. Look, even though they’re young, that is a grueling schedule and after a while I could see they were exhausted.
That’s the answer you expected from Simon; however, his reply didn’t end there. This is where things get interesting…
I did what I’ve always done with the guys and said you make your own decisions and I hope you stay together, but you’ve got to want to do it yourself so they’re smart guys, they’ll work it out. They’re nice guys and they’re loyal so it’ll be fine.
Hmm. Sounds like he believes there is a chance this could be the end. He knows the music business better than anyone out there. He also probably knows One Direction better than anyone out there, so we should take his comments seriously.
I think he’s hopeful the band will return, but I also think he knows if one of their solo careers takes off, that could be the end of One Direction. At least until they reunite for a comeback tour 30 years down the road.
GOSSIP & SMACK TALKMUSIC
BreakHealthyone directionSimon Cowell
Listen: Justin Bieber Drops New Song "What Do You Mean?" -- Are You Feeling It?
Chris Brown Reveals 25 Facts You Didn't Know, Including That He Owns 14 Burger Kings! (Bonus: Pics of 2nd head Tat)
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I’m a 39 yr old single father, custody of my 3 year old, pay child support from my first marriage, (excessive amount in my opinion but I grit my teeth and persevere). Two divorces, debt from first marriage, legal fees. I’ve been swimming in debt for 10 years now. I’m fortunate to have a company match savings plan, and I consolidated all my debt by borrowing against my own retirement savings at 3.75 simple interest. Even having a good paying job doesn’t fix the debt problem quickly however. So I have cut every reasonable corner. Cable TV was gone a long time ago. I started out with my laptop and an S Video cable to my TV. For months I would just browse the web for anything free and entertaining. Then a friend with Netflix let me “borrow” her account for a while and I got hooked on the children’s content alone. $7.99/mo is a steal for the endless videos for my son, and most educational! Later I added the Hulu Plus subscription. I’m still paying only $16 a month plus $38/mo for broadband for my video entertainment vs the $120/mo I was paying for cable and Internet before. I also recently got the Roku player, and just recently downloaded PlayOn. Now a tip for computer users. You can get a USB remote keyboard and mouse. That’s what I did for a year to act as my “remote control”. I still have my laptop going to my S video and use the TV screen as a big monitor. But the various devices like Roku and XBox etc are also great for practical purposes. It makes it much more like watching cable. Another tip. I have a smart phone with YouTube. During lulls at work, I comb the Internet for various websites like “Chockadoc.com” that have a library of Documenaries that they link to from YouTube. I will find a title that interests me, go to YouTube and search it, add it to my favorites, and then when I get home in the evening I access YouTube through PlayOn and watch it. If it weren’t for kids programming on Netflix I’d be tempted to drop my subscription. Oh, another tip. Roku supports developers who create “private channels” similar to the way jailbroken iPhones have some great non iStore apps. One you can get is JustIn.tv …. I’m not promoting this, it’s a perfectly legal streaming service for creating private streaming channels. I’ve seen people stream video of their pet goldfish all day. And If you are easily offended, there are other things you will see, so avoid children in the room if you are browsing the channels. But some people do stream television content. Not promoting this, but if you just HAVE to watch the Superbowl :-) oh and for some sports, Southeastern Conference football comes to mind, some networks like CBS Sports will stream live premium games. And there are always sports bars and grills that have TVs if missing a game would ruin your weekend. Cable TV would not have lost me if they’d modernize their business model to adapt to the digital age. It’s too easy for them to offer packages that allow you to pick the channels that interest you and no more. Last thought. My provider allowance is 50 gigs a month. This is something you should check into because some providers have smaller allowances. Ive yet to consume all 50 in a month but I’ve used 80% before.
It’s a no-brainer that the largest video platform in history would build its own live TV streaming service. Like Hulu’s service, YouTube TV offers a single channel package. You’ll get 40-plus channels with a $40 monthly subscription — including sports channels you’d normally have to pay much more for on other services — with the option of supplementing with a small handful of premium add-ons. On top of the TV content, you’ll also get access to all of YouTube’s premium content, which includes YouTube-produced series from popular creators and celebrities. The service is still offered in select areas only, so you’ll want to check if it’s available in your town before getting too excited.
Commercials – often for psychic hotlines – and featurettes produced by Prevue Networks, such as Prevue Tonight, that were voiced by Larry Hoefling[8] (who served as the network's announcer from 1989 to 1993), were also delivered via this satellite feed. For commercials, as well as overnight and early morning infomercials, the top half of the feed's video frame would be completely filled out, with local cable system Prevue Guide installations letting it show through in full in a pillarboxed anamorphic widescreen format (some direct response ads that were compartmentalized to one area of the video frame featured contact information in the opposing feed that was blocked out, in addition to that provided in the advertisement). The satellite feed also carried a third audio channel containing Prevue Guide theme music in an infinite loop. Local Prevue Guide installations would switch to this audio source during the display of local top-screen advertising, and when they crashed. Prevue Guide could additionally signal cable system video playback equipment to override the Prevue Networks satellite feed entirely with up to nine minutes of local, video-based advertising per hour. Few cable systems utilized this feature, however, owing to the need to produce special versions of their local advertisements wherein, as with the satellite feed itself, all action occurred only within the top half of the video frame.
In November 2016, after the US Presidential Election, The Washington Post reported that RT and Sputnik were "state-funded Russian information services that mimic the style and tone of independent news organizations yet sometimes include false and misleading stories in their reports" and also that "RT, Sputnik and other Russian sites used social-media accounts to amplify misleading stories already circulating online".[260] The Post was criticized by The Intercept, Fortune, and Rolling Stone for relying in part on an analysis by PropOrNot, an anonymous organization with no reputation for fact-checking.[261][262][263]
I currently pay 263.00 per month for cable,internet and home phone. I don’t even use the home phone because I have my cell phone for everything.I tried to get the Cable company to take the phone off my plan thinking it would be cheaper but to my surprise my monthly bill would have increased even more. With that said, tomorrow I’m canceling my C*X Cable Service and going with HULU. The only other thing I have to pay for is the High Speed Internet connection. I think paying that much for television is ridiculous and I have been paying this for the last 4 years and I’m done..It’s not worth it and it’s a rip off plain & simple. I researched many articles on cutting the cord but thanks to this site and it members, I have been convinced and sold. Thank You for the honest article and comments.
If you’re looking to watch FOX News without cable and you’ve heard of Sling TV (one of the most popular cable alternatives), you may be wondering if you can get FOX News on Sling TV. Unfortunately, Sling does not currently carry the channel, although they may in the future. The services listed above are good alternatives that does let you stream FOX News, though!
We cut the cord nearly 10 years ago and have no regrets. My husband built an antenna out of PVC pipe and wire hangers (there are plans online for this) for the last house we lived in, and mounted it in the attic. We got approximately 50 over-the-air channels that way. When we moved, we did use Sling for a little while, and while that was great, we opted to install an antenna on the roof of the current house and cancel Sling. That said, I highly recommend Sling for popular channels. Currently my lineup is Amazon Prime TV (comes with my Prime membership), Netflix, and I pay the $5/month for AcornTV, because I love my British shows. Thanks for summing these up—I’ve been preaching cord-cutting for a long time, it’s great to see a blogger I respect touting the same thing! 🙂
You might also be able to save by bundling your TV and Internet subscriptions: After a recent move, one of the authors of this guide, Chris Heinonen, discovered that with his new Internet provider, it was cheaper to get Internet service bundled with TV than without. However, once Chris added the cost of multiple cable boxes and DVR service, those savings disappeared. So Chris currently rents one non-HD cable box, which sits in a closet unused, and uses an Apple TV, Roku, or tablet to stream all his family’s favorite shows. This setup lets them start and finish shows on any TV, and it offers more flexibility than any cable box would. (The downsides to this strategy are that one can’t “record” shows for offline viewing, and each network you want to watch must provide an app with streaming support—but more and more networks are offering such apps.) In the end, Chris saves around $10 a month compared with paying for Internet alone while also being able to stream the Olympics, college and NFL football, Mr. Robot, The Americans, and more directly to his iPhone and various media streamers.
No cable service truly offers a la carte cable TV. However, through VUDU, iTunes and Amazon (even if you’re not a Prime Instant Video subscriber) you can buy episodes of entire seasons of shows a la carte. This includes shows currently airing. At first, that might seem expensive, but shows are $1.99 an episode and you can get a discount on the season pass. I saved a ton of cash this way when my family cut the cord. My family purchases only 3-4 season passes a year, keeping it under $10 a month.
While some services like Hulu live TV provide NBC, FOX, ABC, and CBS to many, you may still want to look into getting a TV Antenna. It allows you to watch free broadcast TV, with access to networks like NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and more. The over the air broadcast TV available changes depending on where you live in relation to your closest TV towers. Thankfully, antenna maker Mohu has put together a tool that shows you which TV channels are available in your area. They also show which channels you should expect to receive for each of their antennas.
You might have a Blu-ray player or smart TV with streaming apps on board, but those offer a pretty dismal streaming experience. Newer TVs from Samsung and LG have pretty impressive smart interfaces, and Roku TVs like TCL’s 6-Series are fantastic for all-in-one streaming. Otherwise, if you’re going to transition to a full-time streaming entertainment plan you may want a separate device purpose-built for the job. Below is a small selection of some of our favorites. If you want more recommendations, we highly recommend sourcing our full list of the best streaming devices you can buy.
Amazon Prime has a long list of perks for its members, but one of the lesser-known incentives is the ability to augment your Prime Video library with a handful of curated TV channels. Compared to the other services here, Amazon Prime’s channel add-ons don’t pose much competition. Prime simply offers a small number of channels supported currently by just Fire TV.
Have you ever wondered how to watch local TV without cable? Do you think it’s not possible to get your favorite network shows? You’re not alone. Watching TV without cable is possible, and you can save loads of money at the same time. Many don’t know how to watch local channels without cable because they think a pricey cable contract is the only way to get local TV.
The interface is great. It's fast, smooth, and incredibly simple. You have all your basic channels on the front page in a grid, letting you access your movies, TV shows, and music from iTunes, as well as streaming channels like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and sports sites like MLB.tv, NBA, and NHL. It even has a list of recent and popular movies along the top if you aren't sure what you want to watch, which is kind of fun. Anything else you want to play can be shot to the Apple TV through AirPlay on an iOS device, or via AirPlay mirroring on a Mac. It isn't ideal, but it'll get the job done for just about anything you want to watch.
If you want to take advantage of streaming services — Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and so forth — you'll need a way to display them on your TV. If you have a recent TV from a major manufacturer, you may not need to get anything at all. Smart TVs usually have these apps built in, and almost every high-end TV sold within the last two years or so has smart capabilities.
We mentioned before: YouTube TV is not YouTube Red. Red is more like an advanced, commercial-free version of regular ol' YouTube. The YouTube TV option costs more and has a lot of catching up to do to rival the other live TV streaming services. It's in limited cities, has limited channels, and is available on limited devices (Chromecast, Android, iOS, LG and Samsung TVs, Xbox One, and browsers on PCs). It doesn't even bundle in YouTube Red as part of the service—you'd have to spend another $10 a month on Red to keep ads out of your regular YouTube streaming. Premium channel add-ons include $11-a-month Showtime, $5-a-month Shudder, and $7-per-month Sundance. The big plus: unlimited storage in the cloud-based DVR option.
I use a combo of Roku, a Mohu Leaf antenna (excellent picture quality) to get OTA signals and a Tivo Premiere box as I wanted the option of recording the OTA signals and the convenience of watching them when I wanted to. The Tivo service is $20 a month, but has lots of great features (season pass, Tivo Desktop, online programing to name a few) and is LESS than 1/3 the price of my FORMER dish bill :)
Simonyan, who was only 25 years old at the time of her hiring by the channel, was a former Kremlin pool reporter and had worked in journalism since she was 18. She told The New York Times that after the fall of the Soviet Union, many new young journalists were hired, resulting in a much younger pool of staffers than other news organizations.[38] Journalist Danny Schechter (who has appeared as a guest on RT)[39] has stated that having been part of the launch staff at CNN, he saw RT as another "channel of young people who are inexperienced, but very enthusiastic about what they are doing."[40] Shortly after the channel was launched, James Painter wrote that RT and similar news channels such as France 24 and TeleSUR saw themselves as "counter-hegemonic", offering a differing vision and news content from that of Western media like the CNN and the BBC.[41]
Consensus: Aside from the base plan, DirecTV NOW's packages have the highest prices that we've seen, and spending $60-$70 a month on TV watching just may not be a priority. However, if you've got a bit of disposable money and have a wide range of interests, DirecTV's insane channel selection is about to make you a very happy camper. (Regardless, it's cheaper than a $200/month cable bill.)
The major network channels are all broadcast in HD. And you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that the quality of uncompressed HD video in an antenna feed is actually superior to what you've been getting with your cable box. Cable operators have to deliver hundreds of channels, plus broadband and phone service over a single connection to your home, so the TV signal is usually compressed to conserve bandwidth. Not so with your OTA feed. The difference is immediately noticeable. Outside of a Blu-ray movie, this is the best output I've ever seen on my TV. And did I mention the channels are free?
Feature-wise, Philo is similar to the other services above (and cheaper, to boot). DVR access allows for recording and storing content, though, like Playstation Vue, your DVR content will only stick around for a limited time — 30 days, in this case. Another feature Philo includes is the ability to access content from pay-walled apps for channels carried by Philo. For example, since Philo’s channel packages includes AMC and Nickelodeon, you’ll be able to download and watch through the dedicated AMC and Nickelodeon apps at no extra charge by signing in with your Philo account.
Free over-the-air TV solves some of the same problems as live TV streaming services do: it offers live TV and the channel-surfing experience, two things that SVOD solutions lack. It lags in content behind live TV streaming services, as many familiar channels are available on pay TV streaming services but not via free over-the-air TV. On the simplicity front, though, nothing beats free over-the-air TV: just plug the antenna into your TV, scan for channels, and watch. You won't need a streaming box, streaming stick, or a smart TV. You won't even need an internet connection!
In 1991, Prevue Networks launched Sneak Prevue, a spin-off barker channel that was exclusively used to promote programming on a provider's pay-per-view services; it displayed full-screen promos (augmented by graphics displaying scheduling and ordering information) and a schedule of upcoming films and events airing on each pay-per-view channel based on either airtime or genre. The channel was also driven by Amiga 2000 hardware, and its software was as crash-prone as the Prevue Guide software itself. TV Guide Network ceased operations of Sneak Prevue in 2002.
4. Consult cord-cutting websites. Several free websites tell you where and how you can watch your favorite shows without a cable connection. Untangle.tv inquires about all of your viewing habits and then recommends the hardware and software you need. (Just keep in mind that it’s run by an antenna manufacturer that recommends its own antennas.) Fan.tv and JustWatch.com allow you to search for one show at a time and see all of the ways you can watch that program without cable. You can also try The Post’s own TV bundling tool here.
I was very disappointed when the NBC-based channel US Sports went to cable on January 1st. I used to enjoy the gymnastics and skating there. Now, in an Olympic year, they decided to move from the free NBC channel 5.3 to a paid cable channel. It’s like those certain sports events are only available on paid cable, or video reruns on USsports.com. It’s really lousy in an Olympic year!
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INTERVIEWS 31st Oct 2018 18th Nov 2018
How podcasts are changing the way we engage with art online … and offline: An interview with the Art History Babes.
In a series of interviews, MAYANNE SORET explores the world of art history podcasts. Here, she introduces the series and shares some thoughts on her own introduction to the world of podcasting. You can read Mayanne’s introduction to the series here.
This is one of a series of articles that were commissioned in January 2018 in association with For Art History, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, have not been able to be published until now. We hope you enjoy them!
Created in June 2016 by four recent Art History Graduates from UC Davis in California, the Art History Babes publishes episodes weekly to talk art history, politics, museums, gender, boxing, cocktails, and more. While the babes started with long format episodes, the podcast evolved into a multi-media platform, including short episodes – the Art History B.B. – pop culture Hot Takes, YouTube videos, and social media content. Corrie Hendricks, Ginny Van Dine, Natalie De La Torre and Jennifer Gutierrez met while studying for their MA in History of Art at the University of California Davis, and since graduating work in a variety of day job, from law to galleries, while growing the Art History Babes brand. I interviewed them in January 2018, on how they got into art history, podcasts, and how their practice has evolved since starting the show.
First of all, I’d love to hear about what got you into Art History?
Corrie: I jumped around a lot in my undergrad, studying everything from Elementary Education to Sociology to Dance. I decided late in my undergraduate career that I wanted to pursue a future in Art History so I took as many classes as possible and graduated with a minor. Two years later, I attended UC Davis for my Master’s.
Ginny: I was drawn to Art History because of a fantastic lecturer who dynamism and passion for art was infectious. I currently work as a gallery assistant at a contemporary art gallery in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
Natalie: I’ve always been interested in the arts, but developed a strong love of painting in high school. As an undergrad, I took my first art history class with a badass-lady professor, and was instantly hooked.
Jennifer: My interest in art and history came about at a very young age growing up surrounded by Mexican art and craftwork. My father in particular cultivated my deep curiosity of Mexican and Mesoamerican history and bought me many large picture books ranging from the murals of Diego Rivera to photographs of various Mesoamerican archaeological sites. This interest has endured throughout my studies up to today.
How did you come to podcasting, and what first motivated you?
The creation of the podcast was sort of serendipitous. The four of us were having drinks one night to ease the grad school tension. Ginny ended up telling this fascinating story about Gian Lorenzo Bernini in a way that was reminiscent of Comedy Central’s “Drunk History”. Corrie had just recently gotten really into listening to podcasts, so her first instinct was “We should start a podcast!”
Corrie: I think the primary motivation was to make art history more accessible and fun. It is pretty common for people to be intimidated by the arts or, worse yet, brush them off as frivolous and insignificant. Our primary goal is to help people see that art history is incredibly relevant in an increasingly visual culture.
How do you decide on subject and how do you plan each episode? How does that differ from your other art historical practices?
Up until recently we didn’t really have a process to deciding the subject – just whatever sounded interesting. Often we would choose topics that aligned with our research interests, or whatever we happened to be talking about in seminar at the time. More recently, we’ve started compiling a list of ideas and suggestions that we pull from. The process is a bit different from academic art historical practices in the sense that we don’t have to be hyper-focused on the topic we are discussing. The podcast is a way for us to explore our curiosities about a variety of topics without the requirement of a set research question.
Do you think your perception of your the subject has changed since you started the podcast?
Our perception of what qualifies as art has widened since starting the podcast. We attempt to consider all forms of visual culture. We’ve released episodes on everything from depictions of boxing to graphic novels, and we are constantly coming up with new ideas for episodes that don’t exactly fit into the traditional art historical canon.
Did you experience any barriers to the field of art history, both practical (in terms of museums being in your vicinity, readings being available, etc.) and personal (how you or other people around you perceived it/ perceive your desire to do it) when you decided to study it/ work with it?
Corrie: I grew up in a smaller city in the Midwest. We have a nice art centre that I worked at for a while, but I often had to travel to see bigger and more notable collections. I’ve never really felt like I didn’t have access to information, living in the information age and all. Years in academia made that information even more accessible via databases and academic library collections. The perception of art history is a different story however. I have had several positive reactions when I tell people I study art history, I once met a man on a plane that was not involved in the arts, but was really excited about my chosen field. He said it was “nice to hear about someone studying something that actually matters.” However, the more common reaction is scepticism or confusion. Art history has kind of become a trope as the “useless major,” which is really a shame, and an idea we are trying to dispel with the show.
Coming to this interview as a listener allowed me to bring in certain observations I had about the change in perspectives and awareness that listening to art history podcasts brought about in my own practice. As I mentioned above, the intimacy granted by the format of podcasting is something I particularly enjoy. Being able to grow with someone’s voice, letting it become part of your daily life, the familiarity of it, enables a novel kind of connection to the subject at hand. Part of this connection is the ton, the exclamations, and the choice of language. Hearing someone be excited about a subject that is so deeply personally important to me (and them!), sounding just as excited as I would, gives me a sense of belonging that I found difficult to find in my academic practice. The intimacy of podcasting brings forward the idea of personal and subjective narratives, their roles in writing and understanding history, and their potential to guide researches towards uncharted territories. I wondered if art historians doing podcasts felt the same about it all, hence the second part of this interview.
Having studied Art History as an academic discipline, I’m interested in the ways the historian “objectivity” has been questioned – more and less recently. Part of my love for art history podcast comes from getting both the rigor of academic research, and the personal journey of the researcher: how they came to gain interest in a certain topic, how it grew and interacted with their lives. The idea that the “subjective” vs the “objective” historian is an outdated view of methodology, and that in fact the subjective informs research in exciting, challenging, relevant ways.
Corrie: I agree completely. I have some personal qualms with the notion of “objectivity” in general. I think we are all unique creatures and allowing our subjective experiences to colour our thoughts and our work is what makes the work exciting and interesting – especially when thinking about art. I think that’s why we’re seeing such an explosion of popularity in podcasts. People enjoy the fact that they can learn something but also feel connected to another human being. What a lot of people seem to enjoy about our show is that they feel like they are in the room with us, drinking wine and partaking in the conversation. There’s a sense of inclusion and connection with that.
A lot of the art history podcast and history podcast I listen to (The Lonely Palette, A Piece of Work, Art Detective, Spirits, etc…) are women-led. I really appreciate that, not only because I’m a woman in art history, but also because most of my teachers and peers were women when I was at uni, yet whenever I’d watch a documentary as an undergrad, I’d see the same middle-aged British men telling us about “fascinating!” and “marvellous!” pieces of art by the same dead white man… Obviously, the societal tendency to reject women’s voices and accept it as a form of intellectual authority has been studied before, especially in terms of how woman speak (vocal fry et al.) but I still struggled with that as a student: trying to make my voice less threatening and/or more authoritative. Listening to women speak about their own art historical endeavors in a variety of tons, voices, vocabulary, has been especially refreshing, because I don’t have to be concerned about how I sound anymore. Has doing the podcast as a team of women impacted your individual confidence? Is listening to other women shifting yours & others perception on authority and legitimacy? Is it a way of reclaiming art history from its reputation of a subject for “debutante” and High Society ladies, to something that is truly urgent, challenging, and complex? (ndlr: This question was partially inspired by a conversation between Linda Nochlin and Tamar Garb at the National Gallery, London, in 2015, where Nochlin explained she chose not to study art history at first because she thought it was a subject for “debutante” and instead went for “the hard stuff” classics and philosophy … before understanding that Art History was in fact a challenging and valid pursuit)
Corrie: I definitely feel more confident since starting the podcast. Partially because we have gotten such warm and amazing responses to the show and partially because putting your voice out there for everyone to hear requires a certain confidence. I think women in podcasting are incredibly influential. The majority of the podcasts I listen to are hosted by women, and it’s refreshing to see so many women putting their voices out there in an honest and authentic way. I think there’s a general craving for authenticity by society as a whole right now and a move away from the idea of the “authoritative” voice. Personally, I prefer listening to a podcast or watching a show hosted by someone that I want to hang out with that also just happens to be tackling interesting and challenging information.
Ginny: I also agree that women-run podcasts are of great importance, and fill a void that was greatly needed to be. Women are often criticized for their voices/way of speaking and having a women-run podcast has helped me to gain confidence in my intelligence and ways of communicating ideas in a way that’s informed but also approachable. I think our podcast also tackles the “debutante” stereotype that goes against women in the arts. We emphasize the ongoing impact and relevance of art and art history, and truly believe art is meaningful in providing insight and understanding to various aspects of culture, history, and society at large. Plus, we are no debutantes – no offense to the debutantes out there!
Jennifer: I have thought about our “voice” a great deal throughout the life of our podcast. We have gotten such amazing feedback about how refreshing it is to hear the four of us speak about art history – a stereotypically “stuffy” topic – in such a candid and casual way. At the same time there have been critical responses to the tone and vocabulary we use in our show, and have had some complaints about cackling, slang, vocal fry, etc. I find it very interesting, actually, because I believe that this criticism is a product of the institutionalized rejection of women’s (and especially young women’s) voices in an authoritative context. Personally I have struggled with this topic for a long time. I consider myself educated and professional, however, my style of speech can at times be described as brash, boisterous, or just too bold. I have a good handle on my professional language and do not curse in professional settings, but we all love to dish it out on the podcast. I like to use slang and popular vernacular, and the Northern California area has shaped much of my speech. I like to try to maintain my most genuine tone when we record, as I believe that many of our listeners like feeling as though they are in casual conversation with their friends. Recording the podcast has given me the confidence to maintain my sense of self when discussing art historical topics. I feel comfortable and like I no longer have to try and impress anyone, and I believe I can thank the podcast for that.
To wrap up, I asked the AH Babes what they think are Art History greatest challenges today: “1. Convincing people that it matters and that studying art history is studying humanity. 2. Integrating all elements of visual culture into the study of art history.” Corrie replied, “I think if there is going to be a future for the discipline, we need to be thinking about how the art of the past has developed into the art of the present. We need to consider that the visual material that affects our society today looks much different than it did in the past and move away from this idea that art is only for an elite group of people.”
This seems to me to be something Tabloid Art History can get behind, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next generation of digitally aware art historians brings to the practice when it comes to diversifying, including, politicising and sharing engaging and relevant stories from the past with scholars and the general public alike. In the mean time, you can listen to, subscribe, rate and share the Art History Babes podcast on iTunes, via the Apple podcast app, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can also support Corrie, Ginny, Jennifer, & Natalie on Patreon, with a monthly pledge or a one-off payment, or by buying any of the AH Babes Merchandise and Featured Artists products via their website.
WORDS BY MAYANNE SORET
Posted in INTERVIEWS and Tagged ART CORRIE HENDRICKS GINNY VAN DINE INTERVIEWS JENNIFER GUTIERREZ MAYANNE SORET NATALIE DE LA TORRE PODCASTS THE ART HISTORY BABES
Posted by:TabloidArtHistory
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Tracy's Travels
My travels throughout the Czech Republic and beyond
Tag Archives: An Ordinary Life
Chyše Chateau Diary
March 30, 2014 by Tracy's Travels
I had come across Chyše chateau by chance while flipping through my old Kamenný klíč publication of castles and chateaus. When I read that the tour included an exposition about Karel Čapek, I was hooked.
Karel Čapek had been perhaps the greatest Czech writer ever, a master at all kinds of genres – science fiction, mysteries, novels, poetry, fairy tales, nonfiction, travelogues and more. I had studied his works for my master’s degree in Czech literature and was eager to see an exhibition about him. I had never known that he had worked as a tutor at the chateau. Curiously enough, I had never heard of Chyše before that, even though it had been opened to the public since May 30, 1999.
Karel Čapek writing
The only public transportation was by train through Rakovník, but I would only have five minutes to change trains, or I would have to wait two hours for the next train. The transportation back to Prague was awful as well. So, I went to Karlovy Vary again and took a taxi to the chateau that would charm and bewitch me as soon as I set eyes on its romantic, Neo-Gothic façade (I love Neo-Gothic facades!) and impressive park. I also hoped to visit the brewery next door. I had heard that Chyše made a decent beer.
The history of Chyše Chateau was enthralling. It stretched back to the second half of the 12th century, when the then medieval fortress was owned by the Odolenovic clan for 200 years. The castle was destroyed by the Hussites during the Hussite wars in 1422. (Lasting from 1419 to around 1434, the Hussite wars pitted the Radical Hussites against the Moderate Hussites, Holy Roman Empire, the Pope, Hungary and others. Neither party was really victorious.)
Six years later, its new owner Burián z Gutštejn restored it and built a hospital and a church as well. Although he died in 1489, his descendants manned the castle until the 16th century when it fell into the hands of the Lobkovicz family. It was Mikuláš from Lobkovicz who changed the appearance from Gothic castle to Renaissance chateau in 1578, but a year later he sold the chateau to Bohuchval Berka from Dubé.
Unfortunately, the chateau was confiscated after Bohuchval revolted against the Emperor in the early 17th century. The Michna family gained control of the chateau and retained it for almost 90 years, though there was a 20-year gap when the family did not own it. The Michnas were responsible for much valuable construction at the chateau and in the town. Thanks to them, a monastery was erected, the Carmelite church was renovated, another church was built and the chateau was transformed into Baroque style. It was under their supervision that legendary Czech Baroque painter Petr Brandl executed the biblical ceiling fresco called “The head of son Saul is brought to King David.”
A turning point in the chateau’s ownership came when Count Prokop Lažanský obtained it during 1766. Chyše would stay in his family until it was confiscated due to the Beneš decrees that took property from German citizens in 1945, as the owners at that time had German citizenship. From 1946 to 1976 the chateau served as several types schools, but in 1976 it was closed and became decrepit and dilapidated. Chyše was put up for sale in 1993. During 1996 it was saved thanks to the efforts of Vladimír Lažanský from Děčín, who bought it for 10 million crowns. The chateau was open to the public in 1999.
The first room of the tour presented pictures of the chateau in a dilapidated state during 1996, when Lažanský bought it. It seemed a miracle that it had been transformed into such magical beauty during three years, I thought to myself. Even the well-manicured park had looked like a jungle back then.
We walked through one room that exhibited a spectacular Renaissance ribbed vault as well as black-and-white graphic portraits. The next room would become one of my favorites. Baroque master Brandl’s fresco with a biblical motif swirled above me in vibrant colors. I also was impressed by the enticing stucco work in the space as well as the coat-of-arms above the fireplace. From there we entered the space in which concerts and weddings are held. The white Baroque stucco decoration included cherubs, shells and swirls. I was fond of the pink, Czech tea service. The Baroque closet and dresser also amazed.
The Venetian porcelain in the following room was one of the most exquisite and fascinating works I have ever seen in a chateau. The blue tea cups were decorated with white lace, it seemed. Even in a close-up examination, the decoration looked like lace. But it was really painted onto the cups. The wooden chandelier also got my attention.
There was Czech porcelain from the early part of the 19th century in the Summer Dining Room. I saw an exhibition of porcelain and pots in the small space where they prepared food near a hallway that led to the kitchen. In another hallway was a lush carriage from 1913. It had been used for weddings.
Then we went upstairs. I was taken in by the painted, diamond shapes on the ceiling in the hallway. The apartment of Prokop II Lažanský included portraits of his great grandparents and a 400-year old fireplace that dazzled. A clock with what looked like gold griffins on its sides dated back 150 years. A portrait of Count Vladimír Lažanský, who had employed Karel Čapek, hung in the portrait gallery. I noticed that he had a puffy moustache, beard and oblong face. Two tables were set with delicately painted Easter eggs, as it was a few weeks before Easter when I was there.
The small library contained 30,000 volumes. In it I saw a black-and-white fireplace in Second Rococo style; it appeared to be made of marble. The piece of furniture that got my attention in the children’s room was a dresser that marked the end of Rococo style and the beginning of Classicism. A bedroom was decorated in white – a white bed, a white dresser, a white chaise lounge. It emitted a feeling of purity. The furniture in this room was about 200 years old.
Then we came to Karel Čapek’s modest room which only got sunlight in the early morning, not providing optimal writing conditions. The furniture consisted of a small, wooden bed and a desk on which was an old bottle of Mattoni water with a German label, a white porcelain cup, about 10 books, an inkpot and a porcelain dog.
A young Karel Čapek
Čapek had taken the job as home tutor to the often misbehaving 13-year old Prokop IV Lažanský in 1917 when he was 27 years old, a year and a half after finishing his university studies. He had wanted a job that entitled writing, but could not find anything as an editor or journalist. (That fact astonished me and gave me some hope as I at the time could not find much work in writing or publishing.)
Čapek spent five months at Chyše Chateau, having tutored the boy in Prague for two months prior to his stay there. In his letters the to-be renowned author complained about not having time for his writing, though he did get some inspiration. During his tenure there a factory employing 14- and 15-year old teenagers exploded. Perhaps that influenced his decision to write Krakatit in 1933. He also spent time chatting with the gardener, as he was a lover of gardening and even wrote a book about the subject.
The prominent author Karel Čapek
I could not believe that I was actually seeing a place where Karel Čapek had lived! He had walked on these floors, slept there, wrote there, woken up to the sun shining through the window there. This small, modest room was the highlight of the tour for me. I felt as if I was stepping on holy ground in this almost claustrophobic room.
After leaving Čapek’s room, I saw hunting trophies – a zebra decorated a wall as did the heads of antelopes. A boar hung above the doorway while a leopard skin rug decorated the floor. I am not too fond of anything to do with hunting, though.
Soon the tour was over, and it was time to visit the Karel Čapek exposition in part of the chateau’s ground floor. I stared for a long time in awe at the round, wooden desk and blue- with-white decorated chair where Čapek had written the philosophical, third volume of a trilogy called An Ordinary Life. The chair did not look especially comfortable, and I wondered if Čapek had suffered from a bad back.
I read information about Čapek’s tenure at Chyše Chateau on the walls. The then aspiring author had earned 100 crowns monthly for his tutoring of Prokop IV. That was almost nothing today. I wondered if it had been a substantial amount back in 1917. After his seven months in Prague and Chyše, he did become an editor, by the way.
I also saw reproductions of photos of Čapek, the chateau and 13-year old Prokop. Vladimír Lažanský sported a top hat and big moustache. I also looked at an aerial view of the town. The reproductions of Čapek’s letters were intriguing. In one correspondence with Czech writer S.K. Neumann, he complained that he had no time for writing here.
Chyše Chateau park
Various editions of a book about Capek’s sojourn there, called Kruh mého času and authored by Marie Šulcová, also decorated one wall. On the walls I also took notice of quotations from An Ordinary Life and scenes from his plays such as The White Plague and The Makropolis Thing. His time during 1932 in Karlovy Vary was documented as well. There, Čapek had worked on the second volume of his trilogy, Meteor.
But that was not all Chyše had to offer. I also saw the brewery next door. While beer-brewing in this town dates back to the 16th century, this brewery was constructed between 1839 and 1841. Behind the brewery is what remains of Renaissance walls from the original building. The chateau’s brewery closed down in 1932 due to its inability to keep up with other brands . It was used as a granary and then boiler house. In 1994 the place began to deteriorate.
A statue at Chyše Chateau
Then, during 2003, the Lažanskýs bought it, and restoration began. Even the cellars were restored to their Renaissance appearance. The brewery opened again June 1, 2006. I found the beer very tasty. It was a golden color, not too light and not too dark. I tend to drink gold-colored or dark beer, so it was perfect for my palette.
After I had walked through the dazzling park, I had lunch in the brewery restaurant as I devoured chicken with ham and cheese and, of course, diet Coke. I was happy that day as I made the journey back to Prague, via taxi and Karlovy Vary, with a two-hour Student Agency bus ride that did not feel long at all.
Tracy A. Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.
Posted in Chateaus. Tagged An Ordinary Life, Chyše, Hussite Wars, Karel Čapek, Krakatit, Kruh mého času, Lažanský, Meteor, Michna, Neo-Gothic, The Makropolis Thing, The White Plague
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Tracy's Travels on Libochovice Chateau Diary
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Paul on National Museum Diary
Agra Tour Guide on The Reichstag and other Monume…
Chateaus
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Lincoln Cathedral secures £38k towards urgent repairs
Photo: Lincoln Chamber of Commerce
Lincoln Cathedral has secured a £38,000 grant towards urgent repairs and maintenance of its tower pinnacles.
The iconic cathedral was named among 24 Church of England and Roman Catholic cathedrals to secure much needed government funding as part of the First World War Centenary Commemoration fund.
Work is hoped to extend the life of twelve pinnacle structures, which sit on top of the cathedral’s three towers, for a further 25 years, until conservation work can be carried out on the towers themselves.
The funding injection, which is the cathedral’s fourth from the fund, brings the amount promised for restoration works to £1.2 million.
Works on the North West Tower. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Bids were secured for 24 cathedrals in the final round of the £40m fund, with latest grants totalling £5,423,000.
Once the tallest building in the world, Lincoln Cathedral’s twelve pinnacles sit on the top of three towers.
Management teams say they have battled all weathers through the years and are fixed in place on top of the towers, relying on the weigh of the lead and gravity to hold them in place.
The Subdean, The Reverend Canon John Patrick. said: “Chapter is proud of our skilled workforce and extremely grateful for the continued support of the First World War Centenary Commemoration Fund, which contributes and supports the continuation of essential work to this wonderful cathedral.
“This is the fourth tranche of funding we have received from this fund over the last three years and the amount received totals £707,000, a further £518,000 has been awarded.
“The fund has supported essential repairs to the North West Turret, due to be completed in February 2017 and the North West Transept and St Hugh’s Choir Triforium works which will be on-going until the summer of 2017.”
Works Manager at Lincoln Cathedral, Carol Heidschuster and stone conservator Neil Bywater at the Swineherd of Stow. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Carol Heidschuster, Works Manager added: “Funding for specific projects is getting harder and harder to come across and so we are incredibly thankful for the support from this fund.
“Lincoln Cathedral is the only Cathedral in England to be on the Heritage England ‘At Risk’ register and it is our job to protect and safeguard it for the future.
“The twelve pinnacles which sit at the top of the three towers present several hurdles for us; access being one of them.
“After a lengthy process of surveying the pinnacles it was established that restoration work was necessary. This release of funds enables this work to be completed.
“Repairs to the leadwork and stabilisation of the timber structure will ensure they last until we can commence the huge task of conservation of the Towers in the future.
“25 years may seem a long way off, but in cathedral terms it is a mere blink of an eye. This funding will enable us to complete this essential work.”
Former Lincoln restaurant manager convicted of stealing £8k escapes jail
Closures on Wragby Road due to burst water main
The Coach House, Gainsborough Road, Gate Burton. DN21 5BA
Church Lane, Hagworthingham
The Old Rectory, Church Road, Branston
Landsdown, 28 Horncastle Road, Woodhall Spa
TO LET – 5 Wold View, Willingham Road, East Barkwith
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The Magna Carta goes on display
A 798 year old copy of the Magna Carta, one of four 1217 copies that still exist, goes on display for five days from today at the Supreme Court. The copy, belonging to Hereford Cathedral, is on an eight stop world tour as part of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Great Charter (see also : See a 13th Century copy of the Magna Carta here in Singapore). The document is also accompanied by the only surviving copy of a 1215 writ, a letter issued by King John to local authorities to announce the issue of the charter.
The display of the 13th century documents is part of the “800 years of Magna Carta” exhibition and is accompanied by an exhibition by the Supreme Court of Singapore “Magna Carta and Us”. The Supreme Court exhibition presents a collage of historical footprints which traces the birth and development of the Singapore Constitution and the rule of law in Singapore to the Magna Carta. Both exhibitions were opened last evening by the British High Commissioner for Singapore, His Excellency Scott Wightman and the Chancellor of Hereford Cathedral, Reverend Canon Chris Pullin. A replica of the British Museum’s 1215 copy of the Magna Carta was also presented by the gentlemen to the Supreme Court and was received by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.
Date: 19 to 23 November 2015
Time: 8.30am to 8.00pm
Venue: Supreme Court, Auditorium Level B2, 1 Supreme Court Lane, Singapore 178879
Admission: Free to all
More information is available at the British High Commision’s website as well as the Supreme Court’s website.
Photographs from the opening and of the exibitions
A close-up of a replica of the 1215 Magna Carta presented by the British Museum to the Supreme Court.
A replica of the seal of King John.
The presentation of the replica of the 1215 British Museum Magna Carta to the Supreme Court (from left to right: Reverend Canon Chris Pullin, Chancellor of Hereford Cathedral; British High Commisioner to Singapore Scott Wightman; and Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon).
A replica of the Hereford Cathedral’s 1217 copy – the actual copy, is one of four that now exists and is also on display at the exhibition.
A replica of the Hereford Cathedral’s 1215 Wirt of King John – the actual copy, is the only one that has survived and is also on display at the exhibition.
A panel at the exhibition.
Information presented at the exhibition includes that on the Magna Carta, the Hereford Cathedral’s copy and the Cathedral itself.
The late Nelson Mandela on the significance of the Magna Carta.
The Supreme Court’s accompanying exhibition ‘Magna Carta and Us’.
The declaration of Independence on display at ‘Magna Carta and Us’.
Tags: 1215 King's Writ, 1217 Copy of the Magna Carta, 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta, British High Commision, Events, Exhibition, Grand Charter, Hereford Cathedral, History, Law, Magna Carta, Magna Carta and Us, SG50, Singapore, Supreme Court
Categories : Civic District, Events, Singapore
See a 13th century copy of the Magna Carta here in Singapore
The historic Magna Carta, the Great Charter, dates back to 1215. It serves as the foundation of the principles in English Law – later Common Law, which Singapore and the UK both share – that everyone, even the ruler, is subject to the law, and that everyone has certain rights that must be protected by the law. We in Singapore will get to see a rare copy of it when Hereford Cathedral’s copy of Magna Carta, just one of four copies from 1217 still in existence, goes on display at the Supreme Court from 19 to 23 November 2015. The document will be accompanied by the only surviving copy of the 1215 King’sWrit, a letter from King John to local authorities announcing the issuing of Magna Carta.
An image of part of the Hereford Cathedral’s 1217 copy of the Magna Carta that will be on display at the Supreme Court (source: Hereford Cathedral).
Brought to Singapore as part of a world tour of nine cities to mark the Magna Carta’s octocentenary, the stop in Singapore is also to mark the island nation’s golden jubilee, and to recognise Singapore’s status a legal hub. The other stops in the tour are New York, Luxembourg, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Malta and Lisbon. The document is being conveyed by British Airways in its First Class flight and airport facilities. Sponsors for the exhibition in Singapore are UK law firm Clifford Chance and its local partner Cavenagh Law LLP.
The display of the Magna Carta in Singapore will be complemented by an accompanying exhibition that the Supreme Court of Singapore is holding, titled “Magna Carta and Us”. This accompanying exhibition will present a collage of historical footprints tracing the birth and development of the Singapore Constitution and the rule of law in Singapore to the Magna Carta.
Details for the exhibitions, which will be held at the Supreme Court Auditorium, will be as follows:
More information is available at the British High Commision’s website and also at the Supreme Court’s website.
Magna Carta Competition: My Great Charter
(run by the British High Commission)
Magna Carta is Latin for ‘Great Charter’. If you could issue a Great Charter of your own, what would put in it?
To enter our ‘Magna Contest’ tell us what rules you would put into your own Great Charter.
These could be both serious or humorous. For example:
Everyone must speak to their neighbours at least once a day.
In order to increase happiness, good food must be shared.
For the benefit of tired eyes, all people to stay in bed an extra hour on Mondays.
Selected entries will receive two cinema tickets to watch the new Star Wars Film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was filmed in the UK. To apply, please e-mail your rules for your own Great Charter to Competitions.Singapore@fco.gov.uk or message us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UKinSG.
Useful Information related to the Magna Carta:
Summary Story of the Global Tour
History of Magna Carta and its 800th Anniversary
http://magnacarta800th.com/history-of-the-magna-carta/
http://magnacarta800th.com/
Hereford Cathedral’s role in the Magna Carta and 800th Anniversary Global Tour
http://www.herefordcathedral.org/visit-us/mappa-mundi-1/special-exhibitions
http://www.herefordcathedral.org/about-us/news/the-chancellors-magna-carta-tour-diary
Short and Informative Youtube Videos on Magna Carta produced by the British Library
What is Magna Carta?
800 years of Magna Carta
Categories : Civic District, Events, History, Singapore
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DVD and Bu Ray Movie Releases This Week: December 30 – January 3
List of new movies being released on DVD and Blu Ray this week:
Don Jon: starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza and Brie Larson. The romantic comedy centers on the relationship between Jon, an old fashion guy who is addicted to porn; and Barbara, an old fashioned girl who loves romantic Hollywood films. Rated R
Sweetwater: starring Ed Harris, January Jones, Jason Isaacs, Eduardo Noriega and Jason Aldean. The western drama follows a widow as she goes after the fanatical religious leader who killed her husband. Rated R
CBGB: starring Alan Rickman, Rupert Grint, Ashley Greene and Joel David Moore. The drama takes a look at the 70s punk rock scene and the CBGB club in New York City. Rated R
Last Love: starring Michael Caine, Clémence Poésy, Justin Kirk, Jane Alexander and Gillian Anderson. The romantic drama focuses on the unlikely bond formed between a retired American philosophy professor and a young Parisian dance instructor. Not Rated
Hell Baby: starring Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb, Keegan-Michael Key, Riki Lindholm, Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant. The comedy/horror film centers on an expectant couple who is haunted by a demonic baby. They call in the Vatican’s exorcism team to help. Rated R
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Posted in Alan Rickman, Ashley Greene, Brie Larson, CBGB, Don Jon, DVD, Ed Harris, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julianne More, Movies, Scarlett Johansson, Sweetwater, Tony Danza on December 31, 2013 by macwriter1. Leave a comment
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Prince Harry Will Still Participate in London Marathon
Prince Harry will honor a commitment to appear at the London Marathon this weekend, despite security concerns following the horrific bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Organizers of the London race have vowed to press on with the event on Sunday and are working closely with Metropolitan Police officials to increase safety checks in the hopes of preventing a similar tragedy.
Prince Harry is booked to present medals to the top runners at the end of the race and a spokesperson for the young British royal has confirmed he will still be in attendance.
The representative tells Eonline.com, “We announced last week that Prince Harry would attend this year’s London marathon in his capacity as Patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust, and that he would make the presentations to the winners and meet a selection of volunteer and support staff. As things stand we are not aware of any changes to that plan but ultimately we will be directed by the Race organizers.”
Meanwhile, Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins insists the Boston bombings have spurred her on to compete in the run as planned.
Taking to Twitter.com, she writes, “Want to let you know that I will definitely still be running the London Marathon on Sun. I’m determined now more than ever PrayForBoston”.
At least three people died and more than 150 were injured, many of them seriously, when two huge explosions ripped through a crowd of spectators watching the Boston Marathon in Massachusetts on Monday.
New Kids on the Block star Joey McIntyre was among the estimated 20,000 runners taking part in the annual event, but he escaped the brunt of the carnage after crossing the finish line just 11 minutes before the bombs went off.
Local stars Ben Affleck, John Krasinski, Dane Cook and Chris Evans are among the celebrities who have expressed their horror at the attacks, which are being probed by agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as an act of terrorism.
Authorities have yet to name any suspects in the case.
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Posted in Boston Marathon, Patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust, Prince Harry, Prince William on April 16, 2013 by macwriter1. Leave a comment
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How a flaw in Apple’s in-app purchase process enabled more than 30,000 illegal virtual transactions
by Matt Brian and Matthew Panzarino — in Apple
Earlier today a method came to light that allows Apple device users to ‘purchase’ any kind of in-app content for free. The content can be obtained without “hacking” the device and cannot be prevented by developers using Apple’s recommended receipt signing procedures, as has been widely suggested. Updated with statement from Apple below.
The method for stealing this content was discovered by hacker Alexey V. Borodin, who has created an online service called In-Appstore.com to facilitate it.
The method was first reported on Russian blog I-ekb.ru, and subsequently on 9to5Mac. We’ve now spoken directly to Borodin about the method and can supply more information about how it works, what the causes are and some possible solutions.
As of earlier today, some 30,000+ in-app purchases have been made through Borodin’s service, which he says gathers no personal information from its users, though those using the hack do transmit their Apple ID and password to the service when using it. That alone should deter any potential users.
It’s important to note that this is technically not a hacking of the software on a user’s device, nor is it altering any code in the apps themselves. It is simply a method for bypassing Apple’s authentication servers for in-app purchases, directing the requests to Borodin’s service, which then delivers a receipt back to the device that fools the app into thinking that it has ‘purchased’ the content. This is commonly referred to as a man-in-the-middle attack.
All Borodin’s service needs is a single donated receipt, which it can then use to authenticate anyone’s purchase requests. Many of those receipts have been donated by Borodin himself, who has spent several hundred dollars on in-app purchases testing and generating receipts.
The exploit requires that a CA certificate and a profile needed to establish a connection with iTunes be installed on the device, a simple procedure that can be done right from an iPhone or iPad. It also requires that a user routes the internet traffic of the device through a Domain Name System server that Borodin set up to act as an intercept for the purchase requests made from the device.
Once these steps have been taken, the user simply taps on the ‘purchase’ button in an app and the server intercepts the request and furnishes it with a receipt for the purchase.
Apple currently provides a method for developers to verify their App Store receipts with its own servers, leading some to believe that this method could prevent a bypass like Borodin’s from working. We have confirmed with him that this is not the case. Because the bypass emulates the receipt verification server on the App Store, the app treats it as an official communication, period.
These purloined in-app purchases cannot be restored using an app’s ‘restore purchases’ dialog, but they can be re-downloaded by using the service again and are included in full-device backups.
If a developer was to use their own servers to verify in-app-purchases using Apple’s recommended method, it would currently be safe from the bypass, but only because the In-Appstore service is not caching the traffic to those sites. Borodin says that it would be simple for it to begin doing so.
Note that this vulnerability is similar to the one that was noted could affect Mac App Store apps on its launch last year, but this one cannot be prevented by simply validating App Store receipts.
At the core of what makes this method work is the fact that Apple only includes generic information in its receipt framework. This means that the item being purchased, the app, and a few other identifying bits are in the receipt, but nothing that ties the purchase directly to a customer or device. This makes it easy to capture a single purchased receipt and pass it off as a new one on each request.
Apple must act, but developers can prevent
According to Borodin, one fix for this vulnerability would be for Apple to alter its API for in-app purchases (IAP) to offer a more unique kind of receipt for purchases, which would raise privacy issues.
Another possible fix, however, would be for Apple to update the API used for IAP to add a way for developers to ensure, without a doubt, that the verification call mentioned above is talking directly to Apple.
“The fact is, this would be easy for Apple to solve by providing a method for developers to validate IAP receipts using what’s called a “shared secret,” that is, a piece of information known to both Apple and the developer that is not exchanged as part of the validation process,” says developer Marco Tabini. “Coupled with another technique called “salting,” in which each communication is digitally signed in a time-sensitive way, this would make it much harder for someone to subvert the IAP process using a man-in-the-middle attack.”
So a combination of two-way encrypted communication between the receipt server and the app, as well as a more stringent protocol provided by Apple, is needed to completely solve the issue. If every developer used a securely encrypted receipt validation method like the one described above, Borodin’s method would never have worked. Unfortunately, many use only the standard method which authenticates with Apple’s servers only, not their own…and not securely.
We asked Borodin if he would be willing to share his findings with Apple, and he agreed, so we put him in touch with the company. He also says that he is no longer in control of the In-Appstore site, and will be deleting any information that he has about the site from his computer. The site is now in the hands of an unnamed third party, as Borodin says he does “not want to be in jail =).”
“I work alone. There was an idea. An angry idea due to CSR racing. Now the idea is reality,” says Borodin of his motivations for hacking the in-app purchase model of the popular arcade game. This idea led to the method used by In-Appstore to spoof those services.
Borodin has a PayPal button up on the site. So far, he has received $6.78 in donations.
We have reached out to Apple for comment on this story.
Update: Apple has issued a statement about the issue to The Loop:
“The security of the App Store is incredibly important to us and the developer community,” Apple representative Natalie Harrison, told The Loop. “We take reports of fraudulent activity very seriously and we are investigating.”
Read next: Pre-order a Nexus 7? Google says it's shipping them now
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The Zoot - Zoot Locker The Best Of (1968-71 australia, awesome beat garage psych tinged rock)
Zoot became one the most popular Australian bands of the second 'pop wave' of the late 'Sixties when they and other acts like The Valentines, the Masters Apprentices, Russell Morris and The New Dream were scoring hits and causing riots. Like so many groups at the time, Zoot were drawn along by the rapid stylistic shifts of that uncertain period and they suffered under some ill-advised management decisions that led to them being tagged as a lightweight 'bubblegum' act — an undeserved reputation which overshadowed their fine musicianship and their genuine desire to be taken seriously. Ironically, they're probably best remembered these days for the 1970 single that they hoped would scuttle their pop image for good — their classic heavy-metal version of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" — and also for the fact that Zoot was first successful outing for two future stars -- solo performer and soapie heart-throb Rick Springfield, and Little River Band lynch pin Beeb Birtles.
Zoot was one of several significant Aussie bands that emerged from the fertile musical hothouse of Adelaide in the mid-1960s -- the same scene that produced The Masters Apprentices and The Twilights. Zoot started out as one among scores of hopeful young beat groups who that formed in and around the migrant settlement suburbs around the South Australian capital of Adelaide. New satellite suburbs such as Elizabeth and Port Noarlunga were established in the 1950s to receive the huge influx of "New Australians", and many of the young British kids who settled there with their families had actually seen the leading British beat groups in person before leaving for Australia.
In this respect the scene was similar to Sydney, where the Villawood Migrant Hostel and its surrounding areas spawned The Easybeats. Australia's greatest beat group. The Twilights, another band comprised of migrant lads, were the first Adelaide group to break nationally in late 1965, and they were quickly followed by The Masters Apprentices, who had honed their chops playing for the young migrant audiences at the same clubs and local dances before shooting to national prominence in 1966........
Miles-Ago
1. You Better Get Going Now (Jackie Lomax) - 2:03
2. 1x2x3x4 (Terry Britten) - 2:18
3. Monty And Me (Bruce Woodley, Hans Poulsen) - 2:36
4. It's About Time (Brian Cadd, Don Mudie) - 2:54
5. Sailing (Terry Britten) - 2:16
6. Yes I'm Glad (Terry Britten) - 2:37
7. Little Roland Lost (Beeb Birtles, Darryl Cotton) - 2:26
8. She's Alright (Terry Britten) - 2:11
9. Sha La La (Rick Springfield) - 3:00
10.Flying (Rick Springfield) - 3:02
11.Mr Songwriter (Rick Springfield) - 3:04
12.Strange Things (Rick Springfield) - 3:26
13.Hey Pinky (Rick Springfield) - 3:07
14.The Freak (Rick Springfield) - 5:08
15.Evil Child (Rick Springfield) - 2:55
16.Eleanor Rigby (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 4:42
The Zoot
*Beeb Birtles - Bass Guitar, Guitar, Vocals (1965-1971)
*Darryl Cotton - Lead Vocals, Guitar (1965-1971)
*Teddy Higgins - Drums (1965-1968)
*John D'Arcy - Guitar, Vocals (1965-1968)
*Steve Stone - Guitar (1968)
*Rick Brewer - Drums (1968-1971)
*Roger Hicks - Guitar (1968-1969)
*Rick Springfield - Lead Guitar, Vocals (1969-1971)
Posted by Marios at 3:00 AM 5 comments:
The Zoot - Zoot Locker The Best Of (1968-71 austr...
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Home / Entertainment and Humour / Colin Mochrie
About Colin Mochrie - Improv Comedian and Corporate Entertainer:
If you're looking for a night your attendees will remember for the rest of their lives, try Colin Mochrie on for size. Indeed, one-size-fits-all in Colin's unparalleled improv or stand-up show, tailored specifically to your event, that will leave attendees of all levels and backgrounds howling in the aisles. Cap off your conference with a night attendees and executives will never forget!
After getting his first laugh in a high school production in Vancouver, Colin set about the business of becoming a professional actor. After 4 years of acting training at Vancouver's Theatresports, Colin went on to spend 3 years with the famed Second City cast in Toronto. Then, his career took off on the world stage, first with his appearances as a regular on the British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and afterward on the popular American television program of the same name, hosted by Drew Carey.
Colin spent two seasons as a cast member on popular CBC satirical television series This Hour Has 22 Minutes and has been involved in numerous other television shows, both in North America and beyond, including Supertown Challenge and CBC's Blackfly.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Colin & his wife Debra McGrath recently debuted their own motion picture Turnbuckle to rave reviews.
David Ben
Roman Danylo
Brent Butt
Entertainment and Humour
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A European Army Will Not Be a Threat
Clearly, history has returned to Europe. And with the return of history has also come the return of geopolitics and the need for traditional military force. If France and Germany want to build their combined military force to balance against the Americans, let them. If Berlin and Paris want to try to make nice with Moscow, let them try that, too.
America First, Angela Merkel, conservative imperial nationalism, divide and conquer, Donald J. Trump, Emmanuel Macron, European Union, France, French NATO, German NATO, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Nationalism, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain, Vladimir Putin
The Greatest Trade Deal That Never Was
“Trump recognizes how unfairly our “partners” are treating us. He also exposed how insincere our trading partners were when they so readily declined his deal of true free trade. What’s more, he’s reinvigorating the image of the American president as a figure who commands–and deserves–the respect of foreign leaders, friend and foe alike.”
bilateral trade, Canada, European Union, France, Free Trade, Germany, international trade, Italy, Japan, multilateralism, protectionism, tariffs, Trade, trade war, United Kingdom, United States
China’s Western Swing to the Eastern Mediterranean
“China’s ultimate goal is to link the capital-rich region of Northern Europe–specifically Germany–with its exports. But, the immediate concern is for China to solidify his vice-grip on the Mediterranean-Adriatic-Gulf trading zone, say analysts at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for China-American Studies.”
China, China Dream, economic statecraft, economic warfare, Energy, energy wars, Eurasia, Europe, European Union, Free Trade, geoeconomics, geostrategy, Greece, International Law, international trade, Italy, One Belt One Road, State Owned Enterprise (SOE), Trade, trade war, Xi Jinping
European Elites Should be Mindful of the “Spirit of 1848”
“While the 1848 revolutionary movements did impart their liberal, socialist, or Communist sensibilities onto the European people in the long-run, all they ended up doing in 1848 was to galvanize the global counter-revolutionary forces against them. This explains why Simms, like many historians, dubbed the 1848 revolutions a “failure.” Yet, their long-term impact was fundamentally to alter the political status quo of Europe forever. In fact, I believe the 1848 revolutions were not “failures,” so much as they were merely incomplete.”
1848 Revolutions, EU, Europe, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, nationalistic-populism, NATO, United Kingdom
What Is NATO Good For Today?
From the article: “From the Balkans to Afghanistan; from Georgia to Ukraine, does anyone seriously buy into the notion that deterrence in Europe is still a thing? Really? In each case, the decisive factor was the presence of American forces (or the lack thereof).”
Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, French NATO, German NATO, Global War on Terror, Greece, Italy, Jihadism, Nationalism, NATO, Nordic Battle Group, refugees, Regional Destabilization, Russia, Syrian Civil War, Ukraine, Visegrad Battle Group, Vladimir Putin
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Charlie Hebdo: The Power and Price of Satire
February 15, 2016 — Joseph Haldane
Just over a year on from the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices, Dr. Joseph Haldane, President & CEO of IAFOR, looks back at the satirical newspaper’s fight for freedom of expression
For students of politics, it doesn’t come much better than France. French politics is boisterous and argumentative, pluralistic, hypocritical and contradictory. It boasts very active parties on all sides of the political spectrum in a constant state of disarray and a wonderful, or woeful, depending on one’s perspective, cast of characters. There are relatively few dull moments: for example, the last presidential election in 2012 was contested between the incumbent, a charismatic but divisive right-winger on his third marriage to a former supermodel (Sarkozy); and the challenger (Hollande), a seemingly dull pair of hands, who was the former partner of Sarkozy’s previous presidential contender (Royal), but who left her for a gossip columnist (Trierweiler), before leaving her for an actress once in power. As an aside, Hollande was not meant to have been Sarkozy’s challenger, that was to have been Strauss-Kahn, the head of the IMF who was alleged to have raped a chambermaid in a New York hotel, or to have been the victim of some conspiracy depending on one’s political leaning. Incidentally, Sarkozy replaced a president with a predilection for creating imaginary jobs and fiddling expenses (Chirac), and who was found guilty of diversion of funds after leaving office.
The French press, one would think, would be never short of things to write about, but it is in fact surprisingly dull. Serious publications are Serious with a capital S, notably deferential and are often (and often justifiably) accused of being in cahoots with the political class: there is no way that France’s leading intellectual newspaper, Le Monde, would prominently feature the Prime Minister as a condom, as does the UK’s Guardian. This may also account for the national daily newspapers’ relatively low circulation in comparison with France’s biggest regional newspapers.
(Non)Sense and Satire
Biting satire in the form of prose, and cartoons however, has a long history in the land of Voltaire and it is precisely because the mainstream publications consider this the realm of the vulgar, that the French newsstands have made room for two satirical weekly publications: Le Canard Enchaine and Charlie Hebdo. The former was established 100 years ago and has become known for its investigative journalism, and has a comparatively large circulation in excess of 400,000, and the latter in its current incarnation was the product of left wing cartoonists who took aim at the establishment, organized religion, and pretty much anything else that took their fancy.
“The cartoons featured on the covers of Charlie Hebdo are usually unapologetically vulgar, and often trenchantly militant in what they say.”
The cartoons featured on the covers of Charlie Hebdo are usually unapologetically vulgar, and often trenchantly militant in what they say. There is little space for nuance with their drawings. They are not innocent, but barbed and wantonly offensive towards their target, and yet that is what satire is for: to ridicule where conventions of respect in polite company do not allow, so as to expose hypocrisy or shortcomings. Has Charlie Hebdo been disrespectful in its treatment of the prophet Mohammed? Without a doubt, but it was an equal opportunities offender!
I taught at two Journalism schools in Paris, and in weekly press reviews of the French press, Charlie Hebdo would always have cartoons or sketches that drew reactions of disbelief, stifled laughter, gasps of outrage, or rolled eyes of resignation. Satirists are militants at heart, and are looking for reactions to stimulate discussion, and further their political viewpoint, which in the case of Charlie, was not party political, but rather a coalition of left-wing, anti-religious, and liberal causes. Other targets included the Catholic church: during the last conclave a cover depicted the cardinals of the “gay lobby” in a circle, one behind the other, and linked by something other than their resolute faith. Another cover featured the Pope administering the eucharist, with a condom in both hands as he delivers the words, “This is my body”. Yet another showed a fundamentalist Jew machine gunning an Arab in the back, while shouting “Take that, Goliath!”, and Islam was also held up to ridicule with one controversial cover depicting the crying prophet with his head in his hands as he wails “It’s hard being loved by idiots”.
“The depictions of Muhammad have caused widespread offence among many Muslims in France”
The depictions of Muhammad have caused widespread offence among many Muslims in France, not least because most schools of Islam consider it blasphemous to depict the prophet in any form, let alone in the irreverent manner of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons. In the context of bitter disagreements within France over multiculturalism in reaction to social unrest, and in light of the continuing global clash of religions and values, the covers have been seen as inflammatory, and seen by many on the political far left as tantamount to racism and Islamophobia: of particular concern to many was the continued conceptual amalgamation of Muslims and terrorists, which was seen by many as playing into the hands of the resurgent right wing National Front party.
This disapproval by many, including senior politicians of all colors, have claimed that many of the cartoons were inflammatory, and yet these criticisms belie the telos of satire. The deontological arguments for self-censorship are also hypocritical in that these assume both that the cartoonists do not in any way edit their work (or self-censor), which they always have done, as well in its suggestion that those who might feel offended should not be targeted. They also conveniently forget that satire is only possible because of historical and contemporary context, and reflects rather than creates this context. France is officially secular, but has a Catholic establishment, the highest Muslim population of any Western European country, the third largest Jewish population in the world (after the US and Israel), and enlightenment traditions of atheism, republicanism, regionalism, socialism, communism, and as many other isms as one can list, all in uncomfortable coexistence.
Killing and Being Charlie
The disapproval of many Muslims became common, but it was the reaction of Islamic fundamentalists that was predictably stronger, and in 2011 their offices were firebombed in the early hours of November 2, following the publication of an issue which was supposedly guest edited by the Prophet, and which was renamed “Charia Hebdo” [Sharia weekly]. In the 2011 attack, there were no casualties, but on January 7, 2015, two gunmen raided the magazine’s offices and executed the editor, and most of the senior staff members.
The reaction was an immediate and spontaneous outpouring of support for the magazine. Even those who had been critical of its content identified with the show of solidarity for free speech around the rallying cry of identification with a small group of cartoonists, “Je suis Charlie”. Of course it did not take long before those on the far left, the fractious multitude of groupings to which the satirists belonged, started debating whether or not they “were Charlie”, or even whether they liked Charlie. The show of national solidarity, as well as the government’s financial backing of the magazine, was not something which they could actively support as they felt a deep discomfort with the idea of identifying with the rainbow coalition. It is worth noting that the cartoonists involved would certainly have appreciated the irony of their weekly rag being the flavor of the month with the President, yet ‘being’ Charlie in this context is not about agreeing or sympathizing, but rather recognizing their right ‘to be’ Charlie, as at a fundamental and existential level, Charlie Hebdo no longer ‘is’, and France and the French press is poorer because of it.
Stéphane Charbonnier, the editor of the magazine until his assassination, would certainly have been surprised to have seen the reaction, and doubtless uncomfortable at being used as a poster boy for the various causes from the National Front which he deplored, to President Hollande, for whom he had little time, to Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he detested: Palestinian statehood being one of the issues the magazine regularly featured: one cover depicted a shackled Palestinian with a national flag embedded in his posterior being asked by an Israeli soldier wielding a machinegun “how is statehood is going?”
Religion, Rights and Responsibilities
Islamophobia is not a new phenomenon, and has existed since the time of Muhammad, and Charlie Hebdo is, indeed, anti-Muslim, and anti-religious in general, whether it has intended to take aim at Muslims or amalgamating Muslims and terrorists, because its position on the God debate is fairly clear. Whether Catholic, Jewish or Muslim, Charlie Hebdo sees organized religion as something the world would be better off without. The magazine has never seen Islam as being something which should be off limits because depictions of Muhammad were blasphemous, but rather all the more in necessary of lampooning because their chosen media was the cartoon.
There have been strains of response that assert the cartoonists must bear some responsibility for their acts, but while there can be little doubt of causation in the face of death threats, any equivocation of cause and responsibility is fundamentally wrong both morally and legally, and is a line of reasoning that comes dangerously close to suggesting just desert.
Charlie Hebdo made and continues to make the cultural left in France uncomfortable, as a tradition formed in protest and emancipation of rights for workers, women and oppressed minority groups has made great political progress in the last century, but a contradiction that lies at the heart of the messages of respect and tolerance is the extent to which this should be extended toward groups which are themselves intolerant, or hold views which are incompatible with the ideals (not necessarily the realities) of the French state, and with which Charlie fervently disagreed. This irresolvable difficulty is something that many students of politics and cultural studies will recognize, and with which modern liberal democracies struggle.
“The past century has seen an increase in the struggles within different strains of the main organized religions”
The past century has seen an increase in the struggles within different strains of the main organized religions as to how to reconcile modern life with the diktats of religious works, interpretations and teachings, as well as to confrontations with the secular or multicultural states in which they exist. This has been particularly problematic with regard to Islam which is a religion governed by laws which are often contrary to the laws in non-Islamic states. A notable example of this was the decision by the French state to ban the wearing of all conspicuous religious symbols in public schools in 2004, including the hijab (female headscarf), mandated by Islamic law. This law was hugely controversial in France, and was widely seen as being directed against Islam. The more recent 2010 law banning the “concealment of the face in public spaces” was aimed squarely at Muslims, as it made the wearing of the niquab and burqa illegal: freedom of religious expression was trumped by a national law in the name of the common good, but not without heated debate as to just what that meant.
Throughout human history, people have been persecuted for their beliefs, and their writings, and the very concept of free speech is an ambiguous heuristic to which many subscribe, but which usually comes laden with caveats undermining the very concept. However, that does not mean that it is an empty concept, or that the absence of an absolute makes it any less valuable. It is this contested ideological, deontological, and legal space in which the concept is negotiated that gives freedom of speech its power. While it may be difficult to define, its absence or severe constriction, as in many countries at present is the surest sign of tyranny.
“we must acknowledge our debt to those who have had to be a little more vulgar, or less nuanced in getting their points across, so that we might now enjoy the freedom to be more respectable”
Exercising free speech is what ended up costing these satirists their lives, and it is for this reason that we are appalled by these assassinations. Fervently disagreeing with a point of view or perspective, or with the manner in which that point of view is expressed is part of human communication and political discussion. There are often blurred lines between what is acceptable socially and legally, and Charlie Hebdo has pushed the boundaries, and undoubtedly crossed the line several times, but a fatwa for political sketches, however offensive, is unacceptable.
As an academic, I take freedom of expression as a given, and the key tenet on which the academy and IAFOR as an organization is founded. While IAFOR encourages respectful dialogue in its conferences and publications, we must acknowledge our debt to those who have had to be a little more vulgar, or less nuanced in getting their points across, so that we might now enjoy the freedom to be more respectable. While I may choose prose and Hegelian dialectic, and Stéphane Charbonnier drawings and unsubtle polemic, we are in fact distant cousins, and it is for that reason that I am also Charlie.
Dr. Haldane studied and worked in Paris between 1997-2000, and 2002-2005. Between 2003 and 2004 he taught courses on the Anglo-American Press at the French Press Institute in the University of Paris (II), before taking a full time faculty position at Sciences Po from 2004-2005, where he devised and taught the British Politics and Media Course in the School of Journalism.
Image | JR work/Flickr
About Joseph Haldane
Joseph Haldane is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Academic Forum. He was Academic Director from IAFOR’s inception in 2009 until January 2011, and Executive Director from 2011 until late 2014, when he assumed his current role. He is responsible for devising strategy, setting policies, forging institutional partnerships, implementing projects, and overseeing the organisation’s business and academic operations, including research, publications and events. Dr. Haldane’s academic interests include politics and international affairs, literature and history, and he holds a Ph.D. from the University of London in 19th century French Studies. He began his academic career in France, and from 2002-2005 held full-time faculty positions at the University of Paris XII (Paris-Est Créteil) and Sciences Po Paris, as well as visiting positions at both the French Press Institute in the University of Paris II (Université Panthéon-Assas), and the School of Journalism at Sciences Po Paris. Prior to founding IAFOR in 2009, Dr. Haldane was an Associate Professor at Nagoya University of Commerce and Business in Japan, where he taught a range of language and culture courses at undergraduate level, and the MBA Ethics course in the graduate school. Dr. Haldane is now a Guest Professor at Osaka University’s School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), where he teaches on the postgraduate Global Governance Course. In 2016 he is also an Invited Lecturer in the School of Journalism at Moscow State University. His current research concentrates on post-war and contemporary politics and International Relations especially in and between Japan, China and the USA. From 2012-2014 Dr. Haldane served as Treasurer of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (Chubu Region) and he is currently a Trustee of the HOPE International Development Agency (Japan). In 2012 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, and in 2015 a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. A black belt in judo, he is married with two children and lives in Nagoya, Japan.
Latest Posts By Joseph Haldane
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Europe, Featured, Media, Film & Journalism, Opinion, Subject Area, World
Charlie Hebdo, France, freedom of speech, IAFOR, Islam, journalism
The Return of the Nation
Hannah Snell: Cross-Dressing Ideology in 18th-Century Naval Culture
A Linguistic Look at the World’s Most Prolific Liar
Change the world, not yourself, or how Arendt called out Thoreau
A Paperless Classroom: Benefits and Challenges
Bushido: The Way of Death (12/20)
The Power of an Image: The Black Madonna of Częstochowa
The Neverending Story: Power, Imagination and Reality
Supporting Young Children’s Social Competence
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Leverage Social Platforms to Raise Awareness for Your Cause
by Shonte Riddick, on 12/31/14 9:33 AM
Nonprofit Social Media Advocacy for Beginners
Social media has revolutionized advocacy. Today, it's a no-brainer that you should be getting your hands dirty with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram to expand your reach, tap into new audiences, and connect with like-minded individuals who are eager to support your nonprofit efforts.
Helping You with Your Year-End Giving
by Beth Suarez, on 12/29/14 4:43 PM
5 Resources To Help Build Your 2015 Fundraising Plan
by Jay Love, on 12/23/14 3:42 AM
Sure as the sun rises, the end of one calendar year brings the time for planning for the upcoming year. Every fundraiser reading this blog has this prime opportunity to create your 2015 fundraising game plan. But...
Help Choose GuideStar’s 2015 Webinars!
by Jenny Taylor, on 12/22/14 4:32 AM
Jenny Taylor
Big Data Starts with Strong Relationships
by RelSci, on 12/19/14 5:39 AM
In the past few years, nonprofits have begun to wade into the ever-deepening ocean that is big data—an ocean from which corporations and governments have been pumping for a while now. In some respects, NPOs have been fast learners. These days, many are wise enough in the ways that data can help track fundraising dollars. When it comes to gathering, let alone leveraging, information for strategic purposes, though, too many otherwise capable organizations aren’t really sure where to start.
Questions I'm Most Often Asked about Building a Planned Giving Program
by David Valinsky, on 12/18/14 8:00 AM
The reality is that if you're not asking for planned gifts, someone else is.
2015 Heralds a New Openness for Grantmakers
by Cynthia Adams, on 12/18/14 8:00 AM
As we move into 2015, we are witnessing a fairly dynamic and aggressive set of changes in the world of philanthropy. Transparency and communication are both playing a large role in these changes.
I am not a big proponent of referencing too much historical information when it comes to deciding which grantmakers an organization will approach for funding. I generally encourage those doing research on grantmakers to be very cognizant of what the funder wants to fund today, rather than what they have funded in the past. If, however, a grantmaker hasn't changed focus for a number of years, then reviewing that funder's grant award history can help attract savvier applicants.
Today, of the largest 25 foundations (by assets), 15 have online, searchable databases of grants they have awarded. And 7 of them update their grants listings daily or weekly. So we're seeing a definite trend here that could be quite helpful for the person doing research.
A good example is the Kresge Foundation, which offers an interactive, searchable database that includes a map showing which states and program areas receive money from Kresge in any given year.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that these grant award databases are more important than other resources that the foundations provide, but I do think they are starting to play a helpful role in the research process for grantseekers.
And here's another interesting trend! It has been my experience that the public really has little expectation for any level of engagement with grantmakers in their communities. I think we are all pretty used to a one-way flow of information and, if not completely satisfied with that one-way flow, then at least tolerant of the decision making about how grants are distributed in our communities.
But that seems to be changing. Today, there are some grantmakers that are trying to share a lot more information about themselves with the public, such as the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. On their website they clearly encourage grantees' feedback. And they engage the Center for Effective Philanthropy to provide an annual Grantee Perception Report, which assesses the foundation's application process and responsiveness and the charities' overall experience with the grantmaker. Their website even offers an opportunity to provide feedback to a company acting as an independent ombudsman that collects comments from anyone who visits the site, whether a grantee or not.
There appears to be a new mind-set among grantmakers for openness. Part of that is because there is a new generation moving into leadership positions at these grantmaking agencies, so you're seeing less adherence to the old ways of doing things (i.e., everything the grantmaker does is heavily cloaked) to a new openness, an attitude of sharing and collaboration.
The Center for Effective Philanthropy does another interesting survey, the Declined Applicant Perception Report. Like the Grantee Perception Report, this report is conducted as a way to provide funders with comparative, actionable feedback based on responses to a grantee survey. I don't think there is a way for the public to access either report, but just the fact that foundations are undertaking these kinds of surveys is a good sign.
It appears that philanthropists across the globe are committed to looking at their failures as well as their success stories. According to a report published not long ago by New Philanthropy Capital out of the United Kingdom, the United States is the "frontrunner in the idea of failure in philanthropy, with organizations and campaigns springing up to help the non-profit sector 'fail forward.'"
All of these different ways of sharing information originally started as someone's bright idea and have matured into true movements being embraced by philanthropists throughout the world. At GrantStation, we survey grantseekers twice a year regarding the State of Grantseeking, and share the results with the world at large. It is an exciting time to be involved in philanthropy, whether you're looking for funding or making grant awards!
How useful did you find this article? Give us your feedback
Cynthia M. Adams, GrantStation
© 2014, GrantStation
Cindy Adams is CEO of GrantStation, a premiere online fundraising resource that provides information on more than 6,500 funders accepting inquiries. You can learn more about trends in philanthropy in her weekly podcast: Talk2020, part of GrantStation's Vision2020 series to help nonprofits prepare for future grantmaking.
Ready or not, here comes the new single audit
by PBMares, on 12/17/14 3:26 PM
It is hard to believe we are approaching the end of another year. With the commotion of holidays and end-of-year requirements, some – particularly smaller non-profits – may have forgotten about the latest update from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which has new requirements for those who receive federal awards.
Maximize End of Year Giving While You’re Out of the Office
by Pursuant, on 12/16/14 9:35 AM
You worked hard all year. Then came #GivingTuesday. Now it’s end of year fundraising. You’re ready to leave the office and go spend time with family and friends. But wait. There’s one simple thing you can do to put a bow on your hard work all year, especially your year end fundraising.
How to Measure Impact on #GivingTuesday to Apply Next Year & Every Year
by ritusm4np, on 12/15/14 6:52 AM
The annual day of global giving known as #GivingTuesday (now in its third year) is now behind us, and we in the nonprofit sector are gearing up to acknowledge, celebrate and thank our donors. From the early indications and reports, the day was an astounding success with event close to raising almost $50M (we are being optimistic)!
How Your CEO Can Use Social for Thought Leadership
by Beth Kanter, on 12/12/14 4:24 AM
Slide Share: http://www.slideshare.net/kanter/creating-a-leadership-profile-for-your-nonprofit-ceo
How Technology Impacts Your Relationships with Senior Citizens
by VolunteerHub, on 12/11/14 5:38 AM
Today’s senior citizens may take nonprofits by surprise in a variety of ways. Baby Boomers are leaving the workforce and remaining active both socially with friends and relatives and in their communities through volunteerism.
Why Big Data Is Such A Big Deal
by Markets for Good, on 12/10/14 11:21 AM
In a recent TED Talk, Kenneth Cukier looks at what's next for machine learning and human knowledge.
Kenneth Cukier believes that most people are “probably sick of hearing the term big data.” He notes: “it is true there is a lot of hype around the tool, and that is very unfortunate because big data is an extremely important tool by which human knowledge is going to advance.” In his recent TED talk, posted below, Cukier asks and answers the question: “why big data is such a big deal.”
The New GuideStar Home Page
by Scott Menzel, on 12/9/14 5:30 AM
Last June, we began updating our website, offering a new home page to users who haven't registered with GuideStar or to visitors who have registered with us but aren't logged in. We also revised the nonprofit reports to make them easier to navigate. A few weeks later, we introduced revamped pages for four of our products: GuideStar Premium Search, GuideStar Charity Check, GuideStar APIs, and Financial SCAN.
Today, we launched a new home page for visitors who use our persistent log-in as well as responsive layouts for people who access our site with mobile devices.
#1: GuideStar's Homepage Overview
Registered users who clicked the "Keep me signed in box" when they logged in to GuideStar will soon see the page in the illustration when they visit our home page. Like the home page we introduced in June, this new page puts our nonprofit search front and center, because most people who come to our site do so to search for nonprofits.
Note: you'll need to click the advanced search link (see image #1) to use our knowledge base search, which is available to all users, or our people search, which is available to GuideStar Premium Search and GuideStar Pro Search subscribers.
The new page also adjusts the navigation links, based on what our users told us when we asked them to review and comment on different navigation schemes for our site.
The links at the top of the page have also been simplified:
#2: New navigation bar close-up
But don't worry—the old links are still available. They've just been moved to the bottom of the page:
#3: Relocating links close-up
To get to your My Account page, shopping cart, and sign-out link, you'll click the arrow beside your name at the top right of the page:
#4: My Account
The new navigation will also appear throughout the site as we introduce our new mobile-friendly pages.
Mobile-Friendly Pages
Right now, our site is mobile unfriendly. That's about to change. Although relatively few people visit our site using mobile devices, we want to improve the experience for them. Our new pages will automatically adjust to the screen size you're using, changing horizontal layouts to vertical ones, using larger type that's easier to read on small screens, and displaying larger buttons.
We're excited about the changes we're making to our site. We'll be introducing new upgrades in 2015 to continue making www.guidestar.org easier to use.
The preceding post is by Scott Menzel, GuideStar's Product Manager.
To Increase Your Organization’s Impact, Work With People Who Reflect Your Values
by Foundation Center, on 12/8/14 6:47 AM
As consumers, we constantly make purchasing decisions that express our values. A consumer seeking to live a healthy lifestyle might buy organic produce; a consumer conscious of her carbon footprint might purchase a Prius.
How Independent Schools are Focused on Endowments and Fundraising in a More Competitive World
by Shonte Riddick, on 12/5/14 9:16 AM
There have been many recent articles on the challenges that private colleges in the U.S. face including lower enrollments, higher costs and tuition increases. Many of these same trends are also impacting independent schools (K-12), which are an important part of our educational system.These trends in the independent school arena include (see Wilmington Trust Report for further discussion):
Top Strategic Mistakes Nonprofits Make, Part 3
by Allan Pressel, on 12/4/14 8:00 AM
Over the last two months, we have published 8 of the 13 key strategic mistakes nonprofits often make. Here are the final 5 mistakes, listed in no particular order.
9. Failing to view marketing $ as an investment
Any money that you put into your marketing, website, social media, search engine optimization, and other promotional and fundraising services should be viewed as an investment that will generate a positive return, ideally within about one year. Along these lines, as you are looking for grants to apply for, don't only look for grants that directly fund programs and services. Also apply for grants to cover overhead costs, including marketing and the other related services mentioned above. There are a surprising number of grants that cater specifically to these types of needs. Good places to search for grants online include Foundation Center and GrantStation.
10. Not considering partnerships
Many nonprofits were founded by well-meaning visionaries who are passionate about providing specific programs and services to pursue their missions and make the world—or at least their local communities—better places. Unfortunately, many nonprofit founders, boards, and management don't consider whether there is already a nonprofit that does the same or similar things, even in a different geographic area. For most nonprofits, there are other organizations that are:
Doing exactly or almost exactly the same thing
Doing complementary things
Serving the same clients (but with different services)
Serving a similar geographic area as other similar nonprofits
By partnering with organizations you may be able to:
Avoid reinventing the wheel
Learn from others' mistakes
Capitalize on others' strengths
Ultimately, joining forces—through mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances—can enable you to attain a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
11. Failing to cross-sell and upsell
If a donor gives you $100, you should obviously ask him or her to give again in the future. You should not, however, ask the donor to give $25. You should ask for $100, $250, $500, or "other." Moreover, when someone supports you in one way, he or she is then more likely to support you in other ways. For example, ask your volunteers to donate, ask your event attendees to volunteer. And so on.
Also, use wealth research and prospect screening to assess the giving capacity of your supporters. For example, you could use Zillow to assess the value of a donor's home. Finding out that a donor's home is worth $200,000, or $2 million, or $20 million should have dramatic implications for your future cultivation of that donor.
This leads to the concept of relationship cultivation. The moment a new person begins a relationship with your nonprofit—as a client, donor, volunteer, event attendee, even website visitor, e-mail list or blog subscriber, or social media follower—you should already have a plan for how you are going to cultivate that relationship over the long term so that it produces maximum results—not only for you but for that person as well. For example, you may want to get new contacts' e-mail addresses so you can initiate an e-mail "drip campaign," whereby they will automatically receive specific e-mails on a regular basis to help improve the relationship, inform them about what you do, and get them to take various actions to support you. Before and during the cultivation of each relationship, it's essential to figure out what you want that person to do. Which leads us to our next point ...
12. Failing to understand what you want and ask for it
If there's something you want and you don't ask for it, you're unlikely to get it!
For example, ask yourself if you want more donations. Of course, the answer is yes. But now ask yourself if you want recurring donations, donations via eCheck, more event registrations, membership dues/renewals, product sales, in-kind donations, investment donations, or planned gifts. Chances are there are some elements on this list that you want—but you're not effectively asking for them—for example, on your website and in social media. You may also not be asking for them effectively via e-mail, print, U.S. mail, or in person. Notice that these were all financial transactions.
There are probably some non-financial things you want, too. For example, you may want people to volunteer, refer your organization to friends and family, sign up for your e-mail list, friend/follow you on social media, provide feedback, and much more. Again, if you're not asking for these things effectively, especially online, you are unlikely to get them.
13. Not running your nonprofit as a for-profit
The main difference between a nonprofit and a for-profit is that the for-profit pays taxes. Unfortunately, there are a lot of nonprofits that aren't run like for-profits, but should be.
Just like any well-run for-profit, your nonprofit should:
Invest in growth. As mentioned above, consider the cost-benefit analysis behind each key decision, especially financial decisions.
Streamline your decision-making process. Many nonprofits do not empower their executive directors to make strategic decisions. Instead, these decisions must be made by a board that often meets monthly for a short time that is chock full of other agenda items. As a result, decisions can take a long time to make or be made with without properly considering and discussing the best information.
Plan. If you don't know what you're trying to achieve, you won't know when you've achieved it! Create a business plan, strategic plan, marketing plan, Internet or technology plan, and fundraising plan. At least start with just one of those. Each plan should not only include a frank assessment of where you are today and a realistic target as to where you want to get to but also specific strategies and tactics to get you from here to there.
Free is not always best—as discussed in part 2. Yet, many nonprofits are so used to getting volunteers and other things for free that they are lured into the siren song of a well-meaning person or vendor who offers them something for free—when the right decision might be to pay to get it done better, more quickly, more effectively, and with a higher return on investment.
Make everyone accountable for results. Most successful for-profits realize that their boards, management, and staffs will behave in a way most conducive to the organizations' goals if their compensation is tied to those goals.
Realize that you are competing. Of course, for-profits compete for customers. Yet, nonprofits also compete with each other (and sometimes for-profits) for scarce donations, grants, event attendees, volunteers, investment donations, corporate sponsorships, planned gifts, capital gifts, and more.
Allan Pressel, PowerSite123
© 2014, PowerSite123
Allan Pressel is CEO of PowerSite123, which helps nonprofits create world-class websites, social media, SEO, and marketing. Allan is a world-renowned ePhilanthropy speaker. Allan is co-author of Internet Management for Nonprofits. He was given the Volunteer Service Award by President George W. Bush. Allan was co-founder of i-Cube, which had a highly successful IPO. Feel free to contact Allan with any questions at (310) 363-0095 or allan@powersite123.com.
Statistics and Damn Lies (and Your Case Statement)
by Jerold Panas, on 12/4/14 8:00 AM
Even 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli had something to say on the subject. "There are three kinds of lies," he said. "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."
I'm careful about statistics. I much prefer inspiring and convincing anecdotes. Statistics have all the spontaneity and passion of drying paint.
The typical reader doesn't have the time or patience to slog his or her way through a sludge of stats. But you'll find he or she is open to anecdotes. They provide action and feeling and more dramatically reveal your organization.
I'll give you an example.
It's late. I turn off the lights in my office and begin walking to the parking lot. I'm crossing the quadrangle when I feel a hand on my arm. It's one of our students. It's obvious she wants to talk.
First, let me tell you about Helen. It's one of the most extraordinary stories we've had at the College. When Helen first came to us as a student. ...
Something like that is so much more striking than saying, "A third of our student body is on some type of financial assistance."
Think in terms of the pelican.
You could write about "the odious British Petroleum spill off the coast of Louisiana. The worst ever. Over 680 million gallons of oil." But it's impossible to comprehend that much oil. And it certainly doesn't make the heart race.
Try this instead:
On the shore you can see pelicans—thousands of them. A rescuer is feverishly working on one whose wings are stuck like glue. Solvent can't undo the damage.
When the rescuer tries to open the pelican's beautiful long beak, he finds it stuck, too. He knows he's going to lose this majestic bird. He's working against time. The death will be slow and painful. But inevitable."
That's a lot more concrete and descriptive than recording that an estimated 3,000 pelicans were killed as a result of the oil spill.
Here's another example. Let's say your student body has increased dramatically over the last 10 years, or your membership has skyrocketed 15 percent every year for the last 5, or your admissions to the emergency room have grown exponentially in the last 3 years. All of these lend themselves effectively to statistics and a graph.
If your statistics are impressive, by all means you should use them. It's what Walter Carpenter, former CEO of DuPont, referred to as "the eloquence of facts." But use them as a drunk might use a lamppost. Only for support, not illumination.
Long rows of statistics will make an actuary or accountant weep with joy. But for most, the eyes glaze over. Instead of the drudge of numbers, use graphs. They tell the story with impact and in a flash.
Here's when to consider statistics:
When showing your program is relevant. The need for your proposed program must be relevant. Donors look for that. The case you build and substantiate must be faultless and impregnable. To demonstrate relevancy, you need facts, details, and back-up information. This is where statistics lend a helping hand.
At St. Mary's, we treat patients day and night. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. Last year, 128,000 people used our emergency room.
There isn't another hospital within 60 miles. The flow through our emergency room is unending. It's impossible to calculate how many would not make it through the night if it weren't for St. Mary's.
You can't fake relevancy. That would be like what the former governor of Texas, Ann Richards, described as "putting lipstick on a pig and calling her Monique."
When demonstrating the allure of your program. The case for your program must have dramatic and emotional appeal. It has to sizzle.
Statistics won't really help in adding drama, but at times they do open the door a crack for you. The great film director Fellini said: "Sometimes if you pull a little tail, you will find an elephant at the other end."
Use statistics when you want evidence of impressive growth.
When demonstrating urgency. There's nothing more critical to the success of your program than describing the urgency for the funds. As the great German philosopher Martin Heidegger wrote, "Urgency is the source of everything."
This is one place where statistics can be a welcome friend—when substantiating urgency. The increase in the number of people served. Admissions to the emergency room. The number of homeless on the streets.
Your job is to convey the gravity of the situation—to make the situation dire:
It is February and frigid weather has struck. If we don't have the funds now, there will be 900 on our streets tonight without dinner or shelter. More than 350 of them are children.
But tread lightly. If you present a barrage, it can have all the drama of a diva in decline. Whereas used judiciously to prove a point, stats can strip the flesh bare.
Other Excerpts from This Book
Making a Case: The Magic of the Word
Questions I'm Most Often Asked About Case Statements
How useful did you find this excerpt? Give us your feedback
Jerold Panas
© 2014, Jerold Panas. Excerpted from Making a Case Your Donors Will Love. Excerpted with permission.
Jerold Panas is author of Making a Case Your Donors Will Love, from which this article is excerpted. His other books include Asking, The Fundraising Habits of Supremely Successful Boards, and Mega Gifts.
Program Redesign & GuideStar Membership
by Beth Suarez, on 12/3/14 3:17 PM
2014 has been an exciting year for GuideStar. We celebrated our 20th anniversary and launched several new products and initiatives, all aligned with our GuideStar 2020 vision for building the information infrastructure for social change and ensuring that the nonprofit sector is equipped to tackle the great challenges of our time.
The Gift of Technology: Maximizing the Holiday Giving Season
by Patrick Coleman, on 12/3/14 4:42 AM
A trip to the mall, a stroll through the neighborhood and the latest TV commercial say it loud and clear: the holiday season is here. In addition to shopping, presents and time with family, a big part of the next several weeks will include donors looking to give to charitable causes.
When Storytelling Isn’t Enough
by Courtney Cherico, on 12/2/14 11:12 AM
A lot has been written about storytelling this year – from articles calling it the Biggest Business Skill of the Next 5 Years to foundations creating tool kits and resource centers focused on nonprofit storytelling.
On Walking the Walk: Being a Better Donor
by Anisha Singh, on 12/1/14 10:58 AM
It’s December already – that time of year for cold weather, holiday spirit for those who celebrate, and the nonprofit end of year campaigns! It’s also the time of year that donating with your head, rather than your heart, tends to fly out the window.
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Home / Beijing Bus Tour / (B-J013)Beijing 5 days Bus Tour Without Hotel (from $115)
(B-J013)Beijing 5 days Bus Tour Without Hotel (from $115)
Pick-up & Drop-off Service: Hotel in the downtown
Category: Beijing Bus Tour.
Arrival at Beijing
After arriving in Beijing, you will be met and transferred to hotel. The rest of time is free.
Our tour guide will meet you and pick you up from your hotel around 8:00 am. You will first go to visit the Tiananmen Square. It is located at the center of Beijing City. Covering an area of 440,000 square meters, Tian’anmen Square is the second largest city square in the world.
Then move on to the Forbidden City–also known as the Imperial Palace, the National Palace Museum, the Purple Forbidden City and Gugong（故宫）, is probably Beijing’s top tourist attraction.
After lunch, drive to the Temple of Heaven–It is located on Temple of Heaven Road. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, emperors came to the temple to worship the God of Heaven and pray for a good harvest. It was included in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1998. With an area of 2.7 million square meters, it is the largest of its kind in the country.
Then move on to the Summer Palace, which is featured as the best of China’s ancient gardens.Absorbing the design method as well as the artistic conception of traditional southern Chinese garden,It is a large scale natural landscape garden based on the foundation of Kunming Lake, Longevity Hill and the scenery of West Lake witch is the chief source.
When tour is over, you will be transferred back to your hotel , free on your own at the rest of the day.
Pick-up from your hotel around 8:00 am, and then drive to Badaling Great Wall. It is the best-preserved section of the Beijing Great Wall. It was built by more than 20 kingdoms and feudal dynasties over 2,000 years since the Spring & Autumn Period and Warring States Period. It was listed among the first batch of important cultural relic sites under state-level protection by the Central Government, the best of the top 10 scenic spots in the country, the best of the top 40 tourism destinations in the country, and the country’s first group of 5A-class tourism scenic spots. In 2007, in the appraisal of the world’s new seven wonders, Great Wall maintained its top position because of its extensive and profound history and culture, and unprecedented prestige in the world.It is one of the greatest miracles in the world.
After lunch, continue to visit the Changling Tomb. Changling Tomb, built the earliest among the 13 Ming Mausoleums, is the largest and most magnificent as well as the best-preserved one.
Our tour guide will meet you and pick you up from your hotel around 8:00 am. You will first go to visit the Beijing Hutongs. Beijing Hutongs are maybe some of the most emblematic spots symbolizing Beijing city in the eyes of tourists coming to China worldwide.
Then move on to Yonghegong (The Lama Temple) . It was a palatial residence built in 1694 by Qing Emperor Kangxi for his fourth son, Prince Yongzheng who later succeeded to the throne. This magnificent temple consists of five main buildings lying on the north-south axis, with annex halls standing on both sides. The temple is listed by the Chinese Government as one of the important historical monuments under special preservation. After the death of his father, Emperor Yongzheng moved to the Forbidden City. The compound was closed to ordinary people and was renamed yonghegong (the Palace of Harmony).
After lunch, continue to visit the Beijing Zoo. Some of the most popular attractions among visitors are the wild and rare animals of China itself, such as the giant pandas, golden monkeys, milu deer and northeast tigers.Finally drive back to downtown and Olympic Park Outdoor Scenes visit.
5. Service for Picking up and dropping off at the Beijing Capital Airport and hotel.
1.Hotel accommodation
2. Fee of cable car
1.Cash to tour guide 2 .Paypal 3. Bank remit(wire transfer) Both RMB and US$ or other hard currencies are acceptable.
(BS-01)Beijing-Shanghai 6 days Group Tour Package(from $378)
(B-J006)Badaling Great Wall and Summer Palace One Day Bus Tour($30)
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« December 30
January 1 »
The British East India Company is chartered. The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China. The Company was granted an English Royal Charter, under the name “Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies”, by Elizabeth I on 31 December 1600, making it the oldest among several similarly formed European East India Companies, the largest of which was the Dutch East India Company. After a rival English company challenged its monopoly in the late 17th century, the two companies were merged in 1708 to form the “United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies”, commonly styled the Honourable East India Company, and abbreviated, HEIC; the Company was colloquially referred to as John Company, and in India as Company Bahadur.
Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey. It was during this time that he said: "We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles."
Edison, incandescent lighting, New Jersey
The Manhattan Bridge under construction in March of 1909
Manhattan Bridge opens. The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan (at Canal Street) with Brooklyn (at Flatbush Avenue Extension). It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges. The bridge was opened to traffic on December 31, 1909 and was designed by Leon Moisseiff, who later designed the infamous original Tacoma Narrows Bridge that opened and collapsed in 1940. It has four vehicle lanes on the upper level (split between two roadways). The lower level has three lanes, four subway tracks, a walkway and a bikeway. The upper level, originally used for streetcars, has two lanes in each direction, and the lower level is one-way and has three lanes in peak direction. It once carried New York State Route 27 and later was planned to carry Interstate 478. No tolls are charged for motor vehicles to use the Manhattan Bridge.
Manhattan Bridge, bridge, New York City
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter. Matisse is commonly regarded, along with Picasso and Marcel Duchamp, as one of the three artists who helped to define the revolutionary developments in the plastic arts in the opening decades of the 20th century, responsible for significant developments in painting and sculpture.
French artist, artist, painter
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television. Considered to be one of the greatest living actors, Hopkins is perhaps best known for his portrayal of cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs” (for which he received the Academy Award for Best Actor), its sequel “Hannibal”, and its prequel “Red Dragon”.
Welsh actor, actor
John Flamsteed
Sir John Flamsteed was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. He catalogued over 3000 stars
English astronomer, astronomer
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet was a French painter who led the Realist movement in 19th-century French painting. The Realist movement bridged the Romantic movement (characterized by the paintings of Théodore Géricault and Eugène Delacroix), with the Barbizon School and the Impressionists. Courbet occupies an important place in 19th century French painting as an innovator and as an artist willing to make bold social commentary in his work.
French painter, painter
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Battle of Hastings – In England on Senlac Hill, seven miles from Hastings, the Norman forces of William the Conqueror defeat the English army and kill King Harold II of England. It took place at Senlac Hill, approximately 10 km (6.25 miles) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.
battle, Hastings
The Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig concludes, giving Napoleon Bonaparte one of his worst defeats. The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine. The battle involved over 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I. Defeated, Napoleon was compelled to return to France while the Allies hurried to keep their momentum, invading France early the next year. Napoleon was forced to abdicate, and was exiled to Elba that spring.
battle, Leipzig, Napoleon Bonaparte
At the Battle of Sagrajas, the army of Yusuf ibn Tashfin defeats the forces of Castilian King Alfonso VI. The Battle of Sagrajas, was a battle between the Almoravid army led by general Yusuf ibn Tashfin and a Christian army led by the Castilian King Alfonso VI. The battleground was later called az-Zallaqah (in English "slippery ground") because the warriors were slipping all over the ground due to the tremendous amount of blood shed that day, and this gives rise to its name in Arabic.
Sagrajas, battle
The light aircraft carrier Princeton afire.
Battle of Leyte Gulf – The largest naval battle in history begins in the Philippines. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history. It was fought in waters near the Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar from 23–26 October 1944, between combined US and Australian forces and the Imperial Japanese Navy. On 20 October, United States troops invaded the island of Leyte as part of a strategy aimed at isolating Japan from the countries it had occupied in South East Asia, and in particular depriving its forces and industry of vital oil supplies. The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) mobilized nearly all of its remaining major naval vessels in an attempt to defeat the Allied invasion, but was repulsed by the U.S. Navy's 3rd and 7th Fleets. The IJN failed to achieve its objective, suffered very heavy losses, and never afterwards sailed to battle in comparable force. The majority of its surviving heavy ships, deprived of fuel, remained in their bases for the rest of the Pacific War.
World War II, battle, naval battle
The army of Henry V of England defeats the French at the Battle of Agincourt. The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day, November 3 NS), near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France. Henry V's victory crippled France and started a new period in the war, during which Henry married the French king's daughter and his son, Henry VI, was made heir to the throne of France (although Henry VI failed to capitalize on his father's battlefield success).
Agincourt, battle
Canadians and Mohawks defeat the Americans in the Battle of Chateauguay. The Battle of the Chateauguay was a battle of the War of 1812. On 26 October 1813, a force consisting of about 1,630 French Canadian regulars and militia and Mohawk warriors under Charles de Salaberry repulsed an American force of about 4,000 attempting to invade Canada. The Chateauguay was one of the two battles (the other being the Battle of Crysler's Farm) which caused the Americans to abandon the Saint Lawrence Campaign, their major strategic effort in the autumn of 1813.
War of 1812, battle
Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France. The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 between Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and René II, Duke of Lorraine. René's forces won the battle, and Charles' mutilated body was found three days later.
Nancy, battle
Battle of Beersheba – "last successful cavalry charge in history". The Battle of Beersheba took place on 31 October 1917, as part of the Sinai and Palestine campaign during World War I. Notable was the charge of the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade, which covered some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to overrun and capture the last remaining Ottoman trenches, and secure the surviving wells at Birüssebi.
Beersheba, World War I, battle
Napoleon's armies are defeated at the Battle of Vyazma. The Battle of Vyazma occurred at the beginning of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. In this encounter the rear guard of the Grande Armée was defeated by the Russians commanded by General Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich. Although the French repelled Miloradovich's attempt to encircle and destroy the corps of Louis Nicolas Davout, they withdrew in a partial state of disorder after suffering heavy casualties from continued Russian attacks.
Vyazma, battle, Napoleon
The Battle of Dak To begins. The Battle of Đắk Tô was a series of major engagements of the Vietnam War that took place between 3–22 November 1967, in Kontum Province, in the Central Highlands of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The action at Đắk Tô was one of a series of People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) offensive initiatives that began during the second half of the year. North Vietnamese attacks at Lộc Ninh (in Bình Long Province), Song Be (in Phước Long Province), and at Con Thien and Khe Sanh, (in Quảng Trị Province), were other actions which, combined with Đắk Tô, became known as "the border battles."
Vietnam War, battle
Battle of New Orleans – Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British. The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the Louisiana Purchase. The Treaty of Ghent had been signed on December 24, 1814, but news of the peace would not reach the combatants until February nor was the treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate until February. The battle is widely regarded as the greatest American land victory of the war.
War of 1812, battle, New Orleans
The Battle of Inkerman. The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol. The role of troops fighting mostly on their own initiative due to the foggy conditions during the battle has earned the engagement the name "The Soldier's Battle".
Crimean War, battle
Battle of Varna. The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw III of Poland) are crushed by the Turks under Sultan Murad II and Vladislaus is killed. It was the final battle of the Crusade of Varna.
Varna, battle
The Royal Navy launches the first aircraft carrier strike in history, on the Italian fleet at Taranto. The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea. The attack struck the battle fleet of the Regia Marina at anchor in the harbor of Taranto utilizing aerial torpedoes despite the shallow depth of the harbor. The devastation wreaked by the British carrier-launched aircraft on the large Italian warships was the beginning of the rise of the power of naval aviation, over the big guns of battleships.
Taranto, battle, aircraft, Italy, World War II
Battle of Morgarten the Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I. Swiss Confederation force of 1,500 infantry archers ambushed a group of Austrian soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire near the Morgarten Pass. The Swiss, led by Werner Stauffacher, thoroughly defeated the Austrians, who were under the command of Duke Leopold I of Austria.
Morgarten, battle
Battle of Schöngrabern – Russian forces under Pyotr Bagration delay the pursuit by French troops under Murat. The Battle of Schöngrabern (also known as the Battle of Hollabrunn) was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition, fought on 16 November 1805 near Hollabrunn in Lower Austria, four weeks after the Battle of Ulm and two weeks before the Battle of Austerlitz.
Napoleonic Wars, Schongrabern, battle
Battle of Arcole – French forces defeat the Austrians in Italy. The Battle of Arcole, or Battle of Arcola (15–17 November 1796) saw a bold manœuvre by Napoleon Bonaparte's French Army of Italy to outflank the Austrian army under József Alvinczi and cut its line of retreat. The French victory proved to be the most significant event during the third Austrian attempt to lift the Siege of Mantua during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. Arcole is located 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of Verona on Route SP39.
Arcole, battle, Napoleonic Wars
Mark IV tank
Battle of Cambrai begins. The Battle of Cambrai (20 November – 7 December 1917) was a British campaign of the First World War. Cambrai, in the Nord département (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), was a key supply point for the German Siegfried Stellung (part of the Hindenburg Line) and the nearby Bourlon Ridge would be an excellent gain from which to threaten the rear of the German line to the north. The operation was to include an experimental artillery action. Major General Henry Hugh Tudor, commander of the 9th Infantry Division, suggested trying out new artillery-infantry techniques on his sector of the front.
Cambrai, World War I, battle
Battle of Montgisard. The Battle of Montgisard was fought between the Ayyubids and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The 16 year old King Baldwin IV, seriously afflicted by leprosy, led an out-numbered Christian force against the army of Saladin. The Islamic force was routed and their casualties were massive, only a fraction managed to flee to safety.
Montgisard, battle
Battle of Spring Hill. The Confederate Army of Tennessee, commanded by Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood, attacked a Union force under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield as it retreated from Columbia through Spring Hill. Because of a series of command failures, the Confederates were unable to inflict serious damage on the Federals and could not prevent their safe passage north to Franklin during the night. The next day, Hood pursued Schofield and attacked his fortifications in the Battle of Franklin, resulting in severe Confederate casualties.
Spring Hill, battle, American Civil War
Battle of Narva The Battle of Narva on 19 November 1700 (30 November, N.S.) was an early battle in the Great Northern War. A Swedish relief army under Charles XII of Sweden defeated a Russian siege force three times its size. Before, Charles XII had forced Denmark-Norway to sign the Treaty of Travendal. Narva was not followed by further advances of the Swedish army into Russia, instead, Charles XII turned southward to expel August the Strong from Livonia and Poland-Lithuania. Peter the Great took Narva in a second battle in 1704.
Narva, battle
Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition. On 2 December 1805, a French army, commanded by Emperor Napoleon I, decisively defeated a Russo-Austrian army, commanded by Tsar Alexander I and Francis II of Holy Roman Empire, after nearly nine hours of difficult fighting. The battle took place near Austerlitz (Slavkov u Brna) about 10 km (6.2 mi) south-east of Brno in Moravia, at that time in the Austrian Empire (present day Czech Republic). The battle is often regarded as a tactical masterpiece.
Napoleonic Wars, Austerlitz, battle
Battle of Hong Kong begins. The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II. It began on 8 December 1941 and ended on 25 December 1941 with Hong Kong, then a Crown colony, surrendering to the Empire of Japan.
World War II, Hong Kong, battle
Battle of Tucapel The Battle of Tucapel (also known as the Disaster of Tucapel) is the name given to a battle fought between Spanish conquistador forces led by Pedro de Valdivia and Mapuche (Araucanian) Indians under Lautaro that took place at Tucapel, Chile on December 25, 1553. This battle happened in the context of the first stage of the Arauco War, named the "offensive war" within a larger uprising by Araucanians against the Spanish conquest of Chile. It was a defeat for the Spaniards, resulting in the capture and eventual death of Valdivia.
Tucapel, battle
Battle of Wakefield. The Battle of Wakefield took place at Sandal Magna near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire in Northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were a Lancastrian army, loyal to the captive King Henry VI, his Queen, Margaret of Anjou, and their seven year-old son Edward, Prince of Wales on one side, and the army of Richard, Duke of York, the rival claimant to the throne, on the other. The Duke of York was killed and his army was destroyed.
Wakefield, battle, Wars of the Roses
In the Battle of Jersey, the British defeat the last attempt by France to invade Jersey. The Battle of Jersey was an attempt by France to invade Jersey and remove the threat the island posed to American shipping in the American War of Independence. Jersey was used as a base for privateering by the British, and France, engaged in the war as an ally of the United States, sent an expedition to gain control of the island. The expedition ultimately failed, and its commander, Baron Phillipe de Rullecourt, died of wounds sustained in the fighting. The battle is often remembered for the death of the British officer Major Pierson, and a painting based on his final moments by John Singleton Copley.
Jersey, battle
Battle of Rafa. The Battle of Rafa (also known by the British as the Action of Rafah) took place on 9 January 1917 at el Magruntein to the south of Rafa, close to the frontier between the Sultanate of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the Ottoman Empire, and in the area to the north and east of Sheikh Zowaiid. This was to be the third and final battle in the Sinai theatre of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign during the First World War. Here, a British Empire attacking force defeated an Ottoman Empire garrison entrenched in a series of strategically strong redoubts.
Rafa, battle, World War I
Stephen III of Moldavia defeats the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Vaslui. The Battle of Vaslui (also referred to as the Battle of Podul Înalt or the Battle of Racova) was fought on January 10, 1475 between Stephen III of Moldavia and the Ottoman Beylerbey of Rumelia, Hadân Suleiman Pasha. The battle took place at Podul Înalt (the High Bridge), near the town of Vaslui, in Moldavia (now part of eastern Romania). The Ottoman troops numbered up to 120,000, facing about 40,000 Moldavian troops, plus smaller numbers of allied and mercenary troops.
Vaslui, battle, Ottoman Empire, Moldavia
Battle of Cape St. Vincent. The naval Battle of Cape St Vincent, took place off the coast of Portugal on 16 January 1780 during the American War of Independence. A British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeated a Spanish squadron under Don Juan de Lángara. The battle is sometimes referred to as the Moonlight Battle, because it was unusual for naval battles in the Age of Sail to take place at night. It was also the first major naval victory for the British over its European enemies in the war, and proved the value of copper sheathing the hulls of warships.
Cape St Vincent, battle, naval battle, American Revolution
Bear River Massacre. The Bear River Massacre, or the Battle of Bear River and the Massacre at Boa Ogoi, took place in present-day Idaho on January 29, 1863. The United States Army attacked Shoshone gathered at the confluence of the Bear River and Beaver Creek in what was then southeastern Washington Territory. The site is located near the present-day city of Preston in Franklin County, Idaho. Colonel Patrick Edward Connor led a detachment of California Volunteers as part of the Bear River Expedition against Shoshone Chief Bear Hunter.
Bear River Massacre, battle
The Battle of Stalingrad comes to conclusion as Soviet troops accept the surrender of 91,000 remnants of the Axis forces. The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943. It was the largest battle on the Eastern Front and was marked by brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It is among the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million. The heavy losses inflicted on the German army made it a turning point in the war. After the Battle of Stalingrad, German forces never recovered their earlier strength, and attained no further strategic victories in the East.
Stalingrad, battle, World War II
Keren Battlefield
Allied forces begin the Battle of Keren to capture Keren, Eritrea. The Battle of Keren (Cheren) was fought as part of the East African Campaign during World War II. The Battle of Keren was fought from 5 February-1 April 1941 between the colonial Italian army defending it's colonial possession of Eritrea and the invading British and Commonwealth forces. In 1941, Keren was a town located in the Italian colony of Eritrea. Keren was of strategic importance to both the Italian and the British forces. The road and railway routes through Keren were the key to access the city of Asmara (colonial capital of Eritrea) and the Red Sea port of Massawa.
Keren, battle, World War II
Battle of San Domingo British naval victory against the French in the Caribbean. The Battle of San Domingo, in 1806, was a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. French and British squadrons of ships of the line met off the southern coast of the French-occupied Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo (usually written as San Domingo in contemporary British usage) in the Caribbean. The French squadron, under Vice-Admiral Corentin Urbain Leissègues in the 120-gun Impérial, had sailed from Brest in December 1805, one of two squadrons intending to raid British trade routes as part of the Atlantic campaign of 1806.
San Domingo, battle, naval battle
A surprise torpedo attack by the Japanese at Port Arthur, China starts the Russo-Japanese War. The Battle of Port Arthur (8–9 February 1904) was the starting battle of the Russo-Japanese War. It began with a surprise night attack by a squadron of Japanese destroyers on the Russian fleet anchored at Port Arthur, Manchuria, and continued with an engagement of major surface combatants the following morning. The battle ended inconclusively, and further skirmishing off Port Arthur continued until May 1904. Losing at Port Arthur for the Russians — and especially for Czar Nicholas II — was not only inconceivable to the world at large but also fraught with dire circumstances for the Imperial Russian regime; the Russian people, from the nobility down to the recently-emancipated serfs, lost confidence in the military; this was a direct causal factor for the Russian Revolution of 1905, and was well-remembered upon yet-more-disastrous defeats in World War I.
Russo-Japanese War, battle, naval battle, Port Arthur
Battle of Sobraon – British defeat Sikhs in final battle of the war. The Battle of Sobraon was fought on 10 February 1846, between the forces of the British East India Company and the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. The Sikhs were completely defeated, making this the decisive battle of the First Anglo-Sikh War.
First Anglo-Sikh War, battle, Sobraon
The Battle of Bukit Timah is fought in Singapore. The Battle of Bukit Timah, which took place on 11 February 1942, was part of the final stage of the Empire of Japan's invasion of Singapore during World War II. By the 10th of February, the Japanese had landed in full force on Singapore Island. They controlled the entire western part of the island, and much of the north. Their next objective was Bukit Timah and the capture of vital water, food, ammunition, and vehicles, machine parts and other supplies. Now, flushed with success, the Japanese again advanced in full force.
Bukit Timah, battle, World War II
Battle of Kettle Creek
The Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia. The Battle of Kettle Creek was a major encounter in the back country of Georgia during the American Revolutionary War. It was fought in Wilkes County about eight miles (13 km) from present-day Washington, Georgia. A militia force of Patriot decisively defeated and scattered a Loyalist militia force that was on its way to British-controlled Augusta. The victory demonstrated the inability of British forces to hold the interior of the state, or to protect even sizable numbers of Loyalist recruits outside their immediate protection. The British, who had already decided to abandon Augusta, recovered some prestige a few weeks later, surprising a Patriot force in the Battle of Brier Creek. Georgia's back country would not come fully under British control until after the 1780 Siege of Charleston broke Patriot forces in the south.
Kettle Creek, battle, American Revolutionary War, Georgia
The Battle of Montereau. The Battle of Montereau was fought near Montereau-Fault-Yonne on 18 February 1814 and resulted in the victory of the French under Napoleon Bonaparte against the Austrians and the Württembergers under the King of Württemberg.
Montereau, battle, Napoleonic Wars
Battle of Rakvere
The Livonian Brothers of the Sword are defeated by Dovmont of Pskov in the Battle of Rakvere. The Battle of Wesenberg, Rakvere or Rakovor was a battle fought on February 18, 1268, between the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Knights and a coalition of Russian princes. The Knights were beaten so thoroughly that they would not undertake a new campaign against Northern Russia for the following thirty years. The two armies clashed within 7.5 kilometers (roughly 4.5 miles) from the Livonian town of Wesenberg (Rakvere, Rakovor). Russian forces, numbering up to 30,000 troops, were led by Dmitry of Pereslavl (representing the Novgorod Republic) together with his future son-in-law, Daumantas of Pskov (representing the Pskov Republic).
Rakvere, battle, Teutonic Knights, Livonian Order, Dovmont of Pskov
Battle of Olustee occurs. The Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond was fought in Baker County, Florida on 20 February 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the largest battle fought in Florida during the war.
battle, Olustee, American Civil War, Florida
The Battle of Toulon. The naval Battle of Toulon or Battle of Cape Sicié took place on 22 February 1744 in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Toulon, France. A combined Franco-Spanish fleet fought off Britain's Mediterranean fleet. The French fleet, officially at peace with Great Britain, only joined the fighting late, when it was clear that the greatly outnumbered Spanish fleet had gained the advantage over its foe. With the French intervention, the British fleet was forced to withdraw.
Toulon, battle, naval battle, War of the Austrian Succession
Spanish-Imperial army defeat French army at Battle of Pavia. The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–26. A Spanish-Imperial army under the nominal command of Charles de Lannoy (and working in conjunction with the garrison of Pavia, commanded by Antonio de Leyva) attacked the French army under the personal command of Francis I of France in the great hunting preserve of Mirabello outside the city walls. In the four-hour battle, the French army was split and defeated in detail. The French suffered massive casualties, including many of the chief nobles of France; Francis himself, captured by the Spanish troops, was imprisoned by Charles V and forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Madrid, surrendering significant territory to his captor. The outcome of the battle cemented Spanish Habsburg ascendancy in Italy.
battle, Pavia, Italian War of 1521-26
A royalist fleet defeats a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate. The Battle of San Nicolás was a naval engagement on 2 March 1811 on the Paraná River between the Spanish royalists from Montevideo, and the first flotilla created by the revolutionary government of Buenos Aires. It was the first engagement between the two fleets in the River Plate region since the revolution. It was a royalist victory.
battle, naval battle, San Nicolas, Argentine War of Independence
Emperor Napoleon I of France wins the Battle of Craonne. The Battle of Craonne was fought on March 7, 1814, and resulted in a French victory under Napoleon I against Russians and Prussians under General Blücher.Craonne is a village on the Chemin des Dames, in the département of Aisne. Marshal Blücher had recovered from his earlier setbacks more quickly than Napoleon Bonaparte had hoped, and so the French Emperor was forced to switch his attacks from the Austrian Field Marshal Schwarzenberg back to the Prussian commander. Moving with speed and aggression, the French pushed the Allies over the Aisne river and while Blücher planned his counter with some 85,000 men, Napoleon's 37,000 troops struck. Napoleon's aim was to pin the Allies and then launch Marshal Ney, leading a mixed force heavily weighted towards cavalry, in a flanking move. Unfortunately for the French, the coordination was poorly timed. Consequently Ney not only suffered heavy casualties, including cavalry commander Etienne de Nansouty, but the Allies managed to extricate themselves from a sticky situation. Craonne cost Blucher 5,000 casualties, while Napoleon lost some 5,400.The young French conscripted soldiers were called "Marie- Louise" (after Napoleon's second wife) because many were too young to have a beard.
Craonne, battle, Napoleonic Wars
Paraguayan forces defeat Manuel Belgrano at the Battle of Tacuarí. The Battle of Tacuari was a battle in Southern Paraguay between revolutionary forces under the command of General Manuel Belgrano, member of the Primera Junta government of Argentina, and Paraguayan troops under colonel Manuel Atanasio Cabañas, at the time at the service of the royalists.
battle, Tacuari
March 10, 241 BC
Battle of the Aegates Islands – The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end. The Battle of the Aegates Islands or Aegusa was the final naval battle fought between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic during the First Punic War. The result was a decisive Roman victory which forced an end to the protracted conflict, to the advantage of Rome.
Aegates Islands, battle, First Punic War
Battle of Ivry. The Battle of Ivry was fought on 14 March 1590, during the French Wars of Religion. The battle was a decisive victory for Henry of Navarre, the future Henry IV of France, leading Huguenot forces against the Catholic League forces led by the Duc de Mayenne. Henry's forces were victorious and he went on to lay siege to Paris. The battle occurred on the plain of Épieds, Eure near Ivry (later renamed Ivry-la-Bataille), Normandy. Ivry-la-Bataille is located on the Eure River and about thirty miles west of Paris, at the boundary between the Île-de-France and the Beauce regions.
battle, Ivry, French Wars of Religion
The Catalan Company defeats Walter V of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece. The Battle of Halmyros, of Orchomenos, or of the Cephissus was fought on 15 March 1311 between the Frankish Greek forces of Walter V of Brienne and the mercenaries of the Catalan Company, resulting in a devastating victory for the Catalans.
battle, Halmyros
The Battle of Boroughbridge take place in the Despenser Wars. The Battle of Boroughbridge was a battle fought on 16 March 1322 between a group of rebellious barons and King Edward II of England, near Boroughbridge, northwest of York. The culmination of a long period of antagonism between the king and Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, his most powerful subject, it resulted in Lancaster's defeat and execution. This allowed Edward to re-establish royal authority, and hold on to power for another five years. Not in itself a part of the Wars of Scottish Independence, the battle is significant for its employment of tactics learned in the Scottish wars in a domestic, English conflict. Both the extensive use of foot soldiers rather than cavalry, and the heavy impact caused by the longbow, represented significant steps in military developments.
battle, Boroughbridge, Despenser Wars
A Mongolian victory Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. The naval Battle of Yamen took place on 19 March 1279 and is considered to be the last stand of the Song Dynasty against the invading Mongol-controlled Yuan Dynasty. Although outnumbered 10:1, the Yuan navy delivered a crushing tactical and strategic victory, destroying the Song.
battle, Yamen
Battle of Karameh in Jordan between Israeli Defense Forces and Fatah. The Battle of Karameh was fought on March 21, 1968 in the town of Karameh, Jordan, between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and combined forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian Army. It was planned by Israel as two concurrent raids on PLO camps, one in Karameh and one in the distant village of Safi — codenamed Operation Inferno and Operation Asuta, respectively — but the former turned into a full-scale battle, when the Jordanian Army engaged the invaders.
battle, Karameh
In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy's Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte. The Second Battle of Sirte was a naval engagement in which the escorting warships of a British convoy to Malta frustrated a much more powerful Regia Marina (Italian Navy) squadron. The British convoy was composed of four merchant ships escorted by four light cruisers, one anti-aircraft cruiser, and 17 destroyers. The Italian force comprised a battleship, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and eight destroyers. Despite the initial British success at warding off the Italian squadron, the battle delayed the convoy's planned arrival before dawn, which exposed it to intense air attacks in the following days which sank all four merchant ships and one of the escorting destroyers. The battle occurred on 22 March 1942, in the Mediterranean, north of the Gulf of Sidra and southeast of Malta, during the Second World War.
Sirte, battle, naval battle, World War II
Eduardo Abaroa and the defenders of Topáter
The Battle of Topáter, the first battle of the war is fought between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru. The Battle of Topáter was fought on March 23, 1879 between Chile and Bolivia, and was the first of the War of the Pacific. The Chileans were taking possession of the Antofagasta (Litoral) province, at that time a part of Bolivia. The Bolivian troops, quite few in number, decided to make a stand in the town of Calama. On their way to occupy Calama, 554 Chilean troops, including cavalry and with two Krupp rifled guns, were opposed by 135 Bolivian soldiers and civilian residents led by Dr. Ladislao Cabrera, a civilian and a political authority in the region. The Bolivians presented battle next to the Topáter River, which runs outside the city. Cabrera dug in at two destroyed bridges; calls to surrender were rejected before and during the battle. Outnumbered and low in ammunition, most of the Bolivian force eventually withdrew, except for a small group of civilians led by Colonel Eduardo Abaroa that fought to the end. The Bolivian national hero, Coronel (Colonel) Abaroa, died in this battle. Further ground battles would not take place until the war at sea was resolved.
War of the Pacific, battle, Topater
France defeats Spain in the Battle of Medelin. In the Peninsular War, the Battle of Medellín was fought on March 28, 1809 and resulted in a victory of the French under Marshal Victor against the Spanish under General Don Gregorio Garcia de la Cuesta. The battle marked the first major effort by the French to occupy Southern Spain, a feat mostly completed with the victory at the Battle of Ocana later in the year.
battle, Medelin, Peninsular War
Battle of Towton – Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England. The Battle of Towton was fought during the English Wars of the Roses on 29 March 1461, near the village of the same name in Yorkshire. It was the "largest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil". According to chroniclers, more than 50,000 soldiers from the Houses of York and Lancaster fought for hours amidst a snowstorm on that day, which was a Palm Sunday. A newsletter circulated a week after the battle reported that 28,000 died on the battlefield. The engagement brought about a monarchical change in England—Edward IV displaced Henry VI as King of England, driving the head of the Lancastrians and his key supporters out of the country.
Towton, battle, Wars of the Roses
Battle of Five Forks – In Siege of Petersburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee begins his final offensive. The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, around Five Forks, Dinwiddie County, Virginia, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle, sometimes referred to as the "Waterloo of the Confederacy," pitted Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan against Confederate Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Pickett's loss at Five Forks triggered Lee's decision to abandon his entrenchments around Petersburg and begin the retreat that led to his surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9.
battle, Five Forks, American Civil War
Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Copenhagen – The British destroy the Danish fleet. The Battle of Copenhagen was an engagement which saw a British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker fight and strategically defeat a Danish-Norwegian fleet anchored just off Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson led the main attack. He famously disobeyed Parker's order to withdraw, destroying many of the Dano-Norwegian ships before a truce was agreed. Copenhagen is often considered to be Nelson's hardest-fought battle.
naval battle, battle, Copenhagen, Napoleonic Wars
In the Battle of Maipú, Chile's independence movement – led by Bernardo O'Higgins and José de San Martín – win a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead. The Battle of Maipú was a battle fought near Santiago, Chile on April 5, 1818 between South American rebels and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence. The Patriot rebels led by José de San Martín effectively destroyed the Spanish forces commanded by General Mariano Osorio, and completed the independence of Chile from Spanish domination.
battle, Maipu
During a battle on the ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuff an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights. The Battle of the Ice, also known as the Battle of Lake Peipus, was a battle between the Republic of Novgorod and the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Knights (whose army consisted mostly of Estonians) on April 5, 1242, at Lake Peipus. The battle is notable for having been fought largely on the frozen lake. The battle was a significant defeat sustained by Roman Catholic crusaders during the Northern Crusades, which were directed against pagans and Eastern Orthodox Christians rather than Muslims in the Holy Land. The crusaders' defeat in the battle marked the end of their campaigns against the Orthodox Novgorod Republic and other Russian territories for the next century.
battle, Battle of the Ice, Lake Peipus, Alexander Nevsky, Teutonic Knights
Battle of Mansfield – Union forces are thwarted by the Confederate army at Mansfield, Louisiana. The Battle of Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, occurred on April 8, 1864, in De Soto Parish, Louisiana. Confederate forces commanded by Richard Taylor attacked a Union army commanded by Nathaniel Banks a few miles outside the town of Mansfield, near Sabine Crossroads. The Union forces held their positions for a short time before being overwhelmed by Confederate attacks and driven from the field. The battle was a decisive Confederate victory which stopped the advance of the Union army's Red River Campaign during the American Civil War.
battle, Mansfield, American Civil War
Mongol forces defeat the Polish and German armies. The Battle of Legnica, also known as the Battle of Liegnitz or Battle of Wahlstatt, was a battle between the Mongol Empire and the combined defending forces of European fighters that took place at Legnickie Pole (Wahlstatt) near the city of Legnica in Silesia on 9 April 1241. A combined force of Poles, Czechs and Germans under the command of the Polish duke Henry II the Pious of Silesia, supported by feudal nobility and a few knights from military orders sent by the Pope, attempted to halt the Mongol invasion of Europe. The battle came two days before the Mongol victory over the Hungarians at the much larger Battle of Mohi.
battle, Legnica
Prussia defeats Austria in the Battle of Mollwitz. The Battle of Mollwitz was fought by Prussia and Austria on 10 April 1741, during the early stages of the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the first battle of the new Prussian King Frederick II, in which both sides made numerous military blunders but Frederick the Great still managed to attain victory. This battle cemented his authority over the newly conquered territory of Silesia and gave him valuable military experience.
battle, Mollwitz, War of the Austrian Succession
French forces defeat a Spanish army at the Battle of Ceresole. The Battle of Ceresole was an encounter between a French army and the combined forces of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire during the Italian War of 1542–46. The lengthy engagement took place on April 11, 1544, outside the village of Ceresole d'Alba in the Piedmont region of Italy; the French, under François de Bourbon, Count of Enghien, defeated the Spanish-Imperial army of Alfonso d'Avalos d'Aquino, Marquis del Vasto. Despite having inflicted substantial casualties on the Imperial troops, the French subsequently failed to exploit their victory by taking Milan.
battle, Ceresole, Italian War of 1542-46
American forces are surprised in the Battle of Bound Brook, New Jersey. The Battle of Bound Brook (April 13, 1777) was a surprise attack conducted by British and Hessian forces against a Continental Army outpost at Bound Brook, New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War. The British objective of capturing the entire garrison was not met, although prisoners were taken. The American commander, Major General Benjamin Lincoln, left in great haste, abandoning papers and personal effects. Late on the evening of April 12, 1777, four thousand British and Hessian troops under the command of Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis marched from the British stronghold of New Brunswick. All but one detachment reached positions surrounding the outpost before the battle began near daybreak the next morning. During the battle, most of the 500-man garrison escaped by the unblocked route. American reinforcements arrived in the afternoon, but not before the British plundered the outpost and began the return march to New Brunswick.
battle, Bound Brook, American Revolutionary War, New Jersey
Battle of Adrianople between Bulgarians and Crusaders. The Battle of Adrianople occurred on April 14, 1205 between Bulgarians under Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria, and Crusaders under Baldwin I. It was won by the Bulgarians after a skillful ambush using the help of their Cuman and Greek allies. Around 300 knights were killed, including Louis of Blois, Duke of Nicaea and Baldwin was captured and later died in captivity. The Bulgarians then overran much of Thrace and Macedonia. Baldwin was succeeded by his younger brother, Henry of Flanders, who took the throne on August 20, 1206.
battle, Adrianople
Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeat the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War. The Battle of Rain (also called the Battle of the River Lech or Battle of Lech) was fought on April 15, 1632, as part of the Thirty Years' War. The forces involved in this conflict were 40,000 Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus and 25,000 Catholic League troops under Count Johan Tzerclaes of Tilly. It was the second meeting between the two legendary generals (see First Breitenfeld when Tilly received the first setback of his long and storied career) and like at Breitenfeld, Tilly lost when Gustavus forced the River Lech under the cover of his superb artillery, and as there, Tilly was wounded several times and fell during the battle and was carried from the field by his men, (who called him Father Tilly), — only this time, he would not recover from his wounds.
battle, Rain, Thirty Years War
The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, in Scotland after the battle many highland traditions were banned and the Highlands of Scotland were cleared of inhabitants. The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government. The Jacobite cause of overthrowing the reigning House of Hanover and restoring the House of Stuart to the British throne was dealt a decisive defeat at Culloden; Charles Stuart never mounted any further attempts to challenge Hanoverian power in Britain. The conflict was the last pitched battle fought on British soil, occurring near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.
battle, Culloden
The Battle of Mount Tabor – Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre. The Battle of Mount Tabor, or Skirmish of Mount Tabor, opposed French forces under General Kleber to an Ottoman force led by the Pasha of Damascus on 16 April 1799. General Bonaparte was besieging Acre, and Damascus sent its army to relieve the siege. Operating to the south of Acre, Kleber decided to intercept the Ottoman army and ran into the 25,000 men strong army to find himself outnumbered. The French forces fought divided in two squares and resisted for eight hours against the Ottomans before running out of ammunition. Napoleon arrived with 2,500 men and two cannon reinforcements as the Ottomans seemed to be on the verge of winning. Napoleon's artillery opened fire on the Ottomans flank and, taken by surprise, the Ottoman forces suddenly routed.
battle, Mount Tabor, Napoleonic Wars
April 17, 69
After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. The Battle of Bedriacum refers to two battles fought during the Year of the Four Emperors (69) near the village of Bedriacum (now Calvatone), about 35 kilometers (22 mi) from the town of Cremona in northern Italy. The fighting in fact took place between Bedriacum and Cremona, and the battles are sometimes called "First Cremona" and "Second Cremona".
battle, Bedriacum
The Battle of Teugen-Hausen or the Battle of Thann was fought on 19 April 1809 between the French III Corps led by Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout and the Austrian III Armeekorps commanded by Prince Friedrich Franz Xaver of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. The French won a hard-fought victory over their opponents when the Austrians withdrew that evening. The fighting occurred during the War of the Fifth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars. The site of the battle is a wooded height approximately halfway between the villages of Teugn and Hausen in Lower Bavaria, part of modern-day Germany.
battle, Teugen-Hausen
The Battle of San Jacinto – Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna. The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen minutes. About 630 of the Mexican soldiers were killed and 730 captured, while only nine Texans died. Santa Anna, the President of Mexico, was captured the following day and held as a prisoner of war. Three weeks later, he signed the peace treaty that dictated that the Mexican army leave the region, paving the way for the Republic of Texas to become an independent country. These treaties did not specifically recognize Texas as a sovereign nation, but stipulated that Santa Anna was to lobby for such recognition in Mexico City. Sam Houston became a national celebrity, and the Texans' rallying cries, "Remember the Alamo!" and "Remember Goliad!" became etched into American history and legend.
battle, San Jacinto, Texas Revolution
King Charles I of Spain defeats the Comuneros. The Battle of Villalar was a battle in the Revolt of the Comuneros fought on April 23, 1521 near the town of Villalar in Valladolid province, Spain. The royalist supporters of King Charles I won a crushing victory over the comuneros rebels. Three of the most important rebel leaders were captured, Juan de Padilla, Juan Bravo, and Francisco Maldonado. They were executed the next day, effectively ending armed resistance to Charles I.
battle, Villalar
Brian Boru defeats Viking invaders, but is killed in battle. The Battle of Clontarf took place on 23 April 1014 between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublin and the Orkney Islands led by his cousin Sigtrygg, as well as the one rebellious king from the province of Ulster. It ended in a rout of the Máel Mórda's forces, along with the death of Brian, who was killed by a few Norsemen who were fleeing the battle and stumbled upon his tent. After the battle, Ireland returned to a fractious status quo between the many small, separate kingdoms that had existed for some time.
battle, Clontarf
Duke of Alba, commanding Spanish-Imperial forces of Charles I of Spain, defeats the troops of Schmalkaldic League. The Battle of Mühlberg was a large battle at Mühlberg in the Electorate of Saxony during the Protestant Reformation at which the Catholic princes of the Holy Roman Empire led by the Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire decisively defeated the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League of Protestant princes under the command of Elector John Frederick I of Saxony and Philip I of Hesse.
battle, Muhlberg
The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. The naval Battle of Gibraltar took place on 25 April 1607 during the Eighty Years' War when a Dutch fleet surprised and engaged a Spanish fleet anchored at the Bay of Gibraltar. During the four hours of action, most of the Spanish fleet was destroyed.
naval battle, battle, Gibraltar, Eighty Years War
Combined forces of Spain and the Papal States defeat a French and Venetian army at the Battle of Bicocca. The Battle of Bicocca or La Bicocca was fought on April 27, 1522, during the Italian War of 1521–26. A combined French and Venetian force under Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, was decisively defeated by a Spanish-Imperial and Papal army under the overall command of Prospero Colonna. Lautrec then withdrew from Lombardy, leaving the Duchy of Milan in Imperial hands.
battle, Bicocca
Explorer Ferdinand Magellan is killed by natives in the Philippines led by chief Lapu-Lapu. The Battle of Mactan was fought in the Philippines on April 27, 1521. The warriors of Lapu-Lapu, a native chieftain of Mactan Island, defeated Spanish forces under the command of Ferdinand Magellan, who was killed in the battle.
battle, Mactan
The Battle of Cerignola is fought. It is noted as the first battle in history won by small arms fire using gunpowder. The Battle of Cerignola was fought on April 28, 1503, between Spanish and French armies, in Cerignola, near Bari in Southern Italy. Spanish forces, under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, formed by 6,300 men, with more than 1,000 arquebusiers, and 20 cannon, defeated the French who had 6,000 men; mainly heavy gendarme cavalry and Swiss mercenary pikemen, with about 40 cannon, and led by Louis d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, who was killed.
battle, Cerignola
Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao. The Battle of Callao occurred on May 2, 1866 between a Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez and the fortified battery emplacements of the Peruvian port city of Callao during the Chincha Islands War. The Spanish fleet bombarded the port of Callao (or El Callao), and eventually withdrew without any notable damage to the city structures, according to the Peruvian and American sources; or after having silenced almost all the guns of the coastal defenses, according to the Spanish accounts and French observers.
battle, Callao
Two divisions of James B. McPherson's XVII Corps (ACW) turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton's defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign. The Battle of Raymond was fought on May 12, 1863, near Raymond, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. The bitter fight pitted elements of Union Army Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee against Confederate forces of Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton's Department of the Mississippi and East Louisiana. The Confederates failed to prevent the Federal troops from reaching the Southern Railroad and isolating Vicksburg, Mississippi, from reinforcement and resupply.
battle, Raymond, American Civil War
The Battle of Jackson takes place. The Battle of Jackson, fought on May 14, 1863, in Jackson, Mississippi, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign in the American Civil War. Union commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee defeated Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, seizing the city, cutting supply lines, and opening the path to the west and the Siege of Vicksburg.
battle, Jackson, American Civil War
May 26, 451
Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place. The Empire defeats the Armenians militarily but guarantees them freedom to openly practice Christianity. The Battle of Avarayr also known as Battle of Vartanantz, was fought on May 26, 451 on the Avarayr Plain in Vaspurakan, between the Armenian Army under Saint Vartan and their Sassanid rulers. Although the Persians were victorious on the battlefield itself, they had heavy casualties and, following subsequent uprisings and guerilla warfare, the Armenians were eventually guaranteed religious freedom.
battle, Avarayr
The Battle of Oulart Hill takes place in Wexford, Ireland. The Battle of Oulart Hill took place on 27 May 1798 when a rebel gathering of 1,000 annihilated a detachment of militia sent from Wexford town to stamp out the spreading rebellion in county Wexford.
battle, Oulart Hill, Ireland
France ensured the supremacy of its naval fleet for the remainder of the war with its victory in the Battle of Palermo. The naval Battle of Palermo took place on 2 June 1676 during the Franco-Dutch War, between a French force led by Abraham Duquesne and a Spanish force supported by a Dutch maritime expedition force. Largely because the Dutch and Spanish ships were at bay making repairs from earlier a battle, the French fleet destroyed four Spanish and three Dutch ships with fireships. This battle secured the supremacy of the French fleet for the remainder of the war.
naval battle, battle, Palermo, Franco-Dutch War
Union forces rout Confederate troops in Barbour County, Virginia, now West Virginia, in first land battle of the War. The Battle of Philippi, also known mockingly as "The Philippi Races", was fought on June 3, 1861, in and around Philippi, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Western Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first organized land action in the war (the impromptu Battle of Fairfax Court House took place two days earlier), but is often treated dismissively as a skirmish rather than a significant battle.
battle, Philippi, American Civil War
The Battle of Arica, assault and capture of Morro de Arica (Arica Cape), that ended the Campaña del Desierto (Desert Campaign). The Battle of Arica, also known as Assault and Capture of Arica Cape, was a battle in the War of the Pacific. It was fought on 7 June 1880, between the forces of Chile and Peru. After the Battle of Tacna, and the following Bolivian retirement of the war, Peru had to stand alone for the rest of the conflict. The need for a port near to the location of the army, in order to supply and reinforce the troops and evacuate wounded, made the Chilean command put its attention on the remaining Peruvian stronghold in the Tacna Department. The Chilean army, led by Colonel Pedro Lagos, launched a simultaneous assault from both sides, taking the defenses on a bayonet charge, and captured the Morro de Arica (English: Arica Cape) from the defending Peruvian troops under the command of Colonel Francisco Bolognesi in a last attack up the hill. In this fight the Peruvian Commander died along with several officers and more than 1,000 men.
battle, Arica, War of the Pacific
Confederate forces under General Stonewall Jackson save the Army of Northern Virginia from a Union assault on the James Peninsula led by General George B. McClellan. The Battle of Cross Keys was fought on June 8, 1862, in Rockingham County, Virginia, as part of Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War. Together, the battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic the following day were the decisive victories in Jackson's Valley Campaign, forcing the Union armies to retreat and leaving Jackson free to reinforce Gen. Robert E. Lee for the Seven Days Battles outside Richmond, Virginia.
battle, Cross Keys, American Civil War
Battle of Brandy Station, Virginia. The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest to take place ever on American soil. It was fought at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign by the Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton against Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's Confederate cavalry on June 9, 1863. Pleasonton launched a surprise dawn attack on Stuart's cavalry at Brandy Station, Virginia. After an all-day fight in which fortunes changed repeatedly, the Federals retired without discovering Gen. Robert E. Lee's infantry camped near Culpeper. This battle marked the end of the Confederate cavalry's lopsided dominance in the East. From this point in the war, the Federal cavalry gained strength and confidence.
battle, Brandy Station, American Civil War
Battle of Naseby – 12,000 Royalist forces are beaten by 15,000 Parliamentarian soldiers. The Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.
battle, Naseby, English Civil War
The British Army defeats Irish rebels at the Battle of Vinegar Hill. The Battle of Vinegar Hill was an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 when over 15,000 British soldiers launched an attack on Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy, County Wexford, the largest camp and headquarters of the Wexford United Irish rebels. It marked a turning point in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, as it was the last attempt by the rebels to hold and defend ground against the British military. The battle was actually fought in two locations: on Vinegar Hill itself and in the streets of nearby Enniscorthy.
Irish Rebellion of 1798, battle, Vinegar Hill
3,000 British troops under Robert Clive defeat a 50,000 strong Indian army under Siraj Ud Daulah at Plassey. The Battle of Plassey, 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years. The battle took place at Palashi, Bengal (Plassey is the anglicised version of Palashi), on the river banks of the Bhagirathi River, about 150 km north of Calcutta, near Murshidabad, then capital of undivided Bengal. The belligerents were Siraj-ud-daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and the British East India Company.
battle, Plassey
The Battle of Sullivan's Island ends with the first decisive victory in the American Revolutionary War leading to the commemoration of Carolina Day. The Battle of Sullivan's Island or the Battle of Fort Sullivan was fought on June 28, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence. It took place near Charleston, South Carolina, during the first British attempt to capture the city from American rebels. It is also sometimes referred to as the First Siege of Charleston, owing to a more successful British siege in 1780.
battle, Fort Sullivan, American Revolutionary War
Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi. The Battle of Inab, also called Battle of Ard al-Hâtim or Fons Muratus, was fought on June 29, 1149, during the Second Crusade. The Syrian army of Nur ad-Din Zangi destroyed the Crusader army of Raymond of Antioch and the allied followers of Ali ibn-Wafa.
battle, Inab
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the First English Civil War of 1642–1646. The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven and the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince Rupert of the Rhine and the Marquess of Newcastle.
battle, Marston Moor
July 6, 371 BC
The Battle of Leuctra, where Epaminondas defeats Cleombrotus I, takes place. The Battle of Leuctra (or Leuktra) was a battle fought on July 6, 371 BC, between the Boeotians led by Thebans and the Spartans along with their allies amidst the post-Corinthian War conflict. The battle took place in the neighbourhood of Leuctra, a village in Boeotia in the territory of Thespiae. Theban victory shattered Sparta’s immense influence over the Greek peninsula which Sparta had gained since its victory in the Peloponnesian War.
battle, Leuctra
Military activities of the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century
The Livonian Order suffers its greatest defeat in the 13th century in the Battle of Durbe against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Battle of Durbe was a medieval battle fought near Durbe, 23 km east of Liepāja, in present-day Latvia during the Livonian Crusade. On 13 July 1260 the Samogitians soundly defeated the joint forces of the Teutonic Knights from Prussia and Livonian Order from Livonia. 150 knights were killed including Livonian Master Burchard von Hornhausen and Prussian Land Marshal Henrik Botel. It was by far the largest defeat of the knights in the 13th century: in the second-largest Battle of Aizkraukle 71 knights were killed. The battle inspired the Great Prussian Uprising (ended in 1274), rebellion of the Semigallians (surrendered in 1290) and the Couronians (surrendered in 1267). The battle undid some 20 years of Livonian conquest and it took some thirty years for the Livonian Order to restore its control.
battle, Durbe, Livonian Order, Teutonic Knights
Novgorodian army led by Alexander Nevsky defeats the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva. The Battle of the Neva was fought between the Novgorod Republic and Swedish armies on the Neva River, near the settlement of Ust-Izhora, on July 15, 1240. The purpose of the Swedish invasion was probably to gain control over the mouth of the Neva and the city of Ladoga and, hence, seize the most important part of the Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks, which had been under Novgorod's control for more than a hundred years. The battle was part of the medieval Swedish-Novgorodian Wars.
Swedish-Novgorodian Wars, battle, Neva
Battle of Lissa – The Austrian Navy , led by Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, defeats the Italian Navy near the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea. The Battle of Lissa (sometimes called Battle of Vis) took place on 20 July 1866 in the Adriatic Sea near the Dalmatian island of Lissa ("Vis" in Croatian) and was a decisive victory for an outnumbered Austrian Empire force over a superior Italian force. It was the first major sea battle between ironclads and one of the last to involve deliberate ramming. The Italian navy fired roughly 1450 shots during the engagement, but failed to do any serious damage to an Austrian ship while losing two battleships. One of the main reasons of this bad performance was due to internal rivalry between the Italian fleet commanders: for example, Italian Vice Admiral Albini, with his group of ships, never participated in the battle. The engagement was made of several small battles: the main was between seven Austrian and four Italian ironclads and showed the ability of Tegetthoff to divide the bigger opponent and destroy the surrounded ironclads left alone.
naval battle, battle, Lissa, Austro-Prussian War
Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his vassals Henry III of England and Hugh X of Lusignan. There were three military confrontations called the Battle of Taillebourg, site of strategic importance on the route between Northern and Southern France, via the bridge built over the Charente River. The first one was that which saw the victory of Charlemagne, in 808, over the Saracens. The second, most significant and best-known was the battle between the Capetian troops of the king of France, Louis IX, known as ‘Saint Louis’, allied with those of his brother the Count of Poitiers, Alphonse and the rebel followers of Hugh X of Lusignan and Henry III of England, in 1242. The third and minor battle took place during the Hundred Years' War, on 8 April 1351 and was notable mainly for the attempt of the French commander, Guy de Nesle, Marshal of France, to counter the English infantry tactics by dismounting the majority of his knights, while reserving two groups on horseback for flanking attacks. The tactic was a failure and de Nesle was captured by the English, only to be ransomed subsequently.
battle, Taillebourg
Battle of Dornach – The Swiss decisively defeat the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I. The Battle of Dornach was a battle fought on 22 July 1499 between the troops of Emperor Maximilian I and the Old Swiss Confederacy close to the Swiss village of Dornach. The battle turned into a decisive defeat for Maximilian, and concluded the Swabian War between the Swiss and the Swabian League: it amounted to de-facto independence of Switzerland from the Holy Roman Empire, acknowledged by Maximilian in the Treaty of Basel on 22 September (the independence was however not formally recognized until the Peace of Westphalia of 1648).
battle, Dornach
Harlaw Monument
Battle of Harlaw, one of the bloodiest battles in Scotland, takes place. The Battle of Harlaw was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland against those from the west coast. The battle was fought to resolve competing claims to the Earldom of Ross, a large region of northern Scotland. Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, had taken control of the earldom as guardian of his niece Euphemia Leslie. This claim was contested by Donald, Lord of the Isles, who had married Euphemia's aunt Mariota. Donald invaded Ross with the intention of seizing the earldom by force. First he defeated a large force of Mackays at the Battle of Dingwall. He captured Dingwall Castle and then advanced on Aberdeen with 10,000 clansmen. Near Inverurie he was met by 1,000–2,000 of the local Gentry, many in armour, hastily assembled by the Earl of Mar. After a day of fierce fighting there was no clear victor; Donald had lost 900 men before retreating back to the Western Isles, and Mar had lost 500. The latter could claim a strategic victory in that Aberdeen was saved, and within a year Albany had recaptured Ross and forced Donald to surrender. However Mariota was later awarded the earldom of Ross in 1424 and the Lordship of the Isles would keep the title for much of the 15th century. The ferocity of the battle gave it the nickname "Red Harlaw". It is commemorated by a 40 foot (12 m) high memorial on the battlefield near the town of Inverurie, supposedly by the church at Chapel of Garioch, and by ballads and music.
battle, Harlaw
Philip II of France defeats John of England. The Battle of Bouvines, 27 July 1214, was a conclusive medieval battle ending the twelve year old Angevin-Flanders War that was important to the early development of both the French state by confirming the French crown's sovereignty over the Angevin lands of Brittany and Normandy. Philip Augustus of France defeated an army consisting of Imperial, English and Flemish soldiers, led by Otto IV of Germany. Other leaders included count Ferrand of Flanders, William de Longespee and Renaud of Boulogne. The defeat was so decisive that Otto was deposed and replaced by Frederick II Hohenstaufen, Ferrand and Renaud were captured and imprisoned and King John of England was forced to seal the Magna Carta by his discontented barons. Philip was himself able to take undisputed control of most continental territories of John of England, Otto's maternal uncle and ally.
battle, Bouvines
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All posts tagged Decca
Album Release Dates – What’s That All About?
Posted by thoughtsofjustafan on 3rd November 2014
Posted in: Alfie Boe, Classical, Music. Tagged: album, Alfie Boe, Barcelona, Decca, Katherine Jenkins, Luna Malinconia, Michael Ball, Morgan Pochin, Serenata.
With two weeks left until Alfie Boe’s new album, Serenata, is released, I thought it would be a good time to look at how record labels choose when to release an album. This is particularly pertinent for Alfie Boe fans as we all got very excited when Amazon and iTunes listed Serenata as being released a week earlier than the original date, 17th November. Unfortunately, that was a false start as a few weeks later, the album was back to it’s original release date. Officially, there is no reason for this; it’s just the way things turned out.
Of course, when I started looking into the subject, it turned out to be a lot more complicated than you might think – as does pretty much everything! Record labels exist to sell records, pure and simple and so attaining a good chart position and decent sales are the be all and end all of making an album. Excellent quality records are great but if they don’t sell enough to pay the bills they aren’t going to keep the artist on the Christmas card list.
Looking at Alfie’s previous albums with Decca, this will be the fourth to be released in the run up to Christmas (Bring Him Home was released just after Christmas) and they have all sold well in that time frame, so a good decision to go for that again. All have achieved top ten status in the official album charts in the first week and have continued to sell well. Amazon currently lists all Alfie’s Decca albums in their top 100 album bestsellers.
Social media and fan forums have seen a fair amount of concern that Serenata is due to be released on the same day as albums by Katherine Jenkins and Michael Ball. Although most of Katherine’s previous albums have hit number 1 on the classical charts, they have not had the same degree of success on the official “normal” charts, although they have usually achieved top ten status. Michael’s first album hit number 1 on the official chart and since then, he has consistently achieved the top twenty. At first glance they might be seen to be playing to the same audience but a look at the numbers doesn’t necessarily bear that out.
Alfie’s Decca albums, all released in similar time frames to Katherine and Michael, have all achieved top ten status and with his much anticipated and talked about return to a more classical style, there is no reason to think that this year’s sales should be any different. In fact, it could be said that releasing Serenata on the same day as Katherine’s Home Sweet Home will work to Alfie’s advantage as he is guesting on that album – let’s face it, once everyone listens to Barcelona on Home Sweet Home they will instantly want to hear more and buy Serenata as well!
On the same topic, in 2013 there were murmurs of disgruntlement from Alfie fans when Trust was released on the same day as Gary Barlow’s album. Trust still achieved the top ten in that first week so it didn’t seem to hurt and, much as it may hurt to admit, Gary Barlow has a much bigger fan base than Alfie and appeals to a much wider audience. In reality, releasing on the same day as a mega artist like Barlow really makes little or no difference to Alfie’s sales.
As fans, if we want to boost #AlfieBoeSerenata in the run up to the album release and the #AlfieBoeUKTour the way to do it is to shout about it as much as we can on our social media platform of choice – use the hashtags in everything you tweet about Alfie and retweet everything else you see. If possible, get Alfie to retweet as well (alright, I know I’m asking a lot here, but it’s not impossible!) and let’s get him trending.
Bombard your local radio stations, as well as ClassicFM, BBC Radio 2 and any other stations you can think of, to play Alfie – don’t forget the hashtag #AlfieBoeSerenata! A huge number of people listen to their local radio station each week which is why Alfie does a lot of promo appearances and linked interviews with them.
Hope you enjoyed finding out a bit about why record labels choose to release albums when they do – if you did, just let me know in the comments box and please share!
In anticipation, let’s take a look at Volare:
Serenata can be pre-ordered below:
thank you for reading and sharing!
subscribe in the next week and get a sneak preview of the exclusive Morgan Pochin interview!
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Meet Katherine Jenkins
Posted by thoughtsofjustafan on 24th July 2014
Posted in: Alfie Boe, Music. Tagged: Alfie Boe, Barcelona, classic FM, Decca, Edinburgh castle concert, Home Sweet Home, Katherine Jenkins, Laura Wright, Royal academy of Music, Royal College of Music.
On the face of it, it’s a wonder that Alfie Boe and Katherine Jenkins haven’t collaborated more. Both are from distinctly non traditional classical backgrounds, he from Fleetwood, Lancashire and she from Neath, South Wales. They even both won scholarships to distinguished music colleges (Royal College of Music and Royal Academy of Music, respectively) although their route to these life changing opportunities were markedly different. However, it is their choices taken after graduating that may indicate the reason as to why their forthcoming duet on Katherine’s new album is only their second collaboration (they previously performed together at a John Barry tribute in 2011).
After graduating, Alfie began performing in opera houses around the world, taking the more traditional route of trained opera singers, whilst Katherine signed the biggest recording deal in classical music (at the time) at the age of 23. Hit album after hit album for her label, Decca, followed and although she was often asked about venturing onto the stage in an operatic role, that has never really been part of the plan.
Katherine Jenkins was born in 1980 and began singing as a child, appearing in the Choirgirl of the Year competition and the BBC radio 2 Welsh Choirgirl of the Year (winning twice). She was also a member of the Royal School of Church Music Cathedral Singers and the National Youth Choir of Wakes. A performance at a mass honouring the Pope’s silver jubilee at Westminster Cathedral followed her graduation from the Royal Academy of Music and she also supported Aled Jones on tour, before performing at the Sydney Opera House as a special guest of Max Boyce. Since then, in between releasing her albums, and appearing on Dancing with the Stars on US TV (she came second) she has also been the Forces Sweetheart, only last month appearing at the D Day 70th anniversary commemorations at the Royal Albert Hall. As I write this, I’m struck by the thought that maybe this early career trajectory is also in the minds of those masterminding soprano Laura Wright’s career. Laura is also signed to Decca, has a couple of hit albums to her name and also appeared at those D Day commemorations, albeit in France in the morning and not at the Royal Albert Hall in the evening.
Katherine is now back with the label that started it all, Decca, after an ill-fated detour with Warner Bros. I’m guessing the title of her new album, 10 years after her first signing, Home Sweet Home, is about more than just returning to a more traditional classical repertoire.
Perhaps we will see more of Katherine and Alfie together in the future, given that they have duetted on Barcelona. Certainly, their PR machines seem to be working in accordance; tracks from both albums were played by John Suchet on his ClassicFM radio show recently, both have CD and calendar bundles available from Decca and both albums are due for release on the same day, 17th November. Click here to pre-order Alfie Boe’s Serenata and Katherine Jenkins’ Home Sweet Home.
Let’s take another look at Barcelona, from the Edinburgh Castle concert last weekend:
for more info about Katherine, click here for her website:
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Alfie Boe Guests on Katherine Jenkins New Album
Posted in: Alfie Boe, Classical, Music. Tagged: Alfie Boe, Barcelona, Best Duet, Decca, Katherine Jenkins, Laura Wright, new album, Serenata.
Earlier in the year, Alfie Boe fans were thrilled to discover that he was recording a song for a Decca label mate’s next album. Speculation was rife as to the artist in question and the song they would sing together…now I’m happy to say that I was right and Alfie will be appearing on Katherine Jenkins’ new album, Home Sweet Home. The song is Barcelona, so memorably performed with Laura Wright at the Freddie for a Day evening last year. This version made the top 5 f the recent Alfie Boe’s Best Ever Duet poll so no pressure for this version then!
Click on the album cover below to order through the thoughtsofjustafan Amazon store:
Alfie fans were spoilt when the album was released as it was released on the same day Serenata. Serenata is also available for to buy, so if you haven’t yet done so, click on the album cover below:
Great to see Alfie duetting with Katherine on her new album, they have sung together before, although this will be with first time on an album. The previous occasion was at the Classic Brits in 2011 when they teamed up for a John Barry tribute and again at Edinburgh Castle in advance of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (just don’t ask Alfie what Commonwealth sports he likes!):
What Does a Music Manager Do?
Posted by thoughtsofjustafan on 25th June 2014
Posted in: Alfie Boe, Music. Tagged: Alfie Boe, Brilliant Management, Decca, music industry, Neil Ferris.
For Alfie Boe fans, this is a hot topic at the moment; Alfie and his management company, Brilliant! have gone their separate ways and we are waiting to find out who the new manager will be. Although Alfie and Neil (Ferris) have had a great working relationship for the past eight years and we will be sad to see him go, it will be interesting to see what the new management does.
In a recent blog, I asked you for your questions for the new manager and the areas of concern seem largely to be based on fans location: US fans would generally like to know more about promotional opportunities there while fans elsewhere have a wider range of questions. Watch this space for a more detailed analysis.
In the meantime, this seems a perfect opportunity to ask what a music manager actually does.
So, the role of a music manager is basically to bring together the people and projects which meet the goals of the artist and their record company. That could be anything from generating a top 10 hit or booking gigs. In whatever you do, you need to be organised, have excellent people skills and a good understanding of the modern music industry as you have to co-ordinate all aspects of the project, work with individuals and organisations such as event promoters, publicity agents and talent-booking agencies – as well as the artists and record labels you represent. The manager is responsible for ensuring that the various projects run smoothly and deadlines are met. At all times, the end target and goals must be kept in mind as each individual party will only be worried about their allotted task. The manager will have to bring all the loose threads together in order to make sure the artist’s needs are met.
If the artist is signed to a record label, the manager needs to keep in mind what the label wants to achieve for the musician. In order to achieve success, the manager needs to have a thorough understanding of the field that the artist represents. When Neil first became Alfie’s manager, he didn’t know much about opera (the field in which Alfie was then working) and he and Alfie embarked on a quick learning curve. However, Neil had worked in the music industry for a long time, has great contacts and was thoroughly conversant with the way record labels work. Having said that, there were still huge struggles to get Alfie signed to a record label after his EMI contract fell through. It took the phenomenal success of the Les Mis 25th anniversary concert to get Alfie noticed and signed by Decca.
Just in case you were wondering, I did ask Neil for an interview about this very subject but he declined (whilst sending his thanks for all the good wishes sent his way). Hope this sheds some light on the role of a music manager and look out for your questions for the new manager…”soon”.
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Microsoft Releases Updated Threat Modeling Tool 2014Previous article
Crypto Examination Awaits in Phase Two of TrueCrypt AuditNext article
Financial Services Companies Facing Varied Threat Landscape
Financial services organizations must contend with not only advanced hackers, but also common malware attacks, panelists said at the Kaspersky Lab Cyber Security Summit.
SAN FRANCISCO — Many of the stories about attacks on banks, payment processors and other portions of the financial services system around the world depict these intrusions as highly sophisticated operations conducted by top-level crews. However, the majority of the attacks these companies see aren’t much more advanced than a typical malware attack, experts say.
“About two thirds of the attacks on our merchant community are low to moderate complexity,” Ellen Richey, executive vice president and chief enterprise risk officer at Visa, said during a panel discussion on threats to the financial services industry at the Kaspersky Lab Cyber Security Summit here Tuesday.
The last couple of years have been tough on banks and other financial services companies when it comes to security. Many of the larger banks in the United States and elsewhere have been the targets of massive DDoS attacks for more than a year now, with many of these attacks being attributed to hacktivist groups. These banks, of course, always are targets for cybercrime gangs looking for some quick money. But Richey and the other panelists said that while they certainly see attacks against their networks from determined, skilled attackers, a great deal of what they see every day is pretty mundane.
Attackers looking for a nice pay day often won’t target a bank directly, but will hit a partner or supplier the bank uses and go from there.
That strategy isn’t new, but it’s proven to be effective.
“People aren’t going to go after hard targets, because it exposes them,” said Steve Adegbite, senior vice president of enterprise information security program oversight and strategy organization at Wells Fargo & Co. “They go after the lower level merchants and walk up the chain from there.”
While figuring out who is attacking an organization can be an intriguing exercise, Adegbite said that in a lot of cases it doesn’t matter much who is doing what. The end result of a successful attack is the same: a disruption to the business.
“Within financial services, it’s about customer service and keeping things running and keeping the lights on. When I go in there after the fact and strip everything down, whether it’s a nation state or a kid in his basement, it’s forcing us to deal with an incident.”
Richey said that Visa, with its massive network of merchants and huge profile around the globe, sees all shapes and sizes of attacks, but has seen a big jump in the number of DDoS attacks in recent years.
“The piece we’re seeing in the last two to three years is denial of service attacks. It’s primarily hacktivists,” she said. “The industry has amped up its defenses to deal with it.”
That increase in defenses has occurred across the financial services industry, but as well-funded and sophisticated as the security teams in these companies are, they can’t go it alone. Adegbite said that he and the Wells Fargo security team collaborate with as many people and organizations as they can when it comes to defending their networks.
“Cybersecurity is a team sport. The amount of things we’re dealing with, we can’t handle it all ourselves,” he said. “We form a community of defenders all the way through.”
TRISIS Group, Known for Physical Destruction, Targets U.S. Electric Companies
XENOTIME, a destructive APT linked to Russia, has broadened its target set beyond Middle East oil and gas.
ThreatList: Bad Bots Account for a Fifth of All Web Traffic, FinServ Hit the Worst
The financial services industry sees nearly half of all website traffic coming from malicious bots.
RSA Conference 2019: How to Be Better, on Trust, AI and IoT
Tuesday’s keynotes kicking off RSA tackled both light and dark visions of the future, the imperative to become obsessed with trust, IoT and AI, and they even featured Helen Mirren and a flash mob.
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Governor Haslam, Commissioner Boyd Announce Wonderful Group to Build First US Manufacturing Facility in Lebanon
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd along with Wonderful Group officials announced today the company has selected Lebanon as the site of its first U.S. operations.
In an effort to expand its presence in the world market, Wonderful Group will invest $150 million in the Lebanon facility and create 220 new jobs in Wilson County.
“We want to welcome Wonderful Group to Tennessee and thank the company for choosing our state as the location for its first U.S. operations,” Haslam said. “Tennessee competes on a global level and when a company decides to expand its business here it speaks volumes to our business-friendly environment and skilled workforce. Companies can choose to do business anywhere in the world, and today’s announcement is another step toward making Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”
“This is great news not only for Lebanon and Wilson County, but for the entire state. Wonderful Group’s commitment represents the largest capital investment made by a Chinese-based project in the state’s history,” Boyd said. “We are honored that Tennessee will be home to Wonderful Group’s first manufacturing facility in the country, and I look forward to building a strong relationship with the company in the years to come.”
“We are pleased and proud to invest in the city of Lebanon and Middle Tennessee,” Wonderful Group CEO Jianping Huang said. “With our U.S. based management team, we will expand our broad existing manufacturing footprint internationally to produce high quality porcelain tile. We appreciate the support received from the state, county and city and look forward to bringing more jobs in the ceramic tile industry to Tennessee.”
The Lebanon manufacturing facility will be located in the Cherry Farm Industrial Site. Construction on the 500,000 square foot plant is currently underway and is expected to be operational in late 2016.
“On behalf of the citizens of Lebanon, it is my privilege to welcome Wonderful Group to our city,” Lebanon Mayor Philip Craighead said. “We are very pleased that they have chosen Lebanon as their U.S. production facility. We believe that this is further confirmation of Lebanon’s progressive and growing city which offers opportunities for their success and future growth.”
“It is an exciting time when Wilson County has the opportunity to welcome such an internationally known leader in the tile industry to our community,” Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto said. “Our county works hard to bring quality investments and employment opportunities to our citizens and we are blessed to have this opportunity today. I want to thank Wonderful Group along with our local, state and regional partners that made this happen.”
“I welcome Wonderful Group to the community. Their decision is further confirmation of the many economic and lifestyle advantages of the community,” G. C. Hixson, executive director of the Joint Economic Development Agency, said. “This announcement would not have been possible without the work of our economic partners which include the Wilson County Commission, the city of Lebanon, the state of Tennessee and the Tennessee Valley Authority.”
“TVA and Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation congratulate Wonderful Group on its plans to locate and create more than 200 new jobs in Lebanon,” TVA Senior Vice President of Economic Development John Bradley said. “We are pleased to partner with the state of Tennessee, the Joint Economic and Community Development Board of Wilson County, city of Lebanon and Wilson County officials to facilitate Wonderful Group’s location decision.”
Lebanon and Wilson County are represented by Sen. Mae Beavers (R – Mt Juliet), Rep. Mark Pody (R – Lebanon) and Rep. Susan Lynn (R – Mt Juliet) in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Tennessee was named 2014 and 2013 “State of the Year” for economic development by Business Facilities magazine. The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.
Governor Haslam, Commissioner Boyd Announce Orgill, Inc. to Build New World Headquarters in Shelby County
November 5,2015
Hearthstone, Inc. Expanding in Cocke County
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Myanmar’s New Government: The Challenges Ahead
Priscilla A. Clapp
Senior Advisor, United States Institute of Peace
Derek J. Mitchell
Former U.S. Ambassador, U.S. Embassy - Yangon
Presiders
General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations
Priscilla A. Clapp, former U.S. chief of mission to Myanmar (1999-2002), and Derek J. Mitchell, former U.S. ambassador to Myanmar (2012-2016), discussed the country's new government and the challenges it faces in securing the transition to democracy. The speakers reflected on recent changes in Myanmar since the November 2015 election.
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Tag: pigs
The Young cannibal: PIGSTY (Italian: PORCILE), Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1969
On April 28, 2019 April 22, 2019 By coloursofbyronIn Cannibal filmsLeave a comment
Pasolini’s films were usually brilliant, but rarely easy to watch. They were not designed as entertainment, but to make a point, usually political, and even then don’t ever go straight to it, but leave it up to the viewer to interpret. Some of his films were extremely graphic – his final film, Salo, was based on de Sade and was particularly difficult to watch. He was murdered soon after that one was released, so who knows what might have come next?
The opening credits roll over some very cute pigs in a sty, although they are not a major part of the rest of the movie, until the end. I guess for Pasolini they represent the European bourgeoisie, which I think is appallingly offensive. To the pigs.
Two separate stories are being told, interwoven. Segments of one are followed by the other, or sometimes the same one again. One story is set in 1967 and is about a German industrialist who looks a lot like Hitler, his son Julian, described by his mother as a “Mannerist San Sebastian”, and his radical fiancée Ida who joins protests to piss on the Berlin wall.
Julian will not go with her to the wall, nor even kiss her – he becomes catatonic after telling her that he has another love. Turns out to be the pigs in the porcile (sty). He prefers them to the hedonistic existence of his father who makes an alliance with an old rival, Herr Herdhitzel, even though he knows of that rival’s involvement in the Holocaust, and could destroy him.
The locals arrive to tell of Julian’s fate, eaten by the pigs. Like Sebastian in Suddenly Last Summer, Julian is eaten by those he loved, or lusted after, or ate.
But the industrialist doesn’t want to spoil the celebrations, and tells the locals:
The other is set sometime in the middle ages (judging by the weapons and armour) and in a volcanic waste-land. A young man, called only “the young cannibal”, wanders around catching and eating whatever he can find, including lone soldiers.
He joins up with other brigands who wander the smoking hills catching, killing and eating, throwing their victims heads into the volcano. When he is caught and prepares to be executed, tied down to four wooden stakes and left for the wild dogs to tear to pieces, he utters the words for which the film is most famous:
The young cannibal is a mirror image of Christ, killing his father instead of being killed, tied to the ground instead of raised on a cross, quivering with joy instead of asking why he has been forsaken. For Nietzsche, God is dead. For Pasolini, we have eaten him.
Cannibalism is usually defined as the eating of human flesh by humans. There are a lot of grey areas (and pink ones when pigs are involved). We eat them, they eat us, we eat each other. It’s about greed and power, and is the same whoever is eating or being eaten. Julian’s father sums it up:
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The Cutaway
A Dubai-based film/television/streaming website with interviews, reviews and more.
William Mullally September 1, 2018 Interviews, Television, Uncategorized
How 50 Cent got Kendrick Lamar to make his acting debut
I’m on the phone with 50 Cent, and he sounds like a proud papa. Kendrick Lamar, the chart-topper, Pulitzer Prize winner, and reigning greatest rapper alive just made his acting debut on 50 Cent’s show Power, and fans and critics alike were enraptured.
“When was the last time you’ve seen someone perform as a guest and get that kind of response? It was a huge response,” he repeats three or four times throughout our conversation.
“I’m just a supporting voice behind everyone else. It’s obvious,” 50 says.
How did this happen in the first place? It was Kendrick—who has been a fan of the show since the beginning.
“This has been for over four years. He liked the show from season one. And he was like, ‘yo, we’ve gotta do something!’
In 2012, when Kendrick Lamar was 25 and had already released a series of acclaimed mixtapes and his debut Section.80, ‘K-Dot’ signed with Interscope and Aftermath Records, the latter founded by Dr. Dre and launched the careers of 50 Cent, The Game and Eminem. That year, Lamar released his breakthrough, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City on the label, and it was at that time that 50 Cent and he first met.
“Kendrick’s career in music and his success is with Interscope. My entire run has been with Interscope. There’s no one in his career as far as executives are concerned behind the scenes that weren’t involved in 50 Cent’s career,” 50 says.
It was because of that connection that the two developed trust between them.
“We built a relationship over time where he could ask questions and say something to me and know that there’s nothing political or nothing that’s holding back my actual answer. I’m just going to say exactly what it is and everybody is already familiar with everybody. It was a close enough relationship with me and Kendrick and the label that Kendrick’s on where we talked about making it happen and we finally got around to it, we finally got it done,” 50 says.
Kendrick played Laces, a homeless addict who forms a quick connection with the once crime kingpin Kanan, played by 50 Cent. 50 wanted to be sure that when Kendrick came on the show, they worked directly together, because “it would be comfortable for him to do it with me in a scene,” he says.
“The way that Kendrick’s character was developed was a really smart guy that would require medication. He’s saying intelligent things because he’s supposed to be on medication but he’s getting high instead of using the medicine he should be using. It’s got him all over the place, you know what I mean? He picked a complex character for the first thing he wanted to do” he says.
Kendrick’s delivery as an actor has much the same effect as his music.
“When Ken says something to you, you internalize it, and you listen to it for a second, it stops you from doing what you’re doing, you know?” 50 Cent says.
50 Cent was struck by Kendrick’s professionalism.
“Even the days that he spent on set as a performer, we had a good time. He already was really well prepared. Not thinking words, thinking about the performance, because he’d done the work prior to,” he says.
“Will you bring him on again?”
“You’ve got to. You have to bring him back. When he does that well, you’ve got to bring him back baby!” 50 Cent laughs.
“In that scene when you raised the gun to Kendrick’s head, I screamed no! We need more!”
50 Cent laughs heartily.
“No! What you doing, fool! Don’t shoot him, fool, this is good!” he mocks me, giggling.
But this wasn’t the first time 50 Cent tried to get one of his friends in the music industry on the show. 50 Cent had previously pressed for Monica, the 90s R&B sensation, to join the cast of the show as Laverne ‘Jukebox’ Garner, which he wasn’t able to make happen, he tells me.
“I was going to do something with Monica, but Anika Noni Rose ended up freeing up. And she came in and she played the Jukebox role but we were actually considering talking to Monica about doing that. Me personally, I was in communication with her about playing it because I knew she could have played that role in a whole other way,” he says.
“A lot of times in music you become your hit song. Monica is like ‘The Boy is Mine’ but there’s a lot more depth to her there.”
Power airs exclusively on the Middle East on Starz Play Arabia
Posted in Interviews, Television, Uncategorized and tagged 50 cent, anika noni rose, interscope, kanan, kendrick lamar, monica, power, pulitzer prize, starz, starz play, starz play arabia, the boy is mine. Bookmark the permalink.
Jerry Ferrara on Power: ‘We have to kill this’
With Maniac, Cary Fukunaga worked to increase Asian representation
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Tag Archives: Ecology
Animals or antediluvian monstrosities?
The famous painting Duria Antiquior, by the Victorian geologist Henry De la Beche, is acknowledged as being the first piece of palaeoart, ie. depiction of prehistoric life based upon fossil evidence. Because of this it’s palaeontologically important, but it’s also pretty awesome in itself as a picture, with various marine creatures eating one another as pterosaurs swoop overhead, and even a rare depiction of a pooing plesiosaur. There is in fact so much awesomeness going on that you’d struggle to find room to swing a cat (or whatever the Mesozoic equivalent is-perhaps Pakasuchus?) anywhere in the crowded landscape. While a great picture, it doesn’t actually do a very good job of illustrating what a Mesozoic seascape would have looked like, instead depicting various monsters doing battle.
The smiley ichthyosaurs make it all look so jolly.
This brings us to the theme of this blog post: the temptation to ‘mythologise’ prehistoric animals and the world in which they lived. Duria Antiquior was painted in 1830, and obviously palaeontological understanding has come a long way since then. Equally, the depiction of overcrowded, overdramatised scenes in palaeoart is fair enough. No-one would be interested in a Mesozoic seascape if it depicted an empty ocean with something that might or might not be the silhouette of an ichthyosaur in the murky distance. But this popular view of the prehistoric world as a planet populated by antediluvian monstrosities does still sometimes colour the way that people try to understand it.
One of the fundamental tools available to palaeontologists to help them understand extinct animals is information from animals that are alive today. To understand how a dinosaur’s moved they would look at the principles that govern movement in modern animals, rather than making up special rules for dinosaurs. Sometimes, however, palaeontologists give in to the temptation to treat prehistoric life specially.
Azhdarchid pterosaurs were a group of large, long-necked pterosaurs from the Cretaceous, including the famous (for a pterosaur anyway) Quetzalcoatlus. Their shape has led some to suggest that they fed like modern ground hornbills, hunting on the ground with their enormous beaks (see picture). One argument (among a number) put forward against this hypothesis is that any azhdarchid that landed on the ground to feed during the Cretaceous would be immediately torn apart by voracious theropods.
Admittedly hornbills don’t eat sauropods.
But would this actually be the case? Darren Naish (a proponent of the hornbill-esque feeding idea) points out in a recent blog post that it probably wouldn’t be. Notwithstanding that the size of these pterosaurs offered protection in itself, there’s no reason to think that every inch of the Cretaceous landscape was being constantly monitored by hungry tyrannosaurs. Taking the modern African savannah as an example; it’s not like every animal that summons up the courage to peek around the side of a baobab tree is instantly ripped to shreds by lions. To suggest that azhdarchids could never have been safe seems a bit like mythologising the Cretaceous environment and its predators.
It’s not just predators that have been ascribed ‘special rules’. Amongst ornithodirans (pterosaurs and dinosaurs) are found a amazing array of crests and weird head ornaments (eg. hadrosaurs in picture below), and a number of suggestions have been put forward for why these evolved. One of the most prominent has been that of ‘interspecific recognition’, where they helped animals to identify mates of the same species. This hasn’t been conclusively demonstrated to be the reason for ornaments in any animals alive today, but proponents of this idea claim that dinosaurs represent a special case.
I like to think that this is what the album cover for a hadrosaur boy band would look like.
A counter-explanation put forward has been that of mutual sexual selection, where the crests have been selected for (in both genders) to aid attracting a mate (a more in depth discussion of which is found here). In modern taxa this often seems to be the explanation for such ornaments, and so seems to me to be the more likely hypothesis for those in dinosaurs: there is no need to invoke ‘special rules’ for extinct animals. To do so is just another example of (inadvertently) mythologising them and their ecology.
It is true that there are cases where we can’t treat extinct taxa by the same rules as living ones because we have no living analogues to tell us what the rules are. Enormous bipedal carnivores and giant fully aquatic reptiles are examples. However, this doesn’t mean we ought to believe that widely applicable principles that we know from modern ecology wouldn’t apply for no reason other than that the animals in question were extinct. If palaeontologists were studying the function of these animals’ bones they would prefer modern analogues to ‘special rules’, there’s no reason why the same approach shouldn’t be taken to inferring their ecology.
In the two examples I’ve given here, accusing the palaeontologists in question of viewing extinct animals as ‘antediluvian monstrosities’ is an exaggeration. I do think however that they serve as examples of people applying ‘special rules’ to the ecology of extinct groups just because they’re, well, extinct. In depictions such as Duria Antiquior such mythologising is both harmless and useful, and sometimes aspects of prehistoric life appear to have no direct modern analogues. But to view them as anything more than animals in a world governed by the same ‘natural laws’ as those today just gets in the way of understanding these fascinating creatures.
Posted in General Musings, Richard Tagged Azhdarchids, Boy bands, dinosaur, Duria Antiquior, Ecology, Mesozoic, Pakasuchus, paleontology, sexual selection Leave a comment
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Final rehearsals for Lincoln’s Olympic dance troupe
10:29 am This story is over
Final preparations are underway for the Olympic Torch celebrations in Lincoln and a local dance production has been rehearsing for one last time.
One World‘s 100 strong line-up of dancers and gymnasts is tasked with opening and closing the evening procession at Yarborough Sports Ground on June 27.
Commissioned by Lincoln Drill Hall, One World will perform to an audience of around 10,000 people. Here is a taster of their programme.
Composer and producer for the group, Lee Gretton, is leading the One World production – which the people of Lincoln got a taster of in May with a flash mob in the city centre.
Lee travelled around the country working as a touring musician in his early twenties, but he says he fell in love with Lincoln and decided to settle here ten years ago.
His previous work was for BBC Radio 1, Sky Sports, MTV and ITV1.
The son of a composer and an expert in musical production, Lee has choreographed a variety of creative dance pieces through his Lincoln-based company called In Production Music.
This event will be the first professional outing for One World and will be filmed for, and screened on, the In Production website.
Everything you need to know about the Lincoln Olympic Torch Relay
Photo, video: Simon Burgess
New patisserie opens on Lincoln High Street
Lincoln Lawyer: Farm subsidies – Will farmers need to be more ‘green’?
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Game (disambiguation)
Games (New Kids on the Block song)
Games (seaQuest DSV)
Initiative (role-playing games)
Washington Initiative 502
Initiative 200
A game is a recreational activity with a set of rules.
Game or games may also refer to:
Game (food), any non-domesticated animal hunted for food or sport
Game (dog), a quality of fighting dogs that are selectively bred and trained to fight
In arts and entertainment
Game (2002 film), a Tamil film of 2002
Game (2003 film), a Japanese film
Game (2006 film), a Telugu film
Game (2011 film), an action Hindi-language film
Game (2014 film)
Games (film), a 1967 film starring James Caan
"Games" (seaQuest DSV), a 1993 episode of seaQuest DSV
"Games" (House), a 2007 episode of House
The Game (rapper), or Game, American rapper
Games (band), now known as Ford & Lopatin
G.A.M.E., an album by Game
Game (KHM album)
Game (Perfume album)
Games (Leo Ku album)
Games (University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One album)
Game, an album by Piano Squall
Games, an album by Larry Fast
"Games" (Chuckii Booker song)
"Games" (Luke Bryan song)
"Games" (New Kids on the Block song)
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Game_(disambiguation)
"Games" is a single released by New Kids on the Block as the first single from their remix album No More Games/The Remix Album.
Employing hip-hop samples with jazz riffs sung by Jordan Knight, and defensive rhymes by Donnie Wahlberg, "Games" was a dramatic departure from their previously clean cut sound. The song also included shout outs to Donnie's brother Mark Wahlberg and Mark's band The Funky Bunch. The song features a chorus section taken from the movie the wizard of Oz, namely the West witch's soldiers chant: oh ee oh, oh oh.
Feeling the name "New Kids on the Block" was too childish for the group, the band shortened their name to "NKOTB" during the time of the single's release. The song received decent airplay from stations nationwide.
Track listings
"Games" (the kids get hard mix) – 5:22
"What'cha Gonna Do (About It)" (Arthur Baker remix) – 5:51
"Call It What You Want" (C&C pump it mix) – 5:31
"My Favorite Girl" (remix) – 5:29
"Games (the kids get hard mix extended version) – 5:22
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Games_(New_Kids_on_the_Block_song)
"Games" is the fourth episode of the first season of seaQuest DSV. It originally aired on October 3, 1993.
The seaQuest evacuates an icy prison whose population consists of a warden and his lone prisoner, the biochemist and war criminal Dr. Rubin Zellar. Zellar is (supposedly) being kept cryogenically frozen during transport, while the warden is shown around the ship and begins to get along with Dr. Westphalen.
Crew members soon discover that the body in the stasis chamber is the warden, who was killed by Dr. Zellar. Zellar is captured easily, but escapes and holds the crew hostage with a biological agent he smuggled aboard. He threatens to release the agent unless Captain Bridger and Commander Ford destroy the UEO headquarters at Pearl Harbor.
Meanwhile, Lucas Wolenczak has been trying to access the UEO's files on Zellar, at the request of Bridger. He discovers that Dr. Westphalen's brother was among the many people murdered by Zellar. Bridger and Ford fire the missiles, but since they had removed the warheads earlier, no damage was done. Before they can arrest Zellar, Westphalen walks in, pointing a weapon at Zellar. After exchanging a few words with Zellar she pulls out a vial filled with a liquid and tells him that he deserves to die in the same way that he killed. She throws it on him, but it turns out the liquid was non-toxic.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Games_(seaQuest_DSV)
In most role-playing games and table-top wargames an initiative system determines in which order player characters and non-player characters take their actions, to avoid confusion on when a character gets to act. Methods of doing this vary from game to game.
In some games, such as Tunnels & Trolls, each faction takes its turn to act - and it is entirely up to the side acting who acts in which order for that side. This is one of the two most common systems in table-top wargames - with Malifaux having a variant of this by which each gang picks one member to act in turn, and the larger gang all acts together at the end.
Statistic based
The other common method, used by games like Dungeons & Dragons and Fate is for each character to be assigned an initiative number based on a relevant attribute plus a random factor, and for people to act in that order. Some games determine initiative order once, some once per round.
Shot Clock
Feng Shui and Arcanis both use a shot-clock; Each round is divided into segments or shots, and each action takes a certain number of these segments. Actions happen whenever the character's next free segment turns up.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Initiative_(role-playing_games)
Washington Initiative 502 (I-502) "on marijuana reform" was an initiative to the Washington State Legislature, which appeared on the November 2012 general ballot, passing by a margin of approximately 56 to 44 percent. Originally submitted to the Washington Secretary of State during the summer of 2011, enough signatures were collected and submitted by December to meet the required 241,153 signatures, sending it to the legislature. When the legislature adjourned without action in April, Initiative 502 automatically advanced to the November 2012 general ballot. It was approved by popular vote on November 6, and took effect over the course of a year, beginning with certification no later than December 6, 2012. Along with a similar Colorado measure, Initiative 502 was credited for encouraging voter turnout of 81%, the highest in the nation.
Initiative 502 defined and legalized small amounts of marijuana-related products for adults 21 and over, taxes them and designates the revenue for healthcare and substance-abuse prevention and education. As noted at RCW 69.50.101, cannabis is still classified as a schedule I controlled substance under federal law and subject to federal prosecution under the doctrine of dual sovereignty. Possession by anyone younger than 21, possession of larger amounts, and the growing of unlicensed or unregulated marijuana remains illegal under state law.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Washington_Initiative_502
Initiative 200 was a Washington State initiative to the Legislature promoted by California affirmative-action opponent Ward Connerly and filed by Scott Smith and Tim Eyman, a mail-order salesman from Mukilteo, Washington. It sought to prohibit racial and gender preferences by state and local government. It was on the Washington ballot in November 1998 and passed with 58.22% of the vote. It added to Washington's law (but not its constitution) the following language:
(1) The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.
Initiative 200, a Washington State statute passed as the first major civil rights law enacted by direct public vote took place in November 1998. The voting took place statewide, with approximately 1.9 million voters taking to the polls. The enactment was inevitable with a 58.2 percent, or a grand total of 1,099,410 voters saying "yes". Statewide, all counties passed the statute, with only one exception, King County, in all places but Seattle. The law reads "All state agencies, boards, departments and commissions are prohibited from using any equal opportunity programs that grant preferential treatment in hiring. Initial consideration of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin may continue through outreach efforts. No comparable aggressive action to end equal opportunity programs that grant preferential treatment".
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Initiative_200
gamesquarter.com
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sydneyinitiative.com
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Latest News for: games initiative
Bucks sign Thanasis Antetokounmpo, older brother of Giannis
The News-Enterprise 17 Jul 2019
The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 4.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 55 games (13 starts) in both Greek Basket League and EuroLeague In 2018-19 ... Antetokounmpo, 26, played one season with Andorra of Spain's Liga ACB where he averaged 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 34 games (8 starts)....
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BC-BKN-Bucks-Antetokounmpo
PUBG Lite getting new ‘Radio Message’ feature from main game
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The game theory
Mid Day 17 Jul 2019
It began initially with Mehta and Dudeja getting together to discuss games like cricket, football and badminton, with Almeida coming on board later to enlarge the bouquet of sports analysis they present to listeners, given his love for more unusual games like darts....
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Chicago Sun-Times 17 Jul 2019
Picture prized left fielder Eloy Jimenez colliding with center fielder Charlie Tilson on the warning track and leaving the game ... The Sox announced during the game Jimenez was undergoing further examination in the visiting clubhouse trainer’s room ... Meanwhile, the Sox offense stalled for the fifth straight game of the trip....
The day Mark Williams and Batch ate Nandos on a flight, in a first class loo...
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Camden Post 17 roars back for 15-5 win against Orangeburg Post 4
The Times & Democrat 17 Jul 2019
It didn't help all that much after the Orangeburg Post 4 American Legion Baseball team had a big 5-run inning or when the Mirmow Field scoreboard only showed the score tied 5-5 at game's end on Tuesday ... Bradwin Salmond came on to close things out in the seventh, initiating two groundouts and a popout to end the game....
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Tag Archives: Scorpions
Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 1/5/19
06 Sunday Jan 2019
Posted by TGBII in Records, Spinning Sunday
Black Sabbath, Broadway, Carly Simon, Charlie Parker, Curated by Underdog, Discogs, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Harry Nilsson, Ian Hunter, Joe Cocker, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Mass Gothic, Music, Pink Floyd, Scorpions, Suzanne Vega, The Carpenters, The Clash, The Less Desirables, The Moody Blues, The Who, Tina Turner, Underdog Records
The first Underdog Records purchase of 2019, woot! It’s going to be a good year all around and it’s going to be a good record year, too. I want to continue to fill my RS list wants and discover things that I didn’t know existed. I’m going to attempt to listen to more new music, but it really isn’t my bag. Anywhat! Here’s the haul:
©CBS/Epic
Pink Floyd – Obscured By Clouds — I had made a post on this blog a few weeks back about this album. How great it was and how I was disappointed that no one had brought it to my attention prior. It was there and I grabbed it. This is the remastered reissue, new. It is a great album!
The Clash – Combat Rock — The “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and “Rock the Casbah” album. First pressing in EX/VG++ condition. I couldn’t pass that up.
Scorpions – Best Of Scorpions — Jonathan said, “yes and yes” when I brought this album up to the counter. He said that old Scorpions are under-appreciated and I nodded in agreement. The Scorps (no relation to me) have been around in some form or fashion since 1965 and most people don’t know that. So they had stuff that predates the “Rock You Like a Hurricane” era. This is in VG.
Mass Gothic – I’ve Tortured You Long Enough — promo copy of this album, it has no official cover but it’s from Sub Pop Records and it’s everything you’d think an album on that label would be. Which means that The BCPF loved it. VG++.
Charlie Parker And His Orchestra – Night And Day — The BCPF grabbed this one and I’m not really sure why. She usually avoids the more horn musicians. But, I dig them, so I’m glad she did. VG-.
Various – Midnight Cowboy (Original Motion Picture Score) — I like soundtracks and this was from the only X-Rated film to win Best Picture and first gay-related Best Picture. Also, it has Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’,” which I love. VG+.
Black Sabbath – Technical Ecstasy — The penultimate Ozzy Sabbath record. He was blitzed most of the time and spent a lot of that time on the beach in Miami whilst Tommy Iommi was left to produce the album. It was recorded at the same studio as the Eagles’ Hotel California was being recorded at the same time. Geezer Butler said that they’d have to go in and scrape the residual cocaine off the mixing board after the Eagles left. VG-.
The Who – Who’s Next — I already have this album, but I believe this is a better copy than what I have. VG.
Linda Ronstadt – Hand Sown… Home Grown — Ronstadt’s debut solo album after leaving the Stone Poneys. It flopped but we like her so it was a good one to get. VG+.
Tina Turner – Private Dancer — The “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “Better Be Good To Me” and “Private Dancer” album. I didn’t know that the title track was written by Mark Knopfler, but it does make sense now that I’ve listened to other Dire Straits albums. Ode to oneself and lamenting about the role that they’re the lot of. Plus, it’s an 80s staple and we know I’m a sucker for that stuff. VG+.
The rest are $1 albums and unless otherwise noted, they’re at least VG.
Carpenters – Now & Then — 3-way gatefold cover that shows Richard and Karen driving by the house they bought for their parents.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Brain Salad Surgery — I love the H.R. Geiger cover, which was somewhat an inspiration for the film Alien. “Karn Evil 9” is one of their better-known songs but it’s a long one.
Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing — “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner.” Nuff said.
Various – How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (The Original Broadway Cast Recording) — I like my “original Broadway cast recordings.”
Ian Hunter – You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic — I like Mott the Hoople and some of his other solo stuff so let’s give it a try. Plus, it’s a great album title.
Carly Simon – Carly Simon — The debut album by Simon, it was produced by Eddie Kramer who produced both Alive! and Alive II by KISS.
The Moody Blues – Seventh Sojourn — The eighth album by the band and had “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)” on it.
Various – An Officer And A Gentleman – Soundtrack — Again, soundtrack. The 80s. Cocker. Warnes.
Joni Mitchell – Song To A Seagull — Three major female voices of the 60s/70s and three debuts in one haul. That’s pretty impressive. This was Joni’s debut album.
Jonathan had a lot of “fresh” stuff that he was going through yesterday which only means you’re going to have a lot to choose from. Now, something new for 2019 that Jonathan is doing is called “Curated by Underdog” which is a subscription service that you can have Jonathan (and I’m sure his trusted associates) curate your collection with criteria of your choosing. Like only indie things? Like 80s music? Only want new records? Only want used records? Want a combo of the two? Well, Jonathan and Underdog Records have you covered. You’ll receive your subscription either monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly. The lowest cost package comes in at just $12. I think that’s a pretty good deal. It’s also a way to find things you may not have thought about. For more information visit the Curated by Underdog site. Also, listen to each episode of The Less Desirables to find out what that week’s TLD/UR special is.
Curated by Underdog and I both use Discogs. Underdog to help create and manage your subscription and me to make sure that I don’t get multiples of things. It also has a cool “shuffle” feature that picks a random album (upon your request).
“Welcome back, my friends To the show that never ends. We’re so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside! There, behind a glass, stands a real blade of grass. Be careful as you pass. Move along! Move along.” – “Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Part 2” (Lake/Emerson)
Silent Sunday or: The Haul 4/14/18
Bananarama, Cobblestone Farmers' Market, Discogs, Humble Pie, Local, Mary's Gourmet Diner, Music, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Old Salem, Randy Newman, Record Store Day, Records, Scorpions, Simon and Garfunkel, Stan Getz, Stephen Stills, The Who, Underdog Records, West End Coffeehouse, Willow's Bistro
©Reprise
Yesterday was a beautiful day. It was warm but not hot, the humidity was quite low, the windows on “Annabelle” were all open, including the moonroof. The BCPF and I walked around Old Salem and visited with friends at the Cobblestone Farmers Market, at breakfast at Mary’s Gourmet Diner, visited Underdog Records, put together our new vinyl shelf, started the reorganization process (re-alphabetizing) of the “reset” which I’ll explain in a bit, early dinner at Willows Bistro and finished with a little get together with our very good friends. So, here’s the haul:
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Life – This was still sealed from 1987. We listened to it but didn’t have time to post a Facebook or Instagram log about it. It was different but exactly the same. I would say a little less singer-songwriter and more just late 80s rock. NM.
Randy Newman – 12 Songs – #356 on the RS list. I found that I really dig some Randy Newman whilst listening to that song. He actually wrote a lot of stuff that other folk recorded; like “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” made more famous by Three Dog Night. VG++.
The Who – It’s Hard – Early 80s Who. The Who isn’t one of my favorite bands but I find myself wanting their stuff. It was a good price and it was available, so there you go. VG+.
Stan Getz – Another World – I have loved just about everything I have heard from Stan Getz, so here’s hoping that I like this 2xLP from the late 70s. VG+.
Bananarama – True Confessions – A mid-80s classic. This is the one with “Venus” on it. The BCPF made a comparison that Bananarama’s harmony style is a lot like the Spice Girls. I’d say that Bananarama was probably a direct influence. VG++.
Bananarama – Bananarama – This was their debut album featuring “Cruel Summer” and “Robert De Niro’s Waiting.” Haven’t listened to this one, yet. VG+.
Simon & Garfunkel – Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. – 1965 debut album of a little duo that is going to go places! One of my favorite S&G tunes is “Sound of Silence” and as The BCPF says, “Paul Simon is a genius.” Yeah, he is. VG.
Scorpions – Animal Magnetism – Wracking up on my Scorpions collection. The song “The Zoo” has always been a favorite of mine from this group. VG.
Stephen Stills – Stills – We can’t figure out whether Stephen Still is a huge football fan or if he just likes wearing the t-shirt “jerseys.” It seems like you see him in those a lot from the pics on albums and magazines and such from back in the 70s. $1 bin find in VG condition.
Humble Pie – Eat It – I have no Humble Pie albums and I’m not sure I’ve even ever heard a song by them. I am sure I have but I wouldn’t know what it was. This is a 2xLP that is part rock, part R&B covers, part acoustic, and live performances. So, I don’t know what to make of it. $1 bin find and in “good” condition.
Jonathan was gearing up for Record Store Day and he was a bit befuzzled but we made it a little better when we arrived at the shop with an iced coffee of some sort that Dana Moody of West End Coffeehouse sent for him. But, we are revving for Record Store Day, as well. We bought this brand new shelf and have started resorting our collection. We’re going to change our process, too.
We already do it alphabetically by artist/band first name because that’s the way Discogs does it and I want to be able to look in order to find them according to Discogs. We are taking the classical out and we’re going to separate that from the regular collection so they’re easier to find. We also keep the ones that we haven’t listened to separate but that part of the collection was becoming quite a stack. So, we decided that since there are two Record Store Days a year – a big one in April and a minor one in the fall (I think Black Friday) – those will be “reset” days. Anything that hadn’t been listened to gets inserted into “gen pop” of the collection. That gives us time to listen and if we haven’t then, oh well.
Visit the Record Store Day website and find out what is coming out next Saturday and go support your local record stores. These are exclusive to indie stores and these albums won’t be on Amazon or in the big box stores. You may find some stuff on eBay but it will most likely be marked up ridiculously. Jonathan has ordered a large sum of product for this event and he needs to unload it. That’s where you (and we) come in. Support local business and indie record store. Yeah, I know I said that already… it’s important.
And, I use Discogs to keep track of what I have, which that list has grown a lot. I have to look at it in the store to make sure I do or don’t have an album before I make duplicate purchases. It’s a fun resource. Try it! They do CDs, too.
“And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning in the words that it was forming. And the sign said the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls. And whispered in the sounds of silence.” – “The Sound of Silence” (Simon)
A Flock of Seagulls, ABBA, Air Supply, Brahms, Broadway, Built to Spill, CSNY, Dire Straits, Discogs, Francois Couperin, Gary Numan, James Bond, John Barry, Judy Collins, K-Tel, Mozart, Pete Townshend, Poco, Records, Rickie Lee Jones, Roberta Flack, Scorpions, Silent Sunday, Stills-Young Band, The Beatles, The Decemberists, Underdog Records
@Mercury
Yesterday was a cold, snotty, sleety, crappy-weathered day. But, I had my best gal and we had each other to keep warm and enjoy some record listening. That means, of course, that we went by Underdog Records! And, here is what we got:
The Decemberists – I’ll Be Your Girl – The BCPF is a huge fan of The Decemberists and this was their latest release, which came out last week but by the time we got there, Jonathan was already sold out. He got replacements, though, and this is the fruits of that.
Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms – This is my favorite Dire Straits album. It was the first I ever heard of them in 1985 when “Money for Nothing” came out. A few things to note about this album. It was one of the first to be recorded, mixed and mastered digitally (anyone else remember the DDD on CDs?). It was also the first to sell one million copies and the first to outsell its LP version. This is an original UK pressing. Another thing to know about the LP version is that the CD and cassette copies had longer versions of every song on the first side except “Walk of Life,” which should have been the one truncated. Because of the digital media and almost endless length capabilities of cassettes, they didn’t have to worry about constraints whereas the LP certainly did. “So Far Away,” “Money for Nothing,” “Your Latest Trick” and “Why Worry” were all cut short on the LP. That sucks especially for “Your Latest Trick” as it truncates that awesome sax solo. But, the lush sound of vinyl is hard to ignore. VG+.
Built To Spill – Untethered Moon – Another band that The BCPF is a huge fan of. We even saw them in concert in Carrboro a few years at Cat’s Cradle. VG++.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Rostal & Schaefer, Ron Goodwin – The Beatles Concerto – Orchestral Beatles, what could be better? Not a lot. VG+.
John Barry – Somewhere In Time (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – I really dig John Barry, I mean, I am a James Bond fan (he scored 11 of the films). I had the sheet music to this when I was younger. VG+.
Gary Numan – The Pleasure Principle – Yep, the “Cars” album. The whole album is pretty much “Cars” in different forms. That’s an exaggeration but that’s what I kept saying to myself. It’s a good album, though. VG.
Mozart: Quartetto Italiano – Six String Quartets Dedicated To Haydn – 3xLP set. The box is a little frayed but the vinyl is NM!
A Flock Of Seagulls – Listen – Their second album that had some hits. VG+.
Scorpions – Love At First Sting – The first stuff I ever heard from them. “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” which I’ve played in several bands. “Hurricane” was the first song I ever played in a band in front of a crowd. So, that means something to me. VG/VG-.
Brahms – The Fine Arts Quartet – Quartet In C Minor, Opus 51, No. 1 / Quartet In A Minor, Opus 51, No. 2 – VG+.
Rickie Lee Jones – Rickie Lee Jones – This is an awesome album. RLJ has tremendous talent and what a great voice. It was fun to listen to. VG++.
Pete Townshend – All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes – I never know what to expect from Pete. He changes styles and theme like the wind and it’s up and down. So, it was there, in good shape (VG+) and a good price. So, I got it.
Various – Songbird – VG+ addition to my K-Tel collection featuring artists like Air Supply, Poco and ABBA. It’s soft rock stuffs.
The Stills-Young Band – Long May You Run – Another reiteration of the whole CSNY family tree. VG.
Roberta Flack – First Take – Adding another to the Roberta Flack discography collection, this being her debut, from the $1 bin. VG. And…
Roberta Flack – Chapter Two – Her second album. Also VG and also $1.
François Couperin, L’Ensemble Alarius De Bruxelles – Les Nations – VG condition and $1 bin find.
Judy Collins – Living – VG $1 bin find.
Various – The Original Sounds Of Broadway, Limited Edition – 4xLP of Broadway classics performed by original casts. VG+ and $1 bin find.
So, a pretty good haul. I was especially excited about the Dire Straits album even with the truncated first side. That and the Rickie Lee Jones were worth the whole thing. Good stuff.
New to vinyl? Want to get into vinyl? Returning to vinyl? Don’t go spend a ton of money on brand new equipment when you can get quality used stuff from Jonathan at Underdog Records. If you decide you want to get deeper into the “lifestyle” then you can go spend big bucks. But, don’t just jump in. My two cents.
Discogs is also a great way to catalog your collection, see your friends’ collections and even purchase used and new vinyl in the marketplace. It’s a great site and a great resource.
“Is that her? What’s her name? Oh, it’s never going to be same. But that’s not her. I know what’s wrong – Chuck E’s in love with the little girl who’s singing this song.” – “Chuck E’s in Love” (Jones)
Silent Sunday or: The Haul 3/3/2018
Air Supply, Barbra Streisand, Britny Fox, Cheap Trick, Chinatown, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Discogs, Doctor Hook, Elvis Presley, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Firefall, James Gang, Jerry Goldsmith, Jesus Christ Superstar, K-Tel, Kansas, Keel, Queen, Roberta Flack, Scorpions, Soccer Mommy, Sonic Youth, Superchunk, The Breeders, The Hollies, The Less Desirables, Underdog Records, Van Morrison, Yes
After a week off, it was back to the routine and that included our return to Underdog Records. My only regret for the trip to Asheville was that I didn’t go to any record stores up there. But, we’re back and here’s what we got!
©Big Tree
Jerry Goldsmith – Chinatown (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – I love soundtracks. I love Jerry Goldsmith. This was in the clearance bin for $10. Done! New.
Superchunk – What A Time To Be Alive – The BCPF is a big fan of these folks. I’ve even seen them in concert twice with her. It’s good stuff. New on clear/colored vinyl.
The Breeders – All Nerve – The Deal twins got the band back together and this is their first release in a number of years. It sounds like they just picked up where they left off. They have a sound and this is it. Orange vinyl. New.
Soccer Mommy – Clean – When I was making the commercial for Underdog this week, I included a bit of a tune from this album. I thought it was right up The BCPF’s alley and I was right. She liked it a lot! New on clear vinyl.
Van Morrison – Moondance – #66 on the RS list. I really like this one from Van. He’s sometimes hit or miss with me but this is a hit. VG++.
Sonic Youth – Dirty – Another favorite of The BCPF. It’s a little heavier than I’m used to with her so it is always odd to hear her play it, but, she enjoys it. VG++.
Britny Fox – Britny Fox – Some of the hair stuff that I didn’t really listen to when I was younger and into that genre. I didn’t not like it, I just preferred Cinderella. Does that make this one of the evil stepsisters? I don’t know. VG+.
Queen – A Day At The Races – So, the big Queen show is coming this week. I do research for it. I have wanted to collect all the Queen stuff and this was there used and in what I’d call NM condition, about $10 cheaper than new. No brainer.
Elvis Presley – From Elvis In Memphis – #190 on the RS list. VG+ original that I can tell. Yes, please!
Doctor Hook And The Medicine Show – Doctor Hook – One of my favorite Dr. Hook songs is “Sylvia’s Mother.” That is on this album and I’m happy about it. It was a VG+ copy, so yes.
England Dan & John Ford Coley – Nights Are Forever – In what someone called the “most 70s looking cover,” I had to get this because I love the song “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight.” The whole album was pretty righteous. Sappy 70s sugary pop stuffs but still pretty righteous. NM condition, too.
Roberta Flack – Killing Me Softly – I have always challenged anyone to find me a singer that delivers with the sexiness of Sade. This comes very close, but not quite there. This is a great album, though. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. VG+.
Various – Jesus Christ Superstar (The Original Motion Picture Sound Track Album) – I have the original Broadway cast recording with Ian Gillan and Murray Head. I have always maintained that I liked the movie version better. Listening to the Broadway version a little more challenges that. So, now I have both and I can A/B them if I want. VG+.
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Along The Red Ledge – I see no titles that I’m familiar with on the track listing. But, it’s adding to the H&O canon. It was just $2 so I figured what the heck. VG.
The Hollies – The Very Best Of The Hollies – Funny to Graham Nash that young. VG+.
Various – Storytellers – VG+. A 2xLP compilation of several 70s tunes from 1979.
Yes – The Yes Album – Even though it was their third album, I think this is where they came into their own as an original band. The first two, from what I understand was a lot of covers. I have my hits and misses with Yes, but I think the band is great. I haven’t listened to this yet. $1 bin find. VG.
Firefall – Firefall – I bought this one for $1 for just one song. It turns out the whole album is pretty darned good. VG+.
Cheap Trick – Cheap Trick At Budokan – What I figure to be an original recording, I got this for $1. #426 on the RS list. It’s VG.
Various – 20 Power Hits Volume 2 – Another K-Tel comp that I found for $1. This one is from 1973. G+.
Air Supply – Greatest Hits – I am unashamedly a fan of Air Supply. I had this on cassette and CD (I think) and I have fond memories of my friend Scotty Byrd and I doing this album’s songs, karaoke-style when I lived in WV. $1 bin find. VG.
I told you earlier this week about the albums that Jerry Chapman, yes, that Jerry Chapman had sent me. These are those (thanks, Jerry!!!):
James Gang – James Gang Rides Again
Kansas – Masque
Keel – The Final Frontier
Scorpions – World Wide Live – 2xLP that is in NM condition. Fantastic.
Streisand – Guilty
So, it was a great week to be a record collector in our house!
Underdog Records is running a new special for March. Jonathan repriced a lot of the $1 records to $.50. That part isn’t just for March. What is for March is if you pick 5 of those $.50 albums, you’ll get them for $.20 each. So, Five for $1. That’s pretty awesome. Also, make sure you listen to The Less Desirables on Wednesdays for the TLD/UR special of the week. I don’t announce those anywhere else so you could be missing out on stuff.
Also, use Discogs to catalog your collection!
“I can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things. We can do the tango just for two. I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings, be your Valentino just for you. Ooh love ooh loverboy. What’re you doin’ tonight, hey boy. Set my alarm, turn on my charm. That’s because I’m a good old-fashioned lover boy.” – “Old Fashioned Lover Boy” (Mercury)
Will the Light Reveal Your Soul? or: Strangers in the Night (Eugeology Entry 10)
Andy Parker, Eddie Trunk, Eugene B Sims, Eugeology, Fastway, Jon Lowder, KISS, McAuley-Schenker Group, Michael Schenker, Michael Schenker Group, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Raymond, Pete Way, Phil Mogg, Rudolph Schenker, Scorpions, Strangers in the Night, That Metal Show, The Less Desirables, UFO, Underdog Records, VH1 Classic
We’re 1/5 of the way through this list. Wow. Time’s fun when you’re having flies. Last week, I felt the entry was a clunker. I still do. But, outside Eugene, who I knew would be disappointed with my assessment, there were a couple of others who disagreed with me. I’m okay with that. As I always tell Jon, just write what you feel. There is no right or wrong, just opinion.
©Chrysalis Records/EMI
When I saw this week’s entry from Eugene come through, I was a little eye-rolley. I think we reviewed this when Eugene was still on The Less Desirables. I don’t think I cared about it one way or another then. Well, this time I listened more than once. I’m glad I did. Let’s do it…
#10 – Strangers in the Night by UFO.
First, I will say that I really do not like live albums. I don’t like that raw sound. I like polished and produced. I don’t feed on the same energy as many people do when they listen to live albums. Live albums to me are like undercooked chicken. I can’t get the chef’s vision for the dish. I want the production; I want the polish. Even KISS Alive! and KISS Alive II, I feel the same way about. Yes, they got me started in on KISS, but to me it was more than just the live show. At that, even a bombastic live show doesn’t always come through on the audio without the video. So, that’s a strike against the album from the start.
That being said, you can erase that strike. The album made up for that aspect just by being pretty fantastic. But, here’s the part where Eugene screams at his device/computer, “what!?!”
I had never even heard of UFO until Eugene mentioned them, just a few years back. If I had heard of them prior to that, I certainly don’t remember it. I started watching That Metal Show on VH1 Classic and Eddie Trunk was always raving about the band. I couldn’t figure out how a band I had never even heard of was so popular. Granted I don’t know a lot about those kinds of bands and such and I absolutely know that just because I don’t hear of them doesn’t mean anything, really. It matters not now, I’ll admit, but okay.
I had heard of Michael Schenker, though. I hadn’t heard much of his music, but when I was just getting into playing instruments and such, the Michael Schenker Group or McAuley-Schenker Group was always featured in hard rock tabulature books. I may even have a song or two in my collection at home. Before Eddie Trunk’s arse kissing and fawning over the man-child, axe-weilding attributes of Michael, the only Schenker I really, really knew of was Michael’s brother Rudolph and that was because he was in the Scorpions. Turns out, at the ripe age of 17, Michael was in the Scorpions, as well. Even when he recorded this album, at the age of 22 when he left UFO (this album represents the concert tour that he was on when he left the group) he was playing like someone with 20+ years experience. That’s just natural talent. Getting it done.
But, we have to move past just the MS part of the equation because this is much more than the Michael Schenker Show. Phil Mogg’s vocals are very strong. He has range and depth. His emotions come through brightly and not mucked up like some live recordings tend to do to vocals. At times he reminds me of Bruce Springsteen. At other times he sounds kind of like Ted Nugent. I don’t like those times as much. But, he always is “on.”
Pete Way is a great bass player who played with a lot of big acts, including Ozzy Osbourne and Fastway. His runs have presence and tasteful. His tone is fantastic on this, too. Andy Parker is a solid drummer that has flash without losing sight of the meter. The band gets a double attack from Paul Raymond who is rhythm guitar and keys. I’m kind of not into the rock organ for the most part, but Raymond is spot on. It fits the M.O. of this album. The harmony vocals throughout are fantastic, as well.
There’s plenty of songs on here to say were “great.” “Hot n’ Ready,” “Let It Roll,” “Natural Thing,” “Out in the Street,” “Mother Mary” and “This Kid’s” (both of which were studio tracks with a hall type reverb and canned crowd music added), “Doctor Doctor,” “Lights Out,” “Rock Bottom” (which I could have done without the extended jam session), and “Too Hot to Handle.” Those would be my faves on the album. If I was picking just one, it would be “Doctor Doctor,” if for no other reason but the hook of the chorus. Lots of riffs, lots of slower power ballads, lots of hooks, lots of great melodies. This album is pretty righteous, even for a live album. UFO were pretty awesome. Too bad I didn’t find that out until now. But, again, that’s the point of this project, right? I will have to get Jonathan to be on the look out for this album at Underdog Records. I’d love to have it on vinyl.
I can’t wait o hear Eug’s and Jon’s thoughts on this album, which by the way, Jon is two albums behind and Eug is one behind, as of this writing. They need to get with it, I say. Alright, Mr. Sims, I’m ready for my close-up… er, next album. And, both of you write your darned posts. You’re leaving me out here by myself! I kid… mostly.
“Doctor doctor, please. Oh I’m goin’ fast. Doctor doctor, please, oh, I’m goin’ fast. It’s only just a moment. She’s turning paranoid. That’s not a situation for a nervous boy.” – “Doctor Doctor” (Schenker/Mogg)
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6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235
http://www.socialsecurity.gov
COMMISSIONER Nancy A. Berryhill, Acting
Deputy Commissioner (vacancy)
Chief of Staff Beatrice M. Disman, Acting
Counselor to the Commissioner (vacancy)
Director, Equal Employment Opportunity Claudia J. Postell, Acting
Executive Secretary Darlynda K. Bogle
https://www.ssa.gov/org/coss.htm
Chief Actuary Stephen C. Goss
General Counsel Asheesh Agarwal
Analytics, Review, and Oversight Patricia A. Jonas
Budget, Finance, Quality, and Management Michelle A. King
Communications James C. Borland, Acting
Hearings Operations Theresa L. Gruber
Human Resources Marianna LaCanfora
Legislation and Congressional Affairs Royce B. Min, Acting
Operations Mary L. Horne, Acting
Retirement and Disability Policy Mark J. Warshawsky
Systems / Chief Information Officer Rajive K. Mathur
https://www.ssa.gov/org/ssachart_access.pdf
Inspector General Gale S. Stone, Acting
http://oig.ssa.gov
The above list of key personnel was updated 02–2018.
[For the Social Security Administration statement of organization, see the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 20, Part 422]
The Social Security Administration manages the retirement, survivors, and disability insurance programs that are known as Social Security; it administers the Supplemental Security Income program for the aged, blind, and disabled; and it assigns Social Security numbers to U.S. citizens and maintains earnings records based on those numbers.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) was established by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1946 (5 U.S.C. app.), effective July 16, 1946. It became an independent agency in the executive branch by the Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 901), effective March 31, 1995.
https://www.ssa.gov/history
The SSA is headed by a Commissioner whom the President appoints with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The Deputy Commissioner assists in administering the programs necessary to accomplish the Administration's mission. The Deputy Commissioner performs duties that the Commissioner, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, General Counsel, Chief Actuary, and Inspector General assign or delegate to him or her.
https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title07/0702.htm
The Administration's operations are decentralized to provide local services. Each of the 10 SSA regions has a network of field offices and call centers. These offices and centers provide liaison between the SSA and public. The Administration operates 10 regional offices, approximately 1,230 field offices, 33 teleservice centers, 15 Social Security card centers, 6 processing centers, and 2 additional processing centers in its central office.
https://www.ssa.gov/org/index.htm
Black Lung
By agreement with the Department of Labor, the SSA assists in the administration of the black lung benefits provisions of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, as amended (30 U.S.C. 901).
https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/rulings/di/09/SSR73-24-di-09.html
Hearings and Appeals
The SSA administers a nationwide hearings and appeals program that offers a way for those who are dissatisfied with determinations affecting their rights to and amounts of benefits or their participation in programs to seek remedy through the Social Security Act. The act allows for administrative appeals of these determinations in accordance with the requirements of the Administrative Procedure and Social Security Acts. The SSA operates approximately 166 hearing offices, including 2 satellite offices; 5 national hearing centers; and 4 national case assistance centers within in its 10 administrative regions.
http://www.ssa.gov/appeals/about_odar.html
While the administration of Medicare is the responsibility of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the SSA provides Medicare assistance to the public through SSA field offices and call centers. It adjudicates requests for hearings and appeals of Medicare claims.
http://www.ssa.gov/medicare
Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance
The SSA administers social insurance programs that provide monthly benefits to retired and disabled workers, to their spouses and children, and to survivors of insured workers. Financing is under a system of contributory social insurance, whereby employees, employers, and the self-employed pay contributions that are pooled in special trust funds. When earnings stop or decrease because the worker retires, dies, or becomes disabled, monthly cash benefits are paid to supplement the family's reduced income.
https://faq.ssa.gov/ics/support/splash.asp
The SSA administers this needs-based program for the aged, blind, and disabled. A basic Federal monthly payment is financed by general revenue, rather than from a special trust fund. Some States, choosing to provide payments to supplement the benefits, have agreements with the Administration under which it administers the supplemental payments for those States.
http://www.ssa.gov/disabilityssi/ssi.html
The Office of Acquisition and Grants serves as the SSA's principal procurement office.
http://www.ssa.gov/oag
The SSA offers opportunities for various career paths: acquisitions, contracts, and grants; administrative support; facilities and physical security; finance and accounting; human resources; information technology; law enforcement; legal; and public contact.
http://www.ssa.gov/careers
In 2017, the SSA ranked 12th among 18 large agencies in the Partnership for Public Service's Best Places To Work Agency Rankings.
http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/rankings/detail/SZ00
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) operates a toll-free hotline, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., eastern standard time, for reporting allegations of abuse, fraud, and waste affecting SSA programs and operations. Phone, 800-269-0271. TTY, 866-501-2101. Fax, 410-597-0118.
https://oig.ssa.gov/report-fraud-waste-or-abuse
An online form also is available to file a report.
https://www.ssa.gov/fraudreport/oig/public_fraud_reporting/form.htm
An online guide discusses important FOIA-related topics: how to request information and records, information that the SSA cannot disclose, and the fees associated with making a request.
https://www.ssa.gov/foia
The SSA posts answers to FAQs and offers information on popular help-topics.
https://faq.ssa.gov/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=34019&_referrer=https://www.ssa.gov/ask
A glossary of Social Security terms is available online.
https://www.ssa.gov/agency/glossary
In 1795, the unflagging colonial and revolutionary pamphleteer Thomas Paine wrote about Americans entering adulthood and their welfare in retirement. To the new Republic, he issued a challenge: Establish a public system of economic security that would give a one-time stipend to each citizen upon attaining age 21, as well as annual benefits starting at age 50. To learn more about this patriot's bold proposal, see the "Historical Background and Development of Social Security" web page.
https://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html
Multilanguage Gateway
The SSA tries to eliminate or reduce, as much as possible, barriers of language that impede the delivery of its services. Social Security information is available on the SSA website in the following languages: American Sign Language, Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Farsi, French, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. The SSA provides free interpreter services for conducting Social Security-related business.
https://www.ssa.gov/multilanguage
The SSA posts press releases online.
https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases
An online newsletter also is available.
https://www.ssa.gov/news/newsletter
The SSA offers a growing number of services electronically through its website.
https://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices
The SSA supports the Open Government initiative to create a more open and transparent Government by promoting the principles of collaboration, participation, and transparency.
https://www.ssa.gov/open | Email: open.government@ssa.gov
The SSA's organizational chart is available in Portable Document Format (PDF) for viewing and downloading.
https://www.ssa.gov/org/ssachart.pdf
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires Federal agencies to communicate in a manner that the public can understand and use. SSA writers and editors welcome suggestions for improving agency forms, notices, pamphlets, or pages from its website.
https://www.ssa.gov/agency/plain-language | Email: PlainWriting@ssa.gov
Many SSA publications in English, Spanish, and other languages are accessible online.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs
The website map allows visitors to look for specific topics or to browse content that aligns with their interests.
https://www.ssa.gov/sitemap.htm
Under certain circumstances, the SSA can provide a speaker free of charge, generally available during business hours, to explain benefits, programs, and services. An online form is available to initiate a request.
http://www.ssa.gov/agency/ask-for-a-speaker.html
https://www.ssa.gov/agency/contact | Email: OPI.Policy.Coordination@ssa.gov
For further information, contact the Office of Public Inquiries, Social Security Administration, 6401 Security Boulevard, 1106 West High Rise Building, Baltimore, MD 21235. Phone, 410-965-0709. Fax, 410-965-0695.
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Satu Limaye
Satu Limaye is Director, East West Center in Washington where he created and now directs the Asia Matters for America initiative and edits the Asia Pacific Bulletin. He is also Senior Advisor, Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) and Senior Fellow on Asia History and Policy at the Foreign Policy Institute at Paul H. Nitze School of International Studies (SAIS). He is a magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown University and received his doctorate from Oxford University (Magdalen College) where he was a George C. Marshall Scholar.
Dr. Limaye’s recent U.S.-Southeast Asia related publications include: ASEAN is Neither the Problem Nor Solution to the South China Sea Disputes, “Signs are Taken for Wonders. ‘We Would See a Sign’”: The Trump Administration and Southeast Asia, Why ASEAN is Here to Stay & What That Means for the US, and US-Japan Relations and Southeast Asia: Meeting Regional Demands.
Earlier, Dr. Limaye served on the research staff of the Strategy, Forces & Resources Division at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) and Director of Research & Publications at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies. He publishes and speaks widely on Asia-Pacific regional issues and supports various foundation, fellowship and professional organizations.
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10 Best Things to Do in Charles Town, WV
© theartofpics/stock.adobe.com
Charles Town is a historically significant small town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Built by the Washington family within a mountain pass where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet, Charles Town offers beautiful outdoor landscapes and several historic sites. The Shenandoah Valley town is ten minutes from Harper’s Ferry, and home to several significant Civil War battle sites, as well as original homes and farms belonging to George Washington and his family.
1.Zion Episcopal Church
© Zion Episcopal Church
Zion Episcopal Church dates back to 1818. The current building was dedicated in 1851. During the Civil War, the church was used as barracks for Union soldiers who destroyed the building’s interior. It was subsequently refurbished and a new steeply was added in 1883. Notable figures buried at the church include over 70 members of the Washington family, Thomas Jefferson’s great grandson, and Confederate Colonel Preston Chew. Close to 90 Confederate soldiers are buried there and two officers of the Revolutionary War. Graves older than 1818 were moved to Zion from nearby sites. Visitors are invited to worship at the church and attend events, or stroll through the historic graveyard.
301 East Congress St. Charles Town, WV. 25414, Phone: 304-725-5312
2.Hollywood Casino at Charlestown Races
© Hollywood Casino at Charlestown Races
The Hollywood Casino at Charlestown Races is located just east of Charles Town in West Virgina. The horseracing facility is best known as the home of the West Virginia Breeder’s Classic, although it’s among the busiest tracks in the country, with races scheduled nearly 5 days a week year long. Other popular races include the Charles Town Classic and the Sprint Festival. Gaming facilities at the Casino include sports betting, table games, and over 3,000 slot machines. Gaming was introduced to the then 75-year old track in 2009. An on-site hotel, The Inn at Charles Town, offers fine dining, sports bar and food court.
750 Hollywood Dr, Charles Town, WV 25414, Phone: 800-795-7001
3.Old Opera House Theater Company
© Old Opera House Theater Company
West Virginia’s Old Opera House was built in 1910 thanks to the fundraising efforts of Annie Packette, a descendant of George Washington. The classic theater went dark in 1948 with the arrival of the cinema. The Old Opera House Theatre Company was incorporated in 1973 with a mission to restore the theater for use in local productions. The doors reopened in 1976 with a production of My Fair Lady. Today, the theater hosts six annual main stage productions, an annual one-act play festival and summer youth productions. Dance and theater classes are offered for both children and adults. An art gallery on the theater’s lower level showcases local works, while an adjacent thrift store sells gently used items to support ongoing restoration and programs.
204 N. George St, Charles Town, WV 25414, Phone: 304-725-4420
4.Jefferson County Museum
© Jefferson County Museum
The Jefferson County Museum is partnered with the Jefferson County Library in Charles Town’s historic downtown. Founded in 1965, the museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the county and region. Permanent exhibits at the museum include a display on the Native Americans of the Shenandoah Valley, archives and documents related to the Washington family in the 18th and 19th centuries, slavery in the region, and every day life in the 19th and 20th centuries. A Civil War exhibit and an exhibit on John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry are accompanied by an exhibit on slavery, designed in partnership with the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society. In total, the museum is home to over 2,000 artifacts and 4,000 photographs and documents.
200 E. Washington Street, Charles Town, WV 25414, Phone: 304-725-8628
5.Jefferson County Courthouse
© spiritofamerica/stock.adobe.com
Charles Town’s Jefferson County Courthouse was the first in the county, built in 1803. The current Georgian style red brick building with an iconic Greek columned porch was built in 1836 and topped by a unique square domed clock tower. The courthouse is most famous as the site of two major trials for treason. The first, in 1859, was the trial of John Brown, accused of treason against Virginia in his attempt to overthrow slavery. The second, 1922 of coal miners accused of attempting to unionize, an act of treason against the state following the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest labor uprising in the United States.
119 N George St, Charles Town, WV 25414, Phone: 304-728-3231
6.Cool Spring Nature Preserve
© chromatic/stock.adobe.com
The Cool Spring Nature Preserve protects 32 acres of marshes, meadows and forest, and is bordered on one side by the historic Bullskin Run stream, where George Washington made his first land purchase in 1752 at the age of 22. Structures within the preserve include the 1869 cottage belonging to Susan B. Thornton, a freed slave who purchased her one acre property for $1. The Potomac Valley Audubon Society Nature Center is also located on site, and includes close to 2 miles of easy walking trails, and indoor and outdoor classroom space to host programs and events. Located within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the preserve is home to 18 rare West Virginia Plants and the equally rare Shenandoah Wet Prairie Marsh. The birding hotspot protects 12 environmentally sensitive areas.
1469 Lloyd Road, Charles Town WV, 25414, Phone: 681-252-1387
7.Beall-Air
© Beall-Air
Beall-Air is the historic home of Colonel Lewis William Washington. A hostage in abolitionist John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry who would later identify Brown to the US soldiers, the Colonel was also a great-great nephew of George Washington. The classic revival style home is two-storied brick stucco with a small front portico flanked by four white columns. While the rear of the home is thought to have been built prior to 1800, the façade and front portion of the home were built in 1820. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and is much better known for the legend of Colonel Washington than for the architecture itself.
Beallair Manor Drive, Charles Town, WV 25414
8.Abolitionist Ale Works
© Abolitionist Ale Works
Abolitionist Ale Works is a craft brewery with a mission to rebel against the status quo within the beer industry. The brewery makes flavorful, fun beers including IPA’s, sour beers, an Irish stout, English bitter, wheat beer and smoked beer. Previously known as Front Porch Brewing, the brewery changed their name in 2017. Events at Abolitionist Ale Works include an open mic night every Tuesday, Live Music on Fridays, and twice monthly stand up comedy. The brewery serves a menu of artisanal pizza and appetizers. Upstairs at the brewery are one and two bedroom vacation rental apartments, each comes with a free growler for long weekend stays.
129 W Washington Street, Charles Town, West Virginia, Phone: 681-252-1548
9.Ruby Tuesday
© Ruby Tuesday
Ruby Tuesday is a classic American restaurant serving handcrafted burgers and other American fare. The company was founded in 1972, and now has over 700 locations worldwide. Dinner menu items include seafood, chicken, steaks and pastas. Ruby Tuesday is well known for their 100% USDA Choice Beef prime graded burgers with pretzel buns. The restaurant’s famous Garden Bar allows guests to make their own salad from a choice of over 50 fresh ingredients. Every Tuesday a child’s meal is free with the purchase of an adult entry. A full bar menu offers Happy Hour specials, signature cocktails and spiked teas and lemonades.
701 Willow Spring Dr, Charles Town, WV 25414, Phone: 304-728-6680
10.Waffle House
© Syda Productions/stock.adobe.com
The original Waffle House opened in 1955. The restaurant chain has since become a beloved icon of the American South. While the focus is on breakfast all day long, Waffle House restaurants are open 24 hours and serve lunch and dinner as well. Good food fast is the mission, and Waffle House takes pride in serving quality sit-down meals at fast food speed. Breakfast favorites include flavored waffles, omelets, steak and eggs. A lunch and dinner favorite is Bert’s Chili, named for the employee that created it in the early 1980’s. Alice’s Iced Tea is a sweet tea drink made from Royal Cup China black tea. Royal Cup has also provided the chain’s coffee since 1972, made of highest grade Arabica beans.
103 Keyes Ferry Rd, Charles Town, WV 25414, Phone: 304-268-5547
Zion Episcopal Church, Photo: Zion Episcopal Church
Hollywood Casino at Charlestown Races, Photo: Hollywood Casino at Charlestown Races
Old Opera House Theater Company, Photo: Old Opera House Theater Company
Jefferson County Museum, Photo: Jefferson County Museum
Jefferson County Courthouse, Photo: spiritofamerica/stock.adobe.com
Cool Spring Nature Preserve, Photo: chromatic/stock.adobe.com
Beall-Air, Photo: Beall-Air
Abolitionist Ale Works, Photo: Abolitionist Ale Works
Ruby Tuesday, Photo: Ruby Tuesday
Waffle House, Photo: Syda Productions/stock.adobe.com
Cover Photo: theartofpics/stock.adobe.com
Fun & cheap vacations: Zip Lining in West Virginia, West Virginia Tourism
25 Best West Virginia Parks
20 Best Things to Do in Wheeling, WV
10 Best Things to Do in Parkersburg, West Virginia
16 Best West Virginia Breweries
20 Best Romantic Getaways in WV
14 Best Things to Do in Morgantown, West Virginia
13 Best West Virginia Resorts
25 Best Places to Visit in West Virginia
25 Best West Virginia Camping Spots
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Medicine Lake volcano
California Volcano Observatory
Geology & History Hazards Monitoring Multimedia Publications
Medicine Lake volcano is situated just east of the Cascade Volcanic Arc axis in northern California's high desert 55 km (35 mi), northeast of Mount Shasta. Also known as the Medicine Lake Highlands, this volcanic region covers a total area of about 2,200 km2 (850 mi2), extending approximately 80 km (50 mi) north-south and 50 km (30 mi) east-west. A shallow, but wide (7x12 km, 4.3x7.5 mi) caldera basin containing its namesake lake is located at the summit of the volcano. Intermittent, mostly effusive (non-explosive) eruptions over the last half-million years produced this large, shield-shaped volcano. In the last 13,000 years, effusive flank eruptions created expansive lava flows with single flows covering as much as 195 km2 (75 mi2). Two-thirds of Lava Beds National Monument, on the north flank of the volcano, is covered by one such flow. Seven of the nine eruptions of the last 5,200 years, however, included an early explosive phase. The two youngest sent ash tens of miles downwind during their explosive phases before switching to slow effusion of thick, glassy-looking lava flows (obsidian) forming Little Glass Mountain about 1,000 years ago, and, Glass Mountain about 950 years ago. Exploratory drilling and geophysical studies reveal a high temperature geothermal system below Medicine Lake volcano fueled by a deeper zone of partially molten rock (magma). Ground surveys by USGS scientists show that the center of the volcano is slowly subsiding, due to motions on through-going regional faults and weakening of the rocks by high heat flow. Most notable seismically over the last three decades were a series of shallow earthquakes in 1988-89 (magnitudes of 4.1 and less).
Location: California, Siskiyou & Modoc Counties
Latitude: 41.611° N
Longitude: 121.554° W
Elevation: 2,412 (m) 7,913 (f)
Volcano type: composite (red map area)
Composition: basalt to rhyolite
Most recent eruption: 950 years ago
Nearby towns: Malin, Merrill, Tulelake, Klamath Falls (OR)
Threat Potential: High *
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Officials say humans are behind the mysterious flaming hole causing a stir in Arkansas - and not Satan
December 3rd 2018
by: Jack Godwin
I think even the most rational and scientific among us would still be at least a little alarmed by a hole in the ground spitting fire twelve feet into the air. But, I'd also like to think that most of us wouldn't immediately jump to blaming satan for the fiery spectacle, but apparently that was one of the conclusions Midway, Arkansas citizens recently jumped to.
In September, a 3.6 metre fire sprung up from a hole in the ground, reportedly burning for around 40 minutes. “It was burning red-orange colour, about 2 feet in diameter,” Midway Fire Protection District Chief Donald Tucker said.
“It came up about crotch high and spread out to that width. Then it just went down the hole and went out. For a little bit, there was just a little bit of glow of fire down in the hole.”
This flare-up, which happened around 4:30 am, has been a mystery for a while, but the authorities were quick to quell any fears of the supernatural. “As far as the spiritual Satan goes, we’ve ruled that out,” Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass joked. “He didn’t come up and stick his pitchfork in the ground and blow that hole out.”
A man who worked on the property previously claimed that the hole had been there for at least a decade, ruling out theories that it was caused by a meteorite. Soon after, the theory that it was down to methane was also dispelled, as there was no natural gas found in the area.
The Arkansas Geological Survey later ruled that the hole was created by an animal at some point, and now, authorities have confirmed that it was intentionally set.
On Sunday, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Baxter County authorities identified flammable chemicals in their soil samples, and now speculate it may have been a prank - dashing rumours that it was related to faulty utility lines, space, or the devil. On the site, the Arkansas National Guard found toluene and xylene in three soil samples - solvents often found in paint thinner.
“That seems like the most plausible thing to me, that somebody dumped a quart of paint thinner down there and caught it on fire,” Wesley Stites, a chemistry chair at the University of Arkansas said.
"It's not a mystery anymore," Baxter County Emergency Management Director Jim Sierzchula said. "It was a prank."
Unfortunately for the curious, Sierzchula confirmed that there were no photos or images of the fire, only the descriptions of those that witnessed it. There was no property damage, and the sheriff's office stated that they will not be investigating it as a crime.
In fact, Sierzchula sounds like he’s relieved to put the event behind him, given how many conspiracy theories he's been dealing with over the phone. “I’ve had people call me at 2 or 3 in the morning telling me what it was,” he said. “I don’t need to play with it anymore.”
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How Black Sabbath’s Self-Titled Debut Gave Birth to Heavy Metal
Eduardo Rivadavia
It took just one album for Black Sabbath to earn their enduring status as fathers of heavy metal.
Such was the power of the banshee screams, bone-crushing power chords, bowel-loosening bass rumbles and battle-ready drums from Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, as heard on Black Sabbath's namesake debut. Maybe the most heavy metal of all?: Black Sabbath actually arrived at U.K. record stores on Friday the 13th.
Since forming in the latter half of 1968 in the Black Country industrial capital of Birmingham -- first as the Polka Tulk Blues Band, then Earth and finally Black Sabbath -- the fledgling quartet had spent the better part of a year honing their sound.
That included endless pub gigs in almost startling anonymity, before Black Sabbath were finally offered the chance to record. Working over a single 12-hour session on October 16, 1969, without benefit of almost any overdubs, they recreated the band's well-rehearsed live set -- then hopped back into the van to make the next night's gig.
The results on Black Sabbath, issued on Feb. 13, 1970, were as crude as they were undeniable powerful. First came the unforgettable title track, replete with a storm of striking sound effects, terrifying lyrics and sullen instrumentation. (The latter included a retrospectively visionary application of the so-called "Devil's Interval," a musical tritone so evil it was once banned by the Roman Catholic Church.) And if all of that wasn't strong enough a statement, the subsequent "N.I.B." saw Osbourne impersonating Lucifer himself to seduce the song's intended victim, crooning over monolithic power chords and a hypnotic bass figure -- both clearly cut from the same cloth as the title track, and indicative of a template Black Sabbath would return to, again and again, for the remainder of their career.
Listen to Black Sabbath's 'Black Sabbath'
That being said, the remaining songs on hand boasted formative ingredients that made this one of the most unique LPs in Black Sabbath's discography, and included the highly unusual harmonica carrying "The Wizard," latent psychedelia haunting "Sleeping Village" and "Evil Woman" (a cover of American acid rockers Crow), and pervasive blues and even jazz influences swarming "Behind the Wall of Sleep" and the group's epic jam on "Warning" (originally cut by the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation).
It all combined to help Black Sabbath quickly rise to an astonishing No. 8 on the U.K. charts, and to No. 23 in America upon its June release. By then, however, Black Sabbath was steaming toward an even more resounding victory, with the sophomore LP Paranoid.
A Complete Guide to Black Sabbath Lineup Changes
Next: Top 10 Black Sabbath Songs
Filed Under: Black Sabbath
Categories: Anniversaries
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Rick Wakeman on Reuniting the ‘Holy Trinity of Yes': Exclusive Interview
A quarter century after they shared the stage as members of Yes on the Union tour, singer Jon Anderson, guitarist and singer Trevor Rabin and keyboardist Rick Wakeman are coming back together for a run of shows in the fall, an outing billed in an alphabetically democratic fashion as Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman.
As Wakeman tells Ultimate Classic Rock, there's a lot of excitement stirring around news of the collaboration, which he has labeled as the "Holy Trinity of Yes" -- and it's something that initially caught them a bit off guard.
“It leaked out, what we were going to do, as things always do,” he says. “But what stunned us all was the response that we got when it leaked out. I mean, all of our individual websites, Facebooks and Twitters and whatever, went absolutely crazy with so much warmth and love and support from the Yes fans everywhere. It really hit us hard, and we realized that what we wanted to do, was perhaps something that an awful lot of people wanted us to do as well. That played a massive part in us getting the tour together and making it happen.”
For the keyboard legend, the opportunity to tour with Anderson and Rabin helps to fill a musical gap that has been missing. “I haven’t had the opportunity to play with a proper band, with Yes or whatever, in America, since 2005," he notes. "It’s been 11 years, so I’m thrilled to be back doing it again. Because sometimes you wonder as the years go by, Will that ever happen again? American audiences are pretty special, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
The proposed collaboration had been brewing for several years, and Wakeman says that it was the 2015 death of "dear friend" Chris Squire that made them realize that they shouldn’t hold off on pursuing the idea. “I think it hit home to us all, certainly to me, that, ‘Hold on a minute, we’re not immortal,’” he explains. “Anything can happen almost overnight, and if there’s something that you want to do and you feel you have to do, you have to do it. You can’t say, ‘Well, when we’ve got a bit of time, we’ll do that.’ You’ve got to act on it. We all spoke to each other and went, ‘We’ve got to do this.’”
There has been talk of new music as part of the reunion, but Wakeman downplays that a bit, saying that they’re focused on the planning of the tour as their main priority presently. “Trevor, quite rightly, said ‘Hey guys, we’re not going to rush into all of this. This is nuts. It’s going to take us enough hard work to put a great show together.’" he recalls. "Yes, we can send music backwards and forwards and start working on bits and pieces, and maybe if we’ve got a couple of tracks ready to perform onstage or to do whatever, yeah, that would be great. If not, it’s not the end of the world, because we’ve got all of these months of working together and living in each other’s pockets. If we’re going to produce a full album, it’s got to be absolutely a cracking album. It’s got to be fantastic. So [we decided] not to rush into it, but just to make sure that when we do it, it’s really, really the right thing.”
Wakeman adds that there will be some "new bits and pieces" included. “One of the things that we want to do with the music is look at each of the tracks individually and look at the strengths and highlights of each of the tracks and try to take it to another level," he says. "We don’t want to do it as it was on the record or indeed, as Yes music has always sort of been played. We want to try and take it to another level. But we’re certainly not taking away all of the elements and the sound that the songs made.”
He also has his own thoughts as far as what he’d like to see on the set lists. “I’d like it to be a real mixture, obviously. I want to see everything from ‘Roundabout’ to ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’ thrown in there and maybe ‘Changes,’ one of Trev’s great songs," he says. "I’d like to see some stuff in there from Fragile and from Going for the One, and there’s a couple of tracks on Tormato I wouldn’t mind seeing thrown in. But one of the difficulties is that we’ve got a plethora of music to choose from. I think the thing will be, How do we balance it out? How do we showcase the Yes music and showcase what we want to do with it? We’ve got two months where we’ll be sorting that all out. I think to some extent, it will start to take its own shape. The difficulty is that we’ve got such a massive choice of what to do.”
Longtime Yes associate Brian Lane, who's managed Wakeman for the past five years, was an important part of pulling the Anderson/Rabin/Wakeman union together. "I mentioned to him about Jon and Trevor, and Brian said, ‘You’ve got to make this happen,’" Wakeman recalls. "I said, ‘Look, you’ve got such a connection with Yes over the years. ... Why don’t you give them a ring and put forward your ideas about how you think it could come together and see what they say?’"
Despite some complications -- "You’ve got to get all of the musicians together," Wakeman notes -- the tour is falling into place. Wakeman says they're still working on who'll play drums and bass, as well as a secondary guitarist and keyboardist. Those additional members should be announced soon.
“You’ve got to look at all sorts of things," Wakeman points out. "I know this might sound really daft, but you’ve also got to look at the fact that between Trevor, Jon and myself, our ages total over 200 years. So it’s something that we have to look at very closely to go, ‘Hang on a minute, if we’re going to set about this solid two-month tour, we want to be really fit,’ because if you’re really fit, then you can play to your best and you can be really strong.
“We’re all very aware that we’ve got to make sure that we are really on the ball health-wise and musically and in every sense of the imagination," he continues. "It is easier when you get older to some extent, because you no longer want to go out clubbing after a show. You don’t want to wander back to the hotel at five in the morning, you know, wondering what your name is. I think you realize that you’ve got to look after yourself a bit, which actually isn’t a bad thing at all. There’s a lot more that has to be taken into consideration.”
If you’re worried Wakeman might downsize his touring setup thanks to new technology, there’s good news. “It will be a pretty big rig," he says. "The way my rig works, in the simplest terms, is that any instrument can play any other instrument at any time that I want. So I can actually move stuff around without physically moving the keyboards around. It’s quite a complex rig and it’s full of all of the sounds that I’ve created myself.”
Outside of the tour preparations, Wakeman has no shortage of other things going on. “It’s just ludicrously busy, and I like it that way. I work on the principle that if I’m busy, I can’t be dead,” he quips. He’ll release an updated take on his 1975 album The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table on June 19 and perform it live that same day at the O2 Arena in London. Wakeman performed the piece onstage only once before, in 1975.
Problem is, the promoters want a 90-minute show, and the original version is only 38 minutes. "So I revisited it, wrote a load of new material for King Arthur, which we recorded with orchestra, choir, band, everything," he says. "That’s taken nine months of unbelievable work and a lot of expense, but it’s come together brilliantly and I’m thrilled to bits with it.” Also on tap for Wakeman: a tribute to Stephen Hawking, and a London concert with new meditation music for piano and string orchestra for people with autism.
Like many other musicians, Wakeman was saddened by the death of David Bowie earlier this year, and reveals that their connection went far beyond the studio time that they shared. “I learned really how to work and behave in the studio, thanks to David,” he says. “It’s not really common knowledge that he and I were neighbors for five years. We both lived in Switzerland and we saw each other a lot. Some of the discussions that we had, and the talks we had about music, fashion and art, I loved the man because of his passion for what he did. He believed in music, he believed in art, he believed in fashion and he believed in himself. One of the things that he taught me, he said, “Be your own man.” He said, “By all means, listen to advice and other people, but don’t let other people tell you what to do.”
And you can’t argue the fact that he and Bowie definitely both stuck with that thought process. Wakeman says that ended up being pretty important advice. “I thank him for that, because he said, ‘Stick up for what you believe in,’" he says. "Things like Journey to the Centre of the Earth would never have been done, if I hadn’t stuck up for it. Because apart from my manager, the record company, the agents and all of the people around me said, ‘It won’t work, you can’t do it.’ So it was really thanks to David that I went, ‘No, I can do it!’
"And it wasn’t to do it to prove anybody wrong, although we did prove everybody wrong, it was done because I felt, if it’s going to succeed or fail, it has to do that on my terms," he concludes. "Not on anybody else’s.”
Yes Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Next: Top 10 Yes Songs of the '70s
Filed Under: Anderson Rabin Wakeman, Yes
Categories: Exclusive, Interviews, News
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National Interest
Five reasons why the Trump tax bombshell is so potentially devastating
Dick Polman
Protestors march in a downtown street holding a sign in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump releasing his tax returns
If Donald Trump loses this race – for the sake of our national security and the future of the American experiment, he had better lose it – it may well be said that the turning point came in the 21st hour of the first of October. That’s when the fulminating fraud was unmasked as never before.
Yes, folks, what we learned over the weekend was that the faker is a taker who leeches off the system at the expense of the benighted average taxpayer. Someone in Trumpworld dimed him out by snail-mailing three key pages of his ’95 tax return to The New York Times, and the big revelation – in one calendar year he lost nearly a billion dollars; citing that business failure, he exploited a tax code provision that allowed him to pay no taxes for 18 years – has detonated at high decibels atop his vanilla head.
This news has the potential to inflict great political damage. Let us count the ways:
There’s one set of rules for guys like Trump, another set of rules for everyone else. He has nothing in common with the little people he aspires to represent. As the Times story points out (with confirmation from the accountant who prepared the document), Trump worked the tax code in ways that the average shmoe can’t even dream of. As veteran Republican strategist Rich Galen said on his blog this morning, “Regular people don’t legally avoid paying federal income taxes for 18 years. This is exactly the kind of thing that has work-a-day Americans so angry.”
The next presidential debate, six days from now, features a “town hall” format. The candidates will be tasked with fielding queries from undecided voters. Hopefully, one will ask: “Mr. Trump, you’ve worked the system to avoid paying taxes for 18 years. You’ve said that makes you ‘smart.’ But I pay my taxes every year. Why do you think I’m stupid?”
Bottom line: When Trump says the system is “rigged,” he’s right. Because he’s a prime beneficiary.
His sole alleged presidential credential – that he’s a great businessman – turns out to be bogus. According to financial experts contacted over the weekend, it’s dumfounding that the guy could lose nearly a billion dollars in one year, especially at a time when the economy was bullish; clearly, the precipitous collapse of a hotel-airline-casino empire was symptomatic of reckless mismanagement. In the words of Alan Cole, an economist at a conservative think tank, “The billion-dollar (loss) is evidence of bad business.”
The Trump surrogates’ responses have been worthless. Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie insisted on TV yesterday that Trump’s shifting of the tax burden to the average citizen was evidence of his “genius” – or, as Giuliani put it, his “absolute genius.” Christie said that Trump should be “taking a bow.” I swear, I’ve heard better logic from the lunatics who nap in city parks. And if you think I’m taking those remarks out of context, here’s Christie in full: “There’s no one who’s shown more genius in their way to maneuver about the tax code.”
Giuliani also compared Trump to Winston Churchill, but I won’t bother to explain that one. I’ll simply point out that if you or I decided to skip paying taxes next April, I doubt that the IRS would call it genius. And if America’s undocumented immigrant workers (the people Trump hates) decided to skip paying their state and local taxes – by the way, they pay nearly $12 billion a year – I doubt the tax authorities would laud that decision as evidence of genius.
Trump has no plans to kill the tax code rule that he deftly exploited for his personal benefit. He repeated his usual mantra in a tweet yesterday morning: “I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them.” But his fix-it plan doesn’t touch the rule that allows businesses to deduct operating losses and carry those losses into subsequent years (via the non-payment of taxes). And his fix-it proposals would lower the top income tax rate, a boon to the most affluent taxpayers. (Including him, if or when he ever pays taxes again.)
The weekend revelations have amped the pressure on Trump to release his tax returns – just as every other nominee has done since 1976. If the Times’ story is wrong, if indeed he has paid some taxes during the last 18 years, he can prove it by releasing the returns. If there’s indeed a plausible explanation for how he could lose nearly a billion dollars in one year in the midst of a good economy, he can explain it by releasing the returns.
Let’s see what’s in those returns, so that we can judge for ourselves whether this guy is truly an “absolute genius.” Because unless he can plausibly refute what we learned this weekend, we’re inclined to side with Republican strategist Peter Wehner, who served the last three Republican presidents, and says:
“What we’re seeing is somebody who’s blowing himself apart in real time. It’s a pretty extraordinary thing to see….It’s gnawing on him that he could become what he has contempt for, and that is a loser.”
And welcome to a new week. This is a great way to start it. Love the opening paragraph.
Follow me on Twitter, @dickpolman1, and on Facebook.
Brought to you by National Interest
Dick Polman’s column appears weekly on WHYY.org/News. He also contributes to The Atlantic online and is a writer-in-residence at the University of Pennsylvania.
About Dick Polman
@dickpolman1 nationalinterest@whyy.org
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HELLYEAH announce album details following emotional gig in honour of Vinnie Paul
After a courageous and emotional sold-out concert in Las Vegas celebrating the life of Vinnie Paul, hard rock purveyors HELLYEAH announce today the title of their sixth studio album, Welcome Home, and new release date Friday September 27th, via Eleven Seven Music.
The new video for the title track will be available Friday May 17th, and can be preordered here with an immediate download of the track.
Welcome Home, the eagerly anticipated new album featuring the late Vinnie Paul’s final recordings, will unleash 10 tracks, driven by their love, loyalty, reverence and respect for their fallen brother, including the first fiery song, '333', recently released. Watch the official music video below.
The weekend show, which began with an emotional procession by the Las Vegas Golden Knights DrumBots and a Live painting by renowned fine-artist Rob Prior, marked the first time the band has taken the stage since Paul’s passing, and the debut of Stone Sour member Roy Mayorga as fill-in.
In a poignant moment during the set, Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist John Kats (Katsilometes) presented the band with an official proclamation from the Clark County Board of Commissioners declaring May 11th 2019 as “Vinnie Paul Day”, for his incomparable role as a musician and helping make the Entertainment Industry in the City of Las Vegas what it is today.
A portion of the proceeds from the sold-out show, were donated to The American Heart Association in honour of Vinnie Paul.
The band are now set to head off on an 18-city headline tour in the US this July which will culminate in a special hometown celebration on August 17th in Texas.
As bassist Kyle Sanders so succinctly stated: “While Vinnie Paul is obviously irreplaceable, one thing we can’t not do is tour. As easy as it would be to say we’re not going on the road, we have to. Vinnie would be extremely disappointed in us if we didn’t promote this record properly. He’d be pissed off at all of us for putting all this work into finishing the record and then just letting it sit there on the shelf while we put a couple of songs to radio and whatever…and we know that”.
HELLYEAH was formed in 2006 by Pantera founder/drummer Vinnie Paul, singer Chad Gray (Mudvayne), and guitarist Tom Maxwell (Nothingface) with bassist Kyle Sanders (Bloodsimple) and guitarist Christian Brady, who joined in 2014. The band has released five albums, culminating in the #2 Hard Rock album release UNDEN!ABLE in June 2016. Their final album with Vinnie Paul, Welcome Home – a truly stunning album that does both Vinnie’s memory and groundbreaking legacy proud – is slated for release on Friday, September 27th.
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Civilization (Star Trek: Enterprise)
Civilization (1947 song)
A civilization (US) or civilisation (UK) is any complex society characterized by urban development, symbolic communication forms (typically, writing systems), and a perceived separation from and domination over the natural environment by a cultural elite. Civilizations are intimately associated with and often further defined by other socio-politico-economic characteristics, including centralization, the domestication of both humans and other organisms, specialization of labor, culturally ingrained ideologies of progress and supremacism, monumental architecture, taxation, societal dependence upon farming as an agricultural practice, and expansionism.
Historically, a civilization was a so-called "advanced" culture in contrast to more supposedly primitive cultures. In this broad sense, a civilization contrasts with non-centralized tribal societies, including the cultures of nomadic pastoralists or hunter-gatherers. As an uncountable noun, civilization also refers to the process of a society developing into a centralized, urbanized, stratified structure.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Civilization
"Civilization" is the ninth episode (production #109) of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and was written by Phyllis Strong and Michael Sussman. Mike Vejar served as director for the episode. TrekToday gave the episode a positive review.
Enterprise investigates a pre-industrial civilization of about 500 million people. They discover that there is another warp-capable species among the unsuspecting inhabitants. After Captain Archer, Commander Tucker, Ensign Sato, and Sub-Commander T'Pol arrive, they discover a local scientist who believes a local merchant is causing the sickness in the town.
Enterprise locates a planet inhabited by pre-industrial humanoids. Scanners also detect technology which does not correspond with the planet's technological level. Against Sub-Commander T'Pol's recommendation, Captain Archer decides to visit. Going in disguise, T'Pol suggests a distant rural landing site. Once in the Akaali city, Ensign Sato notices inhabitants that appear sick. Scans lead them to an old curio shop, but they encounter a force-field blocking the way. They are then confronted by a local apothecary, Riann. T'Pol stuns her, and when she awakens, Archer persuades her that he is an investigator from another city.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Civilization_(Star_Trek:_Enterprise)
"Civilization" is an American pop song. It was written by Bob Hilliard and Carl Sigman, published in 1947 later included in the 1947 Broadway musical Angel in the Wings, sung by Elaine Stritch. The song is sometimes also known as "Bongo, Bongo, Bongo (I Don't Want to Leave the Congo)" from its first line of the chorus.
The song is considered satire and is sung from the perspective of a native person, whose village has recently been settled by a missionary and other "civilized" people he refers to as "educated savages" who have been trying to make the tribe into a civilized place. However, the native thinks differently and sings about the major flaws in civilized society, ultimately deciding that he will stay where he lives (presumably the Congo, as it is referenced in the song lyrics).
At least five recorded versions made the Billboard charts: by The Andrews Sisters and Danny Kaye, by Louis Prima, by "Smilin'" Jack Smith, by Ray McKinley, and by Woody Herman.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Civilization_(1947_song)
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Bruce Vilanch To Play Coral Springs Museum Saturday, January 30th 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016 @ 7pm
Emmy Award Winning Comedy Genius
BRUCE VILANCH
JESSICA KIRSON
(Comedy Central, NBC TV’s Last Comic Standing)
From Mr. Vilanch: “Currently celebrating his seventeenth year as Lindsay Lohan’s sobriety coach, Bruce Vilanch is descending to The RRazz Room to dispatch more updates on his bizarre career behind, before and squatting over the footlights. A Hairspray star, a Hollywood Square and the latest success story on Christian Mingle, (who just hooked him up with a guy who used to be Pope), Bruce has more than a few songs to sing and stories to tell.”
Jessica Kirson’s unique style and captivating stage presence captures the attention of audiences and club bookers everywhere she performs. Her wide variety of characters brings a diverse energy to her routine. Once you’ve seen her amazing talent, it’s easy to understand why she was selected to perform at the Hamptons, Toyota, Marshall’s Women in Comedy, Comedy Central’s South Beach, Montreal, and HBO’s Las Vegas comedy festivals. She was awarded “Best Female Comic” by the MAC association in New York City and recently accepted the Nightlife Award for “Best Stand-up Comedian” in New York City. Her YouTube channel “The Jessy K Show” has more than 100 videos with a combined total of over 2.5 million views. She recently launched her own podcast called “The Jessica Kirson Podcast.”
2855 Coral Springs Drive, Coral Springs, FL 33065 United States
To Buy Tickets: Click Here
Tags: Bette Midler, Bruce Vilanch, Hello Dolly
7 Reasons Why “Donny & Marie” Ruled the ’70s
Bruce Vilanch Talks Showbiz, Politics in Coral Springs
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TOP NAMES CONFIRMED FOR 2019
Details of the fourth Write By The Sea 2019 Literary Festival, have been announced. With “Drawn To The Sea” as this year’s theme, the festival will takeplace in Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford on Saturday, September 28, and Sunday, September 29, after an opening reception on Friday, September 27.
For Write By The Sea 2019 key contributors will include such major figures in Irish literature as Mike McCormack, Theo Dorgan, Sinead Gleeson, Dermot Bolger, Sara Baume and Catherine Dunne. Éilísh Ní Dhuibhne and Ruth Fitzmaurice will be interviewed about books they’ve published on the deaths of loved ones, and award-winning young local poet Sinead O’Reilly will recite her work on-stage with one of her heroes, Paula Meehan. Kit de Waal, who was one of the key contributors last year, is back again in the village where she set part of her most recent novel A Trick To Time.
Other key contributors are yet to be confirmed, including many Wexford-based authors who will present workshops on different aspects of writing and getting published.
Announcing details of Write By The Sea 2019, the chair of the organising committee Lucy Moore explained, ‘Write By The Sea has been an enormous success with established authors, readers and writers, and our stimulating mix of talks, readings, interviews and workshops draws visitors from all over Ireland and the UK. Even before any details were announced for 2019 we had many advance bookings. We are also hoping to confirm an art exhibition by a nationally-known local artist whose work fits perfectly into this year’s “Drawn To The Sea” theme.”
Kevin Doyle Book Launch
Spotlight on Kit de Waal
Spotlight on Dermot Bolger
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IBM Honors Eight Employees with Highest Technical Award For Breakthrough Innovations
Dr. David Ferrucci, Lead IBM Watson Scientist, Among those Honored
ARMONK, N.Y. - 04 May 2011: IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today that it has named eight new IBM Fellows -- the company's most prestigious technical honor. The eight were recognized for their breakthrough achievements, their standing as worldwide leaders in their fields of endeavor, and for delivering tremendous value for IBM, its clients and shareholders.
The new IBM Fellows are responsible for advances in areas as diverse as deep computing, cloud services and virtualized systems to stream computing, analytics and workload optimized systems. David Ferrucci, the principal investigator of Watson -- the computer system that competed against top Jeopardy! champions and earned world-wide notoriety in both the scientific and business communities -- was among those honored.
"The 2011 IBM Fellows join a distinguished group of IBM's finest innovators," said Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer. "For all of us at IBM, our work is grounded in the belief that teams of dedicated women and men, applying intelligence, science and technology, can tackle the biggest problems and make the world literally work better. This belief has guided our company for 100 years and it will continue to guide us as we start our second century. These new Fellows will be instrumental in how we shape the future."
The eight employees who have earned the coveted distinction of IBM Fellow this year are:
Bob Blainey
Software Group - Newmarket, Ontario
Bob Blainey is recognized for his distinguished record of innovations that synergize hardware and software technologies. For more than two decades, he has focused on ensuring not only that software can exploit hardware capabilities optimally, but also that hardware designs evolve to support higher-performing software. His achievements include breakthrough innovation in compiler technology, leadership of IBM's Java technology, and, most recently, his strategic responsibility for next-generation systems in IBM Software Group. Bob's range of expertise — in computer architecture, programming language design, and parallel systems — enables a holistic approach to software optimization and collaborative processor design that has delivered dramatic improvements in system performance.
Bradford Brooks
Corporate - Longmont, CO
Dr. Bradford Brooks has been appointed an IBM Fellow in recognition of his sustained achievement and leadership regarding IBM's involvement with complex materials that are used in the electronics and information technology industries. Dr. Brooks is a recognized expert in the field of toxicology with a particular emphasis on manufacturing processes within the information technology industry, toxicology risk assessments for I/T products, technologies and materials that are newly emerging for industrial use, environmental risk management, industrial chemical security, and chemical management laws and regulations. He has marshalled innovative scientific approaches to effectively address the broad interests of IBM and its clients underscored by publications, intellectual property and proprietary assessment models.
IBM Research – Yorktown, New York
Dr. David Ferrucci is recognized for making unprecedented progress in Machine Question-Answering. He has led teams consisting of 20-plus researchers and software engineers inside and outside of IBM, specializing in the areas of Natural Language Processing, Software Architecture, Information Retrieval, Machine Learning and Knowledge Representation and Reasoning.
He is the principal investigator for DeepQA, the exploratory research project that provided the architecture for Watson — winner of a landmark contest against two champions on the Jeopardy! television quiz show. His approach to intelligent systems uses a scalable, integrated combination of diverse algorithmic techniques rather than any single algorithm. Building on his previous contributions as chief architect of the Unstructured Information Management Architecture project, David's work has significantly advanced the science and engineering of intelligent systems.
Nagui Halim
Dr. Nagui Halim's technical vision and leadership launched the era of stream computing at IBM. In response to a client request in 2003 to create a new architecture for high-speed adaptive stream processing and analytics, Nagui recruited and assumed leadership of a large interdisciplinary research team, working in close and novel collaboration with the client, to undertake this formidable project to develop a new type of computing system able to manage and analyze massive volumes of continuous streams of data, which became known as System S. As the technical lead on System S, Nagui developed the foundational concepts and designed the architecture for this new computing system.
Steve Hunter
IBM Research – Raleigh, NC
Steve Hunter is a foremost industry expert in networking technologies and network computing convergence. He has had leadership roles in the development of numerous systems, technologies and standards across System x and BladeCenter, Grid and Cloud Computing and Virtualization and, most recently, in defining IBM's network-optimized systems and technology. Steve's most recent role is chief systems architect for network-optimized computing systems. Steve is renowned as a technical expert across academic and industrial domains.
Stefan Pappe
Global Technology Services - Heidelberg, Germany
Dr. Stefan Pappe is the leader of the Specialty Service Area (SSA) for Cloud Services in IBM's Global Technology Services Delivery Technology and Engineering organization. Stefan built the method-based framework of what actually makes up the technical core of productized service assets. It delivers the base for well-defined, consistently understood, technical artifacts, which has been fully embraced within IBM's services' development process. The initial realization of this concept was carried out in 2002.
Renato Recio
Systems and Technology Group - Austin, TX
Over the past quarter century, Renato Recio has become a world renowned technical expert in Data Center Networking server IO, network virtualization, and related architectures. He has led a wide range of cross-IBM teams working on IO and networking product development, technical strategy and industry standards. Renato has created numerous products and technologies that have dramatically simplified the deployment, management and operational complexity of large virtualized data centers. His efforts have resulted in numerous important industry standards which have dramatically simplified the way virtualized data centers operate. His work has resulted in 97 patents issued and 80 patents pending. Renato is a very proficient technical author with a total of 13 technical papers published in refereed technical conferences or journals and over 50 presentations at refereed technical conferences. .
Wolfgang Roesner
Wolfgang Roesner is an expert in Verification and has architected the verification tools and methodologies being used across all IBM systems. His accomplishments in the world-class verification methodology allows the design of the company's P7 and zGryphon processors. The Verification methodology Wolfgang put into place is not limited to the IBM processor flows as it was shown to be extensible to games processors like Cell, Waternoose, Vejle as well as a the SoC processor Prism. Wolfgang is well known in the industry for his leading role in verification tools and methodologies. He is frequently invited to deliver keynotes at technical workshops and conferences. His book on "Comprehensive Functional Verification – The Complete Industry Cycle" is the most comprehensive practical verification handbook published and is widely used in the industry.
About the IBM Fellows Program
The IBM Fellows program was founded in 1962 by Thomas J. Watson, Jr., as a way to promote creativity among the company's "most exceptional" technical professionals. The first appointments were made in 1963. The criteria for appointment are stringent and take into account only the most significant technical achievements. In addition to a history of extraordinary accomplishments, candidates must also be considered to have the potential to make continued contributions. IBM Fellows are given broad latitude to identify and pursue projects in their area of expertise.
The title of IBM Fellow is the company's pre-eminent technical distinction, granted in recognition of outstanding and sustained technical achievements and leadership in engineering, programming, services, science and technology. To further enhance their potential for innovative achievements, IBM Fellows are given additional responsibilities in their areas of specialization. Only 231 individuals have earned this designation in the company's history, and, including the newly named Fellows, 69 are active employees. This year's group of Fellows has 199 years of combined IBM experience, has collectively been issued 218 patents and is comprised of five PhD's.
Examples of technology originated by IBM Fellows include:
Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) -- the architectural basis for most high performance workstations and servers.
Thin-film heads -- for high-density disk storage devices.
DRAM -- the fundamental solid-state memory technology used in the industry.
Relational databases -- one of the foundational technologies of knowledge management.
Virtual memory -- allows many users to share a single computer.
The Scanning Tunnelling Microscope -- the first instrument able to image atoms.
Fortran -- one of the world's most widely used computer languages.
The AT bus -- the basic architecture for IBM personal computers.
The first Gigahertz chip
More information on IBM Fellows can be found at www.research.ibm.com/resources/awards_fellows.shtml.
Chemistry, computer science, electrical engineering, materials and mathematical sciences, physics and services science
Smarter Planet
Images related to IBM's Smarter Planet initiative
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South China Sea: Indonesian leader visits Natuna Islands amid growing tensions
Posted June 23, 2016 21:38:26
Photo: Joko Widodo onboard the Imam Bonjol warship in Indonesia's Natuna Islands. (AFP/Presidential Palace)
Related Story: Indonesia says no 'overlapping' South China Sea claims with China
Related Story: Natuna Island fishermen call for protection of disputed seas
Map: Indonesia
President Joko Widodo has visited remote Indonesian islands on a warship in an apparent show of force following clashes with Chinese vessels and growing fears Beijing is seeking to stake a claim in nearby waters.
Mr Widodo led a high-level delegation, including the Foreign Minister and armed forces chief, to the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea, arriving at a navy base before being escorted to the warship as fighter jets buzzed overhead and military vessels performed manoeuvres off the coast.
At a meeting of ministers and security force chiefs on the warship, which last week detained a Chinese trawler and its crew in Indonesian waters, the President ordered defences around the Natunas to be stepped up.
"I asked the military and the maritime security agency to better guard the seas," he said.
Photo: President Joko Widodo inspects a weapon on the warship. (AFP/Presidential Palace)
A picture released by the Government showed Mr Widodo standing next to a gun turret on deck, flanked by the military chief and ministers.
Before the trip, Security Minister Luhut Panjaitan said it was aimed at sending a "clear message" that Indonesia was "very serious in its effort to protect its sovereignty".
Beijing asserts sovereignty over almost the entire strategically important South China Sea, and regional tensions are mounting due to Chinese island building and ahead of a UN-backed tribunal's ruling on a Philippine challenge to China's claims.
Overlapping claims
Unlike some of its South-East Asian neighbours, Indonesia has long maintained it has no maritime disputes with China in the sea and has no overlapping claims to reefs or islets there.
But Beijing's claims overlap Indonesia's exclusive economic zone — waters where a state has the right to exploit resources — around the Natunas, and Mr Widodo's visit came after a sharp escalation in maritime clashes between Indonesian vessels and Chinese fishing boats in the area.
Video: South China Sea tensions explained (Lateline)
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Thursday reiterated Beijing's position that China and Indonesia "have no territorial disputes" and that China does not object to Indonesia's sovereignty over the Natuna Islands.
But she added that "China and Indonesia have overlapping claims over maritime rights of some part of the waters in the South China Sea".
The term "overlapping claims" was also used in a Chinese statement earlier this week.
Analysts say the language indicates Beijing is taking a tougher stance by openly saying that China and Indonesia have competing maritime claims.
Before and after: South China Sea
See how China is converting reefs to military facilities by building artificial islands in the South China Sea.
The growing tensions come after a senior US State Department official warned this week that China is using its fishing fleets with armed escorts to bolster maritime claims.
The latest confrontation between Beijing and Jakarta came last week when the Indonesian navy seized a Chinese-flagged fishing vessel and detained its crew for allegedly operating illegally in Natuna waters. It was the third such skirmish between vessels from the two countries in the area this year.
Beijing protested and claimed that one fisherman was injured after Indonesian vessels fired warning shots. Jakarta says none of the crew were hurt.
Mr Widodo's visit to the islands, which are located west of Borneo, was his first as President.
The Natuna waters are home to oil and gas deposits as well as fishing grounds.
Confrontations between Indonesian and Chinese vessels around the Natunas have increased since Jakarta launched a crackdown on illegal fishing in 2014.
This article includes interactive enhancements which are not supported on this platform.
For the full interactive experience in this article, you will need a modern web browser with JavaScript enabled. Find out more about browser support at ABC News Online.
Vietnam, China, Malaysia have eyes on the prize
Rich in resources and traversed by a quarter of global shipping, the South China Sea is the stage for several territorial disputes that threaten to escalate tensions in the region.
At the heart of these disputes are a series of barren islands in two groups - the Spratly Islands, off the coast of the Philippines, and the Paracel Islands, off the coasts of Vietnam and China.
Both chains are essentially uninhabitable, but are claimed by no fewer than seven countries, eager to gain control of the vast oil and gas fields below them, as well as some of the region's best fishing grounds.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei have made claims to part of the Spratlys based on the internationally recognised Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline.
Based on the EEZ, the Philippines has the strongest claim on the Spratlys and their resources, with its EEZ covering much of the area.
However the lure of resources, and prospect of exerting greater control over shipping in the region, means that greater powers are contesting the Philippines' claims.
China has made extensive sovereignty claims on both the Spratlys and the Paracels to the north, based largely on historic claims outlined in a map from the middle part of the 20th Century known as the 'Nine Dash Map'.
Taiwan also makes claims based on the same map, as it was created by the nationalist Kuomintang government, which fled to Taiwan after the communists seized power in China.
Vietnam also claims the Spratlys and the Paracels as sovereign territory, extending Vietnam's EEZ across much of the region and bringing it into direct conflict with China.
There have been deadly protests in Vietnam over China's decision to build an oil rig off the Paracels.
One Chinese worker in Vietnam was killed and a dozen injured in riots targeting Chinese and Taiwanese owned factories, prompting 3,000 Chinese nationals to flee the country.
EEZ can only be imposed based on boundaries of inhabitable land, and this has prompted all the countries making claims on the region to station personnel, and in some cases build military bases out of the water, to bolster their claim.
Building and protecting these structures has resulted in a series of stand-offs between countries in the region, each with the potential to escalate.
China has been leading the charge with these installations, and has deployed vessels to the region to protect their interests.
Chinese coast guard vessels have used a water cannon on Vietnamese vessels, as well as blockading an island where the Philippines has deployed military personnel.
More on this story:
Satellite images appear to show China building new radar system on disputed islands
New Chinese missile base on disputed island sparks fresh militarisation warnings
Militarisation of disputed island 'a serious concern', John Kerry says
US admiral Joseph Aucoin urges Australia to launch 'freedom of navigation' operation
Labor Opposition wants Australian warships to test 12-nautical-mile limits of contested Chinese islands
Australia unlikely to ever gain access to islands in the South China Sea, analyst says
Topics: world-politics, defence-forces, unrest-conflict-and-war, indonesia, china, asia
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What the New Federal Licensing Law Means to Insurance Agencies
An AgencyEquity Exclusive
Dan runs a small insurance agency in a mid-Atlantic state. His market niche is insuring businesses in the outdoors recreation industry, such as guides and outfitters who offer mountaineering, paddling, snow and equine services. Related to that, he insures nonprofit environmental conservation and outdoor activities organizations.
Because the market for these types of operations in his own state is limited, he offers his services countrywide, insuring hiking guides in the Rockies as well as the Appalachian Trail. That market reach, though, has come with its own special cost: The expense and difficulty of maintaining the appropriate licenses in all 50 states. Each state has its own unique laws, regulations, requirements and fees for insurance producer licensing. Complying with them all has been a full-time job by itself.
That may soon change, however, as a new federal law, the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act of 2015, takes effect. This law may make multi-state licensing much easier for Dan and insurance producers like him.
The law creates a non-profit organization called the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers (NARAB). This organization, which will not be a federal government agency and cannot receive federal funds, will provide a simple process for producers to meet multiple states' requirements and obtain non-resident licenses. However, individual states will still retain much of their authority in areas such as setting licensing fees, making and enforcing rules for producer conduct, and continuing eduction requirements.
A producer who joins NARAB will automatically be authorized to sell, solicit and negotiate insurance in any state to which he pays the state licensing fee. However, he will be able to sell only those lines of coverage for which he is licensed in his home state. All applicable state laws and regulations will also automatically apply to him, but he will have to meet only the continuing education requirements of his home state.
Membership in NARAB will be voluntary, but all individual producers and business entities (other than those whose licenses have been suspended or revoked) will be eligible to join. NARAB will set criteria for membership, including personal qualifications, training and experience, but it may not unfairly hinder small insurance producers from joining. The qualifications it sets must meet or exceed current National Association of Insurance Commissioners standards. Producers will have to renew their memberships every two years.
Those who reside in states that do not require criminal background checks will undergo a check of FBI records for evidence of past criminal activity; NARAB may deny membership based on the results of that check. NARAB will also have the authority to suspend or revoke a producer's membership or place him on probation for failing to meet membership requirements, suspension or revocation of a license, or conviction of certain crimes.
NARAB will collect state licensing fees from producers and forward them on to the states. It will also notify all states and the NAIC when:
A producer joins the association
A producer becomes newly authorized or unauthorized to operate in a particular state
It disciplines a producer.
States will inform NARAB of disciplinary actions against producers.
One significant advantage for producers is that NARAB will free them from some of the state requirements that apply to them now. For example, states will be prohibited from requiring them to submit to criminal background checks or register with the government as a foreign company.
Also, the improved ability to obtain non-resident licenses should open up additional markets for producers. Agencies with specific market niches, like Dan's, will have an easier time expanding into other states. This will potentially increase their revenues and profits. The resulting increase in their financial strength may give them the means to acquire other agencies. Conversely, if an agency is looking for buyers, the expanded market should help it command a higher sale price. If two agencies have equal revenues but one has access to markets in its niche in three other states, the second agency should have a higher valuation.
The association will not be up and running overnight. The law takes effect on January 12, 2017 or the date that the association incorporates, whichever is later. Much work has to occur between now and then, including appointing a board of directors, hiring staff, and determining standards and fees. However, if it performs as envisioned once it's online, it should make multi-state licensing much less burdensome for insurance producers.
© 2015 Strategic Agencies LLC / AgencyEquity.com
All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Looking to start an Agency? Get detailed information by reading our Guide to Starting an Insurance Agency
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Colombia: Killings and threats of violence scupper promise of return of stolen lands
Threats and killings, coupled with the weak implementation of flawed legislation, are scuppering the Colombian government’s promise to return millions of hectares of land illegally snatched from peasant farmers, indigenous people and Afro-descendant communities, said Amnesty International today.
In a new 107-page report A land title is not enough: Ensuring sustainable land restitution in Colombia, Amnesty shows how the Victims and Land Restitution Law - Law 1448 - implemented in 2012, is failing the vast majority of people whose lands have been stolen. Many have been unable to return home due to ongoing threats of violence and the slow speed of the restitution process.
The report is published at a critical time – when the government and the country’s main guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are engaged in talks designed to put a definitive end to the country’s 50-year armed conflict. The issue of land is one of the central components of the negotiations.
The talks, however, are currently suspended after the kidnapping of an army general, Ruben Dario Alzate Mora, on 16 November.
Almost six million people (13% of the population) have been forcibly displaced, mostly by paramilitaries and the security forces, over the course of Colombia’s conflict. An estimated eight million hectares have been illegally acquired, an area larger than Costa Rica, often to the benefit of powerful economic interests.
While Amnesty has welcomed the introduction of Law 1448, failures to effectively implement it and to address weaknesses in the legislation have meant that the government is failing to respect victims’ right to an effective remedy. Even when land titles are granted under Law 1448, threats of violence and a lack of basic infrastructure and financial support are stopping people from returning home.
Marcelo Pollack, Amnesty International’s Colombia Researcher, said:
“Colombia has one of the highest levels of forced displacement in the world and it is patently clear that the authorities are not doing enough to ensure that stolen lands are effectively returned to their rightful occupants.
“Handing over a land title and sending people on their way is not enough. The Colombian authorities must speed up the bureaucratic processes and ensure physical and financial security for those returning. All those suspected of criminal responsibility for forced displacement must be brought to trial.”
Those who try to return home, as well as those representing them and state officials involved in the restitution process, face serious threats, violence and even death, mostly at the hands of paramilitary groups. By the end of August this year, the Office of the Attorney General was investigating at least 35 killings of individuals who were involved in the land restitution process. The actual number of people killed, however, is likely to be much higher.
Marcelo Pollack said:
“How can anyone be expected to go home knowing that the same people that forcibly displaced them in the first place, and threatened and killed their friends and family, could be waiting for them? If the government does not address the serious and widespread violence perpetrated against those who try to return home and those accompanying them, then all its policies and laws will be nothing more than empty gestures.”
Corporate exploitation
The armed conflict has repeatedly been used as a means by powerful national and international corporate giants to advance, consolidate and protect their economic interests, including through the illegal acquisition of large swathes of land. However, to date the land restitution process has focused largely on relatively easy, small-scale land restitution.
“The land restitution process has so far failed to ensure that powerful national or international economic interests do not benefit from investments on lands secured through human rights abuses and profit from the spoils of war.”
Weaknesses in the system
For those trying to reclaim land through Law 1448, progress has been depressingly slow. Only a tiny fraction of the eight million hectares that are thought to have been illegally acquired during the course of the conflict have been returned so far.
Law 1448 has also created a hierarchy of victims in which eligibility for reparation depends on the date when the abuses were carried out. No-one whose land was snatched before 1991 is eligible for land restitution.
“Peoples’ homes and livelihoods became direct targets in the conflict between state and guerrilla forces, a conflict that was used as a cover to advance, consolidate and protect economic interests. President Santos has taken some steps in the right direction with Law 1448, but now is the time for him to step up and ensure all those forced off their land can go home and get on with their lives in safety and peace.”
Colombia’s internal armed conflict began in the mid-1960s and has been marked by widespread, systematic violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including unlawful killings, enforced disappearance, torture, forced displacement, abductions and sexual violence. These have been committed by the security forces and paramilitaries, either acting alone or in collusion with each other, as well as by guerrilla groups.
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East River helicopter crash leaves 5 dead, officials say
“I have not seen this type of accident happen,” a National Transportation Safety Board member said.
A helicopter crashed in the East River on Sunday, March 11, 2018, killing five passengers, officials said. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Dimitrios Kambouris
By Anthony M. DeStefano and Vincent Barone anthony.destefano@newsday.com, vin.barone@amny.com Updated March 13, 2018 6:52 AM
Federal investigators arrived in New York on Monday to begin what they said could be a long and complex investigation into what caused a helicopter chartered for a photo shoot to crash into the East River, killing all five passengers.
The American Eurocopter Corp. single-engine helicopter was removed from the river Monday and lifted onto a barge at 23rd Street to be taken to Floyd Bennett Field, where investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were going to take it apart to learn why it suddenly crashed after the pilot, who survived, said the aircraft lost power.
At a news conference by the East River, NTSB member Bella Dinh-Zarr said the agency hadn’t interviewed the pilot, Richard Vance of Danbury, Connecticut, but hoped to do so. The agency would look at a number of factors, including the performance of the engine, flotation devices on the aircraft and passenger safety harnesses. Officials said rescuers had problems extricating passengers from the downed aircraft as it lay submerged, upside down.
Friends, colleagues remember helicopter crash victims
“I just have no words to say,” Karen McDaniel, mother of Brian McDaniel, said.
On Sunday after the accident, Vance told police at the 19th Precinct that a strap from one of the passengers’ seat restraints got entangled with the emergency fuel shut-off lever, causing the fuel flow to be interrupted, said a law enforcement official who didn’t want to be named.
The helicopter, a popular aircraft for private industry, tourism, the military and law enforcement, crashed into the river at 7:08 p.m. as Vance frantically alerted air traffic controllers that he was about to hit the water.
“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” Vance was heard yelling, according to a recording provided by website LiveATC.net.
“East River … engine failure,” Vance continued in the moments before the helicopter hit the water, to the horror of bystanders along the East River bank.
An amateur video, posted on Twitter, shows the helicopter hit the water with its main rotor blades turning but at a slow speed, known in aviation as “autorotation,” which occurs when the force of air under the blades of a descending helicopter keeps them turning even when there is a lack of power.
Vance managed to climb from the aircraft and was rescued by Foxy 3, a tugboat from Staten Island that happened to be in the vicinity, a police official said.
But by the time NYPD and FDNY harbor units arrived, the helicopter, which seats six, was upside down and held up by flotation devices on its skids.
Richard Vance, 33, the pilot and only survivor of a helicopter crash in in the East River on Sunday, March 11, 2018, is escorted by first responders. Photo Credit: PIX 11 News
The passengers were all tightly harnessed into the helicopter as it went into the water and then flipped, making recovery difficult, officials said. Rescue crews had to cut the passengers out of their seat restraints before emergency medical teams could try to revive them. One police official said the flotation devices didn’t appear to inflate fully, although one industry expert said that sometimes a hard landing can damage them.
The five dead passengers were identified as: Brian McDaniel, 26; Trevor Cadigan, 26; Carla Vallejos Blanco, 29; Tristan Hill, 29; and Daniel Thompson, 34.
FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said rescue crews worked “very quickly, as fast as they could. That’s 50 feet of water there, it was a 4 mph current, temperature is below 40.”
Liberty Helicopters of Kearny, New Jersey, the operator of the tour, declined requests for an interview Monday, but released a statement on its website. “We are focused on supporting the families affected by this tragic accident and on fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB investigations,” the statement said. “These agencies have asked us to respect the investigative process by referring all press inquiries to them for any further comment.”
The scene of a fatal helicopter crash in the East River on Sunday night, March 11, 2018. Photo Credit: NYPD
Dinh-Zarr said the agency was in the very early stages of its investigation and that it was too early to say what had happened to cause the crash. Dinh-Zarr, part of the NTSB “go” team handling the probe, said potential problems with the seat harnesses and the aircraft’s flotation devices, which did deploy but didn’t keep the craft upright, would be examined.
“When floats do inflate there are times when the helicopter will still not necessarily stay afloat so we’re going to look into that,“ Dinh-Zarr noted.
“I have not seen this type of accident happen,” Dinh-Zarr added. She briefed the media with Todd Gunther, the NTSB’s lead investigator in the case.
The single engine aircraft involved in the crash is an AS350B2 model, manufactured by American Eurocopter, a unit of Airbus Helicopters Inc. It was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in October 2013 and according to the agency had no reported problems. Vance had been working for Liberty Helicopters since 2016. Before that he had been an instructor with Northeast Helicopters in Ellington, Connecticut. Officials at Northeast declined to comment Monday.
Helicopter that crashed in the East River, New York City, taken in tow by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers vessel Driftmaster. The NTSB is having the helicopter taken to a secure facility for further examination. pic.twitter.com/BQds0NSKiH
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) March 12, 2018
Neither the particular helicopter, Vance, nor the Eurocopter AS350 helicopter model, had any reported accidents or investigations which led to penalties, said the FAA.
A spokesman for Airbus Helicopters said the company had dispatched its own investigators to New York City to help the NTSB.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the victims and with the survivor and his family, as we provide our full support to the NTSB in determining the cause of this accident,” Airbus said. The company declined to discuss the accident and the mechanics of the Eurostar aircraft further.
During the media briefing, Dinh-Zarr said the NTSB, assisted by the NYPD, FDNY, Office of Emergency Management and U.S. Coast Guard, would look at a variety of issues — including weather, air traffic control and operation — and wouldn’t speculate on possible causes. She did say it was legal for the aircraft to be flying with its doors open, as was apparently done to facilitate the passengers’ photography.
NYPD officers at the scene after a helicopter crashed into the East River between Manhattan and Queens on Sunday, March 11, 2018. Photo Credit: Theodore Parisienne
“Since this was a photo flight, we will be working with the NYPD to recover any cameras or personal electronic devices from the aircraft that might paint an accurate digital portrait of the last moments of this flight,” she said.
According to a law enforcement official, Vance described a freak mishap with an emergency fuel shut-off lever as having caused the helicopter to suddenly lose power. Vance told cops that a strap from one of the passenger’s seat restraints caused the lever to move into the off position, severing the fuel flow to the engine, the official said.
An aviation industry expert, who didn’t want to be identified, said both the main fuel control lever and the emergency cutoff lever were located in the front portion of the aircraft between the pilot seat on the right side and a passenger seat located on the left. The seating configuration of the helicopter provides for four passenger seats in the rear.
Both levers can’t be knocked from their normal positions from above, the expert said. However, the emergency lever could be raised from its downward “off” position to an upright “on” if a harness or strap becomes entangled around it and is pulled upward, the expert said.
A hard landing can damage the flotation equipment, causing it to lose buoyancy, the expert said.
According to the FAA, Liberty Helicopters had, before Sunday night’s tragedy, a total of 16 accidents and incidents since 1995, including an August 2009 midair collision of a Liberty helicopter with a privately operated Piper Lance plane over the Hudson River, near Hoboken, New Jersey. The collision killed the helicopter pilot, his five tourist passengers from Italy and the pilot of the private plane.
With William Murphy, Alison Fox, Robert Brodsky and Ivan Pereira
By Anthony M. DeStefano and Vincent Barone anthony.destefano@newsday.com, vin.barone@amny.com
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
Friends, colleagues remember helicopter crash victims"I just have no words to say," Karen McDaniel, mother of Brian McDaniel, said. 3 crashes for helicopter company in 11 years: NTSBSen. Chuck Schumer called on the FAA to suspend the company's operating certificate.
Bombs sent to CNN, prominent Dems didn't work: FBI
Decision on Garner death may aid cop in NYPD trial: Lawyer
Kidnapping fear was reason for fake Epstein passport: Lawyer
South Bronx congressional primary will be one to watch
Breaking down the Queens DA primary recount
News photos & videos
Pass 9/11 victims compensation bill, advocates urge
Con Ed: Nearly 250,000 lost power during Manhattan blackout
Feds offer few details on immigration raids
Don't cooperate with ICE: NYC council speaker
Scenes from Saturday's power outage in Manhattan
Ticker-tape parade for Women's World Cup champions
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Family Friendly Entertainment - Toruk The First Flight coming to Canadian Tire Centre!
11:53 AM by Alyssa14 comments
The nicer months are here which means it's time to get out more. We are always looking for fun, family-friendly activities and entertainment.
Toruk: The First Flight, a live stage show inspired by James Cameron's AVATAR, is making its way to Ottawa at the Canadian Tire Centre June 29 – July 3, 2016!
The show will transport you to the world of Pandora in a visually stunning live setting. Experience a storytelling odyssey through a new world of imagination, discovery, and possibility.
Through a riveting fusion of cutting-edge visuals, puppetry, and stagecraft buoyed by a soaring cinematic score, Cirque du Soleil applies its unique signature style to James Cameron's imaginary world and “makes the bond” between two kindred artistic visions that capture the imagination.
Through a riveting fusion of cutting-edge visuals, puppetry and stagecraft buoyed by a soaring cinematic score, Cirque du Soleil applies its unique signature style to James Cameron's imaginary world and “makes the bond” between two kindred artistic visions that capture the imagination.
This live immersive experience also bears the distinct signature of directors and multimedia innovators Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon. It is a living ode to the Na'vi's symbiotic coexistence with nature and their belief in the basic interconnectedness of all living things.
Narrated by a “Na'vi Storyteller” and populated by unforgettable characters, TORUK - The First Flight is a mythical tale set thousands of years before the events depicted in the film AVATAR, and before any humans ever set foot on Pandora.
When a natural catastrophe threatens to destroy the sacred Tree of Souls, Ralu and Entu, two Omaticaya boys on the brink of adulthood, fearlessly decide to take matters into their own hands. Upon learning that Toruk can help them save the Tree of Souls, they set out, together with their newfound friend Tsyal, on a quest high up in the Floating Mountains to find the mighty red and orange predator that rules the Pandoran sky. Prophecy is fulfilled when a pure soul rises among the clans to ride Toruk for the first time and save the Na'vi from a terrible fate.
It looks like it's going to be an amazing show for the whole family!
Check out the trailer video below:
Learn more about the show and how to get your tickets here: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com
Find Cirque on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/torukthefirstflight and Twitter using hashtag #TORUK
We want you and your family to have a night out! One lucky AME reader has the chance to win FOUR (4) tickets to Toruk: The First Flight at the Canadian Tire Centre on June 29th @ 7pm!
Enter using the giveaway ballot below!
Open to Ontario, Canada residents 18+. This giveaway is for tickets to the OTTAWA show ONLY. Travel and any accommodations are the responsibility of the winner.
Prize provided by representatives of the show on behalf of AME. Giveaway ends June 12th!
Tagged: Canadian Tire Centre, Entertainment, Giveaway, Live Show, Local, ottawa
Valerie Mallette May 31, 2016 at 11:06:00 PM EDT
If I won tickets I would bring my two sisters and a friend because I know they would enjoy the show!
samantha June 1, 2016 at 8:40:00 AM EDT
My sisters and brother who love avatar
Carol Denny June 2, 2016 at 7:06:00 AM EDT
I would bring my grandkids.
Janet C June 2, 2016 at 10:12:00 AM EDT
Janet C: I would love to go with my girls and my sister!
Emily Marie June 2, 2016 at 9:37:00 PM EDT
I would bring my friend Zahra! We wanted to go last time Cirque was in town but it didn't happen. Would love to see it this time.
lynnsbeans June 3, 2016 at 5:00:00 PM EDT
i would bring my son he would love this
Julie Anne Bolduc June 4, 2016 at 12:30:00 AM EDT
I would bring my family they want to see it
Heather_S June 4, 2016 at 3:04:00 PM EDT
I would bring my two sisters and my best friend Katie as it would be an awesome girls night!
Redlizzy1 June 4, 2016 at 11:45:00 PM EDT
I would bring my husband, my sister and daughter. Our daughter just recently moved to Ottawa and this would be a great way to celebrate. And hopefully she wouldn't mind overnight guests too ;)
Nicole B June 6, 2016 at 8:15:00 AM EDT
I would bring my husband and my mother in law plus my oldest son. The three year old may not last the show!
Journeys of The Zoo June 6, 2016 at 4:18:00 PM EDT
I will take myself first (because I've always wanted to see a show like this!) and definitely my husband and kids as they too would love it. Thanks for the chance!
jemrah June 6, 2016 at 4:21:00 PM EDT
I would bring my daughter - she would love it - because she loves dance, art and all creative things! thanks for the chance!
Melanie Butler June 8, 2016 at 10:22:00 AM EDT
I would love to bring my deserving hubby and his parents. They are so good to me and do so much for our family, it would be great to be able to take them to the show! Thanks!
Lisa Bolduc June 12, 2016 at 8:09:00 AM EDT
I would let my sisters family go. They are big fans
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The books of New York City
I'm just back from a few days in New York - an end-of-summer break which included (the first time I've ever managed this) visits to two very contrasting second-hand book dealers. Strand Books, on Broadway and 12th near Union Square, boasts eighteen miles of books, and on the top floor has a very welcoming rare book room. I picked up there this signed copy of a title by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, in my view the doyen of the Beat poets and the founder of the City Lights bookshop and imprint in San Francisco. He turns 100 next March.
Ferlinghetti has signed an awful lot of books over the years and this wasn't a first edition or anything like that - that was reflected in the modest price. I'm so pleased to have a signed Ferlinghetti.
And there was other choice material ... This first-hand account of the early stages of the Spanish Civil War was published by Lawrence and Wishart, the British Communist imprint, in October 1936. Frank Pitcairn was the pseudonym of Claud Cockburn, who reported from Spain for the Daily Worker.
Again this was reasonably priced for a very clean first edition in a slightly chipped dust jacket ... and again this was made more intriguing by an inscription.
Jose Alemany was a Catalan-American photographer with close links to the Spanish leftists; Ray Valinsky was a Pittsburgh-based Communist who gets passing mention in the minutes of the notorious House Committee on Un-American Activities.
I asked in the rare book room if they had anything in the way of political pamphlets - nothing, it seemed. But a trawl round the shelves proved them wrong. I came across these really nice anarchist propaganda pieces from a century and more ago:
And top marks for the Strand's very apposite selection of badges - I love them almost as much as old pamphlets:
The following day I came across a very different type of book store - the by-appointment-only Jumel Terrace Books near Sugar Hill in Harlem, approximately 150 blocks north of Strand Books, It's run by an exceptionally knowledgeable bibliophile and librarian, Kurt Thometz, whose passion is for West African pamphlets, often libidinous in nature, and also extends to African and African-American literature and politics.
He's also an enthusiast for the American radical Aaron Burr, vice-president during Thomas Jefferson's first term and now destined forever to be remembered as the man who shot dead Hamilton, the guy the musical is about, in a duel. Burr once lived in a very stylish mansion just across the road from Kurt's place.
A real treat to meet Kurt, see some of his library and his wonderful brown stone house - and yes, I did buy a few items. Take a look ...
Ground Zero revisited
The first time I visited New York was three days after 9/11 - there was still a huge plume of dust and smoke rising from Ground Zero.
Last week I visited Ground Zero again, just days after bin Laden's death. It's not given closure to the pain of that attack, but it felt to me that the killing of bin Laden had helped to draw a line.
I was struck by how little triumphalism was on display in the city. There were some 'Obama got Osama' T-shirts for sale, but you had to look hard to find them. And I had to scour even further to find these 'Mission Accomplished: 05 01 11' badges, themselves a fairly restrained commentary on the operation against the ObL compound in Abbottabad.
The only, and I do mean only, celebratory placard on display near Ground Zero was in the name of - wait for it - the Mumbai branch of the BJP.
Mumbai has also of course suffered immensely at the hands of jihadi attackers. And the wording of the sign is hardly inflammatory. Still, to me it struck an awkward note.
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Qatar signs $8bn Typhoon fighter jet deal with the UK
Qatar will buy 24 fighter jets from the United Kingdom, the biggest order for Typhoon aircraft in a decade.
New purchase comes after Doha announced last week it would buy 12 French-made Dassault Rafale fighters [Courtesy: Qatar Ministry of Defence]
Qatar will buy 24 Typhoon fighter jets worth $8bn from the United Kingdom as the Gulf state continues to stock up on high-tech weaponry.
The deal between the two countries was signed in Doha by Qatar's Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah and his British counterpart, Gavin Williamson.
It is the biggest order for Typhoon fighters in more than a decade.
"These formidable jets will boost the Qatari military's mission to tackle the challenges we both share in the Middle East, supporting stability in the region and delivering security at home," Williamson said.
The deal for the Typhoon jets also includes training of air force personnel, the statement said.
The two countries also agreed to create a Joint Operation Squadron, the start of a partnership between Qatar's air force and Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF).
"The squadron tackles all air combat operations, ensuring combat readiness for all Qatari and British pilots and technicians," said the statement.
{articleGUID}
"It will have a notable role in operational coverage and aerial security during 2022 World Cup events."
Qatar said on Thursday it would buy 12 Dassault Rafale fighter jets from the French aviation company in a deal worth $1bn.
Both deals come as the blockade against Qatar has gone on for more than six months.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates said they would cut all diplomatic and economic ties with the Gulf nation.
The countries accused Qatar of having ties to terrorism, strengthening its relations with Iran, and meddling in their internal affairs.
Qatar has denied all allegations against it.
The Eurofighter Typhoon [Mindaugas Kulbis/AP]
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Responsible Returns: Better Stocks for a Better World
Responsible Investing/ESG
Many equity investors want to help create social benefits while generating strong returns. Deploying a clear investment process that draws on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and integrates environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in research can help investors achieve these twin goals.
Building a sustainable equity portfolio is no easy task. It requires a thorough process that can sift through thousands of global firms to identify those that are really making a difference on ESG issues. Equally important, it requires disciplined financial analysis to make sure that an ESG-focused target company is a good long-term investment.
Social Benefits and Return Potential
Apollo Hospitals, an Indian healthcare provider, provides a good example. The company operates the largest chain of private hospitals and pharmacies in India. Two years ago, we traveled to India to find out how the Apollo is helping fill the gaps where India’s public healthcare system has failed to deliver. For responsible investors, the company is a great example of an opportunity to help create social benefits while also generating profits.
With one of the country’s most trusted healthcare brands, Apollo is benefiting from rising demand for hospital beds. Its innovative business model includes a telemedicine command center to connect rural clinics with doctors in larger cities. Our research in 2017—including a grassroots meeting with consumers—gave us confidence that Apollo was poised for sustainable revenue and earnings growth.
A Blueprint for Responsible Equity Investment
Finding companies like Apollo requires a clear blueprint for a sustainable investing plan. Investors can start with the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), an independent network supported by the United Nations and endorsed by more than 1,800 signatories across the global financial industry. In a report published in October 2017, the PRI outlined three pillars of responsible investing (RI) practices: thematic asset allocation, ESG integration and active ownership (Display 1).
These three pillars can help equity investors translate ESG words into action. As people around the world pay closer attention to how their money is deployed in investment portfolios, the asset-management industry has responded with an endless array of responsible portfolios. But it can be hard for investors to really know how an investment strategy’s process and positioning deliver on ESG ambitions—or if they do at all.
The UN has made big efforts to advance the development of RI. After the PRI was launched in 2006, the UN introduced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. The SDGs represent an aspirational view of what the world could look like by 2030 and include consideration of the role that the private sector must play to achieve these goals.
The 17 goals and 169 specific targets address areas of critical importance to humanity, including eliminating poverty and hunger, improving access to education and healthcare, and addressing the negative impact of climate change (Display 2). Crafted and agreed to by 193 nations, the SDGs attempt to build on the earlier Millennium Development Goals by broadening the focus beyond developing markets and explicitly considering a role for the private sector. These important changes make the SDGs a more useful tool for equity investors.
Fulfilling these goals will require about US$90 trillion of investment over 15 years, according to the UN. That’s a very tall order. Philanthropy and government spending will play an important role, but won’t be enough to get the job done. The private sector—and equity investors—must be the biggest part of the solution, in our view.
Why Do Equities Matter for a Responsible Investing Agenda?
In its 2017 article on the SDGs, the PRI aimed to guide investors toward action that can lead to tangible results by outlining its three mechanisms for “positive outcomes,” or tangible real-world change. Now the onus is on investors to demonstrate how they incorporate these mechanisms in their day-to-day portfolio management. We’ve developed a disciplined process over several years that is consistent with the three pillars, designed to find stocks that can make a difference and deliver long-term returns in a focused sustainable portfolio.
Investing in equities matters in an RI agenda. Investing in stocks is important for responsible outcomes because publicly traded companies are massive. They employ the most people around the world, consume the most natural resources, generate the most pollution and have a large impact on political systems because of their lobbying efforts and financial muscle. As a result, what they do has a profound effect on countries, societies and sustainability in general. Shareholders who deploy a coherent approach to both making investments and wielding influence can make a big difference.
This blog is based on a white paper that was published in April 2019 titled Responsible Returns: Better Stocks for a Better World.
Dan Roarty is Chief Investment Officer—Thematic and Sustainable Equities at AllianceBernstein (AB).
For more ways to pursue good returns and good values in your portfolio, explore Inspired Investing, a new podcast series where senior leaders at Bernstein share their thoughts on investing with purpose, first-hand and check out related blogs here.
The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations and do not necessarily represent the views of all AB portfolio-management teams and are subject to revision over time
Dan Roarty
Terms of Use Privacy Policy Cookie Settings Management Company Important Disclosures Modern Slavery Statement AXA/AB Investments
This information is delivered to you by AllianceBernstein Limited, 50 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8HA, a company registered in England under company number 2551144. AllianceBernstein Limited is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA - Reference Number 147956). This information is directed at Professional Clients only. It is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an invitation to purchase any security or other investment. The views and opinions expressed are based on our internal forecasts and should not be relied upon as an indication of future market performance. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. The information contained is not intended for public use.
© AllianceBernstein L.P.
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News: Antiquities
Minister Ertugrul Gunay and other officials admiring the 24 golden pieces recently returned to Turkey as a loan by the Penn Museum.
Penn Museum makes deal with Turkey for ‘Troy gold’
Turkey celebrates return of ancient jewelry given as a loan by the renowned Philadephia museum
A Philadelphia archaeology museum will indefinitely loan ancient jewelry known as “Troy gold” to Turkey in an arrangement that will allow the museum to host a future exhibit of artifacts related to King Midas, officials announced Tuesday.
The deal is part of what Penn Museum officials called a landmark agreement with the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism to work more collaboratively on field work and exhibitions over the next several years.
“It will lead to great opportunities — for Penn, for Philadelphia and for the wider archaeological community — to experience more of Turkey’s rich cultural history and heritage in the future,” museum director Julian Siggers said.
Ertugrul Gunay, the Turkish culture and tourism minister, said the 24 pieces of jewelry are among thousands of historical artifacts returned to the country over the past two decades, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology acquired the early Bronze Age objects in 1966 from a now-defunct art dealership. But the origin of the items — including earrings, pendants and pins — was unclear.
The purchase eventually led museum officials in 1970 to adopt a then-unusual policy of refusing to acquire artifacts of unknown provenance that might have been looted.
Siggers said the jewelry remained in storage for years. Then in 2009, scholars found a grain of dirt on one piece that allowed them to identify the collection as most likely being from the historic city of Troy. Discussions for the objects’ return began with Turkish officials last year.
Brian Rose, an archaeology professor who co-directs the museum’s excavations at Troy and Gordion in Turkey, said the jewelry is on indefinite loan because the Troy provenance is likely, but not certain.
The pieces are expected to be displayed at a new archaeological museum being built in Troy that will open within two years, according to the Anadolu Agency. Troy is in northwest Turkey near the city of Canakkale, about 150 miles from Istanbul.
In 2016, the Penn institution will host an exhibition of treasures excavated from what is believed to be the tomb of King Midas’ father. It also will include “an incredibly impressive funerary assemblage” of objects from other sites, which Rose said will offer an overview of ancient aristocratic burial customs.
Midas ruled the kingdom of Phrygia, near present-day Gordion, in the mid-8th century B.C. A Penn archaeologist discovered the tomb in 1957, and the university has worked there for decades.
Many artifacts uncovered there have been displayed in the Turkish capital of Ankara, Rose said.
The agreement announced Tuesday includes continuing Turkish support for Penn excavations at Gordion.
1. Associated Press via Yahoo, http://news.yahoo.com/penn-museum-makes-deal-turkey-troy-gold-190249844.html (05/09/2012)
New museum to show Troy’s riches by Archaeology Newsroom
Turkey: country’s largest mosaic to end up in museum-hotel by Archaeology Newsroom
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Catching up with ... Maryland Hunt Cup winners Joy Slater and Anne Moran
By Mike Klingaman
When her mount streaked across the finish line to capture the Maryland Hunt Cup, Joy Slater described it thus: "It's like getting to heaven."
It has been 38 years since Slater broke the grass ceiling, becoming the first woman to win the 4-mile Hunt Cup, the world's toughest timber race. The 122nd Hunt Cup, with its 22 daunting fences, will be run Saturday in Glyndon. One woman is entered.
Since Slater's victory in 1980 (she prevailed again a year later), five other women have won the race.
Senior Senator repeats as Grand National steeplechase champion
By Sun staff reports
"Long ago, I was a pioneer," the 64-year-old Slater said from her home in Unionville, Pa. And after she finished first, aboard an Irish gelding named Cancottage, Slater was photographed triumphantly, arm in arm with her mother, the horse's trainer, and grandmother, the owner. It was, in all respects, a female trifecta.
Did that rankle some narrow-minded horsemen of the day?
"I have faith that it did, absolutely," Slater said.
The steeplechase world took note. The media called her "America's National Velvet," after the film in which a girl (Elizabeth Taylor) wins the English Grand National.
By all accounts, Slater took acclaim in stride. Going into the race, she said, "I wasn't worried that no woman had ever won, and I didn't feel all eyes were on me. I just wanted to do the job."
Trained in show jumping — the equestrian sport filled with leaps and bounds — Slater coaxed Cancottage to clear the Hunt Cup fences, some nearly 5 feet high, with ease.
"A lot of people in that race had never jumped that high," she said. Even now, she continues to compete in show jumping events.
"I'll do it until I fall off once too often," she said. "I refuse to grow up."
The Hunt Cup first allowed women to ride in 1971, when Kathy Kusner, the country's first licensed female jockey, saddled up. She finished sixth. Race officials then barred women again until 1979. One year later, Slater won the 84th running of the event.
While Saturday's race features just one woman jockey (Bethany Baumgardner, on Imperial Way), 16 others have ridden in the past four years. But few who've challenged the Hunt Cup have been as mature as Anne Moran, who was a 36-year-old mother of three when she won by a head in 1995 aboard Buck Jakes. A fluke, it was not. The Irish-born Moran and the big grey gelding set a course record that day (8 minutes, 30 3/5 seconds) and then repeated as champs two years later.
"At the time, I had three children on the ground, was singing in the church choir and not looking to do any more riding," Moran, 59, a lifelong horsewoman, said from her home in Unionville, Pa. "But when the horse's trainer, Charlie Fenwick, asked me, I was thrilled. You wait your whole life to ride one like Buck Jakes, so you don't get to choose when the chance comes."
They bonded from the start.
"He was a beautiful and gentle giant," Moran said. "I fed him jelly beans and said, 'I'm happy to do whatever you like, Jake.' He liked to feel in control."
No matter that, in the Hunt Cup, she competed against men, much less some half her age.
"As far as I was concerned, it was an equal playing field," she said.
In hindsight, Moran felt she and her mount were in a zone that day.
"For me, that race was, like, in slow motion, just as in tennis when the ball seems to get bigger and is easier to see," she said. "And never, before or after, have I ever felt the power Buck Jakes had in going over fences. He would take off two strides before a fence and land two strides past it."
That Moran's mother surprised her by flying from Ireland for the race made her first Hunt Cup win sweeter. Moreover, victory came on the five-year anniversary of the death of Moran's father, an avid horseman.
"I remember looking up and saying, 'Thanks for helping,' " she said.
Nowadays, Moran and her husband, Michael, a retired horse trainer, care for their 230-acre farm, the site of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup. She rides their four fox-hunters and is sometimes remembered for those classic timber wins.
"People say, 'I remember you riding Buck Jakes,' " she said, "but never, 'I remember you for being the woman who rode Buck Jakes.' "
Does Moran mind playing second fiddle to a horse?
"Not a bit," she said. "I'm just proud we won the Hunt Cup. My time was running out; I thought, 'It's not going to happen.' He made it so."
mike.klingaman@baltsun.com
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