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Home » The Learned Intermediary And Implied Warranties
The Learned Intermediary And Implied Warranties
By Bexis on November 10, 2011
Posted in Learned Intermediary
In a relatively recent case, Currier v. Stryker Corp., 2011 WL 4898501 (E.D. Cal. Oct. 13, 2011), the court stated, with respect to a claim for implied warranty:
Because this is a medical implant case, and the [complaint] alleges that the product was surgically inserted in a hospital, the Court cannot plausibly infer from the [complaint] that Plaintiff relied on anything other than his physician’s skill and judgment in selecting the . . . product, nor that any purchase of the product was based on a warranty from the manufacturer to Plaintiff. The Court cannot plausibly infer that there is a relationship between the Defendants and Plaintiff that would allow Plaintiff to state a breach of warranty claim.
Id. at *4. The court seems to be saying that, in a prescription medical product liability case, there can’t be an implied warranty claim unless the plaintiff, as opposed to the prescribing physician, relied on the alleged warranty. That’s useful. We’re sure that this is to some extent grounded in the general California rule requiring privity in express warranty cases, but we thought we’d take a look and see what else may be out there.
The first place we checked, obviously, is the case that the court cites for the proposition, Adams v. I-Flow Corp., 2010 WL 13399488 (C.D. Cal. March 30, 2010), and sure enough, we find pretty much the same thing. “In the context of prescription medical devices and pharmaceuticals, the transaction is between the manufacturer and the physician, not the patient.” Id. at *4. The complaint was simply “devoid of any facts suggesting that plaintiffs relied upon anything other than their physicians’ skill and judgment in selecting and prescribing the [drugs and devices].” Id.
Both Currier and Adams cite another California case, Blanco v. Baxter Healthcare Corp., 70 Cal.Rptr.3d 566 (App. 2008), and there we find more of the same:
Here, there is no evidence [plaintiff] relied on [defendant manufacturer’s] judgment that the [product] was appropriate for her. Rather, she relied on her physician’s skill and judgment to select the [product], as evidenced by the fact it was prescribed by a licensed physician. Accordingly, we conclude [plaintiff] cannot sue [defendant] for breach of implied warranties.
Id. at 582. See also Evraets v. Intermedics Intraocular, Inc., 34 Cal. Rptr.2d 852, 857 (App. 1994) (no implied warranty claim where plaintiff “relied upon his physician’s skill or judgment to select or furnish a suitable product”); Crayton v. Rochester Medical Corp., 2011 WL 475009, at *15-16 (E.D. Cal. Feb. 4, 2011) (no implied warranty where plaintiff “relied on the advice of his doctors”); Quatela v. Stryker Corp., ___ F. Supp.2d ___, 2010 WL 7801786, at *2 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 17, 2010) (“[plaintiff] necessarily relied on the judgment of the medical professionals who treated her”); McCarty v. Johnson & Johnson, 2010 WL 2629913, at *6 (E.D. Cal. June 29, 2010) (“Plaintiff relied on the advice of her doctor and the doctor chose the device”); Sherman v. Stryker Corp., 2009 WL 2241664, at *3 (C.D. Cal. March 30, 2009) (following Evraets); Chandler v. Chiron Corp., 1997 WL 464827, at *8 (N.D. Cal. July 28, 1997) (following Evraets).
Well, that pretty much kills California law. Have any other states used the presence of a learned intermediary selecting prescription medical products and making prescriptions as a reason for barring implied warranty cases?
It comes up, or did, with some frequency in cases attempting to impose absolute liability on pharmacists. That’s been rejected just about everywhere, and the rationales differ, but as to implied warranties, reliance on prescribing doctors is one of the biggies. A North Carolina court held that physician reliance precluded warranty liability:
Here the drug purchased by plaintiff was not available to the general public in the sense that it was available for purchase by any customer who came in the drug store, selected it from the shelf, and paid the price therefor. It was available only to those who had previously seen their physician and obtained from the physician a prescription directing the druggist to supply the drug. Obviously the plaintiff patient did not rely on the druggist’s skill or judgment in assuming that the drug would be fit for its intended purpose. This reliance had been properly placed with her physician.
Batiste v. American Home Products Corp., 231 S.E.2d 269, 276 (N.C. App. 1977). See also McKee v. American Home Products Corp., 782 P.2d 1045, 1050 n.5 (Wash. 1989) (quoting Batiste with approval).
A New York case followed this same rationale, holding that there are no implied warranties because patients are relying on their physicians rather than on anybody else’s representations:
[I]mplied warranties are conditioned on the buyer’s reliance upon the skill and judgment of the seller but when a consumer asks . . . to obtain a drug which is not otherwise available to the public . . ., he places that confidence and reliance in the physician who prescribed the remedy. . . . [T]here is no cause of action for breach of any implied warranties.
Bichler v. Willing, 397 N.Y.S.2d 57, 59 (N.Y.A.D. 1977) (pharmacy case). See also Ingram v. Hook’s Drugs, Inc., 476 N.E.2d 881, 885-86 (Ind. App. 1985) (quoting with approval reliance language in Bichler and Batiste).
Texas seems to follow the same principle, at least where the implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is concerned. This warranty, has an explicit causation/reliance requirement. Thus, in Ackermann v. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, 471 F. Supp.2d 739 (E.D. Tex. 2006), aff’d on other grounds, 526 F.3d 203 (5th Cir. 2008), the court held:
[T]here is no showing that [plaintiff] was relying on [defendant’s] skill or judgment. To the contrary, he was relying on the skill and judgment of [the prescriber]. [The product], like most drugs, is also indicated for other disorders, therefore, it could not be said that [the defendant] would have reason to know of the particular purpose for which [the drug] would be used. The Court concludes that Plaintiff may not prevail on her claims for breach of an implied warranty.
We found similar language in a Georgia case, albeit not as extensive, that there’s no implied fitness warranty where the plaintiff relied upon the prescribing physician rather than the drug manufacturer:
[B]ecause the patient is legally deemed to rely on the physician and not the package labeling for this warning, [plaintiffs] cannot show they were relying on the seller’s skill or judgment to select or furnish suitable goods, as is required to prove an implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.
Presto v. Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corp., 487 S.E.2d 70, 75 (Ga. App. 1997).
An older case in Florida holds pretty much the same thing, again in an implied warranty of fitness case. The plaintiff patient simply didn’t rely on the drug company, but rather on her physician, in choosing a drug:
Obviously, the patient-purchaser did not rely upon the judgment of the retail druggist in assuming that the drug would be fit for its intended purpose. This confidence had been placed in the physician who prescribed the remedy.
McLeod v. W. S. Merrell Co., Division of Richardson-Merrell, Inc., 174 So.2d 736, 739 (Fla. 1965). It’s good language, and like some of the decisions already discussed, is directed mostly against pharmacy strict liability.
A different sort of case arose in Delaware. The court rejected an implied warranty of fitness claim for lack of reliance where the doctor (as opposed to the patient) didn’t rely:
[The prescriber] did not rely on [defendant’s] “superior skill” in selecting a [product] for a [surgical] procedure, because it was not “[defendant’s] place” to “practic[e] medicine” or decide for the doctor whether to use a particular [device]. Plaintiff proffers no evidence that [the prescriber – or anyone else – relied on [defendant’s] representations about the [product] in deciding whether to use [it].
Guinan v. A.I. duPont Hospital for Children, 597 F. Supp.2d 485, 514 (E.D. Pa. 2009) (applying Delaware law), rev’d on other grounds, 393 Fed. Appx. 884 (3d Cir. 2010).
So what can we say about reliance on prescribing physicians, as opposed to on product manufacturers, as a defense in implied warranty litigation? Well, it’s certainly dispositive in California. It also looks quite strong in implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose cases. Elsewhere, we’d say there’s enough favorable precedent to support making the reliance argument against implied warranty claims, although we’d recommend making it in conjunction with other arguments to avoid making bad law.
Tags: Implied Warranty
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Home News FM Messahel in New York at a meeting of Peace Agreement’s Implementation...
FM Messahel in New York at a meeting of Peace Agreement’s Implementation in Mali
Algerian Foreign Minister, Abdelkader Messahel, has co-chaired, on Wednesday in New York, with his Malian counterpart “Abdoulaye Diop” and UN Secretary-General “Antonio Guterres”, in the ministerial meeting on the implementation of the agreement for peace and reconciliation in Mali, said Thursday its ministerial department in a statement.
Organized on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, this meeting which saw the participation of the Malian President, Ibrahim Boubakar Keita, “offered the participants the opportunity to carry out a step evaluation of the Process of Implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, resulting from the Algiers Process, “said the same source.
In his address, Mr Messahel said that the situation in Mali was marked by “positive developments that should be encouraged by more action directed towards the effective implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation Mali “, resulting from the Algiers Process.
In this regard, he recalled the holding of the National Understanding Conference and the subsequent adoption of the Charter on Peace and Reconciliation, the initiation of the constitutional review process and the adoption by the Security Council of the United Nations a resolution on the establishment of a sanctions regime.
The Minister also recalled the signing of the agreement between Azawad Movement Coordination (CMA) and the Platform and the finalization of discussions between the Malian parties signing the Agreement on the return of the Malian State and its symbols to Kidal, as well as the operationalization of Kidal Operational Coordination Mechanism and the appointment of an Independent Observer.
Addressing political and institutional reforms, Messahel said that “important steps have already been taken”, notably with the operationalization of the regions of Taoudenit and Menaka, whose governors have been appointed and installed, the installation of the Authorities and the ongoing process for the drafting of legislative and regulatory texts on decentralization, territorial administration and elections, as well as for the constitutional review. “What is comforting and worthy of note in this respect is that all these crucial operations are carried out in a spirit of dialogue and agreement between the parties to the Agreement,” the minister said.
While enumerating a number of other advances, notably in the area of reconciliation, humanitarian, defense and security, Messahel said that “significant challenges remain in the implementation of the Agreement “.
In this regard, he stressed “the need” to accelerate operationalization of the Joint Operational Mechanism battalions and the deployment of joint patrols in all regions of the North, as well as the rapid installation and normal operation of Interim authorities for the return of basic social services to the benefit of the population.
Mr. Messahel assured that Algeria “will continue its efforts for the construction of peace, stabilization and economic development in Mali, in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika who follows, with the utmost attention the evolution of the situation in Mali and, more generally, throughout Sahel area “.
Abdelkader Messahel
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MilliporeSigma Launches New Gene Editing Technology to Engineer Virus Resistant CHO Cell Lines
Billerica, Massachusetts, September 8, 2016 — MilliporeSigma today launched a first-of-its-kind gene editing technology to modify CHO cell lines to be resistant to minute virus of mice (MVM), a common contamina
08 Sep 2016 | Billerica, Massachusetts, United States of America
Reduces minute virus of mice contamination risk
Enhances viral safety while maintaining cell line productivity, protein quality
Billerica, Massachusetts, September 8, 2016 — MilliporeSigma today launched a first-of-its-kind gene editing technology to modify CHO cell lines to be resistant to minute virus of mice (MVM), a common contamination threat that remains despite the shift to chemically-defined, animal component-free manufacturing processes. CHO cells are commonly used in the manufacture of biologics.
MilliporeSigma’s new Centinel™ technology targets genes which play a role in MVM susceptibility. Viral contaminations like MVM can have major consequences for biopharmaceutical manufacturers, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, according to industry reports. The greatest impact of such contamination is on patients, as access to therapies can be put in jeopardy. Centinel™ technology provides manufacturers with an additional path for mitigating the risk of MVM contamination, while maintaining an equivalent level of protein quality and cell line productivity.
"The Centinel™ program is just one example of how we are combining years of expertise and credibility in process development, biologics manufacturing and gene editing tools to increase safety for our customers and their patients," said Udit Batra, CEO, MilliporeSigma. "We are also leveraging this unique combination of experience and technologies to address some of the industry’s most complex challenges and exciting applications, including cell therapy."
Under the Centinel™ program, MilliporeSigma can modify customers’ CHO cell lines to provide viral resistance to MVM. A patent application has been submitted for the technology used in the gene editing approach to viral resistance.
The company’s BioReliance® testing services can validate MVM resistance and demonstrate the virus is not propagated in the cell line. Alternatively, customers can purchased the zinc finger nuclease pairs to engineer cell lines directly.
MilliporeSigma’s new Centinel™ technology builds on the company’s expertise in gene editing and biomanufacturing processes, as well as its in-depth understanding of the regulatory environment. In addition to enhancing the safety of biomanufacturing, MilliporeSigma is also applying this expertise and approach to develop other technologies and services, including those supporting the cell therapy industry.
Millipore_Sigma_Launches_Gene_Editing_Tech_US.pdf
For more information, contact Karen Tiano
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Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2015, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 12.85 billion in 66 countries.
Founded in 1668, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, holds the global rights to the „Merck” name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s Embracing Carers™ Launches ‘Time Counts’ to ...
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany today announced that its Embracing Carers™ initiative has launched ‘Time Counts,’ a social media-led video series asking friends and families of carers to collectively give 1 ...
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Google and Apple removes TikTok from App Stores in India
on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 |
Google and Apple has removed the Chinese video app Tiktok from their App Stores, a day after Indian Government urged the companies to do so.
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) requested the companies to block the app after the state court ordered to ban access of the app as questions regarding its usage were raised. It was noted that people were using it for pornographic purposes and exploiting children.
According to analytics firm Sensor Tower, TikTok had the highest number of users in India, and 75% of them were women. It has been downloaded more than 230 million times.
However, a TikTok representative said that he “faith in the Indian judicial system.” The company hopes that they would be able to lift the ban and would come stronger than before, “We are optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by over 120 million monthly active users in India.”
The app has already banned in Bangladesh and had faced largest ever fine in the United States for illegaly collecting informations on children.
TikTok users in India who had previously downloaded the app on their phones were still able to use the service on Wednesday.
TikTok's official statement: ’’At TikTok, we have faith in the Indian Judicial system and the stipulations afforded to social media platforms by the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011. We are committed to continuously enhancing our existing measures and introducing additional technical and moderation processes as part of our ongoing commitment to our users in India.’’
‘’In line with this, we have been stepping up efforts to take down objectionable content. To date, we have removed over 6 million videos that violated our Terms of Use and Community Guidelines, following an exhaustive review of content generated by our users in India."
Category: Apple / Google / India / TikTok
Google and Apple removes TikTok from App Stores in India ~ E Hacking News: https://www.ehackingnews.com/2019/04/google-and-apple-removes-tiktok-from.html
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Jennifer L. Lile
Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty
near Akron
Jennifer Lile is a director with Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Company, L.P.A. Her practice focuses on the areas of estate and special needs planning, trust, probate and elder law.
Jennifer graduated summa cum laude from Kent State University with a B.S. in Secondary English Education and cum laude from the University of Akron School of Law in 2000. Jennifer is a member of the American Bar Association, as well as the Ohio State and Stark County Bar Associations. In 2007, she was elected to the Executive Committee of the Stark County Bar Association. She is currently serving as Co-Chairperson of the Stark County Bar Association Elder Law committee and is an active member of the Probate Practice Committee.
Jennifer is a member of the Special Needs Alliance, a national, non-profit organization committed to helping individuals with disabilities and their families. She serves as President of the Board of Trustees of the Greater East Ohio Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Golden Key Center for Exceptional Children.
During law school, Jennifer clerked with Judge R.R. Denny Clunk at the Stark County Probate Court and Judge Sara Lioi at the Stark County Court of Common Pleas, General Division. After becoming licensed as an attorney, she was appointed magistrate at the Stark County Probate Court under Judges Clunk (2000-2003), Horowitz (2003), and Park (2004-2005). Jennifer has served as an adjunct professor of Advanced Legal Writing and Research at Kent State University, and was a legal writing instructor from 2000-2003 at the University of Akron Law School.
She frequently speaks to community groups on topics such as estate planning, special needs planning and elder law and is a frequent lecturer to attorneys and other professionals through organizations such as the National Business Institute and various Bar Associations. She is also a contributing author to articles published in the Probate Law Journal of Ohio. Jennifer has been recognized as an “Ohio Rising Star” (2010) by Cincinnati Magazine Ohio Super Lawyers® – Rising Stars Edition and superlawyers.com (top lawyers under 40). Jennifer has been the featured speaker on Guardianship Law at the American Bar Association’s “Skills Training for Estate Planners” in New York City.
Our practice consists of elder law, special needs trusts, estate planning, and Medicaid planning. Our mission is to lighten our clients' load, to give them peace of mind, and to shelter as much of our clients' assets as possible.
4775 Munson Street NW
158 North Broadway Street
New Phila, OH 44663
233 Factory Street
Sugarcreek, OH 44681
Meet Jennifer L. Lile
Jennifer Lile is a director with Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Company, L.P.A. Her practice focuses on the areas of estate and special needs planning, trust, probate and elder law. Jennifer graduated summa cum laude from Kent State University with a B.S. in Secondary English Education and cu...
Tell us about your legal issue and we will put you in touch with Jennifer L. Lile.
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Man Kills GF's Cousin And Rapes Her Body
By Kaylin Pound
Christopher Shows, a 21-year-old man from Florida, just admitted to killing a woman and raping her body — just because he wanted to know what murder felt like.
The 25-year-old victim and mother of four, Amanda Suarez, was allegedly shot in the head by Shows at her home near Okeechobee, Florida, on December 7, MailOnline reports.
Apparently, the man turned up at Suarez's home and tried to make sexual advances at the woman.
After Suarez turned him down, Shows became angry and left the residence to retrieve a .22 rifle from his truck.
Shows barged back into the house and allegedly opened fire on Suarez, then dragged her body into the kitchen and proceeded to have sex with her.
It remains unknown whether or not Suarez was alive when Shows carried out the sexual assault that followed the shooting, according to detectives.
Investigators claim Suarez's 2-year-old daughter was in the house while this horrific crime unfolded.
Shows was arrested by Okeechobee Police on Monday, December 19, and has confessed to the gruesome murder, according to MailOnline.
Okeechobee County Undersheriff and Sheriff-elect, Noel Stephen, said Suarez was a "good wife" and a "good mother."
He also added, "Everything [was] going their way, until they crossed paths with this sad individual."
Apparently, Shows and Suarez initially met while he was dating her cousin.
Police say Shows had visited her home prior to the tragic incident, which is why Suarez's large guard dog did not bark when the man turned up at her house on the day of the attack.
Several days after the attack, detectives found Suarez's blood-covered cell phone on the side of a nearby road.
Upon searching through the data on Suarez's cell phone, MailOnline reports that police found a photo of Shows sleeping on Suarez's couch, therefore placing him at the scene of the crime.
According to Undersheriff Stephen,
In his confession, it was just [that] he wanted to know what murder was about. Unfortunately, it was no rhyme no reason. He just wanted to know what murder felt like.
Yeah, talk about one seriously twisted individual.
As a result of his appalling actions, Shows now faces a myriad of criminal charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, armed burglary of an occupied residence with a battery, desecration of a body, attempted sexual battery, grand theft and tampering with evidence.
Citations: Man, 21, killed his girlfriend's cousin and then raped her because he wanted to know 'what it felt like to shoot someone and have sex with the body' (MailOnline)
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Meet Dr. Radwaner
Vein Services
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About Bradley Radwaner, MD, FACC
Elite Veins NY Bradley Radwaner, MD, FACC About
Bradley Radwaner, MD of Elite Veins NY has over 25 years of experience treating patients with state-of-the-art medical care combined with an ability to listen and care deeply about his patients.He is a skilled cardiovascular and vascular specialist helping patients in the New York metropolitan area get the very best in state of the art vein care.
Dr Radwaner uses cutting -edge therapeutic methods to treat patients with conditions such as venous insufficiency, spider veins, varicose veins, leg cramps, swelling, and pain, using radiofrequency vein ablation, sclerotherapy and other minimally invasive treatments. In addition to advanced treatment techniques, Dr. Radwaner also offers free vein consultations to determine if you are a candidate for one of the new treatments. In most cases, your insurance will cover the treatment if you have significant vein disease.
Dr. Radwaner earned his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in New York. He then completed his internal medicine residency at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital and his cardiology fellowship at Columbia University and New York University medical centers. Dr. Radwaner was an invasive cardiologist performing cardiac catheterization and angioplasty at university centers in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York. He was trained in the treatment of vein disease at New York University.
Dr. Radwaner is a medical researcher and professor. When he’s not seeing his patients at Elite Veins NY, he teaches medicine at New York University School of Medicine and is an attending physician at Lenox Hill Hospital.
He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Radwaner is also a founding member of the National Lipid Association - Northeast Chapter, a founding physician of the Society of Computed Tomography (CT), and a lifetime member of Strathmore’s Who’s Who.
Attending Cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital
Founding member of the National Lipid Association, Northeast Chapter
Founding Physician of the Society of Cardiovascular CT
Lifetime Member of Strathmore Who’s Who
Connolly Top Doctor’s in New York for over 12 years
New York Magazine Top Doctor’s in Cardiology in New York
Super Docs in New York Times
Top Physicians in America in Cardiology by Consumer Research Counsel
Words from our patients
"Thank you Dr. Bradley Radwaner for being so committed to preventing and reversing heart disease, we are blessed to know you."
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"Dr. Radwaner is a terrific doctor who takes care of my entire family with authority and integrity. He is the best!"
"Dr. Radwaner is a superb doctor in whom I trust my life and health care needs. He has incredible knowledge and integrity."
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Elite Veins NY
136 East 57th Street, Suite 1001
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Bradley Radwaner, MD, FACC, New York, NY
Phone (appointments): 212-717-5607 | Phone (general inquiries): 212 717-5607
Address: 136 East 57th Street, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10022
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NFL, NCAA team up for safety improvements
INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFL's top medical experts are asking college football physicians and trainers to help make the game safer.
They want the NCAA to pitch in, too.
Dr. Allen Sills and Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president for health and safety initiatives, spent Monday and Tuesday in Indianapolis sharing data about their findings on the prevention and treatment of injuries. It's the most formal presentation league executives have had with college officials, and Sills and Miller hope this presentation leads to a broader conversation that includes discussions about lower-body injuries.
"We're able to show them what we're working on and what we're finding and how we're applying that knowledge into the day-to-day care of professional athletes," Sills told The Associated Press during a break. "I think we hope this is the start of even more regular interaction between the two organizations because we share the exact same goals, which is improving the health and safety of players."
The two-day meeting included participants from the NFL's health and safety team, the NCAA's Sport Science Institute, and medical staffs from schools in each of the power five conferences. It comes amid a rapidly evolving landscape of injuries in football. Sills is the league's chief medical officer.
Over the past decade, Miller estimates the NFL made between 50 and 60 rules changes to enhance player safety. Members of the league's competition committee now routinely contact the medical team before considering making additional changes.
Plus, as Sills and Miller have collected more data they found NFL coaches and players increasingly receptive to their recommendations and conclusions.
Players, they say, are asking more questions about equipment, such as helmets. Coaches and assistant coaches, they add, have shown greater interest in how they can reduce the number of injuries at practices.
"They (coaches) care about these people," Miller said. "They care about the performance of them and they care about their long-term viability in the league, and those are all real good reasons to be open minded about how we practice, train and treat athletes as they go through an NFL training season or regular season."
But the key may be how far these changing attitudes trickle down to the college, high school and even youth-league levels, and the NFL wants to do more to get the message out.
Until now, much of the focus publicly was on concussions: Last year's statistics showed a 24 percent decrease in the number of concussions, dropping from 281 in 2017 to 214.
While Sills and Miller agree such work must continue, they also believe it's time to specifically tackle another key issue: lower-body injuries such as sprained ankles, strained hamstrings and knee injuries, which wind up costing athletes more playing time than concussions.
"We're taking a very, I think, comprehensive approach to understanding foot, ankle or knee injuries and the contributing aspects of that," Miller said. "I think, we are looking at the performance of certain cleats; their traction; how easily they release from different turf surfaces; how much different turf surfaces contribute to potential injuries; how we train our athletes, the load they go through on a daily basis or through a training camp and whether that correlates with particular sprains or strains."
The league has invested more than $60 million over the past 3+ years to get those answers, which they want others to use.
It's not just injuries, either.
Sills and Miller spoke Tuesday about handling emergency situations when players suffer cardiac arrests or heat illnesses, in addition to brain and spine injuries, and they back the NFL's new mental health initiative that was announced last month.
What they want most, though, is to share this information with schools that can help the sport remain strong and safe.
"We know that our knowledge is expanding rapidly and there are many things we can learn from each other," said Sills, a neurosurgeon who worked at Vanderbilt before taking the NFL's post in March 2017. "There's a lot of potential for collaboration around the research questions we're both working on. For example, we have a major research effort around playing surfaces and how cleats interact with playing surfaces. We can look at 1,800 athletes in the NFL, but imagine the power of being able to expand those observations to a number of NCAA athletes. That's going to allow you to reach conclusions a lot quicker and with more power because we'll have more athletes."
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Ducks announce AHL's Eakins as new coach
IRVINE, Calif. -- Dallas Eakins spent the past four years developing the Anaheim Ducks' top prospects in San Diego and preparing himself for another NHL coaching opportunity.
He is getting it with players he knows well, and with the organization that believes in them all.
Eakins was hired as the Ducks' head coach on Monday, moving up from their AHL affiliate to take over a longtime NHL power that stumbled last season.
"This is just such an incredible opportunity," Eakins said in his introductory news conference at the Ducks' sparkling new training complex in Irvine. "The Anaheim Ducks have had such an incredible success rate here in Orange County. It starts with the division championships, the Stanley Cup, and also what's going on off the ice. I'm fortunate to be a part of it."
Eakins was the obvious choice to take over the Ducks, who are rebooting their franchise after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012. General manager Bob Murray, who finished the season as Anaheim's interim head coach, still waited 2+ months after the regular season ended to promote Eakins.
"This is just a natural progression for a guy who's coached most of the guys on this team," Murray said. "I said in the beginning I was going to take my time and make sure San Diego was finished playing (in the AHL postseason) before I started looking for a head coach. ... There were a lot of good people I talked to. It was a good process for this organization to go through, but it just always came back to Dallas."
The Ducks filled the NHL's last head coaching vacancy with the first coach of the current version of the Gulls, who hired Eakins right after becoming the Ducks' AHL affiliate in 2015. Eakins led a consistent winner while preparing the Ducks' youngsters for the big leagues, and he took San Diego to the AHL's Western Conference Finals this season.
Eakins wasn't bothered by the delay in the Ducks' move, or by Murray's decision to talk to other candidates. After all, Eakins was busy trying to win a Calder Cup until May 27.
"I think my (interview) process was a little different," Eakins said. "My interview has been going on for four years."
The 52-year-old former NHL defenseman has worked extensively with the homegrown talent that currently fills much of the Ducks' roster, and most of the remaining veterans know him slightly from training camps. Eakins expressed particular admiration for captain Ryan Getzlaf, who is heading into his 15th season with the club.
Defenseman Hampus Lindholm attended Eakins' introduction.
"We've heard a lot of good things about him from the young guys coming up," Lindholm said. "I'm excited to have the new style of coaching. He's (interested in) interacting with the players a little bit more, and the teams I've been on that have been successful had that. We have to do this together. We can't be fighting against each other. ... We've had the old-school coaches in here, and he brings in a new way."
Eakins coached the Edmonton Oilers from the start of the 2013-14 season until December 2014, going 36-63-14. He was considered a blue-chip NHL coaching talent with forward-thinking opinions on strategy when Edmonton hired him, but Eakins couldn't stop the Oilers' decade-long struggles.
"It was a challenging position and a challenging time for an organization," Eakins said. "I think the biggest thing it's taught me is to keep my head down, keep working and try to get better every day. ... We were starting from scratch there, and that's what I'm so excited about here is I'm not starting from scratch. I'm starting from experience."
Eakins is just one part of a wholesale "transition" for the Ducks, according to Murray. The GM believes Eakins' personable coaching style will be a positive break from the old-school approaches of Randy Carlyle and Bruce Boudreau.
Eakins' belief in hardworking, speed-based hockey will be part of the Ducks' move from a physical, dump-and-chase team to a faster, more exciting crew, Murray said.
"This team has to create an identity," Murray said. "We don't have one right now, and we've got to find one."
The Ducks have been one of the NHL's most consistent winners over the past 15 years, missing the playoffs just three times. Anaheim reached the conference finals in 2015 under Boudreau and again in 2017 with Carlyle, but couldn't get back to its first Stanley Cup Final since its championship season in 2007.
The Ducks had won five consecutive Pacific Division titles under Boudreau and Carlyle from 2013-17, but they were swept out of the first round of the postseason in 2018.
Last season collapsed when they fell into a 2-15-4 slump shortly before Christmas. The Ducks rebounded after Carlyle was fired Feb. 10, but not quickly enough to make the postseason.
The Ducks face difficult personnel decisions as they gear up for a retool. The "big three" of Corey Perry, Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler are all 34 and have each battled significant injuries the past two seasons. Perry and Getzlaf have salary-cap hits above $8 million and are under contract through 2020-21. Kesler, with a $6.875 million cap hit, is under contract through 2021-22. All three players have no-movement clauses.
Murray, a longtime Chicago Blackhawks defenseman, also feels a certain kinship with Eakins: Murray's first job as a GM was with the Blackhawks in 1997, but he was fired after just over two seasons.
"Much like my experience in Chicago as a general manager, sometimes your first chance doesn't go so good," Murray said. "You want to get back and try it again."
Information from ESPN's Emily Kaplan and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Pens GM: Kessel vetoed trade, not shopping him
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford confirmed the rumor Monday that forward Phil Kessel had vetoed a recent trade.
The GM did not name the team involved, but it had been widely reported that the Penguins had a deal on the table with the Minnesota Wild in which Kessel and Jack Johnson would go out for Jason Zucker and Victor Rask.
"In Phil's situation, he was just part of a decision ... where we were trying to retool and we had a chance to get a good player, but it doesn't necessarily mean he has to be traded," Rutherford told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. "He's been a really good player for us. We wouldn't have won the Cups without him. He's an impact player; he will be for a few more years. So we'll see how that plays out."
Kessel is coming off a season in which he had 27 goals and 82 points -- good numbers to be sure, but the 31-year-old has to shine on offense to overcome some of his defensive shortcomings. He had 34 goals and 92 points the year before.
After being swept by the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Penguins are looking to get younger and faster around star Sidney Crosby. They traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Blackhawks for young forward Dominik Kahun this week.
Rutherford intimated that he had put together the trade without worrying that Minnesota was not on Kessel's list of approved destinations.
"The biggest thing from a team point of view, you can't have the player controlling the trade because if you do it's not going to work out for the team, so at this point and time I view it that Phil will return with the team," Rutherford said.
"I'm not actively pushing to trade him at this point. If someone comes along with a deal that makes sense, we'll take a look at it, just like most of the other players."
Rutherford didn't fault Kessel for exercising his contractual rights.
"Minnesota was never on his list. To that point, he's a player that deserved to get the position he's in where he had a no-trade and pick eight teams that he would go to and otherwise have some say in whether he'd go to other teams," Rutherford said. "I don't think there's anything out of the ordinary here. He's exercising his right. Obviously it's frustrating for the team when you feel that the trade we were going to make was the right thing for the Penguins, but Phil didn't do anything wrong."
Asked whether Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin or Patric Hornqvist could be traded, Rutherford paused for a while before answering.
"The guys that you mentioned are not guys I'm pushing to trade or feel that I have to trade from the Penguins. They've been great players, they still are and they're the kind of guys you win championships with," Rutherford told the radio station. "I didn't say I was going to actively push to trade the guys you just mentioned, but I didn't say that I wouldn't. The best example of all, people hear this over and over, Gretzky was traded, you know, one of the greatest players of all time. Sometimes there's certain packages [that] come along that you have to look at, and that's why I kept that door open."
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Will the Next Dane Cook Please Stand Up?
Meet the six comedians who could be comedy's next big things.
By Jeff Miller
After a handful of box-office stinkers, a cringe-worthy reality series on HBO, and a general sense of, well, hatred in the comedy community, it would appear that The Era of Dane Cook is rapidly coming to a close. But while many now think Cook's Burger King-based comedic stylings are shit, that shit has provided the fertilizer for a bumper crop of brilliant new-alt comics, all of whom are launching careers the same way Cook did -- using the Internet and bubbling up from the underground. So, who's the next Dane Cook? Here are six candidates:
David Cross: The Front-Runner
You know him 'cause: He's already an indie comedy icon. And he was on Arrested Development.
Why this is his time: Though he's been on the alt-comic circuit for over a decade, he's finally headlining theaters and is reverently adored by fans -- like the ones who waited in line for six hours to see him at the Bonnaroo music festival last weekend, skipping out on Tool's headlining set to be the first ones into the comedy tent.
His funniest bit: President Bush. And how much he sucks.
What's next: A sure to be scene-stealing part in the upcoming Alvin and the Chipmunks movie.
Aziz Ansari: The Internet Sensation
You know him 'cause: Your friend from Brooklyn sent you the hilarious video shown above starring Ansari as Clell Tickle, indie-rock's knee-breaking A&R man.
Why this is his time: Ansari's alt in the truest sense of the word -- in fact, he was probably standing right next to you at Coachella and you didn't even notice.
His funniest bit involves...: A line-for-line criticism of The Autobiography of DMX, examining the rapper's ridiculous sexual practices.
What's next: A second season of Ansari's sketch-comedy show, Human Giant on MTV.
Demetri Martin: The Straight Man
You know him 'cause: You watch the Daily Show, where Martin occasionally appears as a spokesman for the Youth of America.
Why this is his time: Steven Wright hasn't been funny since Half Baked, and Martin's got a way with one-liners.
His funniest bit involves...: An '80s-ish drumbeat keyboard, a guitar, and Martin looking beyond-awkward.
What's next: Stand-up at Central Park's Summer Stage in New York City on July 19.
Flight of the Conchords: The Musical Duo
You know them 'cause: HBO's been cramming promos for the funny folk singers' new, self-titled show down your throat since they started being scared of losing viewers when The Sopranos went off the air.
Why this is their time: Because after Lucky Louie bombed, HBO won't stop promoting them until they've got a comedic success on their hands.
Their funniest bit involves...: An uber-nerd ode to raunchy sex, as shown above.
What's next: Becoming the next Tenacious D, one raunchy sex song at a time.
Patton Oswalt: The Best Part of Anything He's In
You know him 'cause: One time on an airplane you were forced to endure The King of Queens, and realized he was the only funny part of it. (And also, he's written for Esquire.)
Why this is his time: He's the anti-Cook: Fat, fashionless, and actually funny.
His funniest bit involves...: Explaining to one of his college professors that he couldn't finish a test because it mistakenly claimed that Mr. Sulu was responsible for setting off the blasters on the Starship Enterprise.
What's next: His gut-busting album, Werewolves And Lollypops, comes out on Sub Pop on July 10.
Ben Gleib: The Hidden Camera Guy
You know him 'cause: He was the only funny part of The Real Wedding Crashers.
Why this is his time: He's been performing on the Los Angeles comedy circuit for years, and his brand of biting comedy's just now going mainstream.
His funniest bit involves...: Calling a random audience member out for a gaudy piece of clothing -- and then biting on him for the entirety of his set.
What's next: Two shows on July 14 at the Palms in Vegas.
Why Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr. Strange Is the Perfect Choice to Win at the Box Office
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The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) - are you ready?
From 31st December this year, if you are a UK registered ‘large enterprise’ with more than 250 employees, or a turnover of more than €50m and a balance sheet exceeding €43m, you are obliged to participate in the new Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS). Whole UK corporate groups will qualify if just one member is classified as a 'large enterprise'.
What is it and is it relevant to my company?
ESOS is the UK Government's response to Article 8 of the EU's Energy Efficiency Directive which came into effect in December 2012. The scheme requires qualifying companies to produce detailed reports on the energy use and efficiency of their UK operations every four years.
Each of the 28 EU member states has the same obligation to introduce a similar scheme, resulting in it being an EU-wide compliance issue for companies to deal with by December 2015.
Assess energy consumption and identify efficiency opportunities
The Carbon Trust estimates that as many as 7,300 organisations in the UK will be affected by the scheme. This covers more than 200,000 buildings and 10,000 industrial plants, and accounts for 35% of total UK energy consumption.
If you are a UK registered ‘large enterprise’, or sit within a corporate group which contains one, you are required to assess all of your UK operations’ energy consumption for a consecutive 12 month period which includes 31st December 2014. Unlike existing compliance schemes such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), Climate Change Agreement (CCA) and EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), all energy supplies and fuels consumed by buildings, vehicles (including grey fleet) and industrial processes must be accounted for. Participation in other carbon compliance schemes does not provide exemption from ESOS, but ISO 50001 certified sites can bypass most of the obligations while energy efficiency measures such as Department of Energy & Climate Change’s (DECC) Green Deal Assessments and Carbon Trust audits, adopted since December 2011, can also help reduce the burden.
Energy efficiency audits to identify cost-effective savings must be conducted on 90% of the identified energy consumption by 5th December 2015, with compliance reported to the Environment Agency. Furthermore, the energy assessment and audits must be overseen by a qualified ESOS Lead Assessor, of which there are currently only 112 in the country, though numbers are expected to increase in 2015.
What are benefits and how much will compliance cost?
By carrying out audits, which must be signed off at board level, businesses will likely have an improved understanding of energy consumption in your company. Variations in energy consumption and the drivers behind them can be identified and opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs acted upon.
Unlike other schemes there is no participation fee or levy to be paid. The Government estimates that the average cost to each participant will be around £6,600 per audit in each four-year scheme cycle, but that businesses will save around £35,400 – including a 15-25% saving on energy bills - from their initial audit. Of course, a business will only realise this benefit if it implements the cost-effective recommendations to improve its energy efficiency, which is not mandated.
In summary, if you are a qualifying business, complying with ESOS is a legal requirement. You must action in 2015 unless you are a certified ISO 50001 site. However, it presents an opportunity to realise long term energy and cost savings by implementing the audit findings.
Join our free webinar on 14th January 2014 - register here or contact Oliver Parish, Senior Consultant, Climate Change Practice.
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IN HEATED DEBATE, VETS BATTLE FOR 50TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SEAT
October 2014 Articles
Cuyamaca College
Duncan D. Hunter
50th Congressional District
James Kimber
Duncan Hunter debate
James Kimber debate
Hunter-Kimber debate
Hear audio of the complete debate at the links below. (Note, these may take a few moments to load.) Or click "read more" and scroll down for details and highlights.
Part 1: http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/3w0oq0hh30/Hunter-KimberPart1-Debate-Final.mp3
Part 2: http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/d0eq7zeol5/HunterKimber-Part2-Debate-Final.mp3
October 2, 2014 (Rancho San Diego)—Republican Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, a Marine Corps veteran, and challenger James Kimber, a former Navy corspman and current physician assistant in neurosurgery, took the stage September 26th at Cuyamaca College in a contentious yet civil debate. Voters have a clear choice in this race, in which the candidates clashed on nearly every issue. While finding common ground on the importance of fighting terrorism and protecting the backcountry against massive energy projects that threaten rural communities and public safety, the two contenders offered contrasting views on nearly everything else, from budget priorities to climate change to the role of government itself.
Political science professor Carl Luna and Veterans Campaign director Seth Lynn moderated the debate, which was sponsored by Veterans Campaign, a nonpartisan organization that trains veterans to run for public office. Following opening statements, the debate includ ed questions posed by the moderators in the first half, followed by veterans submitted in writing by the audience during the second half.
The topics were not limited to military and veterans issues, but spanned a wide range of topics, though there were some glaring exclusions. Half the population is female and the candidates have polar opposite views on women’s pay and reproductive rights, for example, yet no question was asked about women’s issues, nor were there any questions on gun rights, gay rights, or any foreign policy issues beyond Iraq and Syria. Still, the answers were enlightening—and gave voters a wealth of material on which to base their decisions in the November election.
Kimber (photo, right) won a coin toss to open first. He emphasized his 20 years in the Navy and his family tradition of military and medical service, including is grandfather and father who were both Navy doctors. Then he stated that like many people, he is frustrated by “the lack of action in Congress.” He said there are “many issues for San Diego that could be addressed” but that representatives in Congress have failed to take action. He said after talking with people around the district and across the aisle, he believes, “We can solve these problems.”
Hunter (photo, left) cited his military experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, then proceeded to blame Democrats for the Congressional stalemate. He noted he was elected in 2008 when Democrats controlled both houses and passed measures from healthcare reforms to the TARP bailout; Republicans have since gained control of the House and passed “hundreds of bills” seeking to make changes. Hunter laid out his political philosophy. “I believe in freedom for each and every one of us,” he said. “We can govern ourselves better than the government can govern us.” He added that entrepreneurship is “what makes America great” and likened the debate to “Marine Corps vs. Navy.”
The first question was whether candidates support the Obama administration cuts in defense and how do we make sure we have a strong enough national defense without breaking the budget.
Hunter said we spent $650 billion in the military but half goes for personnel costs, which “take money” from tanks and other weapons. He called for deep cuts in “entitlements” such as Social Security. “You’re not going to have Social Security, you’re not going to have Medicare” if cuts in entitlements are not made, he said, citing a need for funding to combat “a lot of bad people out there” in “a lot of different parts of the world.” He added “You have to have the people but you also have to have the scissors.” He stated that “If you cut out everything, if you cut absolutely the U.S. military down to zero, if you got rid of the FBI, the Dept. of Energy, the Dept. of Labor, the departments of everything we would still run a deficit in the billions every year due to entitlement spending – due to Medicare, Social Security and Obamacare.”
Kimber agreed some cuts in entitlements are needed, though in an interview later with ECM for KNSJ radio he clarified that he supports protecting Social Security but would support paring back Disability qualifications. On military spending, he chided Hunter for funding items such as half a billion dollars for “tanks that the Secretary of the Army doesn’t want” as well as a blimp for the Army and other budget items that “would have helped out a lot of veterans who are homeless these days.” He voiced support however for use of unmanned aerial drones and for replacing aging aircraft and building those items needed to support strong defense for “conflicts of the future” not weapons of the past.
Hunter agreed but said Congress has “no say” anymore. He cited “waste, fraud and abuse” in the Dept. of Defense procurement system. “We do have things like the Predator,” a drone made in San Diego, but “the Air Force didn’t want that….Congress forced the Air Force to have the Predator” he said and voiced support for that system, but added that the cost overruns are in the Pentagon.
Kimber countered by citing “$297 million for a blimp that wasn’t used” but was intended for surveillance. He said the Global Hawk UAV has longer air time and “an Argus camera that from 25,000 feet can read the text on your cell phone. So I don’t know why we’re even looking at projects like that to develop, much less fund.”
The next question cited an Eisenhower quote suggesting everyone should participate in our national military defense, but noted that a shift from the draft to professional, all-volunteer military has led to repeated tours of duty. He asked whether the move away from a draft has helped, or harmed since most American households have “no skin in the game” and asked whether all Americans should have to do some sort of service.
Kimber noted that less than 15% of Congressional members have served in the military and said those who did, have better perspectives. “We’re going to need more service members. I don’t know that a draft is the right way, though,” he said, adding that he does not support “ forcing people to sign up.” But he acknowledged “we need to build a bigger force if we keep stationing them overseas” in many locations worldwide.
Hunter was also adamant that “No, we don’t need a draft…We have great patriots in the military” who joined for a purpose. He added that having people who “don’t really want to serve” alongside those who do want to serve would “drag down the entire U.S. military morale.”
The next question asked how we can create jobs for people in the 50th District and get the economy moving again.
Hunter made clear, “The federal government does not create job…We are supposed to incentivize. The federal government is supposed to get out of the way.” He said the U.S. has the highest corporate tax in the world that is driving corporations to move overseas. “Unfetter the businesses in this country. Put us on par with the tax rate everywhere else in the world” so that Chinese and Indian companies will want to come here, instead of our companies going over there. “We are the smartest, the most productive and most efficient people in the world. We’ll get the job done, but the government has to get out of the way.”
Kimber said he agreed that government should not tell people how to live their lives or how to solve their problems , but he added pointedly, “I will say that there are industries here within the 50th district that could benefit from someone who will champion them” in Congress. He cited Tessla leaving and wants to be sure that drone manufacturers stay, citing civilian uses. I’d rather see that company stay here and those jobs stay here. You sit on a committee for UAVs,” he said, adding that 43% of UAVs sold are for agriculture and the 50th district is heavily agriculture. Another example is “solar” that could benefit from federal help. “As a representative you could help champion that.”
Hunter countered, “We’re all for jobs in San Diego. You don’t do that by having one of the highest tax rates in the U.S. in this state.” He said companies are over-regulated and leaving.”I championed Temecula wine, cut flowers in Fallbrook and Escondido, Avocados from Fallbrook,” he said, adding he has also championed manufacturing locally. But he added, “That’s not the government’ s job.”
Kimber noted that Hunter is co-chair of a wine caucus but added that Kimber as a citizen met with the heads of the Vintner’s association and a local Supervisor to help them solve a problem. He cited problems facing wineries now after a winery was put out of business due to fines for using volunteers to pick grapes. Some local vineyards may “lose their wineries” because they also rely on volunteers, he said. “I’ve been talking to local leaders. Maybe they could introduce a bill to exempt them..I wonder if you are aware?”
The moderator asked a following question, suggesting that it might be better to say that government may not be the best place to create jobs, but that sometimes government can and should have a role to play in job creation.
Hunter disagreed, insisting that government should not create jobs. He called jobs in industries such as shipbuilding “a byproduct” of Defense, adding “we don’t build bridges and roads just to create jobs…that is not lasting economic impact.” He chided Democrats, drawing boos from some in the crowd. “They are fake, taxpayer paid for jobs. It’s cheaper if you just give people the money, frankly.”
Kimber responded, “They’re building these tanks just to create jobs. They’ve testified that we have more tanks than we needed.” He argued, “It’s not just the Democrats” spending money just to create jobs.
Education was the next topic. The moderator noted that in the past students could put themselves through a university with a part-time job. “Is it fair to burden them with massive amounts of public debt to achieve the public good? Is there some way to provide more affordable public education in America for K-14, K-16?”
Kimber said he agreed student debt is insurmountable and that new graduates face loans equivalent to a mortgage. He voiced support for a bill introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren that would reduce the interest rate on student loans. “I work with many students in the district who are trying to get into college or into grad school and some of them are graduating with over $100,000 of debt.”
Hunter said the government now handles Pell grants and all student loans, which he called “price controls” that stifle the free market. “These universities know, as they raise their fees year after year, the government goes along with it…Why wouldn’t you make education more expensive if you know the taxpayers were going to subsidize it?” He recalled putting himself through college when SDSU cost just $1200 twice a year. He said he’s introduced a bipartisan bill called “Know before you go” to educate students on information such as how many people graduated and got jobs in key areas. “Then you’ll have more kids going where they actually need to go, instead of going to college…You can get a job at the shipyard in NAASCO…for $60,000 welding a year and a half after high school. That’s a pretty good job.”
Kimber asked status of the bill. Hunter replied that it’s in the Democratic controlled Senate “which does nothing whatsoever” drawing applause. (Fact check: In fact the measure, HR 1937, never reached the Senate; it did not pass committee in the Republican-controlled House.)
Next, the moderator asked, “To achieve energy independence, do you think we should be exploring alternative energies, deregulating restrictions on fracking and more traditional sources of energy, or doing both?”
Hunter responded, “Doing both. But let’s make this easy. Number one, we should not be doing solar and wind turbines in places where people in the backcountry have to see it every day, where it kills birds, where it stops people from going motorcycle riding, hiking, mountain biking, hunting…You have all of these things as you go east of here, they were done on federal land, they were contracts negotiated into by the federal government and private agencies. You get no say in that. I get no say in that. They could be Spanish companies, Indian companies, they don’t even have to be American companies and that’s what you see when you see those giant wind turbines. So we should use those, but we ought to put them where they ought to be, not where they could burn down for instance Julian or Ramona. And we also don’t stop things like offroading in Plaster City.” He also faulted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and this administration for “stopping new oil exploration” in the U.S. as well as Democrats not passing the Keystone pipeline. He accused Democrats of wanting gas prices to go up so people would buy more energy efficient light bulbs.
Kimber said, “There are other ways to use the solar within the district. I work at a hospital that was just recently built, Palomar is a billion dollar facility” yet there is no solar. There are companies ready now that will donate solar through tax credits to nonprofit organizations. He says he has seen solar shade donated by companies to get tax benefits and called for more incentives. “Why isn’t that being done more?” He shared Hunter’s concerns however over industrialized energy projects in East County. “I would agree with not putting solar out on a big lot or make it a solar farm” but “why can’t we do more to encourage commercial people to put this in?” He also called for more investment in charging stations to incentivize solar cars. “This is the new wave of alternative energy. This is a way to create jobs too because you’re going to need people to install them,connect it to the grid.” As for the XL pipeline, he said “this is not the way to make us energy independent.”
Hunter chided that Kimber should run for Supervisor, not Congress. “At the federal level, as your representative, it’s my job to say here is all of your hard-earned tax money. I keep hearing why don’t we do this?” He added, “I’m not going to spend your money on charging stations” but that the state, county or city can build charging stations if they wish to do it. “How do you get the electricity for the Tessla someplace?” He asked. “You have emissions no matter where you go unless you go for nuclear. If you want to go green, go nuclear,” he said, adding that the Obama administration opposes nuclear power.
Kimber counted that nuclear poses not only the dangers of a tsunami or earthquake , such as those that led to meltdown of nuclear reactors and vast radioactive contamination in Japan. “What about waste? Nobody has ever really addressed that…If you understand the half life of radiation, we’re talking over 500,000 years for a half life. Honestly would you want that stored in Alpine or out in Julian? Would you feel safe with that?”
Hunter said we have nuclear power plants in San Diego Bay now. They’re called Navy ships. Mr. Kimber should know that.” When pressed by Kimber, Hunter said he would not want the waste in Alpine. “I want it in Nevada, where we’ve been putting it.” (Fact check: Hunter voted for the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act in 2011, which shut down Yucca Mountain, the nation's nuclear waste storage facility in Nevada. Waste from San Onofre's decommissioned nuclear plants remain at the site due to lack of other storage options.)
The moderator next read polling results showing that the American people have four times more confidence in the military than in Congress, in part due to a view that politics does not function and extreme polarization is contributing to that. The House is more polarized than it’s been since the 1880s. He asked what candidates would do to reduce polarization and restore civil dialogue.
Kimber said it’s important to work across the aisle, as military people do. “There has to be a compromise. It can’t just be my way or no way.” He said he’s met people around the district who he found common ground with after speaking with them, even in opposite parties.
Hunter said the House passes bipartisan bills “all the time.” He blamed the Senate for not approving House bills. “If someone has a good idea that is in line with my values then I will work with them. I they don’t, I won’t.”
Next candidates were asked whether they support repealing, reforming or replacing the Affordable Care Act.
Hunter backs repealing it. He claims Obamacare has made healthcare more expensive and lowered quality of healthcare, making it harder to acceess. The quality will be lower” and “healthcare will be harder to access.” He voiced supposed for competition across state lines to compete for healthcare. “The market system works. Freedom works. You ought to take that and apply it to healthcare.” He noted that not a single Republican voted for Obamacare. “I am for repealing it, replacing it, and actually getting something that works and is competitive.”
Kimber responded, “Unfortunately, not working in the healthcare field, there’s a lot that you do not understand.” He made clear that “I do support universal healthcare,” which would be more comprehensive than Obamacare. He agreed that the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is not a perfect system but “free market is not the answer.” He cited a Washington Post article on a surgeon not in network who charged a patient $117,000 for a surgery that cost $6,000.
As a healthcare professional practicing neurosurgery, he indicated the Affordable Care Act has helped more people afford access to healthcare. “In the first two months of this year, I’ve seen more patients than I did in the first six months last year. You tell me that the quality is going down? That’s really insulting. There’s nothing changed in quality…Try looking someone in the face who does not have healthcare.” He recalled meeting a Republican while campaigning who works but has no healthcare and can’t afford insurance . “We were able to pull up the Covered California and show him what his cost would be and he was ready to sign up on the stop.” He concedes that Obamacare is not perfect but says more people are being helped than hurt. Free market is not the answer, he said, then challenged Hunter to come up with something else.
Hunter said free market means hospitals would have to pay all of their costs and analytics; he asked why he paid $30 for surgeon’s gloves when he had surgery. “You don’t think healthcare in Arkansas is cheaper than in California, because we tack on regulation after regulation?” He insisted that more people are losing insurance or have premiums skyrocketing. He said those who are affected the worst are businesses.
Kimber countered by disagreeing with Hunter’s numbers. “I work in the industry and have for the past 30 years. Healthcare should not be a profit driven industry which is why I support universal healthcare.” He noted that both himself and Hunter have served in the military and relied on veterans healthcare, which is universal healthcare. “Medicare is as great system” he said, noting that Medicare is also universal healthcare that runs on 7 cents a dollar versus 20 cents a dollar for the private sector. He wants to see universal healthcare for all Americans.
Next came questions posed by the audience.
Candidates were asked their views on the military conflict with ISIL terrorists in Iraq and Syria, and whether they support air strikes or ground troops.
“The short answer is yes I do support the air strikes,” said Kimber. “I understand Mr. Hunter voted against it and I actually understand his reasons for not wanting to arm rebels who we may need to fight someday with our own weapons and our training. But the question is if we don’t do that, do we just sit back and do nothing?” Kimber voiced support for the President’s strategy of forming international coalitions. “I do not support putting boots on the ground.” He then challenged Hunter, “What is your solution…because to do nothing, it’s not just going to go away.”
Hunter said he voted not to give support to “Syrian moderates which I would argue don’t exist at all…It takes Americans to train them,” he said, then clarified, “ I am totally for bombing the hell out of ISIS,” to “crush them off the face of the earth” but opposes arming warring factions. “But the last thing you do when you have a lot of crazy warring factions going at each other is to arm them.”
Kimber clarified that he understands the need for people to do training but does not support boots or soldiers on the ground for actual fighting.
Hunter stated, “The real threat with ISIS isn’t what is happening over there. The only way that they can touch us is by coming across our border. They have no Navy. They have no intercontinental missiles with nuclear tips. They have no Air Force.” He voiced support to “kill them where they are” and strengthen border security to prevent ISIS from attacking us in the homeland.
Next candidates were asked about undocumented immigrants and whether the southern border should be the primary concern, or whether the U.S. needs to look at those who came here in other ways, overstaying visas and have more checks at people arriving through airports, cruise ships and Canada.
Hunter said the border is still the primary concern but that we also need to looks at thousands who got student or work visas and then disappeared. He cited concerns over Somalis seeking asylum, noting that San Diego is the number one place in the U.S. for Somalis to gain asylum. He said these security gaps in tourist and travel visas should have been fixed post-911. He also called for implementation of e-verify to make sure everyone working here is a citizen.
Kimber said to Hunter, “I’ve heard you say you won’t think about immigration reform without a secure border,” then asked Hunter why he hasn’t supported HR 2220, a bill sponsored by Republican members that would bolster border security. Kimber said there are many elements in the bill he would support. He stated that Hunter sits on an immigration committee, which Hunter denied. (Fact check: Hunter is correct; he does not sit on an immigration committee, but does serve on the immigration causes.”
Hunter said he won’t support any bills unless they put border security “first, before amnesty.”
Hunter said “I don’t know what HR 2220 is; if I was prepared for that I could ask you about a whole bunch of things you’re probably not prepared for, too.” He said securing the border would make the immigration issue “go away” by stopping the flow of immigrants over the border. “Security first, then we can work on immigration.”
The moderator posed a follow-up question, asking the candidates’ solution to the problems of immigration.
Kimber said he supports the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). “We have a lot of people that were brought up here not of our own volition yet they’ve been educated in our schools, they’ve gone to college…why would you want to throw away that investment? These are people who have shown their passion to be an American.” He voiced support for starting with children who were brought here at an early age and support a pathway to citizenship, but added that solving immigration issues not a single pronged approach. . He noted that the 50th district has a high Latino population and faulted Hunter for not helping these residents.
Hunter stated, “You don’t let some people in line ahead of others” and added that a secure border and e-verify are important to be sure that “you don’t have people here who want to harm Americans…The biggest issue is ISIS,” he said adding that 9-11 showed that “it’s a national security issue.”
Kimber said he agrees that a secure border and e-verify are needed, but disagreed with Hunter’s contention that immigration would “sort itself out”. He challenged Hunter, “Are you saying people who came here since the age of 5 or 10 years old, who’ve been educated here, should go to the back of the line or back to a country that they don’t even know?”
Hunter retorted that the issue of helping young immigrants should be “debated in Congress” and that the President should not take unilateral action as was done with DACA, which allowed immigrants who came here at an early age to stay temporarily.
The next question noted that the Iraq situation will have a major impact on the district, perhaps more than anywhere else in the U.S. due to the high population of Iraqi Chaldeans here, then asked candidates their views on what to do about the many refugees seeking safety from ISIL terrorists.
Hunter said that “ you have to strike ISIL where it is” and that radical Islam will be “a threat forever and ever” noting that a radical in Oklalhoma just “chopped off a woman’s head today.” He supports humanitarian aid through the United Nations. “You have to maintain a presence there,” he said, also voicing support for arming the Kurdish and Peshmerga forces, and said pressure should be put on Turkey to stop providing medical help to ISIL. He opposes arming rebels in Syria, however.
Kimber noted that the question was about refugees. “We created part of this problem. We need to take responsibility,” he said, citing a bill supported by many local leaders that would lift the cap on how many refugees can come into the country and not be limited to those with immediate family here.
Hunter said he supports legislation by Juan Vargas to raise the asylees cap for Iraqis , Kurds and Syrians “especially for Christians” but added that in the end, “America needs to take care of itself” we need to “help these countries retain their own forces” so that “they can help us someday…instead of the U.S. taking the lead on all these things all the time.”
Candidates were asked about Attorney General Eric Holder’s resignation and whether the Fast And Furious investigation will continue.
Kimber said it could but added that this is “beating a dead horse”; while mistakes were made he believes questions have been asked and answered.
Hunter said he’s glad Holder is gone and noted that Fast and Furious was about a dead Border Patrol agent. He voiced support for investigation but said the President will probably bring on “another partisan” so that is unlikely.
On climate change, candidates were asked their reactions to the Pentagon’s conclusion that climate change poses a strategic threat to the United States.
Hunter said bluntly, “The Pentagon needs to pull its head out of the sand” and insisted that climate change is not more dangerous than ISIS or other threats around the globe. He called the notion “bologna” and said it is driven by ideology. Hunter added that forcing the military to buy algae fuel is a “waste of money” in his view.
Kimber fired back, “We are wasting money” by not taking steps to curb climate change, citing California’s record drought and the high number of wildfires this year as two examples of problems caused or exacerbated by climate change that are costing a lot of money to deal with. With state and local firefighting budgets fast becoming drained, help from the federal government to fight firestorms will be costly, he observed. Kimber grilled Hunter on his denial of global warming impacts, noting that it is also hurting agriculture in a district that has a large agricultural consistency. “Ask the farmers. Ask the Farm Bureau” he said about the impacts. “I don’t deny that we need a strong defense, but you can’t deny climate change.”
Hunter responded that our region has built reservoirs, dams and next up, a desalinization plant to help alleviate the drought. “But that doesn’t mean the military should spend your money on climate change,” he insisted.
The next question asked candidates their plans to alleviate the drought.
Kimber said he has met with water boards to discuss options such as recycling water, noting that while serving aboard a ship in the military, he relied on recycled drinking water and understands the feasibility. But he added, "I can't make it rain."
Hunter blamed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for backing environmental policies that impacted water and created “Dust Bowl” conditions in some areas of California. “They care more about Delta smelt than people or farmers,” he said.
The next audience question asked if the candidates view climate change as a serious threat.
Hunter replied that the climate has been changing throughout history but that he does not believe that climate change is caused by man’s activities. He claimed we “live in a relatively cool time” if you look back millions of years before recorded human history. He cited no sources for this statement, nor for his belief that climate change is not caused or accelerated by fossil fuel emissions created by man.
Kimber, referring to the 98% of the world’s climate scientists who believe global climate change is caused by man’s activities, retorted, “If 98% of doctors say you have a tumor and need brain surgery, you don’t want to listen to the two that don’t.” Further he asked, “What’s wrong with alternative energy?” Even many skeptics of climate change recognize that alternative energy creates jobs, he pointed out.
Candidates were then asked their views of the Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which found campaign finance limits to be a violation of free speech. The decision allowed virtually unlimited campaign contributions from corporations, labor unions, political action committees (PACs) and other special interests.
Hunter, who the questioner noted takes large contributions from the Defense industry, called Citizens United “the right decision” adding that he believes “people can spend as much money as they want on what they believe in.” He noted that liberals did not object to movie star Leonard DiCapprio spending millions on climate change issues but “when Republicans do that you think it is evil corporations.” As for how to get the money out of politics, Hunter said it would be nice to have everyone spend as much as they want and “not have it influence politicians.” He did not clarify how those two seemingly contradictory actions could occur.
Kimber disagreed and said he thinks the high court made the wrong decision in Citizens United. “It should be a level playing ground,” he said of campaigns, but added that he believes both parties are culpable of influence by special interest money.
Moderator Luna ended by noting that the word politics stems from a Greek work meaning “noble,” and noted that few would refer to politics as noble nowadays. “We’re here to support civil discourse,” added Luna, who several times during the debate asked the audience to refrain from booing and cheering while candidates were speaking.
In closing statements, Hunter told voters, “We control our own destiny.” He reiterated his view that government should reduce bureaucracy and get out of the way of business by lowering the corporate tax rate and reversing actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency that he views as burdensome on business. “The number one job I have as your U.S. Congressman is national security,” he stated. “Immigration, climate change…none of that matters if we get hit again by another 9-11. He added that national security, transportation and infrastructure are “all that we should be doing, and that government should not be spending money on education or other programs.
Kimber said he agreed that government should not tell citizens how to live their lives, but that he does see a positive role for government to play in fostering positive action. “There is not an excuse to not address climate change,” he said, also voicing support for healthcare as a right for everyone. “National security is important, but these other issues are not unimportant,” the challenger told the incumbent Congressman.
Veterans Campaign director Seth Lynn closed by praising both veterans for running and said the organization hopes to see more veterans run in the future, which he believes will foster more civil discourse across America.
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Home > Exeter Today >
A composer comes home
Gregory Brown '93 debuts two original works at Exeter.
Nicole Pellaton
Composer Gregory Brown '93 in The Bowld.
Gregory Brown ’93 turns to a visitor after hearing his vocal piece “Te Deum” rehearsed by The Skylark Vocal Ensemble on a day in late January. “You hear that it’s not happy music,” he says. Wearing worn blue jeans and a gray sweater, he sits on a couch in the Forrestal-Bowld Music Center’s library, a space where his mother, Connie Brown, then the Music Department secretary, used to work. “A giant tuba sat on that ledge or near here somewhere,” Brown says, gesturing, as his face displays a mix of joy and incredulity. “I used to blow it and it made a horrible, huge noise. That was something I was allowed to do when I was 3 or 4 years old.”
As music faculty enter the library seeking scores and CDs, each teacher banters with Brown, who is widely recognized; he grew up on campus, the son of revered Exeter Math Instructor Richard “Dick” Brown. Between greetings, the composer describes the genesis of “Te Deum” and its companion piece, “Sepulchrum Mutum” (Silent Tomb). Both are scheduled to premiere that night in The Bowld, Exeter’s state-of-the-art music performance space, and to be performed the following day as a meditation in Phillips Church.
The genesis for “Te Deum” reaches back to Brown’s childhood — at about the tuba-blasting age — when he accompanied his family to a christening in Phillips Church. “That is one of my first memories, being there,” says the composer, who remembers looking up at the colorful stained glass, which incorporates excerpts from the traditional “Te Deum” hymn of praise, and discovering in the window’s design both power and mystery. Several decades later, he found himself looking at that stained glass again during the memorial service for a close friend, the boy whose christening he had attended years earlier.
Soon after, searching for a way to respond to this unexpected death, Brown attempted a score, using the words of the “Te Deum” from the Phillips Church window. Although the text is typically “a very joyous, reverent act of faith to proclaim,” Brown says, “for me, for a variety of reasons, it was not that. My associations with it were not of joy, not of faith.” The music, instead, expressed “a certain anger and confusion.”
“I hated it. I put it in the drawer,” Brown says of his first try. Three years later, he opened the drawer and made some major changes: “I removed things. I added things. It made more sense.” Still, he wasn’t happy. “The material didn’t support the structure,” Brown now sees. “I was trying to build a skyscraper out of mud. I had to go back and rethink what the shape of the building was.”
Years later, he picked it up again, this time with success.
Why are the angels crying?
“There’s something very visceral, very elemental about people coming together to sing,” says Brown, who composes instrumental and vocal music and is interim director of choral activities at Amherst College. He sees power and value not only in trained choral performances, but also in the combined voices at an English soccer match. (“It’s rowdy and raucous and it’s 20,000 to 30,000 people singing.”)
“What’s great about vocal music is that the music and the text can sometimes be working together and sometimes working against each other, and the tensions create something that is new,” Brown says.
In “Te Deum,” he builds on some of his childhood interpretations of the hymn’s meaning. “The line breaks in the window are unusual because they have to fit into a circle,” he says, referencing the stained glass design. “‘To | thee all | angels cry,’ for example. As a kid, I misunderstood it. Why are the angels crying? Why are they sad? That’s something that I work to illustrate in this music, something idiosyncratic not only to me but to this window.”
There’s something very visceral, very elemental about people coming together to sing.”
“It’s been cathartic,” Brown says of the day’s rehearsal, which marked the first time he heard “Te Deum” performed. “There’s something about creating music over 10 years that only you can hear, and then having it made real by other people — it’s a great experience. You get to see what risks worked — you’re always taking risks — and which ones didn’t quite work out as planned.
”And the experience of listening, when you’re no longer in control of the music, can open the composer’s eyes, ears and heart to what he has created, Brown explains. “Very good musicians can show you things about your score that you don’t know are there — that are subconscious, or maybe you forgot why you did them a certain way. It becomes a real moment of sharing, of illumination, as they come to understand what you have done. And in a way you come to understand what you have done.”
Meeting Skylark
When Brown first heard The Skylark Vocal Ensemble, a Boston-based acappella group that performs widely in New England and recently completed a London tour with some of the world’s top choral ensembles, he knew he wanted them to premiere one of his pieces.
Matthew Guard, the director of Skylark, was excited by Brown’s “Te Deum” but felt it needed a companion piece. “It was too open-ended, too unsettled,” Brown says. “I started looking at texts and found a piece by Catullus. It’s the voice of someone who isn’t quite sure about the afterlife — maybe not believing in it, but believing that comforting his friend is absolutely important.”
Brown completed “Sepulchrum Mutum” in under a week, a far different experience from the decadelong “pulling of teeth” for the “Te Deum.” The new score allowed for a form of resolution, both musical and emotional, for the audience and the composer. “That’s the pairing you have: confusion, anger, discomfort, discord, despite that text of the ‘Te Deum,’ and then something that it takes a while to figure out — to get to that moment of comfort, of intimacy between people who are struggling to work through something,” the composer says. With its “open, embracing” ending, “Sepulchrum Mutum” seemed “the perfect answer to the first piece.”
Home to the window
“The emotions are overwhelming,” Brown says, as he considers the next day’s meditation in Phillips Church, the culminating event of his four-day visit. “When I started writing ‘Te Deum,’ I knew that I wanted it performed in Phillips Church. It is music for this space. Music of this space.”
Emotions flit across his face as Brown remarks that these two pieces are among his most revealing. “I’ve written some very personal piano music, but there’s a level of abstraction when there’s no text — it doesn’t necessarily have to be about anything specific. When you incorporate a text into the composition, there are conversations that you can’t escape having with your audience.”
Flashing a recovering smile, he concludes: “I’m just happy to be here. I consider this home.”
With that, Brown stands up to ready himself for “American Voices,” the evening concert that will bring his two new compositions to the world.
Editor's note: This article first appeared in the summer 2018 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.
Exeter Bulletin
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Government Travel Contract To Save NSW Taxpayers Millions
Minister for Finance, Services and Property Dominic Perrottet today announced a new whole of Government travel management contract that will save NSW taxpayers up to $3 million over three years.
The agreement with FCm Travel Solutions (FCm) was reached following an open tender process in September 2015, and covers Ministers, Members of Parliament, their staff and public servants required to travel in the course of their job.
Mr Perrottet said the agreement would save the NSW Government 30% on travel management costs, with further savings expected in the total travel budget.
“Travel is a necessary part of government business, but it shouldn’t be an unnecessary drain on taxpayers,” he said.
“This new contract will reduce costs while improving the service offering – it’s another example of how we do better, smarter business in NSW,” he said.
Under the agreement, FCm will offer digital and offline services for booking and managing travel and accommodation arrangements, streamlining the travel booking process with an intuitive online booking tool that taps into the best fare and accommodation offerings of the day.
To drive cost efficiency and quality control, the contract requires FCm to meet enforceable key performance indicators, and includes a quality assurance process for all air, car hire and accommodation bookings. The contract also provides greater transparency to the public, adopting an “open book” financial reporting approach that ensures full transparency of total travel costs.
“The NSW Government understands that any saving to the NSW taxpayer is important, no matter how big or small, and that’s one of the reasons NSW has the number one economy in the nation,” Mr Perrottet said.
“The $3 million dollar saving under this contract is a great example our commitment to delivering superior financial and economic management for the people of NSW.”
The new arrangement with FCm commences in March 2016.
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How These 6 Entrepreneurs Failed but Then Found Success
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Every entrepreneur setting out on the long trek towards accomplishment will face setbacks. It doesn’t matter how flawlessly they approach matters, how remarkable their talent is, or how hard they try to skirt the usual rigamarole — they’ll inevitably suffer myriad failures ranging from minor to major. It’s simply a part of life.
But there’s really nothing wrong with failure. In fact, it can turn you into someone great. As the great (albeit fictional) boxer Rocky Balboa famously said, life ain’t about how hard you hit — it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. Every time you endure a blow that would knock someone else out, you set yourself apart.
Don’t take my word for it, though. Just look at the countless successful entrepreneurs out there who’ve failed to varying degrees before making it. To save you some time, I’ve picked out 6 that I’m familiar with, so let’s see what we can make of their stories:
Today, Dyson is a name synonymous with vacuum cleaners, but he didn’t rocket to fame in a heartbeat. He didn’t even lead off with a compelling product. In fact, he only really had an idea and an ambition — it took a long time, and 5,126 failed prototypes, for that ambition to be realized. And even then, he struggled. Getting nowhere in his homeland, he tried his luck in Japan, and only then did he find success.
With that foothold established, he was able to invest his profits from the Japanese market into expanding and developing his business back in England. Of course, we know now what happened: his bag-free technology caught fire with shoppers, selling in huge numbers both there and (soon enough) across the world. It even earned Dyson a knighthood.
In an interview with Fast Company magazine, Dyson had this to say on the matter: “I made 5,127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right. There were 5,126 failures. But I learned from each one. That’s how I came up with a solution. So I don’t mind failure. I’ve always thought that schoolchildren should be marked by the number of failures they’ve had. The child who tries strange things and experiences lots of failures to get there is probably more creative.”
Now, does this mean that failure is a sure sign that you’re on the right track? No, of course not, just as the adage that encountering resistance means you should keep going (so popular in the social media age) doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. But it does mean two things: failing doesn’t mean you’re not right overall, and what’s important is to learn from failure so you do better later.
Jayson Gaignard
MastermindTalks is an exclusive summit for entrepreneurs. To attend, you need to be invited, and it now attracts some of the world’s leading successes (particularly when it comes to networking). The founder, Jayson Gaignard, knows and works with some very influential figures — but he had to work hard to make it.
Starting his entrepreneurial journey by providing a concierge service, Gaignard eventually hit trouble, finding himself in debt to the tune of $250k and having no clear path ahead of him. After being inspired by a talk he attended, though, he decided to go all-in on the professional connection game: serving as the link between high-value professionals, and helping rising entrepreneurs find suitable mentors.
He started setting up exclusive dinners for those willing to pay for entry, with the appeal being the opportunity to spend time with notable figures. Today, tickets to MastermindTalks events are selling swiftly and easily, and Gaignard has fully turned things around. He also hosts a podcast called Community Made, titled after the perspective he clearly embraces: “The speed in which I’ve turned my life around is thanks to one thing, and one thing only… My relationships. The rarely spoken about truth when it comes to success is that nobody does it alone.”
One of the most tempting parts about becoming an entrepreneur is that it grants you absolute control over where your time goes. If you don’t want to do a particular piece of work or take on a given client, you can simply opt out of it. But this doesn’t mean working alone. What Gaignard knows (to his advantage) is that exerting your agency as part of a collective bound not by contracts but by community gives you the best of both worlds: the limitless direction of running a one-person operation, and the reach of being part of a team.
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Computer technology company Oracle is one of the largest software developers in the world, only falling short of Microsoft and Alphabet (Google’s parent company), and founder Larry Ellison is one of the wealthiest people in the world. But Oracle hasn’t always been in such a lofty position. Just four years after going public, the company was on the brink of collapse: major layoffs were needed, with the sales team having exaggerated its revenues.
It took a lot of work and commitment to redeem the company. Ellison made huge changes to the managerial structure, recognizing that the existing team wasn’t up to the task, and charted a course through the inevitable lawsuits that followed the inflated revenue claims. Soon enough, the skies cleared up, and the company started moving in the right direction again.
The lesson from this? Of Ellison’s many business-related quotes, I’d say this is the most applicable: “All you can do is every day, try to solve a problem and make your company better. You can’t worry about it, you can’t panic when you look at the stock market’s decline. You get frozen like a deer in the headlights. All you can do is all you can do.”
When Oracle was in deep trouble, he could have sold his piece of the company, found another job (or founded another company) and left it to rot. The problems didn’t arise from his personal failure, after all. But he didn’t. He maintained his focus on the development of the company, kept a cool head, and steadily worked through the issues. So when you encounter difficulties, consider things rationally — can you overcome them? If so, do it. There’s no need for panic.
Nick Woodman
Even if you’ve never used a GoPro, you’ve certainly heard of it. As YouTube entered adolescence, GoPro footage was a huge part of pushing the content ahead, and it’s difficult to say how different today’s digital video content would be had Nick Woodman never founded the company. But it didn’t have a typical origin, and nor did Woodman.
Graduating with a degree in visual arts, he didn’t have a background in business when he entered the entrepreneurial world, and it clearly showed. He launched one business, got nowhere, launched another business, achieved comparable results, and ventured off on a surfing tour to clear his head. While looking to record surfing footage, he hit upon the idea of the GoPro, and the rest is history.
Of course, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing (or smooth surfing) since then. The company hit some rocky times following its huge success, and an effort to move to using drones ultimately went nowhere and had to be scrapped. Only when the company went back to its roots and came out with a much-improved model did its fortunes turn around.
Woodman had this to say on the matter: “When we went public, we tried to make GoPro as broadly relevant and appealing as possible, and tried to reach everybody, arguably at the expense of our best customers,” he said. “Not everybody in the world needs a GoPro. We recognize that [now].” The right idea at the right time made GoPro a hit, but it took another failure (overlooking customer research) to set the company on the right long-term path.
The big takeaway from Woodman’s journey is that things are rarely as simple as failing enough times to reach a point of non-stop success. You can fail ten times, succeed ten times, then fail again. What he’s able to do is carry on and not let the failure discourage him. Learn something every time you fall, then get back up.
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Tim Ferriss is well-established in the business world, with his book The Four-Hour Workweek being commonly cited as one of the most influential works behind the modern-day push for flexible business operations — but the establishment took some time. Indeed, the manuscript for The Four-Hour Workweek was rejected 25 times before it was accepted.
When a publisher did accept it at last, it wasn’t because it had different taste from those that rejected it. It was because it believed in Ferriss: believed in his determination to make it a hit. And make it a hit he did. His ideas on automation and workflow efficiency became firmly entrenched in the business mainstream, and his own podcast is now one of the top-ranked in the business world.
He elaborates on his approach in his appearance on SEO guru Stephan Spencer’s Get Yourself Optimized podcast, saying “If you can take time-consuming tasks, unpleasant tasks, or simply boring tasks both in your professional and personal life, consider delegating them to someone else.” One rule that protects him from risk is outsourcing to services, not individuals: “I don’t like single points of failure so if someone gets sick or disgruntled or gets fired or quits, I don’t want to have a project fall through because of that.”
What this means for anyone with startup ambitions is that keeping a tight grip on every aspect of an operation only creates a single point of failure. One person can make the same mistake over and over again, or get distracted, or lose interest in a project. By spreading the workload, you can minimize the damage of any point of failure: something minor going wrong isn’t the portent of anything else going wrong.
The story of Evan Williams is one of success, failure, and even greater success. Back in 2003, when he was working for Google (after it acquired his company), he was named as one of the world’s top 100 innovators under 35. But just one year later, he decided to leave Google to co-found Odeo, a podcast company that came along at the worst possible time — not long before iTunes launched and immediately assumed dominance.
Odeo was clearly doomed, so Williams didn’t fight it: instead, he gathered members of the board to spend a day brainstorming alternative ideas. One of the ideas floated? The seed that would grow into Twitter. Williams served as co-founder, and later CEO. Though he stepped down as CEO in 2010, he remained involved in the company, and his stake in the growing business led to his personal wealth growing enormously.
What does Williams have to say about his failures? “Luck comes in many forms—and often looks bad at first. I always look back on the deals that we didn’t do and the things that didn’t work out, and realize what seemed like a bummer at the time was really lucky. …if you have some plan and it doesn’t go that way, roll with it. There’s no way to know if it’s good or bad until later, if ever.”
Armed with no way of knowing for sure whether it was worth battling to save Odeo, he simply rolled with the concept that stemmed from that brainstorming session. As it happened, it was the right move, but Twitter might never have existed had he not been willing to try it without any guarantee that it would pay off.
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Beyoncé to Create New Signature Footwear and Apparel for adidas
by Mari Davis April 5, 2019
Following the trend of musical creatives aligning themselves with sports brands, Beyoncé has joined the adidas stable of high-profile names who had forged partnership with the sports giant.
Announced on April 4th, it was revealed that Beyoncé will be a creative partner for the brand, develop new signature footwear and apparel, as well as re-launch Ivy Park with adidas. This multi-layered partnership will include inspiring and empowering the next generation of creators, driving positive change in the world through sport, and identifying new business opportunities.
“This is the partnership of a lifetime for me,” said Beyoncé. “adidas has had tremendous success in pushing creative boundaries. We share a philosophy that puts creativity, growth and social responsibility at the forefront of business. I look forward to re-launching and expanding Ivy Park on a truly global scale with a proven, dynamic leader.”
The partnership will result in the co-creation of exciting new products – from performance to lifestyle – and a unique purpose-driven program focused on empowering and enabling the next generation of athletes, creators and leaders.
Meaningful and rich storytelling will be the foundation for both Beyoncé’s collection with adidas as well as the re-launch of her Ivy Park brand. This partnership respects Beyoncé’s ownership of her company which continues her journey as one of the first black women to be the sole owner of an athleisure brand.
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Love & Money / Relationships
5 Ways to Be More Present and Engaged With Your Family
A few tricks to bring you back into the moment.
By Jeremy Brown
We get it. A lot of guys straddle the line between work life and home responsibilities. And, in this age of smartphones, social media, and push notifications, that line becomes blurrier and blurrier every second. It also makes it easier to space out when you get home and should be enjoying time with your family. It’s not that you don’t want to live in the moment, it’s just that you can’t stop thinking about work or bills or when you’ll get to veg out on the couch and watch that episode of Westworld from three weeks ago.
So how can you fight those urges and be more present with your family? For some advice we turned to Dr. Timothy Dukes. The author of The Present Parent Handbook, a mindfulness guide for parents, Dukes spends his days coaching everyone from world leaders to business executives how to be more present in their daily lives. Here, he offers five simple ways for you to be more present with your family
Choose What You Bring Home
When you walk in the door at night, take a moment to remind yourself that you are not at work anymore. Let go of the day’s distractions, or at the very least, make a conscious decision to put them off until later.
“Choosing the energy we wish to bring into our home is so important before walking in,” says Rose Lawrence, a Psychotherapist and the owner of Mind Balance, INC. “When we do this we have more control over our intentions, our mood and our behaviors. If you want to be more present it is not as easy as just placing your phone in a basket; it involves a thoughtful choice each day, each hour.”
Stick to Your Promises
Give your family your word that you will be present for a certain period of time and stick to it. That means no phone at dinner, no email during a soccer game, no taking calls during a recital. When you’ve made the agreement, follow through. ‘I am free for the afternoon, means I am here,’ says Dukes. “Make agreements with yourself and keep them.”
Visualize the Dad You Want to Be
Take some time to visualize the type of father you see yourself as. Let that picture take shape in your mind to the point where you can see what that dad looks like and acts like. But be sure to take your lifestyle into account. If you create a larger-than-life image of a superdad that is impossible to live up to, you’re setting yourself up to check out. “Creating unrealistic expectations will guarantee you to check out of the present,” says Lawrence, “because you will want to give up when you don’t meet those expectations, leaving you to be distracted easily by the phone, TV, et cetera.”
Accept That You May Fail Sometimes
No matter how hard you try, something will come up. A crisis will flare up at work, a text will come in that you can’t ignore. It happens. The key is that, when it happens, it’s okay to check out as long as you come back. “When you fail, not a problem,” says Dukes, “just start over and double down on your determination to be on time, focus on your child’s event, listen at the dinner table, meet your family’s expectations.”
Book Some Playtime
One of the simplest ways to forget about the stresses weighing on you is to just have some sill fun with your kids. Play with their action figures. Challenge them to Fortnite. Just have fun with them. “For example, lay on the floor with them to play with their toys and get into a character like they do, or get into the game characters and ask them why they like the game and have them explain that world to you,” says Lawrence. Once you’re in that world with them, you’ll be more engaged and less distracted.
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HRSA Issues Final Rule Regarding the 340B Penny Pricing Policy and Manufacturer CMPJanuary 11th, 2017
On January 5, 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) issued a Final Rule implementing the 340B Drug Pricing Program Ceiling Price policy and Civil Monetary Penalty (“CMP”) standards, including the knowledge requirement related to overcharging …
Research Institution Pays $3.9 million HIPAA Settlement for BreachMarch 20th, 2016
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HHS Issues Refill Reminders Guidance Ahead of Compliance Deadline for its HITECH Final RuleSeptember 25th, 2013
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HHS to Delay Enforcement and Provide Guidance on HIPAA/HITECH Act Final Rule on the Heels of Adheris LawsuitSeptember 12th, 2013
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By Jeffrey N. Wasserstein – On January 17, 2013, the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the issuance of its much anticipated (and long-awaited) final rule (in prepublication form) relating to the modification to the HIPAA Privacy, Security …
Freedom and Unity to Use IMS Prescribing Data in VermontJune 24th, 2011
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Notice to Members 05-28
NASD Reminds Members that the TRACE Reporting Period Will Be Reduced to 15 Minutes on July 1, 2005, and Rescinds Interpretive Guidance Regarding Rejected TRACE Transaction Reports
On June 14, 2004, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) approved amendments to Rule 6230(a) of the Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (TRACE) Rules, the Rule 6200 Series, reducing the reporting period in two stages.1 In the first stage (Stage One), effective on October 1, 2004, the period to report a transaction in a TRACE-eligible security was reduced from 45 minutes to 30 minutes. NASD is reminding members that the second stage (Stage Two), which reduces the period from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, will become effective on July 1, 2005. NASD is also rescinding interpretive guidance regarding the resubmission of rejected TRACE transaction reports. Rule 6230, as amended by Stage Two rule changes only, is set forth in Attachment A.
Questions concerning this Notice should be directed to TRACE Feedback; Sharon K. Zackula, Associate General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, Regulatory Policy and Oversight, at (202) 728-8985; or Elliot Levine, Associate Vice President, Chief Counsel, Transparency Services, Markets, Services and Information, at (202) 728-8405.
View Full Notice (PDF 42.18 KB)
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Tax payer hopes from Budget 2017 soar; with ball in Arun Jaitley's court, will he score a goal or self-goal?
Business Abhishek Aneja Jan 31, 2017 11:20:04 IST
The 2014 Poll Manifesto of the BJP promised to provide a non-adversarial and conducive tax environment and rationalisation and simplification of tax regime. Tax rationalisation for a common man is mainly related to expansion of income tax slabs and lower prices on the goods and commodities. Every year tax payers look towards the finance minister to bring in some good news and some defer their investments decisions based upon changes in Budget.
However, every budget is a package where the government gives something under one head and takes something from the other head to keep the fiscal deficit at lower side. In the poll-bound season, the expectations of people are enormously high especially after bearing the pain of demonetisation. In the pre-budget memorandum of various institutions, requests have been made to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to expand the slabs of income tax and to bring back standard deduction for the salaried class.
The accounting regulator ICAI has suggested to increase the exemption limit to Rs 3 lakh and expanding the slabs of taxation. The suggestion is to have nil tax on income from 0-Rs 3 lakh, 10 percent on income from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, 20 percent on Rs 10 to Rs 20 lakh and 30 percent on Rs 20 lakh and beyond.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley. PTI
The above said limits are in line with the observations of the Parliamentary standing committee on direct tax code which was proposed to replace the existing Income Tax Act, 1961. The finance minister had stated in his maiden budget speech in 2014 that the government will consider introduction of revised Direct Tax Code after taking into account the comments of various stakeholders. However, it becomes difficult for the finance minister to make any radical changes in the direct taxes which form around 50-55 percent of the total tax collection of the government.
The budget is an exercise where the revenues of the government are matched with its expenditure. During the course of five decades when the present Income Tax Act has been operational, the per capita income of the country has increased from less than Rs 9,000 to around Rs 88,000 in 2015. At the same time, the absolute number of poor has also increased manifold, warranting much larger government outlays besides investment in infrastructure and spends on Defence.
The rise of black money in the economy is also a cause of major concern despite the aspirations of the people for better living standards and their expectations from the government to lower the rates of taxation and to provide a conducive and friendly tax regime has also simultaneously increased. It is, therefore, necessary that these challenges in a growing economy and a developing society are kept in mind, while formulating any changes to the tax laws.
The tax rates and structure should, therefore, be tailored in a way that will ensure sufficient buoyancy and dynamism. As the economy expands and diversifies, the tax policies should match the growing needs of the economy and the aspirations of its people. Ways and means of augmenting revenue should aim at broadening the tax base and also by deepening the trunk to tap both potential as well as concealed incomes and wealth.
Almost 90 percent of the tax base in India comprises individual taxpayers in the Rs 0-5 lakh income slab without commensurate tax yield to the government which translates into around 3 crore assesees. Also, keeping in view the inflationary trends in the economy and the imperative to leave more disposable incomes in the hands of individual tax payers, particularly those in the lower income bracket.
Post demonetisation, the income tax department needs to focus their attention and resources upon higher income groups, untaxed or concealed incomes, and categories and sectors that are prone to avoidance or evasion. The revenue gap resulting from changes in tax structure, if any, should be easily bridged by way of stringent measures to curb and bring to book unaccounted money and through realisation of huge tax arrears and by way of savings from the proposed transition to the investment-linked incentive / exemption regime. Thus, rationalisation in tax structures and tax payer friendly measures coupled with zero tolerance policy on tax evasion may lead to better compliance and low generation of black money in the economy.
It is needless to say that the tax policy and procedures of the government should be fair, just and equitable, they should aim to bring fiscal stability. Fiscal stability together with certainty will no doubt go a long way in sustaining economic growth and development of the country. Time has also come to recognise the contribution of the tax payers and the government needs to do some creative thinking to create a positive impact in the minds of tax payers.
It needs to award and recognise the tax payers based upon their tax contributions. The government may consider providing benefits to tax payers directly in many ways such as preference in delivery of government services, social security benefits, exemption from tolls, benefits in various government schemes etc, which will not just lead to increased satisfaction of the tax payers but also reduce tax evasion and avoidance. This will also endeavor to increase the tax base as the people will be incentivised to show their real income.
Besides this, the corporate tax structure in India is very complicated and is often cited as a reason for lower rank of India in the ease of doing business. In the 2015 budget, Jaitley announced in the last Budget the corporate tax rate will be reduced to 25 percent from 30 percent in a phased manner, the move which was hailed by the corporate sector. However, the same has not yet been implemented for all companies in India and a lot needs to be delivered by the finance minister in this sphere.
With the talks of reducing the tax rates to 15% in the US post elections, the challenge is going to increase further for the finance minister who has to keep alive the ‘Make in India’ mission of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This year, the task of the Finance Minister is going to be very difficult and has to balance the needs and requirements of various stakeholders and still have to look generous besides trying to increase the tax collection, all at the same time. Upcoming Elections in five states, too play a very crucial role, not only they hold road to higher seats in the Upper House, where the NDA is in minority but is also cited as a litmus test of the Central Government after the crucial demonetisation move.
Demonetisation has sucked up 86 percent of the liquidity from the market and also made people stand in long ques outside the banks and ATMs. Many rating agencies and research firms have reduced the expected growth rate of the economy as a result of demonetisation which poses a critical challenge for the finance minister to revive economy after such a bold move. The ball is in the court of the finance minister and it will be interesting to see whether he will be able to score a goal or score a self-goal if he fails to meet expectations.
(The writer is a chartered accountant)
For full coverage of Union Budget 2017 click here.
Tags : Arun Jaitley, Investing 2017, Personal Tax 2017, Taxes 2017, Union Budget 2017
India on upward growth trajectory; country has made leap into era of high economic policy certainty: Arun Jaitley
Data 'of the people, by the people, for the people' should be govt mantra: Economic Survey
5G technology provides opportunity for India industry to shine in global markets: Economic Survey
Electric Vehicles should be an area of focus for sustainable mobility: Economic Survey 2019
1Tax payer hopes from Budget 2017 soar; with ball in Arun Jaitley's court, will he score a goal or self-goal?
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Trump says U.S., Chinese teams to restart trade talks ahead of G20
By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping and that the two leaders' teams would restart trade talks after a long lull in order to prepare for a meeting at the G20 summit later this month.
The United States and China are in the middle of a costly trade war that has pressured financial markets and damaged the world economy. Talks between the two sides to reach a broad deal broke down last month and interaction since then has been limited.
Trump has made no secret that, despite his threat to escalate the dispute with more U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, he would like to meet with Xi at the Group of 20 meeting in Japan next week.
Though he has repeatedly said the two parties would talk, the Chinese side has not confirmed a meeting would take place.
In a Twitter post, Trump said he and his Chinese counterpart had agreed to start preparations during a phone call.
"Had a very good telephone conversation with President Xi of China. We will be having an extended meeting next week at the G-20 in Japan. Our respective teams will begin talks prior to our meeting," Trump tweeted.
Chinese state media said Xi agreed to the meeting and emphasized in the call that economic and trade disputes should be solved through dialogue.
“The key is to show consideration to each other's legitimate concerns,” Xi said. “We also hope that the United States treats Chinese companies fairly. I agree that the economic and trade teams of the two countries will maintain communication on how to resolve differences.”
The confirmation of a meeting avoids the possibility of a snub to Washington that could have triggered another round of tariffs.
Trump expressed optimism that a deal could be reached.
"I think we have a chance. I know that China wants to make a deal. They don't like the tariffs, and a lot of companies are leaving China in order to avoid the tariffs. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. We'll see what happens," he told reporters.
Stocks extended gains as investors bet new talks could ease trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.
“This is a very positive development," said Clete Willems, a former trade negotiator with Trump's team, who cited the importance of a meeting between Xi and the U.S. president at the last G20 in Argentina.
"Leader level engagement at last year’s G20 was critical to jumpstarting the talks. It will be essential to managing the current political dynamic and getting the talks back on track once again.”
Washington has already imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods, ranging from semi-conductors to furniture, that are imported to the United States.
Trump has threatened to put tariffs on another $325 billion of goods, covering nearly all of the remaining Chinese imports into the United States, including products such as cell phones, computers and clothing.
(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Susan Thomas)
1Trump says U.S., Chinese teams to restart trade talks ahead of G20
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What is Protestantism?
Question: "What is Protestantism?"
Answer: Protestantism is one of the major divisions of the Christian faith. Traditionally, Protestantism includes all churches outside of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church traditions. Protestant churches affirm the principles of the Protestant Reformation set into motion by Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in 1517. Protestants were first called by that name because they “protested” against the papacy and Roman rule within the Church.
Protestantism itself contains many different denominations. They include the Lutheran Church (named after Martin Luther), the Presbyterian Church (associated with John Knox), and the Baptists (also called the Free Church movement and associated with churches that baptize only believers).
The Protestant tradition has historically been represented by the five solas: faith alone, Christ alone, grace alone, Scripture alone, and God’s glory alone. The five solas emphasize the following three doctrinal points:
First, Protestants hold to the Holy Bible as the sole authority regarding matters of faith and practice. The Orthodox Church, by contrast, recognizes sacred tradition as equally authoritative. The Roman Catholic Church includes sacred tradition and the authority of the Pope. The Reformers expressed this distinction with the term sola scriptura (“Scripture alone”). Protestants emphasize the inspired Word of God as our perfect authority (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21).
Second, Protestants hold to faith alone for salvation, apart from works. The Roman Catholic Church requires the keeping of seven sacraments and often speaks of works as part of a person’s salvation. However, Ephesians 2:8–9 clearly supports the Protestant doctrine that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Third, Protestants believe in living for God’s glory alone. While Roman Catholic teaching agrees with this belief, it is often expressed in conjunction with faithful obedience to the Church and its leaders. In contrast, Protestants teach the priesthood of every believer, as stated in 1 Peter 2:9: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Protestants reject the Catholic priesthood system and instead pledge allegiance to God and His glory, affirming the giftedness of every follower of Jesus Christ (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12:1–8).
Protestantism continues to reach approximately 800 million people today seeking to worship God under the authority of Scripture, believing in salvation by faith alone, and honoring the priesthood of every born-again person.
Recommended Resource: The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and The Word of God by James McCarthy
What was the Protestant Reformation?
Which of the 30,000 Protestant denominations is the true church of God?
What is Reformation Day?
What is a Protestant?
What are the 95 theses of Martin Luther?
Questions about Christianity
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Is it possible to be a gay Christian?
Question: "Is it possible to be a gay Christian?"
Answer: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). There is a tendency to declare homosexuality as the worst of all sins. While it is undeniable, biblically speaking, that homosexuality is immoral and unnatural (Romans 1:26-27), in no sense does the Bible describe homosexuality as an unforgivable sin. Nor does the Bible teach that homosexuality is a sin Christians will never struggle against.
Perhaps that is the key phrase in the question of whether it is possible to be a gay Christian: “struggle against.” It is possible for a Christian to struggle with homosexual temptations. Many homosexuals who become Christians have ongoing struggles with homosexual feelings and desires. Some strongly heterosexual men and women have experienced a “spark” of homosexual interest at some point in their lives. Whether or not these desires and temptations exist does not determine whether a person is a Christian. The Bible is clear that no Christian is sinless (1 John 1:8,10). While the specific sin / temptation varies from one Christian to another, all Christians have struggles with sin, and all Christians sometimes fail in those struggles (1 Corinthians 10:13).
What differentiates a Christian’s life from a non-Christian’s life is the struggle against sin. The Christian life is a progressive journey of overcoming the “acts of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21) and allowing God’s Spirit to produce the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). Yes, Christians sin, sometimes horribly. Sadly, sometimes Christians are indistinguishable from non-Christians. However, a true Christian will always repent, will always eventually return to God, and will always resume the struggle against sin. But the Bible gives no support for the idea that a person who perpetually and unrepentantly engages in sin can indeed be a Christian. Notice 1 Corinthians 6:11, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
First Corinthians 6:9-10 lists sins that, if indulged in continuously, identify a person as not being redeemed—not being a Christian. Often, homosexuality is singled out from this list. If a person struggles with homosexual temptations, that person is presumed to be unsaved. If a person actually engages in homosexual acts, that person is definitely thought to be unsaved. However, the same assumptions are not made, at least not with the same emphasis, regarding other sins in the list: fornication (pre-marital sex), idolatry, adultery, thievery, covetousness, alcoholism, slander, and deceit. It is inconsistent, for example, to declare those guilty of pre-marital sex as “disobedient Christians,” while declaring homosexuals definitively non-Christians.
Is it possible to be a gay Christian? If the phrase “gay Christian” refers to a person who struggles against homosexual desires and temptations – yes, a “gay Christian” is possible. However, the description “gay Christian” is not accurate for such a person, since he/she does not desire to be gay, and is struggling against the temptations. Such a person is not a “gay Christian,” but rather is simply a struggling Christian, just as there are Christians who struggle with fornication, lying, and stealing. If the phrase “gay Christian” refers to a person who actively, perpetually, and unrepentantly lives a homosexual lifestyle – no, it is not possible for such a person to truly be a Christian.
Recommended Resource: What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung and 101 Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality by Mike Haley
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What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
Can a person be born gay?
Is being gay a sin? Is it a sin to be gay?
Should a Christian attend the wedding of a gay couple?
How should a Christian act toward a friend who comes out of the closet (as gay)?
Questions about Sin
This page last updated: March 7, 2019
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Home » Composers » Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Think of Holst and you think of The Planets. Not much else springs to mind and, indeed, his output is comparatively slender – he was a slow starter and a slow worker – and few of his works were performed in his lifetime. He wrote much else of interest, yet The Planets is such an overwhelming, original work that everything else pales into insignificance in scale and concept.
Gustav Holst: Beyond The Planets
Not only do we underestimate Holst’s signature work, Sir Andrew Davis tells John von Rhein, but there’s so much more to discover... Read the article
Gustav von Holst’s paternal great-grandfather settled in England from Sweden in 1807. His father was an organist, his mother a piano teacher, but when he went to study at the Royal College of Music in 1893 it was the trombone that became his main instrument (he was a pupil of Stanford for composition). Vaughan Williams was a fellow student and became a lifelong friend. At first he earned his living as a trombonist with various theatre and opera companies before changing course in 1905 and becoming a teacher at St Paul’s Girls’ School and, two years later, at Morley College, both in London. They were positions he held for the rest of his life.
His early work is dominated by the influence of Wagner, then tempered by his interest in religious philosophy, the mysticism, poetry and spiritualism of the East, and the English folk music to which Vaughan Williams had introduced him. By 1915 he’d ‘gone through’ these influences, absorbed them and arrived at a voice of his own. During the First World War, plagued by suspicions of German sympathies because of his German-sounding name, he dropped the ‘von’ and went out to Salonica and Constantinople to organise concerts for the British troops. The Planets, written between 1914 and 1916, had to wait until 1920 for its first complete public performance but it established his name as a leading composer.
In February 1923 he suffered concussion as the result of a fall, causing a rapid deterioration in his health (never robust) which thereafter severely limited all his musical activities except composition. He became more reclusive, declining many honours and taking little interest in public affairs. His daughter Imogen, also a musician, described how ‘he sank into a cold region of utter despair...a grey isolation’. Holst himself, summing it all up, pinpointed ‘Four chief reasons for gratitude... Music, the Cotswolds, RVW [Vaughan Williams] and having known the impersonality of orchestral playing’.
HOLST The Planets
Below are the finest Holst recordings currently available.
HOLST Egdon Heath; A Somerset Rhapsody; Beni mora
HOLST The Planets – Jurowski
'In the Beginning'
We asked our readers, 'what classical recording are you most proud to own?' These are the fascinating results...
Holst's The Planets – a quick guide to the best recordings
Top 10 English composers
Rattle and the Berlin Phil: Top 10 recordings
Gramophone presents: Music, art and culture in Brazil
The BBC Proms is a global music festival, but do all orchestras now sound the same?
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Towns County
Elizabeth B. Cooksey, Savannah,
County, which borders North Carolina in northeast Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains, is the state's 118th county and comprises 167 square miles. It was created in 1856 from Rabun and Union counties. Originally inhabited by Cherokee Indians, the newly formed county was named for George W. Towns, the governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851. The first white settlers, attracted by the promise of free land, arrived after the Indian cessions of 1818 and 1819. Many of them came from the state's coastal counties, although those who gravitated to the most remote areas of the county were farmers from the mountains of North Carolina.
An important facet of early life in Towns County was a road built upon a Cherokee trading path running north to south through the county and passing through Unicoi Gap. It served as a line between settlers and the Cherokees until after the Indian cessions, when it fell solely into the hands of the whites. When the Cherokees were expelled from their villages, they were forced into "removal forts," one of which was located in what is now Hiawassee, the county seat.
Towns County Courthouse
remote location buffered the county from many of the effects of the Civil War (1861-65) and Reconstruction. Many residents of mountainous northeast Georgia were opposed, or at least held no enthusiasm for, the Confederate cause. One group of young men from Towns County, holding anti-Confederate sentiments, fled to Tennessee to escape fighting for the Southern cause, but were ambushed and killed by Confederates.
Hiawassee was incorporated in 1956, although it was originally incorporated in 1870 as "Hiwassee." The name is from the Cherokee for "meadow," "savanna," or "pretty fawn." The first courthouse, completed in 1857, was replaced in 1905. The current courthouse was built in 1964. The county has one other incorporated town, Young Harris, a college town in the mountains. Originally called McTyeire, the town changed its name to Young Harris to honor a major benefactor of the local McTyeire Institute, founded in 1886 by Artemus Lester. When the town changed its name,
The Reach of Song
the college followed suit. Each summer, Young Harris College is the host of The Reach of Song, the official state historic drama, which is performed at the Clegg Fine Arts Center. Unincorporated communities include Gumlog, Jacksonville, Osborn, and Tree.
The primary economic focus of the county's residents for more than a century was farming, although some gold and mineral mining occurred in the county's east. The invention and popularization of the automobile after World War I (1917-18) prompted the state to build an east-west road, which linked Towns County to hitherto inaccessible markets. This road contributed to a boost in the commercial development of the county and eventually stimulated a tourist industry as well. Tourism has now supplanted agriculture as the major economic focus in Towns County.
Georgia Mountain Fair
are particularly attracted by the area's Appalachian music, arts and crafts, mountains, and rivers. Many are drawn to the annual Georgia Mountain Fair, which has been held in Hiawassee since 1950. The southern and eastern borders of the county are framed by the Appalachian Trail, another important attraction. More than 50 percent of Towns County is owned by the federal government; most of this is forest parkland.
Notable residents include former U.S. Office of Management and Budget director Bert Lance, Georgia governor Zell Miller, and poet Byron Herbert Reece.
Among the points of interest in Towns County are Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in Georgia, which is also partly in Union County; the Chattahoochee National Forest; Lake Chatuge, a 7,050-acre reservoir; the Unicoi Turnpike, the first vehicular road in the county and surrounding area; and Unicoi Gap, the first pass
Lake Chatuge
in the Georgia Blue Ridge through which a public road was constructed. The Fred Hamilton Rhododendron Garden in Hiawassee is the largest rhododendron garden in the state.
Two important rivers flow through Towns, the Tallulah (Falls) River, which enters Georgia in its northeast corner, and the Hiwassee River, whose headwaters are on the northern side of Unicoi Gap.
According to the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 10,471, an increase from the 2000 population of 9,319.
Hiawassee
More in Counties
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Lanier County
Media Gallery: Towns County
Susan R. Boatright and Douglas C. Bachtel, eds., Georgia County Guide (Athens: Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, University of Georgia, annual).
Carroll Proctor Scruggs, Northeast Georgia, a Brief History: Habersham, Lumpkin, Rabun, Towns, Union, and White Counties (Helen, Ga.: Bay Tree Grove; Gainesville, Ga.: Georgia Print Co., 1987).
Towns County: A Pictorial History (Hiawassee, Ga.: Towns County Chamber of Commerce, 1992).
Cooksey, Elizabeth B. "Towns County." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 25 October 2018. Web. 17 July 2019.
Towns County Chamber of Commerce
Georgia Government: Towns County
Association County Commissioners of Georgia
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Georgia's City Governments
William Brown Hodgson (1801-1871)
Monastery of the Holy Spirit
Jamie Stephenson
Thomas Butler King (1800-1864)
Small Farmer Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Project
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Major Ridge (ca. 1771-1839)
Court of Appeals of Georgia
Jacob Rothschild (1911-1973)
Residential Landscape Traditions: Overview
Antebellum Industrialization
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Ban secret voting on homes call
COUNCILLORS should be made ‘open and accountable’ for any decision concerning the future of the Manor Farm site in Byfleet, according to a member of the residents’ association.
Godfrey Chapples, chief district representative for Byfleet, hopes a named vote will take place when the matter is put to Woking Borough Council’s planning committee, expected before the end of the year.
He said as the councillors have access to all the consultations about the land, they should be named and held fully responsible for any decisions about whether to build in the flood plain.
Cardinal Homes Limited is proposing to build 23 houses and a farmhouse on the Mill Lane site but the residents’ association has concerns over the area’s risk of flooding.
Since plans to develop the area were announced last April, the Environment Agency (EA) has been employed to survey what effects the development will have on the flood plain.
According to Cardinal director, Richard Greed, the EA is satisfied the development will not worsen the situation, but Mr Chapples would like to see some hard evidence confirming this.
“There is considerable and growing concern in Byfleet that very little is being done to advise, consult and support residents in the village over the risk of flooding,” said Mr Chapples.
“Would it be possible to provide a report for public perusal giving all the responses from the consultations, in particular the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council on this important matter?”
The residents’ association remains opposed to the development until its fears over flooding have been answered.
Mr Chapples would like to see all associations, Woking council, the county council, Byfleet Parish Council and the EA work together to prevent flood risk.
“Everyone needs to work together ensuring the fears do get addressed and totally alleviated,” he said.
Concerned residents on the south side of Byfleet have handed a petition with around 50 names to Woking council opposing the scheme, on the grounds of flooding.
To the surprise of one man who signed the petition not many people knew of the development.
He said: “The majority of them were not aware what was going on. As required by law the council did not inform them, only the adjacent neighbours.”
He said the development would make flooding worse for two reasons — it would create more run off, and occupy space where water could have been absorbed.
One concerned resident said: “We have got to stop making the flood plain worse. We had to suffer the floods of 1968 and 1990 and I am concerned we will not get insured if there is any more. Last time we had a major battle with insurance companies and builders to get the job done.”
Mark Cupit, principal planning officer at Woking Borough Council, said: “In any application in the flood plain there is a flood risk assessment carried out.
“We have consulted the EA and await the result of their assessment.
“The response from the EA, once we have received it, will be reported to committee.
“The findings are not usually put on public file until after a decision is made. They are shown on the officers’ report for councillors to view.
“However, anyone who wants to view the response is welcome to give me a call and see if we have got the findings and then have a look at it. There is no great secret.”
Contact the planning department on 01483 743 485.
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Lawyer Calls for Road Audits following Madina-Adenta Incident
Nov 10, 2018 News
Private legal practitioner Kwame Jantuah has called on government to conduct an audit into all major roads across the country.
His call follows a demonstration by some residents of Adenta and Madina on Thursday, November 8, 2018 following the death of a student of the West African Senior High School (WASS) who was knocked down by a vehicle on the main Adenta-Madina road.
The incident which led to the death of the student is one of many which have led to the death of close to 200 people, according to the residents. Police official report puts the death toll on the highway to 24.
Although there have been several media campaigns and appeals made by residents for the completion of footbridges on that particular stretch, government turned a blind eye to the situation.
Residents seem to have had enough of the deaths and embarked on a protest, blocking the road and burning tires on Thursday morning after the death of the WASS student.
Following the incident, government issued a statement saying footbridges would be constructed within the next three months, a decision many have described as a knee-jerk reaction to the issue.
Less than 24-hours after the incident, faulty traffic lights on the Madina-Adenta road have all been fixed with police Motor Traffic and Transport Department positioned to help pedestrians cross the road.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has also come out to sympathize with families of those who have lost loved ones to the road, and called for calm on the part of residents.
Speaking to the issue on the maiden edition of TV3’s Key Points on Saturday, November 10, Kwame Jantuah noted that government ought to take the issues of road more seriously and take actions to curb the increasing number of road accidents.
He added that there are a number of roads in the country that face similar challenges that the people of Madina and Adenta have been complaining about, hence, all the other roads ought to be catered for.
“I was expecting, and I am still expecting the Minister of Road and Transport and government to come out and say Adenta is just a tip of the iceberg, there are other parts of this country where similar things are happening, so what we are going to do is to do an audit of the roads in this country, especially the major roads.”
“Take an audit and let that audit be available to everybody and not in the closet,” Mr. Jantuah stated.
He chastised successive governments for failing to engage Ghanaians on issues that bothered them.
“We are talking about footbridges, do they go to the community, do they speak to community leaders in there, and do they even speak to the parliamentarians for the parliamentarians to go into the communities to talk to their people?” Mr. Jantuah questioned.
“In all these, I haven’t heard parliament speak, and the parliamentarians are the representatives of the people. We would expect that the parliamentarian who represents those people will say something in parliament, but we have heard nothing.”
In his assessment, Mr. Jantuah mentioned lack of finance, lack of law enforcement, and indiscipline on the part of road users as a contributing factor to the carnage on the roads.
He therefore called on government to ensure that roads in the country are well catered for, to preserve the lives.
Involve NDC In 60th Anniversary Planning – Mpiani
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About Harris Williams
Aerospace, Defense & Government Services
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Join Harris Williams
Harris Williams & Co. Advises Pella Corporation on the Pending Sale of its Subsidiary, EFCO Corporation, to Apogee Enterprises, Inc.
Harris Williams & Co., a preeminent middle market investment bank focused on the advisory needs of clients worldwide for more than 25 years, announces the pending sale of EFCO Corporation (EFCO) to Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (Apogee; Nasdaq:APOG). EFCO is a leading U.S. manufacturer of architectural aluminum window, curtainwall, storefront and entrance systems for commercial construction projects. Harris Williams & Co. is serving as the exclusive advisor to EFCO, a subsidiary of privately-held Pella Corporation. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is being led by Mike Hogan, Eric Logue, John Lautemann and Ty Denoncourt of Harris Williams & Co.’s Building Products & Materials and Industrials Groups.
“The management team at EFCO has done a terrific job of leveraging the company’s strengths in design, quality, customization and service to build one of the industry’s leading providers of architectural solutions with terrific growth prospects,” said Mike Hogan, a managing director in Harris Williams & Co.’s Building Products & Materials Group. “The transaction highlights the continued strong interest from both strategic and financial buyers for premier platforms within building products, a sector in which the firm has closed nearly 100 transactions.”
“Apogee will be a terrific long-term partner for EFCO and help accelerate growth,” added Eric Logue, a director at Harris Williams & Co. “We look forward to seeing what they are able to accomplish together.”
EFCO, founded in 1951, is headquartered in Monett, Missouri, where full production capabilities are located; it has additional facilities in Missouri, Illinois and Virginia. EFCO has approximately 1,600 employees and has been owned by Pella Corporation since 2007.
Apogee, headquartered in Minneapolis, is a leader in technologies involving the design and development of value-added glass products and services. The company is organized in four segments: architectural glass, architectural framing systems, architectural services and large-scale optical.
Harris Williams & Co. (www.harriswilliams.com), a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC), is a preeminent middle market investment bank focused on the advisory needs of clients worldwide. The firm has deep industry knowledge, global transaction expertise, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Harris Williams & Co. provides sell-side and acquisition advisory, restructuring advisory, board advisory, private placements, and capital markets advisory services.
Harris Williams & Co. has closed nearly 100 transactions across a broad range of building products and materials sectors, including production, distribution and services related to building materials, commercial and residential construction; infrastructure and public facilities; repair and remodeling; cabinetry, windows, and doors; flooring and tiles; roofing and siding; HVAC, electrical and plumbing; aggregates; asphalt; ready-mix concrete; cement; and engineering and construction services. For more information on the firm’s Building Products & Materials experience, visit the Building Products & Materials section of the Harris Williams & Co. website.
Harris Williams & Co.’s Industrials Group has experience across a variety of sectors, including advanced manufacturing; aggregates, metals, and mining; building products; chemicals and specialty materials; industrial technology; and packaging. For more information on the firm’s Industrials Group and other recent transactions, visit the Industrials Group’s section of the Harris Williams & Co. website.
Investment banking services are provided by Harris Williams LLC, a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC, and Harris Williams & Co. Ltd, which is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 5th Floor, 6 St. Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AE, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 7078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC and Harris Williams & Co. Ltd conduct business.
© Harris Williams & Co.
Join HW&Co.
Analysts & Associates
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From left: Teresita Alvarez-Bjelland, Dan H. Fenn Jr., Tamara Elliott Rogers
Photographs from left by: Jim Harrison; Kris Snibbe/HPAC; Jim Harrsion
The 2019 Harvard Medalists
For extraordinary service to the University
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences honorands (from left) Lael Brainard, Joseph Nye, Jane Lubchenco, Carroll Bogert, and Roger Ferguson
Photograph courtesy of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Centennial Medalists
Contributions to society from graduate research
Chapter and Verse
Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words
Jessica Pierce asks whether anyone can identify the origin of the expression “to die like an animal.”
More queries from the archive:
A description of nationalism as “the religion of an extremely high percentage of mankind an extremely high percentage of the time.”
“Good men and bad men/Lying in their graves—/Which were the good men/And which were the knaves?”
An original source for the motto “Adopt, adapt, and adept.”
“If it is a university, it cannot be Catholic; if it is Catholic, it cannot be a university.”
“The scent of woodsmoke in an April lane…”
A poem in which the poet (Robert Graves?) points with pride to his volumes of prose but will not say why he wrote them, lest he commit the absurdity of the man who bred cats because he loved dogs so much (or bred dogs because he loved cats).
Who coined the phrase “the moving edge”?
A musical satire on trendy clergymen, to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Tit Willow,” with the refrain, “We’re with it, we’re with it, we’re with it.”
“What was Karl Marx but Macauley with his heels in the air?” (May-June). Dan Rosenberg located this remark by William Butler Yeats, first requested in the March-April 1995 issue, in the poet’s collection On the Boiler, in the essay “Tomorrow’s Revolution” (part iv, page 19), (Cuala Press, Dublin, 1939).
“What her rugged soil denies/The harvest of the mind supplies” (May-June). Andre Mayer and Dan Rosenberg tracked this reference from the March-April 1995 issue to the “sweet New England poet” John Greenleaf Whittier. The poem, titled “Our State” on page 114 of the Complete Poetical Words of John Greenleaf Whittier (1884), is described elsewhere as “Originally entitled ‘Dedication of a School-house.’ It was written for the dedication services of a new school building in Newbury, Mass.”
Send inquiries and answers to “Chapter and Verse,” Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138, or via e-mail to [email protected]
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Gaithersburg alternative bands
Whether you’re a fan of Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Spacehog, or any of the other classic bands of the 90s, you’ll be glad to know GigMasters has a wide selection of Alternative Bands that you can book for your next event in the Gaithersburg, MD area. Start your search here!
Maryland /
Gaithersburg, MD Alternative Bands
Please note these Alternative Bands will also travel to Montgomery Village, Washington Grove, Germantown, Derwood, Rockville, Olney, Boyds, Clarksburg, Brookeville, Potomac, Damascus, Sandy Spring, Brinklow, Subn MD Fac, Suburb Maryland Fac, Barnesville, Poolesville, Kensington, Garrett Park, Westlake, Great Falls, Ashton, Wheaton, Beallsville, Cabin John, Dayton, Spencerville, Glen Echo, Highland, Dickerson
Top Alternative Bands Near Gaithersburg, MD
Variety Band from Baltimore, MD (32 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Cover Band from Washington, DC (19 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
French Band from Purcellville, VA (28 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Dance Band from Washington, DC (15 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Rock Band from Harrisburg, PA (80 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Rock Band from Easton, MD (66 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
We are a hard rock band playing classic songs from the 50s to present with the majority coming from the 90s and 80s. Expect a dynamic show from a trio with a combined 90 years of professional experience. Bring your dancing shoes and prepare to be worn out, with a smile on your face, at the end of the night. You'll hear your favorite songs from Stone Temple Pilots, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Elvis, Katy Perry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Crowds, Johnny... (more)
Alternative Band from Glenmoore, PA (100 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Variety Band from Charlottesville, VA (104 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Cover Band from Moseley, VA (123 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Ostrich Hat
Cover Band from Hazleton, PA (140 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Ostrich Hat, The band with the crazy name wants to make your next private party, wedding or corporate function a memorable one! Don't settle for the typical, over priced private party band, playing halfheartedly through tired standards. Let us turn up the energy and throw a real party! Ostrich Hat's high energy show contains songs from every genre of popular music from the classics to modern top 40 and everything in between. We play all upbeat, fun songs that will get any crowd dancing... (more)
Jazz Band from Brooklyn, NY (203 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Cover Band from Wilton, CT (244 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Acoustic Band from Newburgh, NY (229 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Polka Band from New York City, NY (201 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Cover Band from New York City, NY (203 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Cuban Band from New York City, NY (202 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Acoustic Band from New Brunswick, NJ (172 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Cover Band from Raleigh, NC (246 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
90s Band from New York City, NY (202 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Folk Band from Pittsburgh, PA (174 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
We take songs that are well-loved, time-honored classics and make them our own. We give them a new twist so that they can be enjoyed all over again with a fresh hip sound. We are a trio that has written original music as well as covered a wide variety of popular songs. We play everything from the Beatles to Radiohead in our unique style. We can provide our own high-quality sound system that can handle 50-500 people. We are also happy to travel lighter and plug into your house system. We have... (more)
Jazz Band from New York City, NY (202 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Variety Band from Virginia Beach, VA (172 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Country Band from Brooklyn, NY (200 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Cover Band from Greensboro, NC (255 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
Cover Band from Detroit, MI (388 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
56DAZE
Variety Band from Toledo, OH (376 miles from Gaithersburg, MD)
***The KNOT's Best of Weddings Pick for 2018 (9 Years Straight!) *** 2017 BRIDE's CHOICE AWARD from WEDDING WIRE *** Since 2005, 56DAZE has been the PERFECT entertainment for many "MUST BE PERFECT" events! 56DAZE is equally at home performing at wedding receptions, corporate events, street fairs, festivals, private parties, and many local and regional night spots. We'll work with you and adjust our song list to play the music you want to hear. We're not the typical stuffy "wedding band"... (more)
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Monson motivational speakers
Looking to motivate a group of employees, students, or even donors? GigMasters has a wide selection of Motivational Speakers that you can book for any event: business functions, school assemblies, graduations, charitable fundraisers, and more. Find one in the Monson, MA area today!
Motivational Speakers /
Monson, MA Motivational Speakers
Please note these Motivational Speakers will also travel to Palmer, Hampden, Wales, Wilbraham, Thorndike, Three Rivers, Brimfield, Bondsville, Stafford, Staffordville, Stafford Springs, Union, Fiskdale, Holland, Somers, Ludlow, East Longmeadow, West Warren, Indian Orchard, Warren, Springfield, Sturbridge, Longmeadow, Somersville, Ware, Belchertown, Ellington, Brookfield, West Brookfield, Willington
Are you a motivational speaker looking to book more events? Get more motivational speaker events today.
Top Motivational Speakers Near Monson, MA
Nancy D. Butler, Motivational speaker
Motivational Speaker from Waterford, CT (52 miles from Monson, MA)
As a national, professional speaker, business coach and award-winning author, Nancy helps businesses and individuals improve performance and build success while leaving audiences energized, educated and excited about their future. Nancy helps businesses do a better job for their clients while improving their bottom line and helps individuals live more successful, fulfilling lives and realize their dreams. As a single parent with only $2,000 to her name and no other source of income, Nancy... (more)
Disaster Expert & Speaker: Jennifer Carlson
Motivational Speaker from Worcester, MA (30 miles from Monson, MA)
Disaster Expert & Speaker: Jennifer Carlson Jennifer Carlson, Ph.D., CEM® is a well-known New England disaster/emergency management expert, facilitator, speaker, trainer, university faculty member, writing professional and author of "Exploring the Professionalization of Emergency [Disaster] Management" along with other works. Jennifer's speaking events and workshops are fun and engaging, aimed at encouraging others to prepare for disasters, while learning about how to plan, what the... (more)
Jonas Cain
Motivational Speaker from Boston, MA (66 miles from Monson, MA)
As a solo social entrepreneur I'm on a mission to support emerging leaders (teenagers and young adults) and their influencers (educators, counselors, coaches, parents, etc.) to develop resiliency through high value relationships for lifelong success. This work comes down to two core ideas: 1. You matter, so be kind to yourself. 2. Other people matter, so be kind to others. When these truths are accepted they influence our thoughts, words, and actions, creating a ripple effect that... (more)
Matt Episcopo - International Speaker Author
Motivational Speaker from Albany, NY (85 miles from Monson, MA)
WHY DO COMPANIES AND ASSOCIATIONS AROUND THE WORLD RAVE ABOUT MATT'S PROGRAMS? Because Matt's upbeat interactive hands on approach engages audience members and delivers valuable content, with proven results, that attendees implement on the spot. Participants use these tools and strategies to take their personal and professional skills to the next level. Whether Matt delivers a Keynote address, workshop or break out session, attendees are energized, engaged and inspired by... (more)
Sharon Burstein
Leadership Image and Motivational Speaker – Sharon Burstein The Ideal Professional Speaker for Your Next Conference or Meeting Leadership Leadership Image is about communication, confidence, caring, understanding, listening, encouragement, courage and sacrifice. Sharon is a high-energy powerful speaker who tremendously connects with her audience. She helps build confidence from teens to seniors. Everyone feels the connection. She is experienced, fun and... (more)
Motivational Comedian Magician... Mark Robinson
BEST VIDEO DEMO YOU WILL SEE. Mark Robinson is one of the hottest corporate speakers in the country. You've seen him in comedy clubs, Las Vegas, TV commercials, and NBA halftimes. His audience participation keynote has garnered rave reviews. Check out the video and see why Mark is the GUARANTEED HIT of your next event! (more)
Chad Porter, Speaker-Best Selling Author-Motivator
National Best-Selling Author of the book Severed Dreams. Inspirational and motivational, Chad Porter is one of the nation's most highly recommended speakers. Corporate CEO's, Fundraising Executives, MLB, NFL and college athletes and coaches alike praise his powerful account of overcoming obstacles, perseverance, and dealing with life's challenges to go on to create a better community, team building, building self-esteem, and accomplish all the goals you aspire to. Literally hundreds of... (more)
Fadayz
From early on, Fadayz had dreams of helping others realize their full potential through self expression and motivational speaking. His drive began in the foster care system of Connecticut as a child in need of a positive outlet and continued on into adulthood as a man with a passion to help others look past their circumstances to achieve their goals. Through music, dance and spoken word, Fadayz is able to reach both children and adults like no one else. As a self-taught street dancer,... (more)
Stephan K. Thieringer - Inspirational Speaker
First and foremost Stephan loves to ,motivate and inspire! He is a business thinker and innovation strategist. His work with leading organization in a variety of industries and support senior executives at any level provides him the expertise to bring stories of impact and transformation to life. With a renewed sense of self-understanding, clarity and purpose, Stephan is stepping into the world as a champion of radical self-awareness and self-acceptance because it was this work that... (more)
John Calabrese
Motivational Speaker from Swampscott, MA (76 miles from Monson, MA)
John Calabrese As an 8th Degree Black Belt and Master Level Teacher John brings over 3 decades of martial arts study and teaching experience to subjects like communication, leadership, mindset, and how self-development is a determining factor in your bottom line. John is the Author of "You Are The Common Denominator In Your Life". John Calabrese is a seasoned and experienced speaker addressing topics such as health, communication, leadership, mindset and how self-development is a... (more)
Nicole Cannella
Nicole Cannella's speeches are direct to and from the heart with a peppering of irreverent and sometimes self deprecating humor. She has spoken to a gamut of life stages; as the theme of her talks derive from her NY Times featured book, Leaving a Mark. She begs the question "How do you want to leave your mark for better in this life?" Her muse, and foreword writer, Dorian D Strong Murray, made a wish as he faced terminal cancer, to be "as famous as I can before I go to heaven".... (more)
Emily Perl Kingsley - Motivational Speaker
Motivational Speaker from Briarcliff Manor, NY (101 miles from Monson, MA)
EMILY PERL KINGSLEY - Emmy Award winning writer - Motivational Speaker Emily Perl Kingsley garnered 22 Emmy Awards over her 45-year career as a writer for SESAME STREET (among many other awards). She has wonderful stories to tell about the long and colorful history of America's most popular and influential children's TV show. Emily's son Jason was born with Down syndrome in 1974. Her experiences raising Jason inspired her to include people with disabilities into the Sesame Street... (more)
JIm Ryan Talks
Motivational Speaker from Northport, NY (96 miles from Monson, MA)
I am a motivational speaker who focuses on Happiness. My signature talk is Simple Happiness, 8 Characteristics of Happy People. My other main talk is "Managing Thought, the Key to Success in Business and in Life". I also have done talks on Leadership and Customer Service, both coming from the perspective of being at your best every day. I've found that I have the unique ability to turn profound, life-changing concepts into easily understood solutions. I got started in my speaking career... (more)
Motivational Speaker from Cobleskill, NY (117 miles from Monson, MA)
BEST VIDEO DEMO YOU WILL SEE... Mark Robinson is one of the hottest corporate speakers in the country. You've seen him in comedy clubs, Las Vegas, TV commercials, and NBA halftimes. His audience participation keynote has garnered rave reviews. Check out the video and see why Mark is the GUARANTEED HIT of your next event! (more)
Joshua Lozoff: The Magic of Communication
Motivational Speaker from New York City, NY (129 miles from Monson, MA)
The Magic of Communication is engaging, intriguing and fun! In this interactive presentation, acclaimed magician and actor Joshua Lozoff pulls back the curtain to reveal the true secrets of his magic: powerful communication skills and strong powers of observation; skills useful for us all, from the board room to the living room. Highlights include: * Three Core Skills for Effective Communication Great communication requires a connection. Connections result in more effective interactions.... (more)
Historic Corporate Motivational Speaker.
"Together - Anything is Possible" An experience delivered only, by Gary Guller “Your gift is the way you connect with people and help them discover themselves through the story of how you discovered yourself. So deeply genuine, personal and even vulnerable. We all get lost in your story and wonder about our own story. You know how the room feels and reacts. Priceless.” VP Fortune 100 Executives from around the globe (20+ countries) seek out Gary for a genuine real life perspective... (more)
Ari Gunzburg: Keynote Speaker & Wilderness Liaison
"Ari is an overall great public speaker. He speaks with poise and confidence. He had no problem capturing the attention of >50 colleagues when he came to speak at my workplace. Would definitely recommend." -Ross Filo, Capital Analyst, Nestlé (Special rates available for schools and prisons). Forget about speeches. You want an EXPERIENCE. An award-winning international speaker who opens up and shows his vulnerable side, sharing stories from his past and present that are deeply personal,... (more)
Matt LeBris
Motivational Speaker from Maspeth, NY (124 miles from Monson, MA)
**THE GOAL: GUIDE INDIVIDUALS TO THINK AND LIVE LARGER** **EMPLOYED & MENTORED BY DAYMOND JOHN of ABC's SHARK TANK** LET ME TELL YOU WHY I LOVE SPEAKING SO MUCH... Why do I love speaking so much? It's not about controlling the room for "x" amount of time. It's not about listening to myself talk. It's not about anything other than the impression I know I have the ability to leave on an individual - that feeling of empowerment, motivation, positive influence, strength, clarity, hope, and... (more)
Cindy Nolte
Motivational Speaker from Augusta, NJ (138 miles from Monson, MA)
Cindy Nolte is a Consultant, TEDx Speaker, Holistic Practitioner, Adjunct Professor and TV Personality. Some of Cindy's accomplishments include being recognized as a finalist among the Leading Women Entrepreneurs in NJ Monthly Magazine and being selected as one of the 100 Most Empowering Women of Sigma Delta Tau. She is the author of Finding Peace in an Out of Control World, which was an Amazon #1 best seller. Cindy combines her traditional background of over 17+ years of successful... (more)
Dr. La Toro Yates
Motivational Speaker from West Orange, NJ (134 miles from Monson, MA)
La Toro Yates, Ph.D. is an adjunct professor, author, motivational speaker, and consultant. He serves as the Executive Director for Enrollment Management at the City University of New York- York College. His previous roles include serving as the Chief Enrollment Management officer at 4-year private and public institutions, Multicultural recruiter, and Director of Admissions at an Independent Day School. His research explores urban high school students' perceptions of the cultural and... (more)
Richard Todd Devens
Richard Todd Devens is the author of one of the most provocative, controversial, and outrageous books of all time. Although classified as PHILOSOPHY/Ethics & Moral Philosophy, parts of the book could just as easily have been classified as psychology, sociology, psycho-linguisitics, and politics. Rational Polemics: Tackling The Ethical Dilemmas Of Life dares to challenge the ideas and values that most of the world has been spoon-fed from infancy onward. With personal anecdotes,... (more)
Strongman Eric Moss
Motivational Speaker from Rockaway, NJ (136 miles from Monson, MA)
An experience beyond the ordinary! The Strongman Experience is an entertaining, immersive, captivating presentation that will leave your audience inspired and in a state of awe. This is not the typical “speaker behind-the-podium presentation” that bores the audience and forces them to scroll through their phone. Instead, they'll be taking pictures and videos to post on social and to show their friends the amazing feats of strength they witnessed live. It's more than a presentation, it's an... (more)
BEST VIDEO DEMO YOU WILL SEE. Mark Robinson is one of the hottest corporate comedy speakers in the country. You've seen him in comedy clubs, Las Vegas, TV commercials, and NBA halftimes. His audience participation show has garnered rave reviews. Check out the video and see why Mark is the GUARANTEED HIT of your next event! (more)
Rick Lewis Teamwork Leadership & Sales
PROFESSIONAL MISBEHAVER RICK LEWIS is a 50 year old man who rides a 12 foot high unicycle, is the World's Funniest Waiter, and is the author of the book, "7 RULES YOU WERE BORN TO BREAK". If you're looking for an absolutely unique way to bring a group of people together with clean wholesome laughter and fun, and to inspire them to excellence as individuals or as a group, Rick Lewis is exactly what you need. Here is what the CEO of the Denny's Restaurant chain said about Rick after his... (more)
George Andriopoulos - Award Winning CEO & Speaker
George is the award-winning founder and CEO of Launchpad Five One Six, a New York based management consulting firm whose mission is to provide organizations with the tools to innovate and thrive. After a major pivot in his life and career, George realized his potential as a change-maker and a source of inspiration to businesses and individuals who were stuck in the mindset of defining themselves by their mistakes. His mantra in business and in life revolves around combining the weaknesses of... (more)
Tom Krieglstein - 6 Speaking Awards
After starting his first business in college that grew to $1.5 million in annual sales, Tom went on to be the Founder and Lead Facilitator of Swift Kick. Since 2004, Tom has trained over half a million leaders around the US and the world including England, South Korea, Indonesia, and Bermuda on how to build a Culture of Connection within their organization. Tom has spoken to leaders at some of the largest companies in the world such as Coca Cola, Pfizer, Disney, US Navy, and UCLA.... (more)
Lisa Lieberman-Wang: Motivation•Mindset•#1 Author
Motivational Speaker from West Milford, NJ (126 miles from Monson, MA)
Not Your Ordinary Motivational, Inspirational Speaker, instead you will have an experience that will last long after the event is over! Lisa Lieberman-Wang is a TEDx speaker, #1 International bestselling author, featured regularly on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, & The CW as their relationship, success strategist and breakthrough expert. Lisa uses her personal narrative, proven strategies for breakthroughs, and audience participation to create a keynote address that will grab the audience's... (more)
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All 856 Episodes Of Mr Rogers' Neighbourhood Return To Twitch For The Show's 50th Anniversary
Beth Elderkin
It's always a beautiful day in the neighbourhood, even half a century later. PBS is teaming with Twitch once again to stream every episode of Mister Rogers Neighbourhood, in celebration of the show's 50th anniversary, as well as what would have been Fred Rogers' 90th birthday.
Mister Rogers welcomes you to the neighbourhood. Photo: Family Communications Inc. (Getty Images)
In a press release, Twitch announced it will be livestreaming all 856 episodes of Mister Rogers Neighbourhood. Since it's partially to celebrate the birth of the man who brought joy to millions of kids, the livestream will start with the show's 90 greatest episodes, followed by a complete run of the series. This isn't the first time Twitch has done this - a similar livestream happened last year as a PBS fundraising event. It won't be raising money this year (there will be a "call to action" on the official page, we've learned), however, this time Twitch users can add their own commentary by co-streaming it on their channels.
The livestream also comes as Focus Features gets ready to release its Rogers documentary, Won't You Be My Neighbour, this winter. The livestream starts here tomorrow at 4:00AM AEDT.
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International Dispute Causes European Clocks To Run Slow
Rhett Jones
For many electric clocks in Europe, time has ever so slightly been falling behind since mid-January. The agency that represents Europe's synchronous electrical grid recently cleared up the confusion for people who might have found themselves inexplicably running late. It placed the blame on an ongoing dispute between Kosovo and Serbia.
Image: kingdodoproductions
On Saturday, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSOE) acknowledged for the first time that the Continental European Power System had been experiencing continuous, significant power deviations because of a shortage of supply from one transmission system operator. The power grid serves 25 countries and spans most of the European Union. The statement said that electric clocks were currently running five minutes behind the accurate time, but it gave no further explanation of what's going on.
Most modern clocks use a quartz crystal that vibrates at a certain frequency when electricity is passed through it to keep time. But some digital clocks rely on the frequency of the electric grid that's powering them. Clocks plugged in to the Continental European Power System expect an average frequency of 50 Hertz, and you can watch it change in real time. On Tuesday, the ENTSOE explained a little more about why that average was getting screwed up.
ENTSO-E said the European network's frequency had deviated from its standard of 50 Hertz (Hz) to 49.996 Hz since mid-January, resulting in 113 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of lost energy, although it had appeared to be returning to normal on Tuesday.
"Deviation stopped yesterday after Kosovo took some steps but it will take some time to get the system back to normal," ENTSO-E spokeswoman Susanne Nies told Reuters. She said the risk could remain if there is no political solution to the problem.
The political dispute centres mainly on regulatory issues and a row between Serbia and Kosovo over grid operation. It is further complicated by the fact that Belgrade still does not recognise Kosovo.
In 2015, the two countries signed an agreement to jointly operate their power grid, but it's never been implemented because of a dispute over ownership of the grid. The ENTSOE called on lawmakers in the EU to "address the political side of this issue" but offered no suggestions for a resolution.
On Thursday, the agency said that the frequency deviations had ceased and it's formulating a plan for returning the missing energy. But outside of a political solution, "a deviation risk could remain".
In the meantime, Europeans can manually update their clocks, and maybe consider getting one that's off the grid.
[ENTSOE, ENTSOE]
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AMANDA STEVENSON PHOTO.COM
Winter Flounder Board Releases Draft Addendum I for Public Comment
Bataan Memorial Death March Honors World War II Soldiers
By Army Staff Sgt. Anna Doo
Special to American Forces Press Service
LAS CRUCES, N.M., April 2, 2009 - The resounding boom of cannon fire broke the sound of thousands of participants talking as they waited in anticipation March 29 for the start of the 2009 Bataan Memorial Death March.
Team Juggernaut, comprising five Wisconsin Army National Guard soldiers, crossed the finish line in first place in the National Guard Heavy category of the 2009 Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., March 29, 2009. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin National Guard
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
This year, the 26.2-mile event at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., included more than 5,300 participants from 50 states and eight countries, including the Philippines, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom.
While individuals marched for their own reasons, they all came together for the same purpose: to honor the soldiers, who were part of the Bataan Death March during World War II.
The Bataan Death March occurred in 1942 after the Japanese attacked the Bataan peninsula in the Philippines, where American and Filipino soldiers were stationed. After three months of fighting the Japanese with insufficient weapons and dwindling supplies, the American and Filipino soldiers were ordered to surrender April 9, 1942.
The Japanese forced the soldiers to march more than 60 miles with nearly no food or water. The prisoners were subjected to heinous acts of torture and many were killed or perished while marching. Some of the soldiers who survived the march spent the next three years in Japanese prisoner of war camps until freed in 1945.
The opening ceremony for the march included a roll call of the New Mexico National Guard survivors, who were members of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery units.
One by one, the names of those living and deceased were called out as a reminder of what's called America's "Greatest Generation."
Some of the Bataan survivors lined up along the starting line and shook hands with the racers as a show of gratitude to those who were marching in their honor.
Young and old marched side by side on the rugged terrain with runners, military personnel carrying rucksacks weighing at least 35 pounds, and wounded warriors marching on prosthetic limbs.
Each participant was determined to finish the march and could be heard inspiring others no matter how much their body ached and feet hurt.
Tabitha Baker recalled the moment she crossed the finish line. "The proudest moment was ... seeing the survivors waiting there to commemorate the participants for completing the march. As I shook the survivor's hand I said, 'It is an honor to meet you.' He looked at me, held my hand and answered, 'No, it is an honor to meet you.'
"It is amazing to see these men ... have so much pride and admiration for the soldiers of today."
As each year passes, there are fewer living Bataan veterans, but the responsibility to keep the memory alive
will never perish.
(Army Staff Sgt. Anna Doo serves with the New Mexico National Guard.)
Posted by CNBNewsnet on Friday, April 03, 2009 at 03:24 AM in FACE OF DEFENSE | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: Bataan Death March, Military of the United States, New Mexico, Philippine, United States, United States Army, White Sands Missile Range, World War II
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Campeón de Campeones
Martial in, Shaw out: Who should stay or go at Man Utd this summer?
Kris Voakes
Man Utd Correspondent
Last updated 3/19/18
08:00 3/19/18
Manchester United v Swansea City
With Jose Mourinho set to strengthen his squad, Goal looks at the players who should be kept and who should be offloaded at the end of the season
After Manchester United's early exit from the Champions League against Sevilla, the summer ahead will be a critical one at Old Trafford.
With manager Jose Mourinho still looking to make a real impression on his squad after two years in charge, this could be the transfer campaign which makes or breaks his United career.
Only seven of his current first-team players are men he has brought in, meaning he has the lowest representation of signed players in his squad of any of the managers at the Premier League's top six clubs.
Given his propensity to err on the side of caution on the field, it will take a successful transfer window to begin to win back some doubters. And who he decides to offload will be just as important as who he adds.
While only a couple of players have deals expiring this summer, there should arguably be more room made for newcomers as Mourinho finally looks to make this United squad his own.
Goal takes a look at the men who should stay and leave come the end of the season, as well as those fighting for their futures at Old Trafford.
Players who should go
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – The timing of Ibrahimovic's cruciate ligament damage could hardly have been more cruel. Having netted 28 goals in his first 46 appearances for United, he looked destined to end his career on a high by leaving a strong lasting impression on the Premier League. But that unfortunate injury against Anderlecht last April and the attempt to rush back within seven months has made his summer departure inevitable. The options open to Ibrahimovic are not what they would have been had he come off a full season this term, and there is a danger that a great career will fizzle out quietly as a result.
Chris Smalling – He may have made 73 appearances in Jose Mourinho's 110 games in charge of Manchester United but, in truth, Smalling's stock has been on the wane in recent times. A wonderful run of form in the calendar year of 2015 has given way to a lengthy period of inconsistency and he should no longer be the automatic pick he was under Louis van Gaal. United undoubtedly need to strengthen at the heart of defence, and while his experience could make him a worthy back-up, it would probably be better for the club to make the same decision on Smalling that Gareth Southgate has already made at international level.
Michael Carrick – The club captain confirmed ahead of the Champions League exit to Sevilla that this will be his last season, and it is the right decision for all involved. With Nemanja Matic having arrived at the club, there was simply no space for Carrick to make an impression anymore, even after he had overcome heart trouble to resume his season. His experience will be hard to replace, though.
Daley Blind – While injury has kept him sidelined over the last couple of months, Blind's absence has hardly been felt such was his lack of impact on the first-team picture this season. Very much a signing in Van Gaal's 'multifunctional' vision rather than Mourinho's push for 'specialists', Blind knows his time at Old Trafford is coming to an end despite the late collapse of his touted January move to Roma. Father Danny recently admitted it was "not illogical" that United would look to offload his son this summer.
Luke Shaw – The dramatic change in trajectory of Luke Shaw's career in the last few years has been one of the real storylines of English football. Arriving in 2014 as a £30 million teenager and a huge prospect ,he saw his first season troubled by constant niggles, his second decimated by a horrific leg break and his most recent two campaigns dogged by his inability to force his way into Mourinho's plans. Having been regularly doubted in the public domain by his manager, it would appear best for all concerned for the former Southampton star to start afresh elsewhere in 2018-19.
Timo Fosu-Mensah – He looked to be one of United's great hopes during Van Gaal's last season at Old Trafford but Fosu-Mensah hasn't been able to make any real impression since. After being massively underused by Mourinho in 2016-17, he has done a steady but unspectacular job this term for Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace. In reality, United will want a far more experienced and natural right-back to succeed Antonio Valencia than the Dutchman and they may be best trying to get Palace to make his Selhurst Park stay permanent in the summer.
Marouane Fellaini – The Belgian appears to have made the decision in his mind to leave Old Trafford this summer, with the contract United have offered for next season and beyond remaining unsigned just three months before his current deal runs out. After five years with United, the David Moyes signing would be able to leave for free, safe in the knowledge that he has outstripped many people's expectations for his spell at Old Trafford. However, if the Red Devils are to move forward and build a squad with a more United feel, then Fellaini's departure may be best for all concerned.
Matteo Darmian – Having not started a league game since October's closed-shop performance at Liverpool, Darmian's future looks almost certain to lie away from Manchester United. There has been significant interest in his signature from Italy and it makes a huge amount of sense that he will return to his homeland once the current campaign ends.
Players who should stay
David de Gea – Perhaps United's biggest task this summer will be persuading David de Gea to spend the next five years and beyond at Old Trafford. While the Spaniard still has a year to run on his current contract and will inevitably see the club pick up their option for 2019-20, United would love to kill off any speculation regarding the long-time interest of Real Madrid by tying him down to a deal which would see him commit the heart of his career to the Red Devils.
Victor Lindelof – He hasn't had the most memorable of debut seasons in the Premier League, but Lindelof has done enough to suggest he has a future with United at least for the foreseeable future. After a rocky start, the Swede has gradually improved in the red shirt and while there are still some rough edges about his play – as most recently evidenced against Crystal Palace – he has done enough to suggest he can be an able back-up at worst going forward.
Eric Bailly – He might still occasionally have a rash side to his game but Bailly is unquestionably the best natural defender of United's current crop. The injury he picked up on international duty with Cote d'Ivoire in the autumn ripped the heart out of his 2017-18 season, but he has returned in recent weeks to remind everybody just how important he is to the United cause.
Marcos Rojo – Having struggled for long spells under Louis van Gaal, Rojo has been a revelation since being switched to centre-back by Mourinho. The Argentine often flattered to deceive in the left-back role but since his current boss redeployed him at the heart of the defence, he has developed a reputation for being a far more solid and uncompromising defender. He was last week signed up to a new three-year deal with the now customary one-year option, ensuring his immediate future will be spent in United red.
Paul Pogba – This might be one of the more uncertain spells of Pogba's relatively young career so far but the Frenchman will not be given up on in a hurry. His form over the last couple of months has suffered a dip and his manager has had some veiled criticism for him in public, but this is still the man who was United's shining light prior to Christmas and the club will not give up on their £89.5 million investment in a hurry.
Alexis Sanchez – The Chilean has had a very underwhelming start to life at Old Trafford but more will be expected next season once he has had a full pre-season with his new team-mates to truly settle. Mourinho will have to work out a way to fit Sanchez into his line-up without upsetting other established stars going forward, and that might be one of the manager's biggest headaches going into 2018-19.
Romelu Lukaku – His £75m arrival at Old Trafford last summer caused a real stir, but Lukaku has been worth every penny so far having bagged 25 goals in 44 appearances. He may have had some teething problems before Christmas, but he has quickly begun to develop in all the areas which some had worried about when United snapped him up and all the signs are that he could be a huge weapon for the club for a number of years to come.
Anthony Martial – The Frenchman might be courted by other giant clubs of the modern game but United should make it clear that he has a great future ahead of him at Old Trafford. The recent arrival of Alexis Sanchez has complicated matters for Martial as he looks to assert himself as the first-choice option on the left side of attack once more, but he has the ability to make Jose Mourinho's mind up for him. His headline-inducing £45m (and counting!) transfer fee seems a snip these days.
Jesse Lingard – Players like Lingard are worth their weight in gold and then some. His affinity to the club means he is unlikely to get itchy feet, and he has proven more than willing to play the squad member role. What's more, he has hit a run of career-best form this season and staked a claim for one of the much sought-after starting roles in the Old Trafford forward line.
Ashley Young – The best crosser of a ball at the club, Young has also become the first-choice left-back this term as Luke Shaw's struggles have continued. And while he may well find the club making a concerted push for extra resources in that position this summer, there should be no desire to force out a player who can play in either full-back slot and both wing berths at a stretch too.
Marcus Rashford – The recent talk of a loan deal for the young striker was never going to materialise, and United should do everything possible to make Rashford a centrepiece of the club going forward. His brace against Liverpool reminded everyone of the player he already is and at 20 he should only get better in the years to come.
Sergio Romero – Nobody in their right mind is going to offload an international first-choice goalkeeper who is more than willing to play second fiddle at club level. Romero is a real curiosity in the modern game, as his lack of minutes behind David de Gea will again have little bearing on his position as Argentina's go-to No.1 come World Cup time.
Antonio Valencia – He is starting to show signs of the ageing process and may well be best replaced in the first-choice right-back slot in the season ahead but Valencia remains a good man to have around as a back-up. His excellent 2016-17 form was always going to be difficult to match this term, yet he has still done enough to be kept on as right-sided cover at the very least.
Nemanja Matic – After a blistering start to life at United, Matic's form took a dip for a significant stretch. However, he has found his feet once more of late and has proven to be one of the club's key players in their improved league form in February and March. The Serb provides the anchor in midfield they need to offset the attacking instincts of those around him, and thus is currently among their list of most indispensable players.
Scott McTominay – After making a significant breakthrough this term, the young Scot is likely to face even more competition for places next season if United make the required additions in the engine room. However, he has been trusted enough by Mourinho so far to suggest that he will still have a decent role to play.
Joel Pereira – The young Portuguese might have conceded a calamitous goal at Old Trafford recently when playing for the Under-23 side under the watchful gaze of Jose Mourinho but his manager has already boasted of him being the best goalkeeper of the next generation in his homeland. He should continue to make strides as a capable third-choice option.
Playing for Man Utd future
Phil Jones – One of a crop of Sir Alex Ferguson's latter signings still plying their trade for United, Jones has had a somewhat rollercoaster career at Old Trafford. Spells of convincing form have often been followed by examples of great inconsistency and long stretches out of the picture due to injury. Overall, the jury has remained out on Jones' long-term validity in Mourinho's plans for the club and this summer could well see Jones moved on.
Juan Mata – United took up their option for the Spaniard in January, theoretically extending his stay until 2019. However, in practice, they were merely protecting their investment by taking him off the free-transfer market this summer. They now have to decide whether to make Mata a part of the picture for years to come or cut loose ahead of the final season of his Old Trafford deal. Approaching 30, the former Valencia and Chelsea man could be the sacrificial lamb going forward as Alexis Sanchez is fitted into a more cohesive forward line. A positive end to the current campaign could inform United's decision on his future.
Andreas Pereira – The Brazilian looked primed for a potential breakthrough season at Old Trafford before announcing to Jose Mourinho that he wanted more regular football with Valencia instead. While he has been a far more regular member of the Spaniards' first team than he would probably have been for United, the emergence of Scott McTominay – his replacement in the Reds' squad – has complicated matters and United will have a decision on their hands this June.
Ander Herrera – Like compatriot and close friend Mata, Herrera has had his contract option picked up for next season but that could well be just United's way of ensuring they could command a fee for him this summer. Depending on what the club does to address its needs in the midfield over the close season, Herrera could be a useful bargaining chip. His form in 2017-18 has failed to match what he produced in his Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award-winning campaign last time around and United need a more forceful regular presence in the engine room. Could still do a job when called upon next term, but will that be enough for United to turn down a decent bid in the summer for a player with one year left on his deal?
I wanted Lewandowski at Man Utd – Van Gaal Van Gaal: I rejected €25m offer from China Mourinho criticises Shaw's character Mourinho questions United mentality
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Moses the odd man out as Chelsea rollercoaster goes full circle
The Nigerian played a pivotal role in the Blues' title triumph under Antonio Conte but a change in coach, and formation, has left him on the fringes
Footballing clichés dictate that the arrival of a new manager means a clean slate for every player on the club's books.
This is generally considered to be a good thing, with the events of the past swept under the carpet as attention shifts to the present and future.
For those who have been out of favour, this can come as welcome relief.
Paths to the first team which had previously been blocked off, for whatever reason, are suddenly cleared as they are welcomed back into the fold with open arms.
As one door opens, though, another can just as easily be closed.
The slate, therefore, is seemingly a reversible piece of apparatus which can be considered a blessing for some and a curse for others.
Take Chelsea, for example, and the events of the summer just gone. With Antonio Conte ushered out the exit, the arrival of Maurizio Sarri has seen another new dawn welcomed in at Stamford Bridge.
For some, such as David Luiz, the switch from one Italian coach to another has provided a new lease of life, with the Brazilian brought back in from the wilderness he had been wandering towards at the end of 2017-18.
Change has not been a good thing for everybody, though, with a tactical tweak leaving previously key men in the shadows.
Victor Moses could be the most unfortunate of the odd men out, with the Nigerian having seen a rollercoaster ride with the Blues go full circle.
Back in 2012, his signing was deemed an attempt to help Chelsea fill home-grown quotas and just 12 Premier League starts were handed to the tricky winger during his debut campaign.
Much of the next three seasons would then be spent away from Stamford Bridge, with Moses forming part of a much-maligned loan army as he took in spells with Liverpool, Stoke and West Ham.
It was difficult at that stage to see a long-term future in west London.
Everything changed, though, in 2016 when Conte inherited the Chelsea reins, with a 3-5-2 system requiring somebody to slot in at right wing-back.
Moses was the man for the job and completed a remarkable turnaround by ending his first season back at the Bridge as a Premier League champion.
He was to remain a regular in 2017-18, too, but the tables have suddenly turned on the 27-year-old.
Sarri is favouring four at the back and three destructive options across midfield, with Moses not an obvious choice to fill any of those roles.
A more attacking post would be a natural fit, with the new man at the Blues helm admitting that he sees the former Wigan man in a wide berth.
Sarri has said: “He changed the position in the pitch. Now we are trying to let him play like a winger. So, we changed the position and in the new position I think he needs to improve.”
Hardly a glowing reference and one which goes some way to explaining why Moses has seen just nine minutes of Premier League football season – failing to even make the bench for Chelsea’s last two outings.
This is not how the story was supposed to play out.
After helping the Blues to restore domestic dominance under Conte, Moses committed to a contract extension through to 2021.
Then, after gracing the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he decided to announce his international retirement after earning 37 caps for Nigeria, saying: "I have experienced some of the best moments of my life wearing the Super Eagles shirt and have memories with me that will last a lifetime.
"However, I feel that now is the right time to step away in order to be able to focus fully on my club career and young family, as well as to allow the next generation the opportunity to step up and to flourish.”
While paving the way for others to flourish, Moses is now floundering.
Marcos Alonso, his fellow wing-back on the opposite flank under Conte, continues to impress for the Blues, as he was previously a defender given license to get forward.
Moses cannot as easily go the other way and rein in his attacking instincts to compete with Cesar Azpilicueta for right-back duties.
He also faces stiff competition for a wide role, with Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro all ahead of him in the pecking order.
Moses, therefore, finds himself back where he started.
It has been some ride to this point – one which has lifted him to the very top of the English game – but it could soon be time to get off unless another one of those fabled slates comes along.
Kepa ready to challenge De Gea as Spain No.1 Alonso reveals CL agony: I felt like smashing my TV! Hazard: Chelsea lurking in the shadows for PL title Morata: Conte's tactics made me suffer at Chelsea
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Gurus » Swami Bodhananda Saraswati
Swami Bodhananda Saraswati
Submitted by Ravi on Wed, 10/08/2008 - 09:26.
Traditions:
Main Countries of Activity:
India, USA
In His/Her Body ("alive"):
Ancestor Gurus:
Adi Shankara
His Holiness Swami Bodhananda Saraswati
is highly respected in America and India as an accomplished teacher of Vedanta and meditation. He was born in Mattatur, Kerala, 36 miles from Kalady, the birthplace of Adi Sankaracharya. His birthplace, spiritual fervor and experiences as a youth, seemed to destine him for the life of a sannyasin. At an early age he felt a spiritual calling, readily took to spiritual tapas, and, with a deep sense of compassion, vowed to help humanity. With this frame of mind, he completed his undergraduate degree in economics at Christ College, Irinjalkuda, Kerala. During his post-graduate year, his true calling interrupted further academic pursuits. The young aspirant set out in search of divine understanding, wandering throughout the Himalayas for a number of years. Finally, he settled in Kerala where, as a brahmachari, he joined the Saraswati order-one of ten sannyasa orders established by Adi Shankaracharya, the renowned 8th century Indian philosopher and exponent of Advaita Vedanta.
In 1978, after several years of intensive study, he embarked on his mission of teaching. His brilliance as both a student and teacher of Vedanta was apparent, and, in 1984, he was initiated into sannyas ashram-the crown of renunciation. His leadership capabilities were soon recognized, and in 1988 he was offered the honor of setting up a teacher training facility, Sandeepani, in Kerala. Many of his students from that era have become well-respected and accomplished swamis.
Presently, Swami Bodhananda is the Spiritual Founder and Director of 11 organizations and ashrams under the umbrella of the Sambodh Foundation, New Delhi, India (1991); the Bodhananda Research Foundation for Management and Leadership Studies, Trivandrum, Kerala, India (1994); and, The Sambodh Society, Inc. (1997), his American organization. Each ashram and/or organization is unique, tailored to the needs, interests and special capabilities of his devotees engaged therein. Through these organizations, and under Swamiji's guidance, his devotees receive scriptural knowledge, spiritual training and perform social service.
Swami Bodhananda is the author of several books: Meditation: The Awakening of Inner Powers, The Gita & Management, and a monograph titled, "Rishi Vision." Swamiji's Meditation book has recently been revised (2001) and is accompanied by a recording of several guided meditations that complement the text. His third major book, Self Unfoldment in An Interactive World (2001), is his most recent publication and presents an innovative rendering of this timeless topic. Many recordings of his lectures are also available, the most recent being a special Limited Edition of the Taittiriya Upanishad, recorded in April 2001, during a spring-time Himalayan retreat in the Sattal region of Utteranchal, India (formerly part of Uttar Pradesh).
In 1997, Swami Bodhananda began his mission in America. His first visits were to New York, Michigan, Illinois and California. At the end of this first tour, Swamiji and a group of devotees from both California and Michigan drafted the incorporation papers for The Sambodh Society, Inc.-a non-profit religious organization established for the purpose of teaching meditation and Vedanta.
Since that initial visit, Swamiji has returned annually to the US, teaching meditation, offering lectures in Vedantic wisdom, visiting and discoursing with his devotees across the continent. He has immersed himself in studying both the people and the culture of this continent, reading extensively and observing assiduously.
In the year 2000, Swamiji made his most extensive tour of the US and Canada, visiting devotees and friends of his Society in more than 25 major cities. At the end of this tour, in early November, a 32-acre parcel of wooded land near Kalamazoo, Michigan was purchased, establishing Swamiji's first center and headquarters in the United States.
Swami Bodhananda is an engaging speaker with a lively humor and a keen sense of observation. His knowledge of Vedanta is flawless. He is highly praised for his adaptive rendering of ancient Vedantic wisdom to the modern individual's needs and circumstances, helping people apply spiritual principles and practices to their immediate environment.
In America, Swamiji has given numerous public forums, lectures and meditation sessions in Hindu temples, Christian churches, libraries, homes, businesses and universities. His theme has been to infuse modern society with spiritual values and the individual with the knowledge of his/her spiritual identity. For serious-minded students of Vedanta, he has offered more extensive programs, week-long seminars and annual retreats on specific Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. He has given innumerable satsangs in devotees' homes, adorning practical life with spiritual wisdom and has offered illuminating talks on the lives and teachings of other great Vedantic seers such as Swami Vivekananda and Ramana Maharshi.
As a keen observer of humanity, Swamiji is quick to absorb cultural nuances and the idiomatic expressions of a region, and his presentations are replete with these observations, language usages and insights. As an avid reader, Swamiji keeps abreast of all that is current and is eager to engage the modern global person.
As a master of meditation, Swamiji adeptly blends his personal experience and knowledge of India's ancient wisdom tradition with modern studies in consciousness and psychology.
Some of Swamiji's most unique work integrates traditional, scripture-based Vedantic values with modern economics and corporate management. He has been characterized as a 'cutting edge' Swami, deeply imbued with the perennial philosophy of Vedanta and a living expression of its ideals.
Swamiji exemplifies the highest Vedantic ideals-remaining outwardly active in the world while remaining inwardly detached. Spiritually awakened, Swamiji inspires others to their fullest capacity through his all-pervading love for life and humanity, his wit, humor and capacity to enjoy, his deep spiritual vision, his spiritually inspired values and integrity, and his unique ability to see the ancient in the modern and convey that vision through his teaching. Swamiji is a living example of renunciation and fullness, having attained a most precious spiritual capstone-the capacity to see everything and everyone as an expression of that One integral, joyful whole.
More information at http://www.sambodh.com/
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Maybe you collect a lot of important writings,
Major texts, personal instructions, private notes, whatever.
If you haven't practiced, books won't help you when you die.
Look at the mind – that's my sincere advice.
When you focus on practice, to compare understandings and experience,
Write books or poetry, to compose songs about your experience
Are all expressions of your creativity. But they just give rise to thinking
. Keep yourself free from intellectualization – that's my sincere advice.
— - Thirty Pieces of Sincere Advice was written by Tsultrim Lodru ,
-translated by Ken McLeod
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(-) Dominican Republic (33)
IDB Group and Civil Society discuss sustainable development challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean
More than 500 civil society representatives from 26 nations and international experts share knowledge on innovation from the perspective of future jobs, intelligent cities, the digital economy and social innovation SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia – More than 500 representatives from Latin American and Caribbean Civil Societies organizations met in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, with senior Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) officials to discuss ways to put innovation at the service of sustainable development.
Lowering fiscal and external vulnerability the key to promoting growth in Central America and the Dominican Republic
Regional IDB Governors meet in Washington to analyze economic prospects for 2017 The modest recovery in the United States and continuing favorable financial conditions in 2017 will also represent sources of economic stimulus throughout the year for the countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic, which will translate into growth of around 3.9 percent in 2017. Internal financial and monetary reforms should ensure price stability and the health of the banking system.
Better governance and greater integration to determine fate of Latin America and the Caribbean in 2030
Thursday, December 1, 2016 - 03:00
New Atlantic Council report commissioned by IDB offers contrasting scenarios for crime, democracy, trade and economic growth The Atlantic Council today released "Latin America and the Caribbean 2030: Future Scenarios," a report commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) that looks at how the region's countries could evolve over the next 14 years, underscoring how more integration and better governance hold the key to greater prosperity.
Habitat III: Multilateral Development Banks from around the world collaborate to support ‘New Urban Agenda’
QUITO, Ecuador – In support of the ‘New Urban Agenda’ adopted this week during the UN-sponsored global Habitat III conference, eight Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) are putting the Agenda’s words into action by issuing a “Joint Statement” expressing their commitment to promote equitable, sustainable, and productive urbanization and urban communities.
IDB President, experts to talk to members of media accredited to the Habitat III Conference in Quito, Ecuador
Saturday, October 15, 2016 - 03:00
Habitat, the main global conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, is being held for the first time in Latin America The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will have a strong presence in the Habitat III Conference to be held in Quito, Ecuador, Oct. 17-20, 2016.
Capturing land value, key to Latin American cities development
IDB study offers ways to finance sustainable urban growth Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean are growing at breakneck speed. The million-dollar question is– how should they manage and finance their sustainable development so they can continue to expand and at the same time optimize the use of space and be a comfortable place to live in?
IDB to support BOP families in the Dominican Republic with access to credit for home improvements
Loan of up to $5 million has mobilized an additional $5 million through a B-loan syndication The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a loan of up to $5 million to Banco Multiple Ademi, a leading financial institution in the Dominican Republic with 60 percent of the microfinance market share, for on-lending to an estimated 5,000 Base of the Pyramid (BOP) families in need of home improvement financing.
IDB to support expansion of CEMEX microfinance program for low-income families
More than 750,000 low-income families in Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic to benefit from the project Patrimonio Hoy, the housing microfinance program of CEMEX, will expand lending to low-income families in Mexico and four other Latin American countries with a partial credit guarantee of up to $10 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). As many as 750,000 families over the next five years are expected to benefit from this project.
IDB releases its 2010 Development Effectiveness Report
Report evaluates Bank’s efforts in measuring its development impact in Latin America and the Caribbean The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has made strides to boost transparency, accountability and enhance the development impact of its investments in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the new edition of the IDB’s 2010 Development Effectiveness Overview.
IDB Governors set roadmap to strengthen Bank, increase resources to fight crisis
Friday, July 3, 2009 - 03:00
SANTIAGO, Chile – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has obtained a mandate from its highest governing body to quickly complete the technical studies surrounding a capital increase that seeks to help Latin America and the Caribbean tackle challenges like climate change and poverty alleviation. The IDB will also make an additional $6 billion available to assist borrowing countries affected by the financial and economic crisis.
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(-) Brazil (9)
(-) Japan (9)
Children & youth (7)
Creativity and culture (6)
Labor and pensions (6)
Social Inclusion & Equality (8)
(-) Background Papers (9)
IDB and Energy
The Inter-American Development Bank’s energy portfolio includes a wide array of investments aimed at improving the energy security of its member countries by exploiting both conventional and renewable sources. In 2007 the Bank approved US$2.5 billion in energy-related operations. Many of these loans will support high-priority gas and electricity infrastructure projects. For example, the IDB approved: A US$32.7 million loan for a wide-ranging investment program to strengthen Nicaragua’s electricity system.
IDB in Brief
The Inter-American Development Bank was created in 1959 to help accelerate the economic and social development of its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and to promote regional integration. The Bank has 47 member countries: 28 in the Western Hemisphere, 16 in Europe, as well as Israel, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The Latin American and Caribbean countries as a group hold half the shares in the institution.
Opportunities for the Majority
This IDB initiative applies sustainable market-based strategies to bring the benefits of economic and social development to the majority of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean, reaching more than 360 million people—around 70 percent of the population—who live on less than US$300 per month. This low-income sector has not benefited substantially from the region’s recent economic growth, and meeting its needs requires new investment approaches from both the public and private sectors to make a positive impact from which all will benefit.
IDB and Infrastructure
The Inter-American Development Bank, the main source of multilateral development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean, plans to allocate US$12 billion for infrastructure projects in the region by 2010.
The IDB in Brief
The Inter-American Development Bank was created in 1959 to help accelerate the economic and social development of its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and to promote regional integration. The Bank uses its own resources and those it raises on financial markets. In 1994 its authorized capital was increased by $40 billion to $101 billion.
The IDB and the majority in Latin America and the Caribbean
While Latin America and the Caribbean have seen marked improvements in their social indicators, including life expectancy and education, over the past five decades, the proportion of people living in poverty has not varied greatly. Today some 360 million people – roughly seven out of 10 inhabitants of this region – live with annual incomes of less than the equivalent of $3,260.
IDB loans for social development in Latin America and the Caribbean totaled $1.8 billion in 2006
The Inter-American Development Bank targeted $1.8 billion to social development investments in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2006, with an emphasis on poverty reduction and expanding opportunities for the majority. The IDB last year launched its Opportunities for the Majority initiative and renewed its commitment to support its member countries in the region to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
The IDB and the environment
The Inter-American Development Bank last year approved 19 environmental operations for a total of $538 million and approved and implemented a new environment policy that will apply to all IDB-financed projects.
IDB youth development and outreach program
About 40 percent of the 500 million people living in Latin America and the Caribbean are younger than age 30, and the vast majority of them will live during times of social, economic, technological and political changes that will affect them profoundly. Such changes and the growth in the number of young people will have far-reaching implications for governments, economies, communities and the environment.
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That’s because Kellen Moore’s NFL career lasted six years despite him playing just three regular-season games after going 50-3 as the starter at Boise State, including an undefeated 2009 season. Moore finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2010.
Two years ago, Moore went into training camp as the backup to Tony Romo before breaking an ankle in practice. Because of that injury, Prescott became the starter when Romo hurt his back in a preseason game.
The Cowboys ran off a franchise-record 11 straight wins that season, forcing Romo to concede the job to Prescott before retiring to go into broadcasting. Moore was a backup again, this time behind Prescott, before losing that job to rookie Cooper Rush last season.
Retirement was on Moore’s mind when the Cowboys decided not to bring back Wade Wilson, who coached Dallas quarterbacks the previous 10 years. Moore, who just turned 30 in July, decided the time was right.
“There’s nothing like playing,” said Moore, who started two games at the end of a lost 2015 season marred by Romo’s twice-broken collarbone. “Certainly wasn’t planning on something like this opening. When the opportunity presented itself, felt like it was a really good opportunity. Hard to turn down.”
As for running meetings so soon after sitting next to Prescott in the QB room, the understated Moore shrugs.
“You talk a little bit more in meetings. That’s about it,” he said. “I think simply it’s a collaborative effort in that room. We’re all trying to achieve the same things. One quarterback plays at a time. Do everything you can to help that guy succeed.”
Moore’s transition has been eased by his relationship with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, who had the same job in Detroit when the Lions signed Moore as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
He never took a regular season snap with the Lions, and came to Dallas a year after Linehan was hired. They share roots in Washington state – their hometowns are 15 miles apart – and a reserved demeanor that Linehan believes plays well with most quarterbacks.
“They didn’t even blink,” Linehan said of Moore’s teammates-turned-pupils. “The respect is there, the whole just understanding that that’s not an easy transformation for a lot of people. But they also knew that Kellen, there’s nobody that takes more diligent preparation and notes and prepares as a player.”
Moore can relate to his head coach, too, since Jason Garrett did the same thing 13 years ago. The former backup to three-time Super Bowl winner Troy Aikman in Dallas, Garrett ended his playing career with Tampa Bay and Miami in 2004. In no time – two weeks, Garrett said – he was Nick Saban’s quarterbacks coach with the Dolphins.
“Oftentimes as players, we sit back and we have all the answers but someone else is running the show,” Garrett said. “When you click into being a coach, you have to have the answers from A to Z. And you have to be really thorough on how you teach all different guys in the room and all different guys on the field.”
The most important guy is Prescott, but even that won’t really be new to Moore. Since his injury him sidelined all of 2016, Moore was a de facto coach for a first-year player navigating the sudden success of a 13-win season before the Cowboys lost to Green Bay in a divisional playoff game.
Moore said that season got him thinking about the next phase of his career. And because of that season, Prescott doesn’t feel much of a change.
“Obviously, he’s being vocal. He’s being more of a coach,” Prescott said. “He’s always been there teaching me the game, teaching me different things about the defense and the offense. But now that’s his job. He’s done a great job in the film room, on the field.”
While agreeing that the move is unusual, Petersen also sees it as logical.
“He has paid attention like a coach,” Petersen said. “He’s so laser-focused on the mental part of things. He knows that system inside and out. It’s not like he’s learning a new system and all this. He can tell them exactly like this is what you do. I think it’s pretty smart by the Cowboys.”
And not surprising to Petersen, or anyone who knows his former quarterback, that Moore went for it.
Related stories from Idaho Statesman
bronco-beat-blog
From the archives: Our in-depth profile of Kellen Moore in 2010
At the end of the 2015 regular season, Kellen Moore started two games for the Cowboys. The next season he broke his ankle in practice during the preseason. Michael Ainsworth AP
Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Kellen Moore, left, talks with QB Dak Prescott and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan during a training camp session in Oxnard, Calif., late last month. Gus Ruelas AP
Cowboys coach Kellen Moore talks to quarterbacks Dak Prescott (4), Dalton Sturm (1), Mike White (3) and Cooper Rush during training camp. Prescott said Moore has “always been there teaching me the game.” Gus Ruelas AP
Shoshone-Bannock Chairman speaks against Redskins mascot
Idaho Senior Games: “The greatest thing I got into...”
Which Boise State standouts are on 2019 college football watch lists?
By Rachel Roberts
The Idaho Statesman is compiling a list of 2019 Boise State football players who have been named to college football award watch lists. STUD Curtis Weaver is on both the Bednarik and Lott lists.
World’s top bull rider says there’s ‘no way’ he’ll make Saturday’s finals in Nampa
Nigeria beats Tunisia 1-0 in 3rd place game at African Cup
Goldschmidt’s 3-run homer lifts Cardinals over Pirates 6-5
Mike Bianchi: FSU administrators need to look in the mirror before blaming Jimbo Fisher for everything
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The photo is from "The Architecture of High Point, North Carolina: A History and Guide to the City's Houses, Churches and Public Buildings" by Benjamin Briggs
High Point Museum Guild Meeting
The High Point Museum Guild continues their informative series of programs on the history of the Greater High Point area this February 21 at 10 am at the High Point Museum. This program is free and open to all.
A subcommittee of the High Point Preservation Society has undertaken the preservation and restoration of the remaining portions of the building used as the First Courthouse of Guilford County (1771-1774) Originally it had been an “Ordinary,” word then used for a tavern for travelers. Date of construction was as early as 1755 which would make it perhaps the oldest remaining structure in this part of North Carolina. It is the only surviving physical building connected with the Regulator Movement.
Noted Author and Historian Charles D. Rodenbough will discuss the history and preservation efforts of the original Guilford County Courthouse (Buis/Lindsay House) located in north High Point.
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Princess Elizabeth marries Philip Mountbatten
In a lavish wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, Princess Elizabeth marries her distant cousin, Philip Mountbatten, a dashing former prince of Greece and Denmark who renounced his titles in order to marry the English princess.
Princess Elizabeth, heir to the British throne, was 21 years old. Philip Mountbatten, age 26, had fought as a British naval officer during World War II and was made the duke of Edinburgh on the eve of his wedding to Elizabeth. The celebrations surrounding the wedding of the popular princess lifted the spirits of the people of Britain, who were enduring economic difficulties in the aftermath of World War II.
On February 6, 1952, the death of King George VI sent Elizabeth to the throne, and Philip ended his naval career to concentrate on his new duties as consort of the British monarch. Elizabeth and Philip eventually had four children–Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/princess-elizabeth-marries-philip-mountbatten
British HistoryRoyalty
American vessel sunk by sperm whale
The American whaler Essex, which hailed from Nantucket, Massachusetts, is attacked by an 80-ton sperm whale 2,000 miles from the western coast of South America. The 238-ton Essex was in pursuit of sperm whales, specifically the precious oil and bone that could be derived from ...read more
Nuremberg trials begin
Twenty-four high-ranking Nazis go on trial in Nuremberg, Germany, for atrocities committed during World War II. The Nuremberg Trials were conducted by an international tribunal made up of representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain. It was ...read more
Cal beats Stanford as band blocks field
On November 20, 1982, the Cal football team wins an improbable last-second victory over Stanford when they complete five lateral passes around members of the Cardinals’ marching band, who had wandered onto the field a bit early to celebrate the upset they were sure their team had ...read more
Music producer Phil Spector indicted for murder of actress
On this day in 2003, Phil Spector, the influential, eccentric music producer who worked with a long list of performers including The Righteous Brothers, The Ronettes, Ike and Tina Turner, John Lennon and the Ramones, is indicted in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson. Spector ...read more
Garrett Morgan patents three-position traffic signal
On this day in 1923, the U.S. Patent Office grants Patent No. 1,475,074 to 46-year-old inventor and newspaperman Garrett Morgan for his three-position traffic signal. Though Morgan’s was not the first traffic signal (that one had been installed in London in 1868), it was an ...read more
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The goal is ten pages per day. I could go over obviously, but a minimum of 10 pages per day which will let me deliver a 90 page screenplay in about a week.
Granted I'd like to have more than 90 pages, but 90 pages is feature length and that's what they've asked for.
Pages 10-20 were a bit harder than I had anticipated. Actually they weren't "hard", I just couldn't find a groove to write them. I knew what I wanted the scenes to consist of and I knew what the characters needed to do, I just couldn't write more than a few words before browsing YouTube or watching more episodes of Generation Kill.
But I got there. Around 11pm I got to page 21.
One of my favorite aspects about writing is what you discover as you're writing. Quentin Tarantino once commented about the Hans Landa character in Inglorious Basterds being a linguist savant. That never occurred to him while outlining or thinking about the character - it only came to him when he was writing the scenes.
I assume this happens to every writer, but it's one of the things I love about writing and one of the things I'm never able to capture during the treatment, or outline or synopsis part of development.
Anyway, learned a lot about these characters in the 10 pages I wrote. Hopefully it resonates and hopefully it sticks.
I'm not a big fan of the script yet, but I think it's getting there.
Labels: screenplay
bünyamin Burak June 10, 2013 at 2:12 PM
Jack June 10, 2013 at 6:33 PM
Rashida Begum August 23, 2014 at 10:19 AM
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Riff Reign
Rock, Country, Pop
Riff Reign is a UK indie band established in 2014 to record songs written by bassist David Wright. The band has released five full albums, a blues/rock EP and a Christmas single. All our music can be purchased at Bandcamp.
The current line-up is James Bennett (keyboards & hand percussion), Richard Hall (drums & vocals), Linda Lawrence (vocals), Russ Parsons (vocals), Chris Pearson (guitars & vocals) and David Wright (bass guitar). Harmonica Dave Hunt guests on the band's more-bluesy recordings.
A sixth album is planned for release late April 2019.
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UK citizen’s jury advises on communication about the benefits and harms of breast screening
Cancer, Screening, Shared decision-making, Wisdom of the crowds
British National Health Service
Two months ago, I read on the BMJ website “Citizens’ jury disagrees over whether screening leaflet should put reassurance before accuracy.”
I’ve been following some of the controversies in the British National Health Service’s breast screening program for some time. An example here.
I asked Angela Coulter, PhD, to write a guest blog post about the matter. She is a member of the Expert Panel on Invitation Support Materials for NHS Cancer Screening and she acted as an expert witness during the citizen’s jury. She is also director of Global Initiatives for the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation, which supports HealthNewsReview.org.
Here is her guest post.
Breast screening has long been controversial among epidemiologists, but most women are unaware of doubts about its effectiveness. The UK’s NHS breast screening programme, which has been in operation since 1988, invites all women between the ages of 50 and 70 to undergo a mammogram every three years. The current invitation letters and accompanying leaflets have been heavily criticised for failing to mention potential harms of breast screening, in particular the risk of overdiagnosis and overtreatment (http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b86).
In response to this criticism, Sir Michael Richards, National Cancer Director for the NHS, asked eminent epidemiologist Sir Michael Marmot to chair an independent committee to review the evidence on benefits and harms of breast screening and make recommendations on what women should be told. The Marmot report , published in the Lancet (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2812%2961611-0/abstract), concluded that screening prevents about 1,300 breast cancer deaths a year in the UK, but results in about 4,000 women undergoing treatment for a condition that would never have troubled them.
Redesign of the breast screening invitation letters and leaflets is now under way. This work has involved wide public consultation and a specially convened citizen’s jury (http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e8047). The jurors were 25 randomly recruited women aged between 47 and 73 who met in London to hear evidence from experts and make recommendations on the best way to present Marmot’s conclusions to women. They embraced the unfamiliar task with great enthusiasm and commitment. After three days listening to nine expert witnesses and deliberating amongst themselves, jurors concluded that the leaflet must explain DCIS, with numbers showing what proportion of screen-detected cancers it represents and the consequences of a positive result. They recommended the use of side-by-side icon arrays to show the benefits and harms of screening, and they made the following recommendations on language and numbers: use numbers of lives saved per year’ rather than life years saved’; overtreatment’ not overdiagnosis’; those attending screening’ rather than those invited’ as the denominator; and the need to explain the uncertainty around the various estimates.
Jurors were asked for their views on the process and their responses were overwhelmingly positive. One participant remarked: “I can’t believe how much I didn’t know”.
A full report of the consultation, including videos of the citizen’s jury, can be found at http://www.informedchoiceaboutcancerscreening.org/.
PUBLISHER ADDENDUM ON JANUARY 23: The BMJ sent out this news release today.
In this week’s BMJ, a leading cancer expert says he remains to be convinced that the benefits of breast screening outweigh the harms.
Michael Baum, Professor emeritus of surgery at University College London says that, while deaths from breast cancer may be avoided, any benefit will be more than outweighed by deaths due to the long term adverse effects of treatment.
He estimates that, for every 10,000 women invited for screening, three to four breast cancer deaths are avoided at the cost of 2.72 to 9.25 deaths from the long term toxicity of radiotherapy.
These figures contrast with an independent report on breast cancer screening, led by Sir Michael Marmot and published in November last year. Marmot and his committee were charged with asking whether the screening programme should continue, and if so, what women should be told about the risks of overdiagnosis.
They concluded that screening should continue because it prevented 43 deaths from breast cancer for every 10,000 women invited for screening.
The downside was an estimated 19% rate of overdiagnosis: 129 of the 681 cancers detected in those 10,000 women would have done them no harm during their lifetime. However, those women would have undergone unnecessary treatment, including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
But despite this higher than previous estimate of overdiagnosis, they concluded that the breast screening programme should continue.
The report also judged that screening reduces the risk of dying from breast cancer by 20%. But Professor Baum disputes these figures, saying the analysis takes no account of improvements in treatment since these trials were done, which will reduce the benefits of screening. Nor does it make use of more recent observational data.
With these data included, estimated rates of overdiagnosis as a result of screening increase to up to 50%, he argues.
This is important because it can change the decisions women make when invited for screening. In a study also published today, researchers at the University of Sydney explored attitudes to screening in a sample of 50 women. Many of the women were surprised when they were told about overdiagnosis and most said they would attend screening if overdiagnosis rates were 30% or lower, but a rate of 50% made most of them reconsider.
An accompanying editorial points out that the harms of screening will reduce as more effective diagnostic processes develop to inform less harmful and more personalised treatments. In the meantime, it says women need up to date and transparent information about the benefits and harms of screening to help them make informed choices.
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https://twitter.com/garyschwitzer
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False positive mammograms and cancer risk: An epidemiological whodunit
A patient’s perspective on recent prostate cancer screening news
Jolyn Hersch
Thank you for this post. The ‘publisher addendum’ mentions our study from the University of Sydney, exploring how women’s screening decisions might be influenced by learning about overdiagnosis. For anyone interested in reading more, the link to the article is http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f158
MURIEL solomon
What about morbidity ?
I believe we should have breast screening because with earlier detection there is less invasive surgery.
On the other hand, do we have brave women who would stand by and just monitor something like DCIS?
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Pen and Plough: Further Broadcasts
Transcripts of a further 21 broadcast talks given on BBC radio between 1936 and 1967. Subjects concern the countryside and farming, and books and writers.
Introduction by John Gregory, illustrated, pp. 105, paperback, Henry Williamson Society, 1993
Pen and Plough collects a further twenty-one scripts of the broadcast talks given by Williamson between 1936 and 1967. Ten of these were broadcast only in the BBC’s Empire Service (forerunner of its renowned World Service), and concern the countryside and farming – the BBC called them ‘nice, pleasant, dreamy talks, to make people homesick for England’. A further four talks are about Williamson’s ongoing struggle to bring life back to the derelict farm in North Norfolk that he had bought in 1937, while one of the later broadcasts has the intriguing title ‘On Seeing Marilyn Monroe’. There is a separate section of talks on books and writers, including broadcasts on R. D. Blackmore’s famous Exmoor novel Lorna Doone, and the novelist Arnold Bennett.
This companion volume to Spring Days in Devon completes all HW’s surviving BBC radio scripts.
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Editorial: Special Issue on Health Rights Litigation
Promoting Equity in Health: What Role for Courts?
Alicia Ely Yamin, JD MPH, Guest Editor
Health and Human Rights 2014, 16/2
I am particularly delighted to introduce this special issue on health rights litigation on the 20th anniversary of the launch of Health and Human Rights. The last 20 years have witnessed an extraordinary growth and evolution in the “health and human rights movement,” and this journal, which has also evolved, has often played an important role by providing a forum for robust interchange of ideas among practitioners, scholars, and activists in both the public health and human rights communities.
One of the most significant transformations to occur in the landscape of struggles for health justice since this journal was originally launched relates to the increasing judicialization of health-related rights, and economic, social, and cultural rights (ESC rights) more broadly. Indeed, the articles in this issue go far toward debunking outdated conceptions about health rights as merely “programmatic rights,” which are not justiciable. Over the last 20 years, and increasingly in the last decade, we have seen that health and related rights are in fact being enforced by courts around the world, from South America to South Asia, Eastern Europe to East Africa. And increasingly, even in low-income countries, important demands for health-related entitlements are being framed in terms of legally enforceable claims.
In many ways, the advent of effective anti-retroviral medications (ARVs) in the mid-1990s spawned much of the early health rights litigation. Clear linkages to the right to life, coupled often with issues of discrimination against marginalized groups, and the existence of a clearly defined remedy all contributed to the framing of enforceable legal claims. The existence of important social movements strengthened demands for ARVs in terms of rights, as well as implementation of judgments, when many political branches of government had previously shown indifference or resistance to providing treatment for People Living with HIV/AIDS. Since then, however, health rights litigation has expanded to many other topics, and has begun to have a substantial impact in countries across the world, affecting tens of thousands of individual entitlements to medications and treatments a year in some countries, but also rewriting intellectual property rules, ensuring regulation of laws, causing changes in policies of various kinds, and influencing health priority-setting processes and budgetary allocations.
In certain countries in Latin America, where individual litigation of health rights has been most intense, many (but not all) public health policy makers have reacted negatively to an expansive role by the courts, viewing judicialization as distorting priorities and even overstepping separations of power to make public policy. In the rest of the world, however, public health professionals by and large continue to pay relatively little attention to this emergent activity, and its implications—for good and ill—for the achievement of universal health care and, ultimately, the construction of more equitable and responsive health systems. I hope this issue can contribute to bridging that gap.
The impact of courts on social justice generally has long been hotly debated. In 1985, Upendra Baxi argued, “The future of law in India is partly, but vitally, linked to the future of social action litigation because, through it great and unending injustices and tyranny begin to hurt the national conscience and prod at least one major institution of governance to take people’s miseries seriously.”2 At the other end of the spectrum, Gerald Rosenberg famously argued about the US in Hollow Hope that courts only produce significant social reform under very defined conditions. With regard to abortion rights in the US, for example, Rosenberg writes, “if Court influence exists, it is of the subtlest nature. And while subtlety has its virtues, relying on it may not be the best use of scarce resources in important battles for significant social change.”2
The truth—insofar as health rights litigation is concerned—seems to lie somewhere in between. Moreover, as courts are approaching these challenges differently in different countries, it may not be so revealing to analyze the judicialization of health rights in the abstract, untethered to specific social and legal contexts. For example, some courts assert an immediately enforceable minimum core content, others emphasize judging the reasonableness of government actions. Moreover, the assessment of “reasonableness” varies with more and less deference to legislatures and political branches of government, extending in some cases to an examination of the design or of the design and implementation of policies, and in some to the “effective enjoyment of rights”—or “until the medicine is in the patient’s hand.”3 It is not just a matter of variations in approaches to doctrine, though, but conceptions of the purpose and function of courts, together with the design of the Constitution and legal system which play a role in how courts approach enforcing health and other ESC rights. Moreover, we also know that not only do the legal opportunity structures and the political role that courts play within specific societies affect both the forms and impacts of health rights litigation, but also that the nature of the health system and its reaction to litigation can have equally important impacts on equity.4
In disentangling the many elements of this complex topic, the diverse articles in this issue suggest certain themes to consider both for legal practitioners and public health professionals, and for scholars interested in evaluating the impacts of health rights litigation.
1. Litigation regarding discrimination, and rights in health care, continues to be critical to protecting health rights and human dignity
Blatant violations of basic human dignity in health care settings continue to occur across all development levels, despite constituting obvious violations of well-established international human rights standards. In their piece, Brett Dignam and Eli Adashi write about the horrifying practice in the US of perinatal shackling “prior to, during, and after labor and delivery.” Despite violating the Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, continuous reproach from the UN, domestic legal challenges, and rebuke from the medical community, perinatal shackling continues in the US without an end to the practice foreseeable in the near future.
Open Society Foundations (OSF) and Human Rights Watch continue to document and advocate against torture and ill treatment in health care settings more broadly. For example, OSF has documented instances of denial of basic pain relief; refusal to treat persons with disabilities in addition to overriding refusals to consent to treatment; and low-quality, abusive, or negligent care for women seeking reproductive health care, as well as persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDs, among others.5
With support from OSF and Open Society Initiatives of East Africa, the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights has collaborated with the Center for Health, Human Rights, and Development (CEHURD) in Uganda to create a network for health rights litigation in East Africa relating to such basic rights as patient access to information and medical records which, in addition to being a basic right per se, is also critical for vindicating rights through litigation, as Namusobya Salima’s perspective essay demonstrates.6
Not only does litigation in relation to guarantees of basic human dignity in health care settings continue to be critical, Mikhail Golichenko and Freddie Arps’ article highlights how discrimination and social stigma affect access to quality health care. These authors write that current laws in Russia leave “sex workers stigmatized, vulnerable to violence, and disproportionally affected by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.” Indifferent and abusive health systems then reinforce the socially determined nature of health risks that sex workers face.
2. When health rights litigation centers around individual entitlements, it poses the greatest challenges to equity, but claims regarding judicial activism need to be nuanced
The civil law, or mixed civil-common law jurisdictions in Latin America, where thresholds for standing and bringing claims are extremely low, produces high levels of individual litigation for treatments and services, which as a general matter exploit the system but do not attempt to transform it. At the outset however, it is important to note that much of this litigation involves services and treatments that claimants are entitled to under obligatory insurance plans. Colombia’s Ombuds Office noted in its recently released 2013 report that 70% of tutelas (protection writs) in health were for treatments, drugs, appointments, surgeries or other services that should have been provided under the obligatory health plan (El Plan Obligatorio de Salud (POS)).7 This situation, which is not unique to Colombia, speaks more to “quality skimping” in health—a refusal by the mostly for-profit insurance companies and providers to give the services and treatments to which their clients have the right—more than judicial activism. Moreover, the pattern is not limited to health. Almost half (48.11%) of tutelas in Colombia relate to the right to petition, that is involving the judiciary to get bureaucrats to do what they are supposed to do.8
Yet, as Daniel Alzate’s perspective piece and other articles in this issue suggest, as well as outside research, there are very significant transaction costs to such “routinization,” to use Paola Bergallo’s term—in addition to undermining the legitimacy of judicial mechanisms, such as the tutela.9 And in relation to health care in particular, there are also potentially perverse equity implications of the overuse of litigation. For example, in his work on judicialization in Brazil in 2009, Octavio Ferraz found that individual litigation is generally used by those who are better off, thus compounding social inequities. He cites a recent study that determined that 74% of health rights claimants in São Paulo resided in three areas within the city that had the lowest social vulnerability rates overall.10 In this issue, Ana Paula de Barcellos notes the same phenomenon in Brazil. And studies of litigation in Colombia and Argentina have also found that it is the middle class who generally claim entitlements, far more than the poor, thus compounding background inequities.11
In the Colombian context, the Constitutional Court’s T 760/08 decision, which called for a restructuring of the health system along rights principles, was in part a response to the overuse of litigation. Issued after literally thousands of tutela cases involving individual claims for health services or medications, as well as years of reiterating constitutional requirements regarding health policies (admissibility criteria, non-discrimination, progressive funding requirements), the Constitutional Court addressed regulatory failures in 22 illustrative cases, but then went much farther in issuing orders regarding structural problems in the health system.12
3. Consideration of equity impacts in health goes beyond socioeconomic status
Ole Frithjof Norheim and Bruce Wilson’s review of Costa Rica’s health rights jurisprudence surfaces the important insight that equity in health is a complex and multivalent topic, which requires more than attention to socioeconomic disadvantage. Equity requires consideration of prioritization of the sickest versus attention to a greater number of people with less serious diseases; it requires consideration of what treatments are cost-effective as well as clinically effective. And the role that cost-effectiveness should have in judicial decision-making has not been well sorted out to date.
In the Costa Rican context, where there have also been high levels of litigation, Norheim and Wilson provide empirical evidence to argue that judges are not well-suited to adjudge evidence of clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, which are also critical to equity of treatment for patients with different conditions. As a result, the authors argue some judicial decision-making in individual entitlement cases may actually undermine equity in allocation of resources for health. Their analysis revealed that more than 70% of successful cases involved low-priority medications and of the 37 cases analyzed, only three medications requested were on WHO’s essential drugs list. The emphasis on court-mandated provision of new and expensive medications, more than essential or generic medications, leads the authors to conclude that litigation for medications did not lead to more fairness in access to medicines. Norheim and Wilson’s piece points to a clear issue in the way courts had been functioning in Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, the court took a different route from Colombia in acknowledging problems with overuse of litigation by choosing to participate in the Cochrane Collaboration, which provides training to judges on evidence-based medicine and also grants access to the Cochrane Network, a network of over 33,000 individuals, which provides independent information and evidence on medicines.13
Colleen Flood and Aeyal Gross’s article, which is based upon a recent comparative study of 16 countries, also concludes that individual litigation for provision of high-priced drugs and treatments with limited effectiveness undermines the ability of governments to run “fair and efficient health care systems.” They contrast such decisions with the benefit of litigation to address barriers to access to health care including co-payments or limited health care coverage for vulnerable groups.
4. Innovative structural remedies may allow courts to create opportunities for public learning about health rights, but implementation also poses challenges
As Bruce Porter has noted, when courts are unwilling to recognize social demands as justiciable, it may in fact be that they feel that their capacity is limited, thus blurring the lines between constitutional competence questions and institutional capacity issues.14 However, innovative remedies with respect to health-related rights, which appear to follow Mark Tushnet’s notion of strong rights and ‘weak’ or softer remedies, can allow courts to preserve their legitimacy.15 In these remedies, courts do not attempt to define policies but rather force the political branches of government to come up with policies and programs and institutional designs that meet certain criteria. This role for courts, as Keith Syrett argued, can also afford public learning relating to health. Syrett points, for example, to the important role that the South African Constitutional Court played in requiring the government to come up with a justifiable plan of action with respect to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, in the context of the national health emergency that HIV/AIDS represented in the country at the time:
It is essential that there be a concerted national effort to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The government has committed itself to such an effort. We have held that its policy fails to meet constitutional standards…This does not mean that everyone can claim access to such treatment, although the ideal…is to achieve that goal. Every effort must, however, be made to do so as soon as reasonably possible. The increase in the budget which we have referred will facilitate this. We consider it important that all sectors of society, in particular civil society, should co-operate in the steps taken to achieve this goal. In our view that will be facilitated by spelling out the steps necessary to comply with the Constitution.16
Similarly, in Colombia, the T 760/08 decision did not define the contours of the right to health, beyond for example excluding ‘experimental treatments’ or cosmetic procedures. Rather, it called for a participatory process through which to update the obligatory health plan, or POS, and unify the two benefits schemes (subsidized and contributory). However, as there are some ‘harder’ orders in the judgment, such as impositions of strict deadlines for compliance, the justice who authored the T 760/08 decision, Manuel José Cepeda Espinosa, has characterized the T 760/08 decision as one of ‘biting substantive progressiveness.’17
The T 760/08 decision is but one example of a structural remedy relating to health requiring supervision over time. In various judicial systems, we see courts remaining seized of a health-related matter and issuing orders over time. This is the case, for example, in India, Argentina, and Colombia, where courts have remained involved in overseeing decisions relating to: the right to food; pollution affecting, among other things, the right to health; and the structural reform of the health system (as well as conditions, including health, for internally displaced persons), respectively.
Nevertheless, the kinds of structural orders in decisions issued by the courts in these cases require rigorous scrutiny and close follow-up over an extended period of time, and there is no question that such monitoring has proven to be a challenge in various contexts, precisely because of indifference or open hostility to the judgment by the political branches charged with implementation, as well as the highly technical nature of health. No doubt, exuberance for the possibilities of enhancing deliberative democracy through fostering dialogue between branches of government and civic participation should be tempered with not just the evidence of the ultimate impact on the effective enjoyment of health rights in practice, but also with some understanding of the complexity of health as both a sector and a subject matter. The health sector, perhaps more than any other, contains enormous asymmetries of both power and information between the pharmaceutical or insurance industries, or even providers, and ordinary patients.
Thus, the record is mixed. After eight years, very little improvement in contamination in the Mantanza-Riachuelo River Basin in Argentina has taken place, following a structural decision establishing multiple lines of responsibility among different agencies and levels of government, despite creating public discourse and opening spaces for participation. After 13 years of ongoing public interest litigation on the right to food resulting in over 50 interim orders, India continues to rank desperately poorly in food security and under-nutrition, although it has seen several major legislative advances and programmatic interventions.18 And more than six years after T 760/08, meaningful health reform that would diminish the demand for individual complaints against providers and insurers remains elusive in Colombia, despite important impacts on oversight, a more willing and proactive ministry of health under the Santos Administration, and a new framework law on health.
In short, nuanced rather than blanket appraisals of the effects of litigation, as well as such structural remedies, are more likely to be valid. Moreover, as Cesar Rodriguez and others have asserted, they require varied approaches to measuring and attributing distinct impacts over time, including the possibilities of creating public, attitudinal change regarding fundamental rights issues.1
5. Pro-equity health rights litigation should extend to claims beyond medical care
To the extent that judicialization leads to an over-emphasis on health care, and medical care in particular, it is unlikely to be pro-poor in contexts of egregious inequalities in social determinants of health. For example, Ferraz writes in his work that the Brazilian model of judicialization “is characterized by a prevalence of individualized claims demanding curative medical treatment (most often drugs) and by an extremely high success rate for the litigant [where] … the right to health is an individual entitlement to the satisfaction of one’s health needs with the most advanced treatment available, irrespective of costs.”20 As noted above, litigation that promotes placing a priority on curative treatments for the middle and upper classes, as opposed to basic preconditions, or underlying determinants, of health which would inure to the benefit of the poor, may indeed exacerbate inequity, as well as likely being less cost effective in terms of health outcomes.
On the other hand, in Barcellos’ article in this issue regarding the right to sanitation in Brazil, she points to the possibility of turning toward the courts for aspects of the right to health that relate to preconditions as opposed to specific health care. This potential use of litigation in Brazil would go far toward responding to critics that see it as an avenue for the middle class to exploit the system to obtain expensive medications that are not offered through the unified health system, thereby exacerbating inequities in access to health with inequities in access to justice.21 Barcellos’ study found that there have already been 258 decided lawsuits in Brazil seeking sanitation services and of these cases, 47% deal with requests for sanitation services for communities. While sanitation services are generally collective goods compared to many health system provisions like pharmaceuticals which are private goods thus each relating to inequalities differently, Barcellos found that “litigation has dealt so far with less than 7.09% of the 2,495 Brazilian municipalities that lack both sewage collection and treatment systems and lawsuits tend to be concentrated in the richer cities, not in the poorest ones.” Barcellos argues that the courts’ amenability to granting sanitation claims provides a “window of opportunity for the advancement of public health conditions” and “can help introduce sanitation in the list of political priorities.”
6. Health rights litigation involves regulation of public and private actors, including of the pharmaceutical industry
Elsewhere, Brinks and Gauri have empirically analyzed and shown that the regulatory function of litigation may indeed have greater pro-poor impacts than ESC rights litigation relating heavily to the direct provision of services to certain individuals or groups.22
In their article in this issue, Luisa Cabal, Monica Olaya, and Valentina Robledo provide Colombia’s jurisprudence on conscientious objection as an example of how states can balance the individual provider’s right to conscientious objection while still imposing an institutional obligation to ensure that women can access abortion services. Cabal et al. argue that Colombian jurisprudence achieves this balance through 11 specific health system regulations, including limiting the right to conscientious objection to directly involved health workers, implementing referral procedures, and establishing sanctions for non-compliance. It is important to note that regulation of conscientious objection is required with respect to both public and private providers, as in Colombia, as well as in many contexts—from the US to India to East Africa—women often obtain reproductive health services through private facilities.
The pharmaceutical industry poses particular challenges and requirements for regulation, and has proven to be both an object and subject of health rights litigation. Carolijn Terwindt’s article highlights the role of health rights litigation in India to protect subjects of clinical trials of drugs including a pending case before the Supreme Court. Past litigation has resulted in increased regulation on behalf of the state, but Terwindt explains that a ruling in the pending case could establish legal obligations of trial sponsors and manufacturers for the protection of research participants and would open up additional possibilities for individuals to claim their health rights against those private actors.
Allan Maleche and Emma Day’s article examines intellectual property rules relating to the pharmaceutical industry, in light of a recent constitutional challenge in Kenya that argued that access to affordable and generic ARVs was limited by the 2008 Anti-Counterfeit Act. That Act “included essential medicines in the definition of ‘counterfeit’ goods, making it an offense to sell or purchase such medicines … [and which] presented a significant threat to parallel importation.” The Kenyan court’s landmark ruling suspended the provisions of the Act that impeded parallel importation, thereby reinstating access to generic ARVs. Maleche and Day’s article points to the international dimensions of pharmaceutical industry lobbying regarding the rules of the game in specific countries, as well as the potential impact of judicial decisions beyond borders. They note that this decision has also had implications in East Africa, beyond Kenya, for example, being used by Ugandan civil society to influence the Ugandan Parliament to order revision of the Anti-Counterfeit Bill proposed in 2010.
But pharmaceutical companies also play a role in bringing some health rights litigation cases, and the extent to which there is pharmaceutical regulation often affects the budgetary, and in turn equity, impacts that judgments have in practice. While it may be an oversimplification of what is happening in Brazil or Argentina or Colombia to argue that litigation for expensive drugs is predominantly driven by pharmaceutical companies, it is unquestionably true that some is. Moreover, a key issue with respect to the litigation in Colombia, and elsewhere, has involved the lack of pharmaceutical regulation, which has meant that the prices of court-ordered medications not included in the obligatory plan are reimbursed at exorbitant prices. In 2014, the Colombian government took significant steps to increase pharmaceutical regulation. Nevertheless, implementation of health reform in Colombia still faces tremendous obstacles, in part due to the clout exercised by the pharmaceutical industry. Indeed, the Colombian and other South American cases illustrate why it is fallacious to look at costs produced by judicial orders in the absence of what may be deemed “exogenous factors” such as pharmaceutical regulation and pricing. Many of the most litigated medicines (which are primarily for non-communicable diseases) are from companies that hold a significant market share, or dominate the market.23
7. Litigation needs to be placed in a broader context and used with other strategies
Litigation is never the beginning or the end of struggles for more health justice, as many of the articles in this issue highlight. A positive decision is often just the beginning of a long struggle for implementation, which can extend far beyond the passage of legislation or regulations. Conversely, a negative decision can lead to impact in unexpected ways through, for example, political mobilization. Nor is litigation a tool that must be used in isolation from other strategies. For example, Ayman Sabae’s article discusses strategic considerations of human rights organizations seeking to redress health and human rights abuses through litigation, among other tools, using case examples from Egypt. Coming from a prominent civil society organization, the author reflects upon the opportunity structures that factor into strategic decision making, but argues that these options should be seen as complementary, and not incompatible. These include, for example, proposing new legislation to policy makers, participatory formulation of new laws from the ground up, public advocacy, coalition building, and litigation.
Ciara O’Connell’s article comes to some of the same conclusions, but starts from a very different vantage point in a wholly different context, analyzing the impacts of litigation in the Inter-American System on reproductive rights at the national level. She argues that, while reproductive health rights litigation at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has been successful in some cases, it often fails to have sustained impact because cases do not afford sufficiently structural remedies, nor do they connect broadly enough with other actors. O’Connell posits that: “Successful and sustainable implementation of reproductive health rights law requires incorporation of non-repetition remedies in the form of legislation, education, and training that seeks to remodel existing social and cultural practices that hinder women’s enjoyment of their reproductive rights. In order for a reproductive health rights case to ultimately be a ‘winner,’ case recommendations and decisions emerging from the Commission and Court must incorporate perspectives provided by members of civil society, with the ultimate goal of developing measurable remedies that address underlying obstacles to domestic implementation.”
In short, the judicial enforcement of health and other ESC rights must be seen as part of a broader process of reform regarding health and related rights, which necessarily implicates—even in implementation of decisions—wider social struggles. Moreover, struggles for more responsive and equitable health systems and health rights generally, including in relation to social determinants of health, cannot be divorced from questions of democratization and substantive equality more broadly.
Concluding reflections for this issue
While health has been established as justiciable in many countries, a legal entitlement to care and the preconditions of health remains a distant dream in too many others. Moreover, there continue to be many open questions around how to best promote practices that lead to greater equity in health systems, and in our vastly unequal societies more broadly. There are various initiatives in the Latin American region and elsewhere now, including Saluderecho led by the World Bank Institute, to foster ‘multi-stakeholder dialogues’ with respect to judicialization in health, among health policy makers, judges, economists, academics, and other actors. Harvard’s FXB Center for Health and Human Rights offers an annual global school intensive course for practitioners regarding health rights litigation, aimed specifically at building coalitions across communities of practice, and strategically considering equity impacts.24 There are many other projects aimed at capacity-building among judicial and other actors as well. These kinds of initiatives will undoubtedly spread, as increasingly actors from different domains are concerned with both enhancing the equity of judicial decision-making in health, and the capacity of health systems to regulate themselves, while still finding ways to guarantee access to effective remedies in the event of violations.
Further, at the global level, the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which entered into force in 2013, ushers in new possibilities for the UN Committee of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to set standards relating to reasonableness of States parties’ steps toward the progressive realization of the right to health, and other ESC rights, under international law. Moreover, as Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is poised to become embedded in global Sustainable Development Goals, post 2015, judicial enforcement of health rights has implications for choices made along the path toward UHC, with respect to balancing the inclusion of more people, extending new treatments and services, and protections against financial loss.25
It is therefore an ideal time to glean lessons from what courts at the national level are doing, as well as some of the challenges and questions that remain to be addressed if we are concerned about how to promote patterns of judicialization to best foster more social justice through legal enforceability of health and related rights. The diverse pieces in this issue provide important insights.
I am deeply grateful to Angela Duger, Research Associate at the FXB Center, for her help with the preparation of this editorial.
Alicia Ely Yamin, JD MPH, Guest Editor, is Lecturer on Global Health and Policy Director at the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.
Please address correspondence to Alicia Ely Yamin. Email: ayamin@hsph.harvard.edu.
U. Baxi, “Taking suffering seriously: Social action litigation in the Supreme Court of India,” Third World Legal Studies 4 (1985), p. 132.
G. Rosenberg, The hollow hope: Can courts bring about social change? 2nd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008), p. 246.
See Eldridge v. British Columbia (Attorney General), (1997) 3 S.C.R. 624 and Minister of Health v. Treatment Action Campaign (2002) (5) South African Law Report 721 (South African Constitutional Court), respectively, and Judgment C-258 (Constitutional Court of Colombia, Sentencia C-258/13, May 7, 2013.)
P. Bergallo, “Argentina: Courts and the right to health: Achieving fairness despite ‘routinization’ in individual coverage cases,” in A. Yamin and S. Gloppen (eds), Litigating health rights: Can courts bring more justice to health? (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011), pp. 43-75.
See Open Society Foundations, Government accountability for torture and ill-treatment in health settings: An Open Society Foundations brief (New York: Open Society Foundations, 2011).
N. Salima, “Perspective: Navigating the access to information challenge in health rights litigation in Uganda,” Health and Human Rights Journal(September 2014). Available at http://www.hhrjournal.org/2014/09/23/navigating-the-access-to-information-challenge-in-health-rights-litigation-in-uganda.
Defensoría del Pueblo, Jorge Armando Otálora, “La tutela y los derechos a la salud y la seguridad social 2013,” (Bogotá, D. C.: Defensoría del Pueblo, 2014), p. 290.
Ibid, p. 206.
D. Alzate, “Perspective: Health litigation in Colombia: Have we reached the limit for the judicialization of health?” Health and Human Rights Journal (September 2014). Available at http://www.hhrjournal.org/2014/09/23/health-litigation-in-colombia-have-we-reached-the-limit-for-the-judicialization-of-health.
O. Ferraz, “The right to health in the courts of Brazil: Worsening health inequities?” Health and Human Rights Journal 11/2 (2009), pp. 33-45.
R. Uprimny and J. Durán, “Equidad y protección judicial del derecho a la salud en Colombia.” (Santiago de Chile: Naciones Unidas, 2014). See also, A. Yamin, O. Parra-Vera, and C. Gianella, “Colombia: Judicial protection of the right to health: An elusive promise?” in A. Yamin and S. Gloppen (eds), Litigating health rights: Can courts bring more justice to health? (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011), pp. 103-131; P. Bergallo (2011, see note 7).
Judgment T-760 (Constitutional Court of Colombia, Sentencia T-760/08, July 31, 2008).
See Salud Derecho, Medicina basada en la evidencia vs. Medicina basada en la fe, en la autoridad, en la inercia, en la vehemencia, en los intereses. Available at http://saluderecho.net/page/medicina-basada-en-la-evidencia-vs-medicina-basada-en-la-fe-en-la.
B. Porter, “Justiciability of ESC rights and the right to effective remedies: Historic challenges and new opportunities,” (presentation to Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China, 2008).
M. Tushnet, Weak courts, strong rights: Judicial review and social welfare rights in comparative constitutional law (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009).
K. Syrett, Law, legitimacy, and the rationing of health care (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007).
M.J. Cepeda-Espinoza, Transcript: Social and economic rights and the Colombian Constitutional Court, Texas Law Review 89/1699 (2010).
PUCL vs Union of India and others, Civil Writ Petition 196 of 2001 (India).
C.R. Garavito, “Beyond the courtroom: The impact of judicial activism on socioeconomic rights in Latin America,” Texas Law Review 89/1669 (2010).
O. Ferraz, 2009 (see note 10).
D.M. Brinks and V. Gauri, “The law’s majestic equality? The distributive impact of judicializing social and economic rights.” Perspectives on Politics 12/2 (2014), pp. 375-393 (2014).
R. Uprimny and J. Durán, “Equidad y protección judicial del derecho a la salud en Colombia.” (Santiago de Chile: Naciones Unidas, 2014).
FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, “The Global School on Socioeconomic Rights: Course on Health Rights Litigation” (2014). Available at http://fxb.harvard.edu/apply-health-rights-litigation-course.
World Health Organization, The world health report: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage (Geneva: WHO, 2010).
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Routine care for Crohn’s disease in children should include measurement of bone age
Washington: Measuring bone age should be a standard practice of care for paediatric patients with Crohn’s disease, in order to properly interpret growth status and improve treatment, according to a new study from the UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) Benioff Children’s Hospital.
Dr Neera Gupta
“Not only is bone age helpful in predicting a child’s remaining growth potential, our study demonstrates that bone age is necessary to correctly interpret a patient’s growth status in paediatric Crohn’s disease,” says lead study researcher Dr Neera Gupta, a paediatric gastroenterologist at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.
Impaired growth and delayed puberty are common complications in children with Crohn’s disease, with up to 80 per cent of patients showing compromised growth. Typically, growth is interpreted based on a patient’s chronological age, and growth status is one of the key factors driving therapeutic decisions.
In the study, researchers measured bone age with a left hand/wrist x-ray in 49 paediatric patients with Crohn’s disease whose ages ranged from five to 17 years. Bone age is a measure of skeletal maturity, and, as people grow, their bones change in shape and size. Based on the appearance of the bones and growth plates on the X-ray, a doctor can determine the bone age. Results can be given as a Z-score, either as average which is zero, or as a number of standard deviations above or below zero, taking into account the sex and chronological age of the patient. High bone age is defined as having a bone age Z- score (BA-Z score) > 2, and low bone age is defined as a BA-Z score < -2.
The study, “Determination of Bone Age in Paediatric Patients with Crohn’s Disease Should be Part of Routine Care,” is online in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
“One of our findings that surprised me was that 41 per cent of our patients had BA-Z scores that were less than -2. I did not expect that such a large proportion of patients would have this degree of delay,” says Dr Gupta.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic disorder characterized by inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. It is one of the two main disease subcategories of inflammatory bowel disease, along with ulcerative colitis. About one quarter of the more than one million Americans with inflammatory bowel disease are diagnosed in childhood and adolescence. In paediatric patients, the inflammation characteristic of the disease may lead to an inability to grow normally. Poor growth may be the only presenting sign of Crohn’s disease in children and adolescents.
The disease is marked by an abnormal response by the body’s immune system. The cause is not well understood but probably has a genetic component and an unknown trigger, according to the researchers.
The interpretation of a patient’s growth changes when his or her bone age, rather than just chronological age, is taken into consideration. The added information is also useful for properly interpreting height increments following therapeutic interventions.
“We need further studies to understand the effects of disease activity on bone age advancement and to determine which patients require more frequent monitoring of bone age,” Dr Gupta says.
Females in the study had significantly lower average BA-Z scores (-2.0) than males (-1.1). Interestingly, the research team previously had reported that males with Crohn’s disease have more growth impairment than females. The researchers are continuing to investigate the underlying reasons for sex differences in growth. Certain factors — Caucasian race, exposure to steroids, colonic disease location, earlier pubertal stage, and current treatment with the immunomodulator azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine — also were associated with lower average BA-Z scores.
“It’s important to know that active inflammation may be present even without classic intestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, or diarrhoea, says Dr Gupta. “Poor growth may be the only sign of active disease. Including the X-ray as part of routine care allows a more clinically meaningful interpretation of statural growth and therefore enables us to improve our treatment recommendations.”
by Juliana Bunim
Published in Gastroenterology, Paediatrics and RESEARCH
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
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This Will Be My Undoing (Paperback)
Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America
By Morgan Jerkins
Harper Perennial, 9780062666154, 272pp.
Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Compact Disc (1/30/2018)
MP3 CD (1/30/2018)
February 2018 Indie Next List
“This book ravaged and then healed my weary soul. A micro and macro look at the exhaustion and triumph of black womanhood, Jerkins' essays are poignant enough on their own. When linked together in her book, the pieces become the subtle knife cutting through the membrane of gender and racial disparity that covers our country. Jerkins uses herself not simply as a reference point, but as a dissection, laid on the table and explained.”
— Hannah Oliver Depp, WORD, Brooklyn, NY
One of The Roots' 28 Brilliant Books by Black Authors in 2018
"A writer to be reckoned with."-Roxane Gay
Named one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2018 by Esquire, Elle, Vogue, Nylon, The Millions, Refinery29, the Huffington Post, Book Riot, Bitch Media, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Vol 1. Brooklyn, and Paperback Paris
From one of the fiercest critics writing today, Morgan Jerkins’ highly-anticipated collection of linked essays interweaves her incisive commentary on pop culture, feminism, black history, misogyny, and racism with her own experiences to confront the very real challenges of being a black woman today—perfect for fans of Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist, Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me, and Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists.
Morgan Jerkins is only in her twenties, but she has already established herself as an insightful, brutally honest writer who isn’t afraid of tackling tough, controversial subjects. In This Will Be My Undoing, she takes on perhaps one of the most provocative contemporary topics: What does it mean to “be”—to live as, to exist as—a black woman today? This is a book about black women, but it’s necessary reading for all Americans.
Doubly disenfranchised by race and gender, often deprived of a place within the mostly white mainstream feminist movement, black women are objectified, silenced, and marginalized with devastating consequences, in ways both obvious and subtle, that are rarely acknowledged in our country’s larger discussion about inequality. In This Will Be My Undoing, Jerkins becomes both narrator and subject to expose the social, cultural, and historical story of black female oppression that influences the black community as well as the white, male-dominated world at large.
Whether she’s writing about Sailor Moon; Rachel Dolezal; the stigma of therapy; her complex relationship with her own physical body; the pain of dating when men say they don’t “see color”; being a black visitor in Russia; the specter of “the fast-tailed girl” and the paradox of black female sexuality; or disabled black women in the context of the “Black Girl Magic” movement, Jerkins is compelling and revelatory.
Morgan Jerkins is an associate editor at Catapult whose work has been featured in The New Yorker, Vogue, the New York Times, The Atlantic, Elle, Rolling Stone, Lenny, and BuzzFeed, among many others. She lives in New York.
Praise For This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America…
“Without turning linguistic or lyrical cartwheels, Jerkins lucidly articulates social dynamics that have dictated the realities of American black women for centuries…. Indeed, [This Will Be My Undoing] is a book I wish everyone in this country would read.”
— New York Times Book Review
“In Morgan Jerkins’s remarkable debut essay collection, This Will Be My Undoing, she is a deft cartographer of black girlhood and womanhood. From one essay to the next, Jerkins weaves the personal with the public and political in compelling, challenging ways. Her prodigious intellect and curiosity are on full display throughout this outstanding collection. The last line of the book reads, ‘You should’ve known I was coming,’ and indeed, in this, too, Jerkins is prescient. With this collection, she shows us that she is unforgettably here, a writer to be reckoned with.”
— Roxane Gay
Morgan Jerkins is a star, a force, a blessing, a scholar and a critic, and now can add great American essayist to that list! I found myself sighing, nodding, gasping, laughing, and crying while reading this collection–but mostly cheering! We can all sleep well at night knowing this country will inherit heart, mind, and soul like this. It’s safe to say I’ve never read anyone this young–barely at quarter life!–who can understand herself, those around her, past and present, with such dignity and clarity and generosity. Intersectionality in America is dissected, investigated, celebrated and challenged all without being pedantic or preachy or pretentious. And Jerkins is the sort of benevolent intellectual you want to spend time with–who will never lie to you, but also will never let you lie to her. I’ve long known that feminism and arts and media owe so much to the excellent work of black women and This Will be My Undoing is yet another testament to that.
— Porochista Khakpour, author of Sons & Other Flammable Objects, The Last Illusion, and Sick
“Each chapter provides insightful, personal, and frank analysis of how several identities can and do overlap with one another.”
— Library Journal Review
“There’s a radical honesty and warmth in these essays, no matter the topic.”
— Alexander Chee, author of Edinburgh and Queen of the Night
“Threaded together by prose that is at once tender and disarming, Morgan Jerkins’s debut collection is an invitation to conversation with a ferocious intellect and a singular, uncompromising voice. In essays that confront the forces of anti-blackness and misogyny, Jerkins demonstrates that being unflinching does not require that we be unmoved. Readers who encounter this debut will be hard-pressed not to have felt something shifted within themselves when they put it down.”
— Alana Massey, author of All the Lives I Want
“Jerkins is one of the smartest young writers of her generation, and this is an insightful, revelatory collection of personal essays about a variety of today’s important issues. So fantastic.”
— Bookriot
“Jerkins’ forthright examination of her own experiences leads to a triumphant reclaiming of blackness in all its power.”
“Jerkins’s debut collection of essays forces readers to reckon with the humanity black women have consistently been denied. Her writing is personal, inviting, and fearless as she explores the racism and sexism black women face in America... [a] gorgeous and powerful collection.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Jerkins has strong character, and This Will Be My Undoing is likely just the beginning of her influence on the role of black women in the United States. As she is careful to point out, she is just one voice and her story doesn’t speak for all black women, but with any luck her one voice will inspire other voices to add to the chorus of change.”
“A beautiful example of possibility, nuance and passion coexisting, even in our heightened political moment…there is a brutal honesty Jerkins brings to the experiences of black girls and women that is vital for us to understand as we strive toward equality, toward believing women’s voices and experiences, and toward repairing the broken systems that have long defined our country.”
— Los Angeles Times
“In This Will Be My Undoing, Jerkins confronts the real world and her own real life — including deeply private aspects of growing up black and female, confronting racism, sexism, her Christian upbringing, family secrets, and community fault lines.”
— Boston Globe
“Combining memoir and criticism, Jerkins’s potent “mental fermentation” broods on black female oppression and the limits of racial equality in a society dominated by white people who have “fooled themselves into believing that they are unraced.”
— O magazine
“The truth about a writer being anointed a Voice of the Generation is that it’s also a curse… [but Morgan Jerkins’] exhilarating new essay collection This Will Be My Undoing makes her a leading contender for the title — and the writer most likely to rewrite the rules for it, too…If this collection is any indication, [Jerkins’] blueprint for a lifelong intellectual and creative enterprise will continue to challenge, thrill, and delight her readers throughout a long career.”
— Salon
“In her piercing debut essay collection… Jerkins is equally critical of the social structures in place to erase the black narrative and the pressures from within black communities to ensure that their daughters conform to white ideals—often through physical means, like the arduous process of hair straightening. She also doesn’t shy away from exploring different experiences of blackness—or wrestling with the ways the black experience is unique from those of non-white women of color.”
— VICE
“In her debut release, Morgan Jerkins takes readers through life as a black woman on the street, in foreign countries, on dates, at the workplace, in the beauty parlor — everywhere, anywhere. An essential and vital read, This Will Be My Undoing is destined to become a classic essay collection on race and feminism.”
— Bustle
“In her first book of essays, Morgan Jerkins holds nothing back... [she] skillfully ties together personal experience with cultural critique.... [and] her voice is strong and clear.”
— Bust Magazine
“Jerkins takes the reader to deeply personal and, at times, uncomfortable places. She chronicles her struggles with dating and heartbreak, unflinchingly guides her reader through a personal surgical procedure and wrestles with a variety of different gazes: that of white men and white women, but also of potential lovers, of her host families and other people in Japan and Russia, of her black female peers and, most important, her own evolving view of herself.”
— The Root
“Beautifully crafted… what makes [Jerkins’] writing so powerful is her ability to point to precise moments that oppression was at work and unpack it for readers, who may not be black, female, or consider themselves feminists, but who will still understand the emotional impact that prejudice carries. Her personal experiences are political, but in ways that challenge previous feminist declarations about which experiences mattered and how to interpret them.”
— Signature Reads
“Jerkins examines pop culture, misogyny, black history and racism. She reflects on growing up in Atlantic and Gloucester counties and unravels what it means to be a black woman in today’s society, seamlessly weaving the personal with the political in powerful essays such as ‘A Lotus for Michelle.’”
— New Jersey Monthly
“At its best, the book reveals complicated, messily human responses to knotty problems. Never intended as the final word on the black female experience in America today, it uncovers the effect of social forces on one perceptive young woman.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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The Almost Impossible Thing (Hardcover)
By Basak Agaoglu
Philomel Books, 9780399548277, 32pp.
Publication Date: April 4, 2017
Nothing is so impossible that it shouldn't be tried. Even if you're a bunny hoping to fly. A tribute to teamwork, big dreams, perseverance, and those who don't listen when others say their goals are unreachable.
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.--Chinese Proverb
Most of us want to fly--even if we know we're rooted to the ground. Especially if we know we're rooted to the ground! So when a rabbit spots a bird soaring in beautiful, colorful loop-de-loops, a dream is born. Though her friends tell her "You can't do that!" our rabbit is undeterred. Through comical ski jumps, trampoline bounces, swings on the trapeze, and experiments with kites . . . somehow, some way, there must be a way to fly.
And there is! Teamwork.
Debut author/illustrator Basak Agaoglu delivers a story of faith, persistence, and humor--along with some of the most adorable, child-friendly art ever seen. For fans of Extremely Cute Animals Operating Heavy Machinery.
Basak Agaoglu (www.basakagaoglu.com) was born and raised in Adana, Turkey, before moving to New York to pursue a degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, Basak began her career as a designer in the fashion industry while also working on illustrations for a children's book. The Almost Impossible Thing is Basak's debut picture book. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Follow Basak on Twitter and Instagram @BasakAgaoglu.
Praise For The Almost Impossible Thing…
"Agaoglu suggests that some dreams are so powerful that they almost will themselves into fruition." -- Publishers Weekly
"This is a book worth reading and rereading." -- Mel Schuit, Let's Talk Picture Books blog
"The images offer much to consider and chuckle at, from bunnies on ski jumps and with hang gliders to the final, improbable result. . . . A rewarding debut. -- Kirkus Reviews
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Life's Healing Choices (Hardcover)
Freedom from Your Hurts, Hang-ups, and Habits
By John Baker, Rick Warren (Foreword by)
Howard Books, 9781416543954, 288pp.
Paperback, Spanish (5/13/2008)
Happiness and Healing are yours for the choosing.
We've all been hurt by other people, we've hurt ourselves, and we've hurt others. And as a result, every single one of us ends up with some sort of hurt, hang-up, or habit. But the question we all face is, Where do we go from here?
Life's Healing Choices offers freedom from our hurts, hang-ups, and habits through eight healing choices that promise true happiness and life transformation. Using the Beatitudes of Jesus as a foundation, Senior Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and John Baker, who is also a pastor at Saddleback, developed the eight choices shared in this book.
In addition to practical, encouraging biblical teaching, each chapter includes two real-life stories of men and women whose lives have been transformed by living out the eight choices in this book. Through making each of these choices, you too will find God's pathway to wholeness, growth, spiritual maturity, happiness, and healing. You'll find real answers, real hope, and a real future -- one healing choice at a time.
John Baker is the founder of Celebrate Recovery, a ministry started at Saddleback Church. Over the last twenty-three years, it is estimated that more than 3.5 million people have gone through this Christ-centered recovery program. There are currently 30,000+ churches that have weekly meetings. John and his wife Cheryl have been married over four decades and have served together in Celebrate Recovery since 1991. They have two adult children, Laura and Johnny, and five grandchildren.
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of the largest churches in the world, with campuses in the US and around the globe. He is the author of The Purpose Driven Life, one of the bestselling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in multiple formats.
Praise For Life's Healing Choices: Freedom from Your Hurts, Hang-ups, and Habits…
"You will be inspired, and your life will be changed in dramatic ways as you read through the pages of this book." —Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life
— Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life
"Sometimes, recovery, healing, and spiritual growth are talked about as if they are three different topics. What I like about John's work is that he brings them all together, and we find that no matter what our issues, we are all on the same path. Life's Healing Choices will be a help along that path to all who read it." —Dr. Henry Cloud, author of Boundaries
— Dr. Henry Cloud, author of Boundaries and Integrity
"This is a book whose time has come. John Baker's worldwide ministry and reputation, coupled with a strong biblical approach, make this book a must for anyone who hurts and wants God to heal them. My personal friendship with John and years of involvement in his work have shown me his heart, his calling, and his gifts to the world. I highly recommend this book." —Dr. John Townsend, psychologist, author of Who's Pushing Your Buttons? and coauthor of Boundaries
— Dr. John Townsend, psychologist, author of Who's Pushing Your Buttons? and coauthor of Boundaries
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A Pivotal Moment (Paperback)
Population, Justice, and the Environmental Challenge
By Laurie Ann Mazur (Editor), Martha Farnsworth Riche (Contributions by), Steve Sinding (Contributions by), Tim Wirth (Contributions by), Tim Cohen (Contributions by), Susan Gibbs (Contributions by), Brian O'Neill (Contributions by), Robert Engelman (Contributions by), Elizabeth Malone (Contributions by), Elizabeth Leahy Madsen (Contributions by), Amy Coen (Contributions by), Lynne Gaffikin (Contributions by), John Harte (Contributions by), Gordon McGranahan (Contributions by), Rachel Nugent (Contributions by), Lester R. Brown (Contributions by), Walden Bello (Contributions by), Eleanor Sterling (Contributions by), Erin Vintinner (Contributions by), Vicky Markham (Contributions by), Julia Varshavsky (Contributions by), Carmen Barroso (Contributions by), Judith Bruce (Contributions by), John Bongaarts (Contributions by), Suzanne Petroni (Contributions by), Susana Chavex Alvarado (Contributions by), Jacqueline Nolley Echegaray (Contributions by), Adrienne Germain (Contributions by), Ellen Chesler (Contributions by), Roger-Mark De Souza (Contributions by), James Gustave Speth (Contributions by), Shira Saperstein (Contributions by), Priscilla Huang (Contributions by), Rev. James B. Martin-Schramm, PhD (Contributions by), Ursula Goodenough (Contributions by), Frances Kissling (Contributions by), Sandra Postel (Contributions by), Fred Sai (Contributions by), Alex Steffen (Contributions by), Adriana Varillas (Contributions by), Malea Hoepf Young (Contributions by), Charlotte Brody (Contributions by)
Island Press, 9781597266628, 432pp.
Hardcover (10/16/2009)
With contributions by leading demographers, environmentalists, and reproductive health advocates, A Pivotal Moment offers a new perspective on the complex connection between population dynamics and environmental quality. It presents the latest research on the relationship between population growth and climate change, ecosystem health, and other environmental issues. It surveys the new demographic landscape—in which population growth rates have fallen, but human numbers continue to increase. It looks back at the lessons of the last half century while looking forward to population policies that are sustainable and just.
A Pivotal Moment embraces the concept of “population justice,” which holds that inequality is a root cause of both rapid population growth and environmental degradation. By addressing inequality—both gender and economic—we can reduce growth rates and build a sustainable future.
Laurie Mazur is an independent writer and consultant to nonprofit organizations. She is the editor of Beyond the Numbers: A Reader on Population, Consumption, and the Environment (Island Press, 1994) and co-author of Marketing Madness: A Survival Guide for a Consumer Society (Westview, 1995).
Sandra Postel directs the independent Global Water Policy Project and lectures, writes and consults on global water issues. In 2010 she was appointed Freshwater Fellow of the National Geographic Society. Sandra is co-creator of Change the Course, the national water stewardship initiative awarded the 2017 US Water Prize for restoring billions of gallons of water to depleted rivers and wetlands.
During 2000-2008, Sandra was visiting senior lecturer in Environmental Studies at Mount Holyoke College, and late in that term directed the college's Center for the Environment. From 1988 until 1994, she was vice president for research at the Worldwatch Institute. Sandra is a Pew Scholar in Conservation and the Environment, and has been named one of the Scientific American 50, an award recognizing contributions to science and technology.
A leading authority and prolific author on international water issues, Sandra has been hailed for her “inspiring, innovative and practical approach” to promoting the preservation and sustainable use of freshwater. She is author of Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity (Island Press, 2017), Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last? and Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity, chosen by Choice magazine as a 1993 Outstanding Academic Book. Last Oasis appears in eight languages and was the basis for a 1997 PBS documentary. Sandra’s article “Troubled Waters” was selected for inclusion in the 2001 edition of Best American Science and Nature Writing. She is also co-author (with Brian Richter) of Rivers for Life: Managing Water for People and Nature (Island Press 2003). Sandra co-founded and regularly contributes to National Geographic’s freshwater blog, Water Currents.
Sandra has authored more than 100 articles for popular and scholarly publications, including Science, Natural History, Scientific American, Foreign Policy, Ecological Applications, Technology Review, Environmental Science and Technology, International Wildlife, and Water Alternatives. She has written some 20 op-ed features that have appeared in more than 30 newspapers in the United States and abroad, including the New York Times, the L.A. Times, and the Washington Post. A frequent conference speaker and lecturer, she has also served as commentator on CNN's Futurewatch, addressed the European Parliament on environmental issues, and appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, ABC’s Nightline, and NPR’s Science Friday. She also appears in the BBC’s Planet Earth, Leonardo DiCaprio’s The 11th Hour, and the National Geographic Channel’s Breakthrough series.
Sandra is Water Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute, and has served as advisor to the Division on Earth and Life Studies of the U.S. National Research Council, as well as to American Rivers. She has served on the Board of Directors of the International Water Resources Association and on the editorial boards of Ecosystems, Water Policy, and Green Futures. She received a B.A. (summa cum laude) in geology and political science at Wittenberg University and an M.E.M. with emphasis on resource economics and policy at Duke University. Sandra has been awarded several honorary Doctor of Science degrees, as well as the Duke University School of Environment’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Praise For A Pivotal Moment: Population, Justice, and the Environmental Challenge…
"Here's the book on population we've been waiting for—not a nativist screed that lays the blame for our environmental woes on overbreeding others, but a clearheaded and smart look at the ways that justice, anti-materialism, and women's rights can help limit both our numbers and their impact."
— Bill McKibben
"This book, with chapters by world-renowned experts, should be recommended reading for national and global leaders who seek to meet the environmental and economic development challenges of the 21st century. It provides a compelling, evidence-based case to support renewed attention to reproductive health and rights as a critical part of the solution to build a better and more sustainable future for all."
— Geeta Rao Gupta
"Finally, a book that maps the complex connections among climate change, resource depletion, globalization, inequity and overconsumption, then focuses in on the ways that population growth exacerbates all of them, but also results from them. No simple-minded solutions are offered in this revelatory work; but an effective formula for reducing population impacts by strengthening women's rights, roles and economic opportunities. This book should be mandatory reading not only in academia, but for all public policy advocates seeking sustainable pathways for the future."
— Jerry Mander
"A Pivotal Moment demonstrates the possibility of building a sustainable, more equitable future... People count and numbers matter—and this book is a classic call to action we cannot afford to ignore if we care about the well being of current and future generations."
— Dr. Gill Greer
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The Indivisible Project (Indivisible)
Tax March SF (link) by Master Steve Rapport is licensed CC BY 2.0 (link)
www.indivisible.org
Ezra Levin
Leah Greenberg
Indivisible Civics
Present Activities
Child Organizations
Supported Movements
Form 990 Information
The Indivisible Project (or Indivisible) is a left-of-center 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., and created in late 2016 as a response to the election of President Donald Trump. The Indivisible Project was established to provide liberals a practical guide about “Resisting the Trump Agenda.” [1] Despite connections to elite donors, Indivisible claims to be a grassroots movement. The organization was founded by two left-wing activists with congressional experience and ties to the left-of-center economic policy advocacy group Prosperity Now.[2] According to a spokesperson within the organization, Indivisible’s goal for 2018 is to replace all elected officials who don’t reflect their views with “diverse, progressive, local leaders.”[3] Since 2016, Indivisible has sponsored events like ResistFest in Santa Cruz, “Cardboard Congressmen” demonstrations in Republican-controlled Congressional districts, and local “Resist Trump Tuesday” meetings.[/note] [4] Indivisible claims to represent over 5,800 groups and has a website that has been viewed over 18 million times.[5]
Established by left-wing activists Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg in December 2016, Indivisible was originally organized as a movement along the lines of the conservative Tea Party opposition to President Barack Obama’s administration. [6] To that end, Levin and Greenberg’s first project was a 26-page political organizing manual entitled “A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda.” The manual highlighted the best methods to “beat back” President Trump and defeat the new conservative majority in Congress.[7] Since that original document was distributed, the movement has evolved into an effort to disrupt civil discourse and “sustain a powerful progressive movement.”[8]
Indivisible has published the nonprofit’s revenue from both its 501(c)(3) Indivisible Civics, and 501(c)(4) Indivisible Project for 2017.[9] In 2017, Indivisible raised “a total of $7.5 million,” with “$2.8 million” through the 501(c)(3) and “$4.7 million” through the 501(c)(4). Over the course of 2017, Indivisible was fiscally sponsored by the Tides Foundation and the Advocacy Fund (a Tides affiliate) until it “was granted 501(c)(4) status from the IRS” during the tax year.[10]
Of Indivisible’s 2017 revenue, 35 percent was raised through small dollar donations, and 65 percent was received through major gifts and foundation grants.[11] Of the $7.5 million raised, $3.4 million was spent on organization expenses.
Indivisible’s most prominent allies include the Democratic Socialists of America, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood, the Working Families Party, Tides Foundation, among others.[12]
The Tides Foundation is a funding partner for the Indivisible Fund (now Indivisible Civics), the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the organization.[13] Founded in 1976, the Tides Foundation is a pass-through organization and a pillar of the Left.
Nevertheless, Indivisible claims not to be a part of the Democratic Party establishment. In 2017 the group publicly distanced itself from contributions made from groups that supported Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential bid. An Indivisible spokesperson claims that the group “wanted to make sure to everyone that we are maintaining our independence.”[14]
Kenneth Vogel, a reporter at the New York Times, attributed growth in Indivisible to funding from prominent liberals including “the tech entrepreneur Reid Hoffman, as well as foundations or coalitions tied to Democracy Alliance donors, including San Francisco mortgage billionaire Herbert Sandler, the New York real estate heiress Patricia Bauman and the oil heiress Leah Hunt-Hendrix.”[15]
Indivisible Civics is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the Indivisible Project.
Also see Democracy Alliance (Other Group)
Indivisible has numerous links to the Democracy Alliance (DA), a network of high-profile, wealthy, and institutional donors on the political left. In March 2017, Politico reported on an NTK Network video released from a Democracy Alliance donor summit that reportedly shows Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg networking with DA members.[16]
In the past, officials with Indivisible have said that they “would ‘Gladly’ accept a check from Mr. [George] Soros or his foundation.”[17]
Indivisible may be best known for their effort to support the Women’s March in February 2017.[18] The group and its local affiliates also organize gatherings like ResistFest in Santa Cruz, “Cardboard Congressmen” town halls in Republican-controlled Congressional districts, and local “Resist Trump Tuesday” weekly meetings.[19]
These weekly meetings involve Indivisible chapters gathering together in state capitals to lobby legislators to oppose President Trump’s policies and promote liberal platforms. Sarah Dohl, Indivisible’s chief communications officer, has said, “It’s not a secret that we would like to move the Democratic Party further to the left.”[20]
Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, both former congressional staffers, are career political operatives. Greenberg worked as an assistant in Congress for former Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Virginia), and served as policy director for Perriello’s unsuccessful 2017 Virginia gubernatorial campaign.[21] Levin served as deputy policy director for Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), and more recently as associate director for federal policy for Prosperity Now, a left-leaning nonprofit that seeks to expand entitlements and welfare programs.
Angel Padilla, Indivisible Project’s policy director, previously worked as an analyst with the National Immigration Law Center (an organization funded by grants from Soros’ Open Society Foundations) and as an immigration policy consultant at UnidosUS (formerly the National Council of La Raza).[22]
“Summary.” Indivisible. Archived from the original March 5, 2018. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180305201143/https://www.indivisible.org/guide/summary/. ↩
“About Us.” Indivisible. Archived from the original October 29, 2017. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20171029212727/https://www.indivisible.org/about-us/. ↩
“2018 Is Here.” Indivisible. January 03, 2018. Archived from the original September 25, 2018. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180925141143/https://www.indivisible.org/blog/2018-is-here/ ↩
“Find an Event: Local Indivisible Actions.” Indivisible Guide. Accessed April 04, 2018. http://act.indivisible.org/event/local-actions/search/. ↩
“Stand Indivisible-Coordinate with Other Indivisible Groups!” Indivisible. Archived from the original April 10, 2018. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180410080040/https://www.indivisible.org/resource/stand-indivisible-coordinate-indivisible-groups/. ↩
“Our Staff.” Indivisible. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://indivisible.org/staff.
↩
“Introduction to the Indivisible Guide.” Indivisible. Accessed April 10, 2018. http://www.indivisible.org/guide/.
“About.” Indivisible: Annual Report. Accessed April 10, 2018. https://www.indivisibleannualreport.org/about/. ↩
“Financials.” Indivisible: Annual Report. Accessed April 10, 2018. https://www.indivisibleannualreport.org/financials/. ↩
“Stand in Solidarity with Charlottesville.” Indivisible Guide. Accessed April 11, 2018. https://act.indivisibleguide.com/event/stand-in-solidarity-with-charlottesville/search/. ↩
“I Just Gave to Indivisible Civics!” ActBlue. Accessed April 11, 2018. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/indivisiblec3?refcode=donatepage. ↩
Levi, Ryan. “Who’s Funding the Anti-Trump Movement? We Don’t Know.” KQED. June 14, 2017. Accessed April 11, 2018. https://www.kqed.org/news/11501427/whos-funding-the-anti-trump-movement-we-dont-know. ↩
Vogel, Kenneth P. “The ‘Resistance,’ Raising Big Money, Upends Liberal Politics.” The New York Times. October 07, 2017. Accessed April 11, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/07/us/politics/democrats-resistance-fundraising.html. ↩
Schor, Elana. “Conservatives Try Again to Tie Soros to Anti-Trump Group.” POLITICO. March 23, 2017. Accessed April 11, 2018. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/conservatives-soros-indivisible-trump-protest-group-236439. ↩
[1] Graff, E.J. “Trump’s Victory Inspired Thousands of Women to Get Involved in Politics.” Mother Jones. July 12, 2017. Accessed April 11, 2018. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/indivisible-women-resistance-trump/. ↩
“Find An Event.” Indivisible. Accessed April 11, 2018. http://www.indivisible.org/events/. ↩
“Staff.” Indivisible. Accessed April 30, 2019. https://indivisible.org/staff. ↩
Schor, Elana, and Rachael Bade. “Inside the Protest Movement That Has Republicans Reeling.” POLITICO. February 10, 2017. Accessed April 11, 2018. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/protest-movement-republicans-234863. ↩
Prosperity Now (formerly Corporation for Enterprise Development)
David Slifka
Matt Traldi
Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer
Mary Kay Henry
Indivisible Civics (Non-profit)
Indivisible 435 (Non-profit)
Indivisible Idaho (For-profit)
Indivisible Nevadans (Other Group)
Green New Deal Coalition
Not One Penny
Ragtag Education Fund
Run for Something (RFS)
Spread The Vote
The Advocacy Fund (Tides Advocacy Fund) (Non-profit)
Megaphone Strategies (For-profit)
Propel Capital Network (For-profit)
Green New Deal (GND)
Nonprofit Information
Accounting Period: December - November
Tax Exemption Received: December 1, 2016
Available Filings
No filings available.
2705 SE ASH ST APT 3
https://www.indivisible.org
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Kensington homeowner proves you can fight Philadelphia city hall over assessment
by Harold Brubaker, Posted: March 1, 2018
Ruokai Chen, shown here in his Kensington home, in Philadelphia, Wednesday, February 28, 2018. Chen has a tax abatement, in 2016 he received notice that that city was raising the assessment on his taxable land. Chen fought back and won in the Court of Common Pleas.
Ruokai Chen is among the thousands of Philadelphia property owners who were shocked in 2016 to learn that their taxes were going up even though they had a 10-year tax abatement.
The city changed the allocation of the total market values between the land and the building or other improvements citywide, claiming that it was making the assessed values of the land more accurate. In Chen's case, the city increased the taxable land assessment to $113,150 from $16,300 and said he could not contest that, only the total market value.
Chen, 29, fought back and last month scored a rare victory in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas when a judge set his land value at $79,000 for 2017, 30 percent less than the city's value. Chen, who represented himself, says he believes he is the first to get a favorable court decision in a case involving the 2016 land-only reassessments of 15,000 abated properties.
"The most important part of this to me isn't necessarily that I got $900 back, although just to be fair no one will be sad about getting some money back," said Chen, a 2010 clarinet graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music who works as an actuary for a health-care consulting firm. "The most important thing for me is that a precedent has been established," perhaps making it easier for others to win their appeals of land values only.
The city said Wednesday that it would not appeal Judge Gene D. Cohen's Feb. 5 decision. It downplayed the significance of Chen's case, saying the judge's decision was based on the specifics of Chen's property.
Real estate lawyers said it appears that the city is trying to get around the 10-year abatement on new construction and improvements.
"If land goes up by 10 percent, they are allowed to increase the taxable land by 10 percent, but if the city says 'well, the land may have only gone up by 10 percent, but now that you built a nice building on it, the land is worth twice as much as before,' to me that's bad faith because the ordinance says any increase in value due to the improvements should be abated," said Larry Arem, a partner at Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP.
For people such as Chen, who had just purchased his house in Kensington for $415,000 in 2015, the city made it hard to contest the increase in land assessments by insisting that taxpayers could appeal only the total market value. How could he say the market value was inaccurate when he had just bought the property? The Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment was not increasing the total value.
"You really cannot appeal the land value separately. You can appeal the total market value," an Office of Property Assessment official emailed Chen the week before his March 16, 2017, hearing at the Board of Revision of Taxes. The official told Chen that all the land under the new and rehabbed properties on his block was assessed at 27 percent of the total market value, suggesting that he could withdraw the appeal.
Chen kept at it, but was rebuffed by the BRT.
"Under applicable state law, the BRT — and in turn the Court of Common Pleas if a BRT decision is appealed — is charged with determining value for an entire parcel and not just some portion or component of a parcel," the city said by email Wednesday.
"If true, it would mean that anyone who has a tax abatement would have no recourse to ever challenge their taxes, because the land value is the only thing that matters to them," said Steve Silver, a lawyer who was at Chen's BRT hearing representing other clients.
Silver, who moved to Portland, Maine, in April, but was in Philadelphia for the last of his appeals hearings in November, said he doesn't know anyone else who won one of these cases. Before leaving Philadelphia and selling his house, Silver was dealing with a reassessment of his taxable land near the Italian Market to $100,890 from $7,500. Empty lots on that block are still assessed in the $7,000 to $8,000 range.
Chen said he knows of three other cases similar to his pending in court. In his case, the judge accepted the value proposed by city's expert witness, an outside appraiser.
"Just the fact that the city would even take the stance it did before the BRT I think is very unsavory in that the appeals process is actually a very important part of getting property taxes right," Chen said.
Posted: March 1, 2018 - 6:00 AM
Harold Brubaker | @InqBrubaker | hbrubaker@inquirer.com
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Boy, 13, Dies After Being Trapped in Snow Mound With Friend as Pair Played
1:24 PM PST, December 14, 2016 - Caitlin Nolan
Playing 13-Year-Old Boy Killed After Truck Unloads Snow On Top Of Him And Friend
A 13-year-old upstate New York boy died after he was trapped in a snow mound for nearly four hours, buried under the thick layer of snow with a friend as the pair played in the pile, officials said.
Police began searching for Joshua Demarest and his best friend, 12-year-old Tyler Day, when a concerned family member reported about 5 p.m. Tuesday that the boys had not come home before dark, which was out of character for the 7th graders, Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell told reporters.
Cops found footprints leading to an open lot off Rock Street, where the Department of Public Works crews clearing the streets were dumping snow.
When a K-9 unit uncovered a sled near the nearly 70-foot tall mound, police began frantically digging, using anything nearby to search for the children, Bell said.
“They moved an enormous amount of snow … [using] hands, shovels, snow rakes, to dig and recover those two boys,” Bell told reporters at a press conference Wednesday.
Demarest was found at about 7:15 p.m. and was rushed to Saratoga Hospital, but he could not be saved and was pronounced dead at 10:10 p.m.
Day was found shortly after his friend was taken out of the snow. He was rushed to the same hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia and released Wednesday.
He told authorities and his father that he and Demarest had been digging holes and building forts in the snow mound when he saw a truck coming down the roadway in their direction, Bell said.
Read: 64-Year-Old Woman Still Holding Shovel Found Dead Under Foot of Snow
“They’re young kids and they just burrowed in deeper into the snow bank,” Bell said. "[He] heard what he believed was beeping sounds and next thing you know, it went black."
It was not immediately clear if the plow buried the boys or if the holes and forts they were digging had collapsed on them.
Demarest’s family was already reeling from the loss of his grandmother, who had passed away at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, when they received the horrible news, officials and relatives said.
“With news at about 5pm that Josh was missing, [his mother] Rachael and her sister left New Jersey racing to be with Josh as details of the tragedy unfolded,” Demarest’s grandfather wrote on Facebook.
Loved ones were by the boy’s side at the hospital, and his mother and aunt arrived as efforts to revive him were halted, his grandfather wrote.
“Although he was unresponsive, we were able to stand beside him, hold his hand, whisper in his ear … We are devastated, thankful to live in a small village where support is strong and swift. May we all endure, and in love for one another, find an accepting peace,” he wrote.
The boys were believed to have been trapped for nearly four hours, as the last plow to deposit snow on the mound was at 3:30 p.m., Bell said.
“This is a true tragedy, this is an accident,” he said. "To exactly what happened, I don’t think we’ll ever know.”
A 39-year veteran, Bell said this is the second incident in which he’s seen something similar occur.
“I don’t know how we educate our kids, or tell them they can’t do that,” he said. "I think we’ve all done it here, one time, burrowed into a snow bank, but you never know. This is what happened last night and it turned tragic."
He commended the numerous emergency responders, including Forest Rangers, New York State Police and the Easton-Greenwich Rescue Squad on their efforts, noting they worked fast and were taking the tragedy hard, Schuylerville News reported.
Reflecting on his own feelings of loss, Bell said that when he received the call that a sled was uncovered, "my stomach, my heart; everything just dropped out of me."
Noting that his grandson was friends with Demarest, Bell said: "It affects us all in a real way."
Other officials in the county were also struggling with the tragic incident, trying to understand how to make sense of an innocent day of play gone wrong.
Read: Girl, 2, Dies After Falling Snow Buries 3 Children in Freak Accident
"As parents and educators, we so often say: 'Go outside. Be kids. Play and explore. Do something... anything. Please,'" the Greenwich Central School District said in a statement. "We never expect it to end tragically under a pile of snow or beneath the weight of a rock on a hiking trail, but twice in the last nine months this is what our school and community (the 7th grade class in particular) has had to endure."
In March, 12-year-old Connor McLaughlin, of Greenwich, was fatally struck by a falling boulder while hiking with his uncle at Roaring Brook Falls in the Adirondacks, authorities said.
“The coming days and weeks will undoubtedly be difficult," the district’s statement said. "Students will need shoulders to cry on, and so will you. Please know you have our full support in whatever you need. In the best of times, your impact on the children in your care inspires us and fills us with pride. And now, in the worst of times, your care and compassion for their well-being touches us."
The little boy was beloved, and regarded as a well-rounded, well-liked, good student who was part of the French club, officials said.
He was on the high honor roll and was an avid sports fan, having played on the Greenwich Central School modified soccer team, The Greenwich Journal and Salem Press reported.
“His smile lit up the room. He was hard working, sweet and extremely kind. He was looked up to by his classmates” his 6th grade homeroom teacher told the newspaper.
“His life was a blessing. His memory a treasure. He was loved beyond words and will be missed beyond measure. God bless you all,” one donor wrote on a GoFundMe page created to pay for funeral expenses.
By Wednesday, the page had raised $9,700 of its $10,000 goal. To donate to the fund, click here.
Watch: Mom and 1-Year-Old Son Die After Carbon Monoxide Fills Snow-Covered Car
Mom and 1-Year-Old Son Die After Carbon Monoxide Fills Snow-Covered Car
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rocking out
Disciplined Breakdown
With the faces I now wear
It's only proof my thoughts
Have become impaired
And the courage I shall build
Stands at distance still
Everything is…
Crowded Head
Open Up Your Eyes
Turn My Head
Shit Towne
Until I Fall Away
The Verve Pipe
Soldier's Daughter
Reverend Girl
So Much for the Afterglow
Seven Mary Three
www.collectivesoul.com
Twitter (@collectivesoul)
Facebook (collectivesoul)
Collective Soul is a rock band which formed in Stockbridge, Georgia, United States in 1992. The band currently consists of Ed Roland (vocals, guitar), Dean Roland of Magnets & Ghosts (guitar), Jesse Triplett (lead guitar), Will Turpin (bass) and Johnny Rabb (drums). The band has released eight albums: Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid (1993), Collective Soul (1995), Disciplined Breakdown (1997), Dosage (1999), Blender (2000), Youth (2004), Afterwords (2007), and Collective Soul (Rabbit) (2009). Their ninth studio album, See What You Started By Continuing, is due to be rel… read more
Collective Soul is a rock band which formed in Stockbridge, Georgia, United States in 1992. The band currently consists of Ed Roland (vocals, guitar), Dean Roland of Magnets & Ghosts (g… read more
Collective Soul is a rock band which formed in Stockbridge, Georgia, United States in 1992. The band currently consists of Ed Roland (vocals, guitar), Dean Roland of Magnets & Ghosts (guitar), Jesse Triplett (lead guitar), Will Tur… read more
Better Than Ezra
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Cornell Law SchoolSearch Cornell
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CULLINAN v. WALKER, Collector of Internal Revenue.
262 U.S. 134 (43 S.Ct. 495, 67 L.Ed. 906)
Argued: March 9, 1923.
Decided: April 30, 1923.
opinion, BRANDEIS [HTML]
Mr. John Walsh, of Washington, D. C., for plaintiff in error.
Mr. Solicitor General Beck, of Washington, D. C., for defendant in error.
Mr. Justice BRANDEIS delivered the opinion of the Court.
A tax of $156,212.66 was laid upon Cullinan, under the Act of September 8, 1916, c. 463, tit. 1, §§ 1 and 2, 39 Stat. 756, 757 (Comp. St. §§ 6336a, 6336b), for additional gain or income of that year, assessed at $1,571,760. He paid the tax, under protest, and brought, in the federal court for Southern Texas, this action against the local collector of internal revenue to recover the amount. The question was whether certain securities received by Cullinan in that year should be deemed gain or income. The case was tried by the court without a jury, upon agreed facts, and judgment was entered for defendant. Cullinan contends that sec rities issued to him, which the collector treated as gain or income, were, in legal effect, like a stock dividend, and that, under Eisner v. Macomber, 252 U. S. 189, 40 Sup. Ct. 189, 64 L. Ed. 521, 9 A. L. R. 1570, he was not taxable thereon. The government insists that the securities so distributed were gains or income within the rule laid down in United States v. Phellis, 257 U. S. 156, 42 Sup. Ct. 63, 66 L. Ed. 180, and Rockefeller v. United States, 257 U. S. 176, 42 Sup. Ct. 68, 66 L. Ed. 186. This issue, presented on the facts hereinafter stated, is the only matter for decision. The case is here on writ of error under section 238 of the Judicial Code, because of the constitutional question involved. Towne v. Eisner, 245 U. S. 418, 38 Sup. Ct. 158, 62 L. Ed. 372, L. R. A. 1918D, 254.
Farmers' Petroleum Company was, in 1915, a Texas corporation, with a capital stock of $100,000. Cullinan owned 26.64 per cent. of its stock, for which he had paid (in that and the preceding year) $26,640 in cash. Later in 1915, the company was dissolved under the Texas law, and Cullinan became one of the trustees in liquidation. In 1916 the trustees organized two Texas corporations, Republic Production Company, a producing concern, and American Petroleum Company, a pipe line concern. To these corporations the trustees transferred the assets held by them, one-half in value to each. From each they received $1,500,000 par value of its stock and $1,500,000 par value of its bonds, being the total issues. The trustees also organized under the laws of Delaware a third company, American Republics Corporation, a holding company. To this company the trustees transferred all the $1,500,000 stock of each of the new Texas corporations; from it they received $3,000,000 of its stock. They thus held in 1916 the $3,000,000 stock of the Delaware corporation and the $1,500,000 bonds of each of the new Texas corporations. All these securities the trustees then distributed pro rata among the persons who had been stockholders in Farmers' Petroleum Company.
Farmers' Petroleum Company had been dissolved solely for the purpose of effecting a reorganization. The reorganization was undertaken, partly, in order to separate the pipe lines from the producing properties, which counsel advised was necessary, and, partly, in order to procure credit required for the developing business. The two new Texas corporations had, at the time of the distribution of the stock of the Delaware corporation, no assets other than those received from the trustees in liquidation. These assets were, at the time of distribution, of the same value as they were when held by the trustees in liquidation. Cullinan received 26.64 prr cent. of each class of security. The stock and bonds distributed were then all worth par. The aggregate value of the securities received by him was $1,598,400. The amount which he had invested in Farmers' Petroleum Company was $26,640. On the difference, $1,571,760, the internal revenue collector assessed the tax here in question.
Cullinan insists that his gain so ascertained was merely an incident of a reorganization. This was equally true in the Phellis and the Rockefeller Cases. It is sought to differentiate those cases on the ground that there the distributed stock of the new corporation was technically a dividend paid out of surplus, and that here the segregation is not of that character. But the gain, which when segregated becomes legally income subject to the tax, may be segregated by a dividend in liquidation, as well as by the ordinary dividend. If the trustees in liquidation had sold all the assets for $6,000,000 in cash, and had distributed all of that, on one would question that the late stockholders of Farmers' Petroleum Company would, in the aggregate, have received a gain of $5,900,000, taxable as income. The result would obviously have been the same, if the trustees had taken in payment, and distributed, bonds of the value of $6,000,000, in some new corporations. And the result must also be the same where that taken in payment is $3,000,000 of such bonds and $3,000,000 in stock of a third corporation. All the material elements which differentiate the Phellis and Rockefeller Cases from Eisner v. Macomber are present also here. The corporation, whose stock the trustees distributed, was a holding company. In this respect, it differed from Farmers' Petroleum Company, which was a producing and pipe line company. It differed from the latter, also, because it was organized under the laws of another state. It is true that, at the time this Delaware corporation's stock was distributed, it held the stock of the new oil-producing company and likewise the stock of the new pipe line company. But the Delaware corporation was a holding company. It was free, at any time, to sell the whole, or any part, of the stock in either of the new Texas companies and to invest the proceeds otherwise. By such a sale, and change of investments, all interest of the holding company in the original enterprise might be parted with, without in any way affecting the rights of its own stockholders. When the trustees in liquidation distributed the securities in the three new corporations, Cullinan, in a legal sense, realized his gain, and became taxable on it as income for the year 1916.
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ŠÁRKA JW I/1
opera in three acts
libretto by Leoš Janáček, based on a play of the same name by Julius Zeyer
Act 3 orchestrated by Osvald Chlubna
1887-88, rev. 1919, 1925
premiere 11. 11. 1925 Brno
first publication Universal Edition - Editio Moravia, Vienna - Brno 2001 (piano score, full score, performing material, ed. Jiří Zahrádka, critical edition)
This romantic opera is based on the Bohemian myth about Šárka, the heroine of the female army, and her doomed love for the warrior Ctirad. Before finishing the opera, Janáček quarrelled with the author of the libretto, the poet Julius Zeyer, who refused to give Janáček permission to set his text to music. As a result, Janáček had to leave Šárka, returning to it thirty years later.
Janáček was inspired to work on his first opera by the "musical dramaŠárka" by the poet Julius Zeyer, which the author had originally intended for Antonín Dvořák. When Dvořák did not use the libretto, Zeyer decided to at least print the text in the magazine Thalia, where Janáček read it and was so impressed that he immediately started work on his first opera. He shortened and modified Zeyer's text and by 1887 the whole opera had been completed as a piano score. Afterwards, Janáček sent his debut opera to Antonín Dvořák, who he had become friends with while studying in Prague. Dvořák's positive assessment of the opera emboldened Janáček to ask the already famous Julius Zeyer for his consent to setting his text to music. However, the poet was resolute in his refusal. What seemed to have angered him the most was the fact that a novice composer had taken his libretto without prior consent and had then changed and cut out much of the text. Despite the poet's opposition, Janáček continued to work on the opera, but because no agreement with Zeyer was possible, he set the work aside and over time completely forgot about it. It was only thirty years later when he was making the final arrangements for the premiere of Jenůfa in Vienna in 1918 that by chance he came upon the opera at the bottom of a trunk where he stored his manuscripts. He decided to finish it, but first of all he had to gain permission for setting the text to music which Zeyer had previously refused to give. The poet was no longer alive in 1918 and the copyright for his works belonged to the Czech Academy of Emperor Francis Joseph for Science, Literature and Art, which willingly gave its consent to the now-famous composer. The first performance of the opera Šárka took place at the National Theatre in Brno in 1925 under the baton of František Neumann and directed by Ota Zítek. From various documents it is apparent that Janáček did not consider Šárka to be a mere curiosity from his earlier days as a composer, but rather that he valued it just as highly as his best operas. He also put a lot of effort into trying to get it published by his publishers (Vienna Universal Edition), though this did not happen until 2001.
Opera synopsis
After the death of Princess Libuše, the women lost their numerous privileges, including the right to chose their own husband, which was why, under the leadership of the warrior Vlasta, they decided to declare war on men. The men were led by the husband of the deceased Libuše, Prince Přemysl. A young warrior, Ctirad, arrives at the courtyard of Libuše's castle. He explains to Přemysl that he has come for the weapons left to him by his ancestors which are kept in Libuše's tomb. Přemysl and the other rulers leave and Ctirad enters the tomb of the dead princess. Whilst lost in contemplation he is disturbed by a group of warriors led by Šárka, who wants to secure Libuše's crown for Vlasta, the ruler of the women. Ctirad, however, obstructs their path and Šárka and her warriors flee.
Although Šárka is aware of her growing sympathy for Ctirad, she is overcome by the desire for revenge and places him in a trap. She orders the other warriors to bind her to a tree and then hide. Ctirad is lured by Šárka's appeals to be set free, and she tells him that she was tied up by Vlasta for her failed attempt to secure Libuše's crown. Enchanted by Šárka's beauty, Ctirad immediately confesses his love for her and Šárka almost succumbs to the temptation to become his wife. But then she regains her resolve and with a blast of her horn signals her warriors to come out of their hiding and kill Ctirad. Later, Šárka regrets her actions.
Led by Lumír, some men bring the body of Ctirad to Vyšehrad and build a pyre to burn him on. Šárka arrives and confesses what she has done in front of everyone. Then she jumps onto the fire and stabs herself. Lumír then lights the pyre with a torch and everyone marvels over the power of love.
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2016 Boston Marathon Women’s Preview: Which Woman Will Separate Herself In A Wide-Open Field?
2016 Boston Marathon
View LetsRun.com event coverage
By LetsRun.com
It’s that time of year again. The greatest week in marathoning kicks off next Monday with the 120th edition of the Boston Marathon and finishes up on Sunday with the 36th edition of the Virgin Money London Marathon. We’ll be on-site all this week in Boston previewing the race, talking to the elites and providing live updates from the press room on Marathon Monday.
As is the case in the men’s race, the domestic women’s field in Boston is missing the usual big names as the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials were held just nine weeks ago in Los Angeles. Sarah Crouch and Neely Spence Gracey, both of whom had to scratch from the Olympic Trials due to injury, are the only American women entered in the elite field.
But the women’s field is still loaded with talent, especially Ethiopian talent, as reigning Olympic champ Tiki Gelana, LRC 2014 World #1/Dubai champ Tirfi Tsegaye, 2:19 woman Buzunesh Deba and several others will make their case for the 2016 Olympic team. Add in a couple of Kenyan studs in defending champ Caroline Rotich and Amsterdam/Honolulu champ Joyce Chepkirui (whom Molly Huddle just edged out at last month’s NYC Half) and you’ve got the ingredients for an exciting women’s race on Monday.
We take a detailed look at the women’s race below; you can read our men’s preview here.
What: 120th Boston Marathon
When: Monday, April 18, 2016. Elite women start at 9:32 a.m. ET; elite men start at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Where: Hopkinton to Boston, Massachusetts
How to watch: Live on NBC Sports Network and NBC Sports Live Extra starting at 8:30 a.m ET. In Boston, WBZ4 will provide local coverage beginning at 7:00 a.m. ET. Universal HD will also have a preview show on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
Prize money (amount is the same for men’s and women’s races)
1st: $150,000 6th: $12,000 11th: $2,600
2nd: $75,000 7th: $9,000 12th: $2,100
3rd: $40,000 8th: $7,400 13th: $1,800
4th: $25,000 9th: $5,700 14th: $1,700
5th: $15,000 10th: $4,200 15th: $1,500
Abbott World Marathon Majors
Boston is one of six Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) events (Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York). AWMM changed its scoring system last year (previously, champions were crowned over a two-year cycle; now the cycle is one year plus one race). February’s Tokyo Marathon marked the end of Series IX, the first series under the new system (Mary Keitany and Eliud Kipchoge were crowned champions). Series X begins on Monday in Boston and runs through the 2017 Boston Marathon.
At the end of the series, the athlete with the most points wins the $500,000 grand prize. Scoring is 25 points for a win, 16 for 2nd, 9 for 3rd, 4 for 4th and 1 for 5th. Only two races can count in a given series.
Elite Women: (Most of) Ethiopia’s Best
Name PB Nation Comment
Tiki Gelana 2:18:58 (2012 Rotterdam) Ethiopia Olympic champ was 3rd in Tokyo last year; hasn’t raced since May ’15
Buzunesh Deba 2:19:59 (2014 Boston) Ethiopia The rightful ’14 champ (behind doper Rita Jeptoo) was 3rd last year
Tirfi Tsegaye 2:19:41 (2016 Dubai) Ethiopia LRC’s World #1 in ’14 won Dubai in Jan.
Amane Beriso Shankule 2:20:48 (2016 Dubai) Ethiopia Finished an impressive 2nd in debut in Dubai in Jan.
Mamitu Daska 2:21:59 (2011 Frankfurt) Ethiopia Has won in Boston before (’13/’14 BAA 10k, ’14 BAA Half) but only 9th in Dubai
Atsede Bayisa 2:22:03 (2012 Chicago) Ethiopia Two-time Chicago champ coming off 2:25 win in Saitama in Nov.
Flomena Cheyech Daniel 2:22:44 (2014 Paris) Kenya Amsterdam runner-up coming off DNF in Osaka on 1/31
Tadelech Bekele 2:22:51 (2015 Dubai) Ethiopia 4th in Berlin last 2 years; 11th (69:08) at RAK Half on 2/12
Jelena Prokopcuka 2:22:56 (2005 Osaka) Latvia 39-year-old is past her peak but still capable (8th in NYC in Nov.)
Valentine Kipketer 2:23:02 (2013 Amsterdam) Kenya Talented (ran 68:21 at 18; won Amsterdam at 20) but has struggled of late
Caroline Rotich 2:23:22 (2012 Chicago) Kenya Defending champ was 10th at NYC in Nov.; 5th (70:45) at NYC Half on 3/20
Joyce Chepkirui 2:24:11 (2015 Amsterdam) Kenya Amsterdam/Honolulu champ ran 67:41, edged by Molly Huddle at NYC Half
Fatuma Sado 2:24:16 (2015 Toronto) Ethiopia Warsaw champ coming off 1:23 pb in Toronto
Fate Tola 2:25:14 (2012 Berlin) Ethiopia German-based Ethiopian ran 69:51 (win) in tuneup race
Lamei Sun 2:27:55 (2012 Beijing) China Has raced just once since start of 2015
Sarah Crouch 2:32:44 (2014 Chicago) USA 12th in Chicago in Oct.; ran 76:36 at NYC Half on 3/20
Neely Spence Gracey Debut USA Ran 69:59 HM PB in Oct.; 10th at NYC Half (73:17)
In our men’s preview, we explained how the Boston Marathon could have massive implications on the Ethiopian Olympic marathon squad — if the Ethiopian federation takes the quality of the field and the difficulty of the course into account, rather than simply going by time. Four years ago, the Ethiopian federation simply picked the three fastest women from the first half of 2012 — Tiki Gelana, Aselefech Megia and Mare Dibaba — as its Olympic team. Dibaba and Mergia wound up 23rd and 42nd, respectively, but Gelana, whose 2:18:58 in Rotterdam in April 2012 still stands as the Ethiopian record, won the gold medal.
So far, the three fastest Ethiopian women of 2016 are Tirfi Tsegaye (2:19:41 in Dubai), Amane Beriso (2:20:48 in Dubai) and Amane Gobena (2:21:51 in Tokyo). We’d expect at least one of those women to lose their spots as there are several Ethiopian studs running Boston this week and London next week (led by Mergia, Dibaba, and defending London champ Tigist Tufa). With Tsegaye, Beriso, Gelana and Buzunesh Deba all running Boston, if one (or more) of them runs exceptionally well on Monday, it would be foolish to leave them off the Olympic team.
We don’t know for sure how the Ethiopian federation will pick its Rio squad, but we’ll make the same plea for the women as we did for the men: please don’t base it solely on time.
Who’s the Favorite? There Is No Favorite.
This year’s Boston Marathon is wide open. Looking at our rankings of the top 10 women’s marathoners in the world for 2015, only one — #10 Caroline Rotich — will be running in Boston. That’s not to say that this Boston field is weak -though London’s field with 6 of the top 7 women in the world from 2015 is WAY BETTER – but rather that no one is coming off an amazing 2015 season. But several women in this field have impressed already in 2016, and with three sub-2:20 women (and a total of nine under 2:23), Monday’s race should be competitive and unpredictable, which makes for an exciting spectacle. With that preamble, we’ve broken down the field into a few groups, starting with the four women who, on paper, enter with the best chance to break the tape on Boylston Street.
One of These Four Will Probably Win
Tsegaye winning Berlin in 2014
Tirfi Tsegaye — Ethiopia, 31 years old, 2:19:41 pb (2016 Dubai), 67:42 half
Marathons since start of 2015: 3rd 2015 London (2:23:41). 1st 2016 Dubai (2:19:41), 8th 2015 World Champs (2:30:54), No prep races.
Tsegaye’s record over the past few years has established her as one of the world’s top marathoners. Though her results in 2015 (third in London, eighth at Worlds) were not enough to get her into LRC’s Top 10, when you factor in what she’s done before (wins at ’13 Dubai, ’14 Tokyo and ’14 Berlin) and since (2:19:41 pb to win Dubai in January), it becomes apparent that Tsegaye is a talented, consistent marathoner.
Tsegaye looked great in Dubai three months ago, crushing the field over the final 12k to win by 1:07. But there are a couple of reasons she may not look as good in Boston. First, the 12-week gap between marathons is not a big one; it’s possible she still felt the effects of Dubai in her legs during this buildup. In 2013, Tsegaye only finished fifth in Boston after winning Dubai.
The other worry is that she may not be suited to the Boston course. Tsegaye has finished in the top three in 14 of her 19 career marathons, but none of those performances have come in Boston. In 2011, she was only 11th in 2:27:29, while in 2013 she was fifth, as mentioned above. The good news is Tsegaye is a better marathoner now than she was in other of those years as she ran a PR of 2:20:18 in 2014, which she lowered to 2:19:41 in January in Dubai.
Given that she has the second-best PR in the field (and that PR is far more relevant than Tiki Gelana’s 2:18:58, which came four years ago and is not indicative of her current form) and a strong track record of marathon success, Tsegaye is a serious threat to win on Monday; will her third time in Boston be the charm?
Chepkirui was only 10th last year but should be among the top contenders on Monday
Joyce Chepkirui — Kenya, 27 years old, 2:24:11 pb (2015 Amsterdam), 66:18 half
Marathons since start of 2015 10th, 2015 Boston (2:29:07); 1st, 2015 Amsterdam (2:24:11); 1st, 2015 Honolulu (2:28:34);
Prep race: 2nd at NYC Half on March 20 in 67:41
Chepkirui, a 66:18 half marathoner (#9 all-time) entered as one of the top contenders in 2015 but finished only 10th in her Boston debut. A proven force in the 10k/HM, Boston was Chepkirui’s third attempt at a marathon, and at that point it was looking possible that Chepkirui may be one of those athletes whose range tops out at 13.1 miles. She did win Honolulu in 2014, but her debut in London in 2013 (15th in 2:35:54) was a disaster and her Boston showing wasn’t encouraging (10th in 2:29:07).
But since that race, Chepkirui has been on a roll. She won the Healthy Kidney 10K in New York less than six weeks later, won the Kenyan Champs in the 10,000 and placed third in the 10,000 at the Kenyan World Championship Trials (a separate meet from the Kenyan Champs). Her strong summer was just a prelude to a perfect fall, as she won the Dam tot Damloop 10-miler (51:30) in Amsterdam in September and ran a 4+ minute pb of 2:24:11 to win the Amsterdam Marathon in October. As if that wasn’t enough, she came back just eight weeks later and defended her title at the Honolulu Marathon, clocking a 2:28:34 — 1:49 faster than she ran the year before and the fastest time since 2009.
She seems to have rebounded well after the tough marathon double last fall as she ran 67:41 to narrowly lose to Molly Huddle (in controversial fashion) at the NYC Half on March 20. That time was over a minute faster than the 68:42 she ran to finish second in 2015.
Amsterdam and Honolulu aren’t Boston, but they are the kind of marathons athletes win before moving up to greater success in majors. Chepkirui is extremely talented, fit and more experienced than she was in her first go-round in Boston. That doesn’t make her the favorite but it certainly makes her a contender for the title.
Buzunesh Deba — Ethiopia, 28 years old, 2:19:59 pb (2014 Boston), 68:59 half
Marathons since start of 2015: 3rd, 2015 Boston (2:25:09); DNF, 2015 New York.
Prep race: 12th at NYC Half on March 20 in 74:39
Here’s a look at Deba’s results since April 1, 2014:
Date Race Time Place
4/21/2014 Boston Marathon 2:19:59 2nd*
5/31/2014 Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K 16:05 7th
6/14/2014 New York Mini 10K 32:20 5th
11/2/2014 New York City Marathon 2:31:40 8th
3/15/2015 NYC Half DNF N/A
4/20/2015 Boston Marathon 2:25:09 3rd
6/15/2015 New York Mini 10K DNF N/A
11/1/2015 New York City Marathon DNF N/A
1/17/2016 Houston Half Marathon DNF N/A
3/20/2016 NYC Half 74:39 12th
*Winner Rita Jeptoo failed a drug test in September 2014 and was banned from the sport for two years. In our minds, Deba is the rightful 2014 Boston champ and course record holder.
Notice anything interesting from the table above? How about the fact that apart from the last two Boston Marathons, every race Deba has run over the past 24 months has gone like crap?
Obviously, an athlete would like to enter a major marathon in good form, and Deba only ran 74:39 at the NYC Half on March 20th, but Deba DNF’d the NYC Half before Boston last year and was in contention until the final mile, ultimately finishing third. With that many recent DNFs on her resume, our guess is that Deba hasn’t been fully healthy for the past year, but we won’t know for sure until we talk to her at the elite media availability on Friday.
Despite Deba’s horrible recent record, we’re not counting her out as she’s someone who usually puts it together in a marathon (save for last fall in NYC). She’s finished first or second in 10 of her last 14 marathons, and in one of the other four, she was third in Boston last year with a chance to win late in the race.
Can Rotich repeat in Boston?
Caroline Rotich — Kenya, 31 years old, 2:23:22 pb (2012 Chicago), 68:52 half
Last two marathons: 10th, 2015 New York (2:33:19); 1st, 2015 Boston (2:24:55)
Prep race: 5th at NYC Half on March 20 in 70:45
Rotich may only have the 11th-best PR in the field, but she can say something no other woman in this race can: she is a Boston Marathon champion. The defending champion, in fact, as Rotich delivered a masterful performance last year to hand 2015 world champion/LRC World #1 Mare Dibaba her only loss in her last four marathons.
Rotich followed up her surprising Boston victory by finishing 10th in New York in November. It was a disappointing performance given that the Rotich’s coach, Ryan Bolton, who like Rotich is based out of Santa Fe, N.M., felt that she was in even better shape than she was in Boston.
“She had stomach issues the day of the race and throughout the race, but you just never know and that’s the marathon,” Bolton said. “It was not her day and she knew it. She was really fit and I was confident, but that’s why even going into Boston, she could be flying off the charts right now and it doesn’t mean anything on race day.”
Rotich has not been flying off the charts going into Boston, but she’s had a similar buildup to last year in that she began slowly but has really started to click in workouts over the past few weeks. She’s been injury-free and consistently in the 100- to 110-mile-per-week range.
Rotich ran 70:45 for fifth in last month’s NYC Half (she was fourth in 69:53 before Boston last year), which Bolton termed “an okay result.”
“Her goal there was to test the legs out, see how she was feeling, run hard,” Bolton said. “I think she was a little flat there which kind of makes sense with how training was going. She’s very clear on what her focus is and Boston is certainly her focus.
“It was an okay result. I’d have been psyched if she ran really well but she engages when she wants to engage and I know that her big focus [is Boston].”
Indeed, with the rewards a repeat Boston victory could bring — not just $150,000 and everlasting glory, but likely a spot on the Kenyan Olympic team — there’s a lot on the line for Rotich on Monday.
Rotich is not the most pedigreed runner in the field, and her results in majors outside of last year’s victory have been spotty: in seven other attempts across Tokyo, Boston and New York, she’s never finished better than fourth. But Bolton said that Rotich is confident in her abilities, and he is confident she has the fitness to respond to any kind of race.
“She’s physically good, physiologically good and mentally good and those are the three things you hope for when she gets to the starting line. I’m confident that she’ll be there ready to roll.”
For more on Rotich and Bolton, read our feature on them after Boston last year: LRC From Santa Fe To Boylston Street: How American Coach Ryan Bolton, An Olympic Triathlete, Helped Caroline Rotich Win the 2015 Boston Marathon
If we were to pick a winner, we’d go with one of the four women above, but as we said, this race is wide open. Even last year, when we felt we had a better handle on the race, we only wrote one sentence about eventual champ Caroline Rotich as little she had done up until that point suggested she was ready to break out in Boston. For the women below, a victory in Boston would count either as a breakout or a return to form. All have flashed varying degrees of talent in recent years but none have the consistency you’d like to see from a top-tier marathoner.
Tiki Gelana — Ethiopia, 28 years old, 2:18:58 pb (2012 Rotterdam), 67:48 half
Marathons since start of 2015: 3rd, 2015 Tokyo (2:24:26); DNF Rotterdam. No prep races.
Normally when you’re the reigning Olympic champion and fourth-fastest woman in history, you’re automatically among the contenders at any big city marathon. But that’s not the case with Gelana, whose fall from grace has been as rapid as her ascent to the 2012 Olympic title.
Gelana’s marathon career divides neatly into three sections:
Part I: Early Days
10/26/2009 Dublin 2:33:49 3rd
3/21/2010 Los Angeles 2:29:27 4th
6/6/2010 San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll 2:32:21 4th
10/25/2010 Dublin 2:29:53 4th
Gelana’s first four marathons were nothing to write home about. She debuted in Dublin in 2009 at age 22 and by the middle of 23, she had modest pbs of 2:29:27 and 70:22 (half marathon).
Part II: Glory Days
10/16/2011 Amsterdam 2:22:08 1st
4/15/2012 Rotterdam 2:18:58 1st
8/5/2012 Olympics 2:23:07 1st
In the span of three races, Gelana went from unknown to contender to the fourth fastest woman of all time to Olympic champion. Her 2:20:08 in Amsterdam was a course record and a PR by over seven minutes. Even accounting for the fast course and better competition, that’s a huge jump for a woman who had never finished better than third in four previous marathons. And then she went out six months later and ran another huge (3:10) PR, setting the Ethiopian national record and smashing the Rotterdam course record by almost two minutes. That set her up for an Olympic title in London that summer.
When she won the gold, she was still just 24 years old and seemed destined to be one of the dominant runners during the next Olympic cycle. Then, in her first post-Olympic marathon, this happened:
Part III: After the Fall
4/21/2013 London 2:36:55 16th
8/10/2013 World Championships DNF N/A
4/13/2014 London 2:26:58 8th
11/16/2014 Yokohama 2:29:13 6th
2/22/2015 Tokyo 2:24:26 3rd
10/18/2015 Amsterdam DNF N/A
We can’t prove that Gelana being run over by a wheelchair athlete in London in 2013 has had anything to do with her struggles over the last three years. But it does serve as a clear point of demarcation in her career. Look at those three races in the second section and compare them to the results above. It’s not the same athlete.
If Gelana is to defend her title in Rio this summer, she’ll need to win Boston on Monday. And given her ridiculous PR and past accomplishments, we can’t totally rule it out, especially since she ran 2:24 in the last marathon she finished, her best time since winning the Olympics. But that result in Tokyo came 14 months ago and since then she’s only finished one, race taking 8th at the Great Manchester Run in May 2015. She started the Amsterdam Marathon in October but didn’t even make it halfway before dropping out.
Whatever the reason for Gelana’s decline, we don’t feel comfortable betting on her until she proves she can recapture her old form. But if she runs well in Boston, watch out in Rio.
Amane Beriso — Ethiopia, 24 years old, 2:20:48 pb (2016 Dubai), 68:43 half
Debut marathon: 2nd, 2016 Dubai (2:20:48). No prep races.
Beriso ran tremendously well in her debut marathon, clocking a 2:20:48 in January to take second in Dubai. You can read that one of two ways:
She’s 24 years old, has a ton of potential, and could be even better in Boston.
She lost to Tirfi Tsegaye (also running Boston) by over a minute in that race, Dubai times always come with an asterisk and she’s got less than three months to recover between marathons.
In reality, it’s likely a little of both. A late addition to the field, we doubt Beriso would run here if she wasn’t feeling good about her fitness. But the undulating Boston course demands far more tactical nous from its runners than the pancake flat Dubai course, which has a grand total of four turns.
Flomena Cheyech Daniel — Kenya, 33 years old, 2:22:44 pb (2014 Paris), 67:39 half
Marathons since the start of 2015: 5th, 2015 Tokyo (2:26:54); 2nd, 2015 Amsterdam (2:24:38); DNF, 2016 Osaka; No prep races.
Daniel has a solid track record as she was second to Tsegaye in Amsterdam in October and strung together four consecutive marathon victories in 2013 and 2014, culminating in wins in Paris and at the Commonwealth Games. Though she’s consistently been able to run 2:24 to 2:26, to win Boston she’ll have to run the same time on a tougher course. She’s also coming off a DNF in Osaka in January. At 33, can she take the leap to the next level?
Valentine Kipketer — Kenya, 23 years old, 2:23:02 (2013 Amsterdam), 68:21 half
Last two marathons: 3rd, 2016 Mumbai (2:34:07); 1st, 2013 Amsterdam (2:23:02)
Prep race: Won First Lady’s Half Marathon in Nairobi on March 6 in 69:05.
Kipketer looked as if she might be the next big thing in 2013 as she won Mumbai in 2:24:33 and Amsterdam in 2:23:02. But since then, she’s run just one marathon, taking third in Mumbai in January in 2:34:07. Going from zero marathons in two and a half years to two in the span of three months is a tough adjustment, but Kipketer did run 69:05 (at altitude) to win the First Lady’s Half Marathon in Nairobi last month. That’s extremely impressive if the course was accurate. We can’t totally count her out but her long absence from the sport (she didn’t race at all from October 2013 to November 2015) is cause for concern.
Mamitu Daska — Ethiopia, 32 years old, 2:21:59 pb (2011 Frankfurt): Daska has impressive range, taking second at the RAK Half last year (66:28) before finishing eighth at World XC, running 14:52 on the roads and 30:55 on the track. However, she was only ninth in Dubai in January (running 2:28:53), so it may be possible that the marathon is a bit too far for her at the moment.
Atsede Bayisa — Ethiopia, 29 years old (on Saturday), 2:22:03 pb (2012 Chicago): Bayisa has put together some terrific performances in majors, winning Chicago in 2010 and 2012 and twice placing fourth in London, but this will be her first major since a disappointing 12th place showing in Tokyo two years ago. In the interim, she’s had a few stinkers (16th in Dubai last year) but is coming in off a solid performance, winning in Saitama in 2:25 in November.
Fatuma Sado — Ethiopia, 24 years old, 2:24:16 pb (2015 Toronto): Sado is no stranger to victory, winning marathons in Los Angeles, Warsaw, Xiamen, Hamburg and Beijing over the past six years, but she’s only run one major, taking fifth in Chicago in 2012. She enters on a roll, with a win in Warsaw last April and a 1:23 PR in Toronto in October, but to have a chance in Boston she’ll have to step up her game even more.
The Americans: Neely Spence Gracey and Sarah Crouch
Crouch and Gracey are in a similar position in that both initially planned to run the 2016 Olympic Trials but had to withdraw before reaching the start line in LA. Crouch developed an injury in December and couldn’t get healthy enough in time for the Trials, electing to run Boston instead. Crouch was sixth in Chicago in 2014 (third American) and 12th in 2015 (again, third American) and owns a PR of 2:32:44. As you might expect from someone coming back from injury, her two half marathons in preparation for Boston (76:10 in Birmingham on February 14, 76:36 in New York on March 20) weren’t amazing, but Crouch wrote on Instagram that the latter effort was meant to be at marathon pace, and 2:33 in Boston would be a good time for Crouch.
Neely Spence Gracey en route to a 13th place finish at World XC in 2013
Will that be enough to earn her top American honors? Well, the only other American in the elite professional field is Neely Spence Gracey, who will be making her debut in Boston. After her 69:59 half marathon in Philadelphia on Halloween, Gracey had intended to run the Trials. Gracey took two weeks off after Philly, giving her 13 weeks to build up for the Trials. But two weeks into that buildup, Gracey still wasn’t moving well due to some aches and pains and foot trouble. She decided to refocus on Boston instead.
“She could and did train through things and it wasn’t optimal,” said Steve Magness, Gracey’s coach. “I think one of the things going into the marathon that we wanted to make sure was she had a full buildup.”
Earlier this week, we spoke to Gracey’s husband Dillon (who helps coach Neely alongside Magness) about that buildup, and Magness echoed Dillon’s comments, saying that it was a grind for a while but the past two months have been very solid.
“She did a last marathon simulation a couple weeks ago at altitude, and it was by far the fastest she’s done and the longest; I think she got in close to 14 miles’ worth of work at altitude at near marathon pace,” Magness said. “So to be able to do that at altitude was huge for her. So it was a good sign that things are progressing and coming along really well.”
Magness said that Gracey doesn’t have a specific time goal but that she will likely go out somewhat conservatively so that she is feeling good for the challenging climbs during the second half of the race. With a small elite field, it’s a definite possibility that such an approach will lead to Gracey running large portions of the marathon on her own, but she is prepared for that reality: in her prep race at the NYC Half in March, she went out in 17:47 for the first 5k but picked it up every 5k from there, splitting 17:30, 17:06 and 16:57 the rest of the way to finish 10th in 73:17.
With a sub-70 half marathon pb, Gracey certainly has potential in the marathon, but everyone — including Magness — will be waiting until after Boston to render any judgments. Magness believes her future lies in the marathon and on the roads (she’s run just three track races since 2013), but when and where that next marathon comes is still up in the air.
“A lot of it depends on how this goes,” Magness said.
2016 boston marathon women
Who will win the 2016 Boston Marathon?
Valentine Kipketer
Flomena Cheyech Daniel
Amane Beriso
Joyce Chepkirui
Buzunesh Deba
Tirfi Tsegaye
Tiki Gelana
Caroline Rotich
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LRC2016 Boston Marathon
Related event: 2016 Boston Marathon
Posted in: Previews, Women's Running, Professional, Road, Distance, LRC, Events
Tags: Joyce Chepkirui, Buzunesh Deba, Valentine Kipketer, Tirfi Tsegaye, Boston Marathon, Neely Spence-Gracey, Caroline Rotich, Tiki Gelana, Abbott World Marathon Majors, Amane Beriso, Sarah Crouch, 2016 Boston Marathon, Flomena Cheyech Daniel, marathon
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Anti-vaxxers suing New York state over religious exemption
Posted: 10:17 AM, Jul 11, 2019
By: Jeff Rusack
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Fifty-five families across New York state are suing in an attempt to allow their children to attend school without being vaccinated, claiming religious exemption.
The lawsuit comes a month after the state passed a law that required all students to be vaccinated, regardless of religious beliefs. The law was a reaction to the number of measles cases skyrocketing this year across the country.
"I believe this is largely about active hostility towards religion. I do not believe it is about public health," said Michael S. Sussman, the attorney representing the families.
Sussman says 26,000 students across the state won't be allowed to attend school.
One mother from western New York, who did not wish to share her name or identity, is not part of the lawsuit but supports the families' efforts.
"I think (the state) thought that they had this completely finished and done. So, I'm actually very excited about (the lawsuit)," she said.
She's not going to change her mind about vaccines, so will not be any changes for her family.
"They're not allowed to go. They are not allowed to start in September. So, we will have to be homeschooled."
QueeNia AsheeMa'at'salready homeschools her son. But she says people who refuse vaccines because of religious beliefs are finding themselves in difficult situations.
"People right now, are not having their child in daycare because they had to pull their child out of daycare," AsheeMa'at said.
She believes this lawsuit has a strong case because of the first amendment.
"That's why we live here. That's why we love it here. That's why we won't move out of here," AsheeMa'at said.
The 55 families are also suing because the state did not hold any public hearings on the matter. A judge is expected to rule on a temporary stay on religious exemptions by the end of the week.
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Resources /
Coal and Gas Mining in Australia - Opportunities for National Law Reform
Report by the Australian Network of Environmental Defender's Offices (ANEDO), 2012
Nine national reforms to protect communities, food security, health, water, climate and biodiversity from the impacts of unsustainable coal and unconventional gas mining in Australia.
Download the PDF version of this report
Protect agricultural land by strengthening the legislative force of National Food Plan and Australian Food Council
Improve air quality regulation by establishing a National Environment Protection Authority
Ensure consistent regulatory standards through a National Mining Policy Statement
Reform relevant export control laws
Protect water resources from impacts of coal and unconventional gas mining
Improve regulation of chemicals used in coal and unconventional gas mining
Improve biodiversity protections
Protect world heritage areas from impacts of coal and unconventional gas mining
Require comprehensive and accurate accounting of all emissions from coal and unconventional gas mining
Specific recommendations to implement each of the above reforms are summarised below.
Similar to existing precedents for food related Commonwealth legislation (such as the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991), we recommend:
Draft new legislation to address the current regulatory gap in terms of protecting land for food production. The new Act would include 4 key purposes:
To provide a legislative framework for implementing the goals of the National Food Plan. This could involve a Commonwealth umbrella Act that sets relevant standards that State and Territory legislation must meet.
Provide statutory recognition of the role of the Australian Council on Food and clarify that the ACF has a statutory role in advising the Minister on any developments that are likely to impact negatively on food production. Include a legislative requirement that the relevant Minister approving the activity must take into account the advice from the ACF.
Provide for mandatory exclusion zones (applying to both unconventional gas development and coal mining development) including around prime agricultural land used for food production. Offence provisions should also apply.
Make it an offence for a constitutional corporation to engage in unconventional gas development on food producing land without the prior written consent of all individuals with an ownership interest in the land.
Schedule 4 of the IGAE explicitly states that an agency of the Commonwealth is responsible for developing National Environment Protection Measures for air quality, water quality and so on. These measures are to be tabled in the Commonwealth Parliament for disallowance,[i] while legislation is to be passed ensuring that the measures apply in each jurisdiction.[ii] Thus there is scope for the Commonwealth, in consultation with the States and Territories, to develop more stringent, binding measures. The following recommendations for national reform could therefore be undertaken on air pollution drawing on the existing NEPC and NEPM cooperative model, and underpinned by constitutional powers including in relation to regulating corporations and implementing international standards (external affairs).
Establish a national Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to administer an Australian Clean Air and Water Act. The EPA should be established to have three core functions: setting national standards for States and Territories to implement; assessment/concurrence roles for relevant developments such as coal and unconventional gas mining; and compliance and enforcement. The EPA’s responsibilities for regulating air, water and land pollution should be specified in the legislation as enforceable duties. These duties should require that the EPA sets and reviews lists of pollutants and emissions standards, and imposes best practice standards on all licenced facilities to be implemented through State and Territory legislation.
In the absence of a new Clean Air and Water Act, strengthen implementation of existing standards in the following ways:
NEPM standards (and the enacting legislation in each State and Territory) should be immediately updated to incorporate an annual average for PM10 of 20µg/m3, to make the current advisory standards for PM2.5 mandatory and to require the standards to not be exceeded, with exceptions made for natural events.
NEPM should be revised to require polluters to introduce a program of ongoing pollution reduction where all polluters are required to achieve proportional reductions in emissions.
NEPM, or an equivalent standard, should be introduced for all major emissions.
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) should be adopted as part of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. This should include comprehensive mandatory assessment of cumulative impacts and a requirement to link air quality monitoring and local pollution reduction targets.
The following recommendations for national reform could be undertaken by way of intergovernmental agreement.
Develop a National Mining Policy Statement, the implementation of which is to be coordinated through an Intergovernmental Agreement on Coal and Unconventional Gas Mining Impacts.
The National Mining Policy Statement should articulate high level principles in relation to protecting food producing land and the environment etc, and establish the cooperative mechanisms by which the principles will be implemented at a State/Territory level. These elements include:
Goals (with timeframes)
Uniform national standards
Uniform State and Territory legislation
Establishment of technical expert working groups to research, monitor and report on different impacts of coal and unconventional gas mining
Comprehensive regional assessments
Process for accreditation of state assessment processes where mandatory national standards are met.
Amend the Customs Act and associated regulations to prohibit the export of coal or unconventional gas from designated areas that are important to Australia and threatened by extraction for exports. Designated areas should include:
Areas important to existing Australian industries such as agriculture and tourism, including food-producing areas and tourism assets (particularly our 16 National Tourism Landscapes),
Areas important for the protection of Australian natural resources, including water resources, environmentally significant areas, and cultural heritage sites,
Areas important for the protection of Australian communities, including buffer zones around all residential dwellings.
Amend the water trigger in the EPBC Act to cover 'other forms of unconventional gas' including shale and tight gas development, and unconventional coal developments such as underground coal gasification.
Review the application of the ANZECC Guidelines, with a view to establishing specific national standards for coal and unconventional gas developments. These standards will provide certainty to industry and the community but should allow the ability to adjust standards to meet the needs of unusual environments, for example naturally saline waterways.
As per the Recommendation in part 2, establish a national EPA to administer a national Clean Air and Water Act.
No further underground coal gasification projects should be approved under EPBC Act matters of national environmental significance requirements until successful decommissioning of existing projects has been demonstrated.
Amend the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme Act (NICNAS Act) in the following ways:
Require NICNAS to undertake a full hazard assessment for all chemicals used in unconventional gas and coal activities, including their impacts on human health and the environment. The assessment should be overseen by an advisory body consisting of industry and civil society representatives.
Require compulsory disclosure of chemical ingredients of all fraccing and drilling products used by constitutional corporations in Australia.
Require the Director to prohibit all fraccing and drilling chemicals deemed harmful to human health and the environment.
Amend the EPBC Act in the following ways:
The Act should include clear criteria for refusal of coal and unconventional gas projects.
Apply a sunset clause of 2 years on developing mines after they have been deemed a controlled action to ensure that approvals are consistent with the latest knowledge on matters of national environmental significance.
Amend Part 9 of the EPBC Act to incorporate a transparent assessment process that takes into account the cumulative impacts of coal and unconventional gas development in an area. This should include a requirement to undertake bioregional assessments of the cumulative impacts of coal and unconventional gas developments.
Amend Division 6 of Part 8 of the EPBC Act to require the Minister to provide proponents of coal mining development or unconventional gas development with tailored guidelines. A schedule should be added to the regulations outlining guidelines that are specifically tailored to coal mining development and unconventional gas development. These guidelines should include a requirement to undertake detailed pre-assessment studies relevant to the matter of national environmental significance in accordance with international standards of best practice.
Amend the EPBC Act to provide for exclusion zones around sensitive environmental areas, including critical habitat. These would apply to all forms of development, including coal mining and unconventional gas development.
Prohibit mining of areas offset for biodiversity under previous approvals.
Amend the EPBC Act to provide for a schedule of mandatory conditions of consent to be imposed on approved controlled actions (in addition to other conditions of consent), where the controlled action is a coal mining development or unconventional gas development. The Act is to stipulate that mandatory conditions are to be developed in consultation with appropriately qualified experts.
Amend the EPBC Act to include broad open standing provisions and provide for merits-based appeals of decisions made under the Act.
Delete approval bilateral agreements to ensure the Commonwealth retains an approval role for coal and unconventional gas developments.
Consistent with the World Heritage Convention, amend the EPBC Act so that it protects the ‘OUV of a declared World Heritage property’, as well as the ‘world heritage values of a declared World Heritage property.’
Consistent with the Mission Report for the GBR World Heritage area, amend the EPBC Act so that it prohibits development that is likely to impact individually or cumulatively on OUV of all World Heritage properties in Australia.
Prohibit dumping of dredge spoil in the GBR World Heritage area and limit dredging to existing channels only.
Require buffer zones prohibiting coal and unconventional gas mining around World Heritage Areas.
Amend the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Act in the following ways:
To ensure that the NGER methods explicitly apply to all forms of fossil fuel extraction, including oil and all forms of unconventional gas (shale gas, coal seam gas and tight gas).
All new CSG and unconventional gas projects should be required to complete baseline and ongoing assessments of gas leakage in the area/region affected by the project to quantify any increased escape of methane from pathways across the landscape. Existing projects should be required to assess current levels of gas leakage in the area/region.
NGERS should be expanded to immediately require Method 4 recording of fugitive emissions on all wells and flared emissions and to require assessment, verification and accounting of all emission pathways or changes to emission rates from the landscape.
Amend the definition of "emission" in the NGER Act 2007 to include "Scope 3 emissions" and require reporting of Scope 3 emissions by all companies engaged in the production of energy commodities (producing coal, natural gas, oil and their derivatives and uranium).
Amend the Clean Energy Act to include require accounting for Scope 3 emissions by:
Amending the objects of Part 7 and adding a new section to that Part to ensure that all companies engaged in the production of energy commodities (producing coal, natural gas, oil and their derivatives and uranium) for export measure and report their Scope 3 emissions, and that any entity exporting energy commodities with scope 3 emissions above 25,000 tonnes is liable to pay an amount equal to the auction price of Australian carbon unit, if they are exporting to countries that do not have an ETS in place.
Amending Part 7 so that money raised from payment for Scope 3 emissions by energy commodity exporters is to be used to fund the Jobs and Competitiveness program and provide structural adjustment to regions where energy commodities are produced.
Appendix: Constitutional Power to reform
Management, regulation and protection of Australia’s biodiverse and resource-rich environment has given rise to a unique set of legal challenges, not least of all because the Constitution of Australia does not expressly empower the Commonwealth to create environmental or resource management laws. The Commonwealth may only pass laws based on ‘powers’ specified in the Constitution. This means that certain areas may only be regulated by the States and Territories. These powers have been broadly interpreted by the High Court so as to afford the Commonwealth increasing scope to legislate in areas that were once thought to be the sole domain of State and Territory Parliaments. Since Federation in 1901, successive Australian governments and the High Court have examined, defined and redefined the complex relationship between States’ rights and Commonwealth legislative powers.
It is now clear that the Commonwealth may rely on a range of constitutional ‘powers’ to create laws to manage our environment in accordance with the principles of ESD. It is also clear that they may regulate coal mining and unconventional gas development in order to protect Australia’s unique natural heritage and food producing land.
The Constitution of Australia
The Constitution does not include a ‘mining power’, a ‘land use power’, an ‘agriculture power’ or an ‘environmental power.’ As a result, it is necessary to determine which of the other powers may be used to enable the Commonwealth to pass laws regulating coal mining and unconventional gas development for the purposes of implementing ESD. Based on our analysis of High Court cases and/or existing legislation, we are of the view that Commonwealth Government is able to rely on the following powers to regulate aspects of coal mining and unconventional gas development:
External affairs power - s. 51 (xxix) - the external affairs power enables the Commonwealth to create laws regulating the environmental impacts of coal mining and unconventional gas development, as long as those laws constitute proper implementation of the environmental treaties to which Australia is a signatory.[iii]
Corporations power - s. 51 (xx) - the ‘corporations power’ confers broad power on the Commonwealth to legislate in respect of most areas directly or indirectly relevant to the operation of corporations covered by s. 51 (xx). Corporations covered by s. 51 (xx) are ‘foreign corporations, and trading or financial corporations formed within the limits of the Commonwealth’ (constitutional corporations).[iv] This arguably includes the activities of mining companies and unconventional gas companies, including the construction and operation of ancillary infrastructure. Almost all corporations undertaking coal mining or unconventional gas development (including statutory corporations) would clearly satisfy the definition of a ‘constitutional corporation’. Notable exceptions would include incorporated associations that undertake various activities, including mining. However, it is entirely possible that in applying the ‘activities test’, these entities could still be classified as ‘constitutional corporations’.[v]
Trade and Commerce power - s. 51(i) - empowers the Commonwealth to make laws with respect to ‘trade and commerce with other countries, and amongst the States.’ The power enables the Commonwealth to regulate interstate and overseas trade and commercial activities of coal mining companies and unconventional gas companies. This would include most aspects of ‘transporting’ goods from one place to another (that is, interstate or overseas). It also includes background negotiations and financial transactions. While Commonwealth legislation regulating trade or commercial aspects of coal mining and unconventional gas in Australia must not advantage or disadvantage operators (including electricity generators, retailers etc.) in one State (relative to operators in other States) (section 92); the power enables the Commonwealth to:
regulate those aspects of mineral and petroleum extraction that may impact – positively or negatively – on the export of those products
pass laws regulating the environmental impacts of coal mining and unconventional gas activities where the final products are being exported. This may extend to refusing to grant an export licence
regulate intrastate trade of coal or unconventional gas (or associated activities) where it is inextricably connected to interstate or export trade.[vi]
Territories power - s. 122 - The ‘territories power’ enables the Commonwealth to pass laws that apply to Australian territories, that is the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, as well as external territories. The ‘territories power’ is a plenary power which means the Commonwealth is not limited to creating laws covered by the other powers in the Constitution.[vii] For example, it is more than likely that the ‘territories power’ could be relied upon by the Commonwealth to regulate shale gas exploration and production in the Northern Territory.
Incidental power (s. 51 xxxix) - The Commonwealth may pass laws that are ‘incidental’ to the exercise of any other powers in the Constitution. Laws that are ‘incidental’ to the exercise of a power generally regulate something that is indirectly connected to a subject regulated by that power. For example, the export of minerals could be described as a legitimate subject of the ‘trade and commerce power’; according to the High Court, regulating the environmental impacts of mining is indirectly connected to this subject. The court was able to reach this conclusion because there was a sufficient connection between the regulation of these impacts and the export of the minerals.[viii]
In addition to unilateral Commonwealth legislation based on these five Constitutional powers, there are a number of cooperative processes that can and have been used to determine responsibility for natural resource management in Australia. Federal policy coordination and the development of agreements through COAG should be used in relation to strengthening regulation of coal and unconventional gas mining in Australia to ensure such activities are consistent with ecologically sustainable development.
There is therefore no strictly legal impediment to implementing the 10 areas of law reform recommendations contained in this report. Rather, inter-governmental cooperation and political will are necessary if the community’s expectations regarding regulation of these industries are to be met.
[i] IGAE, Schedule 4, Cls. 13 – 15.
[ii] IGAE, Schedule 4, Cl. 16.
[iii] Australia is a party to a number of environmental treaties potentially relevant to assessing the impacts of coal and unconventional gas mining including:
Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention);
Convention on Biological Diversity (Biodiversity Convention);
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention);
Convention on Migratory Species (Bonn Convention);
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (Stockholm Convention);
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol;
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (Desertification Convention);
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Law of the Sea Convention);
Convention on Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific (Apia Convention).
China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA).
Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA).
Republic of Korea Migratory Bird Agreement (ROKAMBA).
[iv] See: NSW v Commonwealth (2006) 229 CLR 1.
[v] See for example Pellow v Umoona Community Council (AIRC, SDP, O’Callaghan, PR973365, 19 July 2006 in which it was held that trading activity amounting to 10.64per cent of overall activity was sufficient for the Community Council to be classified as a ‘trading corporation’ for the purposes of s. 51 (xx).
[vi] Redfern v Dunlop Rubber Australia Ltd (1964) 110 CLR 194.
[vii] See for example Teori Tau v The Commonwealth (1969) 119 CLR 564; Spratt v Hermes (1965) 114 CLR 226;
[viii] Murphyores Incorporated Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1976) 136 CLR 1; [1976] HCA 20. See also Burton v Honan (1952) 86 CLR 169 in which Dixon J argued at 17 that there must be a ‘reasonable connection’ between the law relying on the incidental power, and the subject of the main power.
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Leadership Development Coaching is a series of conversations and other interactions between coach and coachee, that ultimately yield deeper insight and enhanced performance for the coachee – and, in many cases, transformations/shifts in character/spirit that add significant value to a person’s life experience.
Here is just a small sampling of the praise Lawrence received for his Leadership Development Coaching work:
“I met Lawrence Ellis at a healthcare conference, at which he delivered a daylong workshop on collaboration, facilitation and change. I was preparing a 10-hospital system for accreditation before the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. So his presentation resonated deeply with me. However, what impressed me most was the effect he had on the attendees (some of the nation’s top healthcare leaders). This group had disparaged an earlier presenter who failed to meet our high standards. In comparison, we gave Lawrence a standing ovation, which, according to conference organizers, is the first and only time this has happened in the nine-year history of the conference. As soon as I had an opportunity to hire Lawrence Ellis, I did. This was when I accepted a position as the Executive Director of National Patient Safety Foundation.”
– Dr. Joanne Turnbull, Retired Executive Director, National Patient Safety Foundation
“The approach focused on getting outstanding results, using efficient work processes and building a healthy workplace climate — and our team benefited in each of these areas. … I’ve worked with several excellent teams throughout my work life, on the sports field, and in other arenas — both as a team member and as a team leader. SMA was one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with, and I owe that, in large part, to the work of Lawrence Ellis.”
— Jim Pedrick, former Vice President, Strategic Marketing Analysis, Charles Schwab & Co
“Without a doubt, Lawrence Ellis is one of the absolute top consultants I’ve known over the course of my several-decades career… top-tier in both Complexity-Science Organizational consulting and Organizational Development consulting… an amazingly effective and rare combination of people skills and process savvy, with a strong focus on results… and consummate integrity.”
— Jocelyn Scarborough, former Vice President of Human Resources at AAA-NCNU; retired Vice President of Human Resources at SanDisk
“Lawrence Ellis is a caring, strategic coach who will help you discover and own your power. Lawrence builds on your strengths and helps you address the barriers that stand in your way. He stands as one of the top coaches with whom I have worked. I wholeheartedly recommend him to leaders interested in making successful leaps to new heights.”
– Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, three-term former World Secretary General and CEO of the World YWCA; President and CEO of The Global Fund for Women
“Lawrence was the primary coach for the core filmmakers. We were able to turn to him at almost every critical juncture: challenges with funders, political dynamics with luminaries, uncertainties about the creative arc of sections of the film, navigating mazes of the film world, and more. He modified his approach to fit our needs – from facilitating our problem-solving, to serving as a sounding board, from engaging as a wise thought-partner, to being appropriately directive at times, from giving us moral support with setbacks, to celebrating our successes. With his coaching, we became enormously more clear, skillful, and effective.”
– Guy Reid, Director of Overview (winner of 2013 Environmental Media Award), and Planetary, The Film
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Resolution adopted at Law Society’s special general meeting
Vancouver – At a special general meeting today, members of the Law Society voted to pass a resolution directing the Board of Governors, known as Benchers, to declare that Trinity Western University’s (TWU) law school is not an approved faculty of law for the purposes of the Law Society’s admissions program. The vote was 3,210 in favour and 968 opposed.
Under the Legal Profession Act, the resolution is not binding on the Benchers and does not reverse the Benchers’ decision made in April of this year, which permitted TWU’s law school graduates to enter the Law Society’s admissions program.
“The decision regarding whether to admit graduates from the proposed law school at TWU is a Bencher decision,” said President Jan Lindsay, QC. “However, the Benchers will give the result of today’s members meeting serious and thoughtful consideration.”
The Benchers made their decision on April 11 after thorough review and consideration of more than 800 pages of submissions, two reports of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, a number of legal opinions and the Supreme Court of Canada decision in a previous Trinity Western University case.
“This is a complex issue that engages many points of view,” Lindsay said. “There is currently litigation challenging the BC provincial government’s decision to approve a law school at TWU and litigation in Ontario and Nova Scotia challenging the decision by law societies there not to approve the proposed law school at TWU. Ultimately, I fully expect that the issues raised will be decided by the Supreme Court of Canada.”
Read the fact sheet.
The Law Society of British Columbia regulates the more than 11,000 practising lawyers in the province, setting and enforcing standards of professional conduct that ensure the public is well-served by a competent, honourable legal profession.
Ryan-Sang Lee
rlee@lsbc.org
Taylore Ashlie
Director, Communications and Knowledge Management
tashlie@lsbc.org
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Jay Gervasi, P.A. Attorney at Law
Get the help you need today 336-790-0157
For Injured
Are work injuries becoming less common?
On behalf of Jay Gervasi, P.A. posted in Workplace Injuries on Wednesday, February 24, 2016.
Work injuries take place all the time, and although some types may be in decline, they are still fairly common. If you're hurt at work, you may be entitled to workers' compensation, and that can help you pay your medical bills and even cover some of your lost wages. Are injuries on the decline, though, and should you worry about injuries in the future?
In 2014, there were close to 3 million nonfatal workplace illnesses and injuries reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor. That's a rate of 3.2 cases of injuries per 100 full-time workers in 2014.
In 2014, there was an increase in the number of hours worked in the private industry. What's interesting is that there were actually 54,000 fewer nonfatal injuries and illnesses during that time, showing that most workplaces were actually getting safer. That is a trend that has been going on for around 12 years.
When people were injured on the job, only around 1.7 out of 100 full-time workers had to take time off, transfer jobs, or work with restrictions. What this means is that even though some people were injured or ill, they were not badly injured or ill enough to take time away from work; the injuries and illnesses were not as severe as in past years.
Out of the close to 3 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses suffered, 95.1 percent were injuries on the job. Most took place in service industries. Interestingly, out of those who suffered illnesses, the number who suffered from skin diseases declined in 2014, showing a lower risk of skin-related conditions in the workplace.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses – 2014," accessed Feb. 24, 2016
Tags: Workplace Injuries
Related Posts: Workplace burns: They can be prevented with good safety programs, What kind of hazards lead to amputations?, You can seek compensation for these common workplace accidents, Captain of fire and rescue team killed due to unsafe operation
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Legislature Sends Governor Bill to Keep Party Going
Guy Marzorati
California's 4 a.m. last call bar bill is up for reconsideration under Gov. Gavin Newsom, founder of PlumpJack winery. Jerry Brown vetoed it last year. (Getty Images)
Bars and restaurants in nine California cities could extend the service of alcohol until 4:00 a.m., under a bill passed by the State Senate on Thursday.
Senate Bill 905 would give San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Cathedral City, Coachella, Long Beach, Palm Springs and Sacramento the option to license alcohol sales beyond the current 2:00 a.m. cutoff.
“California’s one-size-fits-all closing time doesn’t make sense,” reasoned Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who carried the legislation in order to match some of the state’s ‘last-calls’ to places like New York and Las Vegas.
More than a dozen Republicans in the Legislature supported the measure, largely because of its limited scope and the ability for cities to opt-in to the later hours.
“I’m probably the last person you’d expect to find in a bar at two o’clock in the morning,” said Assemblyman Jay Obernolte (R-Big Bear) on Wednesday. “But I’m a big proponent of local control.”
Opponents of the measure said the adverse effects of late-night drinking, namely drunk driving, cannot be contained within a city’s limits.
A similar bill pushed by Wiener failed last year. It would have allowed any California city to opt-in to later alcohol sales, as opposed to the current reigned-in version.
If signed by Gov. Brown, SB 905 would start a five-year pilot program, beginning in 2021.
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Mauritania’s electoral commission confirms Ghazouani win
by: AHMED MOHAMED, Associated Press
Ruling party presidential candidate and former Defense Minister Mohamed Ould El Ghazouani casts his ballot in Nouakchott, Mauritania, Saturday June 22, 2019. Mauritanians are choosing between outgoing President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz’s heir apparent and five opposition candidates who believe the front-runner would represent a continuation of his rule in this West African country battling Islamic extremism. (AP Photo/Elhady Ould Mohamedou)
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, a retired general who served as defense minister before being picked as the chosen successor to Mauritania’s outgoing president, won the weekend election by a large margin, the country’s electoral commission announced.
The result had been widely expected and was swiftly confirmed after Ghazouani claimed victory Saturday evening within hours of polls closing.
The election paves the way for the first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France in 1960, though retiring President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz had a hand in choosing his successor. Aziz was barred from seeking a third term under Mauritania’s constitution.
Ghazouani received 52 percent of the vote, while Biram Dah Abied, a human rights activist who has campaigned against slavery in the West African nation, received nearly 19 percent, according to the electoral commission.
Mauritania, a desert nation and moderate Islamic republic, has managed to avoid the spillover in violence from neighboring Mali that has plagued Burkina Faso and Niger.
Mauritania, though, has suffered five coups since independence, and has been led by military rulers for much of that time. Aziz himself was head of the presidential guard when he seized power in a 2008 coup, although he said he did so to prevent a return to repressive military rule.
He then won a landslide election the following year that his opponents decried as a fraudulent “electoral coup.” Most opposition parties boycotted the 2014 election, when Aziz won 82 percent of the vote according to official results.
Mauritania was the last country in the world to abolish slavery in 1981 but did not criminalize it until 2007. The United States ended trade benefits with Mauritania late last year, saying that the country is not making sufficient progress toward combating forced labor, including slavery. The Mauritanian government, however, denies that slavery is widespread in the country.
Bay Area / 6 mins ago
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103-year-old Florida woman granted citizenship
Posted: Jun 17, 2019 / 01:21 AM PDT / Updated: Jun 17, 2019 / 01:21 AM PDT
NORTH MIAMI (CNN) — A North Miami woman has just become a U.S. citizen at the age of 103. Andrea Joseph was born August 15, 1915 in Haiti.
She arrived in the U.S. about 15 years ago.
“We’re excited to celebrate Andrea Joseph, who just got her citizenship and became a United States citizen, and as a grand-nephew of Andrea, it’s a great pleasure,” said the woman’s great-grand nephew, McKenzie Fleurimond.
Her daughter, granddaughter and great-grandnephew surrounded her as she proudly holds up her citizenship diploma.
“We told her that she was going to become a citoyen, which is a citizen in Creole French,” said her granddaughter, Mildred Ogé. “She was excited, she was elated, overjoyed, even, that she finally can become a citizen of the United States of America. So it was definitely a great milestone in her life at the age of 103.”
Fleurimond is a commissioner for the city of North Miami Beach and is particularly excited to see his great grand aunt vote next year.
“Looking very forward to that, to bringing her to the polls for the first time.” Joseph says there’s a history of longevity in her family.
Her granddaughter also revealing one of the things she does to say young.
“So she just wants to thank God that her grandfather lived to be 110 years old. That’s what she’s contributing her age to,” Ogé said. “In addition to that, she just wants to thank God that she’s now able to be a United States citizen. She does enjoy being in the outdoors. She does like traveling.”
She’s a role model for her many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She enjoys going on road trips to visit them.
KEVIN DURANT’S POST-GAME 5 MESSAGE AFTER INJURY
DRUG LORD HIRED COPS TO SHOOT DAVID ORTIZ OVER ALLEGED AFFAIR
US TOURIST DEATH COUNT AT DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RESORTS RISES
HIGH-SPEED CHASE ENDS IN MILLION-DOLLAR DRUG BUST
FINAL SEAT INSTALLED AT CHASE CENTER IN SF
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Avowed white supremacist gets life sentence in car attack
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — An avowed white supremacist who plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a young woman, apologized to his victims Friday before being sentenced to life in prison on hate crime charges.
James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, had pleaded guilty in March to 29 of 30 hate crimes in connection with the 2017 attack that killed Heather Heyer and injured more than two dozen others.
Prosecutors and Fields’ lawyers agreed that federal sentencing guidelines called for a life sentence. But in a sentencing memo filed in court last week, his lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Michael Urbanski to consider a sentence of “less than life,” hoping he would take into account Fields’ troubled childhood and mental health issues.
Before the sentencing, Fields, accompanied by one of his lawyers, walked to a podium in the courtroom and spoke.
“I apologize for the hurt and loss I’ve caused,” he said. “Every day I think about how things could have gone differently and how I regret my actions. I’m sorry.”
His comments came after more than a dozen survivors of and witnesses to the attack delivered emotional testimony about the physical and psychological wounds they had received as a result of the events that day.
“You had a choice to leave Charlottesville, but you did not,” said Rosia Parker, a longtime civil rights activist in Charlottesville who said she was standing feet away from Heyer when she was struck by Fields’ car.
“You could have done anything else but what you did,” Parker said, her voice choking as she stared directly at Fields. “So, yeah, you deserve everything that you get.”
Fields appeared stoic and didn’t look at Parker or any of the victims as they spoke.
Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, said she wanted Fields to spend his life in prison but also hoped he would get the medication he needed and that one day he would change his views and no longer support white supremacy.
“I hope he can heal someday and help others heal,” Bro said.
Fields drove from his home in Maumee, Ohio, to attend the “Unite the Right” rally on Aug. 12, 2017, which drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Hundreds of counterprotesters showed up as well.
President Donald Trump sparked controversy when he blamed the violence at the rally on “both sides,” a statement that critics saw as a refusal to condemn racism.
Prosecutors said Fields had a long history of racist and anti-Semitic behavior and had shown no remorse for his crimes. They said he is an avowed white supremacist, admired Adolf Hitler and even kept a picture of the Nazi leader on his bedside table.
During the sentencing hearing Friday, FBI Special Agent Wade Douthit said Fields “was like a kid at Disney World” during a high school trip to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.
Douthit read grand jury testimony from a high school classmate of Fields who said Fields appeared happy and made the remark, “This is where the magic happened.”
The statement provoked audible gasps from the crowd that had packed into the Charlottesville courtroom.
The classmate said when Fields viewed the camp’s gas chamber he said, “It’s almost like you can still hear them screaming.”
Douthit said the classmate was so disgusted by Fields’ remarks he stopped associating with him.
During Fields’ state trial and in their sentencing memo, his attorneys focused on his history of mental illness and traumatic childhood.
A psychologist testified that Fields had inexplicable volatile outbursts as a young child, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 6 and was later diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder.
In a sentencing memo, defense attorneys said Fields was raised by a paraplegic single mother and suffered “trauma” knowing that his Jewish grandfather had slain his grandmother before taking his own life.
Leaders of white supremacist California prison gang charged in killings
Colleges see sharp rise in white supremacist propaganda
VIDEO: 5 teens arrested in connection with white supremacist graffiti at two Sacramento-area schools
National / 1 min ago
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UPDATED: Oh, my Niga. Non-offensive generic post title about Black man in fight with elderly Korean man on bus that has become latest video sensation in Korea
Ahem, as much as I hate to push a post with a hit-generating title like "no more angry sex with my running partner in a café restroom for me" off the front page, this video has grabbed the K-blogs by the throat and is throttling for all its worth.
Having read at The Marmot's Hole the explanation that the Black gentleman on the bus to Pundang had misinterpreted Niga (as in a casual "You..." as the subject of a sentence) as the incendiary N-word, it was painful to watch this man go off so badly over a misunderstanding.
I was all set to write a post where, well, I actually came down on the side of the Black guy in the video — at least a little. I'm not Black, but I spent half my childhood in Compton, long enough to have a very different view (apparently) of Black people than many non-Blacks in America, and long enough to recognize, when I later lived in Orange County and elsewhere, the often schizophrenic and hypocritical way that many non-Blacks regard and treat Blacks. (Not to mention later in Seoul, when so many Whites suddenly take up the cause of Blacks in Korea because, well, they suddenly feel they are treated the way they think Blacks are treated, even though this wasn't really such a bother to them back home. But I digress...)
I was going to come out and write sympathetically, as I have before, about how most non-Blacks really have no clue what it's like to live inescapably from the taunts, snickers, condescension, backbiting, and even racial epithets that are commonplace if you are Black in America. Which carries over in different ways to being Black in Korea. No, I'm not Black, but in the latter half of my childhood and adulthood I was very attuned to the knee-jerk reactions to Blacks they saw (seriously, there was a time when I would have said without a second thought that I was more afraid of White people than Black people).
So if the guy really did hear Niga but thought he heard Nigga, I'd cut him some slack for going off. Maybe the guy has anger issues, but maybe the guy also has just been seething from so much crap thrown his way, in Korea and back home.
An update at The Marmot's Hole link above says the guy was with his girlfriend, and I'm thinking that supports my suppositions that the guy — walking around or taking public transport with his Korean (?) girlfriend — has endured a lot of crap and he may have reached the tipping point.
Now, as Oranckay points out, none of that allows you to go off on a harabŏji (grandfather figure) in Korea. Nothing. You let him hit you with his umbrella and his words, parrying both in a defensive pose, but you do not attack. That earns you no brownie points and can land you in jail. Black, White, foreigner, or Korean.
But the constant barrage of "검둥이," "무섭다," etc., can eventually send some people over the edge.
Now just as I was about to hit PUBLISH, I get a link to Metropolitician's site, which has a post on the same topic, but from a completely different point of view:
Left out of the conversation -- and a question that every Korean would ask were the court of popular opinion turned against them -- is any consideration of what the context was. Not that there's an excuse for hitting another person without cause, but the funny thing about this video is that we're right in the middle of an altercation that obviously was started for a reason, OFF-camera, but no one on the Korean side seems to care what it was, and the video's title hints at what the real issue is: a scary black man attacks defenseless old Korean man. Case closed -- we know what we expect, we know how they do, we got the case that we want. It's a "BLACK MAN," after all. ...
Because life as a black man in Korea affords you about the same amount of sympathy, both in person and in the media, as one might have gotten in the Deep South in the 1950's. Doesn't matter that violence, both mental and physical, is done upon you day in and day out -- you step out of line one time, and that's your ass.
He also goes on to talk about the Shinchon stabbing, tying it in with the gang-up-on-the-foreigner impression he has, as if the Black guy on the bus or the White guy in Shinchon are mostly not responsible for their fate or their actions. (Metropolitician and others have characterized the Shinchon stabbing as having been instigated or "provoked" (Stephannie White's word).
But like with the guy on the bus threatening people with his "rocks" and using Korean and English profanity and being a physical menace, the guy in Shinchon was not some babe in the woods caught up in the cogs of the Korean judicial system after being "provoked" by anti-American agents in Shinchon. As I wrote elsewhere:
They "provoked" the GIs to go to Shinchon which is off limits. They "provoked" the guy to bring a knife with him when he went out drinking. And then they "provoked" him to hold it to someone's neck.
That's some mighty skilled provokin'.
Okay, it's late (4 a.m.) and I need to wrap this up. I basically have found myself in a position where, owing to my own Compton roots, I was sympathetic to the Black guy who thought he was being berated in a directly or indirectly racist way and then reacted angrily and violently even though he didn't really have the Korean skills to back up his chip-on-the-shoulder feeling (that is fueled by K-blog rhetoric, but that's another story for another day), especially since he apparently apologized.
But Metropolitician has gone and ruined that. His knee-jerk defense of this kinda sorta almost indefensible guy (despite my own defense of him), tied in with his sixth sense for all things racist and xenophobic, and held down by using that Rhode Island-sized chip on his shoulder as a paperweight, has made me rethink my cautiously contingent support for the guy.
It also doesn't help that I was going to cite in this post his earlier claim of a supposed Southern expression — "When the Nigger starts to win then we all jump in!" — and discuss how it didn't really pan out here (apparently there was no violence done by the Korean crowd to the guy), but Metropolitician went and made that the actual title of his piece.
Okay, anyway, it's late and I'm groggy and I'll probably take this post down after (a) getting lots of emails or comments saying, "Boo!" which is what we from Compton have to face in life, (b) waking up and realizing it's full of logically or grammatically unsustainable sentences, and/or (c) something else.
For now, however, I leave you with the words of Pawi Kirogi, who sums up what I think should result, Metropolitician's defense of the guy notwithstanding:
no, don’t kick him out. the man’s sensitive to racial slight and lost his cool with a perception. he says he knows he was wrong and wants to apologize. if the ajoshi is willing to accept, that should be that.
Yeah, I think that's what I've been trying to say somewhere up there. The guy has learned a lesson, and maybe everyone else has: "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably; the lesson is, never try.”
I don't like this post, but that largely stems from not liking this entire issue. It has me posturing against posturers, he-said ni-said crap, "my experience trumps your experience" stuff, etc., etc. There's nothing clean and philosophical that can come from this, except maybe "Don't speak English loudly in public" (Marmot), "Don't ride the bus/subway while Black" (Metropolitician), or "Carrying around a massive chip on your shoulder might make you see/hear things that aren't there" (kushibo).
It also stems from having written the latter part of it way too late at night and the resulting me-too feeling I get from it.
Linkin' Lawyer Benjamin Wagner asks at The Marmot's Hole:
Curious about people’s opinions on what the guy could or should do at this point to try to makes things right or at least better. Especially interested to hear what Korean commenters would advise.
I guess it's too late for "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
Um, I think the usual would be in order: a deeply contrite apology and an offer to make monetary amends for any physical damage caused, plus people from his hagwon and elsewhere — including Koreans who can speak Korean, if he has any — who can attest to his good nature in regular life. That might get him off with just a fine and no jail time or deportation.
Popular Gusts, as usual, puts together a first-rate set of links on this issue. I have to admit, though, after reading more detailed descriptions of the guy's violent behavior (e.g., trying to "strangle" the elderly gentlemen several times, etc.), my sympathy is quickly dissipating. I'm still leaning toward giving the guy a second chance if he's contrite and this incident was very uncharacteristic of him, but this is serious legal assault.
I'm also reminded of a post I wrote back in 2009, where I pointed out that it's sorta against your best interests to defend everyone in your group (in this case defending Mr H because he's Black, American, or an English teacher who may bear the brunt of xenophobia just like you). Sometimes the Korean public reacts badly to an American or English teacher or whatever because he has in fact done some reprehensible things.
At least this case is getting a lot of KoKos to think about and discuss the stress that builds up for foreign residents of Korea who are routinely singled out as different and, sometimes, even unwelcome.
At Marmot's, Metropolitician writes an impassioned defense of his use of this case to highlight what he considers increasing violence against foreigners:
This IS an appropriate time to bring up the fact that foreigners are harrassed at what I consider to be higher numbers than before. This is the “teachable moment” that the subject has been brought up in the Korean media, although in its most sensationalist form, and in the specific way that happens to NOT represent reality for most confrontational situations between foreigners and Koreans. Sorry, no matter what you say, nothing convinces me that foreigners — no matter how rude or culturally inconsiderate some can be — go around physically threatening or assaulting Korean people. Korean crime stats don’t bear that out, and you can bet a scandal-hungry media would certainly pick up on it were this to be the case.
I'm not so sure I agree there is an overall increase or even a per capita increase (it would make sense that more foreign residents would mean more reports of being victim of violent or racist behavior). I also don't think that labeling the whole of the Korean media as "scandal-hungry" is correct or prudent. In fact, I know reporters who would probably want to focus on the foreigners-as-victims angle, if they could wade through Metropolitician's various screeds to see if there's any there there.
I do wish to question Metropolitician's activist wisdom. This guy, as I'm seeing more and more on the various blogs and news sites, was way out of control, violent, crazy, and even murderous. And that makes him not a very good poster child for crimes-against-foreigners. There's a reason that Rosa Parks, whose "character was impeccable," was chosen as the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott that catapulted civil rights onto the national stage in the 1960s. She hadn't been the first one to be forced out of her seat, but she was the one that the civil rights leaders saw would be someone whose character could not be attacked by those looking to excuse what was going on. Mr H is no Rosa Parks, and this situation is no foreigner-as-victim set of circumstances.
I forgot mention this:
Criticize me, disagree with me, but don’t put shit in my mouth I didn’t say, or say I do things I don’t.
I hear ya. If you're going to put shit in Metro's mouth, use scare quotes.
Jieun at The Marmot's Hole, another favorite of mine, left a comment I liked:
With all due respect, if you could kindly bear with me here:
A guy with an ethnic background similar to yours commits an act that is patently flagrant—in any way one looks at it (and no one with a right mind would act the way he did upon being told by a much weaker elderly man to “shut up.”)
Then, you appear, saying you’re not defending anyone, and start seguing into a bitter tirade about how you (and your friends)—all good model citizens and polar opposites of the guy on the bus, I’m respectfully sure—have been victimized for years by the society at large, or rather, by the social fringe.
Do you see it? I don’t think that is the strongest tack you can take to further your cause/grievance.
I’m truthfully (and sometimes hopelessly) empathic; I feel for you, but I think it’s time you reconsidered your paradigm of thought as to how to bring about change, away from focusing on the hurt.
If you’ve ever felt you haven’t gained much traction pushing the “issues” into public debate, there must be a reason—and a good one at that.
The funny thing about having a name like "Michael Hurt": it's an apt emotional descriptive.
Labels: Blacks in Korea, racism, random randomness, The Black Guy on the Bus™
But can he eat a live octopus?
From Huffington Post, which I likely wouldn't read were it not for the occasional Korea news alert, comes news that Josh Brolin will star in Spike Lee's remake of Oldboy.
I guess Spike Lee has moved from making movies about Koreans swinging brooms to remaking movies about Koreans swinging hammers.
My thoughts later, but right now I'm working on a deadline. I'll leave you with a past post that explains the title of this current post.
Labels: Oldboy
Question: What do the following have in common?
Drinking coffee
Drinking soda
Blowing your nose
Straining on the toilet
Being startled
Getting angry
Answer: They are all potential triggers for brain hemorrhaging.
The rupture of a brain aneurysm is a relatively rare event but, as it causes bleeding in the brain, that event is a potentially devastating one. Now researchers have attempted to identify possible triggers for such ruptures, also known as hemorrhagic strokes, finding that sex, coffee and losing one’s temper -- among other things -- may raise the risk.
Such ruptures begin with aneurysms, which are weak spots in blood vessels in the brain. Under stress, those weak spots can rupture and lead to hemorrhaging, or bleeding. But it wasn’t clear what activities put people at the most risk of a resulting hemorrhagic stroke.
Now before you give up any or all of them, read their suggestions:
“Reducing caffeine consumption or treating constipated patients with unruptured [intracranial aneurysms] with laxatives may lower the risk of [subarachnoid hemorrhage]. Although physical exercise has a triggering potential, we do not advise refraining from physical exercise because it is also an important factor in lowering the risk of other cardiovascular diseases.”
That plus anger management.
This is the artwork I got when I image-googled
"angry sex with my running partner in a café restroom."
... and this. I'm guessing that bloke on the bottom
is at minimal risk for a brain hemorrhage.
Labels: coffee, public health reader, random randomness, sex, soda
One reader noted that I seem to read a lot of what he/she called "kvetchpatry"-promoting blogs, to which I replied I would love to hear about other good blogs.
So that got me thinking that I should put up a post asking for more such suggestions, something that might be worthy of the esteemed honor of being on the "Blog roll of blogs that list me in their blog roll (plus a few other blogs I like or check out)" or the uber honor of making "Our Daily Breadth."
So if you're holed up on the East Coast because of Hurricane Irene flooding, have at it. Everyone else, too.
Posted by kushibo at 8/29/2011 07:10:00 AM 19 comments
Labels: in other blogs, K-blogosphere
Ron Paul wants a party like its 1899
As Hurricane Irene barrels along the Atlantic Coast for maximum damage, Ron Paul says the nation would be much better off without FEMA and people in his district can get along just fine, like they did in 1900:
As Hurricane Irene barrels along the U.S. East Coast, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas said the nation would be much better off without the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"I live on the Gulf Coast. We put up with hurricanes all the time," the GOP presidential candidate told CNN after a New Hampshire campaign event Friday. "There's no magic about FEMA. More and more people are starting to recognize that."
Paul has long been a critic of the agency, which he calls a "great contributor to deficit financing."
With more than 7,600 employees, FEMA falls under the Department of Homeland Security and coordinates response efforts when disasters strike.
Citing the Galveston hurricane in 1900 that obliterated much of the Texas coast, the libertarian-leaning congressman said Americans were able to rebuild their cities and put up a seawall without the federal government's help.
"FEMA is not a good friend of most people in Texas," Paul said. "All they do is come in and tell you what to do and can't do. You can't get in your houses. And they hinder the local people, and they hinder volunteers from going in."
In 1900, six to eight thousand people were killed (how's that for "putting up" with a hurricane?) when a hurricane and tidal surge hit what would later be his district. One wonders how many would have died with the same type of hurricane if there'd been a national warning system and mandatory evacuations of dangerous low-lying areas and then efforts to keep people away from dangerous post-hurricane conditions.
The fascists from FEMA would probably have had the
gall to prevent children from walking around the
rubble following the hurricane that hit Galveston.
But I guess the mismanaged FEMA of the Bush43 era left an indelible mark in the minds of many people like Representative Ron Paul. It also underscores a general theme: Republicans are often very distrustful of government agencies because when they get control of them they muck it up. In all seriousness, there is a difference between effective government and incompetent government, and a good moderate (or Democrat) recognizes that and seeks to find the difference, while such Republicans as Ron Paul simply believe it's all bad and would just throw everyone to the proverbial wolves.
Labels: hurricane, Hurricane Irene, Katrina, Ron Paul
Blatant apologism
If you've read my posts discussing the infamous Imperial Japanese apologist Gerry Bevers (here, here, and I guess here or even here), then you would know that I find comments like this from Mr Bevers so gallingly ignorant:
DLBarch wrote:
I could not agree more. One of the perplexing dynamics within the expat communities in Japan and Korea is that expats in Japan seem to overwhelmingly be card-carrying apologists for the country and members in good standing in the Chrysanthemum Club, while expats in Korea seem to be card-carrying members of the “I’m-white-and-privileged-but-still-manage-to-bitch-and-complaint-about-every-little-f*cking-thing club.
The irony, of course, is that Japan has SO MUCH MORE to answer for historically, and yet has all but gotten a free ride on its disgraceful historical legacy.
The ones who got off easy after World War II were the Koreans, who were allied with the Japanese. The US and her allies allowed Koreans to play the victim as much as they did because they wanted to break up the Japanese Empire. However, no matter how Koreans may try to spin it, they did support the Japanese war effort.
The Japanese did not get a free ride, Mr. Barch. Millions of Japanese soldiers were killed, along with hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians.
The Japanese, the Chinese, the Russians, the Koreans, Australians, and Americans all committed war crimes, but it was only the Japanese and her allies who were convicted of them, and they were either executed or imprisoned. See HERE.
Japan lost all of its empire, and Japanese citizens in Korea and other places were forced to leave all of their proverty behind and return to Japan. On top of that, Japan paid a great deal in war reparations.
As for Korean comfort women, which we hear so much about, some may have been forced by Korean and Japanese pimps into the business, just as they are today, but most were probably just prostitutes looking to make an easy buck, just as they had done before and have done after.
I'm very busy this weekend, but when I have a chance, I'll write a response. Not from scratch mind you, but a collection of links, since this is old hash from Gerry that has been chased down by the antacid of truth and logic long ago.
I will acknowledge, though, that there were indeed Korean war criminals: they constituted some 1% of all the "Japanese" war criminals. There were also those who volunteered for military service, including Park Chunghee who later took over the country and was architect of its rise. But that does not negate that there were hundreds of thousands if not millions forced into hard labor, cruelty abounded, hundreds of thousands were killed at the hands of the Japanese or in Japanese military actions, hundreds of thousands of women were forced into sexual slavery, etc., etc.
And the idea that Korea — a country forcibly taken by Japan and then run with an iron fist by Japanese military leaders — could be described as a willing "ally" is just absurd.
If one has visited Yasukuni Shrine's Yushukan Museum (see here and here), it is striking how much Mr Bevers tale dovetails with that of Japan's right-wing apologists.
Oh, and DL Barch makes a valid point. In Korea, such people are called kvetchpats.
Labels: apologism, Gerry Bevers, looking back on Imperial Japan, Yasukuni
I guess they don't realize how tough the job market is out there
Well, to our left we have Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon resigning after failing to muster together enough votes or voters for his egalitarianism-versus-fiscal prudence school lunch referendum. Effective immediately. This was done as promised after Mayor Oh got only one in four Seoulites to vote when he'd promised to quit if it were less than one in three.
And the to our right we have Japanese PM Naoto Kan resigning, echoing the words of Andy Warhol that in the future everyone in Japan will be prime minister for fifteen minutes. Kan's resignation was also to fulfill a promise, which makes me think it sorta sucks that the only politicians we can trust at their word are the ones leaving office.
What does this all mean? My guess is that Oh and Kan have been planning to run away together for sometime. Really, that's the only plausible explanation.
Anyway, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I didn't follow Oh's policies in our fair city while he's been mayor quite as much as I should have, even though they probably have a profound effect on the vector* of my humble-but-takai apartment's market value. Kan, on the other hand, was someone well known for trying to make nice with South Korea and other victims of Imperial Japan's aggression, so I'm a little sad to see him go for that reason.
Also, his departure means I won't have many more opportunities to run this:
Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!
* That's direction and magnitude, in case you've forgotten middle school math, as in will it go up or down and by how much.
Labels: Japan, Mayor Oh, Naoto Kan, Seoul
Jobs loss
Although Steve Jobs's health problems have been the source of discussion for quite some time, it was a bit shocking to read the announcement that he is resigning as CEO of Apple, though he said he'd like to remain as the Chairman of the Board:
Steve Jobs, the visionary who remade Apple into the world’s dominant maker of tech gadgets, has resigned as the company’s CEO.
In a letter to the Apple Board of Directors and “the Apple Community” Wednesday, Jobs wrote that Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook will take over his CEO duties.
“I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee,” Jobs wrote.
“As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple. I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role. I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.”
With Korea-based Samsung being a major competitor of Apple, this news is no doubt of interest to many. Here is the Wall Street Journal's Seoul correspondent Evan Ramstad's take on it, which comes as the good people of Seoul vote on a free lunch plan that pits South Korean deeply engrained post-war egalitarian ideals against recent calls for fiscal prudence:
The fate of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is dominating the South Korean media Thursday but the resignation of Steve Jobs from his CEO role at Apple Inc. isn’t far behind.
Mr. Oh presided over a failed referendum Wednesday to reduce the scope of Seoul’s school free-lunch program and strongly intimated that he’d resign as a result. So people are waiting for that shoe to drop.
But Mr. Jobs’ departure from his main operating role at Apple is also getting huge attention. In part, that’s because of a media-driven narrative that Apple and Google are threatening to South Korea’s “national champion” companies Samsung and LG. On the other hand, Mr. Jobs is widely admired in South Korea as a visionary and entrepreneur.
His resignation speech was quickly translated into Korean and posted on the country’s main portal site, Naver. And thousands of South Koreans took to Twitter to write short tributes to Mr. Jobs.
“He was the greatest CEO, a visionary to create the dream, a strong person who practices what he pledges,” Jeong Ji-hoon, a medical doctor and prominent tech blogger in Seoul, wrote via Twitter. “We are paying our respect to the resignation of the greatest giant of our time.”
I guess we're still waiting for a couple sets of shoes to drop. I wish some other long-serving chief executive would resign instead over health reasons.
Labels: Apple, Mayor Oh, Seoul
Anyone want to save me half an hour or so on WebMD and give me some ideas what the hell that brown patch is on the side of Kim Jong-il's head?
I'd do it myself, but I'm not a doctor (though I play one on TV).
Maybe he agreed to this summit because he thought the President of Russia was Medvedev Doctor.
Okay, no more bad puns. I really want to know what's up with that. Did someone box his ears during an attempted coup that they're now trying to cover up, à la George W. Bush and the pretzel incident?
Is it the beginning of a goiter?
While we're at it, what do you suppose he's laughing at?
Labels: Kim Jong-il
Russian president says Kim Jong-il supports pipeline to South Korea
One bit of news coming out of Russia during the Dear Leader's visit to North Korea's once and future benefactor is that Kim Jong-il has agreed with the idea of laying a gas pipeline to South Korea through the DPRK.
From AFP:
North Korea supports a planned pipeline to carry Russian gas supplies to South Korea through the North, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.
'As far as I understand, North Korea is interested in the implementation of such a trilateral project with the participation of Russia and South Korea,' Mr Medvedev said after a rare summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Il, praising the talks as 'open, (and) substantive.'
Mr Medvedev said the proposed pipeline would stretch more than 1,700km and start up with volumes of up to 10 billion cubic metres per year.
The Russian leader said he has issued instructions for his government to work out the framework of a subsequent agreement that would be signed between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Pyongyang notes that the high-tech pipeline would come equipped with a money spigot that will channel cash directly into Pyongyang vaults whenever the mainline is shut off.
Apparently the interpreters at Agence French-Presse completely botched the original Russian. While the original translation stated Kim Jong-il agreed with Russian suggestions to return to the Six-Party discussions and to run a Russian pipeline through North Korea, what was actually said was that Putin told Kim Jong-il he'd ass-fuck him Oz-style if he didn't agree to return to denuclearization talks.
Ignore the first update. In future, I need to approach Dokdo Is Ours! with a bit more skepticism.
When nerds get married
I first found this at List of the Day, but it has a Korean angle (the couple in the pictures, Julian Sunmi Park and Benjamin Jinsuk Lee, apparently being kyopo).
Other fun/interesting/disturbing things from LOTD (totally unrelated to Korea, Hawaii, or Orange County) can be found here and here.
Labels: random randomness
Washington Monument cracked
I was raised in earthquake country. Growing up in Compton and then Orange County, I lived in fear of The Big One that was supposed to have us sliding into the Pacific Ocean and turning Victorville homes into beachfront property.
Earthquake preparedness became second nature, and without thinking about it I knew the answer to the question, "What's the safest place to be in an earthquake?"
The answer: "Someplace else."
I would also accept "Nebraska," "Iowa," and "Wisconsin." (In all seriousness, if you really are in an earthquake, ducking your head and spine under a solid piece of furniture or a doorway is the best you can do.)
I can only imagine the freakedoutedness of Washingtonians (of the DC variety) when they had a 5.8 quake. That's nothing to scoff at, especially in a part of the country where earthquake-safe buildings are not exactly the norm.
Indeed, there were plenty of worries that the temblor would be a tumbler, with damage reported at the Washington National Cathedral and the Washington Monument. In fact, the Washington Monument apparently cracked (but rumors that it was leaning like Pisa were untrue).
Meanwhile, several Republican presidential candidates noted that the Washington Memorial had never been damaged by an earthquake until Obama became president. "Just sayin'," noted Rick Perry.
Labels: Washington DC
Jasmine fall
With the regime of Moammar Gadhafi's regime really on the verge of collapse this time, I thought it might be a good chance to review a few posts from earlier this year that managed to tie together Libya and North Korea.
For starters, there's this post on how North Korean workers in Libya were not being allowed to return home despite the violence going on there, for fear that they would bring word of decades-long dictatorships starting to fall in the face of popular opposition and armed rebellion. I wonder what has happened to those North Korean workers and what their future holds. I'm guessing they really are better off in Africa for the time being, and I hope they're allowed to stay.
Probably a legal phone.
On a related note, this post talked about how the Pyongyang regime was trying hard to round up illegal cell phones in order to prevent the spread of such news.
Back in March, when it looked like Gadhafi might accept a deal to take his sons and go away to a comfortable exile in a neighboring country with lots of open desert, I suggested the same model might work for North Korea (Mongolia has lots of open desert).
Of course, Gadhafi didn't take the deal, but depending on whether he ends up like Slobodan Milošević (with a long prison term) or Saddam Hussein (with a long neck), Kim Jong-il and his cronies may wish to consider that option.
In this post, I also noted that North Korea may be looking at NATO's air support in Libya and thinking to themselves, "Like hell we're ever going to give up our nukes" (that was Libya's quid pro quo for US recognition).
Or, to borrow from Winston Churchill: "Never, never, never, never give up (your nukes)."
Best thing to do is to trick the North Koreans into testing each of them, one by one. Keep accusing them of lighting up a bunch of TNT deep in a mineshaft each time and watch them try to go ballistic.
Joshua at One Free Korea has taken a hiatus from his hiatus to bring us some timely thoughts on the same subject.
Labels: Kim Jong-il, Libya, North Korea
Hawaiian wildlife
Perhaps I should be freaked out, but Oahu's ubiquitous geckos are kinda cute.
South Korean quality-of-life satisfaction still in the panjiha
A report from the Korea Development Institute, using OECD statistics, confirms something that should come as a surprise to no one: All the easy access to K-pop, Korean food, blazingly high-speed Internet, and Cinema Coreana is not enough to offset the poor living standards brought on by population density, grubby streets, and reckless driving habits.
From the Joongang Daily:
Korea’s quality of life ranks low among major advanced economies in the world despite its relatively good macroeconomic indicators, a report showed yesterday.
According to the report by the state-run Korea Development Institute, Korea’s quality-of-life index ranked 27th in 2008 among 39 countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Group of 20.
The 2008 ranking was unchanged from that in 2000, according to the report, which also covered other areas including growth potential, infrastructure and the environment. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance commissioned the KDI to compile the report based on statistics from the OECD, the UN and the World Bank.
The report pointed out that Korea’s quality of life has failed to make improvements despite the rapid growth of its economy, which is the fourth-largest economy in Asia.
“Korea’s per capita income has risen significantly over the past 20 years,” the report said. “Nonetheless, Koreans’ satisfaction level of their quality of life is stagnant. We are seeing the ‘Easterlin Paradox’ here.”
The Easterlin Paradox is a key concept in happiness economics, developed by Richard Easterlin, an economist and a University of Southern California professor.
Easterlin found that within a given country, people with higher incomes are more likely to be happy. However, it’s a slightly different story in an international comparison. A country with higher national income per person is not necessarily happier than countries with lower national income per person, more so if the country’s people enjoyed income sufficient to meet basic needs.
Well, there's your problem right there: You're measuring it by self-reported satisfaction. Despite objective and measurable improvements in quality of life (shorter working hours, better and greater variety of food, improved transportation infrastructure, a rise in quality of homes, etc., etc.), people are reporting that they're no happier than they were before.
The ugly truth is that South Korea is full of malcontents who think someone else has always got it better and easier. It's the engine for self-improvement, nose-to-the-grindstone collectivism, and oh-so-much plastic surgery, but also the source of a semi-permanent malaise.
I call that the Kushibo Conundrum.
Perhaps Korea's self-reported quality of life would improve
if the country imported more Koreaphilic foreigners.
Labels: OECD, ROK economy
Vulturing at Borders
This is really sad. Sphere: Related Content
Giving the Tohoku and Fukushima disaster-affected people what they need
"M" has alerted me to a Japanese-language website, called Fukkoichiba (literally, "Revival Market"), that aims to directly connect donors to the victims of the Tohoku earthquake and the ensuing tsunami and nuclear disaster.
In short, it works by filling requests from the affected people with donors who will fill those specific needs. You can see the various items — flip-flops, various food items, cooking oil, Pocari Sweat, and even underwear — on the site and then go and buy the stuff. You can then leave your name or a userid that says you bought it.
Unfortunately, the site is only in Japanese right now, although "M," herself a busy student, offered to translate it into English so it could reach a wider audience. For now, though, the couple that set up the site on their spare time are lacking the resources to take it globally.
"M" noted that it's heartbreaking to see the stuff people still lack. Even all these months after the earthquake and the tsunami, these are the basic needs that people still are having difficulty getting. But that aspect of this site is what drew her to it: she remembers previous disasters where so much stuff that was not needed ended up being discarded.
An added feature of this site is a blog full of pictures where many of the grateful recipients show the stuff they received (no, they are not standing around in the aforementioned underwear). Note that many of the people in the pictures are still living in gymnasiums and other places that have been covered into long-term shelters.
"M" felt that added an element of really feeling like you're accomplishing something with your donation, a bit different from sending money to a large organization like the Red Cross, which does extremely important work in an efficient way, but puts donations in a pool, thus preventing you from knowing where your money actually went.
Anyway, if there's anyone around you who can help you muddle through the Japanese on the site, go and see about donating. With the nuclear issue still unresolved and cleanup an on-going process, there's still a lot of need out there.
Labels: Fukushima, HABO, Tohoku earthquake, 일본 피재자 도웁시다
North Korea seeking hard currency through rare earth metals?
Oh, those communists and their attempts to bring the West to their knees by hoarding all the rare earth metals. We've already seen it with China (!) and probably a few Cold War-era James Bond villains, and now North Korea may be ready to work from the same playbook.
Quoting the Asahi Shimbun:
North Korea is eager to dig into its rare earth elements in a fresh bid to obtain foreign currencies amid soaring prices of the minerals in the global market.
Experts say China may hold the key to the fate of the country's attempt as it relies on Beijing to finance the development and production of rare earth elements.
As the competition among countries over rare earth elements, crucial to the manufacture of high-tech products, intensifies, Pyongyang is paying more attention to the global race to secure the minerals.
According to North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, the Minju Choson (Democratic Korea), the official government newspaper, carried reports on the topic twice this month.
The report said that Japan is dependent on China for supply of the minerals because it accounts for 90 percent of the global output and that China has moved to cut exports.
Jiminy frickin' Christmas, Japan just cannot get a break.
Anyway, I guess as far as attempts to gain hard currency go, I'd rather the North Koreans be trying to sell lanthanum than pushing methamphetamine. The question is whether some governments appalled by the Pyongyang regime's human rights abuse will allow their companies to engage in trade with the DPRK. I suppose Beijing could get around it by mixing their europium up with North Korea's (you know, like how bad housing loans were mixed up with good ones and sold as high-rated instruments).
Labels: North Korea
We are receiving confirmation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is in Russia and will meet President Putin Medvedev:
It is Kim’s first trip to Russia since 2002 and is the latest sign that North Korea is trying to reach out in an effort to secure aid and restart stalled nuclear disarmament talks. South Korean officials reported that Kim’s train had arrived in the Russian border city of Khasan, but the first confirmation that Kim was in Russia came in statements issued simultaneously by the Kremlin and North Korea’s official news agency. Kim will visit the Far East region of Russia and travel west to Siberia, the Kremlin and North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
As usual, whenever the Dear Leader is outside North Korea, I urge whoever is up to the task to join the brown parade.
Oh, and before anyone gets on my case about referring to the Russian Federation by the name of its communist forerunner, please let me note that I'm perfectly aware that Russia is no longer called the USSR or the Soviet Union. And that alone makes me more qualified than Michele Bachmann to be president:
According to the liberal website Think Progress, Bachmann, whose grasp of history on the trail at times has been somewhat shaky, said during a radio interview Thursday that Americans today are mindful of the threat posed by a rising U.S.S.R., which, like Elvis, left the building a long, long time ago.
“What people recognize is that there’s a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline. They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward,” Bachmann said on conservative activist Jay Sekulow’s show. “And especially with this very bad debt ceiling bill, what we have done is given a favor to President Obama, and the first thing he’ll whack is 500 billion out of the military defense at a time when we’re fighting three wars. People recognize that.”
Talk about scare-mongering, we've got socialist-Islamofascist Manchurian Candidate babies from Kenya in the White House, and now the USSR is coming back from the grave!
Come to think of it, if we're finding out now how poor her grasp is on history, geography, and how the world around us is put together, we're lucky to find out now instead of later.
You don't know how lucky you are, boy.
"I can see the Soviet Union from my house!"
Labels: Kim Jong-il, Michele Bachmann, Soviet Union
World of Class Warfare
I've lately been getting into The Daily Show with Jon Stewart more and more. The way he calls out those crying "Class warfare!" as the ones actually engaging in class warfare was brilliant (links here and here).
Indeed, America's Gini coefficient is abominable. That those who sit back and collect profits are called "the productive class" while those who actually work the day-to-day jobs are called "the moocher class" is a tad topsy-turvy, methinks. But then again, I'm one of those silly people who thinks the economic crisis began before 2009 and the national debt started to skyrocket when we got involved in two wars and cut tax rates so much we obliterated the budget surplus.
Seriously, though, when I have occasionally watched/read the pundits on Fox News and other conservative sites, I've been amazed at how little the talking heads knew about the people they spoke of which so much disdain, whether they be the poor, immigrants, migrant workers, Muslims, and even minorities.
These shoes were made for walkin'...
... and that's just what they'll do.
Courtesy of The Marmot's Hole, we have news of a Chinese team brawling with Georgetown's basketball team at a goodwill exhibition game.
Remind you of anything?
It seems kicking-in-anger is the thing to do when things don't go your way. Or maybe "kick some butt" was today's idiom in English class. The humanity!
Labels: Benevolent Big Brother China
Jon Stewart on Rep Ron Paul: How has "Tea Party Patient Zero" become the media version of the 13th floor in a hotel?
I'm no fan of Ron Paul, who I think is hopelessly and scarily naïve on both foreign policy and domestic policy* and whose followers I've met typically (but not always) make up in enthusiastic certainty what they lack in knowledge of how things work.
But I think Jon Stewart makes a very good point that the mainstream media — including Fox and CNN — are doing a disservice to that presidential candidate from Texas and to voters by pretending he doesn't exist, especially when he is doing pretty well so far.
Of course, I'm still bitter that my main man Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico, was all but ignored by the same mainstream media during the 2008 Democratic primary process, even though he was probably the most qualified and most electable of the bunch.
* I'm not in complete disagreement with Ron Paul on everything (see here and here), but I think he's wrong on things like the Pax Americana being a bad fiscal decision. I agree with various Republicans on other things as well. For example, I do not think Christine O'Donnell is a witch, and Romney was right on the money with Romneycare.
Labels: GOP, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul
Chinese officials force reporters covering Biden speech out the door
You'd think that if you found a group of people who actually want to hear a Joe Biden speech, you should let them sit through to the end.
But if you're Chinese officials and you're afraid that the Vice President of the United States might say something frank, candid, and a little bit biting about your country, maybe you don't want people in the room who buy the proverbial ink by the proverbial barrel.
Or maybe they were afraid Joltin' Joe was about to call his Chinese counterpart "articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
From the Los Angeles Times:
Xi spoke first, calling Biden's visit a "major event" in the U.S.-China relationship and expressing his desire to work with America "to promote development of relations between our great nations."
Then Biden spoke, starting with a reference to his first visit to China in 1979, when he saw "the great wonders" of the nation. He spoke of his admiration for the Chinese people and the "great sweep of history." And to Xi, he spoke of the importance of developing a close personal relationship, one of "openness and candor," and stated his belief that foreign policy "is more than just formal visits, it's establishing relationships and trust."
"It is my fond hope that our personal relationship will continue to grow," Biden said to Xi, who is widely expected to be the next Chinese president.
It was right about this time that a near-brawl was breaking out about a hundred feet away from the diplomatic exchanges in the Eastern Hall of the Great Hall of the People.
Only minutes into Biden's remarks, Chinese officials had begun to direct reporters toward the exits. Most reporters and the vice president's staff objected, saying it was important to cover the entirety of Biden's opening statement, as had been the agreement between officials beforehand.
A Chinese press aide said Biden was going on far too long for their liking. But in fact, including the consecutive translation of his comments from English to Chinese, Biden spoke only two or three minutes longer than Xi had.
Soon the stern shooing turned into forceful shoving. As reporters tried to stand their ground, Chinese officials locked arms and pushed forward in a show of overwhelming force. Soon enough Biden did finish, but reporters had difficulty hearing the entire thing because of the fisticuffs.
This is one of the things that makes me so uneasy about China: it is a big and powerful country that tries so very, very hard to remove uncomfortable facts and discourse from the public sphere, often replacing it with its own pre-approved distraction or diversion.
From SARS to the treatment of Uighurs to Joe Biden potentially making a speech where he would call for more press freedom or human rights in North Korea, China's ally, Beijing has great fear over the public knowing what's really being said or done. As we've seen with SARS itself, it is an unsustainable situation that threatens to collapse in on itself. Sadly, though, my thoughts and opinions probably reach very few Chinese, as Blogger (this blog's platform) is still blocked in China, I believe.
Meanwhile, Biden is getting no love on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, either. At Real Clear Politics, Richard Benedetto makes the case that for jettisoning Joe in favor of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:
In contrast, Biden flopped on the one high-profile task Obama gave him this year -- negotiate a budget-deficit deal with Democrats and Republicans in Congress. The Biden-led talks came to an abrupt end in June when Republicans walked out.
All this is not lost on the public. The Gallup Poll puts Clinton’s favorability with the American people at 66 percent. The last Gallup measure for Biden put him at 42 percent.
Moreover, with the growing possibility that a woman -- Rep. Michele Bachmann -- could be on the Republican ticket either in the first or second slot (more likely the latter), Clinton would provide a formidable counter that an all-male ticket would not. Democrats would love to pit Clinton’s political and experiential skills against those of Bachmann. It’s a matchup they believe they would win going away.
On top of all that, Clinton has a large, spirited and loyal following among Democrats and many independents. Biden does not. The vice president only brings Delaware and its three electoral votes to the fold. And Delaware is a heavily Democratic state that would probably vote for Obama whether Biden is on the ticket or not.
Clinton, however, could shore up flagging Obama support in critical swing states such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, states the president must carry to win a second term. Without them he’s a goner, and he knows it.
And I would like to see Clinton go up against Bachmann in a VP debate. We can see once and for all who pulls off the Crazy Eyes look better.
My, that was terrible. No national print media would ever do that to Hillary, would they?
Oh, my. That's just horrible. It sure puts the latest engineered outrage over the Bachmann Newsweek "Queen of Rage" cover into perspective a bit. Of course, Bachmann's outraged supporters somehow missed this and many other depictions of Hillary Clinton as having crazy eyes herself, as they largely happened before the Republicans insist the world began, on January 20, 2009.
By the way, I'm not so sure how the above photo of Ms Bachmann is so dramatically different from this one at left, which I snagged directly from the Congresswoman's own Bachmann-for-President website.
(This post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness™.)
Labels: Benevolent Big Brother China, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Michele Bachmann
Yasukuni enshrinement mix-up
I imagine most of my readers are familiar with the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. Originally meant to enshrine those who died fighting for the Japanese Emperor, turning them into kami gods, it became a source of contention and bad relations with Tokyo's neighbors when the shrine keepers chose to enshrine the fourteen Class-A war criminals who had been the architects of Imperial Japanese expansionism and brutality before and during World War II.
Adding fuel to the fire, the relatives of some of the Koreans and Taiwanese who were enshrined there after dying during service in the Imperial Japanese military have sought to have their loved ones removed (ditto with some Japanese family members).
The Yasukuni shrine keepers shrug their shoulders and say once a dead soldier has been made into a kami, there ain't nothing they can do about it. It's a bit of an angels-dancing-on-the-head-of-a-pin argument.
Well, speaking of pinheads, one Mr Kim is particularly ticked off about enshrinement at Yasukuni: He was never an Imperial soldier and, just as importantly, he's not dead.
For most of his life, Kim Hui-jong has kept what he considers a shameful secret. In 1944, as a teenager, he was abducted from his village in northern Korea by Japanese soldiers and forced to dig tunnels at a World War II military camp on the island of Saipan.
It would take him a decade of marriage to tell his wife about his past. Kim, 86, still often dreams of the battlefield shelling that severely damaged his hearing and the taunts of his captors: "You Koreans are like canned meat; we can take you anywhere and use you as we see fit."
He always considered his Japanese enslavement, and the two years he later spent as a U.S. prisoner of war, as a lifelong humiliation. Then, in 2005, Kim received a new insult he insists he still cannot bear: For decades, the former conscript learned, he has been counted among Japan's war dead and, because of an administrative error, his name is listed at Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni shrine. He could no longer remain silent.
Many view Yasukuni as a symbol of Japanese militarist values that led millions to their deaths. Worse, Kim and other critics say, Shinto priests who control the shrine list Japanese leaders executed as war criminals in its ranks of the dead.
Just so we're clear, it's not Mr Kim to whom I referred as a pinhead.
Anyway, expect the Yasukuni shrine keepers to do drag their feet on this, if they do anything at all. The modus operandi in dealing with embarrassingly bad things from World War II is to ignore it, especially if it sets a slippery-slope precedent. This is why, for example, Tokyo continues to insist Tokto is Japan's, not South Korea's, because to do anything else would seem to weaken Japan's claim to islands disputed with Russia, China, Taiwan, etc.
Labels: looking back on Imperial Japan, Yasukuni
UPDATED: Korea-obsessed British university student gets surgery to become Merong Girl (메롱걸)
One of those popular urban legends about South Korea is that kids in English-obsessed South Korea are getting their tongues snipped (a procedure called lingual frenectomy) in order to pronounce English more accurately. I call it an urban legend because, while there certainly are people who have gotten the surgery done, it has reached the point where there are more stories about this supposedly popular Korean procedure in English-language media than there are people who have actually done it. I think.
Now the British media has brought us a twist on this story. It seems one university student in England is obsessed with Korean culture and learning Korean (see all those Korea books she's carrying), and (wait for it...) she has had a similar tongue-lengthening surgery in order to speak Korean better.
From the UK's Daily Mail:
Student Rhiannon Brooksbank-Jones dreams of living and working in South Korea once she finishes university, even though she has never visited the country.
But while taking language lessons, the 19-year-old found that she couldn't pronounce certain crucial sounds in the Korean alphabet.
Her dentist suggested it may be because she was born with a slightly shorter than average tongue, caused by having an unusually thick lingual frenulum - the flap of skin that joins the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth.
After discussing the matter with her parents and language tutor, Rhiannon decided to undergo an operation to correct the condition, despite the fact it has never caused her any problems in speaking English.
She underwent a lingual frenectomy, which involves making an incision in the flap of skin. As a result, Rhiannon's tongue is now about 1cm longer, and she can say words that were impossible before.
Rhiannon, of Beeston, Nottingham, said: 'I'd been learning Korean for about two years, and my speaking level is now high, but I was really struggling with particular sounds.
'It became apparent after a little while that I was having trouble with the Korean letter 'L', which is very frequent and comes from a slightly higher place in the mouth than the English 'L', and that my tongue was too short.
'My pronunciation was very 'foreign', but now I can speak with a native Korean accent. The surgical procedure was my only option. It's not like you can stretch your tongue otherwise. I just decided enough was enough.
Poor lingual frenulum, you're hated on two continents.
Anyway, while in Korea I imagine a lot of anglophones would scratch their head and say, "What the...?!" for the same reasons we might do the same about six-year-olds with English-obsessed Korean mothers having the surgery (if you have a tiger mom, expect to get mauled a bit), back in the United Kingdom people are hemming and hawing about this surgical procedure having been covered by the national health insurance scheme. Apparently this Nottingham native is some sort of modern-day medical Robin Hood: stealing from the rich National Health Service and giving it to her poor, unable-to-pronounce ㄹ self.
Okay. But me? I smell a carefully crafted ploy by a young, smart, and reasonably attractive young lady to launch a career in Korea's public sphere: she's cute (never hurts with any job), speaks Korean pretty well (a plus for doing anything other than English teaching), has considerable interest in Korean culture (an ego massager for a large portion of the Korean masses), and has the kind of figure many Korean men like in Caucasian women (that's a euphemistic way of saying she has a good-sized chest while falling within the range of thin to nothing larger that chubby-cute). And I like her glasses.
So in conclusion: Get in touch with me, Rhiannon Brooksbank-Jones, and I'll make you a star.
Seriously. And I've already christened you 메롱걸* (the only alternative is 혀녀). That's what we call 서비스.
* To understand what is 메롱 (merong), see the picture below:
above: South Korea's most famous English teacher
This story has also become a post at The Marmot's Hole. Human rights lawyer Ben Wagner, who is highly skilled at finding bigotry where no one else does, has revealed that Merong Girl is promoting racist viewpoints:
All the best in to Rhiannon in her Korean language studies, but I wish she hadn’t chosen to perpetuate to the myth that race is somehow tied one’s ability to speak a language with native fluency. Ironically it’s an allegedly short “Korean tongue” which supposedly makes it difficult to produce the English L/R sounds, the Brit’s “short” tongue should have made her a natural if any of these nonsensical theories had any scientific basis.
Thank goodness for Mr Wagner, or else I wouldn't have realized Ms Brooksbank-Jones was perpetuating race-based myths. Here I thought that the reason for the surgery was that her tongue (i.e., not the tongue of most White people in England) was "shorter than average" and that she (i.e., not most White people in England) had "an unusually thick lingual frenulum." Now I realize she's some sort of White Inferiorist. I may have to rethink launching her career.
Labels: England, English teaching in Korea, medical stuff, plastic surgery, Rhiannon Brooksbank-Jones, UK
You had me at hello.
Take the above cartoon. Replace Roy with two Indian residents of South Korea. Replace the alien heads shaped like hands with a South Korean child's kochu. Replace the annihilation of Earth with the aforementioned Indian residents of South Korea going to prison. Then you have the first story of this Marmot's Hole post.
Labels: foreign residents, Haeundae
This Apple-vs-Samsung lawsuit is getting serious
A court in Germany has agreed with Apple and has granted a preliminary injunction that would stop the sales and marketing of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer across most of Europe. The Netherlands is an exception, since Koreans are the Dutch of Asia.
Samsung is planning to appeal, even though earlier this month it already voluntarily agreed to halt sales and marketing in Australia.
Labels: Samsung
Despite downgrade, South Korea believes in US debt
On Friday, California time, I spent much of the day driving up and down the 405, listening to CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News on the XM radio in my mom's Santa Fe. I was trying to get a feel for what the reaction was to Standard and Poor's downgrading of US debt from AAA to AA+ (the latter of which sounds good, but is not so great).
Fox News, surprisingly, was not talking about it at all, every time I tuned in to them. Maybe because actually discussing it would force them to recognize that holding a gun to the economy's head by threatening not to raise the debt ceiling so they could squeeze concessions out, all the while refusing to consider reversing the tax cuts on the rich that plunged us back into serious debt in the first place, was the catalyst for the downgrade*. Quoting S&P:
The downgrade reflects our view that the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges.
That's what pulling a political stunt that causes everyone to question whether we'll pay our bills will do. Thank you, Tea Party, you got what you wanted and still managed to damage the American Economic Ship.
Over at MSNBC, which I rarely watch or listen to, we had Rachael Maddow talking about how Standard & Poor's standard performance was pretty poor (see how I did that?). This was a loud echo of the White House and Treasury's criticism of S&P, which had made a $2.1 trillion accounting error in arriving at the downgrade but went ahead with it anyway. Over at CNN (I think), Democratic Congressman Barney Frank noted that this is the same "amateur hour" S&P who was telling us everything was hunky-dory right before the economic collapse of 2007-2008 (Ezra Klein quote of the week: "Standard Poor’s didn’t just miss the bubble; they helped cause it.").
I like what Gene Sperling of the White House Council of Economic Advisors had to say:
The magnitude of their error combined with their willingness to simply change on the spot their lead rationale in their press release once the error was pointed out was breathtaking. It smacked of an institution starting with a conclusion and shaping any arguments to fit it.
Reminds me of the Chinese a bit, I'd say.
Anyway, the original point of this post was to pass on the news that South Korea is responding to the S&P downgrade by saying it has faith in the US government's ability and willingness to cover its debt:
South Korea said it reaffirms faith in U.S. Treasuries even after Standard & Poor's last week cut the sovereign credit rating of the world's biggest economy.
"Our faith in the U.S. Treasuries has not changed, although we cannot say whether to sell or buy them," Vice Finance Minister Yim Jong Yong told reporters after an emergency meeting with officials from the central bank and financial regulators in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, today. "In principle, no other assets can replace the U.S. Treasury as safe asset."
Thank you. If anyone knows the danger of seeing faith in the economy go way out of proportion to the problems that exist, it's South Korea. And I'm happy to see that they don't want the US to fall victim in the same way. Unlike Beijing, I suppose Seoul realizes that eroding faith in the US economy by sniping at the US debt rating is a good way to make a self-fulfilling prophecy that comes back to bite Beijing (or Seoul) in the butt.
Caveat to everything: I'm not an economist, but my confidence in the South Korean economy to recover and for Seoul to pay off its debts was realized, and I have the same cautious optimism about the US in the long run.
* Talking down the economy to the point of stymieing the recovery is a Republican strategy for 2012. By lying about the stuff that has worked, (e.g., TARP, etc.), pretending that the economic crisis (and the unpopular ways of dealing with it) essentially began with the Obama administration, and regularly making statements that erode faith in the recovery so that it will cause consumers and investors to hold off on buying, they hope to (a) make the economy actually stay bad or even get worse, while (b) making it look like it's all Obama's fault. Note that this is similar to the strategy that Republican talking heads (e.g., Rush Limbaugh) claimed that the Democrats had in 2004 and 2008, vis-à-vis the economy and the Iraq War.
Gloria Steinem wants to save Cheju-do
Kushibo's note: I'm not so sure if the graffiti goes hand in hand
with the idea of environmental preservation.
Gloria Steinem actually has visited subtropical Cheju-do, the southernmost province of South Korea and the only island province (insert "Korea's Hawaii" remarks here), and she is bent of preserving it by making the world aware of local residents' efforts to block construction of a ROK Navy base there:
Residents of Gangjeong [Kangjŏng], the village that is to be home to this base, have been living in tents along the endangered coastline, trying to stave off the dredging and bulldozing. In a vote several years ago at a village meeting, residents overwhelming opposed the base.
They’ve tried to block construction with lawsuits and pleas for a proper environmental impact study. They’ve been fined, beaten, arrested and imprisoned. They’ve gone on hunger strikes, chained themselves to anything available, invited tourists in to see what’s at stake, established Web sites and won support from global peace organizations. Members of the “no base” campaign, including children, camp out along the shore behind high walls erected around the site to conceal the protests. Police officers patrol outside. This has been going on for more than four years.
Okay, while she may have a legitimate argument about the environment and human rights involved, it was her laughable geopolitical reasoning that compelled me to write. She states simply — no, over-simplistically — that "China and South Korea have positive relations at the moment." Yup, as if peace for the moment means we can completely let down our guard.
China and South Korea have positive relations for now, but that doesn't mean that China is not slowly putting out its feelers for weak points where it can grab land, territorial waters, etc., etc., including on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea needs to be able to protect itself, with or without its strong US ally. It also needs, sometimes, to project itself, perhaps by sending out ROK Navy boats to protect South Korean ships and the ships of its allies (and sometimes its enemies, as its done against pirates off the coast of Africa).
In short, South Korea needs its naval base. Now, whether or not it should go right there is another question, and certainly one would hope for as little environmental impact as possible. But "things are hunky-dory with China" right now should not be part of the argument.
The rest of the article, by the way, is worth a read if you're not familiar with Cheju-do's horrible history in the years between liberation from Japan and the start of the Korean War. There's a reason why leftist former President Roh Moohyun was compelled to go to Cheju-do and apologize for past acts of the ROK government and declare Korea's Oahu (that's my description) an Island of Peace.
Labels: Benevolent Big Brother China, Chejudo, ROK military
Marking the 66th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
August 6 was actually yesterday, Japan time, so I missed it. As ROK Drop notes, this year's ceremonies remembering the victims takes on a different tone — even urgency — in light of the still on-going nuclear disaster at Fukushima.
I've written plenty on Hiroshima, which I've visited twice, but my thoughts are best summed up in this post, which I encourage you to go read on this day. (It includes a discussion of Korean victims of the blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, called hibakusha in Japanese or p'ipokcha in Korean.)
On last year's anniversary, The Western Confucian put up a post on Hiroshima that turned into a lengthy discussion of the morality of dropping the bomb on a civilian population — twice — in order to win the war.
Labels: Hiroshima
Kim Jong-un's "Tora! Tora! Tora!" moment?*
The Chosun Ilbo would have us believe that Kim Jong-un, the young general who supposedly is poised to take over for Dad when he kicks the bucket, is the one who ordered the attacks on South Korea over the past year:
A North Korean document supports the conclusion that North Korea attacked the Navy corvette Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island last year to whip up domestic support for the succession of leader Kim Jong-il’s son, Jong-un.
The document, which the Chosun Ilbo obtained from a source in China on Tuesday, claims that Kim junior was deeply involved in both attacks. Titled “Lecture Materials,” the document was apparently drawn up for military propaganda officers early this year.
According to its wording, Kim Jong-un told military leaders that the inter-Korean situation “will become very tense in February and March.” He made the comments around the end of January last year, two months before the attack on the Cheonan. The document claims South Korea and the U.S. “concocted a plot about the sinking of the Cheonan, but it failed.”
The source, who claims to do frequent business with trading companies under the North Korean Workers Party, said that propaganda officers have been indoctrinating North Korean soldiers to show absolute loyalty to Kim Jong-un based on those materials. “They even have to take a test after their indoctrination classes,” he said.
As I noted at ROK Drop, I'm a bit curious about the date. The “2010년 1월” stands out as odd when one sees that in North Korean news sources the “Western” date is typically hand in hand with the 주체 date (주체 99년 or some such). I wonder if anybody who has familiarity with actual North Korean documents could provide insight about whether the above is a reason to find this document suspect.
Of course, dear reader, you may already be aware that I am deeply suspicious of the mountain of evidence, eagerly printed up in the Chosun Ilbo and repeated uncritically in the Japanese and Western press, that comes from what could be described as an Evidence Mill™ run by people who make money and/or enhance their stature from supplying this stuff. While I think most defectors/refugees are genuine people who can give us valuable insight into current attitudes in the regime, it seems to me that a handful of folks might be looking for personal gain à la that Iraqi guy who supplied all of the information used back in 2002 and 2003 to justify going to war against Saddam Hussein.
Of course, from Kim Jong-il not being at death's door, to Ling and Lee having willingly entered North Korea, to Kim Jong-un's coronation not being imminent, my views on North Korea have others viewing me at first as crankily contrarian and out of touch and then later as eerily prescient.
But that doesn't mean I could be wrong on this. Always my caveat.
* And yeah, I know that "Tora! Tora! Tora!" is Japanese. My theory is that a Korean pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy on that fateful day in December 1941 had a bit of prescience himself and had gotten on the radio to warn everybody to turn around.
Labels: Chonan, North Korean brinksmanship, North Korean hijinks, North Korean refugees, The Kim Who Wasn't There™
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Bill eases quorum requirement for airport boards
SPRINGFIELD -- When two members of the Springfield Airport Authority get together, they can’t talk about airport business or they’ll be in violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act. Their solution is to add members.
By DOUG FINKE
STATE CAPITOL BUREAU
SPRINGFIELD -- When two members of the Springfield Airport Authority get together, they can’t talk about airport business or they’ll be in violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act.
Their solution is to add members.
The Illinois House voted 115-0 Tuesday to authorize the Springfield and Bloomington-Normal airport authorities to add two members to their five-member boards. Senate Bill 38 was previously approved by the Senate on a 55-0 vote and now goes to Gov. Rod Blagojevich for his signature.
Under the bill, Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin and Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter each would be allowed to appoint one additional member to the board. Currently, Davlin appoints three members and Van Meter two.
The bill started as a way for the Bloomington-Normal airport authority to expand to reflect growth there, said Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington. But when Springfield Airport Authority vice chairman William Foster heard about the legislation, he asked that Springfield be included.
“Under the current Open Meetings Act, two board members make up a majority of a quorum,” Foster said. “We can’t talk about anything to do with the airport unless there is a public meeting.”
Illinois’ Open Meetings Act requires public notice when a majority of a quorum of a public body meets. For a five-member airport authority, that is two members. If the board is expanded to seven members, two could meet and discuss airport business without it being considered a public meeting.
“Things come up, and we felt it would be better to have people talk,” Foster said. “Two members might at least be able to have a preliminary discussion about airport business without going to the trouble of calling a meeting. If you hear there is some problem at the airport, until we go through the process of calling a meeting, two of us can’t show up to address the problem.”
Foster said the chamber of commerce held a session at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport and invited authority members to attend.
“We had to post it as a public meeting since two of us were going to be there,” he said.
Springfield’s airport commissioners are paid $150 a month for their service.
Foster noted that the authority doesn’t necessarily have to expand if state law is changed so two members of a five-person board could meet without posting a public notice. An amendment to clarify that has been introduced in the Senate, but has not been attached to a bill.
“If that were to pass, we would encourage the governor to veto our portion out of the bill,” he said. “We’re really not interested in expanding the size of the board.”
Doug Finke can be reached at (217) 788-1527 or doug.finke@sj-r.com.
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Smoke from fireworks possibly played role in 32-car crash on New Year's Eve
By Elizabeth Findell efindell@statesman.com
Jan 2, 2019 at 2:14 PM Jan 2, 2019 at 2:14 PM
More than 50 people were part of a pileup involving 32 vehicles — two of them semitrucks — just an hour after ringing in the new year in Austin, Texas.
Authorities began receiving reports of multiple collisions around 1:09 a.m. Tuesday near southbound Texas 130 and Harold Green Road, where dense fog obscured the road, said Travis County sheriff’s Capt. Craig Smith. Paramedics evaluated 56 people and took nine to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries ranging from mild to serious, according to tweets from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.
“I have been with the sheriff’s office 26 years, and I have never seen a collision of this size,” Smith said.
The fog was so thick that one of the first deputies on the scene had his patrol vehicle hit — twice — as he attempted to respond, Smith said. Deputies reported that they could only see about 10 feet in front of their cars. Though most of the people involved in the crash were driving slowly, they still couldn’t see in time to stop, he said.
Despite the New Year’s holiday, alcohol did not appear to be a factor in any of the crashes.
“To my surprise, we made no arrests out of this and issued no citations,” Smith said. “They did not find anyone who seemed impaired.”
He attributed the wrecks instead to late-night traffic through an area notorious for heavy fog and to a chain reaction from one collision.
The pileup prompted questions of whether smoke from celebratory fireworks could have made the fog worse. Cory Van Pelt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Antonio, said a temperature inversion and lack of wind kept both clouds and smoke close to the ground. Smoke can create particles for clouds to form on, he said.
“It was some speculation because it was about the time the fireworks were going off,” Van Pelt said. “I can’t say for sure that happened, but it’s possible.”
The tollway was closed throughout the morning as emergency responders worked to clear the scene. It reopened just before 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
Austin police reminded people via Twitter not to drive if they’d been drinking at New Year’s Eve parties. EMS called the incident a Level 3 mass casualty incident and begged motorists to be aware of the poor visibility.
“HEAVY FOG in the area SLOW DOWN,” the group tweeted.
Smith said training had helped nine agencies — including the sheriff’s office, EMS, Austin Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Austin Fire Department and others — to work together smoothly at the scene.
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When a dance is more than a dance: The meanings of popular dancing in twentieth-century Britain – By Allison Abra
In the new season of the Netflix show The Crown, a dramatic scene captures the moment when Queen Elizabeth II danced a foxtrot with Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah during a royal tour to Ghana in 1961. The show portrays the dance as a massive foreign policy coup for the Queen and her government – enticing socialist Nkrumah away from the Soviet Union and back into the Anglo-American fold at the height of the Cold War – and has been criticized by some historians for over-simplifying or even misrepresenting this broader historical context. However, there is no question that the dance itself took place, and the scene is very successful at pointing to a different historical truth: that sometimes a dance is not just a dance. Whether it was the Queen of England dancing with an African leader during the era of decolonization, or rebellious German youths jitterbugging to banned jazz records in Nazi Germany, or a flash mob of Hillary Clinton supporters dancing joyfully in pantsuits on a New York street corner during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, dancing has long reflected, created, and provided a way to physically express social, cultural, and political issues.
In Britain during the first half of the twentieth century, dancing was a tremendously popular leisure activity, spurred on by an abundance of new Jazz Age dances and the rise of an ever-expanding entertainment industry surrounding public dancing. However, just as in the historical examples mentioned above, popular dance culture for the British came to be about so much more than just dancing. As the First World War ended, Britain was engulfed in what many contemporaries referred to as a dancing “craze.” The enthusiasm for dancing was in part a response to the trauma of the war, and the natural desire for escapist fun in its aftermath. However, comments on the dance craze and its main participants, as well as the movements of the self-consciously “modern” dances that were at its center, also gave expression to a host of ideas and anxieties about modernity, political democratization, and gender relations. For instance, in the midst of debates about women’s social and political status after the war, the young women who were dancing’s chief enthusiasts – referred to interchangeably as flappers, butterflies, modern women, or just “dancing girls” – were a source of intense public discussion about appropriate feminine behavior and the perceived perils of excessive pleasure-seeking.
As Britain moved through the interwar years, popular dancing also became strongly intertwined with questions about national identity and the country’s place in the world. Nearly all of the most successful dances in this period, from the Argentinian tango to the American foxtrot, were foreign imports. These dances were embraced by some Britons for their modernity and cosmopolitanism, but others condemned them in racist terms for their origins in black culture, and felt they represented a dangerous sign of foreign cultural encroachment, particularly from the United States. In this context, professional dancers and dance hall proprietors worked to develop and market explicitly “British” alternatives. Many foreign dances were reimagined as the so-called “English Style” of ballroom dancing, which was said to reflect national characteristics like civility, discipline, and reserve (which were also racially encoded as white), while new creations like the phenomenally successful “Lambeth Walk” drew upon heritage and folk tradition. Through these efforts ideas about what it meant to be British were produced and circulated, but national identity also became something that could be embodied and physically performed on the dance floor.
This idea took on even more profound meanings as the nation entered the Second World War, and dancing was put to work in yet another way: as a defiant act against Nazi aggression, and as a symbol of British democracy. Stories of Britons continuing to dance throughout air raids, or amidst the rubble in bomb-ravaged streets, served as a potent incubator of ideas about the “Blitz spirit.” Recounted alongside reports about the prohibitions on dancing in Nazi Germany and occupied Europe, the persistence of dancing in Britain was seen as a sign of the people’s enduring freedom. Dances were also seen to be an ideal way to foment bonds between the colonial subjects and military allies who arrived in Britain as part of the war effort, and where wartime ideals about community spirit and national unity could be performed and experienced – even if social tensions lingered beyond the space of the dance floor. During war and peace alike, therefore, the dance floor was a place where the British people were entertained, but was also a place where they made sense of who they were as a nation, and of their place in the world.
Allison Abra is Assistant Professor of History and a Fellow in the Dale Center for the Study of War & Society at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Dancing in the English style is available now!
By Rebecca Mortimer
Category: Blog, Cultural Studies, History, Social History 0 Comments.
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Food production is being undermined by humanity's failure to protect biodiversity. Over the last 20 years, approximately 20% of the earth's vegetated surface has become less productive. In the UK alone, intensive farming and overuse of chemicals has boosted short-term productivity but will render large tracts of soil infertile within a generation. Global monoculture farming not only has an adverse impact on biodiversity, it puts pressures on water supplies that are already struggling to cope with demand.
The world's insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a catastrophic collapse of nature's ecosystems. More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles. The total mass of insects is falling by a precipitous 2.5% per year, suggesting that they could vanish within a century.
This work is made entirely from plastic single-use forks and plastic figures. The main image is drawn in silverpoint, a Renaissance technique that has largely been forgotten when the graphite pencil became available and proved more convenient for drawing.
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René Magritte Paintings and Prints
René Magritte Biography Sell René Magritte
Lithographs (28)
René Magritte Lithograph
Golconde (Golconda)
A Little of the Bandit's Soul
Le tombeau des lutteurs (The tomb of the wrestlers)
Le fils de l'homme (The Son of Man)
Le Temps menaçant (Threatening Weather)
Personal Values (Les valeurs personelles)
This Is Not a Pipe
Memory of a Journey
The Masterpiece or the Mysteries of the Horizon
Souvenir de voyage (Memory of a Journey)
Shéhérazade
L'entree en scene (The emergence)
The Hesitation Waltz
The Ready-Made Bouquet
Décalcomanie
La Bataille de l'Argonne (The Battle of the Argonne)
La belle captive (The Fair Captive)
La cascade (The Waterfall)
La corde sensible (Heartstring)
La Flêche de Zenon (Zeno's Arrow)
La folie des grandeurs II ( Megalomania)
La magie noir (Black Magic)
La page blanche (The White Page)
Time Transfixed (La Durée poignardée)
Why René Magritte?
René Magritte was a Belgian Surrealist who developed an instantly recognizable, witty style. Known for putting familiar objects in foreign situations, he will forever be associated with the pipe and bowler hat, as Duchamp and the urinal are permanently related. Some of Magritte's paintings and prints are the most valuable and sought after works in the market right now.
Have one to sell? Sell René Magritte fine art with us
Sell René Magritte artwork with us. We will research its value and popularity for you.
René Magritte, Golconde (Golconda) | Color Lithograph
All hail the comeback kid: surrealism
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René Magritte Biography
René Magritte (Belgian, 1898–1967)
Browse René Magritte Catalogue Raisonnés Online.
René Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist whose witty and thought-provoking images challenged observers’ preconditioned perceptions of reality. Magritte’s work frequently displays a juxtaposition of ordinary objects in an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things.
Magritte grew up in a simple and somewhat tragic household. His father was a modest tailor. His mother, who was mentally unsound, committed suicide in the year 1912. He started drawing at a young age, and Magritte's first paintings, produced c. 1915, were Impressionistic in style.
Magritte first worked as a draughtsman in a wallpaper factory and, in the year 1922, fell in love with and married Georgette Berger. In 1926, Magritte signed a contract with Galerie La Centaure in Brussels, making it possible for him to paint full-time. During this time, inspired by his friend André Breton, he became involved with the Surrealist group.
During the German occupation of Belgium in World War II, he stayed in Brussels. He continued to paint, gaining increased recognition. His work was exhibited in the United States in New York multiple times, including 2 retrospective exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1967, Magritte died of pancreatic cancer, his imagery having greatly influenced pop, minimalist, and conceptual art.
MAGRITTE LITHOGRAPHS
René Magritte began printmaking at the age of 62, during his most mature years as an artist. All of his original lithographs were completed within the last 8 years of his artistic career. The most inclusive catalogue raisonné of his Magritte's prints is the Kaplan and Baum The Graphic Work of René Magritte. Within the catalogue, only 20 printed works are listed. All the prints were initiated or completed in Magritte’s lifetime. His lithographs share many of the same imagery and themes as his surreal paintings. While every lithograph was conceived by the artist himself, the prints fall into two different categories. In one, the works were drawn by the artist himself. And in the second scenario, the works were drawn by printmakers according to the artist’s original compositions. Oftentimes, Magritte’s original paintings are also reproduced as limited edition lithographs. These editions are usually high in technical quality and also certified by Magritte’s estate.
MAGRITTE SCULPTURES
René Magritte’s decision to create sculpture in his mature years sprang from a conversation with his dealer Alexander Lolas. Lolas suggested that Magritte create a group of sculptures based on his wide array of paintings. In 1967, Magritte created 8 bronze sculptures which were casted in a foundry in Verona , Italy. For each sculpture, he carefully created the sketches which would be the basis of the wax casts. The sculptures were titled after the paintings that inspired their subjects. The titles are as follows:La Giaconda, Delusions of Grandeur, The Healer, Madame Récamier, The Labours of Alexander, Natural Graces, The Well of Truth and The White Race. Although he passed in 1967 before the sculptures were cast in bronze, he signed the wax models and saw the first proofs for each sculpture. The sculptures were first exhibited in Brussels in the Isy Brachot Gallery in 1968.
MAGRITTE PAINTINGS
René Magritte’s earliest paintings date from 1915 and were Impressionistic. From 1916-1918, he studied at the Academie Royale des Beaux Arts in Brussels, but found the traditional style of lacking. Thereafter, he became influenced by Futurism and Cubism, painting predominantly female nudes until 1924. Magritte produced his first surreal painting, The Lost Jockey (Le Jockey Perdu) in 1926. This naturally led to a friendship with Andre Breton and the surrealist group. His paintings can be classified into two periods. The first period, titled the Renoir period, started in 1943 when Magritte painted in a colorful, painterly style. An example is the painting Black Magic, 1945. His second period is titled the Vache period. An example of a work from this period is The Cicerone, 1947. Overall, Magritte’s surreal paintings maintain a deadpan delivery alongside a clear cut subject matter. Repetition is also important, many subjects reappear in various paintings either as the focal point or a subtle background detail. Magritte paintings continue to command high prices in thedo extremely well on the market. In 2012, his painting Les Jours Gigantesques, 1928, fetched $11.3 million dollars at a Christie’s auction.
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Posted in: News & insights
News & insights feed:
Picking a winner is a problem I and my editorial colleagues on The Engineer are faced with on a daily basis.
With the whole varied world of UK engineering on our remit, deciding which story to cover - and why - is rarely a straightforward task.
And though we pride ourselves on being able cut through the PR guff and identify a truly innovative bit of technology when we see it; weighing up the relative merits and likely impact of technologies destined for wildly different sectors is always going to require a bit of educated guess-work.
In this sense, judging the Matchtech Engineering Showcase, was a familiar challenge. Here we had a shortlist of three impressive technologies, each aimed at a different challenge, and each at a different stage of development, from the fundamental research of the University of Sheffield’s robot swarm project, to the commercially mature Fast Track Reel Skidding & Drive System (RSDS) developed by the engineers at Houlder.
My vote though, went to the overall winner of the competition: Cambridge University’s solar powered car.
I chose this as the winning project because I felt it met the judging criteria (innovation, impact, cost-effectiveness and resourcefulness) more convincingly than the other two entries, and offers the clearest explanation of how the project meets these criteria.
The way in which a student team has tapped into industry funding and support is a strong example of both resourcefulness and cost effectiveness.
Meanwhile the team’s fundamentally different approach to solar-car design (focussing on aerodynamics rather than maximising surface area, and making good use of simulation tools) is a strong example of engineering innovation.
Despite the group’s confidence in their design, the race is yet to take place and it’s difficult to judge what impact the car will have. What’s more, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever see solar-powered passenger cars being mass-manufactured - solar technology is barely even on the radar of automotive OEMs.
However, regardless of how it performs, the project is perhaps more about engaging a new generation of engineers, and showcasing the capabilities of solar technology - if it can propel a car across the outback, just think what it could do on your roof - and in these areas it has arguably already had some impact.
We’re looking forward to seeing how the car performs later this year when it begins its gruelling 3000km trip across Australia in the World Solar Challenge.
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WES announces UK’s Top 50 Women in Engineering 2019
In celebration of International Women in Engineering Day 2019 on 23 June, the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) has announce...
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Nature, Aesthetics, and Environmentalism From Beauty to Duty
by Allen Carlson
Nature, Aesthetics, and Environmentalism From Beauty to Duty Synopsis
Environmental aesthetics is an emerging field of study that focuses on nature's aesthetic value as well as on its ethical and environmental implications. Drawing on the research of a number of disciplines, this exciting new area speaks to scholars working in a range of fields, including not only philosophy, but also environmental and cultural studies, public policy and planning, social and political theory, landscape design and management, and art and architecture. Nature, Aesthetics, and Environmentalism: From Beauty to Duty addresses the complex relationships between aesthetic appreciation and environmental issues and emphasizes the valuable contribution that environmental aesthetics can make to environmentalism. Allen Carlson, a pioneer in environmental aesthetics, and Sheila Lintott, who has published widely in aesthetics, combine important historical essays on the appreciation of nature with the best contemporary research in the field. They begin with classic pieces by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Thoreau, John Muir, John Burroughs, and Aldo Leopold, as well as an essay by Eugene Hargrove that lays out the scientific, artistic, and aesthetic foundations of current environmental beliefs and attitudes. The second section of the book addresses prevailing views on the conceptualization of nature and the various debates on how to properly and respectfully appreciate nature. The third section introduces positive aesthetics, the belief that everything in nature is essentially beautiful, even the devastation caused by earthquakes or floods. The essays in the final section explicitly bring together aesthetics, ethics, and environmentalism to explore the ways in which each might affect the others.
Nature, Aesthetics, and Environmentalism From Beauty to Duty Press Reviews
[A] rich compendium if well-written, highly thoughtful articles on environmental aesthetics... Highly recommended. CHOICE Serves well as an introduction for students, graduate and undergraduate. -- Nicolas de Warren Environmental Philosophy
Publication date: 12th February 2008
Author: Allen Carlson
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Categories: Philosophy: aesthetics, Environmentalist thought & ideology,
About Allen Carlson
Allen Carlson is professor of philosophy at the University of Alberta. He is interested in environmental philosophy and aesthetics, especially aesthetics of nature and landscape. He is coeditor of two collections of essays in these areas and author of Aesthetics and the Environment: The Appreciation of Nature, Art, and Architecture.Sheila Lintott is assistant professor of philosophy at Bucknell University. She is especially interested in issues at the intersection of aesthetics and ethics in environmental and feminist philosophy. Her publications have appeared in Environmental Ethics, Hypatia, the British Journal of Aesthetics, and the Journal of Aesthetic Education.
More About Allen Carlson
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Dubai Creek Harbour: the Future of Dubai
Dubai Hills Estate - An Overview
Bluewaters - Dubai's Most Exciting Island Destination
Community Guide: City Walk & Central Park
Community Guide: Emirates Hills
Written by Arpan Ghosh
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When considering a community in Dubai that offers exclusivity, complete privacy and the very best in luxury living, Emirates Hills tends to hover at the top of the list. A gated villa community located near not just one but two major golf clubs, it offers one of the most lavish settings for any home and features some of the most expensive villas in the city.
Emirates Hills is named after Beverly Hills and shares a similar reputation to its Californian counterpart, counting some of Dubai’s most prominent figures in the world of business and entertainment among its residents. It also bears the distinction of being the first freehold community in Dubai, which has also made it a popular choice for holiday homes owned by international celebrities.
Best Golf in the Region
The Address Montgomerie is the main highlight of Emirates Hills, with a championship course designed by Scottish eight-time European Tour Order of Merit champion Colin Montgomerie in collaboration with architect Desmond Muirhead. Operated by the highly renowned Troon Golf group, the 200-acre course and academy is considered to be the premier golf destination in the Middle East.
Sitting only a short distance away from the community is the Emirates Golf Club, one of the oldest golf clubs in the country and the first in the region to have a grass course. It contains two 18-hole courses – the Majlis course, which hosts the annual Omega Dubai Desert Classic (teeing off later this month); and the Faldo course, designed by golf legend Nick Faldo and the only course in the region to operate at night.
Exceptional Community
The main community is divided into four sub-communities – Dyaar Al Hambra, Montgomerie Maisonettes, Montgomerie Hills and the Signature Villas. Each neighborhood has been designed to offer spectacular views of the Montgomerie course, and contain a limited selection of family homes in a contemporary Arabian or Spanish design.
Emirates Hills is located near the main highway of Sheikh Zayed Road, and overlooks the clustered skyscrapers that tower on either side of it. The community is insulated from the hustle and bustle of city traffic, however, making it seem like a quiet suburban neighborhood in spite of its very central location.
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London's Finest
Artefacts and Art Collections
London's Finest Artefacts and Art Collections / Home
The British Museum is home to a vast collection of artefacts from all continents from prehistory to the Middle Ages.
It may not have as large collection as other famous galleries in major European cities, however, it contains some of the greatest masterpieces by some of the most brilliant artists in history.
Art collections of Tate Britain impress with both quantity and quality. The oldest in the network of Tate galleries houses the most comprehensive collection of British art over the last five centuries.
Another member of London's finest museums is dedicated to science and technology. It is home to a huge collection of all sorts of objects which have played the key role in technological advances.
The British Museum's neighbour holds priceless collections of life and earth science objects, many of which also have a significant historical value.
Copyright © 2013-2014 Mernick
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Dec 1, 2016 at 2:00 AM Dec 1, 2016 at 7:25 AM
Reliant Medical Group announces new addition
Reliant Medical Group announced that Dr. James Kenealy has joined the organization’s Department of Otolaryngology. Kenealy previously practiced at Metrowest Ear Nose & Throat Associates Inc. Kenealy is a graduate of Dartmouth College and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He then completed his internship and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Kenealy is board-certified and a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology for Head and Neck Surgery. He has been in active clinical practice for over 25 years and treats diseases of the ears, nose and throat, including ear infections, hearing loss, tinnitus, nasal allergies, sinus problems, tonsil and adenoid problems, sleep apnea, hoarseness and vocal problems, swallowing problems and head and neck tumors. He is proficient in laser surgery and functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Kenealy will be available to see patients at Relaint Medical Group locations in Worcester, Southborough and Milford.
BidEnergy acquires RealWinWin
BidEnergy Limited announced its U.S. subsidiary BidEnergy Inc., which has a location in Concord, has acquired RealWinWin Inc., a specialist in energy-efficiency rebate administration. RealWinWin has a roster of national multi-site customers who are in BidEnergy’s target market, and will provide a third leg of an emerging suite of energy management software aimed at the finance, procurement, energy and facilities departments of corporations with hundreds of facilities. Adding rebate administration to augment its source-to-pay platform, BidEnergy now has a capability to minimize the costs of energy and the complexity of managing the execution of its energy and facilities strategy across every service territory in the U.S. The acquisition of RealWinWin follows BidEnergy’s U.S. launch in September, which introduced the company’s cloud-based, software-as-a-service platform. The platform combines auction-based procurement, for securing the best available energy-supply rates, with robotic process automation for fast, hands-free bill management, including bill receipt, validation and payment. Optimized for companies with hundreds of geographically dispersed sites across regulated and deregulated service territories, BidEnergy’s source-to-pay platform dramatically reduces the total lifecycle costs and complexities of energy category management. For information: bidenergy.com.
Local organizations recognized by EPA
In New England, 54 Food Recovery Challenge participants diverted over 52,000 tons of food to donation or composting in 2015. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Hierarchy is a tiered approach highlighting reduce wasted food first, then feed the people, feed the animals, followed by industrial uses for energy recovery and composting discouraging disposal to landfills or incinerators.
The following local organizations will receive a Regional Food Recovery Achievement Certificate for their work reducing food waste:
— BJs Wholesale Club, headquarters in Westborough
— Framingham State University, Framingham
— Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
— Wellesley College, Wellesley
Solect Energy announces expansion
Solect Energy, of Hopkinton, announced that the company is expanding its business into the state of Connecticut. The company recently expanded its operations and maintenance services, and will now pursue new projects, in addition to those in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as a licensed Connecticut solar provider. Connecticut has installed 265 megawatts of solar energy, ranking it 17th in the country for installed solar capacity. The state is committed to a goal of 20 percent renewable energy by 2020, and is expected to install an additional 900 megawatts over the next five years. The state’s Zero Emission Renewable Energy Credit program has been the prime driver of the commercial solar market in Connecticut, providing a 15-year revenue stream for owners of solar energy systems, in addition to the value of reduced utility bills.
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Sean Picks Catherine On 'The Bachelor'
By Laura Donovan
After a long season, The Bachelor's Sean Lowe has made his pick. The 29-year-old proposed to finalist Catherine Giudici on Monday's much-anticipated episode.
His selection was a huge surprise in the media world (and me!), as rumors had surfaced before the episode's airing that Lowe had asked for Lindsay Yenter's hand in marriage. Regardless, the 3-hour episode was full of suspense and brought about immense impatience among viewers (this guy!).
"I don't want to say goodbye anymore," Lowe said to her. "I want to spend the rest of my life telling you I love you ... Will you marry me?"
She said yes! And I cried. Who else is beyond stoked about this?
Giudici is a graphic designer at Amazon as well as a vegan food blogger.
All I can say is, YAY! Things weren't looking so good for Guidici at the beginning of the episode, when she had an awkward meeting with Lowe's mom and got upset with him for not saying "I love you" back. But hey, she won in the end! This makes me so happy! She was truly the underdog here, and I really hope their relationship lasts.
In an interview released prior to Monday's installment, Lowe said of the finale, "And the emotion kind of comes out of me in the last episode. You’ll see me cry, and you’ll see the women cry as well. With Lindsay and Catherine as my final two women, I had a hard time. I think America has seen that — figuring out which woman is best suited for me. Or am I supposed to be with either of them? It’s kind of grueling for me to think about! I got some mental warfare going on, going back and forth, back and forth."
The religious Christian added that God played a role in his decision, stating, "All week long, I kept asking myself: Can I marry her? Can I marry her? I was just trying to figure out what’s my heart telling me to do. Did I feel like God is leading me in a direction? I didn’t get any answers all week long. I was really starting to stress out about it. I think it was the night before the very last day when I got some clarity. I knew the decision I was about to make was the right decision for me."
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Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper
If Jose Cuervo is the patron saint of bad judgment and horrid hangovers, then Ron Cooper, purveyor of Del Maguey Mezcal, is the angel of discretion and good taste. Though sometimes his is a case of “Do as say, not as I do.” On the morning I interview Cooper, he chain-smokes and squints in the morning light falling over Oak Street near the Newberry Library, his eyes rimmed by puffy bags. As a spirits professional, Cooper has no shortage of drinking buddies, and a few of them kept him out late after a tasting at Binny’s South Loop the night before.
Cooper grew up in Southern California taking family vacations to Tijuana and Mazatlan where he fell in love with Mexican culture. He says, “You go to Mexico, look in someone’s eyes, and you see two thousand years of culture looking back at you.” And so he kept coming back.
In 1964 he visited a cantina in Ensenada with fellow art students to celebrate and got drunk on really bad Mezcal. He says, “I was the guy waiting for the worm to come down, getting wrecked, and the next day crawling back to recuperate.”
In 1970 after a group-art-show opening in LA, he drank a bottle of Herradura Blanco with his dealer and some artists. Someone asked whether the Pan-American highway really existed, so Cooper and another guy got into a car and drove down through Mexico to find out, stopping in Oaxaca, where they found a village of Zapotec indian weavers.
By 1990, after a few big art commissions, he’d made some “fuck you” money and could do anything he wanted. He’d thought about traveling to Asia, but a voice in his head said, “You gotta go back to Oaxaca.” A weaver friend from the trip in the Seventies set him up with a place, and he went back for a three-month stint. One of his art projects was to create an edition of fifty hand-blown glass bottles based on a shape that celebrated the Zapotec god of supreme intoxication.
Cooper planned on filling the bottles with the best Mezcal he could find, so every third day, he’d head out asking people he came across, “Donde esta el major,” or “What’s the best?” He didn’t even have to specify “Mezcal.” They just pointed the way. He’d walk for hours on dirt roads until he found big stone-grinding wheels used to crush roasted agave or “maguey” to make a mash which is eventually distilled into Mezcal or Tequila.
All Tequila is Mezcal. Not all Mezcal is Tequila. Tequila is a legal government designation that characterizes Mezcal made from blue agave in specific geographic regions. It’s similar to how sparkling wine made outside of the Champagne region of France legally can’t be called Champagne.
When Cooper saw those grinding wheels, he’d seek out the distiller and fill empty Coke bottles with their Mezcal and bring it back to his village. Cooper would sit down with his weaver buddies, chow down on Chapulines, or grasshoppers, and drink his newfound bounty.
His friends were blown away. He wanted to make sure he had a good supply for personal use, but found you couldn’t export bulk Mezcal to the United States. It had to be bottled at origin. Out of self-interest, Cooper applied for an importer’s license and started sending his discoveries to the U.S. and his company Del Maguey was born.
He currently offers seven different Mezcals, which come from five different Mexican villages. The Mezcals are all made according to 400-year-old traditions using village water and the heart of the maguey plant. The hearts are roasted over hot stones in a pit in the ground for three to five days. This process caramelizes the plant, adding flavor. The hearts are then ground to a mash using stone mills, fermented in wooden vats and distilled twice in clay or copper stills.
The distinctive taste of each Del Maguey Mezcal is derived from the variety of agave plant used and the micro-climate, soil, water supply and wild yeasts of the villages where each Mezcal is created. Cooper says that each Mezcal also reflects its distiller. For example, the guy who makes Cooper’s Chichicapa Mezcal is brash and confident, and his version runs very aromatic and hot on the palate.
Even the Del Maguey bottles are works of art, featuring labels based on original watercolors from New Mexico based artist Ken Price. The bottles are hand-dipped in purified bee’s wax and are wreathed in hand-woven palm-fiber baskets made by Oaxacan women.
Del Maguey Mezcal tastes as good as it looks. Keep the shooters in the back of the cupboard, as it’s so smooth you can sip it neat or on the rocks like a high-end whiskey. Because they’re so meticulously crafted, most of the Mezcals are priced around $64.99 at Sam’s and Binny’s. Adam Seger has Del Maguey at the Nacional 27 bar if you want to sample first. Although, you can rest assured that you aren’t buying marketing as you would with a hyped vodka. There’s nothing else like these Mezcals on the market, and the price is truly a reflection of the taste.
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Researchers use iPhone tracking app in yearlong microbiome study
A new longitudinal study of the microbiome from researchers at Harvard and MIT demonstrates how the ubiquity of a smartphone enables research that would have been much more difficult previously. In the study, two patients tracked a number of health factors on an iPhone app for a year and also took stool samples almost every day. Researchers analyzed the bacteria in the stool samples alongside the health tracking data, to see what impact the subjects' lifestyle had on their microbiome, or the ecosystem of bacteria living in their digestive tract.
Subjects used a modified version of a database app called TapForms to track 13 parameters: ailments, bowel movements, daily notes, diet, exercise, fitness, location change, medication, mood, oral hygiene, sleep, urination, and vitamin intake. The two subjects were selected partially based on a screening process for people who would be meticulous about data entry.
"Our findings suggest that although human-associated microbial communities are generally stable, they can be quickly and profoundly altered by common human actions and experiences," the researchers wrote.
Most of the data scientists had subjects collect turned out to be irrelevant to the microbiome. That's still valuable information, as it allows future studies of this kind to be more focused in their tracking.
"[I]t is perhaps surprising that given the multiple of tracked host variables, we did not observe more correlations between host behavior and the microbiota," the researchers write. "For example, we did not observe extensive links between gut microbiota and variables like sleep, exercise, or mood. These findings suggest that future longitudinal studies of human microbiota will not have to exhaustively control for host behavior, as a wide range of lifestyle attributes are unlikely to broadly disrupt individuals’ microbiota."
Two things that did have big effects on the microbiome: diet and illness. The study found that the only major changes that happened to the subjects' microbiomes were related to big events. One subject took a trip to a developing country that triggered a major diet change, which shook up his microbiome. Interestingly, upon his return to the US his microbiome bounced back to its previous makeup. The other had become sick from salmonella poisoning. Even after he recovered from the illness, the makeup of his microbiome changed, with a new species taking over one that was eradicated by the salmonella bacteria.
On a day-to-day level, one of the only thing to cause a quick change in the microbiome was fiber intake, which could alter the ecosystem of the gut in a single day. Yogurt also produced statistically significant changes.
The study of the microbiome is a relatively new area of research, as is the use of quantified self tools to gather data on it. At TEDMED last year, both Calit2 founding director Larry Smarr and uBiome cofounder Jessica Richman talked about the potential for gathering new data on the human body by tracking health behaviors alongside microbiome data from stool samples.
Calit2, health tracking, health tracking apps, iPhone, microbiome, quantified self, research, TapForms, uBiome
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We’re your Career Ally. We believe your career journey extends beyond your next job opportunity. Together we will go beyond.
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Over the last twenty years, Ireland has transformed itself into one of the most modern and cosmopolitan countries in Europe. Despite the economy slowing considerably in the past two years, Ireland remains a destination of choice both for employers looking for a business friendly and low tax environment and jobseekers, who want to experience Ireland’s unique culture and lifestyle.
Living in Ireland – Fast Facts
The currency is the Euro (€).
Ireland has two official languages: English and Gaelic. English is the main language and is used daily by 95% of the population.
Dublin is the capital city and over 40% of the population resides within 100 km of Dublin.
The Republic of Ireland covers almost 85% of the island of Ireland. The remaining 15% is known as Northern Ireland and is part of the United Kingdom.
Ireland occupies a strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe.
Living in Ireland – Visa Information
Work permits and visas are not required by nationals of an EEA country, although they are required to apply at their local Garda (police) station for a residence permit if they plan to stay longer than three months.
Non-EEA nationals who intend working in Ireland will require a work permit as well as a residence permit (issued simultaneously for the same duration). There are some exceptions to this rule; please see www.citizensinformation.ie for further details.
Applications for work permits must be made by a prospective employer (not the employee) to the Work Permits Section of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in Dublin and must be submitted before your arrival in Ireland.
Thinking about Moving to Ireland?
If you are considering working abroad, international recruitment specialists Morgan McKinley can give you advice and guidance on a number of locations worldwide, including Ireland.
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https://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/Enrollment-in-Connecticut-health-exchange-up-11793675.php
Enrollment in Connecticut health exchange up, with month to go
By Christine Stuart CTNewsJunkie.com
Published 11:04 am EST, Friday, February 21, 2014
Photo: Graphic Courtesy Of CT News Junkie
Enrollment through Connecticut’s health insurance exchange increased to 126,653, according to officials at Access Health CT.
Of those 53,673 individuals have chosen plans with one of the three private insurance carriers and 72,980 individuals enrolled in Medicaid between Oct. 1 and Feb. 18. That means about 4,670 individuals enrolled between Feb. 10 and Feb. 18.
Officials at Access Health CT are attributing the bump in enrollment to an advertising campaign they’ve been running during the Olympics. Compared with the week prior to the Olympics, the exchange saw a 31 percent increase in web traffic, a 24 percent increase in account creation, an 8 percent increase in call volume, and a 67 percent increase in daily enrollment.
Enrollment in the exchange is open until March 31.
In January, some members of Access Health CT’s expressed concern about the demographic information of those signing up for one of the three private insurance carriers.
A month later, not much has changed.
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Protein researchers closing in on the mystery of schizophrenia
12 April 2014 12 August 2018 admin 178 Views agriculture, biology, cancer, cosmetics, danish, denmark, discovery, ecology, jensen, journal, pregnancy, southern
Schizophrenia is a severe disease for which there is still no effective medical treatment. In an attempt to understand exactly what happens in the brain of schizophrenic people, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark have analysed proteins in the brains of rats that have been given hallucinogenic drugs. This may pave the way for new and better medicines.Seven per cent of the adult population suffer from schizophrenia, and although scientists have tried for centuries to understand the disease, they still do not know what causes the disease or which physiological changes it causes in the body. Doctors cannot make the diagnosis by looking for specific physiological changes in the patient’s blood or tissue, but have to diagnose from behavioral symptoms.In an attempt to find the physiological signature of schizophrenia, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark have conducted tests on rats, and they now believe that the signature lies in some specific, measurable proteins. Knowing these proteins and comparing their behavior to proteins in the brains of not-schizophrenic people may make it possible to develop more effective drugs.It is extremely difficult to study brain activity in schizophrenic people, which is why researchers often use animal models in their strive to understand the mysteries of the schizophrenic brain. Rat brains resemble human brains in so many ways that studying them makes sense if one wants to learn more about the human brain.Schizophrenic symptoms in ratsThe strong hallucinogenic drug phenocyclidine (PCP), also known as “angel’s dust,” provides a range of symptoms in people which are very similar to schizophrenia.”When we give PCP to rats, the rats become valuable study objects for schizophrenia researchers,” explains Ole Nrregaard Jensen, professor and head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.Along with Pawel Palmowski, Adelina Rogowska-Wrzesinska and others, he is the author of a scientific paper about the discovery, published in the international Journal of Proteome Research.Among the symptoms and reactions that can be observed in both humans and rats are changes in movement and reduced cognitive functions such as impaired memory, attention and learning ability.”Scientists have studied PCP rats for decades, but until now no one really knew what was going on in the rat brains at the molecular level. We now present what we believe to be the largest proteomics data set to date,” says Ole Nrregaard Jensen.PCP is absorbed very quickly by the brain, and it only stays in the brain for a few hours. Therefore, it was important for researchers to examine the rats’ brain cells soon after the rats were injected with the hallucinogenic drug.”We could see changes in the proteins in the brain already after 15 minutes. And after 240 minutes, it was almost over,” says Ole Nrregaard Jensen.The University of Southern Denmark holds some of the world’s most advanced equipment for studying proteins, and Ole Nrregaard Jensen and his colleagues used the university’s so-called mass spectrometres for their protein studies.352 proteins cause brain changes”We found 2604 proteins, and in 352 of them, we saw changes that can be associated with the PCP injections. These 352 proteins will be extremely interesting to study in closer detail to see if they also alter in people with schizophrenia — and if that’s the case, it will of course be interesting to try to develop a drug that can prevent the protein changes that lead to schizophrenia,” says Ole Nrregaard Jensen about the discovery and the work that now lies ahead.The 352 proteins in rat brains responded immediately when the animals were exposed to PCP. …
Genetic cause of heart valve defects revealed
1 April 2014 12 August 2018 admin 141 Views cancer, development, director, discovery, executive, heart, journal, limes, medical
Heart valve defects are a common cause of death in newborns. Scientists at the University of Bonn and the caesar research center have discovered “Creld1” is a key gene for the development of heart valves in mice. The researchers were able to show that a similar Creld1 gene found in humans functions via the same signaling pathway as in the mouse. This discovery is an important step forward in the molecular understanding of the pathogenesis of heart valve defects. The findings have been published in the journal “Developmental Cell.”Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) is a congenital heart defect in which the heart valves and cardiac septum are malformed. Children with Down’s syndrome are particularly affected. Without surgical interventions, mortality in the first months of life is high. “Even in adults, unidentified valve defects occur in about six percent of patients with heart disease,” says Prof. Dr. Michael Hoch, Executive Director of the Life & Medical Sciences (LIMES) Institute of the University of Bonn.For years, there have been indications that changes in the so-called Creld1 gene (Cysteine-Rich with EGF-Like Domains 1) increase the pathogenic risk of AVSD. …
Tumor suppressor gene linked to stem cells, cancer biologists report
27 March 2014 12 August 2018 admin 151 Views ancient, biology, cell, discovery, gene, institute, medical, pregnancy, society, team
Just as archeologists try to decipher ancient tablets to discern their meaning, UT Southwestern Medical Center cancer biologists are working to decode the purpose of an ancient gene considered one of the most important in cancer research.The p53 gene appears to be involved in signaling other cells instrumental in stopping tumor development. But the p53 gene predates cancer, so scientists are uncertain what its original function is.In trying to unravel the mystery, Dr. John Abrams, Professor of Cell Biology at UT Southwestern, and his team made a crucial new discovery — tying the p53 gene to stem cells. Specifically, his lab found that when cellular damage is present, the gene is hyperactive in stem cells, but not in other cells. The findings suggest p53’s tumor suppression ability may have evolved from its more ancient ability to regulate stem cell growth.”The discovery was that only the stem cells light up. None of the others do. The exciting implication is that we are able to understand the function of p53 in stem cells,” said Dr. Abrams, Chair of the Genetics and Development program in UT Southwestern’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “We may, in fact, have some important answers for how p53 suppresses tumors.”The findings appear online in the journal eLife, a joint initiative of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Society, and the Wellcome Trust.p53 is one of the hardest working and most effective allies in the fight against cancer, said Dr. Abrams. …
Ancient sea creatures filtered food like modern whales
26 March 2014 12 August 2018 admin 203 Views ancient, bristol, denmark, discovery, feeding, greenland, health, institute, planet, professor
Ancient, giant marine animals used bizarre facial appendages to filter food from the ocean, according to new fossils discovered in northern Greenland. The new study, led by the University of Bristol and published today in Nature, describes how the strange species, called Tamisiocaris, used these huge, specialized appendages to filter plankton, similar to the way modern blue whales feed today.The animals lived 520 million years ago during the Early Cambrian, a period known as the ‘Cambrian Explosion’ in which all the major animal groups and complex ecosystems suddenly appeared. Tamisiocaris belongs to a group of animals called anomalocarids, a type of early arthropod that included the largest and some of the most iconic animals of the Cambrian period. They swam using flaps down either side of the body and had large appendages in front of their mouths that they most likely used to capture larger prey, such as trilobites.However, the newly discovered fossils show that those predators also evolved into suspension feeders, their grasping appendages morphing into a filtering apparatus that could be swept like a net through the water, trapping small crustaceans and other organisms as small as half a millimetre in size.The evolutionary trend that led from large, apex predators to gentle, suspension-feeding giants during the highly productive Cambrian period is one that has also taken place several other times throughout Earth’s history, according to lead author Dr Jakob Vinther, a lecturer in macroevolution at the University of Bristol.Dr Vinther said: “These primitive arthropods were, ecologically speaking, the sharks and whales of the Cambrian era. In both sharks and whales, some species evolved into suspension feeders and became gigantic, slow-moving animals that in turn fed on the smallest animals in the water.”In order to fully understand how the Tamisiocaris might have fed, the researchers created a 3D computer animation of the feeding appendage to explore the range of movements it could have made.”Tamisiocaris would have been a sweep net feeder, collecting particles in the fine mesh formed when it curled its appendage up against its mouth,” said Dr Martin Stein of the University of Copenhagen, who created the computer animation. “This is a rare instance when you can actually say something concrete about the feeding ecology of these types of ancient creatures with some confidence.”The discovery also helps highlight just how productive the Cambrian period was, showing how vastly different species of anomalocaridids evolved at that time, and provides further insight into the ecosystems that existed hundreds of millions of years ago.”The fact that large, free-swimming suspension feeders roamed the oceans tells us a lot about the ecosystem,” Dr Vinther said. “Feeding on the smallest particles by filtering them out of the water while actively swimming around requires a lot of energy — and therefore lots of food.”Tamisiocaris is one of many recent discoveries of remarkably diverse anomalocarids found in rocks aged 520 to 480 million years old. “We once thought that anomalocarids were a weird, failed experiment,” said co-author Dr Nicholas Longrich at the University of Bath. “Now we’re finding that they pulled off a major evolutionary explosion, doing everything from acting as top predators to feeding on tiny plankton.”The Tamisiocaris fossils were discovered during a series of recent expeditions led by co-author David Harper, a professor at Durham University. “The expeditions have unearthed a real treasure trove of new fossils in one of the remotest parts of the planet, and there are many new fossil animals still waiting to be described,” he said. …
New theory on cause of endometriosis
7 March 2014 12 August 2018 admin 124 Views agriculture, discovery, disease, ecology, gene, genetic, genetics, king, professor, school, women
Changes to two previously unstudied genes are the centerpiece of a new theory regarding the cause and development of endometriosis, a chronic and painful disease affecting 1 in 10 women.The discovery by Northwestern Medicine scientists suggests epigenetic modification, a process that enhances or disrupts how DNA is read, is an integral component of the disease and its progression. Matthew Dyson, research assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and and Serdar Bulun, MD, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Feinberg and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, also identified a novel role for a family of key gene regulators in the uterus.”Until now, the scientific community was looking for a genetic mutation to explain endometriosis,” said Bulun, a member of the Center for Genetic Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. “This is the first conclusive demonstration that the disease develops as a result of alterations in the epigenetic landscape and not from classical genetic mutations.”The findings were recently published in PLoS Genetics.Women develop endometriosis when cells from the lining of the uterus, usually shed during menstruation, grow in other areas of the body. The persistent survival of these cells results in chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Although the cause of the disease has remained unknown on a cellular level, there have been several different models established to explain its development.Endometriosis only occurs in menstruating primates, suggesting that the unique evolution behind uterine development and menstruation are linked to the disease. Scientists consider retrograde menstruation — cells moving up the fallopian tubes and into the pelvis — as one probable cause. Previous models, however, have been unable to explain why only 10 percent of women develop the disease when most experience retrograde menstruation at some point. Nor do they explain instances of endometriosis that arise independent of menstruation.Bulun and Dyson propose that an epigenetic switch permits the expression of the genetic receptor GATA6 rather than GATA2, resulting in progesterone resistance and disease development.”We believe an overwhelming number of these altered cells reach the lining of the abdominal cavity, survive and grow,” Bulun said. “These findings could someday lead to the first noninvasive test for endometriosis.”Clinicians could then prevent the disease by placing teenagers predisposed to this epigenetic change on a birth control pill regimen, preventing the possibility of retrograde menstruation in the first place, Bulun said.Dyson will also look to use the epigenetic fingerprint resulting from the presence of GATA6 rather than GATA2 as a potential diagnostic tool, since these epigenetic differences are readily detectable.”These findings have the potential to shift how we view and treat the disease moving forward,” Bulun said.Story Source:The above story is based on materials provided by Northwestern University. …
Big step for next-generation fuel cells and electrolyzers
2 March 2014 12 August 2018 admin 99 Views agriculture, discovery, division, doe, platinum, pregnancy, research, university
A big step in the development of next-generation fuel cells and water-alkali electrolyzers has been achieved with the discovery of a new class of bimetallic nanocatalysts that are an order of magnitude higher in activity than the target set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for 2017. The new catalysts, hollow polyhedral nanoframes of platinum and nickel, feature a three-dimensional catalytic surface activity that makes them significantly more efficient and far less expensive than the best platinum catalysts used in today’s fuel cells and alkaline electrolyzers.This research was a collaborative effort between DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).”We report the synthesis of a highly active and durable class of electrocatalysts by exploiting the structural evolution of platinum/nickel bimetallic nanocrystals,” says Peidong Yang, a chemist with Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division, who led the discovery of these new catalysts. “Our catalysts feature a unique hollow nanoframe structure with three-dimensional platinum-rich surfaces accessible for catalytic reactions. By greatly reducing the amount of platinum needed for oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution reactions, our new class of nanocatalysts should lead to the design of next-generation catalysts with greatly reduced cost but significantly enhanced activities.”Yang, who also holds appointments with the University of California (UC) Berkeley and the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at Berkeley, is one of the corresponding authors of a paper in Science that describes this research. The paper is titled “Highly Crystalline Multimetallic Nanoframes with Three-Dimensional Electrocatalytic Surfaces.” The other corresponding author is Vojislav Stamenkovic, a chemist with ANL’s Materials Science Division, who led the testing of this new class of electrocatalysts.Fuel cells and electrolyzers can help meet the ever-increasing demands for electrical power while substantially reducing the emission of carbon and other atmospheric pollutants. These technologies are based on either the oxygen reduction reaction (fuel cells), or the hydrogen evolution reaction (electrolyzers). Currently, the best electrocatalyst for both reactions consists of platinum nanoparticles dispersed on carbon. Though quite effective, the high cost and limited availability of platinum makes large-scale use of this approach a major challenge for both stationary and portable electrochemical applications.”Intense research efforts have been focused on developing high-performance electrocatalysts with minimal precious metal content and cost,” Yang says. “In an earlier study, the ANL scientists showed that forming a nano-segregated platinum skin over a bulk single-crystal platinum/nickel alloy enhances catalytic activity but the materials cannot be easily integrated into electrochemical devices. …
Abdominal fat accumulation prevented by unsaturated fat
25 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 121 Views alzheimer, discovery, health, liver, science, type, uppsala, western
New research from Uppsala University shows that saturated fat builds more fat and less muscle than polyunsaturated fat. This is the first study on humans to show that the fat composition of food not only influences cholesterol levels in the blood and the risk of cardiovascular disease but also determines where the fat will be stored in the body. The findings have recently been published in the American journal Diabetes.The study involved 39 young adult men and women of normal weight, who ate 750 extra calories per day for seven weeks. The goal was for them to gain three per cent of their starting weight. The project received considerable attention when it started in 2011, partly because the extra calories were ingested in the form of muffins with high fat content, baked in the lab by Fredrik Rosqvist, a doctoral candidate and first author of the study.One half of the subjects were random to eat surplus calories from polyunsaturated fat (sunflower oil), while the other half got their surplus calories from saturated fat (palm oil). Both diets contained the same amount of sugar, carbohydrates, fat, and protein; the only difference between muffins was the type of fat.The increase in body fat and the distribution of fat in the body was measured using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scans) before and after the weight gain, as was the muscle mass in the body. Gene activity was measured in the abdominal visceral fat before and after the weight gain with the help of a gene chip that studies several thousand genes at a time.Despite comparable weight gains between the two diet groups, the surplus consumption of saturated fat caused a markedly greater increase in the amount of fat in the liver and abdomen (especially the fat surrounding the internal organs, visceral fat) in comparison with the surplus consumption of polyunsaturated fat. Moreover the total amount of body fat was greater in the saturated fat group, while, on the other hand, the increase in muscle mass was three times less for those who ate saturated fat compared with those who ate polyunsaturated fat. Thus, gaining weight on excess calories from polyunsaturated fat caused more gain in muscle mass, and less body fat than overeating a similar amount of saturated fat. Since most of us are in positive energy balance, and consequently gain weight slowly but gradually over time, the present results are highly relevant for most Western populations.”Liver fat and visceral fat seems to contribute to a number of disturbances in metabolism. …
Zebrafish discovery may shed light on human kidney function
22 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 145 Views acid, american, cancer, case, discovery, online, physiology, science, species
Researchers say the discovery of how sodium ions pass through the gill of a zebrafish may be a clue to understanding a key function in the human kidney. The findings from a collaboration between Mayo Clinic and the Tokyo Institute of Technology appear in the online issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.The researchers discovered a protein responsible for gas exchanges in the fish gill structure. Specifically they studied and characterized the Na+/H+ (sodium/hydrogen) exchanger named NHE3, responsible for controlling sodium and hydrogen ions across the gill. The researchers also directly demonstrated that NHE3 can function as a Na+/NH4+ (sodium/ammonium) exchanger.”This is significant because the fish tends to mimic the process in humans,” says Michael Romero, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic physiologist who works in nephrology. “This is the true beauty of comparative physiology– a lot of the organs function by very similar processes, down to ionic transfer.”In this case the protein allows the sodium ions to be absorbed from the forming urine while at the same time discarding waste from normally functioning cells, thus keeping the body in balance and serving as an energy saving system. The researchers say the same NHE3 protein performs a similar function in the intestine, pancreas, liver, lungs and reproductive system.The gill is used in the fish as a transport system: sodium ions are nutrients and ammonium carries away waste. It’s a key process allowing zebrafish to extract sodium ions from fresh water. In humans, NHE3 is involved in the acid-waste control system in the kidney, but there hasn’t been a good analysis of that process in humans. Part of this acid-control process in the human kidney is “ammoniagenesis” which requires the initial part of the kidney tubule (proximal tubule) to export ammonia/ammonium. Physiologically, it has been assumed that NHE3 can perform a Na+/NH4+ exchange, but this has never been experimentally demonstrated.Ammoniagenesis and increased renal sodium bicarbonate absorption are partly under the control of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which means that this work enhances understanding of human hypertension. …
Discovery may help to explain mystery of ‘missing’ genetic risk, susceptibility to common diseases
18 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 127 Views cancer, common, count, discovery, disease, genetic, london, major, people, professor, research, standard
A new study could help to answer an important riddle in our understanding of genetics: why research to look for the genetic causes of common diseases has failed to explain more than a fraction of the heritable risk of developing them.Susceptibility to common diseases is believed to arise through a combination of many common genetic variants that individually slightly increase the risk of disease, plus a smaller number of rare mutations that often carry far greater risk.However, even when their effects are added together, the genetic variants so far linked to common diseases account for only a relatively small proportion of the risk we know is conveyed by genetics through studies of family history.But the major new study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, shows for the first time in cancer that some common genetic variants could actually be indicators of the presence of much more influential rare mutations that have yet to be found.Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, led an international consortium made up of more than 25 leading academic institutions on the study, which was funded by the European Union.The research, involving 20,440 men with prostate cancer and 21,469 without the disease, identified a cluster of four common genetic variants on chromosome 17 that appeared to give rise to a small increase in prostate cancer risk, using the standard statistical techniques for this type of study.But the study found an alternative explanation for the risk signal — a small proportion of the men with these common variants were in fact carriers of a rare mutation in the nearby HOXB13 gene, which is known to be linked to prostate cancer. Under this ‘synthetic association’, the number of people carrying a cancer risk variant was much lower than had been assumed, but those people who did inherit a variant had a much higher risk of prostate cancer than had been realised.The discovery shows that the prevailing genetic theory — that common cancers are predominantly caused by the combined action of many common genetic variants, each with only a very small effect — could potentially underestimate the impact of rare, as yet undiscovered mutations.The results are important because they show that there is a need for renewed effort by geneticists to find the causal variants, whether common or rare, behind the many common cancer-associated variants identified in recent years.Identifying any underlying rare mutations with a big effect on disease risk could improve the genetic screening and clinical management of individuals at greater risk of developing cancer, as well as other diseases.Study co-leader Dr Zsofia Kote-Jarai, Senior Staff Scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), said: “As far as we are aware, this is the first known example of a ‘synthetic association’ in cancer genetics. It was exciting to find evidence for this theory, which predicts that common genetic variants that appear to increase risk of disease by only a modest amount may indeed sometimes be detected purely due to their correlation with a rarer variant which confers a greater risk.”Our study does not imply how widespread this phenomenon may be, but it holds some important lessons for geneticists in cancer, and other common diseases. It demonstrates the importance of identifying the causal genetic changes behind the many common variants that have already been shown to influence risk of disease.”Our study also demonstrates that standard methods to identify potential causal variants when fine-mapping genetic associations with disease may be inadequate to assess the contribution of rare variants. Large sequencing studies may be necessary to answer these questions unequivocally.”Study co-leader Professor Ros Eeles, Professor of Oncogenetics at The Institute of Cancer Research and Honorary Clinical Consultant at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: “One important unanswered question in cancer genetics — and in genetics of common disease more generally — is why the genetic mutations we’ve discovered so far each seem to have such a small effect, when studies of families have shown that our genetic make-up has a very large influence on our risk of cancer.”Our study is an important step forward in our understanding of where we might find this ‘missing’ genetic risk in cancer. At least in part, it might lie in rarer mutations which current research tools have struggled to find, because individually each does not affect a large number of people.”
Understanding (and Signing) the Mesothelioma Attorney-Client Agreement
18 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 119 Views agreement, attorney, case, contingency, discovery, Mesothelioma, result, signature
Understanding (and Signing) the Mesothelioma Attorney-Client Agreement In an earlier post we discussed how communication is vital to the attorney-client
Cortical convolutions controlled in sections: Non-coding DNA sequence affects brain’s characteristic folding, study shows
15 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 133 Views discovery, education, health, medical, pregnancy, rna, school, speculation, technology, wild, world
Researchers have tied a particular gene to the development of cortical convolutions — the prominent but enigmatic folds covering the surface of the human brain. Their discovery should shed some light on these characteristic contours, which have been the subject of wild speculation for ages, and perhaps also provide a better understanding of how such brain ridges form, how they evolved from our pre-human ancestors and, ultimately, how they influence brain function.The exact role of cortical convolutions remains unknown, but theories have abounded. (Some, for example, have suggested that the folds act as the body’s cooling system and others have even proposed that Albert Einstein’s genius could have been traced to a single cortical fold on his brain.)Now, leveraging advances that permit a closer look at how these folds develop, research published in the 14 February issue of Science shows that a mutation affecting GPR56 causes cortical convolutions around the brain’s Sylvian fissure — a particularly deep indentation — to develop thinner and more convoluted than usual. The finding, which suggests that genes may assert control over the brain’s physical folding on a section-by-section basis, provides insight into the mysterious cortical development process.”There is already a list of genetic mutations that cause abnormal neocortical folding, which can be used for prenatal testing,” explained Byoung-il Bae from the Division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, one of the lead authors of the Science report. “We intend to add this mutation to some of the panels.”Bae and colleagues from around the world investigated the genomes of five individuals with abnormalities on Broca’s area, or the language center of the brain. These study participants were from three different families — one Turkish and two Irish-American — and they suffered from refractory seizures as well as intellectual and language difficulties.The researchers found that all five patients harbored a mutation on a particular regulatory element that influences the GPR56 gene. Such regulatory DNA doesn’t code for any proteins itself but promotes the expression of genes elsewhere on the genome. Geneticists have long-suspected that such non-coding regions of the genome could play important roles in evolution. To observe the specific effects of the GPR56 “promoter” DNA sequence, Bae and his team used genetically modified mice.They discovered that low expression of GPR56 (gauged by low levels of mRNA) decreases the production of neuroprogenitor cells — those that will eventually give rise to neurons — around Broca’s area and the Sylvian fissure. By contrast, overexpression of the gene boosts the production of such progenitor cells in that region. …
Prostate cancer advance could improve treatment options
13 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 116 Views agriculture, alzheimer, association, british, discovery, gene, number, prostate, research
Findings published today in the British Journal of Cancer, and funded by the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR), show how a genetic mutation in untreated patients is linked to aggressive cancer later in life. It was previously thought that the mutation only occurred in response to therapy.The research highlights why relapses could occur in some men following hormone therapy. And it could help identify those patients that will develop fatal prostate cancer much earlier for life-extending therapy.Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with more than 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year. Treatment options for patients diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer vary from “watchful waiting” to hormone-withdrawal therapy, radiotherapy or surgery.Additional tests for indicators of aggressive cancer are necessary to help categorise patients so that those with a low-risk of the disease spreading can avoid unnecessary treatment, and those diagnosed with a high-risk can be targeted for more aggressive first line therapy.Hormone-withdrawal therapy often results in a dramatic remission, however the disease invariably relapses with a resistant form of the cancer. A third of these are due to an increase in copy number of a particular gene called the ‘androgen receptor’. The gene is on the X-Chromosome and so there is normally only one copy of this gene present in men. Prostate cancer thrives on male hormones, and one way that they develop to grow better is to increase the number of copies of the androgen receptor gene. This also enables the cancer to resist therapy.Lead researchers Dr Jeremy Clark and Prof Colin Cooper from UEA’s school of Biological Sciences carried out the research at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and at UEA.Dr Clark said: “By the age of 60, the majority of men will have signs of prostate cancer. However, only a small proportion of men will die of the disease. The question is — which of these cancers are dangerous and which are not? …
New pathway for fear discovered deep within brain
13 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 141 Views action, animals, brain, central, discovery, Health Insurance, king, laboratory, professor, science, spring, study
Fear is primal. In the wild, it serves as a protective mechanism, allowing animals to avoid predators or other perceived threats. For humans, fear is much more complex. A normal amount keeps us safe from danger. But in extreme cases, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), too much fear can prevent people from living healthy, productive lives. Researchers are actively working to understand how the brain translates fear into action. Today, scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) announce the discovery of a new neural circuit in the brain that directly links the site of fear memory with an area of the brainstem that controls behavior.How does the brain convert an emotion into a behavioral response? For years, researchers have known that fear memories are learned and stored in a small structure in the brain known as the amygdala. Any disturbing event activates neurons in the lateral and then central portions of the amygdala. The signals are then communicated internally, passing from one group of neurons to the next. …
Surprising new clue to the roots of hunger, neurons that drive appetite
8 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 114 Views agriculture, bidmc, cancer, designer, discovery, ecology, king, lowell, medical, professor, school
While the function of eating is to nourish the body, this is not what actually compels us to seek out food. Instead, it is hunger, with its stomach-growling sensations and gnawing pangs that propels us to the refrigerator – or the deli or the vending machine. Although hunger is essential for survival, abnormal hunger can lead to obesity and eating disorders, widespread problems now reaching near-epidemic proportions around the world.Over the past 20 years, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) neuroendocrinologist Bradford Lowell, MD, PhD, has been untangling the complicated jumble of neurocircuits in the brain that underlie hunger, working to create a wiring diagram to explain the origins of this intense motivational state. Key among his findings has been the discovery that Agouti-peptide (AgRP) expressing neurons – a group of nerve cells in the brain’s hypothalamus – are activated by caloric deficiency, and when either naturally or artificially stimulated in animal models, will cause mice to eat voraciously after conducting a relentless search for food.Now, in a new study published on-line this week in the journal Nature, Lowell’s lab has made the surprising discovery that the hunger-inducing neurons that activate these AgRP neurons are located in the paraventricular nucleus — a brain region long thought to cause satiety, or feelings of fullness. This unexpected finding not only provides a critical addition to the overall wiring diagram, but adds an important extension to our understanding of what drives appetite.“Our goal is to understand how the brain controls hunger,” explains Lowell, an investigator in BIDMC’s Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Abnormal hunger can lead to obesity and eating disorders, but in order to understand what might be wrong – and how to treat it – you first need to know how it works. Otherwise, it’s like trying to fix a car without knowing how the engine operates.”Hunger is notoriously complicated and questions abound: Why do the fed and fasted states of your body increase or decrease hunger? And how do the brain’s reward pathways come into play – why, as we seek out food, especially after an otherwise complete meal, do we prefer ice cream to lettuce?“Psychologists have explained how cues from the environment and from the body interact, demonstrating that food and stimuli linked with food [such as a McDonald’s sign] are rewarding and therefore promote hunger,” explains Lowell. “It’s clear that fasting increases the gain on how rewarding we find food to be, while a full stomach decreases this reward. But while this model has been extremely important in understanding the general features of the ‘hunger system,’ it’s told us nothing about what’s inside the ‘black box’ – the brain’s neural circuits that actually control hunger.”To deal with this particularly complex brain region – a dense and daunting tangle of circuits resembling a wildly colorful Jackson Pollack painting – the Lowell team is taking a step-by-step approach to find out how the messages indicating whether the body is in a state of feeding or fasting enter this system. …
Europe’s oldest footprints uncovered on English coast
8 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 142 Views alzheimer, british, cancer, discovery, ecology, europe, geography, happisburgh, history, norfolk, school
The earliest human footprints outside of Africa have been uncovered, on the English coast, by a team of scientists led by Queen Mary University of London, the British Museum and the Natural History Museum.Up to five people left the series of footprints in mud on the bank of an ancient river estuary over 800,000 years ago at Happisburgh in northeast Norfolk.Dr Simon Lewis from Queen Mary’s School of Geography has been helping to piece together the geological puzzle surrounding the discovery — made in May 2013 — which is evidence of the first known humans in northern Europe.Dr Lewis’s research into the geology of the site has provided vital information on the sediments in which the prints were found. “My role is to work out the sequence of deposits at the site and how they were laid down. This means I can provide a geological context for the archaeological evidence of human occupation at the site.”The importance of the Happisburgh footprints is highlighted by the rarity of footprints surviving elsewhere. Only those at Laetoli in Tanzania at about 3.5 million years and at Ileret and Koobi Fora in Kenya at about 1.5 million years are older.A lecturer in physical geography, and co-director of the Happisburgh project (http://www.ahobproject.org/), Dr Lewis added that the chance of encountering footprints such as this was extremely rare; they survived environmental change and the passage of time.Timing was also crucial as “their location was revealed just at a moment when researchers were there to see it” during a geophysical survey. “Just two weeks later the tide would have eroded the footprints away.””At first we weren’t sure what we were seeing,” explains Dr Nick Ashton of the British Museum “but as we removed any remaining beach sand and sponged off the seawater, it was clear that the hollows resembled prints, and that we needed to record the surface as quickly as possible.”Over the next two weeks researchers used photogrammetry, a technique that can stitch together digital photographs to create a permanent record and 3D images of the surface. It was the analysis of these images that confirmed that the elongated hollows were indeed ancient human footprints.In some cases the heel, arch and even toes could be identified, equating to modern shoes of up to UK size 8. While it is not possible to tell what the makers of these footprints were doing at the time, analysis has suggested that the prints were made from a mix of adults and children.Their discovery offers researchers an insight into the migration of pre-historic people hundreds of thousands of years ago when Britain was linked by land to continental Europe.At this time, deer, bison, mammoth, hippo and rhino grazed the river valley at Happisburgh. The land provided a rich array of resources for the early humans with edible plant tubers, seaweed and shellfish nearby, while the grazing herds would have provided meat through hunting or scavenging.During the past 10 years the sediments at Happisburgh have revealed a series of sites with stone tools and fossil bones; this discovery is from the same deposits.The findings are published in the science journal PLOS ONE.The work at Happisburgh forms part of a new major exhibition at the Natural History Museum Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story opening on February 13.Story Source:The above story is based on materials provided by Queen Mary University of London. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Sneezing sponges suggest existence of sensory organ: Discovery challenges assumptions about ‘primitive’ organism
7 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 149 Views alzheimer, animals, australia, discovery, earth, environment, major, marine, pregnancy, science
When Danielle Ludeman decided to leave her hometown of Vancouver to study evolutionary biology at the University of Alberta, she knew she was in for a challenge that would help her discover things about science and, in turn, herself.What she didn’t count on were the hours, days and months she’d spend watching sponges in mid-sneeze.It sounds like a strange way to pass time, but sneezing sponges have become a major part of Ludeman’s studies at the U of A, including a new paper that points to the sneeze as evidence of a sensory organ in one of the most basic multicellular organisms on Earth.”The sneeze can tell us a lot about how the sponge works and how it’s responding to the environment,” said Ludeman, a master’s student in the Faculty of Science. “This paper really gets at the question of how sensory systems evolved. The sponge doesn’t have a nervous system, so how can it respond to the environment with a sneeze the way another animal that does have a nervous system can?”Ludeman started the work as part of an undergraduate research honours project, working under the supervision of Sally Leys, Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Developmental Biology. It was Leys and a former graduate student who first discovered that sponges do in fact sneeze.The sponge is a filter feeder that relies totally on water flow through its body for food, oxygen and waste removal. Sneezing, a 30- to 45-minute process that sees the entire body of the sponge expand and contract, allows it to respond to physical stimuli such as sediment in the water.Time-lapse sneezesFor their study, Ludeman and Leys used a variety of drugs to elicit sneezes in freshwater sponges and observed the process using fluorescent dye — all recorded using time-lapse video. Their efforts focused on the sponge’s osculum, which controls water exiting the organism, including water expelled during a sneeze.Through a series of lab experiments, the pair discovered that ciliated cells lining the osculum play a role in triggering sneezes. In other animals, cilia function like antennae, helping cells respond to stimuli in a co-ordinated manner. In the sponge, their localized presence in the osculum and their sensory function suggest the osculum is in fact a sensory organ.”For a sponge to have a sensory organ is totally new. This does not appear in a textbook; this doesn’t appear in someone’s concept of what sponges are permitted to have,” said Leys.Leys said the discovery raises new questions about how sensory systems may have evolved in the sponge and other animals, including ones with nervous systems. It’s possible this sensory system is unique to the sponge, she said, evolving over the last 600 million years. …
Integration brings quantum computer a step closer
2 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 149 Views alzheimer, corporation, design, discovery, engineering, group, quantum, race, science, thompson, university
An international research group of scientists and engineers led by the University of Bristol, UK, has made an important advance towards a quantum computer by shrinking down key components and integrating them onto a silicon microchip.Scientists and engineers from an international collaboration led by Dr Mark Thompson from the University of Bristol have, for the first time, generated and manipulated single particles of light (photons) on a silicon chip — a major step forward in the race to build a quantum computer.Quantum computers and quantum technologies in general are widely anticipated as the next major technology advancement, and are poised to replace conventional information and computing devices in applications ranging from ultra-secure communications and high-precision sensing to immensely powerful computers. Quantum computers themselves will likely lead to breakthroughs in the design of new materials and in the discovery of new medical drugs.Whilst still in their infancy, quantum technologies are making rapid process, and a revolutionary new approach pioneered by the University of Bristol is exploiting state-of-the-art engineering processes and principles to make leaps and bounds in a field previously dominated by scientists.Featuring on the front cover of Nature Photonics, this latest advancement is one of the important pieces in the jigsaw needed in order to realise a quantum computer. While previous attempts have required external light sources to generate the photons, this new chip integrates components that can generate photons inside the chip.”We were surprised by how well the integrated sources performed together,” admits Joshua Silverstone, lead author of the paper. “They produced high-quality identical photons in a reproducible way, confirming that we could one day manufacture a silicon chip with hundreds of similar sources on it, all working together. This could eventually lead to an optical quantum computer capable of performing enormously complex calculations.”Group leader Mark Thompson explained: “Single-photon detectors, sources and circuits have all been developed separately in silicon but putting them all together and integrating them on a chip is a huge challenge. Our device is the most functionally complex photonic quantum circuit to date, and was fabricated by Toshiba using exactly the same manufacturing techniques used to make conventional electronic devices. We can generate and manipulate quantum entanglement all within a single mm-sized micro-chip.”The group, which, includes researchers from Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Stanford University (US), University of Glasgow (UK) and TU Delft (The Netherlands), now plans to integrate the remaining necessary components onto a chip, and show that large-scale quantum devices using photons are possible.”Our group has been making steady progress towards a functioning quantum computer over the last five years,” said Thompson. “We hope to have within the next couple of years, photon-based devices complex enough to rival modern computing hardware for highly-specialised tasks.”However, these are just the first steps. To realise useful quantum machines will required a new breed of engineering — quantum engineers, individuals capable of understanding the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and applying this knowledge to real world problems.Bristol’s newly established Centre for Doctoral Training in Quantum Engineering will train a new generation of engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs to harness the power of quantum mechanics and lead the quantum technology revolution. This innovative centre bridges the gaps between physics, engineering, mathematics and computer science, working closely with chemists and biologists while interacting strongly with industry.Story Source:The above story is based on materials provided by University of Bristol. …
Delay Tactics Common during Asbestos Lawsuit Case Process
1 February 2014 12 August 2018 admin 113 Views angeles, condition, discovery, engagement, lawyers, litigation, Mesothelioma, result, veteran
Delay Tactics Common during Asbestos Lawsuit Case Process Marine veteran John Johnson recently lost his battle with mesothelioma. Instead of
Up close and 3-dimensional: HIV caught in the act inside the gut
31 January 2014 12 August 2018 admin 125 Views agriculture, body, cancer, cell, discovery, gens, health, howard-hughes, human, major
HIV infection has many unhealthy consequences on the body, but in particular it messes up the gut. The human intestine has the highest concentration of HIV target cells, the majority of which are destroyed within days of infection, and before CD4 T cell counts drop measurably in the blood. A study published on January 30th in PLOS Pathogens reports the first three-dimensional ultra-structural study of HIV infection in vivo. Not only does it reveal details on how the virus quickly infects immune cells in the gut, using them as virus-producing factories, but it also highlights where the virus “hides out” deep within the intestinal tissue.Pamela Bjorkman, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the California Institute of Technology, USA, and colleagues used electron tomography for a high-resolution study of HIV virus in the guts of “humanized” mice, whose immune system is made up to a large degree of human cells. They infected these “BLT mice” (so-called because they have human bone marrow, thymus, and liver cells) with HIV virus and developed methods that allowed them to safely examine and visualize the three-dimensional architecture of infected parts of the gut.They saw HIV-infected human immune cells, caught virus particles in the act of budding from such cells, and also found groups of free immature and mature viruses. For one infected host cell (turned HIV factory) the researchers counted 63 virus particles it had likely released. The actual number is almost certainly much higher, because the method can only visualize virus particles surrounding the host cell within a relatively small part of the tissue. Nevertheless, they discovered that groups of viruses that were farther from the host cell were more mature than those closer to it, which suggested that the host cell releases new virus in a series of “semi-synchronized” waves.Among the samples, the researchers found some where viruses released from one infected cell seemed directly to attach to a neighboring host cell, presumably infecting it. In addition to such “virological synapses,” they also observed free virus particles that appear to have covered some distance between their “mother” cell and the cell that would become their target to infect.These images provide the first 3D ultrastructural details on HIV infection and virus production in a setting that closely resembles the gut of human patients. Some results confirm earlier findings from in vitro experiments — cells grown and infected in a petri dish — but others are seen for the first time and advance the understanding of how HIV infection spreads in real life.”To me, an important finding is that the majority of the viral transmission events within tissue involved free virus rather than virological synapses,” says Bjorkman. …
Bacteria-eating viruses ‘magic bullets in the war on superbugs’
19 October 2013 12 August 2018 admin 148 Views alzheimer, ampli, clokie, council, department, discovery, dna, health, major, president, university
Oct. 16, 2013 — A specialist team of scientists from the University of Leicester has isolated viruses that eat bacteria — called phages — to specifically target the highly infectious hospital superbug Clostridium difficile (C. diff).Now an exciting new collaboration between the University of Leicester, the University of Glasgow and AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation could lead to the use of bacteriophages for treating the superbug Clostridium difficile infections.Dr Martha Clokie, from the University of Leicester’s Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation has been investigating an alternative approach to antibiotics, which utilizes naturally occurring viruses called bacteriophages, meaning ‘eaters of bacteria’.The work has predominantly been funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).Dr Clokie said: “Ever since the discovery of the first antibiotic, penicillin, antibiotics have been heralded as the ‘silver bullets’ of medicine. They have saved countless lives and impacted on the well-being of humanity.”But less than a century following their discovery, the future impact of antibiotics is dwindling at a pace that no one anticipated, with more and more bacteria out-smarting and ‘out-evolving’ these miracle drugs. This has re-energised the search for new treatments.”One alternative to antibiotics is bacteriophages, known as phages, which unlike antibiotics, are specific in what they kill and will generally only infect one particular species, or even strain, of bacteria — referred to as the ‘host’. Following attachment to their hosts, they inject their DNA into the bacterium, which then replicates many times over, ultimately causing the bacterial cell to burst open. The phages released from the dead bacterium can then infect other host cells.”Dr. Clokie and her team have achieved the remarkable feat of isolating and characterising the largest known set of distinct C. diff phages that infect clinically relevant strains of C. diff. …
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Did You Know...Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin?
Not everything in life is financial. Other interesting (non-political) topics will be posted in this blog. Here's one I found very interesting that I only found out about recently:
Claudette Colvin (born September 5, 1939) was a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement. On March 2, 1955, she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in segregated Montgomery, Alabama, nine months prior to Rosa Parks.
Colvin was among the five plaintiffs originally included in the federal court case filed by civil rights attorney Fred Gray on February 1, 1956, as Browder v. Gayle, and she testified before the three-judge panel that heard the case in the United States District Court. On June 13, 1956, the judges determined that the state and local laws requiring bus segregation in Alabama were unconstitutional. The case went to the United States Supreme Court, which upheld their ruling on December 17, 1956. Colvin was the last witness to testify. Three days later, the Supreme Court issued an order to Montgomery and the state of Alabama to end bus segregation, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott was called off.
For many years, Montgomery's black leaders did not publicize Colvin's pioneering effort because she was a teenager who was reportedly pregnant by a married man. However, she actually did not become pregnant until later.[1] Words like "feisty", "mouthy", and "emotional" were used to describe her, while her older counterpart Rosa Parks was viewed as being calm, well-mannered, and studious. Because of the social norms of the time and her youth, the NAACP leaders worried about using her to symbolize their boycott.[2][3]
Claudette Colvin: "Young people think Rosa Parks just sat down on a bus and ended segregation, but that wasn't the case at all."
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudette_Colvin
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Terre Haute Parks Board approves reopening pool
Somalia extremist attack in port city of Kismayo kills 10
Posted: Jul 12, 2019 / 03:18 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 13, 2019 / 03:08 AM EDT
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — At least 10 people, including two journalists, were killed in an extremist attack Friday on a hotel in the port city of Kismayo, a Somali official said.
Abdi Ahmed, a local district official, told The Associated Press the death toll may rise as fighting continued inside the Asasey Hotel between the extremist gunmen and security forces. He said gunfire is continuing inside the hotel.
He said most of the victims were patrons of the hotel, which is often frequented by lawmakers and local officials. He said the victims include two journalists.
The attack started with a suicide car bomb blast and then gunmen stormed into the hotel.
Somalia’s al-Shabab Islamic rebels have claimed responsibility.
Mogadishu-based independent radio station Radio Dalsan confirmed to The Associated Press that Canadian journalist Hodan Nalayeh and her husband, Farid Jama Suleiman, died in the attack.
“I’m absolutely devastated by the news of the death of our dear sister Hodan Nalayeh and her husband in a terrorist attack in Somalia today. What a loss to us. Her beautiful spirit shined through her work and the way she treated people,” Omar Suleiman, a Texas-based imam who knew the victim, wrote on social media.
Nalayeh was born in Somalia in 1976, but spent most of her life in Canada, first in Alberta and then in Toronto. She founded Integration TV, an international web-based video production company aimed at Somali viewers around the world. She was the first Somali woman media owner in the world.
More World Stories
LONDON (AP) — The two men competing to be Britain's next leader have held their final televised event in front of Conservative Party members who will decide the winner.
Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, Britain's former and current foreign secretaries, spoke and answered questions Wednesday in front of hundreds of Tories at a London conference center.
ROME (AP) — A brown bear in Italy has eluded capture for a third day, following its escape from an electrified enclosure in a forested Alpine region. Appeals mounted urging authorities not to shoot it.
It's not clear how the bear got past an electrified fence, then scaled a nearly 4-meter (13-foot) high barrier. Days earlier, the bear had been captured by forest rangers after attacks on livestock.
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Forget Flash Floods. Flash Droughts Are Even More Terrifying.
“I don’t think anybody has time to feel scared.”
Eric Holthaus
Gilitukha/Getty
This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
It’s peak hurricane season, but the nation’s worst weather disaster right now is raging on the High Plains.
An intense drought has quickly gripped much of the Dakotas and parts of Montana this summer, catching farmers and ranchers off-guard. The multi-agency U.S. Drought Monitor recently upgraded the drought to “exceptional,” its highest severity level, matching the intensity of the California drought at its peak.
The Associated Press says the dry conditions are “laying waste to crops and searing pasture and hay land” in America’s new wheat belt, with some longtime farmers and ranchers calling it the worst of their lifetimes. Unfortunately, this kind of came-out-of-nowhere drought could become a lot less rare in the future.
“The damage and the destruction is just unimaginable,” Montana resident Sarah Swanson told Grist. “It’s unlike anything we’ve seen in decades.”
Rainfall across the affected region has been less than half of normal since late April, when this year’s growing season began. In parts of Montana’s Missouri River basin, which is the drought’s epicenter, rainfall has been less than a quarter of normal — which equals the driest growing season in recorded history for some communities.
“It’s devastating,” says Tanja Fransen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s office in Glasgow, Montana. Just six years removed from 2011, one of the region’s wettest years on record, eastern Montana is now enduring one of its driest.
“We’re at the bottom of the barrel,” Fransen says. “For many areas, it’s the worst we’ve seen in 100 years.”
In a matter of weeks, the area of Montana in drought conditions has expanded eightfold.
Wheat production worries
The drought already has far-reaching effects. In eastern Montana, America’s current-largest wildfire continues to smolder; the 422-square-mile Lodgepole complex fire is one-third the size of Rhode Island. It’s Montana’s largest fire since 1910.
“We haven’t even hit our normal peak fire season yet.”
Across the state, 17 other large fires are also spreading. “We haven’t even hit our normal peak fire season yet,” Fransen says.
Recently, as the climate has warmed and crop suitability has shifted, the Dakotas and Montana have surpassed Kansas as the most important wheat-growing region in the country. The High Plains is now a supplier of staple grain for the entire world. According to recent field surveys, more than half of this year’s harvest may already be lost.
The economic impact of the drought and related fires may exceed $1 billion across the multi-state region by the time the rains return. Donations of hay for beleaguered farmers and ranchers have come in from as far away as West Virginia.
Farmers in the region are also worried because the Trump administration has targeted a key federal crop insurance program for hefty cuts. The governors of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana have all declared states of emergency to speed aid and open some normally protected areas for livestock grazing.
Abnormally dry conditions now cover 100 percent of South Dakota.
It came out of nowhere
Droughts are often thought of as creeping, slow-motion disasters. They usually don’t grab headlines like hurricane landfalls, even though they represent the costliest weather-related catastrophe worldwide.
But this drought is an anomaly, a “flash drought.” It essentially came from nowhere. It didn’t exist just three months ago.
The frequency of these rapid-onset droughts is expected to increase as the planet warms. A recent study focusing on China found that flash droughts more than doubled in frequency there between 1979 and 2010.
Droughts like these are closely linked to climate change. As temperatures rise, abnormally dry conditions across the western United States are already becoming more common and more intense. And as evaporation rates speed up, rainfall becomes more erratic, and spring snowmelt dries up earlier each year.
Future summers in North Dakota are expected to be even hotter and drier, on par with the present-day weather of south Texas.
Taking heavy losses
On Whitney Klasna’s ranch in Lambert, Montana, the spring rains “just didn’t come this year.” Klasna has already seen 60 to 80 percent crop losses in her fields, and now she’s making calculations about which of her cattle she can afford to save. She and her crew are working to drill an additional water well and install a pipeline to keep as many alive as possible.
Now they’re worried that, if the rains do come, they’ll lead to flash flooding; the ground has essentially been transformed into concrete.
Klasna calls the drought a “perfect storm of bad luck” and expects its impacts to last for years.
The drought in Western North Dakota is now just as severe as California’s was at its peak.
Further west, near where the Lodgepole complex is burning, Sarah Swanson runs a John Deere dealership, one of the biggest businesses in her community. She hears heartbreaking stories from across the region, with many farmers and ranchers working together to fight the fire with their own equipment.
“Right now, I don’t think anybody has time to feel scared,” Swanson says. “I think the emotions will probably start once they have time to get the fire out in a week or two.”
Last week, Swanson wrote a personal letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, a Montana native, asking him to ease grazing restrictions on a nearby wildlife refuge. Two days later, he did so.
“We’ll be able to continue on,” Swanson says. “I wish I could say that for all the Main Street businesses in eastern Montana, but I don’t think I can. The effects are already being felt by restaurants and retail shops and gas stations, and there will be some that can’t sustain this.”
Here’s Why Water in the West Goes from Drought to Deluge
8 Drought-Conscious Tips for Your Home Water Use
Kacey Deamer
If Politics Doesn’t Shape Your Beliefs About the Climate Crisis, What Does?
Kate Yoder
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The Complete Works of El Greco
Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as “El Greco” (1541-1614), dominated late sixteenth-century painting with works that were both backward-looking and avant-garde. Blending the Byzantine style that dominated his youth with the exuberance of contemporary Italian maniera, El Greco conjured an expressive body of work that has enjoyed renewed appreciation in recent centuries and also has become the subject of the digital volume The Complete Works of El Greco.
A native of Crete, El Greco enjoyed early artistic training in the post-Byzantine style of the Cretan School. He carried these ideals with him to Venice in the 1560s, which can be seen in works such as The Dormition of the Virgin (before 1567), but his relocation to Rome the decade following initiated a dramatic shift in his approach. His works suddenly became more dynamic and emotive, and he also began to experiment to a greater extent with his compositions, considering ways in which he could maintain a Byzantine sensibility while also responding to contemporary artistic trends. This experimentation grew when the artist moved once more to Spain in 1577.
There he would stay until the end of his career, a roughly thirty-year time span during which El Greco created some of his most iconic paintings. From The Assumption of the Virgin (1577-1579) to The Burial of Count Orgaz (1586-1588), these late works reveal the pinnacle of El Greco’s creativity in blending old and new styles to create a surprisingly modern approach. This evolution and many of these later masterworks are the focal point of this digital volume, which is now available for purchase on Musebooks.
Posted in Digital books
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Martin Bandier calls for songwriter credits on streaming services
By Rhian Jones
Sony/ATV boss Martin Bandier has called for streaming services to prominently show the names of songwriters, just as clearly as artists.
The comments were made during his acceptance speech for the Lifetime Service Award at the National Music Publishers’ Association’s (NMPA) Centennial Annual Meeting in New York yesterday.
Bandier said the music business had become “more complex and more challenging than ever before” for songwriters and music publishers, who are not receiving an “equitable share” of the money being generated by streaming services.
“The fruits of our labor are not being equitably rewarded and we are not benefitting from the streaming revolution as meaningfully as we should,” he said.
“Far too often the songwriter’s contribution is overlooked or even forgotten. This is even more prevalent today on the leading music streaming services.”
martin bandier, sony/atv
“I’ve always believed that songwriters are not getting proper recognition. This is even more prevalent today on the leading music streaming services.
“Far too often the songwriter’s contribution is overlooked or even forgotten. I have no doubt that this lack of public recognition has played a major part in why songwriters are not treated on an equal basis as the recording artist.
“When I look today at the likes of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, I ask: where are the names of the songwriters?
“They are either not there or so hidden that you would have to be a special prosecutor, or perhaps The Washington Post – to find them.
“It is as if the songwriters do not exist and the only people who matter are the recording artists.
“However, without the songwriters coming up with the words and music in the first place, there would be nothing for the artist to record and no music to stream.”
Bandier added that in any typical week, 95 out of the 100 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart are written in part by someone other than the recording artist.
“The wider world – and most especially streaming companies – must start to fully acknowledge the essential contribution that songwriters make to music and to the success of the music business. And that should start by identifying them today.”
“The wider world – and most especially streaming companies – must start to fully acknowledge the essential contribution that songwriters make to music and to the success of the music business. And that should start by identifying them today,” he said.
“So I call upon all music streaming services and others to prominently show the names of the songwriters who wrote the songs just as they clearly credit the artists who recorded them.
“It’s a tiny step but a hugely symbolic one that will once again put the role of the songwriter front and center and remind everyone of the songwriter’s vital contribution to music and the industry.
“And, ultimately, it will play a part in ensuring that these will become the best of times for everybody, including the songwriters and music publishers.”
You can read Bandier’s speech in full below.
When I was first approached about receiving this award I have to confess that I was a little reluctant because as soon as you hear someone is receiving a lifetime award you’re thinking, “This guy is going to be playing a lot more golf pretty soon and having lunch with his wife more often than usual.” But at this crucial time in our business we need more voices than ever to speak up on behalf of songwriters, so here I am speaking up on their behalf.
That has been a good part of my life’s work, and I am grateful to be acknowledged for it today.
And while some of you may think I was at the first NMPA meeting in 1917, believe it or not, I have only been a Board Member for 25 years. And that is certainly enough time for me to have a great perspective on what the NMPA accomplishes for both songwriters and music publishers.
The fact that the association has been active for 100 years is a remarkable achievement in itself, but given the challenges we and our songwriters face today their advocacy is more necessary than ever before. Under David’s leadership the NMPA has become a tireless, effective and sophisticated organization that stands as one of the most important protectors for our community today. We are grateful that we can count on their support.
And speaking of support, I want to thank everyone who I have worked with in music publishing for the confidence and the support that I’ve received, both during my time at EMI as well as the past 10 wonderful years at Sony.
And, of course, thank you to Smokey Robinson for presenting this award today. Smokey, you’re not only a good and trusted friend but one of the greatest songwriters and recording artists of all time. On all fronts I continue to be one of your biggest fans. After hearing your first big hit “Shop Around” by you and The Miracles I really thought I could become part of the group but, of course, no one asked. I next thought I could be one of the Temptations. After watching them dance to so many of the songs you wrote for them, I believed I had all of their incredible moves down pat; I could easily have been the sixth member. The good news is no one asked me again so, fortunately, I had to become a music publisher. Thank goodness for that!
Smokey, it’s talented songwriters like you and all the other great songwriters that I’ve had the good fortune of working with which is what I love most about my job. It has kept me motivated and still wanting more.
For songwriters and music publishers the music business has become more complex and challenging than ever before. The good news is that streaming has finally taken hold, and with over 100 million paying subscribers worldwide it is growing at an unprecedented pace… and this is just the beginning. Songwriters and publishers are certainly starting to benefit from this growth – which is demonstrated by the fact that for us at Sony/ATV the growth in streaming is now outpacing the decline in physical and digital downloads. However, we are still not receiving an equitable share of the enormous amount of money that is being generated by the streaming services. And let’s be clear, there would be no streaming services without songwriters.
I’m sure that we have all read articles proclaiming that the music business is poised to enter into a new golden age and that streaming will take us all to the Promised Land. While we all hope that this is true, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that songwriters are fairly compensated for the essential and irreplaceable contributions they make to our business.
One recent news article suggested that the three major record companies combined turned over more than $1.1 billion in revenue from streaming in the first quarter of this year, which works out to almost $5 billion for the full year. So if you are a streaming company or a record label, congratulations to you, these may well be the start of the best of times. But for songwriters and music publishers, while we’re headed in the right direction, the fruits of our labor are not being equitably rewarded and we are not benefitting from the streaming revolution as meaningfully as we should.
I’ve always believed that songwriters are not getting proper recognition. This is even more prevalent today on the leading music streaming services. Far too often the songwriter’s contribution is overlooked or even forgotten. I have no doubt that this lack of public recognition has played a major part in why songwriters are not treated on an equal basis as the recording artist.
When I look today at the likes of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, I ask: where are the names of the songwriters? They are either not there or so hidden that you would have to be a special prosecutor, or perhaps The Washington Post – to find them. It is as if the songwriters do not exist and the only people who matter are the recording artists. However, without the songwriters coming up with the words and music in the first place, there would be nothing for the artist to record and no music to stream.
The irony is that the role of the non-performing songwriter in creating hit songs is probably greater today than it has been at any time since the heyday of Tin Pan Alley back when the NMPA was founded. Take a look at the Billboard Hot 100 and in any typical week something like 95 out of the 100 songs are written in part by someone other than the recording artist. Take those contributions away and there is no Hot 100 chart and again no streaming services.
I am pleased to report that we may be making some progress on this front as Spotify has just launched a new songwriter ambassador program to highlight the work of some of the songwriters behind the hits. This is a small step but a welcome one as it starts to recognize the value of the songwriters. But there is still a long way to go before the songwriters are given anything like the same status and recognition as artists. Credit for a songwriter is like them handing you their business card.
With the lack of public acknowledgement that songwriters receive, I believe it’s not surprising that they and music publishers are not given the full benefits of their work. This lack of recognition could be one of the reasons why songwriters and their publishers receive a disproportionate share of royalties from the streaming services and other music users.
I’ve made it a priority to fight on behalf of songwriters for fair-market rates and I will not let up until I achieve this. But while the specific battles we fight at the Copyright Royalty Board, which will set rates for interactive streaming for the next five years, or over the outdated ASCAP and BMI consent decrees are hugely significant in achieving my aims, I believe it all begins with proper public recognition for the songwriter and what they do. That means the wider world – and most especially streaming companies – must start to fully acknowledge the essential contribution that songwriters make to music and to the success of the music business. And that should start by identifying them today.
So I call upon all music streaming services and others to prominently show the names of the songwriters who wrote the songs just as they clearly credit the artists who recorded them. It’s a tiny step but a hugely symbolic one that will once again put the role of the songwriter front and center and remind everyone of the songwriter’s vital contribution to music and the industry. And, ultimately, it will play a part in ensuring that these will become the best of times for everybody, including the songwriters and music publishers.
News United States Martin Bandier publishing songwriters Sony/ATV streaming
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Who is the biggest hit songwriter working today?
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"I Am New" Music Video
by Jason Gray from the album Everything Sad Is Coming Untrue
Entry last edited by NRTeamAdmin on 01.20.11
"Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful" from The Kipper Gray Sessions EP
"Believer" from The Acoustic Sessions EP
"Celebrate" from Where the Light Gets In
"City Of Stars" from The Acoustic Sessions EP
"Glow In the Dark" from Where the Light Gets In
"Good to Be Alive" from A Way to See in the Dark
"I Am New" from Everything Sad Is Coming Untrue
"I Will Rise Again" from Where the Light Gets In
"I Will Rise Again" from The Acoustic Sessions EP
"I'm Gonna Let It Go" from I'm Gonna Let It Go (Single)
"Learning" from Where the Light Gets In
"More Like Falling In Love" from Everything Sad Is Coming Untrue
"Mountain" from The Kipper Gray Sessions EP
"Nothing Is Wasted (Radio Mix)" from Nothing Is Wasted EP
"Remind Me Who I Am" from A Way to See in the Dark
"Sparrows" from Where the Light Gets In
"Thank You For Everything" from The Acoustic Sessions EP
"The Wound is Where the Light Gets In" from Where the Light Gets In
"With Every Act Of Love" from Love Will Have The Final Word
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Lee County school district plans to use $105 million loan to cover cost of school projects
Lee County voters passed a half-cent sales tax in November.
Lee County school district plans to use $105 million loan to cover cost of school projects Lee County voters passed a half-cent sales tax in November. Check out this story on news-press.com: https://www.news-press.com/story/news/education/2019/03/12/lee-county-school-district-plan-use-105-m-loan-projects/3140083002/
Thyrie Bland, Fort Myers News-Press Published 6:59 p.m. ET March 12, 2019 | Updated 6:40 a.m. ET March 13, 2019
The Lee County school district is planning to take out a $105 million loan to cover the cost of two school construction projects.
The district is going to use money collected from the new half-cent sales tax to repay the loan. The school board discussed the plan Tuesday, and there was no opposition to it among board members. The board will vote on the proposed financing at a later date.
The Lee County school board: From left to right are Mary Fischer, Melisa Giovannelli, Cathleen Morgan, Chris Patricca, Gwyn Gittens, Debbie Jordan and Betsy Vaughn. (Photo: Amanda Inscore)
"It essentially is upfront cash that we are borrowing on anticipated revenue coming in to get these projects started, to get these projects going and then as we carry on going forward," said Greg Blurton, the school district's chief financial officer.
Lee County schools: E-cigarettes use causing spikes in tobacco and drug offenses
The loan will be used to help pay for a new high school in Gateway and for a $13 million addition and renovation project at Lehigh Senior High School.
The district plans to open the Gateway school in 2021. The three-story school will be built on a 55.6-acre site off State Road 82 and Griffin Drive.
The school district estimates it will cost more than $94 million to build the high school. The figure includes furnishing the building and other costs associated with the project.
The school said in October it had received two early estimates that only included the cost of constructing the school. Those estimates were $75.36 million and $78 million.
Lee County voters approved the half-cent sales tax in November. The vote was 51.5 percent in favor of the sales tax and 48.4 percent against it.
Lee County schools: Golden Apple award winners surprised in their classrooms
The money the school district collects from the tax will be used on four things: the construction and renovation of schools, maintenance of schools, school safety initiatives and technology projects.
The district does not plan to use financing to cover the cost of other projects on the sales tax list. It plans to pay for remaining projects as it receives the money collected as a result of the tax, Blurton said.
The school district is expecting to learn this month from the Florida Department of Revenue how much sales tax money was collected in January and February.
The district is planning to launch a website after it learns how much money was collected. The website will include how the district will use the money. It will be updated as the district receives more sales tax money.
Board members were impressed with the website. They believe it will be helpful to the public.
"This is what I have been asking for quite a while," board member Gwen Gittens said.
Board member apologizes for her conduct
School board member Cathleen Morgan apologized during a board meeting for phone calls she made to Gittens and board member Betsy Vaughn in January.
Gittens and Vaughn reported the calls in separate emails to the board attorney. The board members wrote that Morgan called and expressed her displeasure with them as school board members.
"She said, 'Well, I want to tell you how I feel about you … '" Gittens wrote. "'You are the most rude, selfish, unprofessional person I have ever met and under your leadership this Board will never accomplish anything.'"
Lee County schools: Some Lee County School Board members aren't getting along
Morgan said her conduct was disrespectful, and she regrets having made the phone calls.
"You are entitled to respect from me as elected members of this school board," Morgan said during the meeting. "I was unprofessional in my conduct, and I hope that I can conduct myself in a more professional manner going forward in my working relationship with you."
Gittens and Vaughn thanked Morgan for her apology.
Read or Share this story: https://www.news-press.com/story/news/education/2019/03/12/lee-county-school-district-plan-use-105-m-loan-projects/3140083002/
Starting Tuesday, some of our content will be “for subscribers” only
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How to roast a chicken: Climate change and farming in Nigeria
Extreme heat is worsening economic inequality among African farmers - and raising the spectre of future food shortages.
ANALYSIS: African gay bashing 'a colonial import'
Kago Komane
Judge Michael Leburu (Supplied)
Botswana high court decriminalises homosexuality
Anti-gay laws widespread in Africa despite gains
Uganda reinstates festival cancelled over sex, gays and the devil
Some decry Botswana's enlightened High Court judgment on gay sex. But studies show that homosexuality existed – and was tolerated – across pre-colonial Africa.
Certain African leaders keep telling us that "no African is born gay" – that homosexuality is alien to African culture and was brought to Africa by westerners.
No evidence is ever produced to support this claim. The history of our continent in fact shows that gays, lesbians and transsexuals were known in the pre-colonial era and, more importantly, were tolerated.
In particular, the 2000 work Boy Wives and Female Husbands: Studies of African Homosexualities makes a strong case that same-sex practices were recorded and institutionalised in many indigenous African societies.
According to Human Rights Watch, 32 of 54 African countries now have laws that criminalise consensual, same-sex relationships. But such laws are not indigenous: they were generally imported, either by British colonial governments or under Islamic Sharia law.
In some hard-line Sharia law states, including Mauretania, certain parts of Nigeria and Somalia, and Sudan, gay sex carries the death penalty.
Under British rule, sodomy, described at the time as a "vice against nature", was typically outlawed in colonial penal codes. In countries such as Tanzania and Nigeria, these restrictions have been amplified and hardened by new laws or government crackdowns.
In Nigeria for example, then-president Goodluck Jonathan signed a Bill in 2016 that not only provides for a 14-year jail term for gay sex, but also outlaws same-sex marriage, gay clubs, membership of gay rights organisations and public displays of same-sex "amorousness". The latter "offences" carry a 10-year jail sentence.
In Tanzania, where gay sex carries a 30-year jail sentence, controversial Dar es Salaam governor Paul Makonda last year announced the formation of a surveillance team dedicated to tracking down gay people.
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni in 2014, broadened colonial-era laws by imposing a minimum life sentence for gay sex, forcing members of the public to report homosexual acts on pain of a three-year jail term, and imposing the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality", including gay sex with an HIV-positive person.
Overturned by the courts on a technicality in August 2014, it remains a threat.
Significance of judgment
Right-wing American Christians were blamed for stoking prejudice in Uganda. Frank Mugisha, the executive director of the organisation Sexual Minorities Uganda, ascribed the killing of a prominent gay activist to the American evangelical Christians who visited the country in 2009, to lead what many called "anti-gay workshops".
"The blood of David Kato is on the hands of American preachers who came to Uganda," said Mugisha. "They share much of the blame for presenting us as less than human."
Two months ago, the Kenyan High Court rejected a challenge by civil society organisations to a penal code that bans homosexual acts between consenting adults. The provision carries a 14-year jail sentence.
Hence, the significance of last week's judgment by the Botswana High Court that saw gay sex decriminalised in that country: the ruling swims against the anti-gay tide in Africa, and places tolerance of gay sex, pluralism and respect for minorities at the heart of democratic culture.
In his ruling, Judge Michael Leburu said: "Our constitutional ethos of liberty, equality and dignity are paramount. Our constitution is a dynamic, enduring and living charter of progressive rights which reflect the values of pluralism, tolerance and inclusivity.
"Minorities who are perceived by the majority as deviants or outcasts are not to be excluded and ostracised. Discrimination has no place in this world."
Entirely homegrown, the case was filed in 2017 by Letsweletse Motshidiemang, a gay man, and local gay rights movement Legagibibo. They argued that three sections of Botswana's penal code that refer to "unnatural offences" and "carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature" were unconstitutional.
Early in 2019, a full bench of the Botswana court – judges Michael Leburu, Jennifer Dube and Abednego Tafa – heard arguments that these sections violated Motshidiemang's rights to equal protection of the law and freedom from discrimination, to liberty, and to freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment.
The plaintiffs pointed to the public stance of the Botswana government, whose recent report to UNAids had noted that "stigma and discrimination are major constraints to universal access and utilisation of HIV and Aids services [in Botswana]".
Criminalisation of homosexuality, the report said, impedes access to health by "driving vulnerable and marginalised individuals underground and away from public services".
'Secular state'
Botswana joins a handful of countries – mainly in southern Africa, where South Africa's example may have been influential – that have decriminalised same-sex relations since colonial independence, also including Mozambique, Angola and Lesotho.
In 2006, South Africa legalised gay marriage, after becoming the first African country to actively decriminalise homosexuality in 1998.
It has gone further than any other African state in protecting gay rights by entrenching the freedom of sexual orientation in its constitution and legally recognising same-sex marriage.
A potent alliance of conservative politicians (particularly those with a mainly rural constituency, such as Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe) and right-wing religious organisations has played a major role in ensuring that colonial anti-sodomy laws are maintained or strengthened on African statute books, long after Britain decriminalised gay sex between consenting adults in private in 1967.
The most strident anti-gay voice in Botswana is the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana, comprising evangelical and Pentecostal churches, which has labelled gay and lesbian sex as "unholy and against biblical terms".
Its president, Pastor Jobe Koosimile, could not hide his disappointment at the High Court judgment. "It is very unfortunate but that will not derail us from our beliefs," Koosimile said. "It is now more important than ever to reach out to those struggling with homosexuality, because it is nothing but a sin and God forgives all sins."
He said he has "never seen any scientific proof that someone could be born gay. Even if there is proof, my belief is guided by the Bible which is against such acts."
Local Botswana celebrity Pastor Thuso Tieto also condemned the ruling. "Unfortunately for us, Botswana has never been declared a Christian state … so a secular state is free to legalise all kinds of sinful behaviour," Tieto complained.
"However, that does not mean homosexuality is right. We can only pray for those who are trapped in it like those in adultery, fornication, drunkenness and crime."
'It's a tricky one'
Popular prejudice still abounds in the country: while some welcomed the judgment, social media was ablaze with claims that Botswana was betraying its values.
"This issue needs a referendum, not a panel of three judges. It has very serious moral, health and religious implications and three people can’t decide for the rest of us," opined one of the protestors.
President Mogweetsi Masisi and Botswana’s ruling Botswana Democratic Party embraced the ruling. But opposition parties have noticeably skirted the issue.
"It’s a tricky one," said one oppositionist, speaking anonymously. "It’s election year, and you can’t just openly say you support the judgement because you want equal rights for everyone. That [simply] does not translate well with traditionalists and the larger portion of our Christian community.
"But I can’t just come out and say I don’t support gay rights, because that is not something voters in urban areas would agree with."
The risk was being stigmatised for polluting "our" culture, the politician said.
Recent historical studies argue that homophobia was never a feature of traditional African societies until Christianity was introduced, and that homophobia is based on European, not African, morality.
Homosexuality was criminalised in Britain in the 1500s, and the provision was later extended to British colonies, including the former Bechuanaland protectorate (the colony that became Botswana in 1966).
Boy Wives and Female Husbands, a collection of academic essays edited by Stephen Murray and Will Roscoe, documents same-sex behaviour in 50 traditional ethnicities in every region on the African continent.
Offering extensive evidence from ethnographic and literary sources, the essays argue that there is no evidence that homosexuality was introduced to Africa by the West, where it did not already exist.
Early examples
It explores such traditions as institutionalised marriages between women, early reports of Malagassy "berdaches" (American Indian transsexuals), alternative gender identities among the Swahili, and mixed gender roles in East and West Africa.
The Portuguese, who were among the first Europeans to explore the continent, noted the range of gender relations in African societies. They referred to male-to-male sexual practices in the Congo as "unnatural damnation".
In 1590 an English traveller, Andrew Battell wrote of Angola’s Imbangala: "They are beastly in their living, for they have men in women’s apparel, whom they keep among their wives."
Boy Wives and Female Husbands argues that rather than dispel the myth of African sexual exceptionalism, anthropologists have often reinforced it by not investigating same-sex patterns of behaviour seriously and failing to report what they observe.
In his 1940 work, The Nuer, British anthropologist Sir Edward Evans-Pritchard did not mention well-attested homosexual relations among the Nuer of southern Sudan, for example.
Evans-Pritchard’s acknowledgement of entrenched homosexual practices in traditional African society came nearly three decades later, when he related how Azande warriors of the northern Congo routinely married boys who functioned as temporary wives.
The study goes on to show that homosexuality was institutionalised to the extent that the warriors paid a bride price to the parents of the boys.
Similar practices were known in Benin, southern Nigeria, while marriage between women involving a bride price existed in many African societies, from Nigeria to Kenya and South Africa.
A Human Rights Watch publication of 2013 titled, More than a name: state-sponsored homophobia and its consequences in southern Africa, noted that in the 18th century the Khoisan used the term koetsire for a man who is sexually receptive to another man, and soregus to refer to mutual same-sex masturbation, usually among friends.
Broad latitude to move sexually
Anal intercourse between men and sexual relations between women are also said to have occurred, though more rarely. The San did not regard homosexuality negatively, and rock paintings depicting anal intercourse still exist.
Turning to Botswana, the publication noted that pre-colonial Batswana did not share Western concepts of sexuality and gender.
Many Batswana men would have sex with men, but also have wives, it says. Homosexuality was not viewed as the antithesis of heterosexuality and there was broad latitude to move sexually between men and women.
In 2013, gay rights website 76 Crimes Erased reported on an encounter between Legabibo and 25 Botswana chiefs in which the latter conceded that homosexuality had always been part of local society, as indicated by the existence of a Setswana word for it, matanyola.
Remarking that the prohibition draws on the Bible, the chiefs reportedly agreed that "the Bible is against many things that are happening today … adultery or polygamy are allowed in our laws but prohibited by the Bible."
Leburu’s judgment was not a bolt from the blue. The courts – and particularly the High Court – have played a normative role by steadily strengthening the position of the LGBTI community in Botswana.
In 2010, employment discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation was outlawed. Then in 2016, Legagibo won its first landmark case when the High Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the government to refuse to register LGBTI rights organisations.
Last year, a transgender woman, Tshepo Ricki Kgositau, won the right to have her gender officially recognised.
Still some way to go
The ruling party followed suit. In 2016, former president Ian Khama deported rabid anti-gay evangelist Steven Anderson, who wanted to open a church in Botswana.
From the Faithful Word Baptist Church in the US state of Arizona, Anderson notoriously welcomed the gunning down of 50 people at a gay club in Los Angeles by saying "there were 50 fewer paedophiles".
Botswana still has some way to go before gay people enjoy complete equality. It still prohibits same-sex marriage, gay membership of the defence force and joint adoption by same-sex couples, for example.
But there are signs that its LGBTI community is emerging from the shadows and winning greater acceptance, particularly in the towns.
Another hopeful development is the growing prominence of homegrown civil society organisations dedicated to advancing gay rights.
In addition to Legabibo, these include the Rainbow Identity Association and the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/Aids, whose spokesperson Tebogo Gareitsanye said the main focus would now be to ensure the new legal position is understood by the public and key stakeholders.
New campaigns are not planned at the moment. Activists are focusing on mobilising health facilities and law enforcement agencies to make sure they understand their duty to provide equal services to gay Batswana.
"We are focusing on translating the new law into action on the ground and eliminating stigma," Gareitsanye said.
The amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, an independent non-profit, produced this story. Like it? Be an amaB Supporter to help us do more. Sign up for our newsletter and WhatsApp alerts to get more.
Read more on: botswana | lgbti rights | lgbtqi | southern africa
WATCH: Man who lost family: Boeing put profit over safety
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Computer model may explain toddlers' chattering
Life 2 August 2007
Young children become chatterboxes within months of barely being able to speak a few words. Now one scientist thinks he knows why.
Children do not need any specialised learning to suddenly improve their vocabularies, says language psychologist Bob McMurray at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, US. Instead, their behaviour can be described by a simple mathematical rule of thumb.
Parents of small children will be familiar with the so-called “word spurt”, the slightly disconcerting stage of a child’s life when they go from hardly talking to suddenly uttering hundreds of new words, sometimes after hearing them only once.
At 18 months, for instance, the average child can say 50 words, but by age two, they have learned up to 350 words; just half a year later, that has doubled to 600.
Scientists have proposed various theories to explain the phenomenon. For instance, perhaps learning a few basic words helps a child learn others. The theory of “naming insight”, for instance, suggests that at around 18 months children suddenly realise that each object has a specific name.
Another theory, called “fast mapping“, suggests that children quickly understand that groups of objects are related, and therefore they learn unfamiliar words describing objects within familiar groups more quickly.
Characteristic curve
According to McMurray, however, there is a much simpler explanation. The acceleration in a child’s learning will inevitably happen due to the way most languages are structured.
All languages, he says, contain a distribution of words, where most are of medium difficultly to learn, while fewer are either very easy, or very difficult. And children always learn a number of words in parallel. He factored these parameters into a computational model, which then simulates how long it takes to learn 10,000 new words.
On each simulation the model produced the same characteristic acceleration in learning. Essentially learning one new word makes learning another new word even easier. This allows a child to move through words of medium difficulty more quickly. “Acceleration is an unavoidable by-product of variation in difficulty,” he says.
“Mathematically this may be true,” says speech expert Lisa Gershkoff-Stowe at the University of Indiana at Bloomington, US. But she cautions that it isn’t the first time a researcher has tried to explain the spurt with a computational model, and that McMurray’s idea “doesn’t get to the heart of why kids learn faster.”
The model also doesn’t explain why older people learning a second language don’t show a similar acceleration in their learning, she says. “They ought to show it,” he says, “and I’m not sure why they don’t.”
Journal reference: Science (vol 317, p 631).
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Medison to Nominate Six Highly Qualified Directors for Knight Therapeutics' Board to Strengthen Oversight and Drive Value Creation for All Shareholders
Medison Biotech Ltd.
Knight is failing, its CEO and Board are conflicted and shareholders are suffering as a result
Medison's independent nominees are accomplished industry veterans who can objectively oversee and guide Knight
More information on the director nominees and Medison's comprehensive plan for Knight, including plans to return at least $100 million of excess capital to Knight shareholders in the form of a special dividend or share buyback, is available at www.NewDayForKnight.com
PETACH TIKVA, Israel, April 1, 2019 /CNW/ - Medison Biotech (1995) Ltd. ("Medison"), which together with its affiliates owns more than 10.4 million shares or 7.3% of Knight Therapeutics, Inc. (TSX:GUD) ("Knight" or the "Company"), today announced that it has nominated six exceptional pharmaceutical industry leaders (the "Nominees") for election to Knight's Board of Directors (the "Board") at the Company's 2019 annual general meeting, in accordance with the Company's Advanced Notice By-Law. Other than Medison's CEO, Meir Jakobsohn, who has served on the Knight Board since 2015, none of the Nominees has any ties to Knight or Medison. Each Nominee is committed to overseeing Knight for the benefit of all shareholders.
"Knight has failed to create a specialty pharmaceutical company serving Canada and select rest-of-world markets," said Medison CEO Meir Jakobsohn. "Shareholders, large and small, have invested their hard-earned money hoping, like me, that Knight would succeed. For three years, however, Knight's stock has floundered, and shareholders simply are not seeing the returns that all of us deserve. Rather than seizing opportunities and deploying the Company's ample capital to build a valuable and dynamic operating business, Knight has allowed shareholders' cash to stagnate while Knight meekly sits on the sidelines, dabbling in lending and banking or licensing unremarkable products with modest profit potential."
"Even more importantly, because of Knight's stagnation, millions of people in Canada and around the world are being denied life-saving pharmaceutical products," Mr. Jakobsohn continued. "Knight needs – and its shareholders deserve – enhanced stewardship and oversight from a Board that is fully committed to shareholders and is prepared to deploy Knight's capital to save lives and drive the Company's performance and stock price up."
Knight Shareholders Suffer from a Lack of Execution and Conflicts of Interest
Knight has failed to execute its original vision – failing to become a specialty pharmaceutical company for Canada and select rest-of-world markets. In the past five years, the Company has only generated $25 million in revenue and still only operates in Canada. In most of its efforts and transactions, Knight resembles a financing firm or merchant bank, lending money to various and sundry healthcare companies and investing passively in venture capital funds. Most troubling, the Company sits on more than $750 million in shareholder cash, which generates little or no return.
Knight's current Board and leadership suffer from serious conflicts of interest that have caused the Company to fail to execute Knight's founding and promising vision. The Company's CEO, Jonathan Goodman, owns a larger stake in one of Knight's principal competitors, Pharmascience, than he owns in Knight. This troubling misalignment of interests between Mr. Goodman and all other Knight shareholders is unprecedented: we know of no other CEO that has a greater stake in his competitor's success than in his own.
Exacerbating this conflict of interest, the Chairman is entangled in multiple financial relationships with Knight's management team and Knight's competitor, and the so-called "independent" directors are all personally close to the CEO. As importantly, the current independent directors have no experience operating a commercial pharmaceutical business and thus lack the expertise Knight needs to reach its true potential.
Success at Knight Requires Change at Knight
As Knight's second largest shareholder, Medison believes that more experience and more independence in the boardroom is required if shareholders are to expect improved results. The Nominees all have relevant operating experience in the pharmaceutical industry. They bring best practices and expertise from some of the world's most respected biotechnology and pharmaceutical businesses and experience in finance, corporate development, commercialization, corporate governance and the capital markets.
The Nominees contribute complementary experience in various markets around the world, including substantial experience in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Medison believes these industry veterans are well positioned to provide Knight with the Board leadership and oversight it needs to help Knight realize its vision and potential. The Medison Nominees are:
Kevin Cameron, CEO of Ionetix, a radiopharmaceutical manufacturer, former President of corporate governance firm Glass, Lewis & Co., and an experienced biotech public board member;
Elaine A. Campbell, the former President and CEO of AstraZeneca Canada and former SVP of DuPont Pharmaceuticals, with operating roles in sales, marketing and business development in the United States and Canada;
Michael Cloutier, the former General Manager of PTC Therapeutics Canada, former President and General Manager of InterMune Canada, former President and CEO of AstraZeneca Canada, and former President of Pharmacia Canada (now Pfizer);
Meir Jakobsohn, the CEO of Israel-based Medison Biotech (1995) Ltd., which he founded in 1996, and which has become one of the world's leading commercial partners for pharmaceutical and biotech companies and one of the three largest pharmaceutical companies in Israel by sales, generating over $250 million annually;
Christophe Robert Jean, the former EVP of Ipsen Group, former President and CEO of the pharmaceutical operations of Pierre Fabre Group and former Head of Region Europe, Middle-East and Africa for Novartis; and
Bob Oliver, the former President and CEO of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, former Chairman of Otsuka Canada Pharmaceutical and former SVP for Commercial Operations at Pfizer.
Full bios for the Nominees appear below and are available at www.NewDayForKnight.com.
There is a Better Plan
Medison has developed a comprehensive strategic plan for Knight, also available at www.NewDayForKnight.com. The plan is built on three strategic principals:
commercializing only high-value, innovative pharmaceutical products that treat life-altering or life-threatening diseases, in focused therapeutic areas;
distributing products in multiple rest-of-world markets chosen for their commercial attractiveness and compliance cultures; and
returning excess capital to Knight shareholders.
Medison believes this plan will lead to substantial share price appreciation and more than $500 million of annual revenue by 2025, as well as the return of at least $100 million of the Company's cash to shareholders, immediately.
Knight's Attempts to Silence Criticism and Distract Shareholders
Medison's efforts to improve execution and eliminate conflicts of interest at Knight have been welcomed by shareholders but rebuffed by the incumbent Knight Board. In fact, the Knight Board has likely wasted millions of dollars pursuing nuisance claims against Medison that appear to be calculated to distract shareholders and thwart Medison's efforts to improve Knight's performance. In particular, Knight's Board has:
suddenly, and on pretextual grounds, sought thousands of pages of accounting records and corporate information from Medison, after three-and-a-half years of seemingly happy and passive ownership of Medison;
attempted to prevent Medison from communicating with Knight's shareholders by stopping Medison from using Knight's TSX ticker symbol ("GUD") in press releases;
sued Medison to prevent Medison from spending its own money to protect its substantial economic stake in Knight (and in the process improperly revealed highly confidential information about Medison); and
demanded, for the first time, that Medison turn over dozens of confidential and sensitive commercial and investment agreements.
Medison believes that instead of squandering further shareholder capital on such efforts, the Company's Board and management should focus on improving Knight's performance.
In contrast to Knight's blatant and expensive attempts to sidestep Medison's campaign for change and accountability, Medison has been focused on helping Knight succeed. In the last few weeks, Medison has:
released an extensive analysis of the performance issues and conflicts of interest at Knight that impede the realization of Knight's vision and the creation of shareholder value;
met with fellow Knight shareholders, who have shared their concerns about Knight's underperformance, failure to execute on its strategy and seeming inability to realize its promising vision and opportunity;
developed and presented to the Knight Board (and released to shareholders) a comprehensive presentation and to fix Knight; and
recruited five exceptional independent director nominees to help oversee Knight.
Medison will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect and enhance its investment in Knight and further the interests of all Knight shareholders.
"While Mr. Goodman frequently urges patience and claims to be building value for his grandchildren, we believe our strategy will build value for him, his children and his grandchildren. Long-term value creation can and must begin today," concluded Mr. Jakobsohn. "I am fully confident that bringing on these highly qualified, independent board members with decades of proven success can lead to immediate progress and improvements at Knight. I am humbled by the overwhelming support I have heard from shareholders to this new direction. Together, we can and will turn around Knight's performance and stock, revamp Knight's failing strategy and reinvigorate Knight's faltering execution."
Shareholders are encouraged to visit www.NewDayForKnight.com for more information and to review Medison's comprehensive plan for Knight.
Biographies of Medison's Nominees
Kevin Cameron
Mr. Cameron is the Chief Executive Officer of Ionetix Corporation, a privately held biotechnology company focused on providing diagnostic imaging agents and radiotherapeutics. Before joining Ionetix, Mr. Cameron was the co-founder and President of Glass Lewis & Co., a leading provider of corporate governance services to institutional investors that is owned by the Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan and the Alberta Investment Management Company. Prior to that, Mr. Cameron was a financial and legal officer with Moxi Digital and a legal officer of NorthPoint Communications (NASDAQ: NPNT). Mr. Cameron started his career as an attorney with the law firm of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd & Evans in Washington D.C., and also served as a law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mr. Cameron holds a law degree from the University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree from McGill University. Mr. Cameron currently serves as a board member of Xyphos Biosciences, a biotechnology company focused on next generation CAR-T therapy, as well as ProCure Treatment Centers, a leading developer of proton therapy centers. Between 2007 and 2018 Mr. Cameron served as a member of the board of directors of Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KERX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on therapies for renal patients, that recently merged with Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ: AKBA) to create a billion dollar market capitalization company focused on renal disease. Mr. Cameron is originally from Edmonton, Alberta and is a citizen of Canada and the United States.
Elaine A. Campbell
Ms. Campbell currently works part time as a consultant after retiring in 2016. In 2016, Ms. Campbell completed her interim role as President at Innovative Medicines Canada, having led a strategy review and the operation of the national trade association while the Board searched for a long-term President. Ms. Campbell retired from AstraZeneca in 2015, having served as President and CEO of AstraZeneca Canada Inc. since January 2012. She held a number of senior leadership roles within the AstraZeneca US and Global organizations, including Vice President of Global Marketed Brands, led teams located in the US and Europe, and was the Global head for the CRESTOR® Global Project Team, leading both Development and Commercial groups during a period of high growth for the medicine. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Ms. Campbell was a Senior Vice President and member of the Business Operating Team with DuPont Pharmaceuticals. During her tenure with DuPont, she held various senior leadership roles within the sales, marketing, and business development groups in the US and in Canada. Ms. Campbell is on the Board of Directors of MaRS Discovery District, and serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Toronto Department of Chemical Engineering. She was the Founding Private Sector Co-Chair of the TOHealth! human health sciences cluster initiative of the Toronto Regional Board of Trade and continues to support the project as an Advisor to the Steering Committee and as Chair of the Marketing Sub-Committee since stepping down from the Co-Chair position in September 2015. Ms. Campbell holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. In May 2016 she completed the ICD Directors Education Program (DEP) at the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto. Ms. Campbell is a citizen of Canada and the United States.
Michael Cloutier
Mr. Cloutier is the Founding Partner, director and officer of Accelera Canada Ltd., which he founded in 2016. Accelera provides comprehensive strategic planning for global biotechnology firms. Between 2015 and 2016, Mr. Cloutier served as General Manager of PTC Therapeutics Canada ULC, the Canadian subsidiary of PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTCT), a global leader in research and commercialization of ground-breaking therapies for orphan diseases. From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Cloutier was President and General Manager of InterMune Canada Inc., the Canadian subsidiary of InterMune (NASDAQ: ITMN), a global leader in research and commercialization of novel therapy for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis that was acquired by Roche for $8.3 billion, and from 2010 to 2012 he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Diabetes Association. Mr. Cloutier was previously CEO of Critical Outcome Technologies Inc., Vice President of Human Resources and Global Marketing at Astra Zeneca, President and Chief Executive Officer of Astra Zeneca Canada (at which time AstraZeneca was the second largest pharma company in Canada with over 1,000 employees and experienced sales growth from approximately $800,000 to over $1.2 billion), President of Pharmacia Canada (now Pfizer Inc.), and President of Searle Canada. Mr. Cloutier holds a Business Administration Diploma from Sheridan College and a Strategic Management Certification from Wharton Business School. He previously served as a Director of Paladin Labs Inc., a publicly traded specialty pharmaceutical company from July 2003 until October 2003 (when he resigned to become the President of AstraZeneca Canada, Inc.) and as a Director of Dimethaid Research Inc. from May 2003 until September 2004. From July 2013 to May 2017, he served as Director and from March 2014 onward, as Chairman, of Merus Labs International, Inc., a publicly traded company focused on acquiring legacy and growth pharmaceutical products. He serves as Chairman of Arylide Life Sciences, a privately held company that commercializes healthcare products. Mr. Cloutier is a citizen of Canada.
Meir Jakobsohn
Mr. Jakobsohn is the CEO of Israeli-based Medison Biotech (1995) Ltd. which he founded in 1996 and spearheaded to becoming one of the world's leading commercial partners for pharma and biotech companies, and one of the three largest pharmaceutical companies in Israel by sales. Under his leadership, Medison grew to become the partner of choice for biotech companies that produce highly innovative, cutting edge therapeutics for commercialization in the Israeli market. Formerly, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of M. Jakobsohn Ltd., a pioneer in opening the Israeli market to global pharmaceutical companies like Ciba-Geigy, which it represented between 1937 and 1995. Mr. Jakobsohn holds a BA in Economics from Bar-Ilan University and an Executive MBA from Bradford University in the UK. Mr. Jakobsohn is also a social entrepreneur and, among others, he founded and is the driving force behind the "Talmud Israeli", a global educational project that focuses on building meaningful inter-generational (parents-children) connection through Talmudic studies and Jewish values. Mr. Jakobsohn is a member of the Board of Directors of Knight Therapeutics (TSX: GUD), Sabar Health and Alpha Tau Medical. Mr. Jakobsohn is a citizen of Israel and Belgium.
Christophe Robert Jean
Mr. Jean is currently a Senior Advisor to JSB Partners, which offers specialized investment banking and advisory services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Between 2013 and 2018, when he retired, Mr. Jean was Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Business Development and Alliances of Ipsen Group, a leading pharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative medicines in oncology, neuroscience and rare diseases. From 2002 to 2013, Mr. Jean served as Ipsen's Chief Operations Officer, during which time Ipsen transformed itself into a leading specialty pharmaceutical company, was listed on Euronext in 2005, and saw its market capitalization increase by over 400% by the end of 2018. Mr. Jean has also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of pharmaceutical activities at Pierre Fabre Group, and as Head of Region Europe, Middle-East and Africa and as a member of the worldwide Pharmaceuticals Executive Committee Board at Novartis. Mr. Jean holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from ITAM, Mexico City and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Jean is a member of the Board of Directors of Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: RYTM), a company developing therapies for the treatment of rare genetic obesity disorders, of Keosys Group, a company specializing in medical imaging software and related services, and of B Cell Design, a biotechnology start-up developing innovative products and breakthrough therapeutic concepts. Mr. Jean is a citizen of France.
Bob Oliver
Mr. Oliver currently serves as an Executive Advisor to CELLIX BIO Sciences, Inc., sits on the board of directors of Neurotez, Inc., and works as both an Executive Advisor and a board member for Hyalo Technologies. Between November 2017 and July 2018, Mr. Oliver served as CEO of V ClinBio, an innovative biopharmaceutical company driving the development of novel drug products for the treatment of immune diseases. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of Otsuka Canada Pharmaceutical Inc. and President and CEO of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. ("OAPI"). In these capacities, Mr. Oliver oversaw OAPI's diverse and growing product portfolio within the neuroscience, cardiovascular, oncology and medical device markets. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Oliver was President and COO of OAPI, during which time he managed a USD$6 billion P&L and was able to maintain profitability even after the loss of exclusivity for OAPI's flagship product, Abilify. Between 2010 and 2014, Mr. Oliver served as OAPI's Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. During his long career at OAPI, Mr. Oliver built up the organization's commercial capabilities, partnered closely with Lundbeck to launch Abilify Maintena, and led the transfer of commercial responsibilities for Abilify from Bristol-Myers Squibb to OAPI. Under his guidance, Abilify became the number one selling pharmaceutical in the USA and remained profitable even after the loss of patent protection. Mr. Oliver also spearheaded a structured deal between Neurovance and OAPI which resulted in a strategic collaboration between the companies providing capital for a global development program and was instrumental in transforming OAPI from a single-product company to one with a portfolio of assets with inter-dependency across multiple products. Mr. Oliver has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining OAPI, he served as Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Vice President and Global Business Manager, Oncology, and Vice President, Vaccine Sales, at Pfizer. In these roles Mr. Oliver provided transformational leadership as a member of the US management team and Chair of the US sales council. From 1989 to 2005 Mr. Oliver held senior sales and marketing positions at Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Oliver currently serves as a member of the Board for Academic Fellows at Eastern University, where he mentors doctoral candidates. He has earned an MBA in Marketing from the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph's University, where he sits on the Pharma Board of Directors, and also has a BA from Rutgers University. Mr. Oliver is a citizen of the United States.
The information contained in this news release does not and is not meant to constitute a solicitation of a proxy within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Shareholders are not being asked at this time to execute a proxy in favour of the Nominees. In connection with the Company's May 7 annual meeting, Medison may file and mail a dissident information circular in due course in compliance with applicable securities laws.
Medison has engaged Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP and Goodmans LLP as legal advisors.
About Medison
Medison is one of the world's largest commercial partners of leading global biotech companies. Backed by three generations of experience in the healthcare industry since 1937, Medison is uniquely qualified to provide the complete spectrum of integrated services for international companies looking to enter or expand their presence in Israeli and selected ROW markets. Over the years, Medison has become the partner of choice for biotech companies that produce highly innovative, cutting edge therapeutics for commercialization in the Israeli market and is currently one second largest pharmaceutical company in Israel, with over CAD 250 million in revenues annually and over 270 employees. Medison runs a corporate venture arm with a dedicated research and evaluation team boasting deep scientific and commercial backgrounds. Medison also operates a scouting program to cater to its partners and is an active investor in life science projects around drug development and digital health.
Additional information can be found at www.medison.co.il.
This news release contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, without limitation, Medison's and Knight's respective priorities, plans and strategies. All statements and information, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding activities, events or developments that Medison expects or anticipates may occur in the future. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe" or "continue" or similar words and expressions or the negative thereof. There can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which these forward-looking statements are based will occur or, even if they do occur, will result in the performance, events or results expected. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained herein, which are not a guarantee of performance, events or results and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual performance, events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include: changes in Knight's strategies, plans or prospects; general economic, industry, business, regulatory and market conditions; actions of Knight and its competitors; conditions in the pharmaceutical industry; risks relating to government regulation and changes thereto, including in respect of the regulations concerning board composition, proxy solicitation and shareholder meetings; the state of the economy including general economic conditions globally and economic conditions in the jurisdictions in which Knight operates; the unpredictability and volatility of Knight's share price; and dilution and future sales of securities of the Company. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Certain forward-looking statements contained herein may be considered to be future-oriented financial information or a financial outlook for the purposes of applicable Canadian securities laws. Future oriented financial information and financial outlook contained herein about prospective financial performance, financial position or cash flows are based on assumptions about future events, including economic conditions and proposed courses of action, based on the applicable management team's assessment of the relevant information available to them at the applicable time, and to become available in the future. In particular, the information contains projected operational information for future periods which are based on a number of material assumptions and factors. The actual results of the applicable operations for any period could vary from the amounts set forth in these projections, and such variations may be material. Further, there is no assurance or guarantee with respect to the prices at which any securities of Knight will trade, and such securities may not trade at prices that may be implied herein. See above for a discussion of the risks that could cause actual results to vary from such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including those risks and uncertainties detailed in the continuous disclosure and other filings of Knight, copies of which are available on the System for Electronic Document Analysis ("SEDAR") at www.sedar.com. We urge you to carefully consider those risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date of this news release and Medison disclaims any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law.
SOURCE Medison Biotech Ltd.
For further information: Investors: www.NewDayForKnight.com, Shorecrest Group, Christine Carson, 647-931-7396; Media: Gagnier Communications, Dan Gagnier, 646-569-5897, dg@gagnierfc.com
Medison Urges Fellow Shareholders to Bring Positive Change to...
Leading Independent Proxy Advisory Firm ISS Recommends Change at...
Medison Issues Presentation to Knight Shareholders...
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Richmond Minerals Inc. Announces C$100,000 Non-Brokered Private Placement
Richmond Minerals Inc.
TORONTO, April 5, 2019 /CNW/ - Richmond Minerals Inc. (TSX-V: RMD) ("Richmond") is pleased to announce that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 1,000,000 hard dollar units ("Units") at a price of C$0.05 per Unit, and 1,000,000 flow through units ("FT Units") at a price of C$0.05 per FT Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$100,000 (the "Offering"). Closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or about April 30, 2019.
Each Unit will consist of one (1) common share in the capital stock of Richmond ("Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of C$0.07 per Common Share until the date which is two (2) years following the closing date of the Offering, whereupon the Warrants will expire.
Each FT Unit will consist of one (1) common share in the capital stock of Richmond that is a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (a "FT Share") and one Warrant.
The securities issued and issuable pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four month and one day statutory hold period. Richmond intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund "Canadian exploration expenses" (within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada)) and for continued exploration on Richmond's assets and for general working capital purposes.
The Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") and applicable securities regulatory authorities.
The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to persons in the United States absent registration or an exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, Richmond's objectives, goals or future plans, including successful completion of the Offering. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments, and those risks set out in Richmond's public documents filed on SEDAR. Although Richmond believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Richmond disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
SOURCE Richmond Minerals Inc.
For further information: Warren Hawkins, P. Eng., Exploration Manager, E: warren@richmondminerals.com, Tel: 416-603-2114
www.richmondminerals.com
Richmond Minerals Inc. Completes $102,500 Non-Brokered Private...
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NY Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer
The New York Researcher is a colorful quarterly that is a benefit of membership in the NYG&B. Covered subjects include informative articles on New York genealogy, news, book reviews, announcements, and NYG&B programs.
A searchable, complete run of the New York Researcher and its predecessor publication the NYG&B Newsletter, which was first published in 1990, is available in the eLibrary to NYG&B members.
Read the latest issue of The New York Researcher online
The feature articles of the New York Researcher have made it a particularly useful research tool for New York genealogists. These articles cover topics such as
Descriptions of sources for New York genealogy, such as probate, church, and census records.
Descriptions of holdings of other New York State libraries and record repositories.
"How to" articles on New York genealogical research, both statewide and for particular counties or cities, religious or ethnic groups, or time periods.
Lists of accounts of New York families "hidden" in multi-family works, manuscript collections, and periodicals.
Articles on New York families published in other periodicals, past and present.
Submitting Material to the New York Researcher
If you have a story idea for the New York Researcher, or would like to write an article, note, or book review, or have a book to submit for a book review in the New York Researcher, please see the New York Researcher article submission guidelines, then contact the editor.
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