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Download PDF version of guide for print
"Intellectual property" (IP) refers to property rights in patents, inventions, trademarks, copyright and industrial designs. IP law has become increasingly complex and comprehensive as technology advances. This guide provides useful starting points for research on United States intellectual property law, including a general section on intellectual property law resources and specialized sections on the core areas of IP law: patents, copyright, and trademarks.
Patents and copyrights are authorized by the United States Constitution, which grants to the U.S. Congress "power...To promote the Progress of Science and the useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 8. One can find intellectual property law in U.S. federal and state law and in international treaties (for example, the "TRIPS Agreement"). Often, U.S. federal and state intellectual property law is a mixture of U.S. common law, and federal and state statutes. Below is an annotated list of select intellectual property law resources.
II. General Resources
A. Books & Treatises
Sheldon W. Halpern, Fundamentals of United States Intellectual Property Law: Copyright, Patent, Trademark, 5th ed. (KF2979 .H357 2015).
This one-volume desk reference covers the basics of intellectual property topics, with case and statute references for further reading.
J. Thomas McCarthy et al., McCarthy's Desk Encyclopedia of Intellectual Property, 3d ed. (Reference KF2976.4 .M38 2004)
This volume provides useful definitions for the concepts and phrases found in the law of patents, trademarks and copyright. Entries include references to relevant cases, statutes, and treatises for further reading. Appendices include historical statistics on patent applications and trademark registration, as well as biographical timelines for the offices of Commissioner of Patents, Register of Copyright, and Commissioner of Trademarks.
Arthur R. Miller and Michael H. Davis, Intellectual Property: Patents, Trademarks and Copyright in a Nutshell, 5th ed. (Reserves KF2980 .M52 2012).
This book, oriented towards law students, does a good job of summarizing the basics of U.S. copyright, patent and trademark law.
Scholars and practitioners alike frequently cite this essential treatise on patents. The huge fourteen-volume looseleaf set includes a glossary of patent terms, federal circuit guide, forms, statutes and commentary. The library's print copy is no longer updated.
B. Periodicals, Websites & Blogs
Duke Law and Technology Review: The DLTR is an online legal publication that provides thoughtful and in-depth coverage of the latest law and technology issues. The review publishes "iBriefs", short and accessible essays on current intellectual property topics.
Intellectual Property Mall (University of New Hampshire School of Law, Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property): The web site contains links to Congressional Research Service documents on intellectual property law and select legislative histories, including those for the Patent Act of 1952 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.
Intellectual Property Watch: This sophisticated blog follows the latest news in all areas intellectual property including international and domestic IP issues. Visit the website to set up RSS feeds and email alerts.
Managing Intellectual Property (Euromoney, 1991–) (online): This is a practice-oriented newsletter that is a valuable source of United States and international intellectual property law information.
Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal (BNA, 1970- ): This weekly publication provides case summaries and news stories related to intellectual property law. It is available online to current members of the Duke Law community through the Bloomberg Electronic Library.
Lumen (formerly Chilling Effects) This project of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society studies cease and desist letters concerning online content. The site features an easy-to-use search engine connected to its database, as well as a blog covering recent news on take-down notices and other restrictive IP actions.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) The EFF is a nonprofit organization focusing on issues of civil liberties (including those related to intellectual property) as they relate to the digital world. Their website includes the Deeplinks Blog as well as a collection of white papers and specific projects related to creator’s rights, patents, and more.
Both Lexis Advance and Bloomberg Law contain a number of other intellectual property newsletters and magazines that are oriented towards the practicing attorney. Lexis Advance includes Intellectual Property: Mealey’s Litigation Report.Westlaw includes Landslide. In addition to the Patent and Trademark Copyright (Journal and Law Daily editions), Bloomberg has an intellectual property news page (News & Law Reports > Latest News > Legal > Intellectual Property).
C. Foreign & International Resources
Intellectual property law has become increasingly global in nature. Practitioners in the U.S. must often research international treaties, find foreign patent applications, and compare IP laws of other countries. Many U.S.-focused resources cited in the later sections of this guide also include information about foreign and international issues.
WIPO Lex: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) hosts this searchable database of intellectual property legislation, which provides access to "national laws and treaties on intellectual property of WIPO, WTO and UN Members." In some cases this includes the full text of a country’s intellectual property legislation.
Collection of National Copyright Laws: The collection has not been updated recently, but does provide an excellent overview of of national copyright laws from UNESCO member nations. The laws are official translations, in English, French, or Spanish, provided by member states. UNESCO no longer houses an active version of the site, but has preserved it in its web archive.
International Encyclopaedia of Laws: Intellectual Property (online). This multi-volume set contains sections ("monographs") which outline and describe the IP laws of around 60 countries, each written by an expert in the particular country’s legal framework.
World Intellectual Property Organization Administered Treaties: Intellectual property has an expansive framework of international treaties. This website provides access to the full text of some of the most influential documents, including the Berne Convention, the WIPO Copyright Treaty, and the Patent Cooperation Treaty. It also provides information on recent actions taken by member states and new signatories.
World Intellectual Property Report (BNA, 1997- ): This monthly newsletter provides news and analysis about global developments in IP law. It is available online to current members of the Duke Law community through the Bloomberg Electronic Library.
Westlaw and Lexis Advance provide access to foreign and international intellectual property law resources including patent and trademark applications from a number of other countries. These resources are accessible in the same manner as described in each topic area below. Bloomberg Law has a dedicated international IP law page, with links to treatises, treaties and conventions, regulatory agencies and organizations, and regional resources
D. Finding Materials in the Duke Libraries Catalog
When searching for intellectual property materials in the Duke Libraries Catalog, use general subject headings as a starting point and then select the appropriate subdivisions for a more precise search. Subject headings in intellectual property may include the following terms:
Intellectual Property--United States
Trademarks Law and Legislation
Trademarks--United States
Patents--International Law
Patents--United States
Copyright--International
Copyright--United States
III. Patent Law
A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The right conferred by the patent grant is "the right to exclude others" who wish to make, use, offer for sale, or sell the patented invention in the United States or who might import the invention into the United States. 35 U.S.C. § 154. The requirements for patentability start at 35 U.S.C. § 101. Regulations on patent law commence at Title 37, chapter 1 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Irwin M. Aisenberg, Modern Patent Law Precedent: Dictionary of Key Terms and Concepts, 16th ed. (Reference KF3112 .M63 2014 & online in Westlaw). This is a dictionary of patent terms, organized alphabetically by keywords and phrases. Words and phrases are taken from summaries of leading patent cases with precedential value and from important sections in the U.S. Code. The library no longer receives updates of the print version.
Donald S. Chisum, Chisum on Patents (also titled Patents: A Treatise on the Law of Patentability, Validity and Infringement) (KF3110 .C4 & online in Lexis Advance).
R. Carl Moy, Moy's Walker on Patents, 4th ed. (KF3114.W32 & online in Westlaw). This multi-volume treatise revises a previous version entitled Lipscomb's Walker on Patents (3rd ed.) (KF3114 .W3 1984). The Westlaw full-text contains only the current volumes of the 4th edition as they are published; 3rd edition volumes which have not yet been revised by Moy are not available electronically.
Janice M. Mueller, Patent Law, 4th ed. (KF3114.M84 2013). This title is part of the "Aspen Student Treaties Series," and provides an accessible overview of patent law concepts and principles. Chapters include discussion of each requirement for patentability. Footnotes cite to relevant cases, statutes and secondary sources, for further research.
B. Patent Grants and Applications
Jeffrey G. Sheldon, How to Write a Patent Application (Ref. KF3125.C5 .S473). This is an excellent loose-leaf on how to write patent applications. It provides an extensive discussion on writing applications for the three types of patents: utility, design, and plant. It also contains a discussion on particular types of patents including electrical patents, biotech patents, and chemical inventions. Select provisions of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure are included in this publication.
David Pressman, Patent It Yourself, 13th ed. (online). This title, from the popular legal self-help publisher Nolo Press, presents the patent application process in layperson’s terms. Sample forms and a glossary of definitions are included.
USPTO, Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. This manual is intended for the use of patent examiners, who must decide whether a pending patent application meets all relevant laws and regulations. Each section describes a particular aspect of the application and examination process, and includes citations to related primary legal authority. All prior editions and revisions (back to 1949) are available at the site, as well in PDF through HeinOnline's Manual of Patent Examining Procedure Library.
C. Websites & Blogs
United States Patent and Trademark Office This official U.S. government web site on patents and trademarks is an excellent resource for researching patent grants, patent applications, and trademark registrations. The site also contains many essential reference sources and manuals geared towards the practitioner. The patent grants database contains images of U.S. patents issued since 1790 and the full text of all patents issued since 1976. A patent applications database contains full text and images of all patent applications since March 15, 2001. The USPTO also publishes the Official Gazette, the official journal of the USPTO, which is published every Tuesday and contains bibliographic information and representative drawings of patents granted on that date.
Google Patent Search This patent search engine allows users to search the full text of issued patents and applications by keyword. Like the USPTO site, Google offers the entire collection of issued patents back to 1790, and selected patent applications. Patents are provided in downloadable PDF format.
Derwent Innovations Index Allows users to search patent and citation information across the Web of Science platform. Patents are grouped by subject matter: chemical, electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering.
Patent Term Calculator (USPTO) This beta website estimates patent expiration dates for utility, plant or design patents. You must provide specific information such as the U.S. patent number to use the software.
Patently-O: Patent Law Blog This popular blog, maintained by an Associate Professor Dennis Crouch at The University of Missouri School of Law, posts the latest cases, developments, and reform efforts in patent law.
D. Westlaw/Lexis Advance/Bloomberg Law Research on Patents
Both Westlaw and Lexis Advance contain full text U.S. patent applications dating back to 2001. Similarly, both Westlaw and Lexis Advance possess a number of intellectual property treatises, newsletters and journals.
In Lexis Advance, follow the path Browse > Sources > By Practice Area > Patent Law to view available databases, which include Chisum on Patents (CHISUM), specialized news sources, and patent applications and grants from the U.S., Japan, Germany, and the U.K.
In the Westlaw, select Secondary Sources > Intellectual Property to view available materials, which include a superior collection of treatises on patent licensing, such as Eckstrom's Licensing in Foreign and Domestic Operations and Modern Licensing Law .
Bloomberg Law has both a patent and a patent assignment searchable database, along with multiple online treatises, legal and regulatory, and news sources. All are available on its patent practice center: Practice Centers > Patents & Trade Secrets. Bloomberg Law also allows you to sign up for daily notifications of decisions in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), which include links to full text of all precedential decisions and nonprecedential patent and trademark decisions.
IV. Copyright Law
Federal copyright law is located in Title 17 of the U.S. Code. Copyright law protects "original works of authorship" that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. According to 17 U.S.C. § 102(a), copyrightable works may include the following subject matter categories:
Literary works;
Musical works, including any accompanying words;
Dramatic works, including any accompanying music;
Pantomimes and choreographic works;
Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works;
Motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
Sound recordings; and
Architectural works.
However, copyright law does not apply to any "idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery." 17 U.S.C. § 102(b). (Note: patent law may apply in some of these instances.)
The last major revision to U.S. copyright law was the Copyright Act of 1976 (90 Stat. 2541). A legislative history of the revisions is available both in print and electronically, titled Omnibus Copyright Revision Legislative History (Documents Y 4.J 89/2:C 79 and on HeinOnline). These materials have also been gathered in the Kaminstein Legislative History Project: A Compendium and Analytical Index of Materials Leading to the Copyright Act of 1976 (KF2989.56.A16 K35 and on HeinOnline).
Jane C. Ginsburg and Robert A. Gorman, Copyright Law (Reserves KF2994 .G56 2012).This brief introduction to U.S. copyright law covers the history of copyright, basics of copyright and proceeds to more advanced discussions of public policy issues touching upon related international copyright issues. Ginsburg is well known for her contributions to copyright law and theory.
Paul Goldstein, Goldstein on Copyright, 3d ed. (KF2979 .G633).
Paul Goldstein, a professor at Stanford Law School, has written this scholarly treatise for lawyers, judges, legal researchers, and public policy decision-makers. The set is composed of 18 chapters on all aspects of copyright law. There are extensive citations to primary and secondary authorities including cases, statutes, regulations, legislative history and other documents.
Mary LaFrance, Copyright Law in a Nutshell, 3d ed. (Reserve KF2994 .L34 2017).
This short volume, written for use as a study aid, provides a basic introduction to copyright law.
Marshall A. Laeffer, Understanding Copyright Law, 6th ed. (Reserves KF2994 .L43 2014).
Another short volume meant for use as a study aid providing an overview of copyright law.
Bruce P. Keller and Jeffrey P Cunard, Copyright Law: A Practitioner’s Guide (KF2994 .K345 & Looseleaf Updates).
Covers the fundamentals of copyright law, analysis of key copyright cases, and analyzes how to make practical judgments based on this foundation.
Melville B. Nimmer and David Nimmer, Nimmer on Copyright: A Treatise on the Law of Literary, Musical and Artistic Property and the Protection of Ideas (KF2994.N56 1978 & in Lexis Advance).
This looseleaf set is the classic scholarly treatise on copyright law. Courts and other scholars cite to it frequently. The treatise is an excellent starting place for researching specific aspects of copyright law. Updated three times a year, this treatise stays current with recent copyright law developments.
William F. Patry, Patry on Copyright (KF2994 .P355 & in Westlaw).
A multi-volume examination of copyright law, written by a former law professor who is currently the Senior Copyright Counsel to Google. The print edition features a foreword by Sandra Day O'Connor, who cited to Patry's work while a Supreme Court justice.
B. Websites & Blogs
The official US website for copyright, this website offers copyright basics (including a link to title 17 of the United States Code), copyright registration, a searchable database of copyrights, developments in law and policy, and licensing information. This user-friendly website is a great starting point for general copyright questions.The site offers a short introduction to copyright law, which is available in both English and Spanish. Those interested in tracking copyright legislation, both current and historical, can do so through the site's Legislative Developments page.
Center for the Study of the Public Domain The Center, a project of Duke Law School, gathers and produces resources and research devoted to the contribution that works in the public domain (or works that are no longer or never were covered by copyright restrictions) contribute to speech, culture, science and innovation generally.
Creative Commons is the brainchild of prominent intellectual property legal scholar Lawrence Lessig of Harvard Law School. It is a non-profit organization which offers model language for various copyright licenses that are less restrictive than traditional licenses. The licenses are offered free to the public.
Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States Copyright term can be difficult to ascertain. If you need to determine when a copyright term ends or if a work has fallen into the public domain, this Cornell University website is a useful guide.
Stanford Copyright Renewal Database provides information on the copyright renewal status of books that were published in the United States between the years 1923-1963. This time period is unique in copyright law, since earlier works have generally fallen into the public domain, and works published after 1963 were given an automatic renewal by the 1976 revision of the Copyright Act. The titles covered by the Stanford database required a renewal application to avoid copyright expiration, and the records of these applications were previously difficult to obtain.
Pre-1870 Copyright Records This guide provides access to a collection of records not centralized in the Library of Congress, and previously thought to be lost. The guide organizes the records by state of origin, and includes copyright ephemera.
C. Westlaw/Lexis Advance/Bloomberg Law Research on Copyrights
Westlaw provides currently-available Copyright Office publications and circulars (search Copyright Info Circulars & Fact Sheets), the Copyright Office practices manual (search Copyright Office) and Copyright Law: A Practitioner's Guide. It also provides easy access to the Arnold & Porter Legislative History for the General Revision of the Copyright Act of 1976 (search Arnold & Porter Legislative Histories) as well as practice-oriented titles like Copyright Litigation Handbook (search Copyright Litigation Handbook).
Lexis Advance’s copyright databases can be accessed by following the path Browse > Sources > By Practice Area > Copyright Law. Its collection also includes the full text of its Matthew Bender treatises, such as Nimmer on Copyright and Geller and Nimmer's International Copyright Law and Practice.
Bloomberg Law now includes access to multiple books and treatises, including the Copyright Law Deskbook. Follow the path Practice Centers > Trademarks & Copyright > Copyrights for a collection of all Bloomberg’s resources. This page also has access to the significant laws, regulations, federal opinions, and regulatory organization documents.
V. Trademark Law
A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. Trademark law is embodied in both state and federal law. The seminal federal trademark law is called the "Lanham Act" (codified at 15 U.S.C. §§ 1051 et seq.). Regulations for trademarks and trade names start at Title 37 of the C.F.R.
Adam L. Brookman, Trademark Law: Protection, Enforcement and Licensing (KF3180 .B68).
Written by a trademark attorney, this highly readable single-volume looseleaf publication is oriented towards attorneys that are new to trademark law. It is a useful reference source for academic research and includes helpful charts, citations to important case law and a table of cases. Updated through 2013, it provides a thorough analysis of differences between federal circuits on aspects of trademark law.
Siegrun D. Kane, Kane on Trademark Law: A Practitioner's Guide (KF3180 .K363).
From the Practising Law Institute, this fully updated loose-leaf guide covers the basics of American trademark law from registration through litigation.
J. Thomas McCarthy, McCarthy on Trademarks and Unfair Competition, 5th ed. (KF3180.M32 2017 & Westlaw).
This treatise is considered the most authoritative source of information about trademark and unfair competition law. Supplemented annually, it covers all aspects of trademark and unfair competition law.
Linda A. Tancs, Understanding Trademark Law: A Beginner's Guide (Reference KF3180 .T36 2009).
Part of Oceana's "Law for the Layperson" series, this volume provides a basic introduction to trademark registration, maintenance, and enforcement.
The USPTO site contains a searchable database of over 3 million pending, registered, and dead trademarks. This database is referred to as the "Trademark Electronic Search System" or "TESS." The site also contains introductory materials and several U.S. federal trademark practice guides. The USPTO also maintains a directory of state trademark laws on the website, as well as a copy of its Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure, which provides reference work on the practices and procedures of the USPTO in the prosecution of trademark applications.
This blog is maintained by John Welch of the law firm Wolf Greenfield in Boston, Massachusetts. It is updated on a regular basis with trademark news relating to the rulings of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).
C. Westlaw/Lexis Advance/Bloomberg Law Research on Trademarks
Both Westlaw and Lexis Advance gather and organize federal and state trademark cases and trademark registration databases. In Westlaw, select Secondary Sources > Intellectual Property and select the relevant format, which includes the trademark examiner’s procedural manual. Westlaw also contains a useful database on domain disputes that includes dispute decisions from international organizations based on the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. For a truncated list of trademark and trade secret related databases, type “Trade” into the unified search bar.
In Lexis Advance, follow the path Browse > Sources > By Practice Area > Trademark Law to view available databases, which include registration information from U.S. and international jurisdictions, Matthew Bender treatises and practice materials, and specialized case law and legislative databases. Of particular use is Gilson on Trademarks, which contains in-depth analysis of trademark issues, a section of forms and drafting guides, and a primary source appendix.
In Bloomberg Law, follow the path Practice Centers > Trademarks & Copyrights > Trademarks & Copyrights Home. The Practice Center allows you to focus on trademark litigation, prosecution, and counterfeiting, as well as other topics, and includes research databases and links to books and treatises.
The Rights of Publicity and Privacy (KF1262 .M42 & Westlaw). This serial is a useful treatise addressing almost any topic in this area. It is updated with a yearly supplement. The author also writes McCarthy’s Desk Encyclopedia of Intellectual Property (Reference KF2976 .M38).
Melvin F. Jager, Trade Secrets Law (KF3197 .J34 and Westlaw). This multi-volume set focuses on trade secrets litigations while discussing Fifth Amendments and Freedom of Information Act implications.
rev. wws 12/2017
Duke Law Goodson Law Library More
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The Four Stages Of The Development Of The Desire
Posted on September 10th, 2014 at 9:13 am
The first stage is completely filled with Light, which comes out of the root, and it feels that it does not want to receive; this is how we get the second stage.
But then the second stage feels that this did not make it similar to the root. It may not be receiving anything, but it’s not bestowing either!
It only got worse because before I was attached to the Creator like an infant and I did everything that He wanted. I enjoyed infinitely, and even though I did it for my own sake, the Upper One was receiving pleasure from this!
Now, I supposedly got bigger and I do not want to receive from Him, but it turns out that I am not giving Him anything to enjoy, even the way an infant does, because He receives pleasure when I receive from Him.
So what have I done? I have gone even further away from Him! (And this is why the second stage is considered to be a stronger desire than the first stage, even though it does not receive anything.) It is as if I were neglecting Him…
An infant is closer to the mother than a grown child who feels independent and does not want to receive anything from her.
Then the second stage, Bina, decides that if it were to receive the Light from the Creator, He would really enjoy it; this is how we get ZAT de Bina.
The execution of this decision takes place in the third stage, in Zeir Anpin, who receives the Light for the sake of bestowal due to the strength of Bina. In other words, the upper determines this decision (Therefore it is considered that the head of Zeir Anpin is in Bina – ZAT de-Bina).
And then the fourth stage Malchut comes and sees how much pleasure there is… I am Zeir Anpin, who receives for the sake of bestowal, when I perceive the Creator and feel that I am just like Him!
I want to enjoy it both: the fulfillment that I am receiving and the equivalence with Him! I want to enjoy all the pleasures that exist in the Creator; this is called the fourth stage of development, Malchut.
A restriction (Tzimtzum Aleph) is done over this fourth stage, and we no longer receive fulfillment egoistically.
And then second restriction (Tzimtzum Bet) takes place, from ZAT de Bina to Malchut. Malchut penetrates all these desires and says: “Do not even think about reception! It is impossible to receive anything, you will not be able to!”
The fourth stage of desire penetrates the third and the second stages, and now there is a sensation in both Zeir Anpin and ZAT de Bina that any contact with reception of Light will be egoistic.
Previously, there was no feeling that the desire to receive pleasure is so opposite to the Light! But now it is there. But still this prohibition only exists because of Malchut and not because of Zeir Anpin, and especially not because of Bina.
After all, Zeir Anpin is planning on bestowing, but the question is: in which desires is he planning on doing it? Is it in the desires that he had before the fourth stage appeared or is he now planning on receiving for the sake of bestowal in the fourth stage, in Malchut?
And this confusion consequently leads to the breaking, when they were not able to understand why this is impossible. After all, if we are planning on receiving the Light for the sake of bestowal, like in the third stage of Direct Light, then this is an altruistic action.
But it turns out that the fourth stage has already penetrated these desires, and once you get to feel what Malchut is—pleasure from being equal to the Creator—you no longer can refuse it, you desire the taste. You have the fourth stage within you, and you cannot receive for the sake of bestowal!
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/25/10, Writings of Baal HaSulam
What Does It Hide, This Spark Of Light?
The Unification Of HaVaYaH – Elokim
Why Is The Grass Always Greener On The Other Side?
Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spirituality | Add Comment →
Reaching An Agreement With The Creator
A Never-Ending Flow Of Pleasure
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Citizens concerned about Railway Safety; Give thumbs up to Cleanliness and Web Ticketing and Timeliness
30 August 2017, New Delhi: Indian railway, in some sense is India’s true national carrier. As vast a network it has and as the huge number of people it employs, Indian railways has seen its share of ups and downs in the last 3 years under the NDA government. LocalCircles conducted a detailed survey to ask people how they think India’s largest employer has done under the leadership of the present government.
People have said that IRCTC website had had major improvements and booking tickets online has become pretty easy now. The trains have become cleaner and better amenities are now available on the stations. Other decisions like increasing the speed of the trains, introducing high speed trains like Tejas and the proposed bullet trains have caught people’s fancies.
Earlier this year during the rail budget exercise, 47% citizens on LocalCircles wanted safety to be the top priority for railways. But with the recent spate of accidents, it has clearly not been the case. Safety is still a big concern with the citizens as many rail accidents have happened in the last 3 years and accident warning devices have still not been installed in all trains.
The first poll showed that 44% citizens believe there have been no improvements in safety and security in Indian railways in the last 3 years while 43% believe there has been a marginal improvement. 10,866 votes came in on this question.
To reduce accidents, citizens suggested that anti-collision devices be installed in all trains and budgets for buying track testing equipment should be increased. They also pointed out that many coaches are as much as 30 years old and should be retired and replaced with modern steel/aluminium ones. They also said that baggage limitations should be put in place for each passenger and all unmanned crossings should be made automatic with the help of sensors.
People have been quite unhappy with the increase in railway fares and have felt a pinch in their pockets. In the second poll 30% said that fare structures implemented in the last 3 years they have become worse and 24% said they are same as before. 14% said that the fare structures now are much better while 32% said they were marginally better than before. This poll received 9,406 votes.
The move of introducing flexi-fare did not gain much popularity with the citizens as it increased the ticket price of trains like Shatabdi and Rajdhani quite steeply. 73% citizens in an earlier poll had explicitly stated that they would rather have flat fare increase than the current flexi fare system.
In the third poll, LocalCircles asked people how the cleanliness of trains and railway stations improved in the last 3 years. 31% said the improvement was sizable, 46% said it was marginal, 17% said there has been no improvement and 6% said cleanliness had gotten worse. 9,002 people voted on this poll.
To improve the cleanliness further, people suggested that railwas automates the cleaning process whereever possible. They also said that the cleaning staff should be well supervised and food vendors on platforms should be trained on hygiene and safety practices. More dustbins should also be installed inside trains and on stations.
The fourth poll saw 43% citizens voting in favour of sizably improved passenger services & amenities in the last 3 years with 43% saying improvements have been marginal. 26% said there were no improvements and 9% said they have become worse. 10,631 citizens took part in this poll.
When it came to services & amenities, people wanted the quality and hygiene levels of food served in trains should be improved. They wanted the train toilet accessories to be effectively maintained and hassle fee coolie services should be provided. People also said that free wifi should be made available on all platforms and effectiveness of phone helplines and their information quality must be refined.
When asked how has the ticketing via IRCTC website improved in the last 3 years, 38% of the 9,261 participants said the improvements have been sizable and another 38% said improvent has been marginal. Only 16% said that there were no improvements and 8% said it had become worse.
People complemented the authorities on the vast improvement in the IRCTC site functioning and the ticket booking process becoming easier. The biggest ask people had in this case was the ability to pick seats while booking on the IRCTC website. Introducing the onward booking facility also came in as a key input.
In the last poll, 16% people said there has been a sizable improvement in the timeliness of the trains in the last 3 years and 40% said that the improvements have been marginal. 32% said there has been no improvement and 12% said the situation has become worse. A total of 8,744 votes were polled on this question.
Reducing train halt time and building new satellite terminals to decongest busy terminals were some of the suggestions that came in when asked how the timeliness to trains could be improved.
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By IVY Team • 3 months ago
As a dancer who has studied ballet, jazz, and modern since the age of four, Alison Merrill never expected to break into hip hop and perform with a professional dance crew on national television for millions of viewers.
It was not until her early twenties that Merrill discovered hip hop, gravitating towards the creative energy and inclusive culture that emanated from the community. Within two years of independent training, she was able to make her way onto two of Boston’s hip hop companies, CONcept ARTists and Static Noyze, going on to perform at Monsters of Hip Hop, RAW Boston Artists, Elements, and Sony Music.
Merrill, bottom row, second from the left, backstage with her hip hop team Str8Jacket at World of Dance Season 3 on NBC.
Fast-forward three years later, Merrill is now a member and Training Captain of Str8Jacket, a competitive hip hop team based out of the Bay Area, with a mission to promote creativity, grit, and growth. This year, the team competed on Season 3 of World of Dance on NBC after winning 1st place at World of Dance Bay Area. After working on the show with personal idols like choreographers Tabitha & Napoleon D’umo and gaining feedback from renowned performers like Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo, & Dereck Hough, Merrill felt inspired to continue creating at a higher level.
Most recently, Merrill choreographed her own concept video for Bed by Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. She explained, “What I really want to do is transport the audience to a different world and make them feel like they’re a part of something that is fun and all-consuming.”
Through her work, Merrill strives to cultivate a welcoming space for all. Str8tJacket itself is a no-audition team, honoring the fact that hip hop embraces all different styles, bodies, and levels of performance. Anyone is allowed to join and train with them and those who show the most dedication and skill are brought onstage. To her, this serves as a refreshing contrast to ballet, where she notes that starting at a young age, being predisposed to a certain body type, and having enough money are often prerequisites that are prohibitive to many.
Alongside her involvement in dance, Merrill also serves as the National Growth Director at IVY, constantly energized by the diversity of talented members and strong arts programming.
A memorable experience at the IVY San Francisco Improv Workshop gave her a new perspective on the creative collaboration process. In one exercise, a member was instructed to hold a pose until another person tagged them out with a new pose. At first, people hesitated to jump, crippled by their own fear. But when the instructor asked them to reframe their intentions from a place of support, they moved more quickly and were able to generate more fun and eccentric poses. In that moment, Merrill realized that she could incorporate that mindset into dance. By putting her teammates first and making it her mission to support them, she could unleash tremendous creative power and deliver more astounding performances.
Merrill celebrates the joy of dancing at the IVY Winter Gala with her boyfriend Sam Kahane.
Merrill is grateful that her own mission of educating others and exposing them to the arts aligns so closely with IVY and that the company has allowed her to pursue her artistic passions vigorously. As Merill continues to grind away with Str8Jacket, rehearsing four nights a week and performing across the country, audiences can look forward to her second concept video coming out in June, an under wraps project that promises to be edgier, darker, and more hard-hitting than the last.
Beyond the Make-up: Inside the Life of a Beauty Queen
LIFE @ IVY
5 Weekly Lessons: Google’s Legendary People Chief on How to Achieve Workp...
5 Weekly Lessons: Google’s Legendary People Chief on How to Achieve Workplace Success and More
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Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund
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20th Anniversary Honorees
An Epic Conservation Victory
No artist could have painted a bluer sky or puffier clouds the day Carol Witzemen stood on Blue Mountain.
Under that perfect sky, the Witmer estate was being sold. Cargo vans and pickups were parked in rows like church pews dropped in the meadow. The crowd followed the auctioneer as he skittered between pockets of old furniture, antiques, and mounds of dusty books, chanting a lifetime’s accumulation of stuff away.
Carol tapped her foot impatiently. She wasn’t interested in the box lots, lamps, and furniture up for auction. Carol had her eye on buying the top of the mountain.
Carol was the president of the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, a charitable organization that conserves special places by buying them. Blue Mountain is one of those special places. Blue Mountain stretches over 200 miles from northern New Jersey down through 11 Pennsylvania counties to the Maryland state line. The mountain is also known as First Front Mountain and the Kittatinny Ridge. For hundreds of communities it provides scenic beauty, hunting, and fishing. It also hosts the world famous Appalachian Trail.
The ridge provides the headwaters for many of the streams in south central and southeast Pennsylvania, supplying clean freshwater habitat for fish and water for people. Rain and melting snow on the mountain drain into 1,597 sources of public drinking water. The mountain’s forests provide some of the best wildlife habitat in the state, and the ridge has worldwide significance as a flyway for hawks, eagles and songbirds. Thousands of people climb onto high outcroppings to view the mass migration at Hawk Mountain and other good viewing spots. The Audubon Society has named it an Important Bird Area.
The Witmer estate is a small part of the ridge but an important link to the whole. It is also the first Blue Mountain property the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy set out to save.
The Auction
It was past noon when the auctioneer turned from house wares to the land. Carol and another Conservancy volunteer, Craig Dunn, squinted in the bright sun. From the Witmer farm’s high perch, they could see the entire Cumberland Valley. They knew that the view, the wooded lot and the relatively short commute to Harrisburg would attract a crowd. They also knew that the Conservancy’s volunteer board had authorized them to spend no more than $175,000.
The bidding began.
Carol jumped in at $50,000, then $60,000 and up to $70,000 before her competition dropped out. For a joyous moment, nothing could be heard but a passing crow. Just as the word “bargain” formed in Carol’s mind, two more bidders revived the din. Within seconds the dream was dashed and the Conservancy’s $175,000 limit was reached.
“Something told me that the other bidder was under the same instructions as I was,” Carol said. “And I wasn’t going to lose it for $500.” Carol made the winning bid of $175,500; the board forgave her the extra $500.
Witmer was only the first of the Conservancy’s Blue Mountain projects. Over three years, the land trust spent more than a half million dollars on three pieces of Blue Mountain land. The organization financed each purchase with a mortgage, counting on the many people who love the mountain to help pay off the debt. Private groups with diverse interests answered the Conservancy’s call for contributions. Local residents rallied as well, knowing the land would forever be open to the public. Hunters were well represented, with support from groups such as the Blue Mountain Chapter of the Safari Club International, the Ruffed Grouse Society, the Pennsylvania Falconry and Hawk Trust, the Susquehanna Water Fowlers Association and the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.
“I’m 56 years old and I’ve been hunting over there since 1968,” said Don Heckman, executive officer of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Wild Turkey Federation. “One of the best ways to ensure conservation of special lands is to buy them when they become available and add them onto the state forests and game lands.”
The Audubon Society, the Keystone Trails Association, and the Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club joined the hunting groups in contributing funds. Because of the benefits to the public, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources granted Keystone Fund* money to the conservation effort. Also supporting were the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and several local municipal and county governments.
One Down…
A year after purchasing the Witmer tract, the mortgage was paid. Carol once again stood on the mountain, holding the mortgage in one hand and a lighter in the other. All cheered as flame and paper met. Not long after burning the Witmer mortgage, the Conservancy burned the mortgage on its second acquisition, the Lightner property. And not long after that, the Conservancy purchased its third property, dubbed Blue Mountain East. “We’re still holding the mortgage on Blue Mountain East,” Carol said. “But what is the value of a public view of all of Cumberland Valley? What is the value of important wildlife habitat and bird migration flyways? Likewise, what is the value of the Appalachian Trail?”
John Plowman, a retired Game Commission employee, has lived in the area all of his life. “Every week there’s a new road being cut up the mountain,” said John. “I never thought the mountain would be covered with houses. You just didn’t build there; it was sacrosanct.”
Keeping a core of undeveloped forest along the Kittatinny Ridge is crucial to wildlife and water quality and important to public recreation. Protecting that core presents a challenge. Although some of Blue Mountain has been conserved, most of it is unprotected.
Central Pennsylvania Conservancy is part of the Kittatinny Ridge Coalition, an alliance of sportsmen, conservation groups, businesses, landowners, government, and tourism agencies. The Coalition seeks to raise public awareness of the importance of the ridge — and each little part of it — to wildlife and people. Ridge Coalition members meet, pore over maps and reach out to communities. Carol, while an enthusiastic participant, would prefer to be on the mountain.
“I hate meetings,” she said. “I’d rather be out buying land.”
Bob Lightner’s great grandfather was a Hessian. He emigrated from Germany to fight the Revolutionary War, but he forgot about battle when he fell in love with the Pennsylvania landscape. “He saw the land and said ‘this place is great. I think I’ll stay — the heck with the war,” Bob said. “He bought land at the foot of Blue Mountain and my family has never left.” For more than 200 years the Lightner brothers, sisters, sons and daughters farmed here. George and Dotty Lightner, Bob’s parents wouldn’t consider selling the land, not even a sliver. “After my father died, people would ask mom if they could buy just a small piece of our land, ” Bob said. “Mom would say, ‘It’s not my land to sell. That’s for the deer and other animals.”
Bob shared his mother’s feelings. When he read a newspaper article about the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Witmer project — just up the road from his property — he talked to his sisters about selling at a discount to the Conservancy.
Thanks to the family’s generosity, the Lightner tract became the Conservancy’s second project on Blue Mountain.
“I had a good life,” Bob said. “The Valley gave me a lot. I would like to give it something back.”
Project Type: Conservation | Region: Southcentral
Project Leader: Central Pennsylvania Conservancy
County: Dauphin, Cumberland
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PALTA Websites:
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Jussie Smollett Returns to ‘Empire’ Set After Being Released From Jail
Chicago Police Department, Getty Images
It's been a whirlwind month for anyone keeping up with the Jussie Smollett case, but here's the cliffnotes: On January 29 the Empire star was hospitalized after being attacked in Chicago, during which assailants put a noose around his neck and threw bleach in his face. On February 16, two suspects were taken into custody and later released after they confessed the actor staged the whole thing. On the night of February 20, Smollett was arrested for filing a false police report.
The 36-year-old was released from jail today (February 21), after posting his $100,000 bond. According to E! News, the actor returned to the Empire set after his release, which is a little awkward considering the Chicago Police Department cite the reason for him staging the attack because he was angry with his salary.
"I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention, because that's who really deserves the amount of attention that we're giving to this particular incident," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a press conference.
"First, Smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic and political language. When that didn't work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago's reputation through the mud in the process," he continued. "And why? This stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary, so he concocted a story about being attacked."
"This announcement today recognizes that Empire actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career," Johnson added. "Why would anyone, especially an African-American use a noose...to further his public profile?"
“Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked,” Smollett’s attorneys told People after his arrest. “Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”
Celebrities Who Smiled in Their Mugshots
Source: Jussie Smollett Returns to ‘Empire’ Set After Being Released From Jail
Filed Under: Jussie Smollett
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Viewpoints: Two Takes On Medical Aid For The Dying; Taxes Can Be Cut, But It’s Not Time To Cut ‘Entitlements’
Opinion writers look at these healthcare issues and others.
Stat: Physician-Assisted Suicide Won't Atone For Medicine's 'Original Sin'
In today’s high-tech medicine, doctors treat disease. Patients’ well-being gets short shrift. When disease can no longer be kept at bay, modern medicine tends to give up altogether. If that sounds cynical, consider that in the wake of its own researchers uncovering serious systemic deficiencies in end-of-life care, UCLA actively moved to the forefront of institutions offering lethal prescriptions to eligible patients. (Ira Byock, 1/31)
Stat: I’m A Doctor With End-Stage Cancer. I Support Medical Aid In Dying
I’m a doctor with incurable stage 4 prostate cancer. When my suffering becomes intolerable, I hope my doctors will permit me the option to end it peacefully with medical aid in dying — something I have been working to get explicitly authorized in Massachusetts, where I live. Medical aid in dying gives mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live the option to request a prescription medication they can choose to take in order to end unbearable suffering by gently dying in their sleep. When I was in my 40s, I watched my mother and my father-in-law suffer agonizing deaths from cancer. I remember thinking, “That’s not the way I want to die.” (Roger Kligler, 1/31)
Chicago Sun-Times: Hands Off Social Security, Medicare And Medicaid
Fresh off passing massive tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, Trump and congressional Republicans want to use the deficit they’ve created to justify huge cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. As House Speaker Paul Ryan says “We’re going to have to get … at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit.” Don’t let them get away with it. (Robert Reich, 1/30)
Detroit News: Medicaid Waivers A Path To Reform
In January the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published guidelines for states seeking to use Section 1115 to institute work requirements affecting “non-elderly, non-pregnant adult Medicaid beneficiaries who are eligible for Medicaid on a basis other than disability.” Many states have already started to take advantage of this go-ahead because they know it will help get people back to work. But there’s another important reason to apply work requirements to Medicaid: the government’s massive debt time-bomb. (Jesse Hathaway, 1/29)
Chicago Tribune: The Cycle Of Life: Getting Stoned Again For Health Reasons
Several decades passed, and along came news of marijuana as a panacea for pain relief, insomnia, anxiety, ailments that were irrelevant to us when we were kids. Friends got medical marijuana cards and touted its post-chemo, anti-nausea benefits, its appetite-stimulating powers for those on AIDS drugs, its ability to salve the pain of persistent bursitis or sciatica. I began to wonder. The arthritis in my fingers makes it hard to sit at the keyboard as long as I'd like. Heck, sitting itself is an issue. We used to tell our bodies what to do; now our bodies tell us. My concentration has gone entirely to hell. Would weed help? (Amy Koss, 1/31)
New England Journal of Medicine: President Trump’s Mental Health — Is It Morally Permissible For Psychiatrists To Comment?
Ralph Northam, a pediatric neurologist who was recently elected governor of Virginia, distinguished himself during the gubernatorial race by calling President Donald Trump a “narcissistic maniac.” Northam drew criticism for using medical diagnostic terminology to denounce a political figure, though he defended the terminology as “medically correct.” The term isn’t medically correct — “maniac” has not been a medical term for well over a century — but Northam’s use of it in either medical or political contexts would not be considered unethical by his professional peers. For psychiatrists, however, the situation is different, which is why many psychiatrists and other mental health professionals have refrained from speculating about Trump’s mental health. But in October, psychiatrist Bandy Lee published a collection of essays written largely by mental health professionals who believe that their training and expertise compel them to warn the public of the dangers they see in Trump’s psychology. (Dr. Claire Pouncey, 1/31)
New England Journal of Medicine: The Regulatory Accountability Act Of 2017 — Implications For FDA Regulation And Public Health
The Regulatory Accountability Act has been described by its proponents as a way to reverse the increasing volume of regulatory requirements. But it could have potentially disastrous consequences for the FDA and other agencies that protect public health and safety. (Jonathan J. Darrow, Erin C. Fuse Brown, and Dr. Aaron S. Kesselheim, 2/1)
USA Today: Government Had No Role In My Late-Term Abortion Struggle Nor Should It
My first pregnancy happened easily as my husband was finishing his first year of law school. It didn’t take long for the complications to begin. ...But another problem had been discovered — a grapefruit-sized fibroid in my uterus that could threaten both my health and my pregnancy. It was something we would have to watch, the doctor told me. Because of the fibroid, a C-section would be my only safe option for delivery, should I be fortunate enough to carry the pregnancy to term. (Brie Loskota, 2/1)
New England Journal of Medicine: The Public And The Opioid-Abuse Epidemic
Over the past year, the U.S. opioid-abuse epidemic has gained enormous visibility. President Donald Trump has identified it as a “public health emergency,” and a national commission and a commission of state governors have issued recommendations for action. ...To determine what the public believes should be done to address the epidemic, we examined data from seven national polls conducted in 2016 and 2017. Many of the findings may surprise people who have been following this issue in professional journals and the media. ... On a list of 15 domestic policy issues that were possible priorities for Congress and the President for 2017, opioids ranked sixth, named by 24% as an extremely important priority. (Robert J. Blendon and John M. Benson, 2/1)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio's Entire Supply Of Illegal Drugs Contaminated
Ohio’s entire illegal drug supply — except for marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms – is contaminated. That’s causing overdose deaths throughout Ohio’s illegal drug-using population, which I estimate (based on federal drug surveys) at 800,000 to 1 million residents a year, excluding marijuana. (Dennis Cauchon, 1/31)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Shocking Failure By Cleveland EMS To Help Wounded Man Must Not Be Allowed To Recur
Cleveland's Emergency Medical Service is supposed to save lives, but it did its best to brutally sacrifice one when Cleveland EMS dispatchers refused to send an ambulance to the aid of a Cleveland man who had been shot 16 times in an ambush on Jan. 14. ...Despite calls from the Cleveland police asking for help, Cleveland EMS refused to send an ambulance for the man because officials said he was not in the city. (2/1)
The New York Times: The Ohio Abortion Ban’s Distortion Of Disability Rights
On Dec. 22, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio signed Senate Bill 164 banning doctors from performing abortions in cases in which a fetus is likely to have Down syndrome according to prenatal testing. Despite being staunchly pro-choice, I was primed to sympathize with the bill’s supporters more than ever, given my personal circumstances. (Laura Dorwart, 1/31)
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Posts Tagged ‘doubke standards’
doubke standards, Equality, freedonm of expression, Fundamentalism, legalise hijab, LGBT, multiculturism, social freedoms
3 Articles highlighting RACISM and Freedom of Choice – various sources – early July 2011
Airline passenger arrested over saggy pants – by Associated Press – 19th June 2011 http://www2.oanow.com/news/2011/jun/19/airline-passenger-arrested-over-saggy-pants-ar-1997137/ SAN FRANCISCO — A University of New Mexico football player who was arrested after wearing saggy pants on a plane at the San Francisco airport insists in a video showing part of his exchange with authorities that his pants were up and he had done nothing wrong. The San Francisco Chronicle obtained the video and a link to it was on the newspaper’s website Saturday. “My pants are up sir,” a seated DeShon Marman tells the captain, who along with someone who appears to be a San Francisco police officer, is standing near his seat on the plane. “I’m not doing anything. I paid my fees, and I’m ready to go.” The Chronicle said it obtained the three-minute video from a passenger who was sitting near Marman during Wednesday’s incident and did not wish to be identified. What the video does not show is Marman’s repeated refusal earlier to follow a boarding agent’s advice and pull up his pants, Elise Eberwein, a spokeswoman for US Airways, told The Associated Press on Saturday. “When he was asked by our employee at the Jetway to please pull them up, that employee was told to pull them up for him,” she said. “And that exchange continued to the door of the plane.” The 20-year-old’s pants were so low they were “exposing areas that most people would not want to see” and violating the airline’s expectation that customers won’t dress offensively, Eberwein said. Attempts by the AP to reach Marman were not successful. A call to his attorney’s office Saturday afternoon was not returned, and calls to listings for people with his mother’s name in San Francisco were not returned or went unanswered. News reports have identified his attorney as Joe O’Sullivan and his mother as Donna Doyle. Marman said in an interview with KGO-TV this week that his pants were slightly below his waist, and he was unable to lift them up because he had bags in his hands. In a statement released through the university Friday, he said he was “embarrassed at the negative attention” the incident had generated. “I believe in due time all the facts of the matter will come to light,” he said. He said any additional comment would come through his attorney. O’Sullivan told the Chronicle that nothing was visible once his client sat down. “The issue should have been over,” he said. Marman was arrested on suspicion of trespassing, battery of a police officer and obstruction after refusing to leave the plane on the captain’s orders, according to police. Police have also said he injured an officer while being taken into custody. “He’s refusing to get off,” Eberwein said. “The captain’s thinking, ‘What if he refuses something else in the air?'” Marman was released on bail Thursday. Prosecutors have until July 18 to file any charges against him.
Man in women’s underwear allowed to fly http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Crossdressing-man-allowed-to-board-plane-while-football-player-is-not-124399689.html
Fallout over scantily dressed man at airport – by Alicia E. Barrón – 23rd June 2011 PHOENIX – The college football player who was asked to leave a plane for wearing saggy pants is speaking out about a man who is allowed to travel wearing nothing but lingerie. Deshon Marman was asked to get off a flight for wearing saggy pants that he refused to pull up. He was arrested and later charged with suspicion of trespassing, battery of a police officer and obstruction after refusing to leave on captain’s orders. On the other hand, another male passenger is allowed to frequently fly to and from Phoenix on US Airways wearing nothing but undergarments. He has become a YouTube sensation but has many questioning if this is double standard. The scantily clad man has been seen and taped in numerous airports across the country. Jessica Malin has seen the man in lingerie at the airport. “I was pretty pumped to see this man in his lingerie,” she said. “It was kind of offensive but it was entertaining.” “I feel like if it was a rapper or a superstar walking on the airplane…sagging his pants, they would want his autograph,” Marman said. “They wouldn’t tell him, ‘Hey can you pull up your pants please?’” “Leads to only one conclusion, that because Mr. Marman is black, wearing dreads he was treated differently,” said Marman’s lawyer, Joe O’Sullivan. 3TV has learned the man in lingerie is a Phoenix resident and a frequent US Airways passenger. US Airways officials say they do not enforce a dress code as long as a person’s “private parts” are covered up.
Man in women’s underwear allowed to fly – by Jennifer Thomas – 23rd June 2011 http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Crossdressing-man-allowed-to-board-plane-while-football-player-is-not-124399689.html PHOENIX – A college football player was asked to get off a US Airways flight due to his saggy clothing, but there was no issue when a scantily clad man boarded a plane to Phoenix. Deshon Marman, who plays for the University of New Mexico, was pulled off a plane at San Francisco International Airport last week after US Airways claims he refused to pull up his pants. He was arrested on suspicion of trespassing after police say he refused to leave the plane on captain’s orders. But just days before that incident, a man wearing women’s underwear and high heels had no trouble getting on board a US Airways flight to Phoenix. It wasn’t the cross-dresser’s first flight to Phoenix wearing women’s clothing. Several passengers snapped photos of the man, whose name has not been released. When shown pictures of the man, several people at Sky Harbor International Airport felt the attire was inappropriate. “I would call that indecent exposure, actually,” Heather Sisneros said. “They shouldn’t allow it,” Jennifer Dake said. “I’ve actually seen this guy come down the concourses,” Bill Machnick said. I’ve seen him in the airport numerous times.” A passenger on the man’s flight said several people complained, but US Airways told her that if a passenger is not exposing their private parts, they’re allowed to fly. In a statement, US Airways officials said the company does not have a dress code, but “our crew is authorized to use discretion to ensure the comfort and safety of all passengers.” Prosecutors have until July 18 to file charges against Marman.
Meanwhile the hijab and burkha is banned in the most racist of countries. While nudism is allowd in some of these racist counbtries as well! Why the inconsistencies? The nation which allows BOTH nudist and burkha wearer, as well as crossdresser and saggy pant wearer (this is entirely moot actually, those boxers are far more clothed than the flimsy shorts or even sumo loin cloths or bikinis you can see being worn everywhere else. Why persecute Deshon or a consensual hijab wearer (ask to identify at most but a ban is simply excessive) ? This shows either RACISM or FUNDAMENTALISM, both undesirable in the contaxt of thoday’s modern era. Kudos to Phoenix Airport, I’m surprised that Arizona while having the worst laws on immigrants is aong the most LGBT friendly in USA. The contrasts in inconsistencies are amazing to say the least. How about being good guys all the way and removing the TSA as well?
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Features, columns & reviews
Writer & Journalist
Books & Arts, Philosophy, Reviews
Times Literary Supplement: No strings attached
In Heinrich von Kleist’s essay The Puppet Theatre, published in 1810, the character Mr C wanders through a public park, where he meets the recently appointed first dancer of the opera house. A puppet theatre has been erected at the market and Mr C had frequently spotted the dancer in the audience. When they meet, Mr C expresses his surprise that a dancer should attend such “little dramatic burlesques”. The dancer, however, responds that he admires the puppets’ dance and that there is a lot to be learnt from them. Aren’t puppets particularly graceful in their movements? No human being could possibly match the marionette’s grace. This is because the puppet is “incapable of affectation. For affectation occurs, as you know, whenever the soul . . . is situated in a place other than a movement’s centre of gravity”. Since puppets are not conscious, there’s nothing self-conscious about their dance. The narrator, argues John Gray in his latest book, is “perfectly well aware of the damage done by consciousness to the natural grace of a human being”.
Kleist’s story has long been an enigma to critics, but not to Gray. In his new book, The Soul of the Marionette: A short enquiry into human freedom, the philosopher, who is known for his bold claims in False Dawn: The delusions of global capitalism (1998), Straw Dogs: Thoughts on humans and other animals (2002) and Heresies: Against progress and other illusions (2004), uses Kleist’s story as a segue to discuss Gnosticism and to cast doubt on the idea of human progress. If one of Kleist’s marionettes were somehow to achieve self-awareness, Gnosticism (“the faith of people who believe themselves to be machines”) would be its religion. For the followers of Gnosticism, humans are “creations of a demiurge” and self-knowledge is the key to freedom (gnosis is Greek for knowledge). Gray argues that many people today hold a Gnostic view without realizing it, in their belief that humans can be fully explained by scientific materialism. Moreover, Gray doubts whether human beings actually want to make choices in their lives; perhaps, like the dancing puppets they admire, they dream of being relieved of the burden of a free will.
Gray’s argument is provocative and erudite, but this last thought is hardly groundbreaking. It brings to mind Erich Fromm’s Escape from Freedom (1941). Having fled Nazi Germany, Fromm wrote about the human need for structure, arguing that this need is due to a deep-seated anxiety that stems from individual freedom. Starting from psychoanalytic ideas, Fromm argued that freedom creates feelings of uncertainty, whereas a lack of freedom promises certainty and comfort. That is why powerful tendencies arise within human beings to escape from freedom and submit to structures, such as those imposed by authoritarian regimes.
“Unlimited choice” can produce “genuine suffering,” wrote the psychologist Barry Schwartz in The Paradox of Choice: Why more is less (2004). When we are faced with the choice of 285 varieties of biscuits in the supermarket, some of us feel overwhelmed. A similar explosion of choice applies to more significant areas of life, including our choices of marriage and family life, health care and even the identity we choose for ourselves. But more choice does not guarantee an increase of autonomy or individual welfare.
So it is not its discussion of the question of freedom that makes The Soul of the Marionette so original. Rather, it derives from Gray’s wild concoction of sources and arguments. Reading Gray’s words feels less like following the rational premises of an academic, and more like eavesdropping on the mutterings of an exceptionally learned alchemist. He writes about the ancient Aztec rituals of human sacrifice as part of his argument that violence and chaos are part of human nature. He discusses Stanislav Lem’s 1961 science fiction novel Solaris, in which a group of scientists examines the oceanic surface of a planet which turns out to be a sentient intelligence that examines the scientists in return. If consciousness can exist in many different ways, Gray asks, why not also freedom of will? He concludes that what makes humans special is not their consciousness of free will but their inner conflict: “No other animal seeks the satisfaction of its desires and at the same times curses them as evil; spends its life terrified of death while being ready to die in order to preserve an image of itself; kills its own species for the sake of dreams”.
Writing about what he calls the “cyborg economy”, Gray argues that as unskilled labour becomes increasingly automated, many functions will no longer require human contact in the future. Robot nurses, teachers, sex workers and soldiers have ceased to be the stuff of speculative fiction, he says. In the long run, humans will become redundant and those who want to continue to participate in society will have to more closely resemble machines. As a result, “a technologically enhanced species will join in in the ongoing evolutionary advance”. Gray warns that these Über-marionettes will develop flaws: “Eventually these half-broken machines will have the impression that they are choosing their path through life. As in humans, this may be an illusion; but as the sensation takes hold, it will engender what in humans used to be called a soul”. Those who are convinced by Gray’s argument may think that the first of these evolutionary steps has already occurred: we are the flawed machines, the degree of our redundancy being proportional to our embrace of new technology. But everyone else is free to doubt it.
This article was originally published in the Times Literary Supplement, 31 July 2015
marinagerner August 1, 2015 February 7, 2019
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Marina's Monetary Musings
Marina Gerner, Journalist and Critic
These articles have been published in the Economist, Standpoint Magazine, Financial Times, MoneyWeek, the Times Literary Supplement, New York Observer and more.
Some poetry while you’re here
In a crowded London shop
An open book and empty cup
On the marble table-top.
While on the shop and street I gazed
My body of a sudden blazed;
And twenty minutes more or less It seemed, so great my happiness,
That I was blessed and could bless.
– Yeats
Always to shine,
to shine everywhere,
to the very deeps of the last days,
to shine—
and to hell with everything else!
That is my motto—
and the sun’s!
– Mayakovsky
Can it pull extraordinary faces?
Is it usually sick on a swing?
Does it spend all its time at the races,
or fiddling with pieces of string?
Has it views of its own about money?
Does it think patriotism enough?
Are its stories vulgar but funny?
O tell me the truth about love.
– WH Auden
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Category: Robert Coover
Links: Unstructured Play
May 13, 2011 May 13, 2011 by Mark Athitakis, posted in Carson McCullers, David Foster Wallace, Jack Kerouac, Nelson Algren, Norman Mailer, Paul Auster, Richard Ford, Robert Coover, Willa Cather
Robert Coover: “A lot of what I do engages with the American myth. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with myths: we tend to need some sort of sustaining mythic notion or pattern or vision in order to get through each day. We need a little bit of structure to get out of bed, to keep going. But most of it is stifling, in some way corrupting. So, the challenge I always have in my work is to unmake the myth.”
Visiting the Orlando house where Jack Kerouac drafted The Dharma Bums.
Is blogging dying? (via) When people say this it’s a safe bet that what’s really being said is, “Blogging is dead as a way to make money.”
A reference librarian at Gallaudet University, a premier school for the deaf in Washington, D.C., on the deaf protagonist of Carson McCullers‘ The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter: “He is a surprisingly sympathetic deaf character, given that this novel was written in 1940, which was not a period in which deaf people were understood and accepted in mainstream society. His deafness—or at least muteness—appears to be a device that allows him to work as a “blank slate” on which the other characters project their own understandings of his responses—or lack thereof—to their needs.”
Tales from Norman Mailer‘s Brooklyn lair.
Rachel Syme asks what would constitute a revival of 90s books. You could make a small shelf of what you might call alt-rock lit, including Pagan Kennedy‘s The Exes; Bruce Thomas‘ The Big Wheel, a roman a clef about his bandmate Elvis Costello; and, of course, Nick Hornby‘s High Fidelity, increasingly an artifact from the time when record stores were cultural hubs.
Nelson Algren to a student: “Reading this was like trying to nap when somebody is pushing a lawn mower back and forth under your bedroom window.” Related: Chicago magazine’s Whet Moser unearths a 1988 feature on Algren chronicling his last days in Sag Harbor, where he lived—not particularly happily—in the orbit of Peter Matthiessen, Kurt Vonnegut, and Betty Friedan.
“[Paul] Auster has even published six of his novels in Danish before they appeared in his native English.”
Victoria Best writes on how Willa Cather‘s books were co-opted by critics for their own purposes, and adds some excellent additional thoughts on the role of the critic in general.
Mark McGurl versus Elif Batuman on MFA programs, with additional thoughts from D.G. Myers and Seth Abramson. Questions of historical accuracy and needless snark aside, I’m struck by this bit from McGurl: “[P]art of my motive for adopting this position [that postwar fiction is the richest and most multifaceted body of fiction available], at first, was that no one else has ever wanted to occupy it. Some instinct told me that praise would, in this case, be a more powerful critical instrument than blame, troubling my colleagues in creative writing (What, he doesn’t hate us? What’s up with that?) just as much as it would the members of my own uncreative tribe, the literary scholars, for whom contempt for the discipline of creative writing had become lazily automatic.” McGurl later expresses actual respect and admiration for the stuff, but to say you like something because it is “rhetorically strategic” to, even in part, seems disingenuous. (I haven’t read The Program Era, so I don’t know if that attitude works its way into the pages of the book itself.)
Richard Ford: “Michigan is the place we think of when we think about work in America. It’s where people stick a thermometer when they want to take the temperature of the economy and understand how people are getting along.” Recommendations of great Michigan fiction welcome. (via)
David Foster Wallace‘s Kenyon College commencement speech inspired many of the graduates who were there. It may have done a little something for Mel Gibson too.
Old-Time Confusion
May 10, 2010 by Mark Athitakis, posted in Joanna Scott, Maureen Howard, Robert Coover
The latest issue of the Believer includes an exchange between novelists Maureen Howard and Joanna Scott (full interview subscription-only), and the conversation eventually turns to the various ways storytelling attracts interest and creates tension—and whether technology can make storytelling more engaging. Howard suggests that the old-fashioned printed page today lends itself to “careful, or do I mean conservative, fiction,” to which Scott responds:
Are you saying that here that a story that charges toward the end is necessarily conservative? You’re arguing in favor of a narrative made up of digressions? But I wonder if those sidebars can be deceptive. I think of the footnotes in Nabokov’s Pale Fire—these end up moving the plot forward in sneaky ways. … Suspense can come in many flavors. it isn’t just generated by a sequence of actions. There might be a suspense in the delays of a meandering narrative, or in the invention of competing voices. As a reader, I love to get caught up in paragraphs that are full of vivacious details. Confusion can be very suspenseful, if we’re able to move through the murk. I’m convinced that the most essential suspense in fiction is generated within each sentence.
Before the two drifted onto the subject of words on the page—it’s a drifting interview—they discussed a 2002 New York Times feature on a virtual-reality reading project at Brown University that Robert Coover is involved in. In the “Cave Writing” project, words were projected onto to the walls, and could be “peeled” away to float by themselves and discussed; animated images and music were included too. All of this, Coover said, was designed to elude “the dogmatic solidity of the printed text.” But he noted that there was a downside to all the bells and whistles: “[W]hen you ask afterward, ‘What were the stories about?,’ not many people noticed.” The work continues, though without access to the actual virtual reality presentations, they appear to be more like interesting art pieces than any replacement for conventional printed-page narrative.
Links: Malaise Speech
February 27, 2009 February 28, 2009 by Mark Athitakis, posted in Bill Holm, John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Robert Coover, Russell Banks, Tao Lin, Wells Tower
Today is John Steinbeck‘s birthday. In his honor, the National Steinbeck Center is hosting events through the weekend; in related news, the entire country is hosting a massive Great Depression for the next five years or so.
Perhaps a commemorative Mark Twain coin would help?
Minnesota author Bill Holm, called the “polar bear of American literature,” has died. He was 65.
Those Robert Coover appearances at the University of Pennsylvania I mentioned earlier this week are now available online on video and MP3.
Russell Banks says Martin Scorsese‘s film adaptation of his novel The Darling is still moving along.
A healthy selection of works by Wells Tower, including an excerpt from his new collection, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, are online.
The viability of Tao Lin‘s plan to finance his writing by selling shares in his next novel is being disputed in the comments of yesterday’s post. Bright minds who understand finance and publishing better than I do are encouraged to weigh in. (Update: I got played on this. Maybe. Probably. Anyhow, lesson learned.)
Last call: Tomorrow I’ll be at an all-day seminar on fiction writing at George Mason University, put together by American Independent Writers. If you’ll be there, please say hi.
Brunch With Robert Coover
February 24, 2009 by Mark Athitakis, posted in Robert Coover
Short notice, but those reading this on Tuesday morning might want to tune in to a talk with Robert Coover from the campus at the University of Pennsylvania. Go to the Web site for Penn’s Kelly Writers House at 10:30 a.m., and you should be able to catch the discussion, featuring an author who doesn’t do much in the way of interviewing. (I’ve looked around to see if the site archives presentations from its impressive list of fellows, but I can’t dig anything up.)
If you’re looking for a primer on Coover, or a refresher, professor Michael S. Hennessey, who’s teaching a class in postmodern American fiction to a batch of lucky students, has gathered up a set of relevant Coover links. Coover may be the only pomo author to be attached to a crummy Alicia Silverstone film.
Dept. of Self-Promotion note: My review of Bill German‘s memoir of his life with the Rolling Stones, Under Their Thumb, is in today’s Washington Post.
On Deck
May 3, 2008 by Mark Athitakis, posted in Bernard Malamud, David Carkeet, Mark Harris, Philip Roth, Ring Lardner, Robert Coover
Nicholas Dawidoff, author of The Catcher Was a Spy, an intriguing biography of Moe Berg, has a roundup in the Wall Street Journal of five great works of baseball fiction. (David Carkeet‘s The Greatest Slump of All Time was news to me.) Sportswriters may be the last batch of journalists (who aren’t book reviewers) with an affinity for fiction. In the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, Derrick Goold hunts for a model for Rick Ankiel, the Cardinals’ hot pitching prospect turned hot slugging prospect. Goold turns to Philip Roth‘s junky baseball satire, The Great American Novel:
There’s also the lesser-known Luke Gofannon, from The Great American Novel. Gofannon is the best player ever to hoist a bat for the Port Ruppert Mundys in Philip Roth’s classic sendup, and he’s described purposefully Ruthian:
The iron man came up in 1916 as a kid pitcher, and then played over two thousand games in center field for the Ruppert club, scored close to fifteen hundred runs for them, and owned a lifetime batting average of .372 — the fella who was the Mundys to the three generations of Rupe-it rootas! … In his prime, they’d give him a hand just for striking out, that’s how beautiful he was, and how revered.
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Review - The Inseparables
by Stuart Nadler
Hachette Audio, 2016
Review by Christian Perring
The formula of the story of three generations of women in a family is a good one. However, it has been done often, and it feels all too familiar. In Stuart Nandler's novel we have grandmother Henrietta, recently widowed, her daughter Oona, going through a divorce, and granddaughter 15-year-old Lydia, who is struggling with bullying from people in her boarding school after a nude picture of her is distributed by her ex-quasi-boyfriend. The title of the novel is the title of the book Henrietta published when she was young, which became a bestseller. It was a quasi-feminist novel with lots of sex and now she is deeply embarrassed by her association with the novel. Unfortunately for her, she needs money, and the only real option left for her to get money is to capitalize on the novel. Oona is a feminist academic married to a man who won't take responsibility.
For the most part, the narrative focus switches between Henrietta and Lydia, while Lydia's story gets told through her mother and daughter. The grandmother is not close to her granddaughter, but they are occasionally thrown together and they manage to learn from each other. Henrietta has some wisdom for Lydia, who is being slut-shamed for a picture that was stolen from her phone, and Henrietta's own experience shows that just because she is old, this does not mean that she is irrelevant. She spends a lot of time reminiscing about her dead husband, a passionate man who worked as a chef but lost more money than he made.
The main insight of The Inseparables is about the experiences teen Lydia goes through as she is cyber bullied by the girls from her school, upsetting her enough to make her want to leave it. Nandler does a nice job of building in some feminist analysis of this without being too heavy handed. Henrietta's marriage has all sorts of problems that bear scrutiny, and of course the overlap between the problems of these three women with the men in their lives is prominent. It's not so clear that the work hangs together extremely well: it is a bit scattered and there isn't really much drama. But it is an enjoyable listen nevertheless. The audiobook is performed with great consistency by Caitlin Kelly, Lauren Fortgang and Suzanne Toren -- although it is told in the third person, different chapters are very much from one of the women's perspectives.
© 2016 Christian Perring
Christian Perring tends to prefer novels aimed at a female readership than ones aimed at a male readership, despite being cis male. Go figure.
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Contingencies of Turkish Military Intervention into Syria
Idrees Mohammed
Turkey’s increasing pressure has not prevented the bloodbath in Syria. Its top officials have, on many occasions, expressed deep dismay with regard to Assad’s efforts to find a panacea for the crisis and have warned that Turkey will not remain a bystander to events. The Syrian pro-democracy protestors are calling for the establishment of buffer zone to protect civilians. Observers question whether Turkey’s stern warning will trigger Turkish military intervention into Syria. In this regard, three scenarios need to be considered: firstly, unilateral military intervention that targets the regime directly; secondly, military intervention to establish a buffer zone; and thirdly, military intervention to implement “humanitarian corridors.” However, these possibilities are strictly linked to certain conditions that have to be justified.
The first scenario is that unilateral military intervention is unlikely. A core dimension of Turkey’s policy towards Syria is the formation of an anti-Assad chorus. The implication is that Turkey is trying to avoid taking unilateral action against Syria, preferring instead to coordinate with the Arab League, NATO, and other concerned actors to resolve the Syrian crisis. It is prudent to read the ramifications of a Turkish military intervention.
Firstly, Turkey fears the damage this could do to its foreign policy. For years, Ankara has extended its relations with different countries. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) has established good contacts with many areas of the world including the Middle East. Intervention in Syria’s domestic problems by non-Arab Turkey may set Arab nationalist sentiments against the Turks. The image of the United States was very tarnished among Arabs following its invasion of Iraq in 2003. Turkish interference may cause the Arab street to view its relations with Erdogan as being at rock bottom, consequently, tensions with some Arab countries would rise.
Secondly, it will divide the region into two primary camps with opposing views. The first would consist of pro-Assad forces including Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and other “resistance” factions. Furthermore, this camp will take in segments of Iraq, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. The second camp would consist of anti-Assad forces including some Arab countries, and Turkey. Israel might also be included, especially if it receives assurances regarding the make-up of a possible post-Assad regime. The consequences are unknowable and the entire region could slip into instability.
Of particular concern to Turkey is the likely introduction into the game of Iran, a country with which Turkey is anxious at least to maintain, and certainly not worsen, its current relationship. With regard to Syria the divergence in objectives between Turkey and Iran is already public; Turkey was responsible for serious impediments to Iran’s shipment of military hardware into Syria. Iran’s response was to accuse Turkey of adopting the Western stance towards Syria and to demand that Turkey shift its policy towards favoring Syria or face difficulties from neighboring and domestic forces.
Thirdly, Turkey’s domestic situation does not allow for it to take unilateral military action against Syria. Turkey is in a state of flux as its people wait for a new Constitution and the beginning of this process ran into trouble immediately. Following a court case brought against Kurdish parliamentary deputies tension between the government and the Kurds mounted and several major clashes took place between the state and PKK guerrillas. Although the situation later improved, tension is still present due to the state’s ongoing arrests of Kurds. The opposition meanwhile will seize Turkey’s unilateral military intervention as an opportunity to denounce the AKP. The opposition may put forward the possibility of taking counter steps such as Iranian or Syrian interference in Turkey’s domestic affairs or the potential for triggering sectarian violence among the Turks between Sunni and Alawite sects for instance. Erdogan’s popularity inside Turkey may then be affected.
Ultimately, the perceived mistrust of the European Union by Turkey will be strengthened. Turkey believes the EU does not have the political will to accept it as a member state. This being so, the Turkish argument goes, a Turkey that is economically strong and regionally influential will explore its interests in areas beyond an EU that is in any case, economically troubled. However, should Turkey later attempt to re-apply for membership of the EU its prospects would be poor since Europe would see this as no more than a ploy to benefit Turkey’s national interests.
The second and third scenarios are the more plausible possibilities. Turkey could intervene to set up a secure buffer zone inside Syria, or participate in the implementation of “humanitarian corridors,” to help civilians affected by the unrest in Syria. If such a zone is created, the Turkish military would guard it. As far as the French proposal of “humanitarian corridors” is concerned Turkey is reluctant to be sucked into military involvement in Syria. While the border between Turkey’s Hatay province and Syria offers a probable site for this initiative the area, is, in fact, highly sensitive because the border is patrolled by the Syrian military. While the proposal falls short of military intervention, humanitarian convoys might need armed protection supported, ideally, by a UN resolution, should Damascus refuse to accept such a proposal.
Turning these plans into actions is tightly linked to certain developments in Syria, one of which is inter-sectarian violence. In the wake of that event Turkey would be vulnerable to a flood of refugees that may include Syria’s Kurds. In this context Turkey, conscious of its domestic issues, plans to intervene to prevent a repeat of the past scenario when half a million terrified Iraqi Kurds flocked across its border with Iraq.
As yet, however, the humanitarian issue has not reached a level to justify the implementation of those mechanisms. According to the UN humanitarian coordinator Valerie Amos, the present “humanitarian needs identified in Syria do not warrant the implementation” of proposals for humanitarian corridors or buffer zones. Foreign powers, including Turkey, are simultaneously seeking an international consensus and a UN resolution to implement the mechanisms. Insofar as the United Nations is concerned, the absence of urgent need creates obstacle for the proposals to be passed.
The latest sanctions recommended by the Arab League could possibly pave the way for the emergence of a resolution to the humanitarian issue in Syria. Advocates of the decision say these sanctions are specifically targeted at the regime. They hope the population will be able to cope. However, the economic package of sanctions will certainly affect Syria’s citizens and could develop into a humanitarian problem that will force a call for international intervention. In this regard, countries like Russia and China that currently threaten to veto resolutions against the Syrian regime may come under pressure to comply with international obligations. Should that happen other foreign powers will have the authority to implement “humanitarian corridors,” or create buffer zones.
Turkey’s attitude towards the situation in Syria is firmly connected to its own security, and Ankara’s current attitude towards military intervention could change if it believed its security would be jeopardized. Consequently top Turkish officials have warned Syria not to try to meddle in Turkey’s domestic affairs. Ankara expressed readiness for “any scenario” should the oppression in Syria enforce people to flee the violence.
Idrees Mohammed M.A. in International Relations, Warsaw.
Observer of Turkey’s foreign policy.
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things to do okc
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum: Exploring Life in the American West
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Life in the American West conjures up images of cowboys and homesteaders, cattle drives and rodeos. The Western way of life was romanticized and popularized in early 20thcentury books by Zane Grey and later in cinema movies. Today the story of the American West is told in Oklahoma City’s National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum through world-class art galleries and exhibits. Read more
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2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 1955-2005
A database of 50 years of FORTUNE's list of America's largest corporations
View by year: 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 View by company: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Navistar International
1955 rank: 22
FORTUNE 500 appearances:
FORTUNE 500 DATA
$ millions
Revenues 994.1 N.A. 22 N.A.
Profits 36.3 N.A. 44 N.A.
Pre-Tax Profits 62.4 43
Assets 940.1 20
Stockholders* 101,000 17
Employees* 70,693 17
See this year's FORTUNE 500
See this year's Global 500
Since 1955, when the first FORTUNE 500 was created, more than 1,800 companies have appeared on the list. Many of these companies have changed names over this period, owing to mergers, acquisitions, and bankruptcies. Other companies have gone private, or simply changed their names.
Companies are listed by the name with which they were associated in 2005, or at the time of their most recent list appearance before that. FORTUNE 500 companies that have been acquired by other FORTUNE 500 companies are listed under the name of the acquiring company. Rankings have been revised to reflect corrections in data.
*Employee data is total number, not in $ millions.
*Stockholders data is total number, not in $ millions.
Fortune 500 Company Search
Download the Fortune 500
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Genius season 3
“Genius” is a documentary series based on autobiographies of famous personalities. For the general development and knowledge of historically famous personalities, the National Geografic channel prepared this picture. Each season will tell about a new outstanding figure.
When will the series “Genius season 3” be released?
The release of the new series of paintings “Genius” is scheduled for early 2020. Broadcast the series will still be “National Geografic”. The spectator, as usual, will become a participant in the hidden life of the protagonists and will be able to understand the motives of even the most horrific acts.
The first season was described in detail by the famous physicist Albert Einstein. The man was different in behavior from the rest of the people, he did not like studying, he hardly graduated from school and never looked for a company. Nevertheless, he achieved colossal success, comprehending the theory of relativity. The people around looked askance at the eccentric old man, who did not have much desire for marriage.
May be interesting 4 you: Call the Midwife Season 9
Much more strange was the wedding with his cousin. If everyone around said that Einstein was crazy, he did not consider himself like that. Especially the man was knocked down by the experiment with the time machine, after which a large number of people died. Returning from the journey, the physicist burned all his manuscripts and renounced further attempts to get into the future.
Einstein in the young
The second season became more sensual. The key character was Pablo Picasso, whose work is still in demand and sold for legal and illegal bidding for millions of dollars. In addition to the talent to “paint” pictures, Pablo was a real kidnapper, which caused a lot of trouble and often distracted him from his work.
Outbursts of anger, creative crises, lack of inspiration gave way to a passionate passion for ladies. One has only to ponder – until his death, the man painted his second wife Jacqueline. Now it is reliably known that there were more than 400 works with her image. So far no one has been able to break the record of Picasso.
The season 3 promises to be even hotter. Creating an intrigue, the creators under strictest secrecy guard the main character. According to rumors, the main character of the film could be the American singer Aretha Franklin.
May be interesting 4 you: Cloak and Dagger Season 3
Albert Einstein-Geoffrey Rush. Known for the films “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Lovers Shakespeare.” Jeffrey’s talent is most revealing in the film “King says,” where Rush played the teacher of the King of England on an oratorical speech.
Pablo Picasso – Antonio Banderas. An activist, both on stage and in life. Many remember him on the film “Spy Kids 2”, where Antonio played the role of the father of two children – sorceresses. Now he is engaged in winemaking, supports the Spanish workers, sometimes devotes himself to the shooting. Throughout his acting career, six times starred in films with Salma Hayek.
May be interesting 4 you: Easy season 3
The first season, based on the book by Walter Isaacson “Albert Einstein. His Life and the Universe “, was released in April 2017. Exactly a year later, there was a second season.
The composer of the series was Khants Zimmer. He also wrote music for the films “Beginning”, “Interstellar”, “Pearl Harbor” and other paintings.
Each season consists of 10 series, lasting 60 minutes.
The series is considered artistic, because at present it is difficult to tell how it really was. Despite this fact, many facts from personal biographies of celebrities are shown.
Atypical season 3 release date
3x01 Series 1 October 2019
3x10 Series 10 October 2019
Top Ten Geniuses Portrayed In Films
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbeElXuXZqU
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TCU Silver Frog 4-Week Courses
Currently Scheduled Not Currently Scheduled
Currently Scheduled
To change sort order click on column header
SF19FC03 The Genius of America: The Separation of Church and State--And What it Means TCU Campus 11/13/19 12/11/19 W from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM; no class 11/27 0.00
SF19FC08 Bucket List Books TCU Campus 11/14/19 12/12/19 Th from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM; no class 11/28 0.00
SF19FC116 Genealogy – From Getting Started to Finding Kings Among Your Ancestors TCU Campus 09/11/19 10/02/19 W from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
SF19FC118 PowerPoint for Beginners TCU Campus 11/15/19 12/13/19 F from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM; no class 11/29 0.00
SF19FC119 MORE Digital SLR Photography TCU Campus 11/12/19 12/10/19 Tu from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM; no class 11/26 0.00
SF19FC128 How We Decide: How Our Brains Work to Evaluate Facts and Make Choices TCU Campus 11/14/19 12/12/19 Th from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM; no class 11/28 0.00
SF19FC130 The Bible - Fact or Fiction? TCU Campus 09/12/19 10/03/19 Th from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC138 The Cullen Davis Murder Case & Its Aftermath TCU Campus 09/10/19 10/01/19 Tu from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC139 Mythology and Spirituality TCU Campus 11/13/19 12/11/19 W from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM; no class 11/27 0.00
SF19FC149 Practical T'ai Chi TCU Campus 10/09/19 10/30/19 W from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC151 Introduction to Cruise Vacations TCU Campus 09/13/19 10/04/19 F from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC157 Investing Foundations: Investing in Plain English TCU Campus 09/12/19 10/03/19 Th from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC164 The Oil Industry: From Prospect to Pipeline TCU Campus 10/08/19 10/29/19 Tu from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC179 Liverpool Rummy TCU Campus 09/11/19 10/02/19 W from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC181 Never Too Late To Begin Again - Part I TCU Campus 09/12/19 10/03/19 Th from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
SF19FC185 Here's to Your Health TCU Campus 09/13/19 10/04/19 F from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC191 Greek Mythology in the Visual Arts TCU Campus 09/09/19 09/30/19 M from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC193 The Music of the '50s: From Big Band to Rock & Roll TCU Campus 09/10/19 10/01/19 Tu from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
SF19FC194 What They Didn't Teach You About the Civil War TCU Campus 11/13/19 12/11/19 W from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM; no class 11/27 0.00
SF19FC196 The 1960's Folk Music Revival in 4 Acts TCU Campus 09/10/19 10/01/19 Tu from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC199 Creation: Scientific Evidence Therefore TCU Campus 09/09/19 09/30/19 M from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC202 Conversational Spanish TCU Campus 09/11/19 10/02/19 W from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC205 Beginning Mah Jongg (American) - Part II TCU Campus 11/15/19 12/13/19 F from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM; no class 11/29 0.00
SF19FC206 Create Your Own Holiday Cards TCU Campus 09/09/19 09/30/19 M from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
SF19FC207 Navigating Senior Care -- Mom or Dad Needs My Help! Where Do I Start? TCU Campus 09/10/19 10/01/19 Tu from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
SF19FC208 Studying Your Bible TCU Campus 09/10/19 10/01/19 Tu from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC209 A European Gem: The Region Where Switzerland, France, and Germany Meet TCU Campus 09/10/19 10/01/19 Tu from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC210 Media, Politics, and Social Change TCU Campus 09/11/19 10/02/19 W from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC211 Civil War Texas: The Soldiers and Families of the Lone Star State TCU Campus 09/10/19 10/01/19 Tu from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC212 Never Too Late to Begin Again: Part II TCU Campus 09/12/19 10/03/19 Th from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC213 The Professional Organizer's Guide to Having the Most Organized Home on the Block TCU Campus 09/12/19 10/03/19 Th from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC214 Aging in Place, Gracefully TCU Campus 09/12/19 10/03/19 Th from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC216 A Guided Discussion of Current Issues TCU Campus 10/07/19 10/28/19 M from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC217 Beginning Knitting TCU Campus 10/07/19 10/28/19 M from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC218 Signing for Seniors TCU Campus 10/08/19 10/29/19 Tu from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
SF19FC219 Hildegard of Bingen: A Woman of Our Times TCU Campus 10/08/19 10/29/19 Tu from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC220 How Ancient DNA and Modern Dating Techniques Illuminate the Genealogy of Humanity TCU Campus 10/09/19 10/30/19 W from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
SF19FC221 Defending the Constitution: Religion, Conscientious Objection, Naturalization, & the Supreme Co TCU Campus 10/09/19 10/30/19 W from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC222 Know Your Current Events TCU Campus 10/09/19 10/30/19 W from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC223 Albert Einstein and the Revolution in Physics, 1900 to 1930 TCU Campus 10/10/19 10/31/19 Th from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
SF19FC224 Baker's Dozen: Holidays TCU Campus 10/11/19 11/01/19 F from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
SF19FC225 Fly Me to the Moon TCU Campus 10/11/19 11/01/19 F from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC226 First Amendment Freedoms TCU Campus 10/11/19 11/01/19 F from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC227 Theology in Dante's "Divine Comedy" TCU Campus 11/11/19 12/09/19 M from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM; no class 11/25 0.00
SF19FC229 Four Movie Screwball Comedies from the 30's and 40's TCU Campus 11/12/19 12/10/19 Tu from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM; no class 11/26 0.00
SF19FC230 Paper Crafts for Fun TCU Campus 11/12/19 12/10/19 Tu from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM; no class 11/26 0.00
SF19FC231 Computer Literacy TCU Campus 11/14/19 12/12/19 Th from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM; no class 11/28 0.00
SF19FC232 Tarrant Community Service Organizations: Who They Are, What They Do TCU Campus 11/15/19 12/13/19 F from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM; no class 11/29 0.00
SF19FC233 Privacy: Does it Still Exist? TCU Campus 11/15/19 12/13/19 F from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM; no class 11/29 0.00
SF19FC234 Optimal Brain Aging TCU Campus 11/15/19 12/13/19 F from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM; no class 11/29 0.00
SF19FC256 Women of the Bible: Saints, Sinners, and Hell's Belles TCU Campus 09/12/19 10/03/19 Th from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC44 Retirement 101----You Won't Believe What You Don't Know! TCU Campus 10/10/19 10/31/19 Th from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC58 Beginning Genealogy TCU Campus 11/11/19 12/09/19 M from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM; no class 11/25 0.00
SF19FC68 Astronomy 101 TCU Campus 10/08/19 10/29/19 Tu from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM 0.00
SF19FC71 Lost Tribes of Israel TCU Campus 11/11/19 12/09/19 M from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM; no class 11/25 0.00
SF19FC96 American Jewish History TCU Campus 11/14/19 12/12/19 Th from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM; no class 11/28 0.00
SF19FC99 Self Defense for Seniors TCU Campus 10/07/19 10/28/19 M from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM 0.00
SF19FL173 They Shall Take up Serpents TCU Campus 10/10/19 10/10/19 Th from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM 0.00
Not Currently Scheduled
These courses are not currently scheduled, but may be offered at a future date. Click the course Title link for more information.
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Diaries (51) + -
Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946) (39) + -
Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969) (33) + -
Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910) (27) + -
MacArthur, Mary (3/12/1869) (16) + -
Arnold, James Burns (1881 - 1957) (13) + -
Joiner, Edith M. (7/3/1868 - 7/4/1935) (12) + -
Bradshaw, Alice (b. 3/14/1889) (10) + -
Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), MacArthur, Mary (3/12/1869), MacArthur, Nellie (b. 4/4/1867?), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Mundy, Ethel (1876 - 1964), Bragdon, Charlotte (8/26/1872 - 12/15/1907), Clark, Edith E. (1884? - 1934), Cro' Nest (Rochester, N.Y.), Lyceum (Rochester, N.Y.)
Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Connolly, Nan (b. 1880), Wolfe, Alice Louise (b. 1857?), Davis, Helen Alling (4/19/1871 - 4/12/1950), Davis, Charlotte Gleason (4/12/1861 - 1938), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Flinch
May Bragdon Diary, July 14, 1907 – July 20, 1907, p. 279
Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Bragdon, Charlotte (8/26/1872 - 12/15/1907), Wilkinson, Katharine May (10/24/1876 - 6/14/1959), Wray, Charles Fredenburg (1871 - 1950), Flack, Ethel L. (b. 1877), Gilmore, Joseph H. (b. 9/9/1863), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), MacArthur, Mary (3/12/1869), Ojibway (Pointe au Baril, Ontario), Cro' Nest (Rochester, N.Y.), Carl
Steinhausen, Meta (1879 - 1969), Weller, Frieda (1889 - 1926?), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Connolly, Nan (b. 1880), Boyce, John L., Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Bragdon, Charlotte (8/26/1872 - 12/15/1907), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, May (5/16/1865 - 3/21/1947), Davis, Charlotte Gleason (4/12/1861 - 1938), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Carl
Bragdon, Charlotte (8/26/1872 - 12/15/1907), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Wolfe, Alice Louise (b. 1857?), Brower, Harriet (b. 1874?), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Steinhausen, Meta (1879 - 1969), Steinhausen, Theodore D. (1874 - 1944), Hay Island (Ontario, Canada), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Cutler Building (Rochester, N.Y.), Carl
May Bragdon Diary, March 22, 1907 – March 28, 1907, p. 245
Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), MacArthur, Mary (3/12/1869), Joiner, Edith M. (7/3/1868 - 7/4/1935), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Davis, Helen Alling (4/19/1871 - 4/12/1950), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, Charlotte (8/26/1872 - 12/15/1907), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Davis, Frances Graham (9/9/1906 - 10/6/1983), Davis, Charlotte Gleason (4/12/1861 - 1938), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), Hutchison, Laura B. (b. 1870), Gilmore, Joseph H. (b. 9/9/1863), Arnold, James Burns (1881 - 1957), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Caswell, Herbert Marshall (b. 1860?), Scranton, Edgar M. (1860 - 1910), Duffy-McInnerny Co. (Rochester, N.Y.)
May Bragdon Diary, 1910 – 1914, p. 236
Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Bradshaw, Alice (b. 3/14/1889), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), Davis, Helen Alling (4/19/1871 - 4/12/1950), Caswell, Anna Louisa (b. 1863?), Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Willard, Mary F. (3/12/1853 - 1935), Bunnell, Damaris B. (1833 - 1916), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), Weller, Frieda (1889 - 1926?), Davis, Frances Freeman (1838? - 1915), Arnold, James Burns (1881 - 1957), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Frey, Amelie D. (1882 - 1966), Frey, Dorothy Frances (b. 10/6/1904), Joiner, Edith M. (7/3/1868 - 7/4/1935), MacArthur, MacArthur, Mary (3/12/1869), MacArthur, Nellie (b. 4/4/1867?), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Summerville (Rochester, N.Y.)
Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Bradshaw, Alice (b. 3/14/1889), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Arnold, James Burns (1881 - 1957), Davis', Davis, Charlotte Gleason (4/12/1861 - 1938), Davis, Frances Graham (9/9/1906 - 10/6/1983), Davis, Zoe E. (1882 - 1958), Stern, Herbert Morland (1882 - 1977), Crawford, Letitia (b. 1863?), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Rowe, Marguerite H. (1886 - 1967), McLaughlin, Florence (1877? - 1945), Bohachek, Herbert H. (b. 1889?), Cro' Nest (Rochester, N.Y.), Hahnemann Hospital (Rochester, N.Y.), Flinch
May Bragdon Diary, 1910 – 1914, Memoranda p. 380
Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Crawford, Letitia (b. 1863?), Wilkinson, Katharine May (10/24/1876 - 6/14/1959), Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Bragdon, May (5/16/1865 - 3/21/1947), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bradshaw, Alice (b. 3/14/1889), Stern, Herbert Morland (1882 - 1977), Arnold, James Burns (1881 - 1957)
Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), Genesee Valley Park (Rochester, N.Y.), Cutler Building (Rochester, N.Y.)
Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), Bragdon, May (5/16/1865 - 3/21/1947), Bradshaw, Alice (b. 3/14/1889), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Sanitorium (Dansville, N.Y.)
Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Hutchison, Laura B. (b. 1870), Joiner, Edith M. (7/3/1868 - 7/4/1935), Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), Davis, Charlotte Gleason (4/12/1861 - 1938), Davis, Helen Alling (4/19/1871 - 4/12/1950), Davis', Davis, Frances Freeman (1838? - 1915), Cro' Nest (Rochester, N.Y.)
Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Connolly, Nan (b. 1880), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), Davis, Frances Freeman (1838? - 1915), Davis, Helen Alling (4/19/1871 - 4/12/1950), Hutchison, Laura B. (b. 1870), MacArthur, Davis, Charlotte Gleason (4/12/1861 - 1938), Davis, Hamilton Clark (10/14/1864 - 2/10/1947), Boyce, John L., Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Joiner, Edith M. (7/3/1868 - 7/4/1935), Joiner, Harry A. (b. 1870), Wray, William Henry (1866 - 1913), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Cook Opera House (Rochester, N.Y.), Cro' Nest (Rochester, N.Y.)
May Bragdon Diary, April 8, 1907 – April 11, 1907, p. 249
Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, Charlotte (8/26/1872 - 12/15/1907), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), MacArthur, Nellie (b. 4/4/1867?), Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), MacArthur, Wilkinson, Charlotte Coffin (4/24/1833 - 8/3/1909), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Joiner, Edith M. (7/3/1868 - 7/4/1935), Scranton, Edgar M. (1860 - 1910), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Cro' Nest (Rochester, N.Y.)
May Bragdon Diary, April 21, 1908 – September 1, 1909, p. 62
Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), Crawford, Letitia (b. 1863?), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Cutler, Anna Katherine (1845? - 1924), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Davis, Charlotte Gleason (4/12/1861 - 1938), Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), Joiner, Edith M. (7/3/1868 - 7/4/1935), Baker, Marie (b. 1845), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), Davis', Wilkinson, Henry Wilhelm (11/20/1869 - 12/8/1931), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Arnold, James Burns (1881 - 1957), MacArthur, Nellie (b. 4/4/1867?), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Baker Theatre (Rochester, N.Y.), Samovar (Rochester, N.Y.), Cro' Nest (Rochester, N.Y.)
Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), MacArthur, Nellie (b. 4/4/1867?), MacArthur, Mary (3/12/1869), Baker, Marie (b. 1845), Davis, Frank Allen (3/21/1873 - 6/1/1953), Davis, Frances Graham (9/9/1906 - 10/6/1983), Hutchison, Laura B. (b. 1870), Goler, Caroline Chandler (b. 3/16/1869), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Gilmore, Joseph H. (b. 9/9/1863), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), McLaughlin, Florence (1877? - 1945), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Highland Park (Rochester, N.Y.), Genesee Valley Park (Rochester, N.Y.), Flinch
May Bragdon Diary, 1910 – 1914, p. 92
Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), Davis, Hamilton Clark (10/14/1864 - 2/10/1947), Bradshaw, Alice (b. 3/14/1889), Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), Crawford, Letitia (b. 1863?), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Rowe, Marguerite H. (1886 - 1967), Arnold, James Burns (1881 - 1957), Steinhausen, Meta (1879 - 1969), Duffy-McInnerny Co. (Rochester, N.Y.), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Flinch
Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), Rogers, Mabel S. (b. 11/17/1870), Bradshaw, Alice (b. 3/14/1889), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Cutler, Joseph Warren (7/13/1857 - 1934), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Gridley, Mary R. (1876? - 1956?), Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, May (5/16/1865 - 3/21/1947), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Charlotte (Charlotte, N.Y.)
Rowe, Marguerite H. (1886 - 1967), Frey, Amelie D. (1882 - 1966), Steinhausen, Theodore D. (1874 - 1944), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Bragdon, George Chandler (4/29/1832 - 8/7/1910), Farquharson, James B. (b. 1864), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Clark, Edith E. (1884? - 1934), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), Rogers, Mabel S. (b. 11/17/1870), Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Goodyear, Katherine M. (b. 1861?), Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Jaquish, Sarah Elizabeth (1863 - 4/22/1933), Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), Arnold, James Burns (1881 - 1957), Weller, Frieda (1889 - 1926?), Hutchinson, Bessie J. (1877 - 1954), Dickins, Mary Belle (9/9/1876?), McLaughlin, Florence (1877? - 1945), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Lyceum (Rochester, N.Y.), Charlotte (Charlotte, N.Y.), Sea Breeze (Rochester, N.Y.)
Cutler, James Goold (4/24/1848 - 4/21/1927), Bragdon, Katherine Elmina (12/30/1837 - 9/6/1920), Garfield, Helen C. (1835 - 7/18/1911), Bragdon, Henry Wilkinson (9/6/1906 - 3/15/1980), Bragdon, Chandler (12/15/1907 - 1/3/1969), Boyce, John L., Bragdon, Claude (8/1/1866 - 9/17/1946), Baker, Lura Ophelia (8/13/1870 - 1922), Crawford, Letitia (b. 1863?), Caring, Caring, Elsie G. (b. 1887?), Sibley's (Rochester, N.Y.), Flinch
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This is an organized event that can take place in an auditorium, church or even a TV studio. Participants are picked out from the audience randomly, and the spiritualist or medium passes messages, either directly from the spiritual realm or via his or her personal spirit guide. It’s a good way to see how it all works, but you are playing a numbers game as the chances of you receiving a message are remote.
The ancestors of what we today know as Tarot cards can be traced back to around the late fourteenth century. Artists in Europe created the first playing cards, which were used for games, and featured four different suits. These suits were similar to what we still use today – staves or wands, discs or coins, cups, and swords. After a decade or two of using these, in the mid-1400s, Italian artists began painting additional cards, heavily illustrated, to add into the existing suits.
First, you have to realize that you’re thinking in terms of physical love when you ask this question. Those on the Other-Side are no longer constrained by the physical body and its needs. If someone was married more than once or had numerous loves, they can gravitate to whomever they want, or go back and join the soul group from which they came. It’s my belief that we reincarnate to this physical existence with the same people we’ve been with in numerous lifetimes, and that could encompass some of the loves and close relationships we’ve had here. I don’t feel that we have just one soul mate, as many people in your life could be your soul mates.
Between 8 November and 31 December 1920 Gustav Geley of the Institute Metapsychique International attended fourteen séances with the medium Franek Kluski in Paris. A bowl of hot paraffin was placed in the room and according to Kluski spirits dipped their limbs into the paraffin and then into a bath of water to materialize. Three other series of séances were held in Warsaw in Kluski's own apartment, these took place over a period of three years. Kluski was not searched in any of the séances. Photographs of the molds were obtained during the four series of experiments and were published by Geley in 1924.[123][124] Harry Houdini replicated the Kluski materialization moulds by using his hands and a bowl of hot paraffin.[125]
The magician Samri Baldwin exposed the tricks of the Davenport brothers in his book The Secrets of Mahatma Land Explained (1895).[90] The medium Swami Laura Horos was convicted of fraud several times and was tried for rape and fraud in London in 1901. She was described by the magician Harry Houdini as "one of the most extraordinary fake mediums and mystery swindlers the world has ever known".[91]
You make an appointment via telephone or by filling a form on a web page. You will usually be charged by the minute. A genuine, professional medium will get his message over succinctly and clearly. Some unethical practitioners will simply try to wring as much money out of you as possible by keeping you talking. Others, like Psychic Elements, would prefer to build up a rapport by giving you exactly what you want and need in as short as time possible. You won’t get ripped off, and you should be so impressed that you’ll want to repeat the experience when you next need a helping hand from the spiritual realm.
In 1966 the son of Bishop Pike committed suicide. After his death, Pike contacted the British medium Ena Twigg for a series of séances and she claimed to have communicated with his son. Although Twigg denied formerly knowing anything about Pike and his son, the magician John Booth discovered that Twigg had already known information about the Pike family before the séances. Twigg had belonged to the same denomination of Bishop Pike, he had preached at a cathedral in Kent and she had known information about him and his deceased son from newspapers.[169]
There are many ways to access and express your spirituality, including religious rituals, art, poetry, music, and nature appreciation, as well as yoga, meditation, and numerous other areas of spiritual pursuit. Spiritual readings are an essential part of this dynamic range of options because they provide a bridge to the spiritual realm that you do not have to cross alone. In fact, spiritual psychics can be seen as guides who can help you approach and understand aspects of spirituality that you may not know how to access on your own.
If you've decided to hire the services of a medium, for whatever reasons, there are a few things you should keep in mind in order to guarantee you get the best session possible. First of all, try to come in with an open mind. You may be feeling skeptical, but if you let that be an issue, it can certainly color your results. A corollary to that is that it's important to be honest about why you're there. If you're only trying to debunk things, or to expose the medium as a fraud, go ahead and admit it up front. A medium who's legitimate will probably still be willing to work with you.
A reading can help you say those last words to your loved one that you never got to say. A reading can give you insight into the path that lies ahead of you and help you open your eyes to see the endless possibilities that are at your feet. A reading can help you find peace in your heart on a mind, body, and soul level and guide you through certain issues in your life. It can help you understand your life purpose and why certain patterns keep repeating themselves. A reading can help your relationships by clearing the lines of communication and bringing you to an understanding from a point of view that you may have never seen before. And finally, a reading can give you answers you have always longed to find out such as your life purpose and why certain events happened in your life.
Mediums can bring messages from your loved ones (humans and beloved pets) who have passed over and also offer evidence that there is life after death. If there is a specific person who you would like to connect with, via a medium, that is often possible but even if a particular spirit is not ready to come through a medium should be able to give you information that will be of comfort because there will almost certainly be a spirit connected to the medium who will be able to give the evidence you need for reassurance.
Here's what happened: The experienced psychographers showed lower levels of activity in the left hippocampus (limbic system), right superior temporal gyrus, and the frontal lobe regions of the brain during psychography compared to their normal (non-trance) writing. The frontal lobe areas are associated with reasoning, planning, generating language, movement, and problem solving, which means that the mediums were experiencing reduced focus, lessened self-awareness and fuzzy consciousness during psychography.
Why? You may well ask. Simple: it’s because I have a life here, and I need to be able to enjoy it without feeling as if I’m constantly on duty. In my workshops, I teach that we’re spiritual beings as well as physical beings, and it’s so important that we honor all of ourselves. It takes a really strong spirit to get my attention when I’m not working, as it needs to literally break through my shield, my “off switch,” but on those rare occasions when one does, I’ve now learned that I still must act on it every time.
Oracle decks like the Lenormand tend to rely on more direct visual language than traditional tarot cards. “The tarot can often speak in broad, timeless, universal statements about our place in the world,” says Wolf. “The imagery of fortune-telling decks is more illustrational and less archetypal. The images are generally more specific, simpler, and less universal, keeping the conversation more straightforward.”
In this, his last novel, Huxley uses a lifetime of thinking about human possibilities to create an island utopia that illustrates his hopes for the future of humankind. The Indian Ocean island of Pala is a kind of paradise, created with the inherited wisdom of its two founders, a Buddhist Raja and a commonsensical Scottish physician. The goal of life on Pala is to merge with the clear light, not to accumulate possessions; the island’s philosophy is a mix of Eastern thought (particularly tantric Buddhism, which does not retreat from the world, but uses it for higher purposes), Western science (but with limited technology), unrepressed sexuality, and constant mindfulness. (The island’s fauna include mynah birds trained to say, “Attention! Attention!”) Huxley’s ideas about childrearing, psychedelic visions, and tending to the dying were far ahead of his time, and his portrait of a utopia in which those ideas are implemented will intrigue anyone who is interested in a more spiritually directed society.
You need to work with the cards to become familiar with them but none of us can be totally objective as we all have blind spots. Consult with an experienced professional who can be trusted. Modern serious authentic and ethical tarot readers are not “fortune tellers” or mind readers. Real tarot readings become a therapeutic process for gaining valuable insights. A good tarot reading will affirm your own intuition and opens up more questions and options as part of a process, so be discerning when it comes to choosing a reader.
We can assist them in contacting us by learning to increase and raise our energy — by doing so, we’ll help in the communication by meeting them halfway. So, to answer the question, no, I don’t believe that anyone can become a medium. Rest assured, if you have the gift of mediumship, it’s likely to present itself in its own way and in its own time. My last piece of advice with respect to this question is on a somber note. I do not recommend this as something that you should dabble with. It’s such a serious subject and one that requires both delicacy and tact.
The Empress. The Hanged Man. The Chariot. Judgment. With their centuries-old iconography blending a mix of ancient symbols, religious allegories, and historic events, tarot cards can seem purposefully opaque. To outsiders and skeptics, occult practices like card reading have little relevance in our modern world. But a closer look at these miniature masterpieces reveals that the power of these cards isn’t endowed from some mystical source—it comes from the ability of their small, static images to illuminate our most complex dilemmas and desires.
To be honest, it is my first time to read about Spiritual Readings and it’s difference to Psychic Readings. I do psychic readings but not professionally.. just for my friends and myself. I have often tried to know different kinds of readings and psychics because I wanted to share with others what they are because many times I have tried psychic readings from so called professionals and excellent clairvoyants only to be given a cold reading. I had been very disappointed before.
heyJessica i’m kind of worried i’m really confused i can control the wind by using my mind and i think i saw my spirit guide or an angel or mother nature in a dream i don’t know if i can talk to the dead…Im scared of myself Im scared of my abilities and i don’t want to do any protection spells but i’m scared of demons and the devil…Maybe if u can grant me protection or get one of your guides to help protect me or something this whole thing gives me the creeps…i also can feel other peoples emotions but usually only the negative ones which causes me to have panic attacks for no reason…please if you could reply and help me that would be so helpful :) ( I can also tell when i’m going to see someone at the shops)
Colin Fry was exposed in 1992 when during a séance the lights were unexpectedly turned on and he was seen holding a spirit trumpet in the air, which the audience had been led to believe was being levitated by spiritual energy.[183] In 1997, Massimo Polidoro and Luigi Garlaschelli produced wax-moulds directly from one's hand which were exactly the same copies as Gustav Geley obtained from Franek Kluski, which are kept at the Institute Metapsychique International.[184]
But to balance such arcane decks, there are divinatory cards that offer little room for interpretation, like “Le Scarabée d’Or” or The Golden Beetle Oracle, one of Wolf’s most prized decks. “It’s just fantastically bizarre. There’s a little window in the lid of the card box, and when you shake it, the beetle appears, and points to a number,” he explains. “Then you find the corresponding number on a set of round cards, with beautiful script text on them, and read your fortune. Can you not imagine standing in a Victorian parlor in France, consulting the Golden Beetle? It was like performance art.”
No, it really doesn’t work like that. Just like us, spirits have free will — mediums don’t have power over them. Most of the time, you’ll hear from the ones you’re hoping will come through with a message for you, but it’s rare that a medium will guarantee who’s going to come through. I’ve done many a reading with people who want to connect with a specific person, but end up hearing from someone they never expected. It isn’t a case of 1-800-Dial-the-Dead! Just such a situation happened recently when I sat with a client named Vivian who had great trouble walking, so I agreed to go to her home.
St. Augustine of Hippo, considered one of the greatest Fathers of the Church, converted to the Catholic Church upon hearing a boy tell him" "Take, read; take, read." He recounted that "I took (the epistles of Paul the Apostle), I opened, I read in silence; it was as though the darkness of all my doubting was driven away by the light of peace which had entered my soul."
During a seance, a medium may be the method by which messages are relayed from the spirit world to the guests at the event. While some mediums may enter into a trance-like state, others may be completely awake and fully lucid while passing messages along. Sometimes, particularly if there are a group of fairly magically-aware people at the table, messages might be coming through all over the place, in no particular order. It can feel like the spirit world version of a chat room, with everyone just being bombarded right and left with messages from the other side.
When you are considering any form of psychic or spiritual reading it is always a good idea to ask yourself a few questions before picking up the phone. Do you want quick answers to questions or do you want to be enlightened and empowered? If the latter is your preferred option a spiritual reading is perfect for you. Choose a reader that specialises in spiritual growth and development and have your questions ready. You may be surprised by what you learn.
Senses used by mental mediums are sometimes defined differently from in other paranormal fields. A medium is said to have psychic abilities but not all psychics function as mediums. The term clairvoyance, for instance, may include seeing spirit and visions instilled by the spirit world. The Parapsychological Association defines "clairvoyance" as information derived directly from an external physical source.[37]
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The trance medium Leonora Piper was investigated by psychical researchers and psychologists in the late 19th and early 20th century. In an experiment to test if Piper's "spirit" controls were purely fictitious the psychologist G. Stanley Hall invented a niece called Bessie Beals and asked Piper's 'control' to get in touch with it. Bessie appeared, answered questions and accepted Hall as her uncle.[98] The psychologist Joseph Jastrow wrote that Piper pretended to be controlled by spirits and fell into simple and logical traps from her comments.[99] Science writer Martin Gardner concluded Piper was a cold reader that would "fish" for information from her séance sitters.[100] The physiologist Ivor Lloyd Tuckett who examined Piper's mediumship in detail wrote it could be explained by "muscle-reading, fishing, guessing, hints obtained in the sitting, knowledge surreptitiously obtained, knowledge acquired in the interval between sittings and lastly, facts already within Mrs. Piper's knowledge."[101]
Saint after saint has pointed out the positives of spiritual reading. Reading features rather prominently in the 6th century Rule of St. Benedict. Sundays are to be devoted to reading and meals are to be held in silence, with one of the monks reading to the community. St. Alphonsus Ligouri noted that “we cannot always have access to a spiritual Father for counsel in our actions, and particularly in our doubts; but reading will abundantly supply his place by giving us lights and directions to escape the illusions of the devil and of our own self-love, and at the same time to submit to the divine will.” Many spiritual masters urged reading the lives of the saints for encouragement and models of holiness. Padre Pio recommended spiritual reading in general, but particularly for difficult times in our lives:
Contrary to what the uninitiated might think, the meaning of divination cards changes over time, shaped by each era’s culture and the needs of individual users. This is partly why these decks can be so puzzling to outsiders, as most of them reference allegories or events familiar to people many centuries ago. Caitlín Matthews, who teaches courses on cartomancy, or divination with cards, says that before the 18th century, the imagery on these cards was accessible to a much broader population. But in contrast to these historic decks, Matthews finds most modern decks harder to engage with.
At Waite's suggestion, Smith used the Sola Busca artwork for inspiration, and there are many similarities in the symbolism between Sola Busca and Smith's final result. Smith was the first artist to use characters as representative images in the lower cards. Instead of showing merely a cluster of cups, coins, wands or swords, Smith incorporated human figures into the artwork, and the result is the iconic deck that every reader knows today.
We have the original NewAgeStore tarot interpretations and the extremely popular tarot cards from Aquatic Tarot by the lovely Andres Schroeter, the same cards that have been on NewAgeStore for over a decade. In addition, the lovely and very talented Ciro Marchetti has graciously agreed to allow us to use his divine works of tarot art to add to our readings page. And yes! These cards are available for purchase directly through Ciro’s website
"Trance mediumship" is often seen as a form of mental mediumship. Most trance mediums remain conscious during a communication period, wherein a spirit uses the medium's mind to communicate. The spirit or spirits using the medium's mind influences the mind with the thoughts being conveyed. The medium allows the ego to step aside for the message to be delivered. At the same time, one has awareness of the thoughts coming through and may even influence the message with one's own bias. Such a trance is not to be confused with sleepwalking, as the patterns are entirely different. Castillo (1995) states,
I have read several book about mediumship, and currently reading surviving Death, Leslie Kean. I also have read time and again the skeptics crow every time they believe they have exposed fraud. The prance and buck at every attempt to make genuine controlled experiments, such as the Swartz experiments. They will never ever be convinced not ever, because for them the brain is the beginning and the end. Hell will freeze over before these critics would ever be anything other than convinced its all smoke, mirror, frauds and deceptions. Wikipedia-Not a good source for a complete treatment or fair treatment of any subject has several long and lengthy treatises discrediting anything suggestive of survival after the brain is dead.
Channeling is a method of trying to communicate with the spirit world that has existed since antiquity. Most modern channelers learn the art through the practice of Eastern meditation. This mildly altered state of consciousness enables the channeler to psychically perceive spirit messages. These manifest themselves as a “thought voice,” which is perceived in the stillness of the medium’s mind. Experienced mediums can enter into a trance state whereby the spirit entity takes direct control over the medium's voice, speaking through it in an accent quite distinct from the medium's normal mode of speech.
You are not just a radio. You can't simply tune yourself in and receive the signal, although this analogy isn't far from the truth. Some spirits in the spirit realm find it easier to initiate and maintain contact than others. Some find it easier to communicate understandably than others. It's like working in a busy store, some of your spirit customers will be easy to deal with, some tricky. You may need to almost counsel a spirit through contact if their energy is weak, if it's a faint connection or if they're experiencing any other difficulty. Again this is all learned through experience.
Four, some psychic mediums get feelings or sensations in their body and mind, both physical and emotional. A spirit can make the psychic medium feel sad if they are trying to convey the message of depression. Or they can make the psychic medium’s lungs feel tight if they are trying to convey the message that someone had pneumonia or lung cancer. It is not uncommon that a psychic medium will feel a painful sensation in the head if the spirit is trying to relay the message that there was a head trauma that caused death. This could be due to an auto accident or suicide (or any number of causes), so the spirit will also send another message—perhaps a telepathic picture of a smashed car—to complete the story for the psychic medium.
Read slowly and with attention. "'Nourish your soul,' says St. Augustine, 'with divine lectures.'" To be nourished, he said, one must chew and well and ponder well, and apply the teachings to oneself. "And when what you have read has made a lively impression on you, St. Ephrem counsels you to read it a second time...Besides, when you receive any special light in reading, or any instruction that penetrates the heart, it will be very useful to stop, and to raise the mind to God by making a good resolution, or a good act, or a fervent prayer. St. Bernard says, that it is useful then to interrupt the reading, and to offer a prayer, and to continue to pray as long as the lively impression lasts."
Clairvoyance, where you see images, objects, people and scenes presented to you in your mind's eye. For this it's best to build up a bank of symbols (archetypes) for spirits to present to you that represent certain meanings to you. Your mind is an open book to the spirit world as long as you allow it. Your personal language of symbols and their meanings is accessible to them. As an example, if you decide that a horse represents freedom to you, if spirit shows you a horse then the topic is going along the lines of the client needing more freedom or gaining more freedom. Other accompanying symbols should clarify this.
Do your homework when choosing a medium either for teaching or for having a reading performed for yourself. You might want to attend a few readings before deciding to go ahead and practice mediumship yourself. How long have they been practicing? Do they come recommended? Do they belong to an online community where they are rated? Did they have any formal training? There are official organisations and colleges that train mediums if you care to research them, you could study at one yourself! Always thoroughly check and ask for recommendations before joining any group, teacher or organisation.
Growing up in the 1950s, I felt lost amid the materialism and shallow sunniness of the postwar culture; I longed for some overarching meaning. Then I came across books by two novelists, Jack Kerouac and J.D. Salinger, that opened my eyes to an entirely new way of looking at the world. I had not known that books could do this. These novels made life seem a much more mysterious and rich experience than I had imagined. At heart, they were books about spiritual journeys, and they made spirituality seem hip and wonderful. They also introduced me to the Buddhist concept of "right livelihood," thereby ultimately changing my life, for in time I gave up a lucrative career as a missile engineer to become a novelist and teacher of literature. Today, these novels have become spiritual classics, timeless books that provide special wisdom and insight for readers grappling with life's thorniest philosophical dilemmas. The novel as an art form originally came into being as bourgeois entertainment concerned with everyday matters, such as money, success, and ambition. Paradoxically, its very concreteness, which requires the novelist to create plausible characters operating in a credible world, makes the novel an ideal vehicle for exploring spiritual themes and presenting unorthodox worldviews. The best-selling novelists of our time seem not to understand this; but over the past century or so, the form's masters have put this opportunity to especially good use. Their handiwork includes, among others, the following 10 spiritual classics (including a novella, a short story collection, and one novel-like sacred scripture). I cherish these volumes as old friends and teachers; your summer reading experience will be greatly enhanced by packing one or more of these treasures in your travel bag.
However, using cards for playful divination probably goes back even further, to the 14th century, likely originating with Mamluk game cards brought to Western Europe from Turkey. By the 1500s, the Italian aristocracy was enjoying a game known as “tarocchi appropriati,” in which players were dealt random cards and used thematic associations with these cards to write poetic verses about one another—somewhat like the popular childhood game “MASH.” These predictive cards were referred to as “sortes,” meaning destinies or lots.
In old-line Spiritualism, a portion of the services, generally toward the end, is given over to demonstrations of mediumship through contact with the spirits of the dead. A typical example of this way of describing a mediumistic church service is found in the 1958 autobiography of C. Dorreen Phillips. She writes of the worship services at the Spiritualist Camp Chesterfield in Chesterfield, Indiana: "Services are held each afternoon, consisting of hymns, a lecture on philosophy, and demonstrations of mediumship."[20]
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Clauson, Marc A.
About the author: Marc A. Clauson is Associate Professor of History and Law at Cedarville University in Ohio. He received his PhD from the University of Free State, Republic of South Africa and obtained a JD from West Virginia University. His area of specialty is Modern Intellectual History, particularly the history of theology and philosophy, as well as the history of scientific thought, and the interaction of the three areas.
A STUDY OF SCOTTISH HERMENEUTICAL METHOD FROM JOHN KNOX TO THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY From Christian to Secular
This work examines the evolution of Scottish hermeneutical method from John Knox to the early 20th century, showing how the method was transformed from a Primitivism (a term borrowed from the history of ideas) to “historical consciousness” as represented by the higher critical method. This work examines the whole “big picture” of transformation based on the “paradigm shift” or presuppositions from the primitivism of John Knox and others to the Enlightenment-based historical-critical method.
History of the Idea of
This book addresses the idea that the judicial law of God, as found in the Old Testament of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, has a place in legal and political thought and practice, as well as economic thought, and has advanced in various forms since the beginning of Christianity, and previously, during the period of the Hebrew Commonwealth. This work traces the Theonomic movement and its ideas from its roots in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries into its modern form, placing Theonomy in context of legal, political, and economic philosophy.
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Bus of Hope
August 8, 2012 Artart, David Cerny, Eddie Izzard, Richard WilsonAnn Jones
Ann Jones looks at Richard Wilson’s Italian-Job-inspired artwork
I can’t remember when I first saw The Italian Job or what I thought of it with any degree of accuracy but I put the vague affection I have for it down to the Minis – I’ve only owned three cars and two of them were Minis (one white, one blue: by rights I should now be driving a red Mini rather than a black VW). Well, that and not remembering much about it; I have a sneaking suspicion that that might help. But even I remember a few key things and chief amongst those (apart from quite how beautiful Michael Caine was then) is the cliff-hanger ending and the red, white and blueness of both Minis and coach. This is a flag-waving film, with the coach – precariously balancing half on and half off the cliff at the end – as the flag. And of course it’s a 1960s film, and – caution: ridiculous generalisation approaching – the sixties were all about London. So in this year of London-centred flag-waving, there’s a certain logic to taking another, playful look at The Italian Job. In Bexhill-on-Sea. In the form of an art installation.
Richard Wilson – probably best known for 20:50, the oil-filled room bought by Charles Saatchi and reworked for each incarnation of the Saatchi Gallery – wouldn’t necessarily have been high on my list of artists likely to be found waving the flag by the seaside but the London 2012 Festival, the finale of the Cultural Olympiad , clearly offered him the opportunity to make work on an ambitious scale, which is the only scale he really knows. Asked to make a work for the roof of the De La Warr Pavilion – Bexhill’s iconic Modernist arts venue, one of the most beautiful buildings on the south coast (or anywhere else really) – Wilson decided to effectively use the building as a plinth on which to make an homage to that final scene from The Italian Job by balancing a replica of the coach half on and half off the roof for a work which takes its title from the last line of the film: Hang On A Minute Lads, I’ve Got A Great Idea... The coach teeters precariously, sometimes dipping low as though it might fall before recovering its balance somewhat.
Though this is an installation that obviously posed a significant engineering challenge, involving several tons of steel girders, and though there’s something pleasingly bonkers about the idea, visually it’s simplicity itself. Nonetheless, I wanted to see it from all angles and spent far more time staring at it than was strictly necessary or in any way reasonable and, with 25,000 visitors in the first month, my guess is it’s set to be one of the most photographed artworks around this summer (although London Booster, David Černý’s double decker bus doing press-ups in London – is likely to give it a run for its money in that respect). Certainly when I saw it people seemed to be staying and watching for quite a while, enjoying not just the object but the idea and the work’s relationship to The Italian Job. And of course, it’s possible to interact with the work, albeit photographically, which has worked to capture the public’s imagination in the past – like, for example, Olafur Eliasson’s Weather Project inthe Turbine Hall at Tate Modern. The DLWP has set up a Flickr group for pictures; so far the playful ones with someone standing in the car park seemingly supporting the coach are surprisingly uncommon.
Key to the success of the piece is, I think, the way the coach moves. It’s sufficiently subtle, and occasional, that you need to watch carefully to be sure it’s happening, but paying attention is rewarded. In this respect, for me, Hang On A Minute Lads… wins out over Černý’s London Booster which audibly breathes and groans as it psychs itself up for another lift – its straining made visible by the video images at its windows which make it seem (not very convincingly, but then buses don’t really do press-ups) as though the bus were full of a churning liquid. With London Booster it’s also necessary to wait and watch but the gaps between the action seem rather too long at times; the bus is mostly either up or down, though the press-ups when they happen are entertaining. It’s good to have a major Černý work in London though, even if it is very temporary and even if it’s not an actual Routemaster, and summer tends to be the silly season for art just as much as for news so the timing is just right.
In the case of the Wilson, quite apart from the work, there are a couple of other things that interest me. Firstly of course is the explicit crossover between art and film. There’s no shortage of artists referencing film in their work, probably most commonly those working with photography – with Cindy Sherman and Gregory Crewdson perhaps the most obvious examples – but film and literature also work their way into installations by, say, the likes of Mike Nelson or Susan Hiller. Nonetheless, Wilson’s work is unusual in taking a scene from such a widely known film and directly reworking it as sculpture. Arguably then, the things that make Hang On A Minute Lads, I’ve Got A Great Idea… work so well are also the things that make it unusual. But the context of the work is also important here. Firstly, although there are two other exhibitions at the De La Warr Pavilion at the moment, it isn’t just a gallery. There are also gigs and other live events; and, perhaps inevitably, The Italian Job will get a couple of screenings this summer. And of course, the commission is part of the London 2012 Festival and as such part of the programme of art events that has formed part of the wider cultural backdrop to the Olympics. This is flag-waving feel-good art, which is where we came in.
The range of arts events happening under the umbrella of the London 2012 Festival is as extensive as its geographical diversity, with events in pretty much all areas of the arts happening across the UK. And any programme like this involves drawing in funding from sources such as the arts councils and commercial sponsorship. And it’s here that Hang On A Minute Lads… is interesting in a different way. Given the current economic climate and the sheer number of events seeking financial support and given that some of the really big money deals are obviously tied to the Olympics themselves rather than the surrounding cultural events, it’s perhaps no real surprise that some unexpected sources of money are emerging. I wouldn’t necessarily have expected to find Farrow and Ball sponsoring Tracey Emin’s exhibition at Turner Contemporary for instance, or the Qatar Museums Authority as sponsor of the Damien Hirst exhibition at Tate Britain, although they are big spenders.
The principal sponsor of Richard Wilson’s installation at the De La Warr Pavilion though isn’t a corporation or a wealthy royal family. Instead it’s former Bexhill-on-Sea resident, and honorary patron of the Pavilion, Eddie Izzard. Clearly this is good news for Wilson, who gets to make an ambitious project without worrying about any negative perception the audience might have of a particular corporate sponsor. And for the venue there is the added benefit of staging a sell-out roof-top performance by Izzard against the backdrop of the sculpture and some suitably bonkers quotes for the publicity material (“2012 is the year the Olympics & Paralympic Games return to the United Kingdom and I think this is a perfect time to hang a large bus off the edge of a building in a seaside town. As a huge fan of the classic film The Italian Job, I am proud to be the Principal Sponsor of artist Richard Wilson’s ‘Hang On A Minute Lads’…. By the end of 2012 I would hope that the word goes out from our country that not only do we run excellent world events, but also we balance coaches on the edges of buildings like no one else ever could”).
Nonetheless, it’s an intriguing arrangement. With companies often uncertain whether their involvement will bring them negative publicity – and the restrictions imposed by the corporate deals with LOCOG haven’t exactly received universally good press – and in an economic climate that has doubtless seen the pool of possible support for the arts much diminished, are we looking at a future in which the it’s entertainers rather than industrialists who put up the cash to support art in public places? Whether this turns out to be a foretaste of the future of the funded sector or a one-off, it’s got to be much more fun to get the money from Eddie Izzard than, say, BP or a bank, and the match between sponsor and work here is pretty much perfect.
Richard Wilson: Hang On A Minute Lads, I’ve Got A Great Idea… is at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea until 1 October 2012.
David Černý’s London Booster is outside the Czech House at the Business Design Centre, Islington until 12 August 2012.
About Ann Jones
London-based artist and educator who somehow seldom gets time to actually make any work, who writes about art, somewhat irregularly, at ImageObjectText.com and occasionally contributes to MostlyFilm.com – writing about art, mostly. View all posts by Ann Jones →
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1 thought on “Bus of Hope”
” Given the current economic climate…”
You know I think the work might be about the state of the economy a little bit! Here me out. The film is all brash British confidence, British pluck and entrepreneurship against the Common Market. But I guess by 1969, you could see & feel the bump after the 60s boom coming? And all of that stuff is back, Europe is screwed, but so are we, and the bus is teetering, like the economy, could go either way, double dip, yada yada,.. And the colours of the bus and the placing of the flag make it even more inconographically (is this a word?) associated with Britain than the bus in the film. So yeah, people of Britain, you’re confident, your Olympics are fun, but we’re teetering…
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Adventures for Everyone
Team Building / MICE
see the real vietnam on a motorcycle tour
Those looking for a memorable Asian holiday experience need look no further than Vietnam. A destination made famous by its tumultuous history, amazingly varied landscapes, incredible food and beautiful people. Our Vietnam motorcycle tours have been operating for over 10 years now. During this time we have explored the length and breadth of the country, going places largely left untouched by tourism. We are constantly looking for new exciting roads to ride, finding the less travelled areas to take you away from the tourist crowds.For those looking for a true Asia adventure, who want to see the real Vietnam, the motorcycle tours are just the experience for you. No matter if you would like to ride the motorbike yourself, or marvel at the landscape from the passenger seat of a jeep, we have just the tour for you.A word of warning though, once you have tasted what rural Vietnam has to offer you will want to come back, again and again, and again.
Motorcycle Riding in Central Vietnam
Hoi An Motorbike Adventures is based in Hoi An, the ancient port of Central Vietnam. Famous for its laid-back lifestyle, tailors, and food culture, this lovely old town is ideally positioned as a gateway into Central Vietnam.
The sheer variety of landscapes is truly mind-boggling. A one day tour can see you driving through paddy filled coastal floodplains one minute and mountainous rainforests the next. In addition to the natural wonders of this country, the rich cultural history of Central Vietnam provides a large number of man-made wonders to fill your eyes. From a humble farming hamlet to decaying battle sites and ancient ruins that have stood silent and strong throughout the ages.
when to ride
The weather in Central Vietnam can be a temperamental beast and you can expect varying amounts of rain and sunshine throughout the year, especially in the highlands.
Having said that though, probably the best time to travel to Hoi An, Hue and their surrounds is between the months of mid-January and late-August. During this time the weather tends to be quite dry and the temperatures average in the early 30s. The wet season rolls in late September and generally the months of October through to mid-December are rather damp with lowland flooding not uncommon.
Temperatures can get quite chilly in late December and early January so if you’re planning to travel or come on a Motorcycle Tour with us then, make sure you pack a few warm clothes. Mid-April to end of July are usually the hottest months with temperatures reaching the 40s. Occasional thunderstorms are common in the afternoon.
Rich and Ancient Culture
With 54 ethnic minorities and a history that span millennia, the people of Vietnam have a unique perspective on life and would love to share it with you. HAMA takes you to them.
Stunning Natural Scenery
From its beautiful coastline to the rugged interior, the sheer variety of landscapes in Vietnam will leave you thirsting for more and more. HAMA delivers it to you on a plate.
Remote American War Era Sites
The war lasted a decade and left numerous scars on the Vietnamese countryside. Many have been redeveloped, some have been forgotten. HAMA have found the hidden gems.
Ethnic Minority Hill Tribes
It is only relatively recently that many of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities have been accessible to the outside world. Sample their culture and way of life. HAMA is a part of their community.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Made famous as the lifeline for Communist forces during the American War, the Ho Chi Minh Trail is one of the greatest roads for riding motorbikes on earth. HAMA knows it like no others.
places we go
son tra
hai van pass
marble mountain
bho hoong
Khe Sanh
Hoi An has been an important port since the 15th century when traders from China, Japan, India, and Holland established shop houses on the banks of the Thu Bon river. The influence of these traders, and the French colonialists who followed, is still evident in the town’s architecture, cuisine and the importance of the river in the lives of local residents.
The town’s famous covered bridge was built by Japanese traders, who believed its construction would slay a dragon that had its head in India, heart in Hoi An and its tail in Japan, and was responsible for earthquakes in Japan.
As the Thu Bon River began to silt up in the 19th century, the port was gradually overshadowed by nearby Da Nang. The town miraculously survived the ravages of the American War, and its remarkably preserved shop houses were declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999.
The town is attracting travelers from around the world, who are drawn to the town’s famous architecture, fine dining and high-class tailors.
My Son is a Hindu temple complex, located in the village of Duy Phú, in the administrative district of Duy Xuyên in Quang Nam province in Central Vietnam, 69km southwest of Da Nang, and approximately 10 km from the historic town of Tra Kieu. It comprises many Champa temples, in a valley roughly two kilometres wide, surrounded by two mountain ranges.
It was the site of religious ceremonies for the Kings of the empire of Champa, and was also a burial place of Cham royals and national heroes. The My Son temple complex is one of the foremost temple complexes for Hinduism in South East Asia and is the premier heritage site of this type in Vietnam.
Raising 693m out of the Eastern sea and covered with pristine rainforest, Son Tra Peninsula, or Monkey Mountain as it is also known brings natural beauty right to Da Nang’s doorstep. This largely undeveloped stretch of land was until quite recently solely the domain of the Vietnamese military due to its strategic value as the guardian of Da Nang harbor.
With its pristine natural beauty and varied fauna and flora, Son Tra is a delight to ride around. The sweeping and sometimes quite steep roads will see you riding higher than Hai Van Pass with the chance to glimpse rare monkeys and the certainty of seeing old growth forest. This highly panoramic road also passes highly significant American War era sites and the largest female Budha in Vietnam at the impressive Linh Ứng pagoda.
Just to the North of Da Nang and on the way to the ancient capital of Hue lies the infamous Hai Van Pass. The opening of the tunnel in 2005 has seen this winding road change from a motorbike riders nightmare into a riders dream, with all bar a few cars and trucks now taking the subterranean route. The view from the top is spectacular and an old French come American fort stands in silent witness to the pass’s important military history.
In 2008, the boys from Top Gear made this pass even more famous when they crossed over it in their Vietnam special. Richard Hammond’s choice of motorbike, one of Hoi An Motorbike Adventure’s Minsks served him well and lapped up the road with aplomb.
Between our base in Hoi An and the booming port city of Danang lies Marble Mountain and My Khe Beach. Known to the Vietnamese as Non Nuoc, which literally means “Our Country”, it was nicknamed China Beach by American GIs on R&R. This long stretch of beach offers views to the mountainous headlands North of Danang and the Cham Islands to the east. Just behind the beach, five rocky outcrops known as Marble Mountain have long been sacred to the Vietnamese and still serve as Buddhist temples.
Nestled in the Truong Son mountain range and sitting astride the beautiful Kon River is the land named Bho Hoong. In the 1970’s as the American war was finishing an ethnic minority, the Co Tu, moved their people from the devastated highlands near the Laos border to this promising new location. Within a few years a traditional ethnic minority village, bearing the land’s name, came in to existence and blends in with the rugged landscape with an ease only true mountain people can muster.
Fast forward 30 or so years and now stands a village of just 315 souls whose lives are ruled by the seasons just as they have been for time immemorial. Traditional agriculture, especially the cultivation of sticky rice and vegetables dominate local life. The ancient practice of weaving can be seen everywhere, from the sturdy yet decorative clothing to buildings woven in a way that resists the very elements themselves. The largest and most decorative of these are the Guol and Moong houses. In the middle of the village common a totem pole stands as a silent witness to harvest festivals, marriages and funerals.
Those wishing for a taste of ethnic minority life in Vietnam are now welcome with the village opening its doors to intrepid travellers in 2013. A selection of stilted wood and rattan bungalows have been modernised to provide a comfortable experience and numerous traditional activities made available for those wishing for a unique getaway.
Hue originally rose to prominence as the capital of the Nguyen Lords, a feudal dynasty which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century. In 1775 when Trinh Sam captured it, it was known as Phú Xuân. In 1802, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (later Emperor Gia Long) succeeded in establishing his control over the whole of Vietnam, thereby making Huế the national capital.
Huế continued to be the capital until 1945, when Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated and a Communist government was established in Hà Nội (Hanoi), in the north. While Bảo Đại was briefly proclaimed “Head of State” with the help of the returning French colonialists in 1949 (although not with recognition from the Communists and the full acceptance of the Vietnamese people), his new capital was Sài Gòn (Saigon), in the south.
In the Vietnam War, Huế’s central position placed it very near the border between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The city was located in the South. In the Tết Offensive of 1968, during the Battle of Hue, the city suffered considerable damage not only to its physical features but its reputation as well, most of it from American firepower and bombings on the historical buildings as well as the now infamous massacre at Huế committed by the Communist forces. After the war’s conclusion, many of the historic features of Huế were neglected, being seen by the victorious regime and some other Vietnamese as “relics from the feudal regime”, but there has since been a change of policy, and some parts of the historic city have been restored.
Khe Sanh is close to the Laos border and as such has the feel of a border crossing town. Bustling markets and thriving noodle shops make for a hectic scene each morning, though Khe Sanh is on the map because of the siege lasting 75 days in 1968 between the USA and the NVA in 1968 as well as its location within the demilitarised zone. The base was never overrun by the NVA though the battle was the most bloody for the Americans during the war and world-wide media coverage resulted in calls to end the American involvement to fever pitch. We visit the base, where today you wind find a museum and the landing strip adorned with various warplanes and other remnants from war time. The areas in and around Khe Sanh contain many sites of significance during the war (though many have decayed over time). A super cool and interesting place to visit by motorbike.
Phong Nha is a sleepy little town with absolutely stunning scenery all around. Famous for its caves and declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2003, the town has seen a lot of change. It’s still sleepy and rural, though it now has an ATM and you can get pizza! The highlight however is the Phong Nha Khe Bang National Park, home to thousands of limestone caves (many yet to be discovered). The caves are the oldest in Asia, and archaeologists have dated them at around 400 million years old. The park is still tightly controlled by the military who closely guard access. The water in the rivers around the caves is so blue it’s scary and the caves are absolutely breathtaking in size and magnitude.
Browse all our Central Vietnam Motorcycle Tours
From 1,600 USD
Central Vietnam Highlights
9 days/8 nights – Join us on an epic 9-day journey across central Vietnam as we take the road less travelled through ancient cities,...
From 640 USD
DMZ Adventure Loop
4 days/3 nights – Take a shot of history as we ride through stunning mountain scenery and lush, mountain pathways that lead us back in...
From 95 USD
Hai Van Pass & Beyond
This one day trip over Hai Van pass is so jam-packed with adventure it certainly ranks among the top rides in Vietnam. Today’s...
Hai Van Pass & Coast
Transfer tour – Tour starts in Hoi An and finishes in Hue. Today’s bike journey from Hoi An to Hue takes us along the gorgeous and...
Hill Tribe Village Adventure
2 days/1 night – Pack more memories into two days than most people get in two weeks! We wind our way through the photogenic Thu Bon...
Ho Chi Minh Trail Adventure
2 days/1 night – Hoi An to Hue Transfer tours – The Central Highlands of Vietnam offers some incredible and largely untouched...
Hoi An Experiences
We start the day by riding our cool retro bikes to the water coconut palm forest, before stopping on the Cua Dai Bridge at the mouth of...
Hue Adventure Loop
3 days/2 nights – Vietnam’s greatest 3-day adventure! Every day showcases the diversity of cultures and scenery to be found in...
Jungle Rider Adventure
5 days/4 nights – Stunning scenery, gorgeous roads and great riding: pretty much the perfect combination for an unforgettable jungle...
Khe Sanh and DMZ Adventure
3 days/2 nights – Hoi An to Hue Transfer tours – This three-day adventure takes you through some of the most famous war sites on...
Monkey Mountain Adventure
Hundreds of tourists a day pass over Hai Van Pass but few ever make it to Son Tra, an area of infinite beauty and blissfully-free of...
Mountains & Delta Explorer
Looking for a real slice of Hoi An and central Vietnam. Look no further. This is our full day adventure for everyone! Leave the other...
My Son Explorer
Greet the sun and celebrate a new day on this adventure filled half day My Son tour to the ancient Cham capital’s UNESCO World...
Phong Nha Cave Adventure
6 days/5 nights – Grab a slice of gorgeous Phong Nha! This unique national park is one of Vietnam’s few remaining pockets of old...
Sidecar Explorer
Go for an adventure in a retro soviet-style sidecar and experience a once-in-a-lifetime escapade with photographic opportunities, unique...
Tea Plantation & Villages
Embark on a jam-packed day trip with this adventure into Vietnam’s central highlands. Start your journey cruising through quaint...
The Grand World Heritage
7 days/6 nights – The Grand Dame! The best central Vietnam has to offer! Our 7 day journey takes us from Hoi An to Phong Nha taking in...
Village Adventure
We zoom out of Hoi An to explore the Thu Bon River Delta hinterland. We traverse irrigation channels, dyke walls and country laneways,...
Motorcycle Riding in North Vietnam
The rugged north of Vietnam is a land full of mountains, rice paddies and remote villages, far removed from the bustling city life of Da Nang or Hoi Chi Minh City and cherished by biker communities all over the world. Places like Sapa, Dien Bien Phu, Dong Van and Ha Giang offer stunning green views for miles into the distance whilst the villagers come from ethnic minority groups that reveal the diversity of Vietnamese culture.
North Vietnam has a reputation for being cold compared to the rest of the country. And being largely located in the mountainous regions this is what you would expect. However, whilst it is cooler than the rest of the country during the monsoon season of November to March, it is certainly warmer than many places in Europe at this time and during the warm-hot months of April to October, you can expect to see temperatures as high as 35 degrees.
Dong Van
Ba Be Lake
This popular tourist town is particularly noted for being home to ethnic minorities such as Hmong, Dao (Yao), Giáy, Pho Lu and Tay as well as for its lush green terraces which roll effortlessly down the hills like a carpet. The cable car to the peak of Mt Fansipan, the so-called ‘roof of Indochina’, is a must-see attraction.
This trading post on the banks of the river Lo and near the Chinese border is steeped in history and culture and is perhaps best known for being the starting point of the famous motorbike loop named after it, one of the most spectacular in the country.
Another town close the Chinese border, Dong Van town is worth visiting for its UNESCO listed geopark. Located between 1400 to 1600 eters above sea level, you will encounter spectacular views from your motorbike, high up in the clouds. With 17 different ethnic groups living in this area, you are bound to have a truly local experience as you learn about unique cultures from the villagers.
The historical significance of Dien Bien Phu City in the north-west of Vietnam cannot be overstated. It was here where the French onceded defeat and French rule over Indochina came to an end in 1954.
Situated 150km from Hanoi, Mai Chau is a pastoral paradise. For miles into the distance all you can see is green between either side of the two giant cliffs that enclose the province. The ethnic Thai villages reveal a less-travelled side of Vietnam that feels utterly disconnected from the rest of the country, indeed the world; it is hard to imagine that in a mere few hours you can be back in the bustling chaos of the city.
Situated around halfway between Hanoi and Ha Giang, Ba Be is the largest natural lake in Vietnam and of the biggest freshwater lakes in the world. The lake was formed around 200 million years ago and is enclosed by limestone cliffs and lush green forests.
Browse all our North Vietnam Motorcycle Tours
Ha Giang – The Northern Loop
8 days/8 nights – Ride into Vietnams famed Northern Mountains, where spectacular scenery, breath taking views, unspoiled nature and...
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
14 days/13 nights – Riding from the North to South of Vietnam is an experience of a lifetime. Embarking on a motorcycle trip in Vietnam...
Hanoi to Hoi An
7 days/6 nights – Explore roads lined with war and history. Hanoi to Hoi An is the perfect route to explore the Northern regions of...
Rally Indochina
10 days/9 nights – 7 riding days – Held annually in Vietnam, Rally Indochina is the largest annual charity motorbike ride in South...
Motorcycle Riding in South Vietnam
If the north of Vietnam is about the mountainous life then the south is more about beaches and sleepy fishing villages by the coast.
The ever-expanding Ho Chi Minh City, once the capital of former South Vietnam, is the bustling heart of the south. It just a few hours ride to the laid back town of Mui Ne. From here you can ride up into the mountains until you reach Da Lat – very much the pride and joy of Vietnamese locals who like to honeymoon here. Then it’s onto Nha Trang, a beach city with high-rises and palm trees that makes you feel as if you’re in Miami.
South Vietnam is a tropical paradise so expect high temperatures, sometimes reaching as high as 40C. It’s great for those who love feeling the breeze of the sea air as they ride.
There are only two seasons in the south of Vietnam. The rain season (May to November) and the dry season (December to April). The humidity can be as high as 82% whilst there is average ainfall of about 1500-2000mm.
The exception to this is Dalat which is cooler all year round thanks to its position in the ountains.
Ngoc Linh National Park
Ho Chi Minh City, once the capital of South Vietnam and still commonly known by its colonial name, Saigon, is a bigger city in terms of population, size and economic activity than Hanoi, despite technically being Vietnam’s second city. Located in the southeast, HCMC has easy access to Cambodia, the Mekong Delta and the coast. Places to see whilst you are here include the Independence Palace, bustling Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City Hall, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and the Municipal Theatre.
Mui Ne, in Binh Thuan Province, has everything. Pristine beaches, beautiful winding coastal roads, local fishing villages and even sand dunes. Take a quad bike to the top of the famous red and white dunes or hire a driver with a jeep to take you. There are even several lakes and swamps here.
Revered by locals as the jewel in Vietnam’s crown, this almost literal land of milk and honey (the finest quality milk and wine proudly bear the words ‘made in Dalat’ on their bottles) is located 1,500m above sea level. There is so much to see here including a stunning cable car ride, countless waterfalls and a crazy house, known for its unique architecture and individually themed rooms. Dalat’s cooler climate makes it a welcome retreat for locals and tourists alike wanting to escape the heat and breath in its cool, misty air.
Nha Trang, located 420 km north of HCMC, is Vietnam’s answer to Miami. Tall buildings – many still under construction – and palm trees devour the coastal roads. With beaches, resorts and scuba diving all a-plenty, it is no wonder this is a paradise for backpackers and tourists from other parts of Asia looking for some laid back time in the sun. Nha Trang Bay is thought of as of the most beautiful bays in the world. Be sure to visit Po Nagar Tower, built in the time of the Champa Kingdom.
Kon Tum is a border town in Kon Tum Province, located near Laos and Cambodia. Like Dalat, it retains much of the architecture from the French colonial period. French missionaries first settled here in 1851. But this is contrasted with the tribal villagers who live nearby in the suburbs. Some sites to see here include the Roman Catholic wooden church. This was a French-built seminary that now houses a museum on local hill tribes.
Ngoc Linh is a national park in the Annamite range, towering some 2598m into the air and earning it the nickname the ‘roof of southern Vietnam’. Geographically, the park is split between the provinces of Quang Nam and Kon Tum. It is also close to Da Nang, Vietnam’s third city. Ngoc Linh is particularly well known for the large variety of plants and flowers that grow there.
Browse all our South Vietnam Motorcycle Tours
Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City
6 days/5 nights – Kick-start your tour at our main garage set in the most beautiful town in Vietnam, Hoi An.
Hoi An is filled with...
Jungles and Beaches
6 days/5 nights – Join us on this action filled adventure through jungles and beaches in central Vietnam. With Ha Long Bay, Sapa and...
We highly recommend booking early to avoid disappointment.
Call us: Monday to Sunday, from 8am till 8pm.
For last minute bookings before 8am or after 8pm please email us.
Email: info@motorbiketours-hoian.com
© Hoi An Motorbike Adventures. All rights reserved.
Address: Nguyen Chi Thanh St, Trang Keo hamlet, Cam Ha Commune, Hoi An city, Quang Nam, Viet Nam
Business No.: 4000.991.245
International Tourism License No.:49-025/2014/TCDL-GPLHQT
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Falcons sign LB Jones to four-year, $57M extension 1 hour ago
Lions waive TE Roberts after trade called off
Just a day after the New England Patriots announced they acquired tight end Michael Roberts from the Detroit Lions, the trade is off.
The Lions tweeted Friday afternoon that Roberts “reverted back to the team’s roster, per trade conditions” and subsequently was released.
No reason was given for the nullification of the trade, which would have sent a seventh-round draft pick to Detroit.
Roberts, entering his third season, was a fourth-round pick out of Toledo in 2017. The 25-year-old has 13 receptions and three touchdowns in 23 career games.
New England has been searching to bolster its tight end group since the retirement of Rob Gronkowski earlier this year.
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NGO Information Action Against Hunger
Website http://www.actioncontrelafaim.org/en
Location: [Erbil,Iraq ]
Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organisation committed to ending world hunger and recognized as a leader in the fight against malnutrition. Founded in 1979, Action Against Hunger delivers programmes, in over 40 countries while committed to respect humanitarian principles as a non-governmental, non-political, non-religious and, non-profit organisation. Our mission is to save lives through the prevention, detection, and treatment of malnutrition, especially during and after emergency situations and conflict. Action Against Hunger intervenes in four main areas: Nutrition, Mental Health & Care Practices; Water, Sanitation & Hygiene; Food Security and Livelihoods; Advocacy and Raising Awareness.
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NFL Owners Approve Revamped Personal Conduct Policy
Goodell: 'Highly Qualified' Special Counsel For Investigations Will Oversee Discipline December 10, 2014 at 3:20 pm
Filed Under:Adrian Peterson, Brandon Tierney, Eric Winston, NFL, NFLPA, Personal Conduct Policy, Ray Rice, Roger Goodell
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell holds a press conference on October 8, 2014 in New York City. Goodell addressed the media at the conclusion of the annual owners meetings in the wake of a string of high-profile incidents, including the domestic violence case of Ray Rice. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell holds a press conference on October 8, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
IRVING, Texas (CBSNewYork/AP) — NFL owners unanimously approved changes to the league personal conduct policy Wednesday, but Commissioner Roger Goodell will retain authority to rule on appeals.
A special counsel for investigations and conduct will oversee initial discipline, Goodell said.
“This will be a highly qualified individual with a criminal justice background hired as soon as possible for the newly created position,” Goodell said. “The person will oversee our investigations and decide the discipline for violations of the policy.”
The commissioner also may appoint a panel of independent experts to participate in appeals.
After the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson cases, a more extensive list of prohibited conduct will be included in the policy, as well as specific criteria for paid leave for anyone charged with a violent crime.
A suspension of six games without pay for violations involving assault, sexual assault, battery, domestic violence, child abuse and other forms of family violence will be in effect, but with consideration given to mitigating or aggravating circumstances.
“The policy is comprehensive. It is strong. It is tough. And it better for everyone associated with the NFL,” Goodell said.
NFL new conduct policy says it has "specific criteria for paid leave for individual formally charged with a crime of violence,"
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 10, 2014
The players’ union has sought negotiations with the NFL on any revamping of the policy, and said Tuesday it would “reserve the right to take any and all actions” should the owners act unilaterally. The union could consider Wednesday’s vote by the owners as a violation of the collective bargaining agreement reached in 2011, giving the union cause to file a grievance.
Among the union’s options is pursuing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The players could argue this policy is a change in terms and conditions of employment; the National Labor Relations Act says such changes in unionized situations are subject to collective bargaining.
“We expected today’s vote by the NFL owners from before Thanksgiving,” NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah said on Twitter. “Our union has not seen their new policy.”
That new policy will include a conduct committee made up of several team owners that will review the policy at least annually and recommend appropriate changes. That committee will seek advice from outside experts, the NFL said.
Members of the committee will be Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill as the chairman; Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank; Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt; Dee Haslam, the wife of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam; Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Charlotte Jones Anderson, chairwoman of the NFL Foundation; Chicago Bears owner George McCaskey; Houston Texans owner Robert McNair; and two former NFL players who have a stake in NFL team ownership, Warrick Dunn of the Falcons and John Stallworth of the Steelers.
Last month, an arbitrator threw out Rice’s indefinite suspension by the NFL for hitting his then-fiancee in a hotel elevator, freeing him to play again.
Former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones said Goodell’s decision in September to change Rice’s original suspension from two games to indefinite was “arbitrary” and an “abuse of discretion.”
After noting the two-game suspension given to Rice was insufficient, Goodell had changed the minimum punishment under the personal conduct policy to six games. After a video of the punch became public, Rice was released by the Ravens and Goodell suspended him indefinitely.
Rice and the union contended he was essentially sentenced twice, and Jones agreed, saying Rice “did not lie to or mislead the NFL.”
Peterson’s appeal of a league suspension lasting until next April 15 was heard by Harold Henderson last week. Henderson, a former NFL executive, was appointed by Goodell to rule on the appeal and is expected to do so soon.
Peterson is seeking reinstatement, something Goodell said he would not consider before April 15.
The 2012 NFL MVP hasn’t played for the Minnesota Vikings since Week 1 after he was charged with child abuse in Texas. He was placed on paid leave while the legal process played out, and he pleaded no contest Nov. 4 to misdemeanor reckless assault for injuring his 4-year-old son with a wooden switch.
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After Rudy
By NYO Staff • 10/08/01 12:00am
The public drama which has been playing out over Mayoral
succession in New York City-spurred by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s hints that he would like to stay in office for four more years, or at least three extra months-has become a distraction from the urgent business of helping the city regroup and move
forward. There is no compelling reason for Mr. Giuliani to remain in office beyond the expiration of his term. He answered the call of tragedy without blinking and unified a city in crisis. For this, he has earned the heartfelt good will of New Yorkers and the admiration of the world. But seeking an extra 90 days or trying to run for a third term diminishes all that he has accomplished. Rather than continue to run the machinery of government past Dec. 31, it is more important for Mr. Giuliani to set the tone for an orderly transition.
In the days immediately following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, as Mr. Giuliani took to the streets and airwaves and
imparted a sense of safety and courage to a shattered populace, his stature rose to mythic proportions. But the very message being sent by the Mayor as he careened from press conference to ground zero to memorial service-that the city would be O.K., that New Yorkers would reclaim their lives, that there would be no disruption in the process of government-argued against any last-minute fiddling with election laws to grant him another term. New York will prevail not
because of one man’s leadership, but because of the strengths and values inherent in its people, and in the nation’s democratic form of government. The term-limits law was approved twice by city voters, and in a democracy, the power must ultimately rest with the people.
The candidates for Mayor have unfortunately joined the muddle over succession. Democrat Mark Green and Republican Michael Bloomberg, wary of putting any distance between themselves and a wildly popular public official, immediately gave a thumbs-up when Mr. Giuliani’s associates broached the idea of a term extension of three months. Democrat Fernando Ferrer deserves credit for holding his ground and opposing the idea. Still, it remains an unsettling fact that voters know more about where the candidates stand on Rudy Giuliani than they do about where the three men stand on the issues.
Rudolph Giuliani’s achievements go beyond guiding the city through the worst attack ever on American soil, and those who follow him will have to measure up to a more subtle, and more daunting, legacy than that of deft crisis manager. In the past eight years, he proved that New York is governable; that its citizens have an absolute right to safe streets and an environment in which they can raise their families without fear. It will be much more difficult for future Mayors to claim that their hands are tied by this or that bureaucracy, or that crime is a problem beyond the scope of City Hall.
Mr. Giuliani’s accomplishment in the aftermath of Sept. 11 was
to recognize greatness in ordinary New Yorkers and to call upon that greatness when it was most needed. His steady demeanor and round-the-clock empathy will not soon be forgotten. Whoever succeeds him will likewise use the power and visibility of his office to address the
current and emerging challenges of a city still reeling from a grievous assault on its people and infrastructure.
There is no way to prepare for the Mayoralty of New York City, and no job that matches it. No wonder it’s hard to give up.
Filed Under: Politics, News & Politics, Editorials, World Trade Center
SEE ALSO: In Search of Times Square’s Porn Emporium Past
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iHeartMedia presents "THE ROYAL AFFAIR TOUR”at BETHEL WOODS June 27th!
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts · Thu, Jun 27, 2019 @ 06:30 PM
iHeartMedia of the Hudson Valley of NY (stations Z93, Q92 & Oldies 93.5) in partnership with iHeartMedia TriState of NJ (103.7 WNNJ-FM & 102.3 WSUS) is proud to present
YES “THE ROYAL AFFAIR TOUR” WITH ASIA, JOHN LODGE OF THE MOODY BLUES AND CARL PALMER’S ELP LEGACY
PERFORMING AT BETHEL WOODS ON JUNE 27TH
Reserved tickets go on-sale Friday, April 5th at 12:00 PM at www.BethelWoodsCenter.org, www.Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 1.800.745.3000.
Listen to Z93, Q92, Oldies 93.5, 103.7 WNNJ-FM & 102.3 WSUS for a chance to win your way in!
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the nonprofit cultural center located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, announced that YES will perform at the historic site on June 27th for a pavilion-only show, as part of the band’s The Royal Affair Tour.
Headlined by progressive rock pioneers and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees YES, who triumphed last year with their acclaimed and hugely successful #YES50: Celebrating 50 Years of YES tour, this must-see best-of-British-rock show will also feature Asia with the return of founding member Steve Howe in a special performance, John Lodge of The Moody Blues, and Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy with guest vocals by Arthur Brown. View the trailer below.
YES is Steve Howe (guitar – joined 1970), Alan White (drums since 1972), Geoff Downes (keyboards; first joined in 1980), Jon Davison (vocals since 2011) and Billy Sherwood (guitar/keyboards in the 1990s and the late Chris Squire’s choice to take over bass/vocals in 2015), with Jay Schellen on additional drums. Look for YES to perform songs from throughout their storied career, one of rock music’s most prized bodies of work, and their set will honor the memory of YES members Chris Squire and Peter Banks.
Asia will play their signature songs and pay tribute to their late founding member John Wetton. A portion of their set will feature original guitarist Steve Howe in a special performance. Asia will also introduce its new line-up featuring guitarist/lead vocalist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and bassist Billy Sherwood. John Lodge’s set will encompass his classic hits by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Moody Blues and pay tribute to the band’s recently departed member Ray Thomas. Carl Palmer will honor the memory of his fellow Emerson, Lake and Palmer members Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, with vocals by British vocalist Arthur Brown. As part of the evening’s British theme, there will be Alan White of YES’ tribute to John Lennon; White was the drummer on Lennon’s solo material including the recording of “Imagine.”
To learn about additional member benefits and pre-sale access, please visit http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/supportthearts/membership-opportunities.
A limited number of 2019 Bethel Woods Season Lawn Passes are still available, fully transferrable, and guarantees your place on the lawn for every Pavilion concert. To learn more visit http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/performances-festivals/seasonlawnpass.
The Museum at Bethel Woods offers $8 admission when purchased with a concert ticket and $10 admission when purchased day of with a valid concert ticket. Discounted admission is valid the day of a concert through noon the following day. Presented by Orange Bank and Trust, the 2019 Special Exhibit We Are Golden: Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of The Woodstock Festival & Aspirations for a Peaceful Future, examines the desires of the youth of 1969, places the festival in the context of the positive societal changes it inspired and asks today's youth what THEY desire of the world now. To learn more, please visit http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/the-museum.
Bethel Woods’ Season of Song & Celebration promises year-long programming and a uniquely memorable experience for those who journey to the historic site to celebrate the legacy of the greatest festival of all time.
For more information about Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, please visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org or call 1.866.781.2922.
The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts’ celebrations marking the 50th Anniversary of the greatest festival of all time, planned for the Summer of 2019, are not produced, sponsored by, or affiliated with Woodstock Ventures LC, the organizer of the 1969 Festival and its other reunion festivals, and are not WOODSTOCK® events.
About Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Located on the National Register Historic Site of the 1969 Woodstock festival just 90 miles northwest of New York City in the Catskills’ Sullivan County, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a 501c3 nonprofit cultural center focusing on history, creativity, and community. Home to an award-winning museum devoted to the story of the 1960’s and a 15,000-seat entertainment venue, Bethel Woods is a must-visit tourist and cultural destination, attracting local, national, and international visitors.
Supported by public contributions and performance revenues, Bethel Woods has evolved into an innovative, program-driven cultural center where visitors experience the world-class museum, teaching facilities and state-of-the art outdoor and indoor music venues. The expanded Woodstock site is part of a modern, beautifully designed complex surrounded by 800 acres of rolling hills, woods, manicured gardens, and water features.
For more information please visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org.
Copyright © 2018 Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, All rights reserved.
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Measurement of side effects of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) in adults with intellectual disability: A systematic review
Lauren Copeland, Andrea Meek, Mike Kerr, Michael Robling, Kerry Hood, Rachel McNamara October 8, 2017
The prevalence of epilepsy in adults with an intellectual disability (ID) is up to 20 times greater than in the general population [1]. A recent survey of carers and professionals showed considerable concern over presence and impact of side effects from anti-epileptic drug (AED) treatment in people with ID (in particular drowsiness, memory problems, depression) [2]. The term side effect typically relates to any secondary undesirable effect of a treatment or drug. Physical, cognitive, behavioural or emotional side effects can cause significant impact on the quality of life of an individual.
Incidence and management of seizures after ischemic stroke: Systematic review and meta-analysis Objective: We conducted a meta-analysis of the incidence of early and late seizures following ischemic stroke as well as a systematic review of their pharmacologic treatment. Methods: Observational studies that reported incidence of seizures following ischemic stroke and those that reported treatment response to any particular antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were...
Epilepsy and Pregnancy: For healthy pregnancies and happy outcomes. Suggestions for service improvements from the Multispecialty UK Epilepsy Mortality Group Between 2009 and 2012 there were 26 epilepsy-related deaths in the UK of women who were pregnant or in the first post-partum year. The number of pregnancy-related deaths in women with epilepsy (WWE) has been increasing. Expert assessment suggests that most epilepsy-related deaths in pregnancy were preventable and attributable to...
Fetal Growth and Premature Delivery in Pregnant Women on Anti-epileptic Drugs ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effects of epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs (AED) use during pregnancy on fetal growth and preterm delivery. Methods: This study included singleton liveborns born to women enrolled in the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry between 1997 and 2016. Data were collected prospectively through telephone interviews....
The retention of lacosamide in patients with epilepsy and intellectual disability in three specialised institutions Read More......
In-hospital outcomes and delayed neurologic sequelae of seizure-related endosulfan poisoning
Sequential FDG PET and MRI findings in a case of SMART syndrome
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Banned From Rock N Roll: Evil Kim Evil!
by Evil Kim Evil
I grew up at war with the rest of the world.
Years later, I still fight the same battle.
Listen to the song while reading the text.
My Earliest Memories Are of Iron Maiden
I was born at midnight on a rainy evening – March 26/27th, 1979. I don’t talk about the beginning of my life much. There were some peaceful years. When we lived in California, my mother and I would draw and listen to classical music together. We lived in Palo Alto. That was long before the Silicon Valley days. It was just a college town. My memories go back a long way. We moved to Baltimore when I was two.
We lived a full yet materially simple life. Art and knowledge came before money. We shopped at Good Will, spoke several languages, did art projects and read books. I grew up with a lot of books from previous centuries and not a lot of popular culture. But we had a tape of 1950’s rock n’ roll, and I remember hearing heavy metal out in public. It was the best thing ever. I remember Iron Maiden and all the cool art, rocking out to it when I was really young. I was always a rocker.
My family was socially conservative. Although there was a lot of art and classical music and books, it was taboo for me to enjoy rock music too much – or science – or to do anything that might be controversial. And I’ve never been able to avoid being controversial. It’s in my nature. From the start, my drawings were of monsters covered in all kinds of bodily fluids, devouring people.
So I was always at odds with my family. There was nothing I could do about it. My personality clashed with their values.
Being a Dragon
A lot changed when I was four. I was diagnosed with some physical abnormalities – joint and muscle issues. The doctors treated me like a non-human freak show and everyone else seemed to follow suit.
Shortly thereafter, I was semi-rejected by my parents. My mother picked me up from school one day and told me that things were going to change. Then, while I watched, they packed up all of my stuff – clothes and toys and some books. They placed them in paper bags and put the bags on the top shelf of a closet. From then on, I had to pretend to be someone I was not. It seemed my status had been lowered and future options limited because of the way my body was.
I was lucky in that I got a good education. But I also faced on-going violence and the full range of negativity for the way that my body was. That was a basic fact of life. I often had friends, but the majority of people in my life treated me as though I was less than human.
Without the worldliness to put that in context, I accepted it as my social caste but knew that I was not actually inferior. I imagined that I was actually a dragon and that one day, they would see that, and the other dragons would find me, and we would fly around breathing fire on those who deserved it, then changing the world for the better, setting things right.
Moving Into the Sound World
I think there is something about looking close to what we consider normal but not quite. My physical quirks are often noticed but interpreted as something else. It irritates people. I look uncomfortable and nervous when I’m not. My eye muscles are a little wonky and sometimes my eyes kind of wander or look unfocused. I grew up with people constantly clapping their hands in my face because of that. Getting smacked for dragging my feet when my body couldn’t handle walking long distances. Adults thought it was OK to be violent towards me.
There were times when music was all I had, so I developed a very emotional relationship with it – especially metal and rock n roll – starting really young. That hasn’t changed. I still feel more emotionally tied to the music world than the human world in many ways.
So my childhood was like a war. And it made me think politically early on. I spent my elementary school days daydreaming and envisioning new types of societies, trying to solve the world’s problems. I researched other countries and wondered if life was really better anywhere or if I would be better off obtaining some land in Wyoming and being completely alone. Later, I did move to Australia, and with that came the wisdom that people are people wherever you go and that working to improve things where you live is a very good option. We don’t have to flee.
Music, art, and writing got me through it. I had suicidal thoughts at a very young age because things were so bad, but I overcame that, deciding to keep going and live life to the fullest as soon as I could. That’s still my attitude. I treasure every minute.
Early Writing and Art
I started asking for a guitar when I was young. But that took some time. While waiting for my chance to play guitar, I wrote and illustrated short novels, making copies, binding them myself, and distributing them at school. I was usually bored in class, so I used the time to construct plots and characters for novels and films, writing it all down when I got home.
I entered art contests at the Maryland State Fair, including in the Adult division (as opposed to my own age group), and won ribbons. My poetry was first published when I was in fifth grade, and I was interviewed by a local paper. It wasn’t the kind of poetry I wanted to publish. I had to stick to what I considered to be a boring topic – snow. But I was proud of my work, and it was good to see my writing in print.
That same year, I began a series of large portraits of the characters from Les Misérables, which we had just seen the musical adaptation of, and was prohibited from doing visual art again. (I did get to read the book – 3 versions – in the following years; I guess it must have been a creating versus passively taking things in sort of thing). The rift between my family and myself had become more political in nature.
So I shifted my focus to writing. I had already begun writing songs, using a small electric keyboard. I used to stay up late every night, secretly listening to the radio and educating myself about all of the genres and structures of popular songs.
I sang in the church and school choirs and got to take piano lessons for a few years. I learned a lot, but it was hard because repeating what’s written exactly as it’s written doesn’t come naturally to me; I’m really inclined towards improvisation and writing music. As soon as I start to play something, I need to add to it and take it in different directions. For a while, I thought that meant I was bad at music. Now I know that it’s just the way some people are, and it can be a good thing.
I took music theory in high school, which was wonderful – a small group of metalheads and classical music enthusiasts geeking out on time signatures. I didn’t do well on the tests, but I learned a lot.
Pipes and Strings
When I was fifteen, my brother and I got to share a classical guitar, but it effectively became mine. I played it for hours every day, writing tons of songs and driving everyone crazy. It took over my life. I dedicated myself to playing guitar, and to songwriting, and not much has changed since.
Two years later, I secretly sold a bunch of my belongings and bought an electric guitar and amp from a classmate. I named the guitar Esmeralda, Ezzie for short. I still have her. She’s a Peavey Predator.
Electric guitar and bagpipes have always been my favorite instruments. I also played the pipes in the city’s bagpipe band. I think you can hear the influence of traditional Scottish music in my guitar playing – kind of staccato, with grace notes.
I took a few guitar lessons when I first started playing (pre-electric days). That gave me a foundation in classical, blues and popular music. I loved playing slide. You can’t play anything wrong in an open tuning. It opens up the whole instrument for free-form self-expression. I also love finger-pic’ing because it gives you a wider range of tones and note combinations. I rarely use a pic these days, even when playing electric.
Adolescence made it easier to do things like marching in a bagpipe band, but my fingers were still a bit wonky – I’m missing a ligament or something in my left thumb, and it doesn’t work that well. So I found it hard to bar the frets and instead did a lot with open chords, slide, and leads. I played scales for about an hour every day, going through different modes. I wanted to play as well as Jimmy Page.
NAPALM
I also wrote a lot of fiction and poetry. I set a six-page-a-day minimum for myself. I used to write in class while pretending to take notes. English and foreign languages were easy. I was hopeless at math and science classes because I had severe test anxiety, so that was a lost cause. I learned the material, but I flunked. I only had to pay attention in history class. So I started novel after novel and worked on them when I was supposed to be studying.
I spent my summers writing. When I was 12, I got to go to Chautauqua, which was great because we had MTV – I watched a lot of metal videos. I loved performing my writing. I was really intense about it. I wrote things that intentionally pushed buttons, using bodily fluids as metaphors. I talked about lust and violence and every other significant part of life.
The school’s literary magazine didn’t want to publish my writing, so I started a zine aimed at fighting censorship. Everything that was submitted was published. Other students got involved, and it made my life a bit more social. We called it NAPALM.
I started college early, then went through some more difficult family stuff that left my life less stable. I completed my degree but not in my chosen area, and I moved around, bouncing between jobs. While it was physically easier to do a lot of things at that point, my body language still looked a bit off. That offended people and led to misunderstandings. I was reserved yet also outspoken. The typical creative type – overly sensitive and lacking a filter.
And I had a lot of post-traumatic stress from things I survived while growing up. My mother had some mental health struggles and I had born the brunt of that and then taken responsibility for trying to help her. There was more. I’ll write about it elsewhere. I don’t want to say too much here. But I had been through some hard things and I was kind of shaken up for a while.
That took a toll on my employment situation when I was in my twenties. I struggled to find stability. I went to shows, collected records when I could, and tried to form a band. I couldn’t find anyone else who wanted to play the same kinds of things, or anything. There were a lot of jam bands, cover bands, stuff that sounded like Korn, pop punk, emo . . . I wasn’t into any of that. I didn’t know how to find people.
I was a wild one. As soon as I was out on my own, I really cut loose. But I’ll save those stories for another time.
I stopped writing fiction and decided to only write songs. I settled in Downeast Maine, where my grandparents had once lived, and worked in the tourist industry. I wanted to have a family and a small business. But life took a different direction. The relationship that I was in didn’t last. After four years or so, our differences and the town’s work-hard-play-hard lifestyle drove us apart.
I needed to do something with all the songs I had been writing. I started a noise punk band and ended up in Texas. I borrowed a 4-track from a friend and started working on tapes of what I had written. The band thing didn’t gel. I wanted to go in more adventurous directions. And, as it still is today, people seemed uncomfortable with the fact that the way I looked and what I played didn’t go together, didn’t fit the expectations. I was shy too. Not in music or on stage, but in day to day life. I had to get over that. To learn how to live in the world of people as well as the world of sound. But I didn’t care. I play because I need to play.
I realized I had to become a one man-band. I survived some more messed up stuff from people who took issue with the way my body was. That was a turning point, a deciding factor. And I kept feeling like I was coming from a different place than most people who I knew. I just had a different kind of perspective, different ideas. I wanted to share all of that. I wanted to go do my own thing and express myself without having to explain or justify anything.
Inside-Out-Sider Music
For a while, that meant sticking to playing acoustic, which seemed like going backwards – a detour. But I just wanted to play. I got out and played as much as I could – open mic’s, anything. I would play several open mic’s a week.
I had written vocal melodies to go with my acoustic stuff, but my voice seemed to have been damaged by pneumonia, or maybe the medical treatments for it. I’ve had it a few times, two of them being really bad – once after nearly drowning and another time that landed me in the hospital for a week. My singing voice just wasn’t the same again. But I listened to punk and metal so doing gruff, growly vocals with my acoustic music was good. It didn’t make me popular, but I enjoyed it.
I alternated between different names – Kim Ewart (trying to spell it in ways that people could easily pronounce), Evil Kim Evil, and Paisley Nightmare. I went to a lot of shows. I ended up living with a promoter and I had more and more friends in bands and other facets of the whole music thing. But I stayed on my own path, which didn’t happen to match what was popular then, and remained on the periphery. I was an inside-out-sider. I accepted that and the highs and lows that came with it.
Starting Fires
A friend sold me a Gibson SG for next to nothing. I still treasure it to this day. It’s a beautiful guitar. It’s covered in flames – painted by a local mural artist. In keeping with the dragon theme, I let the fire symbolize the power behind the noise – the impact you can have with your music.
I felt like an outsider, but I just wasn’t willing to compromise in a lot of ways. I have to be myself, do what I want to do, stay true to my basic ideas about things. I’ve always been like that.
There were times when it felt isolating. But I got to blaze a new kind of trail. That meant a lot to me. And it’s an easy thing to do. We’re all different. So if you follow your instincts and stay true to yourself and your own vision, you’ll inevitably end up doing something different from everyone else.
I had been keeping my songs mostly secret – just playing for friends in Bar Harbor living rooms – for years. As I got out and played for larger audiences, I got to see that people liked my music. That if you play from the heart – play what you really mean and what you really need to play – people will connect with it. That was the best feeling in the world.
Drum-Stomping Solo Rock
In 2008, I moved to California and got drums. I started to make the one-man band thing happen and got into digital recording, working on more acoustic stuff at first, then branching out, playing electric slide guitar with drums. In the music world, everything seemed increasingly sanitized. I wanted to shake things up.
Instead of seeking to play standard shows, I played a TON of open mic’s. I did open mic tours. I would show up and play as a masked one-man band. I called that thing Paisley Nightmare. It was mostly offline and mysterious. But it took off. People got into it, and it was so much fun.
Part of Your Art is How You Share It
I intentionally made open mic’s my thing because it was a free-for-all – you share the stage with anyone who shows up, anyone can show up and do anything. I felt inspired by that experience, by traveling all over and connecting with all kinds of people. I really loved it. How you share your art is part of the art itself. I wanted the way I shared my music to reflect my basic belief in complete freedom and equality, to live by what I believed in instead of just talking about it. To make no plans; just to play wherever and whenever I wanted to. I did that for years and I’m sure I’ll go back to it.
I’m an instigator by nature, always one to go against the grain. Instead of playing with similar bands for a crowd of people who definitely like the kind of music I play, I want to play for anyone anywhere, including people who don’t like what I’m doing. I love the chaos that goes with that. The fact that who I am and what I look like don’t really match became part of my art. People often assumed I was playing for the first time and would probably play an acoustic cover. I loved seeing the reactions when I did something different. And it went the other way just as often. People didn’t react the way I would expect just by looking at them. So I really learned not to judge people.
Noise-Love
I took my playing in weirder and noisier directions, using different kinds of objects as slides and pics. I recorded some multi-track stuff, recording each instrument separately, and intentionally making the tracks a split second off from each other to create subtly jarring feelings.
I had always wanted to record using just one mic (wide diaphragm or omnidirectional), so I started doing that as soon as I could. I was a big fan of Cowboy Junkies back in the 90’s; I got that idea from them. I loved their early recordings.
So that’s what I use for my one-man band recordings. It’s all live, mono, using just one microphone. I started recording stuff that I was happier with and wanting to share it more widely. That required art. So I dusted off some repression and bad memories and got back into art again, at times trying to recreate my childhood style of drawing and all the stuff that I wasn’t supposed to do. Like with music, I like to write and draw by stream-of-consciousness. That took on a life of its own. I now do as much art as music and have a traveling art shop called Immortality.
Going Home to the Highway
In 2015, a turning point came where it seemed like I would need to play more standard shows. I had written hundreds of songs, and I wanted to play longer sets. I went on tour.
The second day of the tour, I pulled into Portland for the first time. I went to the building where Tombstone Music used to be and picked up a couple of pieces of wood from a pile of construction scraps. Then I drove to the venue, parked, and as I opened the car door, a city bus sped down the road and hit it, just an inch from my hand, ripping the door right off. I unloaded everything into the venue, played for three hours, and rented a Jeep on the city’s dime to continue the tour into Canada. The Canadian Rockies are amazing and Calgary has a great metal scene.
I was still calling it Paisley Nightmare, but that didn’t fit. I didn’t like it for what I was doing at that point. I needed to change something.
I toured more and shared the stage with a lot of great bands of all genres. It was wonderful. I did the whole thing completely DIY, traveling alone, booking and promoting most of the shows myself. Drummers would ask to come with me and I would tell them I didn’t have room in my car. I was glad to be a one man band, living it up on the road, traveling alone. That was the life for me.
The Pirate Ship
In 2016, I moved back to Texas so I could record more. I set up a studio at home and really immersed myself in it. I call it The Pirate Ship. I wanted to make music that evoked fear and discomfort. You hear a lot of sad songs, love songs, angry songs and happy songs. I’ve always been interested in provoking other emotions, seeing what other things you can make people feel through sound. So I worked on that.
I changed the name again twice – Kim Ew and then back to Evil Kim Evil. I call it a III phase assault on civilization as we know it. I’m standing up for everyone’s right to play, to express themselves as they please, for our common humanity, for all the changes we need so badly right now. Playing multiple drums standing symbolizes that. I feel like there’s a kind of power behind it. It’s the dragon thing – flying and breathing fire and setting things right in the world.
I wound up with more amps than I needed after scoring at garage sales. So I played through multiple amps at once to create a thicker sound. It was great. It could also sound dissonant in interesting ways if you set the tone knobs differently. I had fun with that. That was during the Kim Ew phase of things. An all-out noise frenzy, no holds barred.
I’m Evil Kim Evil now. I’m still writing and recording tons and tons of music, and planning another tour. I’m doing stuff that’s more like a noise punk take on old school metal and some jazzy instrumental stuff. I grew up with a lot of jazz, and I’m letting that come out in my own music. I’m also recording more acoustic material.
For a while, my acoustic guitar needed some work and I recorded stuff that let the buzzing just be part of the noise. I really like making my bad luck – or any external circumstances – be part of my sound. Life is art and art is life.
And I started making videos of myself playing. Not for the first time, but I made it a bigger part of things. For years, there was a lot of confusion about what I do. No matter what I said, people expected either a mellow solo act or a full band or someone playing guitar while toggling with loop pedals. I let the surprise factor be part of the show for a while. But there came a point when I wanted to be more upfront and clear with people about what I’m doing.
Still Trailblazing
I don’t know of any other one-man bands who do exactly what I do – standing on two drums pedals to play, and playing noisy punk/metal stuff. There are tons of one-man bands worldwide and I don’t specifically follow them; I just listen to a few who spark my interest. I like to draw inspiration elsewhere and bring it to the one-man band format instead of identifying with the solo thing too much.
Heart to Sleeve
In my songwriting, I keep wearing my heart on my sleeve more, striving to make it all more honest and unguarded, and not being afraid to be cheesy or literary. Nothing is off-limits. I’m also re-recording the songs that shocked people when I was in high school. That’s fun.
And I book and promote shows, making hand-drawn fliers. My drawings are crude – lately I’ve been envisioning a sort of DIY precursor to things like Helloween, Stormwitch and Virtue – but I want to bring something human into it, keep the old art of flyering alive. I hit the streets and hang flyers in interesting places. There was a real art to that at one point, and I want to bring that back.
I also busk, and I feel inspired by that. There’s a lot that we can do with battery-powered amps. It’s a way to have a voice in the world when you otherwise aren’t welcome to participate, to have complete freedom. Busking is beautiful. You go out and do something that’s available to everyone, and people can react any way they choose.
Our Words and Sounds Outlive Us
I feel like I’m honing down my sound and my creative vision. I like being intense – in many different ways – but also uplifting, even soothing, if that makes sense. Healing instead of responding to hate with more hate. Working towards solutions. Delving into the difficult parts of life and bringing a sense of hope to it. It’s important to make your writing reflect what you actually believe because it will outlive you.
I know that my playing is a bit sloppy because I’m a bit gimpy. Not just that, but it’s also by choice – I have a very raw and aggressive approach to it. Hardly anything is planned. I’ve tried writing set-lists, but I end up playing whatever comes out. Sometimes I play so hard I bleed, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. I’m banned from rock n roll. I think I rocked so hard and so weirdly and in opposition to so much bullshit, it killed itself. I feel like I’m killing it and breathing life into it at the same time, and that’s my art.
I’m not really at war with the world anymore. I feel more like I’m fighting for the kind of world that I want to live in. I’ve survived a lot of messed up stuff. I tend to relate my own bad luck to bigger issues in society, get angry about it, and focus on how to change things for the better. I let that fuel me – fighting against the bullshit with sound, burning it down to make way for something better.
I can’t wait to get back on the road again. I really believe in what I’m doing. I love hearing other people’s music and everything that goes with being on tour. It’s such a great feeling, and I want to take it even farther and do more with it.
In the beginning, they called me a thing. But this one thing band keeps taking on the world. It must be doing something.
Evil Kim Evil
Kim Ew
Artist’s Note
April 6, 2019 soundposter drums, Experimental, guitar, inside-out-sider music, Metal, noise rock, one-man band, open-mic, Punk, San Antonio, Texas
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CHILDERS CHOSEN TO PLAY IN CAL RIPKEN SUMMER LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME
Tucker Childers will represent Northeast & the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts in the 2018 Cal Ripken League All-Star Game on July 11.
Bethesda, Md. - Tucker Childers' sweet left-handed swing has helped secure another sensational honor for the Northeast Mississippi Community College baseball alumnus.
Childers was selected to participate in the 2018 Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (CRCBL) All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 11 at Shirley Povich Field, which is the home of the Bethesda Big Train.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Tigers head coach Richy Harrelson. "Once he gets in a situation and figures out what is needed, he's a very intelligent young man and he finds a way to win. He knows all about competition and loves it. He'll be ready."
The Mississippi State University commitment has proven himself against top tier pitching while playing in what is widely considered as one of the top summer leagues in the entire nation.
Childers leads his club, the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts in Maryland, with a .289 batting average. That is more than 20 points higher than anybody else on the team and ranks 18th overall in the CRCBL.
He has appeared in 26 contests so far for Silver Spring-Takoma and racked up 28 hits, which is in a stalemate for 15th most in the league. Childers has also taken 10 free passes between walks and hit by pitches plus owns a pair of stolen bases.
Childers set the Northeast record for most home runs in a single season this spring with 13. He picked up right where he left off this summer with three dingers, which is in a draw for the team lead alongside Turner Davis from Savannah State (Ga.) University and Corey Rosier of Chipola (Fla.) College.
His 17 RBIs are ranked tied for 13th most in the CRCBL and tops for the Thunderbolts. Childers has nine multiple hit performances, including a three-hit day in a victory by Silver Spring-Takoma over the Loudoun Riverdogs on June 6.
"Of course I'm excited," Childers said. "It's good to come here and put in all that time and get something out of it. It'll be fun to play with the best guys in the league and to see some of the best arms. That's going to be a plus."
The Ripley native was exceptional over his two-year career with the Tigers. He amassed 108 total hits, including 47 for extra bases, with 96 RBIs to pace Northeast's efforts offensively.
Childers guided the Tigers as a sophomore with team-highs of a .679 slugging percentage, 53 RBIs and 12 doubles. He batted .352 with 42 runs scored, five sacrifice flies and 57 base knocks.
He had a season-long seven-game hitting streak twice. His final such stretch started with a three-hit outing at Copiah-Lincoln Community College on April 7 and ended 11 days later with a two home run afternoon against Holmes Community College.
The 6-3, 235-pounder split time between catcher and first base defensively at Northeast. He wielded a solid .955 on-base percentage plus threw out six runners attempting to steal from behind the plate.
Childers was one of 31 men chosen to compete for the North All-Star squad, which is comprised of players from five CRCBL organizations. He is one of two listed first basemen for the North along with Joe Zirolli from the Baltimore Redbirds.
The South All-Stars are the defending champions after claiming a 3-0 shutout triumph in 2017. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) with a pro style workout and batting practice for Major League Baseball (MLB) scouts earlier in the day.
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Ontario's Government for the People names Thomas Carrique as O.P.P. Commissioner
March 11, 2019 9:00 A.M.
Ministry of the Solicitor General
Through an Order-In-Council signed by cabinet, Ontario's Government for the People announced the appointment of Thomas Carrique as the next Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Thomas Carrique currently serves as the Deputy Chief for the York Regional Police, where he has spent his entire 29-year career with the force. He has worked in a variety of fields, including Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Investigative Services, Traffic, Marine, Public Order and the Administration and Operations branches.
"We are very excited to announce Deputy Chief Thomas Carrique as the next Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police," said Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Sylvia Jones. "Deputy Chief Carrique will help bring an outside vision to the OPP and work with talented officers and civilian staff to bring forward positive change."
"Deputy Chief Carrique's extensive experience is important as the OPP works to tackle challenging files, such as human trafficking and the ongoing fight against guns and gangs."
"The Ontario Provincial Police has been without a permanent commissioner since November 2, 2018. The rank-and-file deserve certainty and clarity. Deputy Chief Carrique will be a strong voice for the front-line officers we all depend on to keep our communities safe."
Deputy Chief Carrique will serve a three-year term. He will assume his post on April 8, 2019.
Marion Isabeau Ringuette
Marion.IsabeauRinguette@ontario.ca
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Fast Fact: Vaccines
NFK Editors
When the human body gets a disease, it learns how to fight that disease. It creates “antibodies” that are specially made just to fight that disease. If the disease ever tries to come back, the antibodies are there, ready to fight it. The body is now “immune” to the disease.
The only problem is, you have to suffer through the disease to become immune to it. That’s no fun.
A vaccine teaches the body to fight a disease so that you don’t get it.
A woman being vaccinated.
(Source: Ames Gathany, Judy Schmidt, USCDCP, via Wikimedia Commons.)
Scientists figured out that if they gave the human body just a weak, tiny bit of the thing that causes the disease, they could “teach” the body how to fight the disease without ever having to suffer through it.
That’s what a vaccine is – a special medicine that trains the human body in how to fight a disease. It’s a way to become immune without ever having to get sick. And it also means that a person is less likely to give the disease to someone else.
Some vaccines can be swallowed or even breathed in through the nose.
This polio vaccine in India can be swallowed.
(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, via Wikimedia Commons.)
Some vaccines are given as a shot, some can be swallowed, and some can even be breathed in through the nose.
When someone is given a vaccine, it is called “getting a vaccination” or “getting vaccinated”.
simple.wikipedia.org
NFK Editors - Jun 27, 2019
If someone finds a wallet with a lot of money, are they likely to return it? A new science experiment shows an unexpected result: the more money that is in a wallet, the more likely it is to be returned.
Ladybug Swarm Shows Up on Weather Map
NFK Editors - Jun 8, 2019
Last Tuesday night, people working at the National Weather Service in San Diego, California were puzzled by a strange shape on their radar screens. The unusual cloud turned out to be a massive swarm of ladybugs.
Tiny T. rex Cousin Identified After 20 Years
NFK Editors - May 9, 2019
A dinosaur skeleton found by a teenager over 20 years ago has led to the naming of a new dinosaur related to the Tyrannosaurus rex. The boy who made the find is now grown and is the lead scientist.
Test of New Malaria Vaccine Begins in Malawi
NFK Editors - Apr 29, 2019
The first program to vaccinate children against malaria has begun in Malawi. The new medicine only protects about 40% of the people who get the vaccine, but that is still a huge improvement.
ParkRx Day – Just What the Doctor Ordered
National Park Week ends tomorrow with National ParkRx Day. Doctors and other health care workers are joining with parks in the US, and encouraging people to get out and enjoy nature. They believe it’s as good as medicine.
Ghana, Rwanda Use Drones to Deliver Medicine
A company called Zipline has begun a drone service to deliver medical supplies by aircraft in Ghana. The company has been providing a similar service in Rwanda since 2016
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OLSON STATEMENT ON OBAMA OFFSHORE DRILLING ACTION
Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) this evening issued the following statement in response to President Obama's last ditch effort to halt offshore oil and gas drilling as he leaves office:
Olson Applauds 21st Century Cures Act Becoming Law
Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today applauded the president for acting to help deliver more cures, treatments, and therapies to patients and to bring our health care system into the 21st century.
Olson: Former Gov Perry Great Choice for Secretary of Energy
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today issued the following statement in response to reports that former Texas Governor Rick Perry will be named Secretary of the US Department of Energy (DOE):
Olson Statement on Passing of John Glenn
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today issued the following statement in response to reports that former Senator John Glenn passed away:
Olson Applauds Senate Passage of 21st Century Cures
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today applauded the Senate for acting to help deliver more cures, treatments, and therapies to patients, and bring our health care system into the 21st century. The Senate passed H.R.
Olson to Speak at Energy and Climate Policy Summit
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) will speak at the Crossroads III: Energy and Climate Policy Summit “The Impact of the National Elections on Energy and Climate Policy” hosted by the Heritage Foundation and the Texas Public Policy Institute. Olson and House colleagues will provide a congressional update on energy policy. Other House members participating include Reps.
Olson Applauds House Action To Find 21st Century Cures
Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) voted today to help deliver more cures, treatments, and therapies to patients, and to bring our health care system into the 21st century. Olson voted for H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act, an important bipartisan initiative that will make needed reforms, and spur medical innovation that will make real differences in people’s lives.
Olson Speaks With Students At The Honor Roll School
Washington, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today visited with third grade students at The Honor Roll School in Sugar Land, TX. Olson and the students discussed the responsibilities of each branch of the United States government. Students asked questions about the government and the voting process in a town hall style set up.
Olson Congratulates Memorial Hermann Sugar Land on Receiving Malcom Baldrige Award
Washington, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today extended congratulations to Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital for receiving the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. This prestigious award is given by the US Department of Commerce through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Olson Acts to Block White House Midnight Rules
Washington, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today acted to empower Congress to more efficiently halt outgoing presidents last minute executive actions also called “midnight rules.” These actions deserve transparency and review prior to being issued. Olson voted for H.R.
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Statement by Mr. Paul Lefebvre (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.)
Mr. Paul Lefebvre (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.) on Indigenous Affairs
In the House of Commons on October 24th, 2018. See this statement in context.
Indigenous AffairsAdjournment Proceedings
October 24th, 2018 / 7:15 p.m.
Paul Lefebvre Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Vancouver East for the question. Unfortunately, I disagree with the premise of her question for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, I disagree with the member's claim that our government has picked a side on the Trans Mountain expansion project, unless she is suggesting that she is against creating good jobs, opening new markets for Canadian resources, and ensuring that Canada receives a fair price for them, because that is the opportunity we support.
Nor do I agree with any suggestion that respecting indigenous rights is just a formality. Our government has been very clear: no relationship is more important to Canada, and this government, than the one with indigenous people. The Prime Minister has said it countless times. It was a central tenet in our throne speech. It has informed and inspired everything we have done since, including our consultations on a framework for respecting and implementing indigenous rights that would fundamentally redefine that relationship, replacing confrontation with collaboration.
That is why we also implemented an interim approach for reviewing resource projects that includes supporting meaningful indigenous engagement and taking indigenous knowledge into proper account.
We introduced Bill C-69 so that good projects go ahead in Canada. It is legislation that would create new partnerships by recognizing indigenous rights up front and confirming the government's duty to consult. It is legislation that would not only require the consideration of indigenous knowledge but respect the need to properly protect it. It is legislation that would consider the impact of resource development on indigenous rights and culture in the decision-making process. It is legislation that would build capacity and enhance funding for indigenous participation, and it is legislation that would aim to secure free, prior and informed consent. That is is our record.
Now we are building on it by respecting the Federal Court of Appeal's decision on the TMX project and following its direction for enhancing indigenous consultations. That way forward includes relaunching phase 3 consultations with all 117 indigenous groups affected by the project. It also includes working with first nation and Métis communities and seeking their views on how to get phase 3 right; doubling the capacity of our consultation teams; ensuring that our government representatives on the ground have a clear mandate to conduct meaningful consultations and empowering them to discuss reasonable accommodations with indigenous groups on issues important to them; and, of course, appointing the former Supreme Court Justice, the Hon. Frank Iacobucci, as the federal representative to oversee the consultation process.
The evidence is overwhelming. We are committed to moving forward in the right way.
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Liu Receives the Noether Young Scholar Award
The American Statistical Association has selected Han Liu as the winner of this year’s Noether Young Scholar Award for for outstanding early career contributions to nonparametric statistics.
The Noether Young Scholar Award is given each year to an accomplished young researcher. This award is made to foster, encourage, and support both research and teaching in nonparametric statistics. The Noether Young Scholar will deliver an invited lecture the year after the award and be asked to report on research performed since receiving the award.
Liu Receives NSF CAREER Award
Prof. Han Liu has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, effective September, 1, 2015. The title of his project is "An Integrated Inferential Framework for Big Data Research and Education". Prof. Liu aims to develop a new generation of inferential tools for assessing uncertainty of complex statistical machine learning methods unique to Big Data analysis. The CAREER Award is the most prestigious award from the NSF in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.
Zhaoran Wang Wins Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship
Thu, January 22, 2015
Zhaoran Wang, a PhD student in the StatLab, was awarded a distinguished 2015 Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship. Out of the 169 applicants in north America, Zhaoran is one of only 12 winners.
The Microsoft Research PhD fellowship honors the best young minds in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Mathematics. Zhaoran, under the supervision of Professor Han Liu, is developing fundamental theoretical guarantees (both computational and statistical) for solving large-scale nonconvex learning problems. The two-year fellowship includes tuition, fees, and a yearly stipend.
Congratulations Zhaoran!
Fan Awarded The Guy Medal in Silver
Fri, March 7, 2014
Jianqing Fan has been awarded the Guy Medal in Silver of Royal Statistical Society for 2014 for his path-breaking research in high-dimensional statistical learning and inferences, important contributions to non-parametric and semi-parametric statistics, and his service to the international statistical community.
2014 S.S. Wilks Memorial Lecture by Peter Bickel
Princeton S. S. Wilks Memorial Lecture Series will feature two speakers per year, one from statistics (Spring term) and one from probability (Fall term).
This lecture series is funded by the S. S. Wilks Memorial Fund endowed in honor of the late Princeton Professor of Statistics Samuel Stanley Wilks.
The year, the speaker will be Peter J. Bickel from UC Berkeley.
Wednesday March 26, 2014, 5:00pm
Title: From Fisher to “Big Data”: Continuities and discontinuities
Abstract: In two major papers in 1922 and 1925 Fisher introduced many of the ideas ,parameters , sufficiency, efficiency, maximum likelihood, which when coupled with Wald’s decision theoretic point of view of 1950 have underlain the structure of statistics until the 1980’s.That period coincided ,not accidentally,with the beginnings of the widespread introduction of computers and our ability to use them to gather “big data” and implement methods to analyze such data .In this lecture I will try to see how the Fisherian concepts have evolved in response to the new environment and to isolate and study new ideas that have been brought in and where they have come from. Thus,I will argue that “sufficiency” has evolved to “data compression”,”efficiency” has had to include computational considerations, and issues of scale ,“parameters” and procedures such as “maximum likelihood” have had to be considered in the context of larger semi and nonparametric models and in robustness. The steady rise in computational capability during the last 30-40 years has enabled the implementation of the older Bayesian point of view .computer intensive methods such as Efron’s “bootstrap” as well as the introduction of the “machine learning” point of view and methods from computer science.I will try to support my argument from the literature ,some of my own work and my experience with ENCODE .a “Big Data” project in biology.
DataFest at Princeton: Mar. 28-30
Fri, January 31, 2014
DataFest is a data analysis competition where teams of up to five undergraduates have a weekend to attack a large and complex dataset. Your job is to find and communicate insights into these data. The teams that impress the judges will win prizes as well as glory. Everyone else will have a great experience, lots of food, and fun!
All Princeton undergrads are welcome to join the competition on Mar. 28-30. Registration is free.
Visit the link below for more information.
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PAULx
~ Tenet insanabile multos scribendi cacoethes
Tag Archives: Conservatives
Educational Landmines: Questioning the Pedagogy of Your Child’s School
Posted by Paul Kiser in About Reno, Business, College, Conservatives, Discrimination, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Higher Education, jobs, labor, Life, Nevada, parenting, Politicians, Politics, Public Image, racism, Religion, Reno, Science, Taxes, Universities, US History, Voting
administration, Conservatives, Education, Education methods, Management Practices, pedagogy, public education, Public Image, school boards, teachers, Washoe County School District, WCSD
Education 2020 – Part I: Criticizing Pedagogy
Dangers of Discussing Pedagogy
Before any discussion of education begins, one must accept that if a parent questions the pedagogy (the methods and practice of teaching) of their child’s school that they risk being attacked, especially by other parents. My personal experience has been that other parents may become passionate about how wonderful the school is, even if there is clear documentation of problems within the school.
Sadly, parents who do criticize their child’s school often lack the knowledge and understanding of pedagogy to intelligently discuss issues and concerns. This has created a long history of parent’s crying ‘wolf’ about problems in the school. Now, all parents are assumed to be uninformed and overprotective, and their concerns and issues to be insignificant.
However, parents do have a legitimate perspective on the education of their children. It must be assumed that the parent will be biased toward their own child, but that does not completely negate the perspective.
Who Are the Experts For Pedagogy?
Ideally, pedagogy should be influenced by people who have expertise in education. Experience and or advanced degrees in the field are factors, but should one educator’s opinions determine the pedagogy for all educators? Research is also a factor; however, simple data (graduation rates, test scores, etc.) is not research because this data is not peer-reviewed. Without peer review, critical questions are left unanswered regarding the validity of the data.
In our country’s current political climate, the idea of equal opportunity in education for all has been supplanted by education to meet the needs of corporations and religious interests. The decades-long effort of lower taxes and attacks on public schools have led conservatives to invade the school boards and districts to plant a new agenda that benefits particular groups. To support their agenda, conservatives often use single viewpoints of an expert touting his or her ‘years’ of educational experience, or advance degrees to support their political agenda.
Who Speaks For the Children?
Is there a legitimate voice in determining the pedagogy of our schools? Yes and no. Teachers and students are the core of education of our youth. Mentoring, not rigor should be the core of pedagogy in any legitimate school. Pedagogy should not be guided by what will make a student a better worker, but by what will develop the skills and ability of the student to make them a better person. Parents are biased, but parents should serve as an assistant to teachers regarding their child’s education.
Most administrators and politicians should not have a significant role in pedagogy simply because they may have a corrupted interest in what is best for the student. Cutting costs, serving political and/or religious interests, etc. should not be part of the teacher/student interaction.
Finally, research, not data, should be at the core of pedagogy. The research should be unbiased for gender, race, and/or socioeconomic status. Graduation rates are meaningless unless there it can be documented that graduating from high school has led to personal, economic, and social success in adult life after graduation. College-bound rates are meaningless unless the student actually succeeds in college and completes a degree. Test scores and standardized tests are meaningless unless it can be proven that high test scores relate to success in adult life.
The Education 2020
It is dangerous territory to initiate a discussion on pedagogy and education in the United States of America; however, it is absolutely necessary. The future is determined by the wisdom of the present. Now is the time to discuss and correct the derailment of pedagogy in our schools.
The purpose of the Education 2020 series is to continue the discussion, identify the problems, and seek solutions.
Why Are Conservatives Anti-Society?
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, All Rights Reserved, Business, Conservatives, Discrimination, Donald Trump, Economy, Education, Ethics, Gender Issues, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Gun control, Gun Extremists, Higher Education, History, Housing, labor, Nevada, Politicians, Politics, racism, Religion, Reno, Respect, Second Amendment, Taxes, United States, US History, Voting, Women
anti-society, Conservatives, Donald Trump, GOP, Gun control, gun extremists, gun laws, guns, hu, Immigration, immigration laws, Republicans, society, taxes, Trumpsters, Women
The conservative agenda is not society friendly. It is designed to benefit few and ignore the rest. The ideology of conservatism is based on an idea of keeping what is perceived to be good and avoiding risk-taking in the future. It assumes that there will be winners and losers so life is about making sure they are the winners.
Fear and Hate are the Entrees for Conservatives
Religions As Safe Harbor For Conservatives
Religions are typically conservative because most religions are built on a paradigm of preserving past traditions. Even the Christian religion is filled with rules and rituals that preserve the thinking of the past and are resistant to change. This is why so many Christians identify themselves with conservative thinking.
The idea that everyone is worthy and equal is usually rhetoric in religions mixed with a condescending effort to help those less fortunate. Often religions and conservatives blame the less fortunate for their own problems. They are the losers and a conservative often consoles hu’s* conscience by making offerings or volunteering to help the less fortunate.
A Liberal Perspective is in Direct Conflict with a Conservative
A conservative, by definition, is focused on preserving what they believe with the assumption that any other belief is irrelevant. It is easy to understand why anyone who has a liberal perspective is worthy of ridicule to a conservative because liberals tend to have a less cynical view of humanity.
Conservatives are driven by fear and self-preservation, while liberals are driven by hope. Conservatives need to believe that they are under threat. Examples of conservative thought consumed by selfishness and fear are:
All efforts in a society should be of direct benefit to the person paying taxes. Any money spent for the welfare of others is a target to conservatives and considered a waste of money. Conservatives often use rare examples of waste to ridicule spending for the benefit of less fortunate.
Conservatives use their fear of humanity to base a belief that a system of laws and impartial judgment are not effective. Conservatives believe that they should have the right to judge the actions of another person and execute them without trial. To the conservative, the term ‘defense’ justifies the instant execution of an unarmed person based on hu’s fear of that person.
Conservatives typically interchange hu’s racists beliefs with issues that target a particular race. Even though there is no significant immigration problem in the United States, conservatives manufacture a fear that immigrants are a threat. Immigration enforcement targets non-Caucasian races and typically ignore Caucasians.
Historically women have endured a subservient role in society. Conservatives want to preserve that subservient role and consciously and unconsciously act as if women are a lesser gender. In religion, a fear of women has pushed them into a role of service to men and the church.
Conservatives Anti-Society
The problem with conservative ideology is that the fear and hate of non-conservatives places them as the adversary of society. It divides the population, often along the lines of race and power. In their mind, everything is an ‘us-versus-them’ battle regardless of a lack of evidence.
This attitude impacts the effectiveness of our society as the concept of a few winners is at the expense of the rest of the population.
(*’Hu’s’ is a pronoun meaning ‘his’ and/or ‘hers.’)
Pence’s White Greed National Space Council
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Discrimination, Ethics, Exploration, Generational, Government, NASA, Politicians, Politics, Public Image, racism, Science, Space, SpaceX, Taxes, Technology, United States, US History, US Space Program, Women
bigotry, Board certified, Buzz Aldrin, Conservatives, Donald Trump, Eileen Collins, FAA, Mike Pence, NASA, National Space Council, racism, science teacher, SpaceX
Mike Pence, who is Donald Trump’s Number 1, but acts like he’s a Number 2, has recreated the National Space Council in his own image. The purpose of the group of is to channel taxpayers money out of government space program projects and give to the wealthy corporations. He seems blissfully unaware that the 29 member Council has the scientific qualifications, and diversity of race and political ideology of Republican fundraiser in Mississippi.
Pence’s Space Council of Non-Diversity
Mike Pence: The No Science Guy
Pence, who has less charisma and intelligence than former VP Dan Quayle, has put together a Council of primarily investor-owned corporations. No current NASA staff is included, and the former NASA employees on the Council have been retired from the agency an average of over 19 years.
In order to make sure the Council does not get caught up in any science issues, Pence has added five people who were selected because of their politically conservative resume, but devoid of any scientific qualifications.
However, there is one science teacher on the Council. No one seems to know who she is or what her qualifications are, but she is a “Board Certified Science Teacher.”
The National Space Kangaroo Council
The qualifications and interests of the National Space Council members are as follows:
Current NASA Staff (0)
None included
Current FAA Staff (0)
Former NASA Staff (7)
Buzz Aldrin, (Retired from NASA 46 years ago)
Walked on the Moon in 1969, retired from NASA 1971, retired from Air Force 1972, a proponent of space exploration, punched faked-Moon-landing-conspiracist Bart Sibrel in the face (Sibrel had it coming.)
Eileen Collins, (Retired from NASA 12 years ago in May)
Flew Space Shuttle four times, speaker at 2016 Republican National Convention
Homer Hickam, (Retired from NASA 20 years ago)
Former NASA engineer and author
Pam Melroy, (Retired from NASA 9 years ago)
Space Shuttle astronaut, former Lockheed Martin staff, former FAA staff, former DARPA staff.
Harrison ‘Jack’ Schmitt, (Retired from NASA 42 years ago)
Apollo 17 Astronaut and former conservative U.S. Senator. Believes climate change is natural, not human-caused
David Wolf, (Retired from NASA 5 years ago)
Space Shuttle astronaut and physician
Pete Worden, (Retired from NASA 2 years ago)
Former Air Force General and NASA Ames Center Director
Minor Space Background (1)
G.P. Bud Peterson, Served as a visiting research scientist for NASA during summers of 1981 and 1982. Chairperson of the National Science Council and President of the Georgia Institute of Technology
Private Corporations Seeking Taxpayer Money (15)
Tory Bruno, Formerly with Lockheed Martin. President and CEO of United Launch Alliance
Wes Bush, CEO of Northrop Grumman
Mary Lynne Dittmar, Former Boeing employee and NASA advisor, currently President, and CEO of the private space industry advocacy group Coalition for Deep Space Exploration
Former Admiral Jim Ellis, Board of Directors Lockheed Martin, Retired 4-star Admiral, former head of STRATCOM, and member of the Space Foundation Board of Directors
Tim Ellis, CEO of Relativity Space, a corporation seeking to build rockets with 3D printers and using no labor or astronauts
Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation
Les Lyles, Only African American on Council, Director for multiple corporations, retired Air Force in 2003 after a long history of working in various military defense missile capacities.
Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of the Boeing Company
Fatih Ozmen, CEO of the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) with headquarters in Nevada which doesn’t have income or corporate taxes; however, the operations are in Colorado.
Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation)
Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin
Eric Stallmer, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
David Thompson, Founder and CEO of Orbital ATK
Mandy Vaughn, President of VOX Launch Company
Stu Witt, Founder of Mojave Air and Spaceport, former Navy pilot, former Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
Conservatives Appointed For Their Political Ideology (No space industry qualifications) (5 + 2 Former NASA)
Dean Cheng, Political conservative working for the Heritage Foundation, a politically conservative organization
Eileen Collins, (See former NASA staff)
Steve Crisafulli, Former conservative politician, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
Newt Gingrich, conservative politician and former Speaker of the House
Governor Kay Ivey, Conservative Governor of Alabama
Fred Klipsch, Conservative promoting the defunding of public schools, Founder and Chairman of Hoosiers for Quality Education
Harrison ‘Jack’ Schmitt, (See former NASA staff)
Pamela Vaughan, Science Teacher
Maybe we didn’t win the space race after all.
Could David Brooks Be Correct About Being Wrong?
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, All Rights Reserved, Communication, Crime, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Gun control, History, Journalism, Mass Shootings, Mental Health, parenting, Politicians, Politics, Print Media, racism, Religion, Respect, Second Amendment, Traditional Media, United States, US History, Violence in the Workplace
Conservatives, David Brooks, GOP, Gun control, gun extremists, gun laws, gun lobby, NRA, Republicans, school shootings, Trumpsters
Damn him! Just when David Brooks seems to be defending a position on gun control that blames liberals for not being warm and fuzzy with gun extremists, he turns around and reconsiders his position. This is unacceptable! How can we establish a clear line in the sand when he says, “Maybe I’m wrong.” THE NERVE of that man!
David Brooks on Gun Control: Let Red Be Red
David Brooks has at least twice indicated that gun users should have a significant role in determining the parameters of gun ownership. Most recently he suggested that liberals should let the gun owners lead the discussion.
So if you want to stop school shootings it’s not enough to just vent and march. You have to let Red America lead the way, and to show respect to gun owners at every point.
David Brooks – 19 February
His position was to let gun extremists continue to do what they’ve been doing and maybe…maybe, someday they will let common sense return. For me, that position is a nonstarter. I know these gun extremists. They are from small towns like where I grew up. For at least 40 years they’ve been on a steady diet of “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” (I saw that bumper sticker on a truck in the 1970’s.)
Gun extremists have not been rational for decades. The constant statements that “they’re coming to git your guns” is oxygen to gun extremists. These are not gun owners, they are gun cultists. They have no business being part of a discussion about guns, let alone lead it.
He Said What??
But last Thursday David Brooks took a different perspective on the issue. He said:
Continued school shootings could be just the thing that persuades the mainstream that conservatism is vulgar and socially illegitimate, somewhere between smoking and segregationism.
David Brooks – 1 March
This is an understatement. Slaughtering seven-year-old children with an assault rifle should never be compared to smoking or segregationism.
However, his realization is something that our country hasn’t heard from conservatives in a long time. It is not likely to be shared by many gun extremists, but if it were, we would have the assault weapon ban reinstated in a matter of days.
The rest of the country is watching the trainwreck of conservatism. The lead engineers of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnel, and Paul Ryan are putting more power to the engine even as it falls off the trestle. The Trumpsters onboard are laughing and whooping with joy.
Conservatives have used a desperate tactic of building a coalition with racists, religious extremists, gun extremists, and corrupt people of wealth. An idea is growing among people of common sense. The question is not just asking how do we stop the madness. The question is how do make sure it never happens again. The answer to that question should have Trumpsters soiling their underwear. There is a cost to arrogance, and arrogance is only temporary.
My Diagnosis of David Brooks
I believe I know why David Brooks is able to consider different points of view on issues as divisive as gun control. First, he was born in Canada. (I’ll take a moment while most of you slap your forehead and say, “Of course!”)
Second, I believe that David Brooks has used,…please, hear me out,…I believe he has used LSD at some point in his life. Recently I read about a study where subjects were tested after they were given LSD and the results indicated that they were more open-minded.
So, my theory is that the combination of being born in Canada and taking LSD at some point can cause a conservative to consider issues from multiple viewpoints. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that our country has many conservative Canadians who have taken LSD.
Nobody said this would be easy.
(NOTE: David Brooks comments are published in the New York Times. Because this source uses a paywall to prevent sharing I have not linked to his full article per normal.)
Mass Shooters Not Criminals Before They Picked Up A Gun
Posted by Paul Kiser in Crime, Government, Health, History, Mass Shootings, Medicine, Mental Health, Politicians, Politics, US History, Violence in the Workplace
Columbine High School, Congress, Conservatives, gun, Gun control, gun laws, gun lobby, gun rights, gun violence, mass murders, Mass shootings, Mental Health, mentally ill, NRA, psychopath, Republican, suicide, Violence, Violence in the Workplace, Virginia Tech Massacre
Gun extremists like to portray the perpetrators of mass shooters as known criminals that should have been identified and stopped. That is a damn lie. Like millions of people in the United States, mass shooters often have anti-social behavior and/or involve themselves in hate-filled social media posts. Almost all of those people will not become a mass murderer. None of the mass shooters are identified as criminals until after they have picked up a gun and killed people.
Here is a list of the 20 worst mass shootings and indicators of instability prior to their crime:
TABLE 1.0 Worst 22 Mass Shooter Events in the USA
Millions of People Are Mentally Ill, Only a Few Kill
In some of the instances listed above the mental illness was known but was not an accurate predictor of the actions taken by the perpetrator. Almost all of the perpetrators were U.S. citizens, male, had easy access to guns, and/or was obsessed with gun ownership.
The five worst events have occurred after the ban on assault rifles was allowed to expire in 2004. Half of the top 22 mass shootings have happened in the last 18 years and the other half occurred in the 50 years prior.
More Guns, More Deaths
The simple fact is the explosion of gun ownership in the past three decades has resulted in an explosion of gun deaths. We are not safer now than we were 50 years ago, and while the funding for mental illness treatment is a factor, if guns weren’t easily accessible, the mentally ill would not have the opportunity to use them.
There are only three mass shooting events among the top 22 where the guns were not legally obtained. In two cases the guns were obtained because the criminal records of the perpetrator were not on record as they should have been. In the Columbine High School shooting, the two teenagers used friends to buy them guns. The other 19 events were people who had easy, legal access to the guns and if they hadn’t had that access, I wouldn’t need to write this article.
Understanding Global Warming and Cold Weather
Posted by Paul Kiser in About Reno, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Green, Health, Higher Education, Politics, Science, solar, Taxes, Technology, Universities
air masses, carbon dioxide, cold, cold air, Conservatives, Donald Trump, fluid dynamics, Global Energy Retention, Global warming, GOP, heat, meteorology, radiation, solar heating, solar radiation, storms, thermal dynamics, Trumpsters, warm air, water vapor, Weather, winter
Few things define a person’s intelligence than the ability to understand complex issues. Few things define a person’s stupidity than to take a complex issue and use a short-circuit of logic to make it sound simple.
Every winter some people prove their lack of intelligence and say something like, “I just shoveled five inches of global warming off my driveway.” This makes other small-minded people giggle, and the speaker feel like he has just proved he is smarter than all the intelligent, educated people.
He is not.
Global Warming and Winter Weather 101
To understand the threat of global warming a person first has to understand the effect of the Earth’s 23.5° tilt of its axis off the solar plane. I just lost 30% of the stupid people.
The Earth’s tilt causes one hemisphere (north or south) to receive more radiant energy than the other in the few months around the solstices. This means that one of the polar regions is receiving external heat from the Sun, and the other is receiving no solar energy because it is in darkness. I’m about to lose another 20% of the stupid people.
The cold air in the polar region would stay exactly where it is if it weren’t for the Laws of Thermal Dynamics. Ah, there they go. Okay, were down to the last 50% of the stupid people.
Among other things, thermal dynamics explain the behavior of the energy exchange between two substances, and Fluid Dynamics help to explain how a difference in temperature in a substance like air causes cooler air to mix with warmer air. I just lost another 25% of the stupid people. It was the ‘fluid dynamics’ thing, wasn’t it?
The greater the difference in temperature, the greater, or more actively, the warmer air will mix with the cooler air. If the last 25% of stupid people can just hang on, I’m almost there.
Because there is more carbon dioxide suspended in our atmosphere, it absorbs more of the solar radiation, and that increases the temperature of the air. That causes more water to vaporize and it also absorbs solar radiation and that further increases the temperature of the air. Damn, I lost another 10%.
During the northern hemisphere’s winter, the north polar region has a lot of cold air that desperately wants to mix with the warm air to the south to equalize the temperature between cold and warm. The greater the temperature difference, the more powerful the movement of the air toward each other. Okay, l just lost another 10%.
I see the blank faces of the last 5% of stupid people. Cold air is cold air. It remains cold as it moves toward the warm air. It is only after it mixes with warmer air (i.e.; storms) that the temperature of the two air masses begin to equalize. Oh, there go the last 5% of the stupid people.
For the rest of us, global warming creates warmer air masses and that can lead to the increased movement between the two air masses resulting in stronger winds and more cold air moving farther south. Also, warmer air can retain more water vapor, so when cold and warm air meet, the storms can result in higher precipitation.
School Vouchers Are About Religion and Racism, Not Choice
Posted by Paul Kiser in About Reno, Aging, College, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Higher Education, History, Honor, Politics, racism, Religion, Science, Taxes, Universities, US History, Women
Catholic Church, charter schools, Conservatives, GOP, Immigration, President Trump, President Ulysses Grant, private schools, Protestant Church, religion, religious schools, Republicans, schools, taxpayer funded, The Blaine Amendment
School vouchers are a campaign to steal money from the public school system and give it to parents to spend on private religious schools. It is born out of ignorance and racism in an attempt to take our country back to segregated schools. Schools consisting of well-financed white religious-based schools, and poorly funded minority public schools.
Nevada’s Illegal School Voucher Bill
In May of 2015, the Nevada conservatives won a major victory with a bill that stole money from the public school system and gave it to parents to use for alternate education, including school operated by religious organizations. The following month Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, whose children had attended a Catholic school, signed the bill into law, even though it clearly violated the Nevada Constitution that forbids taxpayer funding for a church-operated school.
The Klan Doesn’t Support Education for All
Fortunately, the Nevada Supreme Court stepped in and nullified the law, ending conservative’s attempt to steal money meant to offer education for all, and redistribute it to those in favor of education for a privileged few.
Public School Evolution
Public schools were established in the early and mid-17th century to overcome the problems created by parent-based education. (SEE: The Atlantic October 2017 on Public Schools) Parent-based education limited the advancement of future generations to the ignorance of their mother and father, who were both working full-time to maintain needs of the entire family.
Unfortunately, the early public schools primarily served white males. Over the next two hundred years public schools were refined to; 1) become compulsory, 2) include female students, 3) promote women as teachers, 4) expand curriculum, and 5) ultimately require education regardless of race.
The Protestant Conflict
Ironically, most early public schools were influenced, if not run, by Protestants. Their beliefs included the idea that children should have a broad-based education. The problem arose when a flood of Catholic immigrants created a conflict in the public education of children. When public schools became battlegrounds of differing church doctrines, it caused pointless disruption of the goal of education for all. Ultimately, the issue was indirectly resolved by President Ulysses Grant and Congressman James Blaine.
President Grant called for an amendment to the United States Constitution to forever separate church and state interests in education and forbidding public money to be spent on private schools. Congressman Blaine sponsored a bill to do exactly that and it passed in the House of Representatives. The Senate; however, failed to pass it by a two-thirds majority and the bill died.
However, individual States passed amendments to their Constitutions and eventually all but ten States adopted Blaine-type laws.
A Return to Past Mistakes
The post-Blaine Amendments environment have been an era of astonishing success in elevating the education of United States citizens. In 1950, only 34% of adults in this country graduated from high school. By 2010, the number of high school graduates increased to 90%. The miracle is that the increase in high school graduates occurred during the same period when the nation’s population doubled.
Despite this success, conservatives have made public education their target (SEE: Slate.com November 2016 on Trump Gutting Public Schools) for three reasons. First, conservatives don’t believe in paying taxes, especially when the money doesn’t directly help them, nor their families.
Second, conservatives believe that public-funded secular, unbiased education is biased because it doesn’t promote their personal egocentric and/or religious beliefs.
Third, conservatives are overwhelmingly white, and the idea of paying for the education of another race is repugnant to many of them. They advance the ideas that education is wasted on minorities. It is noteworthy that white people demanded that schools be segregated in the south. When the courts ruled that schools must be desegregated, white people began characterizing public education as failures. That was the beginning of the push for alternative school choices.
Don’t Look To The FBI To Bring Trump To Justice
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Crime, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, Honor, Management Practices, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, racism, Relationships, US History
Conservatives, FBI, FBI Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey, L. Patrick Gray, liberals, Nixon, President Richard Nixon, Watergate
Former FBI Director James Comey: A Man For No Seasons
FBI Director James Comey was fired by Donald Trump. Was it because he was protecting our country’s interest against an unethical, perverted, traitorous President, or did the Dark Lord have tantrum over a lack of absolute obedience?
There is little reason to believe that James Comey was prepared to act against Trump in the Russiagate investigation. Prior to being fired, Comey had declared to Congress that he believed it was perfectly acceptable to publicly announce unsubstantiated, baseless evidence against a Democratic presidential candidate just prior to an election; however, it was not acceptable to publicly announce substantiated evidence against a conservative and/or Republican prior to, or after an election.
He was correct. That is the role the FBI has historically taken, and continues today.
The FBI investigated Watergate from the moment the burglars were arrested. They had evidence that President Nixon, and his administration were involved, and yet, the FBI somehow failed to find the key evidence of a wider conspiracy that would eventually force Nixon out of office. While we don’t know the full extent of the FBI’s role in hindering the Watergate scandal, we do know the following:
A former FBI agent was recruited to wiretap the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate complex.
Acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray during Watergate
Acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray helped destroy Watergate evidence that came from a White House safe of Howard Hunt, eleven days after the burglary.
On October 10, 1972, less than a month prior to the election, the FBI publicly revealed a list of crimes that their investigation had uncovered to date, and that the crimes were linked to staff in the White House. Despite this announcement, the FBI, nor Department of Justice took no action, nor threatened action, giving credibility to White House denials of the facts. Nixon won the election by a landslide, largely because Nixon and his administration were able to convince people that the FBI’s lack of action proved their innocence.
It could be reasonably argued that, in October of 1968, the FBI and the Justice Department were in a state of confusion about the depth of the Democratic National Headquarters break in, spying, eavesdropping, and cover up. It is possible that no legal action occurred before the election due to their own lack of understanding of the real situation. It could also be argued that based on the involvement of past and current members of the FBI in the Watergate break in and subsequent cover up, that the FBI was caught in an internal struggle between protecting Nixon, and not looking like they were protecting Nixon.
J. Edgar Hoover and John and Robert Kennedy
The FBI has historically been a politically motivated investigative body that has a friendly relationship with conservatives, and an adversarial relationship with liberals. The 1987, four-part mini-series, Hoover vs The Kennedys: The Second Civil War, depicts the adversarial relationship of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had with President Kennedy and his brother Robert.
The FBI Director role has historically been defined by a cozy relationship with conservative politicians, and an adversarial role with liberal politicians. James Comey’s replacement will likely follow that tradition.
Conversations With Conservatives: The 37 Year Lie
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Communication, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, Higher Education, History, Honor, Human Resources, Management Practices, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Public Relations, racism, Religion, Respect, Space, Taxes, Technology, US History, Women
conservatism, Conservatives, economic growth, economy, Employment, GDP, Gross domestic product, high paying jobs, Iran Contra Affair, Iran Hostage Crisis, job growth, jobs, President Richard Nixon, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Watergate
(NOTE: This is Part II of this article. Read Part I, here.)
The social and economic issues that people are concerned about in the United States of America don’t necessarily fall along party lines. Some issues, like immigration and applying religion to public policy, have a distinct political division; however, many other issues cross the lines of the ideologies.
In conversations with conservatives I learned that the deep division between conservatives and liberals can be traced back 37 years, to when Republicans managed to break the hold of Democratic leadership of our country in 1980. For 37 years, conservatives have been able to maintain control of our country by singing one anthem, ‘Everything is the government’s fault, and business is the solution.’
Ronald Reagan: Founder of the Cult of Conservatism
Ronald Reagan was elected on the idea that Democrats had failed the country. It was an easy story to sell for one reason. The Iran Hostage Crisis. Every night the news reminded our country of how many days our citizens had been held and humiliated by a group of Iranian students. Most in the United States did not understand the complexities of the situation, and were angry that we didn’t go to war with Iran.
The result was to give Republicans an early opportunity to erase the shame caused by Richard Nixon’s illegal involvement in fixing the 1972 presidential elections during the Watergate affair. The Hostage Crisis ended at the exact hour that Reagan was sworn in as President, a coincidence that causes questions of Republican collusion with the Iranian government during the crisis. Suspicions of collusion were raised again when Reagan’s administration worked a bizarre deal to sell arms to Iran several years later during the Iran/Contra Affair.
The Big Lie
Reagan is famously quoted in his first Inaugural speech when he said:
….government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem…”
Ronald Reagan, January 1981
The demonization of government was necessary for conservatives to achieve their goals. Government is the ethical referee that prevents business from underpaying employees, polluting for profit, abusing and endangering the customer, engaging in banking practices that protect the account holder, etc. Government oversight and regulation keeps business from devouring itself in greed.
Additionally, government collects business taxes for the privilege of having access to our country’s rich consumer markets. By eliminating these taxes, business could keep more of the spoils of capitalism and drain revenues from the entity that kept business fair and ethical.
The other shoe dropped by conservatives was to preach that the solution to our problems was business. In the holy corporate world, business was the shining light on the hill for all to worship.
37 Years Later: The Cult of Conservatism
In my conversation with average conservatives I have discovered that conservatism has now become a cult. The code word for a conservative is ‘fiscal conservatism.’ Ask anyone who votes for a Republican candidate why they vote for the party they will automatically answer, “I believe in fiscal conservatism.” They don’t even pause.
For conservatives, issues are caused by government and solved by business. Among the issues discussed with conservatives I learned the following:
Finance regulation: Conservatives believe that the government is at fault and less regulation will solve the problem, even though a lack of regulation and business greed caused the 2007-8 financial/bank crisis.
Housing Inflation/Bubbles: Conservatives that government is the problem because…I didn’t get an answer on this, but the free market will solve the problem, even though the bubbles that occur with rapid housing price increases are caused by capitalisticitic factors, not government involvement.
Economy: Conservatives believe that business is the creator of jobs and growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and government inhibits both. The evidence contradicts this as job and GDP growth have been anemic under almost 35 years of Republican economic policies, and the pre-conservative period of government initiated infrastructure projects and the space program generated massive job and GDP growth.
Healthcare: Conservatives believe that government has been the cause of uncontrolled price increases in healthcare and drug prices, even though it’s the lack of government regulation that has allowed the price increases, especially in the prescription drug market, where Republicans pushed for, and passed an end to competitive market that would help to restrict price increases.
Trump and Republicans have succeeded in creating a cult-like status around the concept that government is the problem and business is the solution…and like any cult, the believers surrender themselves to ‘faith.’ Truth and facts are fiction to a conservative.
The Republican party has no need to be logical, compromising, or reasonable. Their believers have no choice but to hate government, and worship business.
Conversations With Conservatives
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Crisis Management, Customer Service, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, Higher Education, History, Honor, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, Taxes, Technology, US History
2008, conservatism, conservative, Conservatives, corruption, deregulation, Drug prices, economy, GOP, Healthcare, healthcare reform, Housing crises, Housing inflation, jobs, Regulations, Republican, Republicans, Unemployment
Recently I have had a couple of face-to-face, civil conversations with conservatives. The conversations gave me a better understanding of how Donald Trump and the Republican party have managed to stay in power for the last 37 years.
Among the issues we discussed:
Finance regulation: Banks unethical practices
Housing inflation: Housing prices increasing too fast
Economy: Not growing fast enough
Jobs: Not enough good paying jobs
Healthcare: Taking care of people who can’t afford healthcare, keeping healthcare costs down
Drug pricing: Prescription drug unfettered pricing
Government or Business Corruption?
There are many more issues; however, the ones discussed offer insight to the driving attitude of conservatives. It was not surprising that conservatives believe that the government is inherently corrupt. They also have an unshakable opinion that business and capitalism are the solution to almost every social and/or economic problem.
When asked about the above issues, conservatives will automatically assume the problem can be attributed to government corruption, interference, or mismanagement. They also believe that government is holding back, or preventing from business solving the problem.
It is admirable that most conservatives don’t need, nor care if their opinions have no proof, or facts to support their position. Even when it is apparent that business is/was the cause of the problem, conservatives have the ability to double down on the fallacy and ignore anything that contradicts their opinion.
Cause of the Housing Crisis: Business as Usual Unethical
Regulation: The False Enemy
In one conversation I was told of how a bank sold the fixed rate housing loan of this person to another bank and the new bank raised the interest rate without the consent of the owner. Though the person kept paying on the loan, they were finally told that they were in arrears on the loan because they had failed to pay the additional interest on the new loan. Ultimately, the person was forced into either spending thousands of dollars on legal fees, or walking away from the house.
Three factors are key to this situation. First is the greed of the banks to make more money for the investors. Second is the lack of ethics by the bank. Finally, the lack of government oversight over the banks to prevent them from selling the loan, remaking the loan, and then forcing the homeowner into foreclosure.
Business was the corrupt party in this situation, and a lack of government oversight was the contributing factor; however, to the conservative, this was another example of a corrupt government.
NEXT: The Thirty-Seven Year Lie
USA following Nazi Germany’s Path
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, History, Honor, Politics, Taxes, US History
Adolf Hitler, civil war, Conservatives, Donald Trump, Hitler, Nazi, Nazi Germany, racism, racists, Steve Bannon, Tea Party, totalitarian, Vladimir Putin
Leader of Our Fall
This election has been horrifying to not only liberals, but to people even within the ranks of the Republican party. Now that Donald Trump is in office, the horrors are becoming a reality. I don’t have to review all the depravities of Trump for anyone to prove how irrational it was for a nation of immigrants to select him as our leader.
What is even more disturbing is how we are closely mirroring Germany in 1933. In the 1920’s, Germany broke up into multiple political groups that polarized the country into extremism. It became so bad, that the different groups could only agree on dissolving the existing government, and couldn’t put together enough of a new government to get anything done. There were five general elections from 1930 to 1933 and people became weary of voting. In addition, the Nazi party began encouraging gangs to intimidate people to keep them from voting.
When Adolf Hitler came to power, it was not by a coup, but by a legal appointment that was made with the expectation that he would quickly be humiliated and would fail. Instead he and his supporters used various subversive methods to instigate a reaction from key groups. Once they reacted he used those events to justify implementing a state of emergency that put him in total control.
In addition, the Nazi party sent out gangs to perform quiet executions of any opposition leaders, which swept away dissent from Germany in a five month period. Before anyone could stop him, Hitler was not only the civilian leader, but he and his appointees were in direct and exclusive control of the internal and external military enforcement over the population.
Steve Bannon: Behind the scenes leader of the Caucasian Coup
The United States is in a similar environment to Germany in the early 1930’s. We have multiple extremist groups that have torn apart the normal civil political environment. Conservatives, like the Nazi party, no longer seek to offer rational, truthful discussion, but rather choose to fire up their base with politicized deception and lies that create more extremism.
Trump is activating a plan to subvert his opposition and end all oversight of his administration. He has flooded the government with appointees that will wipe out a government by the people and for the people, and convert it into a totalitarian government by and for white people.
The Communist Influencer of Trump
He is intentionally generating outrage at his actions in an effort to create a violent reaction in order to use turn the military and law enforcement on the citizens to silence the opposition. If he is successful, it will signal the endgame of conservative domination of our country, and create a Nazi-like state that is loyal to Vladimir Putin.
The End of Reliable Polling?
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Communication, Education, Government, Higher Education, Opinion, Politics, Technology, US History
2016, Conservatives, Donald Trump, Election, Election 2016, Elections, Hillary Clinton, polling, polling data, Presidential candidates, Presidential race
Latest Huffington Post poll
Tomorrow night the United States of America may be in for a shock. Donald Trump is going to lose, but the question is by how much. I think the loss will be surprising. I am not a statistician, nor do I have access to polling data, but there is a reality that polls don’t take into account for in today’s world. Intelligent people don’t like to respond to polls.
Phone calls at home are annoying to everyone, but decades of abuse by telemarketing companies and caller ID technology have made answering the phone without knowing who is calling a vestige of the past. Polls rely on talking to people on the phone, and when people don’t answer, polls don’t work.
This impacts this election year because there is a bias in those who support Donald Trump and those who support Hillary Clinton. Just look at interviews of Trump supporters. These people can’t shut up. They have no ability to filter themselves, and they are desperate to tell people how much they don’t know. Trump supporters are begging for attention, and when someone calls them to ask them their opinion, they leap at the opportunity.
Clinton supporters are not as eager to make a spectacle of themselves. You don’t see Clinton supporters trying to be seen by the news media, and it would be logical that they don’t want to answer annoying, twenty-minute phone calls that ask them personal questions.
In addition, many conservative campaigns are putting out manipulative polls that force people into answering the questions in their favor, so they can appear to be leading. Intelligent people can recognize this, while Trump supporters fall for it.
I predict that Trump will lose by twenty points or more.
Sanders Supporter’s Big Blunder
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, College, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Higher Education, History, Politics, Pride, Taxes, Universities, US History, Women
2016, Bernie Sanders, Congress, Conservatives, Donald Trump, Election 2016, House of Representatives, Presidential candidates, Presidential election, Senate, Senator Bernie Sanders, supporters
The biggest mistake of Sander’s supporters is the ignoring the opportunity they have in front of them.
Sanders has lost the nomination, and the attempt to destroy the Democratic Party is not going to change that fact. Beyond whining, the main message I hear from Sander’s supporters is that it is time for changing the status quo.
Liberal and progressive people are unified in investing our money in people, not corporations. They are unified in maintaining strong government regulations that level the playing field in every commercial endeavor, including the banking and finance industry. Most Clinton supporters would completely agree that current government established by conservatives, for conservatives, and against the citizens of the United States, must be fixed.
The problem is that neither Hillary Clinton, nor Bernie Sanders can get anything done if both the House of Representatives and the Senate are run by conservative.
This is the big blunder of Sander’s supporters. Hillary Clinton will be ruled and regulated by Congress. If Sander’s supporters really want to see change, they need to stop wasting time on a lost cause, and start identifying the politicians that will focus on fixing our country, not shutting it down.
If Congress voted for a law to force banks to be smaller, and added new regulations, Clinton would have to accept it. To go to war with her own party would end her Presidency. If Clinton feels that Congress is too liberal, she will have to either get on board, or be humiliated.
Sanders supporters don’t understand this, because if they did, they would be one hundred percent focused on Congressional races, and not drooling at the idea of destroying the Democratic National Convention. There is nothing that will happen in Philadelphia this July, because it is meaningless. National political conventions are all show, and no substance.
The alpha and omega of positive changes in our country will be in the hands of Congress. If the dust settles in November and the Republicans still have control of either the House or the Senate, nothing, absolutely nothing will change.
Ironically, the real catalyst for change is in the hands of the Sanders supporters, but they have no idea of what to do with what the power they have in changing Congress.
5 Reasons Why Sanders Should Be the Democratic VP Nominee
Posted by Paul Kiser in Branding, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, Passionate People, Politics, Taxes, The Tipping Point, US History, Women
2016, Bernie Sanders, Congress, Conservatives, Democrats, Dems, GOP, Hillary Clinton, House of Representatives, President, Presidential race, Republican, Republicans, Senate, vice president, White House
Bernie Sanders is passionate, if he is anything
Bernie Sanders as Vice President. It’s not going to happen. It seems like the logical move, but there are too many forces working against it. Hillary Clinton will not want an adversary as Vice President. Sanders won’t want to play second fiddle. Contributors for the Clinton campaign will fear Sanders influence in the White House. The list goes on.
However, Sanders as Vice President is exactly what our nation needs:
ONE: He will energize the ticket and bring in supporters who might not vote
Sanders will bring in the youth vote, who very well may walk away if he’s not on the ticket. A Clinton/Sanders ticket will end any chance for a Republican win. The best they can hope for is to try to keep the House of Representatives, which is unlikely with Trump at the top of their ticket.
Hillary Clinton needs Sanders as her liberal standard-bearer
TWO: He could be tasked with helping Democrats take back the House and Senate
There is no doubt that for Sanders to see anything on his agenda achieved, the Democrats have to control government. He would be the perfect catalyst to make that happen.
THREE: As Vice President, Sanders can push a liberal agenda
Sanders is relentless on changing the conservative status quo. Even before he would be sworn into office, he will put conservatives on the defensive, instead of taking the offensive as they did when Barack Obama was elected in 2008.
FOUR: Sanders on the ticket creates a big win
Red States, like Arizona, might turn to voting Blue if Sanders is on the ticket. Certainly, Clinton will beat Trump, but the win has to be so large that the unintelligent, immature, and racist Trump supporters must be humiliated. Sanders can make that happen.
FIVE: Clinton will do better with a team of rivals
A spirited debate within the administration will lead to better decisions. Liberals value intelligence, logic, and empathy, and that requires a thorough examination of all viewpoints. Sanders would be a key element in challenging the paradigms of politics, economics, and social values.
Populism is a Symptom of the Failure of People, Not Government
Posted by Paul Kiser in Communication, Education, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, Honor, Politics, Religion, Respect, Social Media Relations, Taxes, Traditional Media, US History
2016, Bernie Sanders, Conservatives, Democrats, Donald Trump, Elections, James Madison, Mara Lisasson, Politics, populism, populist, Republicans
Mara Liasson, NPR Political Correspondent/Fox News Contributor
Mara Liasson, political correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR,) reported on the Morning Edition segment that populism is a major force in this year’s Presidential campaigns, and she wanted to find out what effect it might have after the election.
In her report she featured people who feel ‘left behind.’ Her first interview was with a proud ‘Hillbilly.’ Her next interview was with Kathy Kramer, a political science professor from the University of Wisconsin. Liasson described Professor Kramer as one who has spent the last eleven years talking to Wisconsin people who “felt ignored, or dismissed by politicians, the media, the government, or big business.”
Liasson suggested through her story and her featured interviewees, that the Populism movement is not just a 2016 event, and is likely to have an impact in future elections.
Populism is not new to organized societies, and according to James Madison, is not an action that leads to a better society. In the Federalist No. 10 paper, Madison refers to populists movements as people,
Author, Political theorist, Constitutionalist, President of the United States of America
…who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.
Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have tapped into the passions of many people, and at least in the case of Trump, exploited people who seek to impose their beliefs and interests on those who disagree with them. Madison continues his description of populist-type movements later in the same paper,
A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practices…have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good.
Missed in Liasson’s report is that the root cause of their dissatisfaction of government and politicians, the feeling of being left behind, is a direct result of the types of leaders that voters have been electing since Ronald Reagan in 1979. The populists anger, among conservatives, seem to be a combination of electing the wrong people, inciting a belief that the caucasian male is superior, and a desire to inflict personal religious beliefs as public law. Add to the their misplaced emotions, a failure to use reason to examine the issues effectively, and we have what James Madison described 228 years ago.
We can’t fix government or politicians until we fix the people. Madison knew that, but what Madison may not have known was that the twenty-first century news media would accept populist movements as valid political thought, when it is simply public masturbation of the uneducated, immature, and egocentric mind.
Trump Supporters: The Brown Stain On USA’s Underwear
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, College, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Higher Education, History, Honor, Politics, Religion, Taxes, Universities, US History, Women
Conservatives, Donald Trump, lies, New York Times, Politico, Republican, Republicans
There are two things that are true about this Presidential election year. First, Donald Trump is a pathological liar, and second, that his supporters represent the worst examples of citizens of United States of America.
Lies of a Political Whore
Donald Trump says: the man who rushed the stage at him in Dayton, Ohio, “had chatter about ISIS, or with ISIS” in his social media posts.
Donald Trump says: “GDP was zero essentially for the last two quarters.”
Donald Trump says: Under the Iran nuclear deal, “we give them $150 billion, we get nothing.”
Donald Trump says: Common Core is “education through Washington D.C.”
Donald Trump says: The wives of the 9/11 hijackers “knew exactly what was happening” and went back to Saudi Arabia two days before the attacks to watch their husbands on television flying the planes.
Donald Trump says: Mahatma Gandhi once said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
Donald Trump says: “the New York Times can write a story that they know is false” yet “they can’t basically be sued.”
Donald Trump says: “We (Trump University) have an ‘A’ from the Better Business Bureau.”
Donald Trump says: “If it weren’t for me … (illegal immigration) wouldn’t even be a big subject.”
Donald Trump says: On the Iraq war, “I said it loud and clear, ‘You’ll destabilize the Middle East.’ “
Voldemort’s Big Lies
Donald Trump says: “I don’t know anything about David Duke.”
Donald Trump says: Ted Cruz “said I was in favor in Libya. I never discussed that subject.”
Donald Trump says: that in the Philippines more than a century ago, Gen. John Pershing “took 50 bullets, and he dipped them in pigs’ blood,” and shot 49 Muslim rebels. “The 50th person, he said, ‘You go back to your people, and you tell them what happened.’ And for 25 years, there wasn’t a problem.”
Donald Trump says: “Don’t believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment. The number’s probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”
Trump Speaks the Lies of the Uneducated, Old, White
Since 2007, the only Presidential candidate that has a worse record than Donald Trump of lying, is Dr. Ben Carson, and Trump has twice as many “Pants on Fire” lies as even Carson. Donald Trump has built his campaign on incitement of the older, less educated, white people who see themselves as victims based on lies and misconceptions they created. Trump is loved by his supporters for ‘speaking the truth’ and ‘saying what no one else will say,’ which is to say, he is gaining their love by saying what they want to hear. Trump validates their view of the world, even though everyone else knows he’s lying.
The demographics of Trump supporters are the people the type of people who blame everyone else for their lot in life. Only 19% have a college degree. More than 80% are over age 45. Only 15% of Hispanics said they support Trump, and only 9% of African-Americans favored Trump.
Trump supporters are the opposite end of the model citizen, and based on multiple incidents and media interviews with them, they are violent and susceptible to the type of incitement that Trump offers in his rallies. They are misfits who don’t believe in anything that doesn’t match their dysfunctional view of the world.
Every time Trump lies to gain their support, they interpret it as a confirmation of all that they want to believe to be true. They believe they are the chosen ones by birth and through Trump, they will take their rightful place as the superior race, and the rest of us shall fall to our knees and worship them.
5 Reasons I No Longer Feel The Bern
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Branding, Communication, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Taxes, US History, Women
2016, Bernie Sanders, Conservatives, Democrats, Donald, GOP, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, liberals, Politics, President, Republicans
Nevada was an early caucus state. Caucus is Latin for a divisive meeting of unified people and, from the word, ‘caca,’ meaning excrement.
Hillary Clinton: In her 3rd decade of fighting for a government by the people
Prior to the Nevada caucus I was unsure who I was supporting. I always have liked Hillary Clinton, but I have been a little frustrated with the moderate viewpoint that we can all work together, when extremist conservatives have proven that we really can’t. I considered myself leaning towards Bernie Sanders until the February 11th Democratic debate, and then I began to realize that Bernie is not the man to lead this country.
1. Bernie: The One-Song Musical
In the February 11th Democratic debate I realized that Bernie Sanders has latched on to a handful of speaking points and beats them to death at every rally. I don’t really care what Hillary Clinton said in her speeches to any big bank, but I do appreciate she has their attention. Bernie’s harping on a few minor meaningless issues is exactly what conservatives have been doing for decades and I’m sick of it. We don’t need a leader to spend four years of blaming other people for small faults when we have the rise of a second Confederacy in our country that seeks to destroy everything we stand for in the United States.
2. Bernie Supporters: All Flash, No Dignity, No Honor, No Substance
I live next to the University of Nevada, so we have a lot of college students in our precinct. Needless to say our precinct went almost entirely for Bernie Sanders. They were all excited about themselves and how they were the voice of change. They were also rude and undignified in their manner of supporting their candidate. Both the elected President and Secretary of the caucus were Bernie supporters and wearing Bernie tee shirts and buttons. At one point, the Secretary, who did nothing during the meeting, walked in front of the fifteen Clinton supporters and announced to the room, “I’m not voting for Hillary. I’d never do that.”
But the real issue for me was when an envelope was passed around to help the Democratic Party. I went to at least thirty people before me, and none of them put any money in it. Not even a quarter. I put twenty dollars in it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it came back with only that amount. None of the Sanders supporters were committed to helping the Democratic party. They were just there to pleasure themselves.
We don’t need screamers for leaders
3. Bernie: Howard Dean’s Scream Over and Over Again
Every time I see Bernie Sanders speak, I see Howard Dean. Sanders is not passionate, he’s irrational. After he loses an election or caucus, he starts talking about momentum, as if losing is a good thing because the campaign is about momentum, not issues.
“What this entire campaign has been about is the issue of momentum….”
Bernie Sanders, after losing Nevada
It’s the ‘say nothing’ approach to communication that has no meaning, just key words strung together to incite applause. It’s not leadership, it’s Trumpmanship.
4. Bernie: Leadership Via Destruction
Much of Sanders campaign has devolved into leadership via destruction. I agree with him on most of the issues, but in his speeches he tends to present himself as a dragon slayer and yet, he comes off more like Don Quixote. I supported him when he stayed on topic, but now he seems stuck on a message of attack rather than building. That’s not the route I support for someone to become President.
5. Bernie: Bottomless Pit of Promises
It the past seven years have proven anything, it has proven that the President can do very little if he or she has a Congress that is not on the same page. Promises by a presidential candidate are the fairy dust of politics. What we need to hear from a Democratic Presidential candidate is:
…elect me, AND elect these Democrats for Congress, and we will get Citizens United overturned, a ban on assault weapons restored, improve the healthcare system, ….
Speeches are the leverage of action. If a candidate for President of the United States of America is truly seeking action, he or she needs to accept that their speech should acknowledge the path to action requires the citizen to do more than just elect her or him.
TRUMP: Product of 35 Years of Conservatism
Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Higher Education, History, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, Religion, Taxes, US History, Women
Cliven Bundy, Conservatives, Donald Trump, George W. Bush, GOP, John Boehner, Mitt Romney, Republican, Republicans, Ronald Reagan, Tea Party
President Ronald Reagan: Actor, Cowboy, FBI Informant, Destroyer of Good Government
On January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan became President. Before he was elected this actor, FBI-informant, dictator-like Governor was a minor figure in national politics. His rise to power came after the collapse of the Republican party in the post-Watergate era. Reagan became the new face for disgraced conservatives. He rose to power by becoming the Great White demigod for Caucasian males.
After Nixon proved the lack of morals of the Republican party, there were two choices. The first choice to would be to humbly accept the failure of ethics within the party and commit to an honest approach to serving our government. The second choice would be to double down and make the party even less ethical than it was before Nixon’s gang of Dirty Tricksters.
The party chose to double down and go for the gullible voter. Conservatives became two-faced. The outward face was a facade of saying anything to suck in the weak and the stupid, and the other face was the hidden face of power and corruption that steered the true agenda of the party.
Conservatives Made Government Corrupt
Federal, State, and local government had brought us out of the depression, created the interstate highway system, and put us in space. Those achievements set the stage for a prosperous country that had a new power infrastructure, 20th century transportation system, and was on the leading edge of technology. In addition, cities and towns had new water and sewer systems, and new schools to elevate the level of education for everyone in the United States.
President John F. Kennedy: Making Big Government Do Great Things
Our country was great, because our government was great.
However, our government also maintained the balance of fairness for all citizens. Our government held corporations to higher standards. If an airline wanted to have a route that was a financial goldmine, they also have to serve a smaller community that wouldn’t have air service under the typical business greed motivation. Conservatives had to make government evil in order to gain public support to destroy it.
Undercutting Government
The first step was to bankrupt the government. That was a job for the Reagan administration. To the public he railed against the size of government and proclaimed that taxes were too high. In 1981, he cut taxes for the lowest wage earners by 3%, (from 14% down to 11%,) but slashed taxes on the super rich by 20%, (from 70% to 50%.) along with slashing estate taxes and corporate taxes for the rich and powerful.
Then in 1986, he slashed taxes again for the super wealthy from 50% to 28%, but INCREASED the taxes on those least able to pay from 11% to 15%. In the end he had increased taxes on the lowest wage earner by 2% and decreased taxes on the super wealthy by 42%.
At the same time, Reagan increased federal spending through massive and wasteful military spending that put the country’s economy on the brink of disaster. This would all be sold to the public as the failure of our government, not the insane policies of a conservative economic madman.
Radicalized Right
Cliven Bundy – Created in Ronald Reagan’s Image (photo credit cnn.com)
With the humiliation of the Nixon presidency, conservatives had to find support in citizens who were susceptible to manipulation, as they had lost the trust of most of the intelligent citizens of our country. They began seeking out false problems that would win favor with the lesser intelligent white person.
Issues like gun ownership, Christian extremism, racism targeting Hispanics, demonizing public education, and laws targeting women, minority voters, and gays became the banner of the conservatives. All of these issues appealed to the least intelligent white male who sought to blame others for their failures.
By raising these false issues, the people who were gullible felt empowered and believed that conservatives had become their voice for issues that existed only in the minds of weak, insecure, racists. The white male and his spouse saw conservatives as angels of a mythical God of white people who would bring back the United States to be something it never was before.
Obstruct, Obstruct, Obstruct: Do Nothing Conservatives
George W. Bush became the final straw in our country to expose the failure of conservatives. He followed the conservative ideology to the letter and when it all failed, conservatives distanced themselves as quickly as possible. By 2008, every idea of conservatives was proven to be a failure and had destroyed our government and our economy.
The GOP’s Biggest Loser, To Become Their Last Hope?
Trump’s Chump?
Speaker John Boehner’s Puppet Master
Conservatives: Go F**k Yourselves America
Ted Nugent: America’s Epic Fail
John McCain still bitter about 2008?
Senator Mitch McConnell: “Election, what election?”
Rove’s laughing now.
Bush Logic: Trust me. I know what I’m doing
Rick Santorum – Extremist’s Lap Dog…but he’ll support Romney…didn’t you get his eamil?
Conservative Investigation: Celebrate males testify about women’s contraception
Rush Limbaugh Wants Sex Videos
Bachmann, Perry, Cain all served up what Evangelicals wanted
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley
Angle: Manning up in stupid
3rd Place in Miss Alaska, attended five different colleges in four years (one of them twice,) and 1/2 term Governor of Alaska (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Donald Trump: The anti-American candidate
Still, conservatives refused to accept reality and took the one action left for them. Try to sabotage any program or law that would repair our country. During their reign of terror on the United States they had managed to gerrymander districts across the country to keep a conservative majority in the House of Representatives. That was enough to give conservatives the ability to prevent any effective action to fix our government, which allowed them to promote the myth that our government was broken, even though it was conservatives who were breaking it. Any attempt to circumvent this tactic was declared to be an affront to the Constitution and the separation of powers.
The Product of Conservative’s Lunacy
Trump: The Political Whore of Stupid, White People
Thirty-five years of conservative politics and distilled out all rationality in the Republican party. The party has degenerated to the point that the most successful candidate to win the Republican presidential nomination has to incite the worst elements of our country into believing that we are doomed and that the best course of action is to elect the people who have consistently failed.
Trump is the bastard child of Reagan’s legacy. He is the champion of the citizen with the mentality of a eight-year old boy. He enables stupidity as a way to govern our country. He will give his supporters whatever excites them as long as he doesn’t have to be around them too much. Trump is what happens when an ideology refuses to accept its own failure.
Five Fixes For Our Primary/Caucus Fiasco
Posted by Paul Kiser in Government, Information Technology, Internet, Politics, Taxes, US History
Caucus, Caucuses, Conservatives, Democrat, Democrats, GOP, Iowa, New Hampshire, Primaries, Primary, Republican, Republicans
Voting FAIL
For decades we have been given this advice about our system for electing Presidents: “If it’s broken, don’t try to fix it.”
People get nervous about elections and major changes are automatically assumed to create new problems…and it’s true. Any change will create new issues; however, the question is whether or not the new issues are really significant, or whether they are just the Elmer’s in the room who try to find a problem even if it is absurd.
First, we have to accept that our current political system works for some people. People with money and power really, really like the current system because it is easy to manipulate. In addition, people who have more pull in the political system than they should have really, really like it because the current system gives a handful of Iowans and New Hampshirites much more of a punch to our political system than they should have under an all voices are equal” system.
But the United States of America is spiraling out of control because our system of electing our leaders has become a type of reality TV show where entertainment is rewarded and common sense is punished. So how do we fix it?
ONE: Corporations Are NOT People
It is hard to fathom how absurd the justification was for the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Citizens United. Free speech is our greatest foundation of democracy. Each person has a right to voice his or her opinion. What the Supreme Court did was to dilute our voice and say that not only do individuals have free speech rights, but some privileged individuals can amplify their voice to have a greater access to free speech than the common individual. It’s a perversion of the First Amendment and everyone knows it.
The ruling has to be reversed if our political system is to be restored.
TWO: Tax Big Donors
The mega-contributor to political campaigns is now the tail wagging the political dog. Our country’s dignity has been slowly eroded by the wholesale purchasing of politicians by wealthy individuals and organizations. Yes, that means unions and corporations.
Contributions that exceed $500 in a two-year period given directly or indirectly to a campaign or cause should be taxed at 100%. Give a million dollars to a campaign, pay an additional $999,500 to the government entity the candidate or cause will serve or impact.
THREE: Government Established Primaries
The idea that political parties can establish any method of choosing a candidate is ridiculous. It plays into the hands of the buffoon who suddenly decides that the method was unfair and then we are off to the courts. Every State should have a Primary, not a Caucus and it should be done under the same rules in every State.
FOUR: Fifty Primaries in Fifty Days
By lottery pull the names of each State. The first State pulled holds their primary on February 1st. The second State pulled has their primary on February 2nd, etc. Candidates can begin campaigning in a State three weeks before the primary for that State.
FIVE: Use both Internet and In-Person Voting
Voting is going to be done by the Internet. It’s coming. Why not start with the primaries? Keep the in-person option available, but allow people to vote on a secure website.
Each registered voter is given a unique code for each election. They register for the election website and set up a password. On the election date they sign in, enter their unique code, and vote.
Time to Repeal Republicans
Posted by Paul Kiser in Branding, Business, Communication, Ethics, Government, Government Regulation, Health, History, Opinion, Politics, Public Image, Religion, Respect, Taxes, US History, Women
2016, Congress, conservative, Conservatives, Election, GOP, Healthcare, Obamacare, Paul Ryan, Republican, Republicans, Speaker of the House, Tea Party
The Republican party can’t help themselves. They are born to do the wrong thing.
Paul Ryan – Leader of the Stupid (Image credit: Wall Street Journal
Edgar Votes GOP (Image credit: Columbia Pictures
The United States of America was established on the principle that everyone is equal. Yes, there were some many of our founders who didn’t see African Americans as equals, nor were women seen as equals, but they probably also didn’t believe that the Earth orbited the Sun.
Over time we learned that all humans are truly equal. Over time we adopted a system of government that was committed to protecting the rights of ALL people. Over time we became the greatest country in the history of the world not only because of the principles that were the framework of our country, but because we took that framework and made it greater than the people who wrote it.
But there are always those who want to tear it all down under the belief that it is not ‘our’ country, but ‘my’ country. Those people who are too stupid to be let out in public, but want a gun in their purse when they our out among our citizens just in case they see someone they want to kill.
Conservatives have a history of tearing down great things. Guided by the concept that “we can’t,” conservatives have constantly battled for less for everyone else and more for them.
After fifty attempts the Cliven Bundy’s of Congress have finally passed a repeal of Obamacare. Nope, they don’t have a plan ‘B’, except they want American healthcare run by the greedy, not by compassionate. Republicans have proven again why they are the party of anti-Americans. They hate equality. They hate being told to be ethical. They hate paying for the privilege of being citizen of the United States of America.
It’s time we repeal Republicans and put our country back into the hands of the intelligent, the compassionate, and the true patriots.
GOP Presidential Race is Over
Posted by Paul Kiser in Ethics, Government, Health, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Religion, Respect, The Tipping Point, US History, Women
2016, America, conservative, Conservatives, Elections, GOP, House of Representatives, House Speaker, John Boehner, Marco Rubio, Pope, President, Republicans, resignation, right-wing extremists, Tea Party, United States of America
Marco Rubio basking in the glow of Boehner’s resignation
House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation last week has brought reality to the Republican party. The smallest minority in Congress is the right-wing extremists and they have been the tail wagging the GOP dog. House Speaker Boehner has been attempting to keep up appearances that common sense conservatives and right-wing extremists all want the same thing, but they don’t. Boehner’s resignation was the showdown between conservatives who believe in the founding principles of our country and conservatives who want to dismantle our country.
Senator and Republican Presidential candidate, Marco Rubio announced Speaker Boehner’s resignation to the cheers of a political group that desires to overthrow our 240 year-old government and replace our Constitution with Taliban-like laws based on mythology. Rubio then went on to say that it is time to “turn the page” on a government that sees all people as equal and install a government that dictates who people can love, what women can choose, and how people can worship.
House Speaker John Boehner takes the high road
Senator Rubio’s victory speech is premature. Boehner’s resignation exposes the Republican party’s festering wound and the hysteria of the mob mentality of right-wing extremists. The Republicans have two choices. They can either capitulate to the right-wing extremists and select a Presidential candidate that will not be electable, or they can finally stand up to those people who seek to overthrow our government and find a moderate conservative that might draw some support from left leaning voters.
In either case, it is unlikely that any Republican candidate can rid themselves of the poisonous environment created by extremists in their party. The right-wing extremists have devolved into a group that has lied and deceived so much that their social media posts are only propaganda for incestuous consumption of other extremists.
However, the right-wing extremists are not an unstoppable force. Their lies and deceit may entertain them, but disgust intelligent, loyal citizens. Right-wing extremists are parading stupidity as if it is something to be proud of in a country of highly intelligent people. The only question is whether common sense conservatives will stay on the right-wing band wagon until it goes off the cliff.
Rebirth of the Liberal
Posted by Paul Kiser in Education, Ethics, Government, Government Regulation, Green, Health, Higher Education, History, Honor, Passionate People, Politics, Pride, Religion, Respect, Space, Taxes, Technology, Universities, US History
anti-American, Bernie Sanders, conservatism, Conservatives, Elizabeth Warren, Liberal, liberalism, liberals, Pledge of Allegiance, President Barack Obama
Liberals, Inc.
The values and traditions of liberalism in the United States of America is experiencing a Renaissance. This is a not a time for a cautious return to a government by and for the people. It is a time to boldly stand up for intelligence in political office.
The disastrous policies of George W. Bush, coupled with decades of conservative efforts to put our country in retreat have met with consistent failure. Those failures have forced conservatives to put up artificial issues that appeal to a distinctly anti-American segment of the population, but that has only driven them into a corner.
Conservative politicians strain to win applause from the stupid and the ignorant, but the United States needs and deserves smart, not stupid. Liberals must now step up and engage our citizens and remind them that politics in our country is not to be entertainment for small minds. We have to expose the absurdity of 2015 “conservative values:”
When everyone has guns in public, innocent people die. Gun ownership without rules is anarchy. Laws protect people from those who are too stupid to know better. It’s not about taking guns away; it’s about protecting the innocent from the stupid.
Our government is a blessing, not a curse, and we pay for the privilege of living in this great country by paying our taxes and doing so without complaint.
Unregulated business is the playground of the unethical and immoral. Business is motivated by greed and destruction of competitors. Without government, ethical businesses can’t survive.
If a group of people on an island were running out of fresh water, the liberal mind would determine how to obtain more water, and the conservative mind would begin planning on who they can kill.
The confederate flag is the symbol of racists and traitors who tried to steal part of America away from then attempted to overthrow our country. The confederate flag is a heritage of losers and has no place among a nation of winners.
Government is not a place for religion, nor a country where a majority religion is to dictate the beliefs and morals for all citizens. America is a country that offers freedom FROM religion, not slavery to a religion.
War is the opium for the 2015 conservative. When in doubt the conservative wants to wage war, but war never results in a quick and easy peace. War devastates all involved and it is rarely the leaders who started the war who pay the heaviest price.
The time to coddle the wealthy is past. Money is not the measure of a human, nor does it give special privilege to a person in a country where all citizens are created equal.
For 35 years conservatives have been shouting down common sense and intelligence with false accusations, deceptions, and biased fear mongering. It’s time that loyal Americans regained their voice.
To be liberal is to be an American that loves our country and our government. We believe that all humans are created equal. We believe that our country becomes stronger, not weaker through diplomacy and respect for other countries. We believe that education is the foundation to a better life and schools should be more than a cheap training ground for dead-end service jobs. We believe that when government spends money it provides jobs and needed infrastructure that helps grow our economy.
The call of liberalism is not for everyone, nor is it restricted to one party. Our country’s founders were liberals who broke away from conservatives who wanted to stay loyal to the English King. Republicans were liberal when Abraham Lincoln stood up against domestic enemies that sought to defile our Constitution. Franklin D. Roosevelt was liberal when he made our citizens believe in the greatness of our country. Dwight D. Eisenhower was liberal when he made the Interstate Highway System a reality. John F. Kennedy was a liberal when he said we could go to the Moon and back.
Elementary school children can grasp the values of conservatives. The egocentric concept that everyone else exists to serve their needs is a common attitude of children and conservatives.
However, it takes significant maturity and intelligence to understand liberal values. It requires the person to see themselves as part of a greater society. A liberal knows that respect, cooperation, humility, and honor cannot be compromised for a free society to function. Our original 1942 Pledge of Allegiance reinforced these values:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the UNITED States of America, and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands, ONE NATION, INDIVISIBLE, with liberty and justice FOR ALL.
We are a republic, not an oligarchy. We are one nation that shall not be divided. We shall have liberty and justice for all, not just for those with the most money, nor the most guns.
We are a nation founded by liberals, built by those who believed in “Yes We Can.” Liberal ideals have been a part of every great achievement in our country. Conversely, conservative leadership has maligned and crippled this nation. It’s time we took our country back.
Stupid In Kentucky
Posted by Paul Kiser in Ethics, Government, Government Regulation, History, Honor, Politics, Relationships, Religion, Respect, US History
anti-American, Conservatives, County Clerk, gay, gay marriage, GLBT, Jeff Darcy, Kentucky, Kim Davis, lesbian, marriage, marriage license, Rowan County, Supreme Court, US Constitution
Cartoon by Jeff Darcy on Cleveland.com
Kim Davis, County Clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, is not a surprise. There are a lot of political offices out in America to be filled and it is not surprising that an ignorant, unqualified person is elected to office. It is not even surprising that the ignorant, unqualified person ran as a Democrat, considering how anti-American conservatives bully anyone who applies common sense and intelligence to politics.
What is surprising is the depth of stupidity exposed by those who think she is a hero. Our country was founded, in large part, to escape a government that imposed a single religion on its people. Thomas Paine, in arguing why the American colonies should form a government elected by its people, said this about religion:
For myself, I fully and conscientiously believe that it is the will of the Almighty that there should be a diversity of religious opinions among us. It affords a larger field for our Christian kindness; were we all of one way of thinking, our religious dispositions would want matter for probation…
Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Anyone with knowledge of our country history and Constitution knows that our government was established with the understanding that no one religion, nor set of religious practices should be imposed by our government. The very definition of who we are as Americans is defined by freedom FROM religion, not servants to a religion. Kim Davis’s claim that she, as County Clerk is allowed to deny marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples because her PERSONAL religious beliefs has no merit in the United States of America. Her actions are a disgrace to our country and Constitution.
That is why anti-Americans celebrate her and her actions. Those who seek to end our nation that is by the people, for the people, and of the people, want to destroy the foundation of our country. On June 28th, the Supreme Court reached the obvious conclusion that gay/lesbian marriage was protected by our Constitution, that was the end of the debate. Religions can’t impose their beliefs on anyone else. End of story.
The fact that it is over two months later and Rowan County, Kentucky is just now abiding by our Constitution and the law is a testament to the power of stupid people.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate stupid people. They are entertaining and YouTube couldn’t exist without them. But when stupid people interfere with the legal right of the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness of intelligent people we face a threat to who we are as citizens of the United States of America.
Kentucky should have never let Kim Davis become the hero for anti-Americans.
Republicans Deal With The Devil
Posted by Paul Kiser in Ethics, Government, Government Regulation, History, Opinion, Politics, Religion, Taxes, US History, Women
anti-American, civil war, confederacy, Confederate Flag, Conservatives, GOP, hate, President Lincoln, racism, Republican, Southern Democrats, the Confederate States of America, The South, traitors
Republicans have a major problem. They are not the majority in the United States. They have managed to win congressional elections, and lesser political offices by convincing true conservatives and anti-Americans that they have the same goals. That strategy has worked because the anti-Americans originally were silent partners in the alliance and were easily led by true conservatives.
The problem is that the anti-Americans have managed use the Republican party to legitimize their 150 year effort to take over America and remake it in their image. That effort started when the white Southern Democrats were determined to make slavery the law of the new territories and they declared that if Abraham Lincoln (a Republican, ironically) were elected as President they would abandon the United States of America. The white, male, landowners of the South said they would disgrace our flag, country and Constitution by creating a new country where all men would not be equal all because their candidate lost the election.
What many Americans do not know is that the Confederacy lied. They were not content with stealing a handful of states and declaring themselves as a new country. Had that been their goal the Civil War would not have occurred. Lincoln was ready to let the six states abandon our country and be done with them.
However, after seceding, the Confederate States of America began attacking our country and sought to destroy the United States of America. Their intent was clearly to conquer us and put our citizens under their autocratic rule.
To defend our country, President Lincoln moved troops in to protect the capital but they were attacked in Baltimore by anti-Americans who attempted to disrupt the our military by operating inside our country. The result forced us into the Civil War.
The Confederate States of America incorrectly assumed that we would surrender rather than fight. That miscalculation not only caused them to lose the war, but also left them without a country. After the war the white, anti-Americans continued to behave as if they were not subjects to the United States of America, nor did they recognize African-Americans as equal despite laws that demand it.
One hundred years after the Civil War the anti-Americans were confronted by citizens who would no longer tolerate their lack respect to our Constitution and the rule of law. They continued to defy and disgrace our country and we were once again required to send troops into the South to force their compliance.
Making violent threats is part of anti-Americanism
Today they still maintain their defiance against America and our Constitution. They retain loyalty to the defeated Confederate flag, and seek to end American government. For the most part, our country has tolerated the anti-Americans and allowed them to use their right of free speech to disrespect our government and our country.
But over the last four decades Republicans, defeated by scandals and failed leadership, have sought to lure the vote of anti-Americans by promoting white supremacist ideals. Among the concepts promoted by Republicans have been a hate for minorities, claiming a religious doctrine that enshrines white males as dominant, pushing for absolute gun ownership that puts military weapons in private hands, interpreting the Constitution to use militias as a means to overthrow America, and promoting an ultra-patriotism that ironically claims that people who seek to overthrow America are patriotic. By using these tactics the Republicans have been successful in capturing the loyalty of the anti-Americans and that has kept the party viable.
Unfortunately, true conservatives have lost control of the Republican party to the anti-Americans. Now, a candidate has to practically pledge allegiance to the Confederate flag to be a viable candidate. Republican candidates must also pledge to bankrupt the government of the United States through no-taxes promises.
The result has created chaos in the Republican party. Like a shark feeding frenzy, anti-American candidates are leaping into the political arena sensing that this is their moment to be the Jefferson Davis of the 21st century.
Yet, America is still not ready to be overthrown. The last two Presidential elections have demonstrated that loyal American still have a majority, Now the Republican party is faced with two opposing facts. A true conservative cannot win the nomination as the Republican Presidential candidate, and an anti-American candidate cannot win the election. Republicans have to find a way to thin the frenzy, eliminate the anti-American candidates, and find someone who can appeal to moderate voters, conservatives, and anti-Americans.
Next: The Trump Card
Science Versus Stupidity
Posted by Paul Kiser in Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Green, Health, Honor, Internet, Politics, Religion, Science, Social Interactive Media (SIM), solar, Technology
belief, Bible, church, Conservatives, evolution, fact, Global warming, GOP, logic, Mythology, Republican, Republicans, scientific process, stupid, Stupidity, Tea Party
Earth: Victim of Stupidity
“Science doesn’t have all the answers.”
It’s hard to know where to start when someone makes a statement like the one above. ‘Science’ isn’t an entity, so it can’t possess anything, but beyond the poor grammar is the issue of motivation and failed logic.
When a person makes this statement their motivation is often in defense of religion. The idea seems to be that if science doesn’t have all the answers, then religious and mythological beliefs are valid. Using this logic one could say that because nitrogen doesn’t make up all of the Earth’s atmosphere, (air is 78% nitrogen,) then the air we breathe is all fairy dust.
No intelligent person would say that science has all the answers. We are just scratching the surface of understanding the mechanisms by which our universe operates. Even after science has shown us how one system works, scientists may discover that there are other factors that affect that system. We are on a path of discovery and we have a long way to travel.
However, there are no shortcuts. Just because science hasn’t fully explained everything doesn’t give anyone license to invent an explanation that is based on opinion or agenda. This includes explanations that were created over a thousand years ago by people who didn’t even understand that urination and defecation are the end process of digestion.
All science begins with asking a question. Why? How? What? In the process of answering those questions, the scientific process rules some things out. By narrowing down what isn’t a cause or a factor the scientist begins to clarify the important causes or factors. Religion ignores this process and immediately jumps to an answer that lacks any support other than, “Because I say so!”
I have no problem with anyone’s mythological beliefs…until the believer wants the rest of society to abide by those beliefs. Public policies, laws, education and regulations that exist or are governed by someone’s mythological beliefs is pure stupidity, even if a majority believe in the mythology.
Those that don’t ‘believe’ in evolution, global warming, vaccinations, or any other scientifically based fact are stupid. I’m not calling anyone names, I’m saying they lack intelligence and logical thinking. They are incapable of making good decisions. They are, by definition, stupid.
Believe in God? Fine. But, giving credibility to religious beliefs over scientific fact defines one as being stupid. Making religious beliefs part of societal laws is mass stupidity.
Other Pages of This Blog
About Paul Kiser
Common Core: Are You a Good Switch or a Bad Switch?
Familius Interruptus: Lessons of a DNA Shocker
Moffat County, Colorado: The Story of Two Families
Rules on Comments
Six Things The United States Must Do
Why We Are Here: A 65-Year Historical Perspective of the United States
Paul’s Recent Blogs
Sexuality and Teaching It
You Shouldn’t Have Run Joe
Nevada Education: The War On Children
How a Layoff in January Can Impact an April Launch
SpaceX Public Relations: Secrecy is Modus Operandi
Musk New Plan: Space Bridge to Mars
No Pressure, But If the Falcon Heavy Fails, So Does SpaceX
Paul Kiser’s Tweets
Teaching sex ed to children. Do we understand sex? paulkiser.com @SexEdCenter @SexEdSchool… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 days ago
Sexuality and Teaching It paulkiser.com/2019/07/14/sex… https://t.co/wKzMyikI6H 3 days ago
@AmyShiraTeitel Wait, there was a Moon landing? Dang, I was watching USA Women's football. Must have missed it. :) 2 weeks ago
Much has been said of the 'iconic' goals of @mPinoe and the comments are well deserved, but I think she would agree… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 weeks ago
I'm sorry, did you say Baghdad Bobbett left her job of lying for the Liar in Chief? Did anyone notice? @PressSec… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 weeks ago
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Thursday, January 3rd, 2013
Title: Do you want a flügelhorn?
Topics: Ernest & Célestine, animated features, competitions, daily mail, ddos, diet, dreamworks, elite: dangerous, kickstarter, livejournal, music video, prometheus, rise of the guardians, scroobius pip, watercolor
Mood: busy
Elite: Dangerous is within sniffing distance of its target - but also its end, when January 4th has run its course in the UK. At 2am Jan 2, it's at £1,175,351 of its goal of £1,250,000. (Bear in mind, the minimum pledge is only £1 - it's just that the various levels offer all sorts of nifty goodies, including the soundtrack, shirt, copy of the novel, some starting bonuses in-game, all expansions, and participation in the alpha or beta testing) Scrub that: some 18 hours later, it became fully funded! At least, for its initial goal. Now to see about Mac support, and ten extra ships to play with. ^_^ (Thursday 1pm: it's at £1,299,724!)
Music video for the day: dan le sac vs Scroobius Pip: Get Better. (Love the "fox ears" hair!)
One animated feature I'll be looking forward to in 2013 is Ernest & Célestine (IMDb); in this clip, in which Célestine objects to Ernest's plan for her. True, it's from a press release, but the US distributor's president seems sold: "The film is a triumph of 2D animation and storytelling. A phenomenally beautiful hand painted watercolor design, immensely likable characters, a wonderful ‘friendship against all odds’ story that sweeps you up and does not waste a single minute of screen time. It is just overflowing with warmth and playful visual humor, there is so, so much to like about this movie."
Regarding LJ's recent issues: unsurprisingly, it's malicious traffic again.
So, I finally got to see Rise of the Guardians. ^_^ Whilst the plot was a bit lacking, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters (particularly the Russian style Santa, and of course, the Easter Bunny <3), and the visual creativity. The casting was likewise spot on. Despite the plot, the storyline nonetheless had a magnificent sense of playfulness, in its brighter times, making it a real joy to experience. I wasn't a fan of its hyperkinetic camerawork, but its positives easily outweighed such reservations - if you've not seen it yet, and could do with something to buoy up your spirits, see it. Or, indeed, to see Bunnymunde. =:9
Here's a good article that summarises just why the Daily Mail is so poisonous, leading in with a recent story on the UK about to be deluged by Bulgarians and Romanians. No, really: "We're on our way to Britain: A year from now up to 29m Bulgarians and Romanians will have the right to settle in Britain and claim benefits. And these gypsies in the slums of Sofia can hardly wait…"
I was almost tempted to pick up Prometheus on iTunes, at $14.99/£9.99 for HD, but then discovered that the "digital copy" on the physical discs - which come with a lot more extras - apparently include iTunes codes! (Though there seems to be some confusion as to whether those are good for HD or SD)
Taking a small survey from Premier Guitar could win you a 32GB iPad mini, preloaded with three of their guitar apps. Open worldwide.
So, the Yule/New Year break is over, and the house is back to normal. As is, I'm pleased to note, the diet, which I duly resumed on Wednesday, unaltered and in full effect. ^_^ (I have not, however, dared weigh myself again. Not just yet =:)
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Iran shot down a US naval surveillance drone near the Strait of Hormuz, the US Central Command confirmed the incident on Thursday amid growing tensions in the Persian Gulf region.
“US Central Command can confirm that a US Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (or BAMS-D) ISR aircraft was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system while operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz at approximately 2335 hrs GMT on June 19, 2019,” a CENTCOM spokesman, Capt Bill Urban, said in a statement.
However, he denied the reports that the drone was inside Iranian airspace when it was shot down.
“Iranian reporting that the aircraft was over Iran, were false,” he said. “This was an unprovoked attack on a US surveillance asset in the international airspace.”
Urban said the drone was an RQ-4A Global Hawk High-Altitude, Long, Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that conducts “real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions” over oceans and coastal territories.
Earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that it targeted the drone which it identified as an RQ-4 Global Hawk inside Iranian airspace over the southern province of Hormozgan, next to the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The Revolutionary Guard’s chief commander, Maj Gen Hossein Salami, called the downing of the drone “a clear message to America.”
“Our borders are Iran’s red line, and we will react strongly against any aggression,” Salami said in remarks carried by Iranian state television.
“Iran is not seeking war with any country, but we are fully prepared to defend Iran,” he said.
The attacks come amid a simmering standoff between the United States and Iran in the Persian Gulf region following assaults on Japanese and Norwegian tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Trump administration has blamed Iran for the attacks, at least one of which was carried out using a limpet mine similar to those previously displayed at Iranian military parades.
Iran has denied involvement and called the accusation “unfair” and “a lie.”
The US Central Command said that a modified Iranian SA-7 surface-to-air missile was fired at an MQ-9 reaper drone over the Gulf of Oman as it surveilled the attack on the Japanese tanker, Kokuka Courageous, on June 13.
On Monday, the US defence department said it was deploying 1,000 extra troops to the region in response to “hostile behaviour” by Iranian forces.
Tensions were further fueled, when Iran said its stockpile of low-enriched uranium would next week exceed limits it agreed with world powers under a landmark nuclear deal in 2015.
Iran stepped up its production in response to tightening economic sanctions from the US, which unilaterally withdrew from the deal last year.
Web Title: US drone shot by Iran
Feature Image: US Drone & Gulf oil Tanker (Pic: Al Jazeera/ jakpost.net)
New guideline to improve high school education in China
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Gallery of reconstructed portraits
Forgeries
Deze pagina is ook beschikbaar in het Nederlands.
Diese Seite ist auch auf Deutsch verfügbar.
A reportret is a reconstructed portrait, or a portrait that goes back in time. In many cases a contemporary image of a specific personality from world history is not on hand. In order to still form a clear picture of those personages affected, Reportret was set up as a gallery of reconstructed portraits: without anachronisms, respecting contemporary style, and based on historical sources.
Discover the story behind Reportret on this page or go straight to the gallery page.
© MMIII–MMXVII Marco Bakker — marco@reportret.info — www.reportret.info
Last modified: 5 November 2017. This translation: As English is not my native language (Dutch is), please report any detected misspelling, grammatical error, or incorrect use of words. A German translation is also available.
Frequently a contemporary portrait (painting, drawing, manuscript illumination, relief, sculpture, or photograph) of a particular historical figure is not available. As a result, non-contemporary portraits — sometimes originating from many centuries after — are often used as illustration material in publications concerning this personage. This practice has a downside. These images were almost without exception made in a style that goes with the time and circumstances of the creator, not of the portrayed. This distorts the image of the person concerned.
For example: Charlemagne. There's no knowledge of any contemporary portrait of this king–emperor from the early Middle Ages. Though he has been portrayed many times in the centuries after his death, these portraits were generally produced in a style from the high or late Middle Ages. And the differences between the early (‘dark’), high (‘Romanesque’), and late (‘Gothic’) Middle Ages are substantial! Moreover, in these pictures Charlemagne was mostly depicted with dress and hairstyle from the high or late Middle Ages and surrounded by architecture, pieces of furniture, or other objects from those times. In short: the image doesn't suit who he really was. Fortunately, in recent centuries artists acquired more historical awareness. They did try to avoid anachronisms. But even their portraits contain style characteristics that can be identified as ‘Neo-Classicism’, ‘Romanticism’, ‘Art Nouveau’, or as modern photographic realism. It's still hard to form a picture of Charlemagne in which he could have recognized himself.
Contemporary image culture can make a portrait more expressive. By eluding every anachronism — anachronisms in the way of depicting as well — it's possible to produce a clearer image of the portrayed.
If a contemporary portrait is missing, why not reconstruct it?
Reportret was set up as a collection of reconstructions of missing (destroyed, lost, unknown, or never made) portraits of historical key figures. Each reconstructed portrait intents to put the historical person in a new perspective. Because the person in question has previously been depicted so many times so differently, his or her widespread image will be a confusing one for numerous people. The new portrait should clarify that image: a portrait that comes close to reality, because it contains as few anachronisms as possible and because it was created with as much consideration for contemporary style and image culture as possible. Sometimes even local and indigenous style must be considered.
Of course, resemblance is a substantial feature of any portrait. The reconstruction should at least suggest, on the basis of actual information, what the person concerned could have looked like. Clothing, hairstyle and general build must approach life — as far as contemporary image culture permits displaying realistic details. Nevertheless, it's impossible to remodel the exact facial features. The main goal is to reconstruct the portrait that a contemporary artist could have made. Whether or not it ought to be truly life-like depends on contemporary standards. Often that turns out to be of less importance.
When an archaeological excavation uncovers the foundations of a building, in most cases a reconstruction of that building is drawn. Then, instead of the originally dug up plan, this reconstruction appears as illustration material in various publications. A reconstruction sparks the imagination. Any reconstructed portrait from this gallery should have the very same function: to spark the imagination and — at best — to show something of the spirit of the age and something of the nature of the depicted person.
The objective is ambitious. It's an illusion to believe it's possible to entirely free a reconstruction from the date it was actually created. Nevertheless, the starting point of Reportret consists of that intention.
Each portrait is displayed on its own individual page. The portrayed is always shown at full-length, to make the image as complete as possible. His or her role in history is discussed very briefly. The way in which the new portrait was reconstructed, which sources were consulted, and which assessments were made, is described in full extent. The page has a reference to the used sources and a reference to a larger version of the portrait.
To denote years or centuries the terms ‘common era’ (ce) and ‘before the common era’ (bce) are used here. These terms are non-religious and culturally neutral, whereas ad (= Anno Domini = ‘in the year of our Lord’) and bc (= ‘Before Christ’), still often used in English, are terms with a undesirable Christian charge (certainly because the birth of Christ, in 6 bce, can't be the actual point of reference). ‘Common’ era stands for the now world wide most commonly used system for counting years. That's the Gregorian calendar with the point of reference that Dionysius Exiguus picked for arithmetical reasons. The genealogical symbols * (asterisk) and † (dagger, not to be mistaken for a Christian cross) respectively denote a year of birth and a year of death.
With intent, the portraits were not artificially aged, with faded colours, damages, stains, or crackle. Ageing is in fact an anachronism in itself. Therefore, the portraits look brand-new. After all, they aren't forgeries, but reconstructions. They appear like they would have appeared at the time. Technique and material weren't imitated either. These were only considered where they strongly influenced, or even determined, specific style characteristics.
All portraits have been gathered on the gallery page. New portraits are added very irregularly.
All portraits published here are subject to copyright. Consequently they may not be reproduced or inserted in productions of ones own, unless for private use only.
© MMIII–MMXVII Marco Bakker. All rights reserved. None of the images and texts on the individual pages of this website may be reproduced, stored, transmitted, distributed, or published in any form or by any means, without prior written consent.
It's possible though — certainly when educational purposes are involved — to make use of some images or texts, but only after agreeing on a fair compensation. In case of a request like this, please get in touch. Note that the portraits can be delivered in nearly all desired formats, sizes, and resolutions.
October 2017 — The web site was made fit for high resolution displays. This forced me to take up the forgeries once more. The portrait of Njinga Mbande was slightly adjusted as well.
February 2012 — Joan of Arc had been the only woman in this gallery for many years. She's now joined by Njinga Mbande, whose reconstructed portrait plunged me deeply into African history and art. The 14th portrait thereby became reality. Besides, the forgeries were renewed.
January 2012 — A lot has changed! First of all, I completely overhauled the design. The ambience and structure remain the same and accessibility is still a high priority, but I properly reworked the graphic display. The old design had really become obsolete. Some parts of the texts were changed as well. Unfortunately, I had to remove all deep links to specific external images or texts. It had become impossible to keep up with the amount of ‘link rot’, even with deep links to official websites. I also had to simplify the descriptions on the links page. Because of new insights, two portraits were entirely redrawn: Columbus and Vercingetorix. The first is no longer a drawing, but a woodcut. The new design of the second now lacks the conceived colours. Finally, in some other portraits, I've modified details that had annoyed me for years.
October 2010 — I've corrected a few errors in the German translation. Many thanks to those who were so kind to point them out! The design was changed to meet the currently evermore common wide screens, but it is still backward compatible and the look and feel are as before.
September 2008 — An entirely new portrait! Hannibal enters the gallery as 13th reconstructed portrait.
February 2008 — I've checked and updated all external links manually. And that was highly necessary. The portrait of Christopher Columbus needed to be more true to life and was therefore completely redrawn.
January 2008 — The German translation was finished!
October 2007 — After a dormant existence of more than a year work on Reportret is continuing! 10 of the 12 portraits have now been translated into German.
April 2006 — I've improved the portrait of Willibrord. The German translation precedes well: another 5 portraits to attend to.
December 2005 — I've started a German translation.
August 2005 — In spite of the large amount of already existing portraits of Christopher Columbus, I've made another portrait — and this time without anachronisms. It's remarkable how many errors and inconsistencies keep on turning up when rereading and comparing the English and Dutch texts. Most of them were fixed.
May 2005 — Next in line is the portrait of Vercingetorix.
March 2005 — The reconstructed portrait of Willibrord was (finally) finished.
December 2004 — Unexpectedly, Reportret received the Talking Hands Award (Gold Edition) on December 7th 2004, after being reviewed by a panel of international judges. The purpose of this award is “to reward website authors, who — through their creative excellence — provide a website that teaches, contains teaching elements in sufficient detail, and otherwise leaves a visitor with something of significant value after returning to their normal daily activities”, all with usability and accessibility in mind. Many thanks to those who nominated Reportret for this award!
November 2004 — I've completely redrawn the portrait of Joan of Arc.
October 2004 — I celebrate Reportret's 1st anniversary with the addition of the reconstructed portrait of Laozi. The style sheets were slightly adjusted to be fully compliant with nn7.
July–September 2004 — After a constructive discussion with some Muslims I've added a statement concerning the Muhammad portrait. Other adjustments aren't worth mentioning.
June 2004 — Next in line is the reconstructed portrait of Muhammad (despite his warning to all creative mortals).
May 2004 — Most recent addition is the portrait of Jesus of Nazareth.
April 2004 — The portrait of Herodotos was added, I've updated the page with links, and I've modified the design to compensate for some flaws of Opera 6. Some forgeries were added too, because it's fun te make them, but also to illustrate how they differ from reconstructions.
March 2004 — I've provided the source code with values (lang="…") to define the proper language of all parts of the texts. Though only few user agents support the special style sheet that makes those values visible with colour (in fact nn6, Safari, and Opera 6 do support it), it may be usefull to some.
February 2004 — The portrait of Leif Ericsson was added to the gallery. Besides, I've enhanced all portraits and renewed the group portrait.
January 2004 — I've made minor changes in the texts and improved some images.
December 2003 — Some texts were modified and I was able to add the portraits of Attila the Hun and Joan of Arc.
November 2003 — I've added the portrait of Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin and the design was adjusted to solve some problems that occurred with ie6 and nn6.
October 2003 — Reportret goes online with the first reconstructed portrait: Charlemagne.
August 2003 — From my dissatisfaction with the deficiency of good illustration material the concept of the website Reportret was born.
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Home › Music
All Hail The Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul: 10 Artists Who’ve Sampled Mary J. Blige
Good music never dies.
Kiyonna Anthony
Source: Getty
On this day in 1994, Mary J. Blige released her sophomore album My Life, which went on to go triple platinum and cement the singer’s position as the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul.
The record spawned hit singles like “I’m Going Down,” “My Life,” and “Be Happy,” which have inspired and influenced a whole new generation of artists. Most recently, Drake sampled one of the most popular tracks from the My Life album, “Mary’s Joint (All Night Long),” on his song “Weston Road Flows.”
In honor of the classic album’s 22nd birthday, check out these artists who’ve also sampled a Mary J. Blige track or two:
Frank Ocean– “Super Rich Kids” (2012)
For his debut album Channel Orange, Frank Ocean channeled Mary’s “Real Love” on his track “Super Rich Kids” featuring Earl Sweatshirt. Although the song is one of the standouts on the album, Frank was sued for copyright infringement.
Jazmine Sullivan– “Holding You Down (Goin’ in Circles)” (2010)
Ms. Sullivan tapped Mary’s 1994 single “Be Happy” for her 2010 comeback.
Young M.A– “Summer Story” (2016)
Mary J’s 1997 banger “Everything” is such a classic that new artists like Young M.A have found a way to spin it and make it fresh again.
Tory Lanez– “Rain” (2014)
Tory Lanez is known for taking hit songs of the ’90s and turning them into the hottest club bangers of today. He did the same with Mary’s legendary track “Not Gonna Cry” for his 2014 song “Rain.”
Azealia Banks– “Yung Rapunxel” (2013)
For her highly anticipated album Broke With Expensive Taste, Azealia Banks took Mary’s signature 2001 song “No More Drama” and turned it into her 2013 grimy rap track “Yung Rapunxel.”
Lil Mama– “Sausage” (2015)
Remember Lil Mama’s 2015 hit “Sausage,” for which she took pieces of every viral song and sound bite and turned it into one big song? She also sampled MJB’s “Seven Days” on the track.
Kehlani– “As I Am” (2014)
Kehlani wasn’t even born at the time Mary J’s first two albums were released. But good music never dies––she sampled the 1997 hit “I Can Love You” for her 2014 track “As I Am.”
Wale– “Bad” (2012)
Who said only old records could be sampled? Wale’s “Bad” featuring Tiara Thomas was reportedly a sample of Mary’s 2011 song “Mr. Wrong” featuring Drake.
Ariana Grande– “Lovin’ It” (2013)
Ariana’s catchy 2013 track is eerily reminiscent of Mary J’s “Real Love.” Many fans wished it was a single from her album Yours Truly.
Jay Z – “Can’t Knock the Hustle” (1996)
Jigga sampled Mary’s “My Life” on his Reasonable Doubt banger, which featured the Queen of Soul herself.
11 Photos Of Mary J. Blige Killing The Game Back In '92
1. Mary takes over the stage in her signature look.
2. The R&B goddess takes a stance at the 7th Annual New York Music Awards.
3. How sweet does she look at the KMEL Summer Jam in 1992?
4. Mary J. & Joe Public win big at the New York Music Awards in '92.
5. Mary J. Blige is all smiles in a hoodie and curls.
6. Mary does her one, two-step while performing in '92.
7. She had a flawless smile, even back then.
8. Mary J. wins big at the 7th Annual New York Music Awards.
9. Show 'em who's queen.
10. Super Cat and Mary chill backstage at the New York Music Awards in '92.
11. Let's get 'em, queen!
Continue reading 11 Photos Of Mary J. Blige Killing The Game Back In ’92
All Hail The Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul: 10 Artists Who’ve Sampled Mary J. Blige was originally published on globalgrind.com
drake , frank ocean , Jazmine Sullivan , Mary J. Blige , my life , samples
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Questions Arise About Trump Win After Officials Say Most Detroit Voting Machines Were Broken
Many of the machines were over a decade old, Detroit officials say.
During the 2016 Presidential election, Michigan was a state where President-elect Donald Trump unexpectedly garnered more support from voters than his rival Hillary Clinton. After a voter recount was launched and halted by a federal judge on Wednesday, state officials are now admitting that most of the voting machines in Detroit were broken on Election Day, reports the International Business Times.
According to officials, over 80 machines were deemed faulty on November 8 which may have caused electronic vote tallies to be off in over half of the precincts in Detroit as well as one-third of the precincts in Wayne County. The elections director for the city of Detroit, Daniel Baxter, says that the issue could have a problematic impact on a recount. “It’s not good,” he told the Detroit News. “It’s a challenge, but we’re confident the ballots will match. I don’t think it’s going to be 100 percent, but it never is with a recount.” He claims that many of the voting machines were over 10-years-old.
In Detroit, where African-Americans make up 82 percent of the population, the number of ballots in the precinct poll books didn’t align with the voting machine reports in 59 percent of the city’s precincts.
Since Clinton received the lion’s share of support from Black voters–88 percent compared to Trump’s 8 percent–questions arise about how he won the state.
Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein initially launched a recount in the state but was denied by the court because she wasn’t directly impacted by the results. The recount now depends on whether the Michigan Supreme Court will consider an appeal from Stein.
SOURCE: International Business Times, Detroit News
Detroit NAACP Head Shreds Trump Over Black Voter Outreach
Blacks Who Didn’t Vote Were ‘Almost As Good’ As Those Who Voted, Trump Says
Questions Arise About Trump Win After Officials Say Most Detroit Voting Machines Were Broken was originally published on newsone.com
detroit , Donald Trump , Hillary Clinton , MICHIGAN , Presidential election , Presidential Election 2016 , Recount , Vote Recount , wayne county
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1974 singles
Pick Up the Pieces (Average White Band song)
"Pick Up the Pieces" is a 1974 song by the Average White Band from their second album, AWB. On the single, songwriting credit was given to founding member and saxophonist Roger Ball and guitarist Hamish Stuart individually and the entire band collectively. It is essentially an instrumental, apart from the song's title being shouted at several points in the song.[1] sample (help·info) The song features an intro 4 measures of Csus7#9, sus 4 (C F Bb Eb) afterwards in the theme 8 measures of Fm7 (F Ab C Eb), 2 measures of Bb7 (Bb D F Ab), 4 measures of Fm7.
"Pick Up the Pieces" was released in the United Kingdom in July 1974 but failed to chart. When the album was released in the United States in October 1974, radio stations there started to play the song, and on 22 February 1975, it went to the top of the US singles chart and peaked at number five on the soul charts.[1] After its US success, the song charted in the UK and climbed to number six. "Pick Up the Pieces" also made it to number eleven on the US disco chart.[2]
[hide] *1 Key Signature
2 References in popular culture
Key Signature[edit] Edit
The song is in the key of F minor.
References in popular culture[edit] Edit
After the song's success, The J.B.'s recorded an answer song, "Pick Up the Pieces One By One". The single was credited to "A.A.B.B", or "Above Average Black Band." Reportedly, the primary motivation for the answer song was the appropriation of the bass line to James Brown's "Hot Pants Road."[3]
It is heard in a 2013 TV commercial for Bank of America.
In Movies, the song was heard during the General Zod, Ursa and Non bar fight scene in Superman II (1980). In 1999, was used in "Bowfinger", in 2004 in the US version of "Taxi" and in 2010, was used on "Iron Man 2". As a curious fact, "Bowfinger", featured Robert Downey Jr. and Terence Stamp, stars of "Iron Man 2" and "Superman II", both sequels of Superheroes movies from rival companies (DC Comics and Marvel Comics) and both featured the theme in scenes featuring the villains of the films.
Retrieved from "https://rock.fandom.com/wiki/Pick_Up_the_Pieces_(Average_White_Band_song)?oldid=14267"
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Rockers The Movie
Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace
Leroy HORSEMOUTH Wallace is considered, in real life as in the movie ROCKERS, one of Jamaica’s greatest drummers. Born in poverty, he was brought up by the nuns of Alpha School, an institution with a reputation for toughness and for molding musical talents. Horsemouth began playing professionally at age of 15 and struggled many years, first playing for Coxsone’s “Studio One”, the birthplace of ska and reggae. He has played with just about every recording artist in Jamaica, and is credited with laying many of the percussive foundations of reggae music.
Marjorie "Sunshine" Normal
Marjorie SUNSHINE Norman, who plays the beautiful young daughter of Mr. Marshall, comes from a small village near the reed hut of Higher, the holy man and healer. It was while visiting Higher that the producer and director of ROCKERS discovered her. After the movie, she chose to return to a quiet life at home rather than pursue a screen career.
Jacob "Killre" Miller
Jacob KILLRE Miller was noted for his athletic, dynamic style as lead singer of the Inner Circle band. His promising career was cut short by his tragic death in an auto-mobile accident. It is with the Inner Circle Band that Horsemouth is seen performing on the song “Tenement Yard” in Mr. Marshall’s night club.
Gregory "Jah Tooth" Isaacs
Gregory JAH TOOTH Isaacs is seen in the film both as a vocalist, performing his own composition “Slave Master”, and as a motor bike salesman, lock specialist, and cracking safes. Through his Cash and Carry company, he has produced countless local hits, And his understated, smooth crooning style has made him popular with audiences around the world.
* After a long battle with lung cancer, Isaacs died on 25 October 2010 at his home in south London.
Worldwide except Japan:
mvdb2b.com clint@musicvideodistributors.com
Japan only:
uplink.co.jp info@uplink.co.jp
For screening inquiries:
rockers@bluesunfilm.com
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← Why Strategic Use of Islam Failed
The Radia Tapes and our patterns of media consumption →
by Raza Rumi | December 2, 2010 · 2:17 am
Impossible histories —Edward Said
These excerpts from Said’s articles are being posted due to the torrent of comments posted here by some of our visitors. They tend to take a simplistic view of Islam and Muslims and repeat the same mantra over and over again. Therefore, we hope that Edward Said’s exceptionally nuanced comment will add value to the ill-informed rants posted on PTH. Raza Rumi
As a religious idea, Islam goes back to seventh-century Arabia and to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), God’s Messenger, whose book of divine revelations is collected in the prose-poetic surahs of the Quran. Having said that, however, one is only at the very beginning, and even primitive, level of what Islam is.
Islam is a world of many histories, many peoples, many languages, traditions, schools of interpretation, proliferating developments, disputations, cultures, and countries. A vast world of more than 1.2 billion people stretched out over every continent, north and south, including now the Americas, it cannot adequately be apprehended or understood simply as “Islam”.
The history of trying to come to terms with this somewhat fictionalised (or at least constructed) Islam in Europe and later in the US has always been marked by crisis and conflict, rather than by calm, mutual exchange. … In my book Orientalism, I argued that the original reason for European attempts to deal with Islam as if it were one giant entity was polemical — that is, Islam was considered a threat to Christian Europe and had to be fixed ideologically. Later, as the European empires developed over time, knowledge of Islam was associated with control, with power, with the need to understand the “mind” and ultimate nature of a rebellious and somehow resistant culture as a way of dealing administratively with an alien being at the heart of the expanding empires, especially those of Britain and France.
During the Cold War, as the US vied with the Soviet Union for dominance, Islam quickly became a national-security concern in the US, though until the Iranian revolution (and even after it, during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan) the US followed a path of encouraging and actually supporting Islamic political groups, which by definition were also anti-Communist and tended to be useful in opposing radical nationalist movements supported by the Soviets. After the Cold War ended and the US became the “world’s only superpower”, it soon became evident that in the search for new world-scale, outside enemies, Islam was a prime candidate, thus quickly reviving all the old religiously based clichés about violent, anti-modernist, and monolithic Islam. These clichés were useful to Israel and its political and academic supporters in the US, particularly because of the emergence of Islamic resistance movements to Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. Suddenly a rush of what appeared to be respectably expert material spouted up in the periodical press, most of it purporting to link “Islam” as a whole to such absurdly reductive passions as rage, anti-modernism, anti-Americanism, anti-rationalism, violence, and terror. Quite unsurprisingly, when Samuel Huntington’s vastly overrated article on the clash of civilisations appeared in 1993, the core of its belligerent (and dishearteningly ignorant) thesis was the battle between the “west” and “Islam” (which he sagely warned would become even more dangerous when it was allied with Confucianism).
…Huntington’s title and theme were borrowed from a phrase in an essay, written in 1990 by an energetically self-repeating and self-winding British academic, entitled ‘The Roots of Muslim Rage’. Its author, Bernard Lewis, made his name 40 years ago as an expert on modern Turkey, but came to the US in the mid-70s and was quickly drafted into service as a Cold Warrior, applying his traditional Orientalist training to larger and larger questions, which had as their immediate aim an ideological portrait of “Islam” and the Arabs that suited dominant pro-imperial and pro-Zionist strands in US foreign policy.
…His view of history is a crudely Darwinian one in which powers and cultures vie for dominance, some rising, some sinking. Lewis’s notions (they are scarcely ideas) seem also to have a vague Spenglerian cast to them, but he has not got any of Spengler’s philosophic ambition or scope. There is not much left to what Lewis says, therefore, than that cultures can be measured in their most appallingly simplified terms (my culture is stronger — i.e. has better trains, guns, symphony orchestras — than yours). For obvious reasons, then, his last book, What Went Wrong? which was written before but published after September 11,… fills a need felt by many Americans: to have it confirmed for them why “Islam” attacked them so violently and so wantonly on September 11, and why what is “wrong” with Islam deserves unrelieved opprobrium and revulsion.
… the book is in fact an intellectual and moral disaster, the terribly faded rasp of a pretentious academic voice, completely removed from any direct experience of Islam, rehashing and recycling tired Orientalist half (or less than half) truths. Remember that Lewis claims to be discussing all of “Islam”, not just the mad militants of Afghanistan or Egypt or Iran. All of Islam. He tries to argue that it all went “wrong”, as if the whole thing — people, languages, cultures — could really be pronounced upon categorically by a godlike creature who seems never to have experienced a single living human Muslim (except for a small handful of Turkish authors), as if history were a simple matter of right as defined by power, or wrong, by not having it…
Of course one can learn about and understand Islam, but not in general and not, as far too many of our expert authors propose, in so unsituated a way. To understand anything about human history, it is necessary to see it from the point of view of those who made it, not to treat it as a packaged commodity or as an instrument of aggression. Why should the world of Islam be any different?
Above all, “we” cannot go on pretending that “we” live in a world of our own; certainly, as Americans, our government is deployed literally all over the globe — militarily, politically, economically. So why do we suppose that what we say and do is neutral, when in fact it is full of consequences for the rest of the human race? In our encounters with other cultures and religions, therefore, it would seem that the best way to proceed is not to think like governments or armies or corporations but rather to remember and act on the individual experiences that really shape our lives and those of others. To think humanistically and concretely rather than formulaically and abstractly, it is always best to read literature capable of dispelling the ideological fogs that so often obscure people from each other. Avoid the trots and the manuals, give a wide berth to security experts and formulators of the us-versus-them dogma, and, above all, look with the deepest suspicion on anyone who wants to tell you the real truth about Islam and terrorism, fundamentalism, militancy, fanaticism, etc. You would have heard it all before, anyway, and even if you had not, you could predict its claims. Why not look for the expression of different kinds of human experience instead, and leave those great non-subjects to the experts, their think tanks, government departments, and policy intellectuals, who get us into one unsuccessful and wasteful war after the other?
(This extract is taken from Said’s article ‘Impossible Histories: Why the Many Islams Cannot be Simplified’, published in Harper’s Magazine, July 2002) – reprinted here
Edward Said was a literary theorist, cultural critic and political activist for Palestine. A founding figure in post-colonialism, he wrote dozens of books, lectures, and essays
Filed under Islam
4 responses to “Impossible histories —Edward Said”
Thanks for posting this. I needed a bit of Said to clarify my mind again 🙂
Sana Saleem
Yup, Great Discussion !
A Abbas
“Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), whose bookof divine revelations is collected in the prose-poetic surahs of the Quran.”
Lets call spade a spade!
Google Anwar Shaikh and view results
T.S. Bokhari
“To think humanistically and concretely rather than formulaically and abstractly, it is always best to read literature capable of dispelling the ideological fogs that so often obscure people from each other.”
A good formulation indeed but what about the Quran, the fundamental manual for the Muslims, which contains every thing from Sura Maun to Baqra, to think concretely and then on top of it all is Sura Fateha. And historically Islam phases from its Maki, a humanistic stage, to Madni, a political stage and now Talibani, a barbaric stage (?). How can we describe Islam ideologically in a concrete form? Is it not as an Urdu poet said:
“Yih tawaaham ka karkhaanah he
Yaan woh hi he jo ehtibaar kia”?
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2001: A Space Odyssey Parent Guide
When a group of scientists discover a black monolith buried on the moon is beaming a strange signal to Jupiter, they send a team of astronauts to investigate the largest planet. This now-classic Odyssey features computer glitches and unexplainable phenomena that have had audiences speculating ever since.
Release date April 6, 1968
Violence B-
Why is 2001: A Space Odyssey rated G? The MPAA rated 2001: A Space Odyssey G
You either love it, or hate it. Those who hate it have probably never got themselves past the opening ape scenes. Those who love it have never quit debating about the mysterious monolith or its symbolic meaning. No matter which camp you belong to, one thing is certain—Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic version of Arthur C. Clarke’s monumental novel will always stand in film history as the first real space movie made.
With no dialogue during the first half-hour, 2001 readies its audience with a few minutes of oddly structured sounds followed by its hallmark theme, “Thus Spake Zarathustra” by Strauss—a classical piece that will forever be related to 2001.
Next we are taken to a pivotal moment in the evolution of man when the monolith, a perfectly formed rectangle, appears from nowhere and alters the infamous screaming apes forever. (If nothing else, no one can deny the poor saps working in those costumes are some of the best primate impersonators on the planet.)
Cut to the “future.” The year is 1999, and a group of scientists have made an astonishing discovery. A black monolith buried beneath the surface of the moon is beaming a strange signal to Jupiter. Wanting to investigate further, the U.S. dispatches a huge ship, The Discovery, to Jupiter. With all but two of its large crew in cryogenic hibernation, Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) are responsible for supervising the voyage with the help of HAL, a state-of-the art computer.
But as the space vehicle nears Jupiter strange events begin to unfold, starting with HAL, who erroneously suspects a component on the ship is about to fail. (Having experienced years of computer glitches, this hardly seems surprising today, but back in the future of this movie, HAL was a perfect specimen supposedly incapable of making an error). Things rapidly unravel, eventually leaving the entire crew dead, except for one man. Orbiting Jupiter alone, Dave embarks on an odyssey that has left people speculating ever since.
Despite our increased expectations of special effects and the portrayal of “realistic” space travel (as if we know what “real” is?!), 2001 is an elegant masterpiece that has aged very well. Images of sleek Concorde-looking space planes docking at the round orbiting space station surpass the squat Space Shuttle or the “Tinker-Toy” style International Space Station scientists are actually getting off the ground.
Besides some tense moments when Dave finds himself locked outside of the ship, followed by the confusing voyage he endures (which may also frighten young children), there is little content to concern parents. If you have a problem with evolution being portrayed as the origin of man, simply fast-forward the first 25 minutes and pick up from there. You’ll hardly miss a thing.
Starring Keir Dullea, Stanley Kubrick. Running time: 141 minutes. Theatrical release April 6, 1968. Updated July 17, 2017
2001: A Space Odyssey Parents' Guide
Why did Arthur C. Clarke leave the purpose of the monolith as a mystery? What do you think it represents? (Those interested in gaining greater insight into the author’s intended meaning may find some answers at their local library by reading later books in this series, such as: 2010, 2061: Odyssey Three, and 3001: The Final Odyssey.)
You are living at the time when this movie was supposed to take place—33 years after the film was made. Why were people in 1968 so optimistic about what we would achieve in space travel over the next quarter-century? If you were to make 2035: A Space Odyssey, what do you think people would be doing?
The most recent home video release of 2001: A Space Odyssey movie is June 11, 2001. Here are some details…
DVD Release Date: 3 February 2004
Warner Studios released this timeless classic to DVD with its original overture, entr’acte and exit music. The English audio track is available in Dolby Digital 5.1.
Related home video titles:
A sequel to this film was made, titled 2010:The Year We Make Contact. Exploring the final frontier (Star Trek) and depicting galaxies far, far away (Star Wars), has made for big box office returns for two movie franchises. For some ideas of what other people imagine the future will bring, check our review of Mission to Mars set in 2020, or The Red Planet circa 2050. (Obviously our expectations for space explorations are a little closer to home.)
Related news about 2001: A Space Odyssey
Take to the Skies with an Astronaut Movie
The lunar landing of Apollo 11 was a monumental moment for anyone glued to the television...
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N-Neck Land Conservancy celebrates 15th year
Geese provide natural pest control at Ditchley’s orchard in Northumberland County.
The sights and sounds of a vast tidal marsh at dawn thrill Tom Tullidge and his family when they visit their Essex County farm to hunt waterfowl and delight in what the rural property has to offer.
“It’s stunningly beautiful,” he says of the 750-acre tract called Gwynnfield which juts into the Rappahannock River just upstream of Tappahannock. “There are birds working and the dogs are eyeing the sky.”
Miles away and across the Northern Neck peninsula, a tiny, 13-acre parcel holds an equal appeal to another proud landowner: Catherine Gordon built a cabin beside a tributary of the Coan River years ago and retreats there regularly from her work in Washington, D.C.
When she drives up to the property and spots Mill Creek sparkling through the trees, “I feel like I’m home,” she says. “I’m grateful for my plot of heaven on the Northern Neck.”
Tullidge, the chief financial officer of a Richmond investment firm, and Gordon, a nurse practitioner for a Catholic charity in D.C., are just two of the people who have turned to the Northern Neck Land Conservancy (NNLC) to protect the land…
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SXSWeek
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Schedule Home
Interactive: March 8–12
Film: March 8–16
Music: March 12–17
Hit-Boy
Listen to T.U.
Born Chauncey Hollis, on May 21, 1987 in Pasadena, California, he is the son of Chauncey Hollis SR. and Tanisha Benford. Hit-Boy got his start on *Myspace when he received a message from Polow Da Don stating simply: "Let's get this paper". From that point on he grew to work with, and produce for legendary artists such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Eminem, 50 cent, Mary J Blige, Chris Brown, Jennifer Lopez, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, and several others. He is most well known for Lil Wayne "Drop the World" Featuring Eminem, Pusha T "My God", Kanye West "Christmas in Harlem", and most recently Jay-Z & Kanye West "Niggas in Paris."
The California native is one of the founding members of the collective brand Surf Club (along with fellow beat makers Chase N.Cashe,BCarr, and Chili Chill). Surf Club has become a team to host a number of artist as well as songwriters and other producers. They got their start in the industry in 2007 after linking with Polow Da Don's Zone 4 Inc., an imprint of Interscope.
On May 2, 2011 he signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music Label, and is one of the producer’s on the collaborative “Watch The Throne” album featuring West and Jay-Z.
12:20AM -12:35AM
Presented by: Cannon Steps Back
Add to my schedule
The show at Club 119 on Tuesday, March 12
7:40PM Propaganda
8:00PM Don Cannon
8:50PM Millyz
9:10PM Thi'sl
9:30PM Mpulse
9:50PM MARS of 1500 or Nothin
10:15PM Derek Minor
10:35PM Reese
10:55PM Gilbere Forte
11:15PM Chase N. Cashe
11:40PM L.E.P. Bogus Boys
12:00AM Mikkey Halsted
12:20AM Hit-Boy
12:45AM Lecrae
1:20AM Freeway
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Home / Community Bloggers • Latest Stories / City Commission Names Steve Kistulentz City’s Poet Laureate
City Commission Names Steve Kistulentz City’s Poet Laureate
by Safety Harbor Public Library / Community Bloggers, Latest Stories / 08 Apr 2019
At the April 1 meeting, the Safety Harbor City Commission appointed Steve Kistulentz as the City’s second poet laureate replacing the current laureate, Barbara Finkelstein whose term ended. Staff at the Safety Harbor Public Library recommended the appointment of Kistulentz after seeking public nominations and meeting eligibility requirements. His term as poet laureate is three years.
Kistulentz, a resident of Safety Harbor, is the author of the novel Panorama, published in 2018 by Little, Brown & Co. He also penned two award-winning collections of poetry, Little Black Daydream and The Luckless Age, winner of the Benjamin Saltman Award. He has a BA in English from the College of William and Mary, an MA from Johns Hopkins University, an MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, and a PhD from the Florida State University.
Shorter works have appeared in journals including The Antioch Review, the Cincinnati Review, Crab Orchard Review, Mississippi Review, New Letters, Quarterly West, Quarter After Eight, The Southern Review, and many others. He taught at Johns Hopkins University; the University of Iowa, where he was the Joseph and Ursil Callan Scholar, and at Florida State University, where he was an Edward and Marie C. Kingsbury Fellow for Excellence in Thought. Currently, he directs the graduate creative writing program at Saint Leo University.
In conjunction with National Poetry Month, the community is invited to attend the Library’s 10th Annual Poetry Celebration, Thursday, April 25, 6:00 – 9:00 PM. A Poets’ Mingle begins at 6:00 pm, where guests are invited to relax and enjoy refreshments while listening to local musician TJ Weger. An open mic session follows at 6:30 pm with readings from local poets, featured poet Gianna Russo, and laureate Kistulentz. The Safety Harbor Public Library is located at 101 2nd Street N., Safety Harbor, FL 34695.
Barbara Finkelstein 3 months ago
Steve, congratulations. Lucky Safety Harbor to have you!
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Apps:
Laudate -includes many resources such as an interactive Rosary, Daily Readings, and the Liturgy of the Hours.
iBreviary - The iBreviary is your portable breviary. You can use it to pray with the full texts of the Liturgy of the Hours, readings of the day and additional prayers.
Word Among Us - combines the daily meditations and articles from The Word Among Us magazine with the newly updated translation of the Catholic Mass — offering you an easy-to-use resource for every day of the year on your iPad, iPhone & iPod touch. This is a paid subscription
Click to Pray - The app accompanies you throughout your day. It connects you with thousands of people who find purpose in praying every day for the challenges of humanity and for the mission of the Church as the Pope proposes in his monthly prayer intentions.
Sacred Space, an online/ app resource is a joint apostolate of the Irish Jesuits and Loyola Press. It offers new content each day for praying with scripture.
Our Sunday Visitor web page offers a daily reflection and prayer from the scripture readings.
Ascension Presents is an evangelistic platform bringing entertaining, faith-filled, and dynamic presenters straight to your newsfeed. By providing engaging content for our audience that reflects the good, the true and the beautiful we hope to bring their hearts closer to Christ.
https://twitter.com/AscensionPress
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The Word Among Us contributes to the church’s ongoing mission of proclaiming the gospel to the world and growing ever more deeply in our love for the Lord.
https://www.facebook.com/wordamongus/
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Franciscan Media Resources:
Come closer to God in personal prayer. He is always close to you.
Franciscan Media has a collection of books and resources to enhance your prayer life, such as, Praise God and Thank Him by Jeff Cavins or Living Prayer by Bishop Robert Morneau.
Our Sunday Visitor is one of the world's largest Catholic publishers, serving millions of Catholics around the globe. OSV offers rich books from experienced, knowledgeable authors for all seasons of life. Try a new kind of prayer, study the teachings of the Church, or stay in touch with the Holy Father. All this and more is available to you from a trusted, authentic Catholic resource in OSV.
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South African Flags
The inconvenient and unknown history of South Africa’s national flags
Here’s another interesting back of the chappie gum wrapper fact – Guess which is the correct South African flag South Africans fought under during World War 1? Bet most people will think of the old “Orange White and Blue” South African flag, but that would be wrong.
As a serving officer in the South African Army I had to be familiar with flag protocol and etiquette, it’s a key part of soldiering when national flags go on parade. However the funny thing in South Africa is just how poor our collective knowledge is of our own national flags.
These are in fact all of South Africa’s national flags: Many times in military veteran circles there is steaming debate on when to use the “old” national flag and in what context – however few people in South Africa know what flag to use, what they really mean and even less know what the first South African flag actually looked like.
Here is a classic case of the misunderstandings surrounding South African national flags – This is the painting the “Birth of the Union” James E McConnell. The painting was so poorly researched he used the wrong flag.
This is a modern day photo-shop version of McConnell’s painting and it shows his original on the left and a more correct South African Union flag at union on the right.
The flag he used for his painting was the oranje-blanje-blou (known more commonly as the “OBB”) which all South Africans will recognise. However the flag of South Africa at the time of Union in 1910 was the South African “ensign flag” (British Union Jack top left and the South African National Coat of Arms inserted bottom right). Known as a “Red Duster” – now not too many South Africans today have ever seen that flag.
To show what the first South African national flag, the “Red Duster,” actually looked like here it is:
It is very doubtful that there would have been huge public elation of Boers and Brits embracing one another under this National Flag as depicted in the painting, although this was the National Flag that South Africa fought under during the First World War (there where two versions of this ensign flag which they used – one Red and one Blue).
Ironically, the Boer Commandos that joined the South African Union’s Defence Force at Union in 1910, used and fought under this “South African Ensign” in the South West African and the East African campaigns of World War 1 from 1914 to 1918.
As noted, there was another variant of the “Red Duster” which is an ensign with the respective nation’s emblem against a Blue Background and a British Union flag in the left hand corner (you’ll still see this variant used in New Zealand and Australia for their National flag).
Both South Africa’s “Ensign” flags – Red and Blue qualify as the de facto South African national flags from 1910 to 1928, however the Red one was more common.
The Red Duster variant was the primary flag adopted by South Africa and Canada (Canada used their ensign version during WW1 and WW2 – it was only changed to the Maple Leaf in 1965)
Given the Ensigns were the flags usually adopted for British “Colonies” and “Dominions”, the South African Union government (which was in fact an independent Parliament to Westminster and made its own laws) felt differently. To the South African Union the national flag of 1910 was “still born” and not reflective of the history of the Boer Republics which made up the other half of the “Union” nor did it adequately reflect on South Africa’s Dutch colony origins.
The oranje-blanje-blou (“OBB”) was adopted by the South African Union Parliament as the “new” national flag in 1928. It was proudly flown as the flag of “Union” representing the old British Colonies of the Cape and Natal and the old Boer Republics of the Transvaal (South African Republic) and the Orange Free State. The use of the British Union flag inserted in the OBB, placed closest to the flag mast/pole (the most honoured and senior position for any “inserted” national flag on any flag format) ahead of the two Boer Republic flags, which take a lessor position, calmed down and appeased the “English” detractors who objected to such a dramatic flag change away from the standard Dominion Red Duster.
However, confusion as to South Africa’s national flag to use even reigned at this time. Here Jan Smuts makes the front cover of a late 1940’s edition of “Time” magazine with the National Flag in the background and this time they are incorrectly using the “old” blue ensign flag and should have been using the”new” OBB.
So here’s another fun fact, the OBB is not the “Apartheid” flag, the National party when they came to power in 1948 put forward a proposal to have it amended and remove what they called the “Bloed Vlek” (Blood Stain) which was the British Union Flag inserted in the OBB. This was a National party pet hate as it reminded many Afrikaner nationalists of British decimation of Boer families and farms during the Boer war – the campaign to change the OBB flag was stepped up by the National Party under Hendrik Verwoerd when South Africa became a Republic and when he withdrew South Africa from the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1961.
However broader public pressure at the time prevented the initial National Party proposals for a flag change from been passed by the South African Republic’s Parliament and the idea was eventually shelved. In effect the initial campaign to change the OBB died with Verwoerd in 1966, but the National Party attempts to change the OBB to a “new” Republic flag did not stop there. In 1968, the National Party Prime Minister, John Vorster, again proposed the adoption of a new flag to replace the OBB from 1971, the rational was to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the declaration of South Africa as a Republic. Even though a National newspaper campaign was run asking the public for suggested flag designs, Vorster’s proposal did not get momentum in Parliament and the flag change never materialised.
Historically speaking, although the hardline National Party members hated the “OBB” and its inserted British “Union Jack”, but they disliked the original South African ensign “Red Duster” national flag with its massive “Union Jack” even more, they hated this flag so much it was literally erased from the South African collective consciousness and very few examples of it survive to this day. It certainly was not top of mind when McConnell painted his “Birth of the Union” painting in 1976.
That the flag of South African Union was kept during the implementation of Apartheid by the National Party from 1948 to 1994 is unfortunate as it detracts from it’s rich heritage as the flag of the South African “Union” and as such it is not the flag of the South African “Republic” nor was it ever intended to be a Republic’s flag – it especially detracts from all the kudos that South Africa received during World War 2 fighting alongside British and American forces under the South African Union’s OBB.
The “new” (new) South African flag adopted in 1994 was actually intended as a “five year interim” flag, however, it proved so highly popular it became the national flag almost instantly and was officially adopted by the government of South Africa on the election day, 27th April 1994.
According to its designer Fred Bromnell – It is actually a combination of the two “Colonial era” flags – The national flag of the Netherlands (Dutch flag) – Red, White, Blue and the the British Union flag – Blue, White, Red. Then the two former Boer Republic flags – the South African Republic (Transvaal) “Vier Kleur” – Green, Red, White and Blue and the Orange Free State Republic Flag (using the Dutch insert flag and the white) and then finally the African National Congress (ANC) Flag – Black, Green and Gold (colours also present in the Inkatha Freedom Party and Pan African Congress flags).
The V symbolises inclusion and unification. In essence it is another flag of “Union” (unity) only this time acknowledging the county’s Black population and its historical heritage. Symbols considered in the design of the “new” flag included Catholic and Anglican Priest’s Classic Chasubles, the universal symbol of Peace and the married Zulu female traditional head-dress.
There are some claims that the “New” South African flag is just a “design” with no meaning or symbolism – but that’s not the opinion of the man who actually designed it – Frederick Gordon Brownell. Also, I find that whenever that when this argument is used it’s usually to deny meaning to the new South Africa flag and to degrade the country, describing it as “jockey Y front underpants,” when in fact the truth is the opposite and the flag is stuffed full of meaning and symbolism.
In fact the “New” South African flag reflects all the old flags of South Africa, these exist right there for all to see, plain as day to the trained eye (and even the untrained eye) – symbolically placed in the new flag – and that’s an inconvenient truth to both the “new” flag’s detractors and the detractors of the “old” OBB.
The funny thing is the “New” (new) flag was only meant to be an interim one, hence the mash of historical South African flags. The irony kills me whenever I see the “new” South African youth and current South African political class with the flag they are now saluting, flying and even wearing – and it consists of their much despised “Colonial” Dutch, British and Boer Republic flags, and most of the “Apartheid” flag – irony lost on them but not on me.
Here’s the another irony – the “old” South African flag i.e. the “OBB” Union flag was born out of the ideals of Union led by Jan Smuts and Louis Botha. Not under the Apartheid ideals of DF Malan and HF Verwoed. I personally see a lot of irony when hard-line right wing Afrikaners slam Jan Smuts and brand his values of consolidation and union with the British as an act of treason to the Afrikaner people – when at the same time they fully support, and at times even fly, the very flag created in honour of his very Unionist ideal – with its British “Blood Stain” symbolising Smuts’ reconciliation in full and proud senior position.
Furthermore it is ironic that after many years of trying to change the National flag after South Africa was declared a Republic in 1961, it was the National Party that finally achieved its goal in February 1994 when they, as the National Party government, briefed Frederick Gordon Brownell at the government’s own heraldry department to design a new flag (funnily in some sort of déjà vu – they had to involve the country’s National Herald this time after another newspaper campaign for designs from the public had failed, albeit 20 years later). The result is the current flag we see today. It was designed literally in a week and the only change in the decades long National Party narrative on changing the OBB this time was that both FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela had to approve the new design.
So, lump it or leave it – there is nothing in “Union” flags that appeal to “all” people and everything in “Union” flags that appeal to “all” people.
All I can say is that the “new” South African flag has been the most cross cultural flag ever composed in South African history and it has been the least controversial i.e. it has been the most universally accepted by all South Africans (the very vast majority) with the least amount of disgruntled political posturing to change it.
In summary, to the “old” South Africa OBB supporters I would say:
The OBB was not the only South African national flag both Afrikaner and English South Africans fought under prior to 1994.
The OBB pays a very high homage to The British Union National Flag in terms of the Vexillology of Flags and Flag Etiquette, especially in terms of the superior/senior position it takes relative to the two Boer Republic flags.
The OBB symbolises the union of Afrikaner and English races – a central philosophy of Jan Christiaan Smuts and that of “Union” Political Coalition partners and Governments. Not those ideals of nationalist Afrikaners like Malan, Verwoed and Vorster, whose central political premise was that of an independent “Republic” and “Apartheid”.
The OBB, although a flag of Union with the British, is now very dated. Times and history changed since South Africa declared itself a Republic, so too the demographic and even social landscape of South Arica. It cannot work as a current national flag in modern South Africa, change was inevitable – even Smuts would have seen that, and knowing his way of governance he would have welcomed a new flag to reflect it had he been around (in his time he served and lived under four different national flags).
Many key Commonwealth countries have traded in their “Colonial” ensigns and Union flags – Canada, Jamaica, Kenya, Singapore, Hong Kong to name a few, and those still holding onto theirs – Australia and New Zealand, are under strong popular pressure to change them ahead of changing times.
To the “new” South Africa, current National flag supporters I say:
The OBB is the flag of “Union” and it is one of the two Union flags used to bring South Africa into existence as a country on the central principles of “reconciliation” and “tolerance” between two previously warring races (Boers and Brits), it is not the flag of “Apartheid”- in fact it was developed long before Apartheid was instituted as an ideology (in 1948) and symbolically it’s the complete opposite of Apartheid.
Even the hard-line Apartheid Nationalists hated the old South African OBB, so much they wanted to change it – and eventually they did, and ironically it is the flag you now support, salute, fly and even wear – it was designed by a brief from the outgoing Apartheid Nationalist government in its final throws of office.
The “new” flag very strongly and powerfully associates the flags of South Africa’s “Colonisers” and “Boers” in its design and in fact it celebrates this history – in addition to celebrating the history of the Black peoples of South Africa.
The “new” South African flag does an excellent job balancing South Africa’s history and is very relevant to the current time. I can’t possibly think of a better solution, and if the ANC and EFF one day decide to change it because of all its “colonial” and “white” legacy, I would hate to see what some Gupta owned design agency in India comes up with, because that really would round off a ‘state capture’.
This is why I allow myself a wry ironic smirk every-time South African flags are so hotly debated.
Researched and written by Peter Dickens.
Featured image by James E McConnell, Watercolour on Board 1973, photo-shopped version and background information courtesy Nicholas Pnematicatos.
Posted in Union to Republic
Tagged BJ Vorster, FW de Klerk, Jan Smuts, Mandela, South African Defence Force, South African Flags, South African Union Defence Force
Cassinga! - a talk with Peter Dickens
When Holocaust survivors speak, we ought to listen!
A bad 'driver' and an equally bad 'siren' suit
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Discourse marker
Word or phrase that manages the flow of discourse
A discourse marker is a word or a phrase that plays a role in managing the flow and structure of discourse. Since their main function is at the level of discourse (sequences of utterances) rather than at the level of utterances or sentences, discourse markers are relatively syntax-independent and usually do not change the truth conditional meaning of the sentence.[1] Examples of discourse markers include the particles oh, well, now, then, you know, and I mean, and the discourse connectives so, because, and, but, and or.[2] The term discourse marker was coined by Deborah Schiffrin in her 1988 book Discourse Markers.[3][4]
In Practical English Usage, Michael Swan defines a discourse marker as "a word or expression which shows the connection between what is being said and the wider context". For him, a discourse marker is something that either connects a sentence to what comes before or after, or indicates a speaker's attitude to what he is saying. He gives three examples: on the other hand; frankly; as a matter of fact.[5] Ian McCormick's The Art of Connection[6] outlines nine classes of connectives based on their purpose:
to provide a sense of where something is in relation to something else;
to supply a sense of when something is happening;
to compare two ideas and express similarities;
to contrast ideas English provides many examples to signal the notion of difference;
to present additional or supplementary ideas;
to indicate that a point in a discussion has been conceded or already taken into account;
to demonstrate a sense of logical sequence;
to offer an illustration or an example;
to deliver a summary of the ideas discussed.
McCormick points out that "FANBOYS" is mnemonic to recall co-ordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
Common discourse markers used in the English language include "you know", "actually", "basically", "like", "I mean", "okay" and "so". Data shows that discourse markers often come from different word classes, such as adverbs ("well") or prepositional phrases ("in fact"). The process that leads from a free construction to a discourse marker can be traced back through grammaticalisation studies and resources.[citation needed]
Traditionally, some of the words or phrases that were considered discourse markers were treated as "fillers" or "expletives": words or phrases that had no function at all. Now they are assigned functions in different levels of analysis: topic changes, reformulations, discourse planning, stressing, hedging, or backchanneling.
Yael Maschler divided discourse markers into four broad categories: interpersonal, referential, structural, and cognitive.[7]
Interpersonal markers are used to indicate the relationship between the speaker and the listener.
Perception: "look", "believe me"
Agreement: "exactly", or disagreement: "I'm not sure"
Amazement: "wow"
Referential markers, usually conjunctions, are used to indicate the sequence, causality, and coordination between statements.
Sequence: "now", "then"
Causality: "because"
Coordination: "and", or non-coordination: "but"
Structural markers indicate the hierarchy of conversational actions at the time in which they are spoken. These markers indicate which statements the speaker believes to be most or least important.
Organization: "first of all"
Introduction: "so"
Summarization: "in the end"
Cognitive markers reveal the speaker's thought process
Processing information: "uhh"
Realization: "oh!"
Rephrasing: "I mean"
Another example of an interpersonal discourse marker is the Yiddish marker nu, also used in Modern Hebrew and other languages, often to convey impatience or to urge the listener to act (cf. German cognate nun, meaning "now" in the sense of "at the moment being discussed," but contrast Latin etymological cognate nunc, meaning "now" in the sense of "at the moment in which discussion is occurring"; Latin used iam for "at the moment being discussed," and German uses jetzt for "at the moment in which discussion is occurring").[8]
Filler (linguistics)
So (sentence closer)
So (sentence opener)
Speech disfluency
Tag question
^ Carol Lynn, Moder; Aida Martinovic-Zic (2004). Discourse Across Languages and Cultures. John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 117. 9027230781.
^ Schiffrin, Deborah (1986), Discourse markers, Studies in interactional sociolinguistics, 5., Cambridge [Cambridgeshire], ISBN 978-0-521-30385-9
^ Schiffrin, Deborah (1988). Discourse Markers. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521357180.
^ Plonsky, Luke (2017). "Obituary: Deborah Schiffrin". Linguist List.
^ Swan, Michael (2005). Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. xviii. ISBN 0-19-442098-1.
^ McCormick, Ian. (2013) The Art of Connection: the Social Life of Sentences. Quibble Academic.
^ Jucker, Andreas H.; Ziv, Yael (1998-07-15). Discourse Markers: Descriptions and theory. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 9789027285522.
^ Zuckermann, Ghil'ad (2009). Hybridity versus Revivability: Multiple Causation, Forms and Patterns. In Journal of Language Contact, Varia 2: 40-67, p. 50.
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American Corporate Executives Cash In as Austerity arrives for the Rest
By ANDRE DAMON | WSW | MARCH 22, 2013
As the US government prepares to furlough 1 million federal workers and slash hundreds of billions in social spending, corporate executives in the United States are receiving among the highest payouts in history. USA Today reported Thursday that at least ten CEOs took in $50 million apiece in 2012, largely as a result of cashing in stocks that have soared in value with the rising market. According to the newspaper, “Early 2013 proxy filings detailing 2012 compensation show a growing number of CEOs reaping $50 million or more, gains that could prove unmatched in breadth and size since the Internet IPO craze enriched tech company executives more than a decade ago.”
In its own analysis, the Wall Street Journal observed that executive pay has become ever more directly tied to stock values, noting that last year, more than half of compensation at major companies was tied to “stock or financial performance,” compared to 35 percent in 2009.
Among the top pay packages according to preliminary calculation is that of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, which included stock options valued at $103.3 million this year, on top of $30 million in other compensation and stock, as well as $10.2 million in vested shares, according to USA Today.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally likewise took home $61 million by cashing in shares that vested last year, added to his compensation of $21 million. This payout was based on a sharp rise in the company’s profitability that has been made possible by downsizing and the slashing of wages for newly hired workers to $15 per hour. Mulally’s pay is more than 2,500 times that of a new auto worker.
Apple’s Tim Cook got $139.7 million from restricted shares that vested last year, while Oracle CEO Larry Ellison was granted $90 million in stock.
These payouts are only a sampling of the huge sums that the ruling class is handing itself. The stock market, inflated through $85 billion a month handed to the banks by the US Federal Reserve, is the central transmission belt for this enrichment.
The engorgement of the ruling class has been facilitated by the actions of the state, and in particular the Obama administration. After the financial collapse of 2008, facing widespread public outrage at executive compensation, the administration explicitly opposed any constraints on pay. “We don’t disparage wealth,” Obama said repeatedly. Proposals for CEO pay centered on encouraging companies to tie this pay more directly to “performance”—i.e., share values.
Even while the corporate CEOs and other members of the financial oligarchy rake in astronomical payouts, the constant refrain from the media and big business parties is that there is no money to pay for social spending, and that health care and retirement programs must be cut and workers’ incomes slashed.
Next month, as a result of $85 billion in “sequester” spending cuts, over 1 million federal government employees will begin scheduled furloughs, resulting in effective pay cuts of 20 to 35 percent. These furloughs come together with tens of billions in cuts to public education, anti-poverty programs, and unemployment insurance.
With both Democrats and Republicans acknowledging that the cuts will be permanent, the turn now is toward working out an agreement to slash hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The ultimate aim of the ruling elite is to dismantle everything that remains of the social safety net, plunging the working class into Dickensian poverty and social misery.
The argument that there is no money to pay for these programs is rendered absurd by the vast amounts of cash being handed out to executives or simply sitting around on corporate balance sheets. In 2012, the amount of cash held by US non-financial corporations rose by 10 percent, to $1.45 trillion, according to Moody’s. This figure is enough to pay for the sequester cuts 17 times over.
In fact, Apple, whose cash hoard rose to $137 billion, could itself pay for this year’s sequester cuts, with $50 billion to spare.
Loaded with cash and unwilling to invest, corporations have dramatically increased dividend payments to investors. The New York Times reported earlier this month that S&P 500 companies are expected to hand investors $300 billion in dividends this year, an increase over last year’s payout of $282 billion. American corporations bought back $117.8 billion in their own stock last month, the highest total on records going back to 1985.
The relationship of the American ruling class to the rest of society is a fundamentally parasitic one. Over the course of three decades, under conditions of economic decline, stock market speculation, rather than production, has become the central mechanism of wealth accumulation.
The 2008 crisis, far from reversing this process, has strengthened it. The ruling elite seized on the crisis to escalate the transfer of wealth. The soaring CEO pay and investor payouts on one hand, and vast social misery on the other, are in reality two sides of the same process.
The American ruling class proceeds with an almost shameless disregard for the consequences of its own actions. Amidst mass poverty and unemployment, as it dictates the most brutal austerity measures all around the world, the financial aristocracy engages in an uncontrollable orgy, propelled by its own social being.
Such actions, however, do not go unnoticed. They are producing within the United States an immense wellspring of social opposition that will take the form of working class struggle.
Filed under English, North America, World Tagged with american corporations, austerity, class warfare, corporate executives, healthcare, pay packages, poverty, ruling elite, social security, social spending, spending cuts, stock market, united states, wealth accumulation
Chinese companies get out of US Stock Market
Chinese don’t want to be overseen by US auditors
ASSOCIATED PRESS | AUGUST 14, 2012
Just a few years after Chinese companies lined up to sell shares on Wall Street, a growing number are reversing course and pulling out of U.S. exchanges.
This week, Focus Media Holding Ltd., announced its chairman and private equity firms want to buy back its U.S.-traded shares and take the Shanghai-based advertising company private. The deal would value Focus Media at $3.5 billion, according to financial information firm Dealogic.
Smaller companies also are withdrawing from U.S. exchanges. In a sign of official encouragement, a Chinese business magazine said a state bank has provided $1 billion in loans to help companies with listings abroad move them to domestic exchanges.
The withdrawals follow accusations of improper accounting by some companies and a deadlock between Beijing and Washington over whether U.S. regulators can oversee their China-based auditors.
Some Chinese companies say they are pulling out of U.S. markets because a low share price fails to reflect the strength of their business. Withdrawing also eliminates the cost of complying with American financial reporting rules.
Focus Media “has been seriously undervalued on U.S. stock markets” and being taken private will help to promote its “long-term strategic development,” said a company spokeswoman, Lu Jing.
The company, formed in 2003, operates electronic advertising displays in elevators, grocery stores and other locations.
“We haven’t considered whether to list the company on Chinese markets but that possibility has not been excluded,” Lu said.
U.S.-traded Chinese companies faced scrutiny after auditors for several quit and others were accused of accounting irregularities. Concerns about company finances have caused share prices to tumble, costing investors several billion dollars.
“Probably all these companies have some questionable accounting, so they may prefer to move out of the U.S., not to come under too much scrutiny,” said Marc Faber, managing director of Hong Kong fund management company Marc Faber Ltd.
A financial firm, Muddy Waters Research, accused Focus Media last year of overstating the number of its display panels and questioned acquisitions reported by the company. Focus Media denied the allegations and said independent auditors confirmed the size of its network.
This week, Muddy Waters founder Carson Block said in a statement: “The markets are far better off if a few deep pocketed investors own Focus Media instead of mutual funds and other public shareholders.”
The group proposing to take the company private includes its chairman, Jason Nanchun Jiang, and private equity firms Carlyle Group, CITIC Capital Partners, CDH Investments and China Everbright Ltd.
The status of Chinese companies in the United States could be complicated by a dispute between U.S. and Chinese regulators over whether American inspectors will be allowed to examine the work of their China-based audit firms.
Washington wants auditors to hand over documentation on companies that are under investigation but Chinese authorities have barred the release of some information. If a settlement is not reached, the SEC could reject audits by China-based firms, forcing companies to find new auditors.
In May, Beijing took steps to tighten control of local affiliates of major accounting firms by issuing a requirement for Chinese citizens to head those offices.
Dozens of Chinese companies issued shares on Wall Street over the past decade, raising billions of dollars from investors who wanted a stake in the country’s booming economy.
Many were private companies that could not raise money on Chinese exchanges that were created to finance state industry or wanted the higher public profile.
Chinese regulators encouraged the move as a way for entrepreneurs to raise money and speed the development of China’s economy. But in recent years Beijing has encouraged private companies to issue shares in China to help develop its markets and give Chinese households better investment options.
Regulators have made it easier for private companies to join China’s two exchanges in Shanghai and the southern city of Shenzhen, though most listings still are for state enterprises. The Shenzhen exchange created a second board for small companies, imitating the U.S.-based Nasdaq market.
Major state companies such as oil giant PetroChina Ltd. and China Mobile Ltd., the world’s biggest phone company by subscribers, also have issued shares abroad. None has indicated it plans to withdraw from foreign stock exchanges.
The economics also are shifting in China’s favor.
U.S.-traded companies saw share prices plunge following the 2008 global crisis, while economic growth at home, even after a recent decline, is still forecast at about 8 percent this year. Rising Chinese incomes are creating a bigger pool of money for investment.
“Generally speaking, a company’s shares are sold at a higher premium in initial public offerings on Chinese stock markets than on U.S. markets,” said Mao Sheng, a market strategist for Huaxi Securities in the western city of Chengdu.
Also, he said, “If the company’s business is mainly in China, it will be good for its brand promotion.”
Another U.S.-traded company, Fushi Copperweld Inc., announced plans in June by its chairman, Li Fu, and a Hong Kong firm, Abax Global Capital, to take the maker of metallic conductors private.
Muddy Waters cited Fushi Copperweld in April as one of several companies it said dealt with an investment bank that helped enterprises seeking U.S. stock market listings to conceal problems and misrepresent financial information.
Fushi Copperweld denied Muddy Waters’ “vague and nonspecific” claims.
The company said its privatization will be financed with loans from the China Development Bank.
Created to support construction of highways and other public works in China, CDB plays a growing role in its corporate expansion abroad. The bank provides credit to buyers of Chinese telecoms gear and other big-ticket goods and has financed building projects in Africa, Latin America and Asia.
CDB has lent $1 billion “to help Chinese public companies leave the U.S. stock market to return to domestic markets,” the business magazine Caixin said last month.
Employees who answered the phone at Fushi Copperweld said no one was available to comment.
Also in June, China TransInfo Technology Corp., a provider of traffic management technology, announced privatization plans to be financed by CDB’s Hong Kong branch. A company spokeswoman said she could not comment because the plan is not finalized.
In October, Harbin Pacific Electric Co. withdrew from Nasdaq in a share buyback financed by $400 million in loans from the CDB.
Filed under Asia, English, North America Tagged with market panic, stock market, stock market collapse, Wall Street
Manipulated Markets Make a Come Back
Does it make sense that during the deepest depression since 1929, the U.S. Stock Market comes back up from a 6oo+ point decline? Only a manipulated system where speculators have complete control could recover from a rout that showed how little confidence investors have in the market today.
by Luis R. Miranda
While countries are in dire straits to make payments on mostly illegally acquired debts and the price of oil continues to fall; while little to nothing is produced or manufactured in the industrialized world and no ingenuity makes it big anywhere in the world; while the most important currencies continue to tumble and other financial markets turn more sour; while unemployment continues to grow from the low 20’s and more people make use of food stamps and unemployment benefits; while more jobs are exported to third world nations that support slave work for their populations and inflation is only tamed by artificial manipulation of the currencies; while numerous people look to gold and silver as their salvation, surprisingly the stock market came back from the pantheon and surged to recover from the slide seen just a few hours ago.
There is very little that can't be done when someone or something controls fiat currencies, rating agencies, and financial markets.
But not only did the stocks came back strong; they had the largest gains in more than two years. Along with this “come back” the U.S. dollar got weaker and the Swiss franc rose the most since 1971. Even the very same Standard & Poor Index managed to recover almost 5 percent, the most significant gains since 2009. In the meantime, the origin of the financial disaster, the privately owned banks headed by the Federal Reserve announced their intent to print more worthless money into the economy as a way to “boost” confidence. Even though QE1 and QE2 failed to provide any confidence, or for that matter failed to provide anything positive, the FED believes it is appropriate to bring up QE3. With this, the FED shows its interest to purchase more government bonds, which will consolidate its position as the largest holder of U.S. government debt.
“The Fed is clearly setting up a situation that could offer them the potential to do something significant, if necessary,” Bruce McCain, who helps oversee $22 billion as chief investment strategist at the private-banking unit of KeyCorp in Cleveland, said in a telephone interview. “That could be viewed as a positive,” added McCain. “People are starting to realize that what we’ve had in the market was an overreaction.” Really? Positive? How so?
Artificial Surge after the Decline
How can a stock market come back from a 600+ point decline in just a few hours if one considers that the cause of such loss -the downgrade of the U.S. debt rating- has not been dealt with? It simply boggles the mind, doesn’t it? The United States credit rating was lowered from AAA to AA+ by Standard & Poors, a rating agency that is paid by the banks to evaluate financial products and which is in part responsible for the current financial catastrophe. Together with Moody’s, S&P was created the by the banking system to carry out “independent” evaluations of financial products as well as credit confidence on institutions, state and local governments and of course whole nations.
According to Bloomberg, Stocks came back from a loss of $ 1 trillion after S&P downgraded the U.S. credit rating last Friday evening. The results of the downgrade were not felt until Monday, when the Markets opened all over the world. The S&P index sank about 11 percent and the stock market lost 648 points or more than 6 percent. But just 24 hours later, everything was different. “The MSCI All-Country World Index rose 2.1 percent for its biggest gain of the year”, says Bloomberg. “The index started the U.S. session valued at about 12.1 times profits, down from 21 in 1995..The MSCI Emerging Markets Index pared today’s drop to 2.2 percent after tumbling as much as 4.4 percent.”
Stocks Rally? What Rally?
In the Stock Market, the Dow Jones climbed almost 430 or 4 percent, failing to completely recover from the recent loss. The stocks experienced the 1oth more significant gain in its history. Can you believe it? In the middle of a Depression, the stocks rally the much?
Meanwhile, in the S&P, shares got to the front of the line due to the numerically significant gains. In total, they accumulated some 8.2 percent all together. This is the biggest rally since May 2009, which meant a complete recovery from Monday’s low. Bank of America Corp., which is now being sued by AIG for fraud, managed to gain 17 percent while other players like Hartford Financial Services got back 16 percent.
Of course the main stream media is giving all credit to the Federal Reserve, due to its announcement that it intends to “boost” the economy by injecting worthless cash into it. The FED’s head, Ben Bernanke and his aides came out to try to calm the demise a bit, although not everyone at the FED agreed with the move to bring along a new quantitative easing move. Three members from the policy committee dissented and instead called for maintaining interest rates low for a longer period of time.
As the docu-film “The Inside Job” impeccably exposes, there is very little that can’t be done when someone or something has the power to create money out of thin air, create rating agencies, control those agencies to give AAA ratings to whatever they choose and electronically manipulate the financial stock and bond markets whenever it’s convenient in order to perpetuate the fraudulent debt-based system the world has worked under since 1913.
False Policy Changes
The best way to perpetuate the above cited financial system is to have the available tool continuously reinforce the falsehood of the Central Bank sponsored plans. So, Moody’s has come out to praise the FED’s move to maintain the interest rates at a quarter of a percent in order to bolster the downturn. It’s a “major policy change,” said Augustine Faucher, director of macroeconomics at Moody’s. “By providing a more explicit time line for raising rates, the Fed is telling markets it is concerned about recent economic weakness and the potential for a near-term contraction, and is dedicated to spurring stronger economic growth,” Faucher added.
Just as this statement by Faucher is baseless, so is the belief that because the U.S. dollar is the world’s reserve currency, it can stand more beating than any other one. In fact, one of the reasons why the U.S. has not been downgraded further is that its currency is still consider valuable. Ironically, the dollar has lost 98 percent of its value since it became the subject of manipulation by the bankers. Moody’s has stated that the U.S. dollar can support larger levels of debt than other currencies. How do they figure that with a currency that is so devalued. They can’t figure it out. They just make it up.
The one world reserve currency scheme is only beneficial to those who control it, because the rest of the nations need to do business while devaluing their own. In sound economics, the value of paper money is based on a country’s production or manufacturing, therefore, the U.S. dollar can no longer be such reserve currency. U.S. manufacturing has eroded so badly, that it has cost the jobs of some 18 million people in the last few years.
If the U.S. dollar is still the world’s reserve currency, why are there other currencies that have better exchange rates than the dollar itself? I am no economic expert, but if the Swiss Frank rates higher than the dollar in currency exchange markets, shouldn’t the Frank be the reserve currency? Or even better, shouldn’t a commodity like gold be the reserve currency given its capacity to withstand recessions, depressions and financial market manipulations? It should. The reason why gold is not the reserve currency or at least the commodity over which a paper money currency is supported is that bankers cannot monopolize it, “hug” it or manipulate it.
High Market but Low Results: The World Economy in Shambles
While the banks try to extend the suffering period for the middle and low classes, countries in Europe are scrambling for a life boat to jump on. Although France and Germany are said to be negotiating an agreement to buy Spain’s and Italy’s debt in order to avoid a deeper economic collapse, some sources claim that the rescuers believe the Italian debt is too large to save. Both Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel began to hear opposition voices that are calling for a different position from the German and French governments. The reason for this is that an eventual bailout of Italy and Spain could cost the rescuers their AAA rating. This is seen as a possible trigger to drag the world’s economy further into the precipice.
Although U.S. markets artificially revived themselves on Tuesday, other countries were not as lucky. In Italy, the bond market saw a loss of 11 percent on its 10 year note. Just as the FED has done in the United States, the European Central Bank kept Italy and Spain afloat through the purchase of their bonds for a second day in a row. That was not enough to save the Spanish 10 year notes, as they collapsed eight basis points to 5.08 percent on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, oil prices hit some of the lowest levels for the year by getting down to $79.30 a barrel. Conversely, gold prices soared and added 4.1 percent to get to a record price of $1,782.50 an ounce.
Filed under World Tagged with AA, AAA, AIG, BOFA fraud, commerce, create money control rating agencies, Currency manipulation, debt based system, debt ceiling, deindustrialization, economic decline, Economy in shambles, electronic manipulation, exports, FED, financial markets, gold, government debt, imports, inflation, inside job documentary, italian debt, italy's bailout, low yields, markets manipulation, merkel, moody's, QE1, QE2, QE3, rating agencies, S&P, S&P index, sarkozy, silver, sound economics, spain's bailout, spanish debt, stock market, Swiss Frank, unemployment, US Dollar, world's reserve currency, worthless cash
U.S. Stock Market Slides after Downgrade
by Stan Choe
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tumbled amid a rout in global markets Monday after Standard & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. credit rating for the first time.
S&P cut the long-term debt rating for the U.S. by one notch to AA+ from AAA late Friday. The move wasn’t unexpected, but it comes when investors are already feeling nervous about a weak U.S. economy, European debt problems and Japan’s recovery from its March earthquake.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 151 points in morning trading, or 1.3 percent, to 11,300. The S&P 500 index fell 19 points, or 1.6 percent, to 1,180. The Nasdaq composite index fell 51 points, or 2 percent, to 2,481.
In Europe, the German DAX index fell 3 percent, and the French CAC 40 index fell 2.5 percent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 2.2 percent, and the South Korean Kospi index fell 3.8 percent.
“Fear of a repeat of 2008 is what’s really driving investments,” said Gary Schlossberg, senior economist with Wells Capital Management. Memories of the 2008 financial crisis are driving investors away from risky investments and into what’s considered safer.
Prices for U.S. government debt rose because Treasurys are still seen as one of the world’s few safe havens. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.48 percent from 2.57 percent late Friday. It fell as low as 2.46 percent earlier Monday. A bond’s yield drops when its price rises.
But where Treasury prices are at the end of the day will be more important than where they are at the start, Bill O’Donnell, head of U.S. Treasury strategy at RBS Securities, wrote in a report.
“We will learn more about the future path of Treasury prices at today’s close than we will by the open,” he said. “I want to see how the market clears and how it synthesizes the cacophony of news of late.”
Gold is another investment that investors traditionally run to for safety. It rose above $1,700 per ounce for the first time. Its price remains below its 1980 record after adjusting for inflation.
Investors are worried that Spain or Italy could become the next European country to be unable to pay its debt. The European Central Bank said it will buy Italian and Spanish bonds in hopes of helping the countries avert a possible default.
Seeking to avert panic spreading across financial markets, the finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of 20 industrial and developing nations issued a joint statement Monday saying they were committed to taking all necessary measures to support financial stability and growth.
“We will remain in close contact throughout the coming weeks and cooperate as appropriate, ready to take action to ensure financial stability and liquidity in financial markets,” they said.
Crude oil, natural gas and other commodities fell on worries that a weaker global economy will mean less demand. Oil fell $2.84 to $84.04 per barrel.
Last week, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 698.63 points. That was its biggest point loss since October 2008, during the financial crisis. The Dow has dropped in nine of the last 11 trading days.
Worries about the U.S. economic recovery have been building since the government said that economic growth was far weaker in the first half of 2011 than economists expected. The economy grew at a 1.3 percent annual rate between April and June, below economists’ expectations of 1.7 percent. It expanded at just a 0.4 percent rate in the first quarter.
Then reports showed that the manufacturing and services industries barely grew in July. Job growth was better than economists expected last month. But the 117,000 jobs created in July were still well below the 215,000 that employers added between February and April, on average.
The Federal Reserve will meet on Tuesday, but economists don’t expect much to come out of the meeting. The central bank’s key interest rate is already at a record of nearly zero, where it has been since 2008. The Fed has also already said that it plans to keep rates low for “an extended period.”
The central bank finished a $600 billion program in June to buy Treasurys in hopes of supporting the economy. Chairman Ben Bernanke said last month that the Fed would step in to help the economy if it further weakened. But some Fed policymakers oppose more bond purchases, saying it could lead to higher inflation.
Fears about a weaker U.S. economy have overshadowed profit growth businesses have reported. Earnings rose 12 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier for the 441 companies in the S&P 500 that have already reported. Revenue growth has also topped 10 percent for the first time in a year.
Filed under World Tagged with credit rating, debt ceiling, debt deal, debt rating, economy debt crisis, stock market, Stocks
Insider Trading in the U.S. We already knew.
Charges are expected after federal probe concludes
Federal authorities, capping a three-year investigation, are preparing insider-trading charges that could ensnare consultants, investment bankers, hedge-fund and mutual-fund traders, and analysts across the nation, according to people familiar with the matter.
The criminal and civil probes, which authorities say could eclipse the impact on the financial industry of any previous such investigation, are examining whether multiple insider-trading rings reaped illegal profits totaling tens of millions of dollars, the people say. Some charges could be brought before year-end, they say.
The investigations, if they bear fruit, have the potential to expose a culture of pervasive insider trading in U.S. financial markets, including new ways non-public information is passed to traders through experts tied to specific industries or companies, federal authorities say.
One focus of the criminal investigation is examining whether nonpublic information was passed along by independent analysts and consultants who work for companies that provide “expert network” services to hedge funds and mutual funds. These companies set up meetings and calls with current and former managers from hundreds of companies for traders seeking an investing edge.
Among the expert networks whose consultants are being examined, the people say, is Primary Global Research LLC, a Mountain View, Calif., firm that connects experts with investors seeking information in the technology, health-care and other industries.
“I have no comment on that,” said Phani Kumar Saripella, Primary Global’s chief operating officer.
Primary’s chief executive and chief operating officers previously worked at Intel Corp., according to its website.
In another aspect of the probes, prosecutors and regulators are examining whether Goldman Sachs Group Inc. bankers leaked information about transactions, including health-care mergers, in ways that benefited certain investors, the people say. Goldman declined to comment.
Independent analysts and research boutiques also are being examined. John Kinnucan, a principal at Broadband Research LLC in Portland, Ore., sent an email on Oct. 26 to roughly 20 hedge-fund and mutual-fund clients telling of a visit by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Today two fresh faced eager beavers from the FBI showed up unannounced (obviously) on my doorstep thoroughly convinced that my clients have been trading on copious inside information,” the email said. “(They obviously have been recording my cell phone conversations for quite some time, with what motivation I have no idea.) We obviously beg to differ, so have therefore declined the young gentleman’s gracious offer to wear a wire and therefore ensnare you in their devious web.”
The email, which Mr. Kinnucan confirms writing, was addressed to traders at, among others: hedge-fund firms SAC Capital Advisors LP and Citadel Asset Management, and mutual-fund firms Janus Capital Group, Wellington Management Co. and MFS Investment Management.
SAC, Wellington and MFS declined to comment; Janus and Citadel didn’t immediately comment. It isn’t known whether clients are under investigation for their business with Mr. Kinnucan.
The investigations have been conducted by federal prosecutors in New York, the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Representatives of the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI and the SEC declined to comment.
Another aspect of the probe is an examination of whether traders at a number of hedge funds and trading firms, including First New York Securities LLC, improperly gained nonpublic information about pending health-care, technology and other merger deals, according to the people familiar with the matter.
Some traders at First New York, a 250-person trading firm, profited by anticipating health-care and other mergers unveiled in 2009, people familiar with the firm say.
A First New York spokesman said: “We are one of more than three dozen firms that have been asked by regulators to provide general information in a widespread inquiry; we have cooperated fully.” He added: “We stand behind our traders and our systems and policies in place that ensure full regulatory compliance.”
Key parts of the probes are at a late stage. A federal grand jury in New York has heard evidence, say people familiar with the matter. But as with all investigations that aren’t completed, it is unclear what specific charges, if any, might be brought.
Read complete article…
Filed under World Tagged with bond market derivatives, insider trading, stock market, Wall Street
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Tag Archives: AAA
AAA welcomes Predictions of Gold Rally
February 2, 2013 straightlinepr Leave a comment
A new Morgan Stanley Report predicting that gold’s rally will continue into the third quarter of 2014 has been welcomed by Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).
Boston, MA, February 02, 2013 – A new Morgan Stanley Report predicting that gold’s rally will continue into the third quarter of 2014 has been welcomed by Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).
The report predicts that the US Federal Reserve will carry on buying up gold to strengthen the economy’s position well into next year, which could mean that it’s still very much worth investing in this alternative asset class. AAA endorses investment in alternative asset classes and ethical investment projects, such as the forestry investment and green energy investment.
“We are pleased to hear Morgan Stanley’s endorsement of gold as an asset class,” stated AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson. He continued: “We have seen a major increase in interest in alternatives since the economic collapse. It seems both institutional investors and individuals simply looking to diversify their investment portfolios against risk are keen on alternatives.”
“Investing in something like gold, as opposed to stocks and shares, offers a certain peace of mind as it is something tangible in exchange for their cash.”
As the US recovery increasingly took hold at the end of 2012, the price of gold fell. However, the Morgan Stanley analysts believe that the asset class is to remain popular well into next year.
Reports suggest that the US economy is to grow by 2 per cent in the coming year and 3 per cent in 2014. The number of houses being built is growing rapidly is response to the more positive economic outlook.
The house building increase is set to benefit some other alternative asset classes, like forestry, claims AAA. “Investing in timberland through firms that run plantations of sustainably grown timbers, like Greenwood Management, is a great bet at the moment,” added Mr Johnson. “Investing in timber is risk-averse and is a great way to offsetting the impact of inflation.”
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Investing in Brazilian social housing can bring strong returns, claims AAA
February 2, 2013 staronepr Leave a comment
A new investment scheme that allows people to invest in social housing projects aimed at helping low-income families in Brazil get housed, has been welcomed by AAA.
Boston, MA, USA, February 1, 2013 — A new investment scheme that allows people to invest in social housing projects aimed at helping low-income families in Brazil get housed, has been welcomed by Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).
The alternative investment advocacy group claims that investing in Brazilian social housing projects is not only an ethically sound option for your dollar or euro, but could also deliver some seriously strong returns.
“Those clever people at Emerald Knight have launched a scheme whereby individuals can invest in a social housing scheme to help meet the projected 12 million unit deficit in Brazilian housing come 2023,” explained AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson.
The scheme is being welcomed by AAA, which claims that new housing is desperately needed in Brazil and that generating investment from foreign investors who are seeking an alternative and ethical asset class to help diversify their portfolio is a great way to fund such construction projects.
The scheme is part of the ‘Minha Casa, Minha Vida’ (My House, My Life) initiative, which was launched by the Brazilian government in 2009. The project hopes to build as many as three million homes over the coming five years. “Property supply in Brazil simply can’t keep up with demand, and on top of this, millions of families in Brazil already live in sub-standard housing. This is a great opportunity to invest in one of the fastest growing emerging economies in the world, and to help solve the country’s major housing deficit,” explained Emerald Knight’s director, James Howard.
The first stage of the investment scheme generated returns of 20 per cent for investors and a large percentage immediately signed up for the second stage of the investment, which has now reaches capacity. The minimum investment is around $30,000.
However, there are many alternatives, including investing in sustainable plantations in Brazil, which can generate great returns for investors as the timber is so in demand for use in the new housing projects. Firms like Greenwood Management run plantation projects that are easy to invest in and reap the benefits of the housing demand in the Latin American region.
About Alternative Asset Analysis:
The remit of Alternative Asset Analysis is to analyse and provide news on the global performance of a wide range of alternative asset classes including, but not restricted to, commodities, real estate, forestry, foreign exchange, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital.
AAAAlternative Asset Analysisbrazilian social housingSocial Housingsocial housing projects
Ron Baron’s interest in Alternatives endorsed by AAA
January 25, 2013 straightlinepr Leave a comment
High profile investor and member of the Forbes 400, Ron Baron, recently shared his fondness for alternative investments with journalists from Forbes, in an interview that has been welcomed by AAA.
Boston, MA, January 25, 2013 – High profile investor and member of the Forbes 400, Ron Baron, recently shared his fondness for alternative investments with journalists from Forbes, in an interview that has been welcomed by Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).
Ron Baron explained that his investment vehicle, Baron Capital Group, is upping its exposure to a range of alternative investments, including real estate investment trusts (REITs) and energy finds. He told Forbes that one of the real estate funds it started three years ago gained 40 per cent last year, with gains totalling 70 per cent over the three year period.
He talked about the possibility of expanding into new markets, where there is significant growth potential for commercial properties and hotels, for example. He told Forbes: “The United States there’s 5 million hotel rooms and 300 million people. In India there’s 160,000 hotel rooms, that’s like in Orlando. So what he’s got is he’s got this ability to go into these new markets.”
He added that he is interested mainly in investing in businesses that offer a long-term prospect of growth and that are well managed. AAA, which advocates ethical alternative investments, endorses this investment strategy. “Following the economic collapse, savvy investors are taking a more long-term view of things and are less interested in making a quick buck at any cost,” explained AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson.
He added, “Investing in alternative has many benefits, from an ethical and sustainability port of view, there are more options. Meanwhile, alternatives also offer a means of diversifying an investment portfolio to protect against risk and offset the effects of inflation.”
AAA supports a range of alternative investment funds and also endorses investment in forestry and timberland that is managed sustainable, through firms like Greenwood Management. Greenwood runs sustainable forestry plantations in Brazil and Canada, rearing non-native fast-growing trees.
AAAAlternative investmentalternativesGreenwood Managementinvestment fundsRon Baron
AAA welcomes Report Predicting Impact investment Growth
AAA has welcomed a new report from JP Morgan and the Global Impact Investing Network, which claims that impact investing will grow by 12.5 per cent in 2013.
Boston, MA, January 12, 2013 – Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) has welcomed a new report from JP Morgan and the Global Impact Investing Network, which claims that impact investing will grow by 12.5 per cent in 2013.
AAA said that news that impact investing will be increasingly popular, with total investments reaching as much as $9 billion this year, is great news for alternative investors everywhere. It added that social enterprises, small businesses, community projects and environmentally-responsible projects all over the globe are set to benefit from this extra interest in impact investing.
The report that outlined these predictions for the growth of impact investing was called the Perspectives and Progress report. It is based on the responses of 99 impact investors, responsible for some $10 million in capital. The experts said that although impact investment and ethical investing in general is gaining popularity, there is still a lack of high quality investment opportunities for those interested.
AAA supports alternative investments of all kinds, but focuses on endorsing responsible investments into asset classes, such as sustainable forestry and social enterprises. “We believe that responsible investing and generating a return are not mutually exclusive,” explained AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson.
He added, “Investing in green projects, through firms like Greenwood Management, is easier than ever and we believe more responsible and sustainable opportunities will become available in the year to come.”
The Rockefeller Foundation and the UN Global Compact stated back in June 2012 that larger corporations and institutional investors were beginning to take impact investing more seriously. “We are all seeing an increasing number of wealthy individuals and corporations turning to philanthropy as a way to demonstrate their ethical stance following the economic crisis,” added Mr Johnson, who has years of fund management experience and has also written a wealth of online blogs advocating alternative investments as a way to diversify investment portfolios.
AAAAlternative Asset AnalysisGreenwood ManagementinvestmentReport
US leads way for Commercial Property Investment, claims AAA
January 8, 2013 staronepr Leave a comment
The US is leading the way in the bid to attract commercial property investors, according to a report from Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE), which has been welcomed by AAA.
Boston, MA, USA, January 8, 2013 — The US is leading the way in the bid to attract commercial property investors, according to a report from Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE), which has been welcomed by Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).
The annual survey from AFIRE has found that four of the top five cities in the world for commercial property investment are in the US for the first time since the annual survey started in 2001. AAA claims that this suggests that the outlook for the US economy is perhaps even more positive than expected, with businesses keen to move into the country and commercial property deals increases reflecting this.
AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, said, “Investing in real estate in US cities could bring very strong returns for those looking for alternative investments to balance their portfolios. Real estate, along with timberland, is a good medium to long-term investment prospect and can offer individuals with just a relatively small amount of cash to invest with a significant pension income, for example.”
New York was still number one in terms of commercial property investment, with London hanging on to the number 2 spot. However, numbers three, four and five were more of a surprise to investment experts, explained AAA.
San Francisco rose to third from fifth, followed by Washington DC, with Houston, Texas coming in at number five, despite not being ranked at all last year.
“Houston was a surprise to us,” James Fetgatter, the chief executive of AFIRE told Reuters. “San Francisco and Houston being in the top five global cities, it shows that this is where our people think the economy is going to revive. They believe these are where the drivers of the economy are going to be – in energy and tech.”
AAA advocates alternative investments, such as real estate investment and investment in timberland through sustainable models like those used by Greenwood Management in its Brazilian plantations.
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Now could be a ‘Great time’ to increase Gold exposure – AAA
January 5, 2013 straightlinepr Leave a comment
The fact that gold prices have fallen off slightly in the past month should not put off alternative investors, claims AAA. Instead, now could be a great time to buy up gold before prices rise once more.
Boston, MA, January 04, 2013 – The fact that gold prices have fallen off slightly in the past month should not put off alternative investors, claims Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA). Instead, now could be a great time to buy up gold before prices rise once more.
The price of gold dropped to a low of less than $1,670 per ounce, from around $1,750 an ounce a month ago, according to the latest figures. The drop was attributed largely to two large sell-offs of gold reserves and this has got tongues wagging about the possible reasons for the sell-offs.
“With prices a bit lower than they have been of late and long-term fundamentals for the precious metals still strong, now is a great time to take advantage of the bargain price and add gold to your portfolio” stated AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson.
Investors who have no gold exposure at the moment can benefit from the popularity of gold as a result of ongoing volatility in the stock markets, low confidence in paper money and low interest rates. All these factors add up to a good outlook for this alternative investment, and for alternative investments in general, claims AAA.
In terms of the allocation for gold or silver investments, around 5 per cent has long been the recommended level of exposure. AAA claims that although gold is a good bet, other asset classes, such as forestry can help investors to generate returns from actual growth of an asset, rather than the faith-based returns one hopes for when investing in precious metals.
“Investing in an asset like timberland is great because you can actually watch your asset physically grow,” added Mr Johnson.
“Forestry investment is truly flexible – If the market isn’t looking too hot when you come to sell your timber, just leave it growing for a little longer until prices improve.”
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UN’s praise of Chinese green investment welcomes by AAA
December 31, 2012 staronepr Leave a comment
UN leader, Ban Ki-moon, has praised the Chinese government for trying its best to invest in green energy sources, but added that developed countries should lead the way on the fight against climate change.
Boston, MA, USA, December 31, 2012 — UN leader, Ban Ki-moon, has praised the Chinese government for trying its best to invest in green energy sources, but added that developed countries should lead the way on the fight against climate change. The statement has attracted praise from Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA), which endorses green investments at any level.
Speaking after the climate change conference in Doha on 4 December, the UN secretary general, stated, “The Chinese Government has been making smart investments with the aim of diversifying their energy sources to mitigate and adapt according to their own national government policies. This is highly commendable.”
He added that other growth countries, such as India, Brazil and South Africa, should also be doing their bit to ensure that they invest in green energy generation. AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, explained that Brazil is already looking at green sources of energy and is supporting other eco-friendly moves like the REDD+ scheme to reduce deforestation.
“The Brazilian government is investing in things like sustainable timber plantations to help generate alternative energy sources and sources of charcoal, which is used in the booming steel industry in Brazil.”
Ban Ki-moon continued to speak about the climate change issue, stating that the developed world needs to lead the way in green investments, because, they have the most resources and modern technologies.
“Rich countries should take the lead and the U.S. should play a very important role,” he added.
AAA is an alternative investment advocacy group that encourages individuals to make ethical, alternative investment choices, choosing asset classes like sustainable timberland, agricultural land and green energy.
“Many people are looking for a different way to invest following the economic crash and the resulting stock market volatility,” added Mr Johnson. Timberland plantations, such as those run by Greenwood Management and other similar firms in Brazil can offer an ethical and profitable option.
AAAAlternative Asset AnalysisAlternative investmentgreen energygreen investments
AAA backs Investment Expert who says now is the time to invest in Wine
December 30, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment
AAA is endorsing comments from Schroders senior adviser Alan Brown, who claims that some of the finest wine labels are currently experiencing a period of depressed values and this is the time to snap them up.
Boston, MA, December 29, 2012 – Alternative Asset Analysis is endorsing comments from Schroders senior adviser Alan Brown, who claims that some of the finest wine labels are currently experiencing a period of depressed values and this is the time to snap them up.
AAA explains that although the wine investment sector has come under fire recently, after 30 per cent was knocked off some top labels’ values, this has left them more affordable. The alternative investment advocacy group, alongside Alan Brown, claims that taking a long term view of wine investment is the best way to make it work for you.
Mr Brown explained that the drop in the wine prices has reflected the drop in stock prices recorded last year. “Wine prices usually follow the equity markets though there may be some disconnect and differences at times,” he explained.
AAA’s analysis partner Anthony Johnson, added that the popularity of alternative investments such as wine, art, antiques and precious metals have increased since the credit crunch hit. He explained, “After the economic collapse, investors started to look for a way of diversifying their portfolios against risk, and this is where alternative investments come in.”
“Investing in something you love, like a hobby such as wine, means you will remain interested in the product you are investing in and are more likely to respond to the market in the best way.”
Brown himself has a collection of over 3,000 bottles and he claims that money is still to be made from investing in the right wines and just keeping hold of them over time. He claims that cases of wine can lose value here an there but will often regain those values if investor take long-view.
AAA advocates investing in alternatives to diversify portfolios against risk and recommends forestry as an ethical and profitable option.
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AAA says Sage survey shows growing interest in Social Enterprises
AAA claims that the recent results of the Sage Nonprofit Insights grant management survey in the US shows that partnering with social enterprises can benefit non profit organisations.
Boston, MA, USA, December 24, 2012 — Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) claims that the recent results of the Sage Nonprofit Insights grant management survey in the US shows that partnering with social enterprises can benefit non profit organisations.
The survey found that 17 per cent of the US and Canadian nonprofits questioned were either currently partnering social enterprises or were planning to soon, while 32 per cent were not aware either way. Among those that are partnered with social enterprises, 90 per cent said that the partnership has been ‘very’ to ‘somewhat’ successful.
Although this is a positive sign for impact investment, there is still a problem with a lack of awareness about involvement in impact investing. Some 32 per cent of respondents had no idea if their organisation had sought to take part in impact investing.
Sage Nonprofit Solutions’ general manager and senior vice president, Krista Endsley, explained how social enterprises are starting to become more involved with the non profit sector in general. “The proliferation of social enterprise programs is moving many organizations into what is called a hybrid model of operation, where both a non profit and for-profit entity coexist in order to accomplish a social or environmental mission,” she said.
The researchers also found that 48 per cent said their organisation had sought the information they need to take part in a partnership with a social enterprise in the future.
AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, said that the results of the survey showed that impact investing and social enterprise in general was being taken increasingly seriously. “Investing in ethical projects, such as community projects, education or environmentally-beneficial projects, like sustainable plantations, not only brings peace of mind to investors, but they also see healthy returns.”
AAA supports a range of alternative investment projects, such as the forestry investment scheme run by Greenwood Management in Brazil. The company operates sustainable plantations of teak and eucalyptus that can deliver healthy returns to investors over the medium to long-term.
AAAAlternative Asset AnalysisImpact Investingsage surveysocial enterprises
Reports that Green investment is Increasingly Attractive are Welcomed by AAA
AAA is backing a recent feature by Market Watch, which claims investments in green asset classes will increase alongside general interest among the US population.
Boston, MA, December 21, 2012 – Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) is backing a recent feature by Market Watch, which claims investments in green asset classes, such as timberland, agriculture and sustainable energy will increase alongside general interest in these issues among the US population.
A crisis such as Superstorm Sandy can really make the threat of climate change hit home to people in the US, who don’t generally have to worry about the impact of climate change in their day-to-day lives. Experiencing some of the weather phenomena that blight other areas of the world can make Americans sit up and take notice of the issues and want to help through their investment choices.
This is according to AAA, an alternative asset analysis group, which endorses green investment. It is keen to underline the claims made in the Market Watch article, which talks about how climate change is increasingly an issue in the public consciousness. It stated that people who are taking green issues seriously can make a difference through impact investing. It said, ‘Globally, the environment has been woven into impact investing through programs and products that address water, waste and energy.’
The article adds that things like an upcoming program about climate change that is due to air on the Showtime Network in 2013 and the recent climate talks in Doha being covered on the news all help to inform people about the threats.
Those who then go on to discover how green investments can help to reduce the impact of climate change, while helping investors to see generous returns, often decide to take the plunge and try alternative investments and impact investing.
AAA supports forestry investment through businesses like Greenwood Management, which runs sustainably managed plantations in Brazil and Canada. AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, explained, “Investing in trees can help to reduce carbon in the atmosphere, providing timberland is managed sustainable.”
AAAAttractiveForestry investmentGreen InvestmentInvestingreports
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Browse: Home » Events » The British Royal Family in the 21st Century
The British Royal Family in the 21st Century
Allison Dining Room (Taubman 5th floor)
With Miguel Head, Spring 2019 Joan Shorenstein Fellow and former Chief of Staff to Prince William and Prince Harry
The British Royal Family remains one of the most trusted and popular institutions in the United Kingdom, a position of trust it has held consistently throughout the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Miguel Head, former Chief of Staff to Prince William and Prince Harry, will look at what the Royal Family is for in a democratic, cosmopolitan, 21st century nation, how it goes about its ancient work in a modern context, and how it is preparing itself for the future. A talk about the Royal Family that promises to be light on who’s wearing what, and heavy on why they do what they do.
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The Shipwreck Mysteries…
Beyond the realm of historical fact and physical evidence, rumors, legends and stories of shipwrecks abound in the Grand Island area. 30 ships are known to have gone down in the area of the Pictured Rocks. Of these, nearly half remain undiscovered.
An early example is the supposed discovery of the shipwreck MERCHANT. Someone claimed to have spotted the tops of the schooner’s masts some 30 feet below the lake’s surface five years after it disappeared, but the MERCHANT remains undiscovered to this day and is the subject of a continuous search.
Off Wood Island, fisherman have reported snagging their nets on something on the bottom, and others have seen unusual shapes on their depthfinders which they believed to be the masts of a sunken vessel. Another schooner is reputed to lie offshore from Miners Castle, hidden in a lake-bottom canyon and nearly invisible to depthfinders.
A mysterious tree was found amid the wreckage of the wooden freighter HERMAN H. HETTLER in Munising’s east channel. Captain Pete Lindquist of Munising sent samples of the wood for carbon dating. The laboratory results showed an age of 7910 years plus or minus l00 years, but provided no clue as to why a nearly 8000 year old tree would be found amid the remains of a 1926 shipwreck.
The wreck of the KIOWA is the site of another riddle. A large framing member from a wooden vessel was found among the steamer’s steel wreckage. The source is unknown. There are no known vessels within 10 miles of the KIOWA.
Many recorded shipwrecks in the Munising area are still undiscovered. Some may have been covered by the shifting sands and are rarely visible. Someday they may be found.
HENRY B. SMITH – Steel steamer, 525 ft., 6631 gt., went missing with all hands somewhere between Marquette and Grand Island, November 9, 1913. FOUND! The ship was finally located in the spring of 2013 after being lost for 100 years. It sits in 535 feet of water 30 miles north of Marquette, MI.
STARLIGHT – Wooden sail yacht, under 50 ft., lost in a gale off Au Train, September 29, 1880 with 5 hands. This wreck may yet be found. It probably lies in or just off Au Train Bay based upon its course and wreckage field.
A.A. PARKER – Wooden steamer, 246 ft., 1660 gt., foundered September 19, 1903 in a gale 4 miles off of Grand Marais. This wreck has yet to be found despite sinking in a known location at a diveable depth.
ALTA – Wooden schooner, 198 ft., 935 gt., broke up on a shoal on Southeast Grand Island October 19, 1905. The Alta remains undiscovered despite intensive searches. She is thought to lie off of Trout Point.
SOUTH SHORE – Wooden steamer, 84 ft., 73 gt., overwhelmed by a gale and broke up 100 yards offshore, 7 miles West of Grand Marias, November 24, 1912. Although this wreck’s general location is known, her remains have yet to be found.
WOOD ISLAND – Wooden tug, 45 ft., burned and sank 1 and 1/2 miles off Five Mile Point in about 60 ft. of water on September 9, 1922. Although her general location is fairly well known, the remains of this vessel have yet to be found.
UNION – Wooden propeller, 434 gt., 163 ft., broke up on the beach at Au Sable Point, September 25, 1873. General location is known, but she is likely buried in sand just off the beach.
ONEIDA CHIEF – Wooden schooner, 262 gt., approximately 120 ft., broke up on shore at Au Sable Point, May 1868.The general location of this wreck is known, but she is probably buried in the sand just off the beach.
MARQUETTE – Wooden schooner, 131 ft., 400 gt., blown up on beach across from and West of Grand Island, November 13, 1872. The general location of this wreck is known, but her remains are probably buried in the sand just off the beach.
E.A. MAYES – Wooden schooner, approximately 140 ft., sunk by ice 7 mi. off Grand Island, May 10, 1884. This wreck is probably in very deep water as she was bound for Thunder Bay, Canada when lost.
CRUISER – Small wooden sail yacht, under 40 ft., swamped at Chapel Rock, August 21, 1890. General location is known, but this vessel probably broke up on the rocks and is widely scattered.
ORIOLE – Wooden schooner, 141 ft., 323 gt., cut in half in a collision with the steamer Illinois August 9, 1862 a good distance off Grand Island. Her bow remained afloat for some days, but her stern sank immediately. All 13 aboard perished with her. Her remains are likely in deep water.
CULLIGAN – Wooden steamer, 263 ft., 1748 gt., sunk within a few miles Northwest of Grand Island due to leakage, September 27, 1912. The Culligan has not yet been located, but she may be in very deep water.
Information about the mystery wrecks from Brendon Baillod, Great Lakes Shipwreck Research, reprinted with permission.
Much of this information is from the book Dangerous Coast: Pictured Rocks Shipwrecks by Fred Stonehouse and Daniel Fountain. Photos from the Fred Stonehouse Collection.
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May 9, 2019 by Jonathan Tucker
The eponymous owner of Don Forman United Nissan of Las Vegas has put the automotive dealership industry on notice that philanthropy is a key ingredient of success. Don Forman is now the undisputed leader of auto dealerships in terms of charitable giving and various forms of community philanthropic activities.
Struggling Students and Needy Families
Mr. Forman’s tendency to donate time, funds, and vehicles to worthwhile causes is a prime example of a new kind of philanthropy: targeted, effective charitable action that helps those who need it, when they need it. The auto dealership owner has doled out large sums of money, services, and free vehicles to local Las Vegas students who need transportation to complete their degrees. He has done the same for heads of needy families who sometimes need a car to commute to work, or a cash stipend to pay essential bills for the month.
The Las Vegas auto dealer has been at the forefront of local efforts to transport people to blood donation events, has given scholarships and school supplies to students in need. There’s also a unique method to the giving habits of Don Forman: he is a team player in everything charitable. Not only does Mr. Forman enlist the assistance of his employees, community acquaintances, friends, family and auto dealership competitors, he makes the act of philanthropy fun and engaging.
Don Forman is a member of a new breed of community activists. Not only does he put his money and reputation on the line, he also works hard to set an example for others to do the same. Las Vegas business professionals know Mr. Forman’s work and his can-do attitude. His forthright spirit has already brought other businesses into the act, too. No longer are Las Vegas organizations content to “write a check and forget it” when it comes to charitable action.
The new breed of donors, of whom Don Forman is the prime example, go out of their way to identify needy individuals, form a team to deal with the problem, and then attend to the needs at hand. It’s more about community activism than donating money, and more about true philanthropy than old-fashioned charity.
The sole owner of “Forman Automotive, United Nissan,” Don Forman is much more than a Las Vegas auto dealership owner. He is a motivator, teacher, mentor, and a force for good in the community where he resides. Forman has the respect of other auto dealers who know him, and with whom he competes on a daily basis.
But to Don Forman and his most recent partners, American First Credit Union, the goal is to recognize those individuals who have made life better for victims of tragedies, whether in Las Vegas or anywhere in the world. Mr. Forman created the Fox5 Surprise Squad to deal with situations that leave innocent victims behind. In some cases, Forman’s Fox5 Squad helps victims’ family members endure long hospitalization of loved ones. At other times, Don Forman and his team have assisted a man who wanted to place crosses on the sites where innocent citizens have been killed.
When a local child who suffered from autism needed a scholarship and a bit of social acceptance, Mr. Forman saw to it that his trip to a school homecoming celebration was fully funded and that he received all the funds needed to continue his studies. Efforts like these are just examples of the many things Don Forman does day in and day out to help his fellow human beings.
Full-fledged community betterment is all in a day’s work for Don Forman and the hundreds of other people he has enlisted in the battle to make the world a better place to live, work and play.
The Coffee Industry: Why You Should Be a Caf Franchise Owner
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Nuns in India tell AP of enduring abuse in Catholic church
Associated Press 3 January 2019
In this Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, photo, a Catholic nun stands at the foyer of the St. Francis Mission Home in Kuravilangad in the southern Indian state of Kerala. For decades, nuns in India have quietly endured sexual pressure from Catholic priests, an AP investigation has revealed. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
KURAVILANGAD, India (AP) — The stories spill out in the sitting rooms of Catholic convents, where portraits of Jesus keep watch and fans spin quietly overhead. They spill out in church meeting halls bathed in fluorescent lights, and over cups of cheap instant coffee in convent kitchens. Always, the stories come haltingly, quietly. Sometimes, the nuns speak at little more than a whisper.
Across India, the nuns talk of priests who pushed into their bedrooms and of priests who pressured them to turn close friendships into sex. They talk about being groped and kissed, of hands pressed against them by men they were raised to believe were representatives of Jesus Christ.
"He was drunk," said one nun, beginning her story. "You don't know how to say no," said another.
At its most grim, the nuns speak of repeated rapes, and of a Catholic hierarchy that did little to protect them.
The Vatican has long been aware of nuns sexually abused by priests and bishops in Asia, Europe, South America and Africa, but it has done very little to stop it, The Associated Press reported last year.
Now, the AP has investigated the situation in a single country — India — and uncovered a decades-long history of nuns enduring sexual abuse from within the church. Nuns described in detail the sexual pressure they endured from priests, and nearly two dozen other people — nuns, former nuns and priests, and others — said they had direct knowledge of such incidents.
Still, the scale of the problem in India remains unclear, cloaked by a powerful culture of silence. Many nuns believe abuse is commonplace, insisting most sisters can at least tell of fending off a priest's sexual advances. Some believe it is rare. Almost none, though, talk about it readily, and most speak only on the condition they not be identified.
But this summer, one Indian nun forced the issue into the open.
When repeated complaints to church officials brought no response, the 44-year-old nun filed a police complaint against the bishop who oversees her religious order, accusing him of raping her 13 times over two years. Soon after, a group of her fellow nuns launched a two-week public protest in India's Catholic heartland, demanding the bishop's arrest.
It was an unprecedented action, dividing India's Catholic community. Inside the accuser's convent in rural Kerala state, she and the nuns who support her are now pariahs, isolated from the other sisters, many of whom insist the bishop is innocent. The protesting nuns get hate mail and avoid going out.
"Some people are accusing us of working against the church, of being against the church. They say, 'You are worshipping Satan,'" said one supporter, Sister Josephine Villoonnickal. "But we need to stand up for the truth."
Villoonnickal has been a nun for 23 years, joining when she was a teenager. She scoffs at the idea that she wants to harm the church.
"We want to die as sisters," she said.
Some nuns' accounts date back decades — like that of the sister, barely out of her teens, who was teaching in a Catholic school in the early 1990s.
It was exhausting work, and she was looking forward to the chance to reflect on what had led her — happily — to convent life.
"We have kind of a retreat before we renew our vows," she said, sitting in the painfully neat sitting room of her big-city convent, where doilies cover most every surface, chairs are lined up in rows and the blare of horns drifts in through open windows. "We take one week off and we go for prayers and silence."
She had traveled to a New Delhi retreat center, a collection of concrete buildings where she gathered with other young nuns. A priest was there to lead the sisters in reflection.
The nun, who like others interviewed for this story spoke on condition she not be identified, is a strong and forceful woman who has spent years working with India's poor and dispossessed, from battered wives to evicted families.
But when she talks about the retreat her voice grows quiet, as if she's afraid to be overheard in the empty room: "I felt this person, maybe he had some thoughts, some attraction."
He was in his 60s. She was four decades younger.
One night, the priest went to a neighborhood party. He came back late, after 9:30 p.m., and knocked at her room.
"'I need to meet you,'" he said when she cracked open the door, insisting he wanted to discuss her spiritual life. She could smell the alcohol.
"You're not stable. I'm not ready to meet you," she told him.
But the priest forced open the door. He tried to kiss her. He grabbed at her body, groping wherever he could.
Weeping, she pushed him back enough to slam the door and lock it.
It wasn't rape. She knows it could have been so much worse. But decades later she still reels at the memory, and this tough woman, for a few moments, looks like a scared young girl: "It was such a terrifying experience."
Afterward she quietly told her mother superior, who allowed her to avoid other meetings with the priest. She also wrote an anonymous letter to church officials, which she thinks may have led to the priest being re-assigned.
But nothing was said aloud. There were no public reprimands, no warnings to the many nuns the priest would work with through his long career.
She was too afraid to challenge him openly.
"I couldn't imagine taking that stand. It was too scary," she said. "For me it was risking my own vocation."
So the fierce nun remained silent.
Catholic history is filled with women who became martyrs to their own purity: Saint Agatha had her breasts torn off for refusing to marry; Saint Lucy was burned alive and stabbed in the throat for defending her virginity; Saint Maria Goretti was 11 years old when she was killed by a man who tried to rape her.
"It is a sin!" Maria is said to have cried out. "God does not want it!"
But for a nun, fighting off a priest's advances means pinballing through centuries-old sexual and clerical traditions. Celibacy is a cornerstone of Catholic religious life, as is sexual purity among nuns. Many nuns say a sister who admits to a sexual experience — even if it's forced — faces the risk of isolation within her order, and possibly even expulsion.
"You're not sure if you'll be kept in your congregation, because so much is about your vow of chastity," said Sister Shalini Mulackal, a New Delhi-based theologian. "That fear is there for the young ones to disclose what has happened to them."
At the same time, priests are seen as living representatives of Christ, with obedience to them another Catholic cornerstone.
Then there is the isolation of young women struggling to find their way in new communities after leaving their homes.
Caught at this intersection of sexual taboo, Catholic hierarchy and loneliness, sisters can be left at the mercy of predatory priests.
"There's a lot of emotion bottled up and when a little tenderness is shown by somebody it can be so easy for you to cross boundaries," said Sister Dorothy Fernandes, who has spent years working with the urban poor in eastern India. "It can be hard to tell what is love and what is exploitation."
It's particularly hard for sisters from Kerala, a deeply conservative region long the birthplace of most Indian nuns. Sex is rarely mentioned openly in small-town Kerala, boys and girls are largely kept apart, and a visible bra strap can be a minor crisis for a young woman.
"Once you grow up, once you get your first menstruation, you are not encouraged to speak normally to a boy. And the boys also vice-versa," said a nun from Kerala, a cheerful woman with sparkly glass earrings and an easy smile. She remembers the misery of Sunday mass as an adolescent, when boys would stand outside the church to watch girls filing in, eyes crawling over their young figures. "We have a terrible taboo about sex."
That naivety, she said, can be costly.
Like the time she was a novice nun, still in her teens, and an older priest came to the Catholic center where she worked. He was from Goa, a coastal region and former Portuguese colony.
She shook her head: "I was in charge of visitors, and we had this bad habit of being hospitable."
At one point, she brought the priest's laundry to his small room, where he was sitting. As she set down the clothes, he grabbed her and began to kiss her.
At first, she had no idea what was happening.
"The kissing was all coming here," she said, gesturing at her chest.
The confusion of that day is still clear on her face: "I was young. He was from Goa. I am from Kerala. In my mind I was trying to figure out: 'Is this the way that Goans kiss?'"
She quickly understood what was happening but couldn't escape his fierce grip. She also could not call out for help: "I cannot shout! He's a priest."
"I didn't want to offend him. I didn't want to make him feel bad," she said.
So she pushed herself away from him until she could slip out the door.
She quietly told a senior nun to not send novices to the priest's room. But, like the nun who fought the drunken priest, she made no official complaint.
A complaint against a priest means leveling an accusation against someone higher in the church hierarchy. It can mean getting pulled into a tangle of malicious rumors and church politics. It means risking your reputation, and the reputation of your order.
In the church, even some of those who doubt there is widespread abuse of nuns say the silence can be enveloping.
Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, a New Delhi-based church leader, calls incidents of abuse "kind of sporadic. Once here, once there."
But "many people don't want to talk," he continued. "They may talk in the community, but they don't want to bring it to the public, to the court."
Speaking up can also risk financial troubles, since many congregations of nuns are financially subservient to priests and bishops.
The silence is magnified in India by demographics, religious politics and a deep-seated belief that women have little value.
There are roughly 18 million Catholics in India, but that's a small minority in this largely Hindu nation of 1.3 billion. Speaking up could tarnish the image of their church, many nuns worry, and feed criticism by Hindu hardliners.
"Even we, as religious sisters, even we try to keep it quiet," said Mulackal, the theologian. "A woman who goes through this experience, she just wants to hide it and pretend everything is OK."
The rapes, the nun says, happened in Room 20 of a small convent at the end of a one-lane road in rural Kerala.
Set amid rows of banana and rubber trees near the little town of Kuravilangad, the sisters at the St. Francis Mission Home spend their days in prayer or caring for the aged. In the garden, a statue of the Virgin Mary overlooks a decorative fish pond the size of a child's wading pool. The pond is covered in green scum.
The rapist, she says, was the most powerful man in this tiny small world: Bishop Franco Mulakkal.
Smart and ambitious, Mulakkal had risen from small-town Kerala to become a bishop in north India, overseeing a sprawling Catholic community. He was also the official patron of her community of 81 sisters, the Missionaries of Jesus, wielding immense influence over its budgets and job assignments.
The nun is a friendly woman with jet black hair known for her quiet confidence. Every few months, she says, Mulakkal would visit the St. Francis convent and summon her. Then, according to a letter she wrote to church officials, he raped her.
The letter says the first rape happened on May 5, 2014. The last time was Sept. 23, 2016. The dates are recorded in the convent's visitor logs.
Mulakkal angrily denies the accusations, telling reporters the charges were "baseless and concocted" and accusing the sister of trying to blackmail him into giving her a better job.
"I am going through painful agony," said Mulakkal, who was jailed for three weeks and released on bail in October. "I tell everyone to pray to God: Let the truth prevail."
Catholicism envelopes this part of Kerala. Towns are marked by their cathedrals, convents and roadside shrines, where the Virgin watches passing traffic or St. George slays the dragon. Businesses proclaim their owners' faith: St. Mary's Furniture and Bed Center; Ave Maria Electronics; Jesus Oil Industries.
Around here, many see Mulakkal as a martyr.
A string of supporters visited him in jail, and crowds greeted him when he returned home, a ring of policemen holding back people who showered him with flower petals. "Hearty Welcome!" a banner proclaimed.
But at the St. Francis convent, one group of nuns watched news reports about that welcome with dismay. While the sister leveling the accusations against Mulakkal does not speak publicly, a half-dozen nuns cluster around her, offering support and speaking on her behalf.
"Nobody came to see sister, but so many people came to wait in line to meet Bishop Franco in jail," said Villoonnickal, the nun, who moved back to Kerala to support the woman she calls "our survivor sister."
That sister was the second of five children in a Kerala family. Her father was in the army. Her mother died when she was in high school. Wracked with grief, she was sent to stay with a cousin - a priest - living in north India. Inspired by her time with him, she became a nun in 1994, working in her early years as a teacher.
She knew Mulakkal, of course. Everyone in the Missionaries of Jesus knows him. But the two were never close, the accuser's friends say, and had no consensual sexual relationship.
It was about fear.
"The bishop is such a powerful person and standing against him, where will she go?" asked Villoonnickal. "If she went home what will happen to her?"
"Many times she was telling him to stop. But each time he was forcing himself on her," she continued.
Eventually, they say, she told some sisters what was happening. Then she says she repeatedly complained to church authorities. When nothing happened, she went to the police.
She also went to confession.
There, according to the other nuns, she was told she had to resist the bishop.
"'Even if you have to die, don't submit yourself.'" the priest told her in confession, according to Villoonnickal. "'Be courageous.'"
Catholic authorities have said little about the case, with India's Catholic Bishops' Conference saying in an October statement that it has no jurisdiction over individual bishops, and that the investigation and court case, which could take many years, must run their course.
"Silence should in no way be construed as siding with either of the two parties," the group said. "We request prayers for the Church at this difficult time."
In Malayalam, the language of Kerala, sisters who leave the convent are sometimes marked as "Madhilu Chadi" — Wall Jumpers. It's a mocking term for the sexually frustrated and is often used for nuns and priests who have fled religious life.
Those who stay get respect. They have communities that embrace them. Their lives have direction, purpose. Those who leave often find themselves adrift in India, searching for new identities and spurned by families and friends. The events that knit families together — weddings, funerals, reunions — are suddenly off-limits. The emotional toll can be immense.
Speaking up about the church's troubles, many nuns say, could end with them forced from their convents, cut off in many ways from what they've always known.
"It's a fear of being isolated if I speak the truth," said the nun who fought off the drunken priest. "If you do that, you have to go against your own community, your own religious superiors."
The result is an engulfing silence. Silence is the armor that sisters use to protect themselves and the lives they have created, even if it also means struggling with their memories, and protecting the men who abused them.
In the end, most say nothing.
"I didn't tell anybody," said the nun who escaped the priest kissing her chest, and who waited many years to talk about what had happened to her. "So you understand how these things are covered up."
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Of Course, The Clinton Foundation is Keeping Harvey Weinstein’s $250,000 Donation!
Written by: Tim Brown
On Saturday, a Clinton Foundation spokesperson justified keeping Hollywood mogul and accused sexual assaulter Harvey Weinstein’s $250,000 donation to the Clinton Foundation because it’s “used to help people across the world.”
Foundation spokesman Craig Minassian tweeted out, “Suggesting @ClintonFdn return funds from our 330,000+ donors ignores the fact that donations have been used to help people across the world.”
Suggesting @ClintonFdn return funds from our 330,000+ donors ignores the fact that donations have been used to help people across the world. https://t.co/dBXNZwAkWS
— Craig Minassian (@MinassianMedia) October 14, 2017
Thing is, if this were President Donald Trump, you and I know that Clinton and every Democrat and Republican that stand in opposition to him would be calling on him to return the donation. In fact, we know they’ve done it in the past in which white supremacists simply voice support for him and they wanted Trump to speak out against them.
Fox News reports:
The foundation said Monday that donations, ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, have already been spent on projects, according to a statement provided to Fox News.
“We are a charity. Donations, these included, have been spent fighting childhood obesity and HIV/AIDS, combatting climate change, and empowering girls and women, and we have no plans to return them,” a Clinton Foundation spokesperson said.
The calls to return Weinstein’s money were prompted after multiple actresses have come forward and accused the Hollywood executive of sexual assault and rape, forcing numerous politicians and organization to grapple with the dilemma.
Dozens Democratic Party politicians – including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Sen. Al Franken, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Cory Booker – have pledged to donate their Weinstein’s contributions to charities focused on women’s rights.
Hillary Clinton said she was “shocked and appalled” after the sexual harassment allegations came against Weinstein, who hosted fundraisers for her in the past and donated more than $46,000 to her recent presidential campaign and other election efforts.
Statement from Secretary Clinton on Harvey Weinstein: pic.twitter.com/L1l2wl9l0I
— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) October 10, 2017
“The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated,” she added. “Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior.”
Sure, does anyone actually think Clinton was “shocked and appalled”? I’m not buying it. Where was she at when scores of women were calling out her husband’s sexual advances, rapes and assaults?
This is a woman that attacked women who accused her husband of sexually assaulting them and raping them when she knew how deviant Bill Clinton was/is.
“What other people are saying, what my former colleagues are saying, is they’re going to donate it to charity, and of course I will do that,” she said on CNN. “I give 10% of my income to charity every year, this will be part of that. There’s no – there’s no doubt about it.”
So, there’s no doubt in my mind that Clinton has known about Weinstein’s history in a similar manner to her husbands and of course, she’s gonna keep the money. Now, she’s merely attempting to justify the donation.
Look, I’m sure there are all sorts of organizations that receive money from all sorts of people in society and use the money for good, but honestly, the hypocrisy coming from Mrs. Clinton’s statement on the matter, in light of her own husband’s actions is what is appalling, but not shocking.
Here’s Why President Trump’s Executive Order On Obamacare Is Very Different From Obama’s Orders Next Post:
Three Converts, Three Religions: George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Cat Stevens
About the Author: Tim Brown
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Embattled FBI Officials Lisa Page & James Baker Resign Amid Treasonous Revelations In Collusion Investigation
Written by: Pamela Geller
It took them long enough. The heads should be rolling fast and furiously. They thought they could go quietly during the Friday night news dump cycle.
Lisa Page, the FBI attorney who exchanged vicious anti-Trump text messages with Peter Strzok resigned on Friday.
That is not all she was exchanging with McCabe.
Michael Horowitz, the DOJ’s inspector general, is expected to release a report this month that will focus more heavily on Strzok and Page.
Strzok was sent to the FBI’s human resources division after his removal from the Mueller team.
DCF: Page has faced months of scrutiny over the text messages, which she exchanged with Peter Strzok, the former deputy chief of the FBI’s counterintelligence division.
The exchanges show a deep hostility to President Donald Trump at a time when the two officials were working on the FBI’s investigation into possible Trump campaign collusion with the Russian government. Some of the texts show Strzok and Page cryptically discussing how to proceed with the investigation, which was opened on July 31, 2016.
“I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way [Trump] gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk,” Strzok wrote to Page in an Aug. 15, 2016 text referring to then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
“It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40,” he added.
“OMG THIS IS F***ING TERRIFYING,” Page wrote to Strzok on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2016.
“F Trump,” Strzok wrote in another text.
The Justice Department’s office of the inspector general discovered the biased text messages as part of the watchdog’s investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Clinton email investigation.
Page and Strzok also worked closely on the Clinton probe.
As the FBI’s No. 2 counterintelligence official, Strzok oversaw the FBI’s investigation into possible Trump campaign collusion with the Russian government. On the Clinton email investigation, Strzok conducted interviews with Clinton and her top aides.
FBI OFFICIALS JAMES BAKER AND LISA PAGE REPORTEDLY LEAVING THE BUREAU
by Josh Feldman | Mediaite, May 4th, 2018
A view of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), on May 3, 2013 in Washington, DC.
Two senior officials at the FBI reportedly resigned earlier Friday.
According to The New York Times, the two officials leaving are James Baker––who was the FBI general counsel until last December––and Lisa Page. Both of them worked closely with James Comey when he was director.
Page you may recognize as the FBI official who infamously exchanged text messages with Peter Strzok that came under scrutiny after some anti-Trump ones were uncovered months ago.
Baker, meanwhile, came under scrutiny for potentially “sharing classified information with reporters.”
The Times says they’re both leaving for unrelated reasons:
Mr. Baker said in a telephone interview that he would be joining the Brookings Institution to write for Lawfare, its blog focused on national security law.
“I love the F.B.I.,” he said. “I have tremendous respect for the bureau — the F.B.I. was great, is great and will be great.”
Pamela Geller’s commitment to freedom from jihad and Shariah shines forth in her books
48 Years Ago, US Troops Massacred Students in Ohio, Covered It Up and Got Away With It Next Post:
John Kerry Violates the Logan Act – Law Enforcement & Media Do Nothing
About the Author: Pamela Geller
Pamela Geller is the founder, editor and publisher of PamelaGeller.com and President of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and Stop Islamization of America (SIOA). She is the author of The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America, (foreword by Ambassador John Bolton), (Simon & Schuster). Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance. She is also a regular columnist for World Net Daily, the American Thinker, and other publications. Follow her on Facebook & Twitter
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Petterborg
Sunday, 15 January 2012 by Sagacity
Charles August Nuffer
This is the life history of Charles August Nuffer. He wrote this autobiography on 28 January 1949. I have maintained the language and spellings of the original document. I also wrote a quick overview of his life previously.
This is a brief history of the life of Charles August Nuffer, son of Johann Christopher Nuffer and Eva Katherina Greiner Nuffer. I was born June 18th 1871 in Neuffen, Wurtemberg, Germany. When about eight years old I remember going with my father and mother to a neighbor’s home where the Mormon Elders were holding a meeting, one was Elder John Theurer of Providence, Utah. Some week later, one morning on getting up the floor was all wet, I asked my mother why, all that she said was that they were baptized members of the Mormon Church last night in the Mill Race back of our house.
It was not long after when they began to make arrangements to emigrate to America. After they had sold their home and land to get money for the voyage except what they could take with them, and that was not very much, they still had to borrow a few hundred dollars before they could go. They borrowed this money from the Schweitzer family that had also joined the Church, and came on the same ship with us, also the Lalatin family that had become members of the Church. So in the month of May 1880 they all bid farewell to friends and the land of their birth for the Gospel’s sake, and set sail on the steamer Wisconsin, for New York, U. S. A. (Early in the morning before daylight we left home in a covered wagon for the City of Stuttgart. I was carried in some bedding as I was sick with the measles and was not well enough to walk. From Stuttgart we went to Manheim and from there by boat on the Rhine to Holland and over the North Sea to London, where everybody was sick the next morning but myself, I think I was just getting over the measles.)
Young Charles August Nuffer
The first place we came to was called Castle Garden where all our belongings were examined. They also gave all the emigrants a little book, the New Testament to take along free. In those days most of the streets of New York were paved with cobble rock. After a few days rest we went by train to Collinston. Arriving in Logan we were taken by a family of Saints that gave us food and lodging for about three weeks by the name of Shaggo in North Logan. After three weeks we found a little old log house with one room and a dirt roof and plenty of bed bugs to keep us company. It was on a vacant lot on the street going to the College just east of the canal. We lived there about a month, as father bought a house and lot of Jacob Engle, full of cobble rock where we intended to make a living but we found it hard going. The house was built of small cobble stone and in the winter at night the walls would get all white with frost. Father would go out where ever he could get some work, he worked on the threshing machines and I went with him to help and he got a bushel of wheat a day. Grandma Spring, Regine and I went out in the north field to glean wheat, we would cut the heads off and put them in a sack. Father threshed them out with the flail and it made about sixteen bushels, so about all father could do is to earn for us so that we could have something to eat while John and Fred were earning money to pay for the place.
Fred went to Idaho working on the Railroad and John worked for Mr. Summers a contractor who later recommended to the Stake Presidency to take charge of building the Stake Academy after we had moved to Idaho. It seems to me the Lord had already begun to open up the way for our life’s mission in this part of the land.
When we arrived in Providence the potatoes were in full bloom on the lot which looked good, at least we would have potatoes to eat. We had to get the wood from the hills near by. They had bought a team and an old wagon so we went to get some wood. Father told me to drive, as I drove out the gate and over a little ditch the tongue dropped down and the reach came up and the team ran away and I fell under the horses feet. I received a broken shoulder and the horses ran around the block and back in the gate, my first time driving a team, at ten years old.
While living in Providence I went to school a few months during the winters of 1881 and 1882 and learned to speak English. My teacher was Mrs. Mary Neaf Maughn, the mother of Mrs. A. E. Hull and Maughn the brush man, and Peter Maughn was the other teacher.
I was baptized when I was 9 years old by Mr. Campbell the grandfather of Mrs. C. M Crabtree of this ward. My sister Mary was born here October 11, 1881. She died in Mapleton, Idaho, October 5, 1900. I look back to my young days while living in Providence, and I still have many friends there, but my parents had to look forward to some other place for our future and to find the place for our life’s mission. It seems the Lord prepared the way. One of our neighbors, a German family had a daughter married to John Miles who was living at Wormcreek and she wanted him to move to Providence where her mother lived so we traded places. We lived in Providence from June 1880 until October 1883. So from here we go to Idaho the place the Lord had chosen for us to build our future home.
We loaded what we could on our wagon and Mr. Miles the rest on his as he helped us move and all together it was not very much, but it was all the poor teams could pull over the kind of roads there were at that time. On arriving at Wormcreek we found a place with a house on it, a log house about 14 by 16 feet, all one room, with dirt floor, no fence around it and no plowed land, and when it rained the mud would run down the walls and we had to set pans on the bed to catch the rain. Father, Mother, Regine, Adolph, Mary and I lived there then. Fred was out in Oregon but he came later that fall with two big horses and John was working in Logan, I think with Mr. Summers. During the winter John rode the biggest horse to Providence as he was going with Louise Zollinger whom he later married. The horse got warmed up too much and got a sore leg and they finally had to shoot him. John and Fred were in Providence most of that winter as their grandmother lived there and Fred was going with Anna Rinderknecht.
As we did not have much hay we bought two stacks of straw from Jap Hoarn and Tom Miles, the first lived in Richmond and the other in Smithfield as they were only on their farms in the summer. The snow as so deep Regine and I filled some big sacks we had brought from the Old Country with straw and tied on the hand sled and pulled it over the rested snow for home. The Miles were the only family that were living on the Creek besides us on what is now known as the Webster Ranch, and we lived on what is now known as the Fred Wanner Place. The Miles Family ran out of feed for their cattle so in March they shoveled a path over to the south side of the hills where the wind and sun had taken the snow off the grass and it had started to grow. When they drove the cattle through the path you could not see them because the snow was so deep. So with the help of the Lord we pulled through the Winter of 1884. In the Spring John and Fred came back and began to fence and plow the land and plant crops. Later John went over to Oxford to the Land Office to file on the land for himself as he had helped most to pay for the home in Providence. As father wanted a homestead of his own, one Spring day it was on the first of May he sent over the divide between Worm creek and Cub River to find a place where he could make a home for the rest of the family. When he returned he said that no one had gone over there before him that spring, as the snow had not melted yet. That was in the spring of 1885, so during that summer John and Fred were raising the crops and helped father build a log house and we put in some crops so we have something to eat for the winter. As we did not have much of a team they had Joe Nilsen come up from Preston to plow some along the Creek, he had a big team and a sulky plow. But that was not all, we had to fight squirrels and grasshoppers. What we raised that summer had to see us through the Winter, and it was not any too much.
Fred went up Wormcreek and got some logs and had them sawed at the Moorhead and Thomas Sawmill on the Cub River. But we found that there was only enough for the roof and none for the floor and ceiling. They had lumber at the sawmill but they would sell us any for wheat and the store in Franklin did not pay cash for it. Father had already laid some logs down to put the floor on so we just had to step over them all winter but maybe it was a good thing as we got the warmth from the earth as we only had a lumber roof over us 14 feet to the top and just a four hole cook stove to warm the house and wood to burn, and it was not all dry. Still we were happy and thanked the Lord for what we had. Mother would read a chapter from the Bible, we would have prayer and we would go to bed early. (Clayborn Moorhead told me some years later that Joseph Thomas intended to take up my Father’s Homestead but he was not old enough then so my father was first. He said those Germans can’t make a living there, they will starve to death and I will get the land anyway. But, I think he did not know as much as he thought, he didn’t know we had put our trust in God.)
On Christmas Day 1884 Father sent me over to John’s (Grandma Spring was keeping house for him that winter), after twenty-five pounds of flour. The snow as up to my knees. After that flour was gone we had to grind the wheat in the coffee mill as no one went to the store anymore that winter until Father and I each carried a basket of eggs to the store in Franklin on the 2nd of March, over two feet of :frozen snow to buy some groceries. We could not busy much as we had no money. Mother raised some sugar beets in the garden, as we had no sugar she but some beets in the oven and baked them and put them in a cloth to get some syrup to make her yeast. She cut some up in little squares and browned them in the oven and ground them up to make coffee. Mother would also put the wheat in the oven to dry and brown it just a little so it would grind better and we used it for bread and mush. Finally the cow went dry so we had no milk for some time and no sugar, but we got through the winter without any sickness. We thanked our Heavenly Father for what we had and lived by faith in our Heavenly Father as we had no Church organization of any kind at that time there.
It seems the Lord wanted a tried people to build the Valleys of the Mountains for when we began to raise crops that we might have food for the next winter, we had to fight the squirrels and the grasshoppers. We worked with faith that did not falter and as I remember we never got discouraged for we felt the Lord was on our side.
When I was going on 21 years of age I was looking for a homestead to file on. East of my father’s place, about 40 rods from our house in a hollow there was a nice little spring by a service berry bush coming out of a sandstone formation, where I decided to make my home. Not being of age to take up land, I moved a little log building with a dirt roof on it, that my father had used for a granary, onto the land. I had a bed in it and would sleep there some nights. I prayed to the Lord that he would protect it for me, that no one would file on it as I was not yet twenty-one, and not old enough to take up land. There was a man by the name of George Kent, down on the river. His wife told me there was a relative of theirs in Lewiston, Clyde Kent, who was going to jump that land, as they called it those days. I told them that I did not believe he would be that mean. I wanted to start life for myself as soon as I was 21. So on June 17, 1893, I was on my way to Blackfoot, Idaho by train in company of John McDonald, whose fare I paid to Blackfoot, and return as a witness for me as to my age. There was no bridge across Bear River to Dayton at that time. We stopped at Pocatello over night; it was not much of a town at that time, mostly railroad shops and saloons. We arrived at Blackfoot on June 18th, on my 21st birthday to file on that homestead. When I told them at the land office of the land I wanted to take up, they told me there was a man there some months before, the man I spoke of. Not giving up hope altogether we looked over the plat, and I found there was 40 acres all to itself, not filed on. After looking things over for awhile I said to Mr. McDonald that is the land my cabin and the spring of water is on; so I filed on it and returned home. Arriving on Sunday afternoon my mother said there was a man and his wife looking at your place, as they thought that I had lost out. My family with me felt to thank the Lord that I had a place to build my home on.
As Fred and I started to quarry sandstone on my father’s place that fall, I hauled some sandstone in the Spring to build me a house, but during that winter 1893, my mother came down with pneumonia and died within a week on the 26th of February 1893. She was buried in the Preston Cemetery. She was about the 2nd or 3rd person buried there, as the new cemetery had been started that year.
The following Spring the Wanner family came to Mapleton, from Germany, on my birthday June 18th, which was a Sunday. This was the first time that I had seen my life’s companion, as they came to my brother Fred’s place, where they lived until they found a home to live in. Christine was their oldest daughter and I fell in love with her at first sight. My sister Regine was home again from Montana, her husband had left her, she had a little girl Katy. Christine stayed with her until she went to Millville to work for the Pittgins family for about three months for seventy-five cents a week and her board and some old clothes. When she left they gave her $6.00 and she gave it to her father as he told her she had to earn some money yet before she got married.
That fall as I started to haul stone to build a house, besides taking care of my father’s farm—Adolph helping me, as my father was away most of that summer to Bear Lake and other places, because he didn’t feel like staying home after Mother died. When he came back he brought with him Sister Weirman, and married her in the Logan Temple. Well, during this time I had started to build my house. We dug a hole in the ground and poured water in and mixed it. That was what we used to lay up the walls, and the house is still standing. By New Years the house was finished and cleaned, but we had no furniture or anything else to put in it, but still we made our arrangements to get married. We were baptized by Heber Taylor on 26 June 1894 in Cub River and confirmed by Edward Perkins at Mapleton on the 27 Jun 1894. We were married 1st February 1894 in the Logan Temple by Marriner W. Merrill, president of the temple. (Read Christina’s biography here.) We made the trip by team and wagon, as there was no snow on the ground in the valley. We put our team in the Tithing Barn, as the Lalladine family were the caretakers. After returning from the temple, for supper we were invited by Charles O. Card at their home on depot street, as Mary Wagstaff’s mother’s sister was working at their home, and we spent our first night with them. He is the Card after which the city of Cardston, in Canada was named, as he later moved to Canada.
As I have said before, after we got the house finished we had nothing to put in it and had no money to get married with, so I asked Grandpa Wanner if he would loan me $10.00 and I would pay him back when I raised a crop. He let me have the money with which we bought our marriage license, and a few dishes for the house. We borrowed a table and an old set of knives and forks from my sister Regina, as she did not need them at that time. We returned them again when she got married to George Wanner a year or so later. We paid Grandpa in seed grain the next fall with many thanks to him for his kindness. For our wedding present Grandpa and Grandma gave us a bedstead to sleep on, as we had no furniture. I nailed some boards together for a cupboard for dishes. Stepmother Weirman Nuffer made some of our temple clothes and the garments were made out of factory. She was helpful to us in many ways, so that was the beginning of our family life in a humble way and we were happy together.
As Adolph was still at home, he and I ran my father’s farm, and I fenced my 40 acres, and started to plant some of it as fast as I could break it up. I helped Fred in the sandstone quarry to get a little money to buy a few things till we raised a crop. The Wanner family bought John’s place on Worm Creek for $2000 and became very successful farmers.
Will pass over a year or so till the first child Clara was born 10 August 1895, Louise 19 Nov 1896, Anna the 8 January 1899, Bertha 9 Jun ‘900, Fred 21 October 1901, Joseph 18 May 1904, Ida 15 Jun 1906. These children were all born in Mapleton.
From here on my main occupation was farming and quarrying sandstone. I cut grain with a binder for people in Mapleton at one dollar an acre. In the winter I worked with Fred on the Mink Creek Canal, blasting the rock with black and giant powder, making the canal from seven to ten feet wide. I worked out four hundred dollars in ditch stock and finally sold it for forty cents on the dollar. I received $1.50 a day in cash so that is all I got for my work, and we had to sleep in a tent in the wintertime and cook our meals but it build the canals so the people would get water for their land and could raise crops.
When Fred moved to Preston I took over the stone quarry. I was also ditch rider for the Preston Cub River Canal for a number of years, making a trip a day while the canal was full, at a dollar a trip. While runnig the quarry I delivered stone for some of the Preston business buildings and for the Lewiston Meetinghouse. During this time we were also taking care of John and Fred’s grandmother for a number of years. As the family was getting larger I built another room on the house as mother was busy taking care of Grandma Spring, and John was going on a mission to Germany. They decided to send Grandma Spring to Blackfoot where she died a year of so later. I think it was in the year of 1897, when Mother and I drove to Blackfoot with the team and buggy to take the rest of our homestead, that we had lost by that Mr. Kent beating me to it before I was of age. While at Blackfoot we called at the hospital to see Grandma Spring. They told us she had died before Christmas the year previous, and they had sent no word of her death to anyone. A few words more while at the land office it seems the Lord had always prepared the way for us. As we entered the land office the first person we met was President George Parkinson, who knew us well. Without his help our trip might have been in vain, as it was difficult to take up land when another party had filed on it. At the time we made this journey this was the frontier of the west. Where Downey is now there was not one hours and from Pocatello to Blackfoot was all desert, not a house, only the Indian Reservation. I carried my shotgun with us for safety. We could say much more, but it would take too long to tell it.
From here on it made a lot of work; to fence the land and break it up and get it ready to farm and to make a living for the family. From here on I will begin tow rite of some of my work in the Church for which we have left our native land. On April the 19th, 1896 the Stake Presidency, George Parkinson, Brother Cowley, Solomon Hale came to Glendale to form a German Organization, so we could hold meeting every two weeks, as there were many families Swiss and German that could not speak English. Addison Wagstaff was Ward Clerk and took the minutes. Brother Jacob I. Naef was chosen as President. It was not until 5 Jul 1896 that his counselors were chosen, Brother Jacob Schneider, first, Charles A. Nuffer second counselor. We held our meetings in the homes of the people on their farms and wherever they lived. They traveled with farm wagons a distance of20 miles one way to Mink Creek, Weston, Riverdale, Whitney, Treasureton, Mapleton, Preston and Glendale, there places were we held meetings. Some years later when Joseph Moser became President, I became one of his counselors, also brother Kern. After some years John asked to be released and I became President ofthe Branch on the 21st of March 1915, with Brother Kern and Alma Moser as my counselors. During this time we held the meeting in the old tithing office, later in the new one at Preston, until the 13th of August 1916, we held our last meeting. During the later part of the war some of the people of Preston made it very hot for the German speaking people yet most of them were Swiss, but that did not make any difference. So President Geddes came to me and asked me not to hold anymore meetings. After the war many of the German people had moved away so we never started to hold the meetings anymore, and I never was released to this day. That closes up this chapter of the German Saints of this part here, so I will go on to some of my other duties in the Church. Making in all twenty years that we held German Meetings with the people of Franklin Stake.
Now going back to the year 1899, when I ws called as second counselor to Bishop Edward Perkins in the Mapleton Ward. When Orron J. Merrill moved to Preston I took his place and his son Preston my place in the Bishopric. I was chairman of the School Board for six years, and Brother Merrill was the Clerk, and when he moved away his son was appointed in his place. While on the school board I had a schoolhouse built in the upper end of the District, with Harrison R. Merrill as the first teacher. That way the children of the upper end would not have to go so far to school. The children in the lower part of the Ward met in the old meeting house. While I was in the Bishopric Brother 0. J. Merrill was the Ward Clerk and clerk of the school board. After his father moved to Preston, 0. P. Merrill, his son, was the Ward Clerk and clerk of the School Board. Speaking of schools the first school that was held in Mapleton was in the winter of 1886, when Bishop Perkins went to Lewiston to school. He let the people of the Ward have a school room so they all got together and employed Hirum Johnson as their teacher. All children from seven years up to thirty, married men and young ladies went to school there all in one room. Some came from Franklin and Nashsville. I was feeding cattle for Harrison Thomas that winter and lived with Olive Sweet, she had to board me as she was living in their house, and they paid $150 for my schooling and $.45 for a book. I had to chop all the wood for the family. I was fifteen years old. This school house which was built by the efforts of the people of the upper part of the District, was the first schoolhouse built in Mapleton Ward with H. R. Merrill as its first teacher.
In 1899 in June I was ordained a High Priest by George Parkinson, President of the Oneida Stake, and we labored unitedly together in the Ward. Bishop Perkins was very kind to prepare me for this work, and in his home he read the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants to me. So, that I may more fully understand the Gospel, and that I might be an example to the people of the Ward, and he taught me the Law of Tithing, and that we may be worthy to receive all the blessings that the Gospel had in store for His faithful children. So on the 21st of February 1900, we were recommended to the Logan temple to receive our second washing and anointing by President Morgan, a blessing that not so many have received, which is the greatest blessing anyone can receive in the House of the Lord, for which I have tried to be thankful all the days of my life.
In the Spring of the same year, as there was a severe drought in Southern Utah, President Lorenzo Snow went to St. George, and met with the people there and told them if they would pay an honest tithing the Lord would bless them and send rain to save their crops. As the church was in a very bad financial condition at that time. So on returning to Salt Lake City President Snow called a special meeting of all the General Authorities of the Church to meet in the temple on the Law of Tithing, on June the 2nd at 9:00 A. M. And as Bishop Perkins had taken so much interest in me he asked me to go with him, only the Bishops were called. All the General Authorities spoke in the Meeting, after which they all shouted “Hosanna to the Lord”. We were in the Temple from 9:00 A.M. until5:00 P.M. The meeting was in the room known as the Celestial Room. At the close of the meeting President Snow said, “If you will go home and pay an honest tithing, the Church will be freed from debt, and the Lord will forgive you of your past neglect, and I promise you your homes will never burn.” From that time forth I always paid a full tithing as long as I lived on this earth. This blessed land of America, which God has blessed above all other lands. So these are some of the blessings that your mother and I received through Bishop Perkins being so kind to me. In appreciation for the blessing the Lord has given us, I desired to do my full duty in my calling with the people of this ward, and we had many opportunities to be called out day and night in time of sickness and death, among the people. We labored together eight years and had much joy in our labors.
I have given you some of the ways I made a living for the family. To make a living during this time and to care for the family, I farmed, raised hogs and horses, milked cows, separating the milk and selling the cream, and making butter getting $.10 a pound at the store. The most I received while selling cream from six to seven cows was $35 a month. I also sold cream separators to the people of Franklin and Preston to make a little extra money. I cut grain with the binder for the people in Mapleton. I quarried stand stone for the Lewiston Meetinghouse, and some buildings in Preston. The Riter Brothers Drug Store and other buildings. For the hogs we received $4.00 per hundred.
I had now lived on Worm Creek, Mapleton twenty-four years and I have related only some parts of my life. During this time in my life it was necessary for us to look toward the future, and seven children had been born to us in our first home. As the family got larger I built room onto the house. During this time my sister Mary was working for a family in Logan and as she was not feeling so well she came home and we needed someone to help mother as Bertha was a baby at that time. But in September Mary came down with pneumonia and died the 5th October 1900. She had been born in Providence, Utah the 11th of October 1881. At that time most of our children were sick with scarlet fever, but they got well with our care and the help of the Lord as it was hard to get a doctor.
Before leaving Mapleton, speaking of building I feel to give some information pertaining to my father after his third wife died, Mrs. Weirman. He married Mrs. Shaub of Logan and bought the house of her son Gene. He lived in Logan a few years but he wanted to come back to Mapleton again and wanted me to build him a house in my orchard. I bought some sawed square log from Kall Wheeler, and build him the house. He paid for the materials and I did the work free, and I moved them up from wagon by team, but it was only a few years until he wanted to move again. He had already lived in Preston twice before. The first time where Ernest Porter lived, and before that out where Jim Smart’s place is. I then began to haul tone to Preston and John laid up the walls in 1907. In all the houses he lived in were one in Providence, two in Logan, one in Worm Creek, three in Mapleton and three in Preston and he died the 121h Aprill908. When I started to build my home after his death I moved his wife back to Logan with team and wagon.
I will pass over some years as things went on as usual. We began to look to the schooling of the children, as there was not much opportunity in Mapleton. I bought five acres of land in Preston and during the winter of 1905 and 1906, I began to haul sandstone from the quarry for the building of our home. I also planted trees in the spring of 1906, as there was nothing on the land whatever, only a fence around it. So this was the plan for us to move to Preston, not to improve ourselves better financially, but to make it better for Mother and all of us.
The Bishop was called to go on a mission, and I was in line for Bishop as things looked at that time. Mother was already alone so much with the family and I had so many meetings to go to at night. I was still in the German Organization, and I was so far away. I had from two and a half to three miles to ride on horseback to meeting to the home of Brother Merrill or the Bishop. In all the eight years I labored in the ward only one ward was held in our home. I leave the rest for you to answer whey we made this move which needed much consideration and prayer, and the guiding care of our Heavenly Father in making this move.
So in the Spring of 1907, after renting the farm to Hart Wheeler of Mapleton, I built a frame house sixteen feet by twenty feet to have a place to live in. Also, we had a tent for some of the children to sleep in, so I would have the family with me while I was there building our home. I built the barn a place for the cows and chickens. I hauled logs for the bam and most of the lumber for the house from the sawmill on Cub River during the summer. In October of 1907, when the frame house and the bam were built we all moved to Preston. We were all glad especially the children, when they could see the train and hear it when it came to turn on the Y. So this was a great change for all. This was the first time I lived in town, since we left Providence. So in the Spring of 1908, as soon as the snow was gone I began to dig the foundation for the house and laying up the walls; doing the work myself. Our second home in which all the children were brought to men and womanhood. This was the most happy period of our life. In order to get the large stones on the wall we had to roll them up some logs, as they were too heavy to lift. I hired Adolph to help with the work for a while, but before I got the walls finished I took down with Typhoid Fever. Adolph and Mr. Peterson finished the walls. This was in the latter part of September, and I did not know any more of the building of the house till it was finished so the family could move in. Preston was a baby then and I remember that he cried so much it must have been hard for Mother. I can’t give much detail concerning my sickness, only that Mr. States was my doctor and a lady Mary Bodily was my nurse. Brother Arnold Shuldhess, the editor of the German paper “Beobachter”, was up from Salt Lake City and came and administered to me when I first took sick. When Miss Bodily had to go some other place they got Maude Stocks for my nurse. They gave me very little food; mostly brandy and whiskey, as food is most dangerous in Typhoid, at least that was the way they used to do for Typhoid Fever at that time. I never used liquor at other times in my life.
Before I forget, my sister Regina, about the year 1886 also came home from Logan where she had been working and came down with Typhoid and there were no doctors here as there was no town of Preston here then. If there had been we would not have had any money to pay them; so her mother treated her the best she knew with tea from different herbs. Our prayers and faith were in God and she lived and got well, so we did the best we could under different ways and conditions. I will again go on with my own case. The latter part of October as I remember, I began to improve in health and they began to give me some food, as I was getting very hungry and I thought I would not get enough to eat anymore. Mother was very much afraid she might give me too much to eat, as that is the most dangerous time of the disease. The first time I went out doors again was the beginning of November. The trees were all yellow and I went up town to vote on November 6th 1908. I am sorry to say that this was not the end of our grief and sickness, so we had to start all over again and as I write these few lines it fills my eyes with tears when I think of that dear Mother that never gave up, that watched over you all night and day with faith in God for a better day. The Lord heard our prayers and she had the privilege to bring you up to manhood and womanhood, but that was not the end of our trials as stated before.
When Clara and Anna came down with the fever we had to get Doctor Emery, as Doctor States lived in Franklin. As they had to come most every day and we had a nurse that did not belong to the Church. She stayed at Preston Rooming house and we had trouble with her as I will tell you later when I get to that. By this time we were living in the new house. I think it was sometime in December. But, under the care of the new doctor and the new nurse the girls did not show any improvement. It was not long till they came down with pneumonia and week after week they did not get any etter. The nurse had a lady friend that visited some time in the evening. One day I found some empty whiskey bottles in a pile of stone that was beside the house. I at once told the Doctor we did not want his nurse any longer. He said he had a Nuffer barn place in Weston for her. He said that we would be responsible if something went wrong with the girls. I told him I was willing to take the responsibility. The nurse left and shortly she came down with the fever at the rooming house. It was only a week or ten days till the girls were up on their feet again. It was now the latter part of February and what a relief it was especially for that dear Mother, when all could rest again.
Now during my sickness some of the people of Mapleton had been told by Doctor States that there was not much hope for me to get over my sickness and mother heard of it. She prayed to the Lord saying that if he would spare my life she promised Him she would let me go on a mission, under almost any conditions whenever called. So during the summer of 1909, I worked at whatever I could find to earn something to take care of the family, and to keep out of debt, and fmd planted what we could on the lot for the next winter. Sometime if February of 1910, I received a letter from Box B, as it was called in those days, when anyone was called on a mission. I did not know anything as to a call for a mission when I received the letter stating if I could accept this call, if I could be in Salt Lake City on April the 18th. I do not know if Bishop H. Geddes had told the authorities of the Church anything of my financial condition or not, as I remember he did not to me; which was very limited at this time nor did he tell me anything about being called on a mission. We did not hesitate for a moment, but told them that I would be there at the above date. As we had no porch on the south side of the house I went to work on it before leaving. I also built a shed for the white top buggy so it would be under shelter while I was away. On the 15th ofFeb 1910, Laura was born at home with Mrs. Nancy Beckstead in attendance, which made it still harder for me to leave you all alone. I also planted some garden before leaving. So in the morning of April the 18th, I was on my way, Clara going with me to Salt Lake as mother did not want me to leave alone. That way she could hear from me just a little longer, Clara was then nearing 15 years of age and Laura was going on two months.
As I remember I was set apart for my mission by Jonathan C. Campbell to the Eastern States Mission to labor under Ben E. Rich. After a few days in Salt Lake I left with other Elders for New York City, stopping at Des Moines, Omaha, Chicago, Buffalo and on to New York. After a few days there I was appointed by Ben E. Rich to labor in West Pennsylvania, with Elder Hyrum Nelson from Cleveland, Idaho. I was then sent by way of Philadelphia to Pittsburgh with Heber D. Clark as our president. We were then sent out in the country two hundred miles tracting on the way, where there was a Branch of the Church in Buck Valley. It would be too much to give my missionary account, it is written in my missionary journals, those red books in this home. As we met in Conference in Pittsburgh, with Ben E. Rich and all the Elders in February of 1912 I was released to return home. It was most difficult for mother to carry on any longer with the large family as she had to borrow most of the money while I was away, as it was a dry season, and Mr. Wheeler, the one that bought the farm did not make any payments and the Bank charged 12% interest.
When I arrived home Laura, it was on her birthday, was two years old. One great blessing while on this mission was that I did not have one day of sickness and Mother and the children all had good health, for which we thanked the Lord with all our hearts. It was February the 15th 1912 when I arrived at home in time to make arrangements for a new life in caring for the family again, and to pay off the money we had borrowed. But, before I could do that I had to borrow some more to buy a team with which to go to work. I borrowed $700 off of Grandpa Wanner; the team cost $300. On the 15th July 1912, I purchases thirty two acres from Mr. Charles Nelson west of town on time payment, at one hundred dollars per acre. I then planted it in hay and grain, and the same year a hail storm came and destroyed the crop of wheat. I then went hauling sand and gravel for a living, and helped Uncle John with the haying.
On returning home I was asked by President Joseph Geddes to visit the wards of the Stake with the High Council for two years. It was before the Stake was divided. I also was asked to take my place again in the German Organization Meetings, one or two times a month. During this time I was serving as a Ward Teacher, a Sunday School Teacher, and quite a number of years as the class leader of the High Priests group in the ward, at Priesthood meeting, so I had plenty to keep me busy. I was also the ward Chairman ofthe Anti-Tobacco and Liquor campaign. During the First World War, I was called as a Counselor to Peter Hanson, who was Stake Superintendent of the Religion Class until the Stake was divided. In all six years, once or twice a month on Sunday or week days we would go out in the Ward to find someone to teach Religion Class in the schools, or to visit the schools that had teachers as we found it necessary. I was called as Chairman of the Genealogical Organization of the Ward. When the Ward was divided, and your mother and I worked in the Genealogical Organization. We were released when Orion Jensen was Bishop. During the years of 1923,24,25, and 26, I was called to baptize the children of the Franklin Stake. Charles F. Hawkes had done that work before. Also, at times I was called on to baptize children of the 2nd Ward at the Stake House. While in the old Church House I was a teacher in the Sunday School in the different departments at different times.
On October 30, 1916 I bought the farm in Dayton of June Jensen, Sam Morgan and H. A. Peterson of Logan, at the price of $5,500 so we would have work for the boys, so they would not have to go away from home to find work. For a number of years we had to dry farm, before we could get water. We finally got thirty shares at $130 an acres. As the land was all under bond it cost me $800 to buy the rest of the land out and we had to pay $7 per acres to get a ditch thru the Eccles Farm. I traded the land in Preston to Sam Morgon at $125 an acre that helped some. I had to clear off some thirty-five acres of sage with axes all by hand. That was all we had to do that kind of work for number of years. I had the cabin on the west hill of Peterson’s and had to carry the water from a spring below the hill in Petersons’ for cooking and vitrolling the wheat. I had to get a right-of-way from Brother McCarry at a spring to water the horses. We also had a stable on the hill for the horses. Usually we would fill our grub box on Monday morning and stay till Saturday and Mother and the girls would take care of things at home during the week. When we got water on the farm we moved up on the flat to the west of the farm. We went down the creek for water to use. We then built another room and Fred moved over with his family for the summer to help with the work as we rented the Miles farm and a year or so later Miles bought a house that we moved on his farm, for Fred and his family to live in. Later on we built another room onto it.
Preston helped us with the work after school closed and Joseph moved in up stairs when he got married, working with Roy at the car bam at the U. I. C. Railroad. In 1929 we built a house on the farm for Joseph to move in, as we had more work all the time. The cost of the house was $1250. Then came the crash of 1929, when wheat dropped to 30 cents a bushel and hogs to $4 per hundred and beets $4 a ton. To pay our debts and pay for the house all of us got together with a lot of hard work and the help of the Lord we pulled through. We also sold some hay for $5 per ton. In the Spring while the boys were thinning the beets, I was doing the summer fallowing, with the gang plow, with six horses; for a number of years. We started out with only three horses on the farm for a number of years. We could not raise hay without water. We had to haul the hay for the horses from town. Also, for the headers Mother would come over and cook for them. At the first harvest we did not have very much, and I was away trying to earn some money to pay for the heading. Louise and Preston drove over and brought them their dinner. I also went up to Glendale one summer and helped Fred Wanner and Hyrum Jensen get up their hay. They gave me a ton of hay for three days work with wagon and team and I would haul it over to the farm. That was during the early part of our farming that I am writing on this page some of our hardships.
In order to make some money to pay for the farm and to live, as we only raised grain, as we had no water on the farm, I would work on the header and do stacking. Also, I would go out with Fred Nuffer and Fred Steuri doing cement work for school houses, and other buildings. I worked for Joseph Moser as a carpenter on the Gymnasium, also did cement work, while Fred was hauling gravel. I hauled the first load of gravel for that building, also hauled gravel for the Jefferson School Building. I worked for Struve on the 4’h Ward Meeting house doing cement work on many houses in town. I had my team hauling gravel when they built the first sidewalks in Preston, until they were finished, then to the City Water Reservoir. When the Utah-Idaho Central Railroad was built I worked on the cut south of town ten hours a day for $2. Again I helped Joseph Moser when he built the beet dump, the high line by Tom Clayton’s place. I then got a job on the dump with the Sugar Co., loading beets on the cars. The next two years I was tare man for the company, and got lots of scoldings from the farmers, but the company treated me well. They used to pile any beets on the ground in large piles in different places, and haul them on the cars later. So, the boys Fred, Joseph and I would haul beets the rest of the fall. We would leave right after daylight and work until dark, so when Sunday came we were glad to get a short rest and go to Church, or I would be called to visit some Ward in the Stake in the interest of religion class to get in into the school, and on Monday back to work.
Going back to the farm work, in the fall of 1931 and 1932 I bought a herd of sheep to fatten, then took them to Denver to market to help get out of debt. While Fred was living on the Miles place and Joseph on the farm there was some difficulty, I do not know what it was, and Joseph moved back to town. Fred moved into the house on the farm and young Fred Wanner moved in where Fred had lived, as he had him working for him in 1936. I bought a tractor to do the farming, and did the summer fallowing with it that Spring. As Charles Nelson was janitor of the Ward House he asked me if l did not want to take the janitor job. So I had another job, which the girls helped me with at $11 a month, but it all helped. That was during the First World War.
Thinking it was time to retire from farming at the age of sixty-six I sold the farm in 193 7 to my son Fred. In Jun 1937 I bought the Dodge car and the Gamble home. The next year the McCarry farm. The summer of 1937 we went on a trip, Mother and I, Louise, the twins, and Joe and Gretta to Los Angeles, visiting Jim Cummings and Fred Nuffer. From there to San Francisco, then on Highway 1001 , the Redwood Road to Portland, Oregon up the Columbia River to Boise, Idaho and back. I had to come home after over two weeks absence. Mother and I had been to Los Angeles by train to visit Jim and Anna, when they lived at Beverly Glen, and again when she died the 25 January 1928. As given before the third time to California and again to San Francisco to the fair. Mother and I, Louise, Joe and Gretta, when Gretta took sick. After Mothers death, myself and Louise, Ida and Gilbert, went to Los Angeles the fourth time. Later when Jimmy Cummings was married I went on the bus to his wedding. Some years after Mother’s death, I and Louise and the twins went on a trip by car to Zions National Park, Cedar Breaks, and Bryce’s Canyon and to Yellowstone. The first time we went to Yellowstone National Park with Mother, Louise, Roy and Clara. The last time we went Louise, the twins, Donald and Joe and Getta and I went. We also went a few time to Nephi to the Roundup.
These years while Ward Chairman of the Genealogical Committee, we assisted the Stake in getting up large excursions to the temple on the U. I. C. Railroad, every month. All during our married life we would go to the temple every years as often as we were able to go. We carried on research work through the Genealogical Office in Salt Lake City, and we received sheets of names on the Nuffer and Wanner line, and my mothers Griener line, all at our own expense. I have the sheets in my trunk with the work all completed as you will find them there.
For twenty years after buying the Chevrolet car and the Dodge, we went to the Temple, whenever we could once or twice a month with a full car of people from the 2nd and 1st ward, until I took sick in December 1948. Since then I have been to the Temple three times. I am writing this May 11, 1950.While going to the Temple one February morning early it was snowing and the road was slick. I had with me in the car Mother, Louise, Brother and Sister Rindlisbacher and Mrs. Clarence Corbridge. As I was getting near the Utah line I felt there was trouble ahead. I was going about twenty-five miles an house, when George Wanner passed me. When half a mile over the Utah line the car struck a bump in the road and turned over in the barrow pit then over on its side. At that time a car came and took all but Mother and I and Louise to the Temple. Then came Orion Jensen and took Mother and Louise to the Preston Clinic to be examined by the doctor. I stayed with the car until Petterborg came. The damage on the car was over a hundred dollars.
Some months later Mother began to have pains in her back and kept getting worse as time went on. During July she got so bad I took her to the Preston Hospital for an xray. She was there for a week, and Doctor Cutler said we had better take her to the L. D. S. Hospital in Salt Lake as they could not do anymore for her there. We went to Salt Lake July 24th we were told that she had tumor of the spine. She was there for a week, when we were told that they could not do more for her so we bought her home. She died the 10th August 1940.
Dear Children of Mine,
If your Mother was alive as I am writing, we would be celebrating our 55th Wedding Anniversary, but as it has fallen my lot I’m all alone in this home where you all have been brought up under her loving influence and with my deepest love for you all. I shall ever thank God, my Heavenly Father for the gospel and its blessings.
| Tagged Alberta, Beckstead, Beverly Glen, Blackfoot, Bodily, Boise, Buffalo, California, Campbell, Card, Cardston, Castle Gardens, Chicago, Clark, Clayton, Cleveland, Collinston, Corbridge, Cowley, Crabtree, Cub River, Cummings, Dayton, Des Moines, Downey, Eccles, Emery, England, Engle, Franklin, Gamble, Geddes, Germany, Glendale, Greiner, Hale, Hawkes, Hoarn, Holland, Hull, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Jensen, Johnson, Kent, Kern, Lalatin, Lalladine, Lewiston, Logan, London, Los Angeles, Mannheim, Mapleton, Maughn, McCarry, McDonald, Merrill, Miles, Millville, Mink Creek, Montana, Moorhead, Morgan, Mormon, Moser, Naef, Nashville, Nebraska, Nelson, Neuffen, New York, New York City, Nilsen, Nuffer, Omaha, Oregon, Oxford, Parkinson, Pennsylvania, Perkins, Peterson, Petterborg, Philadelphia, Pittgins, Pittsburgh, Pocatello, Porter, Portland, Preston, Providence, Rich, Richmond, Rinderknecht, Rindlisbacher, Riter, Riverdale, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Schaub, Schneider, Schweitzer, Shaggo, Shuldhess, Smart, Smithfield, Snow, Spring, States, Steuri, Stocks, Stuttgart, Summers, Sweet, Taylor, Theurer, Thomas, Treasureton, Utah, Wagstaff, Wanner, Weierman, Weston, Wheeler, Whitney, World War I, Worm Creek, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Zollinger | 5 Comments
Sunday, 11 December 2011 by Sagacity
Glacus Merrill’s Class
Back(l-r): Ira Hillyard, Unknown, Bob Johnson, Junior Petterborg, Irwin Jonas, Unknown, Unknown. 2nd from Back: Unknown, Ruth Rich, Kaye Funk, Anna Lawrence, Joyce Larsen, Ruth Hutchinson, Nadine Johnson, Darrel Smith. Middle Row: Unknown, Unknown, Eva Kershaw, Lyle Wilding, Unknown, Afton Sorensen, Dorothy Nielson, Unknown, Norwood Jonas. 2nd from Front: Alvin Spackman, Bernice Frandsen, Unknown, Glacus Merrill, Joy Erickson, Unknown, Allen Spackman. Front: Garr Christensen, Oral Ballam Jr, LaMar Carlson, Unknown, Gail Spackman, Ivan Anderson, Warren Hamp.
This is Glacus Merrill’s class from what I believe is 1936. He taught class at Park School in Richmond, Cache, Utah. Several individuals have assisted me to name the individuals I have so far. There are too many unknowns that I hope to clarify in the future. If anyone can help, I would certainly appreciate it. My Grandfather, Norwood, and his brother, Irwin, are both in the photo. Irwin died in World War II, and I assume some of the rest did as well.
I have listed all the individuals below with some limited information I could find on them. At the very bottom is Glacus’ obituary.
Ira William Hillyard (1924-2009)
Robert “Bob” Jay Johnson (1924-2009)
Junior “Pete” Lee Petterborg (1923-1990)
Irwin John Jonas (1921-1944)
Ruth Rich
Norma Kaye Funk (1924-2002)
Anna May Lawrence (1924-1988)
Joyce Larsen
Ruth Hutchinson
Nadine Johnson (1924-2005)
Darrel Wilmot Smith (1924-2008)
Eva Kershaw
Lyle Wilding (1924-2002)
Mary Afton Sorensen (1923-2008)
Dorothy Nielson
Wilburn Norwood Jonas (1924-1975)
Alvin Chester Spackman (1923-1994)
Bernice Frandsen (1924-2002)
Glacus Godfrey Merrill (1905-2002)
Joy Erickson (1924-2002)
Allen Elijah Spackman (1923-1997)
Garr Dee Christensen (1923-2002)
Oral Ballam
Victor LaMar Carlson (1923-2008)
Harold Gail Spackman (1924-1991)
Ivan Anderson
Warren Thomas Hamp (1924-2009)
Here is a copy of the obituary I found for Glacus. Wow, I wish my school teachers had been this amazing.
LOGAN – Glacus G. Merrill, 96, died of causes incident to age in Logan, Utah on Saturday, February 9, 2002. He was born May 27, 1905 in Richmond, Utah to Hyrum Willard and Bessie Cluff Merrill. He is a grandson of Marriner W. Merrill, a pioneer prominent in the settling of Cache Valley, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the first president of the Logan LDS Temple. He married Constance B. Bernhisel in 1925, and they were later divorced. He married Marie B. Bailey, March 24, 1945 in Washington D.C. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Logan LDS Temple.
While attending school, he participated in track and football at North Cache and Brigham Young College, where he graduated in 1925. Glacus graduated from Utah State University in 1935 and also attended the University of Utah and Chico State College in California. He is a graduate of the REI Radio Engineering School in Sarasota, Florida. He was the principal of the Richmond Park School for 11 years and served in the U.S. Navy for four years during World War II. He served an LDS mission to California from 1954-1955. While living in the East, he served as President of the West Virginia Farm Bureau and the State Black Angus Association. He is an honorary Kentucky Colonel. He also served as President and District Governor of Lions Clubs in Utah and West Virginia, and was a member of the Lions Club for 42 years. Glacus was Vice President of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association, and is a member of the USU Old Main Society. He established a Scholarship Fund in the Communications Department at USU. The Montpelier, Idaho Jaycees presented him with their outstanding Citizen’s Award. He was also a member of the Montpelier Rotary Club, Utah Farm Bureau, VFW and American Legion. He is a member of the “Around the World Club” having traveled around the world with his son, Gregory. He and his wife, Marie traveled extensively. Merrill was a popular Rodeo announcer in his early days. He authored the book “Up From the Hills” which was finished in 1988 and is available in area libraries.
Honored by the Utah Broadcasters as a pioneer in Radio Broadcasting, Merrill started his broadcasting career in 1938 as part owner and Program Director at KVNU Radio in Logan. After serving four years in the Navy, he built his first radio station Clarksburg, West Virginia. He owned and operated 11 other stations in West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Idaho and Utah, including stations in Montpelier, Idaho and Logan, Utah. He was well known for his frank and outspoken editorials, news and comments on KBLW in Logan. He has given over 7,000 newscasts and editorials always ending them with the saying, “Have Good Day Neighbor.” In 56 years of radio broadcasting, he trained several young broadcasters who are now making good.
As a hobby, wherever he lived, he operated a cattle ranch and farm. He served in many civic and church activities including counselor in the LDS Stake MIA, counselor in the East Central Stake Mission Presidency, 5 years as a Branch President and 11 years as District President in West Virginia. He also served as Deputy Scout Commissioner in Idaho and for 12 years taught the High Priest Class in the Logan 3rd Ward and served for several years as the High Priest Group Leader. He was an avid supporter of many missionaries in the area.
His wife, Marie preceded him in death on April 22, 1993, as well as six brothers and one sister. He is survived by his two daughters, Darla D. (Mrs. Dennis Clark) of Logan; Madge (Mrs. Melvin Meyer) of Smithfield; one son, G. Gregory (Joan) Merrill of Logan; nine grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 12 Noon on Thursday, February 14, 2002, at the Logan 3rd Ward Chapel, 250 North 400 West, with Bishop Grant Carling conducting. Friends and family may call Wednesday evening, February 13th, at the Nelson Funeral Home, 162 East 400 Norther, Logan from 6 to 8 p.m. and on Thursday at the church from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Interment will be in the Richmond City Cemetery.
| Tagged Anderson, Bailey, Ballam, Bernhisel, BYC, California, Carlson, Chico, Christensen, Clark, Erickson, Florida, France, Frandsen, Funk, Hamp, Hillyard, Hutchinson, Idaho, Johnson, Jonas, Kentucky, Kershaw, Larsen, Lawrence, Logan, Lowe, Maryland, Merrill, Meyer, Montpelier, Nielson, Ohio, Petterborg, Rich, Richmond, Sarasota, Smith, Smithfield, Sorensen, Spackman, USU, Utah, West Virginia, Wilding, World War II | 1 Comment
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Newly Uncovered Photo Appears To Confirm CLIFF WILLIAMS's Return To AC/DC
by Raymond | Feb 10, 2019 | News | 0 comments
Photographic evidence has emerged suggesting that bassist Cliff Williams is part of the rumored AC/DC comeback album which is expected to be released in the coming months.
Last August, singer Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd, along with guitarists Angus Young and Stevie Young, were photographed outside Vancouver’s Warehouse Studios. Based on the pictures, the assumption at the time was that AC/DC was in the midst of making — or at least planning — another album, with Rudd and Johnson both back in the lineup.
Williams, who announced his retirement from AC/DC more than two years ago, wasn’t seen in any of the photos from the Warehouse, leading many fans to speculate that he was not involved in the band’s latest recording sessions.
But a newly uncovered photo posted on the Instagram account of Canadian personal trainer Scott Frinskie places Williams and Johnson together at a Vancouver hotel while the studio sessions were taking place.
The picture, which can be seen below, appears to have been taken at the Shangri-La Hotel around the same time — September 2018 — that Johnson recorded a video message congratulating Canadian rockers HEADSTONES on the 25th anniversary of their critically acclaimed debut album, “Picture Of Health”.
When Williams confirmed his retirement in an emotional video following the end of the group’s “Rock Or Bust” world tour, he stated that it was “time” for him “to step out.” His decision followed a string of personnel changes for the group that started with co-founding guitarist Malcolm Young‘s departure in 2014 after he was diagnosed with dementia. In 2015, Rudd was sentenced to house arrest after he was found guilty on a drug charge, while in early 2016, Johnson was forced to step down or face the loss of his hearing.
While Cliff acknowledged the numerous changes that had beset the band in recent years, he noted AC/DC has been dealing with such tumult since the death of singer Bon Scott.
“Everything changes, so it’s not that,” he said. “It’s just, I’m ready to get off the road and do what I do in between tours.”
Ever since AC/DC completed the tour cycle for its 2014 album “Rock Or Bust”, fans have wondered whether sole remaining founding member Angus Young would keep the band going or decide it was time for AC/DC to pack it in.
Johnson left AC/DC mid-tour and was eventually replaced on the road by GUNS N’ ROSES frontman Axl Rose.
Brian Johnson & Cliff Williams – AC/DC
A post shared by Scott Frinskie (@24eltoro) on Dec 14, 2018 at 2:31pm PST
AC/DC’s Brian Johnson
#BrianJohnson #ACDC #PictureOfHealth #POH #ThePictureOfHealthTour #rocknroll
AC/DC Headstones
Posted by Headstones on Thursday, September 6, 2018
Source: Blabbermouth
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Revisiting Steinbeck
Here are a few highlights from one of California’s greatest authors—John Steinbeck.
Here are a few highlights from one of California’s greatest authors.
Produced only a year after the novel was released, the film stars a hopeful Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, who loads up his Depression-era Oklahoma family into a dilapidated Hudson Super Six in search of greener pastures in California. The Joad family’s arduous journey from dust bowl to promised land provides a sobering snapshot of a wretched period in American history. Directed by John Ford and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s often overlooked seventh musical was not a huge hit when it debuted on Broadway in 1955. Based on Steinbeck’s Cannery Row and short novel Sweet Thursday, it follows the love story between a marine biologist and a prostitute—though it’s only eluded to in the adaptation. The show was revived in 2012 in New York by Encores! at City Center and lives on in a live recording. That production starred rising Broadway stars Laura Osnes as Suzy and Will Chase as Doc.
East of Eden (1955)
Probably most remembered as a film vehicle for the broodingly handsome James Dean, the novel is just as entertaining and goes deeper into the backstory of Adam and Kate, the parents of brothers Cal and Aron. This modern retelling of the Cain and Abel story uses early 20th-century Salinas Valley as a backdrop. It’s rumored that Hollywood “it girl” Jennifer Lawrence will play a young Kate in a new film adaptation of the book, a part that earned Jo Van Fleet an Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
Steinbeck first adapted his novella of the same name for Broadway in 1937. That play is currently receiving a handsome revival on the Great White Way directed by Anna D. Shapiro. The new production stars James Franco as George, friend and guardian to Lennie, a mentally challenged but physically powerful giant played by Chris O’Dowd. Like many of Steinbeck’s other works, the story takes place during the Great Depression and follows two struggling California migrant workers. Runs now through July 27.
Family Nature & Art Hike
Observing the winter landscape and wildlife while on a guided nature hike down the Discovery Trail to the Terranea Resort, parents and their children connected to the natural beauty of the peninsula’s coastline habitat restored by the Conservancy and used it as artistic inspiration for creating their own impressionist masterpieces at this event hosted by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy and Art to Grow On, Inc.
Locals' Choice Awards 2013
Southbay magazine celebrated the winners and finalists of our annual Locals’ Choice Awards presented by Paul Martins American Grill at Bo Bridges Gallery and iRun MB, both newcomers to the downtown Manhattan Beach scene. Drinks were served courtesy of Ultimat Vodka, Uncorked Wine Shop and Firestone Walker Brewing Co. A special thanks goes to our friends at VOX DJs, the SKECHERS Foundation, Choura Events and South Bay Plastic Surgeons.
Pilates for Pink
At a fundraiser to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Pilates Institute of Southern California instructors offered Reformer, Tower, Cadillac and Mat workouts for donations to the BCRF.
Southbay
Follow @oursouthbay
Victory Lap
Main Event XXVII
Homes, People
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Home Essay Samples Space exploration
The space program and space exploration has added a tremendous amount of information to our vault of knowledge. We know and understand a lot more about our local star the sun. Take for instance we know of coronal mass ejections from the sun, that wasn’t discovered until 1971 from observations through the 7th Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO 7).
One of the most widely known publicly is the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The HST launched into orbit in 1990, is considered groundbreaking on the account that it has given scientists the capability to look into the far reaches of the vast universe. This has lead some long-standing problems in astrophysics to be resolved by scientists. One concerns the location of black holes. For some time, black holes were speculation in academia and not widely accepted. But now, due to the observation of matter in neighboring galaxies, we know that some black holes lie in the center of galaxies, which are supermassive. Another thing that has come to be resolved is the age of the universe. For some time in academia, it was thought that the age of the universe was between 10 – 20 billion years. Now thanks to data from HST, we have a more accurate age of the Universe that lies in the range 13 – 14 billion years. One satellite that has helped to change our understanding of the universe is the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). COBE, launched into orbit in 1989, provided evidence that the big bang theory of how the universe formed, fit an early universe. COBE did this by mapping the cosmic microwave background radiation that was left across the universe after the big bang event.
From type Ia supernovae and CMB radiation observations, we know that the universe is almost flat and the expansion of it is happening and that this expansion is accelerating. But the question arose as what is the mechanism that is the cause of this acceleration. Scientists in attempt to answer this came to the concept of dark energy. The dominance of a dark energy component with negative pressure in the present era is responsible for the universe’s accelerated expansion.
The decadal survey is a broad-based survey conducted by the Space Studies Board of the National Academies, that deals with a specific region of science as it relates to space in priority order in different categories. It is produced periodically in approximately ten year intervals. It is basically a document that sets recommendations and goals guidance for NASA, the NSF and other government agencies to highly consider funding and/ or set top priorities for. The decadal survey seeks to clearly define what questions has been answered in the last ten years, to identify and define what high priority questions that have yet to be answered and to define what critical experiments and science missions that can rightfully address those issues.
The decadal survey process goes as the following:
The National Academy of Academies assigns a head panel committee to the Space Studies Board.
At the request of the NSF and/or NASA, studies related to space are initiated by the Space Studies Board. This head steering committee panel then assigns different topic region subset for committee representation. Those subset committees are the following:
Current standing;
Planetary and Lunar Exploration
Solar & Space Physics
Origins & Evolution of Life planned;
Earth Observation from Space
Life & Microgravity Sciences
They decide upon framed recommendations in terms of five “challenges”. The committee sub-panels are created of approximately ten to twelve members. The committees are headed by scientists, engineers, researchers, private industry leaders in the relevant respective field. The subset committees, then each make the call for white-papers in their respective topic region. Scientists, engineers, researchers, send in their white-papers for critical review in their respective topic region to the respective subset committees. Also along with the community white-papers, there are other community input such as individuals, public forums, with science and agency presentations which are geared to the panels and steering committees.
Once the report is finalized, published, sent to NASA, released to the public.
Mission recommendations prioritize missions by categorize them by program size of large to moderate to small to then assigned rank of 1-4, where a rank of 1 is high priority and then define the program thru description.
In the report, the top budget funding requests for NASA missions are showcased for two fiscal years past, current fiscal year and may show up-to-the next five fiscal years. The NASA Science Mission Directorate and the overall NASA current fiscal year request.
Strengths of the decadal survey that are highly praised.
A “science first” model is universally accepted as the best approach for surveys to take.
By going this way, fundamental questions get to be addressed
Well-regarded by funding agencies, Congress, and the executive branch.
A great help in determining where areas funds needs to be funneled to. At times justification for funding of a mission is clearly explained in a way that government officials can understand. Provides a road-map and priorities for the relatively near-term future.
Focuses on consensus-building among all of the relevant constituencies (government, science, industry, academia).
The committees incorporates people & personnel from the relevant respective fields of scientists, engineers, researchers, and private industry leaders
Provides a useful overview of the state of research within a given field.
Past surveys have under-estimated the costs of some missions (by factors from ~1.5 to 4).
According to the Government Accountability Office’s review of 18 of NASA’s large-scale projects, NASA had difficulty meeting cost, schedule, and performance objectives for a majority of those projects. Due in part to mission project schedules not being adhered to, unforeseen technical difficulties, the private industry overcharging. The surveys may give clear justifications for missions, but donot give a clear explanation on how to design for such missions and bring costs down. As such, many in the respective engineering field refer to the SMAD textbook. Even though, this is hard to swallow as the National Academies brings together experts in all areas of scientific and technology arena
Surveys have not reconsidered their recommendations in light of changing political and budgetary conditions.
The changing political and budgetary conditions forced previous NASA administrator Dr. Michael Griffin to change priorities and reduce funding to many programs. A direct result of the 2003 Columbia Shuttle disaster. In testimony on 9/15/09 to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, Dr. Griffin gave the following statements:
“The recognition of the impact of substantial, consistent, long-term real-dollar budget cuts at NASA (more than 20% in the last 15 years)”
“the need for and benefit of a focused effort in technology development and maturation as part of the overall space exploration enterprise”
The Apollo program was very successful on the account of that the U.S. government had a political agenda to achieve. At the time, the U.S. government had propaganda to sell to the American public such as instilling negative perceptions of the Soviet Union. The Apollo program was a tool that as a result, NASA was allocated a significant amount of funding during the middle of the 1960’s as compared to the amount of funding that NASA now receives. It was mainly a funding issue that allowed NASA to excel in the completion of the Apollo program.
The Space Transportation System (STS), ‘the Shuttle’ program has been viewed by many as not being very successful, even though the Space Transportation System has had 128 successful launches and 127 mission completions out of a total of 129. The Space Transportation System has been a technological achievement that few things presently can rival and surpass it, even though it was originally designed from technology of the 1970’s with an operational lifespan of approximately ten years. The issue is that it didn’t do what the proponents originally proposed. It was originally proposed that the utilization of the STS would significantly lower the cost to launch payloads into low Earth orbit, by making space transportation an everyday occurrence. Although, after 1986 the Reagan administration had limited the STS to the launching of only government payloads, the launches of the STS became limited. Also the final designs of the STS had become different than what was originally the design concept lead to higher than expected operational costs of the STS. Furthermore due to the very unfortunate disasters of the shuttle Challenger exploding at launch and the shuttle Columbia burning up in reentry which eventually lead to the planned retirement of the shuttle fleet in 2010, the public views the STS as not so successful. The STS did not lower the cost of assess to space.
The Space Exploration Initiative program ,SEI, was not successful at all. In the summer of 1989, the George H.R. Bush administration directed NASA to draw up plans for a continued manned space exploration program into the solar system. NASA did not take the program seriously. The program produced conflicting ideas from competing arenas of academia, industry, government labs and NASA centers. Many in the public and government did not understand the engineering complexities and attained a harsh negative perception of the program on the account of the high cost estimate that was presented. The program presented an enlargement of the already planned Space Station Freedom that allowed for a fuel depot and spacecraft shipyard that haven’t even begun construction yet at the time. The 90-day study gave a cost estimate of $100 billion for a permanent Moon base and a cost estimate of $258 billion for a Mars landing.
The Vision for Space Exploration program, VSE, can be viewed as successful. Again a Bush administration directed NASA to draw up plans for a continued manned space exploration program into the solar system. With this second chance, VSE got the ball rolling and gave NASA a focused direction with an end goal to achieve. A focused direction was something that NASA has been missing for years. That end goal is to have a continued human presence on the Moon, Mars and throughout deep space of the local solar system. The Vision for Space Exploration presented NASA with a point roadmap to achieve on a low budget that allows for the retiring of the shuttle fleet in 2010.
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TTC Board “Discovers” Cost of Bloor-Danforth Subway Renovation
The TTC Board met on July 11, and the public agenda contained little that prompted extensive debate. The entire meeting was over in 75 minutes, a quite unusual situation reflecting the onset of the summer break at City Hall.
The status of the streetcar order from Bombardier prompted a spin-off discussion of the subway. CEO Andy Byford had noted that reliability on the Yonge line’s fleet of TR (Toronto Rocket) trains has reached a world-class level, and it is quite substantially better than that of the T1 trains operating on Bloor-Danforth, although their performance is reasonable for cars of their age (about 15 years) and technology.
This prompted a question from Vice Chair Alan Heisey who asked when the TTC should be making plans to replace the T1 fleet. Chief Operating Officer Mike Palmer replied that “we probably had to order the cars last week”. (See YouTube video of meeting.) This came as something of a surprise to the Board thanks to the way that planning for the Scarborough Subway Estension (SSE) and Line 2 BD in general have been handled, with information dribbling out bit by bit, and with plans in the TTC Capital Budget not fully reflecting future needs.
I wrote about this in a previous article, but as an update, here is the status of various projects related to the BD line’s future.
There are four major components to upgrades facing the TTC for subway expansion on Line 2 Bloor Danforth. Here is their status:
Replace T1 subway car fleet
Estimated cost: $1.737 billion
“Below the line” in the City Budget (i.e. not funded)
Current replacement schedule is out of step with plans for other projects
New subway yard at Kipling
Approximate cost: $500 million
Only $7m for planning work is included in the Capital Budget, but nothing for construction
Carhouse and yard are a prerequisite for the T1 replacement fleet
Automatic Train Control
Estimated cost: $431 million
Only about $250m currently allocated in the City’s approved Capital Budget
Current signal system dates from 1966-69 when the BD line was built and it uses obsolete technology
Bloor-Yonge Station capacity relief
Scope of work and feasibility have not been published
This is not simply a matter of TTC management providing a rosy view of capital needs, or of the City choosing to ignore the scope of the problem. When projects of this scale don’t appear in the “to do list”, they are not considered any time another government comes calling with a funding offer. Many projects that will receive money from Ottawa’s infrastructure fund (PTIF) are on that list because they were acknowledged as part of the TTC’s outstanding requirements.
Keeping the full needs of the Bloor-Danforth subway out of view short-changes the TTC system and the riding public, and politicians are surprised to find that the “ask” for transit spending is a lot bigger than they thought. Meanwhile new projects make claims on “spending room” that might exist only because needs of the existing system have been downplayed.
TTC management plans to bring a consolidated report on the renewal of the Bloor-Danforth line to the Board in September 2017.
Fleet Planning
The need to order cars “last week” arises directly from the evolution of the subway fleet plan, and the changes forced onto it by the SSE. First, a brief description of the existing subway fleet.
The TTC owns two types of subway car, with one sub-type:
The T1 fleet is about 15 years old, and all of these vehicles are now used exclusively on Line 2 BD. They are not equipped with Automatic Train Control (ATC) equipment, and they will not be able to operate on Line 1 YUS or Line 4 Sheppard once these cut over to ATC operation in the next few years. A retrofit of ATC gear to these cars would be of limited use on Line 2 BD because it will not switch to ATC until the mid-2020s when these cars will be due for replacement.
Most of the new TR trains are in 6-car units, and these are used on Line 1 YUS. The fleet is large enough already to handle the extension to Vaughan in late 2017 and some increase in service once ATC is fully operational. However, there are not enough 6-car TRs to allow operation at the minimum headway projected for ATC of 1’50” between trains. A further order will be needed to achieve that level of service.
There are six 4-car TR trains used on Line 4 Sheppard. There is no plan to acquire more trains, and service on Sheppard could be increased from the current peak level of four trains to at most five trains (leaving one spare).
From the 2017 Capital Budget, the Line 2 fleet plan:
The project description for the T1 replacement:
In order to provide a reliable public transit service and meet future ridership forecasts, it is essential to maintain the existing subway car fleet in a state of good repair, and provide fo timely replacement. The T1 fleet requires replacement as it reaches the end of its useful (30 year) life in 2026; this necessitates the procurement of 372 new passenger rail vehicles at a projected cost of $1,737 million.
These 62 trains are designated for the Bloor Danforth (B/D) line and will replace the remaining T1 fleet; however, the quantity does not account for any forecast growth in ridership beyond 2025. Also, extensive infrastructure funds may be required for the expansion and modification of the Greenwood Complex in order to accommodate additional growth. [Capital Budget “Blue Books” p. 680]
The timing of spending on this project is shown in its detailed budget. Note that about one third of the spending is post-2026 and therefore beyond the scope of the City’s ten-year capital planning window. From a budgeting point of view, it is useful to have the T1 replacement project a decade in the future because little of the spending would appear in the current ten-year projection. The flip side of this is that none of the currently announced support programs for transit spending by various governments look that far ahead.
This plan does not align with construction plans in various ways:
The SSE extension service is shown as operating effective in 2023, a date long-known to be unachievable. The opening is now tentatively aimed at 2026.
Procurement of replacement cars is shown as starting in 2026 and running through 2030. This aligns with a roughly 30-year lifespan for the T1 fleet.
Plans for ATC on Line 2 now show this project completing in 2024, and the SSE would be built as an ATC-only facility. Therefore, a new fleet must be completely in place before the SSE can open.
The total number of trains the TTC would have by 2031 is less than what they claim to need (69 vs 71).
Accelerating the provision of a new fleet would be challenging on the basis of a completely new tender and design, whereas resuming production of the TR trains would avoid the need for prototyping. However, this would only be possible with a sole source contract to Bombardier who are not the TTC’s favourite supplier at the moment. Moreover, the entire project would shift forward and add pressure to spending during a period when the City does not wish to incur any new debt to finance capital projects.
There is no funding in the City’s Capital Budget for these trains. The seven trains shown in the fleet plan for “SSE procurement” are not included in the SSE budget.
A New Subway Yard at Kipling
A large property southwest of Kipling Station, formerly a CPR freight yard, will be (or may already have been) acquired by the TTC for a new subway yard. Original plans for the BD line included a yard on the Westwood Theatre at the Six Points, but the TTC was dissuaded of pursing this decades ago in favour of an Etobicoke Centre project that never materialized. (Only now, with the reconfiguration of this area back from a highway-style interchange to a local street system is this development actually taking place.)
There are a few problems with Greenwood Yard as a site for the T1 replacement fleet:
The yard is completely full, and there is no room for a new fleet to co-exist with the old one during a multi-year delivery period.
The carhouse and shops are designed around the married-pair consist used for T-1s and all previous cars, not the 6-car trainsets that would replace them.
There is no land available for expansion.
Before it can accept delivery of a new fleet, the TTC must have a new yard and shops in place. The project is described in the Capital Budget:
The Capital Budget contains only $7m to provide for property acquisition and preliminary planning. There is no funding for actually building the carhouse.
A small offsetting saving might be available in the SSE budget because planned storage tracks at STC station would not be required if there is a new yard at Kipling.
The future possible uses of Greenwood include:
East end storage (but not maintenance) of new BD trains to balance the process of loading and unloading service from the line.
Storage and maintenance for Relief Line trains that are likely to be shorter than the full 6-car units planned for BD.
A central site for the growing work car fleet.
Following completion of the ATC project on Line 1 YUS, the TTC will turn its attention to Line 2 BD. This work is planned over the coming decade:
2015-18: Preliminary design
2016-19: Design and procurement
2018-24: Installation and testing
2025-26: Decommissioning of legacy equipment
This schedule fits well with opening the SSE in the mid 2020s by which time the entire route would have ATC signals. However, the T1 replacement plan as it now stands would not finish until about 2030 leaving an ATC system that could not be “turned on” because there would still be non-ATC trains on the line.
The approved budget for this project in 2016 was about $300m, but this has been reduced to about $251m based on a “capacity to spend” analysis that claims the TTC would not actually use all of its allocated budget. To complicate matters, the estimated cost of the project is now $431m. Therefore, the City’s 2017 Capital Budget only funds about 60% of the project.
Bloor-Yonge Station Capacity
A well-known problem at Bloor-Yonge is that the platform capacity on both the upper (Yonge line) and lower (Bloor line) levels, as well as the vertical connections between them, is not adequate to handle current demand under peak conditions. When delays remove the ability of trains on one level or direction to remove passengers arriving at a platform, congestion can be quite severe.
Plans for ATC operated trains on Yonge, and eventually on Bloor, will allow trains to run more frequently so that the service capacity keeps up with the arrival rate of transferring passengers, but that is only half of the problem. With trains arriving more often, the “feeders” into the station will also have more capacity, but the stations will not be able to absorb the additional circulation demands.
Indeed, the improvement of service on the Yonge line could trigger the need for better service on Bloor-Danforth simply to provide capacity to take passengers away from transfer stations at a rate matching the higher capacity of the Yonge line. (This also affects fleet planning.)
A few schemes have been proposed to add capacity in the past.
The first version would have involved closing Bloor Station for a period of construction and moving the tracks further apart so that a third platform could be inserted. This idea has, thank goodness, fallen off of the table, even though its initial stage, the widening of existing platforms, was completed years ago.
Another idea would see a new platform added at Yonge Station in a manner similar to recent construction at Union where each direction’s travel now has its own plaform rather than a narrow, shared central one. This too would be a complex project, but not as bad as attempting to relocate existing tracks. The end result would be the separation of passenger flow between eastbound and westbound platforms on the Bloor line. However, there are potential issues of constructability including conflicts with existing structures such as the Hudson’s Bay complex which physically surrounds the station. (Yonge Station’s “box” lies on a diagonal passing under The Bay which was built after the subway was completed.)
Beyond $6m for planning work, none of the estimated cost of over $1b is included in the City’s Capital Budget.
Platform Edge Doors
The question of platform edge doors (PEDs) comes up from time to time, and estimates that are now a few years old pegged their cost at about $15m per station. ATC is a prerequisite so that trains will be stopped accurately aligned to these doors.
The rationale advanced by the TTC for PEDs varies depending on the context:
PEDs will improve safety at busy stations where crowding could force passengers dangerously close to the tracks.
PEDs will keep litter off of the tracks and reduce subway fires.
PEDs will prevent trespassing and suicide attempts.
The scope of a PED project depends on just which of these goals one is trying to address. If it is only a question of crowd control at major stations, then a system-wide implementation would not b required. However, if the goal is prevention of access to the track at all locations, then the scope and cost would be greater.
There is no money in the Capital Budget for PEDs, but any planning for such a project should be clear about its goals, and therefore the scope of work involved.
Circulation Issues Beyond Bloor-Yonge
Other stations suffer from platform congestion, and this will have to be addressed as demand grows. A major side-effect of running more trains/hour with ATC is that passengers will be delivered to busy stations faster than they are today. The backlogs of would-be riders trying to board inbound from Finch to Eglinton in the AM peak could translate to overloaded platforms at stations without adequate exit capacity notably College and Dundas. There are plans for additional exits from these stations, but they depend on adjacent developments and public funding. (The chance for a north entrance/exit to Dundas Station was lost when no government would step up with the funds so that this could be built concurrently with the new Ryerson building at Gould Street.) Moreover, such exits should have capacity for large pedestrian flows, and not be treated as emergency stairway-only exits.
St. George Station is another interchange point where the volume of passengers on platforms and of conflicting movements between lines will grow as the level of service on either subway lines increases.
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15 thoughts on “TTC Board “Discovers” Cost of Bloor-Danforth Subway Renovation”
Greg Smith (@onshi) | July 13, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Several other stations – I’m most familiar with St. Andrew – are already seriously (even dangerously) crowded at peak with existing headways. I can’t imagine it will actually be possible to get everyone off the platform and out of the stations with trains arriving in both directions every 2 minutes. What recourse does TTC have to improve rider “throughput” at platform level, especially where it is very difficult to add additional stairs, escalators, or exits?
Steve: Yes, a big problem at many locations. It is compounded whenever a pathway is shut down for maintenance (usually an escalator). After years of talking up the benefits of ATC, the TTC is only now starting to acknowledge and study station capacity issues.
Mark | July 13, 2017 at 7:07 pm
Would this new train order be a seven car train fleet that would operate on the Yonge University line and displace the TR trains to the Bloor Danforth line? If not are there still plans to lengthen the YUS trains? I have not hears such plans mentioned for a while.
Steve: At this point, I have heard two versions, one with the longer trains on YUS, one with them on BD. It actually makes more sense to put them on BD because facilities on the Yonge line have already been modified for 6, not 7, car trains. The new carhouse at Kipling can be built appropriately. I didn’t mention this in the article because this would be part of the report expected in September.
Richard White | July 13, 2017 at 8:04 pm
Jeez… I just came from London, UK and despite the amount of people using their system they have a simple way to deal with overcrowding which is to close a station and let things dissipate. Yes they have more lines but the idea is the same. When you have too many trains entering the station at once in one of the busiest cities in the world you need to limit the amount of people. See here.
For years the TTC has focused on more trains and forgot about fire code which limits them amount of people that can be in the stations at any given time.
I wonder if the TTC has considered doing such things during the rush hour to help alleviate some traffic into some stations.
I wonder if they have thought about rebuilding the Yonge and Bloor Interchange in the sense that they make it deep level UNDER the existing buildings. It may be possible but it would be a hell of an engineering project.
I honestly don’t think the TTC will be building the extension until the 2050s at least. When they realise they will have capacity limitations inside the actual stations, a need for new trains etc they will delay the project.
Steve: Closing/bypassing stations is an option for emergencies but not for day-to-day practice. As for the fire code, it only applies to new stations or to those undergoing substantial modification. It would be interesting to find out whether running 30% more capacity qualifies for that trigger.
The interchange has to stay at the level it is because it must connect to all of the neighbouring tunnels.
As for 2026 … 2030 … 2050 … the decision is political, and I cannot see the current crew backing down from giving Scarborough “what it deserves”.
wklis | July 13, 2017 at 10:21 pm
At the very least, the Line 2 extension will have ATC “roughed-in” and the Relief Line will already be ATC.
Steve: But there remains the problem that the ATC project thinks it will be finished and will decommission the old signals before all of the ATC-equipped trains are delivered. Nonsense.
Benny Cheung | July 13, 2017 at 10:25 pm
Platform doors will also allow for air conditioning at the stations. When a station is as busy as Bloor-Yonge, the crowding alone has the effect of raising the temperature. People with medical conditions like high blood pressure are affected. Less humidity and heat in the stations will reduce the amount of medical emergencies which slows the system.
Expanding underground metro stations costs a lot of money. This is not something like Appleby GO station where one can build whatever on adjacent parking lot space. Expanding College Station will affect the foundation of the Aura building. The TTC is better off spending money getting the relief line built earlier. This is why there are several Tokyo Metro Shinjuku Stations. Instead of expanding them, it is cheaper just to build a new line with stations close to each other.
Steve: Actually the south end of College Station is north of Aura. If you look at this street view, you will see where the vent shafts come up to street level, and these are just south of the platform.
The relief line is supposed to get people away from Line 1 and especially changing trains at Bloor-Yonge. Indirectly, it will also relieve Union Station. Someone coming in from Pickering or Unionville on GO can get off at East Harbor Station. Take the relief line into Yonge and Queen or perhaps University and Queen. The PATH system will take them to the office towers. This way, they do not have to get off at Union and board a crowded Line 1 train. The relief line can easily bring 20000 people per hour. Try adding 20000 people per hour capacity on either Line 1 or Line 2 is like asking for a miracle.
The TTC needs to stop planning in isolation. They are always reacting to a problem as opposed to anticipating them. When VIA’s HFR project is complete, there might be a chance that trains might not terminate at Union but at Summerhill. The dedicated track route is suppose to start at Toronto and end at Montreal via Peterborough and Ottawa. Getting those trains to terminate at Union will not be easy. What will that do to demand projection?
Robert Wightman | July 14, 2017 at 7:35 am
If they are serious about 7 car trains then they cannot consider putting a 50′ long car into an existing consist as it would totally screw up door placement. They have to design a new train with all cars the same length. Either seven 71′ long cars or six 81′ long ones. I don’t know if the latter is possible because 81′ might be too long for the existing curves.
There still remains the question as to whether the pocket tracks and yard tracks will handle 500′ long trains. Until that question is answered it is useless speculation.
DL | July 14, 2017 at 2:51 pm
Why is the lifespan of the T1 cars a measly 30 years? The cars built 20 years before them lasted 40 years (that I’m guessing was at least 10 years beyond their intended lifespan?). Was there really no improvement in QA from the 70’s to the 90’s that allowed the end-user to get another 10-20 years out of the T1’s over the H-series RS?
Steve: The original H series were built for the BD opening in 1966. Successive batches up to the H-4s handled system extensions through to 1974. These were the last cars before the introduction of solid state controls. The H5 and H6 series came along later with the H6s replacing the by-then 30 year old original G trains in the mid-80s. Thirty years later the last of the H6s (always problem trains) have been replaced by the TRs. No subway cars in Toronto, with the possible exception of the G trains, have been designed for more than a 30-year span, and some have had problems lasting that long.
Should the T1s be replaced in the mid 20s? One might argue that they will have more life in them, but that’s difficult to know in advance and based on past experience we cannot count on this. Moreover, the need for ATC on the BD line’s trains would make keeping the T1s for a long time difficult.
Rob Salerno | July 14, 2017 at 7:36 pm
I thought the issue with Dundas was that Ryerson didn’t want the exit built into their property for trumped up security reasons, and the decision was made that the new exit would be put in on the south side of Gould, where a demolished building has left an empty lot.
King Station also has exit capacity issues, given that it only has one narrow stairway and one escalator to street level at King St. The lightly used Melinda St exit doesn’t provide much help because most people are exiting to King St proper and the streetcars. I wonder if the accessibility improvements proposed to begin consultations next year will include a general expansion of stairways out, if that’s even possible?
Nick L. | July 14, 2017 at 11:27 pm
Robert Wightman said: “I don’t know if the latter is possible because 81′ might be too long for the existing curves.”
The funny thing is, most people would assume the tunnels when you say that. However, I wonder if the curve at Union would be the real deal killer due to the longer cars causing too wide of a gap with the platform.
As for the pocket tracks, didn’t the TTC look into running nine car Gloucester trains which would have been about 500 feet?
Graham | July 15, 2017 at 10:54 pm
Is the new yard a done deal?
It seems everything is dependent on getting the Keele MSF up and running.
No Yard – no space for TR trains.
No TR trains – no way to implement and use ATC on Line 2 and the SSE.
But the TTC has a solution!
The original signal gear they are pulling out of the YUS and keeping for spare parts as they are no longer made.
Why they only need a kilometer or two of signals – re-install in the SSE and keep using the T1 trains for their full design life and longer, as is usual for the TTC.
Steve, love your article – clear and to the point – but very scary – makes me afraid that the inmates on the board are running the asylum!
Steve: The new MSF is at Kipling, not Keele. Approval to acquire the property has already passed City Council. The TTC has been eyeing this for a while now. As for the SSE, it’s more than a kilometre or two, roughly the same length as the line from Eglinton to Finch. And I’m not sure I would want to open a new subway in 2026 with signals from the 1970s.
Andre S. | July 16, 2017 at 8:19 am
Steve said: “As for the SSE, it’s more than a kilometre or two, roughly the same length as the line from Eglinton to Finch.”
Eglinton to Finch: 5 stops (not counting Eglinton)
Kennedy to STC: 1 stop
Cue a picture of Baldrick (from Blackadder) thinking intensely with the caption “I’ve got a cunning plan”…
Norman Wilson | July 16, 2017 at 9:30 am
Steve: And I’m not sure I would want to open a new subway in 2026 with signals from the 1970s.
Notwithstanding that the SSE project overall reflects a mindset firmly stuck in the 1960s.
Joe M | July 16, 2017 at 11:39 am
Norman Wilson said: Notwithstanding that the SSE project overall reflects a mindset firmly stuck in the 1960s.
And the RT, LRT, Streetcar to Scarborough Centre reflects the unfortunate mindset from the 1980s that it was a good idea to have a blanket or stand alone technology. If we built the SSE in the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s or any time for that matter we’d have been in far better shape. Sad Scarborough only gets one stop for this line, but we got to move forward and this out of touch 1980’s mindset still exists in a vocal minority in tis City,
Steve says I cannot see the current crew backing down from giving Scarborough “what it deserves”.
There is really no present or future crew that won’t be supportive of moving forward with the SSE. Also sad there is a handful in this City that refuse to evolve from Transfer City and work with the subway plans.
Steve: It’s a lot more than a handful, but if it makes you happy to think we’re just a sad, little band, go right ahead.
Nick L. | July 17, 2017 at 1:40 am
Joe M said: “If we built the SSE in the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s or any time for that matter we’d have been in far better shape.”
If the SSE was built in the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, Scarborough would have been taken over by the province due to its fiscal incompetence after trying to build a one stop subway extension completely isolated from the rest of the subway network.
hamish wilson | July 17, 2017 at 5:41 pm
Real plans for an east-west robust transit link ie. subway in and serving the lower core have been around for about a century, and still nothing adequate, despite usually good efforts from GO and TTC. Planning should involve looking at numbers of riders and cost-benefit and all sorts of things beyond elections. New, faster/sub-regional service is decades late, and odds are high with most everyone around and the outvoting of core, the ice caps are doomed.
Steve: The irony is that downtown voters like me don’t give a damn about the DRL from a personal point of view because I would probably never use it for a “relief” trip — that’s what the folks in the burbs would do, and the relief benefits everyone by reducing crowding on the central system.
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Crime, Descriptive Article, People, Political History, United States History, US-Great Depression & WWII (1929-1945) March 19, 2018 May 11, 2018
Doing Time for the Less Harsh Crime: Al Capone
by Tyler Thompson
Al Capone fighting his case, accompanied by his lawyer, and body guard on Oct. 5, 1931 | Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum.
About a month after the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, which occurred in February of 1929, Al Capone and his lawyers were brought into George E. Q. Johnson’s office, the U.S. District Attorney assigned to Al Capone’s case, for questioning for the murder of six men who were allegedly a part of George “Bugs” Moran’s gang. Later in the day, long after Capone had left, an explosion occurred in the same room where Capone had been questioned. Johnson rushed into the room in total shock, knowing that he had been only a few rooms away from sudden death, and could have been yet another of Al Capone’s victims.1
Shortly after the Massacre, President Herbert Hoover was inaugurated President, and one of his first lines of action was to make sure Al Capone went to prison.2 He wanted to send the message that such “brazen criminology would no longer be allowed.”3 As a result, he appointed the top officials of every relevant agency, most importantly the Department of Treasury, to the case since their main focus was to get Al Capone for tax evasion. The Justice Department too was told to gather a group of agents, led by Eliot Ness, to get the crime in Chicago under control, especially the problem of bootlegging alcohol. Initially, Ness was having a lot of trouble, but as his approach became more aggressive, Al Capone became concerned. Capone attempted to bribe Ness and his men, hoping that they would stop disrupting his bootlegging business. Ness was not tempted by Capone’s gracious bribe, and because of that, he and his team were subsequently referred as “The Untouchables.”4
Al Capone Fishing in Florida | Courtesy of WordPress
Although Al Capone was being watched and tracked by the government, his bootlegging business continued. Ness raided Al Capone’s brothers’ headquarters, Ralph Capone, and wire-tapped all of his telephones, hoping to receive information about where all of the breweries were. From that point on, the Untouchables destroyed more than $1 million worth of alcohol and equipment. Although they were able to gather much information about speakeasies, none of that information was used in court, unfortunately. Ness’ work was not a waste of time, however, due to his ability to track down many of Capone’s breweries and shut them down.
Another important group interested in bringing Capone to justice is a group called The Secret Six. This group was organized by Robert Randolph, president of the Chicago Association of Commerce. He solicited money from Chicago’s elite, who were afraid of Capone as well, to have the necessary funds to take Capone down. The Secret Six was in agreement with the government to not get involved with Al Capone’s specific crimes, but to help police enforce the law in Chicago. Since most of the crimes in Chicago were related to gang violence and Prohibition, they were able to reduce homicide rates related to these crimes. The Secret Six didn’t specifically participate in Al Capone’s trial, but they were able to save it and helped determine the outcome. They had the responsibility to protect key witnesses, such as Leslie Shumway and Fred Ries, for future trial dates.5
The U.S. Government was working hard to convict Al Capone, and as a result, Capone and his lawyers met with Johnson to discuss a plea bargain. On June 16, 1931, Capone agreed to plead guilty for tax evasion in return for a two-and-a-half year sentence. However, Judge Wilkerson did not approve the deal and denied the bargain on June 30. Capone then withdrew his guilty plea to take his chances with a trial.6 Several witnesses were brought to the stand in October of 1931, including Leslie Shumway, who provided a general ledger containing daily financial reports of liquor sales. Charles Arndt, Chief of Chicago’s Bureau of Internal Revenue, also testified that there was no record of Alphonso Capone paying his income tax. Lastly, Fred Reid testified that Capone was making huge profits, and that those profits were not recorded in any income statement. He said that they were wasted on gambling on horse racing and dog racing.7 According to data collected by the Department of Treasury, between the years 1924 and 1929, Al Capone had made roughly $1 million, and he therefore owed taxes amounting to roughly $215,000.8
Al Capone on Time Magazine | March 24, 1930 | Courtesy of Time Magazine
During the trial, District Attorney Johnson showed the jury that Capone was successful, and that all the money from his businesses was going to him. Al Capone had extravagant spending habits, but all the money that he spent failed to appear on his income statement. He had expenses, such as fine food, expensive clothing, and a beautiful mansion in Palm Beach Florida. But how was Capone making all of this money? Johnson was able to show through evidence that his casinos and his speakeasies in Chicago were making large amounts of money. To make it inconspicuous, the profits earned were transferred to bank accounts in Miami, where Capone’s associates would pick them up for him.9
On October 11, Michael Ahern and Albert Fink, Al Capone’s lawyers, countered Johnson’s arguments. Ahern claimed that the government wasn’t coming at Al Capone because he wouldn’t pay his taxes. Rather, it was a surreptitious way to put him in jail for all the crimes that were allegedly connected to him. The government was trying to prove that Capone was making an abundance of money, and he failed to pay his taxes. Ahern claimed that his luxurious spending habits had no correlation in the context of the case.10
Many of the other key witnesses had yet to be called to the stand by Johnson, and Al Capone and his lawyers were anticipating that the feds were to put up as many as they could. However, as Johnson approached Judge Wilkerson, he said “Your honor, the government now rests,” leaving Al Capone and Ahern in shock. Ahern and Fink had intended for witnesses from all over to testify on Capone’s behalf, giving evidence of Capone and all of his massive losses due to gambling.11 The major premise of their case was to show that losses in gambling was not taxable; therefore, failure to pay taxes was just a mistake on account of it. They also tried to make the point known that there was no political reasoning behind this case, and that this was just an attempt to pin Capone for the failure to enforce Prohibition laws. Due to the suddenness of Johnson’s rest, Ahern and Fink were not prepared to call their first witnesses; they therefore requested a two-day delay. When Wilkerson denied their request, Ahern asked the judge for ten hours in front of the jury to present their defense, but the judge only granted them four.12
Al Capone got ready for his mugshot during his incarceration at Alcatraz. Aug. 22, 1934 | Courtesy of the Donaldson Collection
On October 15, 1931, court was in session again. Before the jury re-entered the court room, Ahern had a discussion with Wilkerson about permission to bring up certain points in the case. After Wilkerson denied his permission, Ahern angrily exclaimed that the Constitution was corrupt. He began to say to the jury that this case, again, was merely a way of blaming Capone for the lack of enforcement of Prohibition laws, saying that he was the cause of many gang related deaths. He ended by mentioning that Al Capone was forced to plead guilty for tax liability.
That night, Johnson contemplated what he would say the next morning. On October 16, Johnson began by giving the known fact that every American who exceeds an income of $1,500, must pay an income tax. He went for a simplistic approach by forgetting about all the other crimes that Al Capone had allegedly done in the past. It was simply a case of one man failing to pay his income tax. Johnson mocked Capone and compared him to a false Robin Hood.13 Johnson mentioned the time Capone bought $5,000 worth of diamond belt buckles, and $6,500 worth of meat. It didn’t go back to the poor though; it went to his lavish lifestyle in Florida.
It took the jury over eight hours to come to a verdict. On October 17, 1931 at 10:50 P.M., everyone was called back to court. Wilkerson took his position and asked, “Has the jury decided on the verdict?”14 They replied, “Yes your honor, we find the Defendant guilty on counts 1, 5, 9, 13, and 18, and not guilty on counts 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, and 20.”15 Everyone in the courtroom stood in confusion, and Al Capone had a smirk.16 Capone was called back to court in the following week to receive his sentence. When the week had passed, the judge then repeated in court that Capone would serve five years for each felony, and would be charged $10,000 for each, and then another two years for each of the misdemeanors, with another charge of $10,000 each, in addition to the time that Al Capone had already spent in jail for contempt. Wilkerson subsequently lowered the sentence to eleven years and $50,000.
Finally, two years after the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, George E. Q. Johnson had finally gotten what he had been working for.17 Unfortunately, he could not get him for all of the gang related violence that he had committed in the past, but he achieved not only his goal, but President Hoover’s as well. This could not have been done without the help from Eliot Ness, and all those who were able to gather information about Al Capone’s income history. This case would go down in history as one of the toughest cases in tax history.
Dennis E. Hoffman, Scarface Al and the Crime Crusaders: Chicago’s private War against Capone (Chicago: Southern Illinois University Press, 1993), 158-163. ↵
UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2003, s.v. “Al Capone,” by Laura B. Tyle. ↵
Dennis E. Hoffman, Scarface Al and the Crime Crusaders: Chicago’s private War against Capone (Chicago: Southern Illinois University Press, 1993), 25. ↵
Fred D. Parsley, Al Capone: The biography of a self-made man (Freeport, New York: Books for libraries press, 1971), 4-6. ↵
Encyclopedia of the Great Depression, 2004, s.v. “Al, Capone,” by Robert S. McElvaine. ↵
John Kobler, Capone: The Life and Times of Al Capone (New York: Da capo press, 2003), 1-10. ↵
Jonathan Eig, Get Capone (Simon & Schuster, 2010), 240. ↵
Jonathan Eig, Get Capone (Simon & Schuster, 2010), 251-258. ↵
Al Capone, Gangsters, Prohibition
Tyler Thompson
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Vanessa Sanchez says:
Al Capone such a very well known gangster. Even though I have heard of him and recognize who he is I honestly don’t know much of his history. Its awesome to see how his partner and himself build such an empire. I believe he was such a threat to the government and they tried doing literally the impossible to get to him. Crazy to say they actually got him but for tax evasion and not for his crime living. That just honestly impact me. It was an amazing article.
Felicia Stewart says:
This was a very interesting article! Al Capone was a very well known gangster and is arguably one of the most famous in history. Al Capone, as well as his partners, were very smart and strategic people, they thought through their every move before making it, which may be why they got away with so much. This article did a great job of explaining his life and that they finally were able to catch him on something, even though the crime was much less severe and he served much less time.
Sharriah Martinez says:
I am very fascinated with crime and people who had a significant role/ influence in this. I had heard of the name Al Capone, but i did not know what he did nor his end. It is crazy to know that his partners created an empire of organized crime that the government had to use the tactic of tax evasion in order to get to him and take him down under law with a warrant. This article does a good job of putting into perspective the time era and the stroy of AL Capone.
Cameron Lopez says:
Ah Al Capone, one of the biggest mobsters around in the 1920’s, with his run with drugs, guns, and even prostitution. How Al Capone and his partners created a literal empire of organized crime that the government had to use the tactic of tax evasion in order to get to him and take him down under law with a warrant. When I think of Al Capone I think of one of the biggest mobsters to begin organized crime in the early 1900’s to the 1960’s with Frank Lucas the next big drug suppliers. Great article all around with great information.
This was a very interesting and well-written article. It is amazing to know that after everything Al Capone did he was only caught for tax invasion. They could not pin anything else on him because he left no tracks but they knew he did a lot of bad things, but without any evidence, they couldn’t do anything. This job does a good job telling Al Capone’s story and how the lawyers tried to defend him. It is in a way, creative, the way they decided to catch him.
Antonio Coffee says:
This article tells the story of Al Capone’s trial in a very compelling way. The title is immediately attention-grabbing and the rest of the story builds off the title very well. It is amazing to think that a man was able to cover his tracks so well that the government was unable to get enough evidence to put him on trial for these very public crimes. It is also amazing to see the creativity that was used to catch him on a different crime even though it was technically a smaller crime.
Donte Joseph says:
Before reading this article, I had never known who Al Capone is but thanks to this article I can successfully say I know who he is now. When I used to hear the name, I would automatically think the worst but reading that he was in trouble for tax evasion is way nicer than what I imagined. I agree he did do bad things but being arrested for tax evasion is not that bad.
Hailey Stewart says:
It is very interesting that Al Capone and his partners created such an empire of organized crime that the government had to use the tactic to get him for tax evasion in order to take him down. The image in my mind of Al Capone is that of one of the most infamous people in American history, and this article explains why. This article also does a great job of putting his story in perspective with the era.
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Descriptive Article, Environmental History, Global History (1900-present), Latin American Studies, World History
Alive: Uruguayan Flight 571
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History / Papst Benedikt / Religion
Rejoice; Jorge Mario Bergoglio the right men and right time – prayers heard
Posted on March 13, 2013 by fallenAngel
The new pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Our prayers are answered – a non-European was elected. Not Abraxas but Pentecostal is on the Agenda now. A Jesuit who appears spiritual, taking charge, connecting , ascetic, conservative, even holy. His first appearance was breathtaking. He knows how to run a tight ship as Jesuit. On the other hand he has an authentic aura of a (firm) holy man. I agree to the assertion, “Christianity is never as weak as it appears, nor as strong as it appears. And whether we look backward or forward in history, we can see tat time and again, Christianity demonstrates a breathtaking ability to transform weakness into strength.” This article collects my initial reaction and research to Pope Francis.
The global south
In choosing Francis, 76, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, the cardinals sent a powerful message that the future of the church lies in the global south, home to the fast growing bulk of the world’s Catholics not in the bickering, secular church of Europe. See Phillip Jenkins: In the long run Christ wins out – the next Christendom. Jenkins argues that a ‘Christian revolution’ is already underway in the developing world, one that our political leaders ignore to the peril of all of us: “We are currently living through one of the transforming moments in the history of religion worldwide. – ” The Christian center of gravity has shifted to Africa, Asia, and Latin America “By 2050, only about 1/5 of the world’s 3 billion Christians will be non-Hispanic Whites.” “The era of Western Christianity has passed within our lifetimes….” “The emerging Christian world will be anchored in the Southern continents.” That is what I see today. When turning to religious indicators, all of them suggest that the surge in southern Christianity has barely begun – and raises another problem for the Catholic Church, largely ignored by a self centered Catholic Curie and European Church administration. The surge in Christianity in Africa and Latin America is due to Pentecostalism, a Protestant renewal movement that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Pentecost reminds to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus Christ, as described in the second chapter of the Book of Acts. Most Christians will follow the lead of the new elected Pope in Rome and celebrate Easter in four weeks. A good choice has been made. If one priest has the answer to the Pentecostal movement, or knows how to find it, it is him.
The Jesuit
Equally important is that he is Jesuit. The Jesuits fell in disgrace under Johannes Paul II but was brought back in the folder by Benedict XVI. The famous intellectual and tough missionary order, “gods Marines”. Jesuits, founded 1534, helped Counter-Reformation and have always stood on the side of enlightenment. Just remember how they supported Galilei and the story of – Ricci, Schall, Verbiest and the ancient observatory in Beijing China. This is a great continuity form the spiritual pope Johannes Paul II and the outstanding theologian Benedict XVI, who wanted to connect science and Catholicism – but at the same time in Europe to rather have a smaller church than a worldly, opportunistic organisation which runs after the Zeitgeist.
Bergoglio is known to be conservative on spiritual issues . He opposes abortion, same-sex marriage and supports celibacy. However, according to the National Cathedral Reporter’s John Allen, “he’s no defender of clerical privilege, or insensitive to pastoral realities.” He assailed priests who refused to baptize children born out of wedlock, calling it a form of “rigorous and hypocritical neo-clericalism.” Bergoglio has also displayed sympathy for HIV-AIDS victims — Thera are reports that in 2001, Bergoglio visited a hospice to kiss the feet of a dozen AIDS patients. Bergoglio often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina’s capital. He considers social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, to be the essential business of the church.
Jesu’s man
He accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes. “Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit,” Bergoglio told Argentina’s priests last year.
“In our ecclesiastical region there are priests who don’t baptize the children of single mothers because they weren’t conceived in the sanctity of marriage,” Bergoglio told his priests. “These are today’s hypocrites. Those who clericalize the Church. Those who separate the people of God from salvation. And this poor girl who, rather than returning the child to sender, had the courage to carry it into the world, must wander from parish to parish so that it’s baptized!”
He strongly opposed legislation introduced in 2010 by the Argentine Government to allow same-sex marriage, calling it a “real and dire anthropological throwback”. Exact quotes vary, but The Guardian UK quotes Bergoglio as saying of an Argentinian marriage bill:
“Let’s not be naive: this isn’t a simple political fight, it’s an attempt to destroy God’s plan.”
In a letter to the monasteries of Buenos Aires, he wrote: ” We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.” He has also insisted that adoption by gay and lesbian people is a form of discrimination against children. Bergoglio compared this concept of Catholicism, “this Church of ‘come inside so we make decisions and announcements between ourselves and those who don’t come in, don’t belong,” to the Pharisees of Christ’s time – people who congratulate themselves while condemning all others.
The priest
This sort of pastoral work, aimed at capturing more souls and building the flock, was an essential skill for any religious leader in the modern era, said Bergoglio’s authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin. But Bergoglio himself felt most comfortable taking a very low profile, and his personal style was the antithesis of Vatican splendor. “It’s a very curious thing: When bishops meet, he always wants to sit in the back rows. This sense of humility is very well seen in Rome,” Rubin said before the 2013 conclave to choose Benedict’s successor.
The biographer Rubin obtained an extremely rare interview of Bergoglio for his biography, the The Jesuit. He said this:
“Is Bergoglio a progressive – a liberation theologist even? No. He’s no third-world priest. Does he criticize the International Monetary Fund, and neoliberalism? Yes. Does he spend a great deal of time in the slums? Yes,” Rubin said.
Bergoglio has stood clearly for austerity of the church. He preerred a simple bed in a downtown building, heated by a small stove on frigid weekends. For years, he took public transportation around the city, and cooked his own meals. Bergoglio almost never granted media interviews, limiting himself to speeches from the pulpit, and was reluctant to contradict his critics, even when he knew their allegations against him were false, said Rubin.
“Bergoglio has been very critical of human rights violations during the dictatorship, but he has always also criticized the leftist guerrillas; he doesn’t forget that side,” Rubin said.
The bishops also said “we exhort those who have information about the location of stolen babies, or who know where bodies were secretly buried, that they realize they are morally obligated to inform the pertinent authorities.”
At least two cases directly involved Bergoglio. One examined the torture of two of his Jesuit priests – Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics – who were kidnapped in 1976 from the slums where they advocated liberation theology. Both men were freed after Bergoglio took extraordinary, behind-the-scenes action to save them – including persuading dictator Jorge Videla’s family priest to call in sick so that he could say Mass in the junta leader’s home, where he privately appealed for mercy. His intervention likely saved their lives, but Bergoglio never shared the details until Rubin interviewed him for the 2010 biography.
Bergoglio – who ran Argentina’s Jesuit order during the dictatorship – told Rubin that he regularly hid people on church property during the dictatorship, and once gave his identity papers to a man with similar features, enabling him to escape across the border. But all this was done in secret, at a time when church leaders publicly endorsed the junta and called on Catholics to restore their “love for country” despite the terror in the streets.
Initially trained as a chemist, Bergoglio taught literature, psychology, philosophy and theology before taking over as Buenos Aires archbishop in 1998. He became cardinal in 2001, when the economy was collapsing, and won respect for blaming unrestrained capitalism for impoverishing millions of Argentines.
During the dictatorship era, other church leaders only feebly mentioned a need to respect human rights. When Bergoglio spoke to the powerful, he was much more forceful. In his 2012 address, he said Argentina was being harmed by demagoguery, totalitarianism, corruption and efforts to secure unlimited power. The message resonated in a country whose president was ruling by decree, where political scandals rarely were punished and where top ministers openly lobbied for Fernandez to rule indefinitely.
Back to the roots and Gospel and not one out of the swamp of the Curie, that was what Benedict stepping back enabled. This is great hope,
Pope Francis comes across today as a compassionate pastor of real stature who will serve the poor and whose simplicity and holiness of life is remarkable. He is an evangelist, sharing the love of Christ which he himself knows. His choice of the name Francis suggests that he wants to call us all back to the transformation that St Francis knew and brought to the whole of Europe, fired by contemplation and closeness to God.
“Francis rebuild the church” a quote to St. Francis.
The first Sermons
Here is a transcript of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio’s first words as pope as translated by Reuters from the Italian.
Brothers and sisters, good evening. You know that the duty of the conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother cardinals went almost to the end of the world to get him. But here we are.
I thank you for this welcome by the diocesan community of Rome to its bishop. Thank you.
First of all, I would like to say a prayer for our bishop emeritus, Benedict XVI.Let us all pray together for him, let us all pray together for him so that the Lord my bless him and that the Madonna may protect him.
(The new pope then prayed the “Lord’s Prayer”, the “Hail Mary” and the “Glory Be” with the crowd in Italian).
He then continued:
And now, let us start this journey, bishop and people, bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which leads all the Churches in charity, a journey of fraternity, of love, of trust among us.
Let us always pray for us, one for the other, let us pray for the whole world, so that there may be a great fraternity. I hope that this journey of the Church that we begin today and which my cardinal vicar, who is here with me, will help me with, may be fruitful for the evangelisation of this beautiful city.
Now, I would like to give you a blessing, but first I want to ask you for a favour.Before the bishop blesses the people, I ask that you pray to the Lord so that he blesses me. This is the prayer of the people who are asking for the blessing of their bishop.
In silence, let us say this prayer of you for me.
(After a few seconds of silent prayer, he then delivered his blessing).
He then concluded:
Tomorrow I want to go to pray to the Madonna so that she protects all of Rome. Good night and have a good rest.
In his first sermon pope Francis appealed for having the courage to lead the way for building up the church. “If we progress, build and confess without cross, then we are no disciples of Jesus.”
He reminded not to forget the most important job of the Catholic church – to spread the message of Jesus Christ. Otherwise the church risks being reduced to a “compassionate non-governmental organisation”. The church should renounce the worldliness and concentrate upon the Gospels.”
Pope Francis is definitely not the favorite pope of those noisy but small German laymen organisation, like “We are a church”, who were hostile to the last pope already. This pope is bitterly necessary for deepening the faith in a time which sinks more and more into decadence and produces everywhere excesses, which destroy our society. A few German want exactly to turn the church in a colourless ngo. But:
The Pope “governs” just over 1.2 billion people, about the same entrusted to a President in China.
The German Catholics represent just 2% of all believers. Of that number probably 1 % are allowed to cry visible in the media every single day for reformed Catholic church. A lot of them are church clerics who live cosy in a plush concordat jobs paid from the government and laymen lobby organisation. A marginal, insignificant group amlified by the media. Those people amont than to 0.0.2 % who lack any spiritual depth. The are exactly those, Benedikt II meant, when he spoke about Entweltlichung of the Church (de-secularization) and advised to go back to Jesus teachings.
It’s time, that those cheeky Germans would just understand the weight of their world and stop lecture. They alway can turn German Protestant where the role model of an ideal church leader seems to be genderbased favoring a person running red lights with DoI 4 times over the limit (dead drunk in plain words).
I hope the Jesuit from Argentina will curtail not only the pageantry of the Vatican but also assign to the German Church bureaucrats appropriate, modest role in the spirit of Francis of Assisi, who go out and teach the word of Jesus not that of the politicians (where their paychecks comes from). The problems in the south – for instance the shortage of charismatic priests -are anyway more pressing than those of a few old men and woman in Europe.
Sergio Rubin, Bergoglio’s authorized biographer: “The Jesuit“. Copy cat quoted endlessly but not in Amzon. So do I.
I found it in the net in Spanish in 2011 the book was introduced:
While knowing the development of a papal election is not an easy task because it is surrounded by a big secret, the press agreed that Argentina’s Jorge Bergoglio, current Pontiff, was the most voted Cardinal after Joseph Ratzinger in the election which was consecrated to the German Cardinal as Benedicto XVI. Never before a Latin American had garnered much votes in a conclave and become a such outstanding figure of the Catholic Church in the region and the world. However, aspects of his personality and even his thought are largely unknown by society. Until it could be said that its figure is surrounded by a breath of mystery. Based on a series of talks held with him over two years, two journalists with long experience and knowledge in religious issues seek to unravel their thinking not only about religious issues, but also those related to the evolution of a country and a world turbulence.
Sergio Rubin was born in Santa Fe. He is a journalist and currently the head of the religious themes of the Clarín newspaper and the editor of its supplement “religious values”. He made a dozen trips with the Pope Juan Pablo II, coverage of his funeral and the election of Benedicto XVI. Among other personalities of the religious world he interviewed Mother Teresa and Cardinal Antonio Samoré.
Eva Perón book author: secret of confession (as and why the Church hid his body), was awarded the Santa Clara de Asis. Francesca Ambrogetti was born in Rome. He is a journalist and a social psychologist. He began his career in radio and in the news agency Ansa continued it. In 1982, presided over the Association of foreign press in the Argentina and from 2000 to 2003, the Foreign Correspondents Association, of which he is counselor. He collaborates with various international media, including Vatican Radio. He has taught journalism at several educational institutions courses and classes. He is the author of the essay “Tango as the encounter therapy”. ”
Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/extreme_poverty_is_also_a_violation_of_human_rights_says_argentinean_cardinal/
Collected news and articles at the The New York Times
Collected news and articles at The Guardian
Sobre el Cielo y la Tierra (On Heaven and Earth) at Kindle.
Unclear if took his name after St. Francis of Assisi – founder of the Franciscan order of the Poor or St. Francis Xavier- along with St. Ignatius Loyola, the Jesuits. The Vatican spokesman and Wikipedia suggested the first.
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Dante's Divine Comedy - symbolism and archetypes
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Transit Usage of Metropolitan Council Probably Relevant
By Nick Magrino on October 24, 2014 in Buses, Governance, Politics, Trains, Transit, Transportation
Earlier this week, the StarTribune published a dynamite survey of the transit usage of the 17 members of the Metropolitan Council. As it turns out, not many of them use transit particularly often.
Here’s my sample ballot–still need to look into that school board situation… (Source: Minnesota Secretary of State)
The Metropolitan Council, established by the Minnesota Legislature in 1967, is charged with things like land use planning, transportation planning, and sewage treatment in the seven county metropolitan area. In 1967, seven counties was a fairly broad interpretation of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, but in 2014, the Census Bureau now counts 13 counties, stretching from the Wisconsin side of Lake Pepin to Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud.
Notably, the Metropolitan Council is also objectively, obviously, a good idea. Transportation, land use planning, and wastewater treatment are things that should be done regionally. Controversially, they are not elected, but appointed by the governor, and this is frequently pointed out by people who belong to whatever political party the current governor does not belong to. Maybe they should be elected, but already, no one knows who their county commissioner is, and given the way everything everywhere has become face-meltingly partisan in the past decade, maybe we don’t need another election generating terrible attack ad junk mail. What Soil and Water Conservation District are you in, anyway?
The survey and the results and subsequent analysis generated lots of debate, and I was actually kind of surprised how many smart people quickly dismissed the notion that these leaders need to take transit in order to plan and manage it. And, I mean, the 17 councilmembers aren’t really “planning” our transit, it’s much more complicated than that, but I would imagine we would get very similar results if we polled county commissioners (counties, generally, have selected routes before handing them off to the Metropolitan Council) or people who work in Public Works departments across the metro area, or really any other influential group around the Twin Cities. One time, I did see my state representative (Chair of the House Transportation Finance Committee!) on the 6 during off-peak hours, and he didn’t look like he wanted any credit for it, so that’s good. According to the StarTribune survey, many senior staff folks at Metro Transit do take transit regularly, with their General Manager Brian Lamb leading the pack with hundreds of rides this year, and they should be credited for that.
But, I dunno, it does seem like it’s sort of important to take the bus in order to understand the bus, right? I guess there are probably bald people who are great hairdressers. But transit is even more complicated than hair, and many of the longform answers in the survey betray a lack of understanding of what mass transit actually is, and how people use it on a daily basis as a way to get around in their lives. A stronger analogy: Imagine an office (totally hypothetical and not real at all) where the highly-used shared copier was an absolute nightmare, but the people in charge of buying a new copier did not regularly use the copier. They might have trouble fully grasping the situation…with the copier.
On Wednesday, I took the Route 7 bus to Minneapolis Animal Care and Control to look at a cat (I found a cat) and there are also people who use transit to do equally important things, like, for example, all of the things in their lives. Transit isn’t just something you drive to so that you can save four dollars a day on parking downtown.
Also, this is a pretty good quote:
“The nature of my two jobs is that I am all over the metro area for meetings and am often unable to include the additional time needed for transit in my schedule, which limits my usage,” Haigh said.
There’s that. Don’t wanna pick on her too much, but she sort of lives in St. Paul and those two jobs, TC Habitat for Humanity President & Chairperson of the Metropolitan Council, are sort of located…on the Green Line.
Anyway, our existing rail transit is okay enough, but the day-to-day experience on many local route buses is not very fun. These are the routes make up the vast majority of the rides in our system–the Route 5, 18, 21, 22, and so on. Every day, thousands of people move along Nicollet Mall on buses at walking speed for the amount of time it would take a person in a car to drive from Downtown Minneapolis to Wayzata, except they’re only covering about 12 blocks. And that’s fairly simple to grasp in the abstract: transit service not of very high quality, okay, got it. But it’s more personal when you experience, firsthand, a full bus running drop off only skipping you while you’re at a bus stop trying to get to class. Or waiting out by one of many thousands of sad, lonesome bus stop sign poles in the dark in the winter. Or when you see (I certainly can’t grasp the actual experience) a disabled person trying to get on a bus on Nicollet Mall during rush hour. Or many other things.
What it really gets down to is land use. People don’t understand what land use is, and if you don’t understand land use, your transit and transportation in general will be forever terrible. Like even lots of really smart people with MBAs and BMWs don’t get it. Hundreds of thousands of people in our metro area sit in traffic by themselves for hours (!) listening to talk radio and don’t stop for a second to think that that is anything other than the default way that the world is, and in fact get extremely agitated and emotional over even considering that there are other options–check out the comments on the survey.
Metropolitan Council Districts, 2014 (Source: Metropolitan Council)
So there’s a map of all of the 16 districts (the Chair, Ms. Haigh, is a floater) and, I mean, look at that. To be honest, I sure as hell wouldn’t blow billions of dollars trying to pretend that we can ever adequately provide transit service to everyone on even just the middle 50% of that area. We can’t even do that. People and their employment aren’t just spread out (and spread out they are) but they’re spread out in the landscape in a way that’s fundamentally impossible to serve at a reasonable cost.
Minneapolis and St. Paul (and some first ring suburbs) have the land use pattern that makes transit work–gridded, walkable streets; dense, walkable employment centers; dense, walkable retail centers; and many areas with at least medium residential density. A secret: Most of Minneapolis and St. Paul are basically suburban. But they’re easily infillable and can be redeveloped into areas that support transit investments–if that’s your goal. A good goal would also be to serve the people who are already using it, but serve them better and encourage higher use of the routes that already seem to work.
The second ring suburbs and beyond aren’t really like that. These places were intentionally built for cars and cars alone. The windswept parking lots and eight lane arterials and never ending cul-de-sacs and beige vinyl siding will be hard to change. But barring some sort of catastrophe, this is the metro area we have in 2014 and will continue to have for decades. If trends (gas more expensive, people poorer, Chili’s less cool) continue, there may not be a Plymouth where Independence is in 2040, but Plymouth will still be there. And because the land use in Plymouth is so fundamentally different from the land use in even St. Louis Park, not to mention Minneapolis, it’s hard to imagine too many ways to serve people in Plymouth that make any sense, other than express buses to Downtown Minneapolis.
I, personally, am not really on team “get rid of all the cars,” but as a thought experiment that’s the direction you should be headed in when thinking about transit–are we building transit so that a small number of people in a relatively affluent area can use it for a segment of one trip at the expense of other peoples’ entire multiple trips? Are we building transit as a handout to the construction industry? Are we building transit so that we can say we built transit, throw some colored lines on a map, and show it to our friends in other cities?
Maybe we shouldn’t have folks planning transit who live in areas that can’t support it in a reasonably effective way. We’d probably have to stop taking their money, of course, but the rush to get more counties in the transit sales tax tent has led to some rather dubious investments. The Metropolitan Council is a good idea and should stick around regardless, but maybe there’s a better way to arrange representation, or committee assignments, or something.
In any case, for now, everyone on the Metropolitan Council should be compelled (obligated?) to take transit, if only as an annual adventure. Go stand at Nicollet and 7th in February with a stroller, or even pretend you’re trying to get between two jobs. And not just the Metropolitan Council, everyone in the Twin Cities metro area in a position of influence over this system should probably get in on it. County commissioners, city councilmembers, state representatives, the whole gang. And not the train; take a bus somewhere. If you’re going to put anything about mass transit on your campaign literature or in your bio, you should back it up with some action.
About Nick Magrino
Nick Magrino grew up all over the place but has lived in the Loring Park neighborhood of Minneapolis longer than anywhere else. He has a new cat, Sweater, and does not use hashtags at @nickmagrino. He is probably on a bus right now.
View all posts by Nick Magrino →
bus, featured, Metropolitan Council, transit
Podcast #74 – Explaining the Transportation Equity Formula with Russ Stark
Aging Baby Boomers Could Help Push Walkable Infrastructure
12 Responses to Transit Usage of Metropolitan Council Probably Relevant
Matt Brillhart October 24, 2014 at 8:57 am #
Also relevant: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/280252632.html
Rebecca Airmet October 24, 2014 at 5:30 pm #
Thanks for sharing the Star Tribune commentary. Everyone should read that!
Gary October 24, 2014 at 9:14 am #
Amen. I agree with shrinking the CTIB. Sure we’d lose funding, but there would be more political will to actually fund and complete transit lines that serve the densest parts of our metro area.
Our Republican legislators love to criticize light rail as wasteful, but it’s the park and rides and fancy suburban buses that are the real boondoggle.
Adam Miller October 24, 2014 at 10:04 am #
Is it hypocritical of me to (kind of) want to abolish the Park Board and elect the Met Council?
Also, my county commissioner is Marion Greene. Do I win a prize? Do you take it away from me for not knowing what soil and water conservation district I am in (speaking of things to abolish)?
Janne October 24, 2014 at 2:07 pm #
Mine, too — and I’ve biked to work with her more than once! (Maybe I should now bus to work with her, too?)
Alex October 24, 2014 at 10:44 am #
Good article. Just curious, who are the smart people who don’t think that whether or not the Met Council takes transit is relevant and what is their reasoning?
Molly October 24, 2014 at 12:26 pm #
The thing that I find interesting about some of the regional transit discussion, particularly the discussion among politically powerful people who are bought in on issues of transit investment in the region, is that it is premised on a set of values judgments that only apply to other people. This means that the execution tends to fall apart even where the basic premise – transit is an important public good – is sound.
But more importantly, congratulations on the cat.
Bill Lindeke October 24, 2014 at 2:27 pm #
i wish you’d talked to me before you got a cat; they can be very annoying, with the fur and the purring.
Nick Magrino October 24, 2014 at 4:31 pm #
I have to go get him today and am AGGRESSIVELY trying to hit up friends for a ride back from the shelter…the idea of a transfer with a kitten is daunting and I’m afraid he’ll hate me from the beginning.
Julia Silvis October 27, 2014 at 10:35 am #
I agree that MetCouncilors would make more informed decisions if they were to start riding transit more (especially the 10 who rode it zero times!) However, I don’t know that I want to pay for a transit system that they can use for *all* their trips — I think that would be over-building the system. I imagine the people serving on the MetCouncil are exceptions in terms of the amount of ground they cover in a typical day, and the amount of variation in scheduling their days contain, so we need to be clear whether we are trying to build a system for them. A transit system that was practical for mid-day hauls across 7-counties would likely be expensive (and empty).
I know that most people don’t have simple home-work-home commute patterns,and would benefit if the system had more flexibility, frequency, and range, but they don’t have the schedules I imagine Sue Haigh has. Cars are good at some things — getting from Dakota County to Scott County at 11am is one of them. That said, it would be nice to see more MetCouncilors using transit when it made sense — I am sure that all of them could make a trip or two a week on transit. And they should definitely ride some routes that are “bad” — frankly, I am surprised they don’t all make an effort to do that at least twice a year (once in summer and once in winter). I agree that experiencing first hand the frustrations of bus travel (so glad you mentioned Nicollet’s speeds) would give them more urgency to solve them.
If they were riding all the time, I imagine the headline would be something like “MetCouncil’s subsidized trips result in $thousands of lost revenue and wasted time.”
Finally, I would be interested to know how many more times the link to the cat was clicked than any other link in this post 🙂
I should say that I certainly agree with your vision that transit can be used for people doing everything to live their lives — I do want that kind of transit system! But, I think that it’s a long way, and lots of land use changes, away. In the meantime, I don’t think we can practically build the transit system for the most mobile among us. We should certainly be building it to meet more needs than it currently does, and MetCouncil riding more would probably help accelerate that.
Dogfooding: Why Transit Employees and Managers Should Use Transit | Transportationist - October 25, 2014
[…] board not big transit riders, survey finds, along with two Opinions (10-24-2014) by Nick Magrino: Transit Usage of the Metropolitan Council Probably Relevant and Travis Norvell: Talk the Transit Talk: Then Walk the Transit […]
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> Pocket & Wrist Watches>WW-II Collectible Watches>Imperial Nippon Air Force Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter Aviation Art 40 mm Wrist Watch. 第二次世界大戦航空シリーズ。 40ミリメートル零戦神風腕時計。 …
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The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-rangefighter aircraft, manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the Mitsubishi Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter (零式艦上戦闘機 rei-shiki-kanjō-sentōki?), or the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen. The A6M was usually referred to by its pilots as the "Reisen" (zero fighter), "0" being the last digit of the Imperial year 2600 (1940) when it entered service with the Imperial Navy. The official Allied reporting name was "Zeke", although the use of the name "Zero" was later commonly adopted by the Allies as well.
When it was introduced early in World War II, the Zero was considered the most capable carrier-based fighter in the world, combining excellent maneuverability and very long range.[2] TheImperial Japanese Navy Air Service ("IJNAS") also frequently used the type as a land-based fighter.
In early combat operations, the Zero gained a legendary reputation as a dogfighter,[3]achieving the outstanding kill ratio of 12 to 1,[4]but by mid-1942 a combination of new tactics and the introduction of better equipment enabled the Allied pilots to engage the Zero on generally equal terms.[5] By 1943, inherent design weaknesses and the failure to develop more powerful aircraft engines meant that the Zero became less effective against newer Allied fighters, which possessed greater firepower, armor, and speed, and approached the Zero's maneuverability. Although the Mitsubishi A6M was outdated by 1944, design delays and production difficulties of newer Japanese aircraft types meant that it continued to serve in a front line role until the end of the war. During the final year of the War in the Pacific, the Zero was also adapted for use in kamikazeoperations.[6] During the course of the war, Japan produced more Zeros than any other model of combat aircraft.
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The Tertön Sogyal Trust UK
The Tertön Sogyal Foundation Board – A Board comprised of members of each Tertön Sogyal Foundation, as well as the Rigpa International Executive Board Chair and Finance Director, is responsible for the governance of the Endowment Fund.
Fonds Terton Sogyal, France | Dominique Hilly
Terton Sogyal Stiftung, Germany | Heinz Siepmann
Terton Sogyal Trust, UK | Tim Synge
Terton Sogyal Foundation, USA | Pedro Beroy
The Investment Committee comprises representatives drawn from the Tertön Sogyal Foundations as well as investment experts. Current members are Pedro Beroy, Heinz Siepmann, Sebastien Feiss.
All members of the Investment Committee are contributing their time and expertise on a voluntary basis. Advisors to the Committee Specialist advisors are invited to contribute their expertise to the Investment Committee, in particular in relation to the Investment Policy and macroeconomic trends. Current advisors are: Marianne Gizycki, macro-economist and financial institution specialist
Members of the Tertön Sogyal Foundations Board
Pedro Beroy has been a Rigpa student for the last seventeen years. He is currently a partner of AP Structured Finance. Prior to his current role, Pedro spent sixteen years at Credit Suisse in the Investment Banking Division with diverse responsibilities in trading, structuring and sales. He was a Managing Director based in New York and a member of the Fixed Income Operating Committee. Pedro headed Credit Suisse's global fixed income activities in the Longevity Markets Group. Prior to that role, Pedro was responsible for the Latin America Structuring and Coverage Group. Pedro holds a Master in Business Administration from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a degree in Civil Engineering from the Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya in Barcelona. He is the president of the Tertön Sogyal Foundation a member of the Rigpa International Investment Board and a member of the Rigpa Endowment Investment Committee.
Dominique Hilly has been a Rigpa student for over 25 years. Graduating in Law at Paris Sorbonne in 1981, he then managed the back office for futures and options at a Paris broker belonging to the ABN AMRO Group. He has been working as a compliance officer, in charge of the ethical and financial transparency of the same company, from 1987 to 1994. In 1994, he became Lerab Ling’s financial and administrative director, responsible for legal and fiscal management. In addition, Dominique was appointed the financial director of Zam. He is currently responsible for the development of the Rigpa Legacy Programme in France.
Heinz Siepmann. After two decades as a businessman who not only successfully ran his family business for sixteen years but also worked in a German bank and in an American wholesale company. Heinz became a Rigpa student in 2001 and with his solid business and management background, his first significant offering to the Rigpa Sangha was to become part of the team of students who established the Rigpa Centre in Berlin. He has since devoted a considerable amount of time to serving on three Rigpa boards in Germany: Rigpa Germany, the Berlin Rigpa Centre Trust and the Tertön Sogyal Foundation. Heinz also develops real estate projects and manages his investment portfolio.
Tim Synge graduated from the University of the West of England in Business Studies before becoming an associate within a medium-sized accountancy practice in London, specializing in audit and taxation. Later, he joined a blue-chip hospitality company and worked as the chief accountant of its supplies division. He joined Rigpa in 1994 and began his role as Rigpa UK Finance Director before moving to France to undertake his post as Rigpa International Finance Director. In 2005, he entered one-year retreat and now acts as trustee and treasurer to the Tertön Sogyal Trust in the UK.
Permanent Advisor
Sebastien Feiss worked in Société Générale, one of the biggest European banks, as a portfolio manager for private clients. He has been working on financial issues since 2001, first in the bank office of ABN-AMRO, then as an assistant fund manager with the same bank. He graduated from a Master in Business Intelligence in Paris and a European master of financial analysis. Sebastien is a Rigpa student since 2003.
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‘5B’ AIDS DOCUMENTARY DEBUTS AT ‘CANNES’ TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM
By Vic Gerami
5B, Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Dan Krauss’ latest film about the early years of HIV and AIDS, debuts as this year’s Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.
Dan Krauss
Directed by Krauss (“Extremis”), the film is about a small group of nurses and caregivers in San Francisco General Hospital’s ward 5B, who came together to provide care and compassion to patients affected by HIV and AIDS in the early ‘80s.
5B is the inspirational story of everyday heroes, nurses and caregivers, who took extraordinary action to comfort, protect and care for the patients of the first AIDS ward unit in the United States. 5B is stirringly told through first-person testimony of these nurses and caregivers who built Ward 5B in 1983 at San Francisco General Hospital, their patients, loved ones, and staff who volunteered to create care practices based in humanity and holistic well-being during a time of great uncertainty. The result is an uplifting yet candid and bittersweet monument to a pivotal moment in American history and a celebration of quiet heroes, nurses and caregivers worthy of renewed recognition.
“I was a 10-year-old boy living in a suburb of San Francisco when the events in this film took place. Like many, I had no inkling of the courageous battles being fought in the name of compassion and care just a short distance away in the halls of San Francisco General Hospital,” Said Krauss. He continued, “The opportunity to share this little-known episode of history now, thirty-five years later, is an extraordinary honor.”
HIV positive and those with full-blown AIDS were stigmatized at a time when even doctors and scientist didn’t know much about the virus. Not knowing how the disease was transmitted, fearful hospital workers quarantined patients and wore HazMat protective clothing to examine patients and perform surgeries.
As a result, nurse Cliff Morrison led the initiative in 1983 to open a special unit dedicated to treating the AIDS patients. The nurses converted the residents’ sleeping quarters into the ward. Nurses volunteered for duty and insisted on the importance of touch, without gloves.
With no medical precedent, no idea how the disease was transmitted, and no hope for a cure in sight, these pioneering nurses made the rules up as they went along…from throwing parties for patients, to allowing pets to visit, to recognizing same sex sig others…It had never been done. Their methods were considered so unorthodox and effective, that 5B not only became the first World’s first AIDS Ward, but it created the “compassionate care” model which was studied and formally adopted as the international standard of care.
Their contributions changed LGBTQ discourse and treatment. Though none of 5B’s early patients survived, for a small window, the nurses gave those diagnosed with AIDS a new reason to live and the chance to die with dignity.
After its premiere at LA pride in June, the film hits select theaters nationwide on June 14th. In addition, 30% of net proceeds earned from the film will be donated to (RED)’s Global Fund Red.org.
Krauss was nominated for an Academy Award in 2017 for his documentary short “Extremis,” about the doctors, families and patients forced to make end-of-life decisions. He also garnered a nomination in 2006 for his documentary “The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club,” about the suicide of South African photojournalist Kevin Carter, who was known for his harrowing photo of a starving girl being stalked by a vulture.
5B’s premiere at LA Pride is apropos as this is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The film, presented by RYOT, a Verizon Media company, is slated for a U.S. Celebrity Premiere at LA Pride as part of the Verizon Media’s groundbreaking sponsorship of the annual event as well as a theatrical debut in June, 2019, with international releases and VOD distribution this fall.
10 QUESTIONS with VIC: Featuring JAI RODRIGUEZ ST. FELIX CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY IN WEHO & HOLLYWOOD
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Michael Christopher in Music, Musings May 13, 2016 May 14, 2016 913 Words
Soak Me To My Skin
I’ve always had an interesting relationship with the Stone Roses. Not that there was any snuggle time with Messrs. Brown and Squire; no, this was purely based on sonic love and lust.
The band’s 1989 debut is looked at – rightfully so – as their one-off masterpiece. Due to a much publicized court battle with their UK record label, the Roses didn’t release another record for five years, by which time their initial draw had passed with the entire genre of Britpop pouncing on that one album influence.
Second Coming, released in December of 1994, has been looked at as one of the biggest disappointments of any legendary outfit. It’s the true definition of a sophomore slump; that follow-up to a stellar debut which just doesn’t serve the prior justice. Think the Strokes, the Killers, Weezer (itself worthy of a whole other post) and Portishead. For some reason though, I gravitated toward Second Coming.
From the four and a half minute spacey lead-in to the album kick off “Breaking Into Heaven” to the super catchy “Ten Storey Love Song” to the Beatle-esque “Your Star Will Shine” to the menacing closer “Love Spreads,” it stirred something within me. Were there clunkers? Oh yeah. But driving around with Second Coming on repeat at the time was a great joy I fondly recall to this day.
The Stone Roses never broke big in the States – like most quality Brit acts who cause a mad sensation in their home country – and didn’t make it out of the mid-90s alive. The legend remained intact, while the bandmembers had varying degrees of success in and out of music. Frontman Ian Brown was the most high-profile in music, releasing a string of solo albums, which is where our paths crossed again.
The Stone Roses circa 1989
By 2009, I had amassed an amount of Brown’s solo efforts as unimpressive as his consistency at putting out great songs. That summer, I found myself on the other side of the world in Shanghai, China, with the purpose to catch the longest solar eclipse of the millennia which happened to be falling on my birthday and had the longest view time in Communist stronghold. Having gone by myself, I had planned to meet up with people I connected with on various eclipse message boards.
The first one I met in person was from the UK, and after a few brief moments of expected awkwardness with Rich, we hit it off spectacularly. We had a similar, dark and dry sense of humor, pop culture references and, most importantly, a love for Britpop and all of its associations.
As it was mid-July, and we were among the hottest days in the hottest month, by mid-afternoon it was always time to seek refuge where there would surely be some cold beverages on hand. On our second day hanging out, and melting in the sun, we gravitated toward a basement bar whose name currently escapes me. But what I recall clear as day was descending the steps into the air-conditioned lower level depths, were the strains of this song rising up toward us:
And talk about a perfect combination of the Stone Roses and Britpop; the track was a combination of a Noel Gallagher song from 1998 called “Teotihuacan,” which, when melded with Brown’s vocals, creates a stunning alliance. Not surprisingly, with a track like that to lead in, the rest of the afternoon was filled with the likes of Elastica, Blur, the Verve, Suede and Manic Street Preachers.
It felt like kismet then when exactly two months later I received an advance copy of Brown’s latest solo outing, My Way. Though critically panned, I fucking loved it. The opening track, “Stellify,” was originally written for Rihanna, but Brown wisely kept it for himself. “Own Brain” (an anagram of Brown’s name as he points out), “Just Like You,” “So High,” and even the left-field cover of Zager and Evans’ “In the Year 2525” I dug.
Cut to 2011, I’m over in Iceland waiting for that year’s Airwaves to kickoff – my first of many more – and out comes the news the Stone Roses are reuniting. Since the country carries mainly UK channels, I tuned in, and all the major news stations carried the press conference live. Like, if it were in the States, it would be on CNN and Fox News with the armchair pundits debating the merits of the reconvening afterward. Simply put, it was exciting shit.
Yet in the States, there was nary a mention of the proceedings in the mainstream media, even in major music oriented news sites like Rolling Stone and MTV. WTF? No wonder the Roses never broke there – they never got the chance!
Anyway, I snapped up tickets for the shows in Manchester the following summer, though I ultimately couldn’t go due to stretching myself entirely too thin financially with random travel. And when they headlined two weekends of Coachella in 2013, I just couldn’t bring myself to suffer the hipster laden indignities that have come with attending that shitshow.
Yesterday, the Roses released their first new music in 21 years, the single “All for One.” Reaction has been mixed though mostly positive. Is it groundbreaking like the aforementioned brilliance of the 1989 debut? No, but it ain’t a bad listen. Next month, the band plays Madison Square Garden. You can bet I’ll be there.
It’s long overdue.
The Stone Roses
Voltage Factory Playlist 05 MAY 16
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Michael Christopher in History, Music January 6, 2017 January 31, 2017 1,002 Words
History: Van Halen at Cafe Wha?
“I am with the whole team right now. We want to know who you are writing for and where we can follow up and find your stories at.
Are you on assignment or can you get assigned by one of your publications.
Please let me know asap.
I received that message from Van Halen’s publicist – Eddie Van Halen’s wife Janie – in the middle of the afternoon five years ago today. Immediately I responded with my editor’s contact information for the Boston Phoenix, who I would be covering the invite only show for by the band at the tiny basement club Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village. The day before, I had been told that I was on the wait list. Now it was looking like I might actually have a shot at attending.
Eight minutes later, this message came through:
“Ok my friend, we will see this evening.
There are no plus ones at all so please come alone.
Thanks and look forward to seeing u tonight!”
Holy SHIT. This was really happening.
I took this fucking photo!!
The only issue, a fairly large one at that, was me being in Boston and the show taking place in New York. Heart racing, toying with the idea of renting a car and rolling at an unhealthy speed down the interstate, I found an Amtrak Acela Express which was leaving in 25 minutes and would get me into Penn Station around 7pm – right when doors were due to open.
Of course, there was a delay somewhere in Connecticut and we sat, and sat, and sat while I went into full-blown panic mode. Somehow the train pulled in almost on time. I sprinted to street-level, grabbed a cab and made it within a block or so by 7:30pm. The surrounding streets were lined with thousands of people, held back by guard rails and police barricades. For a moment, I stood with them, then remembered, “I’m on the list to get in!”
Descending down the steps, I was greeted with a packed throng of press, friends of the band and locally-baased celebrities. Jimmy Fallon, John McEnroe and his wife, onetime VH lead singer candidate Patty Smyth, cruised by me. The official capacity of Cafe Wha? is 220, but it felt much smaller.
I made conversation with Rolling Stone writers David Fricke and Joe Levy, the former a major influence, and said hello to radio host Eddie Trunk and comedian Jim Florentine. Some people – none of the aforementioned by the way – had a too-cool-for-school attitude. Like, “Yeah, we’re here, it’s no big deal,” hanging as far back as possible. Was that the reigning etiquette? Is that how a journalist was supposed to act in this situation?
Fuck THAT.
People were still kind of milling about, so I moved toward the stage, which came up to mid-thigh, and parked myself right in front of David Lee Roth’s microphone. At about 8:30pm, there was some commotion and cheering by the stairwell.
The band had arrived.
There’s no backstage at Cafe Wha?, so the guys came through the front door like everyone else. I couldn’t really make out much of what was happening as people clamored to get closer to the group. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, turned around and was face to face with drummer Alex Van Halen. He used my shoulder as leverage to get onstage. And his brother followed suit. Eddie’s son Wolfgang and Roth needed no assistance and bounded up on their own.
Opening with the cover of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” they tore through an 11 song set. Seven songs in, during the breakdown of “Panama,” Roth started riffing off the top of his head, and then asked for a waitress to bring him a drink, a shot, a double – whatever was in her hand. One obliged, but couldn’t get through to him. I lifted the drink off her tray and passed it to Dave. He looked at me and said, “Thank you.” A writer from Esquire tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Dude, you just handed David Lee Roth a drink!”
I was giddy. I was a fanboy. It didn’t matter anymore, we all were by that point.
Then it was over.
While waiting in line for the coat-check, where I had stored my laptop, I spoke briefly with Roth’s sisters. A writer who I had previously admired, Chuck Klosterman, was loudly pontificating about nothing. He was so in love with the sound of his own voice, it was equal parts embarrassing and annoying. I was thinking how good it would feel to punch him in the face, anything to make him shut the fuck up, but had to file a story.
Beating it out of there, I went to Brother Jimmy’s by Penn Station and wrote the story for the Phoenix. Reading that now, I remember the excitement I felt, the natural high. The article is pure adrenaline. Our coverage was one of the first to go live, but the next day I got another surprise. The Village Voice ran its piece, and this was the photo that led into it:
I’m looking so serious as I take that picture with my point and shoot. It was early in the set, because I made sure to get some snaps and pocket that camera and enjoy the moment, soaking it in, just being there.
The reason I got into the music journalism game wasn’t because I was a frustrated musician or a critical douche who wanted to lambast everything I despised. I signed up because I love music with my entire being and have since I was a wee lad. That night, it was symbolic of that passion. It’s a slice of time never to be forgotten, and something that eight year old me would never imagine could happen to him. And that kid inside never loses his wide-eyed wonder, amazement and thankfulness to experience opportunities like January 5, 2012.
A Different Kind of Truth
Cafe Wha?
Good As Hell: Songs of the Year
No, This is Not Normal
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Hon. Katharine H. Parker
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker was sworn into office in November 2016. After graduating from Duke University and Fordham University School of Law, she served as law clerk to Judge Warren W. Eginton in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. From 1993 to 2016, Judge Parker was an associate and later an equity partner with Proskauer Rose LLP where she practiced labor and employment law and chaired several practice groups including Employment Law Counseling and Training, and Government Regulatory Relations and Affirmative Action. Judge Parker has been actively involved with the NYC Bar Association during her career, and has chaired both the Disability Law and Employment Committees. Judge Parker is also involved in pro bono and charitable causes, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Girl Be Heard. She was a recipient of the Fairy Godmother Award from Girl Be Heard and the Jeremy Epstein Award for Pro Bono Service from the NYC Bar Association.
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Rob Zombie Unleashes The First Trailer for ‘3 From Hell’
Posted on 23 Hours Ago by The Ultimate Rabbit
Of all the sequels coming out in 2019, I have to confess I am especially excited for “3 From Hell.” Writer and director Rob Zombie returns with his third film dealing with the murderous exploits of the Firefly family, exploits which began with 2003’s “House of 1000 Corpses” and continued on in 2005’s “The Devil’s Rejects.” This sequel has been in the making for some time now, and while we still have to wait a month or two before it comes out, we now have a new trailer which shows it to be as bloody and violent, if not more so, than its predecessors.
One thing I am especially intrigued about is how Zombie plans to explain how Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig), Otis (Bill Moseley) and Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie) survived the “Wild Bunch” shootout at the climax of “The Devil’s Rejects.” For all intents and purposes, they have looked to have willfully ended their existence in a hail of bullets which no one could easily survive. Still, a news reporter confirms they somehow survived but, as their mangled bodies are hauled into the emergency room, says their chances of survival are “less than a million to one.” But as John Carpenter once said, “evil never dies.”
Surprise! The three survive and are put on trial for their vicious crimes in a public spectacle to where they look to have become folk heroes just like Mickey and Mallory were in “Natural Born Killers.” We even hear supporters in the background yelling out “free the three” to where I wonder if Zombie is making some sort of comment about how many in America typically act against their own best interests. Regardless of how you may feel about horror and exploitation films, the best ones always have some social commentary hiding just beneath the surface.
Judging from the behind the stories I have read about “3 From Hell” thus far, I assumed this movie would be about the trial. But sure enough, Captain Spaulding, Otis and Baby appear to have freed themselves from their incarcerations and go on another killing spree, and the trailer never tries to sugar coat or hide away from the brutality Zombie has in store for genre movie fans. Just watch as Otis endlessly bashes a helpless victim while Winslow Foxworth Coltrane (“31’s” Richard Brake) looks on with a twisted and detached amusement.
Like “The Devil’s Rejects,” “3 From Hell” looks to have a very grungy look which more than suits the subject matter, and my hope is Zombie got to shoot this one on film instead of digital. I eagerly await its release and its soundtrack as the ones Zombie has provided for the previous films were fantastic, and I never get sick of listening to either of them. Surely, this latest installment will have one which is every bit as good, right?
Lionsgate and Saban Films have partnered with Fathom Events to present the unrated cut of “3 From Hell” in theaters on September 16, 17 and 18, 2019, and each screening will have unique bonus content:
September 16th – Rob Zombie will provide a special video introduction before the screening, and the first 50 people at each theater will receive an exclusive poster (while supplies last, I imagine).
September 17th – There will be a half hour behind-the-scenes featurette shown about the making of this particular sequel
September 18th – The unrated cut of “3 From Hell” will be presented as a double feature with “The Devil’s Rejects.”
Tickets for these screenings will be available on the Fathom Events website starting on July 19. Click here to find out more.
Please check out the trailer above.
‘Pet Sematary’ Remake Easily Improves on the Original
Posted on May 16 by The Ultimate Rabbit
Of all the Stephen King cinematic adaptations up for a remake, “Pet Sematary” is the one I looked forward to the most. I never cared much for the 1989 version directed by Mary Lambert. It wasn’t a terrible movie, but it was undone by a screenplay which tried to fit in too much from King’s novel, and ironically it was a screenplay written by King himself. While Fred Gwynne was perfectly cast as Jud Crandall, Dale Midkiff’s performance goes way over the top and contains moments which Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman are justified in describing as “exquisite acting.” And there was the ending which was undone by test screenings where the audience demanded something more graphic. Bitch, please!
Now we have the remake of “Pet Sematary” which comes to us from the directors of “Starry Eyes,” Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, and it is easily an improvement over what came before. It is not a great horror movie, but even if it were, it is nearly impossible to top King’s 1983 novel which itself is one of the darkest works of fiction ever conceived. Heck, even King himself thought he went too far with it, and that should tell you something. Still, it is an effective film which pays tribute to the spirit of the novel even as it makes changes to the source material in a way I did not see coming.
As before, the story starts with Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) driving with his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their two kids to their new home in the small town of Ludlow, Maine. We learn that Louis and Rachel were looking to escape big city life for something simpler and countrylike to where they could spend more time with each other and the children. When they arrive at their new home, it looks like a heavenly and peaceful place which they will serve them well, but we all know where the story will go from there as a huge 18-wheeler truck zooms by with little warning while leaving a lot of dust and dead leaves in its wake.
The first half of the “Pet Sematary” remake more or less follows King’s novel to the letter as it treads familiar ground while adding some interesting touches in the process. Upon discovering the pet cemetery of the movie’s title, we also see a procession of children wearing animal masks as they march on by while carrying a dead dog in a wheelbarrow to the place which will bring about its resurrection. Both Kolsch and Widmyer give this movie a wonderfully unnerving feeling which they keep building on throughout as things for the Creed family get worse and worse to where they have little chance to regret the deeds they have committed.
One of the interesting things about this version is how the filmmakers have switched elements around, but in a way which does not take away from the spirit of the novel. Instead of young Gage getting run over by a truck driver who is distracted by his cell phone (and who isn’t these days?), it is Ellie, and the reaction of her parents to this terrible tragedy feel all too real to where neither has to yell out in sheer anguish.
Jeté Laurence plays Ellie Creed, and her performance is especially impressive as she makes this resurrected character far more than a zombie with a thirst for blood. Ellie seems very aware of the fact she is not who she once was, but she also has knowledge of what lies beyond the realm of the living, and she becomes a little too eager to bring her parents to the other side of it.
Jason Clarke has long since proven to be one of our most dependable actors in movies today with his terrific performances in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “Chappaquiddick.” Clarke makes Louis Creed into an especially sympathetic character even as he comes to play God when it comes to Ellie’s life. The late Victor Pascow (Obssa Ahmed) warns Louis not to exceed the boundaries set for humanity, but Louis is blinded by a grief I would not wish on anyone, and his desire to undo a terrible tragedy is understandable even if it flies in the face of reason, logic and the saying of “sometimes dead is better.”
Amy Seimetz, who co-starred in “Alien: Covenant,” also makes the most of her role as Rachel Creed, an individual who has dealt with death a far too young an age. Rachel remains forever haunted by the passing of her sister Zelda (Alyssa Brooke Levine) whom she was forced to watch by her lonesome while their parents were away. Indeed, Seimetz makes you deeply feel the unfairness of Rachel’s predicament as no child should be forced into such a position at such a young age, and it proves to be one of this movie’s most haunting segments as a result.
And while there is no topping Fred Gwynne’s performance as Jud Crandall, the great John Lithgow succeeds in making this role his own. How many movies and TV shows have we watched Lithgow in anyway? He has been a constant in popular culture, and he remains a welcome presence in anything he appears in. Lithgow doesn’t have to do much to show how Jud has lived a long life which has been filled with one tragedy too many, and this is the mark of a great on camera actor.
Kölsch and Widmyer do an excellent job of raising the tension and overbearing atmosphere of the story throughout the movie’s running time, and they don’t just resort to giving us jump scares every five minutes. They are also aided by a powerful film score composed by Christopher Young which makes an already unnerving motion picture even more so.
“Pet Sematary” is one of the few books I got to read before it was turned into a movie, and this is quite the feat for me these days as filmmakers typically beat me to the punch. As a result, my perspective of the book will forever remain more powerful than any movie made out of it. Still, this cinematic version of it is a powerful one which takes chances with the source material while remaining true to its spirit. I am also quite thankful the filmmakers had enough freedom to give this movie the ambiguous conclusion it deserves. I am a big fan of ambiguity in movies, and this one has an unsettling conclusion which stays with you long after you have walked out of the theater.
Still, I would have preferred The Ramones’ version of their song “Pet Sematary” as opposed to the cover of it performed here by Starcrawler. Nothing against their version, but in this case the original reigns supreme.
Exclusive Interview with Guillmero Amoedo About ‘The Stranger’
Posted on May 7 by The Ultimate Rabbit
Uruguayan writer and director Guillermo Amoedo has left a solid mark on Chilean audiences with his short films and movies, and he was a co-writer on the Eli Roth productions of “Aftershock” and “The Green Inferno.” In 2014, he left his mark on American audiences with the supernatural thriller “The Stranger.”
Cristobal Tapia Montt stars as Martin, a mysterious man who arrives in a small Canadian town to look for his wife. The reasons why Martin seeks her out become clear as the movie goes on, but he quickly discovers she has died and decides to commit suicide as a result. But after he is viciously attacked by a trio of criminals, the incident soon has a snowball effect on the whole town, and its inhabitants soon find themselves ensnared in a nasty bloodbath many of them will be unable to escape.
I got to speak with Guillermo about “The Stranger” and of how he came up with the idea for it. Although it his film, Eli Roth’s name is heavily featured on the movie’s advertisements and it had me asking Guillermo how much the “Hostel” director was involved in its making. Guillermo also discussed how Cristobal was cast, of how a particularly brilliant vampire movie became a strong inspiration for “The Stranger,” and of how family always plays a big part in horror films.
Ben Kenber: What was the genesis of “The Stranger’s” story for you?
Guillermo Amoedo: Well it was an idea that I had five years ago in between scripts. It came actually from the idea of what kind of vampire movie I would like to see. I’m actually not a vampire movie fan, but I saw a vampire film called “Let the Right One In.” I really loved the way it is designed by genre and I really loved the way they treated the subject, and I wanted to do something very grounded in the kind of vampire films that I would like to see; more grounded and more character driven than the ones that are out there right now. I wanted to take the tone of that film and make it more grounded, but then also make it my own kind of story that was more of a character driven story about this guy who has to choose between his own family or humankind. I like this kind of character that had this deep moral conflict inside of them and has to make the tough decisions.
BK: On the surface, “The Stranger” looks like a vampire movie, but it also has elements of a ghost movie as well as supernatural elements as well. Was it always your intention to mix up genres with this movie?
GA: Yeah, that was the idea. It has of course some supernatural elements, but it’s more about the people than it was about the supernatural powers. That’s why I wanted to make all the supernatural stuff as minimal as possible. They don’t have wings, they don’t fly, they just have some stuff from the vampire mythology but they’re actually pretty human.
BK: “The Stranger” has Eli Roth’s name on the top of this movie’s advertisements and I know that you worked with him previously on “Aftershock.” What part did he play in the making of “The Stranger?”
GA: Well he helped a lot in the development of the script and had a lot of notes. He also helped us a lot in post-production with different cuts and ideas. He was involved in different stages of this process. This is the fourth film where we have been involved with Eli and we have a very friendly collaboration process with him.
BK: I really enjoyed Cristobal Tapia Montt’s performance as Martin and I love how he holds the audiences’ attention just with a single stare. What was it like directing him in “The Stranger?”
GA: He was amazing. Originally the script was written for someone older, much older, like 45 or 50 years old. But then before doing the film I made a short film and I casted him for it. I changed the age of the character in order to cast him, and he did such a wonderful job that I changed everything so he could play the role of Martin. He’s a terrific actor. He has a lot of experience working in Chilean films and TV, and I hope he can have more opportunities in the future.
BK: I liked that, as a writer, you didn’t go out of your way to spell out everything in the movie’s story for the audience. As a writer, how important is it for you to keep secrets from the audience?
GA: Well I think it has to be a balance of how much you can tell without revealing everything, but you also don’t want to reveal too much. There’s a line that says the secret to being boring is to tell everything. You have to test sometimes the script and then the movie to see how much you can hold back from the audience and how much you have to give them so it’s tricky sometimes. It also depends a lot on the kinds of audiences. Some people get mad because they want to know everything. It’s like the tip of the iceberg; you have to tell as much information as necessary so that the audience can understand the story, but then you can leave a lot of stuff that the audience can fill with their own imagination. So I like to do a lot of that stuff where people have to fill part of the story with their own imagination.
BK: Ariel Levy who plays Caleb, the town bully, was he meant to have the same hairstyle as Eminem in this movie?
GA: (Laughs) That wasn’t actually the idea, but now that you mention he does look a lot like an Eminem fan. It was to change Ariel’s aspect as much is possible, so we changed his haircut and his hair color and he was intended to resemble Ben Foster in “3:10 to Yuma,” but something like that more than Eminem. It was changing Ariel’s aspect everything to get him more involved in his character.
BK: Nicolás Durán’s character of Peter is referred to as a tagger which is slang for graffiti artist, and it was interesting to see the symbolism in what he was painting. Was there any intentional symbolism in what he was spraying over the walls in town?
GA: There is one thing: the symbol that he writes on the walls is the same as the marking that Cristobal’s character has on his wrist. That’s actually the idea that there is some kind of connection between them, and it’s a made up symbol that has to do with something the Greeks used to do. They used to mark the people who are ill before Christ, so we are trying to build a mythology between that and what kind of character that Cristobal plays.
BK: I imagine you had a very tight budget to work with on “The Stranger” and a short schedule to make it in. How much did that force you to be more creative while shooting?
GA: Always limitations, I think, are better. Sometimes you have too many limitations to work with, but when you have enough… It’s a good thing to know your limitations from before, so when I wrote the script I knew how many pages we could shoot a day and how much stuff we could do so I tried to plan everything right from the beginning. Then when there’s so much trouble that I think we were pretty much prepared for the worst, and we ended up doing a pretty good job.
BK: The town where you shot “The Stranger” in has a wonderfully Gothic feel to it as well as a great small-town vibe which fits the movie perfectly. Did you always plan to shoot the movie there, or did this town come to your attention through a location scout?
GA: Well we actually planned to shoot everything at another town that was farther away from the town (we shot in), more South. This town is near a place near another town where one of the producers of the movie has a house where he always goes to for vacation. He told me that this place was great and had lakes and volcanoes and everything. We went there and it was amazing. I mean everywhere you could shoot from anyplace and you would have three volcanoes in a lake in the town in the view and everything. It was an amazing place to shoot.
BK: How would you describe “The Stranger” to an audience that has yet to see it?
GA: I would say it is a supernatural thriller about the clash of two fathers who have to decide why on one side this father has this desire to save his son or put in danger the whole of humankind and decides to save humankind, and there’s the other one who decides to save his kid and puts the whole of humankind in danger. So there’s this clash of morals between fathers.
BK: Family always plays a big part in the best horror films.
GA: Yeah, and that’s what actually the film was about. Aside from the supernatural stuff, it’s about how far would you go to save your kid. How much would you put in and risk to save them? Even though your kid might become a monster, it’s still your kid. So that kind of challenges and creates a moral conflict, and that’s what the movie is about.
A big thank you to Guillermo Amoedo for taking the time to talk with me. “The Stranger” is available to own and rent on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital.
Exclusive Interview with Cristobal Tapia Montt about ‘The Stranger’
American audiences may not know who Cristobal Tapia Montt is, but they will not be able to forget him after watching him in Guillermo Amoedo’s horror thriller “The Stranger.” A Chilean actor who has spent much of his career acting in Spanish language movies and television, this Eli Roth production marks his first ever performance in an English language movie.
In “The Stranger,” Cristobal plays Martin, a mysterious man who arrives in a small town in the southern part of Canada to find his wife, Ana. The both of them are afflicted with a horrible disease which gives them a never ending thirst for human blood, and Martin is in town to kill her. But upon discovering that she died some time ago, he decides to commit suicide so he can eradicate this disease once and for all. However, after being brutally attacked by the town bullies, his presence in the town soon creates a snowball effect which will plunge its inhabitants into a bloodbath they have little chance of escaping.
It was a real pleasure talking with Cristobal about his performance in “The Stranger” as well as his other artistic works. Many have noted his unique approach to the characters he has played, and he has also been recognized for his work as an illustrator and musician. We talked about these things and a lot more, and I invite you to read our interview below.
Ben Kenber: Your performance in “The Stranger” is really good. I liked how you managed to hold the audiences’ attention with a single stare.
Cristobal Tapia Montt: Yeah, there is a lot of staring in the movie (laughs).
BK: How do you prepare for moments where you have a close-up and stare straight into the camera?
CTM: I don’t know if there’s much preparation for that. I didn’t have a lot of lines so I knew I was going to have to work on this face and attitude where you could actually understand what I was thinking or feeling, so I just jumped into it on set. Guillermo was directing me pretty well so he really knew what he wanted, so it wasn’t really hard at all. It was really easy and everything was pretty clear from the beginning.
BK: In the production notes it says you have a very unique approach to the characters you play. Could you tell us more about your approach?
CTM: Well actually I didn’t go to acting school, so every character I portray comes from a gut feeling. Whenever I try to imagine myself being that person, I see my characters as living beings as friends or people I’ve met. I just try to understand and have empathy on whatever they are going through or what they are going through and just understand them. It’s a really weird way I guess for me because I don’t know if anyone else does it that way, I try to picture living creatures and try to understand and be them for a while. It’s very intuitive and I just play it by my gut and whatever I feel. It sounds pretty scary, but I guess acting is kind of like that for me.
BK: Your character of Martin remains a very mysterious character in this movie. He’s not necessarily a vampire, but he’s also not entirely human. Did you have to create a whole backstory for this character?
CTM: Yeah of course. Actually I asked Guillermo to help me out with that because he had a backstory already, so he shared it with me and we discussed it and I kind of added my own backstory because there was a couple of years and a couple of gaps in between with his wife and what he had gone through. I just had to come up with this whole backstory and the 16 or 17 years that passed by because you don’t really know what happens. The moment that Martin appears in this northern city in Canada I just had to fill in the gap of all those years, so that’s essentially the backstory that had to come out with because no one really knew went on during those years.
BK: I’m guessing Martin has been on this planet for a lot longer than anyone realizes.
CTM: Yeah, exactly. That was the whole idea in the beginning. That was a really interesting transition because you never hear the word vampire in the movie, but you end up understanding that this movie has a lot to do with vampires. Vampires never grow old, but what we wanted to do… You can see a transition through the years. We just wanted him to have the longer beard and we wanted him to look actually beaten up a little bit just because emotionally he got beaten up so we wanted to reflect that physically. I think you see that in the movie as well because in the flashbacks we (Martin and Ana) both look not younger but fresher in a certain way and Martin looks lighter. We wanted to portray them with this burden 16 years after, and I think you can appreciate that in the movie.
BK: Speaking of emotion, this looks like a very emotionally draining part to play. How were you able to maintain such strong emotions throughout shooting?
CTM: I guess as an actor you get trained to get into it, and when you’re on set you do it and then you just disconnect. It’s kind of like a switch, you know? So in that sense it wasn’t really hard. It was just like getting into it and then stepping out of it. We were shooting at night because most of the movie was shot during the night, so whenever I went home to the cabin where we were staying in, I would just sleep so I didn’t really have any time to even think about it. I would get there at like seven in the morning and wake up at four and just go for it again. It’s exhausting as an actor to shoot at night, but emotionally I was doing pretty much okay. It was fine. It wasn’t really that draining.
BK: What was it like shooting in that small town where the movie takes place?
CTM: It was amazing. It’s this beautiful town down in the south of Chile and it’s amazing. It’s like super green, it’s way down south, it’s rainy, it’s gloomy and it sets the perfect mood for the movie as well. I think we were there for 12 or 14 days, and just to be there and to stay at a cabin that was right off the shore of the lake and wake up to that was very inspiring. It’s easier shooting a movie when you’re in such an amazing location.
BK: What interested you most in playing Martin in “The Stranger?”
CTM: Well the fact that it was in English. It was my first opportunity to play a character in English because I’m a Chilean actor so I’ve only played characters that speak Spanish. So it was a huge opportunity acting wise to try that out and see what it was like to act in English and if I could pull it off as well. The opportunity to be in a movie that is being shown in the (United) States was just very, very attractive, and that possibility existed since the beginning of the movie. I speak English and Spanish so I wouldn’t mind trying to act in English for a while because I’m a native speaker. The story was very interesting as well. I’m a horror fan and I’ve always liked vampire movies and science fiction, and it’s my kind of genre so that was pretty cool as well. It’s like, I get to play a vampire! It was a very interesting project so I was attracted to it from the beginning.
BK: What would you say are the differences between doing a movie in English and doing a movie in another language?
CTM: I thought it was going to be very, very different and maybe more difficult, but in the end it’s the same thing. It’s the same language film wise. You’re speaking a different language but you’re still telling the story. It’s very much the same, you know? I don’t think it’s different at all. But the main difference is that you will probably reach a larger audience because English is a universal language. A lot more people speak English than Spanish I’m assuming. I could be wrong, but I guess it’s easier to show in different countries if it’s in English, and I guess that’s the main difference from acting in Spanish.
BK: I also read that you are known for your music and illustrations as well as your acting. Can you tell us more about that?
CTM: Yeah sure. I’ve been drawing since I was very young. I’ve been drawn to the artistic world in all its forms. I started playing on the piano when I was 12, so I’ve been always been playing music and drawing since an early age. I dropped out of college. I was there for three years and I was interested in studying design. I just kept on drawing and playing. I’ve played a cello, I’ve played in different bands, and I have a music project that I’ve been a part of as well. I compose and sing and play instruments. I just really enjoy art as a channel of expression. Acting is just another form of that art and it just helps me get stuff out of my system. If I didn’t have that it would drive me nuts. It’s very personal though. I’ve never really gotten my music out there. At art shows I show my drawings and I’ve had two that sold, and I play live sometimes. But it’s not something that… I feel like it’s more personal. I really don’t have the urge to just like put it out there and make everyone listen to my music. It’s more about me expressing myself and putting myself out there.
I want to thank Cristobal for taking the time to talk to me. “The Stranger” is now available to own and rent on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital.
‘I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu’- Is it More Tolerable Than What Came Before?
Posted on April 25 by The Ultimate Rabbit
As much as I abhor “I Spit on Your Grave,” its power to shock and deeply unnerve its captive audience is something I have to admire even if I do so begrudgingly. The 1978 cult classic is like a scab which I cannot help but pick at even when I know doing so is harmful and pointless. Meir Zarchi’s controversial revenge flick was such a poorly made motion picture, and yet it maintains a raw power which would later inspire a remake and two sequels. Heck, there is even a documentary called “Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave” which was made by Meir’s son, Terry Zarchi, and I may have to watch just out of sheer curiosity.
Now it’s 40 years later, and Meir Zarchi has given us a direct sequel to the original called “I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà vu.” Upon hearing Zarchi was going to make a follow up, I couldn’t help but be incredibly intrigued. It’s been a long time coming for this sequel as it was finished in 2015 but is only now seeing a release, albeit one which is seeing it go straight to DVD and Blu-ray. Has Zarchi improved as a filmmaker? Will it be more disturbing and violent than what came before? Could “I Spit on Your Grave: The Next Generation” be a more appropriate title?
Well, I got to check the sequel out the other week at its Beverly Hills premiere where the cast and crew were in attendance along with fans who seemed more excited for this than they are for “Avengers: Endgame.” Since this screening, I have tried to sort out my thoughts about it and will continue to do so in this review. What I can tell you is this; “Déjà vu” is infinitely better than its predecessor, features some really strong performances, and it shocks in a way which feels nowhere as exploitive as what came before. At the same time, it is widely uneven, has some actors redefining the term “scenery chewing,” and it has a running time of almost two and a half hours. Plus, as it goes on, it quickly becomes clear why it was given the subtitle of “Déjà vu.”
The movie opens with us learning Jennifer Hills (Camille Keaton) was found not guilty of killing the four men who brutally raped her, and she has since published a memoir of her ordeal appropriately titled “I Spit on Their Graves.” She meets up with her beautiful daughter, Christy Hills (Jamie Bernadette), for lunch, and we se she is a successful model who has made quite the career for herself. Both women are at a crossroads in their lives as they discuss what else they can do now they have found amazing success despite a troubled past, and the road ahead offers no easy answers.
As Jennifer and Christy leave the restaurant, they are accosted by Kevin (Jonathan Peacy) and Scotty (Jeremy Ferdman) who are eager to get Jennifer’s autograph. The fact the two men drive up to her in a white van with the words “Enola Gay” painted on the side is not a good sign as this was the name given to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan back in World War II. Before they know it, the two women are abducted and driven far away from the eyes of the world where they meet Becky (Maria Olsen), the wife of Johnny (Eron Tabor) whom Jennifer castrated in the bathtub and left bleeding to death. Suffice to say, Becky is brimming with rage and furious at Jennifer for depriving her of a “church-going” husband and their two kids of a father, and she is intent on taking Jennifer back to the place where it all began so she can give her a “preview to hell.” In the process, Christy is forced to fend for herself after she is separated from Jennifer, and as she attempts to rescue her mother from a horrible fate, she comes to discover more about herself than she ever could have expected.
“I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà vu” is a much more professionally made movie than its god-awful predecessor, and Zarchi is blessed with an excellent cinematographer in Pedja Radenkovic who gives him a number of beautifully framed shots amid the bloody carnage we know will be unleashed in front of our eyes. He also provokes our views on religion and revenge among other things as Becky has convinced herself as well as Kevin and Scotty how her acts are justified by the word of God and the Holy Bible, and she sees Jennifer as nothing more than a vixen who used her sexual powers to lure Johnny and the other men to their ever so painful deaths. It’s both fascinating and frightening to see how people use religion to justify acts which Jesus would not condone in the slightest, and this makes this sequel feel surprisingly, and painfully, timely.
The first performance worth singling out here is Jamie Bernadette’s as she is a commanding presence throughout and manages to say so much while saying nothing at all. Just watch her stare down one of her assailants as she rocks back and forth in a chair. Not once does Bernadette have to tell us that Christy will have her revenge in a most brutal way as her eyes make this clear from the get go. Even when “Déjà vu” takes us through moments which defy all believability, this actress makes you believe certain things could be possible even when logic tells us they are not.
Then there is Maria Olsen who makes Becky into one of the most unforgettable characters I have seen in a horror film in quite some time. Even when she looks to head into, as Kevin Smith and Ralph Garmin would call it, “exquisite acting” territory, Olsen gives a fully committed performance as someone whose heart and soul yearns for nothing more than vengeance, and I can’t help but see her in some respects as a female Khan Noonien Singh. As she prays at the grave of her dead husband, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, and even the snot hanging from her nose can’t possibly upstage her.
Okay, now let’s talk about what doesn’t work about this sequel. Yes, Zarchi has definitely improved as a filmmaker, but he needs a better editor as this movie has no reason to run over two hours long. Scenes drag on for much longer than they have any right to. Moreover, why does Becky want revenge after 40 years? I know the American legal system moves very slowly, but this slowly?
While the screenplay fearlessly provokes our thoughts and beliefs on religion and justice, it doesn’t provide much in the way of answers. Is Zarchi trying to strive for some particular meaning here? If so, what exactly is he getting at? And as we arrive at the movie’s climax, certain characters end up doing a 180 turn on us to where I came out of it questioning the logic of everything which came before. Why, why, why?
And as “Déjà vu” goes on, we come to see it is replaying the same exact story of the 1978 original as Christy is forced to endure the same fate as her mother though in a way slightly less disturbing. Didn’t any of the characters around her learn anything from what happened before, or are they far too dumb to realize the consequences of their actions? The bible does say “an eye for an eye,” but the meaning of this phrase proves to be quite infinite.
As for the other performances, they come to redefine scenery chewing. Jonathan Peacy in particular is all over the place in his portrayal of Kevin to where I wondered why Zarchi never bothered to rein him in. The actor is like a dog who gets all too excited to where he cannot stop jumping all over strangers. Regardless of how the dog’s owner tells them to get down, sit or shake hands, this dog cannot and will not contain their energy. I have to admire the energy Peacy brought to his role, but perhaps a little less caffeine behind the scenes would have done him some good.
And there is Camille Keaton who returns as Jennifer Hills. Her appearance here threatens to be nothing more than a cameo, and this for me was the most disappointing thing about this sequel. At the “Déjà vu” premiere, Keaton said she had wanted Zarchi to make a sequel to “I Spit on Your Grave” for years, and yet she only gets so much to do here. Considering how Jaimee Lee Curtis got to resurrect Laurie Strode for one of the best “Halloween” movies ever and turned her iconic character into a bad ass survivalist, I was hoping the same would happen with Jennifer Hills. In the end, this proves not to be the case.
There is a rape here, but only one thank goodness. Now that last sentence may sound strange, but considering the half hour of brutal abuse Jennifer Hills endured in the 1978 movie, this was a relief as Zarchi is far more focused on the revenge of the female this time around. There is also a castration scene you can see coming from a mile away, and it is as painful as the one we witnessed decades before. And yes, there is another mentally challenged who gets murdered even after he spares another human from certain death. Seeing him get killed off was especially frustrating as the character, Herman (Jim Tavare), proved to be more of a morally balanced individual than anyone else here, and yet he still gets it right in the back.
At some point, I may be able to view “I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà vu” as a guilty pleasure. For what it’s worth, it is a vast improvement over its notorious predecessor and a little easier to sit through even as Zarchi fearlessly and shamelessly gets under our skin. It also ends on an interesting note as one character chooses to avert a course of action we expect them to take, and we wonder if history will repeat itself again as two people who are alluded to show up unexpectedly. Still, after a time it devolves into the same old story, and many of us will be left wondering if it was one which needed to be revisited at all.
Perhaps Zarchi can make another sequel with the subtitle “Vuja De.” You remember what George Carlin said about this, right?
“Do you ever get that strange feeling of vuja de? Not deja vu, vuja de. It’s the distinct sense that somehow, something that just happened has never happened before. Nothing seems familiar. And then suddenly the feeling is gone. Vuja de.”
* * out of * * * *
All-Time Favorite Trailers: ‘Pet Sematary’ (1989)
While I am not the biggest fan of the 1989 cinematic adaptation of Stephen King’s best-selling novel “Pet Sematary,” never will I forget the first time I watched its trailer. Me and my friend Tim were at Crow Canyon Cinemas to watch “Fletch Lives,” a sequel I couldn’t wait to see. There were a number of trailers which preceded it, but then came the one for “Pet Sematary,” and it was a red band trailer. You know, the kind of trailers meant for “restricted audiences only.” Typically, they are attached to an R-rated movie, but for some odd reason, this particular red band trailer was shown ahead of the PG-rated “Fletch Lives.” I told people about this later, and they told me no one is allowed to place a red band trailer before a PG rated movie, but I remember exactly what I saw.
Back in 1989, I was not all that crazy about horror movies. Over the years I have come to love this genre, but even the tamest of horror scary flick would unnerve me to no end back when I was a kid. As soon as the trailer took us to the pet cemetery of the movie’s title, all the little hairs on my body went straight up as I found myself looking away from the silver screen at times.
20 years later, this trailer for “Pet Sematary” stands out among so many others as it proved to be almost as terrifying as the one Stanley Kubrick did for “The Shining.” The build up from a seemingly normal family living in a town far away from the big city hustle to an unveiling of a sinister secret the people of Ludlow, Maine will have wished they kept hidden was handled brilliantly, and it scared me so much to where I didn’t see the movie until about five or six years after its release. This ended up being one of the few King novels I read before I saw the movie, and this is saying quite a bit.
The very scary cat with the glowing dead eyes, the precious child who somehow got hold of a shiny scalpel, and the presence of Fred Gwynne, perfectly cast as Jud Crandall, made for a trailer which looked far more effective than the average King cinematic adaptation, and the original “Pet Sematary” was released back in a time when King movies were both plentiful and critically maligned. Not even the welcome presence of Denise Crosby, who I was heartbroken to see leave “Star Trek: The Next Generation” during its first season, was enough to soothe my shattered nerves. Thankfully, Chevy Chase’s return to his best role as Irwin M. Fletcher helped to calm me down even if “Fletch Lives” was nowhere as good as “Fletch.”
For me, this trailer peaks right where it should as Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) takes a phone call from his undead son, Gage (Miko Hughes). The framing of this shot is perfect as it shows Louis isolated in what should be the safety of his own home as he yells into the telephone, “WHAT DID YOU DO???!!!” After the movie’s title appeared onscreen, we were left with the sound of Gage telling his daddy “now I’m gonna come play with you,” and the laugh he gave following that was simply blood curdling. This was the icing on the cake as few trailers could ever prove to be as scary as this one was back then. No wonder this proved to be one of the more commercially successful King movies from the 1980’s.
If you haven’t already, please check out the 1989 trailer above. I really want to thank “Horrorama – Classic Horror Movie Trailers & More” for finding this trailer including it on their YouTube channel as I have been looking for this one for ages. I feel like I looked everywhere on the internet and thought I would never find it. Thank goodness I was wrong.
‘I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu’ Has Its World Premiere in Beverly Hills
A sequel 40 years in the making, “I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà vu,” had its world premiere on April 18, 2019 at the Laemmle Music Hall Theater in Beverly Hills, California. Among those in attendance were its director Meir Zarchi who also wrote and directed the 1978 original, his son Terry Zarchi, Camille Keaton who returns as Jennifer Hills, and Jamie Bernadette who plays Jennifer’s daughter, Christy Hills. The sequel sees Jennifer and Christy getting abducted by the infinitely vengeful Becky (Maria Olsen) who looks to make Jennifer pay for what she did to her husband years ago. For those who have seen the original, you can expect blood, gore, acts of revenge which know no bounds, and the intensely painful separation of certain body parts which no one is ever quick to part with.
Following the screening, there was a Q&A with the cast and filmmakers who were also watching this sequel on the big screen for the very first time. It was an exciting evening for everyone as this sequel was actually finished back in 2015, and it is only now being released. When Keaton was asked what made her return to this iconic role, she made it clear how she wanted Zarchi to make a sequel for many years.
“I had been trying to get him to make a sequel to this movie for about 30, 35 years at least,” Keaton said. “One day I get a call, and lo and behold (Meir Zarchi told me) we’re gonna make a sequel. So I said, what? I was surprised and was happy we were going to do this, and it was great to work with him again.”
Jamie Bernadette was asked how she came to be cast in “Déjà vu,” and her response showed how thoughtful she is as a working actress.
“I saw the casting notice and I had seen the original 1978 film and thought it was brilliant,” Jamie said. “The casting notice said Christy Hills was a supermodel and gorgeous, and I thought no, I’m not going to submit. I’ll never get this. And then I sat and stared at that notice and said you know what, what the heck. So, I just pushed a button, and then I got asked for a tape. So I sent in a tape and I thought well, I won’t get a callback but we’ll just do this for kicks. Sent in a tape and I got called back in and I thought, you know what, if I meet Meir Zarchi, I’m happy. So, I walked into that callback room and Meir was sitting there with Terry (Zarchi), our producer. I did the scenes and I was in there for like 40 minutes. It was a long audition, and then Terry caught me on my way to the elevator and said can I take my picture with you because Terry told me later that he just knew before I spoke…”
“(It was) the eyes, the eyes,” Terry Zarchi said. “There was a look that she gives… She gave that look in the audition before she uttered a word. I said wow, that spoke so many words without her saying a word. I can’t wait to hear her, and then a second later three words came out of her. I really hoped Meir likes her enough to (cast her), because he has the ultimate decision on who is going to be cast, but I knew.”
Terry’s relationship with the “I Spit on Your Grave” movies began when he was just nine years old and back when the 1978 original was referred to as “Day of the Woman.”
“I had a hippie guy come up to me while I was on the set and asked me hey, do you want to be in the movie,” Terry said. “I was like no, I really don’t. I was a shy kid, and they talked me into it by saying that my father would offer me $10 if I did the film. I decided to do the film.”
Meir Zarchi himself eventually made it to the front of the audience, and he answered the question which was all on our minds before anyone could ask it.
“Somebody asked me why did it take 40 years to make this sequel,” said Meir. “So I said because I was waiting (he points to Jamie) for this girl. She wasn’t born yet.”
An audience member asked the cast what they did to prepare for their roles and of what they did to get into the psychotic mindset. Jamie was very open about the research she did.
“I spent months watching horrific videos about rape and murder, and I had a lot of nightmares during those months,” Jamie said. “I watched the original film over and over. It was a lot of research into gang rape and things like that, so it was a dark time. I also lost a lot of weight for the role because I am playing an anorexic model. Every day was emotional.”
This evening also allowed Meir to share a moment with Camille whom he married after the making of “I Spit on Your Grave.” Unfortunately, their union did not last long as they divorced in 1982 after three years of marriage. Still, they appeared to have a great respect for one another, and it should be noted how Camille flew all the way over from Florida just for this screening (“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she said).
“Tell us, what do you think about seeing yourself on the big screen after 40 years for this time,” Meir asked Camille.
“I felt the same way I felt about it when I saw myself the first time,” Camille replied.
“That’s a lie, that’s a beautiful lie” Meir said. “You know we were married once. No wonder she divorced me. What did I do? What did I do wrong?”
“I don’t think you did anything wrong,” Camille replied.
Regardless, they both shared a kiss which had the audience applauding.
2018 had Jamie Lee Curtis resurrecting Laurie Strode to tremendous effect in “Halloween,” and now Camille Keaton gets to do the same with Jennifer Hills while at the same time passing on the torch of vengeful female to Jamie Bernadette. As for Meir Zarchi, he isn’t terribly concerned whether or not you like or hate “I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà vu.” He does, however, want to make certain you were not bored while watching it. Suffice to say, the audience responded loudly that they were not.
“I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà vu” is set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray April 23, 2019.
The video below is from the Q&A following “Deja Vu’s” screening. My apologies for the the shakiness and visual quality as I shot this on my cell phone. Still, it was fun to hear how the cast and crew came to work on this long-awaited sequel.
‘The Wind’ is a Menacing Horror Western Which Gets Under Your Skin
Weather can be a formidable character in movies, especially those in the horror genre. We have “The Fog” (John Carpenter’s original, not the dreadful remake), “The Mist” (talk about an infinitely devastating climax), “The Wave” which proved to be the best disaster flick I have seen in a long time, and there’s even “The Day After Tomorrow” which dealt with climate change although in a highly unrealistic way.
Now we have “The Wind,” a horror western which takes us back to the untamed Western frontier of the 1800’s. The wind here has a supernatural force inhabiting it almost in the same way those ghosts inhabited “The Fog,” and you are left wondering how anyone can rise above such a common weather element especially when it is always around. In the process, we are sucked right into a horror movie which fearlessly turns a number of tropes on its head especially when it comes to female characters.
Lizzy Macklin (Caitlin Gerard) is forced to fend for herself in the lonely wilderness when her husband, Isaac Macklin (Ashley Zukerman), is forced to leave her and travel into the nearest town with their friend Gideon Harper (Dylan McTee) for reasons which will quickly become clear. From there, she is stuck in the loneliest of places and in a house which looks like something out of Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven.” The old west Lizzy resides in is not the least bit glamourous, but we quickly realize she is resilient and strong even after she is chased back into her house by a pair of ravenous coyotes.
The wind of the movie’s title first presents itself as a natural element, but it quickly becomes very ominous as it has hands reaching out at its victims who have little hope of escape. But after a while, one begins to wonder if Lizzy is really being attacked by a supernatural force, or if she is instead descending deeper and deeper into madness. Either way, you are in for an unsettling ride which won’t let you go.
The first thing I should single out is Caitlin Gerard’s performance. Right from the start, she holds our attention as she makes Lizzy into a formidable character who doesn’t necessarily need a man to see her through dangers of any kind. Furthermore, she has many scenes in which she doesn’t utter a word of dialogue and has to get things across with her face and body. It’s a lot to ask of an actor to communicate with just their face as they could easily fall into the trap of emoting to where they overdo it and turn in a performance which is inescapably laughable. Gerard, however, never falls into this trap as she almost succeeds in turning this movie into a one-woman show. Throughout, she succeeds in conveying so much while saying so little, and she completely sucked me into Lizzy’s horrifying predicament which could have easily done in a weaker character.
Co-starring alongside Gerard is Julia Goldani Telles who plays Emma Harper, Isaac’s pregnant wife who befriends Lizzy. Emma is pleasant at first, but she soon complains of how something is out to get her, and she becomes possessed by a force which does everything except turn her head 360 degrees. Telles also could have fallen into the same trap, but she makes Emma’s possession fierce and believable to where her transition from sane to insane is all the more terrifying.
From a distance, “The Wind” looks like a movie which will employ the usual variety of horror tropes such as the last woman standing, heroic and moronic male characters and a murderous villain looking for a long-running franchise which will eventually see a reboot. However, this horror western feels unique to many of its ilk, and it is great to see such strong female characters inhabiting it. Honestly, it feels like it has been a long time since I have seen a horror movie with female characters like these as they easily dominate the male characters without any doubt.
Director Emma Tammi makes her narrative feature debut here after having made several documentaries including “Fair Chase.” It is a very assured debut as she balances out all the cinematic elements in equal fashion. In addition to getting excellent performances from the cast, there is also beautiful cinematography from Lyn Moncrief and a terrific film score composed by Ben Lovett which sounds like something out of my childhood nightmares. The fact Tammi had only 30 days to film “The Wind” makes her work here all the more impressive.
If “The Wind” does run into any problems, it is in regards to its non-linear story which gives the movie a lot of power, but also generates some confusion. The screenplay by Teresa Sutherland is strong, but the more it shifts from one place in time to another, the more I lost track of where the characters were in the story. Granted, a lot of my confusion was rectified before the movie’s climax, but being thrown off like that did take away from my viewing experience.
I also have to say that the ending was a bit of a letdown. As much as I enjoy ambiguous conclusions, this was one I wanted spelled out for me. I usually hate it when filmmakers try to spell things out for audiences, but this time it would have helped as “The Wind” felt somewhat incomplete when the screen went to black.
Regardless, I very much taken in by “The Wind” and found it to be a highly unnerving horror film. It’s coming in under the radar and is easily being smothered by bigger movies, but I hope fans of the genre will give it a look. In the meantime, I will be waiting for the next weather disaster movie, “The Smog.” That one will be worth it just to hear its characters have the following exchange:
“You don’t understand! The smog is here and it’s trying to kill us!”
“Ahh, I see you are new to Los Angeles…”
* * * ½ out of * * * *
Exclusive Interview with Caitlin Gerard and Emma Tammi on ‘The Wind’
Posted on April 5 by The Ultimate Rabbit
There’s a movie coming out this weekend which is coming in under the radar which is worth your time. Once you have gotten through “Shazam” and the “Pet Sematary” remake, be sure to check out “The Wind,” a horror western which turns many of the clichés of scary movies on their heads. It also features some of the strongest female characters you could hope to see in a horror film in this day and age, and they are not your typical last girls or scream queens.
We are introduced to Lizzy Macklin (Caitlin Gerard), a plains-woman living in the untamed western frontier of the 1800’s who is forced to fend for herself when her husband, Isaac (Ashley Zukerman), leaves her alone to the needs of a close friend. From there, we watch Lizzy dealing with the elements which include a pair of fierce coyotes and a sheep that won’t stay dead. But when the wind of the movie’s title comes around, she is driven to near madness as forces beyond her control mess with her head, and she is forced to hold on to what is left of her sanity to live another day above ground.
I had the great opportunity to talk with “The Wind’s” director Emma Tammi and actress Caitlin Gerard recently. Tammi is known for her documentaries “Election Day” and “Fair Chase,” and “The Wind” marks her directorial debut of a narrative feature. Gerard portrayed Imogen Rainier in “Insidious: The Last Key,” and she is known for her work on the television series “When We Rise” and “American Crime.”
I want to thank Gerard and Tammi for taking the time to talk with me about “The Wind,” and I would also like to thank Rama Tampubolon of Rama’s Screen for being my cameraman on this interview. His help and tripod were very much appreciated.
Please check out the interview above, and be sure to check out “The Wind” when it arrives in theaters and VOD on April 5, 2019.
The First Trailer for ‘I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu’ Has Been Unleashed
Posted on March 7 by The Ultimate Rabbit
As much as I despise the controversial 1978 exploitation classic “I Spit on Your Grave,” I cannot help but be intrigued by its upcoming sequel. 40 years after Jennifer Hill (Camille Keaton) was brutally assaulted, left for dead and eventually reaped bloody revenge on her assailants, she rises again for another “Day of the Woman” in the eagerly anticipated sequel “I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà Vu.” Keaton returns to her iconic role along with Meir Zarchi who also wrote and directed the original, and one has to wonder how much more brutality Jennifer can possibly endure even after suffering unimaginable horrors decades before.
The trailer starts off with images from “I Spit on Your Grave” which last long enough to remind us how brutal and uncomfortable the first film was, and the moment where Jennifer has one of her attackers relaxing comfortably in the bathtub as she gently lifts up a knife she has hidden away still has men crossing their legs automatically. Whatever your thoughts were on the original, its lasting impact in the realm of revenge and exploitation films cannot be denied. It inspired a remake which was followed up by several sequels, but this follow up ignores them and focuses on the aftermath of what came before.
40 years later, we see Jennifer having a nice lunch with her daughter, Christy (Jamie Bernadette), but while walking back to their cars, they are greeted by a rabid fan gets Jennifer’s attention and asks her to sign a copy of her book. That this guy has a face which makes him look like a disciple of Charles Manson, and this is the first sign of things about to go very bad. Also, he is coming up to these ladies in a white van which, aside from the passenger and driver side, has no windows to see what’s in the back. This makes it all the easier for the fan and his driver to abduct Jennifer and Christy and throw them inside while no one else is looking.
From there, we know history will repeat itself in an intensely bloody fashion as Jennifer and Christy are greeted by an especially deranged matriarch named Becky (Maria Olsen), wife of the man Jennifer castrated in the bathtub. Becky promises both Jennifer and Christy a slow ride to hell as she seeks to avenge the men Jennifer killed, but neither of them are about to go quietly into that gentle night. This is especially the case with Christy who, at one point in the trailer, says she has her mother’s genes but none of her forgiveness.
Okay, this does not look like a great movie to say the least, but I am interested in checking it out in part to see if Zarchi’s filmmaking skills have improved in the slightest since 1978. Furthermore, even if you hated the original, you had to admire Keaton’s bravery as her character endured an infinitely appalling attack I would never wish on my worst enemy, and this sequel would not be worth the effort had she not agreed to reprise her role here.
Aside from Keaton, there are two actresses who stand out prominently in this trailer. One is Maria Olsen who looks to give a scenery-chewing performance as the embittered widow aiming to give Jennifer a taste of her own gory medicine. Granted, some of her acting looks like it just might be featured on the “Exquisite Acting” segment of Hollywood Babble-On, but she may very well give this sequel the hateful antagonist it deserves.
The other is Jamie Bernadette who plays Christy Hills. We see Christy wreaking bloody havoc on her captors to where she has bloodstains on her face much like her mother had years before. Bernadette has previously appeared in such movies as “Mortdecai” opposite Johnny Depp, and “The Darkness” which starred Kevin Bacon. If she hasn’t snuck into your consciousness yet, she will after this sequel is unleashed.
As for the male characters, they look to have the same luck as those crew members of the Starship Enterprise who are forced to wear red shirts on the average episode of “Star Trek.”
Again, this is unlikely to be a great cinematic experience, and the trailer cannot hide the signs of the limited budget the filmmakers had to work with. Filming on this sequel was completed back in 2015, and it is only now getting a release. Still, in a time where alternate timelines are more popular than ever, whether its J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” or the latest “Halloween” movie we’re talking about, this direct sequel to “I Spit on Your Grave” is something horror and exploitation movie fans cannot ignore.
“I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà vu” is set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray April 23, 2019. If Roger Ebert were still alive, I have no doubt he would be thrilled at how this sequel is not being shown on the silver screen (or at least, not yet).
Check out the trailer below.
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Home»US News»Cops Attempt to Seize Veteran’s Guns With No Warrant, But He Refuses to Submit and Wins
Cops Attempt to Seize Veteran’s Guns With No Warrant, But He Refuses to Submit and Wins
The Washington Standard / July 16, 2018 / 99
Millstone, NJ – An Iraq War Veteran was shocked when he received a call from his wife telling him that police officers were at their home, claiming that they needed to seize his legally owned firearms, even though he had done nothing wrong and the officers had no warrant.
Leonard Cottrell Jr., 40, is the latest citizen to be affected by a series of new gun regulations in the state of New Jersey—which is already known for having strict gun control laws—even though he did not break any laws, and all of the firearms he owned were registered with the state.
The disabled U.S. Army veteran, who served three tours in Iraq, told NJ.com that the ordeal began when his 13-year-old son was reported for making a comment about the increased security at his school.
Even though Cottrell’s son did not threaten anyone, the school decided to investigate the report by sending police officers to the family’s home, instead of simply calling the boy’s parents and having a meeting in the principal’s office to clarify whether it was a serious matter.
The officers waited until 9:30 p.m. on June 14 to confront the family, and Cottrell said that he was at work when he received a panicked call from his wife. She complied with the officers’ request to enter the home and search the 13-year-old boy’s room, where they found no weapons.
The officers then inquired about the number of weapons that were in the home, and wanted to seize the shotgun and pistol owned by Cottrell as part of their “investigation.”
However, Cottrell then questioned whether the officers had a warrant, and when they admitted that they did not, he told them that he would not allow them to take his firearms, as their request was clearly in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
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“No one from the state was going to take my firearms without due process,” Cottrell told NJ.com.
In response to a request for comment on the incident, Sgt. First Class Jeff Flynn simply said “troopers responded to Mr. Cottrell’s residence in reference to the report of a possible school threat,” and that “it was determined that Mr. Cottrell’s weapons did not need to be seized.” He did not admit that the officers entered the Cottrell family’s residence without a warrant and attempted to seize the firearms without establishing probable cause.
Leonard Cottrell and his family were treated like criminals because his 13-year-old son apparently made a comment about the increased security at his school, and instead of going directly to Cottrell and his wife to handle the matter, the school called the police, and immediately barred the boy from returning to Millstone Middle School, and banned him from attending the school’s graduation.
“He’s upset. He didn’t do anything wrong, and he doesn’t understand why it happened—he was just having a conversation with nothing as far as threats,” Cottrell told NJ.com. “It shouldn’t have blown up the way it did. But he understands it happened, there are consequences and there’s fallout from his actions.”
Cottrell’s encounter was the result of New Jersey’s latest push to increase gun control measures, while clearly ignoring citizens’ constitutional rights. As The Free Thought Project has reported, Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed several bills into law, which are all targeted at increasing gun control by expanding background checks, adding increased restrictions to concealed carry permits, and establishing a “red flag” system where individuals can report people who they believe are dangerous, and those suspects will have their firearms temporarily seized by police.
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The bills include Assembly Bill 2761, which reduced the made all ammunition magazine that holds more than 10 rounds illegal; Assembly Bill 1217, which authorizes “gun violence restraining orders” and firearm seizure warrants; Assembly Bill 1181, which requires firearms seizure when it is determined that suspects post a threat to themselves or others; Assembly Bill 2757, which requires background check for private gun sales; Assembly Bill 2758, which restricts regulations defining justifiable need to carry handgun; and Assembly Bill 2759, which prohibits possession of ammunition that qualifies as “capable of penetrating body armor.”
While an innocent 13-year-old boy was painted as a dangerous criminal with no evidence against him, a convicted felon who spent years in prison on aggravated manslaughter charges was able to access a handgun, which he used to unleash a hail of bullets on a crowd at an arts festival in Trenton, New Jersey, last month, and 22 people were injured as a result—which should raise questions about how much New Jersey’s strict gun laws are actually working to “protect the public.”
Article posted with permission by The Free Thought Project. Article by Rachel Blevins.
Fact Check: Media Mislead on Kamala Harris' Berkley School Segregation
"Songbird" McCain Blasts Trump Meeting With Putin as "Disgraceful" as Treasonous John Brennan Calls on Republicans to Impeach Trump
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Thomas Becket Catholic School
Parents' Evening System
Welcome to the Thomas Becket Catholic School parents' evening booking system. Appointments can be amended via a link from the email confirmation - please ensure your email address is correct.
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WATCH: Good Samaritans Attacked, Arrested for Helping Homeless People Not Freeze to Death
Matt Agorist April 8, 2019
A couple was helping homeless people stay warm during a weather emergency and their kindness would make them a target of police.
Lansing, MI — In January, temperatures in Lansing, Michigan plummeted far below freezing making it extremely dangerous for those who are homeless. Knowing people would likely freeze to death if they stayed outside, one couple decided to help out those less fortunate than them. However, instead of being praised for their good deed, the couple was arrested.
Julia Miller and Martin Mashon were handing out bus tokens in January so that homeless people could go to the bus station instead of staying outside and freezing to death. They are advocates for the less fortunate and during weather emergencies like this one, they often hand out coats and help people make it to warming centers. But on this particular day, the police would show up to put a halt to their kindness.
On January 26, during a polar vortex and weather emergency, temperatures had fallen well below zero so Mashon and Miller went to the CATA station to hand out tokens and try to save lives. But body camera footage shows that police showed up and acted like the couple was robbing the place.
“This isn’t a warming station, it’s a bus station so there’s no loitering,” the officer says after he ran up to the couple like there was some sort of emergency.
“But it’s a great place for people to stay warm,” said Mashon.
“I know it’s cold out,” said the officer in the video, “But that doesn’t give you a right to loiter somewhere, where loitering’s not permitted.”
According to many folks who have commented on the video, the director of the CATA bus station has an open door policy during cold weather and allows the less fortunate to “loiter” in the station to stay warm. However, it appears that the police wanted nothing of it.
Despite the director’s reported policy, the officer asked the couple of they were waiting for a bus.
Mashon said, “No I’m not actually.”
“Then you’re gonna have to leave,” said the officer.
Mashon said, “Actually this is a warm place that I help pay for.”
After several minutes, the conversation got heated.
“No I’m trying to explain something to you and you won’t stop talking,” said the officer.
Mashon said, “Are you my master, am I your slave now.”
“Take your hand out of your pocket,” said the officer.
Mashon said, “Excuse me?”
“Take your hand out of your pocket,” the officer repeats as he moves in to arrest Mashon.
Mashon said, “Woah, don’t touch me.”
“What do you have in your pocket,” said the officer. “Easy, easy, easy.”
Mashon said, “Don’t touch me.”
“Relax, relax, relax,” said the officer.
Mashon said, “Let go of me. Why are you touching me?”
“Stop,” said the officer. “Stop.”
Mashon said, “Why are you touching me?”
The officer then throws Mashon up against the window and puts him in handcuffs. Moments later he arrests Miller as well.
Miller was charged with trespassing and Mashon was charged with trespassing and hindering an officer.
Miller explained that they plan on fighting the charges and are asking for the police to apologize as well as implement a policy for helping the homeless during weather emergencies.
“Don’t they understand that if they A. Drop all charges against both Martin and myself. B. Offer a public apology in regards to the excessive force and verbiage the officer used and C. Implement a plan of action that involves several local homeless advocacy groups in regards to what needs to be done during weather emergencies that the chances of us deciding to pursue a civil suit will lessen AND it will save them some face,” Miller wrote on Facebook.
She says that is not likely to happen, however.
Below is a video showing what helping the homeless looks like in a police state.
"Are you my master? Am I your slave now?" A confrontational arrest downtown was caught by Lansing police body camera footage in January. Our WLNS Kiyerra Lake shows you what was said between the officer and the people arrested.More: https://www.wlns.com/news/confrontational-arrest-caught-on-lpd-body-camera/1898672206
Posted by WLNS-TV on Wednesday, April 3, 2019
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Electronics & Communication, Engineering, Healthcare, Scholarship
Medical Electronics Engineer Interview
Date: January 1, 2018Author: The Interview Portal 0 Comments
EEE Member Nitesh Kumar Jangir grew up dreaming of becoming a doctor. But when he couldn’t get into the medical school of his choice, he decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in electronics engineering instead, a popular career path in India.
That decision altered his life and potentially those of many others in his country. Late last year, Jangir cofounded Coeo Labs, in Bangalore, India. (Coeo is Latin for “to unite.”) The startup designs low-cost medical devices for emergency and critical care. One of these devices prevents pneumonia in patients on ventilators by stopping nasal passage secretions from getting into their lungs. Another device in the works will help newborns breathe when they experience respiratory distress.
Original Link :
http://theinstitute.ieee.org/technology-topics/artificial-intelligence/nitesh-kumar-jangir-developing-lowcost-medical-devices-for-india
How did you end up in such an offbeat, unconventional and unusual career?
Jangir’s founding of Coeo Labs resulted from his 2014 stint as a fellow at India’s first program to accelerate the development of innovative medical devices, InnAccel, in Bangalore. He was the only engineer on an interdisciplinary team that included a product designer, three physicians, and a business school graduate. The team spent eight weeks at the city’s St. Johns Medical College Hospital to identify problems in emergency room procedures that technology could solve.
Jangir and the product designer started Coeo to address some of these problems. Founded with money from private capital and government grants, Coeo operates in InnAccel’s incubator offices. Jangir does the technical “heavy lifting,” designing the products’ electronics and control systems.
Tell us about your products
One product is a portable suction machine connected to a thin endotracheal tube inserted through the nose or mouth into the air passage of a patient on a ventilator. Patients cannot effectively clear their mouths and nasal passage secretions, which can get contaminated with germs and travel to the lungs. The machine senses and removes the secretions before they reach the lungs. An external machine-learning interface controls the suction. Computer simulations and tests on medical airway training mannequins show that the technique works well, Jangir says. Coeo plans to start clinical trials next year. The technology was selected as a regional winner in the health challenge category by the global incubator and investment fund 1776.
Jangir’s other device is a simple, manually operated pump to help newborns and infants breathe when they’re under respiratory distress. At hospitals, such babies are placed on continuous positive airway pressure machines, which maintain constant air pressure through tubes inserted into each nostril to keep the lungs from collapsing. Rural clinics don’t have such machines.
Coeo’s mechanical tool converts the variable pressure applied by a person using a pressure-generating device such as a manual resuscitator, which includes a foot pump, to supply the air. Once a nurse in a rural clinic inserts breathing tubes into an infant’s nose, a family member could pump the breathing device until the baby reaches a hospital, Jangir says. The device will sell for 12,000 Indian rupees (less than US $200), which should be affordable for rural clinics, he adds.
What did you study?
Jangir was born in the small village of Shivnagar in the Indian state of Rajasthan, about 1,200 kilometers north of Bangalore. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2011 in electronics engineering at the Rajeev Gandhi Technical University in Bhopal, India. But he had maintained his interest in medicine.
After a two-year stint as an engineer at Electro Systems Associates, he was accepted as an intern in the Stanford-India Biodesign program, a collaboration among Stanford, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The goal of Stanford-India Biodesign is to train the next generation of medical technology innovators in India. This is facilitated through a fellowship, internships and events.
Funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, Stanford University, and other supporters, the SIB Fellowship Program is centered in New Delhi and administered as a collaboration between Stanford University, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in partnership with the Indo-US Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF).
There, he developed a device called Thorashield, which can help physicians remove extra fluid that builds up in lung walls due to diseases such as tuberculosis. Licensed to medical supply company Mecmaan Healthcare, in New Delhi, the device was introduced to market in March.
Jangir still hopes to get his title of doctor by eventually earning a Ph.D. “But it won’t happen any time soon,” he says. For now, he is busy trying to save lives as an engineer.
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Travels and Journeys
Travels around the world, journeys through life with Roberta Bensky
Past Road Trips
Haiti Part I (19 January 2011)
Posted on 19 January 2011 by Rbensky
Heat and Dust
This was the title of a Ruth Prawer Jhabvala book set in India and I have been thinking about it a lot these days…not the story but the title, which, for better or worse, describes how I have experienced Haiti so far. The heat was something I expected, although arriving from Norway where temperatures were considerably lower (about 50° C lower), it was still a challenge for my poor, now 50-year old body to handle. But the dust was not something I counted on and there is plenty of it. Only Haiti’s main roads are paved—the rest are potholes with some flat road-like surfaces in-between. Such roads are neither conducive to walking nor driving and, given that there is little difference in the time it takes to do one or the other, walking is what I usually do. But, while walking instead of driving significantly diminishes the bumpiness factor index (BFI), this is more than compensated for by the significant increase in the dustiness factor index (DFI), which manifests itself between my toes, in the pores of my face, in my clothes and in and on every other surface with which I come in contact in Haiti. Now you may think this is a bad thing but it certainly makes the cold-water showers in our house not just bearable but actually enjoyable as I trade my dusty crevices for refreshing cleanliness…until the next time I go walking.
My first stop in Haiti was the Red Cross base camp in Port-au-Prince, a tented home for Red Cross delegates working in Port-au-Prince and a stopover for those of us going to duty stations in other parts of the country. For newcomers to Haiti, the 8 a.m. security briefing for Red Cross staff is compulsory and makes an overnight stopover unavoidable.
Base camp is, well, a camp and not like the ones you may remember from childhood with nature games, campfires and s’mores. This camp is full of adults who aren’t playing games at all. Rather, they are long- and short-term delegates who have come to Haiti, many from their national Red Cross societies, to work for the Red Cross in Haiti. At dinner the first night I sat with a doctor from India, a fleet manager from Dubai, a logistics expert from Côte d’Ivoire and an Australian HR manager.
Most delegates sleep in small, individual tents (called cabins) within larger tents. Despite having up to 10 cabins per tent, there was a respect for privacy and quiet, especially at the “lights out” time of 21.00.
Base Camp, Port-au-Prince
Bathroom facilities were quite adequate, with a number of cold-water showers and one coveted hot-water shower for each gender. The toilets were clean with a noticeable absence of odour, a small miracle of sanitation engineering for the number of people using them. The difficult living and working conditions were somewhat mitigated by a small and “rustic” gym with a few machines where people sweat from physical effort rather than from simply being standing, lying or sitting down. I was told that there is even a sauna provided by the Finnish Red Cross (who else?) for whom sweating naturally seems not to be as attractive as sweating in a small, contained space in the midst of the Caribbean.
Don’t Sweat the Big Stuff…and don’t even think about sweating the little stuff
Our living conditions are luxurious compared with the average Haitian. I share a house with 3 other delegates — Sarah from Kenya, Torunn from Norway and Lenka from Slovakia — and we each have our own room, slow and unreliable wireless internet and bathrooms with running water (of the cold type) and good toilets.
My Bedroom, Petit Goâve
I have begun to think of my bathroom shower as a metaphor for Haiti (and many other developing countries). Upon taking my second shower since arriving in Petit Goâve, the wall near the showerhead sprung a leak, which would not have been so bad had it not been that the spray of water shot directly into my eyes. I put in a “work order” for a technician from the office to repair the small hole. The technicians are hard working and conscientious and Bertrand was dispatched to my bathroom later that day. He repaired the hole with some black silicone gel and asked me not to use the shower until the next day. The next morning, my relief that the original hole had been repaired was dimmed by the fact that there were now 4 new leaks. Bertrand was, once again, dispatched to my bathroom where more silicone gel was applied and I was again told to wait before using. Day 3 brought with it a new set of leaks and I realised that I had made a typical newcomer’s mistake: that of not knowing that one small problem will lead to discovery of a host of bigger problems the small one was almost certainly hiding. I think this is somewhat of a metaphor for Haiti and I, for one, will refrain from trying to repair even small holes here.
Daily life is challenging, since there is not much to do except work, eat and sleep. Red Cross delegates are subject to a curfew from 18.00 to 05.00, which means that, even if there were something to do in Petit Goâve, we could not do it. The security services at Base Camp in Port-au-Prince keep us apprised of any warnings, with frequent travel restrictions within and to/from Port-au-Prince. Things are calmer in Petit Goâve than in other parts of the country but we nevertheless respect all security warnings issued from Port-au-Prince.
The office is a busy place with 12 expatriate delegates and a slew of national staff that support and facilitate our working lives here. They are translators, technicians, drivers and guards, many of whom have come from Port-au-Prince, leaving behind their families. Most of them held quite different jobs before the earthquake: a chemistry teacher is one of our drivers (his school was destroyed in the earthquake while he was at home with his wife who had complained that he was not spending enough time with her), another was a driving instructor in Port-au-Prince (he lost his one-year old daughter in the earthquake) and another from Petit Goâve lost his entire family. It is humbling to work in an office where people carry on them the scars of tragedies we have only read about in the papers or seen on TV.
Everything Old is Coming Back Again
Jean-Claude Duvalier, aka Baby Doc, has returned to Haiti after 25 years in exile, though the irony of being exiled from Haiti to Paris with about a zillion dollars does not escape me. No one really knows why he returned or how he managed to leave France without the French authorities knowing about it (although having lived in France for 11 years, I have some ideas involving French cultural traditions such as wine with lunch and the philosophy of “je m’en foutisme”[1]).
I have discussed the Duvalier developments with a few Haitian colleagues, all of whom have different interpretations of his return: some believe that violence and poverty are so bad in the country that they couldn’t get any worse with a former President-for-Life in charge; some believe that the current President, René Préval has brought back Duvalier to move attention away from the recent heavily disputed elections; and others believe that this is simply the beginning of a reunified Haiti and that the return of another former President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide from exile in South Africa will follow.
We learned yesterday that President Aristide tried to renew his Haitian passport to return to Haiti but that the application was denied. I bet he wishes the Haitian authorities drank more wine at lunch…
[1] Roughly translated into “I don’t care-ness”
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Tag: Bunkers
About Albania
In 1979, when I back-packed around Europe, Albania was strictly off-limits. Its Communist regime, considered the most radical of all governments, closed its borders, imprisoned its citizens and deterred any foreign contaminants, including tourists. Those few who were permitted to enter underwent rigid border controls to ensure no improper looking visitors might corrupt the locals. Men were required to have short hair, no facial hair and no sideburns. Women could not dress in mini-skirts or maxi-dresses; even the hijab and abaya were banned in this country where half the population was Muslim. For those foreigners who failed to pass muster, there were barbershops and clothing stores at the border from which a suitable haircut could be had and appropriate dress could be bought.
I encountered no such scrutiny. As my bus from Kotor, Montenegro approached the border, the conductor (all Balkan buses have both a driver and conductor) gathered everyone’s passport and, once at the border, he hopped off and went inside a booth. We sat inside the bus for about 20 minutes, he returned and the bus resumed its journey, with the conductor handing the stack of passports to the first passenger, who took hers and handed the stack back to the next person. That was it; welcome to Albania, without so much as a glance or scowl in my direction from the once most feared border guards in Europe.
Tirana, First Impressions:
As soon as we neared the capital city, Tirana, traffic became increasingly worse, until only turtles proceeded slower on the overcrowded main road. This was not surprising. Tirana’s road system was built when the city had less than 200,000 people and none were expected, or allowed, to own cars, save for the chauffeurs of a few party officials. Today, Tirana has close to 1 million inhabitants, many of whom drive cars which would not have passed a safety test in Canada.
The bus drew into a large parking lot which doubled as the international bus terminal. As was becoming the norm, the instant I stepped off the bus, I was singled out as a foreigner by a dozen taxi drivers, all eager to take me wherever I wanted to go. This happened in every bus station in the Balkans and never ceased to amaze me. I understand in Africa or South America or India where my clothes and skin colour make me stand out, but why in the Balkans before I open my mouth to reveal my lack of local language skills or retrieve my obvious non-Balkan suitcase (Samsonite, which are for sale in the Balkans, but are too expensive for the average person) am I so easily marked as a tourist?
Perhaps it is a necessary survival skill learned by taxi drivers in lieu of learning how to drive, since none of the taxi drivers I used exhibited any knowledge of the latter. I learned later that one of the consequences of the populace not being allowed to own cars until the fall of communism in 1991 was that no one knew how to drive. It took the new government a few years to institute a system of licensing drivers and, to this day, I doubt that driving lessons or passing a driving test are prerequisites to obtaining a license. The drivers were uniformly aggressive, ignored lanes, lights, pedestrians and anything else that hindered their single minded goal of getting to their destination as fast as possible. Three Canadian girls from northern Ontario whom I later met were driving through the country and confirmed the hazardous nature of being on the roads all over Albania.
In this poorest country in Europe, I chose to stay (yes, I am slightly embarrassed) in the Hilton. By way of explanation, it was only a year old and must have been struggling with occupancy as it was offering rooms for $50 a night. At that price, I upgraded and took a king room with a balcony at roughly the same cost a hostel bed goes for in Amsterdam or Paris. Clean, modern, with English speaking staff, it was hosting a conference of Israelis, who also seemed to be the only other guests there. A pleasant 30 minute walk down a river path took me to the city centre
History of Albania:
It was a relief, after 5 weeks in the Balkans, to not be in a country that was part of the former Yugoslavia, with all the conflicts created in its breakup, but the history of Albania is even more frightening.
Three to four thousand years ago, two tribes, the Hellenes and the Illyrians made their way to the region, The Hellenes settled in Greece; the Illyrians in the Balkans. A busy area in antiquity, Albania was visited, not always peacefully, by Greeks, Romans and the Byzantines, all of whom left their mark. The southern area was generally associated with the East and Byzantine empires while the north was more influenced by the Holy Roman Empire. In the 7th century, Slavs from the Russian steppes invaded and settled the area, reducing the influence of Rome, while in the south, the Sicilian Normans battled the Byzantine empire. Whether the Albanians are descendants from the Illyrians or Slavic is open to debate; what is certain is that the Albanian language, Shqip, is one of the oldest languages still in use and unlike any other.
Albania was predominantly Orthodox Christian after the Slavs settled in the region. Albania first emerged as a distinct entity in the 10th century, but remained part of Byzantium until captured, at various times and in different areas, in the ensuing centuries by Bulgarians, Venetians and the Serbian Kingdom. When the Ottomans subdued Serbia in the 15th century, they also became the overlord of Albania, converting many native Albanians to Islam and settling other Muslims in the region. The greatest Albanian warrior, Skanderbeg, rebelled against the Ottomans beginning in 1443, enjoying numerous victories and earning Albania de facto independence. Upon his death, the Ottomans reasserted their authority over Albania.
The 19th century was marked by frequent Albanian rebellions against their Ottoman authorities, with independence finally achieved in 1912 following the Balkan Wars. WW1 saw the population’s support split along religious grounds, with the Muslims supporting the Axis powers and Ottomans and the Christians rallying to the Allies’ cause. Italy overran most of the territory with Serbia also occupying part of it. Despite secret deals and backroom shenanigans by the victors about how to divide Albania, it managed to emerge after WW1 as a single, independent entity although internal politics were chaotic.
In 1939, fascist Italy invaded and occupied Albania. When Italy surrendered to the Allies in 1943, Germany took over. Tirana was liberated by its partisans in 1944, led by the communists and its leader, Enver Hoxha. A side note, Albania was the only continental European country in which the Jewish population increased during WW2 as the Albanians refused to participate in the deportation of Jews. Many Jews made their way to the country as a place of refuge, but there are very few left today.
The Communist Period: 1944 to 1991
Hoxha quickly set himself up as dictator, executing political enemies, stifling the media and rounding up intellectuals. Estimates for the number of people killed vary between 5,000 and 25,000. In 1945, elections were held with all the candidates nominated from the Democratic Front (Communist) party. Guess who won?
Hoxha hugely admired Joseph Stalin. His short-lived alliance with Tito in neighboring Yugoslavia fell apart in 1948 when Hoxha accused Tito of being too liberal. Relations with the USSR broke off in 1961, following Stalin’s death and Khrushchev’s ascendancy, for “not being enough like Stalin.” Hoxha, needing foreign aid, wooed China, which wanted a foothold in Europe and Albania was the best it could do. However, Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 infuriated Hoxha, who again broke off relations with China, lost all sources of foreign funds and plunged his country into a terrible economic crisis.
Hoxha decreed that Albania would be entirely self-sufficient, importing very little, but exporting natural resources and electricity. Rationing, everything from food to cars to electricity, was pervasive. No one was allowed to own private property; farms were collectivized, full employment was guaranteed. People were hungry, clothing was mundane, productivity sank and things we take for granted, like banks, credit cards, insurance, were unknown to the populace.
Differences were not allowed. Ethnic Greeks suffered discrimination and could not be educated in Greek. When ethnic Albanians fled Kosovo to Albania, they were returned for fear they would pollute the country with western ideas. Religion was banned; Hoxha proudly proclaiming Albania to be the first atheist country. Mosques and churches were demolished; some priests burned or otherwise executed. Even today, the country remains fairly non-observant. Although 50% of the population is Muslim, 90% of those are non-practicing.
One of my guides told me the story of the symbols of the fall of communism. The first companies into Albania were Coca Cola and Mercedes Benz. The red Coca Cola logo became synonymous with capitalism. Mercedes was quick in because the Communist rulers all had Mercedes cars and, even today, a large number of vehicles are Mercedes, albeit 20-30 years old. But the biggest emblem of freedom from Hoxha is the banana. As the climate of Albania does not support banana trees, none were grown in, or imported to, Albania, until after 1991. An entire generation grew up not knowing what a banana looked like or how one tasted. Today, the supermarkets and fruit stalls all sell bananas in a nod to the country’s freedom.
Albanians were not allowed to travel. The border force’s mandate was to ensure Albanian citizens stayed in Albania. At Bunker Art2, a museum dedicated to showcasing the state agencies employed during the Hoxha regime, the weapons, uniforms, listening devices and other paraphernalia used by the elite Border Force are on display. My recollection is about 9,000 people tried to escape the country in the 40 years of Hoxha; of those 1,000 were killed in the process. Brutal labour camps were set up for the prisoners and for the families, the wives and children, of those who tried to escape, a huge deterrent. The Museum of Secret Surveillance, housed in the former Sigurmi headquarters, showcases the technology and methods used by the Sigurimi, the brutal interior police modelled after East Germany’s Stasi.
About those bunkers… In addition to his other faults, Hoxha took paranoia to an extreme. Convinced that a Russian invasion was imminent, he embarked upon a scheme of building concrete bunkers, 170,000 in total, between 1967 and 1986, estimated to cost 2% of the country’s GDP. Varying in size from tiny 2 person cells to nuclear fallout shelters with over 100 rooms, their grey, mushroom shaped entrances dotted the landscape. When one of Hoxha’s generals suggested they might not be too effective, he was executed. Today most of the bunkers have been removed, to where no one is sure, but a few remain around Tirana as reminders and as entrances to museums, tearooms and mushroom farms.
Me at a bunker’s entrance
Following Hoxha’s death in 1985, Ramiz Alia took over. He realized the winds were changing. He initiated trade with with Italy and Greece and allowed people to travel abroad. Elections in 1991 kept the communists in power, but non-communists were also in the cabinet. In the 1992 election, the Democratic Party won, ending communist rule in Albania. Today, it is a member of NATO and is seeking admission to the EU.
Tirana Walking Tour:
Eriv (pronounced like Eric without the “c”) guided me and 15 others through the sites of central Tirana, in addition to providing much of the history and the stories here. Meeting in the central square, Eriv pointed out the National History Museum with its communist inspired mural depicting Albanians throughout the centuries, from Illyrians to the 3 communists marching victoriously in the centre. Painted in 1981, the only change to the mural has been the deletion of a star on the flag.
National History Museum with Mural
Eriv walked us to the Arts Museum to see a a collection of statues. Stalin is there twice, Lenin once and the white bust with the missing nose is Hoxha. Although they previously stood in the main square, they were toppled by crowds in 199O and 1991 and put out to pasture behind the Museum.
The Statues
A statue of Mother Teresa graces the podium outside the Cathedral of St. Paul. Although Catholica make up only about 10% of the population, Mother Teresa is admired by all, as the only Albanian Nobel prize winner and as a representative of Albanian tolerance and kindness.
Statue of Mother Teresa
We walked to another quirky monument to communism, the Pyramid. Originally built as a mausoleum for Hoxha’s remains by his daughter, it never served that purpose. Today, it remains derelict, graffiti laden, its windows broken, behind wire while the country figures out what to do with it.
The Albanian Pyramid
During the communist period, senior government officials lived in Blloku, a community gated to keep the population out. Today, the walls are gone and coffee shops, bars and night clubs welcome all. Hoxha’s house still stands, Closed to the public, it is now subjected to a delicious irony. Across the street from the residence of the world’s strictest communist is that symbol of capitalism, Colonel Saunders, grinning from a KFC into the windows of Haxha’s home. In case you are curious, Albania doesn’t have a MacDonalds, but one is scheduled to open later this year.
Albania has far more to offer than a communist past. Across the countryside rests ancient ruins from dozens of civilizations, many in excellent shape. Apollonia has extensive and well preserved Roman ruins; Durres has one of the largest existing amphitheatres. Albania’s Adriatic coast is as beautiful as can be, but has suffered recently from overbuilding of cheap beachside hotels catering to Poles, Germans and Russians.
I visited the city of Berat, a UNSECO world heritage site often called the city of 1,000 windows. One of the very few downsides of visiting a less touristed country is many tours offered only proceed if minimum numbers are met, so despite TripAdvisor and GetYourGuide promoting dozens of day trips to Berat, none were going when I was there or only if a horrific single only price was paid. I chose instead to try the local bus system, which cost the equivalent of $5 for a one-way, two hour bus ride to Berat.
High atop the hill is Berat castle. Mostly constructed in Byzantine and Ottoman times, but some of its walls date to the Roman period. Inside, little remains of the palaces, but like Diocletian’s Palace in Split, locals have constructed houses inside the walls and lived there since the 13th century. Also inside are 20 churches, again most from the 13th century.
It stands atop a hill overlooking the Berat, also called the white city and the city of 1,000 windows, after the Ottoman architecture. Sadly, most of the houses have been abandoned, too expensive to fit to modern standards.
Many of the 1,000 windows in Berat
Albania was one of those countries I always wanted to visit and it didn’t disappoint. Tirana is fascinating, not for its beauty or architecture, but for its role as the epicenter of Albanian communism which I would describe as quirky and radical but for the reality that the Hoxha regime was brutal, crushing all opposition and inhibiting individuality. I didn’t spend long enough in Albania to enjoy its plentiful archeological wonders, but that is a good reason to return.
Next: Kosovo and Bill Clinton
Author NaomiPosted on June 13, 2019 June 15, 2019 Categories Europe 2019Tags Albania, Berat, Bunkers, Hoxha, TiranaLeave a comment on About Albania
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A Post-Housing-Bust Prescription for Federal Real Estate Programs
The federal government subsidizes housing and real estate to the tune of about $450 billion a year. Roughly 50 uncoordinated programs influence the housing market, often in unintended and insidious ways.
Federal real estate subsidies help ensure that we get more of this than we otherwise would. Image: ##http://walkablesuburb.com/walking/just-say-no-to-suburban-sprawl-and-yes-to-towns-like-maplewood/attachment/suburban-sprawl-miami/## Walkable Suburb##
The Federal Housing Administration’s Single-Family Loan Program, for instance, decreases the relative attractiveness of building multi-family housing — which is more energy efficient and in ever-greater demand since the housing bust. Meanwhile, the granddaddy of all housing subsidies, the mortgage interest deduction, rewards wealthy families who own two homes but does nothing for renters.
Smart Growth America and Locus, a nationwide coalition of developers focused on walkable growth, those programs are in need of retooling as Americans’ needs change. The two groups have reviewed all the federal housing programs and found them to lack a cohesive vision. Together, these programs often serve to undermine public preferences and create all kinds of distorted, less-than-optimal outcomes.
“People increasingly want to live in walkable urban places,” said Chris Leinberger today in a conference call with real estate leaders, but current federal housing policy undermines those kinds of communities. “Today’s programs significantly favor single family homes above all other types. Today’s programs are failing to support existing neighborhoods.”
In response, Locus and SGA have developed seven recommendations that could help ensure private and public investment is spent in the most productive ways, with the best outcomes for middle-income Americans. By the way, these reductions would result in some $33 billion in overall savings.
“Better strategies can make entire regions more competitive,” said Smart Growth America’s Ilana Preuss. “It’s time for our federal programs to reflect that.”
Here are some of the highlights:
Improve the Rehabilitation Tax Credit
This program provides a tax credit of 10 percent for the rehabilitation of non-historic buildings constructed before 1936. But currently, despite the increasing demand for walkable, mixed-use housing, this program entirely excludes residential rehabilitation.
SGA recommends opening the program to residential rehabilitation, expanding the credit to 15 percent and making all buildings older than 50 years eligible. That would cost about $1.6 billion annually but it would also help save money by taking advantage of existing infrastructure, rather than promoting new development that would require building new sewers and streets in a greenfield location.
Better target real estate tax expenditures
The federal mortgage interest deduction costs the U.S. Government $26 billion annually.
This program is hugely regressive and largely fails at its ostensible purpose of helping moderate-income families become homeowners. Roughly 77 percent of mortgage interest deductions in 2012 went to families with incomes of $100,000 or higher. Families making less than $50,000 annually received only 4 percent of these benefits.
SGA recommends limiting the mortgage interest deduction to the first home, and capping the program at $500,000 instead of $1 million in home value. That type of reform would help reduce real estate speculation — like the kind that produced the housing crisis — and make housing policy more equitable.
Preserve and increase the Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Some lawmakers have recently proposed altogether eliminating this program, which has helped build 2.5 million affordable rental units since its introduction in the 1970s. But Richard Baron at the St. Louis-based national real estate firm McCormack Baron Salazar says demand for the program has never been stronger, as the rental market swells following the housing crisis.
“State housing finance agencies are overwhelmed with the requests they are receiving,” he said.
Locus and SGA recommend increasing funding for the program 50 percent, at a cost of about $4 billion annually, making it easier for nonprofit and for-profit developers to build affordable rental housing that is in such high demand across the country.
Filed Under: Smart Growth America, Sprawl
$450 Billion in Federal Subsidies Tilt U.S. Real Estate Market Toward Sprawl
By Angie Schmitt | Jan 9, 2013
Real estate in the United States, it turns out, isn’t really guided by “the invisible hand” of the free market. In truth, federal policy puts a finger on the scale in a major way. Even apart from the quasi-governmental Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae, the federal government is the single largest investor in the American […]
Has the Government Been Bailing Out Sprawl?
By Ryan Avent | Nov 2, 2009
One of the themes of the financial and economic crisis we’ve faced over the past two years is that government, pressed into responding to serious economic pain, has often found itself supporting the activities that got us into this mess in the first place. Sign of the times? Side-by-side foreclosures in Massachusetts. (Photo: Yovani via […]
Federal Housing Administration Still Tips the Scales Toward Sprawl
By Angie Schmitt | Nov 21, 2014
There’s a notion that remains very pervasive in certain quarters — *cough* Joel Kotkin *cough* — that the reason so many American cities are sprawling and suburban is the natural result of market forces. Essentially, Americans love driving and big yards and so that’s what we get. But it’s a mistake to characterize American housing markets […]
The Granddaddy of Sprawl Subsidies, Illustrated
By Angie Schmitt | May 22, 2013
Despite the ruinous housing crisis just a few years ago, the federal government still keeps the suburban sprawl machine humming. About 85 percent of federal subsidies for housing flow to single family homes, according to a recent report from Smart Growth America, though only about 65 percent of Americans are homeowners and the majority of […]
Smart Growth to Blame For the Housing Crash? Not By a Long Shot.
By Abigail Gardner | Jun 16, 2011
This guest post was written by Abigail Gardner of Smart Growth America. The Wall Street Journal yesterday posed the question of whether smart growth policies and land use restrictions were to blame for the housing boom and bust. The hypothesis comes from Wendell Cox, a long-time critic of smart growth, who, in a recent paper, […]
Mounting Transportation and Housing Costs Devour Household Budgets
By Ben Goldman | Feb 29, 2012
On Monday we wrote that Americans can’t afford a transportation bill that locks households into the expenses of car dependence. Yesterday the Center for Neighborhood Technology hammered the point home, releasing new data showing how communities are getting less and less affordable nationwide. Only 28 percent of American communities meet CNT’s definition of “affordable,” which accounts for […]
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R. Kelly Hit with 11 New Sex Assault and Abuse Charges
June 6 is when R & B singer R. Kelly is scheduled to appear in court yet again. This time, it will be for 11 new charges of sex assault and abuse that prosecutors in Illinois have filed against him. Kelly was previously indicted in February, and is free on $1 million dollar bond. This latest...
Attorney: "Surviving R. Kelly" Is G-Rated Compared To What's Really Going On
While Atlanta attorney Gerald Griggs says the "Surviving R. Kelly" docu-series was "well put together", he also believes "it's the G-Rated version of what's happening and has happened." He believes there's "absolutely more" than what the public has heard and seen. Griggs represents the Savage...
Drea Kelly Goes In Deep on Her Healing Process After R Kelly!
Video of Drea Kelly Goes In Deep on Her Healing After R Kelly! V-103
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Read Next: Listen: Starz COO Jeffrey Hirsch Spots an Opening in the Global Streaming Market
September 25, 2017 11:00AM PT
‘Empire’s’ Season 4 Premiere Celebrates a 20th Anniversary and a Recovering Lucious
By Danielle Turchiano
Danielle Turchiano
Senior Features Editor, TV @https://twitter.com/danielletbd FOLLOW
Danielle's Most Recent Stories
Emmys 2019: Writing, Directing Nominations Far From Parity
Emmys 2019: No Lead Comedy Actresses of Color Nominated
When Fox’s “Empire” ended last season, Lyon family patriarch Lucious (Terrence Howard) was just waking up from a coma after almost getting killed by a car bomb. Though he survived the attack physically, he lost his memories of his family and of himself. When the show returns for its fourth season, it’s three months later and he still doesn’t have his memory back, but the family is pushing on with their business – and a milestone with the 20th anniversary of their company.
“It really sets the template for the season,” showrunner Ilene Chaiken tells Variety about the anniversary celebration that will open the premiere. “In this episode, it serves as the framework for telling the story of where Lucious is and what it means to everyone.”
Chaiken says the premiere will also see a break in format, in order to better tell this story. The episode “book-ends” the story by starting the action at the 20th anniversary celebration, begging the question of whether or not Lucious will be well enough to “walk onto the stage with his family and step back in his old shoes,” Chaiken says. (The show will answer that question back at the celebration at the end of the episode, she promises.)
But first, the premiere will flash back 24 hours earlier to tell a “very intimate and intense story about where all of these characters are, what they’re dealing with and what they have at stake,” Chaiken says.
Where exactly the show finds the characters three months after that fateful moment by Lucious’ bed last season will not only answer just how injured Lucious is but also how Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) and their boys have been holding up and keeping the business afloat. Although many of them “certainly want the old Lucious back,” per Chaiken, they have their own struggles to overcome, too.
Andre (Trai Byers), in particular, is dealing with “tremendous guilt” over the role he played in his father’s attack, orchestrating it and failing to call it off in time. “He realized his mistake in those last moments,” Chaiken says. “Whatever’s happened to Lucious is on him, and he wants not to be found out, but he’s also filled with guilt and remorse. And he also is entrapped by Shine, who’s the only other person that knows.”
Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) is struggling to be a single father, without his father around to guide him, after making an “unholy alliance” with Diana DuBois (Phylicia Rashad). “We’re going to find out what that alliance is about and what she’s trying to extract from him,” Chaiken promises, adding that things are further complicated for the youngest Lyon given that his baby’s mother Anika (Grace Byers) is in jail.
And also being played by the DuBois family, although he doesn’t quite know it yet, is Jamal (Jussie Smollett). “While Jamal has been focused on his father, we’re going to find that Warren has played the role of the good boyfriend and given him time,” says Chaiken. “And when we come back into our story, Warren is finally feeling like he’s gained Jamal’s trust, and now we should be anticipating what he’s there to do and how that’s going to pan out.”
The Lyons certainly have a lot pulling them apart this season, but Chaiken says the key things bringing them together are Lucious and Empire. The theme of this season, says Chaiken, is: “Who is Lucious now, and who will he become, and what has he lost? What is the family, but especially Cookie, doing in the face of the aftermath of Lucious’ injuries?”
“Empire” season 4 premieres on Fox Sept. 27 at 8 p.m.
Ilene Chaiken
Mike Fleiss, creator of “The Bachelor,” is being investigated by the police in Kauai after his pregnant wife Laura Fleiss accused him of attacking her in their Hawaii home on July 4. Recent documents show that he has denied the allegations, and alleges that she is the one who attacked him. A police report is [...]
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Gene Simmons Apologizes for Comments About Prince’s Death
Frederick M. Brown / Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images
After his controversial quotes about the death of Prince hit the newsstands, Gene Simmons has apologized. Today (May 10), the Kiss bassist said that his "big mouth" led him to not "express myself properly," and that it came from seeing too many people in the music industry throw away their talents by abusing drugs.
On Twitter, he posted a picture of his official statement. "I just got such s--- from my family for my big mouth again," it began. "I apologize -- I have a long history of getting very angry at what drugs do to the families/friends of the addicts. I get angry at drug users because of my experience being around them coming up in the rock scene. In my experience they've made my life, and the lives of their loved ones, difficult."
He then went on to say that his views on drugs stemmed from his upbringing. "I was raised in a culture/crowd where drug addicts were written off as losers," he continued, "and since that's the narrative I grew up with, it's been hard to change with the times. Needless to say, I didn't express myself properly here -- I don't shy away from controversy, and angry critics really don't bother me at all. If I think I'm right, I'll throw up a finger and dig my heels in and laugh. But this time, I was not. So, my apologies."
Earlier, Simmons, who has famously stayed away from drugs and alcohol throughout his life, said of Prince's death, "his drugs killed him. What do you think, he died from a cold? ... But how pathetic that he killed himself. Don’t kid yourself, that’s what he did. Slowly, I’ll grant you – but that’s what drugs and alcohol is: a slow death.”
Although it has been rumored that Prince was addicted to prescription painkillers at the time of his death, the official cause of death has yet to be revealed.
And while Simmons did acknowledge that his words wore inappropriate, he added a post-script where he blamed the media for making him out to be the villain. "What I will say is that there is a part of this that is journalists guote-mining things I've said in the past and applying it to new situations," he wrote. "This, too, happens often and not just to me. So, quote-mining, too, is wrong. It doesn't make my past quotes any more tactful, but still -- be wary of click bait. The uglier they can make it seem, the more views they can get."
Several hours before Simmons issued his apology, Paul Stanley, made it clear that he did not agree with his band mate. "Embarrassed by cold clueless statements re Prince's death. Without all the facts better to say nothing," he tweeted. "My apologies."
See Kiss and Other Rockers in the Top 100 Rock Albums of the '90s
Next: Top 10 Prince Rock Songs
Source: Gene Simmons Apologizes for Comments About Prince’s Death
Filed Under: Gene Simmons, Prince
George Lopez Is Coming to Portland This September
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Gustavsberg, Värmdö Municipality
Place in Uppland, Sweden
Gustavsberg Church
Show map of Stockholm
Show map of Sweden
Värmdö Municipality
4.27 km2 (1.65 sq mi)
(31 December 2010)[1]
Gustavsberg is a locality situated on the island of Värmdö in Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. From an administrative perspective, it is in Stockholm County and is the seat of Värmdö Municipality. It has 11,333 inhabitants as of 2010.[1] It is most known for its porcelain factory, Gustavsberg porcelain, and toilet bowls distributed nationwide and internationally.
^ a b c "Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2005 och 2010" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
The bandy team Gustavsbergs IF playing in Karlstad
Media related to Gustavsberg at Wikimedia Commons
‹See Tfd›(in Swedish) article Gustafsberg from Nordisk familjebok (1909)
Localities in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden
Återvall
Djurö
Gustavsberg (seat)
Långvik
Skeppsdalsström
Stavsnäs
Strömma
Värmdö-Evlinge
Municipalities and seats of Stockholm County
Municipal seats
Danderyd (Djursholm)
Järfälla (Jakobsberg)
Solna (Skytteholm)
Tyresö (Bollmora)
Counties of Sweden
This article about a location in Stockholm County, Sweden is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "https:/w/index.php?title=Gustavsberg,_Värmdö_Municipality&oldid=905610319"
Municipal seats of Stockholm County
Swedish municipal seats
Populated places in Värmdö Municipality
Stockholm County geography stubs
CS1 Swedish-language sources (sv)
Articles with Swedish-language external links
Related to Gustavsberg, Värmdö Municipality
Värmdö Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is in the town of Gustavsberg, with a population of 9,682 (2005), on the main island at an elevation of 37 metres (121 ft).
Djurö, Värmdö Municipality
Djurö is an island and a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 967 inhabitants in 2010.
Boo, Sweden
Boo, sometimes referred to as Saltsjö-Boo, is a locality situated on the island of Värmdö in Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. From an administrative perspective, it is located in Nacka Municipality and Stockholm County, and has 24,052 inhabitants as of 2010.
Björnömalmen och Klacknäset is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 624 inhabitants in 2010.
Kil, Nacka Municipality
Kil is a locality situated on the island of Värmdö in Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. From an administrative perspective, it is located in Nacka Municipality and Stockholm County, and has 731 inhabitants as of 2010.
Ingaröstrand is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 286 inhabitants in 2010.
Torsby, Värmdö Municipality
Torsby is a locality situated on the island of Värmdö in Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. From an administrative perspective, it is located in Värmdö Municipality and Stockholm County, and has 477 inhabitants as of 2010.
Kummelnäs is a locality situated on the island of Värmdö in Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. From an administrative perspective, it is located in Nacka Municipality and Stockholm County, and has 3,848 inhabitants as of 2010.
Ängsvik is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 403 inhabitants in 2010.
Brunn, Sweden
Brunn is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 950 inhabitants in 2010.
Hemmesta is a locality situated on the island of Värmdö in Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. From an administrative perspective, it is located in Värmdö Municipality and Stockholm County, and has 5,240 inhabitants as of 2010.
Mörtnäs is a locality situated on the island of Värmdö in Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. From an administrative perspective, it is located in Värmdö Municipality and Stockholm County, and has 1,511 inhabitants as of 2010.
Norra Lagnö is a locality situated on a peninsular on the northern shore of the island of Värmdö in Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. From an administrative perspective, it is located in Värmdö Municipality and Stockholm County, and has 332 inhabitants as of 2010.
Fågelvikshöjden is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 1,043 inhabitants in 2010.
Lugnet och Skälsmara is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 625 inhabitants in 2010.
Skeppsdalsström is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 1,573 inhabitants in 2010.
Strömma is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 579 inhabitants in 2010.
Värmdö-Evlinge is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 559 inhabitants in 2010.
Gustavsberg porcelain
Gustavsberg is a Swedish porcelain company that originated in 1826. It broke up in the 1990s and was sold off in pieces, to the dismay of residents of the Gustavsberg area, but artisans continued producing ceramics and household porcelain in the Gustavsberg tradition. One of Gustavsberg's most famous collections is the "Nobel Porcelain" produced in 1994. One such artisan was Josef Ekberg, who, even as a young man, created many pieces for Gustavsberg.
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WisBusiness: Wisconsin falls two spots in new state health rankings
by Tech Council | Dec 13, 2018 | NEWSROOM, Tech Council News
Wisconsin has fallen two places in the latest state-by-state health care rankings from the United Health Foundation, which highlights rising levels of obesity and certain diseases.
The state was ranked 23rd in this year’s report. This marks one of the lowest rankings in the past three decades, which have seen a overall downward slide in the state’s health ranking from the foundation.
Although the report sheds light on some worrisome trends, it also shows Wisconsin’s strength in a number of health-related metrics.
Compared to most of the country, the state has lower levels of air pollution, residents are more physically active, smoking rates are down, and a relatively low percentage of its population is uninsured.
However, Wisconsin was ranked dead last this year for excessive drinking. The state also ranked 49th for levels of pertussis, or whooping cough, and was ranked 43rd for infectious diseases. That broader category includes pertussis as well as chlamydia and Salmonella.
In the past three years, cases of chlamydia increased 13 percent in Wisconsin, from about 412 cases to 466 cases per 100,000 population.
And over the past six years, obesity increased 16 percent in the state, from around 28 percent to 32 percent of adults.
While some of those health behaviors and environmental factors have been slipping, others have shown some improvement.
In the past three years, air pollution went down 25 percent. And just in the past year, HPV immunizations among males aged 13-17 increased 29 percent, going from about 39 percent to nearly 49 percent. Read the full story here.
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Of course, there’s never a bad time to reexamine your cable package and determine if you still need the one you’re on. Perhaps when you signed up, your provider gave you a premium package at a low rate, but that rate has expired and you’re now paying the regular price—do you really need those premium channels? Similarly, as nice as having 200-plus channels at your fingertips can be, many people spend the majority of their TV time watching just a few select stations. See if your provider offers a less expensive package that has the stations you want.
Beware of free trials with Sling TV. I have had a bad experience with them in this regard. They offer them, but give you know way to get out of them until after you have already received your first $19.99 charge. They will refuse to refund your money and are not at all customer friendly. I find their “Take the Money and Run” tactics shady, at best.
I cut the cord about 12 years ago and have never looked back! Live in Western Massachusetts. I have over-the-air-waves TVs after the one-time cost of antennas, of course. I only get 6 channels. The four PBS channels, ABC & FOX, because of where I live, lowland, 1st fl. rental so can’t get my antennas anywhere up high enough. Friends w/same set up who live in a higher elevation get over 20 channels.
Recently, I tried out (and returned) so many that I worked my way down to this one. It was far from my first choice. When I got it, my hopes weren't high. I generally prefer plain black headsets. Having the large "sharkbite" components on the back of the earbuds seemed unnecessary and ostentatious. I'm not a fan of how the earbud tips are forced ... full review
The best time to sign up to a new broadband deal is pretty much always going to be when the provider is offering you something extra. Enticements to new customers come in the form of cashback, shopping vouchers (E.G. Marks & Spencer, Amazon and so on), free gifts (usually a games console, TV, smart home device or something similar), or simply a sizeable reduction in the monthly cost of the broadband.
Perhaps no one deserves more credit for threatening the old TV business model than Netflix Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings. As the driving force behind the world’s largest streaming video service, with about 130 million subscribers, he’s taught consumers to expect an abundance of old and new shows and movies, without the irritation of commercial interruptions, for just $8 a month.
Showtime Online has a unique service of being able to be added on to other services that you may already subscribe to. For $9 a month, it can be added to Amazon Prime and Hulu and for $11, Playstation Vue. Showtime offers you award-winning series like Dexter, Weeds and House of Lies as well as a large selection of movies including action, comedies and dramas added each month. The stand-alone service is $11 and it offers both live viewing and streaming.
Video is watched on the desktop via the included app, or is sent over the home network and played full screen through a connected device. In our case that means the Xbox 360, Nexus tablet, Fire TV, Samsung Galaxy Smartphone or Chromecast connected to our 50″ Plasma TV. We can control playback via a smartphone or tablet via the PlayOn app. We can watch our shows on whatever devices we want!
When it was established in 2005, ANO TV-Novosti invested $30 million in start-up costs to establish RT,[11] with a budget of $30 million for its first year of operation. Half of the network's budget came from the Russian government; the other half came from pro-Kremlin commercial banks at the government's request.[41] Its annual budget increased from approximately $80 million in 2007 to $380 million in 2011, but was reduced to $300 million in 2012.[96][2][97] Russian President Vladimir Putin prohibited the reduction of funding for RT on 30 October 2012.[98]
By the early 1990s, United Video began encouraging cable systems still using either the full- or split-screen versions of the Amiga 1000-based EPG Sr. to upgrade to the Amiga 2000-based Prevue Guide. Active support for the Amiga 1000-based EPG Sr. installations was discontinued in 1993. Like the Amiga 1000-based EPG Sr., Prevue Guide also ran from bootable 3½ diskettes, and its locally customizable features remained configurable only from the local keyboard, subjecting viewers to the same on-screen maintenance-related interruptions by local cable company employees as before[9] (silent remote administration of locally customizable features would not be added until the "yellow grid" appeared shortly after the beginning of the TV Guide Channel era, when the Amiga platform was fully abandoned). To support Prevue Guide's new, satellite-delivered video and audio, each Amiga 2000 featured a UV Corp. UVGEN video/genlock card for the satellite feed's video and a Zephyrus Electronics Ltd model 100 rev. C demodulator/switching ISA card for manipulating the feed's audio. Also included were a Zephyrus Electronics Ltd. model 101 rev. C demodulator ISA card for the WGN data stream, and a Great Valley Products Zorro II A2000 HC+8 Series II card (used only for 2 MB of Fast RAM with SCSI disabled).[10] The 101C fed demodulated listings data at 2400 baud from a DE9 RS232 serial connector on its backpanel to the Amiga's stock DB25 RS232 serial port via a short cable. The 101C also featured connection terminals for contact closure triggering of external cable system video playback equipment.
Lastly, Boxee's selection of streaming apps is huge, but the quantity is more impressive than the quality. Hulu and Amazon are both missing from its list, along with a lot of other heavy hitters that devices like the Roku have available (note that you can get Hulu via an unofficial plugin to one of the other apps, but it isn't perfect). If your main goal is to stream content from internet networks like Revision3, TWiT, TED, and others of that nature, the Boxee will suit you fine. Otherwise, it may seem like it's missing some of the more important stuff. However, it does make good use of what it has with its "universal search" feature, similar to what I love about Google TV: if you search for a TV show, it'll show you the different places you can stream it. The universal search feature doesn't support Netflix like Google TV's does, but it's still pretty handy to have, especially when you have so many streaming channels available to you.
When I saw this product, I looked into it right away. My husband and I currently do not have cable and just use Netflix, Hulu ect. I miss out on watching other channels because we didn't want to pay for a cable bill. After getting this antenna, we are able to get 28 channels we didnt before!! They all come in great and we can use the antenna on any of our TV's in our home. We are looking into getting more so that we can have one in every room!
Local major network affiliates have their own transmitters, so it's likely that your area gets channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC free over the air – and that's not to mention other common over-the-air channels like PBS and Univision. How many channels are available and how big of an antenna you'll need to pick them up will vary by region, but getting the answers to these questions is pretty simple. Check out our free over-the-air TV explainer and our complete guide to choosing an antenna and getting free HDTV over the air for more important information. There's a reason that this is the classic solution to the problem of how to watch local channels without cable or satellite.
Hey Vince – I’ve been meaning to add Playstation Vue to this list! They are good. They have a higher minimum price point, but you do get a lot of value for it. But I will disagree about Sling – on my Android, my wife’s iphone, and our Roku 3, SlingTV’s app has been great on all platforms. About a year ago when they were first starting out, buffering was horrible sometimes. But they’ve cleaned it up, increased their bandwidth and I have had no issues at all in the past 9 months.
Here's the deal: your local ABC, CBS, Fox, and/or NBC affiliates are broadcasting from those big towers you see on their properties. They've been doing so since before cable existed, and they're still going strong. You can get that coverage for free just by picking out an antenna that's appropriate to your location, connecting that antenna to your TV, and scanning for channels. And you'll find that it's not just the “big four” major networks: PBS, Univision, and a bunch of other channels are broadcast over the air, too. Your selection will vary depending on where in the country you are, but you should have lots of options in most urban and suburban areas, as well as in plenty of rural ones.
Cons: Those unlimited screens come at an extra cost. Available only to Hulu With Live TV subscribers, the add-on costs an additional $14.99 per month, nearly twice the price of the basic subscription itself. One of users' biggest gripes with the service is that it doesn't allow for offline viewing. A lot of subscribers also recommend the no commercials add-on.
Similarly, if you have a monthly data cap on your Internet service, purchasing TV shows and downloading them can significantly eat into that cap—you may even need to pay for a higher level of Internet service to handle the downloads each month. A single hour of streaming video can eat up 5 gigabytes of data, making a 250 GB data cap seem fairly small.
In 2010 journalist and blogger Julia Ioffe described RT as being "provocative just for the sake of being provocative" in its choice of guests and issue topics, featuring a Russian historian who predicted that the United States would soon be dissolved, showing speeches by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, reporting on homelessness in America, and interviewing the chairman of the New Black Panther Party. She wrote that in attempting to offer "an alternate point of view, it is forced to talk to marginal, offensive, and often irrelevant figures".[12] The Economist magazine noted that RT's programming, while sometimes interesting and unobjectionable, and sometimes "hard-edged", also presents "wild conspiracy theories" that can be regarded as "kooky".[184] A 2010 Southern Poverty Law Center report stated that RT extensively covered the "birther" and the "New World Order" conspiracy theories and interviewed militia organizer Jim Stachowiak and white nationalist Jared Taylor.[150] An Al Jazeera English article stated that RT has a penchant "for off-beat stories and conspiracy theories."[185] The news channel has also been criticized for its lack of objectivity in its coverage of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[186] Miko Peled, the Israeli peace activist who has called the peace process "a process of apartheid & colonization" is a frequent guest on RT.
Amazon Prime Video -- The "other" major streaming service, which is included as part of a $99 annual Prime Membership or $9 a month. The interface isn't as user-friendly as Netflix, but the service often offers shows not on Netflix, including originals like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Amazon Prime also has the ability to add channels (HBO, Starz and more), making it a potential one-stop shop.
Reviewing Julian Assange's show World Tomorrow, The Independent noted that Assange, who was under house arrest, was "largely deferential" in asking some questions of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who himself was in hiding. However, he also asked tough questions such as why Nasrallah had not supported Arab revolts against Syrian leaders, when he had supported them in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, and other countries.[64] The New York Times journalist Allesandra Stanley wrote that "practically speaking, Mr. Assange is in bed with the Kremlin, but on Tuesday's show he didn't put out" and that he "behaved surprisingly like a standard network interviewer."[61] Douglas Lucas in Salon wrote that the RT deal "may just be a profitable way for him to get a gigantic retweet."[47] Glenn Greenwald, who has been a guest on RT,[148] wrote that RT presenting the Julian Assange show led to "a predictable wave of snide, smug attacks from American media figures".[149] Mark Adomanis rebuts some of the "fevered denunciations" against RT and Julian Assange in an article in Forbes.[67] A Moscow Times writer noted that RT has received "considerable" criticism in general.[43]
If you're going to unplug from the cable company, prepare to exercise some patience when it comes to watching your favorite shows as soon as they air—it can take anywhere from a day to a week for them to appear online. Also, be ready to do some digging around to find who's streaming special events, sports, and other programming outside of the drama/sitcom variety. Let's take a look at ways to find certain types of programming without relying on your cable company.
We interviewed about 20 current and former industry executives and analysts to understand why traditional television has started losing its foothold in America’s living rooms. Some blamed their peers for decisions that made cable too pricey or opened the door to online competition, and many declined to be identified for fear of angering business associates. In reality, almost everyone played a role in jeopardizing the business.
Executives couldn't agree on how long to make old episodes available for subscribers. Some gave viewers only a day to catch up on a show they missed because the broadcasters had sold the reruns to another service. Others made past series available to subscribers for a month. Consumers became confused about where to go and how long they had to binge-watch a show. Some TV networks were slow to make their channels available online.
On 17 April 2012, RT debuted World Tomorrow, a news interview programme hosted by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The first guest on the program was Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.[61][62][63] The interview made global headlines as Nasrallah rarely gives interviews to Western media.[64] Commentators described this as a "coup"[65][66] or a "scoop".[67] WikiLeaks described the show as "a series of in-depth conversations with key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries from around the world."[68] It stated that the show is "independently produced and Assange has control"; WikiLeaks offers a "Broadcasters license, only".[47]
Television manufacturers have been moving toward “smart TVs” that connect to the internet and provide access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and the like. The selection of apps on these sets vary depending on licensing agreements made between the manufacturers and the O.T.T. services. (O.T.T. is short for “over the top,” a term applied to any streaming media provider to which a consumer can subscribe directly.) Also, not all of them will let you plug in and get a seamless, cable-like TV experience without any other hardware. The technology and interfaces are certain to improve in the years ahead, but for now, for the best results, you’re better off just investing in a set-top box.
Don’t let them tell you that you need more! If you buy the Rokus(maybe the firestick works too?) and hook them up to tvs in your house, you can avoid the fees for the stupid little boxes that you have to rent now for digital cable. You just download the time warner app on the roku and enter your timewarner/spectrum id and password and all your channels are there!
I just bought Roku box ($99). I also have a dvd player that has the capability to browse netflix, hulu, etc. I have to say that I am dissappointed in Roku. there are hardly any free channels to stream through. Everything is a paid subscription. Also its not live streaming tv, you have to constatnly go through all the episode to select one, which in itself makes watching tv stressfull. I think most people want to watch whats on tv. they want to come home and just see whats on, and space out. Roku and netflix are cheap but certainly do not match up to cable or dish tv. I am very techincal, so finding channels and configuring the boxes was not at all an issue for me. Most of the channels on Roku are paid. There are some free, but that have garbage on it. The free movies are crap, and are rated 1 or 2 stars. I was not able to find any free shows on roku, and the ones i found were horrible, hence they were on roku. I also found some documentries on roku, but who the hell wants to watch that crap. there is also an hunting channel on roku! common, they could do a lot better then that. This weekend I was over a friend’s house and she had cable. Man I miss cable. Yes its more expensive then Roku and netflix, but its a lot better then them. Channels such as discover (the realy discovery), netgeo, hgtv, tnt, tbs, bravo, movie channel, etc are just not on any of these boxes or netflix. the search capability on netflix really sucks, and they keep on removing movies constantly. I have tried, dish, cable, netflix, hulu plus, roku, but i have to say nothing beats cable tv or dish.
If you're nuts for Psych, The Daily Show, or other cable TV shows, Hulu's got you covered. Some programs take a week to turn up on the web site, though, so you'll have to exercise some patience and avoid spoilers for a few days. On the other hand, Hulu has a bunch of nice features that let you organize, queue, and search shows. There's a desktop app that works with standard Apple or Windows Media Center Remotes. If you're sporting Windows 7 on your computer, don't forget to check out the Hulu Integration app for Windows Media Center.
The quality of your TV picture isn’t only dependent on the quality of your antenna. It also depends on where you live in relation to the signal towers. A quick and easy tool to figure out which channels are available to you is the Mohu Station Finder. It provides information on the stations available based on your address. It also provides an idea of the performance to expect from different antennas.
If you prefer to pay for only what you watch, and nothing more, you can buy single episodes of shows, as well as movies, a-la-carte. There are a lot of different sources for this: GooglePlay, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Vudu, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and more. The prices are pretty much the same from one to another. Expect to pay $2-3 per episode, depending on the show.
After 2009, over the air TV signals became digital and old analog tuner TVs stopped working. Did you know that you could still get over the air signals? In fact, you can watch local channels without cable, and they are available free and in a clear beautiful high definition picture. Those signals are bouncing off your house as you read this. If you own a TV sold in the U.S. made after March 1st, 2007, it has a digital tuner as mandated by law.
Before deciding to cancel, you should also make sure you have a reliably fast Internet connection. Most streaming video services need 5 to 10 megabits per second in bandwidth for smooth streaming, and you’ll want an average speed of at least 15 to 20 Mbps to deal with pauses and buffering. Even with a true gigabit connection, you could still occasionally run into buffering issues.
In my Google Chromecast Review, I stated Chromecast is the best option for pure cost-cutting. At $35.99 there isn’t much out there that will beat that price point. You will need an existing smartphone, tablet or laptop to use Google Chromecast. Chromecast allows you to stream content from apps on the device to your television. Installation is easy as all you do is plug it into your TV’s HDMI port and set it up on your Wi-Fi network.
First, the best TV moved from networks to cable. Now a similar transition is moving top talent from cable to the streaming world. Netflix ($8.99 per month for HD streaming) has House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt—all of which have received almost universal acclaim—and Amazon ($99 per year for video and a variety of other services) isn’t too far behind with comedy Alpha House, crime drama Bosch, and the Golden Globe-winning Transparent.
Philo is one of the newer streaming services to enter the market and it’s also one of the cheapest. The service aims at providing value by carrying entertaining channels without expensive sports programming. One of those channels is AMC. At $16 per month, it is now the most affordable way to watch The Walking Dead without Cable. You can sign up for their free trial or read more about them in our review of Philo.
Not so long ago, blogs like ours tended to be a bit skeptical about smart TVs. The reason for that was that external streaming devices had an edge, generally speaking, in ease of use and in their app libraries. Like your smartphone or tablet, streaming devices and smart TVs tend to connect you with services through individual apps rather than through an internet browser. Also like your smart phone, apps for one platform don't work on another – so each platform has its own “app store,” just like iPhones and Android phones have different app stores. services have to make apps for each platform separately, and streaming platforms that traditionally came on external devices, like Roku, have the most apps available.
One last point on what to watch: If you really want to pay only for what you want to watch and nothing else, don’t forget that iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Fandango Now, Cinema Now, Google Play and others will gladly sell or rent you movies and episodes of TV series, to watch on your computer or TV. If you’re thinking of your various subscriptions as an analogue to cable, then think of this option as akin to the old-fashioned “pay per view.” The fees can add up if you watch a lot, but these vendors have some free videos, too.
The major network channels are all broadcast in HD. And you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that the quality of uncompressed HD video in an antenna feed is actually superior to what you've been getting with your cable box. Cable operators have to deliver hundreds of channels, plus broadband and phone service over a single connection to your home, so the TV signal is usually compressed to conserve bandwidth. Not so with your OTA feed. The difference is immediately noticeable. Outside of a Blu-ray movie, this is the best output I've ever seen on my TV. And did I mention the channels are free?
Thanks for the list! I’ve been living without cable for 2.5 years and it’s great! I am surprised so many people continue to pay for cable, especially with prices for everything else going up. I watch a few broadcast shows, and then any shows I miss I can usually find online. I started out using fanpop.com but think I’ll check out a few of the above to compare. As for LM&M’s comments about talking about the shows at work….I think that you (David) work from home. 🙂 I say try the no-cable route for a while. You can always buy a package later…
In 2018 some of the RT staff started a new media project Redfish.media that positions itself as "grassroots journalism".[82] The website has been criticized by an activist Musa Okwonga for deceptively taking an interview from him and then distributing it across RT channels while hiding its real affiliation.[83] Another similar project is In the NOW started in 2018.[84]
“I tried Aereo before they lost their court case. Then I was a SlingTV user for a couple of years and really enjoyed it. Just switched to YouTubeTV in the last week. Mostly so we could get local channels. It’s okay but I am already missing A & E, HGTV and History Channel. We are going to give it a try for a while but may check out DIRECTV now because it has most of the channels we like as well as local options.” ― Sean Cook
The answer to that will depend on what you’re specifically looking for from television. If your answer is “I want it all,” then honestly, you may be better off sticking with cable or satellite, because getting it “all” piecemeal will likely be prohibitively expensive. But if you have particular areas of interest, cord-cutting is definitely feasible and probably cheaper. (More advice on how to cut your bill without fully cutting the cord can be found in this guide from Wirecutter.)
Amazon Fire ($39.99 - $74.99): Amazon’s set-top box and its cheaper stick have the advantage of syncing well with any other Amazon devices you may have. You can ask your Alexa to find a show for you, and after you start watching it, you can pause it on your TV and pick it up later on your Fire tablet. As with the Roku, the Amazon Fire’s features have also been integrated into a smart TV. The most expensive version of the box adds an HD antenna for picking up free over-the-air local broadcast signals. One common complaint about Fire devices is that they push Amazon Prime Video content over that of other streaming video companies, but that’s a bit of a nitpick. Netflix and Hulu shows are still easy to access with this interface.
Includes: From the folks who brought you the Dish Network for satellite viewing, Sling has a skinnier color-coded channel lineup than others. The "Orange" offering has some popular channels, like ESPN, CNN and Comedy Central, but it's missing big ones like CBS, ABC and PBS. The "Blue" offering, also for $25, has a more sports-oriented lineup. (You can get both Blue and Orange combined for $40 monthly.) Many favorites may be missing from "Blue" or "Orange" for you. For instance, if you like MSNBC and CNBC, you'll have to pay $5 more monthly for the "News Extra:" package. To get TCM, look for the Hollywood Extra package, MTV and TV Land are in the Comedy extra offering. All add $5 each monthly. Nickelodeon is missing from all of them.
I went threw dish I cant afforded them I been with them 5 years and now I cant pay anymore I have to send my stuff back ok fine then I get charged when I told them to turn it off that’s so crazy so no tv for us we live out in the country cant get a darn thing I just go high speed this year I live 25 miles from town and on a very tight budget it not right I cant go on line and watch tv and I am disable all so I am so tired losing my money
Thanks for mentioning Fancast. We think our offerings are second to none, and in addition to Fox and NBC shows like Family Guy or The Office, we ALSO have great Viacom hits like The Colbert Report, The Daily Show and South Park – as well as an extensive collection of classics. Your readers might be interested to see the full list of our TV library, all of them free, and full-length of course. It’s at http://www.fancast.com/full_episodes
Launched in 1981 by United Video Satellite Group, the network began its life as a simple electronic program guide (EPG) software application sold to cable system operators throughout the United States and Canada. Known simply as the Electronic Program Guide, the software was designed to be run within the headend facility of each participating cable system on a single, custom-modified consumer-grade computer supplied by United Video. Its scrolling program listings grid, which cable system operators broadcast to subscribers on a dedicated channel, covered the entire screen and provided four hours of listings for each system's entire channel lineup, one half-hour period at a time. Because of this, listings for programs currently airing would often be several minutes from being shown. Additionally, because the EPG software generated only video, cable operators commonly resorted to filling the EPG channel's audio feed with music from a local FM radio station, or with programming from a cable television-oriented audio service provider such as Cable Radio Network.
If you need a cheap alternative to a gaming system I’d highly recommend the $35 Google Chromecast. I did a full review of it here: Google Chromecast review. Basically you can use it in conjunction with services like Netflix, Hulu, Google Play and others for cheap entertainment. It can also stream online shows in your Chrome web browser from your computer over the wi-fi connection. We’ve been using it a bunch lately and love it.
If you watch only a few favorite shows, it may be cheaper to purchase and download seasons of the shows you like from Amazon, Google, or iTunes. This strategy works especially well if you don’t need to watch particular shows immediately, if you prefer to binge-watch, or you buy, rent, or borrow the DVD or Blu-ray box set when available. For example, a full season of Game of Thrones at the Google Play store was $30 at the time we checked, while season two of Mr. Robot was only $20.
The savings are all tied to a service that is in a sense revolutionary. Sling TV, a new live TV streaming service from Dish provides you with access to networks like ESPN 1, ESPN 2, HGTV, Food TV,TBS, Disney and more for $19.99 per month. All you need is an internet connection to watch Sling TV on a television, phone or tablet. With a deal I found, just for signing up, you get a FREE Fire TV Stick.
Hulu is more than just a place to find some streaming originals and a lot of day-after-air shows. Last year it launched a live TV service—and it quickly became the PCMag Editors' Choice in this arena. Yeah, you pay more, but for that $39.99 you get access to the entire Hulu library we discussed above, plus lots of cable channels, including many local affiliates that stream live (depending on your location).
In August 2007, Russia Today became the first television channel to report live from the North Pole (with the report lasting five minutes and 41 seconds). An RT crew participated in the Arktika 2007 Russian polar expedition, led by Artur Chilingarov on the Akademik Fyodorov icebreaker.[42][43] On 31 December 2007, RT's broadcasts of New Year's Eve celebrations in Moscow and Saint Petersburg were broadcast in the hours prior to the New Year's Eve event at New York City's Times Square.[43]
Basically, when you go to your xbox and select to view video, you can view video from the xbox’s hard drive (stuff you download from xbox live), or from one of the connected media servers. Playon would be one of the connected media servers (in addition to the built in media server in windows vista -which only has limited streaming capabilities). Does that make sense or did I just muddy the water even more?
What you get: DirecTV Now should appeal to anyone who wants DirecTV service but not the satellite dish. The company recently hiked prices by $5 on its various plans. The company’s Live a Little plan, which provides 60 channels, now costs $40 per month, and the Just Right package has gone to $55 per month. Go Big jumped to $65 per month, and the top 125-channel plan, Gotta Have It, costs $75 instead of the previous $70. The good news is that the NFL Network has been added to all DirecTV Now’s packages starting with Just Right and above, at no additional cost. Also, you can add HBO for just $5 per month. The company will be launching a next-generation version of the service this spring that bumps up the number of simultaneous users from two to three.
Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting did its first deal with Netflix that year. Another transaction the following year brought in more than $250,000 per episode for reruns of shows like Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, according to the former executive. Time Warner figured Netflix’s money would make up for any lost advertising revenue from viewers who watched on Netflix instead of a cable box.
If you just want local channels you could just get a TV with a digital tuner (most of them these days), and use a HDTV antenna to get all your local channels. To record live shows you can use a over-the-air DVR like the Tablo TV DVR. If there are premium channels you want beyond the basics there are services that carry those channels like Sling TV, Amazon, HBO GO, and more. It all comes down to figuring out what channels and services you need, and figuring out where they’re available.
Of course, as mentioned above, watching live sports through a streaming service means you’ll suffer a bit of a delay. If you’re watching the game on your own, you probably won’t notice, but you won’t want to follow along on Twitter or read text messages from your friends if you want to avoid spoilers. (Wirecutter staffers sometimes notice the neighbors yelling after an exciting play only to see it happen on our TVs 15 to 30 seconds later.) And if you’re using an older media streamer, we’ve found that Sling TV can start to stutter and lag after streaming a football game for two-plus hours; we “fix” the problem by restarting the app during a commercial break.
Yes, in theory, the higher the dB gain number the better. Although, overall performance is just as important. You must also consider where you live and where the broadcast towers are located. If they are over the visual horizon, a higher number is better. If not, a lower number is ok. You must watch out for high dB numbers that are marketing ploys to get you to pay more for a product you may not need.
You’d be surprised Vicki, many can’t part with either for some reason. That said, taking a look at that site there are very few series available on it so it wouldn’t be a good option for many. I’d also disagree that you can get most of what you want to watch online. For many they’ll want or need a streaming services to replace the channels/shows they watch most.
When talking to people who are interested in cutting the cord, the issue that continually crops up is how to find affordable internet access. Many ask how to obtain internet access without a cable TV bundle. While market competition between internet service providers in the U.S. is extremely low, you can still find deals on high-speed internet only plans without a TV bundle.
The most famous of the cheap HDMI brands, Monoprice has dozens of options to chose from. The linked cable is "Premium Certified," which is actually a certification. It basically means the cable is more or less guaranteed to work with 4K and HDR. The Premium Certified logo isn't required for 4K HDR, but if you see a cable that's Premium Certified and has the matching hologram and QR code, it's a pretty safe bet it will work.
Peter i need the book ” for dummies” about all that you are teaching. I pay 170.00 a month for basically nothing from comcast. I really want to tell them to go to hell for years now. Need help on step by step on what i need to get, do and understand the easy for dummy way. If you can help with one on one teaching me well i rather give you the payment i give freaking comcast. I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM, EVERYTHING. PLEASE HELP. KAREN
The reason? The recent emergence of new streaming services like Dish Network’s Sling TV, which includes a sampling of the most popular “basic” cable channels, and HBO Now, the only streaming service to include HBO shows, has coincided with Amazon and Netflix coming into their own as producers of serious television. The result is that virtually every class of TV watcher can find most of what they need without paying a cable bill.
The Boxee Box is a good device for those that want a highly configurable, full-featured media center but don't want to deal with the hassle of building one and installing something like XBMC. If you're willing to put in the time setting it up (and you aren't sharing it with someone less tech-savvy), it can be a pretty powerful media center, but it definitely isn't for everyone.
Bear in mind that, if you’re on the ball, there’s also plenty you can watch for free — with no need to subscribe to anything. This may change in the future as major media companies put more of their products behind a paywall, but for now, some major channels (like ABC, Fox, the CW and PBS) make select episodes of their shows available online for nothing, for a limited time after their original broadcasts. You can watch them through a web browser or through an app on your set-top box.
A high definition simulcast feed of the network (broadcasting in the 1080i format) was also launched that year; it was added to various providers through the renewals of TVGN's existing carriage contracts. The high definition feed only carries the channel's entertainment programming, with no overlays or hardware used to provide listings information. The final agreements with providers which specified that the channel carry a listings scroll ended in June 2014.[34] Some providers, such as the municipally-owned cable system in Frankfort, Kentucky, continue to carry the scroll without any video programming on a separate channel (such as a local origination channel) for customers who subscribe to the provider's analog service.
With the Digital Starter package starting at $49.99 per month, Xfinity comes in with the best all-around package out of all our recommended TV providers. The channel selection for Xfinity’s entry package is pretty similar to DISH’s base-level package (including channels like ESPN, TNT, AMC, and Discovery). It’s also a better bargain than the satellite service (and the next-closest cable TV provider, Spectrum) by about $10 per month.
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Prime ($8.99/mo., $119/yr.): If you shop a lot on Amazon, it’s already worth it to pay the hundred bucks a year (or $12.99/mo.) for Prime, which includes the streaming Prime Video service, the Prime Music service, some free Kindle books and free two-day shipping on many products. If you’re not big on yearly commitments, you can still get just the video service for $8.99 a month.
My basic problem is that we pay so much money with cable TV. As mentioned we get all these weird channels that we can’t understand the language, once you get a channel you really like the cable company takes it away and dosen’t replace it with anything but still charges you the same or more money, and there is more comercials than programming. I am really sick of this. I am really ready to cut the cord. Thanks for all of the information that this forum has provided. I will look into some of them.
I have Comcast for internet but included the basic TV package since our OTA antenna does not pick up all local stations well in our area. PBS does not come in at all. Playon is a great addition to our Roku which we use with Hulu Plus to catch up on the TV shows we don’t have time to watch when they are on (I’m a Castle addict). I try to keep up with new private channels and plugins periodically. I also have a Touchpad and downloaded a wonderful app for $2 called Video Flood HD to stream other shows I can’t get elsewhere, including HGTV. Not sure if something like it is available for other platforms, but it would be great if a similar app was available to integrate into Roku or Playon.
Satellite TV packages from DISH® let you order the services you love, like TV and Internet, in one convenient stop. TV with DISH offers over 330 channels, while satellite and High-Speed Internet from DISH partners give you the speed and data you need to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest trends and commentary. With DISH Network, one call gets you the entertainment you want at a price you can afford.
You no longer need a cable or satellite TV subscription to watch your local TV channels. You can now watch your local networks through the internet through streaming services that now stream local broadcast affiliates in several markets. You can even get a device like a Roku and watch them on your TV set. If you live in on near a major metro area, you can likely receive all of you local channels online. Here are some of those services:
Unfortunately, there's no way to tell just by looking at a cable whether it can handle the deluge of data required for 4K and HDR content. Even if it says "High Speed" on the jacket, that's not 100 percent useful. A cable can be considered "high speed" if it passes 1080p, but not be well enough made to handle 4K. The only way to verify it works is to test it.
We save almost $1,000 per year because of the setup we use to watch TV without cable or satellite subscriptions. Our setup currently consists of Hulu, Amazon video, and an indoor HDTV antenna. We’re able to watch all of our favorites shows, local TV stations and we can catch pretty much all the games during football season (Dannie LOVES football so that is a must).
Both the EPG Jr. and EPG Sr. allowed cable operators to further customize their operation locally. Among other functions, the listings grid's scrolling speed could be changed and local text-based advertisements could be inserted. Each text-based advertisement could be configured to display as either a "scroll ad" (appearing within the vertically scrolling listings grid between its half-hour cycles)[2] or as a "crawl ad" (appearing within a horizontally scrolling ticker at the bottom of the screen).[3] If no advertisements were configured as "crawl ads," the bottom ticker would not be shown on-screen. The on-screen appearances of both the Jr. and Sr. versions of the EPG software differed only slightly, due primarily to differences in text font and extended ASCII graphic glyph character rendering between the underlying Atari and Amiga platforms.[4]
Fubo TV is a sports-centric service that also offers a number of other channels including local OTA stations (except ABC) -- and more RSNs (regional sports networks) than any other service. Especially for fans of professional baseball, basketball and hockey teams, Fubo might be the only way to watch regular-season games without cable. There's no ESPN, however, and a convoluted user interface and high price mean it's not the first service we'd choose.
Netflix – Best for catching episodes of your favorite shows from last season or from the last decade. While Netflix doesn't typically offer recently aired episodes of popular shows, it's perfect for streaming episodes from previous seasons, or for getting your "Murder She Wrote" groove on. There's a monthly fee to subscribe to Netflix but once you're signed up, you can stream an unlimited amount of shows.
Charm, just to be fair, cable and satellite both give “free” viewing of select channels at various times. I would get an email notice from my satellite provider, which of course I routinely ignored because “it’s advertising”. Then I’d discover the channel and LOVE it and it would disappear. Well, that’s because it was a tickler and I would have to pay extra to get it regularly. So, when you say they take it away and you still get charges, you misunderstood their program. They let you have a free peek and if you love it, you can pay to have it all the time. It’s actually great marketing! We ended up with ID Discovery because my husband and I fell in love with Joe Kenda and let me tell you we paid for it!
I think they like to scare you by moaning and groaning about how high much your internet bill will be if it is not bundled. I just checked and currently the “introductory” price for bundled service is $29.99 each for your internet, phone and cable. That’s for a year and then it skyrockets, as usual. If I recall correctly, the price doubled for each service so in the long run you’re looking at perhaps an increase of $5-$10. Hmm… So is the stand-alone price higher, sure but it is not through the roof. Yes, you may pay a bit more for internet service but you have to look at the big picture. When we cut the cord, our overall savings per month (when you included subscription services), was well over $100/month. Is it worth paying a few dollars more for unbundled high-speed internet service in order to save $100 or more each month? You bet it is!
Price: A premium account goes for $6.95/month and has unlimited access to all content as well as discounts on merch like plushies and shirts at the Crunchyroll store. The Fan Pack, which goes for $9.99/month, gets you Crunchyroll content plus funimation and simuldubs ad-free and in HD on VRV. Finally, for $14.99/month, the Super Fan Pack will give you all of the previously mentioned perks, plus free shipping at the Crunchyroll store and special access to events.
There are many differences. SlingTV is the cheapest, but it's missing many channels unless you pay extra for them. And If you're a fan of Nickelodeon or PBS, you won't be able to see the kids' TV favorite on YouTubeTV, SlingTV, Sony PlayStation VUE or Hulu with Live TV, but you can get Nick with DirecTV Now. And if you have an Amazon Fire TV Stick as your streaming device to bring Internet to your TV, you can't see YouTubeTV.
A reader of the blog informed me that WOW! now offers Internet access in Knoxville Tennessee. They offer speeds of 30 Mbps for just $25 and 60 Mbps for just $40 a Mbps. If anyone has any experience with their Internet-only service them please post in the comments. They appear to offer service in parts of South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kansas, Michigan, Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio.
RT drew particular attention worldwide for its coverage of the 2008 South Ossetia war.[43][44][45] RT named Georgia as the aggressor[45] against the separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which were protected by Russian troops.[46] RT saw this as the incident that showcased its newsgathering abilities to the world.[12] Margarita Simonyan stated, "we were the only ones among the English-language media who were giving the other side of the story – the South Ossetian side of the story."[44]
There is a small catch. Using Kodi to watch pay-TV on the sly comes with some risk. There are arguments about whether or not Kodi is legal. It is highly recommended you take steps to use Kodi safely so you avoid Kodi’s security issues (so you don’t get hacked while you use it). But, as long as you use Kodi with a VPN, you’ll stay safe and private and have nothing to worry about.
Pros: One benefit is unlimited DVR storage. Your recorded programs will be saved for up to nine months, compared with only about a month on some other streaming services. With more than 50 networks plus local news and sports, YouTube TV's offerings are greater than most of the others on our list. Also, you can create up to six accounts with your subscription, and you can stream on up to three devices at once.
RT International, based in Moscow, presents around-the-clock news bulletins, documentaries, talk shows, debates, sports news, and cultural programmes that it says provide "a Russian viewpoint on major global events".[3] RT operates as a multilingual service with conventional channels in five languages: the original English-language channel was launched in 2005, the Arabic-language channel in 2007, Spanish in 2009, German in 2014 and French in 2017. RT America (since 2010),[6] RT UK (since 2014), and other regional channels also offer some locally based content.
Sometimes those contracts don't work out. A major case in point came in May, when Sinclair Broadcasting Group, a major owner of local stations nationwide, pulled its stations from Sony's PlayStation Vue service. Vue lost a good chunk of channels, moving from second-most in August of 2017 to second-to-last now, beating only Sling. Even Fubo TV has more local channels than Vue.
This steady decline is the driving force behind a series of blockbuster mergers reshaping the media landscape, such as AT&T buying Time Warner, Walt Disney acquiring much of Fox, and Comcast pursuing Sky. Entertainment companies, nervously watching their business model waste away like a slowly melting glacier, are deciding they need to get larger and expand globally to compete with deep-pocketed rivals like Netflix—or sell.
Playon allows you to stream a wide variety of video sources to your TV via a connected device. If you already pay for and you’re fine with Netflix, Hulu and a couple of others you get through your Blu-ray player, you’re probably fine without Playon. But Playon would allow you to stream TV shows from networks, some cable networks, and a bunch of other places that you might not be able to otherwise (unless you regularly hook your laptop up to the TV).
There are three main types of Mohu antennas: Leaf, Sky and Curve. Leaf antennas are extra thin and can be mounted on windows. Long range Sky Mohu antennas are designed to be mounted outside and can pull in feeds from 65 miles away. The Curve line of antennas are for people who live closer to cities and are designed to be mounted on shelves and desks.
On both Roku devices and Apple TV, much of the best content does require a pay per view fee or subscription, so you'll want to keep an eye on how many you buy. And there are a growing number of apps like HBO Go that are restricted to those still with a cable/satellite TV subscription. But even if you never venture much beyond Netflix and Hulu Plus, you're getting a lot of content for very little money.
PlayStation Vue plans aren’t that much cheaper than traditional cable or satellite, so it’s probably not the best option if you‘re cutting the cord to save money. It does offer a 5-day free trial, so you can test it out (two days shorter than any other streaming service), but make sure to cancel by day five, or you‘ll be charged for the whole month.
If you have a TV in your house -- that is, a screen that incorporates a tuner -- you're part-way to cutting the cord already. An affordable indoor antenna hooked up to your TV will let you watch free TV over-the-air from any channel you receive in your local broadcast area. Antennas cost as little as $10; see our comparison of indoor antennas here.
Video Streaming Services: There are tons of online video streaming services like Hulu.com, Netflix, Amazon.com Instant, CBS.com, Philo, YouTube, Comedy Central, HGTV, and ESPN that support the PlayOn software! The software also now supports plugins, so additional channels are appearing all the time including the Food Network, NBA/NFL content, and others! – Cost: Free
As far as what you need to connect your projector to the computer, I’m not sure, it’s hard to know exactly without knowing your exact setup. If your computer has a tuner built in you could plug in an antenna like this one to get your over the air signal, and then use some sort of wireless video streaming device to get the video source to your projector.
Once you have a TV that is “digital ready”, all you need to do is install a TV antenna. I installed the Mohu Sky 60 outdoor antenna on my roof and now I receive all the major local broadcast networks. Mohu also makes quality indoor antennas like The Mohu Curve and Mohu Leaf. If you are interested in purchasing a Mohu antenna, check my Mohu promo page for a big discount.
This may not be for everyone, but if are in the US, and you already have a somewhat fast PC with a large enough hard drive, a home network, and an Xbox 360 on a TV, you can get an HD TV card with 2 tuners and record up to two TV programs at a time. I am using an HDHomerun, because I like the fact that it’s not physically in my computer, but there are cheaper alternatives. The Windows7 version of Windows Media Center has greater HD quality than most HD recorders offered by cable/satellite/ and others that cost over $400.00 per box if you were to buy one! Some cable companies deliver QAM signals also, so even if you only have the most basic cable signal, you may be getting free unencrypted digital signals over that line (check with your cable company), or you can also use an antenna for free, like me.
The ClearStream Eclipse has some of the best-rated performance in its class. The antenna is multi-directional, powerful, and surprisingly versatile. The Eclipse comes in four separate versions: 35, 50, 60, and 70-mile variations, so you’ll be able to snag a model that best suits your location. The double-sided adhesive mounting surface is black on one side and white on the other, and it can be painted over so you’ll be able to integrate it into any decor. The circular design of the antenna is unique and provides an advantage in being better at picking up UHF signals (a type of HD TV signal) than most other indoor antennas. Plus, it’s multidirectional, so finding an ideal configuration where the signal is clearest is easy.
One of the great dreams of cord-cutting is that it will allow consumers to pick only the channels they actually want, rather than paying for programming they never watch. But the services above essentially operate more like traditional cable, providing packages of channels, not all of which are widely desirable. It’s unlikely that any one of these subscriptions will offer everything that a given consumer is looking for, and it will require viewers to scroll past a lot that they don’t.
For me, it means i don’t have to have the computer hooked up to my TV, i can stream the shows over the network and have my computer in another room. It also means I can watch the shows full screen, using my remote and/or Xbox controller, to pause, skip, select shows, etc. It’s also more convenient for me than having to navigate to a website, and surf around using the keyboard/mouse, and having all that computer hardware sitting on my coffee table.
On May 2, 2008, Gemstar-TV Guide was acquired by Macrovision (now TiVo Corporation) for $2.8 billion.[18] Macrovision, which purchased Gemstar-TV Guide mostly to boost the value of its lucrative VCR Plus+ and electronic program guide patents, later stated that it was considering a sale of both TV Guide Network and the TV Guide print edition's namesake to other parties. On December 18 of that year, Macrovision announced that it had found a willing party for TV Guide Network in private equity firm One Equity Partners. The transaction included tvguide.com, with Macrovision retaining the IPG service.[19][20]
I don’t follow your second point, what seems unethical – and difficult? If you mean Playon – I’m not sure why it would be unethical. You still have to watch all the ads that Hulu/other services put in the content, as watching TV through playon is basically the same as watching it through your web browser. So you’re not really stealing content or anything like that. Just watching it with Playon instead of IE or Firefox.
"I'm a huge science nut, and love my documentaries. This app is loaded with excellent information. I've watched videos on everything from quantum physics to the formation of solar systems to the birth and death of stars to interplanetary robotics. I can't get enough. But there's a lot more than that. Singularity, nanobots, climate change, space exploration, astronomy, and everything under every sun that we know about so far."
FilmStruck ($6.99/mo, $10.99/mo., $99/yr.): A cinephile’s paradise, this service offers a range of classic, independent and foreign films from around the world, including (at the higher-tier subscription) most of what’s been released by the boutique home video company the Criterion Collection. (Lower tier subscriptions include a rotating selection.) FilmStruck, which is developed and managed by Turner Classic Movies, has been adding hundreds of classic titles since February from the Warner Archive, which until recently had its own streaming service. Tons of Old Hollywood favorites like “Casablanca,” “Citizen Kane” and “Rebel Without a Cause” are now available on FilmStruck as result. What’s more, its home page is one of the best-curated, best-updated of any streaming site.
At the beginning of January 2009, the print edition of TV Guide quietly removed its listings for TV Guide Network (and several other broadcast and cable networks) over what the magazine's management described[21][22] as "space concerns". In actuality, the two entities had been forced apart by their new, individual owners, with promotions for the network ending in the magazine, and vice versa. TV Guide magazine journalists also no longer appeared on TV Guide Network. The top-line "plug" for the network did, however, remain intact on the websites of internet-based listings providers using TV Guide's EPG listings. TV Guide Network's program listings returned to TV Guide magazine in June 2010, with its logo prominently placed within the grids.
If you want the best android box to use, the Nvidia Shield TV Pro Home Media Server is it. I decided to go with the more expensive version for more memory, but it does have USB ports so you could use that to add memory. It is preloaded with different apk's but I've added better ones to use. For a listing of apk's you can go to Kodiapps.com which also has builds and apps. You also can use Google playstore for apps and games, some are free and some you pay for. Some have said only gamers would get this android device as it is more useful for them. I would disagree on that. It's true with its graphics, it's great for games (but not as good as ps4 or pc), but I found it ran apps and apks much better than using a lower end box - less ... full review
DirecTV Now offers a generous number of channels across four different packages, and it doesn't cost all that much, considering how much you get: $35 per month for more than 60 channels, up to $70 per month for more than 120 channels. While it's a good deal on paper, DirecTV Now itself has inconsistent video quality, a suboptimal interface and a haphazard selection of on-demand content. DVR options are still in their infancy, and platform availability is all over the place. If you want the largest amount of stuff to watch for the least amount of money, DirecTV Now works; otherwise, it's not the best choice.
“ They get these extreme voices on that have this kind of hostile toward the West viewpoints towards the world, very extremist. These are the people that they have on. And when I was on the anchor desk, they would instruct you to egg on these guests and try to get them, you know, rallied up, to really fire off their anti-American talking points. Listen, I'm all about exposing government corruption. I'm all about being critical of the government. But this is different. This is promoting the foreign policy of somebody that has just invaded a country, has invaded the country and is then lying about it, is using the media as a tool to fulfill his foreign policy interests. And RT is part of Putin's propaganda network and it's very, very troubling in the wake of what is going on in Ukraine today.[23] ”
Both of us have managed to survive without a cable subscription for years, but the lifestyle isn’t for everyone. If you’re going to take the plunge, you’ll need a device—or multiple devices—to stream through. Thankfully, the cost of a media streamer is far less than it was even just a few years ago, so adding a few around your residence is easy to do. Over the past several years, we’ve found that Roku makes the best media streamers for most people, but we’ve tested streaming boxes from Apple, Google, Amazon, and Nvidia and have recommendations for any type of viewer.
An HD antenna won’t give you all of the channels you would have access to if you purchased a cable subscription. However, it will increase the number of channels you can watch on local TV. And the one-time cost (as opposed to an ongoing monthly fee) means you’ll save money. It can be another attractive feature of using antennas to expand your viewing choices.
5. See if you have a smart TV. If you bought your television after 2009, there’s a good chance it can already stream television shows via the Internet. Many modern televisions are “Internet-ready” with apps such as Hulu and Netflix embedded in them. With all the buzz about streaming “boxes” and “sticks,” it’s easy to overlook the technology you already have.
Not only do you have access to stream over 40,000 hit movies and TV shows, but you get free music, books, and unlimited photo storage as well. Your membership also includes free 2-day shipping from Amazon.com regardless of the order size. Some metropolitan areas offer 2-hour shipping. For more information, check out all the benefits you receive with Amazon Prime.
Amazon has invested heavily in creating original TV shows, and often asks viewers to vote on the pilots they'd like Amazon to develop into full seasons (supposedly they're doing away with "pilot season" in the future). Great shows include The Tick, Sneaky Pete, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Catastrophe, Bosch, Mozart in the Jungle, and The Man in the High Castle.
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Lt.-Gen. Charles Lamarre is photographed in Ottawa on Friday, May 25, 2018. Lt.-Gen. Charles Lamarre, the military’s chief of personnel, says allies have been closely following with great interest as the military spent a year developing its policy on marijuana-use, which was officially released last week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Will legalized marijuana impact the Canadian military?
Allies have been closely following Canada’s year-long work to develop its policy on pot
Sep. 11, 2018 3:30 p.m.
The Canadian Armed Forces is seeking to reassure allies about the military’s new policy on recreational marijuana, which a senior commander says has so far elicited significant curiosity.
Lt.-Gen. Charles Lamarre, the military’s chief of personnel, says allies have been closely following the military’s year-long work to develop its policy on marijuana use, which was officially released last week.
The policy limits all consumption to within Canada and puts time restrictions on when service members can use marijuana.
RELATED: Canadian military issues guidelines for marijuana
The key question for many is whether marijuana, which becomes legal in Canada on Oct. 17, will impact the military’s ability to do its job.
Lamarre says he explained the policy this week to counterparts from the U.S., Britain, Australia and New Zealand, one of whom questioned why the Canadian military didn’t simply ban all marijuana use by service members.
The Armed Forces is required to follow Canadian laws and sought to balance that imperative with the need to protect the safety and security of people, equipment and operations by putting in certain restrictions, Lamarre says.
He believes the new policy will ensure the military’s operations are not affected and adds that Canada’s closest allies appear satisfied with the new policy.
Singh’s leadership under microscope as NDP MPs prepare to meet in B.C.
Feds settle lawsuit with moms denied extra EI benefits for sick leave
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Women who had first ultrasound in pregnancy in 1960s sought for exhibition
By Lucinda Cameron, Press Association Scotland
Organisers of an exhibition celebrating Glasgow’s role in developing obstetric ultrasound are seeking women who had the first scans while pregnant in the 1960s.
The scans, which are now a routine part of pregnancy, were developed in the city in a collaboration between experts in the fields of clinical obstetrics, engineering, electronics and design.
Dugald Cameron, a young designer graduating from Glasgow School of Art (GSA), transformed the industrial apparatus into a manufacturable machine in his first paid commission.
GSA said his Diasonograph, developed by Glasgow company Kelvin & Hughes Ltd, was the first ever ultrasound machine for pregnancy to go into production.
A young Dugald Cameron at work in his studio (Dugald Cameron/PA)
It was used in the Queen Mother’s Hospital (Yorkhill), making Glasgow the first city in the world to offer the scans in the mid 1960s.
The GSA exhibition Ultrasonic Glasgow will celebrate the city’s ground-breaking development of ultrasound in pregnancy, with scans now routinely used to check on the health of mother and baby and detect any abnormalities.
Organisers of the exhibition are keen to hear from women who had scans in Glasgow in the 1960s.
Susan Roan, a researcher in Communication Design at GSA, said: “As part of an exhibition marking the work of Professor Cameron on the first ultrasound machine for pregnancy, we are keen to hear from the women who had a scan and people who worked with the equipment in the mid 1960s.
“We hope to be able to record interviews with the generation of women who were the very first to have access to technology which is now available to women in pregnancy across the globe.”
After a period working in industry, Professor Cameron returned to GSA to become the head of product design, head of design and then director of the art school between 1991 and 1999.
Anyone interested in telling GSA about their experiences, with the possibility of their story being included as part of the exhibition, is asked to contact Ms Roan by emailing ultrasoundstories@gmail.com.
Contact can also be made by post at The Glasgow School of Art, Communication Design Staff Office, Floor 1, Reid Building, 167 Renfrew Street, G3 6RQ.
John McDonnell to promise Labour will end 'in-work poverty' by end of first term
Breastfeeding support cuts are leaving unpaid volunteers to fill the role of public health
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May 15, 2018 / 11:56 AM / a year ago
Bosnia struggles to cope with arrival of thousands of migrants
Daria Sito-Sucic, Dado Ruvic
SARAJEVO/BIHAC (Reuters) - Bosnia is struggling to cope with the arrival of thousands of migrants and refugees, many of whom are sleeping in parks in the capital and other towns as they seek passage into western Europe.
Migrants are seen in front of a dorm destroyed during Bosnian 1992-1995 war, in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
The country’s asylum centre has 200 beds and 80 to 150 people have arrived each day this month, Security Minister Dragan Mektic said on Monday.
About 4,000 people from Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Algeria and Afghanistan have entered Bosnia this year compared with 755 in 2017 and up to 1,500 are stuck there. Many have faced perilous journeys.
“I was sent back from Croatia six times,” said Omar from Iraq, who arrived in Bosnia with his younger brother after spending two years in Greece. Omar declined to give his last name.
“I must get to Germany because all my family is there,” said the 19-year-old, echoing many others who spoke in the empty old building in Bihac near the Croatian border where he stayed.
More than a million migrants came to Europe in 2015. The so-called Balkan route into western Europe via Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia was shut in 2016 when Turkey agreed to stop the flow in return for EU aid and a promise of visa-free travel for its own citizens.
But since autumn, following stricter border controls between Serbia, Hungary and Croatia, smugglers have created a new route from Greece via Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia to Croatia and western Europe.
Migrants stranded in Serbia since 2016 are also increasingly crossing to Bosnia and many Iranians are also taking advantage of a visa-free regime introduced last year between Serbia and Iran.
While the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) expects arrivals to continue on average of 350-400 a week, Adnan Tatarevic from Pomozi.ba, a Sarajevo-based NGO that has helped migrants since January, says the numbers are higher.
“We expect about 50,000 arrivals by the end of the year,” Tatarevic told Reuters. International groups helping migrants have urged the government to accommodate people sleeping rough.
“The longer we wait to put accommodation and everything with it in place, the risk is we are creating ... a mini-humanitarian crisis,” said Peter Van Der Auweraert, IOM’s western Balkans coordinator. “It has to be done not in two months time but ... next week.”
Authorities in Sarajevo and the northwestern town of Bihac asked central government for help, saying they worried about health risks given the warmer weather and deteriorating public hygiene. The two cities are also tourism destinations.
Non-governmental organisations and residents, some of whom became refugees themselves during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war, have helped migrants for months but now say they struggle to cope.
Government ministers on Monday pledged to move the migrants to alternative accommodation but warned Bosnia could be forced to close borders unless the migrants can continue their journeys to other EU countries.
Writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg
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December 21, 2018 / 10:31 AM / in 7 months
Russian warship en route to Azov Sea from Crimea - Reuters witness
A view shows a Russian missile frigate moving in the direction of the Azov Sea about 1.5 nautical miles off the coast in the area of the town of Feodosia, Crimea December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian missile frigate is moving in the direction of the Azov Sea from Crimea, a Reuters witness said on Friday.
The frigate was spotted 1.5 nautical miles off the Crimean coast in the area of the town of Feodosia. A helicopter was visible onboard, the witness said.
Tensions are high in the area after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in the Black Sea on Nov. 25.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Reporting by Anton Zverev; Writing by Polina Nikolskaya; Editing by Andrew Osborn
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A Contemporary History
Bert Chapman
International trade plays an enormous role in economic growth and prosperity. This activity can also be used to transfer military equipment, knowledge, and technology to hostile governments and transnational terrorist and criminal organizations seeking to attack and destroy their enemies. The U.S. and other countries have used economic sanctions such as export controls to try to restrict and eliminate the transfer of weapons and financial assets to these governments and organizations. This work examines how the U.S. has attempted to restrict the export of national security sensitive equipment, finance, knowledge, and technology since World War II with varying degrees of success and failure. It also examines how multiple U.S. Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and international government organizations seek to influence U.S. international trade, foreign, and security policies while concluding that some export controls are essential for promoting and defending U.S. national security interests. « less more »
University Press of America
Subjects: History / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies), History / United States / General, Political Science / General, Social Science / General, Political Science / Public Policy / Communication Policy
Bert Chapman is Government Information, Political Science, and Economics Librarian and Professor of Library Science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He is the author of four previous books including Geopolitics: A Guide to the Issues. His research interests include government and scholarly literature on national and international security, foreign policy, and various aspects of diplomatic, economic, military, and political history.
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
Chapter 1 U.S. Legal and Legislative History 1
Chapter 2 Commerce and Defense Departments 47
Chapter 3 Customs & Border Patrol, Justice Department,
and Energy Department 162
Chapter 4 The State Department and Export Controls 186
Chapter 5 Treasury Department 234
Chapter 6 Congress and Export Controls 253
Chapter 7 Nongovernment Organizations and Export
Controls 272
Chapter 8 International Government Organizations 295
Conclusion 324
Bibliography 335
About the Author 431
International trade plays an enormous role in economic growth and prosperity. This activity can also be used to transfer military equipment, knowledge, and technology to hostile governments and transnational terrorist and criminal organizations seeking to attack and destroy their enemies. The U.S. and other countries have used economic sanctions such as export controls to try to restrict and eliminate the transfer of weapons and financial assets to these governments and organizations. This work examines how the U.S. has attempted to restrict the export of national security sensitive equipment, finance, knowledge, and technology since World War II with varying degrees of success and failure. It also examines how multiple U.S. Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and international government organizations seek to influence U.S. international trade, foreign, and security policies while concluding that some export controls are essential for promoting and defending U.S. national security interests.
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Guyana (disambiguation)
Guyana (Commonwealth realm)
Guyana (pronounced /ɡaɪˈɑːnə/ or /ɡaɪˈænə/), officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a sovereign state on the northern mainland of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the south and southwest, Suriname to the east and Venezuela to the west. With 215,000 square kilometres (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest country on mainland South America after Uruguay and Suriname.
The region known as "Guyana" comprised the large shield landmass north of the Amazon River and east of the Orinoco River known as the "Land of many waters". Originally inhabited by several indigenous groups, Guyana was settled by the Dutch before coming under British control in the late 18th century. It was governed as the plantation economy of British Guiana until independence in 1966, and officially became a republic within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. The legacy of British rule is reflected in the country's diverse population, which includes Indian, African, Amerindian, and multiracial groups.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Guyana
Guyana is a country in the Guianas, South America.
Guyana, Guiana, or Guayana may refer to:
French Guiana, an overseas department of France in the Guianas
The Guianas, a region in the north of South America
Guayana Region, an administrative region of Venezuela
Ciudad Guayana, a city in Bolívar State, Venezuela
Guayana language or Wayaná, an extinct Jê language of southern Brazil
Guayana or Wayana language, a Cariban language spoken in Surinam, French Guiana, and Brazil
Guiana Island, Antigua and Barbuda
All pages with titles containing Guyana
All pages with titles containing Guiana
All pages with titles containing Guayana
Guinea (disambiguation)
Wayana people
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Guyana_(disambiguation)
The Commonwealth realm of Guyana, officially known as "Guyana", was a predecessor to the modern-day Guyana and an independent state that existed between 26 May 1966 and 23 February 1970.
British rule ended in 1966, when Guyana was given independence as a Commonwealth realm by the Guyana Independence Act 1966 which transformed the British Crown Colony of British Guiana into the independent sovereign constitutional monarchy of Guyana with the British monarch as head of state. Guyana shared the Sovereign with the other Commonwealth realms, and the monarch's constitutional roles were mostly delegated to the Governor-General of Guyana. The royal succession was governed by the English Act of Settlement of 1701. The following governors-generals held office in Guyana during the dominion period:
Sir Richard Luyt (26 May 1966 – 16 December 1966)
Sir David Rose (16 December 1966 – 10 November 1969)
Sir Edward Luckhoo (10 November 1969 – 1 July 1970)
Elizabeth II did not reside in or visit Guyana during its time as a Commonwealth realm.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Guyana_(Commonwealth_realm)
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Yemen welcomes EU statement on negotiated solution
SANA’A – The Republic of Yemen on Saturday welcomed the European Union (EU) Council’s decision issued on February 18, 2019, which reaffirmed that only a negotiated and inclusive political solution can end the conflict in Yemen.
In a letter he sent to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf renewed the commitment of the political leadership, represented by the Supreme Political Council and the National Salvation Government of Yemen, to the outcomes of the Stockholm Agreement, which will pave the way for the rest of confidence-building steps between the warring parties, and the resumption of political negotiations.
Sharaf stressed the importance of the international community’s role in pressuring the aggression countries to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of Yemeni citizens, especially with regard the reopening of Sana’a International Airport to all commercial and civil flights, as well as the payment of all state employees’ salaries without exception.
He confirmed the full support for the efforts and good offices of the United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, to reach a political settlement and a sustainable peace that the Yemeni people look forward to after four years of the aggression.
Save the Children organisation condemns continued Western military support to Saudi invaders
Mohammed al-Houthi: Appointment of female Saudi ambassador to US is step forward, but more is needed
Video: Yemeni army's snipers shoot 13 mercenaries in Jizan
UAE-backed Shalal Shaye's forces shown attacking Aden civilians in video footage
Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi: Yemen must preserve its national cohesion and unity
Millions of Yemenis honour martyr President al-Sammad at funeral
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Celebrating One Year of Teen Arts Pass
News • Press Releases
Celebrating one year of Teen Arts Pass, Urban Gateways plans for the program’s next chapter
CHICAGO, IL (May 30, 2019) – Teen Arts Pass (TAP) launched in May 2018 to expand arts participation and equity for Chicago youth. With over 6,000 members and 26 arts partners to date, the program has made leaps and bounds since its inception and has built excitement for teen arts engagement among program stakeholders and TAP members alike.
On May 23, Urban Gateways hosted a presentation and panel for TAP partners, funders, and supporters at the Harold Washington Library Center; after Urban Gateways President & CEO Eric Delli Bovi provided an overview of the program’s one-year progress, TAP Teen Council members sat down with Tracie D. Hall of the Joyce Foundation for a panel discussion about TAP and how the city’s arts and culture sector can effectively engage young audiences.
“All this energy in this room is just planting seeds for the future. The energy the arts can create is infinite.” -Malcolm, TAP Teen Council Member
“If you’re putting the opportunity out there, teens will reach for it.” -Rachel, TAP Teen Council Member
TAP members also celebrated the program’s first birthday with a Teen Night at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on May 17 – featuring a Q&A with the Lyric’s wig designer, the opportunity to try on Lyric costumes from past productions, and $5 tickets to “West Side Story.”
TAP’s next major teen engagement strategy is a mobile app, currently in development for both iOS and Android platforms. Urban Gateways expects to launch the app in fall 2019.
Teen Arts Pass (TAP) enables anyone age 13-19 to purchase day-of-show tickets at any of our 26 arts partners (full list below) for only $5. TAP creates opportunities for young people to participate in arts experiences across the city, encouraging teens to pursue their artistic interests and broaden their worldviews by welcoming them into Chicago’s arts and culture institutions.
TAP registration is free for any teen regardless of residence or student-status; they can sign up at teenartspass.org in a matter of minutes. Upon registering they receive a temporary digital card and later a mailed physical card; information for all eligible events is available on the website calendar and soon on the TAP app. Companion Tickets are also available for select shows, allowing any TAP member to purchase an additional $5 ticket for a friend, parent/guardian, sibling, etc.
TAP already has over 6,000 members; 64% of them are from Chicago, with 98% from Illinois and a total of 26 states (plus Canada) represented. About 1,700 tickets have been purchased through the program to date (for only $5 each), and more than 40 additional arts organizations have expressed interest in becoming a TAP arts partner. See more one-year program stats here.
TAP aims to make Chicago arts and culture accessible to teens from every part of the city and beyond. Commissioner Mark Kelly of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events said of the program, “[There is] so much culture around us, but there’s a sense that ‘it’s not for me,’ ‘it’s not affordable,’ that ‘I’m not going to feel comfortable,’ that ‘I’m not going to be welcome.’ And now with TAP…Urban Gateways has opened doors, avenues, and perceptions that otherwise wouldn’t be available to teens.”
“Teen Arts Pass is a formal invitation for all young people to engage in the civic and artistic discourse of our city,” said Urban Gateways President & CEO Eric Delli Bovi. “This far-reaching initiative will influence the future vitality of Chicago’s arts and culture sector.”
Urban Gateways’ hope is to see more and more teens utilizing this exciting initiative and experiencing partner performances for many years to come.
“We are thrilled to participate in the Teen Arts Pass program,” said Kiana DiStasi, Goodman Theatre’s Audience Development Manager. “Inclusion is the fabric of our institution, and we are grateful to work with Urban Gateways to remove barriers that might prevent Chicago’s youth from participating in all the great arts and culture that this city has to offer.”
The 26 arts partners include: Auditorium Theatre, Barrel of Monkeys, Black Ensemble Theater, Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Court Theatre, Dance Center of Columbia College, eta Creative Arts, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Goodman Theatre, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, The Joffrey Ballet, Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts, Lookingglass Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA Stage), North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Northlight Theatre, Old Town School of Folk Music, Ruth Page Center for the Arts, Steep Theatre, UChicago Presents, Victory Gardens Theater, and Writers Theatre.
For more information contact Abby Prescott, Urban Gateways Chief Communications Officer, at 312.445.2755 or aprescott@urbangateways.org.
Urban Gateways engages young people in arts experiences to inspire creativity and impact social change. TAP is a program of Urban Gateways; with the Teen Arts Pass, teens can experience live arts performances all around Chicago for only $5. Sign up or learn more at teenartspass.org. Teen Arts Pass visuals including promo video and photos can be found here.
Pictured: TAP Teen Council members and friends at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, January 2019. Photo by Sehar Sufi.
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Northern Trust Included in Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index
Northern Trust also honored by Forbes and Fortune rankings
Northern Trust's work to support #GenderEquality recognized with place in @Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index http://bit.ly/2Eqkdcd @NTCSR
Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 4:00pm
NEWSROOM: Northern Trust
CAMPAIGN: Northern Trust Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
CHICAGO, January 30, 2018 /3BL Media/ - Northern Trust announced today that it is one of 104 companies included in Bloomberg’s first sector-neutral Gender-Equality Index (GEI).
For inclusion in the index, Northern Trust submitted a survey created by Bloomberg in partnership with third-party groups including Catalyst, Women’s Word Banking, Working Mother Media, National Women’s Law Center, and National Partnership for Women & Families. Those included on this year’s index scored at or above Bloomberg’s global threshold to reflect disclosure and the achievement or adoption of best-in-class statistics and policies.
“Northern Trust is proud to be recognized among companies that believe that transparency is a critical component of addressing gender issues,” said Connie Lindsey, head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Global Diversity and Inclusion at Northern Trust. “Northern Trust’s inclusion on Bloomberg’s GEI supports the firm’s principles and the values of our employees, clients and stakeholders.”
Women in GEI member firms comprised 46 percent of the workforce on average, earned 46 percent of the promotions, held 26 percent of senior leadership positions, and 19 percent of executive officer roles. Furthermore, GEI member firms boasted a 33 percent increase in executive level positions from fiscal year 2014-2016 and 26 percent representation on boards.
"We commend Northern Trust and the other 103 companies included in the 2018 GEI for their efforts to create work environments that support gender equality across a diverse range of industries," said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg and Founding Chairman of the U.S. 30% Club. "Their leadership sets an important example that will help all organizations innovate and navigate the growing demand for diverse and inclusive workplaces."
This year Bloomberg measured companies across a variety of sectors such as communication, consumer staples, energy, financial, health care, industrial, materials and technology. The GEI measures gender equality across internal company statistics, employee policies, community support and engagement, and gender-conscious product offerings. The survey is voluntary, with no associated fees.
Northern Trust is consistently recognized for exemplary business practices and was recently named to FORTUNE Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list, and ranked #1 in Forbes Magazine’s “Best Employers for Diversity” list.
For more information on the Bloomberg’s GEI visit https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/sustainable-finance.
About Northern Trust
Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has offices in the United States in 19 states and Washington, D.C., and 23 international locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2017, Northern Trust had assets under custody/administration of US$10.7 trillion, and assets under management of US$1.2 trillion. For more than 125 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit northerntrust.com or follow us on Twitter @NorthernTrust.
Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at https://www.northerntrust.com/disclosures.
Learn more about CSR at Northern Trust
CATEGORY: Awards, Ratings & Rankings
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UK politicians set to debate banning Trump from the country
Jan 18th 2016 9:44AM
LONDON — Members of Parliament are to debate the issue of banning Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from the UK at Westminster Hall on Monday afternoon.
The three-hour session, which kicks off at 4:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. ET), was prompted by a petition to ban him from the country as well as a counter petition saying he should be allowed in, after he made a series of controversial remarks.
See also: In Scotland, they hated Trump before hating Trump was cool
The debate will be led by Paul Flynn MP, a member of the Petitions Committee. It will be on the motion: "That this House has considered e-petitions 114003 and 114907 relating to the exclusion of Donald Trump from the UK."
The petition is being streamed at parliamentlive.tv and a full debate pack can be read online.
There will not actually be a vote on whether Trump should be excluded from the UK. E-petition debates in Westminster Hall can't directly change the law or result in a vote to implement the request of the petition, Commons Select Committee notes say.
The aim instead is to discuss the issues raised by the petitioners, ask questions on the government's position or press the government to take action. A government minister will be present to answer questions raised.
"By scheduling a debate on these petitions, the Committee is not expressing a view on whether or not the Government should exclude Donald Trump from the UK ... A debate will allow a range of views to be expressed," Helen Jones MP, Chair of the Committee said.
Image: petition.parliament.uk
The petition to ban Trump has been been signed by over 573,000 people, with a counter petition receiving over 42,000 signatures. Both will be considered. All petitions that receive over 100,000 signatures are considered for debate but not all reach this stage.
Suzanne Kelly, who started the petition after several divisive comments from Trump, told Mashable Saturday she had no further comment around the debate, instead pointing to a statement via Aberdeen Voice in which she asks David Gladwin, author of the counter petition, or any representative of The Trump Organisation, to debate her.
However, she said in December she was "delighted" that so many signed the petition, telling Mashable: "I'm starting to feel like the person who said the emperor's got no clothes on."
Her petition was initially signed by many people in the Aberdeen area of Scotland, a part of the country that has seen fierce opposition to Trump thanks to the controversial development of one of his golf courses in the region.
Trump attended a meeting in 2012 to object to the siting of a proposed offshore wind farm which will be viewable from his golf course just north of Aberdeen.
Image: Rex Features via AP Images
A number of UK politicians have waded in to the debate in recent months. Prime Minister David Cameron disagrees with a ban, saying that while Trump's comments were "stupid and wrong," he would "unite us all against him" if he came to the UK.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn echoed that sentiment Sunday, telling The Andrew Marr Show he thinks that Donald Trump has "weird and frankly off the wall views" but would like him to meet his Mexican wife and some of his constituents in a local mosque.
Jeremy Corbyn wants to take Donald Trump to a London mosque #marr
More here: https://t.co/ZUCRAJLtSUhttps://t.co/GUi6Evohef
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 17, 2016
Shadow defence minister Emily Thornberry has also said she'd like to show Trump round. "Frankly, I think that he needs educating, he has some very peculiar views about Britain. He has some very peculiar views about London," she said.
"I would love to show him around real London and show him how it is that we are an exceptional city and he clearly doesn't understand," she added.
Since the petition gathered steam, Trump has made several comments about the UK, saying that some parts of London are so radicalised the police don't go there.
The United Kingdom is trying hard to disguise their massive Muslim problem. Everybody is wise to what is happening, very sad! Be honest.
Ex-SNP leader Alex Salmond, meanwhile, agrees with the motion to ban Trump, saying: "He wants to ban all Muslims from the U.S. I want to ban all Donald Trumps from Scotland."
Home Secretary Theresa May, who actually has the power to ban individuals from the country, wouldn't be drawn on whether Trump would be kept out.
"I think we all agree that the comments Donald Trump made in relation to Muslims were divisive, unhelpful and wrong," she said in December.
"In relation to the question of banning individuals from the UK, given the role I play in making those decisions, I don't comment on individual cases," she added. "The decision on whether to ban anyone from the UK is made by the home secretary on the basis of the evidence at the time."
Related: See Trump on the campaign trail:
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
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Deacon Montalo honored at Respect Life Mass
As he stood with a medal hanging from his neck, Deacon Richard W. Montalto could only smile as the packed church rained applause upon him.
Deacon Monti, as he is widely known, was awarded the Culture of Life Medal of Honor during the Respect Life Mass Oct. 24 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland.
A deacon at St. Thomas Aquinas in Hampden, he was recognized for his contributions to the pro-life movement. As thrilled as he was to receive the award, Deacon Montalto said he considered it more of a recognition of the people he works with.
“I don’t take it as a personal award,” Deacon Montalto said. “I take it on behalf of all the men and women who volunteer, specifically at the Greater Baltimore Center for Pregnancy Concerns. When I go to the altar as a deacon, I bring that ministry with me.”
Linda Brenegan, director of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Respect Life Program, said that the award, in its 11th year, is an acknowledgment of hard work in promoting the pro-life position.
“We give the award to thank the people who have been so active in the pro-life movement,” she said, “and who have given so unselfishly of their time.” Catholic schools, including Mount de Sales Academy, Mt. Saint Joseph High School and Notre Dame Preparatory School, were represented at the Mass, evidence that the pro-life movement is getting younger, according to Brenegan.
She cited the church’s support as essential in the pro-life movement.
“The church’s role is vitally important in helping to form consciences and opinion in the right way,” she said. “We’re almost the only voice proclaiming the sanctity of human life.”
Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien celebrated Mass, expressing his gratitude to those who support the pro-life movement.
“As we come to the end of the pro-life month of October, we renew our intentions and our energies to continue to stand up for life, God’s most precious gift,” Archbishop O’Brien said in his homily. “Thank you, each of you and all of you, who are making the sacrifices you are making to proclaim, yet again, that human life is that gift – inalienable – endowed by our Creator.”
Cathedral parishioners appreciated the archbishop’s message.
“The archbishop’s message hit the nail right on the head,” Maria Zermeno said. “We felt for once, no one danced around the issues. Someone simply explained why we respect life.”
Archbishop O’Brien criticized society’s seemingly cavalier attitude toward the sanctity of human life, saying that human life is essentially viewed as a “commodity” by scientists who look to manufacture it.
“Every life is a gift of God,” he said. “Even as an increasingly secular culture banishes God and thinks itself autonomous, creating its own rules regarding the design of God from the very beginning.”
The Respect Life Office will sponsor a Helpers of God’s Precious Infants Mass at the Shrine of St. Alphonsus in Baltimore Oct. 30, at 8:30 a.m., to be followed by a prayerful procession to a Planned Parenthood clinic.
The Catholic Review is the official publication of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
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Home Tech E3 2019 Preview Gameplay fights the brutality of the police
E3 2019 Preview Gameplay fights the brutality of the police
Three years is a long time in politics. It's even longer for video games.
Released 2016 at Ubisoft Watchdogs 2 told the story of the San Francisco chapter of DedSec. DedSec, a disillusioned hacker collective, was determined to expose government corruption, to fight for the underprivileged masses, and to look damn good. DedSec consisted of three colored people, an introverted hacker with Asperger's Syndrome and a bisexual anarchist in a mask. Among other things, DedSec managed to kill a tech bro billionaire who valued money and power over human life.
In the course of history, Watchdogs 2 The default template for open-world crime games produced a youthful appeal full of unexpected, sincere bravery. It was a game that was so popular with gamers that a wealth of fan art, slash fiction, and unbridled appreciation for these handfuls of characters are still alive and online three years later.
However, it was also a game that was released a week after Donald Trump's election as President of the United States. Possible discussions that may not have materialized Watchdogs 2 at this time were immediately overshadowed by ubiquitous real events.
At the beginning of this month, an estimated 75,000 people went to the streets of London to protest against the visit of the current US president. Supported by a grim 19% approval for Trump in the UK, the Londoners made it clear that he was not welcome in their city and asked him, as a protest sign put it, "fuck off please". As expected, Trump denied that these demonstrators even existed and wrote them down as "false news".
That is to be expected now – the fact that Trump denies reality. That's one thing we all feel comfortable with somehow. It makes us laugh when we want to run screaming on the street. However, exhaustion is a powerful sedative and we tend to focus on entertainment and video games to manage our daily lives while increasing the number of people around us. Except the watchdog Franchise forces us to confront them instead.
At the E3 2019 in Los Angeles Ubisoft presented the third part of his hacker franchise. Watch Dogs: Legion, In the near future, the timeline of the game will set a version of London where the UK has already dealt with the consequences of "Brexit" and separated itself from the European Union. Subsequently, the worst-case scenario has occurred. London is now an oppressive dystopia living under the cruel boot of private security firm Albion. Citizens are in cages, people who oppose the government are disappearing, and fear is inexorable. It's like now, but with a bit cooler technology.
Times have changed both in society and in video games since the genre of the "Open World Crime Sim" has become popular.
In terms of storytelling, this idea is not groundbreaking. If this was a movie or TV series, this would be answered with a shrug. Yes, dystopia in the near future extrapolating real life, blah blah – we've seen it before. On the other hand, such topics are still extremely rare for a video game. Clear concepts that are so close together in this current political climate are usually avoided by all but the smallest independent studios. For a listed company like Ubisoft, which has an annual operating income in excess of two hundred million dollars, this type of video game seems to be a quiet revolution.
The aforementioned DedSec still exists in the world of watchdogbut has now become global. Marketed as "Play as anyone", legionThis time, the player can create a separate chapter of DedSec. You can choose the type of person you want to rebel against authority instead of getting specific characters from the beginning. It remains to be seen if this gameplay and its storylines get carried away by players as hard as the San Francisco kids. In any case, DedSec will continue to bring to power the struggle that is no longer a corrupt technology company in this futuristic London, but the government agency itself.
Times have changed both in society and in video games since the genre of the "Open World Crime Sim" has become popular. Dive into mainstream consciousness with rock stars Grand Theft Auto III In 2001, the number of video games released annually with similar structure is still high. Play in the perspective of a third person, travel to one place and get a mission with the freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want. Dozens of games have cloned this framework and some have improved it. However, there is one standard feature of this genre that has become so inherent that its effect has been largely forgotten.
In three games, the Watch Dogs franchise has led the authority function through the most intriguing changes.
The traditional "wanted level" feature in open world games essentially represents the police. When the player commits enough random crime outside of missions, typically in the form of murder, an authority person appears and does everything in his power to stop it. As a precautionary measure to contain an endless massacre cycle that ignores the missions and possibly completes the game itself, the desired level has changed over the years. From a visible threat in Grand Theft Auto III ridiculous aliens in Holy Series IV, The function of a ruling force has slowly taken a back seat and has gradually become the least interesting aspect of these games. It now seems to be a commitment, rather than a truly enduring purpose within game design.
In the real city where Watchdog Legion set, the use of dystopia technology is not a fantasy. The London City Police were criticized for this the use of the gangs matrix, a predictive tool for machine learning. To identify and monitor citizens suspected of being on the brink of gang violence, the matrix lists children under the age of thirteen, with 80% of those monitored referred to as "African-Caribbean" and 8% " white Europeans "are.
In addition to the use of automated facial recognition, these methods have resulted in a high level of misidentification, inadequate distinction between offenders and victims, and violations of the privacy policy for United Kingdom citizens. The London Mayor's Office called for a complete overhaul of the matrix and launched an investigation of its discriminatory techniques.
When the leader of the free world approves and promotes structural violence, the thin blue line of the law inevitably becomes blurred and blood-soaked.
Over the course of three games, the watchdog The franchise has led the authority function through the most intriguing changes. During the first game, the police are a largely avoidable hassle as the watchful Aiden Pearce demands a bloody revenge on the city of Chicago.
in the Watchdogs 2This concept changed dramatically based on the characters. Marcus and the rest of DedSec were determined to fight corruption, but because of their personalities, emotions, and conversations, the murder felt incredibly wrong for these little kids. A largely pacifist playthrough with 3D-printed taser pistols and billiard balls on ropes has become much more enjoyable in the story. The ability to lead innocent lives was still there – simple I really felt wrong, More than ever before. Organic is the police in Watchdogs 2 was virtually nonexistent and for the first time the idea of a desired level in an open world game seemed essentially pointless.
The majority of London police do not carry firearms. in the Watch Dogs: LegionTheir virtual counterparts are portrayed as reluctant members of Albion, but essentially their powers have been withdrawn. Any purpose they once had as a deterrent to this genre of video game has now been replaced by the new repressive regime in London.
The one constant in open-world games is no longer the obligatory inhibition it once was. Now it is the enemy.
The goal of this component in these games has not changed due to natural industry design trends, but because of the world around us. Starting from a significant force to be feared, this feature disappeared into irrelevant background noise and now into Watch Dogs: Legion, has become a full-blown antagonist of the game. Such a drastic change was no coincidence. The countless deaths of unarmed minorities by the police around the world and the lack of punishment of the perpetrators have dominated the news over the last three years.
Even Trump himself has the police encouraged brutality in his speeches and apologized for war crimes, which fits in with a man who still has his 30-year call for the execution of five boys in New York City. Such twisted beliefs of the world's most illustrious leader invaded the minds of the worst of humanity in 2019, giving them the courage to speak out in already volatile societies around the world. When the leader of the free world approves and promotes structural violence, the thin blue line of the law inevitably becomes blurred and blood-soaked.
The overwhelming distrust of the police towards the world has become so widespread in modern life that it has finally entered a medium of entertainment on a large budget that has largely ignored the actions of real colleagues in the past. When looking at the video game industry, Watch Dogs: Legion is an anomaly, but if it is considered part of the world we live in, it not only makes sense but feels overdue. How Art Imitates Life legion represents the last nail in the casket for what players know as a standard search level in video game thrillers. The one constant in open-world games is no longer the obligatory inhibition it once was. Now it is the enemy.
Executives of Ubisoft have consistently stated that they are unable to make political statements with their games. During this claim, a vague lease with franchisees could be given as Ghost Recon or The division, the existence of watchdog Series, and especially now with legionNot only to make such statements appear as a complete denial of reality, but to act against them as a listed company.
This constant separation between the CEOs and the story themes that are present in their games is not good to look at. If this goes on, the two theories are that senior executives are not interested in supporting their development studios, or they are somehow convinced that the only products of their own business are Rabbids and Just dance gains more traction, Either way, it not only reflects Ubisoft badly, but also a franchise that has successfully trodden its own path in predicting the future of society and making significant progress in its own genre.
Thanks to technology, the view of our society today has changed dramatically in general since 2016. The terms "alt-right", "fake news", "alternative facts" and others are no longer monstrous, they are just concepts that are interwoven into the boring stuff of our reality. Structural injustices are on the agenda, cruel governments and corrupt technology companies are no longer responding to anyone, and we watch as everything happens open as we browse our social media feeds.
The kind of arbitrary brutality that has always prevailed in modern civilization has become increasingly prominent, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the privileged ruling class to ignore.
Video games have also changed because the reflection of life through art is a trend that is inevitable, such as death, taxes and revolution. Of course Watch Dogs: Legion exist. We can only hope that the presentation of future London until its publication in 2020 is more fictitious than factual.
David Rayfield writes good things in good places like Gamespot, Kotaku, Medium and … elsewhere. Tweet it at @raygunbrown
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