pred_label
stringclasses 2
values | pred_label_prob
float64 0.5
1
| wiki_prob
float64 0.25
1
| text
stringlengths 44
986k
| source
stringlengths 37
43
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
__label__wiki
| 0.848719
| 0.848719
|
@Fullerton_SB
Cal State Fullerton Sweeps Hawai’i, Wins 13th Straight
Cal State Fullerton (37-10, 11-0) 4 1 0 2 0 0 0 7 12 2
Hawai'i (20-24, 4-7) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 7 2
Cal State Fullerton (38-10, 12-0) 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 7 1
3B: Samantha Vandiver
2B: Sarah Muzik
HR: Keiki Carlos
2B: Samantha Vandiver; Alexis Gonzalez
HR: Sarah Moore
Game 1 Box Score (.pdf) | Game 2 Box Score (.pdf)
HONOLULU, O'ahu – The Cal State Fullerton softball team continued its roll as the Titans won their 13th straight game with a doubleheader sweep of Hawaii on Saturday at Rainbow Wahine Stadium. Fullerton won game one by a score of 7-1 and followed that with a 2-0 shutout win over Hawaii in the night cap
The Titans received a pair of complete-game victories from senior lefty Desiree Ybarra and freshman right-hander Sydney Golden, respectively, as they improved to 38-10 overall and 12-0 in Big West Conference action. Cal State Fullerton's 12-0 conference ledger is the best conference start since the 2002 squad kicked off league action going 13-0.
Hawaii, meanwhile, falls to 20-25 on the year and 4-8 in Big West Conference play.
Game 1: Cal State Fullerton 7, Hawaii 1
The Titans got on the scoreboard early tallying four runs on as many hits in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Samantha Vandiver started the scoring surge as she opened the game with a triple down the leftfield line. Missy Taukeiaho picked up the first RBI of the game as she reached on a fielder's choice and Vandiver beat the throw home to give Cal State Fullerton a 1-0 lead.
Taukeiaho and Sarah Moore came around to score on a subsequent fielder's choice and a throwing error as the Titans took a 3-0 advantage.
Cal State Fullerton added its fourth run of the frame on a single to leftfield from Sydney Colenzo as her RBI-base hit plated Sechrest who reached on a single to left.
In the first inning, the Titans sent 10 batters to the plate and gave starter Ybarra a four-run cushion to work with.
Ybarra did her job in the circle as she effectively shut down the Rainbow Wahine and did not allow a run until the seventh inning. The senior out of Riverside, Calif., pitched her 10th complete game of the season as she tossed 7.0 innings while allowing just one run on seven hits. She walked one and fanned six en route to collecting her 12th win of the year.
With Ybarra in the circle shutting down the competition, the Titans' offense continued to surge as they added another run in the second and two in the fourth to take a 7-0 advantage.
Fullerton tallied 12 hits in the game and saw every starter record at least one base hit in the ballgame.
Hawaii's only run of the game came on a solo home run off the bat of Keiki Carlos in the seventh inning as the Rainbow Wahine made it a 7-1 ballgame.
Ybarra was unfazed by the homer as she struck out the next batter to end the game and earn the win.
Kanani Aina Cabrales (8-9) suffered the loss for the Rainbow Wahine after pitching 4.0 innings of work and allowing seven runs, six of which were earned, on 11 hits. She walked one and struck out one.
Jennifer Iseri pitched the final 3.0 innings for Hawaii and allowed just one hit, two walks and recorded one strikeout.
Sechrest led the offense for the Titans as she went 3-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. Colenzo finished the game hitting 1-for-2 with a sac fly and two runs batted in. Taukeiaho batted 1-for-3 from the plate with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI.
The night cap featured a complete-game shutout effort from Golden in the circle as the freshman was phenomenal once again.
Golden hurled 7.0 innings of shutout softball and scattered four hits, while walking one and striking out two as she went on to collect her team-leading 16th victory of the season.
Her counterpart, Brittany Hitchcock pitched well but surrendered two runs which proved to be the difference in the game.
The first Titan run came on a solo home run off the bat of Sarah Moore in the second inning which gave the Fullerton a 1-0 lead that they would not relinquish.
Moore's blast marked the second homer of the season for the senior designated player and brought the Titans' team home run total to 23.
With Golden continuing to shut down the Rainbow Wahine's offense, the Titans added an insurance run in the fifth on a pair of singles.
Shianne Brannan led off the frame with a single through the left side and Ariana Williams came in to pinch run and swiped her team-best 18th bag of the year and advanced to third on the overthrow. With Williams on third, Delynn Rippy singled back up the middle to bring home Cal State Fullerton's second run of the game and give the Titans a 2-0 edge.
Pitching with a two-run lead, Golden continued to mow down the Rainbow Wahine as she went on to win the game and help the Titans to their 13th straight victory.
Rippy finished the game batting 2-for-3 with an RBI and was the only player to record more than one hit in the game. Moore went 1-for-3 with a home run, an RBI and a run scored, while Vandiver, Alexis Gonzalez, Rodriguez and Brannan rounded out the remainder of hits for the Titans.
Cal State Fullerton returns to Anderson Family Field to host Big West Conference rival Long Beach State in a three-game series beginning Wednesday, April 27 with a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. The twinbill will be televised on ESPNU.
The Titans and 49ers will wrap up the series on Friday, April 29 at 6 p.m. Live stats, video and audio will be available on FullertonTitans.com.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5050
|
__label__wiki
| 0.813233
| 0.813233
|
Persecuted Pastor Saeed Abedini Leads 30 to Christ in Iranian Prison
By Lauren D'Avolio ( [email protected] ) Sep 27, 2013 11:08 AM EDT Comment
Naghmeh Abedini, wife of imprisoned American pastor Saeed Abedini, says her husband remains bold for Jesus Christ in an Iranian prison.
The wife of the American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith says her husband remains bold for Jesus Christ in prison, Charisma News reports.
Pastor Saeed Abedini's wife, Naghmeh, recently spoke to students at Liberty University about her family's plight. She said in spite of being tortured and asked to deny his faith in Christ and return to Islam, Pastor Saeed has been a light for Jesus in Evin Prison, one of the worst in the world.
"They've told him many times that they would free him and allow him to return to our family, the kids and I, if he would deny his Christian faith, and he's stood strong in that prison. He's led many, many - over 30 people - to Christ in that prison," she told the audience, according to religiontoday.com.
A special prayer vigil for Pastor Saeed was held worldwide Thursday -- the one-year anniversary of his imprisonment in Iran.
It was also the day Iran's new president made his first trip to America to address the United Nations.
"Now is the time to speak out, to urge Iran to release Pastor Saeed," Jordon Sekulow, executive director for the American Center for Law and Justice, said in an email, according to Charisma News.
Saeed Abedini, a 33-year-old pastor, father, and husband from Idaho, is imprisoned in Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran. On July 28, 2012, during a visit to Tehran to visit family and to finalize the board members for an orphanage he was building in Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard detained Saeed, asserting that he must face criminal charges for his Christian faith, reports beheardproject.com.
After intense interrogations, Abedini was placed under house arrest and told to wait for a court summons.
"On Sept. 16, 2012, instead of receiving a summons telling him where to appear, five members of the Revolutionary Guard raided Saeed's parents' home in Tehran, confiscated many of Saeed's belongings, then took him to an unknown location, according to beheardproject.com."After four days the Revolutionary Guard informed the family that Saeed was in solitary confinement in the notorious Evin Prison."
The American Center for Law and Justice has also joined with Pastor Saeed, launching a letter-writing campaign to Iran's president on a new website. It's a critical effort - and they need your response.
The goal is 52,000 letters for the 52 weeks of his illegal imprisonment, according to the ACLJ.
Take action! Click here to donate, sign a petition, write a letter on his behalf or share related content on social media. You can sign the letter or write one of your own, and the ACLJ will deliver it to Iran's president.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and its globally affiliated organizations are committed to ensuring the ongoing viability of freedom and liberty in the United States and around the world.
Watch his wife's full address here: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GLjnrIlVYr4
Pastor Saeed Abedini: A Great Man of God, Imprisoned for 400 Days in Iran
Saeed Abedini, a 33-year-old Pastor, father, and husband from Idaho, is currently imprisoned in Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran. On July 28, 2012, during a visit to Tehran to visit family and to finalize the board members for an orphanage he was building in Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard detained Saeed, saying he must face criminal charges for his Christian faith, according to beheardproject.org.
Pastor Saeed Abedini Writes Letter to Iranian President from Prison Cell
From the confines of his prison cell, Pastor Saeed has written a letter to Iran's new president asking for his freedom.
Franklin Graham: Saeed Abedini's Imprisonment Ignored by Obama Administration
Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, recently spoke out against the imprisonment of Saeed Abedini, the American pastor who has been sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison because of his Christian faith. Graham said that the Obama Administration has not done enough to help free this U.S. citizen, and asked that the United States government demand that Saeed be released.
Pastor Saeed Abedini Nailed in Hands, Feet in Iran Prison, Tortured to Renounce Christ
Pastor Saeed Abedini, who was sentenced to eight years in Iran’s prison, was reportedly pressured to convert back to Islam through tortured with nails pressed against his hands and feet, according to a letter that he wrote obtained by American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
Cave Church in Egypt Attracts 70,000 Christians Weekly To Worship Jesus
China Offers Thousands of Dollars to Anyone Who Will Report Christians, 'Illegal' Churches to Government
Violent Muslim Imam Converts to Christianity After Jesus Saves Him from Death, Delivers Dramatic Message in Dream
Wall from Time of King David Unearthed in Southern Israel, Could Be Evidence for Old Testament Verse
Francis Chan Identifies Main Reason Chinese Underground Church is 'Unstoppable' Despite Persecution
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5051
|
__label__wiki
| 0.765591
| 0.765591
|
These Are the Brands Coming Out of China You Need To Know
At Pitti Uomo, China’s emerging fashion labels proved they’re ready to go global.
Samuel Hine
At this season’s edition of Pitti Uomo, 1,220 brands set up shop across 60,000 square meters in Florence’s Fortezza da Basso. It was enough to overwhelm this first-time visitor, one of 30,000 who attended the menswear trade show famous for showcasing high-profile guest designers (this season included Ferragamo, Givenchy, and S.R. Studio LA. CA.) and attracting peacock-y tailored clothing enthusiasts the world over. But I knew what I was getting into: most of the labels that display their wares at Pitti inhabit the world of haberdashery, and over the course of three days, I touched more blazers than I could count, considered mountains of ties, and saw so many beautiful dress shirts I wanted to cry like Daisy Buchanan.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the dark, cool grotto that housed Pitti’s “Guest Space: China” program, and spotted a silk bowling shirt by Private Policy in a trippy rainbow-gradient checkerboard print. It was so good I wished I was more skilled in the art of shoplifting. At each edition, Pitti hosts a specific country’s emerging fashion designers, and this season the fair collaborated with Shanghai-based fashion incubator Labelhood on selecting the eleven designers who would represent China. Which is quite a bit different than representing, say, Poland. China is the world’s largest luxury goods market, the size of the US, Europe, South America, and Russia combined. It’s the center of global apparel manufacturing. It’s the country every single international brand is hoping to crack. And, as I found, it’s producing some of the most exciting up-and-coming fashion talent on the planet.
“Danshan is about celebrating male sensitivity, and allowing men to be more emotional. This collection is about beauty in moments of distress and fragility,” says Danxia Liu.
Though the designers behind each of the eleven brands hail from China, the national label is actually a bit of a misnomer. Private Policy was founded by Haoran Li and Siying Qu in New York, and has presented two collections at London Fashion Week: Men’s. Standout brand Danshan, which showed a range of sliced and distressed satin shirts, coats, and trousers in soft shades, including a pair of truly memorable deconstructed tuxedo pants, was founded by Central Saint Martins grads Danxia Liu and Shanpeng Huang and is based in London.
But several of the designers, after studying and working abroad, returned to China to establish their own brands. Take Sans Peng, the man behind a pair of absolutely deadly black patent space cowboy boots. Before launching his Shanghai-based footwear brand Untitlab in January, Peng designed shoes for Hugo Boss and Sandro. Untitlab’s block-toed boots, triple-stacked sole lace-ups, and ultra-light, ultra-advanced sneakers were more technically impressive than anything I saw the entire week in Florence, which Peng said is partly thanks to how close he’s able to work with his local producers. “Everybody can help you if you know what you want,” he told me. “It’s quite easy to set up your own brand in China.”
An image from Untitlab’s Spring-Summer 2020 lookbook.
“All of Untitlab’s collections are inspired by our experiences,” says Sans Peng. “When we were young, we could see the cities changing. It was quite shocking for me. But somehow you get more inspiration from those kinds of changes. The way we got inspiration was like, ok, we want to do something in between formal and sport.”
According to Pitti Immagine CEO Raffaello Napoleone, for the past 25 years, China “was just a clothing industry,” as opposed to one that produces capital-F Fashion. We were sitting in his office above the Fortezza; he had just come from lunch with the president of Alibaba, another Chinese retail mega-success story. Napoleone wears the dark suits and gorgeous footwear of an Italian fashion executive—his job is to promote the industry at home and abroad. So he’s been traveling regularly to China since 1988 to try to understand the consumer and manufacturing market. But it’s only in the past three or four years, he told me, that he noticed the rise of a true Chinese fashion industry. “You can produce lots of products,” he said, “but it’s another world when you have to produce fashion. That means with identity, well done, not copied.” He was so impressed with one brand in particular, Pronounce, that it was invited to be the first Chinese brand to ever stage a runway show at Pitti Uomo.
Of all the Chinese designers at Pitti, Pronounce was the most unabashed about embracing its national identity. The brand was established in 2016 by Yushan Li and Jun Zhou, who met in London as students. Li worked at Yeezy after graduating from CSM, while Zhou picked up experience at Ermenegildo Zegna. At first, Li and Zhou set up their studio in Milan, but decided they needed to have a presence in Shanghai. “We find that in our generation, people prefer to stay foreign, not local. To kind of escape,” said Li. “But we feel in this generation we need to have the local voice. To build up the conversation with local people and to change the industry.”
Pronounce Spring-Summer 2020
Estrop
FLORENCE, ITALY – JUNE 12 : A model walks the runway at the Pronounce fashion show at the Dogana during the Pitti Immagine Uomo 96 on June 12, 2019 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Estrop/Getty Images)Estrop
Their Spring-Summer 2020 show, titled “A Fresh Dig,” was inspired by one of China’s enduring national symbols, the Terracotta Warriors, whose visages were printed on clingy jersey undershirts and inside-out overcoats worn by a cast of mostly Western models. A collaborative Jack Purcell sneaker was caked in mud, like it had been unearthed in an archeological dig. Can Mao jackets be sexy? Pronounce’s mesh-paneled versions answered that question with a resounding yes. A few pieces offered more subtle references to their homeland. A beautiful vest looked at first glance like it was made of tan nylon; upon closer inspection it was woven out of bamboo beads, a sort of statement of purpose for Li and Zhou, who are determined to represent China on the global fashion stage. “Nobody’s using bamboo,” Li pointed out the next day.
It helps that the perception around “Made In China” tags has been turned on its head. “In the beginning,” Li said, “from our first season of doing a showroom in Paris, people thought ‘made in China’ is a bad thing. A lot of buyers would pass by and ask, Where do you produce? We would say China, and feel quite obviously most of the people would kind of like, you know…” Li trailed off. “But we feel a huge difference already after three years.” Even Napoleone readily admits as much. “I defend of course made in Italy, by definition, but we have to accept the fact that the market now is global,” he told me, holding up his iPhone. “Do you know where this phone is produced? We are not going to buy Nokia, or Motorola, which used to be produced in Europe. They don’t exist anymore. This is the truth.” The Pronounce designers said they considered making their clothes in Italy, “but we didn’t want to!” said Li. They would rather train the local factories and tailors they work with in the advanced clothesmaking techniques they picked up in Europe. “We are fucking Chinese,” Li said, laughing. “We need to do this.”
Pronounce‘s woven bamboo vest
It’s easy to imagine Danshan’s slinky shirts alongside Pronounce’s printed tailoring in the window of Barneys or Opening Ceremony. Hell, Untitlab might be the best-kept secret in boots right now, and I’m half a mind to fly to Shanghai to buy a pair. But from where he sat, Napoleone was wary of predicting a full-blown China moment. “For them to sell here will be not easy,” he said. “The market is not like it used to be when Versace or Armani started.” There is, for one, the literal internet, the home of platforms like Farfetch that bring far-flung brands a click away, and the force that has made breaking through in the modern fashion system that much more difficult. There’s also the sheer scale of Chinese brands’s home market. “How do they handle their own market, [not to mention] the European and American market?” Napoleone pointed out. Talking to Li and Zhou, it’s clear they’ve got their work cut out for them—but they’re plenty ready. “To be honest we don’t feel there is real fashion in China,” Li said. “There’s a lot of clothes. But it’s not fashion. And it’s not amazing stuff or the authentic thing. But we have the ability to do that.”
Related Stories for GQChinaPitti Uomo
Ocean Vuong Explores the Coming-of-Age of Queerness
Mitchell Kuga
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5052
|
__label__wiki
| 0.55455
| 0.55455
|
STOP PRESS - Coalition to wipe the smiles from employees’ faces on 1 April
Any lingering happiness generated amongst “hardworking people” by the decision to halve the bingo tax and take 1p off the price of a pint will surely evaporate as the Government announces a shock new law to ban all jokes in the workplace. The final details of the new legislation will be released when it comes into force on 1 April.
And from 6 April 2014 several other changes are going to be made to the employment law regime.
Update on Employment Law Changes from 6 April 2014
Abolition of Questionnaires
Statutory discrimination questionnaires and the time frames applicable for their use are abolished. This will not prevent Claimants or their solicitors asking questions in letters (of which there will undoubtedly be more) but there is no statutory entitlement for tribunals to draw inferences for failure to answer questions.
Pre-claim ACAS conciliation provisions will become mandatory from 6 May 2014. This means that an employee will have to notify ACAS before they are able to bring a tribunal claim. ACAS will then have one month, during which the usual tribunal limits are paused, to try and resolve the dispute. If there is a reasonable prospect of reaching a settlement, this period may be extended by a further two weeks. This may assist the sorting out of smaller unlawful deductions from wages claims and arguments over holiday pay but it remains to be see whether it will have a lasting effect on more substantial issues.
Tribunal Penalties for Employers
Tribunals will be able to impose financial penalties up to a maximum of £5,000 for losing employers where the breach by the employer has one or more “aggravating features”.
Penalty for employing Illegal Immigrants
The maximum penalty for employers that employ people who do not have the right to work in the UK is being raised from £10,000 to £20,000.
The time employers have to enrol eligible job holders into a qualifying pension scheme (under the auto-enrolment rules) will be extended from one month to six weeks (from 1 April 2014).
The standard rate of sick pay increases to £87.55 per week
The rate of statutory maternity pay, ordinary and additional paternity pay and statutory adoption pay will increase to £138.18 per week
The income tax personal allowance will increase to £10,000.
The basic rate limit for income tax will decrease to £31,865.
The higher rate threshold for income tax will increase to £41,685.
The national insurance contributions (NIC) threshold will increase to £111 per week.
The date for the annual index-linked compensatory award limits for Employment Tribunal claims has moved from 1 February to 6 April.
Abolition of Statutory Sick Pay record keeping
The prescribed Statutory Sick Pay record-keeping will be abolished in favour of giving employers the discretion to use a system which suits them.
Employment Allowance
Businesses and charities will be entitled to receive an allowance of £2,000 towards their employer NIC bill.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5053
|
__label__wiki
| 0.635692
| 0.635692
|
Homepage > Catalog > English > Literature, Works
Representation of Space in David Malouf’s "The Conversations at Curlow Creek"
17 Pages, Grade: 2,0
P G Patrycia Gellert (Author)
eBook for only US$ 15.99
Download immediately. Incl. VAT
Format: PDF – for PC, Kindle, tablet, mobile
Book for only US$ 17.90
2 Theoretical framework
2.1 The concept of space
2.2 Representation of Australia in settler-colonial discourse/ literary works
3 Spatial representation of Australia as opposed to Ireland in Malouf’s The Conversations at Curlow Creek
3.1 Representation of Australia
3.2 Representation of Ireland
3.3 Contrasting juxtaposition of Australia and Ireland
“In the field of postcolonial studies […], space has always been central.” (Teverson, Upstone 1). Nature as the most central aspect of space and its particular representation constitutes a permanent trait of Australian settler literature, finding expression in vivid depictions of the overwhelming vastness and harshness of the Australian landscape (cf. Huggan, Tiffin 31f.). Scholars of Antipodean culture emphasise the power of nature on both personal and national matters. With respect to Australia, Krahn (2000) points to the impact that space has on self-conception, arguing that notions of space/ place have been central in the cultural self-definition of settler colonies like Australia, since difference in place is the most visible marker distinguishing the colony from the imperial motherland. In Australian literary discourses, place is very much tied up with landscape, presumably as difference in landscape foregrounds the distinguishing difference of place. Landscape is thus used to emphasise the distinctiveness of Australia, from earliest colonial writings to the present day discourses of nationalism, literature and tourism (Krahn 29).
Against these backgrounds and with the objective to corroborate theoretical foundations on the representation of Australia in (pre-)colonial (literary) discourse, The Conversations at Curlow Creek by David Malouf will be analysed and examined with regard to the spatial representation of Australia as contrasted with Ireland, juxtaposing the portrayals of both countries by highlighting their major disparities adverted to in the novel. In the course of this, dichotomies as one identifiable literary device, which serves as an amplification of the images the author aims at getting across, will be pointed to.
Prior to that, the concept of space will be elaborated on, providing a definition and conceptual differentiation within the scope of narratology. Furthermore, the characteristic representation of Australia in colonial discourse will be expounded, particularly relating to aspects of landscape.
Finally, a conclusion based on the results of the textual analysis will be provided, substantiating the underlying theoretical foundations.
The following chapter aims at expanding on the concept of space, a fundamental category that structures human experience along with time (cf. Ryan 420). First, a definition of space will be provided, followed by an elucidation of its role and diverging levels in narratology. Subsequently, the aforementioned, prevalent representation of Australia in colonial discourse will be gone into in further detail.
According to Ryan (2009), “[r]epresentations of space are not necessarily narratives -think of geographical maps, landscape paintings, etc.- but all narratives imply a world with spatial extension, even when spatial information is withheld” (Ryan 420). However, it is difficult to find an unambiguous definition of ‘space’, as various sources define it from different angles and dimensions. The Oxford English Dictionary, inter alia, defines space as the “[p]hysical extent or area; extent in two or three dimensions”1, whereas The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, defines it as “[…] an extended manifold of several dimensions […]; in particular, the three-dimensional manifold in which physical objects are situated and with respect to which their mutual positions and distances are defined” (DiSalle 866f.).
Within the scope of narratology and related fields, the concept of space needs to be differentiated into literal as well as metaphorical uses (cf. Ryan 420f.). The majority of spatial concepts advanced in literary as well as cognitive theory can be found on a metaphorical level for they fail to capture physical being, as, for instance, the concept of mental spaces, “[…] which are constellations of meanings held together in the mind” (ibid. 421). Furthermore, the indivisibility of space and time needs to be pointed out as all “space-occupying” events extend over a certain period of time (cf. Buchholz, Jahn 551).
In narratology, the relevance of the concept of space is not restricted to the representation of a particular world, which serves as a “[…] container for existents and as a location for events” (Ryan 421). Textual spatiality can be subdivided into four forms at the minimum, the most significant of which will be focused in the following, namely narrative space.
Strictly speaking, narrative space concerns the physical environment in which story-internal characters live and move (cf. Buchholz, Jahn 552). This space is characterised by numerous conditions. Firstly, by boundaries which distinguish it from co-, super- and subordinate spaces. Secondly, by objects it comprises. Thirdly, by the living conditions which this space holds and, ultimately, by its temporal dimension. Consequently, narrative space includes particular landscapes and atmospheric conditions at a specific time (cf. ibid.).
A useful distinction is put forward by Ronen (1986), who speaks of ‘framing’ spaces as “[…] places and locations which provide a topological determination to events and states in a story” (Ronen 423). Her ‘frames’ “[…] differ according to their position in the overall organization of [...] the fictional universe” (ibid.). Whereas a setting stands for “[…] the zero point where the actual story-events and story-states are localized, […] the actual immediate surrounding of an object, a character or an event”, so-called ‘distant frames’ cover “[…] spatial locations capable of extending over a sequence of actions, events and situations” (ibid.). These literary spaces, which are “[…] outside the spatial focus of the narration (i.e., outside story-space), are no less significant than frames forming part of the actual story-space” (ibid.).
There is no established terminology to distinguish the levels/ layers of narrative space, however, the following part of this subchapter will be based on five principal, partly previously mentioned categories suggested by Ryan (2009) (cf. Ryan 421).
1) ‘Spatial frames’: “[T]he immediate surroundings of actual events, the various locations shown by the narrative discourse or by the image.” Spatial frames may be considered “shifting scenes of action”, which can blend into one another. For instance, a kitchen frame can turn into a bathroom frame as the story-internal characters move about in the house (ibid. 421f.).
2) ‘Setting’: “[T]he general socio-historico-geographical environment in which the action takes place.” As opposed to spatial frames, the setting represents a fairly stable category, spanning the whole text (ibid. 422).
3) ‘Story space’: “[T]he space relevant to the plot, as mapped by the actions and thoughts of the characters.” It entails all spatial frames as well as all places referred to in the text “[…] that are not the scene of actually occurring events” (ibid.).
4) ‘Narrative (or story) world’: “[T]he story space completed by the reader’s imagination on the basis of cultural knowledge and real world experience” (ibid.).
5) ‘Narrative universe’: “[T]he world (in the spatio-temporal sense of the term) presented as actual by the text […]”, together with all the counter-factual worlds created by characters as, among other aspects, beliefs, wishes, assumptions or hypothetical thinking (ibid.).
These levels are described from a fixed perspective as ultimate products of interpretive performance, however, they are gradually unveiled to the reader throughout the text’s temporal development. The dynamic way of presenting spatial information may be referred to as the ‘textualisation of space’, which turns into a ‘narrativisation’ when it becomes the setting of a temporally evolving action (ibid. 423).
Moreover, Buchholz and Jahn (2008) distinguish three general ways of representing space, the latter of which pertains verbal narratives: ‘scenic presentation’, which is the case in theater, ‘depiction’ in the case of film or pictures and ‘description’. This literary description “[…] relies on gapping and audience cooperation to accomplish its task” (Buchholz, Jahn 553). Deictic expressions such as “here” and “there” play a crucial role in prompting the readers to project themselves into the scene of action and, even more importantly, to picture the setting, assuming the viewpoint of an observer (cf. ibid.).2
“Australia’s vast wilderness formed the subject of a wide variety of colonial texts throughout the nineteenth century” (Macneil 47). When looking at the works of Australian authors composed during the time of settlement, one notices that the original native Australian landscape, where settlement took place, “[…] typically an arid or semi-arid grassland biome, was invariably described as a barren, bleak environment, devoid of any meaningful vegetation” (Lynch 10). Expressions such as “nothing but prairie” or “nothing but land” were used as typical and frequent descriptions, disparaging the Australian environment and vegetation with the aim to convey a sense of disappointment at the ostensively stark, desolate landscape in which a new life somehow had to be constructed (cf. ibid.; cf. Lynch, “Nothing but land”: Women’s narratives, gardens, and the settler-colonial imaginary in the US West and Australian Outback 375).
According to Lynch (2014) and Rechniewski (2016), such representations of the Australian nature served to rhetorically clear the way for the ensuing “[…] physical imposition of a new landscape regime” (ibid.; cf. Rechniewski 17). The country fell under the conception of terra nullius 3, land that belonged to no one, or at least to no one “[…] whose rights a white man had any obligation to respect”, granting its appropriation to the settlers (Lynch 380). Myers (2013) points out that once the European colonisers reached Australia, they were overwhelmed by a landscape, which, in their eyes, “[…] [w]as characterised by a succession of absences. Not only were there so few people, but also there was no history, no cultural context within which the land could be understood, no basis for interaction with it except in terms of hostility and brute conquest. For them the land was without form, and void […]”, driving the settlers to support and spread the myth of terra nullius (Myers 51, 53).
Arthur (2003) argues that a common feature of settler language present in myriad works is the “cliché of deficiency”, portraying an “un land” waiting for the arrival of European settlement in order to finally become an actual, legitimate land (cf. Arthur 85). Such clichés or paradigms of deficiency play a fundamental role in settler-colonial imagery and prove to be sufficiently flexible to be employed against a wide range of potential targets, most of which were of botanical nature. She suggests that “[…] to use the lexicon of the un land is to see the country as potentially fenced, grazed, drained, cleared, populated, known, explored, discovered, named, and so on – potentially colonised” (ibid.).
Following the expulsion of native people, hence, succeeding efforts concerned the extinction of much of the “deficient” and often referred to as threatening Indigenous vegetation and its transformation by replacing it by imported species from the settler-colonists’ original, sophisticated and civilised home (cf. Lynch 382). Discourses which characterised the Australian bush/ outback as dangerous played a determining part in the generation of colonial as well as rural mythology and, hence, the presentation of the Australian nature. Widely spread, powerful images of the outback as oppressive and intimidating were opposed to images of the landscape being formed and subdued by white settlers in order to make it useful for a civilised living, “[…] often through the use of brute force”, a central aspect which can be found in a multitude of fictional (post-)colonial literary works (Myers 56). In the light of the fact that the actual purpose of early-settler literary works was to arouse and reinforce this “national mythology” and national awareness, the picture of “taming the landscape” is highly significant (ibid. 57).
1 Oxford English Dictionary http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/185414 (February 10, 2018)
2 Settler colonialism as opposed to so-called “extractive” colonialism constitutes a process, in which the colonising force “[…] is intent not simply on gaining control of the resources and labor of the local community, but on owning its land as well” (Lynch 378). This involves eradicating and ostracising the Indigenous peoples, appropriating their land, efforts to exterminate their culture and conventions as well as their residual claims to territory while concurrently generating political institutions with the purpose of normalising and sustaining settlement – “[…] a process we would call ethnic cleansing today” (ibid.).
3 According to Ashcroft et al. (2007), the expression terra nullius stands for “land belonging to nobody” (Ashcroft et al. 257). It is used in two different ways. Firstly, for land which has no sovereign and, secondly, for land “[…] where there is no recognizable tenure in land (either property rights or cultivation)” (ibid.). This expression is frequently used is discourses regarding attitudes of colonists in the Australian colonisation (cf. ibid).
Excerpt out of 17 pages
University of Wuppertal
Patrycia Gellert (Author)
ISBN (Book)
representation, space, david, malouf’s, conversations, curlow, creek
Price (Book)
Price (eBook)
Quote paper
Patrycia Gellert (Author), 2018, Representation of Space in David Malouf’s "The Conversations at Curlow Creek", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/428959
Similar texts
Anglistik - Linguistik
Formen und Funktion der Konstruktion ...
English - Literature, Works
David Malouf’s Treatment of Spiritual...
English Language and Literature Studies - Literature
Hanging Between two Worlds - The Exil...
Treatment of Class in "A Fringe ...
English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics
The Representation of Gender-Specific...
Australian Landscape and its Effects ...
Boundaries in David Malouf's &quo...
Transformation and growth of the McIv...
Soziologie - Sonstiges
Ursachen und Folgen von Katastrophen ...
Theologie - Historische Theologie, Kirchengeschichte
Kleingruppen in den Gemeindeentwicklu...
American Studies - Literature
Native Genocide and American Imperial...
Robert Franks 'Conversations in V...
Sprachwissenschaft / Sprachforschung (fachübergreifend)
Linguistic Analysis of Check-In Conve...
Romanistik - Französisch - Literatur
Conversation und sous-conversation in...
Der Ton in Francis Ford Coppolas &quo...
Orientalistik / Sinologie - Sonstiges
Vorstellung des Buches: Bangkok. Plac...
Der Star im Kino des New Hollywood am...
Anglistik - Kultur und Landeskunde
Comparison of Representations of the ...
Defensible Space
Excerpt from 17 pages
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5054
|
__label__wiki
| 0.931335
| 0.931335
|
21 Books That Changed Science Fiction And Fantasy Forever
Ryan Plummer and Madeleine Monson-Rosen
Apr 12, 2016, 12:00pm
Speculative fiction is the literature of change and discovery. But every now and then, a book comes along that changes the rules of science fiction and fantasy for everybody. Certain great books inspire scores of authors to create something new. Here are 21 of the most influential science fiction and fantasy books.
Top image: Magrathea from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, art by Microbot 23 on Deviant Art.
These are books which clearly inspired a generation of authors, and made a huge splash either in publishing success or critical acclaim. Or both. And these are in no particular order.
1) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The first (maybe only) science-fiction-comedy-multimedia phenomenon, Hitchhiker's was a radio drama before it was a book, and the book sold 250,000 copies in its first three months.The Guardian named it one of the 1000 novels everyone must read, and a BBC poll ranked it fourth, out of 200, in their Big Read poll.
Ted Gioia comments on Adams' hilarious book about the trials and tribulations of Arthur Dent, the survivor of a destroyed Earth, across the universe:
No book better epitomizes the post-heroic tone of sci-fi than Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. As the name indicates, a certain louche bohemianism permeates its pages. This is star-hopping on the cheap, pursued by those aiming not to conquer the universe, but merely sample its richeson fewer than thirty Altairian dollars per day. You can trace the lineage of many later science fictions books, with their hip and irreverent tone, back to this influential and much beloved predecessor.
2) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Verne's whole career is full of works that have inspired generations of authors — but this tale of the underwater adventure of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus has also had a profound effect on science, and inspired real scientific advancement.
In the introduction to William Butcher's book Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Self Ray Bradbury wrote that, "We are all, in one way, children of Jules Verne. His name never stops. At aerospace or NASA gatherings, Verne is the verb that moves us to space."
Verne translator and scholar F.P. Walter added:
For many, then, this book has been a source of fascination, surely one of the most influential novels ever written, an inspiration for such scientists and discoverers as engineer Simon Lake, oceanographer William Beebe, polar traveller Sir Ernest Shackleton. Likewise Dr. Robert D. Ballard, finder of the sunken Titanic, confesses that this was his favourite book as a teenager, and Cousteau himself, most renowned of marine explorers, called it his shipboard bible.
3) Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delaney
Sam Anderson prefaced his interview with Samuel R. Delany with this praise for Dhalgren's impact:
In the 35 years since its publication, Dhalgren has been adored and reviled with roughly equal vigour. It has been cited as the downfall of science fiction (Philip K. Dick once called it "the worst trash I've ever read"), turned into a rock opera, dropped by its publisher, and reissued by others. These days, it seems to have settled into the groove of a cult classic. In a foreword in the current edition, William Gibson describes the book as "a literary singularity" and Delany as "the most remarkable prose stylist to have emerged from the culture of American science fiction." Jonathan Lethem called it "the secret masterpiece, the city-book-labyrinth that has swallowed astonished readers alive.
Dhalgren has remained popular through the years, being reprinted 7 times since 1975. It was also dropped by Bantam, the original publisher, because of its willingness to tackle LGBT themes despite the fact that the Bantam version sold over a million copies and went through 19 printings.
And most of all, this is one of the books most often mentioned when authors mention works that spurred them to invention and boldness of experimentation with form.
4) Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
Author Terry Brooks explains why this book made a whole genre possible:
I think I can safely assert that virtually every writer of fantasy working in the field today who began writing after the publication of the RINGS trilogy owes a debt to Tolkien. He may not have invented the form, but he provided it with its most important model in modern times and every writer is aware of its various components. Ask them. Few will dispute me. Moreover, the material has impacted writers working in other categories of fiction as well, not so much by its content as by its form and style. Not a month goes by that I don't read at least one interview or review that credits J.R.R. Tolkien with contributing to a writer's current work.
Cover art by Barbara Remington.
5) War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
In his book about The War of the Worlds, a seminal look at an invasion of Earth by Martians, author Brian Holmsten states:
Since 1898 the War of the Worlds has been translated into countless languages, adapted by comic books, radio, film, stage, and even computer games, and has inspired a wide range of alien invasion tales in every medium. Few ideas have captured the imagination of so many people all over the world in the last century so well. It is a tribute to H.G. Wells that his story of alien conquest was not only the first of its kind, but remains one of the best.
The 1927 American reprint, it can be argued, was one of the touching-off points for the Golden Age of science fiction. It inspired John W. Campbell to write and commission invasion stories — which also prompted authors like Arthur C. Clarke, Clifford Simak, Robert A. Heinlein and John Wyndham to do the same.
Image by My Reckless Creation
6) Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Foundation is a sweeping tale of pyschohistory and the battle for the intellectual soul of a civilisation. and According to the BBC:
The Foundation series helped to launch the careers of three notable science fiction authors of the succeeding generation. Janet Asimov sanctioned these novels, which were published in the late 1990s: Foundation's Fear by Gregory Benford, Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear, and Foundation's Triumph by David Brin." And without a doubt it launched the imaginations of countless other writers.
It is also worth mentioning that the Foundation series won the 1966 Hugo for best all-time series. An award that has not been given out since.
And this book's influence goes beyond science fiction: Artificial intelligence pioneer Marvin Minsky classified Asimov "among the finest of modern philosophers," and Nobel-prize-winning economist Paul Krugman describesFoundation as his version of Atlas Shrugged, "I didn't grow up wanting to be a square-jawed individualist or join a heroic quest; I grew up wanting to be Hari Seldon, using my understanding of the mathematics of human behaviour to save civilisation."
Cover art by Don Ivan Punchatz.
7) Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The first science-fiction work to enter the New York Times Book Review's bestseller list, Stranger sold 100,000 copies in hardcover and over five million in paperback. Kurt Vonnegut gloated on Heinlein's behalf, on the occasion of the novel's 30th "birthday," calling it "a wonderfully humanising artifact for those who can enjoy thinking about the place of human beings not at a dinner table but in the universe."
And this book's influence (and that of Heinlein's other books) can't be overstated. Arthur D. Hlavaty refers to Heinlein as a prototypical science-fiction author, saying:
One of the ways human beings organise the world is by prototypes. We define a set as a typical example and a bunch of other things that are like it. For instance, when I was growing up, the prototype Writer was Shakespeare, the Artist was Rembrandt, and the Composer was Beethoven.In that way, Robert A. Heinlein has been often been taken as the prototype Science Fiction Writer, and as changes and new paradigms shake the field, he still sometimes represents the science fiction of the past.
Writer Ted Gioia looks at Stranger in a Strange Land's main character as a prototype for other similar characters in SF, saying: "Smith is more than a character. He is prototype of an alternative personality structure. The question of whether we can remake the human personality from the ground up." To date, there have been 28 editions of this book.
Cover art by James Warhola.
8) Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison
This series helped launch the careers of almost every major author of the New Wave. The first volume included Samuel R. Delany, Philip K. Dick, and J.G. Ballard. In his introduction to the 2002 reissue of Ellison's anthology, contributor Michael Moorcock wrote of Ellison's collections:
He changed our world forever. And ironically, it is usually the mark of a world so fundamentally altered — be it by Stokely Carmichael or Martin Luther King Jr. or Lyndon Johnson, or Kate Millet — that nobody remembers what it was like before things got better. That's the real measure of Ellison's success.
"Gonna Roll the Bones" by Fritz Leiber won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award for Best novelette. Philip K. Dick's "Faith of Our Fathers" was also nominated for best novelette. "Riders of the Purple Wage" a novella by Philip José Farmer tied for the Hugo Award. Samuel R. Delany got the Nebula for Best Short Story for "Aye, and Gomorrah..." Harlan Ellison was given a commendation at the 26th World SF Convention for editing "the most significant and controversial SF book" published in 1967.
8) Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke himself had reservations about this novel, yet it sold out its first printing, 200,000 copies, in just two months after publication. Author Jo Walton writes about the first book to feature benevolent aliens who try to help the human race evolve:
Science fiction is a very broad genre, with lots of room for lots of kinds of stories, stories that go all over the place and do all kinds of things. One of the reasons for that is that early on there got to be a lot of wiggle room. Childhood's End was one of those things that expanded the genre early and helped make it more open-ended and open to possibility. Clarke was an engineer and he was a solidly scientific writer, but he wasn't a Campbellian writer. He brought his different experiences to his work, and the field is better for it.
Childhood's End was nominated for a retro Hugo award in 2004.
Artwork by Neal Adams.
9) Ringworld by Larry Niven
Sam Jordison of the Guardian had this to say about Ringworld, the masterpiece that is centered around around a theoretical ring-shaped space-habitat:
Larry Niven's 1970 Hugo award winner, Ringworld, is arguably one of the most influential science fiction novels of the past 50 years. As well as having had a huge impact on nearly all subsequent space operas (Iain M Banks' Culture series and Alastair Reynolds' House of Suns are just two), the book has helped generate a multi-billion-dollar industry.
To add to this Jonathan Cowie, who wrote Essetial SF: A Concise Guide, called Ringworld "a landmark novel of planetary engineering (for want of a better term) that ranks alongside the late Bob Shaw's Orbitsville."
10) The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Jo Walton, again, comments on this novel about interstellar diplomacy and anthropology:
The Left Hand of Darkness didn't just change science fiction — it changed feminism, and it was part of the process of change of the concept of what it was to be a man or a woman. The battle may not be over. What I mean is that thanks in part to this book we're standing in a very different place from the combatants of 1968.
In 1994 literary critic Harold Bloom included it in his Western Canon of Literature, going as far as to say, "Le Guin, more than Tolkien, has raised fantasy into high literature, for our time."
11) Neuromancer by William Gibson
By 2007, this cyberpunk classic had sold more than 6.5 million copies. It's been adapted into almost every genre, and it's responsible for introducing numerous terms, and, arguably, the idea of the internet. The Encyclopedia of NewMedia calls Neuromancer more important than On the Road in its cultural influence, and credits its formative influence on subsequent media, from Wired magazine to The X-Files, to the internet itself. After the initial inventions of the ARPANET, Paul T. Riddell writes, the internet took shape due to "impressionable students reading [Gibson's] stories and novels; instead of whining and complaining after reading Robert Anton Wilson, they read Gibson and thought, 'You know, we can do this.'"
Neuromancer was the first novel to win all three of the major science-fiction awards — - the Nebula, the Hugo, and Philip K. Dick Award for paperback original.
12) Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
According to the New York Times, Stephenson's look at the way humans interact with digital worlds has a well-earned reputation for prescience:
Snow Crash was published way back in ancient 1992 and laid out many of the attributes of today's online life, including the Metaverse, a virtual place where people meet, do business and play, presenting themselves as avatars. If you've ever played wildly popular multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft, or visited the virtual communities of Second Life, you can get a chill thinking about what he saw back before the popularization of the World Wide Web."
Despite the reputation of his book, Stephenson is pretty reluctant to take on the title of "Seer" saying in the same article, "I can talk all day long about how wrong I got it. But there are a lot of people who feel as though that was an accurate prediction."
13) A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin
From its first publication in 1996, this book and its sequels helped spur a new, darker revival of epic fantasy that turned the genre's expectations on their heads. In Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper Than Swords, editor Henry Jacoby, a philosophy professor at East Carolina University, speculates about the series' popularity:
Readers often cite the moral complexity of the novels as a key part of their enjoyment, alluding to characters painted in "shades of grey." Previous works of epic fantasy tended to operate with a straightforward moral compass where the antagonist was some variety of evil "Dark Lord" and the protagonists were defined by their opposition to this evil character based on their obvious moral goodness. In contrast, Martin's series has been written with no dark lord to speak of. …Martin's choice to keep his eyes on the very human characters, with their very human flaws, was done well enough to win him legions of fans who appreciated the so-called "gritty realism" of the narrative.
Fantasy author Mark Lawrence agrees:
He showed what fantasy could be. Real people who didn't carry a particular flaw around like an attribute rolled up in a role-playing game, but who were complex, capable of both good and evil, victims of circumstance, heroes of the moment. Heroes in gleaming mail could suffer from corns without it being a joke. That's a big part of his secret - EVERY ONE IS HUMAN - get behind their eyes and nobody is perfect, nobody is worthless.
14) Kindred by Octavia Butler
John C. Snider, editor at scifidimensions described Octavia Butler's celebrated novel as:
A dark fantasy novel that drills down into the prickly core of American history: slavery. This novel, in which a young middle-class black woman finds herself shuttled between 1976 California and antebellum Maryland, has become a classic of SF&F and required reading in both women's and African-American studies. But don't be fooled - while Butler's fiction appeals to feminist and minority demographics, it's not propped up by that appeal. To read Octavia Butler is to read good literature - period.
Octavia Butler was also the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship also known as the Genius Grant. And in 2012, hundreds of thousands of copies of Kindred were given away for World Book Night.
15) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Spotlight Review explains the importance of this epic series of wizards and muggles, beloved by people of all ages:
They are the standard by which every child or teen-oriented book is viewed. Passed on by dozens of publishers, who all have lost billions of dollars in doing so, Harry Potter radically changed the landscape in the publishing industry. Before Harry Potter, children and teen books were considered a worthy area to publish, but it wasn't a very lucrative one. After Harry's rise to dominance over the entire publishing world, suddenly every firm began accepting similar book proposals in the hopes that another diamond in the rough could be found. It's been harder than previously thought. There have been some promising books, but none that have captured the hearts and minds of millions.
Harry Potter has been translated into 57 different languages, even Latin and Ancient Greek.
16) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games is a YA classic about a young woman who battles for her life and ultimately her civilisation's fuutre in a post-apocalyptic dystopia. NPR reports that, "Dystopian fiction has been around for a long time, but the success of The Hunger Games has spawned a whole new crop of books set in a grim future where an authoritarian regime is just begging to be overthrown. They are aimed straight at a teenage audience."
Right now, more than 26 million copies are in print in the United States.
17) Wind-Up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
The growing trend of climate-focused science fiction, and a greater attention to future problems in general, owes a lot to this great book about the very real problem of future food shortages. In this biopunk SF novel, Emiko is a humanoid GM organism, who is enslaved as a prostitute in Thailand. She yearns for an escape. Niall Harrison, judge of the Arthur C. Clarke award in 2006 and 2007, writes:
Emiko is a stepping-stone to that future; and by the logic of The Windup Girl, so are we all. From our point of view, it's hardly an optimistic conclusion but it is, in The Windup Girl's terms, a very human one, and I can't recall another novel that has articulated the same vision of what it means to be human in the present moment with the same force. It's that vision that insists that Emiko is human, and that she remains bound at the end of the novel: because we remain bound, and she is us; because at least for now, science fiction remains bound; and because, quite probably, so does our world.
The Windup Girl tied for the 2010 Hugo Award for Best Novel with China Miéville's The City & the City. In the same year it also won the Nebula award along with the John W. Campbell award.
Cover art by Raphael Lacoste.
18) The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Michael M. Jones explains what makes this book distinct from previous works of military science fiction:
The Forever War is a masterpiece of military science fiction and social observation, applicable on numerous levels. While some aspects might be far-fetched, there's no denying that it's a powerful work. William Mandella is no career soldier like many of the military SF heroes out there; certainly not like Johnny Rico in Starship Trooper. He's just an ordinary guy who gets drafted, and has the bad luck to actually survive the war.
Haldeman won Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards for this book, and along with Heinlein's Starship Troopers, it helped inspire generations of more realistic military SF authors.
19) Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Salon's Michael Schmidt writes about the way Vonnegut changed the war novel by using aspects of science-fiction:
Doris Lessing calls him "moral in an old-fashioned way . . . he has made nonsense of the little categories, the unnatural divisions into 'real' literature and the rest, because he is comic and sad at once, because his painful seriousness is never solemn." His acknowledgment and expression of the nuanced nature of experience makes him "unique among us; and these same qualities account for the way a few academics still try to patronize him." As though what he does is easier than the resolved plotting of more derivatively artful novelists.
After a school tried to ban this novel, the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library offered 150 free copies of the book to students in Rockville, Missouri.
20) The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Ray Walters at geek.com explains why this book was influential on not just literature, but also science:
The Martian Chronicles is a collection of loosely related fictional stories depicting humanities struggle to flee from the potential of nuclear war on Earth to try and find refuge on the Red Planet. Many of the ideas Bradbury put forth in the novels seemed fantastical at the time, but modern day efforts to explore Mars smack of the science fiction writer's vision of what it would be like to visit there.
While Bradbury is seen primarily as an author who had a profound effect on his literary genre, in reality his reach has been much wider. While his novels may not be required reading in our schools anymore (which blows my mind), his ideas are talked about everyday with the people uttering the words usually not knowing the origins of the topics they are discussing. Ray Bradbury will certainly be missed, not just for his amazing science fiction writing, but also for his visionary foresight into cultural phenomenons.
NASA put a burned DVD containing The Martian Chronicles on the hull of the Phoenix Martian Rover.
21) Dune - Frank Herbert
Scott Timberg at the L.A. Times says Frank Herbert's epic novel, in which noble houses battle for control of each others' planets, was not just massive but ground-breaking:
Writers had imagined life on other planets and written of environmental catastrophe. But the scale of Dune was unprecedented, comparable, as Arthur C. Clarke said at the time, only to "The Lord of the Rings."
It's not quite New Wave — which developed in the late 1960s — not an antecedent to cyberpunk, nor a precursor to the recent space-opera renaissance. "It's some kind of singularity," says Latham.
"Dune" both channeled and stoked a greater environmental consciousness in SF: Important later novels by Ursula Le Guin, John Brunner and Octavia Butler looked at planetary ecology.
Dune won the Hugo award in 1966 as well as the very first Nebula award.
It's almost impossible to fit all of the most game-changing works of science fiction and fantasy into one article. Which books do you think should be on this list, and why?
A Delicious List Of Android Version Names
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5056
|
__label__wiki
| 0.783559
| 0.783559
|
Rex Tillerson Says There's No Imminent Threat From North Korea, Americans Should Sleep Well
Matt Novak
Aug 10, 2017, 7:30pm
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and President Trump are rarely on the same page. But nowhere is that divide more obvious than when the two talk about North Korea.
Tillerson is currently on a plane heading from Malaysia to Washington, DC, and just talked to reporters during a refuelling stop in Guam. The Secretary of State stressed that he doesn't believe North Korea poses "any imminent threat" to the United States and that "Americans should sleep well at night."
This, of course, is welcome news to Americans who went to bed last night thinking about President Trump's threats that North Korea will "be met with the fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before." But it's hard to take seriously when everything else the Trump regime does seems to make the situation worse.
North Korea made threats just a few hours after Trump's "fire and fury" comments. The North Koreans specifically threatened the US territory of Guam, and its strategic American military bases in the South Pacific. The country said that it was studying the possibility of striking Guam with an "enveloping fire."
But Tillerson insisted that there's really nothing to worry about. CNN correspondent David Write quotes Tillerson as saying that Guam is "not the only place that can be under threat," but stressed that they aren't overly worried about North Korea's "particular rhetoric of the last few days."
En route to Guam, SecState Tillerson said Pres Trump "was sending a strong message to North Korea in language Kim Jung Un would understand." pic.twitter.com/nJTdSF2yxh
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) August 9, 2017
"I think what the president was doing was sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jong-un would understand, because he doesn't seem to understand diplomatic language," said Tillerson.
"I think the president just wanted to be clear to the North Korean regime that the US has an unquestionable ability to defend itself, will defend itself and its allies and I think it was important that he deliver that message to avoid any miscalculation on their part," Tillerson continued, defending the president.
E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft with Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 taxi down the flight line upon return to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, August 9, 2017 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Henson)
Tillerson and Trump have had vastly different responses to the rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. Tillerson has went so far as to recently insist that the US is not the enemy of North Korea. Trump's most recent rant obviously undercuts that more diplomatic message.
So far this morning, Trump has been on a retweeting frenzy, amplifying six tweets from Fox News before 8:00am Eastern time. Three of those retweets are about North Korea, and that flurry of retweeting has led to people waking up this morning to a barrage of frightening news alerts, as evidenced by a screenshot from Tom Namako of Buzzfeed News:
A tale of a president and his secretary of state: pic.twitter.com/xlNWBrXkFY
— Tom Namako (@TomNamako) August 9, 2017
He's also tweeted about America's nukes.
My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017
...Hopefully we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!
The Trump regime all needs to get on the same page, and quick. But if President Trump's past of undercutting the more diplomatic members of his team is any indication, things are going to be messy for a very long time. Let's just hope that this particular type of mess doesn't include a full blown nuclear war. Because as Trump and Kim Jong-un each turn up the rhetoric, the world gets less and less safe with each passing day.
[David Wright/CNN and Associated Press]
Update, 10:40am: The State Department just released a transcript of the full discussion between the press and Secretary Tillerson. We're not running out of pixels, so we're publishing the entire interaction below.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, President Trump said that North Korea's threats against the United States, if they continue, will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen before. Is this part of a diplomatic strategy or did you find those remarks to be unhelpful?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, I think the U.S. and international community with respect to North Korea has actually had a pretty good week. We had a unanimous UN Security Council resolution strengthening sanctions against North Korea with China and Russia joining us in that vote, and then at ASEAN, a lot of strong statements coming out of ASEAN, and I think also reinforced with a global community that has expressed its view that North Korea really needs to stand down this program.
And so I think in response to that, North Korea's rhetoric has just ratcheted up louder and louder and more threatening. So I think the President — what the President is doing is sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jong-un can understand, because he doesn't seem to understand diplomatic language. I think the President just wanted to be clear to the North Korean regime on the U.S. unquestionable ability to defend itself, will defend itself and its allies, and I think it was important that he deliver that message to avoid any miscalculation on their part.
QUESTION: Well, one of their — one of North Korea's responses was to say it's going to direct missiles on Guam. That's exactly where you are headed right now. Would you consider re-routing?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, the North Korean missile capability can point in many directions, so Guam is not the only place that would be under threat. No, I never considered re-routing the trip back, and I do not believe that there is any imminent threat, in my own view.
QUESTION: Do you think there's a longer-term threat, specifically about Guam, against the region in general?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, I hope not. Again, what we're hopeful is that this pressure campaign, which the entire world now has joined us in, and with the engagement of China and Russia, two of North Korea's closest neighbours — that they can begin to persuade the regime that they needed to reconsider the current pathway they're on and think about engaging in a dialogue about a different future.
QUESTION: Have China and Russia been helpful at all to you in the last 24 hours? Have you spoken with your counterparts and have they helped in any way?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, I haven't spoken to them since we left Manila, which was, I guess, about a day and a half ago. But we had direct discussions in Manila about the situation. I know that they were having talks as well with the representative from North Korea. I think that is evidence that they have very good, open channels of communication to be able to talk to the regime of North Korea, and we hope that they will be encouraging them to stand down their program and abide by the UN Security Council resolutions, which both China and Russia have voted for in the past. So I'm hopeful that they can use their influence — and I think they do have influence with the regime — to bring them to a point of dialogue, but with the right expectation of what that dialogue (inaudible).
QUESTION: Has anything happened in the last 24 hours to lead you to believe that we are moving towards a military option perhaps more quickly than anticipated?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: Nothing that I have seen and nothing that I know of would indicate that the situation has dramatically changed in the last 24 hours.
QUESTION: Do you have any immediate diplomatic plans to de-escalate the situation that could have an impact within days instead of months or years?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, we have a very active, ongoing diplomatic effort, most of which is behind the scenes because that's where diplomacy is most effective. We had very open conversations and our telephone lines remain open, certainly, to China and Russia as well as our allies, and I think publicly, we've been pretty clear in our statements directed at the North Koreans as to what we would like to see happen and make clear to them that we do not seek to be a threat to them, but we have to respond to the serious threats that they make towards us.
QUESTION: There have been calls for you to launch a new diplomatic effort. Do you feel that a new strategy may be warranted?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: I do not. I think the strategy we're currently on is working. In fact, again, we have now garnered widespread international support, obviously, not just with the UN Security Council resolution, but globally, countries are speaking out and expressing the same view as to what North Korea should do, which is not be a threat to the stability of the region.
I think, in fact, the pressure is starting to show. I think that's why the rhetoric coming out of Pyongyang is beginning to become louder and more threatening. Whether we've got them backed into a corner or not is difficult to say, but diplomatically, you never like to have someone in a corner without a way for them to get out.
QUESTION: And what is Pyongyang's way out?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: Talks. Talks with the right expectation of what those talks will be — will be about.
QUESTION: Do you have any advice for Americans? Should they be worried?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: I think Americans should sleep well at night, have no concerns about this particular rhetoric of the last few days. I think that the President, again, as commander-in-chief, I think he felt it necessary to issue a very strong statement directly to North Korea. But I think what the President was just reaffirming is the United States has the capability to fully defend itself with any attack, will defend our allies, and we will do so. So the American people should sleep well at night.
QUESTION: All right. Thank you, sir.
SECRETARY TILLERSON: Thank you.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Pricing Has Leaked
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5057
|
__label__wiki
| 0.79778
| 0.79778
|
How to make gold mining silicosis-free - City Press
South Africa’s gold mining industry is the foundation on which the country’s economic wealth has been built for more than a century. As the industry has matured, it has had to go ever deeper underground to recover the precious metal, the extraction of which still employs and supports hundreds of thousands of people, directly and indirectly, in the industries and communities that continue to rely on its existence.
While the working environment has improved in recent years, as greater use has been made of technology, and improvements in ventilation and cooling practices have been achieved, the working conditions of more than 120 000 mine workers employed in the industry remain demanding.
Working at depths of up to 4km below the surface presents a unique set of health and safety challenges, ranging from accidents and high levels of noise, to exposure to heat and dust. That is why our mine managers are mandated to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of employees above any other operational issue. We encourage all employees to do the same.
Gains made in South Africa in this area in recent times have set the standard for the mining industry worldwide, and have led to a significant improvement in the sector’s health and safety outcomes. Improved knowledge, experience and technology, along with heightened standards and greater commitment by all parties, have seen improving trends in extractive industries all over the world.
But we also have to deal with the legacy of an industry that has been in existence for more than 100 years, over which time practices and regulations have evolved. This legacy includes many former mine workers suffering from silicosis, an occupational lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust.
Six companies – African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American SA, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony and Sibanye Gold – have united to form the occupational lung disease working group to seek a sustainable and fair solution to dealing with the problem.
Of those companies, Anglo American no longer has interests in gold mining, while African Rainbow Minerals no longer operates any gold mines.
The working group has been talking to the legal representatives of the former mine workers who have contracted occupational lung diseases, and who have filed the current class action.
While the mining companies will defend the legal claims made against them, protracted litigation is not in the interests of any of the parties. One part of the proposed solution would be to establish a legacy fund that will supplement the statutory compensation to which mine workers who have contracted silicosis are entitled to from the state, and which some have already received.
The sector is also contributing financial and human resources to assist the state in repairing its administration of the existing compensation system for those who have contracted silicosis.
This will help in expediting payments to those who are entitled to them. The group is also engaging with government on the proposal to transfer current and future employees to the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act compensation system that currently deals with occupational health and safety issues other than occupational lung disease in the mining industry.
The act pays significantly better compensation than the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act system, through which mine workers with occupational lung disease must currently claim compensation.
While there rests a fiduciary obligation on company managements to vigorously defend the legal challenge they face, it is also within their remit to find a solution that could provide a mutually acceptable outcome for all parties concerned.
From our perspective, the solution must be fair to former, current and future employees who contract silicosis, but must also be sustainable for the gold sector as a whole, which is already under severe pressure from rising costs and sharply lower productivity.
The issue is also wider than pure compensation. The companies have not only committed to the prevention of future cases of silicosis, as well as the detection and treatment of current ones, but have invested significant resources to ensure that these commitments are realised.
Modern underground mines manage respirable crystalline silica at source through the implementation of technologies and engineering controls such as real-time dust monitoring; the fitting of water mist sprays at dust sources; dust management controls on footwalls and internal tips; and the installation of manually controlled water sprays in all working areas.
Measures such as centralised blasting, after transporting all workers from the working face to the surface, are also helpful in preventing peak dust exposures. Employees are provided with personal protective equipment to further reduce exposure and all receive regular medical examinations to ensure early detection.
Since silicosis predisposes an individual to the development of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), as does HIV, the companies provide comprehensive healthcare services to employees, including regular screening and treatment of TB, in line with World Health Organisation protocols. They also provide comprehensive education and care, including antiretroviral treatment, for HIV.
All these measures were aimed at assisting the industry to reach the key standards set in 2003 by the Mine Health and Safety Council on underground dust incidence. The targets included an aspiration that there should be no new cases of silicosis among individuals not exposed to silica dust prior to 2008. As far as we are aware, there have been no such diagnoses. It may take on average 20 years of exposure before silicosis may be detected.
The dust-incidence goals were further tightened by the council in 2014, and we are working now to achieve the new targets in the set timeframe. As the occupational lung disease working group, we are also committed to engaging with everyone involved in this matter, with the aim of agreeing on a fair and sustainable solution as soon as possible.
Whatever the legal processes, our doors are always open.
Mike Schmidt, CEO African Rainbow Minerals; Andile Sangqu, CEO Anglo American SA; Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan, CEO AngloGold Ashanti; Nick Holland, CEO Gold Fields; Peter Steenkamp, CEO Harmony; and Neal Froneman, CEO Sibanye.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5060
|
__label__wiki
| 0.774656
| 0.774656
|
“We were never considered fully human, so why should we care about this crisis?” Rosi Braidotti on collective positivity in the face of human extinction
by Charles Shafaieh
History and Philosophy of Design
We do not have time for entrenched antagonisms or building communities that bask in apocalyptic melancholia, says philosopher Rosi Braidotti, ahead of her lecture at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. If we are to survive the convergence of the fourth Industrial Revolution and the human-instigated sixth mass extinction, she argues, then both the people currently living on the margins as well as those in power must work together, locally and globally, to formulate creative solutions.
As an Italian-born, Australian-raised, Sorbonne-educated theorist who is a Distinguished Professor at Utrecht University—where she has taught since 1988—Rosi Braidotti is herself a living manifestation of the “nomadic thought” that is at the foundation of much of her work. In numerous books, such as Nomadic Subjects: Embodiment and Sexual Difference in Contemporary Feminist Theory (1994), The Posthuman (2013), and the forthcoming Posthuman Knowledge (2019), Braidotti’s nomadism objects to fixed identities and dialectical oppositions, whether man/woman, human/animal, human/technology, science/humanities, rural/urban, or secular/religious. Instead, she favors modes of thought and practice that take the form of interdisciplinarity, intersectionality, creolization, and various forms of hybridity. She argues that the latter methods—a living with rather than living against—create relationships that effect positive change rather than nurture feelings of resentment, nihilism, and collective vulnerability.
This position does not negate feminist, postcolonial, and antiracist theorists, whose valuable work Braidotti admires for illuminating the “human”—and by extension the “humanities”—as non-neutral concepts which for centuries were, and in too many ways continue to be, solely the domain of white, heterosexual, secular European men. But the urgency of the current crises—principally the twelve-year countdown towards the irreversibility of climate change and the risk that automation could make 1/3 of American workers jobless by 2013—demands unity.
“Individualism is very destructive at a time like this,” she says. “There is also a lot of resentment from women, the LGBTQ+ community, colonized people, and the descendants of slaves who say, ‘We were never considered fully human, so why should we care about this crisis?’ The focus is on [shared] pain and the affirmation of counter-identities, which is a very understandable condition that I respect and politically support. But the bulk of my work has been trying to go in a transformative direction of bridge-building. We are in this convergence together.”
In the same breath, she acknowledges that this “we” is never singular or static, and everyone could benefit from feminist and anti-racist inclusivity. Collective positivity in the face of human extinction and the destruction of the planet—neither of which are reversible through the work of a single individual—is one of Braidotti’s central concerns.
Such a project begins with what Braidotti says may be the most non-American facet of this entire discussion: the need to accept that “the self is a collective entity and not a liberal individual.” “The self is relational,” she explains. “We are never just one thing. One differs within oneself, which prevents any strong identity claims. You’re not American on Monday, black on Tuesday, straight on Wednesday, and a lesbian on Thursday. You’re all of those things. And the self is also related to the environment, society, others both human and nonhuman, and, today, to the technological apparatus and data grid that we are never really off of anymore and with which we need to interact.”
Conceiving of the self as relational as opposed to individualistic (the latter loved by capitalism for its preference for consumerism) serves as a foundation for forming new ethical structures. In this and in many other aspects of her work, Braidotti is indebted to Spinoza. “The ethical life is the pursuit of relations, situations, contexts, and values that enhance our power to act in the world. It’s about our power to take in the world’s pain and process it,” she says. In this way, she further articulates her empathy with marginalized communities but also her refusal to dwell in pain and vulnerability, because she believes these sentiments act as deterrents to transformative action and create an interminable sense of inertia.
Instead, Braidotti advocates for a neo-Spinozist praxis that turns suffering in its many forms into productive relational forces. “This ethics is a detoxing exercise in processing pain,” she says. “It’s also joyful—not in the sense of facile psychological cheerfulness but in the ability to mobilize stamina and endurance. For us, the people of the Anthropocene, that includes the strength to stare at multiple scales of challenges and say, ‘What can we do about this? Are “we” enough of a community to take this on?’ It’s a practical, hands-on approach that combines an adequate understanding of the problems [facing us] with the collectively shared energy to take them on. And why do we do it? Because we owe it to the future in a sense that we owe it to the perseverance of our own existence and that of future generations.”
Integral to this conception of ethics as a mode of living as custodians of the future is an acceptance of death that many may consider radical or even totally unfathomable. She articulates her position on death throughout The Posthuman, such as in the following passage:
“Death is not the teleological destination of life, a sort of ontological magnet that propels us forward…death is behind us. Death is the event that has always already taken place at the level of consciousness. As an individual occurrence it will come in the form of the physical extinction of the body, but as event, in the sense of the awareness of finitude, of the interrupted flow of my being-there, death has already taken place. We are all synchronized with death—death is the same thing as the time of our living, in so far as we all live on borrowed time.”
Life—which Braidotti calls “cosmic energy” and through her relation-based ontology is not confined to the physical bodies we occupy but extends in constellatory fashion to the earth, other humans and species, and technology—persists long after each of us has died. Death is not merely a point at which one’s life ends, but a condition that must be accepted before any serious and productive living can begin. “This death that pertains to a past that is forever present is not individual but impersonal,” Braidotti says. “Making friends with the impersonal necessity of death is an ethical way of installing oneself in life as a transient, slightly wounded visitor. We build our house on the crack, so to speak.”
Making friends with the impersonal necessity of death is an ethical way of installing oneself in life as a transient, slightly wounded visitor. We build our house on the crack, so to speak.
Rosi Braidotti on using the inevitability of death as an ethical framework for collective problem-solving
In other words, only by both living as already dead and acknowledging that life will persist after we become corpses can we begin an ethical practice that is directed not at self-fulfillment but towards caring for others (both human and nonhuman), as well as those who will come after us. It is no surprise then that Braidotti also denigrates euphoric fantasies of immortality, such as those connected to Silicon Valley’s preferred notion of posthumanism as a perfect union between man and machine (consider how many science fiction films feature this conceit), as well as a booming wellness industry whose underlying ethos is an aggressive avoidance of death.
As a solution to these various psychic and social predicaments, some might demand the wholesale eradication of capitalism and technology. Braidotti, however, dismisses such clarion calls as “20th-century romanticism.” “We’re all part of the system that we call capitalism because in Spinozist philosophy, unlike in Hegel and Marx, you’re not outside the problem just because you’re against it,” she explains. “You’re against and you’re within. [Because this is the case, we must ask:] What margins can we negotiate given that none of us is going to give up our computers, mobile phones, and other things polluting the earth that are causing enormous issues as well as enormous benefits? Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s argument is that capitalism is not going to break—it’s going to bend. If it does, then let’s bring in a Spinozist ontology of immanence in which we are part of the very issue we’re trying to solve. It’s a balancing act.”
Despite the challenges facing all humans today, this position gives Braidotti hope and a conviction that creative solutions are possible. “We’re in a fantastic moment of reinvention as well as a moment of pain and mourning,” she says. “As a teacher and researcher paid by taxpayers’ money—as we are in Europe—I feel an ethical obligation to work for hope and on the construction of a ‘we’ that can take on this task and activate people to get together and [work] in the direction of joyful, gratuitous experimentations [regarding] what ‘we’ are capable of becoming.”
Words by Charles Shafaieh & Photography by Sally Tsoutas
Continue reading about Climate Adaptation and the History and Philosophy of Design and Media. Rosi Braidotti's lecture Posthuman Knowledge will be available in its entirety after March 12, 2019.
Rosi Braidotti, “Posthuman Knowledge”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5061
|
__label__wiki
| 0.611984
| 0.611984
|
You're on the last step to finding your future school!
Choose Your Degree
Fill out the following form to contact a representative from Central Christian College of Kansas and receive more information about the programs listed below.
1. Select a Program
AllAssociateBachelor's
Associate Degrees (7)
Associate of Arts in Accounting
Associate of Arts in Business
Associate of Arts in Business Management
Associate of Arts in Healthcare Management
Associate of Arts in Leadership
Associate of Arts in Psychology
Bachelor's Degrees (5)
BS in Business in Organizational Leadership
BS in Criminal Justice
BS in Health and Human Services
BS in Healthcare Administration
BS in Psychology
Not currently accepting inquiries from AA, AE, AP, or GU. Must have at least a HS Diploma or GED.
-- Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Europe, the Middle East, and Canada Armed Forces Pacific California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Dist. of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Human Resources All Programs
-- Please select a program --Associate of Arts in Business -- Please select a program --Associate of Arts Associate of Arts in Accounting Associate of Arts in Business Associate of Arts in Business Management Associate of Arts in Healthcare Management Associate of Arts in Leadership Associate of Arts in Psychology BS in Business in Organizational Leadership BS in Criminal Justice BS in Health and Human Services BS in Healthcare Administration BS in Psychology
Highest Education Completed
-- Select Highest -- No High School / GED High School / GED Some College Associates Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate / Masters Degree
How soon do you want to start school?
-- Select -- Immediately 0-3 months 4-6 months 6+months
I have a computer at home and high-speed Internet to take these courses.
4. Submit Your Request
Please review our Privacy Policy
Submitting this form constitutes your express written consent to be called and/or texted by Central Christian College of Kansas at the number(s) you provided, regarding furthering your education. You understand that these calls may be generated using an automated technology, including by way of example, auto-dialer and click-to dial technologies.
Copyright © 2000-2019 SR Education Group
SR Education Group
Is there anything we can do to make our site more helpful?
Email for response: (optional)
If you'd like to be contacted about your comment, please give us your email address. Our regular business hours are Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm PST, but we do our best to respond as quickly as possible.
Read what others are saying: Visit our Feedback page.
Recommendation rate refers to the percent of students who said they would recommend this school based on reviews submitted to our partner site, GradReports.com.
This indicates that a school has an annual tuition of $15,000 or less as reported to the National Center for Education Statistics or based on the school's website.
This indicates that a school has a recommend rate of 60% or more and at least 5 reviews (based on data from our partner site GradReports.com).
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5062
|
__label__wiki
| 0.912786
| 0.912786
|
Visual Communications Schools
Visual Communications Schools in New York
Visual Communications Schools in New York, NY
If you decide that you want to get a visual communications degree, then you might want to consider attending one of the 14 visual communications schools in New York, New York. New York has a general population of 8,008,278 and an overall student population of 270,109. Approximately 171,309 of New York's students are enrolled in schools that offer visual communications programs.
The largest visual communications school in New York, by student population, is New York University. Approximately 391 students graduated in 2010 from New York University with credentials in visual communications.
In 2010, 1,484 students graduated with a visual communications degree in New York. If you decide to attend one of New York's visual communications schools, you can expect to pay an average of $41,379 per year in instate tuition and $42,658 per year in out of state tuition.
You should also anticipate spending about $1,128 for visual communications related books and supplies every year. And if you live on campus, you will face an additional expense of $11,915 per year, on average, for room and board. If you live at home, you can cut this cost down to approximately $25,212.
Visual Communications Salaries and Career Outlook in New York
Many visual communications graduates choose to work as visual communications professionals after graduation. If you choose to follow that path and remain in New York, your job prospects are not very good. By the year 2018, the number of visual communications professionals is expected to increase by 1% in New York. This anticipated change is slower than the projected nationwide trend for visual communications professionals.
Visual Communications Degree in New York
Associates Degree in Visual Communications
Bachelors Degree in Visual Communications
Visual Communications Classes
Visual Communications Courses
Visual Communications Training
Visual Communications schools in Madison, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Greenvale, New York
Visual Communications schools in New Rochelle, New York
Visual Communications schools in Jamaica, New York
Visual Communications schools in Brooklyn, New York
Visual Communications schools in Teaneck, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Melville, New York
Visual Communications schools in Plainfield, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Rockville Centre, New York
Visual Communications schools in Edison, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Bronx, New York
Visual Communications schools in Long Island City, New York
Visual Communications schools in Norwalk, Connecticut
Visual Communications schools in Farmington, Connecticut
Visual Communications schools in Oakland Gardens, New York
Visual Communications schools in Suffern, New York
Visual Communications schools in Selden, New York
Visual Communications schools in Dobbs Ferry, New York
Visual Communications schools in Valhalla, New York
Visual Communications schools in Montclair, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Union, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Purchase, New York
Visual Communications schools in Old Westbury, New York
Visual Communications schools in Paramus, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Garden City, New York
Visual Communications schools in Mahwah, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Bloomfield, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Princeton Junction, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Oakdale, New York
Visual Communications schools in South Orange, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Dover, New Jersey
Visual Communications schools in Somerville, New Jersey
Graphic Design Schools in New York
Web Design Schools in New York
Art Schools in New York
Interior Design Schools in New York
Computer Animation Schools in New York
Industrial Design Schools in New York
Fashion Design Schools in New York
Visual Communications Schools in New York, New York
Online University of PhoenixMore Info
1 New York University
70 Washington Sq South, New York, New York 10012-1091
2 Columbia University in the City of New York
West 116 St and Broadway, New York, New York 10027
3 CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
199 Chambers St, New York, New York 10007
4 Touro College
27-33 W 23rd St, New York, New York 10010
5 CUNY City College
160 Convent Ave, New York, New York 10031
6 Pace University-New York
1 Pace Plaza, New York, New York 10038-1598
7 Fashion Institute of Technology
227 W 27th St, New York, New York 10001-5992
8 The New School
66 W 12th Street, New York, New York 10011-8603
9 Teachers College at Columbia University
525 W 120th St, New York, New York 10027
10 Technical Career Institutes
320 W 31st St, New York, New York 10001
11 Barnard College
3009 Broadway, New York, New York 10027-6598
12 Marymount Manhattan College
221 E 71st St, New York, New York 10021-4597
13 LIM College
12 E 53rd St, New York, New York 10022-5268
14 Circle in the Square Theater School
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5063
|
__label__wiki
| 0.808166
| 0.808166
|
Portsmouth in Rockingham County, New Hampshire — The American Northeast (New England)
Portsmouth NH Red Light District
By James R. Murray, June 26, 2016
1. Portsmouth NH Red Light District Marker
Introduction text of marker
Portsmouth NH Red Light District. From the mid-nineteenth century into the early years of the twentieth century, most of Portsmouth's houses of ill-fame and low-class saloons were concentrated on Water Street, (today Marcy Street). City officials and the police gave unofficial sanction to those activities until 1912, when a series of four apparent murders of marines from the Navy Yard brought demands from Navy commanders that the area be cleaned up.
The Gloucester House . Not fewer than ten brothels existed on Water Street at the height of its notoriety. The Gloucester House was generally regarded as the most refined and its prostitutes commanded the highest rates in town. The building stood at the corner of State and Water Streets. The madam was the colorful Mary Baker, a statuesque beauty who is said to have sported two diamonds inset in her front teeth. . Photograph of Gloucester House, Patch collection. Courtesy of Strawberry Banke Museum.
Cappy Stewart . Charles "Cappy" Stewart operated a thriving brothel and saloon at 51 Water Street, opposite the then-defunct Marine Railway. From 1897 to 1912, he was arrested only twice, neither offense involving prostitution. After the city's clampdown on vice, in the area, he became a successful dealer in antiques. . Photograph of Charles "Cappy" Stewart. Courtesy of Strawberry Banke Museum
Four Tree Island . Beginning in about 1877, Four Tree Island, owned by Charles E. Grey, was used as "a place of entertainment" featuring prostitution and cock fighting. A dance hall and a small museum there housed such things as shoes worn by Jesse James and numerous stuffed animals. Much of this collection was destroyed by a fire in 1906. Today the island is a public park, accessible by causeway just past the Pierce Island Bridge. . Photograph of Four Tree Island courtesy of Portland Athenaeum
Chief Marshall Thomas Entwistle . For years City Marshall Thomas Entwistle, an Irish immigrant, Civil War hero, and highly popular officer in the town ensured that his force would have little to hamper the operations of the brothels and saloons on Water Street. It was commonly believed that he did so on the behest of city officials, many of whom were reputed to be frequent patrons of the brothels. Entwistle resigned from the force in 1912, bowing to intense pressure from a new city administration. . Photograph of City Marshall Thomas Entwistle courtesy of the Portsmouth Police Department.
Scene before the creation of Prescott Park . The waterfront area remained seedy long after the brothels and saloons were cleaned out. It was not until the 1930's and the creation of Prescott Park that it slowly began to acquire its present landscaped and gentrified appearance. . Photograph of Portsmouth before Prescott Park courtesy of Portsmouth Athenaeum. . This historical marker was erected in 2015 by City of Portsmouth. It is in Portsmouth in Rockingham County New Hampshire
From the mid-nineteenth century into the early years of the twentieth century, most of Portsmouth's houses of ill-fame and low-class saloons were concentrated on Water Street, (today Marcy Street). City officials and the police gave unofficial sanction to those activities until 1912, when a series of four apparent murders of marines from the Navy Yard brought demands from Navy commanders that the area be cleaned up.
The Gloucester House
Not fewer than ten brothels existed on Water Street at the height of its notoriety. The Gloucester House was generally regarded as the most refined and its prostitutes commanded the highest rates in town. The building stood at the corner of State and Water Streets. The madam was the colorful Mary Baker, a statuesque beauty who is said to have sported two diamonds inset in her front teeth.
Photograph of Gloucester House, Patch collection. Courtesy of Strawberry Banke Museum.
Cappy Stewart
Charles "Cappy" Stewart operated a thriving brothel and saloon at 51 Water Street, opposite the then-defunct Marine Railway. From 1897 to 1912, he was arrested only twice, neither offense
Gloucester House copy
involving prostitution. After the city's clampdown on vice, in the area, he became a successful dealer in antiques.
Photograph of Charles "Cappy" Stewart. Courtesy of Strawberry Banke Museum
Four Tree Island
Beginning in about 1877, Four Tree Island, owned by Charles E. Grey, was used as "a place of entertainment" featuring prostitution and cock fighting. A dance hall and a small museum there housed such things as shoes worn by Jesse James and numerous stuffed animals. Much of this collection was destroyed by a fire in 1906. Today the island is a public park, accessible by causeway just past the Pierce Island Bridge.
Photograph of Four Tree Island courtesy of Portland Athenaeum
Chief Marshall Thomas Entwistle
For years City Marshall Thomas Entwistle, an Irish immigrant, Civil War hero, and highly popular officer in the town ensured that his force would have little to hamper the operations of the brothels and saloons on Water Street. It was commonly believed that he did so on the behest of city officials, many of whom were reputed to be frequent patrons of the brothels. Entwistle resigned from the force in 1912, bowing to intense pressure from a new city administration.
Photograph of City Marshall Thomas Entwistle courtesy of the Portsmouth Police Department.
Scene before the creation of Prescott Park
The waterfront area
By James R. Murray, July 26, 2016
Four Tree Island Portion of text
remained seedy long after the brothels and saloons were cleaned out. It was not until the 1930's and the creation of Prescott Park that it slowly began to acquire its present landscaped and gentrified appearance.
Photograph of Portsmouth before Prescott Park courtesy of Portsmouth Athenaeum.
Erected 2015 by City of Portsmouth.
Location. 43° 4.549′ N, 70° 45.114′ W. Marker is in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in Rockingham County. Marker is on Marcy Street. Touch for map. Marker is located across the street on Marcy Street from the existing Liberty Pole and Bridge marker. Marker is in this post office area: Portsmouth NH 03801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Liberty Pole and Bridge (a few steps from this marker); Portsmouth NH Marine Railway (within shouting distance of this marker); Point of Graves (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Point of Graves (about 300 feet away); Sheafe Warehouse (about 400 feet away); Black Yankees and The Sea (about 400 feet away); Oracle House (about 500 feet away); Portsmouth Navy Yard (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portsmouth.
Categories. • Entertainment • Notable Buildings •
Cappy Stewart Section of text
Bottom row text of marker
Red Light District Marker, located directly across the street from the Liberty Pole and Bridge Marker
More. Search the internet for Portsmouth NH Red Light District.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2016. This page originally submitted on July 26, 2016, by James R. Murray of Elkton, Florida. This page has been viewed 369 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 26, 2016, by James R. Murray of Elkton, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5067
|
__label__cc
| 0.657574
| 0.342426
|
Increased net income and cash flow from operating activities
Higher operating EBITDA in Europe and Latin America
First quarter results in India were impacted by negative market environment
The Holcim Leadership Journey and the sale of a stake in Australia strengthened financial results
Reduction of net financial debt over the past twelve months, higher ROIC before tax
PDF-version of this media release (PDF, 346 KB)
Holcim succeeded in increasing net income and cash flow from operating activities, further reducing net financial debt compared with the end of March 2012 and achieving a better ROIC before tax. This was achieved despite the weaker construction activities in India, Morocco and France, the harsh winter in the northern hemisphere and the early Easter period which reduced the number of working days.
Market and weather-induced decreases in sales volumes in all segments and higher variable costs impacted operating results. Price improvements, cost savings, primarily in fixed costs in Europe and Latin America, and the sale of a stake of 25 percent in Cement Australia compensated for this, and as a result Holcim was able to report an increase in net income in the first quarter. This success was substantially supported by the Holcim Leadership Journey.
Group regions Europe and Latin America achieved an improvement of operating EBITDA – in absolute terms and also like-for-like. In Asia, where the growth trend is unbroken in most countries, the considerably weaker results of both Indian Group companies impacted the operating result of the whole region. The smaller Group region Africa Middle East primarily felt the negative effects of Morocco. Overall, like-for-like operating EBITDA decreased by 6.1 percent.
Table: Group, Jan-Mar 2013
Consolidated cement sales decreased by 5 percent to 32.1 million tonnes. Sales increases were achieved primarily by Group companies in Ecuador, Russia and Azerbaijan. Deliveries of aggregates were down by 8.6 percent to 28.6 million tonnes. Favorable market conditions were reported in Switzerland. Declines in aggregates were recorded in Australia, Ecuador and Spain in particular. Sales of ready-mix concrete declined by 16.8 percent to 8.4 million cubic meters. However, this decline was mainly due to restructuring measures. Asphalt sales contracted by 17.7 percent to 1.1 million tonnes.
Consolidated net sales were 7.2 percent lower at CHF 4.3 billion. Operating EBITDA fell by 9.5 percent to CHF 650 million. The main reason for this development was the lower performance of both Indian Group companies. Better results were achieved in Group regions Europe and Latin America. Key drivers of this success were further cost cuts as well as stable or slightly better selling prices. Operating profit came to CHF 270 million, corresponding to a decrease of 17.8 percent. Net income was 164.1 percent higher year-on-year at CHF 295 million, and the share of net income attributable to shareholders of Holcim Ltd increased to CHF 187 million.
Cash flow from operating activities, which is traditionally negative in the first quarter, showed a substantial improvement, up 35.2 percent to CHF -323 million. The main reason for this was an improvement in net working capital. Net financial debt decreased 8.5 percent to CHF 10.8 billion over the past twelve months. In addition, the international rating agency Moody’s changed the outlook of the assigned “Baa2” rating to “stable” from “negative”.
Holcim Leadership Journey continues on track
Launched last May, the Holcim Leadership Journey program is progressing in line with targets. Despite the difficult market environment, projects in the Customer Excellence work stream still contributed CHF 26 million to operating profit in the first quarter of 2013; the Cost Leadership work stream strengthened operating profit by CHF 143 million.
Holcim anticipates an increase in sales of cement in 2013, but it will be challenging to reach the previous year’s levels in the aggregates and ready-mix concrete businesses. While Group regions Asia Pacific, North America and Latin America are expected to witness higher sales volumes, Holcim is somewhat less optimistic with regard to Europe and Africa Middle East.
Turning to operating EBITDA and operating profit, the Board of Directors and Executive Committee expect a further improvement of margins. The Holcim Leadership Journey, which will gain further momentum in all streams as planned, will also contribute to this development. Under similar market conditions, significant organic growth in operating EBITDA and operating profit should be achieved in 2013.
Table: Asia Pacific, Jan-Mar 2013
Table: Latin America, Jan-Mar 2013
Table: Europe, Jan-Mar 2013
Table: North America, Jan-Mar 2013
Table: Africa Middle East, Jan-Mar 2013
Further documents such as the First Quarter Report 2013 including detailed information on the Group regions are available at www.holcim.com/results
Key Figures Group Holcim, Jan-Mar 2013 (PDF, 164 KB)
Conference call for media and financial analysts:
May 8, 2013, 10:30 a.m. CET (Europe: +41 58 310 5000; UK: +44 203 059 5862; US +1 631 570 56 13)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5070
|
__label__wiki
| 0.710597
| 0.710597
|
COSATU THREATENS MASS PROTEST ACTION OVER FARMWORKER EVICTIONS
By Jamie-Leigh Matroos | SA Breaking News 6/10/14
Trade union federation Cosatu has threatened to stage massive protests in the Western Cape if farm owners continue the large scale eviction of farmworkers from their land.
“A failure on the part of farm owners to respond to these cautions will see renewed protest across Western Cape farms with this extending to the rest of the country given the large scale humanitarian crisis caused by evictions,” said Cosatu provincial secretary, Tony Ehrenreich, in a statement on Monday.
Ehrenreich said the recent land reform proposals announced by Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti earlier this year have resulted in unintended consequences for farm workers. Nkwinti proposed that long-term farm workers be given a 50% equity share of the farms on which they worked, to speed up land reform.
“Farm workers have no alternative but to defend their rights and the livelihoods of their families, from farm owners who have maintained the historical hostility that they first displayed when the grand land theft from indigenous people first commenced in South Africa,” said Ehrenreich.
Ehrenreich called on the government to intervene before the situation escalates to an all out conflict in the agriculture sector:
“This continued evictions of farm workers and the disregard of the intention of the law by racist farm owners both Black and White will see renewed war for justice in the Agricultural Sector, because the call for urgent mitigating steps were ignored,” he added.
Earlier on Monday, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said meetings between government and farming unions are planned for this week with the aim of finding solutions to farmworker evictions.
According to a report on Eyewitness News, Ramaphosa expressed concern at the rate at which workers were being evicted from their homes in the Paarl, Boland area.
“Mass evictions should not be taking place in a democratic South Africa,” he said. “I’d like more of the information to be put together and I am prepared, together with the minister that we should immediately act on this.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5073
|
__label__cc
| 0.584359
| 0.415641
|
Topics About 'I Write'
IdleHearts / Topics tagged as 'I Write'
Quotations about I Write. Quotes to stimulate mind and drive action! Use the words and quote images to feed your brain inspiring things daily!
I write so slowly, I could write with my own blood and not hurt myself.
I write to create red in a world that often appears black and white.
I write the most sexiest records out.
I write, "Give me reason but don't give me choice, because I'll make the same mistake again." I think that's what most men want to be told.
I approach song writing three different ways. One way is where I write the initial melody and lyrics first and then take it in to the producer to collaborate. Another way is where the producer sends me his initial musical track ideas and then I write the lyrics and melody over his track. The third way is where we just jam out in the studio and see what we come up with.
—Manika
People think I write fantasy, but I don't. Some things may be exaggerated or distorted, but they're realistic figures. . . . There's nothing incredible about it.
—Joe Orton
I write fiction and I'm told it's autobiography, I write autobiography and I'm told it's fiction, so since I'm so dim and they're so smart, let them decide what it is or it isn't.
I write my books in my head, and not in a specific study with a view. The view is from my inner eyes.
The sound of words in a novel is a pretty amazing thing, and I am concerned with the sound of every word I write.
—Jamaica Kincaid
I agree with Balzac and 19th-century writers, black and white, who say, 'I write for money.' Yes, I think everybody should be paid handsomely; I insist on it, and I pay people who work for me, or with me, handsomely.
It just happens I write fast and always have done.
Because I write a book a year, I always want to do one other project every year that's stimulating in a different way. It means you can be working but not using up your prose juice, you know?
I write about things that are important for us as Americans. I'm concerned about al-Qaeda sneaking across the border with the illegal immigrants that are using the coyotes to get across the border. And that's not a Democrat or Republican issue, that's a national security issue
—Brad Thor
I'm half-black, half-white, so I basically put it like this: I can fit in anywhere. That's why I write so many stories from so many different perspectives, because I've seen so many.
I write plays not to make money, but to stop myself from going mad. Because it's my way of making the world rational to me.
—Edward Bond
I always read what I write out loud, and I did that long before any radio thing. My editor finds that unusual.
—Ricky Jay
I'm more honest in my lyrics than I am in anything else. It's where I feel the most safe to express myself. I write about growing up, my family, Maddie and getting pregnant. If I've lived it, why wouldn't I talk about it? I guess that's been the coolest thing-realizing that it's OK to just be myself and really tell my story.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5078
|
__label__wiki
| 0.516339
| 0.516339
|
Wilmer Eye Institute
Center for Nanomedicine
Center for Stem Cell Ocular Regenerative Medicine
Wilmer Core Research Centers
Dana Center for Preventive Ophthalmology
Treatments for Keratoconus
Participate in a Study
Anatomy of the Eye
Support Our Research
Neuro-Ophthalmology
Ocular Immunology
Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus
Translational Tissue Engineering Center
Home > Wilmer Eye Institute > Research > Keratoconus
Keratoconus Research at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute
Keratoconus is a disease characterized by abnormal thinning and steepening of the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye, resulting in loss of vision. This disorder generally begins in the second decade of life and affects both eyes in most patients. Keratoconus is relatively common, estimated to occur in approximately one in 2,000 individuals.
The causes of keratoconus and underlying pathogenic changes are poorly understood.The keratoconus research team, comprised of some of the most accomplished experts in research and clinical care, are trying to change that. Basic science discoveries are being translated into increased understanding of the origins and progression of the disease, and exploration of new treatments and therapies.
Learn more about keratoconus research and studies being conducted by our team.
Meet the experts who are researching the diagnosis, management and treatment of keratoconus.
Explore the various treatments that are currently available for keratoconus.
Specifically, our researchers are focused on:
Establishing a database of keratoconus patients at the Wilmer Eye Institute with clinical information including disease severity, associated medical problems, and family history
Identifying novel therapies for keratoconus through the study of biological pathways that govern the outermost layer of the cornea (epithelium)
Investigating the importance of mild, chronic inflammation as a cause of keratoconus
Identifying genes and testing DNA associated with keratoconus using new methods of genetic analysis
Developing and testing new treatments for keratoconus
Developing cell culture models of keratoconus to specifically study candidate gene functions
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5079
|
__label__wiki
| 0.554275
| 0.554275
|
New coach for 2017
Andrew "Azza" Azzopardi has come across the ditch to experience a bit of New Zealand AFL.
Andrew has played AFL since he was 5 years old. In 2005 Andrew and his highschool mates created a new football club in their area. Since establishing the Glen Waverley Hawks; Andrew went on to play 140 games and captaining the top side to Grand Finals in 2011 & 2012. He was picked in the competition team of the year 3 times and has achieved representative honours in his league.
From 2013 he moved to Wantirna South and made another Grand Final. The following year his team finally achieved the Grand Final win.
In 2016 following on from coaching junior grades, Andrew was assistant coach to the Wantirna South Senior side and took them to a Grand Final.
Andrew has a wealth of experience both as a player and a coach and is committed to passing on his knowledge to the Howick Hornets AFL team. Andrew is keen to showcase the "Aussie" way of coaching and club culture.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5080
|
__label__wiki
| 0.647288
| 0.647288
|
Horror DNA TV
Folklore - Season 1, Episode 2: "Tatami"
By: Angry Scholar
In: TV Shows
Folklore - Season 1, Episode 2: "Tatami" TV Episode Review
Written by Angry Scholar
Released by HBO Asia
Directed by Takumi Saitoh
2018, 51 minutes, Not Rated
Episode premiered on October 14th, 2018
Misuzu Kanno
Kazuki Kitamura
Daisuke Kuroda
Shima Ohnishi
Episode 2 of Folklore is based on the premise that tatami, the ubiquitous mats made of woven rushes that line the floors of many traditional Japanese homes (as well as specific rooms in more contemporary houses and apartments), bear witness to all the trials and tribulations of the people living there. We are told, through opening titles, that tatami actually absorb the emotions they’re exposed to. If you’re familiar with Japanese horror (or really, any horror at all), you can imagine where this is going.
The story follows Makoto, a writer working on a story about a murdered family. At the start of the episode, Makoto is prowling around the abandoned apartment building where the murder took place, taking photographs and being moody. He discovers a room in one of the apartments that is festooned with woven crosses and effigies, apparently made using rushes from a damaged tatami. Being a reporter and therefore Horror Character Type 3, he does not run away or alert the authorities or do anything else reasonable. No, Makoto instead sets up his PC and spends the night in the creepy room, compelled by a strange obsession seemingly prompted by the damaged tatami leaning against the wall. In the morning, Makoto blearily walks to his car. As he’s preparing to leave the abandoned apartment, he gets a text from his mother informing him that his father has died.
At his parents’ home, where his father’s body has been laid out for viewing, Makoto experiences flashbacks to a strange and apparently traumatic past. It’s about this time that the audience learns that Makoto is deaf, a detail not made explicit previously. Gradually we learn that Makoto’s doting mother is perhaps too doting, and that his parents shared a dark secret centered on a single tatami in an otherwise empty room tucked away in a corner of their rambling, Japanese-style house.
Although the lead, Kazuki Kitamura, does an admirable job as a non-speaking protagonist, and Misuzu Kanno is a convincing crazy matriarch, there’s unfortunately little else to recommend Tatami. The plot is sparse and too loosely connected to be believable. Why did this particular tatami become what it did, whereas the millions of others in Japan are apparently normal? What exactly did the opening sequence in the abandoned apartment have to do with anything? And what was with the ridiculous ending? The stakes are too low, because most of the action of the film happens in the past. And the ultimate revelation, such as it is, doesn’t seem especially meaningful, because we haven’t had time or reason to establish any connection to the characters.
I’d like to think that this might be a case of things being lost in translation. But in the interest of transparency, I’ve lived in Japan, and although I don’t speak the language, I’m a card-carrying Japanophile. This doesn’t really feel like a failure to understand culturally-specific references. It feels like it’s just not a very good episode.
Click on a cover to read more episode reviews of Folklore: Season 1.
Want to comment on this review? You can leave one below or head over to the Horror DNA Review Forum.
Author: Angry ScholarWebsite: http://angryscholar.wordpress.com/
Angry Scholar loves the supernatural, proprietary Scottish fabrics, video games, and frozen dairy treats. He has a blog where he obsesses over these things. Creaking old castles, lights over the moors, and ghostly faces in the shadows are his raison d'être. Because, you know. He has no life, but damn he looks good in tweed.
Folklore - Season 1, Episode 6: "Mongdal"
Folklore - Season 1, Episode 5: "Toyol"
Folklore - Season 1, Episode 4: "Pob"
Folklore - Season 1, Episode 3: "Nobody"
Angry Scholar
HBO Asia
Takumi Saitoh
OBEY - CONSUME
All content ©HorrorDNA 2002-Present
Horror Features
Hit the buttons below to follow us, you won't regret it...
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5081
|
__label__wiki
| 0.727836
| 0.727836
|
Budget increase will not be passed down to services, says King's Fund
By Simon Lewis2010-10-20T18:21:00+01:00
The real terms increase in health funding will be “swallowed up” by rising costs in the NHS, John Appleby has warned in response to the spending review.
The chief economist at the King’s Fund said that the Department of Health’s settlement was “generous” relative to other departments.
But, he said: “While the increase in health spending meets the pledge to protect the NHS budget, an increase of 0.1 per cent a year in real terms will soon be swallowed up by cost pressures such as incremental pay drift and the increase in VAT.”
“The net result will be a reduction in the NHS’s purchasing power,” he added.
Professor Appleby said that this placed even greater emphasis on the £20bn productivity gains demanded of the NHS. He said: “The status of this has moved from an ambition to a commitment.”
Also responding to the government’s spending review, health think tank Nuffield Trust said that, despite a real terms increase in funding, the volume of health services could fall.
Director Jennifer Dixon said: “In reality, unless the NHS can keep a tight grip on pay and price inflation, this will mean a reduction each year in the volume of health care services the NHS can deliver if current trends continue.”
She welcomed the extra £2bn promised to go towards social care, but said that “the reality is that local authority budgets will be stretched and funds for social care are not ring-fenced, so the extra £1bn per year is by no means certain”.
Comprehensive spending review 2010
Jennifer Dixon
Minimal funding increase for NHS in spending review
NHS funding will increase by just 0.1 per cent above inflation from next year onwards, the chancellor has confirmed - the minimum required to meet the government’s “real terms increase” pledge.
Treasury raids NHS capital budget to fund social care
£1bn of NHS funding will be transferred to social care by 2014-15 the chancellor said today, starting with £800m next financial year.
Government drops one-on-one cancer nurse plan
Plans made under Labour to improve cancer services and provide free prescriptions for people with long term conditions have been abandoned by the government, it has confirmed.
3 Readers' comments
More Finance and efficiency
Three organisations, which are part of a sustainability and transformation partnership once seen as one of the country’s most challenged, have left financial special measures.
Following the Money: Rent is optional
HSJ ’s weekly email briefing on NHS finances, savings, and efforts to get the health service back in the black
DHSC avoids budget breach with Treasury help
The Department of Health and Social Care avoided breaching its key spending limits in 2018-19, after receiving £600m of additional in-year support from the Treasury.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5083
|
__label__wiki
| 0.773019
| 0.773019
|
Words for Empty and Words for Full (Pitt Poetry Series) (Paperback)
By Bob Hicok
University of Pittsburgh Press, 9780822960775, 96pp.
Publication Date: March 5, 2010
Bob Hicok is associate professor of English at Virginia Tech University. He is the author of This Clumsy Living, Insomnia Diary, Animal Soul (a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award,) Plus Shipping, and The Legend of Light. Hicok is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, two NEA Fellowships, the Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Poetry Prize from the Library of Congress, the Felix Pollak Prize, the Jerome J. Shestack Prize, and four Pushcart Prizes. His poems have appeared in five volumes of Best American Poetry.
Praise For Words for Empty and Words for Full (Pitt Poetry Series)…
“As always with a Bob Hicok book, fascinating and a book you sort of can’t help but pick up and suddenly, two hours later, find yourself having read straight through. I can think of just about no contemporary poets who publish such consistently great work.”
—Corduroy Books
“With ‘Words for Empty and Words for Full,’ Hicok has begun to find a way to combine the several aspects of his imagination--narration, association, humor, self-conscious reflexivity. The result is poetry memorable for its structure, its image and sound, but also for demanding that we readers enter into some serious thinking about our place and time.”
—Boston Review
“Bob Hicok is that rarity, a cheerful contemporary poet—if not completely happy, still hopeful and celebrative. Ever alert to the transient beauties and beautiful ironies of the world, Hicok’s poems praise even as they grieve. Love, physical and emotional, is a consistent theme: the joy of it, the need for it, the pain of lacking it, and above all, its ability to redeem.”
“One of the hallmarks of Hicok’s poems is their momentum, the exhilarating force with which his voice carries them forward. But the poems here are driven by an especial sense of urgency, by Hicok’s need to engage with the problems that swirl around us.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5085
|
__label__wiki
| 0.612902
| 0.612902
|
Baha’u’llah
Religious Figure
Tehran, Persianow Iran
Best Known As:
The central figure of the Baha'i faith
Name at birth: Mirza Husayn-'Ali-i-Nuri
In 1844, Syyid Ali-Muhammad broke from mainstream Islam, called himself the Bab ("the gate") and prophesied the coming of a man who would be the "Manifestation of God." The Bab and his followers, being seen as a threat to official Islam, were persecuted and jailed, and the Bab was executed in 1850. Mirza Husayn Ali-i-Nuri, a member of a wealthy Persian family and a follower of the Bab, was among those imprisoned and then exiled to neighboring Iraq. In 1863 he claimed the title of Baha'u'llah and said he was the messenger from God the Bab had talked about. The Baha'i religion grew slowly at first, embracing world unity and many of the basic tenets of other major religions, using the teachings and revelations of Baha'u'llah in the holy books the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the Kitab-i-Iqan. In the 20th century the Baha'i faith grew to be an international organization with 5,000,000 members.
Major Religions of the World
Copyright © 1998-2018 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5086
|
__label__wiki
| 0.771071
| 0.771071
|
Pharmaceutical, Healthcare Industry Pays $3.5 Billion In Five Months To Doctors And Hospitals, CMS Doesn’t Disclose 40 Percent Of The Names
Dawn Papple
Pharmaceutical companies and medical device makers paid $3.5 billion to U.S. doctors and teaching hospitals during the last five months of last year. Reuters called the information about the pharmaceutical industry’s payments to doctors and hospitals “the most extensive data trove on such payments ever made public.”
The payments made by the pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers to U.S. doctors and teaching hospitals were disclosed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last week, according to Reuters.
The payments were made to doctors and hospitals for “consulting and speaking fees, travel, meals, entertainment and research grants.”
Most of the recipients were named by the CMS report, but about 40 percent of recipients of the pharmaceutical industry’s payments were not disclosed by CMS. CMS explained that the names of the recipients that were not published were left off of the publication because CMS officials were concerned about data inconsistencies in the information compiled.
Reuters reported that about 40 percent of the payments reported by companies were withheld because CMS had concerns about data inconsistencies. A total of 546,000 physicians and 1,360 teaching hospitals received 4.4 million separate payments from various healthcare companies.
“CMS is committed to transparency and this is an opportunity for the public to learn about the relationships among health care providers, and pharmaceutical and device companies,” CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said. “This initial public posting of data is only the first phase of the Open Payments program. In coming weeks, we will be adding additional data and tools that will give consumers, researchers, and others a detailed look into this industry and its financial arrangements.”
According to CMS, “Future reports will be published annually and will include a full 12 months of payment data, beginning in June 2015.”
Financial ties between pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers and health care providers that received payments do not necessarily signal wrongdoing, according to the CMS press release.
“Using this new data, it is now possible to conduct a wide range of analyses of payments made by drug and device manufacturers,” deputy administrator and director of CMS’s Center for Program Integrity Dr. Shantanu Agrawal, said, according to the CMS press release about the data citing pharmaceutical industry’s and device makers’ payments. “Open Payments does not identify which financial relationships are beneficial and which could cause conflicts of interest. It simply makes the data available to the public. So while these data could discourage payments and others transfers of value that might have an inappropriate influence on research, education, and clinical decision-making, they could also help identify relationships that lead to the development of beneficial new technologies.”
To access the data on the CMS website that discloses pharmaceutical and healthcare companies’ payments to doctors and hospitals, check out the Open Payments database.
[Photo via CMS]
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5088
|
__label__wiki
| 0.593964
| 0.593964
|
‘Waste-To-Energy Plant’: Dubai Announces Its Plan To Convert Junk Into Energy
Sompong_TomThinkstock
Ellainie Calangian
The government of Dubai announced its plan to construct the world’s largest waste-to-energy plant. It will convert about 2 million tons of solid waste into energy every year, which is about 60 percent of the waste that Dubai produces yearly.
The waste-to-energy plant could generate about 185 megawatts (MW), which could power about 120,000 homes. The facility will be constructed on a two-hectare land in the Warsan area. There will be HV 132kV cables that will connect the plant to the grid of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. The government is now partnering with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, together with Hitachi Zosen Inova, a Swiss company, and the Bexis Group, a Belgium-based company, according to New Atlas.
DEWA CEO Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer said this would be a new source of power for Dubai. He added that this plant would enhance the security of supply.
The construction of the plant will start in a few months. The projected cost is around AED2.5 billion or $680 million USD. They are planning to finish the project before the Dubai World Expo in 2020, according to Inhabitat.
Meanwhile, the Shenzhen East Waste-to-Energy Plant in China is now under construction and is considered the world’s largest waste-to-energy plant now. However, if Dubai could complete their plant project, it could grab its title. Its target date of completion is also in 2020.
Dubai to build world's largest waste-to-energy plant https://t.co/uPZsXAKO71 To be completed in 2020 pic.twitter.com/OIRv4AkAuh
— Svein T veitdal (@tveitdal) February 1, 2018
Both plants could process more than 5,500 tons of waste each day. However, Dubai’s output is 20 MW higher than China’s plant. Their plans for converting garbage into energy are praised by many people as they are both environmentally friendly.
How does the waste-to-energy plant work? The plant primarily utilizes waste as a fuel for producing power. The residue is used as a combustion material. The waste includes trashes such as recycling materials like glass, plastics, metals, paper, and wood, and other debris such as biowaste, kitchen refuse, and commercial garbage.
The materials are then received in an enclosed receiving area and prepared for combustion. The burned wastes are used as a fuel. Then, the burning fuel warms the water into steam that triggers the turbine to generate electricity, according to Deltaway.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5089
|
__label__wiki
| 0.685928
| 0.685928
|
Section Newsletter Articles From Kate O’Súilleabháin
FTC v. Actavis, Inc.: Pay-for-delay settlements subject to rule of reason By Kate O’Súilleabháin June 2013 On June 17, in FTC v. Actavis, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court determined that “pay-for-delay” settlements (also known as “reverse-payment settlements”) between drug manufacturers are subject to rule of reason antitrust scrutiny for purposes of determining whether they violate federal antitrust laws.
Editor’s comments By Kate O’Súilleabháin August 2012 An introduction to the issue from Editor Kate Ó Súilleabháin.
Recent developments in litigation on “pay-for-delay” settlements By Kate O’Súilleabháin August 2012 On July 16, a unanimous panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that any payment by a pharmaceutical company owning a patent to a generics drug manufacturer who agrees to delay entry into the market is prima facie evidence of an antitrust violation.
Editor’s comment By Kate O’Súilleabháin March 2012 An introduction to the issue from Editor Kate Ó Súilleabháin.
Editor’s note By Kate O’Súilleabháin September 2011 An introduction to the issue from Editor Kate Ó Súilleabháin.
Editor’s note By Kate O’Súilleabháin April 2011 An introduction to the issue from Editor Kate O Suilleabhain.
Editor’s note By Kate O’Súilleabháin February 2011 An introduction to the issue from Editor Kate O Suilleabhain.
Editor’s note By Kate O’Súilleabháin September 2010 An introduction to the issue from Editor Kate O Suilleabhain.
Spot an error in your article? Contact Sara Anderson at sanderson@isba.org. For information on obtaining a copy of an article,visit the ISBA Newsletters page.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5096
|
__label__wiki
| 0.657133
| 0.657133
|
Novomatic AG Hits a record-breaking year
Novomatic AG announced in January that it is continuing with the $354.5 million idea to buy the major stake in Ainsworth Game Technology Limited. One of the biggest Austrian gambling company, Novomatic AG, released its financial records for the past year. The records show that the total sales hit an impressive €4.9 billion (US$5.89 billion). This is a first for the Australian company in its 37-year long history.
Novomatic AG – Gaming Operations
Novomatic AG that is based in Gumpoldskirchen-headquarters disclosed that sales from their technology businesses and core gaming operations have increased by 11% every year to top €2.52 billion (US$3.03 billion). It had also employed an additional 1,687 employees to its ranks, which brings its total employee count to 25,536. The company also has 3,300 employees that are based in Austria.
Novomatic AG – Returns
Novomatic AG announced that its annual returns had risen by 20% every year. The company said it reached US$1.91 billion even though its 2017 technology and machine trades figures had dropped by 1% to US$1.12 billion.
The gaming operator said that its general business remained stable during 2017 with annual earnings before the interest, depreciation, tax, and remuneration increasing slightly to US$705.89 million. Its effective cash flow of US$503.85 million signified a 2.3% decrease.
Harald Neumann, Chief Executive Officer for Novomatic AG, said that Spain was the growth carter with the sales increase of 50%. However, the other main markets such as Eastern Europe and Central, Great Britain and Italy did well in 2017.
Novomatic AG – Overview
Novomatic AG said that it made investments of US$781.62 million in 2017. The operator’s total tax and duty expenses had increased by more than 26% yearly to US$648.12 million. This includes US$109.44 million to its government
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5099
|
__label__wiki
| 0.865477
| 0.865477
|
Littlehampton(11)
Ocklynge, Eastbourne(4)
Ecclesden, Angmering, Arundel(2)
Great Mill(2)
black and white print
Littlehampton, Sussex, England
Black and white negative and print made from it of a tower windmill in Littlehampton, West Sussex, showing a distant view during demolition, including other buildings nearby and a man with a car in the foreground, taken on 18th December 1932.
Great Mill, Ecclesden, Angmering, Arundel, Sussex, England
Black and white negative and print made from it of the ruins of a tower windmill known as 'Great Mill' in Ecclesden near Angmering and Arundel, West Sussex, taken on 9th September 1934.
Black and white negative and print made from it of a tower windmill in Littlehampton, West Sussex, including part of the internal mechanism on the ground in the foreground, taken during demolition on 28th December 1932.
Ocklynge, Eastbourne, Sussex, England
Black and white negative and print made from it of a ruined tower windmill in Ocklynge, Eastbourne, East Sussex, showing a detail of the cannister or poll end, taken on 27th May 1934.
Black and white negative and print made from it of a tower windmill in Littlehampton, West Sussex, taken during demolition on 22nd December 1932.
Black and white negative and print made from it of a tower windmill in Littlehampton, West Sussex, including six men in the foreground and one standing in the doorway of the half demolished mill, probably the demolition team, taken on 28th December 1932.
Black and white negative and print made from it of the ruins of a tower windmill known as 'Great Mill' in Ecclesden near Angmering and Arundel, West Sussex, showing a front view, taken during September 1932.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5103
|
__label__wiki
| 0.940118
| 0.940118
|
ISIS not yet vanquished, not by a long shot, top intel experts say
Report says terror group may have lost ground in Middle East but “it did not cease to exist, but, rather, changed the pattern of its activities.”
AN ISIS member rides on a rocket launcher in Raqqa in Syria two months ago. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Celebrations of Islamic State essentially being routed from territory in its countries of birth, Syria and Iraq, have taken off worldwide.
Yet a new, and possibly the most comprehensive report to date on the future of all Islamic State arms, is grim.
The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center report, obtained exclusively by The Jeru- salem Post , resoundingly warns that from Libya to the Sinai Peninsula to the Philippines to foreign fighters fleeing Syria and Iraq and returning to their European countries of origin, the Pandora’s box cannot be closed.
The center is renowned for its members’ backgrounds in the Israeli intelligence community and its ongoing contacts with that community, with top current officials also authoring articles in its publications.
ISIS may no longer be a conventional force invasion threat within the Middle East and has lost its main financial weapons and physical recruitment centers. But its unique success in establishing global ISIS-chap- ters and using social media to facilitate ISIS-inspired attacks by local Westerners in their home countries is expected to plague Middle Eastern countries and beyond indefinitely.
Two major ISIS chapters the report said to keep a keen eye on in terms of predicting ISIS’s future in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere are its Libya and Sinai Peninsula branches.
Libya is a strong example of what is next for ISIS, the report said. Like in Syria and Iraq, ISIS Libya succeeded in controlling significant territory for an extended peri- od, and while eventually losing control of it, the group later rallied into new forms of activity.
In Libya, ISIS seized control of the northern region known as Sirte. Around 157,000 of Libya’s 6.4 million people, with 150 miles of coastline, lived under ISIS rule in the Sirte region from early 2015 until last December.
ISIS even defeated attempts to dislodge it from Sirte in the spring of 2015, and lost control only after a seven-month battle with Libyan forces backed by US air strikes.
However, the center said, even after ISIS lost control of the region, “it did not cease to exist, but, rather, changed the pattern of its activities.”
It said that ISIS is now utilizing guerrilla warfare and typical terrorist organization tactics to continue to impact Libya, instead of fighting conventional land battles to hold on to territory.
While tactically retreating into desert areas, especially further south from its prior positions, its surviving core from Sirte is reuniting with other ISIS Libya chapters and systematically establishing new methods to raise funds, such as robbing trucks and traveling migrants.
The report said that ISIS in Libya is expected to raise its level of contact with other ISIS groups in Northern Africa and the West and become a leading area for planning and staging terrorist attacks in the West.
On November 10, Reuters reported that though security in Sirte has improved, residents remain wary of jihadis in the desert to the south, who have stepped up their attacks in recent months, even setting up checkpoints in some areas.
In a country where fighting between rival forces frequently flares, Sirte is particularly exposed, sitting in limbo between loose alliances aligned with rival governments in Tripoli and the east.
“If the situation continues like this, then Daesh [Islamic State] will come back, no doubt. There was a reason why they came. People were angry, felt side- lined,” Ali Miftah, a civil servant and father of five, told Reuters.
ISIS sleeper cells and fighters arriving to the area fleeing Syria and Iraq could also exploit continuous power vacuums in Libya, especially when it is unclear how long Libyan army forces will remain in strength to secure the area.
All of this could be a model for what to expect from ISIS in other countries, despite its loss of territory in Syria and Iraq.
Another area to keep an eye on, and of particular concern to Israel, is Sinai. The report said that Sinai, “in our estimate, is expected to continue to be a hard nut to crack.”
It said that ISIS Sinai is likely to try to replace its funding, recruiting and logistical support losses by deepening its links to ISIS chapters in other parts of Egypt, Libya and Gaza. Furthermore, the center expects ISIS Sinai to replenish its funding by a string of robberies as well as smuggling.
If Egypt’s government and Israel are hoping for fewer problems from Sinai, and for ISIS’s group there to fall apart as a result of infighting with other jihadist groups, they will be sorely disappointed, the report said.
Though there are countries where al-Qaida is expect- ed to absorb or destroy ISIS chapters that have become more vulnerable without being connected to the Islamic “caliphate,” al-Qaida is considered uniquely weak in Sinai, said the report.
As such, the center expects ISIS Sinai to continue to stage attacks, both against Egypt’s government and against Israel, in the form of both cross-border raids and rocket strikes.
Notably, though ISIS used drones in Syria and Iraq, and Israel has faced drone threats from Hamas and Hezbollah, to date there have been no reports of ISIS Sinai threatening Israel with drones.
Regarding another threat to Israel, partially as an indirect result of ISIS’s fall, the report predicts that Iran will view ISIS’s fall as one of the greatest openings since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 for it to spread its regional influence and form a physical land and sea bridge of cross-border Shi’a pockets.
For Israel, the report confirms the Israeli intelligence community’s estimates that Iran will try “to create an active terrorist area” on “the Golan Heights border by directing action by Shi’ite actors of Hezbollah as well as Palestinians and Druse against Israel.”
In one piece of good news for Israel, the report said that any ongoing attempt by ISIS to gain footholds in Jordan, within Israel proper, the West Bank and Gaza are expected to dissipate with the fall of ISIS’s “caliph- ate.”
Simply put, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians never allowed ISIS to gain a foothold, and its ideology never had broad appeal in these areas.
In November 2014, at the height of ISIS’s spread throughout Syria and Iraq, its leader, Abu Bakr al-Bagh- dadi, announced a list of its other established chapters. The list included the Hejaz region in Saudi Arabia; Yemen; Sinai; Libya; Algeria; Afghanistan-Pakistan; Alexandria, Egypt; West Africa, led by the Nigerian Boko Haram; the Caucasus (border of Europe and Asia, situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea) and the Philippines.
There were also others listed, which the report said were more of propaganda value and did not really exist substantively on the ground. Morocco has had no ISIS chapter to date, due to strong regime control of the state. But both the center and a late October report by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point expressed concern about Morocco’s future, since 33 plots against the West, including successful ones in Paris and Barcelona, can be connected to Moroccans.
ISIS Libya, ISIS Sinai and some other areas close to ISIS’s former headquarters are expected to take somewhat of a hit in resources they once received before the so-called caliphate’s fall, said the report.
Its chapters in Afghanistan-Pakistan and in parts of the Arabian Peninsula are expected to take an even bigger hit, as al-Qaida is strong in those areas and can be expected either to absorb them or even take advantage of their new vulnerability to eliminate them as competition.
ISIS chapters in Saudi Arabia and Algeria are expected to face extra pressure, since those regimes never lost central control of the state apparatus the way that a range of other Middle Eastern and African countries did during the “Arab Winter,” the report said.
But Yemen, West Africa and the Philippines are not expected to be heavily impacted by ISIS’s loss in Syria and Iraq, as, even beforehand, they did not receive extensive resources or support beyond inspirational support from ISIS in those areas, said the center.
An entirely different question is how the loss of territory in Syria and Iraq may lead to a heightened ISIS threat to the West, when fighters who came from Europe to the Middle East to fight return to their European countries of origin as radicalized ISIS actors.
Of the estimated 25,000 foreign fighters who came to fight for ISIS in the Middle East, around half in Syria and Iraq, “several thousand fighters have already returned to their states of origin, and several thousand more are waiting for an opportunity to escape Syria and Iraq” in order to return, said the report.
The center estimated that hundreds of fighters would return to both England and France, and noted that both countries also have a supportive radical Muslim infrastructure for them to interact with.
It is expected that their influence and involvement in terrorism in their states of origin will increase as their numbers in those states increase.
“The return of foreign fighters to their states of origin, in our estimation, is expected to present a difficult security dilemma to the different governments,” the report said.
This is not just because of the increase in ISIS-associated terrorists’ numbers, but also because those returning are “skilled fighters who acquired substantial military experience and absorbed the Salafist-jihadist ideology during their time fighting among the ISIS forces.”
These returning fighters are “liable to connect with local Salafist-jihadist organizations in their states and to act as an extremist motivator,” pulling them toward more radical Islamist and terrorist actions.
Furthermore, some fighters will return to their countries of origin with spouses and children raised in an atmosphere of ISIS brainwashing. This means “their children could serve as a next generation of human resource infrastructure” for ISIS, ready to grow into a new arm for carrying out terrorist attacks.
The report said it is still too soon to estimate what per - centage of the fighters returning to their states would give up the cause after ISIS’s fall and how many would simply try to transfer their terrorist activities to their states of origin.
The report said that the West can expect fewer coordinated large-scale ISIS terrorist attacks. But it also noted that this may not give the West much relief, as most ISIS attacks there in 2014-2017 have been of the “ISIS-inspired” lone-wolf variety, rather than having been directly planned by ISIS.
According to the report, 28 out of 33 ISIS terrorist attacks in the West in 2014-2017 were ISIS-inspired but not directly planned by ISIS. The most recent of these attacks occurred in New York on October 31, and the wave is expected to continue.
While the volume of lone-wolf attacks may be reduced because ISIS’s brand is down after losing its Islamic Caliph - ate dream, the center said it takes only a small number of hard-core loyalists to continue a wave of attacks.
ISIS’s predecessor, Islamic State of Iraq, was already routed once in 2008, but came back with a vengeance in 2013-2014. The report makes it clear that despite a lack of territory or the ability to pose an immediate threat of invasion, a third wave of ISIS terrorism is largely inevitable.
ISIS in Europe
war on ISIS
Jihadists rape, stone Christian woman to death in Syria
By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
Portugal says Iranian visas suspended for consulate upgrade
Voices from the Arab Press: LIBYA AND THE TURKISH OCCUPIER
By MEDIA LINE
Turkish diplomats reported killed in Erbil, Iraq
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Shtayyeh: Palestinians in Iraq will be given equal rights
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5104
|
__label__wiki
| 0.539628
| 0.539628
|
Comment - UK Budget 2009
just-drinks.com editorial team22 April 2009
Without wishing to be labelled as doomsaying hack, there really doesn't look to be much positive news emerging from Chancellor Alistair Darling's UK Budget Speech.
On a drinks industry level, Darling told Parliament today (22 April) that duty tax on alcoholic drinks will rise by 2% above inflation by midnight tonight, despite one of the most co-ordinated lobbying efforts by drinks trade bodies in recent memory.
Unsurprisingly, drinks makers have been queuing up to lambast Darling this afternoon. Thousands of jobs will be lost and lower sales means that the Treasury will not see the benefit that it expects, they say.
The British Beer & Pub Association accused Darling of "signing the death warrant" of the pub sector. The Scotch Whisky Association pointed out that, seeing as Darling also predicted that the retail price index would be -3% in September this year, the "real terms" tax rise on drink is 5%.
On a macroeconomic level, things look bleak.
The Government now expects UK gross domestic product to decline by 3.5% in 2009. If that happens, it will be the UK's biggest fall on record.
Somewhat more optimistically, albeit to deafening scepticism around Parliament, Darling said that he expects GDP growth to be 1.25% in 2010 and 3.5% in 2011. The International Monetary Fund, however, said today that it expects UK GDP to shrink by a further 0.4% in 2010.
Just as much of a concern is the scale of UK debt, which is set to reach 59% of GDP this year and is expected to rise to 79% of GDP by 2013/14. This is pretty seismic stuff and some analysts said this afternoon that it could threaten the UK's credit rating, which, in the vicious circle of life, could increase debt further by making it more expensive to borrow.
This is not to say that the Government has necessarily made the wrong decision to "spend its way out of recession". The Conservative Party, the main opposition, is vehemently against this strategy - but then, it also knows that if all goes as predicted in next year's General Election, it will be the one saddled with managing the debt.
To make matters worse, the International Monetary Fund has today predicted that 2009 will bring the first global recession since the end of World War Two in 1945.
At least the sun is shining in the UK today.
Sectors: Beer & cider, Spirits, Wine
Companies: Scotch Whisky Association
UK Autumn Budget 2017 - The Reaction...
This week's financial market 'corrections' - Should you worry? - Comment...
UK Budget deals blow to wine...
Why brown spirits is behind the low- & no-alcohol curve - Comment...
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5105
|
__label__wiki
| 0.527225
| 0.527225
|
Hartzler-Gutermuth-Inman Funeral Home Inc.
| 403 W. Franklin Street
| Elkhart, IN 46516
| hgifh@comcast.net
Robert E Summers
January 2, 1930 ~ July 1, 2019 (age 89)
Robert E. “Bob” Summers, 89, of Elkhart, died Monday, July 1, 2019 at Elkhart General Hospital. He was born January 2, 1930 in Ligonier, IN, to Edmund and Helen (Weaver) Summers.
Upon graduation from Purdue University in 1948, Bob proudly served his country in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. He married the love of his life, Catherine Shamory on May 23, 1959.
Bob worked in the procurement area of the RV Industry for most of his career. He spent 20 years with Coachman Industries and retired from the industry in 1995 as a purchasing manager.
He was a member of St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church where he was a member of the gardening committee. He volunteered for Church and Community services, St Vincent De Paul Society, and was a faithful blood donor. He was an avid gardener, loved home projects and last, but not least, was a fervent Notre Dame football fan.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 60 years, Catherine, Sons, Joseph Summers (Nancy) of Oregon, Thomas Summers (Karen) of Michigan, Grandchildren, Ryan, David, Matthew, and Conner Summers, Daughter in Law, Julie Summers of Texas, Sister in Law, Mary Ellen Shamory of Indiana, and three nieces. He was preceded in death by his son, Michael Summers, and two Sisters, Martha Summers and Evelyn Martin.
Visitation will be Wednesday, July 3 from 4 -7 PM, at Hartzler Gutermuth Inman Funeral Home with a Rosary Service at 4 PM.
Mass of the Christian Burial will be at 11 AM, Friday July 5, at St Thomas the Apostle Church with Rev. Jason Freiburger officiating. Calling will be 1 hour prior to the service at the Church. Burial with Military Honors will be at St Vincent Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be directed to St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church or St Vincent De Paul Society.
St. Thomas the Apostle Church
1331 N. Main Street, Elkhart IN 46514
520 Crescent Ave., South Bend IN 46617
© 2019 Hartzler-Gutermuth-Inman Funeral Home Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Funeral Home website by CFS
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5110
|
__label__cc
| 0.6311
| 0.3689
|
Cary NC
Ascertaining the quality of life in Cary depends in large part on the generation of the person responding to the subject. Baby boomer natives will call Cary a small town. This slice of Caryites may very well remember the late 60's, when the municipality had a population of less than 7,000. Yes, that's right - hard to believe, considering today's 150,000-population estimate from the US Census Bureau. Contemporary town officials may boast about Cary being merely a town (at least in municipal form), but back in the day, it really was a very small town. Some "boomers" may even recollect the Taylor Biscuit Company as the town's largest employer, with 150 workers.
The next group, middle-aged people who relocated to Cary in the 80's and 90's, could describe the quality of life as "suburbia". In those decades of great migration, the Research Triangle Park brought research and high-tech company after company to the area. Extremely well educated and well compensated professionals and their families needed homes, and that need was met more and more by Cary, especially as Raleigh's growth moved north, searching for land to develop. To this set of people, Cary 's quality of life may be described as "boomtown".
The current millennial's view of the quality of life in Cary may be described as "hip high-tech". This group regards the Town with a much more inclusive attitude, embracing not just the small town, and yes, even suburbia, but a subtle urbanity has been added to the quality opinion. Back in the 90's, other sections of the Triangle pranked the town's flood of new coming Northerners by referring to the Town as C.A.R.Y, or "Containment Area for Relocating Yankees". Eventually, others may have scoffed at Cary as the land of the mini-van and soccer moms, but like a new neighborhood that becomes shaded with maturing trees, Cary has moved past adolescence into virility. Kids of newcomers have grown up here and after college have come back to Cary for jobs and the predictable solidity of life here. And a new youth has joined the increasing number of retiring boomers arriving in the quest for qualities of peace and prosperity.
To the millennial generation Cary's quality of life here is great jobs and high salaries in a community devoted to green sustainability - and colleagues of their same ilk. Cary is a combination of all the generations. It is family-oriented, it is highly educated, environmentally responsible... and it is a place of positive anticipation about the future.
Consider the words of the Town itself, describing the quality of life in Cary. "On the whole, Caryites are a blessed, hard-working group with one of the highest median household incomes in the state. And being no further than 20 minutes from major universities such as Duke, North Carolina State, and the University of North Carolina, it's no wonder that education is an important part of Cary life. More than two-thirds of adults hold a college degree. About 94 percent of citizens have access to the Internet in this, the Technology Town of North Carolina. Cary embraces the best of city life:
"Our sense of security - Cary continually ranks as one of the top 20 safest large cities nationally and the safest in the Southeast. Its Police and Fire departments and Emergency Medical Services are nationally accredited.
Livability - Tree-lined streets and well-groomed subdivisions and office parks show Cary has grown the right way.
Vibrancy - Cary is home to world class businesses and national retail stores. Our fast-growing Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources program has something for everyone, regardless of age or interest.
Diversity - School-age children comprise nearly a quarter of Cary's population. Yet people of retirement age are the fastest-growing group in Cary. Fourteen percent of townspeople were born in another country, and the Asian population - Cary's largest minority - tripled during the 1990s.
Explore Cary Links:
Cary Chamber of Commerce
Wikipedia Statistics - Cary
Ask Joann Samelko for a personal tour of Cary and Cary Neighborhoods.
Carolina Preserve
Sq Ft: 1,244 - 4,420
Carpenter Village
Copperleaf
Edinborough Pointe
Glenkirk
Greenwood Acres
Heritage Pines
Lochmere
Maynard Oaks
Sq Ft: 1,395 - 10,141
Trinity Grove
Tryon Villas
Weston Place
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5116
|
__label__wiki
| 0.973165
| 0.973165
|
Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph..
ABOVE: Mike Lucas stands with his model of Saturn V on Thursday in Kernersville. BELOW: In this July 20, 1969, photo made available by NASA, astronaut Buzz Aldrin Jr. poses for a photograph beside the U.S. flag on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Aldrin and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong were the first men to walk on the lunar surface with temperatures ranging from 243 degrees above to 279 degrees below zero. Astronaut Michael Collins flew the command module in orbit.
Allison Lee Isley/Journal
Historic moon-landing remembered by county residents ahead of 50th anniversary
For nearly all Americans old enough to remember it, July 20,1969 is a day etched in their minds, and one that Kernersville resident Mike Lucas remembers vividly.
His friend’s parents plopped them down on the couch in front of the black and white TV and said: “Don’t move. You’re about to see history.”
What happened next sent shockwaves through the world as Neil Armstrong became the first human to ever set foot on the moon uttering his famous line: “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
“The unique thing was, for one brief moment in time, all races, all religions — any division you can put human beings into — everybody on the planet stood together as one,” said Lucas, who was 18 at the time. “We, as humans, visited another world. We did the impossible.”
Lucas was among the more than 600 million worldwide that watched the much-anticipated and historic moment unfold on television 50 years ago.
The successful Apollo 11 mission came just years after President John F. Kennedy announced a national goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth by the end of the 1960s.
At the time of Kennedy’s 1961 speech, astronaut Alan Shepard had just become the first American in space with his 15-minute suborbital flight on the Freedom 7 — also known as Mercury-Redstone 3 — mission.
“We couldn’t even put a person in orbit yet, so talking about putting a person on the moon, are you kidding?” Lucas said, emphasizing the significance of the accomplishment. “I think humans wanting to go to the moon far predates space flight, but we just never had the means to do so.”
Lucas, 68, had dreams of becoming an astronaut, especially in an age where astronauts were lauded as heroes and the race to conquer space was intensifying.
In the summer of 1970, Lucas had his first brush with astronauts when he was working at a Texas airport and answered a phone call from a man, who identified himself as “Alan Shepard.”
“I thought ‘Huh, he has the same name as this famous astronaut. I wonder if it’s him,’” said Lucas, then a student at University of Houston. “When I was 10, I had watched Alan Shepard on the school TV make history, but I never dreamed I’d meet the man.”
Sure enough, Shepard — who became the fifth man to walk on the moon — and fellow astronaut Deke Slayton drove up and talked to an awed-teenage Lucas for a while before heading to their plane.
Over the years, their interaction evolved into a friendship and Lucas, who became an airline pilot, ended up doing some part-time flying for Shepard, he said.
After the subsequent five crewed moon landings between 1969 and 1972, Lucas attempted to pursue a career as an astronaut but was told by the military that, at age 25, he was too old.
But he maintained his passion for space, and in the years since has met or befriended 10 of the 12 men who walked on the moon, including Neil Armstrong, and 20 of the 24 astronauts who went on manned-missions to the moon.
Charles Duke, who became the youngest person at age 36 to walk on the moon, remains a close friend of his, he said, and likes to tell the story about how he nearly died on the moon trying to jump as high as he could.
“They were all my idols and my heroes growing up, so getting to meet and know some of these guys was incredible,” said Lucas, who started with Piedmont Airlines in 1984 and retired from American Airlines in 2013. “They’re human just like the rest of us, but were uniquely qualified at a pivotal point in history to do something that had never been done before.”
'A matter of time'
For the first 35 years of Bob Patsiga’s life, man visiting the moon was more of a fantasy than a reality.
“Growing up, I was quite confident we would do it. It was just a matter of time,” said Patsiga, who was then a science educator in Pennsylvania. “Of course, it was a bit disappointing because it was very shadowy and the voice was a bit scratchy on the broadcast, but the fact it was actually happening, that was just the amazing part.”
Patsiga, who will be 85 in September, said he first became interested in science because of his older brother, Joe, a WWII veteran, who knew all the constellations and got him interested in astronomy.
After the moon landing, Patsiga, a member of the Forsyth Astronomical Society, said he toyed with the idea of a career of an astronaut but realized in his 30s he was too old.
As more successful moon missions occurred, Patsiga watched with interest as they were each broadcast on home televisions and at all the appliance stores.
“I was sorry the moon program didn’t continue. It was amazing that, except for Apollo 13, they all worked after Apollo 11,” said Patsiga, who retired a few months ago from Kaleideum North's planetarium. “I’m so proud of my country.”
Untapped possibilities
Spurred on by the Cold War and the pursuit of knowledge, the race to the moon was not without risk.
During a preflight test for the first manned-mission to the moon, Apollo 1, in 1967, three astronauts were killed.
There was still so much that was unknown and the launches had to be timed to avoid anticipated solar flares, which emit high levels of radiation, said Eric Carlson, a professor of physics at Wake Forest University.
“Everyone said, ‘We’ve got to beat the Russians,’ but space travel was still risky,” Carlson said. “The solution for the Apollo missions was to launch at a good time and hope for some luck that they wouldn’t encounter a solar flare.”
While the Earth is always bombarded with radiation from the sun, the Earth’s magnetosphere acts as a shield, Carlson said. Traveling to the moon increases the risk for high radiation exposure.
But despite the dangers, huge amounts of money were poured into the program and people were very excited about the possibilities space exploration presented, said Carlson.
“I was 7, but my parents calling me in to make sure I watched the astronauts stepping on to the moon for the first time,” Carlson, 57, said. “I thought ‘Hey, maybe I’ll be an astronaut someday.’ I think it inspired a lot of people of my generation to go into science.”
The moon landing success was monumental and set other things in motion, including expediting the development of computers since NASA needed a way to quickly calculate orbits, he said.
While humans haven’t been back to the moon in more than 45 years, traveling to the moon remains possible, it’s just expensive.
“There’s almost nothing a human can do that a machine can’t do on the moon and it’s much, much cheaper to not send humans,” Carlson said, who got his Ph.D at Harvard University and specializes in elementary particle theory.
Carlson said the 1969 moon landing has unleashed possibilities and he foresees a permanent moon base near the south pole of the moon, perhaps, in about 20 years.
He said he also expects there will be more exploration into the icy moons of Jupiter and into the viability of Mars.
“We need to know whether Mars has life on it, it could be bacteria,” Carlson said. “I think the next thing comparable to the moonshot is an unmanned mission to Mars designed to bring a sample back.”
Mars the new moon-landing?
Mars exploration is in the works, and its magnitude and potential could be seen as the modern-day parallel to the moon landing, said Rafael Louriero, a Winston Salem State University (WSSU) professor.
WSSU has partnered with NASA to research what types of plants could grow on lunar or Martian soils to enable human travel to and, possibly, colonization of Mars.
Louriero said the emerging research, which includes understanding how crops grow in low-gravity, was born out of the historic moon landing.
“For me, (it’s) a continuation of what happened in 1969,” said Louriero, a professor of botany. “It brings a new generation of people that, motivated by (the moon landing), seek to secure a place for humankind out in the cosmos.”
While Louriero was born 11 years after the moon landing, he said the event has had “an incommensurable effect” in influencing his career path.
It wasn’t until he was 10 years old that he saw images of the lunar lander touch down on the moon's surface and video documenting the historic event during school.
While his classmates were more excited that they got to watch a movie instead of having a lesson, the day stuck firmly in his mind.
“I was completely smitten by the image of a man walking on the surface of something that seemed so distant, so far away,” said Louriero, who went on to get his Ph.D. in conservation and tropical botany in Brazil. “My work, guaranteeing that they (astronauts) will have enough food to survive those journeys and possibly colonize other planets, was a natural route for me to follow.”
The Astrobotany Lab at WSSU has received grants from the NASA North Carolina Space Grant Consortium to work on analyzing seed viability on Martian simulant soil and on lunar simulant soils.
The research will determine how to feed future colonists who will transition from the moon to Mars and how to secure a safe transition of crops from lunar to Martian soil, Louriero said.
The moon landing helped catalyze the ability to “dream without restrictions, to make the impossible possible,” Louriero said, especially as technology continues to evolve and advance.
“The technology that you have now, available 24/7 on the palm of your hands, is way more advanced from the technology that put those men (on the moon) and, more importantly, brought them back,” Louriero said, referencing smartphones.
“Apollo's feat can be a great example of how hard work, sacrifice and risk-taking are necessary steps for any success story to happen.”
Moon Landing 50 Years
U.S. Air Force Sgt. Michael Chivaris, Clinton, Mass.; Army Spec. 4 Andrew Hutchins, Middlebury, Vt.; Air Force Sgt. John Whalin, Indianapolis, Ind.; and Army Spec. 4 Lloyd Newton, Roseburg, Ore., read a newspaper headlining the Apollo 11 moon landing in downtown Saigon, Vietnam.
HUGH VAN ES/The Associated Press
This July 16, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows the Earth as the Apollo 11 mission heads to the moon.
NASA via AP
Mike Lucas Apollo 11 Anniversary
Mike Lucas sifts through a binder full of autographed photos and other NASA mementos.
Mike Lucas stands with two giclées on canvas by artist Paul Calle on Thursday in Kernersville. President John F. Kennedy commissioned seven artists to depict the emotion of the space program. Calle was one of the artist and these are two of his paintings from the commission.
Mike Lucas shows a signed photograph of Alan Shepard in a binder on Thursday, July 11 in Kernersville, N.C. Shepard was the first American in space with his 15-minute suborbital flight on the Freedom 7.
A framed photograph of Mike Lucas (from left), his wife,w Cheryl Lucas, and Neil Armstrong, sits on Lucas’ kitchen counter on Thursday in Kernersville. The photograph was taken in 2011 at the Kennedy Space Center.
Mike Lucas and his model of Saturn V on Thursday, July 11, 2019, in Kernersville, N.C. (Winston-Salem Journal/Allison Lee Isley) 20190714w_nws_moon
In this July 16, 1969 photo made available by NASA, the 363-feet Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 11 crew, launches from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Neil Armstrong (from right), Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin walk to the van July 16, 1969, that will take the crew to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Fla.
Apollo 11 at 50: Celebrating first steps on another world
In this July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin works on a solar wind experiment device on the surface of the moon. (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP)
In this July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the Lunar Module "Eagle" during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity. (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP)
FILE - In this July 24, 1969 file photo, President Richard Nixon gives an "OK" sign as he greets Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin in a quarantine van aboard the USS Hornet after splashdown and recovery in the Pacific Ocean. (AP Photo)
This July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows Buzz Aldrins boot and bootprint during a test of the lunar soil during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity. (Buzz Aldrin/NASA via AP)
In this July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA, the Apollo 11 Lunar Module undocks from the Command Module on its way to the surface of the moon. (Michael Collins/NASA via AP)
FILE - In this July 16, 1969 file photo, from right, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin walk to the van that will take the crew to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. (AP Photo/File)
In this July 21, 1969 photo made available by NASA, astronaut Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, sits inside the Lunar Module after he and Buzz Aldrin completed their extravehicular activity on the surface of the moon. (Buzz Aldrin/NASA via AP)
This July 21, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows Tranquility Base and the U.S. flag from a window on the Lunar Module as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin prepare for liftoff from the surface of the moon. (NASA via AP)
In this July 21, 1969 photo made available by NASA, the Apollo 11 Lunar Module ascent stage, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, approaches the Command and Service Modules for docking in lunar orbit. Astronaut Michael Collins remained with the CSM in lunar orbit while the other two crewmen explored the moon's surface. In the background the Earth rises above the lunar horizon. (Michael Collins/NASA via AP)
FILE - In this July 21, 1969 file photo, U.S. Air Force Sgt. Michael Chivaris, Clinton, Mass.; Army Spec. 4 Andrew Hutchins, Middlebury, Vt.; Air Force Sgt. John Whalin, Indianapolis, Ind.; and Army Spec. 4 Lloyd Newton, Roseburg, Ore., read a newspaper headlining the Apollo 11 moon landing, in downtown Saigon, Vietnam. (AP Photo/Hugh Van Es)
HUGH VAN ES
FILE - In this July 21, 1969 file photo, a family in Tokyo watches TV showing U.S. President Richard Nixon superimposed on a live broadcast of the Apollo 11 astronauts saluting from the moon. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this July 16, 1969 file photo, people watch the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket launch on multiple TV's at a Sears department store in White Plains, N.Y. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)
Ron Frehm
In this July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, walks on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity. (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP)
In this July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA, flight controllers work in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center during the Apollo 11 lunar extravehicular activity. The television monitor shows astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon. (NASA via AP)
FILE - In this Aug. 13, 1969 file photo, people line 42nd Street in New York to cheer Apollo 11 astronauts, in lead car from left, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong, traveling east on 42nd street, towards the United Nations. (AP Photo/File)
In this July 20, 2009 file photo, Apollo 11 astronauts, from left, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong stand in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, on the 40th anniversary of the mission's moon landing. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Alex Brandon
In this July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA, astronaut Buzz Aldrin Jr. poses for a photograph beside the U.S. flag on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Aldrin and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong were the first men to walk on the lunar surface with temperatures ranging from 243 degrees above to 279 degrees below zero. Astronaut Michael Collins flew the command module. (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP)
This July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows crater Daedalus and Daedalus B, center left, during the Apollo 11 mission to reach the surface of the moon. (NASA via AP)
In this July 24, 1969 photo from the U.S. Navy, Navy UDT swimmer Clancy Hatleberg prepares to jump from a helicopter into the water next to the Apollo 11 capsule after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, to assist the astronauts into the raft at right. (Milt Putnam/U.S. Navy via AP)
Milt Putnam
FILE - In this July 20, 1969 file photo, Andy Aldrin, 10, sits on a pile of cordwood in the backyard of his home in Houston while other members of his family listen to the reports of the progress of the Apollo II lunar module carrying his father, Col. Buzz Aldrin and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong to a landing on the moon. (AP Photo)
This July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the Lunar Module cabin during the translunar coast. (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP)
This July 16, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows the Earth as the Apollo 11 mission heads to the moon. (NASA via AP)
The Latest: Florida paper prints retro Apollo 11 front page
In this July 16, 1969 photo made available by NASA, the 363-feet Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 11 crew, launches from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (NASA via AP)
jdrabble@wsjournal.com
'Party like it's 1969' party to celebrate moon-landing anniversary to be held at Kaleideum
Rewind the clocks to 1969 and sample some moon pies as you watch the moment man walked on the moon for the first time at Kaleideum North’s eve…
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5119
|
__label__cc
| 0.526097
| 0.473903
|
mindshift Home
Mindshift Podcast
Games And Learning
The California Report Magazine
How Do We Inspire Young Inventors?
Annie Murphy Paul
In New Haven, Connecticut, where I live with my husband and two sons, we are lucky to have nearby the Eli Whitney Museum. This place is the opposite of a please don't touch repository of fine art. It's an "experimental learning workshop" where kids engage in an essential but increasingly rare activity: they make stuff. Right now, looking around my living room, I can see lots of the stuff made there by my older son: a model ship that can move around in water with the aid of a battery-powered motor he put together; a "camera obscura" that can project a real-world scene onto a wall in a darkened room; a wooden pinball game he designed himself. (You can view an archive of Eli Whitney Museum projects here.)
The people who run Eli Whitney call these hands-on projects "experiments." As they put it: "Experiments are a way of learning things. They require self-guided trial and error, active exploration, and testing by all the senses. Experiments begin with important questions, questions that make you think or that inspire you to create." This process of exploring, testing and finding out is vital to children's intellectual and psychological development—but opportunities to engage in it are fewer than they once were. “My friends and I grew up playing around in the garage, fixing our cars,” says Frank Keil, a Yale University psychologist who is in his early 60's. “Today kids are sealed in a silicon bubble. They don’t know how anything works.”
“We scour the country looking for young builders and inventors. They’re getting harder and harder to find.”
Many others have noticed this phenomenon. Engineering professors report that students now enter college without the kind of hands-on expertise they once unfailingly possessed. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “we scour the country looking for young builders and inventors,” says Kim Vandiver, dean for undergraduate research. “They’re getting harder and harder to find.” MIT now offers classes and extracurricular activities devoted to taking things apart and putting them together, an effort to teach students the skills their fathers and grandfathers learned curbside on weekend afternoons.
Why should this matter? Some would argue that the digital age has rendered such technical know-how obsolete. Our omnipresent devices work the way we want them to (well, most of the time), with no skill required beyond pushing a button. What’s to be gained by knowing how they work?
Actually, a lot. Research in the science of learning shows that hands-on building projects help young people conceptualize ideas and understand issues in greater depth. In an experiment described in the International Journal of Engineering Education in 2009, for example, one group of eighth-graders was taught about water resources in the traditional way: classroom lectures, handouts and worksheets. Meanwhile, a group of their classmates explored the same subject by designing and constructing a water purification device. The students in the second group learned the material better: they knew more about the importance of clean drinking water and how it is produced, and they engaged in deeper and more complex thinking in response to open-ended questions on water resources and water quality.
If we want more young people to choose a profession in one of the group of crucial fields known as STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—we ought to start cultivating these interests and skills early. But the way to do so may not be the kind of highly structured and directed instruction that we usually associate with these subjects. Instead, some educators have begun taking seriously an activity often dismissed as a waste of time: tinkering. Tinkering is the polar opposite of the test-driven, results-oriented approach of No Child Left Behind: it involves a loose process of trying things out, seeing what happens, reflecting and evaluating, and trying again.
“Tinkering is the way that real science happens, in all its messy glory," says Sylvia Martinez, co-author of the new book Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. Martinez is one of the leaders of the "makers' movement," a nationwide effort to help kids discover the value of getting their hands dirty and their minds engaged. The next generation of scientists—and artists, and inventors, and entrepreneurs—may depend on it.
Subscribe to receive weekly updates of MindShift stories every Sunday. You'll also receive a carefully curated list of content from teacher-trusted sources.
Thanks for signing up to the newsletter.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5122
|
__label__wiki
| 0.916279
| 0.916279
|
Late Run Helps TCU Past K-State
K-State Athletics Press ReleaseFebruary 27, 2018
FORT WORTH, Texas – TCU used a late 9-0 run keyed by a steal and layup by sophomore guard Desmond Bane to outlast Kansas State, 66-59, on an emotional Senior Night at Schollmaier Arena.
With the win, the Horned Frogs (21-9, 9-8 Big 12) ran their winning streak to four games and moved into a tie for fourth place with the Wildcats (20-10, 9-8 Big 12) with one regular season game to play.
The loss spoiled an impressive night by juniors Dean Wade and Barry Brown, Jr., who scored 41 of the team’s 59 points on a combined 17-of-24 shooting from the field. During a 12-minute stretch in the second half, Wade and Brown accounted for 16 consecutive points, as Wade went on to lead all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-14 field goals, while Brown added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting before fouling out with 43 seconds left.
With the Wildcats clinging to a 56-55 lead with less than two and half minutes to play, Bane ignited a 9-0 run with his steal of Brown and subsequent layup with 2:24 to play and was followed by a huge 3-point field goal by senior forward Vlad Brodziansky on a steal by junior guard Alex Robinson with 1:49 remaining. Bane hit four consecutive free throws in the last 90 seconds before redshirt freshman guard Cartier Diarra ended the drought with a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left. In all, the Horned Frogs ended the game on an 11-3 run.
TCU was led by senior forward Kenrich Williams, who scored 16 points on 7-of-12 field goals to go with a game-high 11 rebounds, while Bane added 15 points.
The loss also marred an impressive defensive effort by the Wildcats, which held a Horned Frog offense that ranks among the nation’s Top 15 in six categories to 66 points on 44.2 percent (23-of-52) shooting, including 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from 3-point range.
K-State shot 47.1 percent (25-of-53) from the field and 44 percent (4-of-9) from beyond the arc in the game.
K-State looked right at home on their first few possessions, connecting on 3-of-5 of their first shots from the field. Brown Jr. got the scoring started for the Wildcats behind a three-pointer and a jumper, as he accounted for five of the first seven K-State points, as K-State grabbed an early 7-5 lead.
TCU responded by rattling off a quick 7-0 run, behind the strength of four points in the paint, including a second-chance opportunity tipped in by junior guard JD Miller, as TCU took over at 12-7.
After the timeout, Brown went back to work for the Wildcats, hitting a jumper from the corner to score 7 of the first 13 points for the Wildcats just eight minutes into the game. TCU’s Kenrich Williams was able to respond with 7 points of his own, as TCU gained a 20-13 advantage with 12 minutes remaining in the half.
Playing from behind, the Wildcats put together a strong stretch in which they held TCU scoreless for over 2:30. With that stretch, Brown and Wade were able to bring the Wildcats within two points, as the duo accounted for 18 of their first 22 points, as K-State brought the score to 24-22 with 7:13 remaining.
In the final minutes of the first half, TCU was able to draw a slim 33-29 lead to go into the break. The Wildcats shot 48.1 percent from the floor in the first half, as Wade led the team with 11 points and Brown scored 10 as the duo accounted for 21 of the team’s 29 points at halftime. Defensively, K-State forced TCU into 10 turnovers in the half, including six Wildcats that recorded a single steal.
For the Horned Frogs, the team was led by Williams who had 9 points on 4-of-9 shooting in the first half. TCU as a team, shot 54.1 percent (15-of-24) from the field and grabbed 16 rebounds in the first half. Coming into Tuesday’s contest, TCU was 19-2 when leading going into the break.
After the break, the Wildcats wasted no time to regain the lead, scoring on three of their first five shots in the second half, to take the lead at 36-35 with 17:36 left in the game. The second half lead was the first time since the Wildcats led 7-5 with 16:36 remaining in the first half.
The second-half scoring came from two familiar faces for the Wildcats, as Wade and Brown continued to score efficiently in the second half. Starting at the 18:03 mark in the second half, Brown and Wade scored 16 consecutive points for the Wildcats, until sophomore forward Makol Mawien scored a layup at the 6:38 mark. Between Wade and Brown, the two-shot 70.8 percent (17-of-24) in the game and scored 41 of the team’s 59 total points.
With four minutes remaining and K-State possessing a 57-56 lead, neither team would score again until TCU’s Desmond Bane scored on a layup with 2:24 remaining.
TCU would go on to score seven consecutive points after Bain’s layup to gain a 64-56 lead with only 47 seconds remaining. K-State was unable to overcome the late deficit, as the Wildcats fell to TCU, 66-59.
K-State shot 47.1 percent (25-of-53) from the field in the game and 44 percent (4-of-9) from beyond the arc. The Wildcats were led by Wade and Brown, as Wade led the game in scoring with 24 points, while Brown tallied 17 points.
TCU was led by Williams, who scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, as the Horned Frogs shot 44.2 (23-of-52) from the floor. TCU also had a boost from their bench, as they outscored the K-State bench, 17-4.
Dean Wade – Wade scored a game-high 24 points on 10-of-14 from the floor and 5 rebounds, registering his 14th career 20-point game this season, including his 10th this season.
STAT OF THE GAME
41 – The junior duo of Barry Brown, Jr. and Dean Wade accounted for 41 of the Wildcats’ 59 points on Tuesday night, as the duo combined to shoot 17-of-24 from the field. Brown and Wade put in a stretch of 16 consecutive points for the Wildcats in the second half.
AUDIO: Day Two of Big 12 Football Media Days
AUDIO: Big 12 Football Media Days
K-State to Face Pittsburgh in Rocket Mortgage...
K-State, KU Tabbed 9th/10th in Big 12 Preseas...
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5123
|
__label__cc
| 0.673522
| 0.326478
|
LamboCARS main / Lambonews / A new Lamborghini model at Geneva 2004
A new Lamborghini model at Geneva 2004
By Mark Smeyers on January 15. 2004 in LamboNEWS.
According to a source at the factory there will be a new Lamborghini model shown during the 2004 Geneva Motor Show.
This model will actually be presented on March 2nd 2004 to a selected few, you will need a pass to be able to get a preview of the car that Automobili Lamborghini SpA will show at the Motor Show when the doors open on March 4th.
The 74th Geneva International Motor Show will be open from March 4 to March 14, and will draw a lot of visitors as always, with the introduction of a new Lamborghini I'm sure even more people will try to get a glimpse of the Italian masterpieces that will be shown, among other cars naturally.
What this new model will be can not be published right now, we'll have to wait and see if other news will be available from the factory before March, but at this moment the only thing that can be said is that there will be a new Lamborghini in the stand this year !
Personally I hope it will be a new front engined GT, I think the market is still open for such a Lamborghini, like the classic GT from the Sixties or even a 2+2 like the Espada ... but we'll all have to wait what Sant'Agata will bring to Geneva this year ...
March 2. 2004 update :
At the opening of the 2004 Geneva Auto Show two magnificent Lamborghini Murciélago Roadsters were show, a stunning black one on the floor while a gray metallic one was mounted against the wall of the Lamborghini stand.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5125
|
__label__wiki
| 0.90727
| 0.90727
|
Tennis : At 16, Rehe Has Driving Ambition
By JULIE CART
Less than two weeks ago, Stephanie Rehe celebrated her 16th birthday. Like most teen-agers, Rehe was excited about getting her driver’s license. Unlike most teen-agers, Rehe had already earned enough money to buy her first car.
The tennis player from Highland, Calif., turned professional at 15 after having disposed of her opposition in the juniors. She got to the third round at Wimbledon, became a pro at the U.S. Open and won the next tournament she entered. She has an agent. So, getting a driver’s license is a big deal?
It is to Rehe, who has made an effort to remain a teen-ager as long as she can in the grown-up tennis world. She lives at home, she attends San Gorgonio High School when she can and takes correspondence courses when she can’t, and--the true brand of a teen-ager--she has braces on her teeth. Even with all those outward signs, Rehe can’t help but seem older and remote to her peers. Tennis has aged Rehe, as much as she has fought the process.
Rehe began playing tennis as a 7-year-old. At the time, her parents had nothing further in mind than giving an energetic kid something to do. Rehe rose to No. 1 in all the junior age divisions from 12-and-under to 18s. She also became the first person to achieve dual No. 1 rankings in the 14s and 16s. This year, Rehe was named Junior Player of the Year by World Tennis magazine.
With that record, Rehe barely paused before deciding to turn pro. “It wasn’t a difficult decision,” she said. “I had accomplished everything I could as a junior. I had two years to wait until college; I was playing fairly well, so I did it.”
Rehe’s game changed, as well. She left her coach of six years, Robert Lansdorp, in an effort to expand her skills. Lansdorp is noted for developing baseliners with two-handed backhands and an allergy to the net. Rehe is a steady shotmaker but wanted to develop her volleys to exploit her 5-11 frame.
“I’m not changing my game; I’m trying to add to it,” Rehe said. “I want to come to the net more, when I have a chance. I’m looking for a more complete, all-around game. I’m working on everything. I’m getting stronger and maturing, and that will make a difference.”
Rehe got her first tour victory in September at Salt Lake City in the Virginia Slims of Utah. That win lifted her to No. 40 on the Womens’ Tennis Assn. computer. She rose again to No. 27 and this week to No. 19.
“I’ve made a big step in self-confidence since I’ve turned pro,” she said. “I’ll play anybody. I’ve won two of the three tournaments since I’ve turned pro, and that helps.”
Rehe won her second tour title last week in Florida, surviving a tough draw to beat Carling Bassett in the semifinals and 15-year-old Gabriela Sabatini in the final. Both matches went longer than 2 1/2 hours.
“Against Gabriela, I felt real loose,” Rehe said. “There was no pressure on me; she was the third seed. I have a lot of respect for her and what she’s accomplished this year.
“We both were coming to the net when we had an opportunity. I’ve always had great luck in Florida. Maybe because I’ve played there so often, the people feel they know me. I’ve never had so many people behind me. It’s a great feeling.”
Next stop for Rehe is the Pan Pacific Open next month in Japan. Until then, Rehe lives with her parents, Hans and Barbel, and her younger brother, Mark, and the family’s seven cats and one dog. Rehe’s parents, who fled East Germany in 1958, are not serious tennis players, but Stephanie’s mother occasionally travels with her. That, Stephanie says, helps her keep a clear perspective.
“Tennis is on my mind most right now,” she said. “I just want to be happy. My school is very supportive of my tennis; my friends are supportive. I’m really happy with the way things have turned out, and I’m a little surprised. I’m just going to go in and play the best I can and see how it works out.”
Tennis Notes
The Federation Cup is not all fun and games. There’s the travel, the pressure of representing your country, the language barriers. At the recent Federation Cup matches at Nagoya, Japan, two English staffers of the International Tennis Federation had some trouble making their wishes known to Japanese hotel workers. Linda Pentz writes in World Tennis magazine that when one Englishman “called maid service in the hotel to ‘empty the rubbish’ from their wastebasket, a messenger instead arrived bearing a large plate of butter. When referee Jacques Dorfmann lost a tooth at breakfast, pointed to it in the saucer, and asked for paper to wrap it in, he was promptly delivered a fresh supply of toast.” . . . Two Californians are among the top entrants in the National Senior Hardcourt tournament at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club Dec. 2-8. Herman Ahlers of Dana Point and Len Saputo of Walnut Creek have entered the singles competition for men 45 and over. Saputo won the National Senior Indoor title this year. Running at the same time is the National Father and Son Hardcourt Doubles tournament. . . . Vitas Gerulaitis, who replaced Jimmy Connors, will play Ivan Lendl, and Ilie Nastase will face Stan Smith Monday night at 6 p.m. in the Forum Championship Tennis Challenge Series.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5127
|
__label__wiki
| 0.969311
| 0.969311
|
By BETH KLEID
Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press
Jones on Jackson: Oscar show producer Quincy Jones said at a press conference outside the Academy Awards site at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Sunday that he would wear a multicolored ribbon to the Oscars to demonstrate support for the efforts of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his Rainbow Coalition. Jackson is seeking to force the motion picture industry to provide more opportunities for African Americans and is also rallying against the lack of black Academy Award nominees at the Oscars. Although Jones agreed with the main themes behind the protest, planned to be staged at ABC network affiliates in major markets across the country this afternoon and evening, he said that the Academy Awards is not the appropriate forum for such a demonstration. “Why should the movie business be different from anything else in America?” Jones said. “It’s a problem that permeates everything in the country. . . . Every facet of America discriminates.”
The Anti-Oscars: “Showgirls” was the most dishonored film of 1995, sweeping the 16th annual Razzie Awards, the antithesis of the Oscars and spoof of awards shows held Sunday at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The striptease movie was the biggest winner in Razzie history, taking seven honors including worst picture, worst director for Paul Verhoeven and worst actress and worst new star for Elizabeth Berkley. The Joe Eszterhas Dis-Honorarial Worst Screenplay Award went to its namesake, Eszterhas himself, who wrote “Showgirls.” While most studios don’t celebrate the Razzies with the same enthusiasm as, say, the Oscars, MGM/UA, in the process of trying to repackage “Showgirls” as a camp midnight film, worked alongside the Razzies to help promote the film, according to Razzie founder John Wilson. Other winners: Pauly Shore, worst actor for “Jury Duty"; “The Scarlett Letter,” worst remake; and Dennis Hopper, worst supporting actor for “Waterworld.” The awards are voted on by the members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation, composed of film professionals, journalists and movie fans, Wilson said.
Oscars ‘Round the World: Broadcasters in a record 86 countries and territories have signed on to carry tonight’s Oscar telecast live via satellite. This includes such remote locales as Algeria, Bahrain, the Cook Islands, Croatia, Qatar, Tunisia, Western Samoa and Yemen. Another 23 locations will carry the entire broadcast at a later hour. In addition, an edited, 90-minute international version of the awards will be prepared overnight for other markets.
Swine Time: Whether it wins or loses in tonight’s best picture competition, “Babe,” about the little pig that could, will be screened at the American Film Institute Wednesday night as part of the “Directors on Directing” series. The film’s Oscar-nominated director, Chris Noonan, will speak after the 6:30 p.m. showing. Tickets are $20.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5128
|
__label__wiki
| 0.981377
| 0.981377
|
MOCA Director to Resign; Helped Transform Museum
By SUZANNE MUCHNIC
TIMES ART WRITER
Richard Koshalek, an energetic champion of new art and architecture who joined Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art in 1980 when the museum was still on the drawing board and went on to serve as its director for the past 15 years, said Monday that he will step down in the summer of 1999.
Koshalek is fulfilling terms of a contract signed nearly four years ago but only now being revealed. He said: “It is time. This is something that I wanted because I think 20 years is enough.”
When Koshalek arrived in Los Angeles, the planned museum had $50,000 in the bank, a professional staff of three and no collection. Now MOCA operates on a $10-million annual budget with a staff of 75, attracts about 450,000 visitors a year, organizes exhibitions that travel all over the world and has a 4,000-piece collection of postwar art.
Koshalek will serve the museum as a consultant for five years after he leaves his post and said he plans to stay in Los Angeles as a cultural advocate and facilitator for downtown Los Angeles, although he would not elaborate.
A charismatic leader, Koshalek, 56, has presided over an institution that began as nothing more than a dream of local contemporary art supporters but has become a major fixture on the international art scene. Presenting programs in two downtown facilities--an elegant structure on Grand Avenue and a vast warehouse-like space in Little Tokyo--the museum is the nation’s largest showcase for contemporary art.
Under Koshalek’s leadership, the museum is winding up a $25-million capital campaign that will bring its endowment to about $50 million. Koshalek also has encouraged the museum to embrace architecture in its exhibitions program and served as an advocate for the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Los Angeles-based architect Frank O. Gehry.
Upon hearing the news of Koshalek’s resignation, civic and cultural leaders praised his accomplishments.
“MOCA has grown into one of the cultural centerpieces of Los Angeles through the indefatigable efforts of Richard Koshalek, and this city is fortunate to have had him as director of the Museum of Contemporary Art,” said Mayor Richard Riordan.
John Walsh, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, said, “Richard built MOCA, and now I can’t imagine Los Angeles without MOCA or Richard. This is a business without many heroes, but what Richard did, not only to create MOCA but to be sure that the audience saw truly important and advanced art--not just the easy stuff--and to stay courageous when other people doubted MOCA, was heroic.”
Calling Koshalek “an irrepressible star,” the chair of MOCA’s board of trustees, Audrey M. Irmas, said she has high hopes for finding his successor because he has helped to build “a great museum in a great city.” Eleven other American art museums are looking for directors, she said, but “MOCA won’t be on the bottom of the list.”
MOCA’s next director “won’t be Richard, but we hope to find someone who can match his enthusiasm and energy, if that’s possible, to take us to the next level,” said David Laventhol, editor at large of Times Mirror Co., parent of The Times, and a MOCA trustee who will head the search committee. The committee is in the process of talking to executive search firms, he said.
A native of Wisconsin who studied art history and architecture at the University of Minnesota, Koshalek began his career at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, serving as registrar, assistant curator and curator from 1967 to 1972. He was in charge of the public art program for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington from 1972 to 1974.
He directed the Fort Worth Art Museum from 1974 to 1976 and the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, N.Y., from 1976 to 1980. From there, Koshalek joined MOCA in 1980 as deputy director and chief curator, brought in at the invitation of trustee Eli Broad. At first, Koshalek was obscured by the founding director, Pontus Hulten, a Swedish-born, internationally renowned art world figure who had left his high-profile position as director of the Pompidou National Center of Art and Culture in Paris to direct the fledgling Los Angeles museum.
Chartered in 1979, MOCA is a privately funded institution built as the cultural centerpiece of the California Plaza redevelopment project on Bunker Hill. MOCA’s board of trustees had struck a deal with the Community Redevelopment Agency to have the project developer build a 100,000-square-foot museum, designed by an architect of the trustees’ choice, at no cost to the museum. In return for the free building, the agency required the trustees to raise $10 million for an operations endowment.
Hulten added considerable credibility and luster to the project, but he stepped down in 1983 after accepting an offer to direct cultural activities for the 1989 World’s Fair in Paris. Koshalek was immediately promoted to the director’s position.
He took over an institution that still lacked a building, but had ambitious plans that had already captured the art world’s attention and garnered considerable media coverage. Japanese architect Arata Isozaki had been chosen to design the museum’s permanent home. The city of Los Angeles had agreed to rent a large warehouse as a temporary exhibition hall for $1 a year, and Gehry was hired to convert the cavernous structure into a showplace for adventurous art.
Hulten’s departure raised doubts about the museum’s viability, but the warehouse, dubbed the Temporary Contemporary, opened in 1983. Three years later, the museum’s permanent building near the Music Center opened. The name of the Temporary Contemporary, which continued in operation, was changed to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in recognition of a $5-million gift from entertainment mogul and art collector David Geffen.
Koshalek cites MOCA’s first big acquisition--the purchase in 1984 of 80 Abstract Expressionist and Pop Art works from the collection of Giuseppe Panza di Biumo of Milan for about $11 million--as among his proudest moments. However, it was a controversial coup. Some leaders of other museums chastised MOCA’s trustees for buying the collection because Panza was on the board. Other detractors said the museum had paid too much, but as the art market rose precipitously, the price looked like a bargain.
Koshalek said the Panza collection was essential because it set a standard for quality. Major donations have followed: Television producer Barry Lowen bequeathed 67 works by 40 artists in 1985. Eighteen paintings, sculptures and drawings by 13 major modern and contemporary artists from the collection of Rita and Taft Schreiber--including a seminal work by Jackson Pollock--were given to the museum in 1989.
Other major gifts of art have come from Philip and Beatrice Gersh, the late Marcia Simon Weisman, artists Sam Francis and Ed Moses and the Lannan Foundation.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5129
|
__label__wiki
| 0.981182
| 0.981182
|
Odyssey of Loss, Accusation and Redemption
By John Curran
Associated Press Writer
PLEASANTVILLE, N.J. —
He was a respected lawman, husband and father.
Then James Andros III’s young wife mysteriously turned up dead, steps away from the couple’s two sleeping daughters. Ellen Andros had been suffocated, the coroner said, and there were no signs of forced entry.
Fingers were pointed at James Andros.
“Did you kill my daughter?” said panicked mother-in-law Bette Anne Clark, rushing past police officers and crime-scene investigators outside Andros’ rented ranch house to confront him.
“Murderer,” muttered mourners at his wife’s funeral.
Andros, 34, was charged with murder, triggering a 1 1/2-year odyssey in which the veteran Atlantic City Police Department patrolman’s life crumbled around him.
He spent two weeks in jail before posting $500,000 bond. Suspended from his $75,000-a-year job, he sank into a deep depression, and a judge awarded custody of his two daughters to his in-laws.
Then, last month, prosecutors dropped a bombshell: Ellen Andros died of natural causes. Elliott Gross, who had ruled her death a homicide, botched the autopsy. In fact, the 31-year-old woman died of a rare heart ailment.
“They tore out this guy’s heart,” said neighbor John Goodman, 58. “He couldn’t grieve for his wife; he was so worried about getting convicted, getting his children back, clearing his name.”
By his memory, Andros first met Ellen Clark when they were toddlers. She lived near his grandparents in Merchantville.
He remembers their first kiss. They were 18, and he was walking her home. She kept telling him he didn’t have to walk her all the way, because her father would probably be watching from the window.
“I think she was trying to tell me something,” Andros says now. “Finally, she just grabbed me and spun me around and kissed me. I ran all the way home.”
They married in 1994. But the marriage was rocky, according to Bette Anne and Edward J. Clark -- Ellen Andros’ parents, who went to Family Court to seek custody even before James was charged. They alleged that he was a heavy drinker, that he occasionally left his family to take ski trips, that his behavior was sometimes “abusive.”
But he had no criminal record and there was no history of domestic violence, according to authorities.
On March 31, 2001, Andros was out drinking with his father -- Capt. James Andros II -- and other friends.
Ellen and the girls had been at her parents’ house in Pennsauken. When he pulled in at the family’s Pleasantville home about 4:20 a.m., he was surprised to find her car in the driveway.
“I walked into the room and said something to her and she didn’t respond,” he said. “Her face was just purple. I’ve never seen anyone look like that. I knew something was very wrong.”
As Meghan and Elizabeth slept, Andros shook his wife to rouse her but felt only dead weight. He tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and called 911.
Paramedics arrived but didn’t attempt to revive Ellen Andros, whose skin was blue and cold to the touch. They concluded it was too late to take her to the hospital.
When Gross, the medical examiner in neighboring Cape May County, arrived at the scene, he determined she had died of asphyxiation.
Andros, meanwhile, was being interrogated. Answering questions without a lawyer, he spent 13 hours with investigators. Three weeks later, he was under arrest, accused of murdering his wife.
After making bail, he moved in with his sister, Marie Kokes.
But Andros bore little resemblance to the sarcastic, fun-loving big brother that Kokes -- herself a former police officer -- had grown up with, attended police academy with and rode with on patrol.
“He was a wreck for months,” said Kokes, 33. “He wasn’t eating, he couldn’t sleep, and he was having problems with his vision because of all the stress. He was crying all the time, and he had huge bags under his eyes.”
He lost 50 pounds, and spent more time fretting over the custody case than the murder case.
“You have to know Jim; he is a very strong person,” Kokes said. “He’d seen people get hit by cars, dismembered, had people come at him with knives. But none of that prepared him for this.”
Meanwhile, defense attorneys John Bjorklund and Matthew Portella were rounding up Ellen Andros’ medical records and shopping for forensic pathologists to testify as experts at the upcoming trial.
She wasn’t in perfect health, it turned out. Asthmatic, she had recently suffered a tonsil infection that swelled her neck and made it difficult to breathe.
In his initial court appearances, Andros’ attorneys contended the tonsil infection may have killed her. But when renowned pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, working for the defense, examined tissue samples, he found something Gross had missed.
The samples showed abnormalities in a coronary artery. Alerted to the possibility, prosecutors sought a second opinion from forensic pathologist Donald Jason.
Jason concluded Ellen Andros had suffered bleeding in a coronary artery, which closed from the pressure and caused her heart to stop.
The ailment, known as Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, is a rare affliction that occurs primarily in young women with no prior history of heart problems.
Presented with the findings, Gross admitted his mistake and amended the death certificate.
On Dec. 3, Superior Court Judge Michael Donio dismissed the murder charge against Andros in a one-page order.
“I actually slept with the order for a couple of days because I was worried that if I woke up without it, it wouldn’t be true,” Andros said.
Two days later, a judge granted Andros full custody of his daughters, Meghan and Elizabeth, now 7 and 5. The police department reinstated him and the City Council approved more than $110,000 in back pay.
But Andros has found that it will take time to clear his name.
“When I first got them back from the Clarks, Meghan said, ‘Why is Mom-Mom a liar?’ I said, ‘What do you mean? Why do you say that?’
“Mom-Mom told me Mommy’s never coming home because you killed her,’ ” the girl replied, according to Andros.
The Clarks, through attorney Marissa Costello, declined comment, although they continue to fight for court-ordered visits with the girls.
Andros plans to sue over his arrest, but says he is less interested in a civil settlement than in exposing the prosecutors and investigators he says tried to railroad him.
Gross, 67, has been fired as assistant medical examiner for Atlantic County, but he still holds his $142,500-a-year job as medical examiner for Cape May and Cumberland counties.
“Everyone wants to make it just Dr. Gross, but it wasn’t just Dr. Gross,” Andros said. “There was no crime, but they went out and found the guy who did it. How can you arrest someone for a crime when there was no crime?
“Gross was wrong, but he never said, ‘James Andros killed his wife'; the state did. Gross was incompetent, but the prosecutor’s office was criminal,” Andros said.
Atlantic County Prosecutor Jeffrey Blitz said Gross’ finding set the case in motion. “Once you have a definitive statement from the ME that it’s a homicide, you look to see who the killer may be. And based on what the ME told us, we opined that she died while he was there,” Blitz said.
Defense experts believe she died about 2:30 a.m., when Andros was out. But Blitz said the time of death was never established.
When asked how it felt to be to be cleared, Andros said: “It sounds weird, I know, but that aspect of it has no effect on me. If the question is, ‘How does it feel to get my kids back?’ it feels great. A month ago, I was a big animal. Now, I’m a hero. But I’m neither. I don’t feel cleared. I was never guilty.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5130
|
__label__wiki
| 0.959088
| 0.959088
|
TSA agent shot at Los Angeles airport died in two to five minutes
Gerardo I. Hernandez became the first TSA agent killed in the line of duty when a gunman opened fire at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 1.
(The Hernandez Family)
By Richard Winton and Kate Mather
The Transportation Security Administration agent who was killed at Los Angeles International Airport died within two to five minutes of being shot, coroner’s officials said.
Gerardo I. Hernandez, a 39-year-old father of two, was shot multiple times, according to a one-page statement released Wednesday by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. A final autopsy report is expected to be released Friday.
Hernandez became the first TSA officer killed in the line of duty when a gunman opened fire at the airport the morning of Nov. 1. Three others were wounded before the suspect — identified as Paul Anthony Ciancia, 23 — was shot in a gun battle with airport police and taken into custody.
Ciancia was released Monday from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
A report from the Associated Press last week quoted Marshall McClain, president of the airport police officers union, alleging that a veteran Los Angeles Police Department officer delayed medical attention for Hernandez despite reaching the agent minutes after he had been shot.
The AP report cited officials who saw surveillance video. The officer “checked on” Hernandez several times and told others he was already dead. The report said more than 30 minutes passed before airport police brought Hernandez to paramedics.
Hernandez was in full cardiac arrest by the time he was brought out of the terminal, an emergency medical source with knowledge of the incident told The Times. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where doctors tried unsuccessfully to revive him.
“My point is we are trained to render aid,” McClain told The Times. “It is not your job to decide someone is dead.”
Los Angeles police officials said they would investigate the officer’s alleged conduct. But LAPD Chief Charlie Beck called the report’s claims “highly speculative,” saying it was too early to draw conclusions about how officers responded.
On Saturday, a statement issued by Los Angeles World Airports, the FBI, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the LAPD and the TSA called some of the statements made about the shooting and the response “untrue,” while others “merit serious consideration by our respective agencies.”
richard.winton@latimes.com
kate.mather@latimes.com
LAPD officer accused of multiple sexual assaults, authorities say
An LAPD officer was arrested on suspicion of multiple sexual assaults, authorities said Wednesday.
UCLA staff member reports attempted sexual assault near campus
The incident was reported near UCLA’s campus at Westwood Boulevard and Le Conte Avenue
Like thousands of Central American parents seeking asylum in the United States, Patricia panicked when, after she and her son crossed the Rio Grande into Texas last year, U.S. border agents took the boy away.
Latest California
A major Kern County oil spill in environmentally conscious California
After nearly 800,000 gallons of oil and water seeped into a dry creek bed near Bakersfield, the cleanup continues.
Column: Steve Lopez goes to Italy and searches for his Sicilian roots
My quest had something to do with my parents dying in recent years, with memories and regrets, with the meaning of family, and borders and what separates and connects us.
Earthquakes rattle the Bay Area; shaking hits near fault north of Livermore
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake was reported Tuesday afternoon at 1:11 p.m. near Livermore, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5131
|
__label__cc
| 0.694917
| 0.305083
|
"In 1952 when I was 14 years old, I got a job working six days a week in a local family-owned butcher shop/grocery."
"I Want to Get to Heaven Half an Hour Before the Devil Knows I'm There!"
My brother-in-law used to say that I reminded him of Lucille Ball. He said I always looked like I was up to something – and I often was! I am still a very positive person...
Singing with the Golden Stairs Quartet was one of the highlights of my life!
Nancy's Passion for Sewing Never Went "Out of Style"
"I worked as a seamstress at Shamokin Dress Factory for 38 years..."
"My name is Rose. I am the very loving daughter in a close-knit Italian family from Massachusetts."
I enlisted a day after graduation.
I enlisted a day after I graduated from high school. I chose the Army because I knew, if I went in the Navy, I would get seasick, so the Navy was not a good choice for me. My vision wasn't good, so flying was not for me.
My Most "Memorable" Teacher!
"My brother, Roland, was always my 'other dad' since he was 8 years older than me. He taught me how to ride a bicycle; catch a baseball; and later when I was driving, he helped me get a car unstuck and also helped with cleaning the spark-plugs."
Sisters AND Friends!
"I was the youngest of five children – four girls and one boy – with my brother Charles being right in the middle! My two older sisters and Charles were too old to be my playmates, but my sister, Mary, and I played together often."
"You can do anything by hard work, honesty, and love!"
"I’ve gone from no electricity or running water to knowing how to use Facebook and text on a cell phone!"
I was born in 1923, in Tevel, Hungary...
"My name is Katie, and I was born in 1923 in Tevel, Hungary. As a little girl, my family lived on a homestead. We had ten acres and it was called “existence” farming, because we could exist on those ten acres."
Letters from Home...
"I was working at Sutherland Paper company as a commercial artist and also building our first house when I got my "greeting" for induction on March 2, 1951. I was to report on March 29th."
Share a Christmas Memory...
"One especially memorable Christmas was the year that I was hired to work the Christmas rush at Kresges Dimestore in Elmhurst, Illinois."
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5134
|
__label__wiki
| 0.788923
| 0.788923
|
Camila Morrone bio: age, height, parents, relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio
2 months ago 2447 views by Rachael Odusanya
The gorgeous model and actress Camila Morrone recently has entered the prosperous and successful celebrity life. Now, she has a lot of things that many people wish for: A fantastic career, connections with a lot of famous stars, and even an alleged romantic relationship with one of the hottest actors of our time, Leonardo DiCaprio! Today, the juicy gossips about Leonardo DiCaprio and Camila Morrone are everywhere. How did a regular girl from Argentina manage to reach such heights, and what is she known for except being the love interest of the "Titanic" star?
Image: facebook.com, @camilamorronep
Camila Morrone is an example of perseverance and hard work. She is not just beautiful, but has a powerful and determined personality – otherwise, she would not survive in Hollywood. This young woman is inspiring for many of her fans, so you can see all of the Camila Morrone hot pictures and read the facts you never knew about her right here!
Camila Morrone profile summary
Name: Camila Morrone
Birthday: June 16th, 1997
Height: 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 cm)
Nationality: Argentinian
Camila Morrone biography
At her age, this lady has already starred in a few big modelling campaigns and movies. Her life traces back to Buenos-Aires, the capital of Argentina, where she was born on June 16th, 1997. Camila Morrone age is 21 years old, which is impressive, considering how much she has done for her career.
At the start of her career, Camila used to grace the covers and pages of various magazines. She had an experience with the IMG agency, where she made her first steps as a model. The rising star even appeared in the ads for such famous brands as Sports Illustrated, Urban Outfitters and Victoria Secret's Pink. She graced the Turkish cover of Vogue magazine, which is the most desired appearance for any professional model. In that edition of the magazine, she also portrayed some of the stylish autumn clothes.
However, when the young star felt like she would like to attempt something other than modelling, she decided to focus on acting. Her most famous movie so far was the action drama "Death Wish," where she portrayed the role of Jordan Kersey. In this dramatic movie, she had a chance to play alongside the legendary Bruce Willis. Some of the other productions she appeared in were "Never Goin' Back," "Mickey and the Bear," and "Bukowski."
Camila resides in Los Angeles, where she spends most of her free time preparing for her upcoming auditions. She also enjoys hiking and says that this is a very L.A. sort of hobby. After hiking, she rewards herself with the sandwich, pizza or pasta instead of the usual vegetables or salad. She enjoys learning how to cook. Occasionally, she flies out to New York to meet movie directors and read the scripts.
The actress prefers natural and pure beauty to something crazy and out of place. She always uses essential face care components before sleep. However, she says that it is not always possible to be consistent with beauty routines and advises people not to focus on it overly. When she goes travelling, she usually puts some Neosporin in her nose to avoid getting sick, and it is beneficial for her. In general, she enjoys travelling and does not go to the same places twice.
The star says that even though she has a massive fanbase on Instagram, she occasionally takes breaks from it for the sake of her mental health. She tries to avoid reading hate messages or rumours that are spread about her. Sometimes she even deletes her Instagram for a few days and often wishes to reduce her time on social media, because it can be toxic at times.
READ ALSO: Radha Mitchell bio: age, height, measurements, net worth, husband
Camila Morrone height
The height of this actress is reported to be 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 cm), which are normal parameters for women of her age. She is also said to weigh from 53 to 55 kg.
Camila Morrone parents
Camila Morrone with her mother Lucila Sola and stepfather Al Pacino. Image: facebook.com, @DolceGabbana
The parents of Camila were closely involved with the world of acting. For instance, Camila Morrone mother, Lucila Sola, has appeared in plenty of productions. She is mostly known for the 2003 movie "Pride and Prejudice", the 2010 love story "Un Buen Dia", and the 2013 comedy show "Kirstie". Her father, Federico Polak, used to be a spokesperson for the late former president of Argentina, Raul Alfonsin. She is fluent in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Italian.
Lucila moved to the United States at the age of 20, in hopes to kick off her career. She married Maximo Morrone, the father of Camila. He was also an actor, known for his roles in "Los Luchadores", "Forbidden Warrior" and "CSI: Miami". Later, Camila's parents split up, and Lucila eventually started a relationship with the famous Hollywood actor Al Pacino.
Camila Morrone is not the only child in her family: she also has a younger brother, whose name is Sky. So far, he stays out of the spotlight, unlike his sister and parents.
Camila Morrone and Leonardo DiCaprio: what is happening between them?
Strong rumours are going on about Camila Morrone dating the big name Hollywood actor, the charming Leonardo DiCaprio. The two reportedly met through Camila's stepfather Al Pacino, who is Leo's close friend. There is a lot of proof that these two are in a romantic relationship because they were noticed interacting affectionately with each other a lot of times throughout the last year. There are a lot of photos and videos where the lovebirds are holding hands and gazing at each other lovingly. However, even though it has come to the public eye that they are together, Leonardo and Camila are trying their best to remain private and not to flaunt their relationship too much.
When the fans found out about the gorgeous young actress being Leonardo's girlfriend, not everyone believed they would last long. For starters, DiCaprio has had a lot of girlfriends over the years, and most of his relationships were short-lived. Another reason for collective disbelief was the significant age difference between the two: Leonardo is 44, while Camila is 21. Despite everything, the couple seems to be still together, and the fans are eagerly waiting for the updates on their relationship.
Usually, DiCaprio and Morrone are spotted shopping and hanging out together. On New Year's Day, they went to Thailand on a romantic trip, and they were also spotted at the Coachella festival. Except that, they attended the 60th birthday celebration of Ellen DeGeneres and hung together with Tobey Maguire once - and the list of their everyday adventures goes on and on.
Image: facebook.com, @yaysnays
There is a lot more to Camila Morrone than being Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend. She is a confident and strong woman whose career is blossoming.
READ ALSO: Brooke Langton bio: age, measurements, husband
CelebritiesActresses
Breaking: Tribunal orders INEC chair Yakubu to produce documents requested by At...
an hour ago 33660 views
Facts about Godwin Emefiele as Buhari nominates him for 2nd term
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5137
|
__label__wiki
| 0.530893
| 0.530893
|
What It Takes to Earn a Credit Score Over 800
Kali McFadden Kali McFadden
Kali McFadden
Kali McFadden is a senior research analyst at LendingTree and MagnifyMoney based in Charlotte, N.C., where she conducts data-driven studies of issues related to personal finance and economics.
In practical terms, having a credit score over 800 probably won’t make much of a difference to people who have credit scores in the high 700s. But there’s something about that 800 mark that motivates Americans to surpass it.
To get better insight into what it takes to get an 801 credit score or higher, we took a look at the credit reports of thousands of Americans with scores of at least 801 to see what the average credit report of a credit score champion looks like.
We also broke the analysis down by the millennial, Gen X and boomer generations to see how the patterns varied between them. Gen Zers were excluded because only the very oldest among the group have had a chance to begin their credit histories, and we also excluded the silent generation because the length of their credit histories distorted the overall averages.
People with scores over 800 first and foremost pay their bills on time, every month, month after month. The average American, meanwhile, has about six late payments in their credit history.
Average credit limits for those with 801+ scores are over $71,000. But they only use around 5% of that month to month. In contrast, people in the 50 largest American metros tend to keep their utilization rates between 24% and 35%, with implied average credit limits between $15,000 and $25,000.
On average, Americans with 801+ scores owe about $126,306 in mortgage debt and $22,000 in other debt (including car loans). That’s fairly conservative, especially considering how much credit and loans they have available to them. Our previous research shows that non-mortgage debt tends to run around $25,000 for baby boomers and $23,000 for millennials.
Those with scores over 800 had open accounts for almost 22 years, on average, but there are plenty of younger people with scores that high, as we’ll see below.
What goes into those 800 scores?
On-time payment history: People with scores over 800 have a 100% on-time payment history, meaning they haven’t missed a payment in the four years of payment histories reported in their credit reports.
That may be relatively easy for them because they really don’t take on much debt, despite having access to plenty of it. And the younger these score champions are, the less debt they have. For example, someone who has a credit history that’s less than five years old pays an average of $676 a month for all debt products, including mortgages.
Low credit utilization: People with scores over 800 have plenty of credit available to them – over $71,000 on average – but they don’t actually use it. Their average credit card balance is $3,685. That means they’re using around 5% of their available credit. Credit bureaus will reduce your score if your credit utilization ratio gets too high, and it’s generally recommended to use less than 30% of your available credit at any time. The upside is that paying down credit cards, such as by taking out a debt consolidation loan, will lower your utilization ratio, which could raise your credit score.
Healthy credit mix: Credit bureaus also like to see a mix of debt products, and with an average of nine open accounts, score champions certainly have that. They only had two hard credit pulls in the last two years, which shows that despite having all of those active accounts, they’re not really looking to add to their debt load — another thing credit bureaus factor into scores.
Older open accounts: A big factor in credit scores is something called seasoning, which is the age of active accounts a person has on their accounts. The older an active account, the higher the score because it demonstrates the ability to maintain a successful relationship with a lender or creditor over a period of years.
People with scores over 800 have long credit histories – an average of just under 22 years. Even millennials, the youngest generation in our study, has an average oldest account of about 14.5 years – pretty impressive for people between the ages of 22 and 38, and possibly the result of being added as users on their parents’ or partners’ accounts.
But what about people who just don’t have histories that long? Do they have a chance to top 800?
How people with short credit histories achieve 801+ scores
35 and younger
Because people with scores over 800 tend to have such long credit histories, we looked specifically at people who were under the age of 30 and 35 to see what they had in common.
Incredibly, people under the age of 30 had an average oldest account of over 14 years. This suggests that in addition to their highly disciplined borrowing and payment histories, their parents may have added them as an authorized user on some of their cards.
Further, those under the age of 35 have an average revolving credit utilization ratio of 3.9%. Those under 30 use an average of 3.3%. In general, under 35s carry less debt than their younger peers (with the exception of student debt).
Maybe the lesson here is that young people with scores over 800 are more likely to have credit savvy parents.
Credit histories under 10 years
A long credit history provides a big score boost, but it’s not absolutely required to surpass a score of 800. For those who don’t want to wait patiently for the accounts to season over decades – and who don’t have parents who can add them to accounts in perfect standing – we also looked at people who had their oldest accounts as less than five years and less than 10 years.
We found that people in this category have slightly better numbers in all the categories compared with score champions who have longer credit histories. They use less of their available credit, carry less debt overall and have made fewer credit inquiries in the last two years . Of course, they’ve never missed a payment.
People with younger histories seem to do what other credit champions do, but even better.
From November 2018 through January 2019, LendingTree researchers analyzed the anonymized credit reports of over 60,000 My LendingTree users with credit scores of at least 801 and who were born between 1946 and 1996.
Get Personal Loan Offers Customized for You Today
Debt Consolidation Loans Using LendingTree
Personal Credit Cards Home Equity Debt Relief
What to Do When You’re Delinquent on Debt
Debt Consolidation vs Bankruptcy: Which is Better?
Debt Management: 3 Things You Must Do After Consolidating Your Debt
Wage Garnishment – What Is It and How Does It Work?
Debt Relief Calculator
5 Clever Ways to Escape Your Debt
401(k) Loan to Pay Off Debt: Is It a Good Idea?
Should I Build an Emergency Fund or Pay Off Debt?
5 Signs You Have Too Much Debt
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5138
|
__label__wiki
| 0.962591
| 0.962591
|
Pugwash produce album with perfect pop pitch
THOMAS Walsh yawns, rubs the sleep from his eyes and apologises for being half-asleep. He has been up half the night watching Martin Scorcese’s new documentary about George Harrison.
“Phenomenal, mind-blowing,” he mutters, more to himself than anything. (He’s not wrong by the way). “Ok, go ahead, let’s do this,” he says, stifling a yawn.
Walsh - perhaps better known as Pugwash, or not, but more of that later - can identify with Harrison, who is one among his pop heroes, chiefly led by Jeff Lynne of ELO fame, who he recently found out was a fan of his in turn.
You see, the larger than life Walsh, an incredibly affable, forthright yet searingly honest character, makes pop music almost as if he is the natural heir to Harrison, McCartney, Lynne, Gallagher et al - a daring brand of innocent and defiantly upbeat power-pop music that never strays into saccharine territory and bustles with vivid lyrics and witticisms. There is a reason he was the perfect foil for Neil Hannon on the duo’s Duckworth Lewis Method album, which saw the pair nominated for an Ivor Novello songwriting award - Walsh adding serious pop muscle and humour to Hannon’s warped straight man act.
But, despite the upbeat nature of his work, Walsh has been struggling for years - making, as he calls them, “elaborate flops”. Not this time, his most recent - and fifth - studio album, The Olympus Sound, charting in Ireland and shifting units as well as earning the Dubliner critical acclaim.
While he might sound downbeat, he is more pragmatic, a realist, his deadpan delivery tempering his words, a smile forming at the corner of lips, making it impossible to be sure when he is serious and not so. Having just returned from a UK tour with The Bluetones, Walsh has started to glimpse the direction he needs to take his music.
“We did 3000 miles and 20 gigs with them and it was f*cking incredible, it was exactly what we needed. It would have been great to do this ten years ago, but just didn’t have an opportunity like that, because there are not many bands that would be as kind as they are. They just love the music and want to see us succeed,” he says.
“Ireland is a tough market, it is not big enough for what we do. We love it and have a lot of affection for it but we just know that we have to go away to earn a living, because you just can’t do it here.
“We charted with this album, first time ever, probably shifted a few thousand, but it is incredible, because people just won’t go out to gigs,” he adds.
This is delivered in a straight-up tone with no hint of self-pity. Pity is not something Walsh seems interested in, no less than his decision to avoid the dreaded ‘singer-songwriter’ tag when he first started producing music.
“Although I am absolutely a singer-songwriter, I didn’t want to be one back in the day, that is why I gave myself a band name. But Pugwash is always me, at home writing the songs, and then when I went to record or play, it is with good friends,” he says.
The album is a two-toned effort, darker lyrics hidden among joyous pop sensibilities - a factor of upheaval in Walsh’s life.
“What I tried to do when I came back from the Ivor Novellos in 2009, that changed my life because I was in a room with these incredible legends of songwriting and music and I was there as one of them because I was nominated and I never felt as proud,” he explains.
“There is no denying how positive we are now, that is the point. (But) I do look back at the time around Eleven Modern Antiquities (his previous album) and I was completely and utterly at the end of my musical life because it had been four albums at that point and you are talking about more than 10 years of releasing music in this country and having massive critical success but no sales,” he says, without a touch of bitterness.
“It took a while, but the success and confidence the (Duckworth Lewis) record gave me was phenomenal, I couldn’t have been more proud.”
This album’s production was different in many ways, buoyed from the success of the Neil Hannon collaboration, Walsh started recording as a band, with Tosh Flood, Shaun McGee and Joey Fitzgerald.
“With this record, I wanted to have a band and friends and make it like that. We just literally went in and made it in three weeks. I am very proud of that because I never worked like that before,” he says.
“The connection between us and the public has been a massive, gaping wound, and this record and what has gone on in the last few years has been a lot of surgical work to heal that wound and it has worked! We are very proud of that and feel like a band with a debut album,” he smiles.
Pugwash play in Dolan’s Warehouse this Friday, October 21.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5139
|
__label__cc
| 0.516281
| 0.483719
|
Today we built a house every hour
Persimmon believes its Space4 division could produce 5,000 homes a year, equivalent to about 50% of its total sales
Today is February 1, which means that we are in the midst of winter. I can tell from looking out my window that it is cold outside! I am sure glad that I’m not on a construction site!
Persimmon, Britain’s biggest homebuilder, has set up Space4 – an automated production line – that can produce one house an hour. As such, construction workers may not have to bear the elements for much longer.
According to the Times Online,
“…because the external structure of a house can be erected within hours, and covered in a waterproof skin, plumbers and electricians have a safe, dry environment in which to work, even if it is raining or snowing outside. Moreover, the automated production system, which uses Weinmann technology from Germany, means there are fewer mistakes in the construction process. This in turn speeds up the approval process from the National House-Building Council, whose inspectors provide the workmanship guarantees that are required by most mortgage lenders on new homes.”
Think that the houses may look cheap? Not according to the article, which states:
The beauty for the company is that from the outside the homes look no different from those on any other modern development, but they are cheaper to build and can be erected faster.
Are you in the lowrise business? How long does it take you to build a road of houses? “We can make a new road of houses in a month,” says Mike Farley, chief executive of Persimmon, “Space4 means we are ready for the growth when it comes.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5143
|
__label__wiki
| 0.747037
| 0.747037
|
Facebook’s Destructive Ethos
Posted on Monday, 19 March, 2018 by Zheluo Cai
Facebook likes to present itself as a tech company but often appears more like an advertising corporation that happens to use digital technology to conduct its core business. The personal information and data trails left by its 2 billion users to construct detailed profiles allow advertisers to send precisely calibrated advertisements to people who are likely to be susceptible to, or persuaded by, them. Although the original intention was to build an automated machine for delivering commercial messages, it rapidly became clear that the technology could also be used for delivering targeted political messages to voters, and this appears to be what happened in both the Brexit referendum and the 2016 US presidential election. What this meant was that Facebook acquired both political power and serious responsibilities.
The revelations in our lead story are shocking not just because they reveal the extent to which Facebook’s advertising system was exploited for political purposes in the 2016 election, but also because they demonstrate the company’s inability to comprehend the responsibilities that accompany its newfound power. The revelations show that a data analytics firm was able to harvest the Facebook profiles of about a third of all US Facebook users, which were then used to construct psychological models of those individuals for campaign purposes. This was no run-of-the-mill cybercrime heist that merely stole credit card details. The information that Facebook holds on its users (at least 98 data points per user) is deeply revealing – including of their tastes, preferences, habits, sexuality, politics, hopes and fears. Academic research has shown that even knowledge of a few “Likes” can reveal an astonishing amount of an individual Facebook user. For political campaigners, this is the purest gold dust, because it enables messages to be precisely calibrated, and for this to be done at a scale that was unimaginable in the pre-internet era.
In a breathtaking piece of corporate casuistry, Facebook claims that this data harvest was not a data breach at all because the researcher who opened the floodgates did so “in a legitimate way and through the proper channels.” The problem, they say, was that the individual in question didn’t abide by the company’s rules because he passed the information on to third parties. A senior Facebook executive told MPs that while the non-breach might have garnered lots of data, “it is not data that we have provided.” Our revelations also show that by late 2015 Facebook had found out that information had been harvested on an unprecedented scale but failed to take firm measures to deal with the consequences or to notify the affected users of what had happened. This seemingly cavalier indolence provides an ironic counterpoint to the company’s latest insistence that “protecting people’s information is at the heart of everything we do.” In a way, this kind of casual indifference to the unintended consequences of digital technology is par for the Silicon Valley course – where the mantra of “creative destruction” has the status of religious dogma. And it appears to have been a particular hallmark of Facebook. When suspicions about the exploitation of its systems by political actors (including Russian agencies) first surfaced, the reaction of its founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, was one of hurt denial that his creation could have such malign effects. Since then, further allegations have been levelled, and he has been obliged to follow in the footsteps of the hero of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein – gradually forced to come to terms with the implications of the monster that he and his employees have created.
The revelations we publish as part of an award-winning investigation by Carole Cadwalladr should serve as a wake-up call for governments and regulators. Facebook represents a new kind of corporate power, the dimensions of which are only now becoming apparent. The automated machine it built, with the capacity to target individuals with commercial messages, turns out to be exceedingly useful for targeting voters with political messages calibrated to produce political effects – to raise anxiety, reinforce prejudices, suppress turnout, amplify partisanship and increase the reach of misinformation and conspiracy theories. And at the moment, all this can be done under the radar of the institutions that democracies have created to ensure free and fair elections, control campaign funding and maintain transparency about political advertising. Shortly after Facebook became a public company, its founder famously exhorted his employees to “move fast and break things.” It was, of course, a hacker’s trope and, as such, touchingly innocent. What perhaps never occurred to Zuckerberg is that liberal democracy might be one of the things they break. It’s time for him – and them – to grow up.
Credit: The Observer’s Editorial Team, 17 March 2018.
Read The Cambridge Analytica Files Here:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/data-war-whistleblower-christopher-wylie-faceook-ni-bannon-trump
Good News For The Oppressed
Monet And Van Gogh Reborn With Hi-Tech Scanners
The Search For A Greener Plastic
Facebook, Youtube Overrun With Bogus Cancer Treatment Claims
Is Your Diamond A Fake?
Five Countries On The Frontline Of Tech
Paying Via Facial-Recognition Machines
Apple, Facebook, Google And Amazon Face Increased Scrutiny
Facebook, Twitter and The Digital Disinformation Mess
Why Do People Keep Using Tech Firms That Abuse Their Data?
Facebook Labels Posts Posing Privacy Questions
What Happens To Our Data When We Die?
Tuesday, 7 May, 2019
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5146
|
__label__cc
| 0.626003
| 0.373997
|
2018-19 School Start & Dismissal Times
Start: 7:35 a.m.
Dismissal: 2:15 p.m.
2 Hour Late Start: 9:35 a.m.
Early Release (2.5 hours): 11:45 a.m.
85-Minute Early Release: 12:50 p.m.
Dismissal: 2 p.m.
Early Release (2.5 hours): 12 p.m.
85-Minute Early Release: 1:05 p.m.
2 Hour Late State: 9:40 a.m.
Highland, Skyline, & Glenwood Elementary Schools
2 Hour Late Start: 10:45 a.m.
Early Release (2.5 hours): 12:30 p.m.
Mt. Pilchuck, Hillcrest, Sunnycrest & Stevens Creek Elementary Schools
Early Release (2.5 hours): 1:05 p.m.
Start: 9 a.m.
2 Hour Late Start: 11 a.m.*
*Any scheduled class before 11 a.m. is canceled.
Early Learning Center (Monday to Thursday)
A.M. Start: 9:30 a.m.
Dismissal: 12:10 p.m.
2 Hour Late Start: No morning preschool*
P.M. Start: 1:10 p.m.
*No morning preschool (for the first three late starts; all other start times announced on FlashAlert)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5147
|
__label__cc
| 0.678933
| 0.321067
|
Tagged: Japan, magazine, Tom Bunning
Contributors, Do, Eat, Journal
Spring sunshine in Faro
Come away to Faro, in Portugal’s Algarve, for some sun, seafood and local atmosphere.
Tagged: faro, food, Lodestars Anthology, Portugal, the algarve, travel photography, travel writing
Contributors, Do, Journal, Misc, See
Bolivia the Beautiful
Frozen fingers, lonely flamingoes and salt flats as far as the eye can see. This is Bolivia in May.
Tagged: bolivia, Lodestars Anthology, Photography, the andes, travel, travel magazine, travel photography
In Iceland - the Water and the Sky
Photographs by Tom Bunning In winter our thoughts turn to candlelit rooms and warming fires. But Tom Bunning's photography reminds us that the cold comes in many guises and draws our gaze to Icelandic landscapes - the waterfalls, the birds wheeling under eggshell blue skies and the endless snowbound vistas. Be warned though, if you venture out into the cold, you may not come back again...
Tagged: Birds, Cold, Ice, Iceland, Snow, sun, travel, Waterfall, Winter
Contributors, Journal
Marti Illustration
We take the chance to talk about music, cartoons, techniques, influences and inspirations with Michaela Pointon of Marti Illustration, whose work is featured in Lodestars Anthology Canada (which you can pre-order here). For more of Michaela's illustrations, visit her website at www.martiillustration.com and follow her on Instagram @marti.illustration. Could you tell us a little bit about your background – where you trained, how you learned, and what inspired you to become an artist and an illustrator when you were younger?
I’ve always been passionate about storytelling – creating something magical out of something not so magical seemed to be the thing I found most exciting when growing up. I grew up in Southport, which is a small seaside town in the North West of England and there was just something about it that fascinated me and made me question what was out there beyond the water.
I originally studied Fine Art in Southport as a diploma, and went on to specialise in Illustration as an A-level equivalent. From there I went on to The Glasgow School of Art to do my degree in Visual Communication, which was the perfect course because it wasn’t tied to any specific skill and allowed me to explore different ways of working.
I was so lucky to be placed in a class full of really great and talented people, we were all very close and I’d say they were a huge influence on me throughout the four years I was there. It helped so much to belong to a group who also lived and breathed the things they were most passionate about.
You’re based in London – do you take the city as an inspiration? Does it feature in your work?
I adore London, living here certainly has its ups and downs, but the energy of the city never stays still and I really enjoy that. There is so much see, and everyone you meet will have a story to tell about how they came to be here or their experience of the city and I find that so inspiring. There’s a real sense of determination and strength of character, which I love.
I wouldn’t say the City of London is featured in my work, but most certainly the journey I’ve had since living here and the people I’ve worked with along the way have influenced how I work.
You’ve mentioned that you’re inspired by mid-century design and travel – what is it about these themes that drew you to use them as an inspiration for your work?
For me, mid-century design is the perfect example of something being able to function in a beautiful and simplistic way. I love how bold and charming it can be just through its use of form and colour, I find that method of working very inspiring!
I wrote my dissertation on The Festival of Britain and just adored the psychology behind how things were designed for the purpose of healthy living and happiness. I think there’s so much to take away from that in our own lifestyles.
Travel has always brought a change of scenery and a new experience. Everywhere you go people and places have a different story to tell.
I love the East Coast of Spain and have had great adventures in Greece, but I also feel a real connection to Blackpool and Glasgow, which are very contrasting!
I also enjoy illustrating places that I haven’t seen. The idea of creating a journey you haven’t yet experienced is a nice way of travelling on a budget!
You’ve worked across a number of different mediums and techniques, such as pen and ink – can you explain a little about the mediums/ techniques you use? Do you have a particular favourite? Do you find that working with one medium/ technique helps, or feeds into working with another?
I think the medium you use can really alter how you express the things you’re working on. I wrote a lot of poetry and short stories for my final year of my degree and found the words alone weren’t enough by themselves, so I began building installations to allow the reader to experience the sequences I played out in my mind when creating these stories. Since then I’ve become much more confident in illustrating and realising that you can tell a story with just as much meaning and expression with the stroke of a brush and some ink.
Illustrating with a tablet has become second nature, but I’d hate to lose touch with my ever-faithful brush set and pastels, so I try as much as I can to keep that up.
Some of your work has a lovely, Picasso-esque feel to it – has Picasso ever served as an inspiration to you? Do you have a favourite artist or illustrator?
That’s a really lovely complement! His used of big bold colours and exaggerated shapes have always been huge win for me.
Satoshi Hashimoto’s work is incredibly beautiful, and I just love the subjects he illustrates. They’re very clever and a real treat. I could also look at the works of Paul Rand, and Miroslav Sasek all day, every day and never get bored.
Mary Blair has also been a huge inspiration for story telling and vision. I could go on!
Your website mentions a fondness for Tom and Jerry, and your work can be quite playful – have cartoons been a significant factor in your work? Do you have a favourite cartoon? Is working in animation something you’re interested in?
Cartoons have played a huge part in my work. The further back you go the better they get! I’m fascinated by the work which was being produced in the 50s and the 60s because it adapted so much of its style to reflect design trends at that time. I’m still a big kid at heart and love that so much of what you find in the animation industry is created by people who are also living out that part of their imagination to entertain the masses, it’s a really lovely thing.
Disney’s 1953 Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom and UPA’s 1951 Rooty Toot Toot get a regular screening at home, not to Mention Ren & Stimpy!
Animation is something I’ll always be interested in, I’d love to be clever enough to make my work come to life, but I think I’d need some help from the pros!
You’ve mentioned Kryzsztof Komeda – do you find that music helps you produce your work? Do you have a particular piece that you enjoy?
I love listening to music when working, it’s a healthy way to free your mind a little more when it’s rammed full of day-to-day admin. More recently I’ve been listening to lots of podcasts, they’re so great for learning on the go, especially if you just want something easy to tune into in the background. The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast is top of my list.
You’ve worked for a number of publications as well as producing personal work – do you have a favourite piece out of all the illustrations you’ve made?
I feel really excited about the things I’ve been lucky enough to work on so far, Lodestars in particular! The world of illustration is so exciting, and seeing your work in print is always a really special moment.
The great thing about working on editorial pieces is that it allows you to work on subjects you wouldn’t necessarily think to explore, so I’m learning all of the time, and that’s super rewarding.
Tagged: art, Fifties, illustration, london, Marti Illustration, Playful, Sixties, travel
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5148
|
__label__wiki
| 0.561009
| 0.561009
|
London Business School Review
Is online advertising exacerbating the gender gap?
Economic mechanisms behind online ad delivery could mean fewer women see STEM content
By Aine Doris 10 June 2019
Technology Gender Marketing Diversity Future of work Society
There is a chronic shortage of graduates going into science or engineering (STEM) around the world. That shortage is even more acute among women. In the US, only one in seven engineers is female, while in the UK that number drops to a meagre 6% of the STEM workforce.
So what’s driving the gender gap in engineering?
Hiring practices are an unlikely culprit. Indeed, research suggests that women are more likely to be recruited than their male counterparts.
One theory explored in recent research by Anja Lambrecht, Professor of Marketing at London Business School, is that part of the problem may lie in how information about STEM opportunities is disseminated among women in the first place.
Latest thought leadership articles
Why female entrepreneurs are missing out on funding
Women at work: championing change through research
Changemakers: Vanessa Sanyauke
"While advertising algorithms are not inherently gender-biased, the economic forces that govern them might well be driving involuntarily uneven outcomes"
Together with Catherine Tucker, Distinguished Professor of Management Science at MIT Sloan School of Management, Lambrecht has conducted a study to see how internet and social media algorithms determine whether advertising content gets seen more by men or women.
They have found that, while advertising algorithms are not inherently gender-biased, the economic forces that govern them might well be driving involuntarily uneven outcomes that platforms and policymakers may wish to address.
“We were curious to understand a possible relationship between the lack of women in the STEM hiring pool and the way that women were being told about opportunities in the space,” says Lambrecht. “We wanted to know how online adverts were reaching women, and whether the algorithms that decide who sees what were somehow discriminating against them.”
Lambrecht and Tucker conducted a field study using Facebook ads to send messages about STEMS careers to a cross-section of men and women aged between 18 and 65 in 191 countries. Analysis of the data revealed what they had suspected: despite the campaign targeting both genders, 20% more men than women were seeing the ad.
A number of possible explanations for this were examined, and debunked by the researchers.
Economics, algorithms and online ad delivery
“We discounted the possibility that the algorithm had learned its behaviour from women simply not clicking ads as much as men as this is not the case,” explains Lambrecht. “The data shows that when women saw the ad, they were more likely to click than men. Nor is it the case that there are simply more male users on Facebook.”
The researchers also ruled out the possibility that the algorithm was somehow learning its behaviour from other data, such as underlying patterns of discrimination against women in specific countries. Data from the World Bank revealed no relationship between the educational and labour market opportunities for women and whether STEM ads were displayed to them in their study.
“A more likely explanation was that the fact that more men than women were seeing the ad had to do with the economic mechanisms behind online ad delivery,” says Lambrecht.
Online advertisers compete with each other to get their content in front of the same set of eyeballs by placing “bids.” When a user loads a page, Facebook runs an instantaneous real-time auction in the background to determine which ad gets shown. In simple terms, the advertiser who bids highest is the most likely to win.
Advertisers who want to make sure that a target user sees their ad, should set their bidding price to reflect a user’s approximate value to them. For example, if an online retailer expects a particular segment to be spending much with them after seeing an ad and clicking on it, they are likely to bid a higher price to display their ad to this consumer rather than to a consumer who is unlikely to purchase. In fact, they might not even advertise to the consumer who is unlikely to purchase. As a result, the price for displaying an ad varies across different consumers.
And, as Lambrecht explains, it turns out that displaying ads to women is more expensive than to men.
“We looked at Facebook’s advertising recommendations on how to make bids across different gender and age segments by country. It turns out that when you’re targeting women, you need to bid higher. So women are, in effect, more expensive to the advertiser than men, especially in the age group where we find the strongest effect.”
This is likely due to the fact that women are more likely to make purchasing decisions than men. Research suggests that they drive as much as 90% of all consumer purchasing. This makes women simultaneously more valuable and more expensive to online advertisers.
“So algorithms are doing the maths and making decisions about the cost-benefit ratio in showing content to male and female users. And this is the problem,” says Lambrecht. “They don’t intend to be discriminatory, but the outcome is that in minimising costs, advertisers who set up their campaign to not discriminate by gender are delivering their content to one gender more than another. The same effect is true across different platforms that we have tested, like Google Adwords, Instagram and Twitter.”
"Women drive as much as 90% of all consumer purchasing. This makes them simultaneously more valuable and more expensive to online advertisers."
Getting better about targeting
There is plenty here, say Lambrecht and Tucker, that should worry policymakers and platforms alike. Getting important content in front of both genders matters not only in STEM but across a range of opportunities from housing, finance and more.
Resolving this is challenging, not only because of the trade-off with the economic complexities in resource allocation using algorithms, but also because employment laws in most countries do not yet adequately stipulate how targeted advertising fits within existing discrimination frameworks.
One solution, says Lambrecht, could in theory be for advertisers to run separate campaigns for men and women to make sure they can target both demographic groups.
“However, in the US, Federal Law prevents you from targeting employment ads to only one gender. So a law that is designed to avoid discrimination actually makes it harder for advertisers to fix unintentional uneven outcomes. Perhaps one solution would be for platforms to offer a button that would allow advertisers to evenly distribute impressions across demographic groups – even if this means they have to pay more for reaching some of the individuals.”
And with forecasts showing that in the UK alone at least 100,000 new STEM graduates will be needed every year through to 2020, the need to reach women and other demographic groups to bridge the looming skills gap is becoming acute.
You must be a registered user to add a comment here. If you’ve already registered, please log in. If you haven’t registered yet, please register and log in.
Login/Create a Profile
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5149
|
__label__cc
| 0.743717
| 0.256283
|
Los Angeles DUI Lawyers Kraut Law Group Home
Contact Los Angeles DUI Lawyers Kraut Law Group
Crimes by Code Section
California Penal Code Section 350 PC: Manufacturing Or Selling A Counterfeit Mark
1. Definition and Elements of the Crime
With the high popularity of luxury goods and famous brand names, there exists a large underground market for knock-off products that feature these famous logos and names. However, manufacturing and selling a counterfeit mark is a serious criminal offense under California Penal Code Section 350 PC, and those charged may face felony conviction.
To prove a defendant is guilty of manufacturing or selling a counterfeit mark, a prosecutor must be able to establish the following elements:
The defendant willfully manufactured, intentionally sold, or knowingly possessed for sale any counterfeit of a mark.
The defendant is an individual or a business entity.
AND the mark is one registered with the Secretary of State or on the Principal Registry of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Where the offense involves 1,000 or more units of the article and where the retail value of the goods would normally exceed $950, the defendant would face stiffer penalties. Thus those involved in manufacturing or selling fake luxury goods that normally are very expensive can face enhanced punishments.
2. Related Offenses
Other similar or related offenses include:
Grand Theft - California Penal Code Section 487 PC
Petty Theft - California Penal Code Section 484(a) PC
Theft of Trade Secrets - California Penal Code Section 499(c) PC
Forgery – California Penal Code Section 470 PC
3. Examples
A man sells inexpensive sunglasses for a living at a mall kiosk. The man wants to make more money so he begins to affix the famous logos and brand names of luxury brands on his stock of sunglasses and sells them at a considerably markup. This man could be prosecuted for manufacturing and selling counterfeit marks in violation of California Penal Code Section 350 PC.
In another example, a woman receives what she thinks is Louis Vuitton purse as a gift from a suitor. The woman decides to sell the purse and posts an online ad with a picture. A man purchases the purse from her and learns that the purse is, in fact, a high quality knock-off. The woman would not be guilty of selling a counterfeit mark if she reasonably believed that the item was genuine.
4. Defenses to Manufacturing or Selling Counterfeit Marks
As described above, there may be instances where the seller of a counterfeit mark has been led to believe that the goods being sold are genuine. In these cases, the seller would have a legitimate mistake of fact defense if charged criminally with manufacturing or selling a counterfeit mark.
5. Penalties
When the offense involves 1,000 items with the counterfeit mark or if the goods have a retail value in excess of $950, manufacturing or selling counterfeit marks is a “wobbler” offense that can be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor. If charged as a felony, a defendant can be sent to prison for up to three years. If charged as a misdemeanor, the maximum penalty that can be assessed is a year in county jail. Where the value of goods involved is under $950 and there are less than 1,000 units, manufacturing or selling a counterfeit mark is a misdemeanor that is also punishable by up to a year in jail.
If the defendant has a prior conviction for this offense, any subsequent offense can be charged as a felony regardless of the number of units involved or the retail value of the goods.
When the manufacture or sale of goods using a counterfeit mark directly causes death or great bodily injury to another person, this offense is always a felony that is punishable by up to four years in prison.
6. Criminal Defense for Selling or Manufacturing Counterfeit Mark Cases
Police agencies often operate stings to catch people in the act of selling counterfeit products. If you have been arrested or charged with this offense, it is very important that you consult with a knowledgeable Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer right away. Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Michael Kraut is a former Deputy District Attorney with over 14 years of prosecutorial experience who understands how devastating it can be to be charged with a criminal offense like this.
For more information about selling or manufacturing counterfeit marks, and to schedule your free consultation, contact Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Michael Kraut at the Kraut Law Group located at 6255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1480, Los Angeles, CA 90028. Mr. Kraut can be reached 24/7 at 888-334-6344 or 323-464-6453.
California Penal Code Section 350 PC: Counterfeit Mark Manufacturing
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5150
|
__label__wiki
| 0.903309
| 0.903309
| ERROR: type should be string, got "https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/panelist_thumb/public/Handshake.jpg?itok=KFZptbok\nhttps://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/panelist_thumb/public/GettyImages-1138035258.jpg?itok=YQXVvOkt\nPublic Opinion|\nInternational Public Opinion\nAsia in the Age of Uncertainty\nIn the context of an increasingly demanding security environment in Asia, the Lowy Institute joined with five research partners in Asia Pacific in a six-nation 2016 multinational survey of public opinion in the Asia Pacific.\nBy Alex Oliver\nAustralia and Asia\nAustralian Public Opinion\n2016 Lowy Institute polling: Donald Trump polarises Australians\nAlmost half (45%) of Australian adults say that ‘Australia should distance itself from the United States if it elects a president like Donald Trump’. Photo: Flickr user Gage Skidmore\nHow did the Chinese media react to the Tianjin explosions?\nBy Jackson Kwok, an intern in the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program, and Merriden Varrall, Director of the East Asia Program, Lowy Institute. It has now been more than a week since the explosions in Tianjin occurred. Discussions on online social networks such as Weibo (China's version of Twitter)\nLowy poll shows that values matter in foreign policy\nThe 2015 Lowy Institute Poll reveals a great deal about Australian attitudes towards China, both in terms of our bilateral relationship, but also how China fits into our broader sense of economic and political security alongside other actors such as the US. It would appear that values and ideals\nBy Merriden Varrall\nIndonesians against the death penalty\nAs we learned from a recent Lowy Institute poll, 62% of Australians oppose the use of the death penalty in the case of Bali Nine members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in Indonesia. But what do Indonesians think about the case? While I have yet to find a similar survey of Indonesian public\nBy Catriona Croft-Cusworth\nNew Lowy Institute poll: 62% Australians oppose execution of Chan and Sukumaran\nIn a new poll conducted by the Lowy Institute on the weekend, 62% of the Australian adult population say that the executions of the two Australian citizens, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, in Indonesia should not proceed. Fewer than one in three (31%) Australians say the executions should proceed\nHong Kong's twisted political pathology\nAnother month, another huge political street protest in Hong Kong. Last Sunday the territory's residents marched again, this time against the planned but so far unscheduled Occupy Central sit-in. Just as July's pro-democracy marchers comprised a broad cross-section of Hong Kong society, so did the\nBy Julian Snelder\nWhy is Hong Kong unhappy?\nHere in Hong Kong these days, you can't pick up a newspaper (metaphorically speaking) without seeing headlines on two topics: the people-to-people relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China, and Hong Kong's political decision-making process. The two issues appear to run at very different\nIndonesians are happy, even in a room without a roof\nIndonesians know what Pharrell Williams is talking about on his hit track, Happy (see local version of the video above). According to survey results released by the country's Central Statistics Agency (BPS) last week, Indonesia scored 65.11 out of 100 on the agency's Happiness Index, placing it\nIndia links: Election special\nVoting for India's Lok Sabha (lower house) elections kicked off on Monday. In place of my regular India Links, here is the best election-related reading of the week: The Economist published a strongly worded editorial last week, which stated that 'this newspaper cannot bring itself to back Mr Modi\nBy Danielle Rajendram\nPeaceful election day in Jakarta\nIn Indonesia, about 180 million eligible voters were welcomed to the polls today to elect representatives in the district, provincial and national legislatures. Polling booths were housed in schools, community centres and on residential streets. In South Jakarta, police and military personnel were\nSenate Occasional Lecture: 'Are Australians disenchanted with democracy?' by Alex Oliver\nOn 7 March 2014 at Parliament House in Canberra, Alex Oliver gave a Senate Occasional Lecture on Australian attitudes to democracy. A series of Lowy Institute Polls conducted in Australia and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region have uncovered a striking ambivalence about\nMeet Indonesia's middle class (part 3): Votes and voices\nThis is the third in a four-part series on Indonesia's growing middle class. Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here. In Indonesia, the word for 'vote' is the same as the word for 'voice'. The urban middle class is vocal on Twitter but said to be apathetic at the ballot box, until the right candidate\nBy Joanne Sharpe\nRemarks at the launch of the India Poll 2013\nOn 20 May 2013, The Lowy Institute launched the India Poll 2013 at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. Indian Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mr Manish Tewari, attended the launch and addressed the audience on the findings of the poll. The full text of his remarks is included\nBy Manish Tewari"
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5153
|
__label__wiki
| 0.892571
| 0.892571
|
When will the Lebanese Presidential merry-go-round stop spinning?
Vanessa Newby
Published 18 Feb 2016 14:29 0 Comments
And so the painfully slow process of agreeing on a new president for Lebanon continues. A breakthrough — of sorts — was reported last month when candidate Samir Geagea announced he was pulling out of the race and would endorse his rival, Michel Aoun, potentially arresting Christian indecision over which candidate to support. However in November last year, Sa’ad Hariri, Geagea’s longstanding ally in the Sunni-Christian political alliance — the March 14th bloc — announced he was nominating alternative Christian candidate Suleiman Franjieh. This has triggered another stand-off and there remain two candidates to choose from: Aoun or Franjieh.
Supporters of presidential candidate Michel Aoun at a rally in September (Photo: Ratib Al Safadi/Getty Images)
Under Lebanese constitutional law, the president of the country must be a Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of the house a Shi’ite Muslim. The role of speaker has long been occupied by Amal leader Nabih Berri, and, owing to the strength of the Shi’a dominated ‘March 8th‘ alliance (Amal and Hizbullah). this has never been challenged. Currently Tamam Salam is acting as interim prime minister as a compromise candidate but he wields little influence. A parliamentary vote is necessary to elect the new president and that is scheduled for 2 March. The March 8th alliance has demanded agreement on a candidate from all sides before the vote and, in the absence of this, has boycotted earlier attempts to hold the vote that requires the presence of 86 lawmakers to be valid.
The battle to agree on a president has been hampered by the political weakness of and divisions within the March 14th Sunni-Christian alliance. The alliance was first fractured in 2006 when Michel Aoun announced he was joining the March 8th bloc. Since that time, despite the pressure of the Syrian war and Hizbullah’s involvement in it, this Christian/Shia alliance has remained firm. Thus divisions within the Christian community have continued over whether to support Aoun as part of March 8th, or Geagea as the March 14th candidate.
The Christian-Sunni alliance has also been under pressure because of weak Sunni leadership. This has been caused by Hariri’s self-imposed exile and the vast differences in socio-economic status within the Sunni community. The secular, Beiruti, Hariri-led political clan look and behave very differently to Sunni communities in northern Lebanon, particularly in the rural areas close to the border with Syria. Rafiq Hariri was reportedly adept at financially co-opting the lower socio-economic strata of the Sunni community as he recognised the importance of maintaining political cohesion. His son Sa’ad, perhaps in part due to his prolonged exile, has been less careful. It is possible therefore that his decision to back Franjieh is part of a deal whereby he would become prime minister and resuscitate his leadership in Lebanon.
The effect of this weak leadership has been a noted rise in Sunni support in the north of Lebanon for Da’esh (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra. As neither group comes across as being particularly tolerant of religious pluralism, this must be concerning moderate Sunnis and Christian supporters of March 14th alike. In fact, the inherent tensions in the alliance have been increasingly exposed by the Syrian war. Da’esh aside, the closeness of the Hariri family with the Saudi government, which is believed to be funding militants that attack Christian communities in Syria,will no doubt have cast doubts in many people’s minds as to the long-term sustainability of a Sunni-Christian alliance.
Ironically it is Hizbullah that stands to gain from Hariri’s decision to back Franjieh; as a friend of Syria, it is unlikely he would oppose Hizbullah’s support for Assad. Hariri’s nomination of Franjieh therefore has been criticised by some in the Sunni community as a tacit acknowledgement of the rising power of March 8th. There is little doubt that the Shi’ite/Christian alliance currently appears more stable and, despite the Syrian war, still wields more political power in Lebanon. This is in no small part due to the smart leadership provided by Hasan Nasrallah. Thus far, he has managed to avoid major political fallout despite both the high death toll from Syria within the Shi’a community, and the unpopularity of Hizbullah’s alliance with Assad across Lebanon. This is possibly due to the fact that, when all is said and done, ordinary Lebanese across the religio-political spectrum understand that it may be the presence of Hizbullah that will ultimately protect them from a Da’esh invasion.
With regards to the presidency, the Lebanese will not view Geagea’s latest decision with a great deal of excitement. For one thing, none of the Christian candidates have a blameless record from the civil war; they all remain part of the established political elite which to most appear more concerned with political manoeuvring and power plays than the wellbeing of ordinary Lebanese. Secondly, unless Hariri backs down over Franjieh, which currently he shows no sign of doing, the stalemate will persist.
And meanwhile, the power cuts continue, the potholes in the roads widen and the garbage piles up…
Economic forecasting: Broken models
Schools not the place for deradicalisation programs
Is there room for foreigner carmakers in China's electric future?
Cornelia Tremann 20 Dec 2018 06:00
The new US Africa strategy is not about Africa. It’s about China
A US Africa strategy should focus on US-Africa relations, not on China-Africa relations.
Jesse Schnall, Alan Lopez, Ben Howden, Kirsty Buising 23 May 2019 11:00
Tackling the global danger of drug-resistance: how far have we come?
Without careful action, the financial cost alone from “superbugs” could eventually eclipse the global economic crisis.
Stephen Grenville 3 Jul 2017 08:46
'Removing the punch bowl' and other central-bank quandaries
Central bankers reminisce nostalgically about the halcyon decade or so before 2007, when policy-making seemed pretty simple.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5154
|
__label__cc
| 0.528935
| 0.471065
|
What does Never Enough mean?
Loren Allred: Never Enough Meaning
Get "Never Enough" on MP3:
Never Enough Lyrics
Play "Never Enough"
I'm trying to hold my breath
Let it stay this way
Can't let this moment end
You set off a dream with me
Getting louder now
Can you hear it echoing?
Will you share this with me?
'Cause darling without you
All the shine of a...
Quite weird but i think about the song from a very different perspective. I think that the song very accurately describes someone who has everything i.e. "towers of gold" etc but without the person she loves it means nothing. The theme of unrequited love rings very true for Jenny, she has everything but the one thing she desires is PT and she can't get him because he's married to another. So it takes on two meanings instead, one being that nothing will ever be enough without PT but also that she will never be enough for him because he clearly has everything he could possibly want.
This becomes more clear, i think, in the reprise version of 'Never Enough', the emotional minor tones of the song make it less of a ballad about love and more a heartbreaker about the unattainable love for someone that unfortunately most of us will experience at least once in our lives.
Mar 19th, 2018 3:01pm report
It clearly says, “because darling without you” then goes into it being never enough. It’s having the world at your hands and being handed everything - BUT, without the one you love with you it’ll never be enough
May 2nd, 2018 5:34am report
She can have the world at her fingertips but it will never be enough happiness without the person she loves.
“Money can’t buy happiness.”
Jul 7th, 7:10am report
To me, it means that whatever she has, it will be never be enough....also I think she's speaking about PT because in the film, he always wants more-fame,fortune and a mansion to live in, but it's "never enough" It is the true nature of humanity revealed in a powerful song....we are all guilty of wanting more...
Jun 26th, 6:59pm report
My feeling is that when you have had love and then that person is gone forever, there will never be enough for you. all the stars in the heaven will never be enough to fill the love you once had. Never! Enough!
Apr 23rd, 4:51pm report
Never Enough means that even if you have everything in the world it will never be enough because you aren't with the one you love.
Mar 20th, 3:54am report
I think he offered fame and money,but she wanted more,she wanted love,which he could not give.
I think it’s about a woman who has it all but can’t have children. So nothing will ever be enough
Me and my Grandaughter sing this together....(she's 6) the song makes me cry every time I hear it.
The time I spend with her "will never be enough"
Oct 8th, 2018 10:33pm report
This song is about Jenny's affection for PT Barnum. She's enjoying every moment of whatever there is and wanting it to last. She'd like PT to feel the same. She then says that all the fame and riches that she has right now mean nothing when she can't have the one she loves...
Oct 4th, 2018 10:06am report
There's more to having all the riches of the world and not having love which is the greatest gift given to mankind. Love rules all.... Gold, silver, diamond in possession and not having love is like forest without trees.
I think the song is saying that someone made one of her dreams come true. She wants this happy moment to last forever. But that person deserves to be in the spotlight since they helped the dream come true. She wants to share that moment with them and if they don’t share that moment then nothing will be enough to change the fact that she can’t share it with them.
Jun 9th, 2018 6:44pm report
It means that no matter how much chocolate I have in my cupboard its never enough.
I think the meaning of this song is all about the love of a one person that his/her love to his/her men will never be enough of everything in this world.
I think the meaning of this song is all about the love of a one person that his/her love to his/her men will never be enough of everything in this world
I don't really know, but personally I think that the "big" meaning of the song is that no matter how much you have, you will never be content. Whether it be wanting something someone else has, or if you want something that's impossible to have. Don't know if that's intended, but that's what I take from it.
I think it means fells she will never be enough for barnum even though she loves him.
‹ prev 12 next ›
More Loren Allred song meanings »
Loren Allred Fans Also Like:
Alan Walker song meanings
Lil Peep song meanings
Email me when new interpretations are posted for Never Enough
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5156
|
__label__wiki
| 0.830865
| 0.830865
|
Past song of the week / October 2014
Matt Epp
"Promised Land"
From the album Luma
Featured track, available from October 30 to November 7
It's not often that you get to see Matt Epp in Winnipeg. He did join Serena Ryder on stage at The Burt for a recent performance of their JUNO-winning co-write, "When You Know", but mostly, the acclaimed singer/songwriter spends a lot of his time on the road, playing for audiences across Europe, the U.S., and Canada (a scan of his news tag has him making headlines in Germany, Croatia, Netherlands, and beyond). This week, you can find Epp once again in his hometown stage. On October 30, he'll be at the West End Cultural Centre for the release of his eighth album, Luma, where he'll be joined by friends Last Ditch on the Left and Steph Cameron. Next up, he'll head to Onanole's Earth Rhythms for a show on October 30 and then continue on to dates on Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC. His song "Promised Land" off the new release is our featured song this week. Download it and don't miss Matt Epp live.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5158
|
__label__wiki
| 0.62837
| 0.62837
|
Sip virtual Scotch with Ben
Joining a growing trend among artists, publishers and other creators, Ben Folds has opened an account at the crowdfunding site Patreon, and will be offering enhanced content and experiences to those who become regular paying members.
Launched this week, Ben’s Patreon page will offer perks like live streams from his studios, MP3s of unreleased songs, and the opportunity to contribute to songs that are written and performed on the spot.
Subscriptions start at US $5 per month, and for that amount, members will receive (more…)
“Mister Peepers” 7 inch single drops Nov. 22; events planned
The single for Mister Peepers, Ben Folds’ song about deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein and the derogatory characterizations of him (and which we wrote about here) will be released on 7-inch vinyl in the US. There’s a release event planned at Brooklyn’s Rough Trade at 3:00 pm Saturday, November 24, which is also Small Business Saturday. Ben will give a short performance, followed by a signing of the single. You only need purchase a copy of the 7″ ($8.99) to be admitted to the event. Doors open at 2:00 pm.
Rough Trade is a top independent purveyor of music and media. The Brooklyn store, in the Williamsburg neighborhood, is the largest of five locations, the other four being in the UK.
The 7-inch single, backed with A Million Years, will also be available, along with other special releases, at select independent record stores around the country as part of the Record Store Day event for Small Business Saturday. Check with your local shop for availability.
The Ben Folds Havana Getaway
In what is probably a first for an American musical artist, Ben Folds will be leading a four-day music and culture tour of the formerly off-limits (to US citizens, anyway) island nation of Cuba next May.
Called The Ben Folds Havana Getaway, the tour takes guests on a trip around the capital city and environs, featuring a private concert by Ben and another performance with some of Cuba’s top musicians. Also included are visits to Havana’s art galleries, museums, architecture and cultural institutions, a tour in one of the classic 1950s American convertibles that Cuba is famous for preserving, cigar and rum tastings, and special events revolving around Ben’s passion for fine arts photography.
The event, packaged by Cuba Arts Live!, takes place May 25-29. Cost ranges from $3,199 per person and up, with a couples rate of $6,199, and includes ground transportation, lodging, meals, events and concerts. Participants need to arrange their own air travel, visas and insurance, which can be arranged through the event’s travel agent. Also not included are incidentals, side trips, souvenirs and any extended stay expenses.
Registration opens Friday, December 16 and there is a discount for registering prior to December 31. Full information can be found here.
Winter midwest tour announced
Ben Folds will be touring the midwest this winter with a dozen dates in towns in ten states.
It’s a continuation of the Ben Folds and a Piano tour that started last fall. Most shows feature the availability of special VIP and Master Class packages as well. The Master Class packages include a piano class with Ben, meet & greet with autographed photo, early access for the sound check, beverages and other souvenirs. The Soundcheck packages include all of the above except the class.
Dates and cities are:
February 12: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
February 14: Green Bay, Wisconsin
February 16: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
February 17: Bloomington, Indiana
February 21: Columbia, Missouri
February 23: Salina, Kansas
February 25: Urbana, Illinois
February 26: Knoxville, Tennessee
February 28: Asheville, North Carolina
March 1: Birmingham, Alabama
March 3: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
March 4: Memphis, Tennessee
Tickets go on sale to pre-sale fan club members and the VIP packages generally on Wednesday, December 7 and general admission on December 9.
You can find details, including ticket links, on our Tour Dates page.
Ben Folds & yMusic vinyl drops November 25
As part of a broad release by the independent record shops collectively known as Record Store Day, a new 10-inch vinyl by Ben Folds with yMusic becomes available in limited quantity (only two thousand pressed) on Friday, November 25 (the day after US Thanksgiving).
The EP, simply titled Ben Folds & yMusic In Concert 2015-2016, is on the New West label and assembles a handful of tracks of recent composition as well as one of Folds’ evergreens, and is described as
a live snapshot capturing electrifying “chamber rock” performances by Ben Folds and the immensely talented New York-based classical sextet ensemble yMusic.
For non-hipsters, vinyl records have grooves on both sides of the platter, unlike compact discs that younger baby-boomers and some Gen-Xers are more familiar with. Side A consists of Not a Fan, Erase Me and Capable of Anything. Side B features Phone in a Pool and Steven’s Last Night in Town. If you’re living in the digital world, December 9 is the date to watch for the downloadable version to appear on your favorite digital service provider.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5160
|
__label__wiki
| 0.553471
| 0.553471
|
CELEBRATING 19 YEARS OF CUSTOMERS CHOICE
Cafe de Paris I 10 October 2019
For its 19th year, the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards celebrates the best of the Mobile Industry, from handsets to service, brands to retailers. The most prolific names in the Mobile Industry will go head-to-head for titles including Manufacturer of the Year, Best High Street Retailer and Best Network along with the highly coveted Phone of the Year award. With large disruptions and developments in the Mobile Industry and a brand new venue, this year's Awards promise to be bigger and better than ever.
For its 19th year, the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards celebrates the best of the mobile industry, from handsets to service, brands to retailers and this year it promises to be bigger and better than ever.
With over 29 million monthly users, the TechRadar partnership ensures that the Awards truly represent the consumer's voice in the ever-expanding and exciting Mobile Industry. The biggest names in the Mobile Industry will go head-to-head for titles including the Manufacturer of the Year, Best High Street Retailer and Best Network along with highly the coveted Phone of the Year
The Mobile Consumer Choice Awards give consumers a huge say in the winners on the night, with a number of categories 100% consumer voted, and many of the rest are 50:50 split between consumers and our expert panel of judges.
Tickets and tables for the Awards are available by contacting Mark.Fermor@Futurenet.com
WATCH LAST YEAR'S HIGHLIGHTS
Future plc. Registered in England & Wales
1-10 Praed Mews, Paddington, London W2 1QY
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5166
|
__label__cc
| 0.55156
| 0.44844
|
Business Policy Shaping Future of Healthcare
How Business, Policy and Politics Are Shaping the Future of Healthcare
By McKessonSeptember 24, 2018
Matt Shiraki doesn’t shy away from tough conversations. In fact, he has them for a living. As director of public policy, he speaks with our customers about the opportunities and challenges they face, and looks for public policy solutions. Whether he’s talking to customers about direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees, or working to shape public policy on drug pricing, he takes pride in working to effect high-level change.
In this edition of Expert Spotlight, we sat down with him to discuss some of the biggest public health policy issues of today and what he envisions for the future of healthcare.
How would you describe your role?
Shiraki: As part of our Public Affairs team, I help establish McKesson’s positions and recommendations on important health policy issues like drug pricing or DIR fees. My team and I then advocate for these recommendations. We do this by speaking with lawmakers, weighing in on regulatory considerations when we can, and partnering with trade groups and other customers to advance policy change.
What is your favorite part of your work? What are you most proud of?
Shiraki: I love getting to work within the intersection of business, policy and politics. In order for a company like ours to operate, we have to understand all three. So I really enjoy that challenge. Even though I’m not interacting with patients on a daily basis, I get to try to effect change that could improve health outcomes for a lot of people.
I’m proud of being a part of a company that is proactive about addressing big public health policy issues. One example would be the opioid epidemic that has affected so many people. It was crucial for us to put forward policy positions that included sensible ways to address the epidemic, including technology solutions and strategies that empower pharmacists. I appreciate the opportunity to have worked on our company’s recommendations since my own family and relatives have been impacted by addiction.
Is there anything you’re working on right now that you’re particularly excited about?
Shiraki: Right now, all eyes are on drug pricing and lowering patient out-of-pocket costs. So for the past few months, we’ve been working really hard to put forth our view on drug pricing. With the Trump administration laser-focused on that right now, it’s important for McKesson to be a part of the discussion.
The other situation I’ve been working on over the past two years is the issue of pharmacy DIR fees. That’s a complex challenge and the biggest pain point for our independent pharmacy customers. We’ve been asking the administration to address DIR fees through rulemaking and to make sure any price concessions are completed at the point of sale so pharmacists can continue to care for their patients with more certainty.
Is there a question you’re asked most often by government officials? What do you tell them?
Shiraki: It typically revolves around the public health policy issue that’s most important for their state. Many times, it comes down to opioids and drug pricing. And every lawmaker wants to know: What’s your position? What do you propose as a solution? It’s very important to have the team that we have in place, because we need to be able to succinctly express our views and recommendations on these issues.
We want to know what these government officials think of issues, too, so we’re there to listen as much as we are to share. But when we are sharing, we discuss how we’re thinking about different business and policy solutions that may help. Overall, we want to communicate our position, provide potential solutions, seek ways to partner, and offer ourselves as a resource.
Since we’re all about better health, I’d love to know how you stay on top of your own health and wellness?
Shiraki: Since joining McKesson, I’ve started running more. I’ve run two half-marathons over the past few years. And I love playing sports—particularly basketball and tennis. My wife and I like to swim and go to the gym. Something I’d like to do more of is biking to and from work. It’s a great way to clear your mind after a busy day at work.
Can you describe a recent experience you've had with the healthcare system? It could be positive, negative, eye-opening—anything that really stuck with you.
Shiraki: I was diagnosed with a MCL (medial collateral ligament) sprain last February. What I found most frustrating was the lack of coordinated care. Every time I went to see a different doctor, I had to explain the whole situation all over again. They couldn’t find my X-rays or MRIs. The system definitely wasn’t interoperable. This contributed to the length of my recovery, because it took six weeks to even get a diagnosis. I felt like the lack of coordinated care and interoperability was frustrating and prolonged my recovery time.
What do you hope the future of healthcare will bring?
Shiraki: I’m a big fan of telehealth and telemedicine. For patients and providers in rural areas, they could be especially impactful. I was encouraged to see them addressed in the latest Medicare payment rules; the administration is definitely focused on expanding reimbursement for telehealth services. We’re the most technologically advanced country on the planet, but we tend to lag behind on using technology to coordinate care. I think that has to change.
What else do you hope to see change from a policy perspective?
Shiraki: Our healthcare system is great at treating patients once they get sick. But I would love to see an even greater shift towards prevention. Let’s look at a patient’s family history and other factors and when appropriate, screen for potential health problems earlier on. For example, there’s a policy movement underway to encourage pediatricians to screen for adverse childhood experiences, which studies show contribute to poorer lifelong health outcomes. The sooner patients understand potential problems, the sooner they can be empowered to change behaviors to improve their health.
Policies that promote the role of nutrition in fighting disease should also be further examined. I served on the board of Project Open Hand, a nonprofit that provides nutritious meals to seniors and critically ill neighbors. They provide, and advocate for the reimbursement of, medically tailored meals for people with chronic conditions such as cancer and diabetes. Their data shows that food really does equate to medicine for patients. So I’m hopeful that, as a society, we will start to understand and better employ such tools to prevent and combat disease.
To read about our reform efforts on reducing DIR fees for pharmacies, visit our blog.
Related: Learn more about McKesson’s public affairs efforts
McKesson editorial staff is committed to sharing innovative approaches and insights so our customers can get the most out of their business solutions and identify areas for operational improvement and revenue growth.
Healthcare trends
Name* (Name will be published with comment)
Email* (Email will not be published)
Post my comment
Post Approval in Progress:
System failed to receive comment.
We reserve the right to remove any comments from the site that we feel put the safety or utility of our community at risk. View the Blog Comment Policy . To find out more about our privacy practices, please see the McKesson Privacy Notice .
July 09, 2018Reducing the Impact of DIR Fees on Pharmacies
June 24, 20194 Ways Improving Your Supply Chain Benefits Patients
June 17, 2019Why Timely Distribution is Crucial for Your Drug Manufacturing Company
June 10, 20195 Top Read Blog Posts on the Future of Pharmacy
June 03, 2019Navigating Prior Authorizations at Your Chain Pharmacy
Follow McKesson to stay up-to-date on how we bring better efficiency to health care.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5168
|
__label__cc
| 0.607761
| 0.392239
|
Mission team departs Nov. 3 for Puerto Rico
Submitted by Marilyn White
Hilltop United Methodist Church, Sandy, Utah
Hurricane Maria (category 4) arrived in Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017. According to an article from United Methodist News Service, the eye of the hurricane came in from the southeast, touched near a Methodist camp in Patillas, then cut diagonally through the island near another Methodist camp. Maria exited in the northwest, near the Methodist camp in Arecibo. Maria is considered the worst natural disaster on record to affect Puerto Rico.
That same week, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) reached out to the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico (MCPR) to determine how to best help.1 By mid-October, a portion of the $15 million—from donors responding to U.S. mainland disasters—was made available to the MCPR for assessments. How could we help?2
Needless to say, the first responses were for rescue and recovery, training, project development support, and grants. In March 2018, Ruben Velez, Director of Logistics for the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico, said the island was finally transitioning from response to recovery and rebuilding.
With the MCPR in charge, UMCOR established coordinators on the mainland to work with the MCPR in sending mission teams. In addition to their time and support, UMCOR has provided funds to the MCPR for rebuilding supplies.
Still, somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 homes do not have rooves. Even today, the MCPR advises teams to not expect continuous electricity or potable water at work sites.
Marilyn White, of Hilltop United Methodist Church, started looking for Early Response Training (ERT) opportunities and a team to join in March 2018. Unable to find a team, she started working with the Mountain Sky Conference ERT Coordinator, Jay Vestal, to organize one. Vestal put out a call to the ERT-trained personnel in the conference while Marilyn sent bulletin notices to the Utah/Western Colorado District churches looking for “missionaries.” The conference’s United Methodist Volunteers in Missions (UMVIM) Coordinator, Debbie Irby, also joined to the efforts.
God provided. A 12-member team comprised of men and women from across the Mountain Sky Conference3 began to take shape by early August. Some are ERT/Red Cross-certified; some have construction experience and prior mission trips under their belts; some are less-trained, but equally committed. While they are both excited and nervous about their work, they believe in the mission and are willing to be God’s hands to help bring relief to those who’ve lost so much.
Please be in prayer for them.
1 The Methodist Church of Puerto Rico became autonomous (self-governing) in 1992 but maintains strong ties to The United Methodist Church and Global Ministries. Today it has some 12,000 members in more than 100 congregations spread across the island.
2 At that time full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times highlighted the denomination’s commitment to disaster relief and the fact that 100 percent of all donations go directly to relief efforts.
3 Churches represented: Ogden Community/Eagle (ID) UMC, Ogden First UMC, Sandy Hilltop UMC, Salt Lake Christ UMC, Loveland First UMC, Cheyenne First UMC/Cheyenne UU, Littleton UMC, and Bozeman UMC.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5176
|
__label__cc
| 0.644202
| 0.355798
|
Abbie Jin and Keenan Winkler
Young Artists Concert
Abbie Jin, piano and Keenan Winkler, cello
Arizona Piano Company
4134 East Wood Street, Phoenix AZ 85040
Abbie Jin, Piano
Recital Program:
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in G Major Op. 14 No. 2 (Allegro and Scherzo)
Claude Debussy: Claire de Lune
Claude Debussy: Arabesque No. 1
Yu Shi Wang: Sun Flower
Abbie Jin, 13, is a 7th grader at Arizona College Preparatory. She has played piano for 7 years, and currently studies with Mrs. Hong Zhu. Abbie has won several awards, including first place in the 2009 Florida Federation of Music Clubs Junior Competition at age 6, winner of the Desert Valley Music Teachers Association piano competition in 2013 and 2015, and third place in the 2015 East Valley Music Teachers Association. Abbie enjoys music in a variety of ways throughout her daily life. Her favorite composer is Beethoven. Besides piano, Abbie enjoys drawing, reading, hiking, and spending time with friends.
Keenan Winkler, cello
Chris Winkler, collaborative piano
David Eby: Celtic Passage for solo cello
J. S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007 (Courante, Sarabande, Minuets, and Gigue)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 23
Keenan Winkler, 10, is a home-schooled sixth grader who has been playing cello since he was 4 1/2 years old, with his first performance at a church at the age of 5 and in many different settings since then. He has played in student concerts, provided special music in church services, and wedding music. He played in the cello section of the West Valley Youth Orchestra for two years, where he was 2nd chair, while being the youngest member. He has also played in recitals, and participated in family concerts with his parents, who are both professional musicians. In July 2014, he won third prize at a concerto competition during a summer music camp at Wichita State University, and enjoyed the opportunity to perform his piece in front of the camp orchestra.
He has studied with several cellists and cello teachers during the nearly 5 years since he started: David Eby in California; Thomas Landschoot, Jenna Dalbey and Jamie Kellogg in Arizona; Thomas Mesa in Wichita. Keenan enjoys improvising on both the cello and piano. His dream is to be able to play a concerto in front of an orchestra again some day. He also loves going on bike rides and hikes, and playing with his family’s pet cockatiel and dog.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5177
|
__label__wiki
| 0.545109
| 0.545109
|
Student Spotlight: Lauryn VonAhnen's Recording Studio Experience
August 9, 2016 by Terri Paglusch
In photo above: Lauryn performs at a student showcase with her voice teacher, Amy Lammeli, and guitar teacher, Becca Kephart.
Lauryn has always loved making music and performing. As a child she would stand on the coffee table and sing and dance for her family, wanting them to record her performance. Now, at fourteen, she's taking a big step toward her dream of becoming a singer/songwriter and recording artist. She recently spent some time in a professional studio, recording her original songs, and it was quite an experience. Here are some of Lauryn's thoughts on her recording session:
Was the experience what you expected?
"At first, recording was very intimidating and scary. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be as prepared as possible and get it all in one take, which didn't happen. It was hard to stay on the metronome, and I had to go back and fix numerous parts of the songs that weren't on the beat. However, the engineer was very helpful and patient, which made the experience less nerve wrecking. It was so fun to play the songs and hear them all come together. Since the songs are just demos, I am happy with the results and would love to go again."
"It was hard to stay on the metronome, and I had to go back and fix numerous parts of the songs that weren't on the beat."
What's your goal in recording?
"I want to use these recordings to get my sound out. I typically keep my music to myself, so this was a big step. "
How did you prepare?
"In the year and a half that I've gone to Music House, I have grown so much as a musician and a performer. My guitar and voice teachers not only teach technique, but have provided guidance on ways to share my music outside of Music House. They take time during lessons to coach me on lyrics and rhythms, and that has improved the quality of my original songs. All the performance opportunities at Music House have helped me to gain confidence in my music and become a better live performer. "
"In the year and a half that I've gone to Music House, I have grown so much as a musician and performer...[Music House] helped me to gain confidence."
Where do you see this experience taking you?
"I've always loved to make music and perform. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to pursue it as a career. Before, I had always kept my music mainly to myself, so I see recording a demo and creating a soundcloud as the next step in making a career out of music. Eventually, I would like to use these recordings, and future recordings, to try to get a record deal (fingers crossed). "
Interested in learning more about Music House? Call us.
Wishing The Best To Our Graduating Seniors
Logan Contino Continues to Shine
Student Spotlight: Joe Pauli
Music House Students Excel at Solo/Ensemble Festival
Jack Ingram Performs In Grammy Week Festivities
Music House Is Proud Of Our All-State Students
Lauryn VonAhnen Records Original Songs
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5178
|
__label__cc
| 0.570941
| 0.429059
|
Home » Academics » Faculty » Dr. Mark Lassiter
Dr. Mark Lassiter
Professor of Natural Science
Dr. Mark Lassiter earned his B.S. and M.S. in Biology at the College of William and Mary. He received his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in insect physiology (biochemistry and toxicology). Dr. Lassiter taught organic chemistry and biology as faculty in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University and came to Montreat College in 1992. Dr. Lassiter is interested in aiding each student’s Christian growth and is committed to presenting a strong academic challenge to professional development and career vocation through the Biology program. He has a passion for student distinction supported in self-discovery and accomplishment through student research in areas of the student’s interest. While his research is in Biochemistry and Mosquito Physiology, student research focuses on atmospheric and environmental chemistry, physiological and enzyme stress indicators, microbial detection, medical applications, development of biotechnical methods, analytical instrumentation applications, and the development of assays and analytical techniques.
He was awarded the David Park’s Distinguished Professor Award twice and the Who’s Who Among America’s College Teachers. Interested in collaborative institutional advancement, Dr. Lassiter founded the Science Group in the Appalachian College Association [ACA] to foster collaboration among scientists in 37 colleges and universities, and founded the Christian Environmental Center at Montreat College to launch the web presence of emerging Christian Environmental Organizations. He serves on the Academic Advisory Council of the Au Sable Institute, on the Executive Committee of the Division of Chemical Health and Safety, and a founding member of the Safety Committee, Division of Chemical Education, both in the American Chemical Society. He is involved in the ACA, the Ecological Research as Educational Network, Appalachian Regional Microscopy Society and Fellow of the Academy of Evangelical Scientists and Ethicists.
At Montreat, Mark married his wife and best friend, Jennifer. They enjoy hiking, birding, biking, and photographing God’s creation in the mountains or on the coast. They have five grown children.
Lassiter, Mark. “Teaching Within the Dilemma—Science Technology and Small College Consortia.” Selected Papers from the 10th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning, edited by Jack A. Chambers. Jacksonville, FL: Florida Community College, 1999.
Lassiter, Mark, C.S. Apperson and R.M Roe. “Juvenile Hormone Metabolism in the Ovary, Gut, Head and Carcass after Blood Feeding in the Southern House Mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus.” Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 113B:2 (1996): 229-237.
Lassiter, Mark, C.S. Apperson and R.M Roe. “Juvenile Hormone Metabolism During the Fourth Stadium and Pupal Stage of the Southern House Mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus Say.” Journal of Insect Physiology 41:10 (February 1995): 869-876.
Lassiter, Mark. Juvenile Hormone Metabolism During Larval and Adult Development of the Southern House Mosquite, Culex Quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera:Culcicidae). Raleigh: North Carolina State University, 1994.
Lassiter, Mark, C.S. Apperson and R.M. Roe. “Juvenile Hormone Metabolism during Adult Development of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae).” Journal of Medical Entomology (1994): 586-593.
Lassiter, Mark, et al. “Biochemical Evidence for the Presence of a Juvenoid in Ticks.” Host Regulated Developmental Mechanisms in Vector Arthropods, eds D. Borovsky and A. Spielman. Vero.Beach, FL: University of Florida-IFAS, 1993.
Lassiter, Mark. “House Dust Mites in Williamsburg, Virginia.” Virginia Medical (April 1990): 152- 157.
Lassiter, Mark. A Survey of House Dust Mites in the Williamsburg Area. Williamsburg, VA: College of William and Mary, 1985.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5180
|
__label__cc
| 0.73119
| 0.26881
|
PATENT LICENSE AGREEMENT
SPEED YOUR TIME-TO-MARKET
About Motorola Solutions Licensing
Motorola Solutions serves markets around the world that need fast, reliable, public safety communications and critical, real-time information. Our leadership in these areas includes products, systems, software solutions, and services that help people be their best in the moments that matter.
Our products and solutions are supported by a broad portfolio of patents that can be licensed to manufacturers throughout the world. With our commitment to R&D, the Motorola Solutions’ patent portfolio includes more than 4,500 granted patents, along with 1,000 pending patent applications. This expansive patent portfolio helps us to meet our business objectives and enables us to participate – often in leadership roles – with communications standards bodies around the world, including ETSI and TIA.
Motorola Solutions’ licensing practice supports both standards-based licensing and proprietary technology licensing programs. Our well-established standards-based licensing programs provide reassurance to prospective licensees and end-users that Motorola Solutions’ essential technology used in their standards-compliant products will be available on terms that are fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory. Our proprietary technology licensing programs are customized on a product and market basis, and may include some form of technology transfer or support services.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5182
|
__label__wiki
| 0.9199
| 0.9199
|
Migos and Stefflon Don Nominated for BET Awards
Migos and Stefflon Don received nominations for the 2018 BET awards. Migos’ nominations include Best Group, Video of the Year for “Walk It Talk It”, Album of the Year for ‘Culture II’, and the Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award, while Stefflon Don has been nominated for Best International Act.
Migos had a hot 2017 with a plethora of features between the members, as well as MTV VMA and Grammy award nominations. The trio dropped their sophomore album ‘Culture II’ in January which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 charts, while the singles “MotorSport” featuring Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, “Stir Fry”, and “Walk It Talk It” featuring Drake have peaked at No. 6, 8, and 10 on the charts, respectively. Migos also tied The Beatles for most simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 entries among groups this year. These BET Award nominations are coming off the heels of the announcement of the Aubrey and the Three Migos tour featuring Drake, which Drake announced on Monday.
UK singer, rapper, and songwriter Stefflon Don joined Motown in 2017 and released the single “Hurtin’ Me” with French Montana, which currently has 70 million views on YouTube. She has also recently launched a capsule collection with U.K.-based fashion brand Boohoo. In 2017, she was nominated for three MOBO awards.
The awards show premieres on Sunday, June 24. See the full list of BET Awards nominations here.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5183
|
__label__wiki
| 0.512219
| 0.512219
|
Advanced U.S. Stamp Search
Create Your Own 'This Day in History' Album
Stamp Collecting Videos
Booklets & Online Publications
Search ‘This Day in History’
Neat Stamp Stories
Beginner's Section
Albums & Supplies
U.S. Stamp Series and Sets
General Stamp Collecting
About Mystic Stamp Co.
This Day in History… August 28, 1864
Posted on August 28, 2017 by MysticStamp
Start of Railway Mail Service
U.S. #2265 pictures a railroad mail car.
On August 28, 1864, the U.S. Post Office Department created the Railway Mail Service.
In 1838 Congress approved an act designating all United States railroad routes as postal routes. A significant improvement over the traditional method of delivering mail by horse-drawn coaches, the railway service signaled the end of one era and the beginning of another.
For nearly 30 years, trains were used to transport mail between post offices. The mailbags were loaded onto the trains and delivered to the post office where they were sorted. However, while some of the mail was delivered, many letters were returned to the bags and placed back on the trains to be sorted later. This inefficiency led American postal officials to consider other options.
U.S. #Q3 pictures a railway postal clerk preparing to pick up and drop off mail at a station.
Soon the idea emerged to have mail clerks on the trains to sort the mail as it traveled between towns. In 1862, the idea was briefly tested on the Hannibal and St. Joseph line in Missouri. Then two years later, Chicago’s assistant postmaster George B. Armstrong pushed for the widespread used of a railway post office and succeeded. The first mail car, a renovated baggage car, ran on the Chicago and North Western Railroad line between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa, on August 28, 1864.
U.S. #Q5 pictures a mail train along with the crane holding mail to be picked up.
Clerks aboard the train sorted mail not just for routes along the line, but also for those beyond the end of the line. This new railway mail service proved a great success. More mail cars were added to travel between New York and Washington, New York and Erie, Pennsylvania, as well as between Chicago and Burlington, Illinois, and Chicago and Rock Island, Illinois.
U.S. #2779-82 pictures U.S. mail milestones, including a railway mail car.
These trains didn’t always stop at every station, but those smaller stations still had mail. Early on, the trains had to slow down immensely so the clerks could grab the mailbags, which was both inefficient and dangerous. Eventually, they developed mail cranes. Mailbags were hung on a crane at stations that were too small for the train to stop. The clerk grabbed the bag as the train passed at about 70 miles per hour.
U.S. #2843 – Hudson’s General carried an East Division Railway Post Office.
By 1867, there were 18 railway mail routes that crossed over 4,435 miles of track with 160 clerks hard at work. They were so efficient that dozens of clerks at stationary post offices were fired or moved to other jobs because they were no longer needed to sort the mail. The clerks took great pride in their work and could sort up to 600 pieces of mail an hour, and up until mid-1900’s, Railway Mail Service dominated the movement of the mail.
U.S. #2265 FDC – Mail Car Silk Cachet First Day Cover.
However, as airplanes and highways expanded and improved, the need for railway mail began to decline. Postal officials also began to move toward mechanical processing. On June 30, 1977, the very last railway mail car ended its final run when it pulled into Washington’s Union Station.
Click here for a neat video, first-hand stories, and more about the Railway Post Office.
Click here to see what else happened on This Day in History.
Did you like this article? Click here to rate:
[Total: 161 Average: 4.9]
Print or share:
This entry was posted in August 2017, This Day in History. Bookmark the permalink.
13 Responses to "This Day in History… August 28, 1864"
By Loren Bullock August 28, 2017 - 6:16 am
Actually, the clerk didn’t grab the mail bag from the crane as the train sped by. The triangular bars shown on the rail car stamp would be swung out by the clerk, and that bar would grab the bag, and the clerk would then swing the bar back into the mail car and take the bag off the bar. At the same time he would have thrown a bag onto the station platform (or close by if he didn’t time it just right) with the mail for that town. A most efficient system that lasted for 100 years. There were also similar mail-sorting buses for many places without rail connections. Now every night FedEx under contract from the Post Office distributes the already sorted mail bags to the majority of the nation’s cities. Trucks, many under contract, connect to the the in-between locations. But the romance of the trains is a wonderful memory.
By Scott August 28, 2017 - 10:03 am
Thanks for the informative addendum! (It’s refreshing to read a comment from someone who is literate and knows how to write.)
May I ask what your occupation (if any) is? I’m curious because you provided excellent information in your comment.
By Loren Bullock August 28, 2017 - 4:05 pm
I was a Docent at the Smithsonian for 25 years, the last 10 at the National Postal Museum in Washington. There is an actual railway car in the Museum, as well as a stagecoach , and also 3 airmail planes hanging from the ceiling among exhibits.. There is also a fabulous newly opened stamp gallery. Don’t miss it if you visit Washington.
By Bond, James August 28, 2017 - 7:36 am
Thank you Loren. The triangualr bar exchange answered the question I had as to clerks grabbing bags hanging from a crane as the train passed by at around 70 mph.
By Audre August 28, 2017 - 8:44 am
I like to see the old stamps. Wish they would bring some of them back as a new stamp, change it
just a little. I would like to use them again, kids may like the old ones better and would like to
start saving them again.
By Robert LaBelle August 28, 2017 - 8:58 am
Yes, it was easy to pick up on that error; there would have been a lot of broken arms! Ah the ‘romance of the rails’ was well-served by the mail cars, and I can remember the ubiquitous baggage carts at the station, laden with the canvas mail bags, waiting to be loaded on the next train. Not to mention the oft-realized feat of mailing from Syracuse in the morning and delivery in Buffalo in the afternoon delivery! Those stamps pictured, along with other U.S., are in my railroad topical collection.
By robert l henry August 28, 2017 - 9:21 am
very interesting, I like the idea and wish to have it continue. bob henry
By Ron Poness August 28, 2017 - 9:37 am
again, very interesting. Keep it up.
By 386Senior August 28, 2017 - 11:13 am
We used to sit out on the benches at the Railroad Depot in our small town of maybe 600 counting the farmers, and watch the bag disappear from the mail hook. It was something we did as kids to wile away the hours in our little Southern town. It was so exciting back in those days.
I enjoy reading your synopsis on each stamp, thank you for sharing.
By Mary August 28, 2017 - 3:05 pm
Do you mean Burlington, Iowa, instead of Burlington, Illinois? I am pretty sure that the CB& Q railroads stood for Chicago, Burlington, Iowa, and Quincy, Illinois. I really enjoy the learning from this site!
By Jim Woodfill August 30, 2017 - 4:05 am
For Audre: The USPS did bring back six old stamps from the 1861 issue, at the NY2016 World Stamp Show in New York. I don’t happen to have access to mine at the moment, but you should be able to find them in the 2017 or 2018 Scott catalog, either Vol.1 or the US Specialized.
Several old US stamps have been reissued in recent years: The 1847 5¢ and 10¢ in 1947 and again in 1997; The entire Columbians in 1992; the Trans-Mississippis in 1998; the Pan Am inverts in 2001; and the $1, $2, and $5 from the 1922 regular issue in 2006. Most have been issued in connection with a large stamp show. I tried to get the postal service to reissue the 1912-15 Panama-Pacific issue for the Exposition’s 100th anniversary in 2015, which was the theme of Westpex that year, but they declined.
I, too, like seeing old stamps come alive again, and try to make a showpiece of them in my own collection.
By Mary Rose Francini August 31, 2017 - 2:01 am
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owney_(dog) as save the railroad mail robberies.
SHOPTop of page
SITE LINKSTop of page
GETTING STARTEDTop of page
RESOURCESTop of page
Videos & Booklets
MYSTIC'S THIS DAY IN HISTORYTop of page
SOCIAL MEDIATop of page
2019 Mystic Stamp Company, 9700 Mill Street, Camden, New York 13316
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5186
|
__label__wiki
| 0.931423
| 0.931423
|
New texts from diary of Anne Frank revealed
Over 70 years since the publication of the diary the text of two pages, which Anne Frank wrote in her diary on 28 September 1942, has been published for the first time.
Diary of Anne Frank
The Anne Frank House, together with the Huygens Institute of Netherlands History and the NIOD, Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, today presents the hidden text on two pages covered up with gummed paper in the first diary of Anne Frank, with its red checked cover. Thanks to new technology the text on the hidden pages has now been made legible.
Anne Frank was thirteen years old when, on 6 July 1942, she went into hiding from the Nazis. She reread her diary entries, made improvements and crossed out words and phrases. In her first diary, with its red checked cover, two whole pages are covered up with brown gummed paper.
The covered pages were photographed during a regular check on the condition of the diaries of Anne Frank in 2016. Thanks to image processing technology the text could be deciphered. The texts that are being published for the first time today do not stand in isolation; they form a part of the diary entries that Anne Frank began on 12 June 1942. The texts that have now been revealed are included in the academic research into the diaries of Anne Frank and her development as a writer that the Anne Frank House has been carrying out together with the Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands since 2010.
In his will Otto Frank bequeathed the diaries of his daughter Anne to the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dutch state. The diaries were given on loan to the Anne Frank House organisation and are permanently exhibited in the Anne Frank House.
Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House:
“Anne Frank writes about sexuality in a disarming way. Like every adolescent she is curious about this subject. She also writes about it on other, uncovered pages. Given the great public and academic interest we have decided, together with the NIOD, Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Huygens Institute of Netherlands History, to publish these texts and share them with the world. They bring us even closer to the girl and the writer Anne Frank.”
Frank van Vree, director of NIOD:
“Anyone who reads the passages that have now been discovered will be unable to suppress a smile. The ‘dirty’ jokes are classics among growing children. They make it clear that Anne, with all her gifts, was above all also an ordinary girl.”
Lex Heerma van Voss, director of the Huygens Institute of Netherlands History:
“Anne Frank was an ordinary girl with literary qualities and aspirations, in extreme circumstances. The pages that have been made legible also bear witness to this.”
AFS_FotosDisclaimer_EN.pdf
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5188
|
__label__wiki
| 0.928432
| 0.928432
|
Wait, You Mean Grover Norquist Is for Amnesty?
By Mark Krikorian
About Mark Krikorian
Follow Mark Krikorian on Twitter
Politco has a hilariously ill-informed piece on immigration lobbying, written by two reporters obviously unfamiliar with the issue. It starts:
High-profile conservative groups are taking on an unexpected cause: passing immigration reform.
A diverse mix of the Washington consultant class is cutting TV ads, revving up the grassroots and advising lawmakers on messaging and strategy in hopes of getting a bill across the finish line this year.
The surprising effort is a new element to the immigration debate — and one that could influence Republican lawmakers reluctant to support the cause.
Wow. Who’s involved in this “unexpected” and “surprising” “new element”? Grover Norquist, who’s been lobbying for open borders for at least two decades.
Who else? The “Hispanic Leadership Forum”, whose front man is Carlos Gutierrez, George W. Bush’s commerce secretary, who was one of the administration’s chief Hill lobbyists for amnesty back in 2006 and 2007.
Also part of this “unexpected” and “surprising” “new element”, according to Politico is ImmigrationWorks USA, founded years ago by Tamar Jacoby, who’s been pushing open borders for nearly as long as Norquist.
And this last “conservative” group is a doozy: the National Immigration Forum. It’s said to be “helping ramp up conservative grassroots support in the Southeast, West and Midwest.” The National Immigration Forum was founded by leftist attorney Rick Swartz; here’s what I wrote about it a few months ago:
The National Immigration Forum’s board includes Angelica Salas, head of the leftist Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) (profiled here by Discover the Networks) and Rick Stolz, head of another leftist group called OneAmerica (formerly the Hate Free Zone), founded after 9/11 to obstruct overdue national-defense measures.
Former members of the Forum’s board include the head of the L.A. branch of CARECEN, which backed the Communists in El Salvador’s civil war and which helped pioneer the “sanctuary” movement to subvert U.S. immigration law. Another former board member, and later an employee, is “Jihad Jeannie” Butterfield, previously head of the Palestine Solidarity Committee, identified by the Anti-Defamation League as an alliance between members of the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine and the Workers World Party, and one of the few groups which welcomed Saddam’s takeover of Kuwait.
Look, I’m all for a big tent, but if the Forum is conservative, the word has no meaning. But then, I can see how the newbie reporters could have been duped, because the open-borders Right has made common cause with these people.
Is this the kind of in-the-know, cutting edge reporting we can expect from Politico? To borrow from MiB, this is everything we’ve come to expect from years of journalism-school training.
Mark Krikorian, a nationally recognized expert on immigration issues, has served as Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) since 1995. @MarkSKrikorian
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5193
|
__label__wiki
| 0.9124
| 0.9124
|
A Surrender to Fantasy
David Calling
By David Pryce-Jones
About David Pryce-Jones
“Do you not see, my son, with what little wisdom the world is governed?” is one of my favorite quotes. It comes from the long-ago days when Sweden was a great power and Count Oxenstierna, the Chancellor, was instructing his son in politics. There’s a now new Red–Green government in Sweden — short-hand for socialists and ecologists — and their first action is to recognize the state of Palestine.
Playing copycat, the British parliament has also passed a vote to recognize the state of Palestine. I can’t recall a previous surrender to fantasy quite like that. Actually neither Sweden nor Britain can do a thing with a vote that’s not enforceable. In any case, the part of Palestine on the West Bank is incompatible with the part in Gaza. How weird that these votes in Western democracies in favor of a state with no boundaries come at a moment when the jihadi movement that calls itself the Islamic State is building a state whose boundaries are also unsettled. None of the agents really believe in the statehoods they are pushing for, it’s political theater and — as in a Shakespeare tragedy — the curtain must come down on many corpses.
David Pryce-Jones is a British author and commentator and a senior editor of National Review.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5194
|
__label__wiki
| 0.961507
| 0.961507
|
Justin Bieber Pulled Over for Speeding in "Horrific" Encounter
L.A. Councilman calls 911 over apparent Bieber/paparazzi road chase
By Colin Bertram
Published Jul 6, 2012 at 1:07 PM | Updated at 11:42 PM PDT on Jul 6, 2012
Publicist: Justin Bieber Was Speeding Away From Paparazzi
//www.nbclosangeles.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Justin_Bieber_Pulled_Over_by_CHP_Los_Angeles-161653435.html
Justin Bieber's publicist is blaming the paparazzi after the pop star was pulled over in Studio City by the CHP. Witnesses say Bieber was speeding down the 101 Freeway, with photographers in hot pursuit. Angie Crouch reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on July 6, 2012. (Published Friday, July 6, 2012)
Singer Justin Bieber was cited for speeding Friday morning after being pulled over on the southbound 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol.
LA City Councilman Dennis Zine was driving on the freeway and called 911 to report the high-speed maneuvering by Bieber and the paparazzi following him.
"It was absolutely outrageous," Zine told NBC. "Horrific. They were driving with complete disregard for people and property. Weaving in and out of traffic. I was heading in an easterly direction and this car came by me at at least 100 miles per hour. He drove by like he was in a rocket ship. "
Zine, a former L.A.P.D. motor officer for 18 years, went on to say that if he had his way, Bieber "should have been arrested and had his car impounded."
LA Councilman's "Horrific" Bieber Encounter
"This car came flying by me, at least 100 mph," said Councilman Dennis Zine, whose call to authorities led to a traffic stop involving pop star Justin Bieber. Zine spoke with Alycia Lane on the NBC4 News at noon on Friday July 6, 2012.
(Published Friday, July 6, 2012)
The 18-year-old singer, driving a shiny silver Fiska Karma - a luxury, electric vehicle with a base price of $103,000 - was issued a citation and allowed to continue on his way.
None of the other drivers involved in the pursuit were cited at the time, but the C.H.P. is investigating the paparazzi in regards to creating a hazardous situation.
"This is a situation of the paparazzi menacing those on the highway," added Zine. "It was a very frightening situation for motorists - it was a like a police chase."
Request for comment from Bieber's management was not returned at the time of publication.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5196
|
__label__wiki
| 0.981916
| 0.981916
|
Whitney Houston: 1963 - 2012
Remembering the pop queen
Coroner, Cops Release New Details on Whitney Houston’s Mysterious Death
Beverly Hills police say pop superstar was found "underwater and apparently unconscious." Coroner's office says pill bottles were discovered at the scene.
By Daniel Macht, Jonathan Lloyd and John Cadiz Klemack
Published Feb 12, 2012 at 6:24 AM | Updated at 9:03 PM PST on Feb 13, 2012
Here, Singer Whitney Houston performs at the 2011 Pre-GRAMMY Gala, a year to the day before her death.
New details have emerged about Whitney Houston's mysterious death, as plans were revealed for a funeral in the pop superstar's birthplace in Newark, N.J.
Complete Coverage: "Whitney Houston: 1963-2012"
She was discovered "underwater and apparently unconscious" in the tub at the Beverly Hilton Saturday at around 3:30 p.m., said Lt. Mark Rosen, of the Beverly Hills Police Department.
The police department said members of Houston’s staff pulled her from the tub and promptly notified hotel security.
Security returned with Fire Department personnel to find her still unconscious and unresponsive, the Beverly Hills police department said.
First responders were unable to revive her with CPR and Houston was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 3:55 p.m., police said.
Earlier Monday, the L.A. coroner’s office confirmed prescription pill bottles were found in Houston’s hotel room. But the amount was "less than my medicine cabinet," L.A. County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said.
No Cause Yet in Death of Whitney Houston
The L.A. County Coroner's office has performed on autopsy on the body of singer Whitney Houston, but so far no cause of death has been determined. Houston died Saturday in Beverly Hills.
(Published Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012)
Winter was asked at a news conference about a report that Houston's family was told her death was drug-related.
"I had a conversation with the family at the hotel, and at no time did I discuss prescription medications or the drowning issue," Winter said. "I'm the one that talked to the family, and I did not give that information. I don't know if the detectives discussed that with the family."
Houston's funeral will be held at the 18,000-seat Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Friday, NBC New York reported. Houston was born in Newark and got her start as a singer at the New Hope Baptist Church in the city. She grew up in East Orange, N.J.
Remembering Whitney Houston
Winter told NBC Los Angeles that a van arrived to pick up the body Monday morning. By 2:30 p.m. Monday, a caravan believed to be driving the singer's body reached Van Nuys Airport (pictured, below).
Houston's body was flown to the Garden State Monday evening by private plane, NBC New York reported. The plane touched down at Teterboro Airport just after 10:30 p.m. local time and was towed into a hangar whose doors workers quickly closed.
A police escort will travel with Houston's body to the Whigham Funeral Home, which is handling funeral arrangements, according to sources working with the family.
An autopsy is complete on the body of the pop queen, but officials with the coroner's office said it might be weeks before they are ready to announce an official cause of death.
Officials aren't ruling out any possible causes of death until they get the results of toxicology tests. It could be several weeks until they have the results of those tests, which many feared could reveal the drug addiction Houston battled in recent years had contributed to her death.
The 48-year-old pop superstar was honored and remembered throughout Sunday's Grammy awards. About 39 million viewers tuned in to the CBS broadcast. Ratings jumped 41 percent over the last year in the prized 18-49 demo to post their best performance since 1990, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Although she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit," said host LL Cool J in a brief opening prayer at the Staples Center. "And to have her lasting legacy of music to cherish and share forever."
Houston leaves behind a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, who was treated and released at Cedars Sinai Medical Center for anxiety. Bobby Brown, Houston's ex-husband and the father of her only child, told People Magazine that she was recovering with family members and was "obviously" affected by her mother's death. The 18-year-old reportedly had already a long week of trying to help her mother, who was apparently tottering on the edge again, as she had many times over for the past decade.
According to media reports, Houston had been acting erratically at a Thursday night rehearsal for Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy gala show. The Los Angeles Times reported that the singer looked “disheveled in mismatched clothes and hair that was dripping wet with either sweat or water.” It added that she was reportedly doing handstands, skipping and flailing her hands and that she smelled like alcohol and cigarettes. "Finally," the Times reported, "her daughter pulled Houston out of the room."
Houston's death comes just as she was about to return to the silver screen, having recently completed shooting "Sparkle," a remake of the 1976 film about a trio of signing sisters, a story loosely based on The Supremes. In it Houston plays the mother of the girls, who are played by former "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks, Carmen Ejogo and Tika Sumpter. The film's soundtrack includes two songs by Houston, the last she ever recorded. The film comes out Aug. 17.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Southern California
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5197
|
__label__wiki
| 0.949616
| 0.949616
|
Three-Star General Adds Military Power to Puerto Rico; Is It Enough?
A young man places next to a flag of Puerto Rico, a placard that reads in Spanish "Voy a ti Puerto Rico" (I'm rooting for you, Puerto Rico), in Yabucoa, in the east of Puerto Rico, on September 28, 2017.HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP - Getty Images
Sept. 28, 2017, 9:11 PM UTC / Updated Sept. 28, 2017, 9:11 PM UTC
By Suzanne Gamboa
WASHINGTON — A three-star general is headed to Puerto Rico to help with the hurricane relief for the U.S. territory and Virgin Islands where, eight days since Hurricane Maria made landfall, there is still a struggle to get basic supplies to stranded and cut off residents.
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, based in San Antonio, was to act as the Joint Force Land Component Commander and was expected to head to Puerto Rico Thursday evening. He’ll be working with FEMA to identify needs and provide military assistance and assets and is scheduled to stay for several weeks, North Command said Thursday.
His move to Puerto Rico comes as lawmakers, mostly Democrats, but also some Republicans including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., have been calling on President Donald Trump to up the military involvement and authority over bringing relief to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands a week after enduring a thrashing from Hurricane Maria.
As Hundreds Wait to Evacuate, 'Logistical Chain Broken' in Puerto Rico
Buchanan's deputy, Brigadier Gen. Richard Kim has been on the ground coordinating DOD’s response with FEMA and local authorities for the past 24 hours.
“The supply chain in Puerto Rico is broken,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. “It’s not just broken it is shattered.”
Buchanan is a lieutenant general and the head of Army North based in San Antonio. Moving him to Puerto Rico could hasten decision making since he will be on the ground with Kim who had been consulting him.
Since returning to Washington from a congressional recess, members of Congress of Puerto Rican descent, joined by Congressional Hispanic Caucus members and Democratic leaders have been pushing Trump to make the military the lead agency in the relief effort, rather than FEMA.
Officials said the response has moved from a sea-based to an on-the ground effort. John Rabin, FEMA's Region II acting administrator who is in Puerto Rico, told reporters Thursday afternoon all municipalities have been reached and food and water has been delivered to all of them. He said 11 supply points have been set up on the island where 1.1 million liters of water and 1 million meals have been delivered.
Juana Matos resident, Amado Hernandez, walks through a flooded area carrying fruit and canned food one week after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Catano, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017.Carlos Giusti / AP
Alex de la Campa, who Trump put in charge of the coordination of the relief effort, said there were problems with trucks getting fuel and getting out to municipalities but he said they are now starting to move and distribute.
Lawmakers have been complaining that the administration has been moving too slowly and that the situation has grown dire as each day has passed.
In a news conference Thursday, Rubio said while it’s good that the military has put a higher-ranking officer in place to work with FEMA, the military should be in command.
“I have and continue to encourage the White House through formal and informal channels to step up the DOD engagement as the lead agency.”
RELATED: Dark Days, Long Nights, Descend on Puerto Rico
Rubio said that is not working because FEMA is not constructed to be the singular lead agency in this disaster where power and communications have been shut down, roads remain impassable, hospitals were shut down and not all are up and running and people are unable to get daily medications among other problems.
“The only dynamic that will shift this is a significant upsurge in the military presence, it is the only organization in the world able to appear on scene and deal with these logistical challenges,” he said.
Lt. Gen. Russell Honoré, now retired, was put in charge by then President George W. Bush for Hurricane Katrina to straighten out the failed federal response. Honoré has criticized the response to Maria.
He told Bloomberg News more people and equipment should have been sent to the island before the storm and the DOD should have had more authority in the response.
"This is a hit on the White House," he told Bloomberg.
Puerto Rico Power Authority workers repair power lines in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Loiza, Puerto Rico, September 28, 2017.RICARDO ARDUENGO / AFP - Getty Images
At the White House, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said the relief effort is under control, and proceeding very well, considering the devastation that took place.
According to Tom Bossert, Trump's national security adviser, there have been 16 confirmed deaths. He said 44 of Puerto Rico's 69 hospitals are operational.
Rubio called the relief effort “haphazard" and said the command structure is a "three-headed monster."
“It's one thing to have someone in charge of the military response, another thing is to have someone in charge of the military response with the authority to make decisions,” he said.
RELATED: Half of Hurricane Ravaged Puerto Rico Lacks Water
Frustrated Democrats continued to criticize the response. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., who was born in Puerto Rico, said the response is “inexcusably slow and ineffective.”
She said she is pleased that a senior official will oversee much of the relief efforts "but this should have not taken eight days.
"The administration’s response thus far has been unacceptably slow. This is one step, among others, that my colleagues and I previously requested to speed assistance to the people of Puerto Rico. I’ll be keeping a close eye to see that the pace of the federal response accelerates," she said.
Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said that Republicans should have appointed someone to manage the crisis early.
She said members of the Hispanic Caucus are considering marshaling resources through states to get help to Puerto Rico if there is not a turn around in the response.
Follow NBC News Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Suzanne Gamboa
Suzanne Gamboa is a national reporter for NBC Latino and NBCNews.com
Hans Nichols and Shirley Zilberstein contributed.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5198
|
__label__wiki
| 0.512904
| 0.512904
|
Man Fatally Shot Outside Boerum Hill Gas Station: NYPD
By Tracie Strahan
NBC 4 New York
A man was shot and killed outside a gas station in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill neighborhood early Wednesday, authorities say.
The man, in his 30s, was shot in the back at Third Avenue and Bergen Street at about 3:30 a.m. according to the NYPD.
The man was unconscious and unresponsive when officers arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
No arrests have been made in the case.
Contact Tracie Strahan
Twitter, Facebook, Email
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5199
|
__label__wiki
| 0.777862
| 0.777862
|
Life Sentence for Teen Who Killed, Beheaded Classmate
A jury had found Borges guilty of first-degree murder with premeditation and extreme atrocity/cruelty
Published Jul 9, 2019 at 1:19 PM | Updated at 3:05 PM PDT on Jul 9, 2019
Teen Convicted of Beheading Classmate Sentenced to Life
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/national-international/Prison-Sentence-Lawrence-Beheading-Borges-512475532.html
Mathew Borges, a teenager from Lawrence, Massachusetts, who killed and beheaded his high school classmate in 2016, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. (Published Tuesday, July 9, 2019)
A Massachusetts teenager who killed and beheaded his high school classmate in 2016 was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Mathew Borges, 18, was convicted in May on a charge of first-degree murder with premeditation and extreme atrocity/cruelty. He will be eligible for parole because he was just 15 at the time of the crime. He had faced a minimum of 25 years in prison.
Borges killed his Lawrence High School classmate, 16-year-old Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino, in November 2016. Viloria-Paulino's body was found along the banks of the Merrimack River by a dog-walker, with his head in a bag nearby. Investigators never recovered his hands.
Viloria-Paulino was "the soul of this family," his mother, Katiuska Paulino, testified at the sentencing. She said that his death, so close to Thanksgiving, means they will never be able to celebrate the holiday again.
She pushed for a life sentence, "so at the very least it serves to keep him off the streets. He should never have the opportunity to kill again, to rob another person of their life like did to Lee Manuel."
The judge said she took the brutality and premeditation of the killing into consideration when deciding the sentence, as well as the possibility of redemption and rehabilitation.
Borges didn't give a statement on his behalf before he was sentenced. His attorney, Ed Hayden, said afterward that Borges now "has a chance at turning his life around."
Mass. Teen Convicted of Killing Then Decapitating Classmate
Borges was arrested in early December 2016.
Prosecutors said Borges was jealous that Viloria-Paulino had spent time with his girlfriend. A medical examiner testified that the victim was stabbed 76 times, including dozens of times after he was dead.
Borges' attorney argued that there was no physical evidence tying the teenager to the crime and that the prosecution's witnesses lied.
The trial lasted 10 days and the jury deliberated about nine hours. The victim's family sobbed as the guilty verdict was read, but Borges had no visible reaction.
"We felt happiness," one of Viloria-Paulino’s family members said leaving the courthouse in Salem afterward. They said the verdict would not bring the teenager back, but it did bring them peace.
Borges' attorney has said an appeal is planned. If the conviction is upheld, Borges will be in his 40s when he is eligible for parole.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5200
|
__label__wiki
| 0.823278
| 0.823278
|
Naomi Atherton
Ever since Naomi Atherton won the Brass final of Young Musician of the Year in 1984, she has been in constant demand as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral member.
Currently, Naomi holds posts as Principal Horn of the NCO, Manchester Camerata, and as a member of Ensemble 360, the chamber group that took over from The Lindsays at Music in the Round in Sheffield.
Naomi’s solo career has included appearances with the BBC Philharmonic and Ulster Orchestras and the Manchester Camerata, with whom she recently gave a live BBC broadcast of Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with James Gilchrist, conducted by Douglas Boyd. Naomi has appeared as a guest principal horn with many of Britain’s leading orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Scottish Chamber Orchestras.
As a chamber musician, she has partnered the Danel, the Elias and the Heath Quartets and has appeared at the Edinburgh, Bath, Cheltenham and Aldeburgh festivals and at the BBC Proms.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5201
|
__label__cc
| 0.606855
| 0.393145
|
Italian islands
Sicily (Palermo Region)
For millennia at the crossroads of civilisations, Palermo delivers a heady, heavily spiced mix of Byzantine mosaics, Arabesque domes and frescoed cupolas. This is a city at the edge of Europe and at the centre of the ancient world, a place where souk-like markets rub against baroque churches, where date palms frame Gothic palaces and where the blue-eyed and fair have bronze-skinned cousins.
Centuries of dizzying highs and crushing lows have formed a complex metropolis. Here, crumbling staircases lead to gilded ballrooms and guarded locals harbour hearts of gold. Just don't be fooled. Despite its noisy streets, Sicily’s largest city is a shy beast, rewarding the inquisitive with citrus-filled cloisters, stucco-laced chapels and vintage stores filled with the threads of faded aristocrats. Add to this Italy’s biggest opera house and an ever-growing number of vibrant, new-school eateries and bars and you might just find yourself suddenly, unexpectedly in love.
Destination Profile
Sicily is an island that represents three continents in its history, cuisine, language and even the citizens themselves. Their characters are as varied as their ancestry.
Throughout the years the island is a host to numerous cultural, artistic and religious events. Just like the Greeks, Easter and Christmas are celebrated with much gusto. Every town or village has a patron saint and commemorates their name day with fireworks, eating and drinking. The culture here is one that must be experienced as it is so unique and memorable.
Opera and classical music are also popular in Sicily, with Palermo boasting the biggest opera house in Italy, Teatro Massimo. The superb Taormina Greek Theatre, offers as backdrop of Mount Etna, and has an impressive summer schedule every year, which includes concerts and operas featuring international artists. Popular artists, such as James Blunt, have appeared here in recent years.
For those who adore art, there are many excellent art galleries around the island. The most noteworthy found in Palermo, the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia, the Galleria d'Arte Moderna and the new Museo Regionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea della Sicilia.
Mercato di Ballarò - Snaking for several city blocks southeast of Palazzo dei Normanni is Palermo's busiest street market, which throbs with activity well into the early evening. It's a fascinating mix of noises, smells and street life, and the cheapest place for everything from Chinese padded bras to fresh produce, fish, meat, olives and cheese.
Fontana Pretoria - Fringed by imposing churches and buildings, Piazza Pretoria is dominated by the over-the-top Fontana Pretoria, one of Palermo's major landmarks. The fountain's tiered basins ripple out in concentric circles, crowded with nude nymphs, tritons and leaping river gods. Such flagrant nudity proved a bit much for Sicilian churchgoers, who prudishly dubbed it the Fontana della Vergogna (Fountain of Shame).
Galleria Regionale della Sicilia - Housed in the stately 15th-century Palazzo Abatellis, this art museum – widely regarded as Palermo's best – showcases works by Sicilian artists from the Middle Ages to the 18th century. One of its greatest treasures is Trionfo della Morte (Triumph of Death), a magnificent fresco (artist unknown) in which Death is represented as a demonic skeleton mounted on a wasted horse, brandishing a wicked-looking scythe while leaping over his hapless victims.
All hotels in Palermo
Palazzo Sitano Hotel
Porta Felice
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5203
|
__label__wiki
| 0.956183
| 0.956183
|
Applications Consumer Industrial Contact Nav
NeverWet®
Anti-Wetting
Oleophobic
Partners & Product Uses
Connect on YouTube
Magical NeverWet Arrives in Stores
Nearly two years ago, the developer of NeverWet was deluged with interest in the spray-on coating that repels water, mud, ice and other liquids.
The outpouring was touched off by a video accompanying an August 2011 story in this newspaper on the product, initially intended for industrial use.
The viral video, viewed 4.8 million times, demonstrated the silicon-based spray coating's near-magical abilities.
Viewers watched in amazement as NeverWet repelled chocolate syrup from white shoes and water off a cotton shirt.
That led to thousands of inquiries to NeverWet from people wanting to buy the product.
They were told, sorry, they'd just have to wait until a consumer version was ready.
But now, the wait is almost over.
In the next day or two the spray will be on shelves of Home Depot at Red Rose Commons as part of a national roll-out to Home Depot stores.
Read more: https://lancasteronline.com/business/magical-neverwet-arrives-in-stores/article_79ba958a-2ce4-5ddd-b162-b67d51319356.html
The transition from laboratory wonder to consumer product was made possible by a licensing agreement with Rust-Oleum.
NeverWet agreed to let Rust-Oleum manufacture and distribute the product in North America in return for a royalty payment for every can sold.
The amount of payment was not disclosed.
At Home Depot, Rust-Oleum NeverWet includes two spray cans — a base coat and a top coat — that can cover 10 to 15 square feet.
Retailing for $19.97, Rust-Oleum NeverWet will begin appearing over the next few weeks at stores other than Home Depot here and nationwide.
"This is a game changer," said Jim Stinner, vice president of marketing for Rust-Oleum. "Everyone is going to want to try it out."
Stinner declined to say where Rust-Oleum NeverWet is being made or how much is being produced.
The launch of Rust-Oleum NeverWet will include newspaper, magazine and television advertising, he said.
"This is certainly going to be one of the biggest products we've ever had," predicted Stinner.
Stinner said the product launch has generated more buzz than any new product he's seen in his 18 years with Rust-Oleum.
"The interest it is garnering is second-to-none," he said.
The interest is the result of Rust-Oleum NeverWet's remarkable performance. Here's how it works.
When water hits the coating's superhydrophobic barrier, it forms a nearly circular bead that either causes the liquid to shoot off the surface or never cling there in the first place.
Among other things, it can be used on metal, wood, masonry and aluminum as well as fabric, leather and canvas.
But the possible uses for Rust-Oleum NeverWet seem limited only by the imagination of the customer.
For instance, NeverWet officials showed a reporter this past week how it can be sprayed on the inside of a cardboard case of beer to make an impromptu ice chest.
The wow factor of NeverWet's product has never been the problem.
But until the agreement was reached with Rust-Oleum, the know-how to make NeverWet on a large scale and get it to a lot of consumers had been a sticking point.
"It is a huge deal," Daniel Hobson, NeverWet's chief executive officer, said of the licensing agreement.
Hobson said Rust-Oleum's marketing reach and manufacturing potential allows NeverWet to focus on developing and refining products without getting lost in the issues related to manufacturing and selling them.
"We look at ourselves as an innovation company, not as a manufacturer," Hobson said.
The Conestoga Valley Industrial Park company's first innovation began as its then-parent's solution to a basic, industrial problem.
About five years ago, Ross Technology Corp. needed a better way to reduce corrosion on the steel products it makes here.
When they couldn't find one, they decided to make something on their own.
But soon, the small group of scientists working on the anti-corrosive coating saw a lot of new possibilities for the nano-particle coating that kept things clean, dry and free of bacteria and ice.
The group became Ross Nanotechnology, a subsidiary of Ross Technology Corp.
Now, NeverWet, which has 15 employees, is an independent company in which Ross Technology Corp. has a minority ownership stake.
Though declining to disclose NeverWet's sales figures, Andrew Jones, the company's president, said "We're growing dramatically."
Originally, the company had expected to release a consumer product in early 2012, an event watched with great interest by people who had seen the early viral video.
While the long-awaited spray cans weren't fast in appearing, the company got its name on some store shelves in spring 2012 through NeverWet Clean and Dry toilet plungers, which were made for Rubbermaid.
Ross Technology continues to make the toilet plungers in a factory line that has about 20 employees.
In August 2012, NeverWet said it was considering selling it on their website, just to get it into consumer's hands.
However, Hobson said setting up the manufacturing for the toilet plungers reinforced the belief that the company was at its best when it was coming up with ideas, not manufacturing products or handling sales.
"When we thought about putting it out ourselves, we thought, 'This will drown us,' " Hobson said. "What we want to do is sell the juice — sell the magic juice."
Ultimately, a limited release was put on hold as the company waited for a nationwide debut through a new suitor: Rust-Oleum.
Hobson said NeverWet continues to pitch the product to a variety of industrial manufacturers as something they can use during their process, while also working to get the product on shelves around the world.
"We're not just sitting back and saying, 'We got Rust-Oleum,' " Hobson said.
He said the firm also is focused on making the product better.
While the current Rust-Oleum NeverWet leaves a frosty haze, Hobson said a transparent application will "absolutely" be among the future versions of a product he expects to become a staple in household garages everywhere.
"Ultimately we're licensing it so that we can be the WD-40 for the next 100 years," he said.
by NeverWet
Posted 06/16/2013 in news
© 2019 NeverWet, LLC. | All Rights Reserved
NeverWet® is a registered trademark or trademark of NeverWet LLC.
We're proud to be members of these textile-related industry associations:
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5204
|
__label__wiki
| 0.960541
| 0.960541
|
Indonesia earthquake - No harm to Sri Lanka: Met Dept.
By ramanayake June 24, 2019 778
Meteorology Department Director of Forecasting, Anusha Warnasuriya said that there was no harm to Sri Lanka following the deep earthquake of magnitude 7.5 that struck off the coasts of East Timor and Indonesia today. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said Pacific monitoring authorities ruled out the chance of tsunami.
Strong shaking caused alarm in the East Timor capital of Dili, prompting people to run out of their houses, a Reuters witness said, but there were no immediate reports of deaths or damage. The quake was also felt on Indonesia's holiday island of Bali, several people said on social media. But there were no immediate reports of damage or injury in Indonesia, said Rita Rosita, an official of the national disaster mitigation agency.
The shaking was also felt in Australia's northern city of Darwin, about 700 km from the epicentre, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said, but no damage was reported. The quake, initially recorded at a magnitude of 7.2, hit out at sea at a depth of 220 km, the USGS said.
« Expect more showers: Met Dept. Secretary Briefs on Security Status Quo & New Procedures »
ramanayake
Latest from ramanayake
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5206
|
__label__wiki
| 0.984413
| 0.984413
|
Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 96F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..
A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later at night. Low 71F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
From left, artists Warren Haynes and Jorgen Carlsson of Gov't Mule perform on the River Stage at Beale Street Music Festival on Saturday, May 5, 2018 in Memphis, Tenn.
Laura Roberts/Invision/AP
Gov't Mule celebrating silver anniversary with first concert film and album package
By Jane Dunlap Sathe jsathe@dailyprogress.com | (434) 978-7249
Wednesday’s show at Sprint Pavilion gives Charlottesville fans a chance to wish Gov’t Mule a happy silver anniversary. It’s also a chance to celebrate a comprehensive new concert film and album package that honors the past but barrels toward the future.
“Bring on the Music — Live at the Capitol Theatre” was filmed live at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, on April 28 and 28, 2018. The director is renowned photographer Danny Clinch. If you’re even a casual fan of rock and country music, you’ve been enjoying his images for years; in recent years, he also has been building a reputation as a film director.
Gov’t Mule’s new two-CD, two-DVD set was released June 28 in digital and vinyl formats, and the deluxe CD/DVD package and Blu-ray will come out July 19.
“It’s our first actual concert film,” guitarist Warren Haynes said. “We’ve had some concert DVDs in the past, and some say, ‘What’s the difference?’, and I say, ‘Danny Clinch.’
“He has done a lot of cool music films the past few years and has turned into the go-to guy everybody turns to and trusts.”
Part of the fun was deciding which songs to include. Selections reach back to 2000 with “Life Before Insanity,” the title track of Gov’t Mule’s album that year, and “Mr. Man” from 2004’s “Deja Voodoo.” The band’s most recent studio collection, “Revolution Come ... Revolution Go,” is well represented, too. Some staples from the band’s catalog are presented in fresh arrangements.
“We made sure we did something from each stage in our career,” Haynes said. “With two DVDs and two CDs, it’s five and a half hours.”
For Haynes, it’s time to look back in gratitude at the surprisingly satisfying path a simple side gig has taken over a quarter of a century.
“Since Gov’t Mule started as a side project to the Allman Brothers, we never expected to do a second album,” Haynes said. “It kind of built its own steam and became its own band. We continued to make the best decisions we could at the time.”
Haynes and bassist Allen Woody formed Gov’t Mule with drummer Matt Abts during a 1994 break from the Allman Brothers Band. Haynes called the band’s mission “selfishly making ourselves happy first — and like-minded people were drawn to it.”
Fans embraced the band’s blend of rock, blues, jazz and soul elements, and “Bring on the Music” includes songs from throughout the group’s history. It documents the band’s growth and depth over time as unexpected successes — and losses — shaped it.
“When Allen Woody passed away in 2000, we were immediately faced with the question of whether to go on,” Haynes said.
After losing Woody, Haynes and Abts performed with a who’s who of gifted bassist friends — John Entwistle, Bootsy Collins, Flea, Phil Lesh and Les Claypool, to name a few — before making the shift from trio to quartet, which opened appealing new musical possibilities in time to release “Deja Voodoo” in 2004.
The current lineup of Haynes, Abts, keyboardist Danny Louis and bassist Jorgen Carlsson has been in place since 2008. Carlsson “has an uncanny similarity to Allen Woody on the bass,” Haynes said. “Since Woody was such a huge part of the sound, it needs to stay that way. That element will always be there.”
Woody’s lasting presence is an uplifting one.
“He looms large in our daily life for a lot of reasons — one of which was he was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met,” Haynes said.
The current lineup has spent a decade making the most of a fruitful chemistry that thrives on collaborating and playing up each other’s strengths. Spend a little time with “Revolution Come ... Revolution Go” to get a feel for the band’s sense of ensemble — and with the new live recordings to sense its exquisite reactions to feedback from the audience.
“Since we kind of take a jazz approach to all our music, it relies on communication,” Haynes said. “Consequently, the audience is a part of that equation. They’re like the fifth member. I think a lot of them realize how important they are.”
Gov't Mule with The Record Company:
7 p.m. Wednesday; doors open at 6 p.m.
Sprint Pavilion
sprintpavilion.com
Allen Woody
Matt Abts
Burg Cover | Current Print Section
Connect with The Burg
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5207
|
__label__cc
| 0.58534
| 0.41466
|
Supermoon 2017: Everything You Need to Know About December's 'Full Cold Moon'
By Katherine Hignett On 12/1/17 at 7:44 AM EST
Tech & Science Astronomy Supermoon Physics Full moon
You have probably heard that this Sunday's full moon will bring the biggest and brightest of the year so far. December 3rd's "full cold moon" will be the only supermoon of 2017.
But what exactly is a supermoon, and why is everybody talking about it?
What is a supermoon?
A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the perigee of the moon's orbital cycle. A perigee is the point at which the moon moves closest to Earth during orbit. Because the orbit is not a perfect circle, this means the moon typically sits anywhere between 252,000 and 226,000 miles from Earth. That is a difference of 26,000 miles—longer than the entire circumference of the Earth.
The shorter distance makes the moon appear larger in the sky, allowing it to reflect more light and look brighter.
A supermoon rises in Marseille, France, on November 14, 2016. BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images
What's cool about this one?
This weekend offers the first and only supermoon of the year. It should shine 16 percent brighter and 7 percent larger than normal, reports National Geographic. However, this year may not be quite as bright as last November's supermoon, which was the closest perigee in 68 years.
The moon will also pass in front of the bright star Aldebaran. Stargazers will be able to catch this occultation from some parts of the U.S., Canada, Russia and even Bangladesh, Space.com reported.
How can I see it?
The best time to see a supermoon is just after sunset. Something called the "moon illusion" makes the moon appear even bigger: The closer it is to the horizon, the larger it looks. No one knows exactly why this happens, but it probably has something to do with our eyes. NASA has this handy hack so you can prove it's just an illusion.
As you might expect, it's also a good idea to move as far away from ambient light as possible in order to get the clearest view.
Bathed in the light of a supermoon, a man crosses Sydney Harbour Bridge on November 15, 2016. Jason Reed/Reuters
For budding astronomers living in the mainland United States, the supermoon will rise at 4:29 p.m. local time in San Francisco and 5:26 p.m. in New York City. If you are in Honolulu, head outside at 6:25 p.m. Those in Anchorage, Alaska, can catch the moonrise at 4:28 p.m.
If you want to catch the supermoon at its closest, you'll need to get up really early (or stay up really late). The moon will reach just 222,443 miles from Earth at 4 a.m. ET.
To record the supermoon, NASA recommended fitting your camera with a telephoto lens. Lengthening the shutter time and increasing the ISO (sensitivity) can compensate for low light. You will need to keep an eye on those settings throughout the night, as the moon illusion, clouds and changing ambient light may affect your camera's performance.
The only 2017 #supermoon is coming next 3 Dec. See it live with us, while it rises above the legendary skyline of Rome!
Discover more: https://t.co/ohr8tpE71Q pic.twitter.com/CFvr8jYCR4
— Virtual Telescope (@VirtualTelescop) November 29, 2017
What does "full cold moon" mean?
This year's supermoon is also called the full cold moon. This is because it is the first full moon of December, a sign that winter is here.
Humans around the world have used moons to track the passage of time for thousands of years. Different names for specific full moons often reflect important times in agricultural and hunting calendars. September's harvest moon coincides with—you guessed it—autumn's traditional gathering of crops.
Other names recognize the importance of animals throughout human history. January's wolf moon is named after the sound of hungry wolves. Native Americans and medieval Europeans would recognize their howls as a sign of midwinter.
Last month's beaver moon reflected the Algonquin tribe's practice of setting traps for beavers. Catching the critters in November would bulk up your winter fur supply.
More than just the supermoon
The coming weeks are set to dazzle stargazers with some spectacular celestial events. Be sure to head for clear skies for the Geminid meteor shower on December 14, which will fill the sky with up to 120 meteors per hour. We may have been starved for supermoons in 2017, but January 2018 will offer two. Spot the wolf moon on January 2, and a rare, "blue" supermoon on January 31.
Supermoon 2017: Everything You Need to Know About December's 'Full Cold Moon' | Tech & Science
Two Reasons to Watch the Skies This Month
Catch 2017's Only Supermoon on December 3
What is The Beaver Moon? When, Where and How To Watch
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5208
|
__label__wiki
| 0.99306
| 0.99306
|
Chuck Brown: The 'Godfather Of Go-Go' At 75 Brown will receive a tribute from the National Symphony Orchestra during a concert next month. Here, he and the NSO's principal pops conductor, Steven Reineke, discuss music with host Michel Martin.
Chuck Brown: The 'Godfather Of Go-Go' At 75
Chuck Brown: The 'Godfather Of Go-Go' At 75 9:13
August 26, 201112:00 PM ET
Heard on Tell Me More
NPR Staff
Chuck Brown performs at NPR. Amy Ta/NPR hide caption
Amy Ta/NPR
Chuck Brown performs at NPR.
Go-Go Swing
Everyday I Have The Blues & Call Me Monday
If you've visited Washington, D.C., or are from the area, you may have heard its signature musical style: go-go.
The "Godfather of Go-Go," Chuck Brown, describes the sound as funk mixed with African and Latin percussion.
Brown will be honored by the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the "Legends of Washington Music," a Labor Day concert. The NSO is also paying tribute to other legendary Washington musicians John Philip Sousa and Duke Ellington.
In a conversation with Tell Me More host Michel Martin, Brown says he jumped up and down when he learned about the tribute.
"I really appreciate it," he says. "I never dreamed anything like that."
Steven Reineke, the NSO's principal pops conductor, says the diversity of the music featured in the concert mixes together well. He and his staff have commissioned medleys that include Brown's hits "Bustin' Loose" and "Run Joe." Those performances will feature horns and string instruments.
"These new arrangements are just going to fill out and enhance everything that's already there," Reineke says.
Chuck Brown at NPR headquarters. Amy Ta/NPR hide caption
Chuck Brown at NPR headquarters.
Brown is also continuing to celebrate his 75th birthday, which officially happened on Aug. 22. He says turning 75 brings with it wonderful feelings, especially since he didn't think he'd make it this far.
What helped him get there? Brown credits God, his fans, the band and his family, adding that his kids have taught him the most of what he's learned in his lifetime.
"I suggest everybody stay focused," Brown says. "Whatever you're doing — big or small — do it well. That way, everybody can stand tall."
Chuck Brown: Tiny Desk Concert May 16, 2012
Chuck Brown
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5210
|
__label__wiki
| 0.792096
| 0.792096
|
Judge Doubles Down On Double Entendres In Strip Club Case : The Two-Way Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery is known for injecting humor into his opinions. He's also been at the center of controversy. This time, he's been a bit risque in his ruling that exotic dancers in San Antonio, Texas, must obey an ordinance that requires them to wear bikini tops.
Judge Doubles Down On Double Entendres In Strip Club Case
May 1, 201311:26 AM ET
Mark Memmott
The judge's name for the case says quite a bit about his opinion. WOAI.com hide caption
WOAI.com
The judge's name for the case says quite a bit about his opinion.
In what Huffington Post Business calls "one of the funniest, most eloquent court documents we've ever seen," a federal judge in Texas has loaded up his ruling on a case involving San Antonio strip clubs with at least 17 double entendres.
(We confess that some may have gone over our heads. Feel free do do your own count. WOAI-TV has posted a copy of the ruling here.)
The legal issue was the clubs' request for a preliminary injunction that would block enforcement of a city ordinance. That ordinance requires that exotic dancers in certain establishments wear bikini tops instead of pasties (which, if you're unfamiliar with the term, cover just "the areolae of the female breast," as the ruling states).
In what he called The Case of the Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Bikini Top v. the (More) Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Pastie, Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery denied the clubs' request. In doing so, he certainly had some fun writing his opinion:
-- "An ordinance dealing with semi-nude dancers has once again fallen on the Court's lap."
-- "The age old question before the Court, now with constitutional implications is: Does size matter?"
-- "The Court infers Plaintiffs fear enforcement of the ordinance would strip them of their profits, adversely impacting their bottom line."
-- "Plaintiffs, and by extension their customers, seek an erection of a constitutional wall separating themselves from the regulatory power of City government."
-- "While the Court has not received amicus curiae briefs, the Court has been blessed with volunteers known in South Texas as 'curious amigos' to be inspectors general to perform on sight visits at the locations in question."
Then, after ruling that the clubs did not establish that the ordinance would cause them irreparable harm or violate the dancers' First Amendment rights, Judge Biery concludes with this:
"Should the parties choose to string this case out to trial on the merits, the Court encourages reasonable discovery intercourse as they navigate the peaks and valleys of litigation, perhaps to reach a happy ending."
Biery is known for his "rulings peppered with poems, laced with humor and sprinkled with references to baseball," as the San Antonio Express-News reported in 2011. He's also been the target of threats, most notably for a decision in 2011 that barred organized public prayer at a high school. That ruling caught the attention of 2012 Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who called judges like Biery "dictators."
When that case was finally settled and rules were set for how prayers could and could not be included in school functions, Biery wrote a personal statement:
"To the United States Marshal Service and local police who have provided heightened security: Thank you.
"To those Christians who have venomously and vomitously cursed the Court family and threatened bodily harm and assassination: In His name, I forgive you.
"To those who have prayed for my death: Your prayers will someday be answered, as inevitability trumps probability.
"To those in executive and legislative branches of government who have demagogued this case for their own political goals: You should be ashamed of yourselves.
"To the lawyers who have advocated professionally and respectfully for their clients respective positions: Bless you."
Biery was nominated to the bench in 1993 by then-President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate the following year.
Fred Biery
double entendres
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5211
|
__label__cc
| 0.640409
| 0.359591
|
September 23, 2014 September 23, 2014 Sarah Crean Climate
What We Heard from Long Island Climate Activists on Sunday: Start Local
In the wake of Sunday’s landmark Climate March, the United Nations has begun deliberations that are supposed to lead to a new set of carbon emissions limits next year. How can the voices from Sunday’s march penetrate the halls of the U.N.?
The hundreds of grassroots, community-based organizations who marched say they are paving the way for global climate action by creating a broad base of support at the local level.
Michael Turi of Nassau County People’s Climate spoke with NY Environment Report about the impact of climate change on the Southern Shore of Long Island, and the group’s hopes for the U.N. climate summit. Turi described the group as “citizen activists” who “care about the environment and [are] showing it with their feet.”
https://www.nyenvironmentreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/test-Nassau-Co.mp3
What’s the Long Island grassroots strategy for obtaining meaningful action on climate change, we asked Turi. “There needs to be enough of a message [from Sunday’s march] so they [political leaders] can go back and get the buy-in of the people who they represent,” he answered.
“And those people will tell their leaders: this is important to us; this is what matters; this is real. It’s affecting everybody and it’s already started and it’s only going to get worse and more expensive, and we need to spend the time dealing with it now to prevent what could happen later.”
This philosophy of building pressure from below applies to political leaders across the globe, said Turi. He added that the cumulative power of environmental action at the local level should not be under-estimated.
“We’re participating in something larger than ourselves today but it’s important to act where you are,” Turi stressed.
“There are environmental issues locally in every community that need to be addressed including as pertains to climate change…We care about climate change in Nassau County, and that’s where we’re going to act upon it. All of these people …[at the march] they’re from somewhere. If everyone acts where they are, that adds up to a lot of trench and action.”
Throughout the week we will be posting audio recordings of interviews with participants at Sunday’s Climate March. We think that the marchers -and their experiences dealing with local environmental issues- represent an enormous collective resource.
Tagged 2014 Climate Summit, Long Island, People's Climate March
Climate March 2014 – the day in pictures
“Let’s Be Bold”: what one Jersey City resident says about climate change
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5213
|
__label__wiki
| 0.558381
| 0.558381
|
Opinion|The G.O.P. Health Care Hoax
The G.O.P. Health Care Hoax
By Nicholas Kristof
President Obama at the Capitol on Wednesday after meeting with congressional Democrats about the Affordable Care Act.CreditCreditStephen Crowley/The New York Times
This week, President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans began to dismantle Obamacare, and here are the details of their replacement plan:
—— —- —- —- - —— —- —— —- - —- —- — —— —- —— —- —- —- — — - - - - —— —- —- —— —- —- —- - —— —- —— —- - —- —- — —— —- - —- —- — - —- —- — —— —- - —- —- — - —- —-
That captures the nonexistent Republican plan to replace Obamacare. They’re telling Americans who feel trapped by health care problems: “Jump! Maybe we’ll catch you.”
This G.O.P. fraud is called “repeal and delay.” That means repealing the Affordable Care Act, effective in a few years without specifying what will replace it.
If the Republicans ran a home renovation business, they would start tearing down your roof this month and promise to return in 2019 with some options for a new one — if you survived.
And survival will be a real issue. The bottom line of the G.O.P. approach is that millions of Americans will lose insurance, and thousands more will die unnecessarily each year because of lack of care.
The paradox of Obamacare is that it is both unpopular and saves lives. Preliminary research suggests that it has already begun saving lives, but it’s too early to have robust data on the improvements to life expectancy among the additional 20 million people who have gained insurance. It is notable that an Urban Institute study found that on the eve of Obamacare’s start, lack of health insurance was killing one American every 24 minutes.
One careful study found that the Republican health care plan in Massachusetts, which was the model for Obamacare, noticeably lowered mortality rates. For every additional 830 adults covered by insurance, one death was prevented each year.
The American College of Physicians warned this week that the G.O.P. course could result in seven million Americans losing their health insurance this year alone, by causing parts of the insurance market to implode. Back-of-envelope calculations suggest that the upshot would be an additional 8,400 Americans dying annually.
How can insurance make such a difference?
I’ve written about my college roommate Scott Androes, a fellow farm boy from Oregon, who switched careers in 2003 and didn’t buy health insurance on the individual market because it was so expensive. Then in 2011 he had trouble urinating and didn’t see a doctor because of the cost.
By 2012 he had blood in his urine and finally was scared enough that he sought medical help. He had waited too long: He had stage IV prostate cancer.
Scott Androes in May 1979, when he and Nicholas Kristof were college roommates.
“I blew it,” Scott told me. “I feel like a damned fool.” He showed immense courage in agreeing to tell his story — despite concern that his legacy would be an article highlighting his foolishness — because he wanted people to understand the human cost of a lack of universal insurance. He died soon afterward.
That’s the system that the Republicans are trying to take us back to.
Americans spend two or three times as much on health care as a share of G.D.P. as other industrialized countries but get worse outcomes. American children are 75 percent more likely to die in the first five years of life than British or German children, according to World Bank data, and American women are twice as likely to die in pregnancy as Canadian women. The reasons have to do partly with American poverty, and partly with the high number of uninsured.
Trump would have you believe that he will keep the popular parts of Obamacare, such as the ban on discriminating against pre-existing conditions, while eliminating unpopular parts like the mandate. That’s impossible: The good and bad depend on each other.
The Trump approach would be like trying to amputate a dog’s rear end so you wouldn’t have to clean up its messes. It just doesn’t work that way.
A full repeal of Obamacare would also worsen the deficit. The Congressional Budget Office said in 2015 that “repealing the A.C.A. would increase federal budget deficits by $137 billion over the 2016-2025 period.” That’s more than $1,000 per American household.
Yes, health policy makes eyes glaze over. But focus on these two points: By broad agreement, the number of people insured will drop if Republicans “repeal and delay,” and more uninsured Americans means more Americans dying. That’s why the American College of Physicians, the American Medical Association and even conservative health care analysts have warned Congress not to repeal Obamacare without stipulating what comes next.
Republicans spent $7 million investigating the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi and ultimately found no evidence of high-level wrongdoing. Now they are rushing toward a scam that may cost thousands of American lives every year.
Apply to my annual Win-a-Trip contest, in which I select a university student to accompany me on a reporting trip in the developing world.
I invite you to sign up for my free, twice-weekly email newsletter. Please also join me on Facebook and Google+, watch my YouTube videos and follow me on Twitter (@NickKristof).
A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 23 of the New York edition with the headline: The G.O.P. Health Hoax. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
OpinionThe Editorial Board
Republicans Are Courting Disaster on Health Care
OpinionDavid Leonhardt
The Complex Mess of Health Insurance
OpinionDrew Altman
The Health Care Plan Trump Voters Really Want
OpinionTina Rosenberg
A Bipartisan Reason to Save Obamacare
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5214
|
__label__cc
| 0.664335
| 0.335665
|
Budget 2011 doesn’t solve serious problems
Some have described the 2011 budget as cautious and safe. Cautious, yes. Safe – maybe politically, but not in terms of removing economic risks. And no one to my knowledge described it as strategic – constituting a coherent, medium-term plan for restoring balanced growth.
Arguably the two main economic problems facing the country are the structural imbalances and the slump in productivity growth, both of which the government inherited from its predecessor. Both originate with the enormous increase in government spending and regulation, and the anti-growth policies more generally, of the last decade.
The imbalances take the form of stagnation of output in the tradeables sector of the economy (export and import-competing industries) while the non-tradeable sector (which includes government) continued to expand and absorb resources.
The budget noted that real export growth since 2004 averaged an anaemic 1.4% a year, compared with 5.4% in the previous 15 years. The current account deficit averaged 8% of GDP from 2005 to 2009, and external liabilities mushroomed.
As for productivity, the story is well known. We saw greatly improved labour productivity growth (to around 2.5 – 3% a year) after the economic reforms of the 1980s and early 1990s, followed by a dramatic slump (to just 0.9% per year over the 2006-10 period).
Fast rates of productivity growth must be achieved if New Zealand is to catch up to Australian income levels.
So how does the 2011 budget measure up in terms of dealing with these two fundamental problems?
If economic rebalancing were occurring, we would expect to see, among other things, a reduction in the government spending share of GDP to release resources to the tradeables sector; strong export growth; and an economic recovery that did not put pressure on the current account.
Unfortunately, there is little evidence of such trends in the budget forecasts. Core Crown expenses are at all-time highs relative to GDP this year and next, and even by 2015 remain higher than in most of the Cullen years. Export volume growth is forecast to average a meagre 2.5% a year for the 5 years to 2015 (despite high terms of trade and a favourable exchange rate with Australia ). The current account deficit is forecast to increase to over 6% a year as the economy recovers.
This is not a healthy outlook in the face of gathering risks in the global economy, including renewed financial turbulence which could make it difficult or expensive for New Zealand to roll over debt or undertake new borrowing. The government may have done enough to maintain the country’s credit rating in the short term but the negative outlook remains and conditions could easily worsen.
In respect of productivity, no return to the rates of growth of the 1990s is in prospect. Labour productivity is forecast to grow by under 1% a year in the five years to 2015 and assumed to average 1.5% a year thereafter. This outlook is not surprising: the government has implemented few productivity-enhancing reforms.
The bottom line is that not a lot is happening to deal with New Zealand ’s two most serious economic weaknesses.
Some aspects of the budget were more encouraging. The return to a budget surplus by 2014/15, if achieved, would be a significant milestone, especially against the background of the Christchurch earthquakes. Ongoing tight control of core government spending would be required for this outcome, and the government’s ability to sustain such control remains an open question.
It is also to the government’s credit that the budget confirmed its intention to proceed with partial privatisation of four SOEs and to sell down its shareholding in Air New Zealand . This is probably not a politically popular decision, although opposition to privatisation may not be deep-seated. The government should make the case for its plans by debunking the many myths that have been propagated about privatisation over the past 15 years.
The reductions in spending on KiwiSaver, Working for Families, and student loans policy were all moves in the right direction. These programmes were vote-buying measures unsupported by sound policy analysis. They are good illustrations of how the costs of poor policies can burgeon over time and gather entrenched interests around them, making them difficult to modify.
Even the limited changes made are not without their drawbacks. The savings of just 4% of the cost of Working for Families come at the expense of higher effective marginal tax rates for some taxpayers. Also from 1 April 2013 KiwiSavers will be required to contribute a minimum of 3% of gross wages (up 1 percentage point) unless they opt out. Employers will also have to contribute another 1 percentage point if the employee contributes. This will reduce the competitiveness of industries in the exposed sector.
Beyond Working for Families, however, no changes were made to the major income transfer programmes. Along with health and education, these are the big spending areas. New Zealand Superannuation remains the elephant in the room, with the prime minister’s commitment not to increase the eligibility age. The costs of NZS are set to rise from $8.8 billion in the current year to $11.7 billion by 2015. There is widespread understanding that New Zealand cannot turn a blind eye to the problem – the demographic time bomb is ticking. A possible ‘out’ for the government would be to put the issue to voters in a referendum.
Social welfare is the other big transfer programme. Strangely, no announcements were made in the budget on the recommendations of the Welfare Working Group that reported in February. Earlier this year the government was saying that the WWG report and that of the Savings Working Group would be a major focus of the budget. Why has this not happened – election year politics, sluggish decision-making processes, or resistance to change on the part of the welfare bureaucracy? The budget forecasts an ongoing rise in the costs of all the main benefits (Domestic Purposes, Invalids and Sickness) apart from the Unemployment Benefit.
Other opportunities to advance a stronger agenda were missed. No indication was given of a timetable for the government’s stated goal of getting all income tax rates down to 30% or below. A stronger commitment could have been made to support the Regulatory Standards Bill and the Spending Cap (People’s Veto) Bill promoted by the ACT Party. The former seeks to improve the quality of regulatory policies and the latter to cap real per capita government spending, unless voters authorise higher increases in a referendum. The proposed cap would not impose unrealistic disciplines – the government’s forecast spending track would fit comfortably within it.
Perhaps most ominously, no mention was made in the budget of the government’s top priority goal of closing the income gap with Australia by 2025. The government has also disbanded the 2025 Taskforce. The 2025 goal is not just an outcome of the Confidence and Supply Agreement between National and ACT; it is a vision articulated independently and earlier by prime minister John Key. Has the government thrown in the towel, just as Helen Clark’s government gave up on its goal of lifting New Zealand incomes to the top half of the OECD income ladder? If so, the consequences will be serious. Australian per capita incomes are now 38% above those in New Zealand and the budget forecasts suggest the gap will continue to widen in the next parliamentary term. The consequence can only be continued migration of businesses and people across the Tasman.
What would a coherent plan to address New Zealand ’s economic imbalances and growth prospects look like? A credible answer was given in the two reports of the 2025 Taskforce. Essentially the Taskforce recommended less government intervention under the headings of government spending, regulation and ownership of businesses, thus creating a freer environment for entrepreneurial endeavour. Such a programme is orthodox rather than radical. It is consistent with the advocacy of the Business Roundtable and other major business organisations (Business New Zealand, Federated Farmers and the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce). In its reports on New Zealand the OECD has made similar recommendations. No alternative programme for achieving its ambitious goal has been put forward by the government.
In summary, New Zealand is a nation at risk. The government is struggling to undo the economic damage inflicted by its predecessor. Its strategy of slow adjustment to the global financial crisis and now the Christchurch earthquake is fraught with danger. The MMP system is inimical to decisive remedial action. Another economic shock could provoke a major crisis.
As always, the solutions to these dilemmas are ultimately in voters’ hands. A country’s choice of institutions and policies largely determines whether it prospers or not. There is widespread disquiet in the business community and among international observers about New Zealand ’s economic risks and ongoing under-performance. The chance for voters at large to indicate whether they are satisfied with the current state of affairs or whether they want change for the better will be at the November general election and the referendum on MMP.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5215
|
__label__wiki
| 0.925548
| 0.925548
|
Air NZ scandal more than 'just a laugh'
24 Aug, 2016 4:36pm 3 minutes to read
Agent says he had no time to collect offensive items
Families with children now 53% of NZ's homeless
24 Aug, 2016 4:37pm
Families with children now make up 53 per cent of New Zealanders in severe housing deprivation. Photo / Doug Sherring
By: Simon Collins
Education reporter, NZ Herald
simon.collins@nzherald.co.nz
More than half of New Zealand's 41,000 homeless people are now families with children, according to new University of Otago research.
The new analysis shows that 21,797 children and their parents were in "severe housing deprivation" on Census day in 2013, up dramatically from 15,085 in the previous 2006 Census.
Surprisingly, single adults in severe housing deprivation declined from 9759 to 7763, and adults in couples and living with their adult children or parents increased from 3424 to 4898.
As the housing market gets tighter, single people have more flexibility and potentially more options open to them, whereas families with children don't.
Overall numbers in severe housing deprivation rose from 28,917 in 2001 and 33,946 in 2006 (both 0.8 per cent of all New Zealanders) to 41,207 (1 per cent) in 2013.
Families with children increased from 42 per cent of the total in 2001 to 45 per cent in 2006 and 53 per cent in 2013.
Researcher Dr Kate Amore said the alarming increase in families with children living in deprivation was in line with poverty rates that were highest among children, while single adults had more housing options.
"As the housing market gets tighter, single people have more flexibility and potentially more options open to them, whereas families with children don't. People [landlords] are less likely to want them, and they have more requirements of housing," she said.
She defined "severe housing deprivation" as "severely inadequate housing due to a lack of access to minimally adequate housing". This meant she excluded people who lived in "inadequate housing" such as motorhomes or caravans by choice.
Two-thirds (28,563, up 30 per cent from 2006) were assessed as in severe housing deprivation because of overcrowding - "living as a temporary resident in a severely crowded permanent private dwelling due to a lack of access to minimally adequate housing".
The next-biggest group (7851, up 26 per cent) was in boarding houses, hotels, motels and motor camps "due to a lack of access to minimally adequate housing".
Property crisis: Can I rent your driveway?
18 Aug, 2016 6:35am
Can't afford a house? Buy a boat
One-night-stand penalty may be wiped
15 Sep, 2016 8:32am
Numbers in "mobile dwellings" such as cars, caravans and motorhomes "due to a lack of access to minimally adequate housing" declined to 2784 (down 22 per cent), but Dr Amore said that was because of a Statistics NZ coding change which found more such people were actually living in motor camps.
Numbers also declined in emergency housing such as women's refuges and night shelters (down 16 per cent to 549), and for people sleeping rough or in "improvised dwellings" (down 3 per cent to 1413).
Adults in paid work increased from 32 per cent of all adults in severe housing deprivation in 2006 to 35 per cent in 2013.
Students declined relatively from 24 per cent to 23 per cent of adults in the group.
Sole-parent families are much more likely to be in severe housing deprivation: 3.3 per cent of all sole-parent families compared with 0.5 per cent of couples with children. But couples with children in housing deprivation grew much faster (up 65 per cent to 7070), while sole parents with children increased only 36 per cent to 14,727.
Regionally, Nelson registered the biggest jump in severe housing deprivation since 2006 (up 81 per cent), followed by Auckland (up 26 per cent) and Wellington (up 24 per cent).
Among individual cities, numbers fell by 8 per cent in Whangarei but rose by 16 per cent in Hamilton, 26 per cent in Tauranga, 17 per cent in Rotorua and 34 per cent in Palmerston North.
Pacific people were about 10 times as likely to be in severe housing deprivation (3.9 per cent of all Pacific people) than Europeans (0.4 per cent). Maori (2.1 per cent) and Asians (1.7 per cent) are in between.
Within Auckland, 4.5 per cent of Pacific people, 3 per cent of Maori, 1.8 per cent of Asians and 0.5 per cent of Europeans were in severe housing deprivation.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5216
|
__label__wiki
| 0.677656
| 0.677656
|
Oboolo.comhttps://www.oboolo.com/politics-international/political-science/presentation/the-hidden-motivations-behind-the-religious-discourse-of-george-w-69332.html
The hidden motivations behind the religious discourse of George W. Bush and his decision to go to war in Iraq
Political scienceThe hidden motivations behind the religious discourse of George W. Bush and his decision to go to war in Iraq
The interference of religion and politics in the united states 3
The influence of some socio- political factors on the american religious order
The evangelicals' political weight on the american politics in the united states
The crusade of George W. Bush
The religious rhetoric of George W. Bush
The religious interpretation of september
The religious dimension of the iraqi war
Today's American exeptionalism is not only related to the myth of the American dream and to the U.S. military and economic superiority, but also to the role of religion in the American domestic and foreign policy. The president, himself, a born again Christian, does not hesitate to use a moralistic and implicitly religious language in order to defend his policies which are very much in keeping with the preferences of evangelical Christians. The number of studies concerned with the fusion of religion and politics in the United States has increased exponentially, as has the number of textbooks, articles and magazines dealing with this topic. However, if religion is a fast expanding and increasingly contemporary subject, today's political situation makes it a dangerous topic to talk about. It is dangerous because almost everything one may say about it is controversial, mainly after the emergence of Islamic fundamentalist networks which use religion as a unifying force to change the world order and mobilize Muslims worldwide. On September 11, 2001 two airplanes crashed into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York and another one into the Pentagon in Washington.
A closer examination of the phenomenon of globalization and its affect on India
Economics & finance | Economics | Research papers | 05/10/2009 | .doc | 117 pages
+ on A closer examination of the phenomenon of...
A critical review of Downs, A. (1957) 'An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy',...
Politics & international | Political science | Case study | 07/23/2013 | .doc | 3 pages
+ on A critical review of Downs, A. (1957) 'An...
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5217
|
__label__wiki
| 0.516132
| 0.516132
|
Boy, 16, charged in holdup of pizza deliveryman
Austin L. Miller @almillerosb
A 16-year-old boy who sheriff's deputies said was one of two people who robbed a pizza deliveryman was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with robbery with a firearm.
The minor admitted to being involved in the holdup of a Hungry Howies pizza driver when he was interviewed by Marion County Sheriff's Office Detective Bradley Bartlett. He declined to tell the detective about the other person. At the conclusion of the interview, he was arrested and taken to a juvenile facility for booking.
The Star-Banner is not releasing the name of the boy because of his age.
At his first appearance in front of Judge Robert Landt hours later, the boy was ordered held in secure detention until his next court date.
On Friday, deputies went to the 6000 block of Northwest 67th Lane to investigate a robbery. There, they were told the delivery driver tried finding an address to deliver pizza and wings. Unable to find the location, he called a number used to place the order and got no response. He called the store and was given another address.
The driver said he went to the location and two masked individuals, one of them armed with a gun, took the delivery. The victim said he was hit several times in the head, but managed to escape.
During his investigation, Bartlett learned that the number used to call the store was connected to the teen, who lives not far from the incident location. Deputies went to the home and found a pizza, a Hungry Howies receipt, the same telephone number used to call the business on the pizza box and a handgun. They also found a loaded magazine, gloves, hoodies and other items.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5219
|
__label__wiki
| 0.660779
| 0.660779
|
The Wolf Of The Carpet Cleaning World
Barry Minkow is a name I haven't come across before and so creating a movie that's based around him you'd hope that his story is amazing. Is it?
Bruce Caulk
Bruce Caulk, Jonathan Meyers
Armand Assante, Barry Minkow, Bill Goldberg, Bruce Caulk, James Caan, Jonathan Meyers, Justin Baldoni, Mark Hamill, Ving Rhames
Barry Minkow is a name I haven’t come across before and so creating a movie that’s based around him you’d hope that his story is amazing. Is it?
Minkow, played when he was younger by Justin Baldoni (Jane The Virgin (TV), A Fine Step) and by himself later, was a business whizz kid, founding ZZZZ Best when he was just 16 in the 80’s.
The company was a carpet cleaning business, but Minkow wanted so much more and had a knack for publicity. He begins to make the company look a lot larger than it is and then he begins to ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ as the phrase goes.
He starts cheque cutting, then moves into insurance fraud, setting up bogus companies to supply his companies with work (that never existed) and larger and larger schemes.
He also gets involved with some dodgy financiers. The first person to lend him money is Bill Goldberg (American Satan, The Longest Yard) but it’s later when mobster Armand Assante (American Gangster, Judge Dredd) enters the scene that things get really big.
Minkow is, inevitably, caught and sentenced to “eight Super Bowls”, as he puts it, in prison. Whilst in prison he meets Peanut, Ving Rhames (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, Mission: Impossible) and finds Jesus.
Upon his release he becomes a pastor at a church and helps the FBI, teaching them how to spot fraud to prevent another Barry Minkow from happening. Of course, he hasn’t changed his ways, and whilst he’s doing these good deeds he’s ripping off the church and the local community before he’s caught and thrown back in jail once more.
We’ve had a few of these sort of tails, from Catch Me If You Can to the more recent The Wolf Of Wall Street. Con Man is in a similar vain although co-writer and director Bruce Caulk (Redemption (Short), Chelsea’s Light (Documentary)) and co-writer Jonathan Meyers (Confession, The Best Worst Christmas Ever) add their own style to proceedings.
Baldoni plays Minkow well, imbuing him with an arrogance and drive you suspect the real man had at that age.
Whilst this is a film, there are documentary, talking-head style elements as well. In which real people from Barry’s life interject with their thoughts about the man and the story itself. Such as, they can’t believe he decided to play himself in the movie, I’ll come back to that.
The film also features Mark Hamill (Brigsby Bear, Star Wars) as Barry’s father and James Caan (The Godfather, Misery) as the main FBI agent.
The first two-thirds of the film, in which we see Barry’s reasoning for wanting to do all this to begin with, in which he, at first, appears so innocent, are easily the best parts of the movie.
They zip along for the most part and it’s fun to see although the inevitability of it all is obvious. Baldoni plays Minkow well, imbuing him with an arrogance and drive you suspect the real man had at that age.
Where the film begins to fall down is when Mr Minkow himself enters proceedings. The production value feels like it takes a nose-dive and Minkow, for whatever good he has about him, is not a good actor.
There are also parts of the movie that Barry’s real-life compatriots pour scorn over, such as whether Peanut ever actually existed for example, and these things aren’t resolved but played out like some bad 80’s TV movie on some channel you’ve stumbled across late at night.
Con Man never reaches the giddy heights of Catch Me If You Can or The Wolf Of Wall Street, in fact, to compare this to them is a fruitless exercise. Whilst the numbers involved with Minkow are vast, and the man himself appears to have an interesting personality, the movie never manages to get out of second gear and lurches into first for the final third.
Bottle Rocket (Blu-ray)
Brigsby Bear
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Second Opinion)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5220
|
__label__wiki
| 0.783945
| 0.783945
|
Peel Commission Report
Report of the
PALESTINE ROYAL COMMISSION
presented by the Secretary of State for the Coloniesto the United Kingdom
Parliament by Command of His Britannic Majesty
Summary of the Report of the Palestine Royal commission
The Members of the Palestine Royal Commission were :-
Rt. Hon. EARL PEEL, G.C.S.I., G.B.E. (Chairman).
Rt. Hon. Sir HORACE RUMBOLD, Bart., G.C.B., G.C.M.G., M.V.O. (Vice-Chairman).
Sir LAURIE HAMMOND, K.C.S.I., C.B.E.
Sir MORRIS CARTER, C.B.E.
Sir HAROLD MORRIS, M.B.E., K.C.
Professor REGINALD COUPLAND, C.I.E.
Mr. J. M. MARTIN was Secretary.
The Commission was appointed in August, 1936, with the following terms of reference :-
To ascertain the underlying causes of the disturbances which broke out in Palestine in the middle of April; to enquire into the manner in which the Mandate for Palestine is being implemented in relation to the obligations of the Mandatory towards the Arabs and the Jews respectively; and to ascertain whether, upon a proper construction of the terms of the Mandate, either the Arabs or the Jews have any legitimate grievances on account of the way in which the Mandate has been or is being implemented; and if the Commission is satisfied that any such grievances are well-founded, to make recommendation for their removal and for the prevention of their recurrence.
The following is a summary of the Commission's Report
Part I: The Problem
Chapter I. The Historical Background
A brief account of ancient Jewish times in Palestine, of the Arab conquest and occupation, of the dispersion of the Jews and the development of the Jewish Problem, and the growth and meaning of Zionism.
Chapter II. The War and the Mandate
In order to obtain Arab support in the War, the British Government promised the Sherif of Mecca in 1915 that, in the event of an Allied victory, the greater part of the Arab provinces of the Turkish Empire would become independent. The Arabs understood that Palestine would be included in the sphere of independence.
In order to obtain the support of World Jewry, the British Government in 1917 issued the Balfour Declaration. The Jews understood that, if the experiment of establishing a Jewish National Home succeeded and a sufficient number of Jews went to Palestine, the National Home might develop in course of time into a Jewish State.
At the end of the War, the Mandate System was accepted by the Allied and Associated Powers as the vehicle for the execution of the policy of the Balfour Declaration, and, after a period of delay, the Mandate for Palestine was approved by the League of Nations and the United States. The Mandate itself is mainly concerned with specific obligations of equal weight--positive obligations as to the establishment of the National Home, negative obligations as to safeguarding the rights of the Arabs. The Mandate also involves the general obligation, implicit in every Mandate, to fulfil the primary purpose of the Mandate System as expressed in the first paragraph of Article 22 of the Covenant.
This means that the well-being and development" of the people concerned are the first charge on the Mandatory, and implies that they will in due course be enabled to stand by themselves.
The association of the policy of the Balfour Declaration with the Mandate System implied the belief that Arab hostility to the former would presently be overcome, owing to the economic advantages which Jewish immigration was expected to bring to Palestine as a whole.
Chapter III. Palestine from 1920 to 1936
During the first years of the Civil Administration, which was set up in 1920, a beginning was made on the one hand with the provision of public services, which mainly affected the Arab majority of the population. and on the other hand with the establishment of the Jewish National Home. There were outbreaks of disorder in 1920 and 1921, but in 1925 it was thought that the prospects of ultimate harmony between the Arabs and the Jews seemed so favourable that the forces for maintaining order were substantially reduced.
These hopes proved unfounded because, although Palestine as a whole became more prosperous, the causes of the outbreaks of 1920 and 1921, namely, the demand of the Arabs for national independence and their antagonism to the National Home, remained unmodified and were indeed accentuated by the "external factors," namely, the pressure of the Jews of Europe on Palestine and the development of Arab nationalism in neighbouring countries.
These same causes brought about the outbreaks of 1929 and 1933. By 1936 the external factors had been intensified by--
(1) the sufferings of the Jews in Germany and Poland, resulting in a great increase of Jewish immigration into Palestine; and
(2) the prospect of Syria and the Lebanon soon obtaining the same independence as Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Egypt was also on the eve of independence.
Chapter IV. The Disturbances of 1936
These disturbances (which are briefly summarized) were similar in character to the four previous outbreaks, although more serious and prolonged. As in 1933, it was not only the Jews who were attacked, but the Palestine Government. A new feature was the part played by the Rulers of the neighbouring Arab States in bringing about the end of the strike.
The underlying causes of the disturbances of 1936 were--
(1) The desire of the Arabs for national independence;
(2) their hatred and fear of the establishment of the Jewish National Home.
These two causes were the same as those of all the previous outbreaks and have always been inextricably linked together. Of several subsidiary factors, the more important were--
(1) the advance of Arab nationalism outside Palestine;
(2) the increased immigration of Jews since 1933;
(3) the opportunity enjoyed by the Jews for influencing public opinion in Britain;
(4) Arab distrust in the sincerity of the British Government;
(5) Arab alarm at the continued Jewish purchase of land;
(6) the general uncertainty as to the ultimate intentions of the Mandatory Power.
Chapter V. The Present Situation
The Jewish National Home is no longer an experiment. The growth of its population has been accompanied by political, social and economic developments along the lines laid down at the outset. The chief novelty is the urban and industrial development. The contrast between the modern democratic and primarily European character of the National Home and that of the Arab world around it is striking. The temper of the Home is strongly nationalist. There can be no question of fusion or assimilation between Jewish and Arab cultures. The National Home cannot be half-national.
Crown Colony government is not suitable for such a highly educated, democratic community as the National Home and fosters an unhealthy irresponsibility.
The National Home is bent on forcing the pace of its development, not only because of the desire of the Jews to escape from Europe, but because of anxiety as to the future in Palestine.
The Arab population shows a remarkable increase since 1920, and it has had some share in the increased prosperity of Palestine. Many Arab landowners have benefited from the sale of land and the profitable investment of the purchase money. The fellaheen are better off on the whole than they were in 1920. This Arab progress has been partly due to the import of Jewish capital into Palestine and other factors associated with the growth of the National Home. In particular, the Arabs have benefited from social services which could not have been provided on the existing scale without the revenue obtained from the Jews.
Such economic advantage, however, as the Arabs have gained from Jewish immigration will decrease if the political breach between the races continues to widen.
Arab nationalism is as intense a force as Jewish. The Arab leaders' demand for national self-government and the shutting down of the Jewish National Home has remained unchanged since 1929. Like Jewish nationalism, Arab nationalism is stimulated by the educational system and by the growth of the Youth Movement. It has also been greatly encouraged by the recent Anglo-Egyptian and Franco-Syrian Treaties.
The gulf between the races is thus already wide and will continue to widen if the present Mandate is maintained.
The position of the Palestine Government between the two antagonistic communities is unenviable. There are two rival bodies -- the Arab Higher Committee allied with the Supreme Moslem Council on the one hand, and the Jewish Agency allied with the Va'ad Leumi on the other -- who make a stronger appeal to the natural loyalty of the Arab and the Jews than does the Government of Palestine. The sincere attempts of the Government to treat the two races impartially have not improved the relations between them. Nor has the policy of conciliating Arab opposition been successful. The events of last year proved that conciliation is useless.
The evidence submitted by the Arab and Jewish leaders respectively was directly conflicting and gave no hope of compromise.
The only solution of tile problem put forward by the Arab Higher Committee was the immediate establishment of all independent Arab Government, which would deal with the 400,000 Jews now in Palestine as it thought fit. To that it is replied that belief in British good faith would not be strengthened anywhere in the world if the National Home were now surrendered to Arab rule.
The Jewish Agency and the Va'ad Leumi asserted that the problem would be solved if the Mandate were firmly applied in full accordance with Jewish claims: thus there should be no new restriction on immigration nor anything to prevent the Jewish population becoming in course of time a majority in Palestine. To that it is replied that such a policy could only be maintained by force and that neither British public opinion nor that of World Jewry is likely to commit itself to the recurrent use of force unless it is convinced that there is no other means by which justice can be done.
Part II: The Operation of The Mandate
The Commission exhaustively considered what might be done in one field after another in execution of the Mandate to improve the prospects of peace. The results of this enquiry are embodied in Part II of the Report. The problems confronting the various branches of tile Mandatory Administration are described, and the grievances of the Arabs and Jews under each head discussed. The principal findings of the Commission are as follows:--
Chapter VI. Administration
The Palestinian officers in the Government Service work well in normal times, but in times of trouble they are unreliable. There should be no hesitation in dispensing with the services of those whose loyalty or impartiality is uncertain.
As regards British officers, the cadre is too small to admit of a Civil Service for Palestine alone and the Administration must continue to draw on the Colonial Service, but the ordinary period of service in Palestine should be not less than seven years. Officers should be carefully selected and given a preliminary course of instruction.
The Commission recognise the difficulties of the British Administration, driven from the first to work at high pressure with no opportunity for calm reflection. There is over-centralization and insufficient liaison between Headquarters Departments and the District Administration.
The grievances and claims of the Arabs and Jews as regards the Courts cannot be reconciled and reflect the racial antagonism pervading the whole Administration. The difficulty of providing a judicial system suitable to the needs of the mixed peoples of Palestine is enhanced by the existence of three official languages, three weekly days of rest, three sets of official holidays and three systems of law. As regards Jewish suspicions as to the conduct of criminal prosecutions, the Commission point to the difficulties of the Legal Department in a land where perjury is common and evidence in many cases, particularly in times of crisis, unobtainable, and conclude that the animosity between the two races, particularly in times of crisis, has shown its influence to the detriment of the work of a British Senior Government Department. The appointment of a British Senior Government Advocate is recommended.
The Jaffa-Haifa road should be completed as speedily as possible.
Further expert enquiry is necessary before deciding whether a second deep-water port is required. It would be best to build such a port, if at all, at the junction of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, equally accessible from each.
There is no branch of the Administration with which the Jewish Agency does not concern itself but the Agency is not open to criticism on this ground. Article 4 of the Mandate entitles it to advise and co-operate with the Government in almost anything that may affect the interests of the Jewish population. It constitutes a kind of parallel government existing side by side with the Mandatory Government and its privileged position intensifies Arab antagonism.
The Arab Higher Committee was to a large extent responsible for maintaining and protecting the strike last year. The Mufti of Jerusalem as President must bear his due share of responsibility. It is unfortunate that since 1929 no action has been practicable to regulate the question of elections for the Supreme Moslem Council and the position of its President. The functions which the Mufti has collected in his person and his use of them have led to the development of an Arab imperium in imperio. He may be described as the head of a third parallel government. The Commission discuss a proposal for an enlarged Arab Agency, consisting of representatives of neighbouring Arab countries as well as of the Arabs in Palestine, to balance the Jewish Agency. If the present Mandate system continues some such scheme will have to be considered.
Chapter VII. Public Security
Although expenditure on public security rose from £265,000 in 1923 to over £862,000 in 1935-36 (and £2,230,000 in 1936-37, the year of the disturbance) it is evident that the elementary duty of providing public security has not been discharged. Should disorders break out again of such a nature as to require the intervention of the Military, there should be no hesitation in enforcing martial law throughout the country under undivided military control. In such an event disarmament should be enforced and an effective frontier organisation established for stopping smuggling, illegal immigration and gun running. In the absence of disarmament the supernumerary police for the defence of Jewish Settlements should be continued as a disciplined force.
The collection of intelligence was unsatisfactory during the strike. The majority of Palestinian officers in the Criminal investigation Department are thoroughly devoted and loyal, but the junior ranks, like the majority of the District police, though useful in times of peace, are unreliable in time of trouble. It would be highly dangerous to expose the Arab police of Palestine to another strain of the same kind as that which they endured last summer.
In "mixed" areas British District Officers should be appointed.
Central and local police reserves are necessary. A large mobile mounted force is also essential, whether in the form of a Gendarmerie or by increasing the British Mounted Police.
After the 1929 disturbances, though 27 capital sentences were confirmed, only three murderers suffered the extreme penalty. In 1936 there were 260 reported cases of murder, 67 convictions and no death sentences. The prompt and adequate punishment of crime is a vital factor in the maintenance of law and order.
Collective fines totalling over £60,000 were imposed during the years 1929-36: only £18,000 has been collected up to date. If collective fines are to have a deterrent effect they should be limited to a sum that can be realized, and a body of punitive police should be quartered on the town or village until the fine has been paid.
The penalties provided by the Press ordinance and the action taken under it are insufficient. An Ordinance should be adopted providing for a cash deposit which can be confiscated and for imprisonment as well as payment of a fine; also, in case of a repetition of the offence, for forfeiture of the press.
Police barracks and married quarters are urgently necessary in certain towns.
The entire cost of the measures proposed could not be met from the revenues of Palestine. Grants-in-aid from His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom would be required on a generous scale. The immediate effect of these measures would be to wider, the gulf that separates the Arab from the Jew, with repercussions spreading far beyond the borders of Palestine.
Chapter VIII. Financial and Fiscal Questions
Until recent years the public finances allowed no great scope for development in the social services. The accumulation of a considerable surplus was a feature of the four years beginning 1932, and there were grounds for a conservative attitude towards this development. The conclusion that the existence of a large surplus reflects undue parsimony is not borne out by close analysis, since the entire surplus is found to be so heavily mortgaged that it is little more than a reasonable provision for existing commitments.
If the inward flow of capital, which is the most singular feature of the economy of Palestine, were to be arrested, there is no reason why the removal of exceptional advantages should result in penury, though there might be some reduction in the standard of living until the new economy was established. In the event of a prolonged period of economic stagnation the danger of an exodus of capital cannot be altogether excluded.
It is not possible in the absence of adequate statistics to measure the truth of the Arab complaint that industrial protection chiefly benefits the Jews and that its burdens are chiefly borne by the Arabs. It is hoped that the new Department of Statistics may soon enquire into the incidence of taxation and that new duties will be considered in relation to the whole burden of taxation and not merely as affecting the particular industry.
There is no question as to the need of increasing the export trade and finding markets for the ever increasing citrus output. After examining various possible expedients for overcoming the difficulties which result from the non-discrimination in tariff policy required by Article 18 of the Mandate, the Commission conclude that the provisions of Article 18 are out of date. Without an amendment of that Article Palestine must continue to suffer from the restrictions which hamper international trade, and negotiations should be opened without delay to put the trade of Palestine on a fairer basis.
Chapter IX. The Land
A summary of land legislation enacted during the Civil Administration shows the efforts made to fulfil the Mandatory obligation in this matter. The Commission point to serious difficulties in connection with the legislation proposed by the Palestine Government for the protection of small owners. The Palestine Order in Council and, if necessary, the Mandate should be amended to permit of legislation empowering the High Commissioner to prohibit the transfer of land in any stated area to Jews, so that the obligation to safeguard the right and position of the Arabs may be carried out. Until survey and settlement are complete, the Commission would welcome the prohibition of the sale of isolated and comparatively small plots of land to Jews. They would prefer larger schemes for the rearrangement of proprietorship under Government supervision. They favour the proposal for the creation of special Public Utility Companies to undertake such development schemes subject to certain conditions.
An expert Committee should be appointed to draw up a Land Code.
Recommendations are made with a view to the expediting of settlement (the need for which is paramount) and to the improvement of settlement procedure.
The present system of Land Courts is contributory to delay. Until survey and settlement are complete there should be two or three Land Courts separate from the District Courts and each under a single British Judge.
Up till now the Arab cultivator has benefited on the whole both from the work of the British Administration and the presence of Jews in the country, but the greatest care must now be exercised to see that in the event of further sales of land by Arabs to Jews the rights of any Arab tenants or cultivators are preserved. Thus, alienation of land should only be allowed where it is possible to replace extensive by intensive cultivation. In the hill districts there can be no expectation of finding accommodation for any large increase in the rural population. At present, and for many years to come, the Mandatory Power should not attempt to facilitate the close settlement of the Jews in the hill districts generally.
The shortage of land is due less to purchase by Jews than to the increase in the Arab population. The Arab claims that the Jews have obtained too large a proportion of good land cannot be maintained. Much of the land now carrying orange groves was sand dunes or swamps and uncultivated when it was bought.
Legislation vesting surface water in the High Commissioner is essential. An increase in staff and equipment for exploratory investigations with a view to increasing irrigation is recommended. The scheme for the development of the Huleh district is commended.
The Commission fully realize the desirability of afforestation on a large scale of a long term forest policy, but, having regard to their conclusion as to the scarcity of land in the hills for the agricultural population, they cannot recommend a policy involving expropriation of cultivators on a large scale until other cultivable land or suitable employment on the land can be found for them. In the aggregate, however, a large amount of land is fit for afforestation but not for cultivation, and the Commission endorse a policy of afforestation of steep hillsides to prevent erosion the prevention of grazing on land fit for afforestation, and, where practicable, the establishment of village forests for the benefit of neighbouring cultivators.
Chapter X. Immigration
The problem of immigration has been aggravated by three factors:--
(1) the drastic restrictions imposed on immigration in the United States.
(2) the advent of the National Socialist Government in Germany.
(3) the increasing economic pressure on the Jews in Poland.
The continuous impact of a highly intelligent and enterprising race backed by large financial resources on a comparatively poor, indigenous community, on a different cultural level, may produce in time serious reactions. The principle of economic absorptive capacity, meaning that considerations of economic capacity and these alone should determine immigration, is at present inadequate and ignores factors in the situation which wise statesmanship cannot disregard. Political, social and psychological factors should be taken into account. His Majesty's Government should lay down a political high level of Jewish immigration. This high level should be fixed for the next five years at 12,000 per annum. The High Commissioner should be given discretion to admit immigrants up to this maximum figure, but subject always to the economic absorptive capacity of the country.
Among other alterations in the immigration regulations the Commission recommend that the Administration should have direct control over the immigrants coming in under Category A(i) (persons with £1,000 capital), and any person who desires to enter Palestine under this category should convince the Immigration authority not only that he is in possession of £1,000, but also that there is room in Palestine for additional members in the profession, trade or business which he proposes to pursue.
The definition of dependency should be revised so as to fall under two heads, (1) near relatives who, dependency being presumed, would have a right to come in, and (2) other relatives, in respect of whom the Immigration authority would have to be satisfied that they can be maintained by the immigrant or permanent resident concerned, as long as they remain dependent for maintenance.
The final allocation of immigration certificates as determined by the Jewish Agency should be submitted by the High Commissioner for approval.
Greater use should be made of the machinery of the District Administration in making enquiries in connection with the preparation of the half-yearly Labour Schedules. The housing situation is an economic consideration to which greater regard should be given when considering absorptive capacity.
In so far as immigration has been the major factor in bringing the Jewish National Home to its present stage of development, the Mandatory has fully implemented this obligation to facilitate the establishment of a National Home for the Jewish people in Palestine, as in evidenced by the existence of a Jewish population of 400,000 persons. But this does not mean that the National Rome should be crystallized at its present size. The Commission cannot accept the view that the Mandatory, facilitated the establishment of a National Home, would be justified in shutting its doors. Its economic life depends to a large extent on further immigration and a large amount of capital has been invested in it on the assumption that immigration would continue.
Restrictions on Jewish immigration will not solve the Palestine problem. The National Home seems already too big to the Arabs and, whatever its size, it bars the to their attainment of national independence.
Chapter XI. Trans-Jordan
The articles of the Mandate concerning the National Home do not apply to Trans-Jordan and the possibility of enlarging the National Home by Jewish immigration into Trans-Jordan rests on the assumption of concord between Arabs and Jews. Arab antagonism to Jewish immigration is at least as bitter in Trans-Jordan as it is in Palestine. The Government of Trans-Jordan would refuse to encourage Jewish immigration in the teeth of popular resistance.
Chapter XII. Health
The Jewish grievances are summed up as complaints that not enough money has been spent, by the Mandatory Government to assist the medical services established by the Jews from their own resources. What is given to one service must be taken from another, and it is not always remembered that Palestine, despite the economic development of the National Home is still a relatively poor country. The whole question illustrates the difficulty of providing services in one State for two distinct communities with two very different standards of living.
Chapter XIII. Public Works and Services
If it be assumed that the distribution of posts as between the two races should be proportional to the size of their respective populations, the Government have fairly maintained this proportion in the Civil Service generally, although the rapid expansion of the Jewish community has made this extremely difficult.
In Palestine, where there are different rates of pay for Arab and Jewish unskilled labourers, and also frequent fluctuations in wage rates, it is practically impossible to maintain employment on public works on any fixed proportion between the races.
The Commission make no recommendation with regard to the employment of Jews and non-Jews in Government Departments and on public works and services. They refer to the difficulties created by the antagonism between the two races, the differences in their standard of living and rates of wages and the additional complication of three different Holy Days, and state that they are satisfied that the Government have taken a broad view in dealing with the situation and that there is no foundation for the suggestion that the Government attitude towards the employment of Jews is unsympathetic.
Chapter XIV. The Christians
The religious stake of the Christians in the Holy Places is just as great as that of the Jews or Moslems. The Christians of the world cannot be indifferent to the justice and well-being of their co-religionists in the Holy Land.
A memorandum setting out the grievances of the Arab Orthodox Community and complaining of the laissez-faire attitude of the Government was received too late for examination in detail, but it is pointed out that the Financial Commission appointed under the Orthodox Patriarchate Ordinance of 1928 has carried out an effective reform of the Patriarchate's finances and that the reorganization of the internal affairs of the Patriarchate, including the establishment of a Mixed Council, has been discussed between the Government, the Patriarchate and the Laity and is at present under consideration by the Government.
The Commission refer to the question of Sunday work by Christian officials resulting from the strict observance of the Jewish Sabbath, and are disposed to agree with the view that the existing state of affairs throws too much work on Christians officials and impairs the spiritual influence of the Christian Church.
In political matters the Christian Arabs have thrown in their lot with their Moslem brethren.
Chapter XV. Nationality Law and Acquisition of Palestinian Citizenship
As regards the grievances of the Arabs (stated to number about 40,000) who left Palestine before the War intending eventually to return but have been unable to obtain Palestinian citizenship, the Commission suggest that at least those who are able to establish all an unbroken personal connection with Palestine and who are prepared to give a definite formal assurance of their intention to return, should be admitted to Palestinian citizenship.
As regards Jews, the existing legislation implements the obligation of the Mandate on this subject. The Jews have not availed themselves readily of the opportunity afforded them of becoming Palestinian citizens, and this is accounted for by the fact that their chief interest is in the Jewish Community itself. Allegiance to Palestine and to the Government are minor considerations to many of them.
The Commission do not agree with those who criticise the restriction of the municipal franchise to Palestinian citizens. It is most desirable that all persons who intend to reside permanently in the country should become Palestinian citizens, and this qualification for voting is a direct inducement, to them to do so.
Chapter XVI. Education
It seems unfortunate that the Administration has been unable to do more for education. It is not only the intrinsic value of education that should be considered. Any efforts to raise the material standards of life among the fellaheen can only be successful if they have received sufficient mental training to profit from technical instruction. Considering, the inadequacy of the existing provision for Arab education, the Administration should regard its claims on the revenue as second in importance only to those of public security.
Worse than the insufficiency of Arab schools, however is the nationalist character of the education provided in the schools of both communities and for that the Commission can see no remedy at all. The ideal system of education would be a single bi-national system for both races. But that is virtually impossible under the Mandate, which prescribes the right of each community to maintain its own schools for the education of its own members in its own language." The existing Arab and Jewish school systems are definitely widening and will continue to widen the gulf between the two races.
Wherever practicable, e.g. in new technical or trade schools, mixed education should be promoted.
As regards the Jews' claim for a larger grant for their system of education, the Commission consider that, until much more has been spent on the development of Arab education, so as to place it on a level with that of the Jews, it is unjustifiable to increase the grant to the latter, however desirable it might be in other circumstances. The extent to which the Jews have taxed themselves for education is one of the best features of the National Home; and such "self-help" deserves all support; but it should not be given by altering the present proportion between the grant to the Jews and the amount spent on the Arabs; it should result from an increase in the total expenditure on education.
The contrast between the Arab and Jewish systems of education is most striking at the top. The Jews have a university of high quality. The Arabs have none and the young intelligenzia of the country are unable to complete their education without the cost and inconvenience of going abroad. In any further discussion of the project of a British University in the Near East the possibility should be carefully considered of locating it in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem or Haifa.
Chapter XVII. - Local Government
The present system of rural self-government (through local Councils) falls short (1) in a lack of flexibility, (2) in undue centralization. An attempt should be made to strengthen those few local councils which still exist in the Arab rural areas, but the Commission do not favour an attempt at present to revivify councils which have broken down or to create new ones unless there is a genuine demand for them. There can be little really effective extension of village self-government until the provision of primary education has had more time to take effect.
The deficiencies of the present system of municipal government are (1) a lack of initiative on the part of the more backward municipalities, and (2) the limitations set to initiative on the part of the more progressive municipalities by an Ordinance which subjects them all to the same measure of Government control and centralized administration. The limitation of power and responsibility largely accounts for the lack of interest shown by the townspeople in most municipal councils.
Tel Aviv has unique problems of its own caused by its phenomenal growth during the last five years. The objectives which the people of Tel Aviv have set before them in the way of social services are in themselves admirable, and the ratepayers have shown a commendable readiness to bear high rates for their realization. The town has been faced with, and to a considerable extent surmounted, exceptional difficulties without seriously impairing its financial position.
The more important local councils and all the municipalities should be reclassified by means of a new Ordinance into groups according to their respective size and importance. The degree of power and independence could then be varied to suit each class. For the first class of municipality the powers provided under the existing Ordinance are inadequate and should be extended.
The services of an expert authority on local government should be obtained to assist in drafting the new Ordinance and in improving and co-ordinating the relations between Government and the municipalities, particularly in the larger towns, with special reference to the need of removing the causes of the present delay in approving municipal budgets.
The need of Tel Aviv for a substantial loan should be promptly and sympathetically reconsidered.
The normal constitutional relationship between the central and local authorities is impossible in Palestine.
Chapter XVIII. - Self-governing Institutions
Such hopes as may have been entertained in 1922 of any quick advance towards self-government have become less tenable. The bar to it--Arab antagonism to the National Home--so far from weakening, has grown stronger.
The Jewish leaders might acquiesce in the establishment of a Legislative Council on the basis of parity, but the Commission are convinced that parity is not a practicable solution of the problem. It is difficult to believe that so artificial a device would operate effectively or last long, and in any case the Arab leaders would not accept it.
The Commission do not recommend that any attempt be made to revive the proposal of a Legislative Council, but since it is desirable that the Government should have some regular and effective means of sounding public opinion on its policy, the Commission would welcome an enlargement of the Advisory Council by the addition of Unofficial Members, who might be in a majority and might be elected, who could make representations by way of resolution, but who would not be empowered to pass or reject the budget or other legislative measures. Again, the Arabs are unlikely to accept such a proposal.
The Arabs of Palestine, it has been admitted, are as fit to govern themselves as the Arabs of Iraq or Syria. The Jews of Palestine are as fit to govern themselves as any organized and educated community in Europe. Yet, associated as they are under the Mandate, self-government is impracticable for both peoples. The Mandate cannot be fully implemented nor can it honourably terminate in the independence of an undivided Palestine unless the conflict between Arab and Jew can be composed.
Chapter XIX. - Conclusion and Recommendations
The Commission recapitulate the conclusions set out in this part of the Report, and summarize the Arab and Jewish grievances and their own recommendations for the removal of such as are legitimate. They add, however, that these are not the recommendations which their terms of reference require. They will not, that is to say, remove the grievances nor prevent their recurrence. They are the best palliatives the Commission can devise for the disease from which Palestine is suffering, but they are only palliatives. They cannot cure the trouble. The disease is so deep-rooted that in the Commissioners' firm conviction the only hope of a cure lies in a surgical operation.
Part III: The Possibility of A Lasting Settlement
Chapter XX. The Force of Circumstances
The problem of Palestine is briefly restated.
Under the stress of the World War the British Government made promises to Arabs and Jews in order to obtain their support. On the strength of those promises both parties formed certain expectations.
The application to Palestine of the Mandate System in general and of the specific Mandate in particular implies the belief that the obligations thus undertaken towards the Arabs and the Jews respectively would prove in course of time to be mutually compatible owing to the conciliatory effect on the Palestinian Arabs of the material prosperity which Jewish immigration would bring in Palestine as a whole. That belief has not been justified, and there seems to be no hope of its being justified in the future.
But the British people cannot on that account repudiate their obligations, and, apart from obligations, the existing circumstances in Palestine would still require the most strenuous efforts on the part of the Government which is responsible for the welfare of the country.
The existing circumstances are summarized as follows.
An irrepressible conflict has arisen between two national communities within the narrow bounds of one small country. There is no common ground between them. Their national aspirations are incompatible. The Arabs desire to revive the traditions of the Arab golden age. The Jews desire to show what they can achieve when restored to the land in which the Jewish nation was born. Neither of the two national ideals permits of combination in the service of a single State.
The conflict has grown steadily more bitter since 1920 and the process will continue. Conditions inside Palestine especially the systems of education, are strengthening the national sentiment of the two peoples. The bigger and more prosperous they grow the greater will be their political ambitions, and the conflict is aggravated by the uncertainty of the future. Who in the end will govern Palestine?" it is asked. Meanwhile, the external factors will continue to operate with increasing force. On the one hand in less than three years' time Syria and the Lebanon will attain their national sovereignty, and the claim of the Palestinian Arabs to share in the freedom of all Asiatic Arabia will thus be fortified. On the other hand the hardships and anxieties of the Jews in Europe are not likely to grow less and the appeal to the good faith and humanity of the British people will lose none of its force.
Meanwhile, the Government of Palestine, which is at present an unsuitable form for governing educated Arabs and democratic Jews, cannot develop into a system of self-government as it has elsewhere, because there is no such system which could ensure justice both to the Arabs and to the Jews. Government therefore remains unrepresentative and unable to dispel the conflicting grievances of the two dissatisfied and irresponsible communities it governs.
In these circumstances peace can only be maintained in Palestine under the Mandate by repression. This means the maintenance of security services at so high a cost that the services directed to "the well-being and development" of the population cannot be expanded and may even have to be curtailed. The moral objections to repression are self-evident. Nor need the undesirable reactions of it on opinion outside Palestine be emphasized. Moreover, repression will not solve the problem. It will exacerbate the quarrel. It will not help towards the establishment of a single self-governing Palestine. It is not easy to pursue the dark path of repression without seeing daylight at the end of it.
The British people will not flinch from the task of continuing to govern Palestine under the Mandate if they are in honour bound to do so, but they would be justified in asking if there is no other way in which their duty can be done.
Nor would Britain wish to repudiate her obligations. The trouble is that they have proved irreconcilable, and this conflict is the more unfortunate because each of the obligations taken separately accords with British sentiment and British interest. The development of self-government in the Arab world on the one hand is in accordance with British principles, and British public opinion is wholly sympathetic with Arab aspirations towards a new age of unity and prosperity in the Arab world. British interest similarly has always been bound up with the peace of the Middle East and British statesmanship can show an almost unbroken record of friendship with the Arabs. There is a strong British tradition, on the other hand, of friendship with the Jewish people, and it is in the British interest to retain as far as may be the confidence of the Jewish people.
The continuance of the present system means the gradual alienation of two peoples who are traditionally the friends of Britain.
The problem cannot be solved by giving either the Arabs or the Jews all they want. The answer to the question which of them in the end will govern Palestine must be Neither. No fair-minded statesman can think it right either that 400,000 Jews, whose entry into Palestine has been facilitated by he British Government and approved by the League of Nations, should be handed over to Arab rule, or that, if the Jews should become a majority, a million Arabs should be handed over to their rule. But while neither race can fairly rule all Palestine, each race might justly rule part of it.
The idea of Partition has doubtless been thought of before as a solution of the problem, but it has probably been discarded as being impracticable. The difficulties are certainly very great, but when they are closely examined they do not seem so insuperable as the difficulties inherent in the continuance of the Mandate or in any other alternative arrangement. Partition offers a chance of ultimate peace. No other plan does.
Chapter XXI. Cantonisation
The political division of Palestine could be effected in a less thorough manner than by Partition. It could be divided like Federal States into provinces and cantons, which would be self-governing in such matters as immigration and land sales as well as social services. The Mandatory Government would remain as a central or federal government controlling such matters as foreign relations, defence, customs and the like.
Cantonisation is attractive at first sight because it seems to solve the three major problems of land, immigration and self-government, but there are obvious weaknesses in it. First, the working of federal systems depends on sufficient community of interest or tradition to maintain harmony between the Central Government and the cantons. In Palestine both Arabs and Jews would regard the Central Government as an alien and interfering body. Secondly, the financial relations between the Central Government and the cantons would revive the existing quarrel between Arabs and Jews as to the distribution of a surplus of federal revenue or as to the contributions of the cantons towards a federal deficit. Unrestricted Jewish immigration into the Jewish canton might lead to a demand for the expansion of federal services at the expense of the Arab canton. Thirdly, the costly task of maintaining law and order would still rest mainly on the Central Government. Fourthly, Cantonisation like Partition cannot avoid leaving a minority of each race in the area controlled by the other. The solution of this problem requires such bold measures as can only be contemplated if there is a prospect of final peace. Partition opens up such a prospect. Cantonisation does not. Lastly, Cantonisation does not settle the question of national self-government. Neither the Arabs nor the Jews would feel their political aspirations were satisfied with purely cantonal self-government.
Cantonisation, in sum, presents most, if not all, of the difficulties presented by Partition without Partition's one supreme advantage--the possibilities it offers of eventual peace.
Chapter XXII. A Plan of Partition
While the Commission would not be expected to embark on the further protracted inquiry which would be needed for working out a scheme of Partition in full detail, it would be idle to put forward the principle of Partition and not to give it any concrete shape. Clearly it must be shown that an actual plan can be devised which meets the main requirements of the case.
1. A Treaty System
The Mandate for Palestine should terminate and be replaced by a Treaty System in accordance with the precedent set in Iraq and Syria.
A new Mandate for the Holy Places should be instituted to fulfil the purposes defined in Section 2 below.
Treaties of alliance should be negotiated by the Mandatory with the Government of Trans-Jordan and representatives of the Arabs of Palestine on the one hand and with the Zionist Organisation on the other. These Treaties would declare that, within as short a period as may be convenient, two sovereign independent States would be established--the one an Arab State consisting of Trans-Jordan united with that part of Palestine which lies to the cast and south of a frontier such as we suggest in Section 3 below; the other a Jewish State consisting of that part of Palestine which lies to the north and west of that frontier.
The Mandatory would undertake to support any requests for admission to the League of Nations which the Governments of the Arab and the Jewish States might make.
The Treaties would include strict guarantees for the protection of minorities in each State, and the financial and other provisions to which reference will be made in subsequent Sections.
Military conventions would be attached to the Treaties, dealing with the maintenance of naval, military and air forces, the upkeep and use of ports, roads and railways, the security of the oil pipe line and so forth.
2. The Holy Places
The Partition of Palestine is subject to the overriding necessity of keeping the sanctity of Jerusalem and Bethlehem inviolate and of ensuring free and safe access to them for all the world. That, in the fullest sense of the mandatory phrase, is "a sacred trust of civilization"--a trust on behalf not merely of the peoples of Palestine but of multitudes in other lands to whom those places, one or both, are Holy Places.
A new Mandate, therefore, should be framed with the execution of this trust as its primary purpose. An enclave should be demarcated extending from a point north of Jerusalem to a point south of Bethlehem, and access to the sea should be provided by a corridor extending to the north of the main road and to the south of the railway, including the towns Lydda and Ramle, and terminating at Jaffa.
The protection of the Holy Places is a permanent trust, unique in its character and purpose, and not contemplated by Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations. In order to avoid misunderstanding, it might frankly be stated that this trust will only terminate if and when the League of Nations and the United States desire it to do so, and that, while it would be the trustee's duty to promote the well-being and development of the local population concerned, it is not intended that in course of time they should stand by themselves as a wholly self-governing community.
Guarantees as to the rights of the Holy Places and free access thereto (as provided in Article 13 of the existing Mandate), as to transit across the mandated area, and as to non-discrimination in fiscal, economic and other matters should be maintained in accordance with the principles of the Mandate System. But the policy of the Balfour Declaration would not apply; and no question would arise of balancing Arab against Jewish claims or vice versa. All the inhabitants of the territory would stand on an equal footing. The only official language" would be that of the Mandatory Administration. Good and just government without regard for sectional interests would be its basic principle.
It would accord with Christian sentiment in the world at large if Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) were also covered by this Mandate. The Mandatory should be entrusted with the administration of Nazareth and with full powers to safeguard the sanctity of the waters and shores of Lake Tiberias.
The Mandatory should similarly be charged with the protection of religious endowments and of such buildings, monuments and places in the Arab and Jewish States as are sacred to the Jews and the Arabs respectively.
For the upkeep of the Mandatory Government, a certain revenue should be obtainable, especially from the large and growing urban population in its charge, both by way of customs duties and by direct taxation; but it might prove insufficient for the normal cost of the administration. In that event, it is suggested that, in all the circumstances, Parliament would be willing to vote the money needed to make good the deficit.
3. The Frontier
The natural principle for the Partition of Palestine is to separate land and settled from the areas in which the Jews have acquired land and settled from those which are who are wholly or mainly occupied by Arabs. This offers a fair and practicable basis for Partition, provided that in accordance with the spirit of British obligations, (1) a reasonable allowance is made within the boundaries of the Jewish State for the growth of population and colonization, and (2) reasonable compensation is given to the Arab State for the loss of land and revenue.
Any proposal for Partition would be futile if it gave no indication, however rough, as to how the most vital question in the whole matter might be determined, i.e., the frontier. As a solution of the problem, which seems both practicable and just, a rough line is proposed below. A Frontier Commission should be appointed to demarcate the precise frontier.
Starting from Ras an Naqura, it follows the existing northern and eastern frontier of Palestine to Lake Tiberias and crosses the Lake to the outflow of the River Jordan, whence it continues down the river to a point a little north of Beisan. It then cuts across the Beisan Plain and runs along the southern edge of the Valley of Jezreel and across the Plain of Esdraelon to a point near Megiddo, whence it crosses the Carmel ridge in the neighbourhood of the Megiddo road. Having thus reached the Maritime Plain, the line runs southwards down its eastern edge, curving west to avoid Tulkarm, until it reaches the Jerusalem-Jaffa corridor near Lydda. South of the Corridor it continues down the edge of the Plain to a point about 10 miles south of Rehovot, when it turns west to the sea.
The observations and recommendations are made with regard to the proposed frontier and to questions arising from it:--
(i) No frontier can be drawn which separates all Arabs and Arab-owned land from all Jews and Jewish-owned land.
(ii) The Jews have purchased substantial blocks of land in the Gaza Plain and near Beersheba and obtained options for the purchase of other blocks in this area. The proposed frontier would prevent the utilization of those lands for the southward expansion of the Jewish National Home. On the other hand, the Jewish lands in Galilee, and in particular the Huleh basin (which offers a notable opportunity for development and colonization), would be in the Jewish Area.
(iii) The proposed frontier necessitates the inclusion in the Jewish Area of the Galilee highlands between Safad and the Plain of Acre. This is the part of Palestine in which the Jews have retained a foothold almost if not entirely without a break from the beginning of the Diaspora to the present day, and the sentiment of all Jewry is deeply attached to the "holy cities" of Safad and Tiberias. Until quite recently, moreover the Jews in Galilee have lived on friendly terms with their Arab neighbours; and throughout the series of disturbances the fellaheen of Galilee have shown themselves less amenable to political incitement than those of Samaria and Judaea where the centres of Arab nationalism are located. At the "mixed" towns of Tiberias, Safad, Haifa, and Acre there have been varying degrees of friction since the "disturbances" of last year. It would greatly promote the successful operation of Partition in its early stages, and in particular help to ensure the execution of the Treaty guarantees for the protection of minorities, if those four towns were kept for a period under Mandatory administration.
(iv) Jaffa is an essentially Arab town and should form part of the Arab State. The question of its communication with the latter presents no difficulty, since transit through the Jaffa-Jerusalem Corridor would be open to all. The Corridor, on the other hand, requires its own access to the sea, and for this purpose a narrow belt of land should be acquired and cleared on the north and south sides of the town.
(v) While the Mediterranean would be accessible to the Arab State at Jaffa and at Gaza, in the interests of Arab trade and industry the Arab State should also have access for commercial purposes to Haifa, the only existing deep-water port on the coast. The Jewish Treaty should therefore provide for the free transit of goods in bond between the Arab State and Haifa.
The Arab Treaty, similarly, should provide for the free transit of goods in bond over the railway between the Jewish State and the Egyptian frontier.
The same principle applies to the question of access for commercial purposes to the Red Sea. The use of that exit to the East might prove in course of time of great advantage to both Arab and Jewish trade and industry, and, having regard to those possibilities, an enclave on the north-west coast of the Gulf of Aqaba should be retained under Mandatory administration, and the Arab Treaty should provide for the free transit of goods between the Jewish State and this enclave.
The Treaties should provide for similar facilities for the transit of goods between the Mandated Area and Haifa, the frontier and the Gulf of Aqaba.
4. Inter-State Subvention
The Jews contribute more per capita to the revenues of Palestine than the Arabs, and the Government has thereby been enabled to maintain public services for the Arabs at a higher level than would otherwise have been possible. Partition would mean, on the one hand, that the Arab Area would no longer profit from the taxable capacity of the Jewish Area. On the other hand, (1) the Jews would acquire a new right of sovereignty in the Jewish Area; (2) that Area, as we have defined it, would be larger than the existing area of Jewish land and settlement; (3) the Jews would be freed from their present liability for helping to promote the welfare of Arabs outside that Area. It is suggested, therefore, that the Jewish State should pay a subvention to the Arab State when Partition comes into effect. There have been recent precedents for equitable financial arrangements of this kind in those connected with the separation of Sind from Bombay and of Burma from the Indian Empire, and in accordance with those precedents a Finance Commission should be appointed to consider and report as to what the amount of the subvention should be.
The Finance Commission should also, consider and report on the proportion in which the Public Debt of Palestine, which now amounts to about £4,500,000, should be divided between the Arab and the Jewish States, and other financial questions. The Commission should also deal with telegraph and telephone systems in the event of Partition.
5. British Subvention
The Inter-State Subvention would adjust the financial balance in Palestine; but the plan involves the inclusion of Trans-Jordan in the Arab State. The taxable capacity of Trans-Jordan is very low and its revenues have never sufficed to meet the cost of its administration. From 1921 to the present day it has received grants-in-aid from the United Kingdom, which have amounted to a total sum of £1,253,000 or an average of about £78,000 a year. Grants have also been made towards the cost of the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force, and loans to the amount of £60, 000 have been provided for earthquake-relief and the distribution of seed.
The Mandate for Trans-Jordan ought not to be relinquished without securing, as far as possible, that the standard of administration should not fall too low through lack of funds to maintain it; and in this matter the British people might fairly be asked to do their part in facilitating a settlement. The continuance of the present Mandate would almost inevitably involve a recurrent and increasing charge on the British Treasury. If peace can be promoted by Partition, money spent on helping to bring it about and making it more effective for its purpose would surely be well spent. And apart from any such considerations the British people would, it is believed, agree to a capital payment in lieu of their present annual liability with a view to honouring their obligations and making peace in Palestine.
In the event of the Treaty system coming into force, Parliament should be asked to make a grant of £2,000,000 to the Arab State.
6. Tariffs and Ports
The Arab and Jewish States, being sovereign independent States, would determine their own tariffs. Subject to the terms of the Mandate, the same would apply to the Mandatory Government.
The tariff-policies of the Arab and Jewish States are likely to conflict, and it would greatly ease the position and promote the interests of both the Arab and Jewish States if they could agree to impose identical customs-duties on as many articles as possible, and if the Mandatory Government, likewise, could assimilate its customs-duties as far as might be with those of one or both of the two States.
It should be an essential part of the proposed Treaty System that a commercial convention should be concluded with a view to establishing a common tariff over the widest possible range of imported articles and to facilitating the freest possible interchange of goods between the three territories concerned.
7. Nationality
All persons domiciled in the Mandated Area (including Haifa, Acre, Tiberias, Safad and the enclave on the Gulf of Aqaba, as long as they remain under Mandatory administration) who now possess the status of British protected persons would retain it; but apart from this all Palestinians would become the nationals of the States in which they are domiciled.
8. Civil Services
it seems probable that, in the event of Partition, the services of the Arab and Jewish officials in the pre-existing Mandatory Administration would to a large extent be required by the Governments of the Arab and Jewish States respectively, whereas the number of British officials would be substantially reduced. The rights of all of them, including rights to pensions or gratuities, must be fully honoured in accordance with Article 28 of the existing Mandate. This matter should be dealt with by the Finance Commission.
9. Industrial Concessions
In the event of Partition agreements entered into by the Government of Palestine for the development and security of industries (e.g., the agreement with the Palestine Potash Company) should be taken over and carried out by the Governments of the Arab and Jewish States. Guarantees to that effect should be given in the Treaties. The security of the Electric Power Station at Jisr el Majami should be similarly guaranteed.
10. Exchange of Land and Population
If Partition is to be effective in promoting a final settlement it must mean more than drawing a frontier and establishing two States. Sooner or later there should be a transfer of land and, as far as possible, an exchange of population.
The Treaties should provide that, if Arab owners of land in the Jewish State or Jewish owners of land in the Arab State should wish to sell their land and any plantations or crops thereon, the Government of the State concerned should be responsible for the purchase of such land, plantations and crops at a price to be fixed, if requires, by the Mandatory Administration. For this purpose a loan should, if required, be guaranteed for a reasonable amount.
The political aspect of the land problem is still more important. Owing to the fact that there has been no census since 1931 it is impossible to calculate with any precision the distribution of population between the Arab and Jewish areas; but, according to an approximate estimate, in the area allocated to the Jewish State (excluding the urban districts to be retained for a period under Mandatory Administration) there are now about 225,000 Arabs. In the area allocated to the Arab State there are only about 1,250 Jews; but there are about 125,000 Jews as against 85,000 Arabs in Jerusalem and Haifa. The existence of these minorities clearly constitutes the most serious hindrance to the smooth and successful operation of Partition. If the settlement is to be clean and final, the question must be boldly faced and firmly dealt with. It calls for the highest statesmanship on the part of all concerned.
A precedent is afforded by the exchange effected between the Greek and Turkish populations on the morrow of the Greco-Turkish War of 1922. A convention was signed by the Greek and Turkish Governments, providing that, under the supervision of the League of Nations, Greek nationals of the Orthodox religion living in Turkey should be compulsorily removed to Greece, and Turkish nationals of the Moslem religion living in Greece to Turkey. The numbers involved were high--no less than some 1,300,000 Greeks and some 400,000 Turks. But so vigorously and effectively was the task accomplished that within about eighteen months from the spring of 1923 the whole exchange was completed. The courage of the Greek and Turkish statesmen concerned has been justified by the result. Before the operation the Greek and Turkish minorities had been a constant irritant. Now Greco-Turkish relations are friendlier than they have ever been before.
In Northern Greece a surplus of cultivable land was available or could rapidly be made available for the settlement of the Greeks evacuated from Turkey. In Palestine there is at present no such surplus. Room exists or could soon be provided within the proposed boundaries of the Jewish State for the Jews now living in the Arab area. It is the far greater number of Arab who constitute the major problem; and, while some of them could be re-settled on the land vacated by the Jews, far more land would be required for the re-settlement of all of them. Such information as is available justifies the hope that the execution of large-scale plans for irrigation, water-storage, and development in Trans-Jordan, Beersheba and the Jordan Valley would make provision for a much larger population than exists there at the present time.
Those areas, therefore, should be surveyed and an estimate made of the practical possibilities of irrigation and development as quickly as possible. If, as a result, it is clear that a substantial amount of land could be made available for the re-settlement of Arabs living in the Jewish area, the most strenuous efforts should be made to obtain an agreement for the transfer of land and population. In view of the present antagonism between the races and of the manifest advantage to both of them for reducing the opportunities of future friction to the utmost, it is to be hoped that the Arab and the Jewish leaders might show the same high statesmanship as that of the Turks and the Greeks and make the same bold decision for the sake of peace.
The cost of the proposed irrigation and development scheme would be heavier than the Arab State could be expected to bear. Here again the British people it is suggested, would be willing to help to bring about a settlement; and if an arrangement could be made for the transfer, voluntary or otherwise, of land and population, Parliament should be asked to make a grant to meet the cost of the aforesaid scheme.
If it should be agreed to terminate the Mandate and establish a Treaty System on a basis of Partition, there would be a period of transition before the new regime came into force, and during this period the existing Mandate would continue to be the governing instrument of the Palestine Administration. But the recommendations made in Part II of the Report as to what should be done tinder the existing Mandate presupposed its continuance for an indefinite time and would not apply to so changed a situation as the prospect of Partition would bring about.
The following are recommendations for the period of transition:--
(1) Land.--Steps should be taken to prohibit the purchase of land by Jews within the Arab Area (i.e., the area of the projected Arab State) or by Arabs within the Jewish Area (i.e., the area of the projected Jewish State).
The settlement of the plain-lands of the Jewish Area should be completed within two years.
(2) Immigration.--Instead of the political "high-level" there should be a territorial restriction on Jewish immigration. No Jewish immigration into the Arab Area should be permitted. Since it would therefore not affect the Arab Area and since the Jewish State would soon become responsible for its results, the volume of Jewish immigration should be determined by the economic absorptive capacity of Palestine less the Arab Area.
(3) Trade.--Negotiations should be opened without delay to secure the amendment of Article 18 of the Mandate and to place the external trade of Palestine upon a fairer basis.
(4) Advisory Council.--The Advisory Council should, if possible, be enlarged by the nomination of Arab and Jewish representatives; but, if either party refused to serve, the Council should continue as at present.
(5) Local Government.--The municipal system should be reformed on expert advice.
(6) Education.--A vigorous effort should be made to increase the number of Arab schools. The "mixed schools" situated in the area to be administered under the new Mandate should be given every support, and the possibility of a British University should be considered, since those institutions might play an important part after Partition in helping to bring about an ultimate reconciliation of the races.
Chapter X. Conclusion
Considering the attitude which both the Arab and the Jewish representatives adopted in giving evidence, the Commission think it improbable that either party will be satisfied at first sight with the proposals submitted for the adjustment of their rival claims. For Partition means that neither will get all it wants. It means that the Arabs must acquiesce in the exclusion from their sovereignty of a piece of territory, long occupied and once ruled by them. It means that the Jews must be content with less than the Land of Israel they once ruled and have hoped to rule again. But it seems possible that on reflection both parties will come to realize that the drawbacks of Partition are outweighed by its advantages. For, if it offers neither party all it wants, it offers each what it wants most, namely freedom and security.
The advantages to the Arabs of Partition on the lines we have proposed may be summarized as follows:--
(i) They obtain their national independence and can co-operate on an equal footing with the Arabs of the neighbouring countries in the cause of Arab unity and progress.
(ii) They are finally delivered from the fear of being swamped by the Jews, and from the possibility of ultimate subjection to Jewish rule.
(iii) In particular, the final limitation of the Jewish National Home within a fixed frontier and the enactment of a new Mandate for the protection of the Holy Places, solemnly guaranteed by the League of Nations, removes all anxiety lest the Holy Places should ever come under Jewish control.
(iv) As a set-off to the loss of territory the Arabs regard as theirs, the Arab State will receive a subvention from the Jewish State. It will also, in view of the backwardness of Trans-Jordan, obtain a grant of £2,000,000 from the British Treasury; and, if an agreement can be reached as to the exchange of land and population, a further grant will be made for the conversion, as far as may prove possible, of uncultivable land in the Arab State into productive land from which the cultivators and the State alike will profit.
The advantages of Partition to the Jews may be summarized as follows:--
(i) Partition secures the establishment of the Jewish National Home and relieves it from the possibility of its being subjected in the future to Arab rule.
(ii) Partition enables the Jews in the fullest sense to call their National Home their own; for it converts it into a Jewish State. Its citizens will be able to admit as many Jews into it as they themselves believe can be absorbed. They will attain the primary objective of Zionism--a Jewish nation, planted in Palestine, giving its nationals the same status in the world as other nations give theirs. They will cease at last to live a minority life.
To both Arabs and Jews Partition offers a prospect--and there is none in any other policy--of obtaining the inestimable boon of peace. It is surely worth some sacrifice on both sides if the quarrel which the Mandate started could he ended with its termination. It is not a natural or old-standing feud. The Arabs throughout their history have not only been free from anti-Jewish sentiment but have also shown that the spirit of compromise is deeply rooted in their life. Considering what the possibility of finding a refuge in Palestine means to man thousands of suffering Jews, is the loss occasioned by Partition, great as it would be, more than Arab generosity can bear? In this, as in so much else connected with Palestine, it is not only the peoples of that country who have to be considered. The Jewish Problem is not the least of the many problems which are disturbing international relations at this critical time and obstructing the path to peace and prosperity. If the Arabs at some sacrifice could help to solve that problem, they would earn the gratitude not of the Jews alone but of all the Western World.
There was a time when Arab statesmen were willing to concede little Palestine to the Jews, provided that the rest of Arab Asia were free. That condition was not fulfilled then, but it is on the eve of fulfilment now. In less than three years' time all the wide Arab area outside Palestine between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean will be independent, and, if Partition is adopted, the greater part of Palestine will be independent too.
As to the British people, they are bound to honour to the utmost of their power the obligations they undertook in the exigencies of war towards the Arabs and the Jews. When those obligations were incorporated in the Mandate, they did not fully realize the difficulties of the task it laid on them. They have tried to overcome them, not always with success. The difficulties have steadily become greater till now they seem almost insuperable. Partition offers a possibility of finding a way through them, a possibility of obtaining a final solution of the problem which does justice to the rights and aspirations of both the Arabs and the Jews and discharges the obligations undertaken towards them twenty years ago to the fullest extent that is practicable in the circumstances of the present time.
Peel Commission Issues its Report
The Peel Commission issues its report. It is the first British proposal to partition Palestine into a Jewish state, an Arab state (to be incorporated into Transjordan), and British Mandatory enclaves. It calls for the forcible transfer, if necessary, of the Palestinian population out of the Jewish state.
Thematic Chronology
British and International Commissions of Inquiry in Mandate Palestine
Great Arab Revolt, 1936-1939
Historical Text
Palestine Partition Commission (Woodhead) Report
UNGA Partition Plan
Related Thematic Chronologies:
Related Period:
Related Highlights:
Related Historic Texts:
Featured On Landing Page:
Featured On Media Page:
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5221
|
__label__wiki
| 0.915841
| 0.915841
|
Whitehall HR failings over unfair dismissals cost £628,632 in 2006-07
By Greg Pitcher on 17 Sep 2007 in Employment law, Dismissal, Latest News
Basic HR failings cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds last year as one in four civil servant sackings brought to appeal was found to be unlawful.
The annual report of the Civil Service Appeal Board revealed that the total cost of the 65 unfair dismissal awards in 2006-07 was £628,632.
A record 409 appeals were received against dismissals last year, of which 260 were heard. Of those heard, 118 were sackings on disciplinary grounds, and 84 were dismissals due to poor attendance.
Board chairman John Davies said HR professionals in government departments were still not following standard procedures – a year after he warned of the problem.
Damaging failures included not writing letters to employees explaining why they were facing dismissal, not offering workers a hearing before a conclusion was reached, and not dealing with disciplinary cases quickly enough.
Davies, a former HR director at Barclays Bank, said: “Some departments and agencies are still not paying sufficient attention to the standard statutory dismissal procedures embodied in the Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004. If these are disregarded, the dismissals are automatically unfair, and there is a facility to award additional compensation in such circumstances.”
The strongly worded criticism will further increase the pressure on Whitehall HR departments, which are already under fire. Several capability reviews have highlighted poor people management and inadequate HR provision at the heart of government failings.
In one overturned case last year, a prison officer who was sacked for assaulting a prisoner was made to wait five months between his first and second disciplinary hearings. He became one of 12 staff who were reinstated to their jobs.
A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: “While the percentage increase represents only a small number of cases, this report reflects the Cabinet Office’s commitment to HR best practice.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5224
|
__label__cc
| 0.529452
| 0.470548
|
Android Microsoft Apps
Arrow Launcher updated with new customization options, widgets page makes a comeback
posted by Cosmin V. / Nov 15, 2016, 5:14 AM
Microsoft's Arrow Launcher continues to gain popularity among Android users. The latest update the developer released recently adds new features and improvements, but also fixes some issues with the application.
Before going into details it's worth mentioning that Microsoft is usually testing all the changes it plans to bring to the stable version in the beta program.
If you want to be part of the Arrow Launcher beta community and test new features before they're released in the Google Play store, you can join it on Google+.
Back on the subject, the new Arrow Launcher v2.6 has been further optimized to be more memory efficient. According to Microsoft, the memory usage has been optimized as well, so users should expect a much smoother experience.
As the title says, the update brings a new icon size customization option, which was one of the most requested features in the last couple of weeks. Also, Arrow Launcher users will be pleased to know that shortcuts for apps are now fully supported on the application's page.
The developers also added a dedicated page just for widgets, so you'll be able to customize your home screens the way you want. Since there's no update without fixes, Arrow Launcher's latest update brings its own bug fixes for wallpaper and other items.
If you haven't tried Microsoft's Arrow Launcher yet, you can go ahead and download it now for free via Google Play store. It should work on all devices running Android 4.0.3 or newer.
Arrow Launcher for Android
View more + 1 image
source: Google Play
1. trojan_horse
Nice improvements, this makes me want to finally try out the Arrow Launcher. My favorite launcher is Apex - it's just too good.
2. GreenMan
I once installed on my Nexus 5, and I LOVED it... The experience is BUTTERY SMOOTH, and that was about 6 or so months ago... And in this time spawn, Microsoft has updated it not once BUT TWICE with even further performance & optimization improvements...!!! I almost can't believe such a highly polished app is ABSOLUTELY FREE OF COST...! Now, I'm going to try it out on my S6... Not that I've any complaints about Touchwiz, not at all... I just LOVE to 'tinker'... G'Day!
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5228
|
__label__cc
| 0.664254
| 0.335746
|
Small non-macro mystery solved....
www.photomacrography.net Forum Index -> Favorite Locations
Mike B in OKlahoma
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:02 pm Post subject: Small non-macro mystery solved....
This weekend a non-photographer friend and I went to visit a small Oklahoma town and do a bit of sightseeing while spending some time together. It wasn't a photo trip, so I "compromised" and brought along my 40D and 17-55 zoom, and left all the macro and telephoto stuff at home. On one of the main drags through town, I could see a historical marker that said something about "Home on the Range". For the non-North Americans among us, "Home on the Range" is a classic Western song (begins "Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam....") that most Americans sing as children in school music classes. While zipping by on the road, I couldn't read more than the song title, but wanted to find out what the rest said. The marker was at the edge of a cemetery, and parking along the road was hazardous; my fellow traveler was shrewd enough to go around the block to the cemetery entrance so we could come at the marker safely from the cemetery side. When we parked as close as the auto route through the cemetery would take us, I noticed a large, rather gaudy marker shaped like a log. The gritty sandstone<?> it was made of hadn't worn well, but there was a seal proclaiming that the marker had been erected by the "W.O.W."
I had no clue who the W.O.W. was, it inspired vague memories of the "Wobblies" a radical union in the 1930s, but I was pretty sure they were the W.W.W., not the W.O.W.. I was curious, but had no idea who the group was. But I could see a similar but different marker fifty yards or so away:
This one was more elaborate, and better-preserved. Even more important, it spelled out that the sponsoring group was the "Woodmen of the World". I had no idea who that group was, but I did have an "ah-ha!" moment, because I remembered seeing the name on a building at the edge of town, and thinking it was rather strange.
Exploring around the cemetery, we found these markers were quite common, in one case I easily got three in the viewfinder of my 17-55, with a fourth one not far away, but not in the picture.
All of them shared the log theme, and all of them memorialized people buried in the first 1/4 of the Twentieth Century.
A quick trip back to the edge of town let me capture this scene (barely!) within the limits of the frame. The local chapter of the Woodmen of the World seemed to be having hard times, as their building was there, but was up for sale! I smudged over the phone number in this photo:
When I got home, I did some online research. Wikipedia was extremely helpful. It seems the W.O.W. was an organization founded about the beginning of the 20th Century, with two separate goals of doing various do-gooder things such as ensuring that young city boys could take camping trips, as well as making affordable insurance and survivor's benefits available to members. The name came from a sermon that inspired one of the founders, which dwelled on how "pioneer woodsmen cleared away the forest to provide for their families." Wikipedia even explained that the organization had offered cemetery markers like the ones I'd seen, but that the program was discontinued due to excessive costs! Here's the link to the Wikipedia article for anyone dying to know more...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodmen_of_the_World
Not a great adventure or scientific discovery, but I enjoyed doing the exploration, photography (under the mid-day sun, these were purely record shots), and research.
Oh yes, as for the "Home on the Range" marker, it ends up that the author of the song had written the song in Kansas, then moved to Oklahoma, where he died before he could see the song gain the popularity and prominence it now enjoys. He never saw any royalties, and never knew its popularity. But maybe one of the W.O.W. members passed it on to him in the afterlife!
Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome
"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin
Location: lat=35.4005&lon=-81.9841
It is nice to find out about these obscure bits of American history. Though they may not seem to be important to many or maybe some of us, they are all a part of the puzzle that helped to make this country. Pretty elaborate those grave markers too. You don't see to many so artisticly desgined anymore or so it seems.
If I recall correctly, while living in Arkansas several years back, there was an insurance company there called "Modern Woodsman." I wonder if that has any connection to or an affiliation with WOW?
I rarely frequent cemetaries, though I have often entertained the idea. Especailly the old ones with lichen encrusted stone markers. Interesting read there Mike, well done.
www.photomacrography.net Forum Index -> Favorite Locations All times are GMT - 7 Hours
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5229
|
__label__wiki
| 0.585058
| 0.585058
|
Conversations With: Leanne Grabel
The Portland poet and memoirist talks about words, dogs, drawings, her new volume "Gold Shoes," and the attractions of the illustrated book
February 2, 2018 // CULTURE, LANGUAGE ARTS // Danielle Vermette
My introduction to the multimedia maestro Leanne Grabel comes by way of her small pup, Bailey, who sleeps nestled in her bed on the front porch of a turn-of-the-century house in a close-in Northeast Portland neighborhood. After figuring my way through the black wrought iron fence, I see Bailey and realize a moment too late that she’s been startled. Contrary to what I expect, she just looks at me wisely, assesses the threat level (zero), spins in her bed a few times, and retires right back into whatever dream I interrupted. This bodes well, I think, for what is to come. Sure enough, a knock later the door opens and brings me level with the bright and shining face of Grabel, who cordially shuffles me in and introduces me to her husband, Steve Sander, a well-met fellow going through some old books.
The poet/memoirist/illustrator, flexing her literary muscles. Photo courtesy Leanne Grabel
Meeting a literary figure can be a daunting affair, if only by the inherent lopsidedness of biographical knowledge, particularly if the writer’s work delves into the confessional. The experience can be downright exhilarating or painfully awkward, depending on chemistry, basic human laws of attraction, and the fact that some literary figures probably prefer not to be met at all but are forced into the fray of readings and mingling if they hope to sell their books. (Grabel’s own new graphic book of poetry, Gold Shoes, will be released at the end of March.)
In this case, I’m relieved the moment I see Leanne’s eyes. My first thought: THIS is a woman with a smart face. It’s all there in an instant: a cautious but curious expression (knowing as you do from reading her work that she is taking in every stitch of your clothing from your head to your toes), a keen twinkle to the eye touched with a hint of mischief, and a circumspect warmth, two words that don’t necessarily make sense together but get at a quality in her that struck me most particularly. After a tour of the house, we tuck into the room upstairs where much of her magic happens.
We spend our first meeting getting to know one another a little, shrinking the world between us to a manageable size by sorting through mutual acquaintances – a common phenomenon in a town like Portland, most especially if you are talking to a bona fide Portlander, and I suppose by that I mean anyone who has lived here for more than five years. Actually, I don’t know what constitutes a bona fide Portlander these days given the number of transplants who dominate the art scene, but I am pretty sure Leanne counts: She came here in the 1970s after falling in love with the open mic poetry scene, and has been instrumental in pushing the culture forward ever since.
She hails from Stockton, California, hit our rainy streets in ’75 with a boyfriend and a hankering, and has been making art—poetry, prose, spoken-word, all manner of performance, drawings, political trouble–if a bit anachronistically, ever since. In her words, she “is always in the wrong time,” meaning that her work never seems to catch the cultural wave that might translate into big money or a living based solely on her art work. What a lucky gift that has been for the rest of us in its own way. Instead, she has supported her art habit with a host of professional endeavors as varied as her artistic pursuits.
For years, she and her husband Steve owned the Southeast Hawthorne artist hot spot, Café Lena, until she got tired, as she puts it, “of the poets ordering me around.” Then she spent 12 years working for Portland Public Schools teaching and mentoring students who have endured unfathomable trauma, first at Rosemont Treatment Center and School and then at the Parry Center for Children. Her powerful book Badgirls, which features some of their stories, underwent a successful stage adaptation and also, she says, landed her in some inexplicable hot water with an Administrator-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named for reasons that baffle and speak volumes not about Leanne’s book (which is gentle and generous in protecting the privacy of these students) but about the Administrator himself – in this case, Administrator with a capital A.
An excerpt from Grabel’s new graphic book “Gold Shoes.”
Throughout it all, Leanne maintains a disciplined writing and drawing/illustrating schedule and frequently collaborates with talented musicians to perform her poetry, a result of her finding traditional poetry readings generally boring. In fact, these days, she reports that she “is bored by words” altogether, which might explain her tendency to combine elements such as graphic art with flash memoir and poetry as well as poetry and sound. The instinct is a good one, and the result, alchemical–often creating a depth and dimension that doubles by the marriage.
Leanne’s illustrations are colorful, original, blunt, political, zany and even poignant when paired with text—the sort of drawings that most of us couldn’t make but which strike such a universal chord that we somehow feel we could. They will be on display in her current project, Gold Shoes, a graphic poetry book that reads as part love letter to her mother and part sharp-eyed commentary on the idiosyncrasies of family and the people we love: It’s set to be released March 30 by Finishing Line Press (pre-order here). Like much of her writing, Gold Shoes is sure to have a cumulative effect. The sentences are athletic and hilarious yet skinned, and the rhythm so staccato, so void of lyricism, that you don’t fully realize what a journey you’ve taken heart-wise (and humor-wise) until the very end.
The real gift of her work lies in the specificity of her descriptions and the particularity of her cadence. Her use of simile and metaphor rivals the best in the business (I’m talking Lorrie Moore good!). Consider this from The Day My Mother Died, published by the Opiate Magazine:
“My mother had an eye infection for months. (Should I be telling you this?) The rim of her left eye was swollen and crimson. Like a young mouth. But on an old eye it looked bloody awful.”
And this passage from her 2011 memoir, Brontosaurus: Memoir of a Sex Life, describing some professional women with whom she worked while employed by a magazine edited by tennis legend Billie Jean King:
“They wore beautifully tailored suits with razor-sharp pleated trousers. They wore blouses like saucy whispers, unbuttoned love, nearly revealing lean cleavages. They wore magnificent boots on their magnificent legs. They wore inherited jewels.”
Brontosaurus details a rape and abduction that happened while Leanne and two friends were on a road trip to Mexico as young students at Stanford University.
Apart from the brutality of the event and the visceral exactitude of the writing, the account gets at something profound that many memoirs of this sort do not—the fact that trauma does not follow a narrative arc, as much as we wish it could. There is an inciting incident, sure, but a true resolution is always out of reach, particularly when the other two victims will not acknowledge the act itself, and the idea of justice never seems to coalesce into an idea at all. Instead, the memoir reminds us that trauma remains as insidious as liquid itself, filling up spaces, leaking out and spilling over and ultimately influencing our choices, altering our very natures, whether we are aware of it or not.
In Leanne’s book, there is no trial, no long walk on a trail that brings forth epiphany on the other side—it is the opposite of a hero’s journey. If a good memoir is an account of what has happened to us and what we have had a hand in creating–all the truthful, messy ways we can implicate ourselves and others in the making of this chronology known as a life–Leanne’s book is at the top of its form. (She has also reimagined Brontosaurus as a graphic tale with her own illustrations. Renamed Tainted Illustrated, it’s been running in serial form in The Opiate, which is available at Powell’s.)
An excerpt from “Tainted Illustrated,” Grabel’s graphic adaptation of her memoir “Brontosaurus.”
Leanne again hosts our final meeting, and it turns out Bailey Dog is sharing territory with a tiny and timid scruff-pup named Monkey. When I knock this time, barking ensues. Leanne ushers me in and lovingly picks up Monkey to cradle him. “We’re watching him for friends,” she tells me with a smile. She seems relaxed. She’s dressed in tights, and it’s hard not to notice both how fit she is and how comfortable she appears comforting this dog. I’m seeing a new dimension to her in this moment, and thinking how lucky her new granddaughter, Ophelia, will be to grow up with this woman in her life.
As to the fitness part, Leanne tells me she started exercising at the age of thirty as a way to stave of chronic low-level depression. “I did a piece about that!” she says. “I actually exercised on stage! I talk about how it is like waking up every morning with a heavy coat draped over your body and stones in your pocket.” She’s animated and lively now, the opposite of depressed, slipping easily into the character she created with a few, quick gestures.
Later, she plays some keyboard while reciting a poem. “I am going to do this for a performance in March,” she tells me. There’s a twinkle to her eye again. Even in this room, surrounded by her projects and family pictures, she is suddenly as commanding as if she were in a huge theater. I can picture an orchestra behind her, and I am reminded of something the late writer and National Book Award winner Denis Johnson said in an interview about the sources of his anxiety and how it all went away as soon as his fingers touched the keyboard. I wouldn’t call Leanne anxious, but there’s certainly a restlessness, a wanting to get at something deeper, something more. Luckily for her, the antidote can be found in more than just a keyboard. She has prowess over a mic, a piano, a pencil, a paintbrush, a well-curated social media page. She’s one of the rare and lucky among us whose skill level can keep up with her vast imagination.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5234
|
__label__wiki
| 0.976054
| 0.976054
|
A brash new company is revolutionizing crisis response by sending ex-military to rescue adventurers. So why all the enemies?
Global Rescue CEO Dan Richards (Photo by Michael Lewis)
Photo: Photo by Michael Lewis
Devon O'Neil
"WHAT'S THE LATEST on the lion bite in Zimbabwe?"
Global Rescue CEO Dan Richards
"At the end of the day, we represent the red button these people push," says Richards.
Ted Muhlner's commanding voice fills the room, a spacious seventh-floor office in Boston's financial district decorated with ten flatscreen TVs and little else. The place looks like a stockbroker's warren, but it's not. The 37-year-old Muhlner, a former Navy SEAL with an M.B.A. from Harvard, is senior director of operations for Global Rescue, a seven-year-old company that assists adventure travelers and corporate employees who find themselves in dicey situations far from home. At the moment, surrounded by four paramedics and two ex–military personnel, Muhlner is conducting a 20-minute briefing on the day's workload, a checklist of ongoing operations around the world.
One involves a young, wealthy Mexican hunter who had his arm shredded by a lionness in Zimbabwe. The client is still in the bush, about three hours from the capital, Harare, and he's at risk of developing a serious infection. Because he pays an annual membership fee to Global Rescue, it's the company's job to get him to a hospital ASAP.
"We've sent e-mails and made calls," says Matt Arcovio, a 36-year-old Global Rescue medic. "Nothing."
Muhlner tells the medic to contact an air- ambulance service he trusts, which will rush the patient to the Avenues Clinic in Harare, a reputable facility where his wounds will be cleaned and stitched.
Next: an American trekker at 14,000 feet in Tuli Kharka, Nepal, near Mount Everest, is coughing up green crud and experiencing shortness of breath, possible signs of pulmonary edema. Knowing an evacuation is likely, Muhlner reminds the same medic that they have a contract with a local helicopter company.
Listening quietly off to the side, security manager Dan Bayer, another former SEAL who's known around here as the Pit Bull, chomps on a piece of raw broccoli. In an office a few feet away, the company's founder, Dan Richards, a 37-year-old former Wall Street banker, hammers away at his keyboard. It's business as usual.
Chief paramedic Derek Rappaport, 40, a former firefighter with softball-size biceps, turns and addresses me in a thick Boston accent. "We do a lot of bites," he says. "Dog, lion, cobra, monkey."
"Two monkeys," Muhlner reminds him.
Rappaport laughs. "Same girl."
GLOBAL RESCUE fashions itself as a new kind of crisis-response firm: a high-end security blanket with medevac capabilities. While the company occasionally pulls clients out of disaster areas, war zones, and scenes of political turmoil—earlier this year, the team evacuated more than 200 people from Egypt—it works primarily as a medical fixer, quickly arranging for injured travelers to get the care they need. Because of its ability to send medics to, say, the Himalayas, Global Rescue has become the service of choice for many adventurers. Its diverse client list includes travel outfitter Geographic Expeditions, the U.S. Ski Team, surfers Jordy Smith and Mick Fanning, and mountaineer Ed Viesturs.
"If you're out there in the boonies and you need to get rescued, you never know what it's going to cost," says Viesturs. "I don't know of any other company that does what they do."
The American Alpine Club (AAC) provides Global Rescue medevac coverage to all of its 8,000 members. That came in handy last March for alpinist Steve House when he fell 80 feet off the north face of Mount Temple, in Banff National Park, fracturing his pelvis, spine, and several ribs. After a team from Parks Canada extracted House, Global Rescue sent a paramedic to stay with him at a Calgary hospital, then flew him home to Oregon in a private jet. Global Rescue also recovers bodies—most recently, the remains of American climber Joe Puryear, who died last October on Tibet's 24,170-foot Labuche Kang.
A basic Global Rescue membership with medevac costs $329 per year. Individual security coverage, which includes evacuations from war zones, runs $655. But the company makes most of its money from private firms and government agencies that pay annual retainers, then fork over hefty one-time fees to rescue employees when disaster strikes. Red Bull, the U.S. State Department, and NASA are among the clients. Though it might seem surprising that the State Department would hire a private company to safeguard its employees, doing so may prevent a broken bone from becoming a diplomatic incident.
"We don't fit any of the categories that people apply to us," says Richards, a muscular 215-pound graduate of Middlebury College and Dartmouth's Tuck Business School. "We're certainly not in the insurance business. We're not a security firm—we don't guard static locations. We are in the rescue business. We respond to crises. At the end of the day, we represent the red button these people push."
UNTIL RECENTLY, travelers had few red-button options. Travel insurance has been around in some form since the 1860s, but most plans cover only the basics: lost luggage or the cost of your trip if you get injured before leaving.
In 1985, a French doctor and businessman co-founded the first travel-assistance company, AEA International, specializing in risk mitigation and pre-trip advice for European and Australian corporations operating in Asia. The firm, which is based in London, Philadelphia, and Singapore, changed its name to International S.O.S. in 1998. As global tourism boomed, ISOS expanded into a force that grossed $850 million and handled 1.2 million cases in 2009. (By contrast, Global Rescue handled about 300 cases that year. The company, which is private, declined to reveal revenue.) Travel assistance and crisis response are now a global industry worth billions, and there are no fewer than eight American companies offering those services.
Global Rescue entered the fray in 2004, positioning itself as agile and able to quickly go where other companies wouldn't. (Its motto is "Anytime, anywhere.") Back then, Richards was a 31-year-old hotshot at the Wall Street private-equity firm Thomas Weisel Capital Partners. Starting in 2003, he spent nine months researching the travel-assistance industry as a possible investment. He met with all the major players—ISOS, On Call International, MedjetAssist, Medex—and gained intimate access to the mechanics of their businesses.
Instead of investing, Richards saw an opening: the companies, he decided, were big and impersonal and often operated like insurance carriers, making clients plead the severity of a case before responding. So in fall 2004, he left his job and launched Global Rescue with the help of his father, Stu, a wealthy entrepreneur who now serves as senior vice president.
Richards hired rescue-industry pros, including former SEALs and Air Force paramedics, and established relationships with private jet companies all over the world. (Global Rescue doesn't own any aircraft but says it has access to 3,000 planes.) Richards also negotiated an exclusive partnership with Johns Hopkins Department of Emergency Medicine, which handles traumatic injuries and provides medical care for the Secret Service.
Jim Scheulen, chief administrative officer for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins, says he agreed to the relationship in part because he was impressed by Global Rescue's nimble operating style. "I thought each call was going to matter more to them because they were smaller," he told me. "And a lot of their competitors will only take you to a hospital in whatever country you're in instead of home to the U.S."
The next step was to build a network of hundreds of contractors in foreign countries: former Special Forces operatives in Lebanon, bush pilots throughout Africa, maritime captains in Greece. Such fixers are what make the crisis-response industry tick, arranging everything from reliable taxis to armed extraction. But while other firms rely exclusively on foreign contractors, Global Rescue usually deploys its own staff to lead difficult operations. Last year after the Haiti earthquake, chief paramedic Rappaport and security chief Bayer—the Pit Bull—led a team that evacuated 50 clients. Richards, who's known for his attachment to fitness and military-style preparedness, takes pride in his staff's ability to get out there, which he believes sets Global Rescue apart from the competition. "We never see anyone else's personnel out in the field," he says.
But some competitors dispute the value of sending a staffer from Boston to oversee a rescue. "Deployment of assets to an injured or ill member will delay the process of getting someone back home," John Gobbels, vice president of Birmingham, Alabama–based MedjetAssist, said in an e-mail. "If I'm ill or injured halfway around the globe, the last thing I want or need is someone ‘deploying' to come and assist me."
But the personal touch, as well as the relationship with Johns Hopkins, appeals to many clients. Last year, Jim Sano, president of the travel outfitter Geographic Expeditions, spent months investigating eight evacuation firms before making a decision. "Global Rescue," he says, "is a deeper crisis-response system than we've ever seen."
BECAUSE IT PLACES such importance on having personnel who can handle themselves in the field, Global Rescue puts its employees through rigorous physical challenges. During my visit to Boston, I participated in the company's timed fitness test. Eighteen staff members, including Richards's wife, Melissa—who also serves as the company's general counsel—broke into groups of three and carried 80-pound sacks of wood pellets up and down seven flights of stairs. Then they ran two miles at a race pace and hammered out squat presses in a makeshift office gym that included a swinging pull-up bar, kettle bells, and bunk beds where staffers sleep during overnight shifts. Two days later, I spent the afternoon shooting pistols and automatic weapons at a New Hampshire firing range with a group of employees. It was an odd scene, like a cross between Parks & Recreation and Red.
The macho office culture caused a smirk or two among some of Global Rescue's ex-staffers, who would only speak anonymously about their old boss, citing fear of litigation. "Richards loves to hang around with alpha males who have been there and done that," says a former employee who once served in the U.S. military. "He likes to think he can do it, too. But he cannot.
"I don't recommend Global Rescue to people I associate with because of Dan's tendency to elevate, one, himself, and two, the firm's capabilities above where they actually are," he continues. "He boasted of having a hostage-recovery capability, but it was never viable."
Another former employee mentioned Richards's "strange obsession with belittling the competition. Slandering them almost."
Richards is not swayed by such criticism, maintaining that Global Rescue does "get involved in kidnap, ransom, and detention." And he doesn't claim to be a friendly boss: over the past few years, he's fired at least six people who, he says, "lacked integrity." As for the competition, he's not shy about enumerating their deficiencies. During my visit, Richards described other firms as essentially conducting a prolonged game of telephone tag.
"What they have is a call center," he said, "and then they rely entirely on being able to make a follow-up outbound phone call to someone they might know wherever you happen to be having a problem. It's a wing and a prayer." In another conversation, Richards told me that "in this industry, businesses are incentivized to wait."
That's a bold statement, implying that a crisis-response firm might try to save money by not rescuing a client, instead waiting for a situation to resolve itself. To back up his claim, Richards cites a 1996 incident in which an ISOS client working in Saudi Arabia developed a heart condition and asked whether or not he should be evacuated to the U.S. ISOS asserted that the local care was adequate, but the man died following surgery. His family sued ISOS and settled for an undisclosed sum. Global Rescue now uses the case in its marketing material. "This is public information," says Richards. "We can talk about whatever we want." ISOS declined to comment on Global Rescue for this story.
Richards also points to a 2006 case in which, he claims, a MedjetAssist member fell down a ravine in Peru's Colca Canyon. According to Richards, MedjetAssist wouldn't evacuate the client from the canyon, and the man called Global Rescue, which arranged an airlift. In response, MedjetAssist's Gobbels had this to say in an e-mail: "Mr. Richards and his organization have gained a reputation for spewing rubbish, and this is just another example of that. Allegations like this are slanderous and unconscionable. We treat our members as we would our own family and never discuss their cases publicly."
Richards may be brash, but he has an obvious talent for organizing. In late January, when protestors in Egypt took to the streets and the army sent tanks into Alexandria and Cairo, the airports clogged with Americans and Europeans trying to flee. On January 30, Richards got a call from Michael Geisler, the vice president of languages at Middlebury College, Richards's alma mater. Geisler oversees an Arabic-language-exchange program in Alexandria and needed to evacuate 22 students and two staff members.
Middlebury had a contract with a competing security firm, but the company had been unable to secure an aircraft, leaving the students stranded in the Alexandria airport for more than 24 hours. Global Rescue already had two security officers from Boston en route to Egypt to coordinate another evacuation; the officers showed up in Alexandria within hours of Geisler signing a Global Rescue contract. Soon after, the students flew out on a private jet. "It wasn't cheap," Geisler says, "but it was worth it."
DURING THE THREE DAYS I spent at Global Rescue's offices, I saw the company handle six serious cases. The most intense began with a phone call at noon on the second day. Al Read, a cofounder of Geographic Expeditions and the former president of Exum Mountain Guides, of Jackson, Wyoming, was in Bosnia and Herzegovina scouting the country's adventure-travel potential for a USAID subsidiary called Fostering Interventions for Rapid Market Accelerations, or FIRMA. One morning, Read woke up in his Sarajevo hotel room with a piercing headache and e-mailed his colleagues to say he would be late to the FIRMA office.
Seven hours later, a colleague found Read unconscious in his room. A CAT scan revealed that his brain was bleeding and swollen—he'd suffered several subdural hematomas, the result of a fall in the shower ten days earlier. Someone at FIRMA called Read's wife, who alerted Sano, the Geographic Expeditions president. Sano called Global Rescue.
The company's two main orders of business were to assemble enough brain-injury experts to read the scans and decide whether it was safe for Read to fly home and, in the event that it wasn't, to vet hospitals and neurosurgeons in Sarajevo.
Muhlner called a Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon and Eric Johnson, a Driggs, Idaho–based Global Rescue adviser and past president of the Wilderness Medical Society. Meanwhile, Richards tapped away at his computer, with Muhlner updating him every hour or two.
A records check showed that Global Rescue had already categorized the Sarajevo hospital as a trusted facility with a highly respected neurosurgeon, Nermina Iblizovic. At 6 P.M. in Boston—midnight in Sarajevo—Dr. Iblizovic called to say that Read's condition was worsening. "He's going to die in five hours unless we operate," she told A.J. Kahn, a Global Rescue paramedic.
Global Rescue's doctors advised Read's wife to OK the surgery. Muhlner then sent another Global Rescue paramedic on an overnight flight to Sarajevo to attend to Read.
Back in Boston, two other medics spent most of the night on the phone with the doctors in Bosnia, relaying information to Read's family. The surgery was successful—Dr. Iblizovic drilled three tiny holes in Read's skull to release the blood—but when I arrived the next morning, I didn't know if Read would be alive or dead. I glanced over at Kahn. He flashed a wide grin.
"He's eating chocolate pudding," he said.
From Outside Magazine, Apr 2011
Filed To: Outside Features
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5236
|
__label__wiki
| 0.728392
| 0.728392
|
Home > Projects that Inspire > 160 Front Street West
160 Front Street West is a 46-story commercial office tower located on the southwest side of Toronto, Ontario’s Financial District. Designed to add a distinct silhouette to the city’s skyline, the tower will feature a curved profile on all four exterior walls and incorporate the masonry of the 70-year-old, six-story heritage building previously located on the site. It will offer 1.2 million square feet of office space, 12,290 square feet of retail space, and 339 parking stalls.
PCL and Cadillac Fairview are incorporating innovative smart technology into the build and are targeting the highest environmental standards—LEED Platinum and WELL certified. Once operational, 160 Front Street West will be subject to Cadillac Fairview’s award-winning sustainability program “Green at Work,” which incorporates leading global practices that integrate sustainability into property management and operations.
160 Front Street West is slated for completion in 2022 and is one of the most complex tall office towers PCL has signed on to build.
Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited (The)
Toronto – Buildings & Civil Construction
PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
Celebrating the groundbreaking of 160 Front Street West.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5239
|
__label__wiki
| 0.634449
| 0.634449
|
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button And Six Other Stories
Short Stories & Anthologies / Fiction Classics / Classics / Contemporary Fiction
Revealing the breadth of F. Scott Fitzgerald's gift for the short story form, this Penguin Classics edition of The Case of Benjamin Button and Six Other Stories spans multiple genres and styles to dazzling effect.
Full grown with a long, smoke-coloured beard, requiring the services of a cane and fonder of cigars than warm milk, Benjamin Button is a very curious baby indeed. And, as Benjamin becomes increasingly youthful with the passing years, his family wonders why he persists in the embarrassing folly of living in reverse. In this imaginative fable of ageing and the other stories collected here - including 'The Cut-Glass Bowl' in which an ill-meant gift haunts a family's misfortunes, 'The Four Fists' where a man's life shaped by a series of punches to his face, and the revelry, mobs and anguish of 'May Day' - F. Scott Fitzgerald displays his unmatched gift as a writer of short stories.
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', originally published in 1922, was made into a major motion picture directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton.
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) has acquired a mythical status in American literary history, and his masterwork The Great Gatsby is considered by many to be the 'great American novel'. In 1920 he married Zelda Sayre, dubbed 'the first American Flapper', and their traumatic marriage and Zelda's gradual descent into insanity became the leading influence on his writing. As well as many short stories, Fitzgerald wrote five novels This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, The Beautiful and the Damned, Tender is the Night and, incomplete at the time of his death, The Last Tycoon. After his death The New York Times said of him that 'in fact and in the literary sense he created a "generation" '.
If you enjoyed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, you might like Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, also available in Penguin Classics.
'A master of the American short story'
The Philadelphia Enquirer
'His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings'
Love The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button And Six Other Stories? Subscribe to Read More to find out about similar books.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5240
|
__label__wiki
| 0.865104
| 0.865104
|
The Death of Ivan Ilych
By Leo Tolstoy
Translated by Ian Dreiblatt
Part of The Art of the Novella
Category: Literary Fiction
Apr 01, 2008 | 128 Pages
About The Death of Ivan Ilych
There is no explanation.
Written eight years after the publication of Anna Karenina—a time during which, despite the global success of his novels, Leo Tolstoy renounced fiction in favor of religious and philosophical tracts—The Death of Ivan Ilych represents perhaps the most keenly realized melding of Tolstoy’s spirituality with his artistic skills.
Here in a vibrant new translation, the tale of a judge who slowly comes to understand that his illness is fatal was inspired by Tolstoy’s observation at his local train station of hundreds of shackled prisoners being sent off to Siberia, many for petty crimes. When he learned that the sentencing judge had died, Tolstoy was roused to consider the judge’s thoughts during his final days—a study on the acceptance of mortality only deepened by the death, during its writing, of one of Tolstoy’s own young children.
The final result is a magisterial story, both chilling and beguiling in the fullness of its empathy, its quotidian detail, and the beauty of its prose, and is, as many have claimed it to be, one of the most moving novellas ever written.
The Art of The Novella Series
Too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story, the novella is generally unrecognized by academics and publishers. Nonetheless, it is a form beloved and practiced by literature’s greatest writers. In the Art Of The Novella series, Melville House celebrates this renegade art form and its practitioners with titles that are, in many instances, presented in book form for the first time.
Also in The Art of the Novella
Published by Melville House
Apr 01, 2008 | 128 Pages | 5 x 7 | ISBN 9781933633541
May 17, 2011 | 128 Pages | ISBN 9781612190808
People Who Read The Death of Ivan Ilych Also Read
“I wanted them all, even those I’d already read.”
—Ron Rosenbaum, The New York Observer
“Small wonders.”
“[F]irst-rate…astutely selected and attractively packaged…indisputably great works.”
—Adam Begley, The New York Observer
“I’ve always been haunted by Bartleby, the proto-slacker. But it’s the handsomely minimalist cover of the Melville House edition that gets me here, one of many in the small publisher’s fine ‘Art of the Novella’ series.”
“The Art of the Novella series is sort of an anti-Kindle. What these singular, distinctive titles celebrate is book-ness. They’re slim enough to be portable but showy enough to be conspicuously consumed—tiny little objects that demand to be loved for the commodities they are.”
—KQED (NPR San Francisco)
“Some like it short, and if you’re one of them, Melville House, an independent publisher based in Brooklyn, has a line of books for you… elegant-looking paperback editions …a good read in a small package.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5241
|
__label__wiki
| 0.943314
| 0.943314
|
Steelers rookie Johnson focused on future
PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Diontae Johnson understands parallels will be drawn between himself and former Steelers star Antonio Brown. The third-round pick, however, is focused on forging his own path.
The comparisons and serendipitous circumstances that link the two are almost too conspicuous to believe. But this "D.J." isn't actively going out of his way to be the next "AB."
As he walked off the field after completing his first official on-field NFL practice session, Johnson was predictably asked to give his thoughts about the ubiquitous comparisons between him and the perennial All-Pro receiver now with Oakland.
"It's a good thing, because he's a great player," Johnson said Friday. "Somebody I used to watch. I still look up to him. He's a great player.
"But I can only be myself only."
What the Steelers have been saying they expect of Johnson would be more than good enough — even if it falls short of the level Brown attained as the Steelers' No. 1 receiver for most of the past decade.
Brown was shipped off to the Raiders for third- and fifth-round draft picks in March after he'd publicly clashed with everyone from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to coach Mike Tomlin to Steelers President Art Rooney II since sitting out the final game of the 2018 season. That leaves a gaping, 114-catch-per-year hole of production on the offense. Brown had 686 receptions, 9,145 yards and 67 touchdowns from 2013 to 2018.
By no means do the Steelers expect Johnson to make up for that by himself. But Johnson enters the NFL with a similar game and profile as Brown — and he was acquired as the headlining (if underwhelming) return in the trade of Brown.
Johnson embraces the on-field similarities with Brown in regards to playing style: "route running, able to catch ball, get out of my breaks, able to run every route in the route tree." But Johnson politely downplays expectations he can approach the superstar status Brown reached in Pittsburgh.
"I'm just trying to come in and contribute and come in and do what I can do," Johnson said. "Be myself and help out in any way that I can."
It might forever be difficult for Johnson to simply "be himself" with the Steelers, if only because many might always compare him to Brown. A look at the roster shows that about the only way Johnson doesn't share a strong resemblance with Brown is uniform number. Johnson was wearing No. 18 at rookie minicamp; Brown's former No. 84 was given to undrafted tight end Milan Richard.
Brown stands 5-foot-10, 181 pounds. Johnson is listed at 5-10, 183.
Brown went to Central Michigan, a Mid-American Conference school; Johnson starred at Toldeo, the Chippewas' MAC rival.
Over his final two college seasons, Brown had 2,096 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns in being voted all-MAC twice. Johnson, over his final two college seasons: 2,039 receiving yards, 25 touchdowns, two-time all-MAC.
Each had great success as a punt and kick returner, too.
Johnson might not be Brown but he's already made an impression on his new teammates.
"He has a lot of talent," said cornerback Justin Layne, a player the Steelers took with another third-round pick. "Fast, quick guy. He is going to help us a lot."
Steelers fourth-round pick Benny Snell has gotten to know Johnson in recent months because they share the same agent and were roommates in Indianapolis at the combine in February.
"Diontae is amazing," said Snell, a running back from Kentucky. "He's a cool guy, a cool dude — and he's got some hands."
Johnson's hands weren't as much on display Friday as the Steelers likely hoped; he sat out portions of team drills, then deferred to coach Mike Tomlin, who was unavailable to media Friday, for specifics about any injury. But he allowed that he was "fine."
For his rookie season, Johnson joins a receivers corps led by JuJu Smith-Schuster and also featuring veteran Donte Moncrief, second-year wideout James Washington, and slot specialists Eli Rogers and Ryan Switzer.
Where Johnson falls into that pecking order in 2019 is a long way from being determined.
"It's exciting, being able to play football again," Johnson said, "being able to run routes and catch balls and learn the plays."
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5243
|
__label__cc
| 0.652589
| 0.347411
|
Look Who’s Dancing!
Annual Community Meeting
Angelo’s & Vinci’s Fundraiser
Our staff is comprised of diverse professionals who are committed to ending hunger and homelessness for families and individuals in North Orange County. Each staff member brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and compassion to our agency’s mission to provide access to shelter, food, and permanent housing for our community’s most vulnerable residents.
David Gillanders, Jr is the Executive Director of Pathways of Hope. As a North Orange County native and a ten-year veteran in the work of ending homelessness, and most recently working in central county on the intersection between Domestic Violence and homelessness, he returned to his roots in 2017 to lead Pathways of Hope’s efforts to provide food and housing services to our friends, neighbors, and community members experiencing hunger and homelessness. David is a board member of the Fullerton Collaborative, a group of Non-Profits and community members concerned with the well-being of our community, and is also on the Executive Committee of the Family Solutions Collaborative, a group of agencies that focus their work on ending the experience of homelessness for families across Orange County. David is a graduate of Fullerton College, California State University Fullerton (where, along with University of California Irvine, he continues to give back through teaching), and holds a Master of Science from DePaul University. Previous work includes various program and agency leadership roles, including working at Orange County United Way managing investments into anti-poverty programs. David enjoys nothing more than ending homelessness, except spending time with his wife and partner and their two children at their home in Orange. He likes cycling, music, tattoos, and coffee too!
Nishtha holds a Masters in Social Work (MSW) and a Bachelors in Psychology, Honors. She brings with her years of rich experience spanning three countries: India, Canada, and the USA. Nishtha started her career in India with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) where she was part of the National AIDS Control Organization at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. In Canada and in America before joining Pathways of Hope, Nishtha was involved with the domestic violence and homeless shelter work. Nishtha is most fulfilled by helping people grow professionally. Her vision and ability to nurture relationships helps our organization move towards collective impact, long-term solutions and success.
In Nishtha’s words, the best thing about being a part of the leadership team at Pathways of Hope is, “Not only do I get a chance to work with a great group of individuals who are passionate about the cause, but I am working for a dynamic and socially conscious organization that understands needs of the clients, and appreciates and acknowledges employee contributions. I thoroughly enjoy leading a team of subject experts and investing in their professional growth and this organization lets me do just that.”
Mychael received her Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles. Before joining the team at Pathways in 2015, Mychael served as the Community Business Development Manager at Barnes & Noble in Fullerton. Mychael believes that every single member of our community deserves a roof over their head and food on their table and she is proud to lead the Development Team at Pathways. Mychael enjoys working hard to find the funding and resources necessary to make a tangible, lasting impact on the lives of our neighbors in need. She says, “It is a great pleasure to spend every day working with individuals, businesses, organizations, and faith communities who share Pathways of Hope’s belief that we are always stronger when we work together, and if we work together, we can end hunger and homelessness in North Orange County.”
Mary has over 10 years of experience in the field of social sciences and has worked with people experiencing homelessness, housing instability, substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and disabilities. She has a robust work history in cultivating programs for homeless individuals and families. Mary spent two years working at an access center for single individuals and families in South Central Los Angeles, where she implemented programs involving rapid re-housing, diversion, prevention, and building landlord relationships. Her most recent work was at the winter shelter in San Gabriel Valley region. Mary loves working with people and strives to provide a genuine human connection with every interaction. She believes that the most satisfying aspect of working with vulnerable populations is teaching people preventative measures to sustain their livelihood and dignity through knowledge and community engagement.
Sarah received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from USC in 2016, and prior to that she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach in 2011. After obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree, she began working at Crittenton Services for Children and Families, a group home for at-risk, teenage girls located in Fullerton. Sarah worked as both a Residential Counselor and a Client Liaison during her time there, and quickly fell in love with the helping profession. Three years later, she began her Master’s program at USC and gained a wealth of knowledge and experience that has strengthened her passion for helping others.
All of this lead her to Pathways of Hope, and she is honored to be part of this organization and to have the opportunity to come to work and do what she loves. Being able to see the journey clients take while they are in our programs and watching them strive to achieve self-sufficiency and obtain a permanent home for themselves and their family is what she loves most about her job – seeing the successes, no matter the size, each and every day.
Gary grew up in Fullerton and received his Associate’s Degree from Fullerton College. After working at various jobs through high school, college and beyond, he started a career at the Marriott hotel in Fullerton, where he worked as a Senior Mechanic for 10 years. Eight years ago, Gary brought all of the experience he acquired over the years to Pathways of Hope as the Facilities Manager. His favorite part of being a member of the Pathways leadership team is having the opportunity to help cross-train new employees and to share his knowledge of the organization with them, helping to ensure a smooth-running operation.
Kim grew up in Whittier and attended California High School. After a brief time at Fullerton College, she went to work full-time as an Account Coordinator in the trade-show decorating industry. About 10 years later, Kim chose to be a “stay at home” mom to her 3 children, volunteering in classrooms and holding every PTA position. When her kids were older, she re-joined the work force, first as an Executive Assistant at the Fullerton YMCA, then as a Human Resources Coordinator at the YMCA of Orange County. In 2016, Kim came to Pathways of Hope, and she couldn’t be happier. The thing she likes the best about being a part of the staff leadership at Pathways of Hope is being able to have a hand in all aspects of the operations of the organization and being able to work with every employee in the organization in some capacity.
Subscribe to eNewsletter!
INFO@POHOC.ORG
WWW.POHOC.ORG
PO BOX 6326, FULLERTON, CA 92834
MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND DONATE NOW
©2019. Pathways of Hope. Design by Xentina.com.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5245
|
__label__cc
| 0.572835
| 0.427165
|
PolitiFact masters the non sequitur
A non sequitur occurs when one idea does not follow from another.
A Jan. 23, 2018 fact check by PolitiFact's Miriam Valverde offers ample evidence that PolitiFact has mastered the non sequitur.
Valverde's fact check concerned a claim from a White House infographic*:
PolitiFact looked at whether it was true that immigrants cost U.S. taxpayers $300 billion annually. The careful reader will have noticed that the White House infographic did not claim that immigrants cost U.S. taxpayers $300 billion annually. It made two distinct claims, first that unskilled immigrants create a net fiscal deficit and second that current immigration policy puts U.S. taxpayers on the hook for as much as $300 billion.
Isn't it wonderful when supposedly non-partisan fact checkers create straw men?
As for what the White House actually claimed, yes the Washington Times reported there was one study--a thorough one--that said current immigration policy costs U.S. taxpayers as much as $296 billion annually.
We do not know the precise origin of that figure after looking for it in the study. Apparently PolitiFact also failed to find it and after mentioning the Times' report proceeded to use the study's figure of $279 billion for 2013. That figure was for the first of eight scenarios.
Was the $296 billion number an inflation adjustment? A population increase adjustment? A mistake? A figure representing one of the other groups? We don't know. But if the correct figure is $279 billion, $300 billion represents a liberal-but-common method of rounding. It could also qualify as an exaggeration of 8 percent.
What problem does PolitiFact find with the infographic (bold emphasis added)?
A consultant who contributed to the report told us that in 2013 the total fiscal burden -- average outlays minus average receipts multipled [sic] by 55.5 million individuals -- was $279 billion for the first generation of immigrants. But making a conclusion on that one figure is a mighty case of cherry-picking.
What conclusion did the infographic draw that represents cherry picking?
That line from Valverde does not belong in a fact check without a clear example of the faulty cherry picking. And in this case there isn't anything. The fact check provides more information about the report, including some positives regarding immigrant populations (especially second-generation immigrants), but ultimately finds no concrete fault with the infographic.
PolitiFact's charge of cherry picking doesn't follow.
And PolitiFact's conclusion?
The White House claimed that "current immigration policy imposes as much as $300 billion annually in net fiscal costs on U.S. taxpayers."
A study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine analyzed the fiscal impact of immigration under different scenarios. Under some assumptions, the fiscal burden was $279 billion, but $43 billion in other scenarios.
The report also found that U.S.-born children with at least one foreign-born parent are among the strongest economic and fiscal contributors, thanks in part to the spending by local governments on their education.
The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details. We rate it Half True.
In the second paragraph PolitiFact says the fiscal burden amounted to $43 billion "in other scenarios." Put correctly, one scenario put the figure at $279 billion and two scenarios may have put the figure at $43 billion because the scenarios were nearly identical. The study looked at a total of eight scenarios, found here. It appears to us that scenario four may serve as the source of the $296 billion figure reported in the Washington Times.
Our conclusion? PolitiFact's fact check provides a left-leaning picture of the context of the Trump White House infographic. The infographic is accurate. It plainly states that it is picking out a high-end figure. It states it relies on one study for the figure.
The infographic, in short, provides readers alerts to the potential problems with the figure it uses.
That said, the $300 billion figure serves as a pretty good example of appealing to the audience's anchoring bias. Mentioning "$300 billion" predisposes the audience toward believing a similarly high figure regardless of other evidences. That's a legitimate gripe about the infographic, though one PolitiFact neglected to point out while fabricating its charge of "cherry-picking."
*I noticed ages ago that the Obama administration produced a huge number of misleading infographics. Maybe PolitiFact fact checked one of them?
Correction Jan. 31, 2018: Inserted the needed word "check" between "fact" and "provides" in the fourth paragraph from the end.
Labels: 2018, Donald Trump, Immigration, Katie Sanders, Miriam Valverde, PolitiFact National
PolitiFact editor: "Tell me where the fact-check i...
PolitiFact rubberstamps a claim from Nancy Pelosi
PolitiFact vs Ted Cruz
PolitiFact goes partisan on the "deciding vote"
PolitiFact Texas transparency update
PolitiFact Texas unpublished (Updated)
Facebook comments show the dire need for the Polit...
More "True But False" fact-checking from PolitiFac...
No Underlying Point For You!
'(PolitiFact's) rulings are based on when a statem...
PolitiFact's worst 17 fact checks of 2017
PolitiFact's worst 17 fact checks of 2017 (blank)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5246
|
__label__cc
| 0.665546
| 0.334454
|
Case #96-109858
On November 15, 1996, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Willie Banks Jr, a 19-year-old black male, was driving in his car with his girlfriend in the area of NE 15th and Prescott. They decided to stop at a local grocery store. Mr. Banks went into the store to make a purchase and upon his return, discovered a subject talking to his girlfriend, who was still seated in the car.
Apparently, words were exchanged between this subject and Mr Banks. A single gunshot rang out and Mr. Banks died at that location. Mr. Banks was not armed.
Witnesses at the scene describe the suspect as a black male,5’11”, 165 lbs. This subject has not been identified. Detectives believe that the shooter is known to a number of people, but these people refuse to cooperate. Over time, attitudes about incidents like this can change. Investigators would like to encourage these witnesses or anyone with information about this homicide to step forward and share the information that they may have.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5247
|
__label__cc
| 0.610538
| 0.389462
|
http://www.gre.ac.uk/international
The University of Greenwich traces its roots back to 1890. The main campus is situated at the Old Royal Naval College near the banks of River Thames attracting students from different countries.
International students from more than 140 countries attend the university making the University of Greenwich one of the top two most globally diverse universities according to The Hotcourses Diversity Index. The University of Greenwich was also named one of the “most international” universities on the planet by Times Higher Education magazine.
The University of Greenwich offers over 150 postgraduate programmes over three campuses, with four faculties. These faculties include Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Business School, Faculty of Education and Health and Faculty of Engineering and Science. The main intake is in the month of September when most of our programmes begin and for some specific programmes, and a specific January intake for postgraduate students.
Most of the programmes are accredited by professional bodies depending on the programme you choose to study. These professional bodies include the Engineering Accreditation Board, British Computer Society, Institution of Engineering and Technology and many more. This specifies that the accredited programme is of high quality and meets the needs of the industry, meaning you will study a programme designed to help your future employment prospects in your industry of choice.
The teaching staff at the University of Greenwich are specialised in their discipline and possess substantial knowledge about the relevant industry. You will study in a diverse environment along with other international students and learn the different perspectives on a particular topic. This will be accompanied by facilities provided by the university in form of laboratories, libraries and teaching spaces where £80 million+ have been invested in the last 5 years.
The University of Greenwich has received 9 x Times Higher Education Awards, 4 x Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher & Further Education and 2 x Guardian University Award.
The University of Greenwich has invested extensively in the facilities provided to the current students. More than £80 million has been invested in the last 5 years on libraries, computing, and student centres as well as sports facilities. Each campus has its own library with working spaces, group study rooms, computers and thousands of books.
At the university, you will find all the information regarding the advice and support services provided by the university. Student Registration, Financial Advice, Employment, Welfare and Support, Student Records, Accommodation are some of the services provided at the Student Centre.
An additional investment of £25 million has been made on computing facilities and teaching spaces which opened in September 2018. Dreadnought building is the new home for the Greenwich Student’s Union and includes a gym and social space.
The University of Greenwich has a £1 million scholarship fund available each year to help the best and brightest international students. Applications for the scholarship are open to new full-time, international students holding an offer to start their course in academic year 2019/20. Payment of this award is by way of tuition fee reduction.
Studying at the University of Greenwich is an experience above just getting a degree. You will be a part of a friendly international community that will help you discover new talents and achieve extraordinary things.
Adult Nursing and Paramedical Science
Applied Engineering and Management
Architecture and Landscape
Creative Professions and Digital Arts
Education and Community Studies
Family Care and Mental Health
History, Politics and Social Sciences
Human Resources and Organisational Behaviour
International Business and Economics
Life and Sports Science
Literature, Language and Theatre
Marketing, Events and Tourism
Medway School of Pharmacy
Natural Resources Institute
PGCE courses
Pharmaceutical, Chemical and Environmental Science
Psychology, Social Work and Counselling
Systems Management and Strategy
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0013.json.gz/line5248
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.