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Home Crowdfunding Crowd2Fund upgrades iOS app to include IFISA Management tools
Crowd2Fund upgrades iOS app to include IFISA Management tools
By Miranda Wadham -
Crowd2Fund’s iOS app, which was the first peer-to-peer debt crowdfunding platform on Apple’s App Store upon its launch in 2016, has had a major upgrade.The refreshed version allows investors to track and manage their investment portfolio from the palm of their hand.
The enhancements have been made in response to user feedback, and now make it even easier for investors to invest in growing British businesses. At the time of publication, the average rating of the app is 4.6 (out of 5) stars and daily active usership has increased by an average of 30 percent since the update went live a few weeks ago.
IFISA activation and management
The flagship feature of the app allows users to activate and manage their IFISA portfolio. Activation is a seamless experience, with investors only having to fill in their details, enter their National Insurance Number, and upload their identification documents in order to get set up and start investing.
Latest opportunities, easy investment, and portfolio diversification
Users are then able to review and invest in all campaigns that are live on the Crowd2Fund platform directly from the app. This includes key information that they would usually find on the website, such as financials, estimated APR, and product risk. Once funds have been invested, users can review the existing companies within their portfolio as well as the terms of each loan. It is also possible to filter these by a number of preferences, including funding types, recently listed campaigns and those ending soon.
Access monthly activity and repayment schedules
The app’s dashboard provides detailed information on monthly investment and repayments, current balance of portfolios, Average APR, and future potential earnings.This makes it easy to ensure that portfolios are aligned with bespoke savings goals, with the ability to invest into other businesses should further diversification be needed.The enhanced dashboard also contains a social feed detailing investment activity across the entire Crowd2Fund community, allowing users to easily identify opportunities which may be of interest based on their popularity amongst others.
Buy and sell on the exchange
The app includes the web versions full functionality for investors to buy and sell investments on The Exchange – Crowd2Fund’s secondary marketplace.This lets investors buy and sell loan parts from their mobile devices and can be an effective means to make quick returns as well as potentially purchasing them at a preferential rate.Utilising The Exchange can also be a great way to diversify portfolios, due to it providing a wider range of campaigns to investors that have previously been live on the platform.
Staying ahead of the game
The redevelopment of the Crowd2Fund iOS app is part of the company’s self-proclaimed commitment to provide new and innovative ways for investors interact with the platform.
“We’ve spent a lot of time refining our app to make the user experience with our platform as seamless and easy as possible,” says Crowd2Fund CEO Chris Hancock.
“Users should be able to manage their investments from anywhere, and as one of the only peer-to-peer lending platforms that offers a mobile application, we are able to offer wider access to our platform for investors.”
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Miranda Wadham
Miranda is the online editor of UK Investor Magazine. Her interests include private equity, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, gender equality and coffee.
Funding Circle ends 2018 ahead of expectations
Cannabis and FinTech firms the most likely to be funded in 2019, says Crowdcube
Tuk Tuk Chai turns down Dragon Peter Jones for Crowdcube
Crowdcube reports record-breaking second quarter
Kin Group invest in Bidstack as part of reverse takeover
Pamm Beverages has launched Ginger & Citrus as well as Ginger & Pineapple non-alcoholic juice drinks
Tweets by @UKInvestorMAG
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Boeing Designing Hypersonic Airplane
If you thought flying anywhere in the world in just hours was impossible –think again.
Engineers at Boeing are working to turn hypersonic flight from a dream into an everyday reality. Advanced technologies, built on more than six decades of research and innovation, power Boeing’s new hypersonic design concepts.
How does a jet fly at hypersonic speeds?
Boeing’s designs combine traditional jet engines with ramjets, which use the airflow from the airplane’s forward motion to reach Mach 5.
Moving five times the speed of sound presents a number of unique engineering challenges. Boeing researchers and engineers are working tirelessly to develop innovative solutions to these complex problems and make hypersonic flight a reality.
Follow Watch U.S. Fly on Twitter to keep up with Boeing’s engineers on the journey to hypersonic flight.
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Top 7 Reasons to Be Concerned About Airbus’ Illegal Trade Practices
European governments have propped up airplane maker Airbus with illegal subsidies for more than 45 years. These subsidies continue to help fund the company’s airplane development programs, even though the World Trade Organization (WTO) has declared these capital infusions to be illegal subsidies multiple times.
Continued illegal subsidies for Airbus risk the future of America’s No. 1 export, the 137,000 U.S. aerospace jobs at Boeing and the 1.3 million jobs in Boeing’s U.S. supply chain. It risks America’s share of a $5.9 trillion global aerospace market.
Here are seven reasons why you should be concerned about unfair trade practices by Airbus:
1. Airbus accepts illegal government subsidies to fund its operations, even when they fail.
When Airbus develops a new airplane, it gets millions of euros and pounds from the governments of France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom. This massive infusion of public funds is called “launch aid,” and the WTO says it is a violation of trade law. This enables Airbus to sell its planes at deep discounts and “buy” market share. It also lets them off the hook for repaying the money if a product fails.
This illegal practice puts American aerospace companies who follow the rule of law at an unfair disadvantage.
2. Airbus lost in court but continues to violate agreed-upon trade laws.
In 2011, the WTO ruled European airplane maker Airbus received $18 billion in illegal subsidies, including launch aid, and both Airbus and European governments were ordered to cease this arrangement. In 2016, the WTO found Airbus failed to comply with the previous ruling and even benefitted from an additional $5 billion in launch aid for its A350, a new wide-body jet airliner.
In May 2018, the WTO found that Airbus and the EU continue to ignore the trade body’s rulings and must address the ongoing harm these illegal subsidies are causing to the U.S. aerospace industry.
3. Illegal subsidization of Airbus helped the company capture 50 percent of the global aircraft market.
Airbus used its legacy of illegal subsidies – going back more than 45 years and counting – to unfairly gain more than 50 percent of the global aircraft market. Travelers are now just as likely to fly on an Airbus jet as they are on a Boeing jet.
The WTO has said Airbus would likely not even exist today if not for illegal subsidies.
4. Violating trade law hurts the U.S. economy.
Americans love to compete. Competition makes us better, drives innovation and gives consumers greater choice. But it has to be fair. Companies like Airbus refuse to follow the rules of global trade, with harmful consequences for the American economy.
The economy grows when there is a level playing field for all global competitors. If Airbus refuses to stop violating the law, the U.S. economy will pay the price.
5. Skirting trade laws hurts American jobs.
Rules-based global trade is critical to Boeing’s growth and to American jobs. Selling airplanes to foreign markets sustains and grows U.S. jobs. When Boeing’s foreign competitors skirt and violate trade laws, it costs Boeing billions of dollars in sales and affects the hundreds of thousands of American jobs those sales would support.
6. Airbus is undermining trust in global trade.
When foreign countries and overseas competitors ignore the WTO and refuse to follow the rules of global trade, trust in the international trading system is destroyed. This distrust can pave the way for governments to turn protectionist, with negative economic consequences. U.S. export opportunities would decline, consumers would have fewer choices and face higher prices and innovation would slow to a crawl.
7. Boeing plays by the rules — Airbus should, too.
Boeing is committed to abiding by WTO rules, but Airbus continues to take illegal government subsidies. Our trade rules exist for a reason — to keep global competition fair.
In May 2018, the WTO ruled for the last time on European subsidies to Airbus, finding that illegal subsidies are causing ongoing harm to the U.S. aerospace industry. Europe now faces the prospect of U.S. sanctions on European imports to America unless they address these unfair business practices. It’s time Europe followed the global trading rules we all agreed to.
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American Tradition Institute Comments on Virginia Supreme Court Decision
( March 2, 2012) – In response to actions taken by Virginia’s Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled today that the University of Virginia and all other state agencies cannot be served with civil investigative demands which compel agencies to provide information for fraud investigations involving government funds. In response, American Tradition…
March 2, 2012 in Uncategorized.
Quote of the Week – alarmists missing targets
Ross McKittrick writes in with this: A bracing essay at Pointman’s. I particularly like this bit:
March 2, 2012 in Quote of the Week.
Friday Funny – pandemonium
Steve McIntyre writes: Lynn Truss‘ book on punctuation “Eats, Shoots and Leaves” received astonishing coverage. The title of the book is based on the following joke: A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons. ‘Why?’ asks the confused,…
March 2, 2012 in Fakegate, Humor, Satire.
Increasing Winter Cold in Recent Years and the Arctic
By Joseph D’Aleo, CCM A new study led by the Georgia Institute of Technology attempted to support a relationship reported in recent years (Overland) between melting ice in the Arctic regions and widespread cold outbreaks in the Northern Hemisphere. “We think the recent snowy winters could be caused by the retreating Arctic ice altering atmospheric…
March 2, 2012 in Arctic.
Dust deposition linked to glacier melt
From the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science and the Department of “The Albedo made me do it” comes further proof of what we have been saying before on WUWT about albedo effects of soot and dust. Meteorologist Mike Smith made an excellent backyard experiment a couple of years ago to…
March 2, 2012 in Aerosols, Glaciers.
Things About Peter Gleick That "Might Also Interest or Intrigue You"
Guest post by David Ross According to his own account, Peter Gleick “received an anonymous document in the mail describing what appeared to be details of the Heartland Institute’s climate program strategy.” http://heartland.org/media-library/pdfs/FORGED%20HEARTLAND%20MEMO.pdf Why was the “Climate Strategy” leaked only to Gleick? His explanation is less than convincing: “I do not know the source of…
March 2, 2012 in Fakegate.
UAH global temperature anomaly – still below the zero line
UAH Global Temperature Update for February 2012: -0.12 deg. C By Dr. Roy Spencer The global average lower tropospheric temperature anomaly cooled a little more in February, 2012, again not unexpected for the current La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean (click on the image for the full-size version): The 3rd order polynomial fit…
March 2, 2012 in Climate data.
Why CAGW theory is not “settled science”
In Andi Cockroft’s story yesterday Climate Science and Special Relativity he asked a prescient question: For the general public that does not have an objective scientific bent, how do you tell virtual reality from the real thing? Dr. Brown responded in comments, which was so well thought out, it benefits everyone by elevating it to full…
March 2, 2012 in Global warming, The Skeptic's Case.
Virginia AG loses in Mann-UVA litigation — with prejudice
JunkScience reports: The Virginia Supreme Court holds that the University of Virginia is not a “person” subject to a “Civil Investigative Demand” from the attorney general.
March 2, 2012 in FOI.
The sun is still in a funk: sunspot numbers are dropping when they should be rising
The sunspot number for February from SIDC is down again, to 33.1 Here’s the source of that data: http://sidc.oma.be/DATA/monthssn.dat So far, cycle 24 is significantly lower in SSN number that the last three cycles, in addition to having a delayed start. While the delta of the drop in Feb 2012 is not unusual by itself,…
March 2, 2012 in Science, Solar.
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A ‘Back to the Future’ Producer Wanted to Retitle the Film ’Space Man From Pluto’
Since February 2011, a wonderful little Twitter account called Network Notes has compiled user-submitted instances of TV network or movie studio executives providing wrongheaded commentary on scripts. It’s completely anonymous — it’d have to be, or else whoever runs this thing would be driven out of Hollywood with torches and pitchforks — and usually censors the actual work being referenced, but keeps the corporate affiliation of the executive making the notes. Some of them are horrifying (“The joke isn’t mean-spirited enough. Put in another rape joke in its place.” – Comedy Central), some are on the funnier side (“Please put a life vest on the frog. Trust us. We already went through this with the duck.” – ABC Family) and some make no sense whatsoever (“They should battle the street gang with their lifeguard cans.” – NBC).
But a post yesterday went right ahead and named the specifics, calling out the producer making the boneheaded suggestions and revealing which film he was referring to, which just so happens to be a sci-fi comedy from the ‘80s by the name of Back to the Future. Yesterday, the account posted a scan of a memo sent to one Steven Spielberg by producer Sid Sheinberg, with copies distributed to Bobs Zemeckis and Gale. In October 1984, when Back to the Future would’ve been in early-development stages, Sheinberg gave a friendly suggestion to remedy one of the biggest flaws in the project. The script was “terrific”, everything was fine, but that title. Wouldn’t something along the lines of Space Man from Pluto have a smoother flow, make more sense to audiences, and convey what the movie’s actually about much more succinctly?
We have the benefit of hindsight to inform us that no, that’s silly, of course not. But even so, we can now imagine a world where Bobby Zemeckis threw up his hands, said “screw it, why not?” and went with Space Man from Pluto. (Spielberg was able to weasel out of the suggestion by pretending it was a joke.) The film would’ve flopped, no sequel, Michael J. Fox never works again, Zemeckis never works again, and then none of us would have had to see creepy uncanny-valley Tom Hanks in The Polar Express! So, maybe Sheinberg was onto something?
Source: A ‘Back to the Future’ Producer Wanted to Retitle the Film ’Space Man From Pluto’
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Politics, Government & Finance
Where to Watch the First Democratic Presidential Primary Debates In Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor
The first Democratic primary debates of the 2020 US Presidential election are tonight and tomorrow night. Here is a listing of public watch parties.
The Democratic candidates for President are gearing up for the first primary debates of the 2020 election season, the first steps in culling the 20 most prominent individuals aiming to take on President Donald Trump next year.
The debate, taking place in Miami, will air at 9:00 pm tonight and tomorrow night on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo, and online. But sometimes politics is better with company — or alcohol. Here are a few options for watching the first Democratic primary debates around metro Detroit and Ann Arbor.
This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
Human Rights Campaign Watch Party at Traffic Jam & Snug
511 W Canfield St, Detroit, Mich., 8:30 pm - 11:30 pm. Register here.
Watch party at Affirmations in Ferndale
290 W Nine Mile Rd, Ferndale, Mich. 48220, 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm. RSVP by emailing ktaylor@goaffirmations.org or by calling (248) 398-7105, ext. 224.
Michigan United watch party
4405 Wesson St, Detroit, Mich., start 8:00 pm. Facebook event here.
Northville and Novi Democratic Club Party at Northville Sports Den
133 W Main St, Northville, Mich., 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm.
Washtenaw County Democratic Party at Pizza House in Ann Arbor
618 Church St. Ann Arbor, Mich., 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm. Register here.
Greater Detroit Democratic Socialists of America watch party at Bookie’s Bar & Grill
2208 Cass Ave, Detroit, Mich., 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm. Facebook event here.
Image credit: Meg Kelly/NPR
Digital and Audience Engagement Editor
Shiraz Ahmed is Digital and Audience Engagement Editor for 101.9 WDET, overseeing all content posted on wdet.com. His favorite salsa is Marco’s Mexican salsa, a now-defunct chain that produced the salsa of his childhood.
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Home > Holidays > Weather > Greece > Corfu > Kassiopi > October
Kassiopi Weather in October
What’s the weather like in Kassiopi in October?
The Kassiopi weather in October is sunny and warm, with very pleasant temperatures thanks to the resort’s fine Mediterranean climate. It’s still a popular time for visitors to explore this region of north Corfu, even though it’s the third-wettest month after November and December.
Kassiopi enjoys a wonderful setting in the north of the Greek island of Corfu. Corfu’s the most north-westerly point in Greece and because of this it has a very slightly cooler and wetter climate compared to resorts in the south and on the mainland.
The weather in Kassiopi in October produces fabulous warm days for much of the month. The average daytime high temperature’s 23°C and should only drop to about 12°C at night. You can take a dip in the Mediterranean or try some fun water sports too, as the sea temperature’s an inviting 22°C. You can expect some showers in Kassiopi during October as average rainfall comes in at 78mm across an average of nine rainy days. The wind speed stays very light at 8mph. There’s a lot of daylight in this autumn month in Corfu, with the sun rising at around 7.40am and not setting until nearly 7.30pm at the beginning of October. The sunshine boasts an average of seven hours each day, which is great for relaxing by the pool or one of the many sandy beaches around Kassiopi.
Search All Kassiopi Holidays
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New Microsoft CEO Nadella Shaking Up Management
Among his early moves is putting a former high-ranking politico in charge of strategy.
By Jeffrey Schwartz
It took a long time for Microsoft to replace former CEO Steve Ballmer. But his replacement is wasting no time in putting his own stamp on the company.
Microsoft's new CEO Satya Nadella this week will continue to reshape his leadership team with the departure of two senior leaders and the naming of Mark Penn as chief strategy officer. While it remains to be seen how much influence Penn will have, the move potentially give the controversial one-time aide to Bill and Hillary Clinton and current Microsoft marketing executive significant sway over the future direction of the company.
Departing are Marketing Chief Tami Reller and Tony Bates, executive vice president of business development and the onetime CEO of Skype, which Microsoft acquired in 2012. The reshuffling of Nadella's leadership team started last week when Julie Larson Green was named chief experience officer of the "My Life and Work." She will be reporting to Qi Lu, executive vice president of Applications and Services Engineering. This change also makes room for former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop to head the Devices and Studios Group upon the completion of Microsoft's $7.2 billion acquisition of the company's handset unit.
News of the shakeup in Microsoft's executive suite was first reported by Re/code's Kara Swisher, citing unnamed sources close to the company. According to the report, Eric Rudder will temporarily take over Bates' responsibilities and Chris Capossela will take over Reller's role as executive VP for marketing. Reller will apparently stay for a transition period while Bates is leaving immediately.
Nadella reportedly informed insiders of the changes Friday and the company is expected to announce the new executive lineup tomorrow. Swisher speculated the move will give Penn a good look at new product areas and areas where Microsoft can invest in new technologies. However the move takes out of Penn's hands Microsoft's huge advertising budget and shifts it to Capossela.
Penn was widely responsible for Microsoft's overall messaging, which as The New York Times' Nick Wingfield noted was controversial, notably the "Scroogled" campaign which raised questions about Google's approach to privacy. While some believed it was lowbrow advertising, Penn loyalists claimed to have data showing it was effective, Wingfield reported.
As the longtime strategist to the campaigns of both Clintons, Penn is no stranger to controversy. He had to step aside as Hillary Clinton's chief strategist during her 2008 presidential campaign after he lobbied a free-trade pact with Columbia on behalf of Burson-Marsteller, which then-Senator Clinton opposed. Penn was also CEO of the public relations firm at the time. It appears unlikely Clinton will bring him back if she runs for president in 2016, and it would certainly be an issue if Nadella is tapping him for a strategic role.
But how much influence Penn will have is uncertain and Nadella will certainly be adding and subtracting additional people from his inner circle. One looming question is the future of Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner, who has made no secret of his desire to be a CEO.
Jeffrey Schwartz is editor of Redmond magazine and also covers cloud computing for Virtualization Review's Cloud Report. In addition, he writes the Channeling the Cloud column for Redmond Channel Partner. Follow him on Twitter @JeffreySchwartz.
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Alison Saar (American, born 1956). Ulysses, 1994. Woodcut on paper, 50 9/16 x 19 15/16 in. (128.4 x 50.6cm). Brooklyn Museum, Robert A. Levinson Fund, 1995.3. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1995.3_PS9.jpg)
Alison Saar (American, born 1956). Ulysses, 1994. Woodcut on paper, 50 9/16 x 19 15/16 in. (128.4 x 50.6cm). Brooklyn Museum, Robert A. Levinson Fund, 1995.3. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1995.3_bw.jpg)
Alison Saar
ARTIST Alison Saar, American, born 1956
MEDIUM Woodcut on paper
DIMENSIONS 50 9/16 x 19 15/16 in. (128.4 x 50.6cm) (show scale)
SIGNATURE Signed lower right: "Alison Saar"
INSCRIPTIONS Inscribed lower left in pencil: "3/20"; inscribed center in pencil: "Ulysses"
COLLECTIONS Contemporary Art
Half the Picture: A Feminist Look at the Collection
ACCESSION NUMBER 1995.3
CREDIT LINE Robert A. Levinson Fund
RIGHTS STATEMENT © Alison Saar
The Brooklyn Museum holds a non-exclusive license to reproduce images of this work of art from the rights holder named here. The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org. If you wish to contact the rights holder for this work, please email copyright@brooklynmuseum.org and we will assist if we can.
CAPTION Alison Saar (American, born 1956). Ulysses, 1994. Woodcut on paper, 50 9/16 x 19 15/16 in. (128.4 x 50.6cm). Brooklyn Museum, Robert A. Levinson Fund, 1995.3. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1995.3_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 1995.3_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014
20thC
African-American artist
disembodied
female artist
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Leaving London Stadium
Routes around the Stadium
The area outside of turnstile D (visiting turnstiles) is exclusively available to visiting supporters after the match for a short period of time.
This zone is in place for the safety of all supporters and to enable home and visiting fans to leave the Stadium via designated safe walking routes to public transport hubs and the away supporters’ coach parking. Fans can reach their destination via other directions on the island or alternatively they can make use of the late refreshment kiosks that are open after the final-whistle (weekend matches only).
Accessibility supporters who need to reach the Accessible Shuttle Bus service or the Accessible Car Park (Car Park 1A) should contact the accessibility team for further information on 0333 030 0174 or accessibility@westhamunited.co.uk
If you require any further assistance, contact the Supporter Services team by selecting the 'Submit an enquiry' button in the top right-hand corner of the page. You can also email the team at supporterservices@westhamunited.co.uk. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00 - 17:00 and from two hours before kick-off on matchday.
Area outside of turnstile D
Are food outlets open after the match?
Where are the nearest stations?
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Deck Glossary
Concave: amount of "dish" the board has. Concave holds your feet in place and adds strength and reduces flex.
Griptape: Applied to the top of the deck for foot traction.
Plies: Amount of layers of wood glued together to make a deck. Most decks are 7 ply.
Maple (or hardrock maple):The majority of decks manufactured today use maple wood, known for it's dense, hard qualities
Pop: How lively a deck is for doing ollies, flip tricks, and other tricks. It is not an indicator of how high the nose or tail is.
Wheelbase: The distance between the two inner truck holes. A large factor in how a board rides.
Skateboard Truck Glossary
Axle: The steel rod that goes through the hanger, to which the wheels and are attached to.
Barrel: The metal that surrounds the axle. A bigger barrel is more durable for grinds.
Baseplate: The bottom half of the truck which gets mounted to the board.
Bushings (or cushions): The urethane rings that go around the kingpin.
Buttonhead kingpin: A lighter alternative to the hexhead kingpin. Must be knurled to prevent spinning in the baseplate.
Centre Mounting Pattern: After the mounting pattern went from old school to new school, some truck manufacturers repositioned the hole pattern so that it is perfectly centred on the baseplate. Thunder and Destructo, for example.
Cupwashers: These are metal caps that go on the top and the bottom of your bushings to protect them. Some trucks do not use a bottom cupwasher, it's built into the design of the baseplate.
Hanger (or hangar): The top half of the truck which houses the axle, separate from the baseplate.
Kingpin: The large bolt which you can adjust to determine the tension on your bushings which affects how your truck will ride, loose or tight.
Geometry: Each truck has it's own design so they will turn and respond differently, known as it's geometry.
Grade 8: The strength rating of the kingpin. Grade 8 is the strongest, practically speaking.
New School Mounting Pattern: This is the modern mounting pattern on decks. where the rear holes of the truck have been moved in to prevent wear on the mounting bolts from noseslides and tailslides.
No-slip axles: The hanger is cast with the axle in place. This prevents the axle from shifting if there is excessive impact on it.
Old school mounting pattern: This is the original mounting pattern used on boards before 1991.
Pivot: This is the stem of the hanger that goes into the baseplate, into the pivot cup.
Pivot cup: The pivot cup is made of urethane and houses the pivot
Profile (high, low, mid): The overall height of the truck axle. There is no set standard, it is up to each manufacturer to set the height of their trucks. A higher truck allows more wheel clearance and a deeper turn, a lower truck decreases the board's centre of gravity.
Wheel Glossary
Centre-set: The bearings are in the middle, which usually means the wheel is symetrical and reversible.
Coning: The front wheels on a board will usuall wear out faster than the rear wheels because the front truck turns much more than the back. This will cause the wheels to cone, which is when one side of the wheel is smaller than the other. This can be prevented by rotating and flipping your wheels on a regular basis.
Conical: The side of the wheel are flat and angled, to lock you into grinds.
Diameter: The size of the wheel, in millimetres. A larger wheel (56mm+) will last longer and has a higher top speed, but will be heavier and raise the board's centre of gravity. A smaller wheel (49mm-54mm) will accelerate quicker, weighs less, and will lower your board's centre of gravity making it easier for flip tricks and technical skating and usually do not require riserpads since wheel bite is not a factor. They will wear out quicker, flat-spot easier, hang up on cracks and pebbles easier.
Durometer: The wheel hardness, usually using the "A" scale. 101A is the hardest, 75A is the softest. 97A to 101A is ideal for technical street skating and park riding for most riders. 92A to 95A gives better grip on smooth surfaces. 80A to 85A provides a smoother ride on rougher surfaces. 75A to 81A is more suited for cruising with a lot of grip and an extremely smooth and fast ride on very rough surfaces. Some companies are using other scales such as the "B" scale and the "D" scale, but for the most part, wheels that do not have a durometer rating are hard end of the scale, usually 99A.
Lathed (or ground or grooved): Wheels are poured larger than their intended size. Afterwards they are lathed to ensure the wheel is truly round. The wheels initially have visible lines or grooves instead of a smooth surface. These will wear off after a minimal amound of riding.
Flat-spot: Excessive sliding can flatten a section of the riding surface. Power slides, nose slides, and tail slides can induce flatspotting. Some wheel formulas are designed to be more abrasion resistant to flatspotting.
Off-set: The bearings are off centre, toward the truck, effectively giving you a wider footprint.
Side-set: The bearings are flush to the inside of the wheel. This gives you the largest effective width.
Radiused: The sides the wheel are rounded. Makes it smoother to get into and out of grinds
Reversible: The wheel has a centre-set bearing seat, which allows you to rotate and flip the wheels to ensure even wear and to reduce coning.
The Misunderstood ABEC Rating
The ABEC rating measures tolerance and is not an indicator of bearing speed, durability, or overall quality. We provide the ABEC rating only because it's how some bearing manufacturers differentiate their own bearing lines. You might have noticed that prices can vary a lot for bearings with the same ABEC rating, and other manufacturers don't use it at all, which should tell you that you should not base your bearing choice solely on the ABEC rating (if at all). Check out NTN's page on "The Truth About ABEC" for a more detailed explanation.
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EMS president has 3 ideas to fix funding crisis, and they involve paying more
Some Highmark customers booted from UPMC-Pinnacle hospitals and doctors
by: Dennis Owens
She is from Halifax.
She owns and runs a small business.
She has been a longtime Highmark customer and a longtime Pinnaclehealth patient.
She, and presumably many like her in the Midstate, has a difficult decision to make regarding health coverage.
She didn’t want to be identified. We’ll call her Denise.
Denise recently got a letter from Highmark saying UPMC-Pinnacle doctors and hospitals will no longer be considered in-network for 2018.
It is not uncommon, says Pennsylvania acting Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman, for the roughly five percent of Pennsylvanians not covered by insurance through work and purchasing on the market.
“Particularly in the individual market where there’s a drive to lower the monthly premium, a lot of plans have what we call narrow networks where they control costs by limiting the number of providers in the network,” Altman said.
Altman said Highmark and UPMC Pinnacle have agreed to work together for seven years, but that’s for people in larger group plans, not one-off customers like Denise.
So Denise, and people like her, have two choices: stick with Highmark and change doctors and hospitals to Penn State Hershey Medical Center or Geisinger Holy Spirit which are in-network, or stick with UPMC Pinnacle Health doctors and hospitals and switch to a likely more expensive insurance plan.
“Most health plans these days don’t have all the doctors in your area in-network, and that’s something you should think about when you are comparing health plans,” Altman said.
ABC27 reached out to both UPMC Pinnacle and Highmark. Both confirmed Denise’s story. Neither would go on camera, but both sent statements.
Highmark said it’s sad but understands that some customers will have to go elsewhere. It added, “Pinnacle was asked to be in the network but WOULD NOT (emphasis theirs) negotiate the appropriate discount that would make the product affordable.”
The statement from UPMC Pinnacle acknowledges that “patients experiencing confusion and frustration.”
But frustration barely describes what Denise is feeling. She spends $900 a month on premiums now with large deductibles and co-pays and fears those costs are only going up, especially if she tries to stay in the UPMC Pinnacle system. She sees employees in the Highmark group plans enjoying services under the UPMC Pinnacle umbrella and suspects she’s paying more and getting less because her company is too small to be in a group.
Denise feels penalized and victimized.
“Why are we being treated this way? Just because we are a small business and work extra hard? We do not have 9-5, we work 24-7,” she said. “Something is not right with this system.”
If you’re shopping for health insurance, the open enrollment is shorter this year. It must be completed by Dec. 15, not the end of January like previous years.Get breaking news, weather and traffic on the go. Download our News App and our Weather App for your phone and tablet.
Harrisburg / 9 mins ago
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Mobile design, draft 9
Mobile user testing results (Draft 9, Engage 0.3)
Mobile user testing results, Participant 1 (Engage 0.3)
Fluid Engage Design
FE - Mobile
Mobile design iterations
changes.mady.by.user James Yoon
Comment: Migrated to Confluence 4.0
Significant design issues are highlighted in green and prefixed with *. (conditions for "significant": issue has a considerable effect on experience and addressing it likely requires substantial additions/changes to the design)
Infrequently: ~ <15% of the time
Sometimes: ~ 15-35% of the time
Frequently: ~ >35% of the time
A. General
* Frequently, there was difficulty finding objects from the virtual in the physical, and objects from the physical in the virtual.
* Frequently, users spent more time looking at/interacting with the device than the space. This may be due to a variety of reasons, including: a) difficulty in making the physical-virtual connection (e.g., finding objects), b) slow performance of the application, and c) bias from the fact that they were user testing the mobile device. A couple of users did spend more time looking at the space than the device, however.
Frequently, the application performance was slow. Fixed in 0.3b3.
* Sometimes, users weren't sure what to do with the application/what the application was supposed to do. That is, some users didn't know what they should do or what the purpose of the application was. P: "Does it guide me, or do I guide it?"
Sometimes, there was confusion about whether a particular object was in the exhibition or in storage. Users saw objects on the device but couldn't find it in the space, sometimes for catalogue, and especially artifacts under 'Related artifacts.' And if it the object is assumed to be in the exhibition, whether it's near the object currently being observed, or elsewhere in the space.
Sometimes, there was confusion about if an object in the physical space was available in the application. Opposite issue of the above.
Sometimes, there was confusion about whether something was a "value add" or a digital replicate. For instance, text descriptions of artifacts.
* Sometimes, users wanted the device to guide them through the space. Some users wanted the device to tell them where to go first, and what to see next.
* Sometimes, users felt that the device was guiding them through the space and wanted a more freeform experience. Some users felt just the opposite of the above. Specifically, they thought that the catalogue screen was meant to be experienced in order (and of those who did, one commented that it felt like a disjointed experience as the device didn't keep the same pace as the space).
Sometimes, the keys on the onscreen keyboard were too small to type on. One user wanted a stylus.
Frequently, there was some difficulty trying to find symbols on the onscreen keyboard. Specifically, '@' and '.'.
Frequently, users commented that they didn't like having to scroll to the top from the bottom of the screen in order to navigate to another page. This was especially true of very long screens, such as the catalogue or artifact view with description extended, and when users wanted to go back a screen or go home.
Frequently, SUBMIT was not the first button users tapped on to submit a text entry. Users would either tape DONE (which retracted the keyboard) then SUBMIT; or, RET, then DONE, then SUBMIT.
Frequently, users didn't know if the application was still loading a new screen or if they hadn't tapped on an item successfully. Many users tapped several times, though some who were familiar with the iPod touch/iPhone did note the loading spinner in the status bar.
Infrequently, users expected that tapping on 'Home' would bring the user back to the initial language selection screen.
C. Exhibitions and its subscreens
* Frequently, exhibitions detail screen was used as the virtual 'home'. Users expected that all the mobile experience offerings for the exhibition they were in would be held in the exhibition detail screen (e.g., "Simply Montreal"). Many users went to this screen first, and stayed within this section for a large part of the reality testing.
* Frequently, users made an unintended connection between catalogue themes and physical space sections. There was a loose link between catalogue themes and physical sections, but it was not intended that users use this as a way of navigating the space. Surprisingly, some users did find success with this.
* Sometimes, the exhibition introduction screen (e.g., "Simply Montreal") was confusing. A few users found this screen confusing, as though they were expecting it to guide them through the space.
Infrequently, users didn't know what exhibition they were in. A few users didn't know which exhibition to tap on in the exhibitions screen as they didn't know where they were.
Sometimes, users didn't understand why only a few objects were shown under each theme in the catalogue.
Sometimes, the 'View all' button in catalogue was difficult to notice. Some users found it later during the session, and noted that it wasn't easily visible (/too small).
Infrequently, the 'Switch to grid' icon was mistaken for 'Object code entry'.
D. Object code label/entry
* Frequently, object code entry went unnoticed/was not the obvious first choice. Corollary to point on exhibitions detail screen being using as virtual home. Many users had the instinct go to 'Exhibitions' when they first entered the space, and did not notice the 'Object code entry' option.
Infrequently, the connection between object code label and object code entry was not made. Some users saw both the object code label and the object code entry option, but did not make a connection between the two.
Sometimes, the object code label went unnoticed. Some users didn't even notice the object code label until it was brought to their attention by the moderator.
Infrequently, object code label was sometimes misinterpreted. Some users thought it was a button, and tried pressing it. One expected it to read something/show a video, another expected that pressing it would add it to My Collection.
Sometimes, users expected an 'Enter' or 'Submit' key for the object code entry. Some users were fine without it, others expected and wanted an 'Enter' button, and one or two thought that the 'Delete' button was the 'Submit' button.
* Sometimes, it wasn't clear which object the object code label referred to. Labels were often placed near clusters of objects, and it wasn't clear which one it was referring to.
* Sometimes, users would try entering a label number into object code entry. The label numbers were found on tombstone labels that had multiple objects on them, but they were unrelated to the object code number for the application.
* Sometimes, having object code entry accessible from anywhere was desired. This is instead of by the current method, where one needs to go back to it, or visit it from the home screen.
E. Media
Infrequently, the expectation upon tapping on an artifact with a media badge is that it plays the media right away. Upon failure of this, the same user expected that tapping the badge itself would play the media right away.
Infrequently, there was difficulty adjusting volume on the device. Most users did not attempt to change the volume, but some of the ones that did had difficulty knowing how to do it. Also, during the attempt, many inadvertently changed the orientation of the device.
* Sometimes, headphones were wanted for listening to videos. Both because it was hard to hear from the device's speakers even at maximum volume, and because some users felt conscientious about disturbing other visitors/listening to something with other visitors around.
Infrequently, users wanted to quit midway through a video and didn't know how to.
Sometimes, users wanted to know how to get to the objects shown in the videos. Some users wanted to know if they were in the space, or added value extras.
Infrequently, there was mild uncertainty about what 'Collect' did. One user thought it enabled purchasing of a print afterward. Almost all (including the aforementioned user) understood it was a way of storing objects for future reference.
Infrequently, users noted that the descriptions/narratives were duplicated across platforms. Artifact descriptions were read verbatim in the videos, and extended labels had the same text as artifact descriptions.
Sometimes, users felt that the extended artifact description was too much to read.
Frequently, users tapped on panel expand/collapse several times because it didn't appear to do anything. The problem was that the expansion occurred below the fold and screen focus did not shift to reveal that.
Sometimes, users didn't think to scroll down in artifact view. Some users didn't scroll down in artifact view, thus missing out on the content below the fold.
G. My Collection
Frequently, users weren't sure if their they successfully sent their My Collection to themselves. Specifically, there was no feedback after submitting one's email for My Collection.
4. List of miscellaneous notes/observations
When a user makes a link between digital and physical, that bond corroborates that the user is on the right track. From the raw notes: Made a link between a section on the catalogue and the physical space because P saw an object in the space that she saw on the device just before / P: "Now that I know where I am, feeling a little less lost" \ [only needed a single object to feel that comfort\]
While watching a video, users tended to spend roughly equal amount of time looking at the video and at the actual object.
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Monthly Report, January 2018
By Cassidy Villeneuve on June 15, 2018
Posted in Monthly Reports by Cassidy Villeneuve
January was a great month for Wiki Education’s fundraising. We applied for and received a $500,000 USD unrestricted donation from the Pineapple Fund, a philanthropic association run by an anonymous donor with one of the 250 largest Bitcoin wallets in the world. The fund is drawn to organizations that are dedicated to universal knowledge and a free and open Internet. The donation will support our core operations all year.
Community Engagement Manager Ryan McGrady announced the kick-off of our Wikipedia Fellows pilot this month. This pilot is the first time Wiki Education is specifically engaging academics to learn how to improve Wikipedia. We’re excited to see how these subject-matter experts contribute to the most socially and politically relevant articles on Wikipedia!
Our Board met in person in San Francisco this month to discuss Wiki Education’s new strategic direction for the next three years. Keeping in mind the new direction, Executive Director Frank Schulenburg outlined the main components of the new annual plan for fiscal year 2018/19. Director of Programs and Deputy Director LiAnna Davis reviewed feedback provided by the Wikimedia Foundation’s Funds Dissemination Committee during the last grant application cycle. And Director of Development and Strategy TJ Bliss detailed plans for additional revenue streams, including topic sponsorships and paid services.
Product Manager Sage Ross is continuing our research collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh to develop further Dashboard training modules using Intertwine. This online video discussion platform will let students from different universities connect with each other to discuss and do Wikipedia-related activities, and we hope will provide a beneficial learning experience for students who participate.
A student in Benjamin Karney’s Psychology course last fall worked on the article about ovulatory shift hypothesis, which was promoted to Good Article status in January. We’re proud of students who in just one term can make such an improvement to Wikipedia, and be recognized by the Wikipedia community for doing so.
To kick off 2018, we attended two conferences, joining university faculty and inviting them to participate in our programs to improve Wikipedia. At the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) conference, which we attended for the third year in a row, dozens of instructors were excited to sign up and join LSA’s initiative to document and preserve language on Wikipedia through our partnership. It was great to see how word-of-mouth can spread within a discipline—thanks in part to LSA members like Gretchen McCullough and Lauren Collister. They coordinated a Wikipedia-editing session for attendees, and we found a buzz in the air about the dire need to make Wikipedia as comprehensive and accurate as possible.
Samantha speaks to an instructor about teaching with Wikipedia at LSA 2018.
Next, we joined astronomers at the American Astronomical Society’s annual meeting. We spoke with astronomers who love Wikipedia, more students who have participated in our Classroom Program, and university instructors who hope to learn how they can join our efforts to make science more accessible to the world. We look forward to the great work to come from the newly inspired linguists, astronomers, and their students.
Classroom Program
Status of the Classroom Program for Spring 2018 in numbers, as of January 31:
279 Wiki Education-supported courses were in progress (159, or 56%, were led by returning instructors).
3,450 student editors were enrolled.
66% of students were up-to-date with the student training.
Students edited 464 articles, created 4 new entries, and added 49,300 words.
January is off to a busy start! Program Manager Will Kent spent the majority of the month on-boarding new and returning instructors, orienting them to the Dashboard. Will fielded questions and worked on troubleshooting issues around enrollment, timelines, and how to best structure the term. Wikipedia Content Experts Ian Ramjohn and Shalor Toncray were busy introducing themselves to students and making the beginning of the term run smoothly.
Office hours started up again the final week of January. As always, they provide an opportunity for us to answer questions from instructors, hear how things are going, and create a space for instructors to share best practices with each other. We will be offering more throughout the spring. Will’s looking forward to approving some more courses, tweaking some timelines, and making sure we can do everything we can to ensure the classroom assignments are going well for everyone.
We’re excited to see what kind of work this term’s courses produce. Everything from Pennsylvania Politics to Analyzing Cinema, Gender, and Sexuality sounds fascinating. With almost half of the courses taught by new instructors, we’re especially excited to see how the assignment evolves in their courses. Will’s keeping an eye on the Dashboard, looking forward to all of the new contributions and articles rolling in every day.
Student work:
All over the world there are underprivileged and orphaned children. No matter where they live, one universal truth is that these children will often benefit greatly from organizations and charities that provide them with a healthy, safe place to live, grow, and learn. This is why Queen Zein Al Sharaf of Jordan created Mabarrat Um Al Hussein in northern Amman, which provides a home and learning environment for boys between the ages of six and eighteen. A student from University of Chicago professor Anjali Adukia’s Violence in the Early Years class created this article with the belief that the organization was one that merited discussion on Wikipedia. While small, like the children Mabarrat Um Al Hussein shelters, the article is sure to grow and expand quickly!
Unless you’re looking for Shakespeare or a well known monarch, it can be difficult to find information on a person who died long ago. Finding information on someone who is neither European or American can be even more difficult, as source materials for these individuals may not be widely available outside of the person’s native country in print, audio, or electronic format. This is why efforts by students such as the one from University of California Santa Cruz educator Minghui Hu’s History of Qing China class are so important. This student created an article on Zhu Yun, a preeminent Qing scholar and official who greatly influenced both academia of the time period as well as the Siku Quanshu — the largest collection of books in Chinese history. It was Zhu that approached the Qianlong Emperor with the idea of compiling all of the works from the Ming Dynasty into one collection. This appealed to the Emperor, who sought to create something even greater than the Ming Dynasty’s Yongle Encyclopedia, and Zhu Yun’s academic circle was given editorial control of the project. While Zhu’s influence allowed for the inclusion of his Han ideals into the project, it also resulted in the project’s editors arguing against the inclusion of any Neo-Confucian texts — something that went against the Qing’s desire to include traditional Confucian texts that were accepted by the people, as the Qing hoped to strengthen their rule. This division would prove to be a portend of the dissolving bureaucratic morale that plagued the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Students in David Lebowitz’s WikiProject Medicine course this Winter have been working to improve medical content on Wikipedia. They have made major improvements to the chest pain, cystectomy, and cholecystectomy articles.
And a student in Benjamin Karney’s Psychology course in the fall worked on the article about ovulatory shift hypothesis, which was promoted to Good Article status in January.
In Yale University professor Barbara Mundy’s HSAR 412 Material and Meaning in the Ancient Americas class, students uploaded images of beautiful jade pieces held in the university’s art gallery. One of the images uploaded is a jadeite pendant from Maya, dated to circa A.D. 200–600. Imagine the stories this piece could tell — the things it must have seen!
Image: File:Pendant in the Shape of a Standing Ruler or Lord.jpg, Yale University Art Gallery, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
A UC Berkeley student in David Harris’s Civic Technology class also added images to Wikipedia, taking the time out of her studies to upload an image of herself hard at work! (Note the computer in the background open to the Wikipedia main page!) It’s images like this that help us picture the students we’re helping!
Image: File:MaryMijares.jpg, Mary Mijares, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
This month Ryan announced the kick-off of our Wikipedia Fellows pilot! Wikipedia Fellows is an interdisciplinary pilot to support subject-matter experts as they learn to contribute to Wikipedia articles relevant to the Future of Facts. A cohort of nine scholars from three of our partner associations—the American Sociological Association, Midwest Political Science Association, and National Women’s Studies Association—joined Wiki Education staff for the first three weekly meetings this month, and have already begun making contributions to articles in their areas of expertise.
Also this month we were happy to announce a new Visiting Scholars opportunity at the University of Windsor for a Wikipedian interested in the history of southwestern Ontario.
Existing Visiting Scholars made a number of high-quality contributions this month. University of Pennsylvania Visiting Scholar User:Gen. Quon, has been hard at work improving Wikipedia’s coverage of historically significant Latin works. This month, he brought the article on Orientius’s 5th-century poem, the Commonitorium, to Good Article status. User:Wehwalt, Visiting Scholar at George Mason University, added another numismatics-related Featured Article to his collection with Connecticut Tercentenary half dollar, which was struck in 1935 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Connecticut.
User:Bfpage at the University of Pittsburgh has been among the most active editors of women’s health topics for some time now. Among other contributions this month, she built the article on vaginal anomalies, which did not previously exist on Wikipedia.
Celia Thaxter (1835-1894), poet and writer.
Image: File:Celia Thaxter.jpg, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
User:Rosiestep, Visiting Scholar at Northeastern University, is prolific in her work to create articles on notable women writers. This month alone, examples include Anne Steele, Phoebe Hinsdale Brown, Augusta Jane Evans, Celia Thaxter, Emma Lazarus, Sara Jane Lippincott, Harriet Mann Miller, Elizabeth Williams Champney, and Rose Terry Cooke.
Former Visiting Scholar at McMaster University Danielle Robichaud shared a blog post about how she drew on her experience and expertise as a librarian and archivist to contribute to articles like the Canadian Residential School System, which went on to be promoted to Featured Article.
This month, Ryan also joined Ian on the jury for the Wiki Science Competition in the United States. The jury selected winners from among more than 1,200 submitted science-related images. The top five in each category will be sent to the international competition, and Jury’s Choice prizes given to the five overall favorites. See the spectacular honorees in our blog post.
VS Jackie Koerner presents on implicit bias at Wikipedia Day New York, January 2018.
Image: File:Wikipedia Day New York January 2018 006.jpg, King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
For Wikipedia Day, Ryan attended the annual celebration in New York City, where he moderated a panel on Wikipedia in education with instructors Rachel Bogan (New Jersey Institute of Technology), Shelly Eversley (Baruch College), and Jeffrey Keefer (New York University). Visiting Scholar Jackie Koerner was also an invited guest speaker at the event. Read Ryan’s report from the conference on our blog.
Frank participated in an interview with a Times Higher Education reporter, which was published mid-month. The reporter also spoke with Massachusetts Institute of Technology instructor Amy Carleton for the piece, which highlighted the importance of Wiki Education’s Classroom Program and our Future of Facts initiative.
This month, we published a number of blog posts written by instructors in our Classroom Program. In these posts, instructors reflect on the successes of their Fall 2017 courses. Dr. Nora Haenn discusses how a Wikipedia assignment gives students an outlet to participate thoughtfully in important political conversations. Dr. Elizabeth Manley shares how learning to edit Wikipedia “allow[s] students to become knowledge producers rather than mere consumers.” And Dr. Kathleen Sheppard writes about how a Wikipedia assignment presents a unique opportunity to engage engineering students in the humanities. We consistently update our resources and support in response to instructor feedback, and value their perspectives. The willingness of instructors to reflect on their experiences on our blog is useful and rewarding, as well as a testament to instructor satisfaction in our programs.
Everyone has a voice… (January 2)
Contributing accurate medical information to Wikipedia (January 3)
Engaging engineering students in the humanities (January 5)
Join linguists as they preserve languages on Wikipedia (January 5)
Sustaining the impact of the Year of Science (January 8)
Visiting Scholar draws upon her archival expertise to improve Wikipedia (January 9)
Help students do an assignment that’s out of this world (January 10)
University of Windsor Seeks Wikipedia Visiting Scholar (January 11)
What we’re celebrating on Wikipedia Day (January 12)
Roundup: Black Lives and Deaths (January 16)
Teaching with Wikipedia in an Introductory-Level History Class (January 17)
Kicking off 2018 by recruiting new instructors (January 17)
Announcing the Wikipedia Fellows Pilot Cohort (January 18)
Roundup: Art in Renaissance Italy (January 22)
Setting expectations for your Wikipedia assignment (January 24)
Wiki Education receives $500,000 from Pineapple Fund (January 25)
Finding a voice in the public conversation (January 26)
Presenting the winners of the U.S. Wiki Science Competition (January 26)
Policy and activism in combatting antisemitism (January 29)
Report from Wikipedia Day 2018 in New York City (January 30)
Closing the gender gap in STEM (January 30)
External media:
Students defend the future of facts on Wikipedia, Holly Else, Times Higher Education (January 15, 2018)
HPU Announces Academic and Professional Achievements, High Point University (January 16, 2018)
Kalaf-Hughes and Cravens in Wikipedia Fellows Pilot, Bowling Green State University, BGSU News (January 2018)
Milestones: Jenn Brandt named Wikipedia Fellow, News & Record Greensboro Local News, (January 24, 2018)
In January, we fixed numerous Dashboard bugs and performance issues — including one that considerably improves the reliability of the automatic userpage and sandbox edits when students join courses. Outreachy intern Candela Jiménez Girón continued her work on improving the Dashboard’s support for edit-a-thon campaigns ahead of Art + Feminism 2018, completing several key features and improvements to help organizers run smooth events and get new users registered. Volunteer developer Ben Blanchard fixed several problems with the training module translation system, with more improvements in progress. And other contributors made a slew of bug fixes and code quality improvements. In total, January saw 144 commits comprised by 37 pull requests from external contributors to the Dashboard codebase.
Continuing our research collaboration from Fall 2017, Sage added Dashboard support for the updated Spring 2018 version of the Carnegie Mellon University / University of Pittsburgh Intertwine project. Sage also completed some important deferred maintenance and performance work on Programs & Events Dashboard, which continues to see increased usage — especially of the open-ended training module system. Code quality work to follow JavaScript best practices continues apace.
Finance & Administration / Fundraising
For the month of January, expenses were $179,070 compared to the approved budget amount of $234.802. As has been consistent with the prior months, the monthly spend is significantly under budget. The $55,731 variance is largely seen in the Programs labor and associated costs ($35K) and discontinued Research and Engagement program ($10K). Other expenses budgeted for January and not actually expensed were Marketing ($5K), Printing ($3K), Outside Services ($3K). The gap in the Programs budget is also due to project hiring for Guided Editing, which was budgeted for the beginning of January, but has not yet been spent. We will not begin that spending until we receive the grant for the project, as indicated in our plan.
Our year-to-date expenses of $1,078,000 are under the budget of $1,306,000 by $228,000. The three major components to the continued underspending are Labor, Professional Services and Travel. The difference in labor expenses are ($57K) in General and Administration and ($33K) in Programs, respectively. With the change in focus in Programs, the Professional Services were under budget by ($97K). Travel expenses were reduced by ($20K) mostly seen Fundraising ($12,000) and spread across the other departments. The remaining ($21K) difference can be seen as supplemental costs associated with the above mentioned expenses: Marketing, Printing, Mailing, Software.
Board and senior staff celebrating the donation through Pineapple Fund
In January, we received a $400,000 grant from Wikimedia Foundation’s Fund Dissemination Committee. This grant was also matched by a $400,000 grant from the Stanton Foundation. Wiki Education’s Director of Development and Strategy, TJ Bliss, continued to cultivate relationships with funders who we think might be interested in Wiki Education because of our Future of Facts, Guided Editing, and Sustaining Science initiatives. As part of this approach, we applied for and received a $500,000 USD unrestricted donation from the Pineapple Fund. This funding, along with the funding from the Wikimedia Foundation and the Stanton Foundation, will support our core operations in 2018. We have also begun reaching out to funders who we think may be interested in sponsoring specific topic areas that we support in our Classroom Program. We also had initial conversations with potential organizational partners who may be interested in a co-fundraising approach related to areas of common interest.
Office of the ED
Current priorities:
Preparing the all-staff meeting next month
Supporting the development work
Frank presenting at the board meeting in San Francisco
The highlight of January was the in-person board meeting in San Francisco. The Board discussed key elements of the newly drafted strategic plan, including: (1) key assumptions and their implications for the future of Wiki Education, (2) strategic goals and supporting objectives, and (3) a proposal to provide critical infrastructure such as the Program & Events Dashboard to global partners. At the end of the discussion, the board officially confirmed the direction for the next three years. LiAnna reviewed feedback provided by the Wikimedia Foundation’s Funds Dissemination Committee during the last grant application cycle. She led a discussion with the board about how the feedback related to our new strategic plan. Based on the broad strategic direction, Frank outlined the main components of the new annual plan for fiscal year 2018/19. TJ provided an update on recent grants received and on the pipeline of grants currently being pursued. He also provided an update on plans for additional revenue streams, including topic sponsorships and paid services.
Also in January, Wiki Education welcomed Ben Vershbow, Wikimedia’s Lead Programs Manager, for an extended meeting. Programs staff explained the inner workings of the Classroom Program and Frank, LiAnna, and Sage started a conversation about the future of the Program & Events Dashboard with Ben.
Visitors and guests
Ben Vershbow, Wikimedia Foundation
Monthly Report, May 2019
Ozge Gundogdu
Monthly Report, April 2019
Monthly Report, February 2019
Monthly Report, March 2019
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The Pebble Week’s Hidden Gem, Cars Are Now a Currency, and More
by Winston Goodfellow on September 6, 2012 in Blog
A Kaiser Darrin from the 1950s heading to the presentation area of the Concours on the Avenue. If you want to know what Monterey used to be like 20+ years ago, this is your event.
How it used to be--uncrowded, great cars, easy photography, good conversation with friends and owners, no rush to get from here to there.
There is a bit of everything at the Carmel Concours on the Avenue, including this super cool transporter used by Shelby-American in the 1960s.
No telling what you will see parked in a driveway while wandering through Carmel.
McCall's event at the airport is a celebration of most anything that is cool and goes fast.
50 Years of Iso was the main feature at the Quail. That's the one-off prototype Iso Grifo, the A3/L, in the foreground.
Iso competed in Formula 1 for two seasons in the 1970s. This was the first time the F1 car had been seen in public since its restoration.
The Quail has more going on that just cars. Here one of our special forces demonstrates the pinpoint accuracy of parachuting.
Doing an interview with Iso's impresario Piero Rivolta (far left), who regaled the crowd on the life of being a Ferrari competitor. Behind him is the one-off Iso Varedo, with daughter Marella Rivolta standing by it.
At Pebble, an early morning shot of the historic Cobra class.
A total surprise, and the stuff you see at Pebble, was a lineup of prototype Mercedes-Benz 300SLs. You can barely see a third prototype in the background, behind the second car.
A class only Pebble could pull off: Cars of the Maharajas.
When I think of Pebble, it is stuff like this--the extraordinary Xenia, a one-off Hispano Suiza commissioned by Andre Dubonnet in 1937.
Serious money continues to pour into the collector car arena. Many deep pocketed owners now view cars such as this GT40 as a form of currency because it has a value that is recognized anywhere in the world.
I first attended the Monterey Historic Races and Pebble Beach Concours in the late 1970s. We would drive down from the San Francisco Bay Area on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, hit the historic races at Laguna Seca (they only ran one day), go to the Concours on Sunday, and head home. It is a stark contrast to today, where one needs a week if they want to take in everything (which is impossible).
Which is why I pulled onto the Monterey peninsula on Monday. The tranquility found didn’t last 24 hours because the week’s action really starts cooking Tuesday morning when everyone heads to downtown Carmel for the Concours on the Avenue. Nearly 200 cars were nicely displayed throughout the quaint town’s streets, the field divided into a number of marque specific (Ferrari, Porsche, etc.) and themed (Trans Am, multi-marque, etc.) classes. Cobras, Lotus, American Muscle and Fifties classics, microcars, there was truly something for just about anyone interested in postwar machinery—including the restored Shelby American transporter from the mid-1960s.
What makes the Concours on the Avenue a true gem is it recaptures the spirit and flavor of the Monterey collector car gatherings in the 1970s and ‘80s, when today’s frenetic pace didn’t exist. You leisurely stroll along, enjoying some fantastic machinery while talking with friends, easily taking pictures, and then jump into your favorite restaurant without needing to book a reservation weeks in advance. Most amazing of all is there is no three-figure ticket price to get in, for the event is free.
The Pebble week hits another gear on Wednesday afternoon, with Gordon McCall’s Motorworks Revival at the Monterey airport. This orgy of killer cars, planes and anything else that makes gonzo horsepower (including a lot of the industry names that are there) is like a giant cocktail party that centers around the world of speed. High-end manufacturers, collector cars, private jets, military machines, you will likely find it there. What’s also intriguing is sometimes you see something happen you don’t expect–like a bit of automotive history in the making that I hope to be able to tell you about in a future entry.
If McCall’s is on your bucket list, the best way to enjoy it is to get there early, right when the gates open up. That way you avoid any potential traffic problems that may come later, and get to see the machines with few people around, and watch the crowd pour in.
This was the first year I missed the Pebble Tour, for I was over at the Gooding tent with a friend, inspecting cars he was interested in purchasing. We looked at the Monteverdi Hai, Bizzarrini Manta, Maserati A6G2000 with Frua coachwork, and a Ferrari 400 SA, but ended up going modern and buying what I think is the world’s most beautiful Enzo (fantastic smoky metallic silver with a red interior).
The Quail on Friday was a whirlwind, which was most unusual for an event that normally resembles the best garden party you have ever been to. Iso’s 50th anniversary celebration was the main feature; the company was a Ferrari/Maserati competitor in the 1960s and ‘70s that used Chevrolet Corvette and Ford engines. I’ve known Iso patriarch Piero Rivolta for 30 years (his family owned the company), so we did an interview during the Quail where he offered his insights into what it was really like being at the center of the GT car boom some five decades ago.
Much to my dismay unexpected activities kept me away from the Shelby 50th anniversary celebration at the track on Saturday, but we made up for it by arriving at Pebble by 6:00 a.m. on Sunday to watch the “stuff” roll in. Those first two or three hours are truly one of the magical times during the week as everyone is filled with nervous anticipation, and you get to walk the field before it is too overrun with spectators. Highlights were the superb Saoutchik class, the Cars of Maharaja classes (something only Pebble could pull off), the Cobra class, and the American Sport Customs class (basically American one-offs made in the 1940s and ‘50s). The best surprise was the unexpected grouping of three Mercedes 300 SL prototype and competitions coupes.
When I think of Pebble, it is stuff like this–the extraordinary Xenia, a one-off Hispano Suiza commissioned by Andre Dubonnet in 1937.
The auctions didn’t exhibit the frequent price lunacy of last year, but there were still some ring-the-bell sales and stories. My favorite of the latter was the guy who decided at the last minute to attend the auctions. He flew by private jet from one of his homes (this one was in Colorado), looked around, dropped around $11 million on the Mercedes 540K and another $4+ on a GT40, and flew back to Colorado.
But this is not surprising. In these days of central bank printing presses working overtime, not only have A-list cars become an asset class (as discussed here), a number of collectors told me they now view them as a form of currency. A Ferrari SWB or Spyder California may not be the most liquid type of money, but they can be moved to anywhere in the world, are desirable, and have a perceived value as to what they are worth.
In short, serious money continues to pour into the collector car arena for pleasure and investment.
Solving A Decades-Old Mystery
Cult Cars
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What methods could humans use to survive chemical poisoning? [closed]
In my world, the humans left Earth a few centuries ago because it was too heavily polluted with chemical smog. They've settled a new planet and have so far managed to keep it clean. However, they are looking to restore the Earth and conduct periodic checks on its health and the state of the chemical pollution.
The current situation is this. The last check on Earth revealed that the chemical pollution is now negligible. So, the humans filled up a spacecraft with supplies, a team of 10, and enough fuel to get to Earth. However, these astronauts get there, land, and soon discover that they're not safe: although the chemical pollution is less potent, one of their number drops dead after a few days from chemical poisoning. The chemical smog is a mixture of a few chemicals: primarily carbon monoxide, with some vaporised phosgene and (just for variety) some LPS.
The question now is how the remaining 9 could survive until their rescue ship arrives in a years' time, given a 5-4 split of women to men and anything from the 21st century that might have survived on Earth. Assume they know their way around and have enough skilled people that they can use any method of transport; additionally, they have brought a 21st century nuclear fission reactor with them for power. Their ship can support them for 5 days each month before the oxygen runs out and needs to recharge.
What methods could they use to avoid chemical poisoning?
reality-check survival
ArtOfCode
ArtOfCodeArtOfCode
closed as off-topic by sphennings, Azuaron, anon, kingledion, L.Dutch♦ Dec 13 '17 at 3:09
"You are asking questions about a story set in a world instead of about building a world. For more information, see Why is my question "Too Story Based" and how do I get it opened?." – Azuaron, L.Dutch
$\begingroup$ Irradiation or poisoning? There's a big difference... $\endgroup$ – Tim B♦ Dec 29 '14 at 16:15
$\begingroup$ @TimB Knew there was something wrong. Edited $\endgroup$ – ArtOfCode Dec 29 '14 at 16:17
$\begingroup$ Treatments/prevention methods for different kinds of poisons are vastly different. Without information on what kind of poison, it would be impossible to give an answer. VTC unless the question is specified in more detail. $\endgroup$ – March Ho Dec 29 '14 at 17:09
$\begingroup$ @MarchHo Edited that in $\endgroup$ – ArtOfCode Dec 29 '14 at 17:11
$\begingroup$ Why can their ship only support them for 5 days a month without recharging? How'd they survive the trip to Earth with that limitation? $\endgroup$ – GrandmasterB Dec 29 '14 at 17:36
It seems to me there are only a few ways to approach this:
Develop an immunity (pro-active)
Develop a filter (counter-active)
Develop an antidote/medicine (re-active)
The problem is that we need more details (from you, the author) about what this chemical is. What it is nearly exclusively determines the "right" approach and determines how their experimentation goes.
For example, if the "chemical" is made up of primarily thick particles that're just omnipresent in the air, then water over a piece of clothing might make a good filter. Then all they need to do is (1) realize this and (2) make a filter for a hut or something and have a fan blowing, creating a positive-pressure safe cabin.
If it's a chemical which slowly enters the bloodstream, slowly causing damage until it just gets too far... then it's probably already too late for them.
But you should:
Think about what you want the solution's form to be (see above list)
Find chemicals which might plausibly be in the atmosphere that would cause this
Perhaps re-ask the question (or edit your current one), including more information about the technology they have on their ship (i.e. do they have a science lab? Or is it JUST a lander, like in "The 100")
Added details after the chemical composition is added:
From what I'm reading about phosgene and LPS is that their symptoms are likely to go unnoticed by the landing party for a while. The CO is more likely to be noticed from the effects more immediately (well, I guess this depends on the density).
As Serban Tanasa mentioned, it is suspicious that the advance scanner didn't detect it - especially given the CO.
I think your chemical composition (and, more generally, the focus on the chemical pollutant) may be complicating things for you. You may want to find one thing which:
A "standard" batch of scans might not detect --or-- may be pushed away from the lander causing it to not detect it
Gives at least some [noticeable] hint as to what it may be
Things to explore:
Stuff in the air (like chemicals) (which you've already done)
Stuff that's just present (like radiation)
Stuff that's on stuff (like a powdered chemical on food sources or the ground)
Stuff that's in stuff (like a mutation in a plant that used to be safe but is now poisonous)
Stuff that you haven't developed an immunity to (like a flu which your immune system has never been exposed to before)
Stuff that lives in people (i.e. parasites)
Parasites could give you an interesting angle: you could simultaneously explain why it wasn't detected by the scanner AND why it's affecting people at different rates by saying that there aren't that many of them per acre.
iAdjunctiAdjunct
$\begingroup$ +1 for more info about the chemical. Definitely a "depends" question $\endgroup$ – Brian Robbins Dec 29 '14 at 17:06
$\begingroup$ I've added detail about the chemical composition. $\endgroup$ – ArtOfCode Dec 29 '14 at 17:12
Depends on what kind of chemical we're talking about. Now, if this were a murder mystery, the fact that 22nd century tech was unable to detect it prior to landing, or even with ground-based measurements immediately after landing should be a strong clue.
What could be going on? What kind of hidden chemical would slip past the paranoiacal kind of detection filters that human survivors from a humanity who lost billions to poisoned air less than a century before would think to put in place?
I would probably relax the "chemical" part of the poisoning a little bit. After all, it's implausible that a persistent chemical would avoid spectrometry readings and air samples taken on landing.
So something must have changed after landing. That suggests a biological source. Bingo: a native plant or fungus has done a punctuated-equlibrium-style evolutionary jump in reaction to say, high levels of some (man-made) poison in the soil and is now employing it to drive away predators or kill neighbouring plants. It just happened to have enzymatic manipulators that closely matched the signature of some particular poison chemical, so a few mutations under the heavy evolutionary stress of complete ecological collapse and voila!
The arrival of the human aliens back on earth unfortunately coincided (or somehow triggered) the blooming cycle of the nearby Wolfsbane, whose deadly polen or oils or whatever is spread into the air by wind or some resistant bumblebee, and inhaled by your hapless explorer (or maybe he walked through a field, or merrily rolled down a flowery hill)
Catch some bees, extract some antidote.
Move ship out of the poisoned blooming clearing (although who knows how many other plants adapted to use the now-ubiquitous poisons in the soil?)
Develop some chemical neutralizer for the specific poison detected in the dead explorer. (again, other plants might bloom later with new poisons)
Wear masks and bodysuits. Don't roll in flowerfields :)
Create chem-filtering textured tents if cannot sleep in sealed spaceship
Serban TanasaSerban Tanasa
$\begingroup$ That's a good point about detecting it. If it's a slow-moving or slow-building chemical, the landing itself may have pushed it away. Or the sensor may have been damaged on landing. There are plausible ways this could fail, as long as they're explained. $\endgroup$ – iAdjunct Dec 29 '14 at 17:29
$\begingroup$ I like the murder mystery angle... it could be that the Earth is just fine, and one of the scientists is just using the opportunity to rid themselves of one or more competitors. $\endgroup$ – GrandmasterB Dec 29 '14 at 17:37
$\begingroup$ @GrandmasterB: (gloved scientist to secret rival) "I made this special wreath\garland for you, Henry. Why don't you go ahead and place it near your neural centres, uh, I mean on your head, heh-heh?" $\endgroup$ – Serban Tanasa Dec 29 '14 at 18:13
I would eliminate carbon monoxide from your scenario, as (absent some source such as a lot of fossil fuel-burning engines) has an atmospheric half-life on the order of months.
I think (though I'm by no means an expert) that this is going to be true of just about any atmospheric poison. They're poisonous because they're reactive; if they're reactive they're going to degrade fairly quickly (at most months/years rather than centuries), unless there is some process that keeps replenishing them.
jamesqfjamesqf
To take your hazards one at a time:
The carbon monoxide won't have been a problem. It's a common enough hazard that their lander would have a carbon-monoxide detector, and if CO had been present in the atmosphere at lethal concentrations (don't ask me how -- it's got a very short half-life and no large-scale natural sources), the detector would have gone off the first time they opened the door.
Phosgene decomposes in water, which means it won't be globally present in the atmosphere. If it was responsible for the death, it's because someone or something broke open a storage container. The easiest way to deal with it is simply to duck back in the lander and hope a rainstorm comes by in the next few days. If they need to wait longer for the rain, they could try setting up a wet scrubber (bubble outside air through a tank of water); note that this produces hydrochloric acid as a byproduct, so they'll need to discard the water when they're done.
I don't believe lipopolysaccharides can survive the digestive tract or pass through the lungs into the bloodstream. Environmental exposure is essentially a non-issue -- if you tried hard enough, I suppose you could introduce toxic levels through a cut, but that's about it.
There's a fundamental problem with your scenario: the vast majority of hazardous chemicals, especially gasses, are hazardous because they react readily with common substances (usually water or oxygen). That same reactivity means they don't tend to linger in the environment. If you want to render the Earth temporarily uninhabitable, your best bet is to contaminate the soil with something that presents a hazard from long-term exposure rather than short-term exposure (the dose builds up in the body over time), since such a substance will tend to break down on a scale of centuries rather than months.
$\begingroup$ What kind of substance would do that? $\endgroup$ – ArtOfCode Dec 30 '14 at 10:41
$\begingroup$ My first choice would be organomercury compounds. Lead and arsenic are also good options. All of these kill over the course of months rather than minutes. If you want to be particularly nasty, a lethal dose of dimethylmercury can be absorbed through the skin in seconds, but it will take months to kill. $\endgroup$ – Mark Dec 30 '14 at 10:51
"Simple" solution considering they have a hefty generator and are on earth...
Seal off a building, pump out as much of the current air as possible, pipe in water, and run electrical current through it, cracking it into hydrogen and oxygen.
Downside, they have a lot more hydrogen in the air. That should be survivable, but not good for health. Fortunately hydrogen rises, so they should be able to vent it out of the top of the building.
liljoshuliljoshu
$\begingroup$ Downside: the slightest spark will set off a cataclysmic explosion. Electrolyze water, and your breathing air is now an ideal mix for hydrogen/oxygen combustion. $\endgroup$ – Mark Jul 9 at 2:16
$\begingroup$ Yes, but if you're in a rush to get breathable air, it should work as a stopgap long as you're not sparking anything while getting up something more viable. In the scenario the OP put down, it's an emergency situation, which means acting quickly using available resources. Filters, antidotes, and other things mentioned here all require tools and resources they may not have. Although their ship likely had filters, there's no guarantee they're the right kind to filter out the poison. Filters are not a 'one size fits all' item, and different filters clean different things. $\endgroup$ – liljoshu 5 hours ago
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World Of Crap
Nostalgia and shite.
Jenny Morrill in Shite November 15, 2016 July 22, 2018 839 Words
A tribute to dad shops
The other day I passed a ‘car spares and accessories’ shop. Immediately I started thinking “I’m glad I don’t have any possible reason to have to go in there.” Then an old lady nearly pushed me so I forgot all about it.
But later on it did get me thinking about the shops my dad loved going in when I was a kid. He mostly liked man shops that sold things made of electricity and concrete. If I was with him on a shopping trip, I’d have to spend a lot of time looking at man things. I was fine with this, because I’d probably get a Wimpy out of it.
The following are shops that tend to attract dads like a magnet. Most of them sell magnets. That’s probably why.
Sells: 10m speaker wires. Speakers. Wires.
Do they sell toys? No, and if you try to play with the stuff you die from all the electricity.
Dad appeal: Strong. My dad was forever dragging me into Tandy, leaving me to examine the weird grey carpet while he stood marvelling at things made by Alba and Basf.
See also: Maplin. But we never went to Maplin so fuck off.
Cash Converters
Sells: Video recorders. Old saxophone reeds. One DVD of Only Fools And Horses.
Do they sell toys? Sometimes. But they’re always behind glass cases or some other fucking place where you can’t reach them.
Dad appeal: Medium. My dad hardly ever bought anything from Cash Converters, but that didn’t stop him having to go in there every time we were out, to look at guitars. However, now I’m in my 30s, I can wait for him in the pub instead of attempting to be interested in the stuff people have pawned to pay the gas bill.
Sells: 10mm rawl plugs. 14mm rawl plugs. 16mm rawl plugs. Slabs.
Do they sell toys? Do they fuck. But they do have those trolleys, if you can get away from your parents long enough to steal one and have a go on it.
Dad appeal: Strong. B&Q was the bane of my small life. This was made worse by the fact that my mother loved B&Q as well, so I had two parents telling me not to “show them up” instead of one. I couldn’t even play in the mock-up display rooms they had, because I had to accompany my parents to look at brackets instead.
I don’t know why parents are so fascinated with Ronseal and allen keys, but they are.
Car accessory shops
Sells: Mats in various shades of grey. Pine tree air fresheners. Those stretchy cords with a hook on each end.
Do they sell toys? No. They sell lots of shiny things that look like they might be toys at first glance, but turn out to be wheel trims.
Dad appeal: Weak. We didn’t exactly have a pimpin’ car when I was a kid. We had an old Peugeot that apparently used to be light blue back when it had some paint on it. It also backfired every time it stopped/started/moved. This was a cause of much hilarity for my parents, but not for me, as I had to be picked up from school in it, leading to the other kids calling me a “gyppo”.
We did go in occasionally though; my dad would look at steering wheel covers, as if buying one would somehow improve our car and stop it embarrassing me all the time.
Sells: shock-corded tent poles. Mallets (specifically, Millets mallets). Sensible things.
Do they sell toys? Not really, although display tents are always fun to play in.
Dad appeal: Weak. I don’t remember ever setting foot in a Millets when I was a kid. We didn’t do camping; we had a static caravan in Ingoldmells. I suspect my dad would have been all over their selection of sensible clothing though. He once bought me a pair of “insulated golfing mitts”. I never did get to the bottom of why he gave me those.
Dixons
Sells: Minidisc players. Curly wires. Amstrad.
Do they sell toys? No, but they did have those boxes of software, and they were always fun to look at. Usually called things like ‘Corel Graphics Pack’ and ‘Quicken’, but sometimes they had stuff about Batman or The Magic School Bus.
Dad appeal: Strong. My dad was forever in Dixons looking at the minidisc players. In his defence, back then he was a musician with thousands of backing tracks to store, so he at least had a reason to be looking at minidisc players. Also: floppy disks, packs of 1000 batteries, watching Richard and Judy with the sound off.
PS: There’s now a Donate button at the top of the page (or scroll to the bottom if you’re on mobile) – if you read World of Crap a lot, why not consider chucking a quid in the pot? It gets a bit pricey to host, and any donations will really be appreciated. xx
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9 thoughts on “A tribute to dad shops”
Clare Louise McDonald says:
“There’s a man with a mullet going mad with a mallet in Millets”
From ‘National Shite Day’ by Half Man Half Biscuit.
Rod Maughan says:
I guess I never had an archetypal type of Dad, and I wasn’t one myself to my own kids (who are now all grown up) because neither my Dad or I ever really frequented those types of shops. I used to go into the likes of Dixons and Tandys when I was a bit younger myself and have a look at what video / console games they had on offer – usually a pretty bad selection, but not many other shops sold them back then in my crappy little town, so… Cash Converters wasn’t even around when I was growing up, think I was in my mid 20s when I first noticed them appearing. Think I may have dragged the kids in there a few times, again to look at video games. Never been into the typical Dad stuff – DIY / decoration / building, or fishing, or football, I can’t drive a car, etc. Happier in a book shop or a toy / games / comic shop myself 🙂
Darren M Gomes says:
Tandy sold toys, lots of toys, ones that used batteries and were cheap rip-offs of things like Simon, as well as electronics labs/kits for kids.
Ha I must have blocked that out, I think I was probably just disappointed they didn’t sell Barbies
maddinaish says:
I love Millets ❤
andrew adams says:
They opened a Maplin near where I work a while back. it may be a bit of an exaggeration to say it’s the only place I go at lunchtimes, but not much.
I used to go to B&Q with my dad a lot when I was a kid. I also used to go in Dixons, Rumbelows as well, I’d look at the walkmans and midi systems.
Warren B. says:
None of these terrified or depressed me more than ‘mum shops’, when I was little. “Walk about in those! Do they pinch you there [bone-crunching squeeze], or there? [bone-squeezing crunch] Do you like these better than the last pair that looked exactly the same? We’d better try another hundred pairs…” I still have to psyche myself up to go clothes or shoe shopping.
It’s a weird thing, because I’m not much interested in DIY (I’m pretty lazy overall), and I’ve no use for 99.9% of the stuff they sell, but I still like a browse around B&Q. It’s like a temple of manliness. You can feel your knuckle-hair grow, in there.
I guess too many other guys treated it the same way, ‘cos they closed three of their biggests shops round here. Too many people going in and just coming out with a bottle of wood glue they’ll never use.
Phil M. says:
This profile fits me like a glove….its as if I was your dad…OOPS…I am your dad, at least thats what your mother tells me !!!
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Prison Quotes
Nor cell, nor chain, nor dungeon speaks to the murderer like the voice of solitude.
Charles Robert Maturin
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Let us remember that justice must be observed even to the lowest.
Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero)
Wherever any one is against his will, that is to him a prison.
If we look at Houston, which is a very environmentally toxic place, we find that it has one of the highest levels of young men going to prison and also among the highest levels of illiteracy in the country.
I existed in a world that never is - the prison of the mind.
When I was in prison, I was wrapped up in all those deep books. That Tolstoy crap - people shouldn't read that stuff.
The punishment can be remitted; the crime is everlasting.
Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)
Justice renders to every one his due.
I have paid no poll-tax for six years. I was put into a jail once on this account, for one night; and, as I stood considering the walls of solid stone, I could not help being struck with the foolishness of that institution which treated me as if I were mere flesh and blood and bones, to be locked up...I saw that, if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through, before they could get to be as free as I was.
The worst prison is not of stone. It is of a throbbing heart, outraged by an infamous life.
Henry Ward Beecher
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
He who profits by a crime commits it.
There are dreadful punishments enacted against thieves; but it were much better to make such good provisions, by which every man might be put in a method how to live, and so to be preserved from the fatal necessity of stealing and dying for it.
I am an expert of electricity. My father occupied the chair of applied electricity at the state prison.
The refined punishments of the spiritual mode are usually much more indecent and dangerous than a good smack.
David Herbert Lawrence
The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months in jail; if it were not for this penalty, the jury would never hear the evidence.
I can tell you this on a stack of Bibles: prisons are archaic, brutal, unregenerative, overcrowded hell holes where the inmates are treated like animals with absolutely not one humane thought given to what they are going to do once they are released. You're an animal in a cage and you're treated like one.
A man who has no excuse for a crime, is indeed defenseless!
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton
I asked a man in prison once how he happened to be there and he said he had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a railroad he would be a United States Senator.
Mary Harris Jones
No man survives when freedom fails. The best men rot in filthy jails, and those who cry 'appease, appease' are hanged by those they tried to please.
Hiram Mann
The world is a prison in which solitary confinement is preferable.
Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
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Freya Douglas-Morris and Marita Fraser
5 Mar — 26 Apr 2014 at the Peter von Kant Gallery in London, United Kingdom
Last time we spoke you asked of my travels.
Travelling at a constant speed, we visit land only for refueling and supplies. This geographical drift is an intentional counter to the static city. Most days start by logging the preceding day’s activity, we refer to the process with a certain care or responsibility, conscious of the sensitivity of the material of our work. My favourite experiences are not necessarily my own, but those of others, parsing images, sporadically populated by figures was at first a means to take possession of other people’s pasts. I don’t really describe this as the cultivation of personal memory, more decontextualised re-enactments. This process of periodisation however, has begun to conflict with the relationships I have formed with the material, mine is one that negates social codes of qualified or citable images. I have begun to reconfigure certain figures into phantom temporalities, signs, abstract and not are reciprocated, value is flattened, the image is not.
Contingent images
Marita Fraser’s and Freya Douglas-Morris’s practices consist of two formal languages that both produce a careful interplay between form, memory, perception and representation. Their two-person exhibition at Peter von Kant articulates two approaches to image making, coming into one space to resolve their shared interests.
Knowing of Fraser’s interest in the flower arrangement practice known as Ikebana — compared with the strange sub tropic forestry that populates Douglas-Morris’s canvases. Ikebana seems a better place than any to start to consider the whole, whereby every element from a works material, configuration and titles are contingent characters to its make up.
Within the de-contextualised re-enactments that are Freya Douglas-Morris’s painted works, subjects seem to appear from the vegetation, spectral, phantoms, navigating something as of yet unknown. Navigation or travel seems an apt proposal for Douglas-Morris’s work, elliptical yet familiar, a practice of curious gestures, a grappling with form that can only be encountered in its actuality, moving freely between marked abstraction and narrative painting. Characters are seen in gatherings of uniformly attired parties, the whole is never known, nor is their destination.
Marita Fraser’s work deploys the same means of rehearsal within its making, hybrid forms of materials, modern draperies, displayed in variegated configurations, like the bands of men that populate Douglas-Morris’s works, Fraser’s materials are often to be seen in multiples, on consecutive occasions, reissued, reattributed and renegotiated. Fraser generates numerous and concise nods to historical references, deploying stand alone minimalist frameworks, that act as dividers, physically framing her installations, as proposals in and for space. Alongside her three-dimensional works, Fraser’s practice is simultaneously about the whole image and obscuring the viewers reading – her collage works are populated by insertions of black material over black and white images, both figurative and not.
In both Fraser’s and Douglas-Morris’s work there appears a conflation in visual language, a practice of willing repetition or reoccurring forms. All the while the human figure keeps reappearing, a haptic body circling, amongst geometric shapes.
Text by Robert Spragg
Born in London in 1980, Freya Douglas-Morris obtained an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art in 2013. Her enigmatic paintings have recently featured in high profile exhibitions to include Paper, Saatchi Gallery, London, June–November 2013; New Sensations 2013, Saatchi Gallery and Channel 4, October 2013; Art Britannia, Miami, November–December 2013. Douglas-Morris is also included in The Catlin Guide 2014, which introduces 40 most promising new graduates in the UK. Douglas-Morris was also included in Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2012. Residencies include ones in Kuwait, RCA and British Council, 2012; Barcelona, Pantocrator Gallery, 2011 and Berlin, Milchhof Art Studios, 2008.
Born in Brisbane in 1969, Marita Fraser works between London and Vienna. Fraser completed her studies at The Academy of Fine Art, Vienna in 2010. Previous solo exhibitions include Marita Fraser, Kerstin Engholm Gallery, Vienna, 2012; Love of Diagrams, Engen Stadt Museum, Engen, 2010 and Marita Fraser, Winiarzyk Gallery, Vienna, 2010. Selected group shows include Birds of Paradise, James Dorahy, Sydney, 2013; Every Bird Brings Another Melody, Woolwich, London, 2013; Something New, Josh Lilley Gallery, London, 2012; Afterimage, Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna, 2012 and Silver Moon, Lisa Ruyter Gallery, Vienna, 2011. Fraser has participated in numerous international residencies including Atelierhaus Salzamt, Linz and Cité, Paris.
Peter von Kant Gallery
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28 Sep — 8 Dec 2019 at Spike Island Gallery in Bristol
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TV and Movie Merchandise Market Analysis, Trends, Top Manufacturers, Share, Growth, Statistics, Opportunities & Forecast to 2021
TV and Movie Merchandise Market – Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review provides you an in-depth strategic SWOT analysis of the company’s businesses and operations. The profile has been compiled by the TV and Movie Merchandise Market report to bring to you a clear and an unbiased view of the company’s key strengths and weaknesses and the potential opportunities and threats. The profile helps you formulate strategies that augment your business by enabling you to understand your partners, customers, and competitors better.
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TV and Movie Merchandise Market overview :About TV and Movie Merchandise
TV and movie merchandise includes licensed merchandise with characters and properties from feature films and television shows. The merchandise Market involves merchandise manufacturers buying a license from the creator of the movie or TV show.
Market analysts forecast the global TV and movie merchandise market to grow at a CAGR of 8.90% during the period 2018-2022.
TV and Movie Merchandise Market Report Covers following Major Key Players: Comcast, Disney, Hasbro, Time Warner, Twentieth Century Fox
Growth of e-commerce platforms
Uncertain economic conditions
Entertainment companies capitalizing on merchandise sales
TV and Movie Merchandise Market Forecast Year:2017-2021
TV and Movie Merchandise Market Scope
Business description – A detailed description of the company’s operations and business divisions.
Corporate strategy –TV and Movie Merchandise summarization of the company’s business strategy.
SWOT analysis – A detailed analysis of the company’s strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats.
Company history – Progression of key events associated with the company.
Major products and services – A list of major products, services, and brands of the company.
Key competitors – A list of key competitors to the company.
Key employees – A list of the key executives of the company.
Executive biographies – A brief summary of the executives’ employment history.
Key operational heads – A list of personnel heading key departments/functions.
Important locations and subsidiaries – A list of key locations and subsidiaries of the company, including contact details.
For Any Query on the TV and Movie Merchandise Market report, Speak to Expert @ https://www.360researchreports.com/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/12395824
The Global TV and Movie Merchandise Market research report inhabits as a profitable study which has excellence to move Keyword market challengers and beginners towards their resolved goals. The report represents an overall analysis of factors surrounded by the rate of TV and Movie Merchandise market expansion up to 2022. Spirited driving factors influencing global economy and TV and Movie Merchandise industry’s contribution to growth in the global market are foregrounded in this report. According to this research, over the next five years, the Keyword market will register a CAGR of 8.90% in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach US$ xx million by 2022, from US$ xx million in 2018.
TV and Movie Merchandise Market Include Strategic SWOT Analysis Review provides a comprehensive insight into the company’s history, corporate strategy, business structure, and operations. The TV and Movie Merchandise Market report contains a detailed SWOT analysis, information on the company’s key employees, key competitors and major products and services.
TV and Movie Merchandise Market report also covers all the regions and countries of the world, which shows a regional development status. Region Segmentation:
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TV and Movie Merchandise Market provides analysis for their production methodologies, manufacturing plants, and capacities, product cost, raw material sources, value chain analysis, effective business plans, service distribution pattern.
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360researchreport.com is the credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. At 360researchreports.com, our objective is providing a platform for many top-notch market research firms worldwide to publish their research reports, as well as helping the decision makers in finding most suitable market research solutions under one roof. Our aim is to provide the best solution that matches the exact customer requirements. This drives us to provide you with custom or syndicated research reports.
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Published in Markets
TV and Movie Merchandise Industry Analysis
TV and Movie Merchandise Industry Research
TV and Movie Merchandise Industry Share
TV and Movie Merchandise Industry Size
TV and Movie Merchandise Market Growth
TV and Movie Merchandise Market Trends
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JUST IN: ZIFA Pleads With COSAFA For More Time On Hearing
By Lovejoy Mutongwiza Last updated Apr 3, 2019
ZIFA President Felton Kamambo (Lovejoy Mutongwiza/263Chat)
The Zimbabwe Football Association’s (ZIFA) appearance before the COSAFA Disciplinary Board has been moved from 4 April 2019 to 11 April 2019, after president Felton Kamambo, who is out of the country, requested for more time, 263Chat has learnt.
COSAFA General Secretary, Susan Destombes told 263Chat that the matter in which ZIFA is being charged for failing to own up to their decision to host the Senior Men’s COSAFA Tournament will now be heard next week as the association pleaded for more time.
“ZIFA requested a postponement because the president (Kamambo) is out of the country.
“The matter will be heard next week 11th April and the decision thereafter regarding any sanctions to be applied will be determined by the Disciplinary Board with reference to the Cosafa Cup Regulations, CAF competition regulations and the Disciplinary Code,” she said.
Last year, ZIFA confirmed their desire to host the regional tournament which is scheduled to take place between 19 May and 1 June though they had not liaised with the government.
The decision reached by the previous ZIFA administration which was led by Phillip Chiyangwa has since been reversed by the new executive headed by Felton Kamambo after failing to get government support.
The government claimed it had not been given enough time to prepare for the regional showpiece.
If found in breach of COSAFA rules, ZIFA will either be fined or barred from participating in the tournament.
Zimbabwe last hosted the men’s tournament in 2009, which the national senior football team, went on to win.
The warriors are the current holders of the trophy.
COSAFAFelton KamamboZIFA
Lovejoy Mutongwiza 1016 posts 0 comments
Journalist based in Harare with keen interest in socio-economic and political stories.
Avid Dynamos and Manchester United Fan.
I love Cricket too.
Govt Urged To Prioritize Delimitation Ahead Of 2023 Polls
Mkhululi Bhebhe Puts Zimbabwe On The Gospel Map
Zimbabwe Rugby Union Announces Women’s National Team to Face…
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Artwork for sale by giacod
See giacod's art for sale
CONAN SAVAGE SWORD nº 87 - page 14
Ernie Chan
Max Fleischer
38.3 x 26.7 cm (15,08 x 10,51 in.)
CONAN SAVAGE SWORD nº 87
From the episode: "The armor of Zulda Thaal".
Publisher: Marvel Comics.
Partial script on the plate.
About John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema (December 11, 1927 – January 10, 2002), was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate. His younger brother Sal Buscema is also a comic-book artist. Buscema is best known for his run on the series The Avengers and The Silver Surfer, and for over 200 stories featuring the sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. In addition, he pencilled at least one issue of nearly every major Marvel title, including long runs on two of the company's top magazines Fantastic Four and Thor.He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2002.
Go to John Buscema's page
Other sales from giacod
MOUSEGUARD LEGENDS 3
CONAN - Strip 1979-10-11
L'ECONOMIA DI ZIO PAPERONE nº2 - Cover
POGO - Strip 1965-8-26
GENERATION X nº 22 - page 5
POPEYE 34 - Full Story
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Nigeria: Boko Haram killing of aid worker Hauwa Liman is a war crime
16 October 2018, 15:28 UTC
Responding to the murder of aid worker Hauwa Liman by Boko Haram, Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said:
“With yet another horrific killing of a humanitarian worker, Boko Haram has again demonstrated its brazen disregard for life. Hauwa Liman was providing desperately-needed humanitarian services to people affected by the conflict in the northeast of Nigeria. Her killing is a war crime. Under international humanitarian law, all aid workers must be protected from attack.
“Boko Haram must immediately and unconditionally release the remaining health worker, Alice Loksha. As news of these grisly killings emerge, the Nigerian authorities must re-double their efforts to rescue the hundreds of civilians still detained by Boko Haram - including 15-year-old Leah Sharibu, who was abducted from her school in Dapchi town, and the remaining Chibok girls.
“All those responsible for war crimes and other human rights violations and abuses in Nigeria must be brought to justice in a fair trial.”
Earlier today, the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that Hauwa Liman had been executed while in captivity.
Three health workers - Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa, Hauwa Liman and Alice Loksha - were abducted in March when Boko Haram fighters attacked the town of Rann in Borno State in northeast Nigeria. Rann is home to at least 40,000 internally displaced persons. Boko Haram has now killed Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khurso (in September 2018) and Hauwa Liman.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/africa/nigeria/report-nigeria/
Niger Delta Negligence
Nigeria/Netherlands: Shell ruling “a vital step towards justice”
"Shell must face justice for its role in my husband's execution"
Nigeria: Submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, 126th Session, 1-26 July 2019
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Country: pt
Free shipping continues above € 119
Kitchen /
Kitchen accessories /
Spaghetti measure VOILE
VOILE PG01
Designer LPWK, Paolo Gerosa
Spaghetti measure in 18/10 stainless steel mirror polished.
Height (cm): 3.50
Length (cm): 9.00
Width (cm): 7.00
A spaghetti measurer, for those who love Mediterranean cuisine.
Part of the Objet Bijou collection, VOILE by Paolo Gerosa is a Spaghetti Measure designed for approximately one, two or five servings. This precious utensil’s function, derived from Mediterranean culinary traditions, is based on a gesture used when cooking spaghetti which has, by now, been inherited the world over. Its form evokes an image of airy lightness, a symbol of fluidity. It’s a small accessory for the kitchen to be displayed in the kitchen, suspended over the scales’ gravity, or given as a gift to spaghetti lovers or for those who always get the serving size wrong…
Low casserole with two handles Domenica
Kettle Mami
Casserole with two handles La Cintura di Orione
La Cintura di Orione
Grill pan Mami 3.0
Mami 3.0
Sauteuse La Cintura di Orione
Born in Bergamo, Italy, Laura Polinoro graduated in Drama Art and Music Studies in Bologna. Her first job was in the field of contemporary dance as art director and costume and set designer. Later she undertook research at the Domus Academy in Milan. From 1990 to 1998 she was in charge of the Centro Studi Alessi, where she operated as meta-project designer and art director, coordinating workshops both in-house and in association with various universities and design institutes the world over. She was also involved in publishing and communications activities. Items which entered production in that period are identified with the acronym “CSA”. Since 2004 products overseen by Ms. Polinoro have been identified with the letters "LPWK"
He graduated from Politecnico di Milano with full marks in 2005. While studding he started the activity as Interior Designer realizing numerous public and private works. In 2006-2007 he worked for the research center of Baleri Italia, participating to the development of new lines of products. Since the early stages of research his main focus was on product design and on the expressing capacities of the industrial products. Together with the study of Interior projects he realized furniture elements in limited editions. Since 2008 collaborates with LPWK DESIGN.
Select country: pt
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Are Veterans Being Given Deadly Cocktails to Treat PTSD?
Soon he had tremors. " … [H]is breathing was labored [and] he had developed sleep apnea," Layne said.
Janette Layne, who served in the National Guard during Operation Iraqi Freedom along with her husband, told the story of his decline last year, at official FDA hearings on new approvals for Seroquel. On the last day of his life, she testified, Eric stayed in the bathroom nearly all night battling acute urinary retention (an inability to urinate). He died while his family slept.
Sgt. Layne had just returned from a seven-week inpatient program at the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati where he was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A video shot during that time, played by his wife at the FDA hearings, shows a dangerously sedated figure barely able to talk.
Sgt. Layne was not the first veteran to die after being prescribed medical cocktails including Seroquel for PTSD.
In the last two years, Pfc. Derek Johnson, 22, of Hurricane, West Virginia; Cpl. Andrew White, 23, of Cross Lanes, West Virginia; Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger, 21, of Roundrock, Texas; Cpl. Nicholas Endicott, 24, of Pecks Mill, West Virginia; and Spc. Ken Jacobs, 21, of Walworth, New York have all died suddenly while taking Seroquel cocktails.
Death certificates and other records collected by veteran family members show that more than 100 similar deaths have occurred among Iraq and Afghanistan combat vets and other military personnel, many of whom took PTSD cocktails that included Seroquel and other antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, sleep inducers and pain and seizure medications.
Since the 2008 publication of "The Battle Within," the Denver Post's expose of a "pharmaco-battlefield" in Iraq, in which troops were found to be routinely propped up on antidepressants, the Department of Defense has sought to curb the deployment of troops with mental health problems to combat zones. The DOD has also stepped up monitoring of soldiers who have been medicated, according to the Hartford Courant, and with good reason: 34 percent of the 935 active-duty soldiers who made suicide attempts in 2007 were on psychoactive drugs.
But the U.S. Army's Warrior Care and Transition Office reports that soldiers are dying after coming home, many in Warrior Transition Units that were established in 2007 to prepare wounded soldiers for a return to duty or civilian life. According to the Army Times, between June 2007 and October 2008, 68 such veteran deaths were recorded -- nine were ruled suicides, six are pending investigation and six were from "combined lethal drug toxicity." Thirty-five were termed "natural causes."
The mysterious deaths -- and an alarming track record -- have cast renewed scrutiny on Seroquel. Although it has not been approved for treatment of PTSD, Pentagon purchases of Seroquel nearly doubled between 2003 and 2007. Elspeth Ritchie, medical director of the Army's Strategic Communications Office told the Denver Post the drug is "increasingly utilized as an adjunct for PTSD."
The Seroquel Scandals
It would be hard to find a drug with a wider fraud footprint than Seroquel -- at least one that's still on the market.
One of its first backers, Richard Borison, former chief of psychiatry at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, lost his medical license, was fined $4.26 million and went to prison for a swindle involving Seroquel's original clinical studies.
AstraZeneca's U.S medical director for Seroquel, Dr. Wayne MacFadden, had sexual affairs with two different women doing research on Seroquel, a study investigator at London's Institute of Psychiatry and a Seroquel ghostwriter at the marketing firm, Parexel. According to court documents, MacFadden even joked about the conflicts of interest with one paramour.
Last year, the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica reported that Chicago psychiatrist Michael Reinstein, who wrote 41,000 prescriptions for Seroquel, received $500,000 from AstraZenenca. Meanwhile, a report in the Minneapolis Star Tribune discredited influential studies by AstraZeneca-funded Charles Schulz, MD, chief of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota.
Seroquel was even promoted by the disgraced former chief of psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine, Charles Nemeroff, who was accused by congressional investigators of failing to report $1 million in pharmacological income -- in AstraZeneca-funded continuing medical education courses.
And until a Philadelphia Inquirer expose last year, Florida child psychiatrist Jorge Armenteros, a paid AstraZeneca speaker, was chairman of the FDA Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee responsible for recommending Seroquel approvals.
In a trial that began in New Jersey last month, AstraZeneca is defending itself in one of 26,000 lawsuits, denying that Seroquel caused diabetes in Vietnam veteran Ted Baker, who was prescribed Seroquel for PTSD. Last year, London-based AstraZeneca agreed to pay $520 million last year to settle suits pertaining to clinical trials and illegal Seroquel marketing.
Yet, instead of reconsidering a drug linked to an alarming number of deaths and marred by at least eight corruption scandals in 13 years -- Seroquel was even prescribed to a 4-year-old Massachusetts girl, Rebecca Riley, before her death -- the FDA continues to issue approvals for new uses for Seroquel.
Seroquel was first approved to treat schizophrenia in 1997. The FDA subsequently expanded its use, approving it for "acute manic episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder" in 2004, "major depressive episodes associated with Bipolar Disorder" in 2006 and "maintenance treatment for Bipolar I Disorder" in 2009.
Last April, the FDA opened the door to prescribing Seroquel to people who have not even been diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, approving Seroquel as "an additional therapy in patients suffering from depression who do not respond adequately to their current medications."
Not that Seroquel needed a boost; its $4.9 billion in sales in 2009 signals usage far beyond the 1 percent of the population with schizophrenia and the 2.5 percent with bipolar disorder. North Carolina's Medicaid spends $29.4 million per year on Seroquel -- more than any other drug, according to the Charlotte News and Observer.
Most recently, in December, Seroquel was quietly approved for children between the ages of 10 and 17 who are diagnosed with bipolar mania and children between 13 and 17 with schizophrenia. It was a stealth end-of-the-year decision, announced not by the FDA itself but by AstraZeneca. (The change was reflected in an entry on Seroquel's FDA approval page that notes "Patient Population Altered.")
'When six people die from peanut butter we shut the factories down'
With veteran deaths in the news, family members hope the unsolved mysteries surrounding Seroquel-linked deaths of soldiers could finally force AstraZeneca to take responsibility for its product.
Stan and Shirley White lost two sons to war. Robert White, a staff sergeant, was killed in Afghanistan in 2005, when his Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. But the death of Robert's younger brother Andrew, who survived Iraq only to succumb to a different battle, is in some ways "harder to accept" says his father.
Like Eric Layne, Andrew was taking Seroquel, Klonopin, Paxil and prescription painkillers for PTSD after returning home from his Iraq tour. Like Layne, he deteriorated physically and mentally on the prescribed cocktail until experiencing a sudden, inexplicable death.
"When six people die from peanut butter we shut the factories down, but at least 87 military men have died in the past six years on Seroquel and similar drugs and no alarm sounds," Stan White told AlterNet.
When White informed his representatives, Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, of Andrew's unexplained death, they were helpful, as was Tammy Duckworth, the VA's Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. But packets White distributed to news organizations, Congress and the White House were acknowledged only by First Lady Michelle Obama, who forwarded hers to the VA, and Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, who chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. In letters to White, both remarked that therapy, not just drugs, should be part of PSTD treatment.
A 2008 investigation by the VA's Office of Inspector General into the deaths of Andrew White and Eric Layne was inconclusive, finding "no apparent signal to indicate increased mortality for patients taking the combination of Quetiapine, Paroxetine, and Clonazepam when compared with patients taking other similar combinations of psychotropic medications."
"The direct impact of non-prescribed medications in these patient deaths cannot be determined," investigators concluded.
SSGT (Ret) Tom Vande Burgt's Army National Guard company was stationed outside Baghdad at the same time that Eric and Janette Layne were serving, in 2004 and 2005, but his story has a happier ending.
Like White and Layne, he was prescribed a PTSD cocktail that included Seroquel, along with Klonopin and the antidepressant Celexa, but as tremors, sleep apnea and enuresis (bedwetting) developed, his wife, Diane, questioned the high dosage, off-label use of a bipolar drug like Seroquel. After her husband was taken off his meds abruptly and it was discovered there were no records of the drugs being sent to him (or the doses) by a VA primary care doctor -- mistakes that "could have cost him his life," according to Diane -- the Vande Burgts filed a complaint with the VA Office of the Inspector General. It, however, found no wrongdoing, concluding the treatment was within the VA's "standard of care."
Under the care of a private psychiatrist, Vande Burgt's cocktail only grew, but eventually he went off the drugs with the help of his doctor, and his sleep apnea, urinary problems, tremors, weight gain, depression, mood swings, lethargy and paranoia subsided.
The way Vande Burgt describes it, Seroquel "drugs vets up" to such a degree that they "don't dream at all."
"It wipes out the hypervigilance factor," he told AlterNet via e-mail. "But as soon as the meds are decreased, the hypervigilance and anger and trust issues come raging back, worse than before."
Now the Vande Burgts, who live in Charleston, West Virginia, coordinate a PTSD support group and a Web site that emphasize nondrug solutions and the need for soldiers and veterans to have an advocate present during care for PTSD and traumatic brain injury to ensure clear communication between doctors and patient. Tom also uses the services of Give an Hour, a program in which local therapists donate one hour of therapy a week to veterans, soldiers and families dealing with PTSD.
"There is no cure for PTSD, especially in a magic pill," the Vande Burgts told AlterNet. "Good old-fashioned talk therapy and support groups are tried and true … all the others are just quick fixes that add to the problem, not addressing the root of the problem."
AstraZeneca: Too Big to Regulate?
Seroquel's ability to cause cardiac arrest and sudden death is well-known.
A search of the U.S. National Library of Medicine database yields 20 articles linking "Seroquel" and "sudden death," 24 linking "Seroquel" and "QT prolongation" (a heart disturbance that can led to death), 55 linking "Seroquel" and "toxicity," as well as such terms as "cardiac arrest" and "death."
A 2005 article in the Journal of Forensic Sciences says Seroquel was detected in 13 postmortem cases and the cause of death in three, observing that "little information exists regarding therapeutic, toxic, and lethal concentrations."
A 2003 article in CNS Drugs reports, "some patients have died while taking therapeutic doses," of atypical antipsychotics like Seroquel and that "toxicity may be increased by coingestion of other agents."
"The second-generation antipsychotics were termed 'atypical' based on misconceptions of enhanced safety and efficacy," Dr. Grace Jackson, a former Navy and Veterans Administration psychiatrist and author of Drug-Induced Dementia and Rethinking Psychiatric Drugs, told AlterNet in an interview. ("Atypical" antipsychotics supposedly function differently from "typical" antipsychotics and are thought to cause fewer side effects.)
"In 2002 and 2003, according to a VA study published in 2007, 20 to 30 percent of demented veterans [veterans with brain conditions including organic and psychiatric psychosis] died within the first 12 months of beginning treatment with an antipsychotic," said Jackson. "When you combine antipsychotics with antidepressants, benzodiazepines and antiepileptics -- especially in Iraq/Afghanistan veterans who have likely sustained traumatic brain injuries -- you have potential lethality from sleep apnea, endocrine anomalies and opioid intoxication."
Seroquel's record of causing sudden cardiac death was on the docket at last year's FDA hearings, which Stan and Shirley White and Janette Layne attended.
According to Dr. Wayne Ray, who testified before the FDA's Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee, one study involving 93,300 users of antipsychotic drugs -- half of whom were on atypical antipsychotics -- showed that such users were at no less than double the risk of a "sudden, fatal, pulseless condition, or collapse … consistent with a ventricular tachyarrhythmia occurring in the absence of a known, non-cardiac cause."
Ray, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, published the findings in an article titled "Atypical antipsychotic drugs and the risk of sudden cardiac death," in the New England Journal of Medicine last year.
Unwilling to let Seroquel's approval prospects sink just because it's dangerous, the FDA's Marc Stone, a medical reviewer, donned his AstraZeneca hat at the hearing. In a presentation rebutting Ray's testimony, he asked how the death certificates in these cases were accurate when "paramedics are more likely to identify some deaths as sudden cardiac deaths?"
"Smoking as an important risk factor for sudden cardiac death is unlikely to appear in the Medicaid claims data used in this study," Stone continued, and, "How do we know smoking wasn't a factor in the deaths -- or that antipsychotic users aren't less likely to 'communicate symptoms of cardiac disease to medical personnel?'" He also pointed out that "Mental illness severe enough to require antipsychotic drugs … may also increase the chances of someone being homeless or living alone with little social contact," apparently forgetting that the purpose of the FDA hearings was to approve Seroquel for non-mentally ill people with anxiety and depression.
Elsewhere, Seroquel for PTSD gets good reviews.
"These data are encouraging for adjunctive treatment with a second-generation [atypical] antipsychotic in patients who have partially responded to an SSRI or an SNRI [antidepressants]," says the American Psychiatric Association's March 2009 Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Matthew J. Friedman, one of its four authors, is executive director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD -- and an AstraZeneca consultant.
"Quetiapine improves sleep disturbances in combat veterans with PTSD," wrote Mark Hamner in a 2005 Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology article. Hamner is medical director of the PTSD clinical team at the Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Charleston, SC -- and an AstraZeneca consultant.
"Atypical antipsychotics also have an emerging place in PTSD pharmacology, particularly for symptoms of paranoia, intense hypervigilance, arousal, extreme agitation, dissociation, psychotic-type flashbacks, and brief psychotic reactions," writes Cynthia M. A. Geppert in a 2009 Psychiatric Times article. She is chief of consultation psychiatry and ethics at the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System -- and recipient of three AstraZeneca grants.
Meanwhile, critics and activists ask: What protections are afforded to veterans enrolled in Seroquel studies -- some combining Seroquel with other drugs -- that AstraZeneca-funded doctors conduct at VA medical centers?
Many say that Big Pharma, embedded in academic institutions, medical schools, military medicine, government entitlement programs and the FDA itself is too big to regulate, like Wall Street firms. But others say the incarceration of VA Chief of Psychiatry Richard Borison in 1998 is proof the system works. (Of course, he will be out soon.)
As veterans continue to come home from Iraq, even as more are deployed to Afghanistan, PTSD will continue to threaten their mental health. The untold number who will have survived the wars only to die at the hands of deadly pharmaceutical cocktails is a scandal the FDA -- and the Pentagon -- cannot afford to ignore.
"Treating PTSD does not have to be drugging up our soldiers and Marines in order to keep boots on the ground," says Diane Vande Burgt. "Our soldiers and Marines are not dispensable to save a dollar."
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The historic Queensland election
Queenslanders went to the polls last weekend and drove the Labor Party from government in an historic and brutal election. I believe a significant factor in the defeat of the Labor party was the disdain with which Ms Anna Bligh and Mr Andrew Fraser treated Queenslanders on the issue of Civil Partnership Legislation, which was rushed through as a matter of grave importance with eight sitting days of parliament available before the bill was seen as having to be passed.
The committee process, lauded as Queensland’s alternative to an upper house, was similarly abused without any possibility of adequate community consultation. The ALP believed this piece of legislation was a vote winner whilst the LNP voted against it as a block and also committed to repealing it. In the end, the ALP couldn’t have gotten it more wrong. There are only two conclusions – either Queenslanders want the legislation repealed, or they just don’t see it as important at all.
It was disappointing to see Labor’s Michael Choi and Margaret Keech lose their seats. Both showed great courage in standing for Christian values, twice crossing the floor to vote against surrogacy for same-sex couples and marriage-mimicking civil partnerships.
I want to thank everyone who attended one of our 25 Meet Your Candidate forums and also those of you who logged on and watched the live webcast we hosted with Campbell Newman.
It is great to see Christians more and more engaging with the political process as this is so necessary if we are to see our culture positively influenced in the future.
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This page provides information on how project-affected people can file a complaint and what types of complaints are not handled by the Accountability Mechanism.
Where to file
The complaint may be submitted by mail, fax, email, or in person:
Complaint Receiving Officer (CRO), Accountability MechanismAsian Development BankADB Headquarters, 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines (+632) 632-4444 loc. 70309 (+632) 636 2086 [email protected]
Alternatively, the complaint may be submitted through any ADB office, such as a resident mission or representative office, which will forward the complaint to the CRO.
Who can file
Two (2) or more persons (can be from the same family);
A local representative of such affected persons, or a nonlocal representative, in exceptional cases where local representation cannot be found, and the Special Project Facilitator (SPF) or Compliance Review Panel (CRP) agrees.
For compliance review, the following may also file a complaint: Any member of the ADB Board of Directors, in special cases involving allegations of serious violations of ADB’s operational policies and procedures relating to an ongoing ADB-assisted project.
Complainants are welcome to file the complaint in their own words without following the sample complaint letter or form [Armenian, Georgian, Nepali, Urdu], but they should provide the required minimum information listed under "Contents of the complaint" below.
Complaints may be submitted in any of the official or national languages of ADB’s developing member countries. Additional time, however, will be required for translation.
The working language of the Accountability Mechanism is English.
Contents of the complaint
ADB-assisted project (brief description, name, and location)
Direct and material harm that has been, or is likely to be, caused to the complainants by the ADB-assisted project
Project-affected persons (i) Names, (ii) designations, (iii) addresses, and (iv) contact information of the complainants
Representative/s, if any If a complaint is made through a representative, (i) name, designation, address, and contact information of the representative (ii) names of the project-affected persons on whose behalf the complaint is made and (iii) signed evidence of authority to represent them.
Confidentiality of identities Complaints should state whether or not complainants want to keep their identities confidential.
Note: Complainants' identities will be kept confidential from relevant ADB parties other than SPF and CRP, unless they agree to disclose their identities. Authorized representatives' identities will be disclosed, unless they are complainants themselves.
Choice of function Problem solving or Compliance review.
Note: If the complainants choose problem solving, they may request for compliance review if they feel that compliance review is necessary, but only:
upon completion of Step 3 of the problem solving process (paras. 169-173 of the AM Policy), if the complainants have serious concerns on compliance issues, or
when the complainants exit the problem solving process.
If the complainants choose compliance review, they may go to problem solving if the CRP declared their complaint ineligible.
Prior good faith efforts with the operations department
A description of the complainants’ good faith efforts to address the problems first with the ADB operations department (OD) concerned, including the resident mission (How, when, by, and with whom were the efforts made?), and the results of these efforts.
Note: The Accountability Mechanism is a last resort mechanism.
Project-affected persons are encouraged to first address the issue with available grievance mechanisms at the project level, and they are required to make good faith efforts to address the issue with the relevant ADB operations department.
Complaints will not be entertained if they are:
about actions not related to something ADB did or not do in formulating, processing, or implementing an ADB-assisted project;
about an ADB-assisted project for which 2 or more years have passed since the loan or grant closing date.
about matters that complainants have not made good faith efforts to address with the operations department concerned;
about decisions made by ADB, the borrower or executing agency, or the private sector client on the procurement of goods and services, including consulting services;
about allegations of fraud or corruption in ADB-assisted projects or by ADB staff;
about the adequacy or suitability of ADB’s existing policies and procedures;
frivolous, malicious, or trivial, or one generated to gain competitive advantage;
within the jurisdiction of ADB's Appeals Committee or ADB's Administrative Tribunal, or relate to ADB personnel matters; and/or
about ADB’s non-operational housekeeping matters, such as finance and administration.
Additional exclusions under the problem solving function are those:
about matters already considered by the SPF, unless the complainants have new evidence previously not available to them and unless the subsequent complaint can be readily consolidated with the earlier complaint; and/or
about matters being dealt with or already dealt with by the CRP (including those that have completed the compliance review process), except those complaints considered ineligible for compliance review by the CRP.
Additional exclusions under the compliance review function are those:
relating to actions that are the responsibility of other parties such as the borrower, executing agency, or potential borrower, unless the conduct of these other parties is directly relevant to the assessment of ADB's compliance with its operational policies and procedures;
that do not involve ADB’s noncompliance with its operational policies and procedures;
relating to the laws, policies, and regulations of the borrowing country, unless they directly relate to ADB's compliance with its operational policies and procedures;
about matters already considered by the CRP, unless the complainants have new evidence previously not available to them and unless the subsequent complaints can be readily consolidated with the earlier complaint; and/or
being dealt with by the SPF up to the completion of step 3 of the problem solving function.
Process for Receiving Complaints
Complaints Registry
Process flow: How we handle your complaint
Problem Solving Function
Compliance Review Function
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Sorell Family History
Sorell Name Meaning
Variant spelling of French Sorel or English Sorrell.
Similar surnames: Sorelle, Morell, Sorrell, Torell, Sowell, Corell, Borell, Durell
Sorell Family Origin
Where is the Sorell family from?
You can see how Sorell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sorell family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Sorell families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there was 1 Sorell family living in Connecticut. This was about 25% of all the recorded Sorell's in the USA. Connecticut and 3 other states had the highest population of Sorell families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sorell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
View Census Data for Sorell
Sorell Family Occupations
What did your Sorell ancestors do for a living?
In 1880, a less common occupation for the Sorell family was Keeping House. The most common Sorell occupation in the USA was Farmer. 31% of Sorell's were Farmers. Farmer, Laborer and Blacksmith were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Sorell.
View Census data for Sorell | Data not to scale
Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Sorell ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.
Sorell Historical Records
What Sorell family records will you find?
There are 4,000 census records available for the last name Sorell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sorell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.
Search 1940's US census records for Sorell
There are 584 immigration records available for the last name Sorell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.
View all Sorell immigration records
There are 449 military records available for the last name Sorell. For the veterans among your Sorell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.
View all Sorell military records
You've only scratched the surface of Sorell family history.
Sorell Life Expectancy
What is the average Sorell lifespan?
Between 1958 and 2004, in the United States, Sorell life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1958, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Sorell in 1958 was 50, and 89 in 2004.
View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sorell
An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Sorell ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.
Famous Sorell Family Ancestors
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Ncaa Men's Final Four Tickets
Searching for Ncaa Men's Final Four tickets? Anytickets.com has seats for every upcoming Ncaa Men's Final Four game at remarkably affordable prices.
Take a look below to find the game you want to attend and use the arena map to find very best Ncaa Men's Final Four tickets. We have an extensive inventory of seats, so we are the one-stop shop whether you are more interested in sitting close to the action or finding the cheapest prices.
Home > Ncaa Basketball > Ncaa Men's Final Four Tickets
Ncaa Men's Final Four Ticket Prices & Tour Details
There is no better way to experience the Ncaa Men's Final Four than to witness the action live. However, it seems like Ncaa Men's Final Four tickets are always difficult to come by, even those for seats in the upper deck.
Thankfully, Anytickets.com has access to an incredible inventory of seats to every Ncaa Men's Final Four event. So, even if you are looking the day of, Anytickets.com has the Ncaa Men's Final Four tickets so you can enjoy the event in person.
BASKETBALL Match Ups
The Basketball Tournament: Salt Lake City Regional - Round 2 Get your tickets Now
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Gwyneth Paltrow's next role: Book publisher
ANJALI MULLANY
Nov 11th 2015 2:06PM
At the Fast Company Innovation Festival, Gwyneth Paltrow announced that she and her business partner Lisa Gersh are launching a new enterprise: a publishing imprint called Goop Press. It will complement Goop, her weekly lifestyle newsletter that offers readers advice, recipes, travel guides and the opportunity to purchase products that Paltrow and her team have curated.
"We're really thrilled because we are starting a book imprint with Grand Central Publishing," the actress and entrepreneur told journalist Katie Couric on the Fast Company stage in New York City. Grand Central published Paltrow's previous cookbooks. "They're great publishers, and so my next cookbook will be the first book on the Goop imprint."
SEE ALSO: How Instagram is democratizing fashion
Goop Press will start off by publishing four books a year. One book will be produced by Paltrow and the staff at Goop, which Paltrow founded in 2008. Three other books a year will be written by creators and experts who have been featured on Goop's website and in its newsletters over the years.
"Books are back. There was this whole fear when ebooks came out that books would just totally disappear." Lisa Gersh, CEO of GOOP
"Books are back," quipped Gersh. "There was this whole fear when ebooks came out that books would just totally disappear. I think it's like any other part of the media business—some people prefer to read a newspaper in the morning and get a little bit of black on their fingers. Some people read it online. I read the real newspaper, my husband reads it online. I think books are the same thing, some people want to read them on their devices and some people want to hold them."
RELATED GALLERY: See photos of Gwyneth Paltrow through the years
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Communication is connection.
Our ability to communicate and connect with each other is key to our success and happiness.
But one in six Americans has a speech, language, or hearing disorder that can keep them from reaching their full potential in school, work, and life. That’s 50 million people with conditions that can make human interaction a struggle to connect and convey ideas. Their everyday life can be very frustrating—and we all miss out on their potential contributions.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHFoundation) supports innovators and sparks innovation in the field of communication sciences and disorders. We provide resources for passionate and promising investigators exploring forward-thinking solutions and conducting groundbreaking research.
Human communication is complicated.
Physical, neurological, psychological, and social factors all affect our ability to connect with others. Professionals in this field—including audiologists and speech-language pathologists—need new knowledge, tools, and techniques to help people tackle their challenges.
Our programs are early investments in ingenuity, empowering innovators to chart new paths and equipping them to attract new resources. We achieve this through grants, scholarships, achievement awards, and special programs.
Andrea Pittman
Funded in 1997, 2008
Andrea’s ASHFoundation support funded her early investigations into how children with hearing loss manage—and learn in—complex environments, like their classrooms. That support allowed her to build a strong base for her continued research into improving their educational outcomes.
Will Hula
Will wanted to find a better way. His early ASHFoundation funding kickstarted his investigation into new, innovative methods of measuring clinical outcomes in aphasia—creating a stronger evidence base for clinicians to help patients.
Rita Patel
Rita supports the voice of the children—literally. With pilot data collected from an ASHFoundation-funded study, she has worked toward developing better assessment tools for the early detection of vocal disorders in children, to get them the treatment they need.
Sarah Hargus Ferguson
Funded in 1998
Sarah investigates what, exactly, makes clear speech clear, aiming to offer solutions to people with hearing loss and their communication partners—beyond hearing aids. And with early ASHFoundation support of her research, federal funding is no longer out of reach.
See a full list of our past recipients and read about their work.
The ASHFoundation was officially founded in 1946 by Wendell Johnson as the Speech Correction Research Foundation; we awarded our first research grant of $75 to Dr. William Love.
After a few decades of limited activity and a few name changes, the ASHFoundation was revitalized under the leadership of Frank R. Kleffner, who served on the board from 1981–1988, and other leaders. During his tenure, Kleffner oversaw the creation of our formal giving programs, as well as awards and special project programs. In 1989, with net assets at $228,000, we hired our first executive director.
Our first capital campaign—Dreams and Possibilities, launched in 1999—would yield $2 million by 2005. Today, the ASHFoundation’s assets are $13 million. Since our inception, we have awarded over $8.6 million to more than 2,000 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, and leaders in the field.
Every year, thousands of individual donors help the ASHFoundation support innovators and spark innovation.
Meet the Individual Donors
Organizational Donors
Our organizational donors help us transform the field of communication sciences and disorders.
Meet the Organizational Donors
Our corporate donors are vital to the success of ASHFoundation programs.
Meet the Corporate Sponsors
Honor Gifts
Special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, retirement, and honors are often celebrated with a donation to the ASHFoundation.
Meet the Honorees and Donors
Donors often give a gift in the memory of a loved one who has passed away.
Legacy Leaders
This special group of individuals has remembered the ASHFoundation in their will or have endowed a legacy gift.
Meet our Legacy Leaders
Meet the ASHFoundation’s Board of Trustees.
Meet the ASHFoundation Staff.
View our Research Presentations and Publications.
The ASHFoundation, governed by a Board of Trustees, is affiliated with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a membership organization representing audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students.
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Recently I have been fascinated by Lotte Reiniger’s shadow puppetry. It’s been really fun to experiment with her technique. I’ve been creating wire and cardboard puppets and animating them on an overhead projector. Once I build a lightbox, I’d like to start a new project…
Images here are from an installation concept called “Where do they go?”.
Where do they go?
Shadow puppet: stop motion animation test.
music from the Disintegration Loops by William Basinski.
Meet Sam
Meet Sam is an interactive installation where audiences can interact with a digital character via a kinect sensor.
It was originally produced for the Festival of Australian Student Theatre in 2018.
Meet Sam has since been exhibited at QCA Brisbane in April - May 2019.
The work was co-created with Nevin Howell (digital media and coding artist).
Circus Connections
Vulcana partnered with Junction Park State School, Annerley TriCare Aged Care Residence, Annerley-Stephens History Group and Annerley RSL to deliver Circus Connections, funded by We Are Queensland through the Queensland Government.
I spent time in the workshops to create a collection of life drawings and a short animated film to commemorate the project.
The Magic Bunyan Tree
The Magic Bunyan Tree (2018) was an interactive community performance created for the Maryborough’s Mary Poppins Festival with Fraser Coast Regional Council. For this project, I created animated sequences and interactive elements to be featured in the show.
Birdnest Hair
I co-created a music video with Matt Hsu’s obscure Orchestra.
‘Birdnest Hair’ is a playful celebration of womanhood and scrappy optimists, inspired by the many incredible women in Matt’s life and one newly minted human, Wednesday. Credits: Ravi Singh, Kate Woodhouse, Maddy Payne, Alex Bryant, Erin Ward, Freya Wright-Brough, Georgia May, Jen Horn, Joey Bell, Laura Powe, Leyla Gashé, Tash Llewellyn and Wednesday Llewellyn, Michael Josephson, Steph Mcintyre. Filmed in Kazuo’s Collection, Hanasho West End, Taro’s Ramen, and stormwater drains.
SEE. (2016) is an animated film that explored the thoughts and feelings associated with gender dysphoria. The film is hand drawn by Ashleigh Djokic, with sound/music composed by Dan Anderton. The film has been showcased at the DIY festival in 2016 and at Animation Salvation in 2018.
These are misc. animations that I’ve done for school or fun!
firefly boy
Back to Animation
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The MV Agusta F3 Will Be the First Supersport with an IMU
Sometimes, it seems like motorcycle manufacturers are intentionally tanking the supersport segment. For proof of this, I look at the electronics available, on this supposedly cutting-edge segment.
Something as ubiquitous as traction control is still slow to come to the supersport space, while it remains a standard feature on virtually every new street bike model. The concept is so foreign in this segment that less than half of the available supersports on the market have a traction control option.
One of those brands is MV Agusta, which was the first motorcycle marque to bring TC to the supersport class. Now, the Italian brand is ready to raise the bar another notch further, bringing the power of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to supersport riders.
The MV Agusta F3 is set to get an update for the 2019 model year, according to our Bothan Spies, with the key piece being an electronics upgrade.
At the center of this upgrade will be an IMU, which will power both cornering ABS and slide-control enabled traction control.
Both of these technology pieces will be firsts in the supersport market, but that is nothing new for MV Agusta, which was the first brand to bring traction control to a supersport model, waaaay back in 2011.
When I hear enthusiasts talk about how the supersport market is dead, I think of how the motorcycle manufacturers are to blame for it.
If a boutique brand like MV Agusta can equip its supersport model with traction control in 2011, why are we still waiting for other Japanese brands to follow suit, seven years later? For instance, the “class leading” Yamaha YZF-R6 just got traction control in 2017.
How long will it now take for the Japanese brands to once again catch-up with MV Agusta, and follow suit with their own IMU-powered machines?
You see, it isn’t that the supersport market is dead, after all, MV Agusta’s three-cylinder F3 is a strong seller for the Italian brand. Instead, the issue is that the Japanese OEMs left the supersport market for dead, bleeding to death on the side of the road.
Hopefully in the coming model years, we will see a supersport revival, especially once Euro5 regulations have taken hold. Until then, MV Agusta will continue to rule the roost.
Source: Bothan Spies
Jensen Beeler
Despite his best efforts, Jensen is called one of the most influential bloggers in the motorcycle industry, and sometimes consults for motorcycle companies, whether they've solicited his expertise or not.
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Triumph Unit Sales Up 9% in April – Will Enter New Motorcycle Market Segments by 2012
The motorcycle industry continues to thaw after its deep freeze during the recession, and a part of that warming effect comes from Triumph Motorcycles, who reported a 9% increase in unit sales in the United States for April 2010 when compared to April 2009. “It’s feels good to see consistent growth, and we’re optimistic about the future” said Mark Kennedy, President and CEO of Triumph Motorcycles North America. Continuing, Kennedy said, “…the U.S. economy is showing signs that indicate we should have a good year.” Part of the growth Kennedy is referencing to is of course having more customers purchase models from the existing model line-up, but Triumph also has its eye on new segments as well. More on that after the jump.
Yamaha Raising Money for Electrics
By Jensen Beeler 04/02/2010 1 Comment
Yamaha Motors is set to raise $812 million in capital in order to pursue development and production of fuel-efficient engines, which includes hybrid and electric models. The focus of this new range of Yamahas seems to be destined for emerging markets, but may include technologies that could trickle into more established markets like the United States. Yamaha plans on raising this money by making 63.25 million more corporate shares publicly available for investment.
Asphalt & Rubber Heads to Milan & EICMA
This week will feature a slightly different format than usual, as we’ll be coming to you directly from the 2009 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan. With media reveals starting in 24 hours, each morning this week we will bring you the latest news from the show, which is expected to have a bevy of motorcycles shown to the public for the first time (well that is of course unless you’re already an avid A&R reader, in which case you’ve already seen some of these bikes).
Come early, come often, but expect the bulk of the days’ post to come like a fire hose in the morning (PST). You can also check back to this post to see a directory listing of articles stemming from EICMA. Also, for the absolute latest happenings, check out A&R StreetLevel as we’ll be tweeting away throughout the week. Enjoy!
The 2009 EICMA Story Listing:
2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200
2010 Ducati 848 Dark
2010 Ducati Hypermotard EVO SP
2010 Ducati Hypermotard EVO
2010 MV Agusta F4
BMW Concept 6
2010 KTM 1190 RC8 Red Bull Replica
2010 Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans Concept
2010 Moto Guzzi V12 Strada Concept
2010 Moto Guzzi V12 X Concept
2010 Ducati Hypermotard 1100 with Performance Accessories
KTM 125 Race & Stunt Concepts
2010 KTM 690 Duke R
2010 Triumph Speed Triple SE
Triumph and Öhlins Partnership
New Ducati Corse Logo
2010 Ducati 1198R Corse Special Edition
2010 Ducati Monsters Get ABS Brake Option
Last updated 11/11/09 @ 5:00pm Milan time.
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Mother-In-Law Bridge
Padlocks cover this rickety footbridge with love.
The locks are often decorated. katesheets on Flickr (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
Mother-In-Law Bridge in 2012.
New home for the locks, at West end of bridge.
Heart sculpture on the end of the bridge as of April 2019. Applehad (Atlas Obscura User)
The shaky Mother-In-Law Bridge is continually covered in padlocks placed by couples in love, but not to appease their in-laws as the name might suggest.
Top Places in Odessa
Odessa Catacombs
The largest catacomb system in the world.
Added by Dylan
Trade Unions Building
The eerie burnt-out remains of a prominent building where 30 protestors lost their lives.
Added by hoppdanson
Darth Vader Statue
A monument to Lenin has been transformed into a statue of everyone's favorite black-helmeted, fool-choking Sith Lord.
Added by nickdrewe
See more things to do in Odessa »
The narrow Ukraine pedestrian bridge is built over a gully to connect two roads in the town of Odessa. The origin of the bridge’s name is up for debate but there are two prevailing theories. Built in 1969 the metal and brick expanse is not the most secure piece of civil architecture and when several people jump on the bridge together, or strong winds strike the structure, it is known to shake violently. The first theory holds that this swaying (or wagging) was akin to that of a mother-in-law’s tongue, hence the descriptive name. The second, more accepted but no less colorful, story is that the local chairman who commissioned the bridge did so because he loved his mother-in-law’s pancakes, but she lived on the other side of the ravine, thus the bridge was built to facilitate the indulging of this appetite.
The tradition of hanging padlocks on bridges and fences is a known European tradition and given the marital connections of the name, no matter which origin you believe, it is no surprise that it spread to the Mother-In-Law bridge. Due to the weight of all the locks and the weak construction of the bridge, the city continually removes the locks from the bridge and even built a large, metal heart on the Western end specifically to hang locks from. Despite this installation many young lovers still hang their locks directly on the bridge.
Heading from Primorska street, go to Vorontsov palace, and take a left. This will take you across the bridge and into old Odessa.
Visit Ukraine with Atlas Obscura Trips
Photographing Chernobyl in Winter
January 12—January 20, 2020
A unique photography trip incorporating some of the country’s most remarkable visual experiences—from the markets and street art of Kyiv to hundred-year-old brickwork drains beneath the city streets, and from towering relics of Soviet might to a post-human landscape where space-age technology lies ruined in the snow.
View This Trip »
love locks
http://ilikeodessa.net/most.html
http://ua-travelling.com/en/article/mother-in-law-bridge-odessa
23 Preobrazhens'ka street
Tiraspol, Moldova
A forgotten remnant of the Soviet Union, Transnistria is an unrecognized country hidden behind a heavily militarized border between Moldova and Ukraine.
Added by Darmon Richter
Fuente de los Candados
Where sweethearts leave their love locks in the Uruguayan capital.
Added by Tony Dunnell
Eiserner Steg (Iron Bridge)
Fantastic views and thousands of love locks.
Added by SuzieF
Love Locks of Västerbron
A former suicide bridge is now accumulating symbols of love instead of a body count.
Added by hrnick
Brooklyn Bridge Love Locks
A popular European tradition makes its way to the states on one of America's most famous bridges.
Added by Hannah Frishberg
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A Chance of Stormy Weather
By: Tricia Stringer
Narrated by: Kate Hosking
4.5 out of 5 stars 4.6 (16 ratings)
Come Rain or Shine
Paula knew when she moved to the country that the life would be tough. Nearly a year into her marriage with farmer Dan, and now pregnant, she is proud of her ability to feed shearers, bake a pastie and fix a fence while still running her accountancy business from home. With a wedding to plan, the farm to run and neighbours to help out, life is busy but good. But there are clouds on the horizon.
Something in the Wine
Reserved high school teacher Keely Mitchell is more than ready for her holiday on the West coast of Australia, so when a medical emergency turns over all her plans and an intervention by a kind stranger finds her recovering in a Margaret River vineyard, she is at first downcast. Keely had wanted to put recent traumatic events out of her mind, and recuperating alone in a stranger's house won't help that. But slowly, the lovely food, spectacular wine and beautiful landscape of the area begin to work their spell.
An escape to a beautiful place
The Sunnyvale Girls
Narrated by: Danielle Baynes
Widowed matriarch Maggie remembers a time when the Italian prisoners of war came to work on their land, changing her heart and her home forever. Single mum Toni has been tied to the place for as long as she can recall, although farming was never her dream. And Flick is as passionate about the farm as a girl could be, despite the limited opportunities for love. When a letter from 1946 is unearthed, the Sunnyvale girls find themselves on a journey into their own hearts and across the world.
excellent author xx
By: Fleur McDonald
Narrated by: Lani John Tupu
With nothing else to lose, Detective Dave Burrows volunteers for the most dangerous mission of his life. When Dave joined the force he couldn’t have foreseen the toll it would take on family life. Dave’s wife, Melinda, is unhappy about being left alone so much to raise their 18-month-old daughter, Bec. His interfering father-in-law isn’t helping. He never thought he was good enough for his daughter and is not shy about telling Dave what he's doing wrong. When things come to a head at home, Dave's policing mate, Spencer, comes up with a plan.
By Yvonne on 27-04-2019
By: Karly Lane
Narrated by: Melle Stewart
After a bitter divorce, Kate and her battle-scarred kids escape the city to the vast but run-down property of North Star. Bequeathed to her by her grandfather, it had been in the family for generations, but it doesn't take long for her realise that she's going to need every ounce of determination to restore the homestead to its former glory and fulfil her dream of turning it into a bush retreat. As she starts to make headway with the restoration and falls for a local bloke, Kate finally feels like life is going right for her. Then her ex-husband comes to town....
When best-selling author, 29-year-old Hayley Stevens, walked in on her husband, Paul, and her best friend in bed together, she knew her life would never be the same again. One year later, Hayley stowed her last bag in her much-loved Audi Coupe and said good-bye to the city. She was excited to be heading west to Lochway, a small colonial village sitting on the beautiful Macdonald River. Wanting peace and quiet, Hayley had impulsively bought a cosy sandstone cottage there surrounded by lush rose gardens, with a small overseer's cottage - ideal for a writer's retreat.
Loved it!!!
The Family Secret
Kim is a creative woman of the land, renowned in her community. But deep down she's lonely. She's already watched the man she loves falls for someone else, and her dream of starting a family feels like it's slipping through her fingers. Enter Charlie McNamara, visiting Lake Grace on business, intriguing Kim with his mysterious past....
loved this book. it made me alot more aware of v
By Patricia Hadley on 18-11-2017
Bridie's Choice
Bridie Farrell and Shaun Broderick come from opposite sides of the tracks. Bridie's family are perennial strugglers whilst the Brodericks are the wealthy owners of Jinjulu - one of the most prestigious properties in the district. Bridie has always longed to leave the small town she grew up in, but family responsibilities have kept her anchored there. Meanwhile, Shaun's dream of taking over the management of Jinjulu is dashed by his dictatorial father. who tries to rule Shaun's life both on and off the farm.
i love karly lane storiessnd this is no exception
The Wrong Callahan
It had been two long years since Lincoln Callahan had found himself in front of the gates to Stringybark Creek. He was in the army then - a lifetime ago. Linc had always been the unsettled Callahan, looking for danger, the one who couldn't wait to leave the family farm. This time he was back for his little sister Hadley's wedding. From far and wide, the Callahan relatives were streaming towards Stringybark Creek. Linc's little brother, Griffin, was the steady son, the one who stayed at home, the one who did the right things. And now, the one who had feelings for city girl Cash Sullivan.
By: Nicole Alexander
Narrated by: Ric Herbert
Ross Grant has always felt like the black sheep of his wealthy Scottish family. An explorer at heart, he dreams of life on Waybell, their remote cattle station in Australia’s last remaining wilderness, the Northern Territory. Then his brother Alastair is branded a deserter after going missing during the Great War, and Ross is coerced into marrying Darcey Thomas, a woman he has never met, to save the family name. Disgusted with his manipulative family, he turns his back on his unwanted wife just hours after the ceremony and heads to Waybell with no plans to return.
A Life of Her Own
By: Fiona McCallum
Narrated by: Jennifer Vuletic
Alice Hamilton loved being a mature-age student, but now she's finished her university degree she needs to find herself a career. But the job market is tough, and it doesn't help that her partner, David, keeps reminding her about their sizable mortgage. When she's offered a role in a major real estate agency, she jumps at the opportunity. David is excited by her prospects in the thriving Melbourne housing market, and Alice is pleased that she'll be utilising her exceptional people skills. But Alice quickly realises all is not as it seems.
They keep coming!
Indigo Storm
Narrated by: Anna Hruby
When Ashleigh decides to flee her controlling husband, Dominic, she knows he'll hunt her down. The only way to escape is to disappear and reinvent herself. Moving to the tiny rural town of Blinman, one day she visits a ruined homestead in the area and becomes fascinated by the people who lived there during the 19th century. But just as she begins to unlock the secrets of her own past, Dominic arrives in town, determined to punish her....
Easy story to listen to
Six Ways to Sunday
Narrated by: Kathryn Hartman
When city naturopath Rilee Summers meets gorgeous farmer Dan Kincaid, a whirlwind romance follows, and the next thing she knows she's married and living on her husband's family property in a small rural community. But Rilee's city ways and new naturopathy practice, and her outspoken views on teen pregnancies, only serve to alienate her from the deeply conservative townsfolk and her in-laws.
Great nice
Button Jar, Book 1
When Emily Oliphant married John Stratten, she thought it was the beginning of an exciting new adventure - standing shoulder to shoulder with the most eligible farmer in the district and pitching in to build a thriving agricultural business. Three years later, however, Emily sees her marriage for what it is - a loveless tie to a callous man. When John's cruelty reaches new heights, Emily is forced to move out, braving both her husband's wrath and her mother's glaring disapproval.
By vivienne van der merwe on 05-01-2019
By: Charlotte Nash
It's been 11 years since Dr. Peta Woodward, born into a horse-breeding dynasty, fled the family stud in the wake of a deadly tragedy that split her family apart. Carrying wounds that have never truly healed, Peta has focused on helping others. But when an injury during a solo trip through the Australian high country leaves her stranded, the man who comes to her rescue is Craig Munroe, a born and bred high-country horseman - and the kind of man legends are written about.
When newly badged Detective Dave Burrows arrives in the West Australian goldsfield town of Barrabine - a town where prospectors live by their own tough rules - it's exactly where he wants to be. But Melinda, his wife of two weeks, is devastated at leaving behind her family, friends and career. As Dave investigates reports of mysterious late-night trespassing, a missing person, and guns being drawn on strangers, he must navigate his way in a town where prospectors live by their own rules and find a way to keep his marriage from falling apart.
Poppy's Dilemma
Poppy Abbott seems to have it all. Bright, successful and attractive, she lives in a beautiful apartment with sweeping views of Sydney. However, since the recent death of her beloved grandmother, she's been struggling to come to terms with her grief. When sorting through her grandmother’s belongings she uncovers some love letters and an old diary with the name ‘Maggie Abbott’ on the front, detailing her romance with a young soldier. Maggie’s name is unfamiliar to her, and the last pages of the diary are ripped out, leaving Poppy at a loss of how this love story ended.
Nine years ago, 30-year-old Chelsea Taylor left the small country town of Barker to rise to the top as a concert pianist. Yet here she was, back again with her four-year-old daughter, Aria, readying herself to face her father, Tom. The father who'd shouted down the phone nine years ago never to come home again....
City girl Paula married her lovely farmer, the only problem is he comes with a farm...
Another heart-warming rural romance from the queen of Australian storytelling.
Self-reliant Sydney girl, Paula, is looking forward to a new life in the country. Just married to sheep farmer Dan Woodcroft, she can't wait to escape her protective family and exchange her busy existence for a new life down on the farm in rural South Australia. But life on the farm proves rather different to what she was expecting. Why does everyone talk about the weather all the time? Why does no-one seem worried by the mice plague? And how is she supposed to feed all those shearers?
With Dan's brusque Aunt Rowena to contend with, his gorgeous ex-girlfriend showing up with a grudge and communication between her and Dan breaking down, Paula begins to question whether she can cope - is the life of a farmer's wife is really for her? Forecast: stormy weather.
©2016 Tricia Stringer (P)2017 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Table for Eight
My Mother, a Serial Killer
Bloodtree River
The Red Coast
Liz Pearson
Easy listening with predictable storyline
The book was an easy going novel, which I enjoyed after a very heavy book before it. Typical rural romance novel but unfortunately highlights the silly assumption and expectation that some women have about marrying a farmer
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Awake In Life | Meditation Teacher
Interfaith Services
Kirtan Activities
Meditation As A Way of Life: Philosophy and Practice
By Alan L. Pritz
Meditation as a Way of Life: Philosophy & Practice
Based on Teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda Promotes Peace and Wellness
Winner: 2015 Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in the Body, Mind & Spirit Category!
These prestigious awards are put on by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA).
“One of the best meditation guides in years. Clear, uncomplicated, inspiring, and straight from the heart of a true expert who’s been there. Highly recommended.” ~ Larry Dossey, MD, author of Healing Words
Among primers on meditation, Meditation as a Way of Life: Philosophy and Practice Rooted in the Teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda is unique in that it uses the universally applicable teachings of Indian yogi Paramahansa Yogananda to guide readers who treasure inner growth and are looking for reliable direction for how to achieve it in an authentic and sustainable way, offering specific, time-tested principles and how-to exercises for cultivating the mental, physical and spiritual aspects of a meditation-based spiritual life from a classical yogic perspective
Rev. Alan L. Pritz, a disciple of Yogananda, distills the teachings of many other spiritual traditions and religions, including Christianity, into an interfaith perspective that will appeal to all seekers of the Divine. Specific elements include foundations of spiritual practice; benefits of energy-building exercises, affirmations, and healthy life-style regimens; instructions in mantra practice and inner-sound meditation; techniques for effective prayer; and guidelines to measure inner practice.
Throughout the narrative, Rev. Pritz adds touching and sometimes humorous personal stories, speaking to the reader authentically as a fellow practitioner rather than a master or guru. He concludes the book with an appendix that contains a discussion about the differences and similarities between spirituality and religion.
The accessible narrative and universal themes in Meditation as a Way of Life make it enjoyable to read and life-enhancing to apply.
Rooted in the Teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda
Published by Quest Books
$17.95 paperback
Click here to order online.
A Pocket Guide to Meditation
Re–Release! Alan’s updated version of Pocket Guide To Meditation now available online through iUniverse.com (save money at iUniverse by choosing “Media Rate” for shipping), Amazon, Barnes&Noble, & elsewhere.
Size: 5×8
Summary: Reduce everyday stress, increase mental acuity, and improve creativity through meditation. By practicing the exercises and techniques in this book you will discover that developing your spiritual nature will enable you to move beyond personal limitations to heightened awareness, collective abundance, and inner joy.
Order from the Publisher:
What people have said about Pocket Guide To Meditation:
“What a great Pocket Guide To Meditation. This book should be given to everybody who enters a doctor’s office, so they hopefully won’t need to come back. The HMOs should underwrite this project; it would save them money, which is their bottom line.”
— Larry Dossey, Author of Healing Words, The Power of Prayer & Practice of Medicine
“Alan has taken a big subject and made it friendly, interesting, and useful for everyone. This is the perfect little book to carry around in purse or pocket for quick moments of inspiration.”
— Lilias Folan, Host of PBS series, Lilias!
“A great resource to begin your meditation journey. A wonderful guide to explore the classical practices of meditation in a very clear and understandable manner; a great resource for the beginner and advanced practitioner alike. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is on the journey to integrate more pause, reflection, and spirituality into their life.”
— Kevin Cashman, Author of Leadership From The Inside Out
Rev. Alan contributed Spirituality in the Workplace to Training Tough Topics (AMACOM:2000).
Rev. Alan is currently at work on a new book, Meditation and the Spiritual Life. See details on the Latest News page.
Sign up to receive email updates and to hear about upcoming events!
Heart Songs: Meditative Chants of the Paramhansa Yogananda Tradition
The Art & Science of Meditation
Proper Attitude Towards Adversity
Another Version of Christmas
Why I Wrote Meditation As A Way of Life
God is not a Four-Letter Word
Civility & Decency: Hallmarks of Personal & Social Cultivation
Easter Message – 2017
and there’s much more …
Paramahansa Yogananda-Inspired Meditation Group
Yogananda Kirtan at Macalester College
Mindful Balance: A 4-Part Series
World Ayurveda Health & Lifestyle Summit
Lowry Rose Building, Suite 203
2124 Dupont Avenue S.
Copyright © 2019 Awake In Life
Website by Uncorked Design LLC
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NBA's Morris twins sued over 2015 altercation in Phoenix
Erik Hood, who said he was attacked by NBA players Marcus and Markieff Morris after a youth basketball game in Phoenix in 2015, has filed a civil lawsuit against the twins and three other men.
NBA's Morris twins sued over 2015 altercation in Phoenix Erik Hood, who said he was attacked by NBA players Marcus and Markieff Morris after a youth basketball game in Phoenix in 2015, has filed a civil lawsuit against the twins and three other men. Check out this story on azcentral.com: http://azc.cc/2exAzEW
Kayla King-Sumner, The Republic | azcentral.com Published 9:05 p.m. MT Oct. 26, 2016
Marcus Morris (left), then of the Detroit Pistons, talks with his twin brother, Markieff Morris, of the Washington Wizards, during a game on Feb. 19, 2016, in Washington, D.C.(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Morris twins, former Phoenix Suns players, and three other defendants are accused of beating up Hood outside a youth basketball tournament in central Phoenix. The criminal case is still underway in Maricopa County Superior Court, and the civil lawsuit was filed there on Tuesday.
Hood, of Maricopa County, is suing the five defendants for conspiracy, battery and assault and is seeking actual damages, including pain and suffering, and punitive damages from them, according to a complaint document filed by attorneys William Richards and Nicole Davis.
The Morris brothers, who are 27, and three other men each face two counts of aggravated assault and are accused of attacking Hood, an acquaintance with whom they had a falling-out in 2010.
The three other defendants in both the criminal case and Hood's lawsuit are Julius Kane, Christopher Melendez and Gerald Bowman, all from the Philadelphia area.
Criminal court proceedings have moved slowly as attorneys for the prosecution and defense requested more time to review evidence. In addition, Hood's attorney has appealed to higher courts his pending request to further discover and review potential evidence contained on cellphones. Of interest are photos, chats and texts.
Hood said he was repeatedly kicked and stomped on by the twins while being held down by the other defendants.
The criminal and civil cases stem from a Jan. 24, 2015, altercation, when the Morris twins and three male friends were at a youth basketball tournament in a central Phoenix gymnasium. Hood also was at the tournament, according to court records.
Hood, 36, left the gym and was approached by one of the twins’ friends, Kane. Hood told Phoenix police that a different person then struck him from behind, knocking him down. He tried to run after getting back to his feet, but was chased by a group of men that included the twins and their friends Kane, Melendez and Bowman, Hood said. Hood told police that he was punched and kicked in the head while being held down.
Markieff Morris was traded to the Washington Wizards in February 2015 after nearly five seasons with the Suns. Marcus Morris was traded to the Detroit Pistons in July 2015 after stints with the Suns and the Houston Rockets.
The next hearing in the twins' criminal case is set for Nov. 4, according to the Superior Court of Arizona website.
AZCENTRAL
Court proceedings continued for Markieff, Marcus Morris
Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/2exAzEW
Arizonans respond to Trump tweet
Chandler man claims he accidentally shot, killed wife
No monsoon storms expected in Phoenix-area for days
He took down dams, freed wolves and preserved wildlands. Bruce Babbitt is still at work
Trump to congresswomen: 'Go back' where you came from
Gallego, Biggs and more Arizona congressional leaders react to Trump's tweets
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5 key takeaways from Arizona's primary election
Women candidates are on the upswing, and so is Democratic voter participation, among other key lessons from Tuesday's primary election.
5 key takeaways from Arizona's primary election Women candidates are on the upswing, and so is Democratic voter participation, among other key lessons from Tuesday's primary election. Check out this story on azcentral.com: https://azc.cc/2wD7kbp
A Maricopa County Recorder and Elections Department worker tabulates ballots on Aug. 28, 2018, at the Maricopa County Recorder's office in Phoenix. Sean Logan/The Republic
Arizona votes: Primary election day 2018
Maricopa County Recorder and Elections Department workers tabulate ballots on Aug. 28, 2018, at the Maricopa County Recorder's office in Phoenix. Sean Logan/The Republic
Jonathan Gelbart, (center) a Republican primary candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, speaks with supporter Mark Atkins at a watch party at his Tempe home on Aug. 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Jonathan Gelbart, (left) a Republican primary candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, speaks with supporter Ronjon Bhattacharya at a watch party at his Tempe home on Aug. 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Kelli Ward concedes to Martha McSally during a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale on Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
Kelli Ward gets a kiss from her husband, Dr. Michael Ward, before greeting a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale on Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
David Garcia, Democratic candidate for governor, arrives to his watch party at Roland's Cafe and Market on Aug. 28, 2018, in Phoenix. Rob Schumacher/The Republic
Gabby Giffords (left) holds hands with Ann Kirkpatrick, vying for the seat Giffords once held, as the Democratic candidates gathered for primary election results on Aug. 28, 2018, in Tucson. Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star
Lea Marquez Peterson, Republican candidate for the 2nd Congressional District seat, hugs well-wisher Heather Floyd, president of the Benson Chamber of Commerce, as she welcomes the crowd during her watch party at Viscount Suite Hotel on Aug. 28, 2018, in Tucson. Ron Medvescek/Arizona Daily Star
Rep. Martha McSally greets supporters during a primary election party In Tempe, Ariz. August 28. 2018. McSally The two-term congresswoman from Tucson is vying for the Republican nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat. Michael Chow/The Republic
Rep. Martha McSally bows her head during a moment of silence for the late Sen. John McCain during a primary election party In Tempe, Ariz. August 28. 2018. McSally The two-term congresswoman from Tucson is vying for the Republican nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat. Michael Chow/The Republic
Kelli Ward (left) takes a selfie with supporter Suzette Meyers during a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale, Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
Kelli Ward greets the crowd as her husband, Dr. Michael Ward (right), watches during a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale, Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
Kelli Ward (right) greets supporter Courtney Kinneard, 23, of Mesa, during a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale, Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
Deedra Abboud, who is vying for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat, talks with John O'Neal (right) and Dane Amling, both volunteers from her campaign, at a watch party for the Arizona primary at Pearls Banquet Hall in Mesa on Tuesday evening, August 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Deedra Abboud, who is vying for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat, talks with a supporter at a watch party for the Arizona primary at Pearls Banquet Hall in Mesa on Tuesday evening, August 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Deedra Abboud, who is vying for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat, looks on at a watch party for the Arizona primary at Pearls Banquet Hall in Mesa on Tuesday evening, August 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Deedra Abboud, who is vying for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat, hugs a supporter at a watch party for the Arizona primary at Pearls Banquet Hall in Mesa on Tuesday evening, August 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Supporters of Kelli Ward wait for her appearance at a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale as reports of problems at the polls appear on a large TV screen on Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
Kelli Ward (right) greets supporter Carter Brown, 25, of Mesa, during a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale on Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
Kelli Ward gets a kiss from her husband, Dr. Michael Ward, before greeting supporters at a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale on Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
Jim and Kathleen Clark of Phoenix, supporters of Kelli Ward, wait for her appearance at a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale, Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
Kelli Ward (left) hugs supporter Suzette Meyers during a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale on Aug. 28, 2018. Ward’s husband, Michael, is at right. Tom Tingle/The Republic
Kelli Ward greets supporters during a primary election night party at Embassy Suites Scottsdale, Aug. 28, 2018. Tom Tingle/The Republic
People wait in line to vote on Aug. 28, 2018, at the Phoenix Public Library Century Branch in Phoenix. Sean Logan/The Republic
People wait in line to vote on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Phoenix Public Library Century Branch in Phoenix. Sean Logan/The Republic
Tristan, a Maricopa County Elections worker, talks to people waiting in line to vote on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Phoenix Public Library Century Branch in Phoenix. Sean Logan/The Republic
Tristan, a Maricopa County Elections worker, assures people waiting in line that they will get to vote on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Phoenix Public Library Century Branch in Phoenix. Sean Logan/The Republic
A man walks with his ballots on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Phoenix Public Library Century Branch in Phoenix. Sean Logan/The Republic
Patricia Hillman of Tempe walks out of the Tempe Public Library after voting in the primary on Aug. 28, 2018. Hillman said she waited in line for two hours, including going up to the second floor (seen at top) of the library. David Wallace/The Republic
People wait in line to vote in the primary at the polling place at the Tempe Public Library on Tuesday evening, Aug. 28, 2018. People leaving the polling place said they waited in line for two hours. David Wallace/The Republic
Katie Hinde of Phoenix takes a selfie after voting in the primary at the polling place at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Phoenix on Aug. 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Roger Baker of Scottsdale looks at his "I Voted" sticker after voting in the primary at the polling place at the Paiute Neighborhood Center in Scottsdale on Aug. 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Carrie Robinson walks out after voting at the polling place at the Tempe Public Library on Tuesday evening, Aug. 28, 2018. People leaving the polling place said they waited in line for an hour. Robinson was just dropping off an early ballot so she did not wait. David Wallace/The Republic
People wait in line to vote at the Tempe Public Library on Aug. 28, 2018. People leaving the polling place said they waited in line for an hour. David Wallace/The Republic
Roger Baker (right) of Scottsdale walks back to his vehicle after voting in the primary, at the polling place at the Paiute Neighborhood Center in Scottsdale on Aug. 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
People wait in line to vote in the primary, at the polling place at the Tempe Public Library on Tuesday evening, Aug. 28, 2018. People leaving the polling place said they waited in line for an hour. David Wallace/The Republic
People wait in line to vote at the Tempe Public Library polling place on Aug. 28, 2018. People leaving the polling place said they waited in line for an hour. David Wallace/The Republic
Campaign signs for Navajo Nation presidential candidates, including incumbent Russell Begaye, line Highway 264 in Window Rock as voters head to the polls for the primary election on Aug. 28, 2018. Cayla Nimmo/AP
Navajo Nation presidential candidate Tom Chee addresses his supporters gathered at his campaign headquarters on Aug. 28, 2018, in Window Rock. Cayla Nimmo/AP
Navajo Nation presidential candidate Tom Chee talks to friend and supporter Leonard Platero at his campaign headquarters on Aug. 28, 2018, in Window Rock. Cayla Nimmo/AP
Campaign materials for former Navajo Nation president and current presidential candidate Joe Shirley Jr. sit on a table outside the Fort Defiance chapter house on Aug. 28, 2018 where chapter members cast their vote in the primary election in Fort Defiance. Cayla Nimmo/AP
Navajo Nation presidential candidate Tom Chee addresses his supporters and touches on his campaign platform on Aug. 28, 2018, in Window Rock. Cayla Nimmo/AP
Supporters of Navajo Nation presidential candidate Tom Chee gather at his headquarters in Window Rock on Aug. 28, 2018, in anticipation of his arrival. Cayla Nimmo/AP
Katie Hinde of Phoenix, takes a selfie after voting for the primary, at the polling place at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Phoenix, Aug. 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Roger Baker (right) of Scottsdale, walks back to his vehicle after voting for the primary, at the polling place at the Paiute Neighborhood Center in Scottsdale, Aug. 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
Roger Baker of Scottsdale, looks at his "I Voted" sticker after voting for the primary, at the polling place at the Paiute Neighborhood Center in Scottsdale, Aug. 28, 2018. David Wallace/The Republic
A sign outside Encanto Park Clubhouse polling location. A Republic reporter on the scene said a man in a silver truck stopped someone at the entrance of the parking lot and yelled, “The voting machines are down. They say go to Burton Barr Library." Lauren Castle/The Republic
A voter arrives at the polling place to cast her ballot, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Escalante Community Center, 2150 E. Orange Street in Tempe. Mark Henle/The Republic
Adina Anhalt (right) and her daughters, Abigail (left, 7) and Evelyn (center, 2) arrive to drop off her ballot, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Escalante Community Center polling place, 2150 E. Orange Street in Tempe. Mark Henle/The Republic
Bobbi Fredrikson, a co-inspector, sets up a voting sign, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Escalante Community Center polling place, 2150 E. Orange Street in Tempe. Mark Henle/The Republic
A voter leaves the polling place after casting his ballot, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Escalante Community Center, 2150 E. Orange Street in Tempe. Mark Henle/The Republic
Braiden Hall arrives to drop off his ballot, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Escalante Community Center polling place, 2150 E. Orange Street in Tempe. Mark Henle, Mark Henle/The Republic
Voters leave at the polling place after voting, Aug. 28, 2018, at the Escalante Community Center, 2150 E. Orange Street in Tempe. Mark Henle/The Republic
Voters at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Phoenix reported having difficulties voting the morning of Aug. 28, 2018. Equipment was down for less than an hour with no ability to verify voter identification. Sierra Poore/The Republic
A Maricopa County Recorder and Elections Department worker tabulates ballots on Aug. 28, 2018, at the Maricopa County Recorder's office in Phoenix.
Mary Jo Pitzl and Ronald J. Hansen, Arizona Republic Published 1:13 a.m. MT Aug. 29, 2018
People wait in line to vote at the Tempe Public Library on Aug. 28, 2018. People leaving the polling place said they waited in line for an hour.(Photo: David Wallace/The Republic)
Primary voters served up a mixed bag of results in Tuesday's primaries, while voting problems fueled a sense of exasperation that Arizona just can't seem to pull off a trouble-free election.
Here are key takeaways from the returns:
It's the year of the woman
Arizona is set to elect its first female U.S. senator, as Republican Martha McSally and Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won their respective primaries and are set for a November showdown.
At least seven of the 20 people who will be running in the federal Senate and House races this fall are women. Two others were leading in races too close to call.
The 2nd Congressional District race in November could be another all-female contest. Ann Kirkpatrick, a Democrat who defeated two other women, won the Democratic nomination in the Tucson-based district. Republican Lea Marquez Peterson was leading the GOP primary late Tuesday.
The 8th Congressional District will see a familiar lineup, as incumbent U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko easily bested challenger Sandra Dowling. Lesko will face Democrat Hiral Tipirneni in a rematch of their April special-election race to fill a House vacancy in the West Valley-based district.
RELATED: Martha McSally, Kyrsten Sinema win Arizona's Senate primary races
Women ruled ... but not if they had baggage
Two female incumbents running in statewide races went down in the GOP primary.
Secretary of State Michele Reagan was easily defeated by political newcomer Steve Gaynor. He attacked Reagan's record, including widely reported problems with election management in 2016.
He topped it off with a Trump-like appeal to anti-immigrant fervor by criticizing Reagan for a settlement her office reached on voter registration. That settlement was approved by the Republican state attorney general, but it apparently didn't matter.
In the state superintendent of schools race, incumbent Diane Douglas appeared to be on her way out. Douglas' early clashes with Gov. Doug Ducey over who would lead education policy, as well as her inability to cultivate public approval, made her vulnerable in a five-candidate GOP field that pitted her against four men.
RELATED: Steve Gaynor defeats Michele Reagan in GOP secretary of state primary
Turnout was high, especially for Democrats
It may take a day or so to get the final numbers, but voters were on track to set an all-time high for ballots cast, especially in a midterm year.
Democratic turnout was the biggest reason for this. According to figures from Garrett Archer, who tracks results for the secretary of state, Democrats entered the day needing about 300 voters on Tuesday to top their previous mark.
This is likely due in part to the party’s much-longer list of candidates this year compared to previous cycles. The governor’s race is a prime example of new competition.
The bigger question is whether the primary turnout portends a banner year for Democrats in November's general election. Still, vote totals showed the GOP turned out more votes compared to Democrats, meaning any hope for a "blue wave" will depend on the Democrats attracting independents and moderate Republicans.
Some Arizonans faced long lines as they headed to the polls to vote in primaries on election day. Arizona Republic
New technology doesn't debut well
More than five dozen Maricopa County polling places couldn't open to voters on Tuesday morning due to non-functioning, or malfunctioning equipment.
The county rolled out a new system that allows voters to scan their IDs to check them against the registration database, then print a ballot custom-made for that voter's local and legislative races.
But in 62 precincts, the connection between the SiteBook check-in system and the printer wasn't working for much of the morning, angering voters and recalling the disastrous 2016's presidential-preference election and its long lines.
Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes and the county's contractor, Insight Enterprises, pointed fingers at each other for the problems. Fontes won election two years ago on the heels of the 2016 problems, promising to bring improved practices to the recorder's office.
He apologized for the problems but said once the connections were restored, the new system worked well.
RELATED: County recorder defends office amid election snafus
Early voting marches ever upward
More than 80 percent of the statewide vote was in before election day dawned, due to Arizona's early-voting provisions.
Voters increasingly are opting to vote by mail, as early as a month before election day. This trend may be gaining even more momentum as voters grow wary of the reliability of voting at the polls: Long lines in 2016's presidential-preference election, coupled with the problems encountered Tuesday, make the mail-in ballot look like a safer bet.
But given that many voters get an early ballot, only to wait until the last minute to walk it into a polling place, voters should get used to delayed election results. That's because processing these "late earlies," as the ballots are called, doesn't start for several days after the election.
RELATED: Record turnout expected in Arizona's primary — and Democrats are thrilled
Reach the reporters at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com and ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com
Arizona primary election results 2018
Who is to blame for Maricopa County's election day problems?
Arizona primary voters show disdain for incumbents, tossing three in major races
Ducey wins Republican primary; Garcia nabs Democratic nomination
Read or Share this story: https://azc.cc/2wD7kbp
Hear what Brittany Zamora's husband said in call to victim's parents
Phoenix could feel more like Baghdad by 2050, climate researchers say
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Goodyear teacher's husband reaches settlement with parents of victim
Phoenix reaches highest temperature so far this year, more heat on the way
One arrested as police investigate possible child abuse at AZ day care
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Published Feb. 18, 2019 at 12:35PM
Schools deal with illness
More than 10 percent of students have been absent on some days
Baker schools have been taking turns sending out letters to parents this winter alerting them of the high rate of absenteeism linked to illness.
Baker High School Principal Greg Mitchell said the letters were distributed by his school last week as a preventive measure designed to keep more students from getting sick.
Mitchell noted in the letter that many Baker County residents have been sick over the past month.
“A lot of students and teachers in our school are sick with the flu also,” he wrote. “We hope they will all get better quickly. At this time, the county health department tells us that students who are not ill can safely come to school.
“Schools will remain open,” he stated. “We will keep you updated with any important information.”
Mitchell’s letter is similar to those sent out by other Baker schools in the past several weeks as the flu season has made its way through the community, said Assistant Superintendent Betty Palmer.
Following the District’s protocol for when absenteeism hits a 10-percent threshold, calls have been made to the schools daily from the District office to monitor the situation.
“We ask secretaries to take another step and track whether a student absence is due to illness,” Palmer said.
Baker Middle School was the first to be hard hit when school resumed after Christmas vacation.
“A couple of weeks ago it was South Baker,” Palmer said. “Haines was close to 12 percent last week.”
And Brooklyn and Baker High School have been struggling with a high rate of students out sick as well, Palmer said.
She noted that many students were missing from the high school last week because of athletics and a Future Business Leaders of America competition, others however, stayed home because they were sick.
The heightened surveillance of sickness in the schools allows administrators to offer help to families for keeping their children healthy and to provide tips on how to avoid spreading their illness to others.
Tips from the Centers for Disease Control and the Baker County Health Department begin with keeping sick children home.
“If they are running a fever or actively throwing up, they should stay home,” Palmer said.
Parents also should ensure that children drink plenty of fluids, with water being the first choice, to keep them from becoming dehydrated during their illness.
Other tips for parents include:
Teaching their children to wash their hands a lot with soap and water for 20 seconds and setting a good example by doing the same themselves
Teaching their children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the inside of the elbow (again setting an example).
Teaching children to stay at least 3 feet away from people who are sick.
Staying away from shopping malls, movie theaters or other places where there are large groups of people.
Palmer said the District’s monitoring of the situation includes a morning “flu check” during the first hour of classes to determine how students are doing.
“We’re monitoring flu-like illness and sanitizing the school environment twice a day,” she said.
That means wiping down surfaces such as doorknobs and even walls at sites where students congregate, along with classroom desks, bathrooms and other common areas.
While the number of students and staff out sick this time of year can be unsettling, it’s not especially unusual, Palmer said.
“It’s not atypical for us to be at 10 percent,” she said.
See more in the Feb. 18, 2019, issue of the Baker City Herald.
Cafe Countdown
EDITORIAL: A victory for our free speech rights
Letter to the Editor for July 1, 2019
EDITORIAL: GOP is in the right
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COLUMNSTom's Two Satang
On the Japanese
written by Dr. Tom Vitayakul May 23, 2017
In recent decades the Japanese have descended in droves to visit, live, and work Thailand. Japanese enclaves have been founded by businessmen, salary men, housewives, and students all over the country—from their mega-companies and factories to golf courses, the izakaya (gastropubs), and the pleasure parlours along Thaniya and Sukhumvit Roads. However, the first Japanese ‘Floating World’ landed on Thai shores long ago, establishing a history through diplomatic, commercial, military, and romantic liaisons for centuries.
In the late 16th century, when the Japanese government permitted the Japanese to trade overseas, the ‘Red Seal’ ships—Japanese armed merchant sailing ships with red-sealed letters issued by the early Tokugawa shogunate—came and fostered commerce in Ayutthaya. The bonds between Siam and Japan were strengthened through these trade ties, and communications between the kings and the shoguns. Siamese exports consisted of lead, tin, ceramics, sappan wood for using as dye, and forest products. The Siamese would exchange for Japanese silver and handicrafts such as swords, lacquered boxes, and paper.
Like other foreigners, Ayutthayan kings allowed the Japanese to settle outside the city wall. Thus a Japanese community of merchants, mercenaries, and Catholic convert exiles thrived in Baan Yiipun, the Japanese settlement, situated in Koh Rian sub-district on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River. At its peak, in the early 17th century, the inhabitants numbered around 1,500.
The Japanese were also accepted into a small army of King Songtham’s personal bodyguards because of their martial expertise and quality swords. They were organized under Krom Asaa Yiipun, a ‘Department of Japanese Volunteers’. One of them was Yamada Nagamasa, who lived in Siam for over 15 years. Born in 1590 in Shizuoka, Japan, the adventurous Yamada arrived in Ayutthaya and established himself as a trustworthy trader, warrior, and eventual leader of the Japanese community.
Yamada also supported King Songtham’s military campaigns by heading a Japanese army flying the Japanese flag. He rose to prominence from the rank of Kuhn, low Thai nobility, to Ok-ya, a senior noble. He was eventually titled Ok-ya Senaphimuk and became the governor of Nakhon Sri Thammarat. He travelled back to Japan a few times and died in Siam in 1630, from being poisoned by King Prasart Thong’s emissary.
After Yamada’s death, King Prasart Thong (who usurped the throne) and the authorities in Ayutthaya were worried that the Japanese had become too involved in the Siamese economy and gained too much influence. They ordered the Japanese to be expelled or killed. The colony went through an upheaval but was not allowed to return to Japan on penalty of death because of Sokaku, the period of national isolation. Most were killed while some, along with the survivors of Yamada’s army, escaped to Cambodia. Upon hearing the news, Tokugawa Iemitsu, shogun of Japan, cut off relations with Siam. In the end, however, the Japanese who remained in Ayutthaya and were not killed were given tracts of land.
The next interesting yet harrowing episode of Japanese-Thai relationship came during World War II. Thailand officially adopted a neutral position until it was invaded and occupied by Japan in 1941. In the beginning, the Japanese Empire pressured the Thai government to allow the passage of Japanese troops to invade British-held Malaya and Burma. Despite fierce fighting in Southern Thailand, the resistance lasted only a matter of hours before ending in a ceasefire. The Thai government under General Plaek Phibunsonkhram considered it preferable to co-operate with the Japanese.
A mutual offensive-defensive alliance pact between the two countries was signed. The agreement gave the Japanese full access to Thai weaponry, railways, roads, airfields, naval bases, barracks, warehouses, and communication systems. To promote greater military and economic co-operation, Japan stationed 150,000 troops on Thai soil and built the infamous ‘Death Railway’, or Thailand-Burma Railway, using Asian labourers and Allied prisoners of war.
The legacy of war not only spawned traumatic remnants of the railway—the “Bridge over the River Kwai”, and the war cemetery in Kanchanaburi—but also a famous Thai novel Khu Karma (The Ill-Fated Couple). The book portrays Angsumalin, a proudly patriotic Thai woman, in a conflicting relationship with Kobori, an Imperial Japanese navy officer during the period. Akin to Madam Butterfly with a twist, it was adapted into TV series and films numerous times.
After the dust of battles had settled, commerce took over. Loving foreign things, Thais happily consume and adopt all things Japanese—from sushi to anime. We admire Japanese discipline, order, courteous manners, and deference for traditions and society. Nowadays Thai tourists flock to Japan and gawk over sakura blossoms while Japanese tourists in Thailand are amazed at the charming chaos. Neither country seems to be encumbered by historical baggage. Buddhism has influenced both countries, perhaps playing a more overt role in Thailand than Japan. Both royal families also hold great respect in each society, thus the mutual admiration and fascination never seems to end.
On the Japanese was last modified: August 30th, 2018 by Dr. Tom Vitayakul
Dr. Tom Vitayakul
Join Bangkok-born but internationally bred aesthete Dr. Tom Vitayakul as he meets with creative minds and artistic souls from both Thailand and overseas. From traditional, to contemporary and avant-garde, he finds out about the visions, inspirations, and creations of these talented individuals.
Amari’s Sunday Brunch
On Thai Desserts
Kitikong Tilokwattanotai
On neighbours
A Future in Food
The Bank of Thailand
Walking with the Dead
High-Rise Farming
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Asia selected
Vietnam police chief Tran Dai Quang sworn in as president
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35949749?utm_source=Sailthru
Image copyright AP
Image caption One of Mr Quang's first tasks will be to welcome visiting US President Barack Obama
Vietnam's police chief, Tran Dai Quang, has been sworn in as the communist country's president.
Mr Quang, 59, has been head of the ministry of public security, which has been the focus of Western criticism of the nation's human rights record.
He had been nominated for the largely ceremonial role at January's communist party conference.
One of his first tasks will be to welcome visiting US President Barack Obama next month.
Mr Quang won 91.5% of a rubber-stamp vote in parliament on Saturday.
"I sincerely thank the National Assembly for electing me," Mr Quang said as he was sworn in. He is the first police general to fill the post.
The Communist Party in January re-elected Nguyen Phu Trong, 71, in the leading role of general secretary for a second term.
His re-election came after reformist Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung withdrew his candidacy.
The National Assembly will vote next week on a new prime minister - set to be Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc,
Earlier in the week, the assembly elected its first woman Speaker - Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.
Analysts believe one-party Vietnam will continue with economic reforms, but steer clear of major political changes.
Cu Rua: Vietnam mourns revered Hanoi turtle
Vietnam country profile
Inside Iran: What Iranians think of stand-off with US
The women tangled in Trump's racially charged row
Why Saudi Arabia wants high profile pop stars
How railway art got a new platform
Zuma, the Guptas, and the sale of South Africa
Asia Sections
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Biotech Investing: Looking Fear in the Eye
Gregory Thomas
In the words of Warren Buffett, be brave when others are fearful and fearful when others are brave.
Sinking cash into biotech darlings such as QLT is not for the squeamish, but the payoff could be sweet. Paul Hastings lives in the tortured aftermath of great expectations. Two years before he left northern California to take the helm of B.C.’s biggest biotech, QLT, shares had traded as high as $115. QLT’s Visudyne was hailed as a miracle drug, a laser-activated treatment for a wicked condition called wet age-related macular degeneration that can cause blindness in the elderly. Investors were breathlessly anticipating phase-three clinical trials that would pave the way for wider FDA approval in the U.S. “It was an incredible innovation,” says Hastings. And he’s right. Now, fast-forward three years: Visudyne is approved in 72 countries. More than half a million people have been treated. Sales topped $300 million the first half of this year. And QLT is solidly profitable, with roughly half a billion in cash and short-term investments in the bank. Naturally, QLT stock has shed over 80 per cent of its value since enthusiastic buyers snapped it up at $115 five years ago. You could hear the irony in Hastings voice at this year’s AGM: “From an operational point of view,” he told the grim-faced audience, QLT could never be working better than it is today.” He’s right. “And we have a pipeline that rivals any of the large biotech companies.” No disputing that, either. Hastings snapped up Colorado’s Atrix Laboratories a year ago for its fat pipeline of new drugs, including headline treatments for acne and prostate cancer. So, dumbfounded investors are wondering, how did QLT’s shares plummet in value by over $100 as revenues were growing fivefold? Even a year ago, the stock was trading over $40. Hastings gave shareholders a one-word answer, shocking in its clarity – if you can get past the English major’s objection that it’s not a real word. Obsoleted. Visudyne is probably “not going to be obsoleted,” he assured everybody. And everybody in the room knew what it meant to be obsoleted. They watched Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, one of QLT’s competitors, get pretty badly obsoleted one day in May, losing nearly half its market value – about $600 million – in a single trading session after another rival, San Francisco’s Genentech, came out with clinical results for a drug, Lucentis, so powerful it didn’t just stop the degeneration, it actually improved the eyesight of some patients participating in the trial. QLT dropped just ten per cent that day, but investors started hearing footsteps. Five years ago, they eagerly shelled out big bucks for QLT because Visudyne was a potential wonder drug. Nobody seemed to imagine that somebody else (say, Genentech?) might come up with another wonder drug to treat the same disease. When you’re selling medicine for around $1,600 a tablespoon – that’s what QLT’s Visudyne sells for – the last thing you need is some Johnny-come-lately showing up with a better mousetrap. At this stage, nobody knows how big a bite Genentech might take out of QLT. The consensus is that final FDA approval for Lucentis – if it comes – is more than a year away, at the earliest. The two drugs work in completely different ways. And Genentech’s therapeutic benefits come with a gruesome price: Lucentis is injected directly into the eyeball with a needle. Treatment involves as many as 18 injections at about $1,200 a poke. Visudyne is injected in your arm (who can’t take a needle in the arm?) and travels to your eye in your bloodstream, where it’s activated with a laser. Some analysts think economics and squeamishness might work in QLT’s favour. Value investors who can handle risk love this kind of uncertainty. Clinical results make great headlines when they are announced. But the true effect on the market often isn’t clear for years. The best day to sell a stock, they argue, is the day some new miracle cure is making headlines with FDA trials. And a good day to buy is when earnings are strong, there’s cash in the bank and anxiety reigns. In the words of Warren Buffett, be brave when others are fearful and fearful when others are brave.
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The 16 highest-traffic Bleeding Heartland posts in 2016
Traffic can be a touchy subject for bloggers. Most writers know the pain of pouring a lot of effort into a project that gets little traction. On the flip side, although clicks are always welcome, seeing a post take off is not as satisfying when you are less invested in the piece. The most-viewed post in nearly 10 years of Bleeding Heartland’s existence was nothing special, just another opinion poll write-up. FYI: A good way to get the Drudge Report to link to your site is to type up a long list of negative statements about Hillary Clinton.
I’ve never compiled a year-end list like this before, but since people occasionally ask what material is most popular at the blog, I figured, why not start a new tradition? Ulterior motive: I hope more readers will be inspired to write for Bleeding Heartland in 2017 after learning that guest authors wrote some of this year’s most-viewed posts, including the one at the very top.
Follow me after the jump for the sixteen posts that generated the most traffic in 2016. Some of the results surprised me.
In creating this list, I left out the Bleeding Heartland front page, the “about” page, and some older posts that gained new life through online searches. For instance, quite a few people landed on a 2008 piece about what would happen if neither presidential candidate received 270 electoral votes, as well as a 2013 story about eight Iowa dog breeders being among the country’s 100 worst puppy mills.
A relatively small number of hits separated number sixteen from the next ten or fifteen posts in terms of traffic. Some that barely missed the cut were among my favorites, so here are a few honorable mentions:
• Dave Swenson‘s look at the pattern of “extortion” that produces big state assistance packages for some corporations: Nice Bunch of Jobs You Have There, Iowa. Be a Shame if Something Happened to Them.
• Tracy Leone‘s view of a local power struggle in eastern Iowa: Take Back Muscatine.
• John McCormally‘s list of 10 Things the Iowa Democratic Party Can Do To Rebuild (many more guest pieces with advice for Iowa Democrats are linked here).
• Kurt Friese‘s thoughts on how Republicans would react to various campaign-related developments if the shoe were on the other foot: What Your Republican Friend Is Actually Saying.
My own writing that didn’t quite make this year’s top sixteen included Ten Iowa legislative incumbents who raised surprisingly little for their re-election campaigns and the all-time most-viewed wildflower post: The Dreaded Wild Parsnip. The irony is, that species is one of very few non-natives I’ve covered for Iowa wildflower Wednesday.
Two of my dozen posts about “planegate,” the Iowa State University airplane scandal, also nearly made today’s collection: If ISU pilots chose to land at Elmira, it wasn’t for cheap fuel, and Seven ways ISU President Leath’s airplane excuses don’t add up.
With apologies for burying the lede, let the countdown commence:
16. Deep Dive: Adams County, Iowa.
Inspired by a planned 99-part series on the demographics and recent voting history of Iowa counties, guest author annaryon examined the history and culture of the smallest county by population. I’d like to publish many more pieces like this one in 2017, so please get in touch if you would like to profile any Iowa county you know well, either from frequent visits or having lived there.
15. Memo to journalists: Craig Robinson’s firm makes money off the Iowa caucus campaign.
This major research project covered the leading Iowa Republican blogger’s side work for presidential candidates or other political committees, which he routinely failed to disclose when speaking to reporters or writing about the Iowa caucuses at his website. To my knowledge, no well-known media bloggers and only one national political reporter shared the link, so I was shocked the piece generated enough views to make today’s list.
Incidentally, Robinson’s posting at The Iowa Republican blog tapered off considerably during the first part of the year and ceased in early May.
14. Rushing the stage at a presidential candidate event is not “civil disobedience.”
I shelved another post in progress after a reader tipped me to an outrageous (and quickly-deleted) tweet by former U.S. Senate candidate Tom Fiegen: “How about a barricade hop-a-thon at the next Hillary event? At 5 SS per tackled protestor, they could run out of agents quickly? Then what?”
13. Three Iowa House Democrats retire in last three days of filing period.
You know that thing where state legislative incumbents keep retirement plans secret so long that only one insider has a chance to file nominating papers for the seat? It’s one of my biggest political pet peeves. After the “smooth handover” scenario played out three times in March, I stirred things up with this late Friday night post.
For what it’s worth, two of the three Democrats who stepped in after last-minute retirements ended up winning in November: Tim Kacena in Iowa House district 14 and Ras Smith in House district 62. However, Tom Stecher fell short in House district 57, where Nancy Dunkel chose him as the Democratic candidate.
12. Iowa absentee ballot numbers in the 2016 general election.
This post contained seven weeks of tables showing how many absentee ballots voters had requested and county auditors had received, statewide and in each Congressional district. It didn’t go viral on any one day, just steadily generated interest as Iowa politics watchers mined the early vote numbers for clues on whether this state was still in play for Hillary Clinton. Speaking of which,
11. Iowa results certified: Clinton carried early vote, Trump crushed election day.
Highlights from the numbers released after Iowa’s official canvass showed that the problem for Democrats wasn’t a surge in support for the Republican presidential candidate. Trump didn’t match Barack Obama’s 2012 showing in raw numbers or share of the presidential vote. Rather, the problem was Clinton underperforming in the early vote and especially on election day.
10. ISU’s cover story on President Leath’s airplane use is falling apart.
I sensed right away that the ISU airplane story was a big deal. There were too many missing pieces and unanswered questions. When Ryan Foley reported for the Associated Press that ISU claimed professional pilots “unilaterally decided” to stop at a small airport where President Steven Leath’s relatives were picked up and dropped off, my other writing plans for the afternoon went out the window. Though I know almost nothing about small aircraft, it didn’t take long to figure out that ISU’s King Air would not have needed to refuel twice on a round trip to the east coast.
This post also discussed the possibility that the Internal Revenue Service may consider some ISU Foundation spending on controversial plane travel to be “excess benefit transactions,” prohibited for 501(c)(3) non-profits. That angle hasn’t received much attention in media coverage of the scandal, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the IRS impose some sanctions on the university’s foundation.
9. First look at the Iowa fallout from the worst election in my lifetime.
My shell-shocked take in the early hours of November 9. I had been expecting a terrible night in Iowa, but I’ve never been so unprepared for a bad national outcome.
8. At least seven people considering run for Iowa Democratic Party chair.
I updated this post many times as potential candidates to bring Iowa Democrats out of the abyss emerged or took themselves out of contention. Most of the eight people who are now seeking the job have written Bleeding Heartland guest posts outlining their view of the party’s most urgent tasks. Click here to find links to all of those pieces.
I’m encouraged that so many readers became engaged in the search for a new state party chair. We’ll need loads of grassroots energy to carry us through the next few dark years, because:
7. Iowa Democrats will need to fend for ourselves in 2018 and 2020.
If you thought my morning-after take on the election was depressing, you should see how I felt once I’d had almost two weeks to process the results.
Iowa Democrats should not assume future presidential candidates will bother to play for our state, or that our gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections will attract national attention. I emphasized one particularly disturbing fact in the image at the top of this post: Trump defeated Clinton by a larger margin in Iowa than in Arizona, Georgia, or even Texas.
6. Up Close at the Des Moines Trump Event.
Guest author Pete McRoberts shared his account of Trump’s first rally in Des Moines after the Republican National Convention. After securing a spot in the fourth row, he held a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution “above my head for the entirety of the speech where [Trump] and anyone else in the front could see it.” Carrie Clogg attended the same event and had a dramatically different experience.
5. The Polk County Democratic convention fiasco.
I opted not to seek a county convention delegate slot at my precinct caucus this year, but the Polk County Democratic convention ate up almost my whole weekend anyway. I was only casually following the action via social media until early Saturday afternoon, when a growing number of posts indicated things had taken an ugly turn at Valley High School. By the time the official Bernie Sanders Twitter account claimed, “Effort under way right now by @hillaryclinton and party allies to steal Polk County Iowa conv. election Bernie won earlier today,” and “.@HillaryClinton and party allies are disenfranchising worker-class delegates at Polk County Iowa Democratic Convention,” I knew these events needed my full attention. That evening and the following day, many people from the Clinton and Sanders camps helped me untangle what had happened.
“Fiasco” is a strong word, but trust me: its use was warranted here. Weeks later, some local activists were still ranting about the convention’s injustices and vowing never to be a delegate again.
4. Coward Chris Hagenow running false personal attack against Jennifer Konfrst.
Yes, I’m still angry my own state representative, House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, spent well over $100,000 on misleading ads trashing his opponent. He never answered any of my questions about this ad, nor has he responded to any of my other queries in recent months.
Having flooded the Des Moines airwaves with commercials portraying a long-resolved tax issue as disqualifying for Hagenow’s opponent, House leaders hypocritically put more than $93,000 behind GOP candidate Shannon Lundgren in House district 57. A similar error created a much larger–and still unpaid!–tax bill for Lundgren’s business. But as they say on the internet, IOKIYAR (it’s ok if you’re a Republican).
3. How the Iowa caucuses work, part 1: The basics
The first installment of a six-part series explained what happens at Iowa Democratic and Republican precinct caucuses and how each party reports the results.
Part 2 covered barriers to participation in the caucuses–a problem Iowa Democratic Party leaders finally began to acknowledge this year, in contrast to previous election years. Part 3 explained Democratic caucus math. Part 4 focused on the role of precinct captains. Part 5 explained why the caucuses can be a “pollster’s nightmare,” as proved to be the case this year. Part 6 laid out pros and cons of the caucus system.
2. Steve King displays a Confederate flag on his desk.
A Facebook friend alerted me to a local news segment showing that despite Iowa’s history as an anti-slavery state, the “Stars and Bars” are among five miniature flags on Representative Steve King’s desk in his Congressional office. King’s not the only Iowa Republican who views the Confederate flag as a symbol of something other than racism and treason. Nor was this incident the only racial controversy involving King during 2016. To name just a few, he tried to keep Harriet Tubman off the $20 bill, asserted that whites had contributed more to civilization than “any other sub-group of people,” and met with some white nationalist leaders in Europe.
1. Peter Cownie Kills Autism Insurance Bill.
Claire Celsi, the Democratic challenger to Cownie in Iowa House district 42, wrote about her opponent’s failure to bring a bill up for a vote in the House Commerce Committee, which he chairs. No Bleeding Heartland post got more shares on Facebook this year, and if you know anyone with a child on the autism spectrum, you’ll understand why. The legislation would have required insurance companies to cover applied behavioral analysis (an effective but expensive therapy) for Iowans with autism who are 21 years old or younger.
Later during the legislative session, Democrats in the state Senate tried unsuccessfully to include this bill’s provisions in the health and human services budget. After the Iowa House and Senate adjourned for the year, some Republicans told constituents not to worry, because insurance policies available statewide would fully cover autism services in 2017. Sad to say, that spin wasn’t accurate.
Tags: 2016 Elections, Bernie Sanders, Blogging, Campaign Finance, Chris Hagenow, Claire Celsi, Donald Trump, Economy, Ethics, HD 14, HD-14 2016, HD-43, HD-43 2016, HD-57, HD-57 2016, HD-62, HD-62 2016, Hillary Clinton, Iowa Caucuses, Iowa Democratic Party, Iowa House, Iowa Senate, Iowa State University, Jennifer Konfrst, Nancy Dunkel, Peter Cownie, Ras Smith, Shannon Lundgren, State Legislature, Tim Kacena, Tom Fiegen, Tom Stecher
Thanks for Bleeding Heartland
Recommended by: desmoinesdem.
As an avid reader of BH I am grateful for all of your hard work that seldom is visible. I read a lot of blogs and your efforts for fair minded coverage of topics is well appreciated. We seem to be devolving in civil discourse to shouting and opinions equated as facts. BH will make the future more tolerable. Keep up the good work.
By libre @ Sun 1 Jan 9:08 AM
many thanks for reading
I’m not going anywhere.
By desmoinesdem @ Mon 2 Jan 9:41 AM
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FOR THE SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR DRIVE.
Bang & Olufsen.
Bang & Olufsen manufactures a highly distinctive and exclusive range of televisions, music systems, loudspeakers, telephones, and multimedia products that combine technological excellence with emotional appeal. At Bang & Olufsen, innovation begins with understanding user needs – before blending technology and craftsmanship – to deliver design with lasting value. Besides entertainment products for the home, Bang & Olufsen applies its acoustic skills and design competencies in creating high-performance sound systems for BMW, bringing the entertainment experience to a new level.
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BMW X5 Showroom
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The Bang & Olufsen high-end Surround Sound system of the BMW X6 creates an open and lively atmosphere with exceptional acoustics. Equipped with 16 loudspeakers with a 1,200 W output, Acoustic Lens Technology, and illuminated loudspeakers, the system offers an incomparable audiovisual experience.
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Home Entertainment Gordon Willis dies aged 82
Gordon Willis dies aged 82
Godfather cinematographer Gordon Willis has died at the age of 82.
Gordon Willis received an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 2010 and was nominated for his work on Woody Allen’s Zelig and The Godfather: Part III.
Gordon Willis received an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 2010 and was nominated for his work on Woody Allen’s Zelig and The Godfather: Part III
He was known in the industry as “the prince of darkness”, due to his unique lighting technique which created lots of shadows.
Gordon Willis was renowned for his striking imagery in films such as Woody Allen’s Manhattan – he made eight films with Allen – and All the President’s Men.
He was also the cinematographer on Alan J. Pakula’s Klute, for which Jane Fonda won her first Oscar.
Gordon Willis worked on several other Alan J. Pakula thrillers including The Devil’s Own, his final film in 1997, which was also Pakula’s last directorial outing.
gordon willis
Deutsche Bank announces plans to raise $11 billion in capital
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Sonia Pantiss
Sonia is the heart and the artist of the team. She loves art and all that it implies. As Sonia says, good music, a well directed movie, or attending a music or film festival melts people’s heart and make them better. She is great at painting and photography. Working on scrapbooks is her favorite activity.
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Eric Daniel Aiello-Sosa
April 11, 1989 ~ May 2, 2019 (age 30)
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved, Eric D. Sosa. He was 30 years old.
Eric was a beautiful child, born peacefully at home on April 11th, 1989. His gentle soul and happy disposition were apparent, the moment you met him. His quick wit and unabashed sense of humor left us in stitches well into the night and into the next day after spending time with him. Follow the laughter, and you could find Eric, in any room or gathering. He could lift your spirit in a moment with his twinkling eyes and charismatic genuine smile.
Eric was an avid reader, having read all the works of our time, including the Bible many times over. Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice an Men, Shogun, Where the Red Fern Grows were some of his favorites. His library was vast, and included many first editions and collectors pieces. His esteemed opinion was that The Bible was the Greatest Story Ever Told.
Eric was raised on the Monterey Peninsula attending Del Rey Woods Elementary before relocating with his family to North County, where he attended Moss Landing Middle School. He finished up High School in Tracy California and earned "Linebacker of the Year" award playing football for Tracy High. His nickname was ButterCup on the field, and could often be seen carrying a coach or a teammate on his shoulders while belting out a girly love song. He had an angelic signing voice, which we enjoyed throughout his life.
Eric was employed at Monterey Mushrooms, he was well loved, and loved his work family deeply. In his off time he could be found ministering to the down trodden, delivering milk to local homeless shelters ( which he did weekly) supporting men through prayer at Victory Outreach. He offered pure love and Gods Word whenever he could. He opened his non-judgmental heart to whoever needed a hug, a word, an ear or a prayer.
Eric was a member of the Full Gospel Church of Las Lomas, where he was in steady attendance since his early childhood. Eric had a deep love for his church family and was not only known as a man of faith, but as a man of action, helping anyone with anything. Being a big guy, his was often called upon to do heavy work, and he did so with love and a smile on his face. Eric had no use for wordly possessions and was humble and kind, he was truly the richest man on earth. He was an exceptional son, brother, and uncle.
Eric is deeply missed and survived by his mother, Dianne Johnson, his step-father Mitch Johnson. His Sister Lindzey Sosa (Rebecca), his half sister Nikki Sosa, half Brother Robert Sosa (Lenore), his step-sister Kirsten Janni (Kumar). His sisters of the heart Renee Humes and Erika Humes, and the apple of his eye, his niece Mia Dianna, his nephews Max, Mayson, Stephen & Ryan. His Godfather & Brother in Christ Lloyd E. Humes.
He is also survived by his Great Aunt Mitzie Grillo, Great Uncle Sal Aiello (Sylvia) & Great Uncle Ed Nelepka, his Uncle Jack and Auntie GodMom Annamarie Aiello, Aunt Mary Reed (Todd), Aunt Susan Bell (Alvin), Aunt Sally House ( Nick), Uncle Tim Magdic (Paula), and 12 cousins. Also his Paternal Auntie GodMom Rebecca Reyes, 5 aunts, 5 uncles and 14 cousins and their families.
Eric was preceeded in death by his sister Ashley Sosa, his father Bobby Sosa, Nephews KiKi Sosa and Devon Rochelle. Grandparents Bert & Ruth Aiello, Great Grandmother Mary C. Aiello. Great Uncle Domenico Grillo & Great Aunt Josephine Nelepka Grandparents Ray & Olivia Sosa Uncle Joe Gomez, & Uncle Richard Gomes
Private family gravesite services will be held.
Condolences may be written to the family at www.bermudezfamilyfunerals.com.
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Best Lawyers for Land Use and Zoning Law in Peoria, Arizona
Find a Lawyer United States Arizona Peoria Land Use and Zoning Law
Dana Stagg Belknap
Real Estate Law Land Use and Zoning Law Government Relations Practice
Edwin C. Bull
Burch & Cracchiolo, P.A.
Land Use and Zoning Law Real Estate Law
Rebecca Lynne Burnham
Real Estate Law Land Use and Zoning Law
Stephen C. Earl
Earl, Curley & Lagarde, P.C.
Land Use and Zoning Law
Rodney Q. Jarvis
Douglas A. Jorden
Jorden Hiser & Joy, PLC
Land Use and Zoning Law Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
Land Use and Zoning Law Definition
Land use practice encompasses those areas of the law which are focused on public efforts to shape the use and development of private land use either through regulation or through governmental incentives. It includes both the substantive and the procedural aspects of federal and state laws regulating the environment and ensuring a place for environmental concerns in public decision-making; federal, state, and local programs to protect significant historic and archeological resources; local subdivision, site planning, zoning and mapping laws; and the use by all levels of government of incentives, whether through the tax system or special governmental powers to facilitate desirable development.
The land use practitioner brings an understanding of these laws and programs and how they relate to each other to any one of the variety of roles: counseling, planning, structuring, and negotiating a private real estate transaction; advising (and sometimes opining) as to compliance with the applicable land use controls; counseling and advocacy with respect to a private land use initiative requiring public agency action; negotiating with or mediating among the stakeholders in a public land use decision; negotiating and preparation of the documentation required in connection with all of these activities; and, in cases where the differences between stakeholders are not resolved through the public land use decision process, advocacy in litigation challenging a public land use decision.
Beyond a knowledge of the law, land use practice requires a sensitivity to the different economic interests, planning goals, and political considerations of the stakeholders in the land use regulation process and an understanding of how they can shape public decisions; a recognition that land use regulation, particularly environmentally-based controls, often involves technical knowledge that requires retention of appropriate experts; and an understanding that public consideration of a land use action may be colored by the sometimes large economic consequences of a land use decision, by unstated but deeply felt concerns over change, and by competing visions of the future.
Paul D. Selver
Michael T. Sillerman
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Classic India
Delhi - Varanasi - Khajuraho - Jhansi - Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Jaipur
The url of this page has been copied to your clipboard! http://www.buffalotours.com/tailor-made-india-tours/classic-india/
From stunning fortresses and striking palaces to rich history and incredible landscape, discover the highlights of India’s north on this 11-day adventure. In one trip, explore the vibrant streets of Delhi, the sacred city of Varanasi and the ancient temples of Khajuraho. Marvel at the beauty of the Taj Mahal, one of the new seven wonders of the world, visit the deserted sandstone city of Fatehpur Sikri and stand in awe before the pink honeycombed facade of the breath-taking Hawa Mahal in Jaipur.
Discover Delhi’s sprawling market and prominent sites on a cycle rickshaw tour
Witness the beautiful Aarti ceremony in Varanasi as the banks of the River Ganges are lit up with lamps and fire is offered to Lord Shiva
Marvel at the exceptional carvings of the Western Group of Khajuraho temples
Be awed by the beauty of the Taj Mahal, a true expression of love
Take photos in front of the striking honeycombed carved facade of the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur
10 Nights' accommodation on twin sharing basis at above mentioned hotels or similar
Meal Plan: breakfast only
Transfers & all surface transportation using AC vehicle as mentioned above
Entrances of monuments/museum for single entry only as per program
Local English-speaking Guide in each city as per program
Cycle Rickshaw Ride – Delhi
Boat Ride in Varanasi
Elephant Ride – Jaipur
Train fare A/C chair car from Agra to Jhansi
Bus ride – Fatehpur Sikri
Battery Bus ride – Agra
All Applicable Government Taxes
DAY 1 - Dehli
Welcome to India! Upon arrival in Delhi, be transferred to the hotel and spend the rest of day delving into the local life of India’s vibrant capital.
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the hotel before plunging into the bustling streets of Old Delhi. On a cycle rickshaw, weave through the busy streets of Chandni Chowk market, bursting with fragrant smells and colourful sights. Next, visit Jama Masjid mosque, one of the largest mosques in India, before travelling past the imposing Red Fort.
In one afternoon, tour the most prominent landmarks of New Delhi, including the India Gate war memorial, the Parliament and the grand Rashtrapati Bhawan, the president’s residence. Pay a visit to Mahatma Gandhi’s cremation place, Raj Ghat, and learn more about the ‘Father of the Nation’, before ending this discovery of India’s capital at Qutb Minar. With 73 metres in height, it’s not only the tallest stone tower but also one of the most remarkable Islamic structures in India.
Delhi - Varanasi
DAY 3 - Delhi - Varanasi
After breakfast, head to the airport and fly to Varanasi. Situated on the sacred River Ganges, the city is considered the spiritual capital of India and many Hindus believe that dying in Varanasi brings nirvana.
Upon arrival, check into the hotel and rest for a few hours, before kicking back on a cycle rickshaw and heading to the River Ganges to witness an Aarti ceremony. This spiritual ritual takes place every evening and includes the offering of fire to deities. Watch lamps being lit and listen to the chants of mantras as this beautiful spectacle unfolds.
DAY 4 - Varanasi
Wake up early to embark on a boat ride and observe the daily activities along the holy river. Passing several ‘ghats’ (stone staircases leading to the water), get off at Manikarnika Ghat, the main burning site. Here, Hindus cremate the dead bodies and scatter the ashes into the river. Whilst definitely a must-see sight, be respectful and never take photographs!
Continue strolling through the narrow alleys of the old town, before returning to the hotel for breakfast.
Later, embark on a trip to Sarnath. Located about 10 kilometres north-east of Varanasi, this was the place where Gautama Buddha held his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. Visit the Archaeological Museum and witness the famous ‘Lion Capital of Ashok’ – a sandstone sculpture of four lions that was adopted as the National Emblem of India – among a rich collection of Buddhist artefacts and sculptures.
Varanasi - Khajuraho
DAY 5 - Varanasi - Khajuraho
After a relaxed breakfast, leave for the airport and take to the skies heading to Khajuraho. Towards the evening, visit the Western Group of the ancient Khajuraho Temples. Dating back to 950 AD, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures, depicting meditation, wrestling and even erotic scenes.
Khajuraho - Jhansi - Agra
DAY 6 - Khajuraho - Jhansi - Agra
Enjoy a filling breakfast before hitting the road on the way to Jhansi railway station. From there, board the train and experience an authentic Indian train journey to the city of love, Agra.
Spend the night and relax after a long day of travelling.
DAY 7 - Agra
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast and get ready for one of the most stunning sights in India, the famous Taj Mahal. Marvel at this architectural jewel which was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, as an expression of love for his wife.
Continue this day of sightseeing by exploring the imposing Agra Fort. This massive fortress served as the former seat and stronghold of the Mughal Empire and comprises several striking palaces and two beautiful mosques.
Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Jaipur
DAY 8 - Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Jaipur
After breakfast, embark on the journey to Jaipur, the Pink City. On the way, take a break and visit the magnificent, deserted red sandstone city, Fatehpur Sikri. Once the capital of the Mughal Empire, it was completely abandoned in 1610.
Continue the drive to Rajasthan state’s capital, Jaipur.
DAY 9 - Jaipur
Start the day with a trip to Amber Fort. On the back of an elephant, climb up a small hill to the lavish palace which built by Maharaja Man Singh in the 17th century. Explore the extensive grounds of the fortress before descending by local jeep.
Return to the city and stop at Hawa Mahal to take some photos. Also called the Palace of Winds, this beautiful pink honeycombed facade of windows and latticed screens allowed the royal women to view the streets without being seen from outside.
Continue walking to the City Palace Museum and stroll around the large complex of palaces, gardens and courtyards. View the decorative art and browse through the large collection of rare manuscripts, armoury, costumes and artworks.
End this fascinating day at Jantar Mantar, the Royal Astronomical Observatory and explore the numerous structures that were constructed to observe astronomical positions with the naked eye.
Jaipur - Dehli
DAY 10 - Jaipur - Dehli
Enjoy breakfast and a leisurely morning in Jaipur before travelling back to Delhi in the afternoon. Spend a leisurely last night in India, dreaming about the grand forts and stunning palaces encountered on this trip.
DAY 11 - Dehli
End this cultural and historic discovery of India with breakfast at the hotel before transferring to Delhi Airport to embark on the journey home or ahead to a new destination.
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Superfast broadband coverage hits 97 per cent in Lancashire
Superfast broadband coverage hits 97% in Lancashire, figures show
Isabelle Kirk, Data Reporter
Published: 11:22 Thursday 06 September 2018
Lancashire has an extremely high rate of superfast broadband coverage, with access for 97% of homes and businesses.
Figures from independent broadband guide Think Broadband shows shows that superfast broadband coverage in the area is above the Government target of 95%.
But more than 15,000 homes and businesses have still been left without superfast download speeds of more than 30Mbps - needed for multiple internet users and some streaming services.
Many broadband users also find their experience doesn't live up to the advertised speed.
Think Broadband collects user-generated data from home speed tests, which shows the median download speed in Lancashire is 20Mbps.
Households with the fastest connections enjoy a download speed of at least 42Mbps.
But households with the worst broadband can only manage a download speed of up to 7Mbps - under the minimum speed required for a decent connection.
Think Broadband editor Andrew Ferguson said: "The last few years have seen dramatic changes in the availability of superfast broadband across the UK, but for those still to see any improvements it won't feel like that at all."
Communications regulator Ofcom defines superfast broadband as a download speed of more than 30 megabytes per second (Mbps), and decent broadband as 10Mbps.
Downloading films, using multiple Netflix accounts, streaming ultra-high definition videos, using Skype and playing online games all require superfast broadband speeds.
Although you can watch HD content on BBC iPlayer with a speed of just 3Mbps, according to Broadband Choices an internet-using family will struggle without a superfast connection - particularly at 'internet crunch times'.
Research by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport found that access to superfast broadband improves the local economy, reduces unemployment and increases productivity for businesses.
DCMS said that people with faster broadband also reported improved wellbeing, compared to those without.
In March, the Government said that by 2020 everyone in the UK would have a legal right to request a decent broadband connection.
This means homes and businesses will be able to request a connection speed of 10Mbps for downloads and 1Mbps for uploads, within a reasonable cost threshold.
However, Mr Ferguson says that in 2020, this speed will be the bare minimum that users will accept.
He said: "It is likely that households with more than two residents will increasingly find a 10Mbps connection annoyingly slow.
"The 1Mbps upload is looking even more dated," he added. "A five-minute cloud backup for a few pictures will make web browsing feel sluggish."
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "Although nine in 10 UK homes can get superfast broadband, too many people and small businesses still struggle to get a decent connection - particularly in rural communities.
"So we're implementing the Government's plan for a right to request decent broadband, and making it quicker and easier for companies to lay faster, more reliable full-fibre broadband networks."
The Government defines superfast broadband as a speed of more than 24Mbps.
A DCMS spokesperson said: "Our broadband rollout has helped make superfast speeds a reality for 19 out of 20 homes and businesses in the UK on time and under budget, and we are reaching thousands more premises each week.
"Our ambition is to deliver a full fibre broadband future for Britain which will prioritise rural areas, and we've made reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband a legal right for everyone by 2020."
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Burnley’s James Anderson helps England to victory over India
India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar, right, is bowled by England's James Anderson, left
Chris Boden
James Anderson helped England thrash India by nine-wickets with a four wicket haul at the Gabba in Brisbane on Tuesday in the Tri-series.
The “Burnley Express” claimed 4-18 as he returned from a knee injury, while Steven Finn added 5-33 as India were bowled out for 153.
In reply, Ian Bell then hit an unbeaten 88 while James Taylor finished on 56 not out in a partnership worth 131 as England passed the target inside 28 overs.
The bonus-point victory means England lie second in the Tri-series table behind Australia, who they face today - having lost by three wickets to the Aussies on Friday after a century from David Warner.
The result keeps England in contention for a place in the final, and handed Eoin Morgan his first win since replacing Alastair Cook as captain, with the World Cup less than a month away.
Anderson conceded only one run off the bat in his first three overs against one of the pre-tournament World Cup favourites, as he swung the ball both ways with typical accuracy.
Shikhar Dhawan was first out with the score on one, Anderson’s outswinging delivery forcing an edge behind to Jos Buttler - his first of five victims behind the stumps.
Anderson then bowled Bhuvneshwar Kumar at 143, before Stuart Binny and Mohammed Shami skied successive deliveries to Morgan and Moeen Ali respectively as India’s last five wickets went for just 16 runs in 21 balls.
That gave Anderson 4-18 off 8.3 overs, claiming two maidens.
The Lancashire ace wasn’t required to bat as Bell and Taylor saw England home for the loss of just one wicket - Ali falling for eight at 25.
England now take on Australia in Hobart, where conditions at the Bellerive Oval are likely to be ideal for Anderson, as he continues to step up his recovery from a knee injury which kept him out of the pre-Christmas tour of Sri Lanka.
Exciting season in the offing for former champions Clitheroe, says new captain Peter Dibb
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Christian School Claims It Axed Teacher For Having Premarital Sex
Erin Fuchs
Jarretta Hamilton and family. Courtesy TYT Network.
Photo: TheYoungTurks/YouTube
A Christian school claiming it sacked a teacher for having premarital sex will have to defend itself before a jury against pregnancy discrimination claims.On Wednesday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the teacher, Jarretta Hamilton, had produced evidence that Southland Christian School Inc. was more bothered by her pregnancy than her out-of-wedlock sex.
A lower court had dismissed her pregnancy bias suit, but the 11th Circuit found that she had enough evidence to move forward with the case.
Southland claimed it fired Hamilton for her having sex with a man who wasn’t her husband. And the 11th Circuit acknowledged Wednesday that federal law does not protect workers right’ to premarital sex.
However, the law does protect those workers’ right to get pregnant, the court found.
The school had claimed it fired her for “disobeying the word of God” by having premarital sex, according to one school official, the appeals court opinion noted.
In its brief filed in the 11th Circuit, Southland said it had a right “to enforce upon its staff what it believes to be the moral conduct imposed by the Holy Bible in its employment decisions.”
But Hamilton testified that a school official had told her that “premarital conception” was part of the reason she was axed, according to the 11th Circuit.
Lawyers for both sides were not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
discrimination law and order law-us pregnancy sex
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business›
RBI may have wanted her out of Axis Bank but Starbucks partner Tata Global Beverages is among four companies which brought Shikha Sharma on-board
Katya NaiduJun 25, 2019, 10:12 IST
RBI fined Axis Bank ₹30 million for fudging accounts during Sharma’s tenure as Axis Bank chief.
RBI asked Axis Bank to reconsider extending Shikha Sharma’s tenure urging a review.
Sharma is now an independent director at four companies-- Tech Mahindra, Dr Reddy’s Labs, Tata Global Beverages (which operates Starbucks chain in India) and Ambuja Cement.
It is very uncharacteristic of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to give ‘advice’ to banks on their leadership. But last year, it did ask the country’s third largest private bank to ‘reconsider’ extending their then CEO Shikha Sharma’s tenure. After her exit , the stock of Axis Bank has gained over 48% in the last one year.
Since she left the bank last December, Sharma isn’t sitting home reading Mills & Boons, her favourite pastime. She is now an independent director at four companies, and the latest to add her is IT major Tech Mahindra after Dr Reddy’s Labs, Tata Global Beverages (which operates Starbucks chain in India) and Ambuja Cement.
Private Equity firm KKR appointed her as an adviser for their alternate investments. This is very good progress for someone who claims to have a ‘permanent inability to sell herself’. This trait kept her away from landing a job on the very first day of recruitment at IIM Ahmedabad.
The Benefit of Friends
Yet, Sharma has many high-profile friends in the system. She had worked with Kalpana Morparia, the CEO of J P Morgan at ICICI, who is a part of Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC) at pharma major Dr Reddy’s Labs. The company also has former Tata Power Managing Director Prasad Menon who was a part of Axis Bank board of directors until recently.
She is also part of the board of Tata Global Beverages, which operates Starbucks chain in India.
An independent banking analyst Hemindra wrote a report questioning the corporate governance practices of companies which have employed her. “The irony of publicly owned and listed blue-chip companies eagerly seeking Sharma for the prestigious position of independent director on their boards is that she had a poor track record and an unceremonious exit as chief executive officer of Axis Bank,” said a report by banking analyst Hemindra, who wrote a report on her.
However, companies have defended their decision to have Sharma on board. Tech Mahindra’s statement on June 14 said, “She has rich experience in banking, insurance and an excellent track record and led the bank on a transformative journey from being primarily a corporate lender to a bank with a strong retail deposit franchise and a balanced lending book.”
Hazari disagrees with Tech Mahindra’s take.
Though her stint at ICICI-- her first job since she was recruited from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) -- had many successes including building the India’s largest private sector bank’s insurance business, her leadership at Axis Bank had a lot left to desire.
E-mails sent to Tech Mahindra, Dr Reddy’s Labs and Tata Global Beverages did not elicit any response, while Sharma did not respond to a request for a call.
The Cover-up
Sharma’s plan for growth at Axis Bank’ was to increase large-sized corporate lending, that included a bunch of loans to infrastructure companies. Like all bad plans, it worked until it didn’t. The unrelenting chase for growth landed them in a bad soup with a large chunk of toxic loans.
What angered investors and the regulator alike is how the bank tried to sweep it under the carpet. So much so, the banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had fined them-- even though a measly ₹30 million-- for fudging accounts. The regulator’s version of their non-performing loans is 156% higher than what was admitted by the bank in the year 2016-17.
Right after demonetization in 2016, the Enforcement Directorate unearthed a scam where Axis Bank staff was passing on unaccounted money into the system.
According to Hazari, these are due to poor operational risk controls and other lapses which were prevalent in the bank. He also said that the bank persecuted whistleblowers with draconian clauses, which can terminate an employee without giving any reason.
“Incorporating such harsh measures effectively silences any honest banker from complaining against any regulatory lapses which could disrupt the growth of business,” Hazari said.
It is within any company’s legal right to appoint anyone as an independent director. What experts like Hazari are questioning is the level of trust such boards can evoke when they appoint those whom regulators have recently shunned.
Investors lose over $600 million in a day in one stock as the management was more optimistic than cautious
Kotak Mahindra Bank has lost nearly half a billion dollars in market cap after the billionaire promoter was fined by the RBI
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10 Interesting facts about Ratan Tata that you should know
1RBI may have wanted her out of Axis Bank but Starbucks partner Tata Global Beverages is among four companies which brought Shikha Sharma on-board
2Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio’s plan to take on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar has to wait
3Flipkart’s IPO in the US could see Walmart exit, Binny Bansal has already begun cashing himself out
4Explained: How Share Market works
510 Interesting facts about Ratan Tata that you should know
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Lindsay Lohan Might Host 'SNL' Season Premiere & Yes, That's a Good Thing
By Lindsay Mannering
Michael Buckner/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Riding high off her Oprah interview, things are still looking up for everyone's second favorite troubled 27-year-old behind Amanda Bynes. Word on the street is that Lindsay Lohan might host the season premiere of SNL . According to RadarOnline, Saturday Night Live approached Lindsay about headlining the season opener and she's considering doing it, AS WELL SHE SHOULD. If she agrees to the gig, it'll be her sixth time hosting the show — the last time she stood on the stage in Studio 8H was in March, 2012.
SNL has tried to get us excited about this, its 39th season, by injecting five new cast members after news that Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and Seth Meyers would be leaving the show, and while yeah, we're pretty pumped that hilarious guy Beck Bennett from the AT&T commercials (the ones where he sits on a rug with kids and asks them stuff like, "is faster better?" etc.), it'll take something pretty huge to get us to the point where we'd say we're looking forward to the show, but a Lindsay Lohan premiere would do just the trick.
We've been cheering on her slow but steady comeback, and after the great job she did hosting Chelsea Lately , it's time she got some more gigs along those lines. She's just so fantastic at being Lindsay Lohan, you know? That's her sweet spot. Self-deprecating and self-aware, Lindsay excels at making people laugh with her, not at her. When she tries to, anyway.
Plus, she needs a re-do from last time. She was panned in March, 2012 for her, uh, "erratic" performance but you know as well as we do that she can do better. So let's make this happen, SNL. Let's do this. Let's give Lindsay the job. Let's have Kenan Thompson pretend to be Oprah and let's have Linds and him reenact the sit-down. And if we could get Kate McKinnon play Dina Lohan, even better.
The show pretty much writes itself, but if you need more convincing, here are some of Lindsay's best SNL clips over the years.
The Debbie Downer sketch from 2004 needs no introduction:
Real Housewives of Disney was an instant classic:
Lindsay as sexy Hermione was pitch perfect, too:
That time she starred on Weekend Update:
And please, the Coin Slot sketch? Stop:
The time for Lindsay on SNL is now, slash Sept. 28, when the show returns.
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FIRST CONFIRMED PRE SEASON FRIENDLY ANNOUNCED
by admin | Apr 13, 2012 | Uncategorised | 0 comments
Boreham Wood are delighted to announce their first confirmed Pre Season Friendly match, when they host Championship side Watford Football Club on Tuesday 17th July 2012, kick off 7.45pm.
This fixture will be Watford’s first pre season friendly match of 2012 and is a game played annually at Meadow Park after the Wood and the Hornets struck up such a strong relationship when Watford’s Reserves were housed at Boreham Wood.
Boreham Wood would like to take this opportunity to reiterate their thanks to Watford Football Club for year after year bringing a First Team Squad to play us in a pre season friendly and long may our strong relationship continue.
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Why I felt let down by the finale of GIRLS
From the beginning, GIRLS was a show I related to, first and foremost, because the main character, Hannah, was a writer. Or, rather, she was a young woman who aspired to be a writer but didn't quite know how to navigate the city’s creative ecosystem to get there— a plight I could relate to all too well.
This season after six years and a stint at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Hannah finally seemed to be making strides. She was sent on one of her first paid assignments. She published a critique of a famous author’s relations with women (namely his alleged sexual assaults), which led to a complicated conversation between the two.
Although she was still floundering to make a mark with her writing, she was really trying to make things happen for herself. So when the plot shifted 180 degrees and suddenly Hannah was pregnant and about to become a mother, I felt duped. THIS was how Lena and Jenni and Judd were going to close this show that had been incredibly inspiring, albeit frustrating, for thousands of creative women? Hannah was going to become a mother and that would tie up her whole storyline with a pretty, little bow?
I realize this is often how things work in real life: You're finally making something happen in your career and you discover you're pregnant. It's not an unrealistic plot line. But here's the thing, on television you do get to decide whether your character is going to get pregnant or not; you do get to decide where the climax of her story arc will be. And by making these very specific decisions, you subtly (though sometimes overtly) convey values. You convey what you think female success looks like, by which I mean: you convey what particular milestones make a woman successful.
And here, in this show I loved so much for its female leads who craved creative professional lives, we see two characters’ storylines come to a “celebratory” close as they embark on traditional female tropes: marriage (Shoshanna) and motherhood (Hannah).
What happened to that drive we saw in Shoshanna when she was in Japan? Or the creativity we saw when she was helping Ray with business development? What happened to Hannah’s unwavering determination to be the “voice of her generation”?
The message the final two episodes of GIRLS seemed to convey was: Well, young lady, that ambition is all well and good but you've been at it six years and where has it really gotten you? It's high time you settle down and realize what's really important in life. Marry a nice man with successful friends—or become a mother—and then you can at least claim you've successfully done something. Then we can see that you've matured. Then we can write you off into our patriarchal happily-ever-after.
It's more complicated than that, I know. It always is. But much as I try to justify it to myself, the show’s jarring sprint to get one woman wed and another with a baby in her arms seemed like a cop out on the part of the writers. And I, for one, was disappointed.
Arts & CultureChelsea Sonksen April 21, 2017 Reviews, GIRLS
Museum of Ice Cream
Design, Arts & CultureBosslady Guest April 28, 2017 Museum of Ice Cream, Photo Essay
The 14th Factory
Design, Arts & CultureBosslady Guest April 20, 2017 The 14th Factory, Photo Essay
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Boston, Cambridge Ranked Among Top Cities for Biking
Cambridge's ranking climbed two slots on Bicycling magazine's list. Boston's slipped by one.
By Spencer Buell· 9/19/2016, 6:15 p.m.
Get a compelling long read and must-have lifestyle tips in your inbox every Sunday morning — great with coffee!
Lutz Lake Fern Road bike lane by Daniel Oines on Flickr/Creative Commons
To all the denizens of Boston and Cambridge who rely on their bicycles to get from A to B, take a look around. The imperfect, but slowly improving, environment for bike-mounted travelers like you are among the best in America.
Such were the findings of Bicycling magazine’s biennial roundup of The 50 Best Bike Cities of 2016.
“Cycling in America has never been better,” the magazine proclaims. “These bike-friendly cities are leading the charge for safer (and livelier) streets.”
Coming in at eighth this time was Cambridge (up from its 10th place slot in 2014). Boston came in 17th (down one from the last survey, when it came in 16th). Chicago placed first, followed by San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon.
According to its website, Bicycling considered factors such as the availability of bike lanes and the proportion of women who feel safe enough to bike, and collected input from cycling advocates and riders.
In Cambridge, the study’s authors pointed as justification for the high ranking to the much-heralded protected bike lane on Western Avenue, clean air policies, traffic-calming road engineering, and the move in 2014 to equip big city vehicles with side guards. Read the full synopsis here.
Boston, meanwhile, was celebrated for its Hubway bike network; a protected bike lane project called Connect Historic Boston, and an upcoming bike-friendly rehabilitation of Commonwealth Avenue. It marks a big turnaround for the city that began with the last administration at City Hall, says Bicycling. The rest is here.
“Under [former Boston mayor Tom] Menino’s reign,” the magazine writes, “Boston transformed itself from this magazine’s perennial Worst City for Cycling designation to amongst the best cities for bicycling in the country.”
Spencer Buell Staff Writer at Boston Magazine @spencerbuell
sbuell@bostonmagazine.com
What's In Season Right Now?
Your Ultimate Guide to Boston Running Routes
Boston Picnic Guide: Where to Order, and Where to Eat
An Open Concept Kitchen in Needham
Our Day Trip Guide to Rockport
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Odds & Ends: Alice Ripley to Lead All-Female Sondheim Birthday Celebration & More
by Broadway.com Staff • Jan 30, 2019
Alice Ripley
(Photo: Caitlin McNaney for Broadway.com)
Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed today.
Alice Ripley to Lead All-Female Sondheim Birthday Celebration
Tony winner Alice Ripley has signed on for the upcoming concert In Praise of Women: A Sondheim Celebration, in honor of Tony-winning songwriter Stephen Sondheim's 89th birthday. The star-studded event will be held at Feinstein's/54 Below on Sondheim's birthday, March 22, at 11:30pm. Joining Ripley onstage will be Lucy Anders, Ashley Blanchet, Bebe Browning, Emma Degerstedt, Jordan Ensign, Kaitlyn Frank, Gaelen Gilliland, Jenna Leigh Green, Celia Hottenstein, Autumn Hurlbert, Eryn LeCroy, Kate Loprest, Jessie Peltier, Becca Peterson, Kimber Sprawl and Nasia Thomas. Audiences can expect to hear songs ranging from Into the Woods to Road Show, Do I Hear a Waltz and much more. The evening is produced and directed by Matt Redmond with music direction by Rebekah Bruce Parker.
Paul Downs Colaizzo's Film Brittany Runs a Marathon Bought by Amazon
Hats off to celebrated playwright Paul Downs Colaizzo! Amazon has acquired his acclaimed new film Brittany Runs a Marathon, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jillian Bell stars in the flick, written and directed by Colaizzo, which follows a woman whose life changes when she loses weight in preparation for a marathon. Colaizzo's playwriting credits include Pride in the Falls of Autrey Mill and the Outer Critics Circle Award-nominated Really Really.
Brett Ryback Launches Narrative Musical Podcast In Strange Woods
Acclaimed writer/performer Brett Ryback (Passing Through, Murder for Two) has teamed up with former Nickelodeon songwriters Matt Sav and Jeff Luppino-Esposito to develop the narrative musical podcast In Strange Woods, to be released later this year. In Strange Woods tells the coming-of-age story of Peregrine Wells, an 18-year-old girl in Minnesota's north woods, reeling from the death of her older brother. Ryback, who also acts as narrator, spins a fictional mystery that weaves together investigation and taped interview with a folk-pop score. Casting is to come, but a recent pilot featured Donna Lynne Champlin (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Patrick Page (Hadestown), Jonah Platt (Wicked) and Lily Mae Harrington (The Glee Project). For more information, click here.
Wesley Taylor & Alex Wyse's Indoor Boys Nominated for 13 Indie Series Awards
Great news for a group of Broadway favorites! Wesley Taylor (Alice by Heart) and Alex Wyse (Waitress) have netted 13 Indie Series Award nominations for their acclaimed series Indoor Boys. The annual Indie Series Awards celebrate independently produced entertainment created for the web. Indoor Boys follows two single gay roommates navigating life and dating from L.A. to New York. Joining Taylor and Wyse in the series are stage veterans Carolee Carmello (Sweeney Todd), Frankie Grande (Rock of Ages), Kyle Harris (Marie), Krysta Rodriguez (Spring Awakening) and Veanne Cox (An American in Paris). All sixteen episodes are available to watch on Vimeo.
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The American Brush Manufacturers Association is pleased to accept nominations for of the "ABMA William A. Cordes Innovation Excellence Award" which is to recognize outstanding innovation of manufactured products, components or services in the Broom, Brush, Mop and Roller Industry. The award is named after William A. Cordes, who served as the Association's first President from 1917-1928. This award serves as a constant reminder that all new and exciting endeavors have beginnings that connect with real people. This award is to be an annual competition whereby any interested parties may submit nominations to ABMA during any calendar year for consideration. All nominations must be readily available in the marketplace during the year in which they are to be considered. Please see the contest rules for specific details.
Mr. Carlos Petzold, ABMA President encourages companies to enter the competition and says: " The ABMA Innovation Award competition is a great opportunity for companies to showcase their innovative products, components and services to the industry, and to the larger audience served by customers, users and consumers as well. It gives the greater industry a wonderful opportunity to see just how innovative, creative and vibrant we are as brushmakers."
Nominations will be exhibited at the 2018 ABMA Annual Convention. The current award winner is The Mill Rose Company's "Power Deuce"".
As Peter Drucker says, "Invention is one of the critical keys to success." The "ABMA Innovation Award" recognizes those companies and individuals who pursue the path of creation and innovation in order to stay ahead of their competition in this most competitive world.
Winner of ABMA's William A. Cordes Innovation Excellence Award in 2011, Sanderson MacLeod first introduced their revolutionary patented medical brush tip, the Z-Tip, at the 2011 ABMA conference held in Austin, Texas. Recently, the company offered a retrospective look at what winning the award has meant to the company.
"Winning Innovation Excellence Award has had a very positive impact on our organization," said Mark Borsari, President of twisted-in-wire contract manufacturer Sanderson MacLeod.
"Since winning the award, our Z-Tip technology has become actively utilized in key markets such as medical, aerospace and cosmetics. The market reception has been beyond our expectations. Many of our customers are considered innovators in their markets, and knowing we received the Innovation Excellence Award from the ABMA has enhanced our credibility as a top tier design and supply partner." Borsari said.
When asked to list the top three benefits winning the award provided, Borsari offered the following:
"First, winning ABMA's innovation award gave us the ability to share our innovation and receive vitally important feedback from our trusted fellow brush association members. Second, the award has become a source of tremendous pride to our development team...a real acknowledgement of the long hours and dedication it took to make our concept a reality," reflected Borsari. "Finally, it reinforced the importance of bringing new technologies to the brush making industry. Today, when considering future projects, we ask ourselves if our concepts would be worthy of another Innovation Excellence recognition."
"For us, the ABMA and the William A. Cordes Award has made innovating new ideas challenging and purposeful. I'd recommend to any company that they submit any qualifying product for consideration...You never know where it may take you."
Entries for the award will be accepted until November 30 and the award presentation will be made at the ABMA Annual Convention in March 2018 at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ. For more information, rules and nomination forms please visit:
http://www.abma.org/innovationexcellenceaward
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Bryan County News
Bryan County Sheriff's Office seeks help in break ins
National Night Out and Back to School Bash planned for Aug. 6
Coastal Georgia Track Team headed to AAU Junior Olympics
RH tennis team bound for state
Annual Red Hot Chili Pepper 5K to benefit Family Promise of Bryan County
Renovated shooting and archery range re-opens in Richmond Hill
Baraniak: 'Thank you Richmond Hill for the memories'
Get clean from the inside out
Freedom can be found in Christ
The Lord is with me: Do you really believe in life after death?
Guest column: Today's girls, tomorrow's leaders
Community announcements for Oct. 30
Early voting for the 2013 Richmond Hill municipal election continues through Friday at the John W. Stevens Wetlands Education Center in J.F. Gregory Park.
On the ballot are incumbents Mayor Harold Fowler, councilman Russ Carpenter, councilman Van Hunter and political newcomer Johnny Murphy, who is vying for Hunter’s seat.
The poll is open to all registered voters of Richmond Hill from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fall into Christmas
“Fall into Christmas” will be presented by the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Women from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at the Richmond Hill City Center in J.F. Gregory Park.
Activities include demonstrations and workshops by local artists, a Christmas boutique and silent auction.
Tickets are $35 and include lunch. For more information or for tickets, call 727-2214 or 727-3219. The church’s website is www.rhpc.com.
Church homecoming
Lower Black Creek Primitive Baptist Church will hold its homecoming Saturday.
The service is at 11 a.m. and lunch will follow at 11:30 a.m.
All friends of the church and those with loved ones in the cemetery are invited for a day of remembrance, fellowship and food as church members seek to preserve the church and provide care for the cemetery.
Guests are asked to bring a covered dish and lawn chairs. Drinks will be provided.
For more information, call Keith at 823-4090 or 536-2375.
A workshop for beginning digital photographers will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Fort King George State Historic Site, 302 McIntosh Road SE in Darien.
The workshop includes visual presentation with hands-on exercises. Cost is $20, which includes admission to the park and a reference booklet for each participant.
For more information, call 912-437-4770 or go to www.gastateparks.org/fortkinggeorge.
Grief workshops
Free “Grief and the Holidays” workshops will be held next month in Richmond Hill and Hinesville.
Those needing help with grief issues as the holidays draw near can attend the following workshops:
• 6 p.m. Nov. 7 at the United Way Service Center, 9611 Ford Ave. behind the library in Richmond Hill.
• 6 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Liberty Regional Medical Center classrooms at 462 E.G. Miles Parkway in Hinesville.
For more information, call 912-303-9442.
Fair trade sale
St. Anne Catholic Church will hold a Catholic Relief Services and SERRV International Fair Trade Work Of Human Hands sale will be from noon-7 p.m. Nov. 9 at St. Anne Holy Family Hall, 10550 Ford Ave. in Richmond Hill.
Handcrafted items from 22 countries will be available.
For more information, call 756-3343.
An Army Career and Alumni Program career fair will be held from
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 7 in building 705, 100 W. 15th St. on Fort Stewart.
To register, go to fortstewartacapcareerfair.eventbrite.com.
For more information, go to facebook.com/stewartacap or call 912-767-6797.
Flag ceremony
The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 164 will host its annual Veterans Day observance and flag ceremony at 11 a.m. Nov. 9 in Town Park in downtown Pembroke.
Veterans Day observance
The city of Richmond Hill will observe Veterans Day at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 in J. F. Gregory Park.
The observance will feature speakers, a 21-gun salute, posting of the colors, laying of the wreath and brick dedications by the Exchange Club and many more.
For more information, call Linda Phillips at 756-3345.
Have a fundraiser, group meeting, church announcement or other nonprofit events you’d like to have announced?
Email announcements and contact information to lwynn@bryancountynews.net or fax to 756-5907.
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Jesus Is Not a Brand
Tyler Wigg-Stevenson
In the Beginning, Grace
Songs of Justice, Missions of Mercy
Mark Moring
The Case for Early Marriage
Mark Regnerus
With Parents' Help
COVER PACKAGE
Restless, Reformed, and Single
Online dating services argue that God can use virtual reality too.
Sarah Pulliam| July 31, 2009
2009This article is part of CT's digital archives. Subscribers have access to all current and past issues, dating back to 1956.
By day, firefighter Dean Scott puts out flames in rural western Washington. By night, he tries to kindle them between Reformed singles around the country.
Scores of Christian dating websites (and dating sites that market themselves to Christians) are doing their part to solve the delayed marriage problem by promising to pair like-minded couples. But Scott's SovereignGraceSingles.com hopes to take compatibility tests to a new level, making sure that singles are on the same page theologically.
Singles who build profiles on SovereignGraceSingles answer questions such as, " How have the Doctrines of Grace changed or affected your life?" "Do you have a Quiet Time?" and "Who is your favorite biblical character and why?" Members' usernames include tulips, restingingrace0611, and ReformedSoutherner.
Baylor University professor of theology Roger Olson, author of Arminian Theology, is a bit surprised that the site, which hosts nearly 800 members and has borne 37 reported marriages, is catching on.
"It's an example of a larger dissonance between Calvinist theology and Calvinist practice,"Olson said. "If God has foreordained everything, then why should I feel any urgency to act?"
Scott said he has heard few theological objections to the site since it launched in 2005.
"It doesn't sound very Calvinist, but I think we should use all means possible, including the Internet, to find someone,"said Scott, who met his wife, Karen, on the site he built. I don't think it's antithetical to God's sovereignty at all. It's a means that he's provided to use in the lives of single, Reformed folks."
Paul David Tripp, author of Marriage: Whose Dream?, says Christians of various theological stripes have trouble deciding whether to use an online site to find ...
DatingEvangelicalismFamilyInternetParentingSexuality and GenderSinglenessSocial NetworkingTechnology
August 2009, Vol. 53, No. 8, Pg 28
This article is from the August 2009 issue.
Our Life with God
An Ocean of Sorrow
This article is from the August 2009 print issue. Subscribe to continue reading.
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Heels dominate weekend, score 24 runs
By Margaret Bonner | 04/14/2008
The Virginia softball team finished its last home series on a sour note this weekend, being swept by North Carolina 11-2, 6-1 and 7-1.
"UNC is a great team; they're No. 1 in the conference for a reason," senior outfielder Meghan O'Leary said. "They come out and play hard every inning and every at-bat."
The series started inauspiciously for the Cavaliers (13-31, 4-11 ACC) when ACC leader North Carolina (40-8-1, 13-1 ACC) scored six runs in six hits and one walk off pitcher senior Whitney Holstun in the first inning Saturday before freshman Allee Rife replaced Holstun. The Tar Heels added to their lead with four more runs in the third before Virginia got on the scoreboard with a home run from junior Sarah Tacke. A second run in the fourth did little to abate the Tar Heel onslaught, and the game ended 11-2 after the fifth inning? behind a solid performance from Tar Heel junior pitcher Lisa Norris, who had five strikeouts and allowed only five hits in five innings.
Though the Tar Heels pitchers out-threw the Virginia staff throughout the series, the Cavaliers fared better during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, finishing all seven innings and holding the Tar Heels to two runs in the first three innings and six overall for the five-run loss. While North Carolina junior Amber Johnson pitched the entire game and allowed the Cavaliers only five hits and one run, Virginia junior starting pitcher Karla Wilburn gave up eight hits and five runs in four innings, and Holstun finished the game with a five-hit, one-run effort.
Freshman Alison Pittman scored the Cavaliers' only run in the sixth on a North Carolina fielding error.
Virginia started Wilburn on the mound Sunday and brought Holstun in relief, achieving a similar result, a 1-7 loss. The two pitchers gave up a combined 12 hits and four walks for seven runs. North Carolina sophomore Danielle Spaulding outclassed Wilburn and Holstun with a 14-strikeout, complete-game effort, holding the Cavaliers to only one hit and adding to the Tar Heels' lead with a homer in the seventh.
The only hit the Cavaliers managed in the third game of the series yesterday was? a home run by junior shortstop Carly Winger.
Offensively, the Tar Heels out-hit the Cavaliers by a factor of at least two to one throughout the series. North Carolina's 12 hits in game one yielded 11 runs while Virginia's five hits generated only two.
The bright spot of the weekend was the Cavaliers' defense, which had four errors total throughout the series.
Despite their defensive performance, the Cavaliers' pitching and hitting could not compete with the Tar Heels'.
"Defensively we did OK," O'Leary said. "But we didn't put up the hits that we needed to."
Yesterday's game also marked the last time that seniors Holstun, O' Leary and Lindsey Preuss, as well as junior Kierstie Cameron, will play at The Park.
"I'm very proud to have coached them," coach Eileen Schmidt said. "When you look at that group, they're your typical U.Va. hard-working kids that really have bright, bright futures in front of them."
O'Leary said she was happy with the performance of the Cavaliers this season.
"I can close the door on this and walk away and kind of be satisfied," O'Leary said.
The Cavaliers have eight more games in the season including two ACC conference series against Maryland and Boston College.
O'Leary noted that the final two ACC teams are definitely ones the Cavaliers can beat.
"It's been a tough weekend and it's a weekend that we need to put behind us," O'Leary said.
Without a midweek game coming up, Schmidt said the Cavaliers will spend the next six days reviewing the basics and looking to upcoming games.
"With these two weeks left we're just going to dig our heels in and go to work," she said.
By Vignesh Mulay | 07/12/2019
By Zach Zamoff | 07/10/2019
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Belarussian
Old Bulgarian
Old Slavonic
Sorbian languages
Only content I have full access to
We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
Result 7081-7100 of 7348
ЦАРИЦА ЭВРИДИКА: К ВОПРОСУ О ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОЙ РОЛИ ЖЕНЩИН В ДРЕВНЕЙ МАКЕДОНИИ
Author(s): Kristina Alekseevna Kilyashova / Language(s): Russian / Issue: 3/2015
The role of women during the time of the Argead dynasty of Macedonia is considered in the paper by the example of Queen Eurydice. Based on the cited sources and literature, the conclusion is made about the gradual integration of women in the political life of the ancient Macedonian society.
Цветан Грозданов. Живописот на охридската архиепископи]а. Студии, изд. Македонска академи|а на науките и Фонд Трифун Костовски, Скофе, 2007, 468 с., цветни и чернобели илюстрации, иконографски схеми
Author(s): Kalina Mincheva / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 3/2008
Цветан Тодоров (1939–2017) – апостолът на хуманизма, мечтателят за свобода
Author(s): Valentina Sharlanova / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 4/2016
Ценен документален сборник за най-новата история на България
Любомир Огнянов (съставител). Политическа история на съвременна България. Сборник документи. Т. I. (1944–1947). С., Държавна агенция „Архиви“, 2016.
Author(s): Vladimir Migev / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 3-4/2017
Ценна семейна реликва
Author(s): Georgi Trenchev / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 4/2000
Ценността на дара или стойността на подаръка
Author(s): Petia Bankova / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 3/2016
The article presents and discusses a widely spread in the past and practiced inpresent day rite associated with the birth of the child. On one hand it draws its datafrom ethnographic sources (archival, literary and personally collected field material),presenting the custom in its traditional version, and on the other – on research conductedthrough the method of participant observation and semi-structured interviewsduring contemporary manifestations of this custom. Analyzing specific ritual elementsand focusing on gifts/presents received by the child, the author develops theidea that this custom gradually loses its characteristics as a rite of passage. Furthermore,the lack of information or its laic presentation and interpretation has resultedin the development and approbation of a „scenario“ of the custom, which leads to aprocess of deritualization and transformation so this custom becomes primarily a festivemoment, a party, a visit, an occasion for gatherings of people who, through theirpresence and especially through their gifts, support the new-born and his/her family.
ЦЕРЕМОНИАЛ ПРОСКИНЕСИСА ПРИ ДВОРЕ АЛЕКСАНДРА ВЕЛИКОГО
Author(s): Yuriy Viktorovich Kornilov / Language(s): Russian / Issue: 3/2014
The paper presents an attempt to characterize the main idea and features of the Persian ritual of proskynesis in the ceremonial aspect. It follows from the studied material that proskynesis, which was carried out both towards the Achaemenid kings and subsequently towards Alexander the Great, indicated high status of the governor according to the traditional hierarchy of Persian society. It is revealed that adoption of this ceremony involved several stages. After an unsuccessful attempt to introduce proskynesis among the Macedonians, the ritual was practiced solely in the society of eastern subjects. It is concluded that the Persians while performing this ceremony before Alexander the Great admitted his superior status in the Persian hierarchical system. Thus, he in fact became the rightful king of Persia.
Цивілізаційно-історичні витоки правосвідомості українського народу
Author(s): Yu. Yu. Kalinowski / Language(s): Ukrainian / Issue: 133/2016
Analyzed civilizational and historical factors of public awareness genesis in Ukraine. It is noted that the development of any civilization has two components chrono-vertical and chrono-horizontal. It is alleged that the Ukrainian people’s awareness combines the values of eastern and western cultural and civilizational systems, privileging the second one. Determined features of the Ukrainian people’s legal consciousness in historical retrospective. In this context was analyzed directions of development and was singled features as institutional and non-institutional sense of justice in Ukraine.Emphasized that civilizational and historical development of the Ukrainian people is characterized with stages, inconsistency and cultural features. In its turn, sense of justice in Ukraine based on axiological basis using the following basic constants: patriotism; justice; sense of national dignity; responsibility for the fate of the motherland; awareness of the importance of implementation of individual rights and freedoms in the domestic environment; respect for the rights and freedoms of other nations; recognition of the intrinsic value of Ukrainian culture and language.
Циганите и изселванията на „българските турци“ (1948–1989)
Author(s): Plamena Stoyanova / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 2/2017
“The Gypsies are our own, domestic problem” is a phrase attributed to the long-term former head of the old communist Bulgarian government, Todor Zhivkov. The government policy towards the Gypsy minority in communist Bulgaria is one of inclusion to the Bulgarian way of life, and its implementation is carefully tailored to the specificities of Bulgaria as a country.It is a little known fact that towards the end of the 1940’s, the Bulgarian Gypsies suddenly turn from a “domestic problem” to something much larger and thus become part of the great confrontation between the two world political camps divided by the Iron Curtain. This takes place during the emigration of the ethnic Bulgarian Turks which starts in 1948, and during which, applications for emigration are filed by both Bulgarian Turks and Muslim Bulgarian Gypsies. It is this latter ethnic minority that becomes the cause for a serious conflict between ‘communist Bulgaria’ and ‘capitalist Turkey’.This paper aims at following the events from the end of the 40’s until end of the 80‘s of the previous century as well as analyzing the consequences of the confrontation between the two neighbouring Balkan countries.
Цимервалд 1915–2015 г.: повтаря ли се историята или става нещо друго?
Author(s): Maksim Mizov / Language(s): English,Bulgarian / Issue: 5/2016
The article analyzes certain aspects of the “shadow” that the Zimmerwald conference casts on our times. On this basis, the author traces analogies between disturbing processes and trends in the ideological-political and organizational crises of social democracy in these two historical times. The betrayal of the left elites proves to be characteristic not only of the past but of the present as well. The author studies the trends of immorality and corruption of political elites, leading to the birth of radical left-wing moods and move-ments in political time-space.The article explains the causes and technique of the schism at the “tops” of the left and its effects for the fragmentation and weakening of the left’s role in states and societies. The author shows how in both historical ages under comparison, Reason, Peace and Progress are brutally and perfidiously substituted with Greed, War, and Regress.
Црквена политика Византије οд краја иконоборства до смрти цара Василија I
Author(s): Predrag Komatina / Language(s): Serbian / Publication Year: 2014
The Iconoclast era of Byzantine history ended with the death of Emperor Theophilus on January 20th, 842. His wife Theodora, who took power in the name of their young son Michael III, devoted to Orthodoxy even during Theophilus’ life- -time, immediately began preparing the ground for the restoration of the veneration of icons. With this aim, she first held counsel with her associates in the state leadership – the Logothete Theoctistus, Sergius Nicetiates and her brothers Bardas and Petronas. At that meeting of the state leadership, the decision was made to renew the cult of icons, and the Empress released from imprisonment and persecution all monks, priests, bishops and lay people who had been persecuted for their veneration of icons. Next she convened the Council in Constantinople where the icon veneration would again be declared the official dogma of the church. The Council was held in early March 843. Participants included representatives of state authorities, priest and monks from the Constantinopolitan and provincial monasteries. The monks of the Capital were led by Hilarion of the Dalmatou, and a major figure among provincial monks was Simeon Stylite the Younger. The spiritual patron of them all was the famous ascetic Joannicius. Only the Studites represented a particular fraction. At the Council a valid Definition of faith was read and proclaimed, that is, the Horos of the Seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicaea 787, which had restored the veneration of icons after the first iconoclast period. The Council of 843 merely recalled the decisions of the Iconoclast Council of 815, and restored the decisions of the Council of 787. At the same Council the iconoclast Patriarch of Constantinople John VII the Grammarian was ousted, and the monk Methodius, a candidate of the provincial monks who also was in the Empress’s favor was chosen for the patriarchal throne. After his election, the people gathered spontaneously in front of St. Sophia and, led by the monks, conducted a procession that carried the icon of the Virgin and the Christ Child to the Bronze gates. This was a symbolic act, since the absence of Icon of Christ from the Gate had symbolized the supremacy of iconoclasm. This spontaneous procession was the forerunner of the later Procession of Orthodoxy. That day, which was the Sunday of the first week of Lent and which fell that year on March 11th, became known as the Sunday of Orthodoxy.
ЦРНОГОРСКИ ПЕРИОД ЖИВОТА И СТВАРАЛАШТВА ПАВЛА АПОЛОНОВИЧА РОВИНСКОГ У НАУЧНИМ ИСТРАЖИВАЊИМА И АРХИВСКИМ МАТЕРИЈАЛИМА
Author(s): Mirjana Manojlovic / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 1-2/2018
Pavel Apolonovich Rovinski is a famous Russian scientist who dedicated the majority of his scientific work to Montenegro. He addresses some scientific problems and questions of great importance which attract the attention of historians even nowadays.
Църковно и просветно дело в град Разград през 40-те - 70-те години на XIX век
Author(s): Todorka Simeonova / Language(s): Bulgarian / Publication Year: 0
The town Razgrad from today was established in the XV century on a early Thracian, Roman and Bulgarian settlement. During the Renaissance and the period from the middle of the XIX century Bulgarians in Razgrad created their own municipality and joined the struggle for church independence and establishing a new school. In 1860 was built the current church "St.Nikolai" and the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was rejected. For the educational and spiritual development of the city worked many of the citizens from whom more notable were S. Petrov, D. Hranov, A. Tsanov, N. Georgieva and others.
Цярпенне невыцерпнага: суіснаванне ў Вільні XVII стагоддзя
Author(s): David Frick / Language(s): Belarussian / Issue: 22-23/2015
The article considers the practices of tolerance and coexistence of different religious and ethnic communities of Vilnius in the 17th century. In early modern period Vilnius had a very heterogeneous population: Lutherans, Calvinists, Catholics, Uniates, Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The author raises the question how a relatively peaceful coexistence of diverse religious communities was maintained in the era of conflicts and wars. Through the analysis of certain social practices (marriage, settlement, baptism, etc.), and comparison with other European cities (the German imperial cities, Lviv), the author maps the place of Vilnius on the scale of tolerance of European cities of early modern era.
Частная жизнь женщины в Древней Руси и Московии: невеста, жена, любовница
Author(s): Eliza Malek / Language(s): Russian / Issue: 5/2012
The review of: “Private life of a woman in Ancient Russia and Moscow: bride, wife, mistress” by N. Pushkareva; Moscow: Lomonosov Publishers 2011, 216 p.
Черняховский могильник Курники на Южном Буге
Author(s): Boris V. Magomedov / Language(s): Russian / Issue: 4/1999
The cemetery is located close to the village of Kurniki (Tyvrov region, Vinnitza oblast) and is connected with the partially investigated settlement (fig. 1). The cemetery is investigated practically completely (fig. 2). On the northern site of it there are almost no finds in a layer; all burial places with inhumation are concentrated here (fig. 3-13; 14:3-6). On the southern site three cult holes are found, there are the calcined bones in the layer, also the fragments of burnt ceramics and others are present (fig. 14:1,2; 15). Presumably there was located the site with cremations, but it was destroyed by ploughing. Fourteen inhumations among the total number of twenty-seven are directed to the north, thirteen - to the west. The burial No 18, apparently, is the cenotaph. 13 graves have steps, the wooden ceilings are leant on them. Western orientation, the holes with the steps, and also the tradition to coat the bottom of the hole beneath the deceased with the green clay (burial No 3) point to the presence of Late Scythian ethnic element. The custom of the northern orientation of the deceased put into the simple holes (more than 80 % on chernyakhov cemeteries), and also the tradition of the cremation belongs mainly to German-Goths. Destroyed burials No 4, 14 and 19 are marked by its size and depth, there are valuable things kept in them. The similar graves of the aristocracy are connected with the German cultures of Central Europe. It is sensible to restrict the period of functioning of the cemetery to the second half of the 4th century, though it is possible that the last burial took place at the beginning of the 5 century (for example No 26). Probably the cemetery belonged to one clan of the entatives local nobility, including the dependent people. Apart from the features of the burial customs, the ethnic belonging of the population is defined by the hand-made ceramics from a settlement. It belongs to Wielbark culture, which is connected with the tribe of the Goths. The people buried at the cemetery had the mixed origin. Except for the Germanics, there were the Late Scythians from the Black Sea area.
Четиринадесети събор на народното творчество „Пирин пее"
Author(s): Volodya Milachkov / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 3/2014
Четническата акция в Македония през 1895 г.
Author(s): Svetlozar Eldarov / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 3/2015
120 years ago, from 19 to 28 March 1895, a unifying Congress was held in Sofia, which established the Macedonian Committee (MC) as the governing body of a general organization which was joined by the Macedonian societies in Bulgaria and Romania and student societies in Western Europe and Russia.
Четрдесет година од сарајевског атентата. Белешке о атентату
Author(s): D. Pilja / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 1-2/2015
Пре четрдесеШ loguna, 28. јуна 1914, Гаврило Принцип и његови gpyloeu извршили су у Сарајеву атентат на аустријској пресшолона-следника Фердинанда, изражавајући на тај начин револт народа Босне и Херцејовине против аустроушрске окупације. Поводом 40-Годишњице oeol, за нашу најновију историју веома значајнох дошђаја, редакција „Политике“ објавиће ових дана известан бриј написа како би подсетила читаоце на ње1а и, илуструјући la, допринела свој део оној почасти коју младим револуционарима, члановима Младе Босне, указују данас сви југословенски народи. [...]
Чехи за Източна Румелия. Пловдив по времето на Източна Румелия в спомените и кореспонденцията на чешки интелектуалци
Author(s): Pavel Zeman / Language(s): Bulgarian / Issue: 5-6/2015
The aim of the study is to present the Czech intellectuals’ vision of the life in Plovdiv during the existence of Eastern Rumelia. Then, in the capital of Eastern Rumelia, a considerable number of Czechs lived, it can be said that there was a Czech colony. K. Jirechek, H. Skorpil, A. Sourek, R. Turn-Taksis, J. Voracek, Y. Vagner, drew attention to the Bulgarian society and described the differences in the lifestyle of the two nationalities. The citations quoted in the article are selected from a preserved correspondence and the printed memoirs of Czech activists.
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Finance Exec in Russia Abducted
Car carrying OAL Lukoil's finance chief pulled over by armed kidnappers; no ransom note as of yet; shock to Moscow's financial community. Elsewhere: Bombardier Capital promotes capital raiser, and NASCAR retailer flags down new CFO.
Lisa Yoon
The finance chief of Russia’s largest oil producer, OAO Lukoil, was abducted on his way to work last Thursday, according to reports from Dow Jones and the New York Times.
Lukoil said first VP of finance Sergei Kukura‘s Mercedes was pulled over by masked men in camouflage carrying automatic rifles. They handcuffed Kukura’s driver and bodyguard and gave them sedative injections.
The company said Kukura’s kidnappers abducted him in a car with blue license plates similar to those used by interior ministry entities. The bodyguard and driver regained consciousness hours later in the car, which had been taken to a wooded area outside of Moscow, Lukoil said.
Lukoil spokesman Dmitry Dolgov called the abduction “a mystery,” saying the company had not received any demand for ransom or anything else from the kidnappers.
The event was a shock to Moscow’s financial community and its observers, who had assumed Russia had moved on from the days of contract killings in the mid-1990’s. Vladimir Putin’s presidency has been credited with stabilizing the business environment, helping to bolster the faith of international investors in Russian companies.
Though Moscow has been plagued recently by a spate of murders, including those of a parliamentary deputy, an insurance executive, and a manager at a state vodka company, executives at Russia’s largest private companies are almost never targets.
The incident came the day after a lobbying group for big business, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, announced plans for an English-language promotional campaign to improve the image of Russian business in the West.
Last month, Russia’s biggest privatization sale of the year was abruptly canceled when the government pulled the sale of a 5.9 percent stake in Lukoil, saying it wasn’t happy with the current market price.
The Russian police, Lukoil’s private security service, and officers of the Federal Security Service (the modern version of the KGB), are investigating the case, Dolgov said. In addition, the Moscow region Prosecutor’s Office has opened its own investigation.
CFOs on the Move
>> CFO Brian Peters was named president and COO of Bombardier Capital, the financial services arm of diversified manufacturer Bombardier. He will succeed Robert Gillespie, who is retiring on February 1 2003. Bombardier recently came under fire when U.S. rail service provider Amtrak was forced to suspend service on its Acela Express line in mid-August. The suspension came after Amtrak maintenance workers discovered cracks in some of its Acela Express rolling stock. Those locomotives, specifically built for the high-speed Acela line, were manufactured by a Bombardier/Alson consortium. … Mark A. Paul was named CFO of Perfect Line Inc., the wholly-owned subsidiary which owns and operates the largest chain of officially licensed retailer of NASCAR merchandise. Paul was most recently director, VP, and CFO of Symons International Group Inc., an auto insurance company in Indianapolis … Disk maker Komag Inc. largest independent producer of media for disk drives, today announced the appointed VP and controller Kathleen A. Bayless finance chief. Bayless succeeds Edward H. Siegler who has resigned to pursue another opportunity.
Fed Chair Powell Signals a Rate Cut is Coming
In Powell’s testimony to Congress, he said ‘crosscurrents’ have been weighing on economic activity and the central bank will ‘act as appropriate.’
Calculate the Real Cost of Catastrophe
To protect against threats to corporate value, many companies rely too heavily on insurance coverage.
CBO Gives Mixed Verdict on $15 Minimum Wage
A hike in the minimum wage to $15 per hour would boost the income of 17 million workers but could also lead to the loss of 1.3 million jobs, the CBO says.
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John Liston
Forestry Careers Ireland
We asked John Liston from Forestry Careers Ireland to give some advice for people considering this job:
Be flexible and willing to adapt and keep an open mind when working on challenging problems.
Naturalist?
Not surprisingly, some aspect of the natural sciences will run through the Naturalist's interests - from ecological awareness to nutrition and health. People with an interest in horticulture, land usage and farming (including fish) are Naturalists.
Some Naturalists focus on animals rather than plants, and may enjoy working with, training, caring for, or simply herding them. Other Naturalists will prefer working with the end result of nature's produce - the food produced from plants and animals. Naturalists like solving problems with solutions that show some sensitivity to the environmental impact of what they do. They like to see practical results and prefer action to talking and discussing.
Marino Institute of Education
1916 Bursary Applications
See more notices
10:00 AM to 4:00 PMMarino Institute of Education is holding an Open Day on the 16th of November, 2019, from 10am - 4pm. <br /><br />See more details <strong><a href="https://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=events&Subsec=event_details&ID=10269" target="_blank">HERE.<br /><br /></a>For further information, contact:<a href="https://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=events&Subsec=event_details&ID=10269" target="_blank"><br /></a>Name: </strong>Eimear Breathnach<strong><br />Phone: </strong>01 805 7742<strong><br />Email: </strong><a href="mailto:admissions@mie.ie">admissions@mie.ie</a> <br /><strong><a href="https://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=events&Subsec=event_details&ID=10269" target="_blank"><br /></a></strong>
Better Options Fair for Students with Disabilities
12:00 AM to 12:00 AMVisit exhibition stands from colleges nationwide, get information on the DARE scheme, and attend seminars to help you choose the right path. <br /><br />See more information on the event <a href="https://ahead.ie/betteroptions" target="_blank">HERE.</a><br /><br />This fair is organised by AHEAD. See their website <a href="https://ahead.ie/" target="_blank">HERE.</a>
Marino Institute of Education (MIE) is an associated college of Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin (TCD).
MIE is a teaching, learning and research community committed to promoting inclusion and excellence in education. We have a long and proud involvement with education, specifically initial teacher education (ITE), dating back over 100 years.
Our association with Trinity began in 1976, when the first intake of lay students registered for the Bachelor in Education (B.Ed.) course. In July 2011, this relationship was further strengthened with the formalisation of an agreement which places MIE under the joint trusteeship of the Congregation of Christian Brothers European Province and Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.
In the last decade, the academic mission and scope of MIE’s activity has been re-envisioned to encompass a deeper understanding of education in and beyond the classroom, to incorporate the continuum of teacher education and the education of specialist education practitioners at early years, primary and further education levels. This is allied with a commitment to education studies encompassing non-traditional education settings and the wider education environment in a pluralist context.
Range of Education Progrmames
Whether you’re studying for a B.Ed. or a B.Sc., with our variety of Undergraduate and Postgraduate education courses you’ll be able to make the most of our innovative teaching and learning environments, gaining skills for a successful life and career.
Besides the obvious reasons - top-notch faculty, talented students, stunning campus - the greatest advantage of choosing Marino Institute of Education is the promise that here, you’ll receive the support to fulfil your potential. MIE is a teaching, learning and research community committed to promoting inclusion and excellence in education. The dignity and potential of each person are central to our life, work and service.
Our reputation is just one reason why MIE is the best place for you to study. We offer you far more than just a qualification. Many of MIE’s academic programmes are validated, quality assured and accredited by Trinity College Dublin.
Learning through Irish
The new degree, the Baitsiléir san Oideachas Trí Mheán na Gaeilge-Bunmhúinteoireacht (the Bachelor in Education through the Medium of Irish, Primary Teaching) CM003/CM004 will begin in Marino Institute of Education in September, 2019. This degree will particularly suit students who wish to teach through the medium of Irish in Gaeltacht schools or in All-Irish schools.
This is the first time in the history of the state, that an undergraduate Primary Teaching degree is available completely through the medium of Irish.
One of the MIE's distinguishing features and characteristics is that communication through the Irish language is encouraged and welcomed in all areas of college life, including administration, teaching and learning and social activities.
Holistic Environment
We believe in delivering a holistic environment complemented with the most modern facilities to truly deliver an exceptional all-round third-level educational experience for our students. Promoting inclusion and excellence in education, MIE offers limitless opportunities for students, strong academic support, and diverse extracurricular activities.
Explore CAO courses at Marino Institute of Education
Explore PLC courses at Marino Institute of Education
Explore courses at Marino Institute of Education
The campus boasts modern facilities that will ensure that students' experience at MIE is enjoyable and supportive. Our campus features on-site accommodation, stunning grounds and playing fields, a modern gym, several computer labs, a specially-designed early childhood education room, a specially-designed art room, a modern library, and an excellent canteen and coffee shop that cater to all tastes.
During the year, there are numerous events organised by the Students’ Union, for example, Freshers’ Week, the Mystery Tour and the End of Year Ball. There are a range of clubs and societies here in Marino from the GAA, the Cumann Gaelach to SUAS and much more!
Students have access to Moodle [a virtual learning environment]; Outlook email [with an app available for your smartphone] and OneDrive space, for the duration of their studies in MIE.
All IT queries should be routed through the MIE Helpdesk in the first instance - we prioritise queries raised in this manner - www.mie.ie/helpdesk.
MIE boasts several computer labs featuring top of the range equipment:
The main PC lab is located in M13, near the Students' Union, and is where most of the Creative Technologies classes are held.
There is another PC Lab in M15 (known as the MAC Lab), which has 18 machines, and is used for smaller class groups.
There are machines down in the Library which are also available to students.
All students have access to MIE's modern gym facilities. The campus has many playing fields as well as a large indoor gymnasium that is suitable for basketball, badminton and indoor football.
For information about on-campus accommodation, please contact the Eber MIE office on +353 1 254 2248 or email mie@eber.life
MIE has a modern and spacious canteen featuring fresh food daily. MIE also has a cosy coffee shop located in the heart of the campus, allowing students to relax and socialise over some hot beverages.
Fees and Grants
Fees for all MIE courses is set out in the Institute Charges Policy, which is available at the link below.
MIE has a range of Student Support Services available:
Student Counselling Services
Student Disability Service
We are located on Griffith Avenue in Dublin 9.
Public Transport to/from City Centre:
A convenient bus service - the 123 bus - operates from Griffith Avenue to the city centre. The nearest bus stop is on Griffith Avenue on the opposite side of the road, to the left of the Charlemont gates. Returning from the city suitable bus stops for the 123 Bus are to be found at Bewley’s Westmoreland Street, O Connell Street (Outside Penney’s Shop) and Cathal Brugha Street.
From Heuston Station - take the Luas to Abbey Street, and just outside Penney's, O'Connell Street is the 123 bus stop, that travels directly to Marino Institute of Education. The journey doesn't take more than twenty minutes, usually.
From Connolly Station - you could take the Dart to Contarf Road station, and turn left then right, up the Malahide Road. Marino Institute of Education is approximately fifteen minutes walk away. Alternatively, the following buses run very regularly from Connolly Station - 27C, 29A and 42A. These take you via the Malahide Road, which is a short walk down Griffith Avenue, to Marino Institute of Education.
From Dublin Airport - Bus routes 41 & 41B go to the City Centre from the airport, via the Swords Road. Get off the bus at the Regency Hotel, walk down the Swords Road, take the next left onto Griffith Avenue. Continue until you reach Charlemont Estate, turn left into the estate and Marino Institute of Education is on your right. The walk from the bus stop should take approximately ten minutes.
The 1916 Bursary Fund
01 8057700 www.mie.ie/en/ Student Union
1916 Bursary Applications June 5, 2019
See notices from all colleges
Open Day 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Marino Institute of Education is holding an Open Day on the 16th of November, 2019, from 10am - 4pm. <br /><br />See more details <strong><a href="https://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=events&Subsec=event_details&ID=10269" target="_blank">HERE.<br /><br /></a>For further information, contact:<a href="https://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=events&Subsec=event_details&ID=10269" target="_blank"><br /></a>Name: </strong>Eimear Breathnach<strong><br />Phone: </strong>01 805 7742<strong><br />Email: </strong><a href="mailto:admissions@mie.ie">admissions@mie.ie</a> <br /><strong><a href="https://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=events&Subsec=event_details&ID=10269" target="_blank"><br /></a></strong>
Better Options Fair for Students with Disabilities 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM Visit exhibition stands from colleges nationwide, get information on the DARE scheme, and attend seminars to help you choose the right path. <br /><br />See more information on the event <a href="https://ahead.ie/betteroptions" target="_blank">HERE.</a><br /><br />This fair is organised by AHEAD. See their website <a href="https://ahead.ie/" target="_blank">HERE.</a>
See events from all colleges
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Niamh Cacciato
Languages Connect
We asked Niamh Cacciato from Languages Connect to give some advice for people considering this job:
It is important to be a hard-worker, confident, have a "thick skin" and to be ready to push yourself and learn as much as you can as a trainee solicitor. The process of obtaining a traineeship is very competitive and results and your "CV" matters in this respect to be selected but often in the early years as a trainee the most important thing is to show ambition and drive and an ability to get the job done despite obstacles and pressures.
It is also important, as in every walk of life, to show compassion and form personal bonds with colleagues and clients. I believe that people work their best and reach their potential when encouraged in a friendly and positive environment.
Junior Cycle Subjects
My Career Interests
Subject Choice for LC
Options after Junior Cycle
History involves the study of people who lived in the past - ordinary people as well as famous people. In History, you will learn about the sources of evidence on which we base our understanding of their lives. You will find out about important changes that, over time, have helped to shape the world in which you live.
How will History be useful to me?
It will help you to better understand the world in which you live. You will gain experience of working with evidence and learn to tell the difference between fact and opinion. History is a very practical subject because it involves learning about people, countries, societies and cultures. History can help you in may different careers, especially those linked with heritage, tourism, research and the environment.
From September 2018, students entering first year will study a new, updated History curriculum.
The course will consist of three main strands:
The Nature of History: This will encourage students to focus on three key activities: developing historical consciousness, working with evidence, and acquiring the "big picture".
The Contextual Strands (2 and 3): These will focus on the historical context in relation to key personalities, issues and events from throughout history. These subjects will be explored through the lenses of recognising key change, exploring people culture and ideas, and applying historical thinking.
Find the new syllabus here.
PDFs & Useful Links
View / Download Full Curriculum
View / Download History Fact Sheet
Course Link
http://www.pdst.ie/jc/history
Subject Group: Humanities
These subjects explore the ways in which humans live and communicate in the world. Human life is examined by looking at our past, our present and into our future. These subjects help people to express themselves clearly and develop their reasoning ability.
This subject builds skills and knowledge that are particularly useful for careers in the following Career Sectors:
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Illinois -- Miscellanea. (1)
Indiana. (1)
Indiana -- Miscellanea. (1)
Iowa. (1)
Iowa -- Miscellanea. (1)
Kansas. (1)
Kansas -- Miscellanea. (1)
Kentucky. (1)
Kentucky -- Miscellanea. (1)
Louisiana. (1)
Louisiana -- Miscellanea. (1)
Maine. (1)
Maine -- Miscellanea. (1)
Maryland. (1)
Maryland -- Miscellanea. (1)
Massachusetts. (1)
Massachusetts -- Miscellanea. (1)
Michigan. (1)
Michigan -- Miscellanea. (1)
Minnesota. (1)
Minnesota -- Miscellanea. (1)
Mississippi. (1)
Mississippi -- Miscellanea. (1)
Missouri. (1)
Missouri -- Miscellanea. (1)
Montana. (1)
Montana -- Miscellanea. (1)
Nebraska. (1)
Nebraska -- Miscellanea. (1)
Nevada. (1)
Nevada -- Miscellanea. (1)
New Hampshire. (1)
New Hampshire -- Miscellanea. (1)
New Jersey. (1)
New Jersey -- Miscellanea. (1)
New Mexico. (1)
New Mexico -- Miscellanea. (1)
New York. (1)
New York -- Miscellanea. (1)
North Carolina. (1)
North Carolina -- Miscellanea. (1)
North Dakota. (1)
North Dakota -- Miscellanea. (1)
Ohio. (1)
Ohio -- Miscellanea. (1)
Oklahoma. (1)
Oklahoma -- Miscellanea. (1)
Oregon. (1)
Oregon -- Miscellanea. (1)
Pennsylvania. (1)
Pennsylvania -- Miscellanea. (1)
Puerto Rico. (1)
Puerto Rico -- Miscellanea. (1)
Rhode Island. (1)
Rhode Island -- Miscellanea. (1)
School stories. (1)
South Carolina. (1)
South Carolina -- Miscellanea. (1)
South Dakota. (1)
South Dakota -- Miscellanea. (1)
Tennessee. (1)
Tennessee -- Miscellanea. (1)
Texas. (1)
Texas -- Miscellanea. (1)
Trolls -- Fiction. (4)
United States. (52)
Utah. (1)
Utah -- Miscellanea. (1)
Vermont. (1)
Vermont -- Miscellanea. (1)
Virginia. (1)
Virginia -- Miscellanea. (1)
Washington (D.C.) (1)
Washington (D.C.) -- Miscellanea. (1)
Washington (State) (1)
Washington (State) -- Miscellanea. (1)
West Virginia. (1)
West Virginia -- Miscellanea. (1)
Wisconsin. (1)
Wisconsin -- Miscellanea. (1)
Wyoming. (1)
Wyoming -- Miscellanea. (1)
by Jason Kirchner
Take a trip through the Heart of Dixie! Learn about Alabama's geography, weather, history, people, and more in this book that's all about our 22nd state.
2017 976 Grades 3-6 Grades 3-4 5 R 800L
Come visit the Last Frontier! Learn about Alaska's history, weather, geography, people, and more in this book that's all about our 49th state.
Welcome to the Grand Canyon State! Learn about Arizona's history, weather, geography, people, and more in this book that's all about our 48th state.
Take a trip through the Natural State! Learn about Arkansas's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 25th state.
Come visit the Golden State! Learn about California's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 31st state.
Explore the Centennial State! Learn about Colorado's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 38th state.
Visit the Constitution State! Learn more about Connecticut's geography, weather, history, people, and more in this book that's all about our 5th state.
Welcome to the First State! Learn about Delaware's history, weather, geography, people, and more in this book that's all about our first state.
Take a trip to the Sunshine State! Learn about Florida's history, weather, geography, people, and more in this book that's all about our 27th state.
Take a trip through the Peach State! Learn about Georgia's history, weather, geography, people, and more in this book that's all about our fourth state.
by Angie Swanson
Welcome to the Aloha State! Learn about Hawaii's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 50th state.
Explore the Gem State! Learn about Idaho's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 43rd state.
Take a trip through the Prairie State! Learn about Illinois's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book all about our 21st state.
Take a trip through the Hoosier State! Learn about Indiana's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 19th state.
Welcome to the Hawkeye State! Learn about Iowa's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 29th state.
Visit the Sunflower State! Learn about Kansas' history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 34th state.
Welcome to the Bluegrass State! Learn about Kentucky's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 15th state.
Take a trip through the Pelican State! Learn about Louisiana's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 18th state.
Visit the Pine Tree State! Learn about Maine's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 23rd state.
Explore the Old Line State! Learn about Maryland's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our seventh state.
by Jordan Mills
Take a trip to the Bay State! Learn about Massachusetts' history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our sixth state.
Welcome to the Great Lakes State! Learn about Michigan's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 26th state.
Explore the Land of 10,000 Lakes! Learn about Minnesota's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 32nd state.
Take a trip through the Magnolia State! Learn about Mississippi's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 20th state.
Take a trip through the Show-Me State! Learn about Missouri's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 24th state.
Visit the Treasure State! Learn about Montana's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 41st state.
Welcome to the Cornhusker State! Learn about Nebraska's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 37th state.
Take a trip to the Silver State! Learn about Nevada's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 36th state.
Welcome to the Granite State! Learn about New Hampshire's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 9th state.
Explore the Garden State! Learn about New Jersey's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our third state.
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FAA warns airlines about electronics in checked bags
Published Wed, Jul 19 2017 5:06 PM EDT
Phil LeBeau@Lebeaucarnews
The FAA issued a notice this week about the risks of stowing electronic devices in a plane's cargo hold.
The notice comes as tighter security rules banning larger electronics from the cabin are being weighed.
Battery pack and heater
Source: FAA
As airlines flying into the United States adjust to new, tighter security rules designed to catch bombs or explosives hidden in electronic devices, the Department of Transportation is weighing in on the safest place in a plane for laptops, tablets and other devices powered by lithium-ion batteries.
It is not in the cargo hold, according to the FAA. The agency's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety says portable electronic devices pose less of a fire threat when carried on-board instead of being packed into checked bags.
In a notice the agency issued earlier this week, the FAA said, "devices containing lithium metal or lithium ion batteries (laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc.) should be transported in carry-on baggage and not placed in checked baggage."
The primary reason laptops are safer in the passenger cabin is because the flight crew or passengers at least have a chance to put out a fire if one is sparked by the batteries in an electronic device.
That conclusion is not an edict banning airlines from allowing passengers to put their electronics in checked bags.
In fact, the agency says if devices are packed in bags that will go in the cargo hold of flights, they "should be completely powered down to the OFF position (they should not be left in sleep mode), protected from accidental activation, and packed so they are protected from damage."
The advisory backs up a complaint issued by many in the airline industry after the Department of Homeland Security issued tighter security rules for certain flights from the Middle East to the U.S. earlier this year. Those rules, which have since been modified, banned passengers from having electronic devices larger than a cell phone in their carry-on bags. At the time, Homeland Security was acting on intelligence that indicated terrorists may try to hide an explosive in an electronic device or use several devices to detonate a bomb.
As soon as that rule went into effect in March, safety advocates warned of the potential risk of lithium-ion batteries igniting in a checked bag and sparking a larger, uncontrollable fire in the cargo hold that could bring down a commercial airplane.
That concern prompted the Fire Safety Branch of the FAA to conduct tests looking at the potential hazards of putting laptop computers and other electronic devices in checked bags.
It's conclusion was clear: large electronics are safer in the passenger cabin than in the cargo hold.
In late June, the U.S. modified its security protocol for all international flights, requiring enhanced security ranging from tighter screening to the use of new, more advanced, carry-on bag screeners that can more easily detect a potential bomb.
"It is time we raise the global baseline of aviation security," said John Kelly, secretary of Homeland Security in announcing the tighter security rules.
Since then, several airlines say they have enhanced security and have announced the TSA has approved their procedures.
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Driver loses car in parking garage -- for six months
By Doug Criss, CNN
Updated 11:59 AM ET, Wed January 4, 2017
Police estimate the parking garage ticket will be several thousand dollars
(CNN) Anyone who's ever driven has done it before: You forget where you parked, so you wander around the parking deck for a few helpless minutes before coming to your senses.
This guy, though, is on a whole other level.
A man in the UK lost a BMW in a Manchester parking garage for six months before it was found last week.
The man had borrowed a friend's BMW and driven it from Scotland to Manchester for a rock concert at Etihad Stadium back in June, the Manchester Evening News said.
After the show was over, he couldn't remember where he had parked it, so he looked. For five days. He checked all the parking garages in the area. Emails were sent to anyone he thought would be able to help. Finally the vehicle's owner reported it as lost or stolen in August.
Police came across the BMW Friday in a parking garage. The cops checked records, discovered the vehicle had been reported as lost and then told the owner.
Of course, they had to tweet about it.
We can't imagine what the ticket machine is going to say when they finally put the ticket in - £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££
— GMP City Centre (@GMPCityCentre) December 31, 2016
"Officers have found a car in a multi-storey lost since June," the Greater Manchester Police wrote. "We can't imagine what the ticket machine is going to say when they finally put the ticket in."
The police guessed this bit of extended parking would cost around 5,000 pounds (about $6,140).
One thing's for sure: The BMW's owner will probably never let their friend take that car out again.
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County In Action
EDC News
Platte County EDC News - April 2018
Plan to join us as we celebrate our 30th anniversary and honor those who have guided our success over the decades.
Time: Friday, June 1
Date: 11:30am-1pm
Place: Marriott KCI, 775 Brasilia Ave, Kansas City, MO 64153
Invitations will be sent on May 4th. Sponsorships are available, contact Alicia Stephens on 816-270-2109 or Stephanie Gillespie on 816-270-2134.
Upcoming Meeting and Events
Location: Platte County Resource Center, 11724 NW Plaza Circle, KCMO
KCI Area Development will meet at 7:30am on Thursday, May 3rd. Terry Leeds from Kansas City Water Services will be speaking about water infrastructure.
KCI TIF Advisory Committee and Platte Purchase TIF Advisory Committee will jointly meet at 8am on Wednesday, May 16th.
Public Policy Committee will not meet in May, but will instead participate in a Joint Luncheon on May 22.
The PCEDC Board of Directors meets at 7:30am on Friday, May 25th.
To view the PCEDC events calendar, click here.To view previous meeting minutes, click here (the password is pcedc2017).
Board meeting update
The Platte County EDC Executive Committee has made a few Board meeting changes. Each meeting will now feature a Board Member Highlight to share information on the many companies and organizations represented on the Board. Vice-Chair Dale Brouk of Fivestar Lifestyles provided the first member highlight at this morning's board meeting, please click here to see more info.
Another change is a shift away from committee updates during the meeting, and instead minutes will be included in the board packet. A reminder that committee minutes can always be accessed on the PCEDC website here (the password is pcedc2017).
Community Development Day - Register Now!
PCEDC members are invited to take part in the May 14th Community Development Day, held at The National. Each year, commercial real estate brokers and developers are hosted, and the event provides an opportunity for Platte County communities to network in a Community Expo and on the golf course.
The price for members is $250 per person, and that includes lunch, golf, dinner and beverages. To register, click here. The registration deadline is Friday, May 4th. Please call Stephanie N with questions on 816-270-2126.
Platte County Businesses in the News
National Beef, Kansas City Steak Co. parent sells majority stake for $969M. Read more.
KC health systems look to Northland for growth. Read more.
Transportation Infrastructure update
The new I-29 bridge near Tiffany Springs MarketCentre bid has gone to Clarkson Construction. It is funded through the KCI TIF, City of Kansas City, MO and a federal grant.
Buck O'Neil Bridge - MARC has allocated $40 million and MoDOT has allocated $100 million and $60 million from the PIAC sales tax passed in April. The project was not chosen for a Tiger Grant. A 6-month closure will start in June to make necessary repairs and will affect southbound traffic. Follow the project here.
Right of way negotiations have been finalized so the City of Kansas City can now move forward with the next phase of construction to open up the northern entrance and realign the 64th Street roadways. This phase is for road improvements to expand NW Prairie View Road north of 64th Street. There are other projects planned for other streets in this area (the Park Place TDD) as funds allow.
CVS Hiring Far set for May 4-5
CVS Health will hold its first hiring fair on May 4-5 for positions at its soon to open Midwest Distribution Center. Please click here for the flyer.
If your Platte County company is holding a hiring event, we can share the details on our website. We can also feature current job openings and link to your company's jobs page. Please contact Stephanie Gillespie for info or to include your company on our jobs page.
Sector Updates
For info on what's going on in Platte County, please read our latest Sector Update here, or view one of our "What's Happening" brochures on our website here. To read, click on Sector Updates and choose one of four available: retail, office, industrial and quality of life. Did we miss anything? Email Stephanie Neppl.
Kansas City Aviation Department announced service from Kansas City to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina beginning June 8, 2018 on Allegiant. Read more.
Congratulations to North Kansas City Hospital on its 60th birthday! North Kansas City Hospital opened its doors as an 80-bed hospital with 200 employees, and today, the hospital operates with 451 licensed beds, more than 3,000 employees and a medical staff of nearly 500 physicians who provide best-in-class care to patients from all over the metro.
Congratulations to Saint Luke's North Hospital for being awarded Primary Stroke Center Certification by The Joint Commission. Read more.
Shafer Kline & Warren sells to Iowa engineering firm. Read more.
Wells Bank held a ribbon cutting and open house for its new headquarters. The new location is 1100 Branch Street, Platte City. Flyer.
North KC Hospital offers health classes, events and complimentary wellness screenings. See full details for classes on their website or click here for the May schedule.
Platte Valley Bank offers a monthly "Eat & Educate Events for Small Business" series in partnership with MidContinent Public Library. Register online here.
LEADERSHIP INVESTORS
PLATINUM PLUS INVESTORS
Platte-Clay Electric
Platte County R-3 School District
Trammell Crow Co.
TranSystems
Wells Bank
White Goss
11500 Ambassador
Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa
EDC of Kansas City
Gardner Construction
Hunt Midwest
KCI Auto Auction
McCownGordon Construction
MD Management
Platte County Economic Development Council | 816-270-2109 | www.plattecountyedc.com
LET'S WRITE A SUCCESS STORY
April PCEDC Calendar Reminders
KCI Area Development Team Committee
The KCI Area Development Team Committee will meet Thursday, April 5th, at 7.30 am.
KCI TIF/Platte Purchase Redevelopment District
KCI TIF and Platte Purchase Redevelopment District advisory committees will jointly meet on Wednesday, April 18th, at
8:00 am in the Platte County Resource Center.
Public Policy Meeting
Public Policy will meet on Thursday, April 19th, at 7:30 am in the Platte County Resource Center.
Marketing/Business Outreach Committee
Marketing/Business Outreach Committee will meet on Thursday, April 26th, at 3:30 pm in the Platte County Resource Center.
The Board of Directors will meet on Friday, April 27th, at 7:30 am in the Platte County Resource Center.
The Platte County EDC will celebrate their 30th Anniversary on June 8th at the Marriott KCI. Mark your calendar and watch for more details to come!
Platte County EDC News - March 2018
Get out and Vote!
Just a gentle reminder to get out and vote Tuesday, April 3rd. Municipalities, fire districts, ambulance districts, school boards have ballot issues.To see what is on the ballot in Platte County, click here to go to the Platte County Board of Elections' website.
The Platte County EDC Board of Directors endorsed and supports KCMO's Question 1 which reauthorizes an existing 1% sales tax. The tax will be used to continue the City's capital improvements program. and includes the City's share of the costs for a new Buck O'Neil bridge.
Every vote counts, be sure to cast your ballot.
KCI Area Development will meet at 7:30am on Thursday, April 5th.
KCI TIF Advisory Committee and Platte Purchase TIF Advisory Committee will jointly meet at 8am on Wednesday, April 18th.
Public Policy Committee will next meet at 7:30am on Thursday, April 19th
The PCEDC Board of Directors meets at 7:30am on Friday, April 27th.
Reminder: in the event of inclement weather, the Platte County EDC follows the Park Hill School District's closures.
Cost-effective service leads to growth at Jet Midwest. READ
Exide Technologies named a finalist for the EDC of Kansas City Cornerstone Awards. READ
Saving Sight opens up new headquarters. READ
SD Strong Distilling Co: Deal with 54th Street helps Northland distillery expand. READ
Platte City concept plan/design standards for east side of I-29
The concept plan and design standards for the east side I-29 frontage were accepted by the City of Platte City Board of Aldermen in early March. Click HERE to view the site plans.
SpringHill Suites breaks ground
The new SpringHill Suites on 8300 North Stoddard Avenue, KCMO, held its groundbreaking on March 19th. The new96-suite hotel is being developed by Falcon Hospitality Group and plans to open in April 2019.
Councilman Dan Fowler was at the groundbreaking alongside Alicia Stephens, PCEDC Executive Director and Falcon Hospitality Group's Sam Bhakta and Dave Parmar.
New Retail in Platte County
New to the KCI Corridor is KCI Crossfit, located at 10767 NW Ambassador Dr. The gym offers early morning and afternoon/evening classes to meet the needs of employees in the KCI Corridor.
Jobs resources
Library & Clay County EDC Host Small Business Bootcamp
Mid-Continent Public Library's Square One Small Business Services division will host a Small Business Bootcamp for aspiring entrepreneurs on Friday, March 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at MCPL's Woodneath Library Center.
Congratulations to Jade Liska for his promotion to Deputy Director of Aviation Planning & Engineering for the Kansas City Aviation Department. Jade will serve as project manager in the design and construction of a new passenger terminal at KCI. Read more. Also, KCAD announced that 772,062 passengers arrived and departed through KCI in February, a one-percent increase from February 2017. Read more.
North Kansas City Hospital offers health classes, events and complimentary wellness screenings. See full details for classes on their website or click here for the April schedule.
Small Business Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs
Mid-Continent Public Library's Square One Small Business Services division, in partnership with the Clay County Economic Development Council, will host a Small Business Bootcamp for aspiring entrepreneurs on Friday, March 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at MCPL's Woodneath Library Center located at 8900 NE Flintlock Road, Kansas City, MO 64157.
During the half-day bootcamp, attendees will enjoy a keynote speech at 9 a.m., followed by expert-led seminars on finding customers, funding a business, and scaling up. Numerous organizations that assist small businesses will also be present to share resource information. The keynote speech will be delivered by Kelly Wilson, owner of Weave Gotcha Covered!, a Kansas City business that specializes in the production and installation of custom window treatments.
Following her speech, attendees will have the opportunity to attend two of six available educational seminars including:
What Does it Mean to Be Bankable? with Adrienne Haynes, Managing Partner of SEED Law
Finding the Right Mentor with SCORE KC
Dealing with Government with John Pajor, Manager of KC BizCare
Direct Sales: How and Who (Target Market) with Kelly Head, Square One Business Information Librarian
How to Talk Tech with Ben Rodriguez, CEO of IT Nachos
Best Practices for Home-Based Businesses with Stephanie Zamora, CEO and Conductor at Assurance Security
Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. for networking. Complimentary coffee and snacks will be provided. Registration is required for this event. This program is funded by a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Additional upcoming Square One programs include:
Business Basics for Nonprofits: Creating a Nonprofit - April 5 at 6:30 p.m. at MCPL's North Oak Branch
Business over Breakfast - April 10 at 8:30 a.m. at Platte Valley Bank, North Oak Trafficway Branch
Simple Steps to Starting Your Business - April 14 at 10:30 a.m. at MCPL's Blue Ridge Branch
10 Steps to Selling Your Food Product in Stores - April 25 at 6:30 p.m. at MCPL's Grandview Branch
Learn more about Square One and register for these programs at mymcpl.org/SquareOne.
Beyond the Loop - Initial Alternatives Open House
Beyond the Loop - Open House
As you know, the Broadway/O'Neil Bridge will need to be replaced in the coming years and several options have emerged for a re-imagined North Loop in the context of a reconfigured river crossing. Public input on initial strategies has helped to refine potential alternatives, but more input is needed in finalization of the study. Review displays, assessments of the refined alternatives and results of future traffic models at either open house.
The first open house is located at MARC (Mid-America Regional Council) on Wednesday, March 21st, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
The second open house is located at iWerx on Thursday, March 22nd, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Participants are encouraged to join the meeting at their convenience. For more information contact Martin Rivarola at 816-474-4240.
Please notify MARC at 816-474-4240 at least 48 hours in advance if you require special accommodations to attend this meeting (i.e., qualified interpreter, large print, reader, hearing assistance). MARC programs are non-discriminatory as stated by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For more information or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, call 816-474-4240 or visit our webpage.
Platte County EDC News - February 2018
A note from Chairman Aaron Schmidt
With the passing of our good friend and fearless leader, Ed Bradley, the board voted last week for me to take back the Chairman role for 2018. Given upcoming changes i.e. strategic plan, Ed's passing and budget work, I believe continuity will be beneficial.
So I step back into the Chairman seat and Patricia Jensen moves back into the Immediate Past Chair position. Dale Brouk is Vice Chairman, Mike Duffy is Treasurer and John Elliott will represent the County Commission.
The PCEDC executive committee will be looking for participation from our members as we embark on a new strategic plan.
We will meet in mid-March to layout the structure to develop the plan. We believe we'll need to review things like bylaws, committees and board structure, as well as our mission and key strategies and actions. I hope when we make the call for input, you will answer.
One immediate need is leadership for our Public Policy Committee. Jeff Elsea has chaired this committee for a couple of years. It is now someone else's turn. Do you have an interest in policy, legislation, ballot issues and ordinances? We could use your help. I have a Vice Chairman - board member Tim Kelley has stepped up. We need a chairman for that committee. If you want to learn more about commitment, agendas, timing, please call Alicia at 816-270-2109.
As was the case with the KCI Terminal issue, continuing the Platte County EDC's efforts and successes will require a grassroots effort from our members.
Harley-Davidson News
The recent headlines about Harley-Davidson's closure of the KCMO Platte County were devastating. Through years of business visits, I can honestly say we were caught by surprise. We have a Harley representative on our board, they have been members since the very beginning and we consistently completed business visits. As has been reported - this was not a local decision; this is not about KCMO or Platte County - the company facilities do not meet Harley's market needs.
It was reported at our board meeting last Friday, that Harley does not yet have timing of layoffs, numbers of layoffs per phase or what they'll do with the facility. Those details are all works in progress.
Bikes will continue to roll off the Kansas City line until July of 2019.
The silver lining is that my phone is ringing off the hook with H.R. Directors ready to hire folks right now. Maybe instead of building bikes, employees would like to build airplanes at ATS in the Overhaul Base.
We'll keep you posted on timing.
First Quarter Luncheon
Join us as a panel of Platte County businesses share their experiences in the Platte County business community!
When: Friday March 2, 11:30am-1pm
Where: Hilton KCI
Registration closes Tuesday, 2/27/18.
KCI Area Development will meet at 7:30am on Thursday, March 1st with a discussion on the KCMO stormwater in the Twin Creeks area.
Public Policy Committee will next meet at 7:30am on Thursday, March 15th
KCI TIF Advisory Committee and Platte Purchase TIF Advisory Committee will jointly meet at 8am on Wednesday, March 21st.
Marketing/BRE Committee next meets at 3.30pm on Thursday, March 22nd.
The PCEDC Board of Directors meets at 7:30am on Friday, March 23rd.
Public Policy Items to Watch
KCMO April 3 Election - The Platte County EDC board voted to endorse KCMO's ballot issue to reauthorize the existing 1% sales tax for public infrastructure improvements which includes the City's share of the costs for the replacement of the Buck O'Neil Bridge.
Transportation funding - The Platte County EDC's legislative priorities include support of Representative Kevin Corlew's Transportation Taskforce recommendation. At this time, the transportation funding issue has been added onto a larger tax reform bill upon which the PCEDC has not take a position.
Prevailing wage changes - The Platte County EDC's legislative priorities include support of revising prevailing wage laws. Public sector projects, no matter what size, are required to pay prevailing wage. The PCEDC supports legislation that would keep project costs reasonable.
Video Lottery Terminals - Senate Bill 767 provides a mechanism to allow video lottery terminals in the State. Whereas Casinos are regulated by the Missouri Gaming Commission, VLT would fall under the State Lottery Commission. It is estimated that VLTs will cause extensive losses to our Casinos. t is also noted that this would be the largest single expansion of gaming since the voters authorized river boat gaming in the 90s. The PCEDC is expected to take a position yet this week.
Platte City Chamber recognizes PCEDC
Thank you Platte City Chamber of Commerce for recognizing us for 30 Years of Service!
Here's our vice-chair Dale Brouk accepting the award from Platte City Chamber Board President Dr. Ann Riggs at the Chamber's Celebration of Business event, which as held February 17th.
We will hold a special luncheon to honor our 30th anniversary on 8th from 11.30am-1pm at the Marriott KCI. Please save the date!
Notice of Opportunity for a Public Scoping Meeting for the Environmental Assessment (EA) and Section 106 Review at KCI
The City of Kansas City, Missouri Aviation Department will host a Public Scoping Meeting to discuss the type and scope of information and analysis to be included in a Draft EA for the Proposed Replacement Terminal Project at Kansas City International Airport. This project will study the environmental impacts of the development of a replacement terminal and other associated actions.
This is an opportunity for the public to provide input on what issues and information should be addressed in the EA. Comment sheets and a chance to give oral comments will be available at the meeting.
When: Thursday, March 15, 2018 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
Where: Ambassador Building located at 12200 N. Ambassador Dr., Kansas City, Missouri.
If you need assistance with language or accessibility, please contact J. Jade Liska, City of Kansas City, Missouri Aviation Department at (816) 243-3045.
Southwest Airlines announced new daily nonstop service from KCI to Raleigh/ Durham, North Carolina (RDU) beginning April 8th. With the addition of this new service, Southwest will proudly serve 31 nonstop destinations from Kansas City.
North Kansas City Hospital offers health classes, events and complimentary wellness screenings. See full details for classes on their website or click here for the March schedule.
The City of Kansas City, Mo., Aviation Department reports that 811,978 passengers arrived and departed through Kansas City International Airport's gates in January, a 3.3 percent increase from January 2017. Passenger boardings were up 3.7 percent, with a total of 405,749 boarded. Read.
Platte County EDC News - January 2018
Platte County EDC publishes an annual report each year to provide details about our work on behalf of our businesses, members and communities.
Please click here to view the report.
Finance update - Dale Brouk, Vice-Chair
In 2017, Platte County EDC took a giant leap in contracting professional assistance for the Better KCI work and organizational strategic planning. KCI consultant cost was shared with the NRCC; strategic planning cost was shared with KCP&L. However, both had a negative impact on the budget bottom line. Couple that with a decrease in funding from the public sector and it left the budget out of balance.
The good news is that the organization had cash on hand to cover it without tapping the reserve fund. PCEDC leaders felt strongly that the professional assistance toward a billion dollar project was worth the imbalance.
KCI Area Development will meet at 7:30am on Thursday, February 1st with a discussion on the residential housing market.
KCI TIF Advisory Committee and Platte Purchase TIF Advisory Committee will jointly meet at 8am on Wednesday, February 14th.
Public Policy Committee will next meet at 7:30am on Thursday, February 15th
Marketing/BRE Committee next meets at 3.30pm on Thursday, February 22nd.
The PCEDC Board of Directors meets at 7:30am on Friday, February 23rd.
The Platte County EDC, along with the Full Employment Council and Department of Workforce Development, hosted a hiring fair on January 24th.
Fifteen Platte County companies participated in the event and had more than 100 open positions available. The event was well attended with over 60 applicants. Employers were happy with the turnout of the event, and expressed interest in future hiring events of the same.
MARC Transportation Needs/Priorities Survey
MARC is beginning its process update its regional transportation plan (RTP) which it is required to do every five years, with a 30-year planning horizon. MARC has created a short survey to help establish priorities and create a policy framework for RTP 2050 and hope to hear from as many metro area residents as possible. The survey can be accessed here.
Platte County EDC statement on Harley-Davidson closure
To view our statement on the news of the Harley-Davidson plant closing, please click here.
Park University was ranked the No. 4 private university in the country by the Military Times. The ranking is a reflection of the services and support the University provides to active duty military, veterans and their families.
Congratulations ProAthlete, McCownGordon Construction, JE Dunn Construction, KCP&Land Burns & McDonnell for being named 2018 Healthiest Employers honorees by the KC Business Journal. Read.
The Kansas City Aviation Department announced that Icelandair will begin KCI's first nonstop Transatlantic air service. Beginning May 26, 2018 Kansas City travelers can fly nonstop from KCI to Icelandair's hub at Keflavík International Airport. Read more here.
Kansas City International Airport had its third busiest year in history. In 2017, 11,503,936 passengers traveled through KCI, up 4.2 percent from 2016. Read more here.
North Kansas City Hospital offers health classes, events and complimentary wellness screenings. See full details for classes on their website or click here for the February schedule.
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The Museum of Modern Art | MoMA
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Adults $25.00 $25.00
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Museum of Modern Art Not to Be Missed
If graphic art and modern photography are more your style than old airplanes or dinosaur bones, The Museum of Modern Art should be at the top of your sight-seeing list during a trip to New York City. This world-renowned collection is touted as the best of its kind on the planet, with its extensive displays of painting, sculpture, film, photography, and performance art.
Familiar Names and New Ones
The Museum of Modern Art (or MoMA as it’s affectionately called) features dozens of exhibitions each year. Although you may feel as though you don’t know enough about modern art to truly appreciate a visit to the museum, there are plenty of names you are likely to recognize. For example, this year MoMA has special exhibitions featuring the work of Edgar Degas and a showcase of the 1960s.
However, if you’d like to learn about an artist you’re not familiar with, there are plenty of options. How about exploring the innovative work of Japanese architects? Or enjoy a documentary series, a Marcel Broodthaers retrospective, and the renowned New Directors/New Films festival.
Contemporary Art is Now
MoMA PS1, the contemporary art center located in Long Island City, is just a quick 15-minute trip away from midtown, An exhibition space rather than a collecting institution, it devotes its energy and resources to displaying the most experimental art in the world. MoMA PS1 presents over 50 exhibitions each year, including artists’ retrospectives, site-specific installations, historical surveys, arts from across the United States and the world, and a full schedule of music and performance programming.
For a bit of inspiration, be sure to check out the Abby Aldrich Sculpture Garden, where you can enjoy sculptures by Picasso, Matisse, Rodin, and many more. This oasis in midtown Manhattan is the perfect place to rest and relax during your visit.
Start Exploring Now!
It’s time to make it official and book your admission to The Museum of Modern Art today! Nowhere else will you get to experience the modern art at the level this museum offers.
18 West 54th Street, New York, New York 10019
10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Open seven days a week
Open until 8:00 p.m. on Fridays
Voucher Information:
After your online purchase you will be redirected to a page with your voucher. An order confirmation, with a link to your online voucher, will also be e-mailed to you within two hours of completing your purchase. Redeem at any of the visitor center locations listed on the voucher. At the visitor center, simply show your voucher on your mobile phone or bring a printed copy.
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Veteran's Story: Very Good or Very Dead
Updated: March 11, 2015, 11:37 a.m.
Flak blackens the sky; a kaleidoscope of anti-aircraft tracers swivel and coil around your aircraft, and you and your passengers are going down. A normal descent is 72 miles per hour, your landing speed 60 mph, at 49 mph your plane could stall, crash, and kill everyone aboard. Manufacturers with names like Ford Motor Company, Gibson Refrigerator, Ward Furniture, a piano manufacturer, Schlitz Brewing Company, a coffin company, and Anheuser-Busch built the aircraft in your 1,400 plane air armada. What could possibly go wrong?
You're sitting on your parachute because the plywood pilot's seat is too uncomfortable on long missions. Shrapnel rips through the flimsy fabric covering a metal airframe and punches holes in the plywood floor. You have no power because you never did since your plane was constructed without an engine. You're slipping to earth as the men aboard pray you paid attention during pilot training, for the soldiers inside your aircraft understand that landing in a Waco CG-4A Glider can only result in two outcomes: very good or very dead.
During late 1941 and after WWII began, the Army utilized sailplanes for glider training. That decision proved to be a huge mistake. A sailplane could take advantage of thermal conditions and soar to the delight of a sailplane enthusiast. An Army glider, on the other hand, required aerial truck drivers with the proficiency to land the equivalent of a trailer with a pair of wings in combat conditions. A loss rate for glider pilots of 78% was not unusual. Most glider pilots only flew one or two missions; Guy Gunter flew four major combat missions in the Waco. This is his story.
Atlanta native Guy Gunter was born on June 6, 1918. An alumni of Tech High and Murphy High School, Guy recalled the day bombs fell on Pearl Harbor. "I was working for G.E. at the time as a traveling salesman. We were eating lunch at an Atlanta restaurant when we heard about Pearl Harbor. You know, we knew a war had started but I didn't think about it much. I guess I was too young to comprehend the significance."
By late 1942, Guy had been reviewed by a Navy Flight Board in Macon and accepted for pilot training. "That's what I wanted to do," he said. "But in the meantime I received a ‘greetings' from Uncle Sam. At the time a draftee could go into the Army and still receive a transfer to the Navy when a slot opened in aviation." At Shepard Field in Wichita, TX, Guy trained in the Army on instruments then became an instructor and waited.....and waited, for a call from the Navy. The call never came; the transfer program had been terminated.
Guy applied for then was accepted for OTS (officer training school). "I made friends with one of the instructors," he said. "I told him I wanted to fly. He called me two days later and offered glider school. I took the deal." Thus began a lifelong love of aviation.
Sent to Hayes, Kansas, Guy learned to fly from fields cut out by tractors and bulldozers. "I got my wings in Piper Cubs," he said. "I soloed after 4 hours of training. I loved it. I kept doing ‘touch and gos', you know, landings and immediate takeoffs. Well, the instructors had to wave me down. I didn't want to stop."
Advance training for gliders took place in Lubbock, TX. "Actually, what they called a glider was an airplane with the engine removed," he said. "We trained in Aeroncas and Taylorcrafts. Without engines there was room for 3 seats, trainee in front, instructor in the middle, and another trainee in back. The Waco gliders finally arrived, pulled in by L-2s with fighter pilots behind the controls of the gliders. That was funny, those fighter pilots were scared to death wrestling with dead stick aircraft."
The first class of glider pilots graduated on November 14, 1942. "There were 109 of us in the class," Guy recalled. "The Army said we would be assigned as instructors in Austin, TX. Yeah, right. We found ourselves on the former luxury liner SS Maripose headed for Egypt by way of Rio de Janeiro, an unescorted 45 day voyage."
Egypt was barren land, and barren of gliders, too. "I flew copilot on C-47s or C-46s for about 30 days," Guy said. "We also relocated to Algiers and Libya on occasion to fly cargo flights into Gibraltar, Oran, and North Africa. Naturally, a few of our missions were back to Egypt for whiskey runs."
Gliders started appearing almost overnight. "We flew into Algiers one day and noticed gliders all over the place," Guy recalled. "We started retraining in gliders, intense training, we had a bunch of fun but knew something was up." Indeed, the British needed gliders for the invasion of Sicily.
Guy said, "We trained the British pilots for three weeks then they asked for American volunteers. Well, being as foolish as I am, I volunteered. We had 35 glider pilots on the first flight; only 16 of us made it back. It was a real slipshod affair. An old Army sergeant piloted our tow plane. The thick anti-aircraft fire got on his last nerve so he wanted to cut us loose. I knew we were too far out from the port of Syracuse and told him so; I said we couldn't make dry land. Obviously he didn't care. Here comes the rope; we'd been cut loose. We flew into a hornet's nest. Shrapnel peppered my face and legs plus the glider took damage but the flight characteristics were okay. I put her down in the bay. We remained in water all night clinging to the Waco. A Captain in our group ask me to pray for everybody. Shoot, I told him to pray for himself, I was too busy praying for yours truly!" Luckily, a Greek destroyer picked up the men the next morning instead of German Naval vessels.
Eventually transferred to Sicily, Guy flew cargo planes until assigned as pilot on a four-seat single engine Fairchild 24. "I flew majors and colonels around the island for about 6 months," he said. "There's lots of spare time between missions for glider pilots. Shoot, I had a ball." It didn't last. Guy was transferred to England in preparation for the Invasion of Normandy: D-Day. Asked his thoughts on England, he replied, "Well, at least the girls understood what the heck we were saying."
June 6, 1944, the Allies invade Europe: "We took off just after midnight carrying a pathfinder group of the 82nd Airborne. An hour later we put down about 25 miles south of the main front. We had no problems, we made it down, we were very lucky. I brought the glider in nose high, hit on the tail and plowed straight into a hedgerow. That was okay though, it stopped the glider. We'd taken Dramamine pills and a shot of scotch, so we were up to the task. I remained on the ground for about 6 days." Asked what glider pilots do after landing, Guy replied, "Try to stay alive. Most of us had a carbine or Tommy gun so we joined the fight."
Guy's next port-of-call: a diminutive town near Mount Vesuvius in Italy. "Wasn't much to it," he said. "The base was scraped dirt runways and not much more." Operation Dragoon was on the horizon; the men and gliders making ready for the invasion of Southern France. Guy recalled, "The fields of southern France weren't the problem; the problem was all the tall poles the Germans put up to prevent glider landings. Shoot, we just landed between the poles. The tactic ripped the wings off but we kept the fuselages on course so we did okay. The paratroopers had a rough go of it. As they oscillated in their chutes many would slam into the poles, a lot of them broke their backs."
Guy continued. "We fought against the Germans and Vichy French for about 48 hours. I didn't have a lot of love for the Vichy French, none of us did. Anyway, after things calmed down I ‘confiscated' a 1936 Model V8 Ford with a big charcoal burning tank on back. We had a ball in that car until we had to quit." When asked to explain ‘quit', he replied, "The dang fire burned out."
Guy returned to England to participate in the largest airborne assault in military history: Operation Market Garden, the failed attempt by British Field Marshall Montgomery to enter Germany via the Netherlands. Not including ground pounders, airborne resources flew 34,600 troops into combat: 20,011 via parachute and 14,589 in 3,140 assorted gliders. A shortage of American and Allied glider pilots meant using one pilot per glider with an additional trooper occupying the copilot seat. The glider air armada was pulled to their landing assault areas by 1,438 C-47 or C-46 cargo or transport aircraft.
Guy recalled, "The gliders in our formation flew directly over a German anti-aircraft school. Scary when you think about it, but we came in too low for them to hit anything. We had a real smooth landing and we all got out safely, if 45 miles behind enemy lines can be considered safe. I grabbed my weapon and joined the battle, just trying to stay alive, as always. We assaulted the bridge at Nijmegen."
He continued, "When a glider is cut loose from the tow plane he wants to get down quick because someone is always shooting at you." When asked how quickly, Guy responded, "As fast as humanly possible!" One flight characteristic seemed unnerving. "We never looped a glider on a combat mission, but I looped several gliders in training. I couldn't roll one, however." When asked why not, Guy said, "Let's put it this way, I never tried."
Against all odds, Guy Gunter survived his 4th major combat assault as a glider pilot. He returned to England and flew as copilot on cargo planes until assigned to Reims, France to pilot C-46 Commandos. Volunteering for the last glider mission of the war into the heartland of Germany, the Army denied his request. "They claimed four was enough," he stated. "Two of my best friends at the time got to go; it was their first mission as glider pilots. Neither one made it back."
After the war Guy Gunter eventually went into his own business as an appliance distributor and stayed in the air with his personal aircraft, a Beech Bonanza and twin-engine Beech Baron. He still remembers one particular flight to Florida. "The Bonanza swallowed a valve and blew a hole in the block. I cut air to the engine which put the fire out, but oil was all over the windshield and I had no power, so I put'er down, took 6 trees with me and landed nose up. I had chipped bones in my ankles and the guy in the front seat broke his pelvis but nobody really got hurt. Lost a good plane, though."
He also landed the twin-engine Baron without an operable nose wheel. "No big deal," Guy said. "I kept the nose up until low speed and gravity forced the nose and twin props into the runway." Guy's hours behind the controls of military and civilian airplanes, including 1,800 in gliders, approached 30,000 when he retired his wings at the age of 92.
On June 6th Guy will celebrate his 97th birthday. Asked if he missed the wild blue yonder, Guy cut his eyes at this journalist and said, "I still have 20/20 vision, my faculties, and this dang walker. Tell you what, take me to an airport and stand me next to the wing. I'll crawl up to the cockpit, I'll pull myself into the pilot's seat, and I'll get that baby airborne. You bet'cha."
Pete Mecca is a Vietnam veteran, columnist and freelance writer. You can reach him at aveteransstory@gmail.com or aveteransstory.us.
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Getting Arrested in New York City
Posted by Bruce Yerman, Esq. on August 22, 2018
What happens when the NYPD arrests you?
From first police contact to Criminal Court arraignment – learn what to do, and what not to do.
1. Police Contact 2. Arrest Processes 3. Station House
4. Surrender 5. Prepare 6. Incrimination
7. Under Arrest? 8. Words 9. Miranda
10. Interrogation 11. Oral Statement 12. Awkward Silence
13. State of Mind 14. Demand Lawyer 15. Central Booking
16. Arrest No. 17. DA 18. Court
19. Arraignment 20. Docket 21. Bail
22. Cash Bail
A Guide to Getting Arrested in New York City
Getting arrested in New York City can be sudden and shocking:
You're walking down the street. Police jump out of a car, screaming, with guns drawn and pointed at you. They frisk you. Slap handcuffs on your wrists. Throw you in the back seat of their car.
Or an arrest can happen with plenty of time to fill you with dread:
A detective calls. He asks you to come to the precinct on Tuesday. He says he'll tell you what it's about when you get there.
In any scenario, understanding the arrest process before you're under arrest will help you:
Be less fearful and disoriented during the process.
Avoid making mistakes that could place you in greater legal jeopardy.
Get released as soon as possible.
This article's purpose is to familiarize you with the process of getting arrested in New York City.
Always demand a lawyer.
Never speak with police.
Don't consent to anything.
Don't resist arrest.
Voluntarily surrender, but leave your phone at home.
Arrange to post cash bail at your arraignment.
< Table of Contents ↑ >
1. Police Contact
Your first contact with police could take place under many different circumstances:
During or immediately after an incident that occurs in the presence of police.
During or immediately after an incident, where police arrive after someone called 911.
At the doorway to your home, at any time (hours, days, months, etc.) after an alleged incident occurred.
At your workplace, at any time after an alleged incident occurred.
By phone, text, or email.
Whenever, wherever, however police approach you, the only thing you should say to police is: "I need a lawyer."
2. Arrest Processes
When police arrest you in New York City, you'll go through one of three processes: summons, desk appearance ticket ("DAT"), or full-blown arrest.
A summons is a piece of paper that a police officer hands you on the street, similar to a
NYC Summons
traffic ticket, directing you to appear in Criminal Court on a particular date. In New York City, police issue summonses for certain misdemeanors and violations. A person who receives a summons is in police custody, on the street, for a few minutes.
A desk appearance ticket is also a piece of paper that directs you to appear in Criminal Court on a certain date. Police may issue DAT's for certain misdemeanors and low-level felonies. Police may not issue DAT's to people charged with certain types of crime, such as family offenses or sex crimes. Police issue DAT's at police station houses, not on the street. The person arrested is searched, fingerprinted, and photographed. A DAT arrest typically involves 2 to 3 hours in police custody.
As with DAT's, full-blown arrest results in station-house custody. The person arrested is searched, fingerprinted, and arrest-photographed. Interrogation and lineups might occur. After several hours, the arrested person is transported to "Central Booking". There, the arrested person waits while a prosecutor drafts an "accusatory instrument" – a document filed in Criminal Court that accuses the person arrested (the "defendant") of committing one or more crimes. Eventually, the defendant appears in Criminal Court for "arraignment" – the court proceeding that begins a criminal case. Full-blown arrest typically involves 12 to 24 hours in custody before arraignment. If the Court sets bail at arraignment, custody continues until bail is posted.
Receiving a DAT or summons is preferable to enduring a full-blown arrest. However, DAT's and summonses aren't available in many cases.
3. Station House
New York City is geographically divided into 77 police precincts.
Precincts are numbered between 1 and 123. (Not every number in that range is assigned to a precinct.) A few precincts, such as Midtown North Precinct are more commonly known by name than by precinct number. Each precinct has a station house, which is an office building where police in the precinct work.
The NYPD website has a precinct directory, listing each precinct by number, with the station house address, the main telephone number, and a link to the precinct's individual web page. Each precinct web page provides further details, such as additional phone numbers and the name of the commanding officer.
The NYPD website has an interactive map that locates the relevant precinct upon entering any New York City street address. After the map identifies the precinct, clicking an icon will take you to the precinct web page.
Police typically "process" arrests at the station house for the precinct where the alleged crime occurred. Processing always includes fingerprinting, taking arrest photographs, searching for i-cards, and writing up arrest paperwork. Processing sometimes includes interrogation and lineups.
When police arrest someone during, or immediately after, the alleged commission of a crime, police almost always take the arrested person to the station house covering the precinct where the alleged crime occurred.
A person who "voluntarily surrenders" (see below) typically meets the arresting officer at the station house covering the precinct where the alleged crime occurred.
4. Surrender
You might receive a phone call from a detective, asking you to come down to the police station.
The detective will tell you that he wants to speak with you. He won't tell you that after speaking with you, he will arrest you. But now you know: after you speak with the detective, the detective will arrest you.
So never speak with the detective, or any other police officer.
While you should never speak with police, you should turn yourself in to be arrested. Turning yourself in is also known as "voluntary surrender".
You should surrender for several reasons:
It's less embarrassing for you and your family than police arresting you at home .
It's less likely to result in losing your job, and less embarrassing, than police arresting you at your workplace.
It eliminates the possibility of you being physically injured during a forcible arrest.
It moves you past the most anxiety-producing stage of your case: waiting to get arrested.
It provides you with favorable bail arguments.
Regarding number 5, after you’re arrested, a judge will determine bail conditions at an "arraignment" (your first court appearance).
Bail is a sum of money that someone must post in exchange for your release from custody, to ensure that you'll come to court in the future. "Risk of flight" is a a major factor that courts consider when determining bail.
There might be no better argument a lawyer can make for your release without bail, or lower bail than would otherwise be the case, than: “My client, knowing she'd be arrested, voluntarily turned herself in to police this morning. Clearly, she poses no risk of flight.”
Given the opportunity, you should choose voluntary surrender.
5. Prepare for Arrest
If you're going to surrender, there are several things you can do to prepare for being arrested:
Some of the most important are:
Don't answer your phone, unless you're certain from caller ID that the person calling isn't a police officer.
Don't bring your phone to the precinct – police might hold onto it as evidence, even if your phone is unrelated to the case.
Only bring photo ID with you to the precinct – nothing else.
Arrange to have someone present in court at your arraignment, with sufficient cash on hand to post your bail.
6. Self-Incrimination
Whether you've been arrested or not, your strategy with police should always be the same:
DON'T INCRIMINATE YOURSELF !!!
This simply means:
Don't do anything that will make it easier for you to be convicted.
Don't describe "What actually happened ..."
Don't state where you were at a certain date and time.
Don't admit that you know a particular person.
Don't consent to anything: don't consent to police searching your home, your car, your cellphone, your bag, your pockets, etc.
Don't give police access to review your text messages, email, voicemail, or social media accounts.
Don't ever lie to police, while always refusing to answer their questions.
Don't offer physical resistance to police. If they arrest you, don't struggle; don't resist. If they enter your home without your permission, don't try to physically block them.
If the police act illegally, you may challenge their actions in court. Don't challenge them on the street or in your home:
You'll get injured.
You'll be charged with additional crimes.
At the same time, don't cooperate with the police by answering their questions, giving them consent, or providing access to physical evidence. (An exception might or might not occur when police stop you while driving, and ask for consent to test the level of alcohol in your blood – refusal can result in revocation of your driver's license or privilege to drive in New York for one year or more, even if your ability to drive isn't impaired).
Not cooperating with police is difficult because:
You may be experiencing extreme stress.
Police will be pressuring you to give them what they want.
Fortunately, your response is simple. You only have to remember to say one thing, and to say nothing else. In response to any police question, request, or demand, your response should be:
"I need a lawyer."
That should be your response to every police question, request, or demand. If police ask you 1,000 questions, then answer, "I need a lawyer" 1,000 times.
7. Are You Arrested?
New York recognizes four levels of police intrusion. These four levels are, from least intrusive to most intrusive:
Approaching a person to request information.
Interfering with a person to the extent necessary to gain explanatory information.
Forcibly stopping and temporarily detaining a person.
Arresting a person.
The legal definition of "arrest" is not straightforward. Whether a particular police intrusion is an arrest depends on various factors.
For example, if you're handcuffed in a police vehicle, on your way to a police station to be processed for fingerprints, arrest photos, etc., then you're probably under arrest. However, if you're handcuffed in a police vehicle, being transported for possible identification by an alleged crime victim, then you might not be under arrest.
On the other hand, how you interact with police mustn't depend on whether you're "arrested", "temporarily detained", "interfered with", or "approached" by police. The lowest level of police intrusion should always place you on high alert.
Never do anything that might justify police using force against you. For example, if requested, you should place your hands where police can see them (sometimes even if not requested). You shouldn't run away. You shouldn't struggle with a police officer. You shouldn't resist handcuffing.
At the same time, while you're being physically cooperative, don't mentally cooperate by answering questions or saying anything to police other than, "I need a lawyer." And don't consent to police searching your pockets, your bag, your email account, your text messages, your phone, your car, or your home.
8. Words Are Valuable
Your words are extremely valuable to the police. This includes your spoken words, your written words, and your body language.
A description of your memories is evidence that only you can provide. Police want you to give them that evidence:
What you observed with your eyes, ears and other senses.
What you were thinking at particular moments in time.
Whether you're innocent, guilty, or somewhere in between, police will try to use your words to convict you.
It makes no difference whether you tell the truth or a lie. It doesn't matter whether you give a full confession, whether you truthfully admit some facts and deny others, whether you truthfully explain your innocence, or whether you completely lie.
Prosecutors will use the words that you give to police against you. They do this in one of two ways:
Using your words as direct evidence of guilt.
Using inconsistencies – between a) the words you use when you speak with police, and b) the words you use when you testify at trial – to prove that you're lying.
There is no benefit to you of speaking with police. You won't talk your way out of getting arrested, and any words you speak will be used against you. So you should never speak with police.
9. Miranda Warnings
You've probably heard of Miranda warnings, named after Arizona v. Miranda, a famous Supreme Court case from 1966.
The rule from Miranda is that while you're in custody, police must give you the following "warnings" before asking you questions:
You have the right to remain silent.
Any statement you make may be used as evidence against you.
You have the right to have a lawyer present with you.
If you can't afford a lawyer, a lawyer will be appointed to represent you prior to any questioning if you so desire.
Evidence obtained as a result of statements you make in response to police questioning while you're in custody can't be used as evidence against you, unless the prosecutor proves:
Police gave you Miranda warnings; and
You knowingly and voluntarily gave up your "right to remain silent" and your "right to the presence of an attorney".
Some limitations of Miranda to keep in mind:
If you're not in police custody, then police may question you without giving you Miranda warnings.
Any statement that you volunteer, unprompted by police questioning, can be used as evidence against you – even if you volunteer the statement after you demand a lawyer.
Police violation of your Miranda rights almost never results in dismissal of a criminal case.
If police coerce a statement from you, they will lie about having done so in court about.
NYPD procedure regarding custodial interrogation incorporates Miranda.
Whether or not you're in police custody:
NEVER give up your right to remain silent.
NEVER give up your right to have your attorney present during police questioning.
Police must immediately notify a parent, or another person legally responsible for the child, when the child is in custody. If you're present with your child while your child is in custody, police must administer Miranda warnings to both you and your child. Do not, under any circumstances, permit your child to answer police questions.
10. Police Interrogation
Police will manipulate you psychologically to get you to speak with them.
During an investigation, police might be respectful to you, or they might be mean. Different officers might assert different attitudes towards you ("good cop, bad cop"). Police might assert attitude directly or subtly.
However police treat you, they're manipulating you. Always. Don't ever forget this.
If you're accused of a low-level offense, police might not care whether you speak.
Often, though, police are highly motivated to get you to confess. For example:
When police suspect that you committed a crime, but don't possess sufficient evidence to charge you.
When the evidence against you isn't as strong as police would like it to be.
When you're accused of a serious crime.
Isolation is a primary psychological technique that will police use to gain your confession: locking you away from everyone you know, in a small room, within the bowels of a police station; unable to communicate with anyone who isn't police; dependent on police for food, water, bathroom use, sleep.
It's unlikely that police will try to "beat a confession out of you". However, there are many coercive measures that police will use to get you to "confess":
Physically intimidating you.
Causing you to fear that you'll remain in jail if you don't speak.
Falsely promising to release you (or otherwise causing you to wrongly expect to be released) if you speak.
Causing you to fear that ACS will take your children if you don't speak.
Depriving you of bathroom use until they're satisfied with the words you give them.
Exhausting you with hours of repetitive questioning that won't end until you speak.
When you're exhausted, keeping you awake, so that you're motivated to confess by your desire to sleep.
In addition to coercion, police use a wide range of other techniques to elicit confessions, including:
Establishing rapport with you and gaining your trust.
Identifying contradictions in your story.
Confronting you with evidence of guilt.
Falsely claiming to have other evidence of your guilt.
Offering sympathy, moral justifications, and excuses for the crime you're accused of committing.
Appealing to your religion or your conscience.
(Kassin, "Police Interviewing and Interrogation: A Self-Report Survey of Police Practices and Beliefs" at Table 2.)
About "falsely claiming to have other evidence of your guilt", New York Courts have ruled that police may lie to you to get you to speak with them. For example, a defendant's statements could be used against him in court in a case where:
"[a state trooper] told defendant that her actions were caught on video surveillance and even went so far as to place a bogus videotape on the table in front of her."
And in a case where:
"[a police] polygraph examiner falsely informed defendant that, while she was incarcerated on unrelated charges, the police took her sneakers and matched them to prints at the scene of the crime."
These techniques aren't only effective at increasing the likelihood that you'll truthfully confess to a crime that you committed. These techniques increase the likelihood that you'll falsely confess to a crime that you didn't commit.
Don't falsely confess. Don't truthfully confess. Don't try to get police to understand what happened from your point of view. Don't try to be transparent ("I've got nothing to hide") by truthfully explaining you're innocence. None of these things will prevent you from being arrested. Talking to police gets you nothing.
When interrogated by police, the best approach is simple: remain silent except to demand a lawyer.
11. Oral Statements
Some people believe that their words must be written down and signed to be used as evidence against them. This belief is absolutely wrong.
Oral statements aren't "off the record", even if police lead you to believe otherwise. They're not valueless as evidence just because you didn't write them on paper.
Police will write down your oral statements outside your presence – with varying degrees of intentional or unintentional inaccuracy – and add them to the case file.
Your oral statements are just as admissible against you in court as:
A written statement that you signed.
An audio recording of your spoken words.
A video recording of you speaking.
Unlike these formally recorded statements, the accuracy of testimony about your oral statements depends on the testifying officer's truthfulness and the quality of his memory. Your oral statements are an extremely dangerous blank slate that police can use to "remember" anything they choose about your spoken words.
Crucial details of police testimony describing your oral statements will differ from what you actually said – by a lot. The difference will not be in your favor.
12. Awkward Silence
It's a good idea to anticipate the dynamics of your interaction with police, in order to avoid being manipulated.
Remaining silent in response to police questioning is socially awkward.
First, people tend to obey authority figures. Police are authority figures. Police expect civilians to submit to their authority. When you're in custody, you'll feel the weight of this expectation. So, when police ask you questions, you might feel naturally inclined to answer.
Second, etiquette compels us to courteously answer questions. It's rude to ignore anyone who asks a question, not just a police officer.
Because we're trained throughout our lives to answer questions, especially questions posed by authority figures, remaining silent when questioned by police feels awkward. Especially if the police handling your case are nice to you.
Whether locked in an interrogation room at a police station, stopped on the street, confronted at your front door, or called on the phone – you'll feel inclined to answer police questions. You'll feel yourself automatically begin to respond. It's human nature.
You might be especially inclined to answer police questions if you're thinking, "I know I didn't do anything wrong. Let me clear up their confusion."
Never try to clear up police confusion:
If police have a basis to arrest you before you speak with them, then they will arrest you regardless of what you say.
If police don't otherwise have a basis to arrest you, then your refusal to speak with them can't give them a basis to arrest you.
Clearing up confusion won't benefit you. So don't do it.
Always be on guard when confronted by police. They're tricky. The officer who arrests you might initiate pleasant conversation about things unrelated to the investigation. Although you'll feel awkward or rude saying nothing in response: say nothing in response. Otherwise, an innocuous conversation about the weather will inevitably morph into a conversation about whatever it is they're investigating.
After developing a rapport with your interrogator, saying nothing becomes more difficult. Nip it in the bud.
Other than demanding a lawyer, remain silent in response to all police efforts to initiate conversation. You'll feel rude. Do it anyway.
13. State of Mind
When police first attempt to question you:
You might know exactly what they want to discuss with you.
You might have no idea what they want to discuss with you.
You might think you know what they want to discuss with you, but be wrong.
You might have no memory, or a distorted memory, of whatever they want discuss with you, due to intoxication or other reasons.
Regarding the incident that police are investigating:
You might be innocent.
You might be innocent, but feel that certain facts make you look guilty.
You might be guilty, but not realize it because you don't fully understand the law.
You might know that you're guilty.
You might not know whether you're innocent or guilty because you have no memory of the incident being investigated.
You might be misled by police to believe that they're investigating one incident, when they're actually investigating something else.
You won't know what information the police have about the crime they're investigating: other witnesses, phone records, text messages, emails, voice messages, surveillance video, cell tower records, DNA, etc. The police will not reveal this information to you. If they appear to reveal evidence, they might be lying. If they claim not to know certain information, they might be lying.
Ultimately, what you know and don't know, and whether or not you're innocent – none of that mattera. You're going to remain silent, except to demand a lawyer.
As you listen to police questions, you might consider:
Truthfully answering every question that the police ask you.
Lying in response to certain questions – not because you're guilty, but because you think that truthful answers would erroneously make you appear to be guilty, or because truthful answers would incriminate someone you care about.
Outright lying to try to mislead the police and conceal your guilt.
Remaining silent, except to demand having a lawyer present.
Only one of these four options is always the correct option. (Hint: "4. Remaining silent, except to demand having a lawyer present.")
14. Demand a Lawyer
"I need a lawyer." Always say it when police confront you.
Police are trained to interrogate you.
You are not trained to answer police questions.
Police want you to tell them everything you know, without telling you anything they know.
There are many responses to each question that you might be tempted to give, ranging from truth to lies. You are disoriented and confused; tired and uncomfortable; anxious and scared. Police are urging you to provide definite answers when you're memory might not be clear.
Fortunately, your response is simple. Answer every question with, "I need a lawyer".
If you realize you've been duped into answering some questions, stop answering. Immediately. You can't un-say what you already said, but say no more. Answer every question thereafter by demanding a lawyer.
15. Central Booking
When police finish processing you at the station house, the arresting officer will take you to "Central Booking".
Central Booking is a countywide detention facility maintained by the NYPD. Each county has its own Central Booking facility, consisting of several large holding cells connected to the courthouse where your arraignment will occur. Arrestees from all precincts throughout the county wait at Central Booking before seeing a judge.
While you wait at Central Booking, the District Attorney writes up an "accusatory instrument" that accuses you of one or more crimes.
After the District Attorney files an accusatory instrument in your case, you will appear before a judge for arraignment.
16. Arrest Number
Each time an NYPD officer arrests someone in connection with an alleged crime, the NYPD generates a unique "arrest number".
The arrest number identifies one arrest of one person for one incident. If multiple people are arrested in connection with one incident, the NYPD assigns a separate arrest number to each person arrested. If one person is arrested in connection with multiple incidents, the NYPD will assign a separate arrest number to each incident.
While you're in custody, the NYPD keeps track of you by your arrest number.
When your friends and family ask the Court about whether your case is ready go before the judge for arraignment, court clerks who look up the status of your case might ask for your arrest number.
Your family might be able to get your arrest number from the arresting officer, or the station house that processed your arrest. However, the clerks should be able to look up the status of your case when provided with your name and date of birth.
17. District Attorney
Each of New York City's five counties has its own District Attorney.
State crimes allegedly committed in Manhattan are primarily prosecuted by the New York County District Attorney; in Brooklyn, by the Kings County District Attorney; in Queens, by the Queens County District Attorney; in the Bronx, by the Bronx County District Attorney; and in Staten Island, by the Richmond County District Attorney.
The Special Narcotics Prosecutor of the City of New York conducts state felony narcotics investigations and prosecutions in all five boroughs.
The New York State Attorney General has statewide jurisdiction, and prosecutes certain state crimes allegedly committed in New York City.
Federal crimes allegedly committed in New York City are prosecuted by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan, and the Bronx); and the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island).
18. Court
Two types of court have jurisdiction over state criminal cases in New York City: Criminal Court and Supreme Court. Each borough/county has its own courthouses for Criminal Court and Supreme Court.
The address and telephone number of each New York City Criminal Courthouse is online: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Midtown Community Court, Red Hook Community Court, and the Summons Courts.
The address and telephone number of each Supreme Courthouse in New York City is also online: Manhattan (locations and telephone numbers), Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island.
New York has two major categories of crime:
Misdemeanors – less serious crimes that carry a maximum penalty of one year in jail or less.
Felonies – more serious crimes that carry a maximum penalty of more than one year in jail.
Cases in which the most serious charge is a misdemeanor go to Criminal Court.
In New York, you can only be convicted of a felony in Supreme Court. You can't be convicted of a felony in Criminal Court. Before you can be convicted of a felony in Supreme Court, a "grand jury" must vote to file an "indictment" against you.
Some people arrested on felony charges in New York City are indicted before police arrest them. Their cases go directly to Supreme Court.
The majority of people arrested on felony charges in New York City are not indicted before police arrest them. Their cases all go to Criminal Court, where they remain unless they are indicted. Upon indictment, these cases are transferred to Supreme Court.
19. Arraignment
Arraignment is the court proceeding that begins the "criminal action" against you. The criminal action against you will be called, "The People of the State of New York v. [Your Name]".
Unless you receive a summons or a desk appearance ticket, arraignment usually occurs sometime between 12 and 24 hours after police arrest you. Arraignment is your first appearance in court following a full-blown arrest.
Most often, arraignment occurs in Criminal Court.
In New York City, District Attorneys commence criminal actions by filing an "accusatory instrument" (a piece of paper accusing a defendant of one or more crimes) in Criminal Court, or by filing an indictment in Supreme Court.
The different types of accusatory instrument that may be filed in Criminal Court are called:
an "information";
a "simplified information";
a "prosecutor’s information";
a "misdemeanor complaint"; or
a "felony complaint".
At your Criminal Court arraignment on misdemeanor charges, the Court must
Immediately inform you of the charges against you.
Provide you with a copy of the accusatory instrument filed against you.
Release you without bail, or set bail to secure your future appearance in court.
At your Criminal Court arraignment on a felony complaint, the Court must:
Provide you with a copy of the felony complaint.
Either release you without bail, set bail to secure your future appearance in court, or "remand" you (hold you without bail).
At your Supreme Court arraignment on an indictment:
The Court must immediately inform you of the charges against you.
The District Attorney must provide you with a copy of the indictment.
The Court must either release you without bail, set bail to secure your future appearance in court, or remand you.
20. Docket Number
Each case in Criminal Court is assigned a unique identifying number called a "docket number". Your docket number is generated by the Clerk's Office. This is one of the last things that happens before your arraignment.
Each case in Supreme Court is assigned a unique "indictment number" or, less commonly, an "SCI ('Superior Court Information') number".
Shortly after your case is filed in court, information about your case is publicly available online in a database on the court system's website called WebCrims. There, anyone can look up your case by entering your name into the database.
The data within WebCrims is not directly accessible using a regular search engine: if someone does a Google search of your name, your case's WebCrims entry will not appear within the search results. Searchers must enter the WebCrims site and search your name within its database there to find WebCrims search results.
Your name remains publicly accessible in WebCrims, to you or anyone else, only while your case is pending with a future court date. When your case is finished, your name no longer will be accessible within WebCrims (but it will be accessible in other databases if you're convicted of a crime). If you fail to appear in court and a judge issues a bench warrant, your name no longer will be accessible within WebCrims.
21. Bail
"Bail" is property (cash or bail bond) held by the Court in exchange for releasing you from custody. The purpose of bail is to make sure you come to court when required.
If you miss a court date, then the person who posted your bail will forfeit their money. The City will keep it.
At the end of your case, if you have attended all your court appearances, then the City will return your bail (minus an administrative fee) to the person who posted it.
At your arraignment, the Court must decide whether to:
Release you on recognizance ("ROR");
Set bail; or
Remand you (hold you without bail).
If you're ROR'd, then 👍🏽 you don't have to worry about posting bail. You walk out of the courtroom and remain at liberty while the case is pending.
If you're committed to the custody of the sheriff, then you can't post bail.
If the Court sets bail, typically you'll be allowed to post it as "cash bail" or by "bail bond".
Cash bail is a sum of money that a family member or friend pays in cash on your behalf, in exchange for you being released from custody.
Sometimes, the Court will let you post bail by credit card, up to a maximum of $2,500. Credit card bail may be posted at the courthouse immediately after your arraignment. Beginning several hours after your arraignment, credit card bail may be posted online and at City jails.
A bail bond is a document that obligates an insurance company to forfeit a fixed sum of money to the state if you don't return to court. Bail bonds may be purchased through bail bond agencies. In New York City, bail bond agencies typically have offices within walking distance of the Criminal Courthouses in each borough.
When determining bail, the Court may consider many factors, including:
Your employment and financial resources.
Your family ties and length of residence in the community.
Your criminal record, or lack of criminal record.
Your bench warrant history.
Whether you tried to avoid arrest.
The strength of the criminal case against you.
The potential jail sentence you could receive if convicted.
The theory is that each of these factors makes you more or less likely to return to court. For example, an accused person facing mandatory jail time if convicted is more likely to come back to court if bail is set than if no bail is set.
A June 19, 2018 FiveThirtyEight.com article details the bail-setting practices of New York City Criminal Court judges who arraigned Legal Aid clients on felony complaints during 2017. The likelihood of receiving ROR varies depending on the judge who arraigns you and, to a lesser extent, the borough where you're arraigned.
If you know that you're going to be arrested, you should immediately plan to have someone post cash bail in the courthouse at your arraignment.
Even if you know that the Court probably will ROR you, you should arrange in advance to have someone post cash bail at your arraignment.
When the Court sets bail, if someone immediately posts cash bail or credit card bail in the courthouse, then you'll walk out of the courtroom within 15-30 minutes after bail is set.
If the Court sets bail, and no one posts bail in the courthouse, then you'll be held at a New York City jail until someone posts your bail at one of the City jails. This can increase the amount of time that you spend in custody by half a day, and often much longer.
So, whenever possible, arrange to have someone post cash bail for you at your arraignment.
Bruce Yerman is a New York City criminal defense attorney. If you've been accused, contact Bruce for a regarding arrest or anything else that concerns you.
Topics: Bench Warrant, I-Card, Arrest Warrant, Arrest, Bail, Arraignment, Right to Remain Silent, Fifth Amendment, Desk Appearance Ticket, Summons, Right to Counsel, Police Interrogation
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Review: CSI: Miami–‘Bad Seed’
CSI: Miami 10 years ago
Home CSI: Miami Reviews
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
Kristine Huntley 10 years ago
Delko is thrown when he sees a young woman die in the ER and her boyfriend collapse soon afterwards–both the apparent victims of some sort of deadly pathogen.
Eric Delko runs across Alexx Woods at the hospital where he’s just been cleared to return to work. Alexx notices he doesn’t seem happy about the prospect, but before she can question him further, a young woman named Lauren, who is accompanied by her frantic boyfriend, Ethan, is rushed into the emergency room. As Alexx works to save Lauren’s life, Ethan tells Delko that Lauren hasn’t been feeling well for a week–and that he was planning to propose once she got to feeling better. Alexx comes in with tragic news: Lauren has died–and she thinks it’s homicide. She calls for Horatio and tells him that Lauren died of renal failure, which she believes is the result of poisoning. Delko suspects Ethan, but Horatio doesn’t want to jump to conclusions just yet. He asks Delko to stay with the young man. Ethan tells Delko that he and Lauren went to a restaurant a week ago, around the time she got sick but that he can’t recall the name. He has the receipt in his wallet, but when Delko starts interrogating Ethan, the young man gets upset–and collapses. Back at the lab, the team gathers to discuss the case. Lauren tested positive for E. coli bacteria–a new and deadly strain. Horatio says they have to find the source–and treat this like any other homicide case. Delko finds the receipt for the restaurant Ethan and Lauren dined at before she got sick, Sam Bello’s, and Calleigh questions the manager, who tells her that E. coli starts with the grower.
Ryan, Jesse and Walter head to the restaurant’s supplier, Aunt Sally’s, in Sweetwater. The owner, Seth Ellers, refuses to let the CSIs search until Jesse threatens to check his workers to see if they have their green cards in order. The produce is taken back to the lab and tested, but it comes up negative for E. coli. The CSIs turn to the delivery truck company, which is owned by a man named Al Wayons, who tries to run but is tackled by Tripp. When the product in Wayons’ truck tests positive for E. coli, Wayons insists the bacteria originated with the grower and flourishes in his trucks, which he doesn’t have enough money to refrigerate. Calleigh learns both the truck company and Aunt Sally’s are subsidiaries of a large company called Bixton Organic Foods. Jerry Mackey, the CEO of Bixton, and his lawyer, Sheldon Parks, place the blame on the subsidiaries, who they claim are independent contractors. Horatio wants to check the irrigation system at Aunt Sally’s, but Parks refuses, saying Mackey has called on the Health Department to do a study. Horatio sends Jesse, Ryan and Walter back to Aunt Sally’s to do an illegal search in the hopes of getting enough evidence to go to the Health Department themselves. Jesse runs into Gavin Webb, an angry farmer with a gun, who tells him that seeds from Bixton’s genetically engineered corn blew onto his land, allowing Bixton to force him into becoming a subsidiary. Jesse, Ryan and Walter find the source of the E. coli… a field of cows whose feces are contaminating the water that is used to irrigate the plants.
Horatio takes the evidence to the head of the Health Department–who also happens to be a former Bixton VP. She refuses to do anything other than conduct a study. In the lab, Calleigh tells Delko she’s glad he’s back, but he doesn’t feel the same. They learn Ethan is totally paralyzed as the result of a biotoxin. He ate a veggie burger and corn at Sam Bello’s. Jesse recalls Webb telling him that the corn made by Bixton was genetically engineered and gets a sample from Webb. Natalia finds a toxin added to the corn to keep aphids from eating it as well as a bacteria that eats cellulose in it, to make it more digestible–and can cause Botulism. Horatio brings Mackey back in and shows him pictures of Ethan, telling the CEO that Ethan is brain dead as a result of the genetically engineered corn Bixton makes. Mackey defends the process, saying that the risk was analyzed and determined to be “acceptable.” Though he can’t press criminal charges, Horatio vows that there will be a civil trial when Ethan’s family sues–and pulls out a recorder to show Mackey he’s got plenty of ammo to give them. Calleigh approaches Delko and tells him she’s realized he’s leaving CSI. He doesn’t deny it–and doesn’t answer her when she asks about them. They embrace and he walks out.
With its slick production value, snazzy split screens and bevy of aesthetically appealing victims and suspects, CSI: Miami is usually the last CSI show to bring me to tears. And yet, the scene in which Delko slides the ring Ethan intended to give Lauren onto her finger as both she and her would-be fiancé lie in morgue drawers, I found myself tearing up. It’s a beautiful, heartbreaking moment. Indeed, Brian Davidson‘s script feels like a progression for the show, and I hope it’s a herald of things to come rather than a departure. There was a real energy to this story, a personal stake for the characters that was more appealing than fancy plot twists or high-energy shootouts. The episode felt really fresh, something that’s not that easy to achieve after seven full seasons.
Sure, we’ve seen the team go after big business before, but what kept the episode truly grounded was that there was no one for Horatio to arrest in the end. Impending civil suit aside, Bixton Organic Foods more or less got away with it, which felt more real–and more chilling–than if Horatio had found some brilliant loophole to take Mackey down on and charge him with murder. Though we’ve seen Horatio and his team go after powerful people before, they’ve never quite felt like the underdogs in the way they do here, and it really gets the viewer invested in the story. In the end, the team gets a win with the tape recording Horatio gets for Ethan’s family’s civil trial, but Bixton more or less gets away with it.
The message that we know very little of what goes into our food–and how easy it is for something to go wrong–comes through very powerfully with a sequence that shows the cow feces slipping into the water supply, the water being sprinkled on the plants, which are transported in the unrefrigerated truck, and then brought to the restaurant, where they’re rinsed and put into a meal–and then served to unsuspecting patrons. The lack of accountability comes through loud and clear–no one wants to take responsibility for the contamination. The restaurant manager passes it off on the supplier who passes it off on the truck driver who turns it back on the supplier. With so many hands in the pot, is it any wonder that they’re each pointing fingers at each other?
My favorite scene in the episode is a rarity for Miami as well: the team gathering in the lab to discuss the case. Until I saw Horatio, Calleigh, Delko, Ryan and Natalia all together, I don’t think it registered how rarely we ever see more than two or three of the characters in one room together. Though the Vegas and New York teams will frequently gather around the evidence to discuss it, in Miami this almost never happens. I certainly don’t recall it in recent seasons–perhaps in the early ones. It’s so nice to see the team actually feel like a team, a group of people who come together for one purpose. It’s nice to see Horatio actually leading and guiding his people, too, rather than feeling remote and isolated from them. It’s a great scene that highlights that even though we rarely see them together like this, there is a real cohesiveness among this team.
Sadly, it looks like they’ll be down yet another member: Delko acknowledges to Calleigh at the end of the episode that he is indeed leaving CSI. Calleigh apparently isn’t the only one who has picked up on it: early in the episode, Alexx is able to tell that Delko isn’t thrilled about going back to work, and Horatio leaves a note on his car in the end that reads, “I’ll always be here.” Apparently Delko’s malaise is as evident to his friends and co-workers as it is to the audience. Delko is burned out, and who can really blame him, after he has his second brush with death in the space of just a few years? Adam Rodriguez does a good job of conveying Delko’s weariness, as well as how affected he is by the death of the young couple at the center of the story.
Still, I can’t help but feel like Delko’s answer to Calleigh’s “why?” is a cop out. “A lot of reasons” doesn’t tell her or the audience what’s going on in his head. Nor does his non-answer when she asks “What about you and me?” Viewers have invested a lot in these two as a couple, and the show built up to them getting together for a significant amount of time. The audience–and Calleigh–deserve some sort of answer. Emily Procter plays this scene very well; Calleigh has moments of vulnerability, but at the end of the day, she’s a strong woman and she’s survived a lot. This isn’t going to break her either–but it’s definitely making her sad.
Her comment that “CSI’s not the only game in town” can be read either way, really. It can be a dismissal–leaving the job isn’t a big deal, there are other opportunities and it doesn’t have to affect them or rock their world. Or it can be seen as an acknowledgement that he’s moving on and it’s not the end of the world. Given their perfunctory kiss after the talk and her sad look as he walks away, I suspect it’s the latter, but it would have been nice to get a little more clarity here. Relationships are not the CSI franchise’s strong suit–often the characters talk around things real people would be more direct about. Calleigh’s direct question about them is believable, but his lack of an answer and her acceptance of that is a little less so. But then, sometimes no answer really is an answer.
Jesse, Ryan and Walter get to have a little adventure when Horatio asks them to go to Aunt Sally’s a conduct an illegal search. It’s another surprising moment for the show–usually the team is hampered by the inability to get a warrant or to search a premises, but here Horatio opts for breaking the rule rather than fighting a losing battle to obtain the evidence legally. It’s another fun, unexpected twist in the story that defies the norm.
Also unexpected: Ryan’s somewhat ignorant comment about the farmers as he, Jesse and Walter approach Aunt Sally’s the first time. When Walter worries about how they’ll be received, Ryan dismisses his fears, saying, “We have badges. These guys are barely educated.” It’s an awfully snotty comment. Coming on the heels of Ryan’s dismissive treatment of Jesse in last week’s “In Plane Sight”, I can’t help but wonder if the writers are actually trying to make Ryan less sympathetic. He’s always been something of a prickly character, but the comment about the farmers just comes off as condescending and arrogant. Is Ryan becoming jaded? Or is there something going on with him?
Source: "Bad Seed"
Kristine Huntley
Review: CSI: NY--'Battle Scars'
Review: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation--'Coup De Grace'
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Paul Dewar, former NDP foreign-affairs critic, dies of cancer
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, February 6, 2019 5:51PM EST
Last Updated Wednesday, February 6, 2019 7:57PM EST
In this file photo, then-NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar talks with reporters as he reacts to the Harper government's new anti-terror bill, on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. (Fred Chartrand / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
OTTAWA -- Paul Dewar, a teacher and union leader from Ottawa who became the New Democratic Party's foreign affairs critic, died Wednesday after contending with brain cancer for a year.
Despite struggling with dyslexia as a child, getting trounced by Ed Broadbent during his initial foray into politics, losing his seat in the House of Commons in the Liberal wave of 2015 and being diagnosed with a terminal illness, the 56-year-old was infused with a positive, hopeful attitude and belief that the world could be made a better place.
So it was startling when Dewar revealed in June 2018 that, as he was recovering from brain surgery several months before, he saw news of the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people -- and that he "abandoned any hope" and was ready to give up.
Except giving up was never really in Dewar's vocabulary.
Inspired as Parkland students channelled their loss and pain into a rallying cry against gun violence in the U.S., Dewar decided to launch a new initiative to try to empower a new generation of leaders who would work for the greater good.
In a farewell message posted to Facebook after his death, Dewar wrote that "true change can only come when power is transferred to young people unburdened by cynicism" -- which is why he used what little energy he had left to create Youth Action Now.
"Hopefully, it will help unleash the power of the young people in our community to make a real difference. I hope you will be inspired to be a part of that project and continue my work," Dewar wrote.
He urged Canadians and his former constituents in Ottawa to respect the earth, to build a future rooted in Indigenous wisdom, to welcome people who need safe homes and to help people who have been left behind.
"Let's make more art. Let's play more. Let's embrace each other in these days of cynicism and doubt," the message said.
Dewar is survived by his wife Julia Sneyd and their two sons, Nathaniel and Jordan. A statement from the NDP said they were with him when he died at home.
Dewar is perhaps best known for having served as the MP for Ottawa Centre from 2006 to 2015, much of which he also spent as the NDP's foreign affairs critic, following an early career as an elementary school teacher and union executive.
Whether it was the war in Afghanistan, free-trade deals or the defence of human rights and democracy in developing countries, Dewar was fierce in his convictions but also willing to listen to differing viewpoints to try to find a consensus.
That combination of principle and pragmatism, combined with the aforementioned optimism, earned Dewar respect on both the government and opposition benches, and helped the NDP shed some of its image of being idealistic and naive on Canada's dealings with the rest of the world.
Dewar's path into politics meant following in some pretty big footsteps. His mother, Marion Dewar, was not only one of Ottawa's most beloved mayors but also a heavyweight in the federal NDP and social-activist circles in the 1970s and '80s.
Dewar would often say that he learned about politics from his mother, telling the Ottawa Citizen in September 2011 that while Marion warned against running for office just to get power, "power isn't a bad thing, it's how people use it."
Then there was Broadbent, the legendary former NDP leader whose short-lived political comeback started by trouncing Dewar during the latter's first nomination battle in 2004. Dewar had been campaigning for the nomination when Broadbent decided he wanted back in.
It was only after Broadbent's difficult decision two years later to leave politics once again to care for his sick wife that Dewar was elected to replace the former leader as the MP for Ottawa Centre.
Yet it didn't take long for Dewar to come into his own and make his mark with a respectful and pragmatic approach to politics -- and his determination to fight injustice and cynicism at home and abroad.
Former political opponents praised him Wednesday, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying in a statement that Ottawa had "lost one of its most dedicated voices.
"Paul Dewar brought people together, stood up for the most vulnerable, and touched lives in Canada and beyond. He showed us what stewardship looks like, and earned the love of his community and the respect of so many of us. He will be sorely missed," said Trudeau.
Liberal Richard Mahoney, who lost to Dewar in Ottawa Centre in 2006, wrote on Twitter that "Paul faced his illness the same way he lived his life -- with grace, courage and love."
Former Conservative cabinet minister Jason Kenney tweeted that as much as they disagreed, "there was no doubt that he was a principled, dedicated public servant who cared a great deal about his country."
Many might not realize that Dewar was dyslexic. Dewar credited the disability, which makes it harder to read, write and sometimes speak, with having made him more resilient as well as a better teacher and politician.
"I certainly identify strongly with people who are needing help in taking on things, be it with learning challenges, life challenges in general," he told The Canadian Press in November 2011. "It's about empathizing and understanding."
He faced other challenges as well: Dewar placed a distant fifth when he ran to replace Jack Layton as NDP leader in 2012. Many were shocked when Liberal Catherine McKenna defeated him in 2015. He was one of several apparently popular New Democrats swept out of urban ridings that year.
The party kept him on as an adviser, helping the handful of new MPs the party elected adjust to their new duties. Afterward, he joined the board of Human Rights Watch and contemplated running for mayor of Ottawa.
Then came the diagnosis in February 2018 that he had Grade 4 glioblastoma, the same type of brain cancer that killed Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie. Dewar had gone to the hospital when he felt numbness in his arm that didn't go away -- a bother he'd at first put down to being tired from a 36-kilometre skate on the frozen Rideau Canal. That's five full lengths of the skateway that runs not far from his downtown Ottawa home.
He soon had surgery to remove a tumour on his brain but the cancer couldn't be cured, only held at bay for a while.
Yet even then, his optimism continued to shine. If people wanted to do something for him, he said, they should contribute to their neighbourhoods. Smile, laugh, give. "Knock on your neighbour's door and say hi."
"What I have discerned is that notwithstanding the urgency to live as much life as possible, I see this path I am walking as a gift to realize the beauty of life itself," Dewar wrote in an open letter announcing his plan to launch Youth Action Now a few months later.
"Each one of us is capable of contributing something to make a difference with our family, friends and in our community. Sometimes cynicism, isolation and fear hold us back from truly contributing and participating in making the world around us a better place."
Paul Dewar dedicated his life to inspiring young people & serving his constituents in the Ottawa community and across Canada. He set a strong example for all of us – and we will dearly miss him. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. https://t.co/3kkNKtDdNi
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 7, 2019
An inspiration to all of us – that's how the NDP family is remembering Paul Dewar today. We all have a brighter future because of his tireless pursuit of justice in Canada and around the world. We will miss you, Paul. pic.twitter.com/qTNUUdXukq
— NDP (@NDP) February 7, 2019
I am saddened to learn about the passing of former Member of Parliament Paul Dewar. His passion for public service and dedication to the people of Ottawa Centre will be remembered fondly. Karla and I extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) February 6, 2019
RIP Paul Dewar - A former MP who was in it for all the right reasons. A stand up guy. A good man is gone.
— Rick Mercer (@rickmercer) February 6, 2019
My condolences to Paul Dewar’s family. A truly remarkable person pic.twitter.com/fXHwKbIoGH
— Wab Kinew (@WabKinew) February 6, 2019
Very sad to hear the news just now about @PaulDewar, an excellent MP, an honourable man and tremendous husband and father. He fought so strongly against a terrible disease. My deepest condolences to his wife Julia, and their sons, Nathaniel and Jordan.
— Kellie Leitch (@KellieLeitch) February 6, 2019
What sad news. @PaulDewar was a committed constituency MP, a politician of integrity who valued dialogue, facts and evidence, and a strong voice for human rights and social justice. An enormous loss for #Ottawa and Canada - my heart goes out to his family. #RIP https://t.co/nDthJcUyGr
— Sabine Nolke (@SabineNolke) February 6, 2019
I met @PaulDewar both on the Hill and off. He was always a kind person and his genuine nature never failed. He epitomized @canada in every way.#cdnpoli#RIPPaulDewar
— Jason "The Germ Guy" Tetro (@JATetro) February 6, 2019
Devastated to learn of the passing of my friend and former colleague Paul Dewar. An incredibly decent guy and great parliamentarian and champion for Ottawa. He was caring, companionate and competent. Thinking of his family at this difficult time. @PaulDewar #CdnPoli
— John Baird (@Baird) February 6, 2019
My statement on the passing of former Ottawa-Centre MP Paul Dewar. / Ma déclaration sur le décès de l’ancien député fédéral pour Ottawa-centre Paul Dewar. pic.twitter.com/Vru1TgzZ7D
— Jim Watson (@JimWatsonOttawa) February 6, 2019
Paul was one of the kindest and most compassionate people I've ever met. In the hustle and bustle of Parliament Hill, he was always a ray of light, optimism and moral drive.
We were incredibly lucky to have him in public life, and he will be sorely missed. https://t.co/mn9vSC5alo
— Laurin Liu (@laurinliu) February 6, 2019
Very sad to learn of the passing of former NDP MP Paul Dewar. Often disagreed with Paul on the issues, but there was no doubt that he was a principled, dedicated public servant who cared a great deal about his country. Condolences to Paul's family & friends at this difficult time
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) February 6, 2019
I've just learned the sad news of the passing of my former colleague Paul Dewar, who was one of the finest MPs in the Commons.
— Scott Reid (@ScottReidCPC) February 6, 2019
"Let’s make more art. Let’s play more. Let’s embrace each other in these days of cynicism and doubt.
Let’s welcome those who need a safe home. Let’s empower those who have been left behind."
— Joe Cressy (@joe_cressy) February 6, 2019
Très triste nouvelle. Paul Dewar était un homme exceptionnel. Catherine et moi offrons nos sincères condoléances à sa famille en ce moment si pénible.
Profoundly sad new. Paul Dewar was an incredible human being. Catherine and I offer our sincere condolences to his family.
— Tom Mulcair (@ThomasMulcair) February 6, 2019
I am devastated to hear that Paul Dewar has passed away. Paul helped make our community and our country a better place, setting a standard for those of us in public service to follow. His was a life well lived, and I offer my deepest condolences to Paul’s family and friends.
— Joel Harden (@JoelHardenONDP) February 6, 2019
Quote from @powerstim re: passing of Former MP Paul Dewar: "Rugby Canada extends its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Paul Dewar. He was a wonderful genuine fellow and long time friend of rugby. Gone far too early" #RIP
📸: "Game on the Hill" in 2012 pic.twitter.com/YswXTZaEZ1
— Rugby Canada (@RugbyCanada) February 6, 2019
Oh Paul. What an immeasurable loss. One of the kindest people in politics. I hope Julia and his sons are comforted somehow by knowing his caring made a difference to so many https://t.co/FxjDlrl4OM
— Lauren Dobson-Hughes (@ldobsonhughes) February 6, 2019
Rest in peace, Paul Dewar. His tweet below shows the kind of person he was. Two weeks before he publicly announced he was fighting brian cancer, he posted a very kind tweet about my late husband Dave on #BellLetsTalk Day.
My sincere sympathies to Paul's wife and family. https://t.co/fGUu6xrKmy
— Sen. Denise Batters (@denisebatters) February 6, 2019
Paul Dewar represented the best of us – he spent his life working for justice & believed in the potential of young people to change the world. Paul made Canada a better country and we are all lesser without him. We hold his family close in our hearts. https://t.co/ShGMasbSzT
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) February 6, 2019
While former MP Paul Dewar has left us following a battle with cancer, his determination, still very present in the last months, will remain always in our memories. Sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
— GGJuliePayette (@GGJuliePayette) February 6, 2019
Condolences to Paul Dewar's family. Paul was a tireless champion for peace and justice. His passion for building a better future continued until his last days. It was an honour to work with him. His memory will live on through our continued struggle for peace at home and abroad.
— Niki Ashton (@nikiashton) February 6, 2019
When Paul Dewar rose to ask a question in Parliament, you always hoped his tough, smart and principled line of inquiry wasn't coming your way, because it was usually devastating. He always did his values, constituents and family proud. A good man, gone far too soon.
— James Moore (@JamesMoore_org) February 6, 2019
Loving father, uncle, brother, friend, community builder...
In all he did, @PaulDewar embodied the belief that hope is better than fear. His legacy of inspiration will live on with @youthactionnow.
All my love to Julia, their sons, Paul's extended family and all who loved him.
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) February 7, 2019
Paul Dewar brought kindness, optimism and respect for people to everything he did. We feel his loss deeply.
Our deepest condolences to his wife Julia, his two sons, and the many people who considered him a friend, a mentor and an inspiration. https://t.co/EYluNkwI2A
— Andrea Horwath (@AndreaHorwath) February 6, 2019
May you soar with the angels #PaulDewar. Sending love to Julia, Nathaniel & Jordan. Took this picture at the launch of Youth Action Now last year 💔. If you want @PaulDewar’s vision live on please go to https://t.co/zoUui1DDgw and make a contribution in his memory.🙏😢 #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/t9qkxcTtoM
— Kathleen Monk (@kathleenmonk) February 6, 2019
On behalf of all Toronto residents, my condolences to Paul Dewar’s family. Thank you to Paul for continuing a family tradition of public service to Ottawa and to Canada.
— John Tory (@JohnTory) February 7, 2019
On behalf of our @CPC_HQ team, we’re saddened to hear that Paul Dewar has passed after his battle with brain cancer. Our prayers are with his family, loved ones and @NDP family as they grieve this loss and remember his legacy.
— Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) February 7, 2019
Reject cynicism and stick to your values and convictions, Dewar tells NDP MPs
Former MP Paul Dewar says his brain cancer is terminal
Former NDP MP Paul Dewar is undergoing treatment for brain cancer
Facebook: Dewar's Farewell Message
NDP: Paul Dewar - An Inspiration
Trudeau on Trump tweets: 'That is not how we do things in Canada'
MPs could be recalled to ratify NAFTA
Emotions raw as MMIWG inquiry ends
Who's running in 2019? Dozens of MPs call it quits
Foreign interference in 2019 election 'very likely'
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St. Louis Dirt Burners
The Midwest's Best R/C Racing Action
Our Track
Midwest Nitro Challenge
Originally founded back in 1994 by a group of local racers, the mission was as simple then as it is today.
Have a public facility available for all St. Louis R/C Enthusiasts to practice, race, learn, and share the R/C hobby with everyone.
St. Louis Dirt Burners Off-Road R/C Racing Club is a non-profit club with our facility in Kirkwood, Missouri. Memberships are offered on a Seasonal basis (January through December) and are valid from the date of the purchase until the end of the year.
Single and Family membership entitles members to discounted race fees, voting privileges, website photo gallery, members forum, and a 10% discount on most items at the participating local hobby shops. Club membership dues pay for club operations, racing events, track/facility maintenance, advertising, and other club expenses.
By becoming a member you are helping the club survive and entitled to provide input on future club decisions and actions. We also hope you will be willing to help with maintenance, construction, materials, or other way(s) when possible.
BECOMING A MEMBER HAS REWARDS
By becoming a Club Member you will be entitled to Discounted Race Fees, Discounted Club Gear, Discount at participating Local Hobby Shops, as well Voting Privileges on Club Business.
Our Club Members have been invaluable over the 20+ years of the Club's existence. We value our Club Members and are always looking for new ways to reward Members who show dedication to the Club's mission.
OUR TRACK - GREENTREE PARK
2019 Home Opener February 23, 2019
11th Annual Futaba O.S. Nitro Challenge – Round 3 Qualifiers VIDEO July 30, 2017
11th Annual Futaba O.S. Nitro Challenge – Seeding Rounds VIDEO July 29, 2017
Futaba track rebuild help needed July 22, 2017
New Facebook Page just for the Futaba/OS Engines Nitro Challenge June 26, 2017
Help Needed May 15, 2017
Copyright © 2019 St. Louis Dirt Burners, All rights reserved
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Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics released
Date published: 25 April 2019
Local authority collected municipal waste data reporting
Waste strategy
Provisional Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics for October to December 2018 have been published today by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
This statistical report is updated quarterly and contains information on key measurements of local authority collected (LAC) municipal waste for councils and waste management groups in Northern Ireland.
Download the Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics
The key points are:
Northern Ireland’s councils collected 230,942 tonnes of LAC municipal waste between October and December 2018, similar to the 232,012 tonnes collected during the same three months of 2017. Household waste accounted for 89.6% of total LAC municipal waste. Newry, Mourne & Down produced the smallest quantity of household waste per capita at 98kg, whilst the largest quantity per capita was recorded in Antrim & Newtownabbey at 133kg.
The household waste preparing for reuse, dry recycling and composting rate was 47.7% between October and December 2018, an increase on the 46.9% recorded during the same three months of 2017. At council level, rates varied from 41.7% in Belfast to 56.3% in Mid Ulster.
The LAC municipal waste energy recovery rate was 19.4%, an increase on the 17.6% reported for October to December 2017. The highest rate was recorded in Newry, Mourne & Down at 47.4% and the lowest was 5.0% in Ards & North Down.
The latest quarterly landfill rate for household waste is 30.1%, a further reduction on the 32.5% recorded during the same three months of 2017.
There were 39,045 tonnes of biodegradable local authority collected municipal waste (BLACMW) sent to landfill between October and December 2018. This was 9.9% lower than the 43,315 tonnes sent between the same three months of 2017, and accounted for a smaller proportion of the permitted annual allowance allocated to councils for sending BLACMW to landfill, 16.7% between October and December 2018 compared to 17.4% in the equivalent quarter of 2017.
This is the latest in a regular series of quarterly Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics report and is the third report for the 2018/19 financial year covering the period October to December 2018. View current and previous reports dating back to 2009/10 .The series will continue to be updated on a quarterly basis.
All figures are provisional until the final end-year validation has been completed. An annual report with fully validated figures for 2018/19 is scheduled for 28 November 2019.
The data in this report are based on returns made to WasteDataFlow, which is a web based system, used by all UK local authorities to report LAC municipal waste.
There are five main sections in the report which covers local authority collected municipal waste and, where appropriate, household waste: arisings; reuse, dry recycling, composting; energy recovery; landfill; and biodegradable landfill.
The 26 district councils covered by previous reports were reorganised into 11 new councils from 1 April 2015. This is the fifteenth release of waste data collected on an 11 council basis. During this period in Northern Ireland 8 of the 11 district councils were split into two Waste Management Groups with 3 unaffiliated to any group.
arc21: Antrim & Newtownabbey; Ards & North Down, Belfast, Lisburn & Castlereagh; Mid & East Antrim; Newry, Mourne & Down.
North West Regional Waste Management Group: Causeway Coast & Glens; Derry City & Strabane.
These statistics are released according to the Statement of Compliance with the Pre-release access to Official Statistics Order (NI) 2009. National Statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.
Follow DAERA on Twitter and Facebook.
All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office on 028 9052 4619 or via email. Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer on 028 9037 8110.
CAFRE student is off to the right start at Rangers Lodge 10 July 2019
Forest Expansion Scheme reopens for applications 10 July 2019
Recent Business Development group meeting 10 July 2019
DAERA reminds holidaymakers - don’t risk it, leave it behind 09 July 2019
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British toddler dies in neighbour's pool in Spain after wandering from the garden
By TOM WORDEN
Last updated at 21:04 10 February 2008
A British toddler has drowned near her parent's remote home in Spain.
Molly May Counsell, 18 months, fell into a neighbour's pool after wandering off.
Parents Lucy Counsell, 34, and John Richards, 61, said last night: "We are devastated. Our loss is indescribable."
Scroll down for more ...
She was playing outside her parents' farmhouse on Saturday afternoon when they saw she was missing. After a frantic 35-minute search Miss Counsell found her unconscious next door in 2ft of water.
After failing to resuscitate her, they set off in their car to take her to a medical centre, but met paramedics coming the other way who found she was already dead.
Mr Richards, a retired computer programmer, said: "Molly May was a very special little girl, outgoing, confident and ever so clever. She brought love and laughter to everyone that knew her.
"She was a good walker and did love exploring. We made the awful mistake of each thinking she was with the other."
Emergency services spokesman Pilar Limon said: "We received a call from a friend of the family saying she was missing. Five minutes after we received a second call saying she had apparently drowned."
Spain's civil guard said an autopsy was being carried out yesterday, adding: "Everything points to a tragic accident."
The couple, who were originally from Whitby, North Yorkshire, have owned their detached house in Tijola, near Orgiva in Granada, since 2001.
The property is set in a large garden dotted with olive and orange trees and has views of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Molly May often played in the grounds with the family's Alsatian dog, Jake.
Miss Counsell splits her time between the house and Whitby, where she returns frequently to visit family and friends.
The couple had set up a website showing hundreds of photographs of them with Molly May in Spain and after her birth in Eskdale, in the Lake District, in 2006.
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Kevin Kilbane: Seeing fans away from the games opened my eyes to their incredible commitment
By Kevin Kilbane
I have sat in press conferences in my Ireland tracksuit in stadiums across the world and talked about how much, as a player, you appreciate the sacrifices supporters make to come and watch their team.
But until you have stepped over prone bodies and pulled your suitcase round hundreds of sleeping, drinking and hungover supporters in Poznan railway station, at eight o'clock on a Monday morning after a heavy defeat to Croatia, you really cannot begin to appreciate the lengths people go to to follow the Republic of Ireland.
As a player you talk about the colour Ireland fans bring to a tournament like this but you never actually see the scenes that I have witnessed close-up here in Poland, and I played for nearly 15 years and was lucky enough to win over 100 caps.
Green machine: Irish fans have bought their usual colour to proceedings
It has been a real eye-opener for me. And from the moment I got on the plane in Copenhagen to be serenaded by dozens of lads, to arriving in Poznan old square on Saturday evening and just seeing and hearing and standing open-mouthed at the sheer numbers, it's been absolutely brilliant.
And the reception I have received, and the laughs, the photos and the craic has been great fun. It's helped me get over the disappointment of not being here with my boots.
That really hit me for the first time on Sunday night when I looked down at the team lining up from my 5live commentary seat.
But we won't be attempting an interview among the throng again.
BBC World wanted to do an interview in the square on Saturday night and a few of us had our reservations about it. After three takes for interruptions, and interviewer Damian Johnson playing the fans’ cameraman for 25 minutes, we eventually got the quickest interview ever recorded in the can and got out of there.
Despite the defeat and obvious mountain Ireland have to climb to beat the world and European champions on Thursday, the mood in the team hotel was really positive when I popped in on Monday night.
Questions from the back: Kilbane has enjoyed his new outlook
The worst time I remember as an Ireland player was six years ago when we lost 5-2 in Cyprus. We were getting stick every day in the media and we made a conscious decision to stick together and keep believing.
And I still think we should have beaten Czech Republic a few days later.
It is the same for the squad now. I could feel spirits are still high and the lads want to stick together, from the 11 who started to those who came on or didn't play who might feel they will have an important part to play now.
We used to have Mick Byrne behind the scenes who would do obstacle courses round the hotel corridors to lift spirits.
The staff behind the scenes like the doc Alan Byrne, physios Ciaran Murray and Tony McCarthy, masseurs John Huntley and Len Clark, kitmen Dick Redmond and Mick Lawlor are all very different characters to Mick who was a one-off. But their banter, stories and camaraderie will play an important role in the next few days too, and they know that.
On the other side: Kevin Kilbane
Having the media pass round my neck gave me the opportunity to witness a Giovanni Trapattoni and Robbie Keane press conference for the very first time.
The Ireland captain spoke really well and looked relaxed. He quickly clocked me lurking at the back of the room and was mouthing for me to ask a question. And I was sorely tempted but bottled it in the end.
I was on the verge of saying to Trap that if he was struggling for players I know a good left-back who might be able to do a job for him. But he didn’t pay any attention when I was still available to him so I don’t think I would have convinced him now.
Before the start of the Croatia game, I was probably the most nervous I have been before an Ireland match.
As a player, lining up for the national anthem, as soon as the first notes of Amhran na bhFiann strike out, you are in a zone where your only real concern is yourself, then the team putting together a performance and getting a result. In many ways you have to blank out the emotion.
As a pundit it was a nightmare, very emotional and strange. Myself and commentator Conor McNamara, who’s from Limerick, had talked about how we would deal with Ireland scoring, because we were both convinced Ireland would win.
When Ledge’s equaliser went in, and he was trying to do his obstacle course behind the goal, we grabbed each other’s arms and mouthed yes, while still managing to talk and I whacked my knee on the desk. I can’t describe the deflation I felt when the three goals went in but somehow managed to solider on.
England can inspire us for tough Spain test, says Ireland keeper Given Tardelli: Ireland determined to go to the ball... but we are NOT Cinderella
Euro 2012: Kevin Kilbane - only now do I see true fan commitment
Get the (Do not use) Euro 2012 RSS feed
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'I didn't want this category, I'm SO disappointed!': Louis Walsh on mentoring the Over 28s
It's the category nobody wanted.
So, perhaps understandably, Louis Walsh is not happy that he was given the Over 28s.
'I didn’t want this category,' he is seen honestly admitting on this night's X Factor.
The Irish judge welcomes the final eight Over 28s to his home in Shannan tonight, where they had their last chance to impress him.
Not happy: Louis Walsh admits he was disappointed with his category - the over 28s
With just three places on offer, Stephen Hunter, Mary Byrne, Yuli, Wagner, Justin, John, Elesha and Storm Lee are all desperate to impress.
And they had a lot of impressing to do.
'I’m going to be honest, when I was given this category, I was so disappointed,' says Louis.
'My head's spinning!': Cheryl Cole tries to whittle down the X Factor Girls tonight with help from close... Not again Sinitta! This year she's in thigh-high boots as she helps Simon Cowell pick his X Factor groups
Do they share a stylist? Dannii Minogue finds a mirror image in Natalie Imbruglia as she picks the boys on X...
But he puts a brave face on his disappointment.
'I’ve taken home the DVDs [of the auditions] and I’ve watched them all and I’m in a better place now.'
She's back! Sharon Osbourne returned to the X factor to help Louis Walsh pick his final three contestants
To help him make his final selection is former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne.
Trying to appear hopeful, Louis tells her: 'They are a very different, very colourful, very unusual category but I know that within that eight there’s three great acts and I’m going to find them.
'I didn’t want this category at first but now I’m feeling a lot more confident. And I’ve got people that are going to work so hard.'
Sharon seemed less convinced: 'Well don’t call me till you’ve won.'
The over 28s... but which three will Louis pick?
Left: Elesha Moses, 29, is from London, whereas Wagner Carrilho, 54, is Brazilian
Storm Lee, 37, lives in LA but is Scottish, and Yuli Miguel, 32, is Dutch
Stephen Hunter, 41, is from Glasgow, and Mary Byrne, 50, is from Dublin
Justin Vanderhyde, 30, from Holland, and John Adeleye, 29, from London
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DR Congo gets high-tech voting machines for long-delayed polls
Published: 14:08 EDT, 9 January 2018 | Updated: 14:08 EDT, 9 January 2018
President of the Commission Electorale Nationale Independante, Corneille Nangaa, pictured in 2017, said new voting machines would cut election costs
DR Congo's electoral body trumpeted on Tuesday the arrival of the first voting machines from South Korea for long-delayed elections that the government has pledged to hold in December.
The vote is supposed to bring about the belated departure of President Joseph Kabila, in power since 2001, who was supposed to step down last year but postponed the polls.
But it remains unclear if the 45 million Congolese voters who registered in 2017 will finally get to choose a new president, deputies and elected representatives in the vote set for December 23, 2018.
"The first lot of eight voting machines were received today for the purpose of civic and electoral education of the Congolese," said the National Electoral Commission (CENI), adding that the devices would help reduce election fraud.
The machines "offer a lot of advantages, notably a reduction in the time it takes to vote and the waiting period for the results and they also reduce electoral fraud and cut election costs," the body said.
The CENI head Corneille Nangaa told AFP each machine would be able to handle up to 700 voters, adding that the country would need at least 60,000 such machines.
The machine will let the voter choose a candidate and then print out the ballot paper to be put in, CENI said.
The Democratic Republic of Congo opposition fiercely opposed these machines during heated parliamentary debates in December on the grounds that they would pave the way for fraud.
Tensions have been mounting after Kabila's refusal to step down at the scheduled time last year and his government's brutal repression of protests that have sparked concern from the UN and several nations.
DR Congo gets high-tech voting machines for...
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Approximately 150 homes in the Prairies at Wright Field housing area were damaged, some significantly, during the storm that passed through the Dayton area late on May 27. (U.S. Air Force photo/Wes Farnsworth)
Around 150 homes in Wright-Patterson housing damaged
Max Filby, Staff Writer
Some homes were significantly damaged in the Prairies of Wright Field, a community that primarily houses military personnel who work at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Around 150 homes were damaged in the Prairies neighborhood, including fallen tree limbs and roofing torn from buildings, photos released by Wright-Patt show. One person was injured, according to the base.
Photo: Staff Writer
The Prairies housing area is also under a boil advisory issued to all customers in Dayton and Montgomery County, according to a tweet from Wright-Patt’s official Twitter account. The Prairies neighborhood is located off of the base.
» RELATED: Once erased from the map, 150-year-old Dayton VA tunnel could be reopened
Base emergency crews will continue damage assessments throughout the day, according to the base.
At this point, most of the damage appears to be confined to the Prairies neighborhood, said Wright-Patt spokesman Daryl Mayer. Damage to facilities at Area A and Area B appears to be minimal at this time and the base is open today for normal duty operations, according to a press release.
Any personnel impacted by the storm who unable to report for duty are asked to contact their supervisor, first sergeant or commander. Personnel who live in base housing and sustained personal property damage as a result of the storm may be able to file a claim with the Air Force after first filing a claim with renters or vehicle insurance, according to the base.
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• Payroll Project: See how much Wright State’s top paid employees make
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Sky7 captures video of damage across Harrison Twp.
Tornado debris: How will it be collected in Montgomery County?
Chris Stewart, Staff Writer
Montgomery County residents can start placing yard waste at their curb while local officials continue to figure out how to remove other debris including building material, furniture and appliances ruined in Monday’s devastating tornadoes.
Montgomery County officials had multiple meetings Wednesday and will meet with local jurisdictions today to develop a comprehensive debris removal plan. The county will announce details once they are solidified, likely by the weekend, said Brianna Wooten, Montgomery County’s communications director.
UPDATE: 11 tornadoes now confirmed to have touched down Memorial Day
When phone service was restored to the Harrison Twp. Government Center on Wednesday, the calls poured in with one question: What to do with the tree limbs and building material littering entire neighborhoods?
“If you put your (natural) debris out to the curb, not on the street, we will get it,” said Kris McClintick, Harrison Twp. administrator. “We can’t tell you when we’ll be able to do that, but we’re going to get it for you.”
A three-phase debris management plan is being coordinated through the Montgomery County Solid Waste District, Wooten said.
In the meantime, the county is offering free yard waste drop-off for residents and charging $36 a ton for contractors hauling yard waste to the Solid Waste District, 1001 Encrete Lane in Moraine.
UPDATE: Over 200 storm-related injuries reported; CO poisoning, damage cleanup blamed for increase
The first phase of the plan will be getting debris to the curb. Residents can do it now, but Wooten said volunteers and organizations might have a role as the plan is firmed up.
“We are trying to partner with people to coordinate that,” she said. “It is in the very early stages, but we are working on it.”
Safety is the first priority when moving debris, Wooten said.
Montgomery County communities with extensive damage include Brookville, Butler Twp., Dayton, Harrison Twp., Riverside and Vandalia.
MORE: Water service in Dayton, Montgomery County being restored, boil advisory remains
Moving material from curbs to the county’s waste transfer station will be the second phase, followed in the last stage by getting material to the landfill. Both are expected to be conducted by the county. The process is expected to last up to five weeks, Wooten said.
“This will definitely test their operations,” she said. “We’re going to have to be a more 24/7 operation for the foreseeable future.”
Debris disposal in Beavercreek
Beavercreek residents can take natural debris such as yard waste including tree limbs free of charge to the Greene County Environmental Services Recycling Complex at 2145 Greene Way Blvd., Xenia, Ohio.
PHOTOS: New look at tornado destruction in Beavercreek, Trotwood
Beavercreek will collect yard debris from the affected areas in and around Kemp and Grange Hall roads within the next few weeks, according to the city. The city will collect natural storm debris left at the curb off the traveled portion of roads. Branches and other debris should be cut down to six-foot lengths. Residents are asked not to use plastic trash bags, nor include construction debris such as shingles and windows.
For a fee, Beavercreek residents can take construction and demolition debris to Xenia Demolition and Landfill at 588 Dayton-Xenia Road in Xenia. The landfill will not take household goods or items such as clothing, mattresses, stuffed furniture and appliances. The fee is based on cubic yards and begins at $20.80, roughly a small pickup load.
Owner’s responsibility
Some people — especially in the Northridge area of Harrison Twp. — don’t have space on the curb for the amount of debris, McClintick said.
“It’s so densely populated and the lots are so small,” he said. “It’s old trees. If you had a half acre lot and you had some trees down, you would have room on your front yard. They don’t have any room there.”
MORE: Want to help? Here’s where to donate goods
The township is working to set up drop off points where Northridge residents also can take yard debris before township or county crews make it to their streets. One is available now at the dead end of Ontario Drive.
But local governments won’t be cutting up downed trees on private property, McClintick said.
“That’s up to the property owners to work with their insurance or whatever they need to do with that,” he said.
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“I Love It When Men Talk About Pork.” COMICS! Sometimes You Just Got To Keep On Killin' 'Em All 'Til All The Killin' Is Done!
June 02, 2017 / John Kane
In which I look at some PunisherMAX comics. But not the PunisherMAX comics everyone likes. That would be too easy. No, these are the other PunisherMAX comics. The PunisherMAX comics no one ever mentions. The PunisherMAXes Garth Ennis didn’t write. Those PunisherMax comics. PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX by Parlov, Gischler, Loughridge & Petit
Anyway, this...
1) Half-Hearted Apologia:
So, yeah, I took a break which was fun. Except I have been following the news. We’ve got a General Election on, doncha know. Apparently The Tories are going to win despite the fact they make Norsefire look cuddly and their leader displays all the charm and humanity of Lady Darkseid; while their manifesto is centred around foxhunting and taking old people’s homes off them to sell to Lady Darkseid’s husband’s mates. Look I’m not saying the political class in this country are a shitshow but I’ve heard they are such a shitshow a bunch of shitshows are starting a Kickstarter to sue them for defamation of shitshows everywhere. They make shitshows look bad is what I’m saying. What I’m also saying is I’m a bit out of sorts and so for solace I turned to a big man with a gun shooting his problems in the face. Because I am civilized.
2) PunisherMAX: What Has Gone Before.
PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX by Parlov, Gischler, Loughridge & Petit
Despite sounding like an unwise purchase from a dispenser in a night club toilet PunisherMAX was a pretty good little run of comics. (The title of the comic varies for reasons known only to the minds at Marvel©™®, I've just left it as PunisherMAX because that joke wouldn't have worked.) Garth Ennis reined in his playground bully humour and delivered, via the art of many partners, a masterpiece of incrementally increasing horror. Starting off unpromisingly with brayingly unfunny crap like testicles in a paper cup, the series quickly transcended the oafish drollery of Marvel Knights Punisher by presenting essentially the same story but, and it really worked this, each time everything was that bit more appalling, until it all ended in a future so post apocalyptically awful that only the magnificent Richard Corben could do it justice. His story having being told Ennis jumped ship. Which is uncharacteristically wise behaviour from a comics writer, it must be said. But Marvel©™® weren’t giving up a critically lauded cash-cow that easily. So the book limped on under a number of writers. That’s ungenerous of me. While these issues pale in comparison to Ennis & pals’ nightmarish epic, well, so do most comics. Taken as their own thing these issues of PunisherMAX are pretty entertaining Thug With A Gun stuff.
3) It’s Not Sordid, Ma! It’s Purgative!
There’s not really much point gussying it up, The Punisher isn’t literature, was never meant to be literature and is highly unlikely to ever be literature. The whole ethos embodied by The Punisher comes from a bad place. And I don’t mean Brooklyn. Wacka wacka wacka! The Punisher comes from that subterranean pit of the male psyche that wants violence to solve everything, and to be the biggest dick in a world of big dicks. The Punisher is the poster boy for the inadequate revenge fantasy in all of us. Even those who aren’t white or male. We’ve all been hurt and felt the lesser for it, and we’ve all wanted to fuck that fuck’s shit right the fuck up. But most of us don’t. Because we can’t. But Frank can. In these issues Frank faces off drug traffickers, monied sociopaths and inbred hicks. And he fucks aaaaaaall their shit up. Of course two seconds later the vacuum left by these corpses is filled by other drug traffickers, monied sociopaths and inbred hicks. Frank forever crops the Weed of Evil but he never pulls out the roots. Because that’s complex stuff, the kind of stuff that requires social funding, education, rehabilitation programmes, investment in social infrastructure and a genuine push to eradicate the inherent inequality of a social system which rewards the few at the cost of the many. That’s not really Frank’s bag. He does do as much good as a nutter with a gun can, though. Fair’s fair.
4) The Men Who Aren’t Garth Ennis.
PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX by Lacombe, Swierczynski, Staples & Petit
It’s an interesting roster of writers too; all taken from the Crime section of the library. No strangers to chewy macho action these guys. Obviously I’ve not read them, because that would require some degree of professionalism, but I did look at the titles they have penned. Greg Hurwitz has The Kill Clause, Troubleshooter, Bullet Fucker, etc; Victor Gischler has Shotgun Opera, Gun Monkeys, Kalashnikov Suppository, etc; and Duane Swierczynski has Revolver, The Wheelman, Vegan Cooking For Busy Moms, etc etc. All burly, well-ripped titles which suggest that though they may sit behind desks these guys could crack concrete blocks with their cocks. It looks like these guys are the guys (and they are guys) who write the sweaty meats in the carvery of literature. The kind of thing where some dude (and it is usually a dude) with a harrowing past still somehow manages to be superhumanly capable in the violence stakes when push comes to shove. And push is forever coming to shove. The kind of stuff mechanics would have had rolled up in their oil stained back pockets in gas stations all across the American Past. In the American Present they are read by men who know what a latte is, and think a harrowing past is that time the wifi acted up and they couldn’t smoothly stream that episode of Veronica Mars involving the cupcake and the chimp. Times change but men don’t, is what I’m getting at there. Men will always want to be able to punch through someone’s skull so hard they wear the luckless chump’s face like a glove. And to be right in doing so. All men. Rabbis and Social Workers too. Particularly Rabbis and social workers. Especially Rabbis and Social Workers. I don’t mean to be a misogynist prick but I imagine women are different to men in this respect. Maybe not, I’m not willing to speculate. But men? I know whereof I speak. And being a man I am not immune to the sweaty charms of these comics .
5) At Long Goddamned Last The Actual Comics (Cue Fanfare!):
GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES PUNISHER (AKA PUNISHERMAX) #61-65 Art by Laurence Campbell Written by Greg Hurwitz Coloured by Lee Loughridge Lettered by VC's Cory Pettit Covers by Dave Johnson The Punisher created by John Romita Snr, Ross Andru & Gerry Conway Marvel©™®, $ 2.99 (2008)
First up we have ‘Girls in White Dresses’ which is one of those festivals of testosterone where a poor Mexican town has to get some violent gringos in to sort out their problems. This kill riff goes back at least to The Magnificent Seven (1960), maybe further. (I don’t really have time to look into the tenacity of the “America as Saviour of Mexico” genre. But I do know it was done best in The Three Amigos (1986)) In this case of course the Mexican town in question requires the help of a singular gringo, Frank Castle. Frank doesn’t need six companions, because friends are for the weak. More like the Feeble Seven, eh Frank? Frank Castle just needs to know two things: where the bad guys are and what’s the name for that depression between your nose and top lip. Keeps him awake at nights that does. That and the memory of his dead wife and kids. (It’s the philtrum, Frank. Sleep that bit easier now, old warrior.)
PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX by Campbell, Hurwitz, Loughridge & Petit
It’s full of the usual butch silliness right from the start, like the way Frank spots his tail because he is wearing a big cowboy hat. (So if you ever do tail a psychotic ex-‘Nam mass murderer, a big cowboy hat might not be the best headgear to go with. Every day is a school day.) Also nice was the way Frank reins himself in from killing the tail because under the hat is an old man. Old men are of course completely harmless. I guess Hurwitz has never seen The Wild Bunch (1969), Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) or ever been in the vicinity of Pappy Kane when he’s that way out. It’s good that Frank stays his hand because then el anciano is able to petition him for aid and thus the comic doesn’t end suddenly. For as is traditional in the America-Helps-the-Mexicans genre the village has scraped together less than you spent on an iPad to sweeten the pot; those poor backward fools never realise that Americans will help Mexico because Americans are Awesome, rather than for the paltry financial reward on offer. After all America is Mexico’s friend; well, except for that time it just up and stole Texas, and that whole Wall business and the way it is constantly interfering with “observers”, and the way it never actually helps in any constructive way whatsoever…other than that though, America wuvs Mexico so very, very much. Unmoved by the financial lure Frank says no, because it’d spoil the suspense for when he appears later to help them despite having said no. Because I know I for one was honestly expecting the next three issue to show the drug traffickers riding roughshod over the community with the odd cutaway to Frank shining his shoes or searching NETflix for something to watch (Housebound (2014) is fun, Frank) or rollerblading in denim cut-offs. Whatever took his fancy really.
So Frank turns up and kills everyone who is bad. THE END.
Okay there’s a bit more to it than that. Hurwitz takes a thoroughly well-worn set up and chucks in some grisly bits to give it some oomph. Among the gruesome touches on show are the fact that the women kidnaped by the drug traffickers are being returned stitched up like knock off teddies, Frank has to dig up a kid’s corpse and then dig a bullet out of said dead kid (which was particularly nice) and there’s a simply darling bit of business involving a pet shark. (Yes, a pet shark.) Unfortunately all that good work is slightly undermined by a few tricks nicked from substandard action flicks. It’s possible that on screen Frank’s charge through multiple sheets of drug glazing would work, but on the page it’s a bit listless. (But Campbell nearly makes it work visually, to be fair) And you’d have to be fourteen and merry on cheap cider to take the old throw-a-roll-of-coins-at-the-crane’s-controls-to-drop-a-heavy-thing-on-the-bad-guys bit seriously. It’s a bit too sub-Seagal to play is that part. However, there’s been some research done; or at least I think there has, I’m not going to check but apparently cat litter is used in the production of narcotics (and also for cats to do their cat business in, if the bad guys have an actual cat) and manufacturing narcotics is bad on your eyes and lungs. (Seriously the working conditions are appalling, someone should make it illegal.)
Oh, and in a weird sop to normal Punisher continuity it turns out that the Big Bad is Jigsaw. Jigsaw is Frank’s only(?) recurring villain because Frank is tough on his villains. I find Jigsaw a bit dull, personally. Jigsaw’s big thing is Frank fucked his face up. Other than that he’s just a bad man. Bit of a nutter to boot (i.e. his Jigsaw has some pieces missing!) This being MAX Jigster’s also a bit rapey, but mainly he’s just a “bad hombre” as your PoTUS might have it. There’s a lot of build up as to who the Big Bad will be and the payoff is dependent on visual punch, which is unfortunate as Campbell’s splash page reveal is of a man leaning over a desk with what looks like a sooty face. I thought it was maybe a new villain, “Sooty Face”, but no they were scars and it was just Jigsaw. Which is a problem with Campbell’s approach to art. Drawing over photo reference is all special and modern and that, but scars deform the surface of the skin around them; they aren’t just straight lines laid over a face. You can get away with drawing straight lines on a face if you are drawing everything from the ground up, because everything is obeying the same inherent visual laws, but just scribbling on someone’s face makes it look like someone has a face that’s been scribbled on, like they fell asleep during a frat party or something. But Campbell does do pretty well overall, even though his approach is not my favourite technique. He certainly knows how to balance his panels, which is super-important if you’re going to rely on the landscape format (see also: Goran Parlov). There’s some nice stuff going on, and the page where Frank is hidden in the patterns of a bush like a malevolent optical illusion is pretty great. And even a colour dunce like myself can tell that Loughridge knows when and how to make things pop. Both here and in Welcome To The Bayou Loughridge artfully displays the blunt impact of the solid red backround beautifully. Girls In White Dresses is GOOD! But really, for the price of the TPB you could probably pick up Don Winslow’s Power of The Dog and The Cartel, which together do the whole America/Mexico drug thing but with the sweep of Ellroy’s American Tabloid while also managing to mix in some historical veracity along with the pantomime machismo.
SIX HOURS TO KILL PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX (AKA PUNISHER AKA PUNISHERMAX) #66-70 Art by Michel Lacombe Written by Duane Swierczynski Coloured by Val Staples Lettered by VC's Cory Pettit Covers by Dave Johnson The Punisher created by John Romita Snr, Ross Andru & Gerry Conway Marvel©™®, $3.99 (2009)
Here we have Frank plugged into the Race Against Time trope. Children will be familiar with this from the timeless Crank sequence of movies (Crank (2006), Crank 2: Crankier (2009) and Crank 3: Crankiest (in production)), adults will know it from Speed (1994) and Speed 2: Cruise Liners Aren’t Very Fast (1997) and the elderly will, after much prompting, recall DOA (1950; remade 1988). I Imagine it was meant to be a very cinematic outing this one, but as is usual with such comics it just made me want to go on an outing to the cinema. I guess Swierczynski panicked a bit because it’s far too overstuffed for the simple premise. And such premises thrive on simplicity. Consequently what should zip swiftly along kind of lumbers stolidly towards a not entirely convincing denouement. (I have always wanted to use the word “denouement”; I can die happy now.)
A quick peek behind The Wizard’s Curtain: I don’t tend to write these things with the actual comics to hand; I have to snatch time where and when I can and smoosh it all together later, hoping I pick up on repetitions and inaccuracies. And to be quite frank (hohoho) I’m struggling to remember the intricacies of this particular plot. Start the clock and let's go: There’s a mayor whose future is threatened because his cousin in law has been running a kids home as a paedo pick’n’mix (and this shows how long ago this comic was written; today politicians can set kids on fire in full public view and then mount the still twitching corpse and people will just shrug and say, yeah, but, immigrants, yeah but, dole scroungers, yeah but, my house isn’t on fire, yeah, but Gogglebox is on, yeah? Remember when politicians used to resign? When was the last time a politician resigned? About an hour ago should be the right answer, but it isn’t. Whatever happened to accountability? Oh, John! You’re such an old-fashioned chap! Get on your penny farthing, granddad, and fuck off back to the past!) Er, so some rich dude who is in the mayor’s pocket (or who has the mayor in his pocket) decides to off the mayor to avoid being torpedoed with him, and he chooses to use Frank Castle, so that no one else gets covered in shit when the mayor goes down.
So there’s this rich dude, his sex addled sister, a brain wrecked ‘Nam vet cum-politico and a techy geek who injects Frank with a drug which will kill him in six hours - unless he offs the mayor there’s no antidote for Frank. Then, amusingly, Frank immediately goes off message and tries to maximise his kills given his time limit and the amount of ground he can cover in that time. That was genuinely pretty funny and really caught the monomania of the character. Almost funny enough in fact to distract from the fact that if they’d just let Frank know the mayor was up to his nuts in kiddie fiddling then Frank would have given them a freebie, you know, without all the magic drug farting about. Anyway, then there are these ex-cops who pretend to be real cops so they can off Frank (because Frank doesn’t kill cops) but Frank senses they are not real cops, but, wait, there are also real cops after Frank, and so Frank has to stop these cops dying when they get caught in the crossfire with the fake cops or it might be some angry gangbangers. I can’t really remember, but there were...shriners? And maybe some put-out girl scouts, and maybe some Japanese soldiers who had been hiding in a hot dog stand in Times Square unaware the war had ended? It’s all gets a bit silly. Yeah, I know it's The Punisher, but there's silly and then there's just silly. And this ends up just silly. Just that bit too goofy for me, I guess. Lacombe does well though, given the overly large cast there's a total lack of confusion, and he handles the set pieces well; they have a real sense of space and an admirable clarity of staging. The only real clanger is when people have multiple facial contusions it looks more like they are sporting a tasty crop of boils. It's a pretty good art job though, not unreminiscent of Cannon and Ha's work on Alan Moore's Top Ten. But, you know, with a shit ton more violence and implied fellatio. Aw, it was OKAY!
WELCOME TO THE BAYOU PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX (AKA PUNISHER AKA PUNISHERMAX) #71-74 Art by Goran Parlov Written by Victor Gischler Coloured by Lee Loughridge Lettered by VC's Cory Pettit Covers by Dave Johnson The Punisher created by John Romita Snr, Ross Andru & Gerry Conway Marvel©™®, $3.99 each (2009)
This one is just junk. Unapologetic trash. Just...trash. It’s great. Basically, and I do mean basically, it involves Frank wandering into a ridiculous Frankensteinian patchwork of grindhouse horror movies. There’s a bunch of spring breakers who make a fateful pit stop , a cannibalistic family , a giant gator, a deformed nutter in bib overalls with a sack on his head, bbq cannibalism and probably a whole bunch more of such sophisticated cinematic concoctions I failed to pick up on. It’s not exactly spiritually enriching stuff. In short it’s trash as I said above. Crucially, though, it’s well done trash. Sure there’s much flagrant mugging of other people’s ideas, but it’s so blatant it’s kind of disarming, and they reconfigure everything into at least a semblance of freshness: things take a neat early twist with Frank outclassing his congenitally evil enemies to the extent that expectations become upended, and he seems the monster and they the prey. But sure as eggs is eggs genre will out, and it quickly reverts back to factory settings. It’s brutal, tasteless stuff with a light comedy glazing, all given the appropriate tone of flip goonery by Parlov’s sure handed blend of ludicrousness and realism. Frank himself looks more like a raybanned update of Carl Critchlow’s Thrud The Barbarian than anything that ever drew breath in reality. And the way Parlov controls the pacing and flawlessly connects with the jump scares is evidence of genius at play on the page. Sure, the outcome of the story might never be in doubt, but Parlov & Gischler consistently give your expectations a good hard Glasgae kiss. Ayup, Frank sure has to jump through some (Tobe) hoop(er)s in this one. Welcome To The Bayou knows what it is and runs headlong with it into a secluded thicket of VERY GOOD!
Weirdly, despite its obvious borrowings the only movie anyone mentions in the story is Deliverance, which is aiming a bit high since that was written by the poet James Dickey and not, say, Ray Garton. Mind you, despite Deliverance being written by the 18th United States poet Laureate, most people do tend to remember it as just a classy survivalist flick. That’s folk for ya. What a lot of people who’ve seen Deliverance don’t know is that Dickey saw active service in both WW2 and the Korean “Police Action”. Maybe the nascent poet, awaiting his next nightfighter mission, propped his ass on a crate and uncurled a battered paperback of Punisher-esque he-man nonsense. I like to think so, and I'm sure the current purveyors of he-man nonsense considered above would echo that sentiment.
6) Concluding Remarks:
In the future no matter how advanced we as a species become somewhere there will be a man scratching his ass and smelling his fingers. And there's probably some value in that.
NEXT TIME: Will it be a message from a freshly birthed Socialist Utopia or the same quasi-fascist and morally diseased Selfish State? Either way it'll involve - COMICS!!!
June 02, 2017 / John Kane/ 6 Comments
Duane Swierczynski, Goran Parlov, Greg Hurwitz, John K (UK), Laurence Campbell, Lee Loughridge, Michel Lacombe, Punisher Frank Castle Max, Punishermax, The 2000s, The Punisher, Victor Gischler
“They Could Be A Crosstown Bus, A Croissant Or A Crossdresser By Now…” COMICS! Sometimes You Should Have Put A Ring On It!
April 20, 2017 / John Kane
So I took a break and now I’m back! Like rickets! So here’s far more words than anyone sane would ever need to read about a two-issue comic Howard Victor Chaykin did in 2006. Because, that’s why. Just because. Also: because. Because. GUY GARDNER: COLLATERAL DAMAGE by Chaykin, Madsen & Balsman
GUY GARDNER: COLLATERAL DAMAGE #1-2 Art by Howard Victor Chaykin Written by Howard Victor Chaykin Coloured by Michelle Madsen Lettered by Phil Balsman DC Comics (2006) Green Lantern created by Gil Kane, John Broome, Bill Finger, Martin Nodell and Gardner Fox Guy Gardner created by Gil Kane, John Broome G’Nort created by Keith Giffen & J. M. deMatteis
“Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage” is part of the second of Mount (as in “Mountain”; it’s not an instruction) Chaykin’s twin creative peaks. The first peak, as any fule kno, was in the ‘80s when Howard Victor Chaykin stopped putzing about and found his suave groove. In this period, covering “American Flagg!” thru to “Black Kiss”, Chaykin was amazing. The second, less trumpeted, peak occurred in the ‘00s and marked Howard Victor Chaykin’s full-time return to comics after toiling in the soulless arena of Television for much of the ‘90s. What he did in Television was make money, any more detail and you’ll need someone who gives a shit about Television. A comic writer with an Image book, say. Me, I think a talking car was involved and some Marvel show about mutants; I’m already falling asleep, zzzzzzz. Anyway, everyone needs money so whatever and well done to him. Howard Victor Chaykin burst back onto the comics scene with “Mighty Love”, and followed it with a fiesta of fun concepts, nut-tight art, smart scripting and…no one gave much of a shit, to be honest. Which is a stain on Comics’ collective Report Card. (Also, Comics must try harder in gym and stop being so easily distracted, there are no jobs out there for class clowns.) Luckily I am here to heroically, singlehandedly and, above all, modestly rescue Howard Victor Chaykin’s ‘00s output from the ignominy of thoughtless neglect. I picked “Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage” because as we’ll see it is an unlikely place (a continuity burdened Event tie-in) for his characteristic strengths to find purchase. But, like Nature, Howard Victor Chaykin finds a way. Also I’d just bought it on The ‘Ology.
GUY GARDNER: COLLATERAL DAMAGE by Chaykin, Madsen & Balsman
Yes! This aptly named series originally appeared in 2006 as two “prestige” format comics and is now available in 2017 digitally (and, crucially, cheaper) on the ‘Ology. This means I can write about it without breaking the spines of my originals while scanning them. (Such are the trials which mar my life!) The book lived up to its title (“Collateral Damage”, see) by being barely noticed on publication due to most eyes being filled to the brim by the rest of the “Infinite Crisis” lardfest, of which this was but one small part. In the same way that “House of M” (2005) sounded the death knell for my interest in Marvel’s output, “Infinite Crisis” would place the pillow over the face of my interest in DC and begin to apply pressure. Lest we forget, because after all it was 11 years ago now, “Infinite Crisis” was the core series in which Geoff Johns wrote a load of typically mawkish continuity-chuff drizzled in saucy gore, and peppered with his childish resentment at internet commentators; all in an attempt to hornswoggle the audience into believing something of merit and depth had occurred. (It hadn’t.) Worse, there were ancillary mini-series like “The Rann-Thanagar War”, which, while decently written, was a waste of the unique talents of Dave Gibbons. Getting Dave Gibbons to write corporately mandated tie-ins to short-term sales bloating events is a bit like getting Isambard Kingdom Brunel in to unblock your sink because the boss is coming round for dinner. It’s unseemly, and speaks to a total lack of appreciation of his gift. Which is the ability to draw real well, DC Comics. I thought I should spell that out for you; although I guess for DC the real gift of Dave Gibbons is his ability to maintain a dignified silence while they fart once more into the face of “Watchmen”’s corpse. Although there is a certain grim irony in the fact that DC’s latest attempt to reduce one of the (very few) decent cape comics into something they can eventually team-up with Scooby fucking Doo starts with Batman finding a “Watchmen” promotional button in his cave. After all DC’s underhand antics with promotional badges are what started the whole sorry “Let’s All Hunt And Kill Alan Moore” shitshow off aren’t they? (Yes.)
But this isn’t about that, this is about a Howard Victor Chaykin comic which was secreted somewhere within muddled parpstorm of a terrible Event. An Event so larded in extraneous chaff that I’ve hardly even begun to scratch the surface. I can’t even be arsed to look it up, so demoralising is the memory of all that Trex, so I may have a few facts wrong when I say there was also “The OMAC Project” which involved Greg Rucka, so it was probably a bit like drowsing while watching a TV show about a strong! independent! female! written with all the élan and excitement of a spreadsheet macro; “Villains United” which tried to make Catman a sexy badass, so enough said there, and a series about the return of Donna Troy (imaginatively and thrillingly entitled “The Return of Donna Troy”) which I imagine no one read, since no one shares DC’s insane belief in the character of Donna Troy. Although it is sobering to note that they have treated Donna Troy, a fictional character, with more love and respect than they have treated Alan Moore, a real human being. Maybe Alan Moore should start wearing a tight cat suit with little stars on it; it wouldn’t change anything but I think the world would be fundamentally a far sexier place. He could maybe jump around a bit and giggle for Peak Sexy. Uh, anyway, Donna Troy, I don’t know; that probably went about as well as expected, I think they found her weeing in a grate outside IKEA while singing showtunes. I could be wrong. Oh, and then all the regular DC series had a tie-in of some description, that description probably involving the terms “irritating”, “disruptive” and “unwelcome”. Best of all (i.e. worst of all) every title then zipped forward 12 months and the series created specifically to fill in this blank, “52”, didn’t. But everyone writing it had fun and readers did get to see small child torn to pieces by a talking crocodile, which is worth more than rubies to Geoff Johns. In essence the “Infinite Crisis” Event turned out as well as any Event could which starts off with the chirpy schmuck Blue Beetle’s brains being blown out. Fucking grown up stuff, that. If I have made any errors in that brief rundown I want to assure you now that I don’t care. Not a jot. What is undeniable is that the only worthwhile reason to brave this blizzard of inconsequential pablum was Howard Victor Chaykin; who, working diligently away in a neglected corner of the DC Universe, produced another Howard Victor Chaykin comic.
Given the nature of the Event beast Howard Victor Chaykin must here sup from the cup of continuity somewhat deeper than is his wont, yet Chaykin still ably finagles his way into writing what he’d rather be writing about: a horny jackass accidentally doing the right thing for all the wrong reasons. First though he has to pay lip service to the corporate tie-in friendly setup, which is that G’Nort (AKA G'nort Esplanade G'neesmacher the canine looking alien Green Lantern) is looking for an independent entity to broker peace between Rann (the planet of boffins Adam Strange knocks about with) and Thanagar (the planet of winged fascists like that Hawkman). Caught between these two cheeks of the same warmongering arse G’Nort’s home planet has fared poorly. What with his family having being offed the usually played for laffs character is thus portrayed as a bitter champion of peace. An upright talking dog with a magic wishing ring rancorously lamenting its slaughtered family is a pretty good joke about “gritty” superheroes, I think. So, back at the point: G’Nort chooses Guy Gardner, who is the “edgy Green Lantern”. Since the only Green Lantern I have any familiarity with is Hal Jordan, in comparison to whom even I appear “edgy”, I don’t really know how “edgy” Guy Gardner is usually. I’m not really interested either. Here Howard Victor Chaykin writes Guy Gardner as “Howard Victor Chaykin” (Legal Note i.e. not really Howard Victor Chaykin but the cartoonish exaggeration he uses as his default protagonist. Hence the rabbit’s ears round his name.) Or “Howard Victor Chaykin” if he owned his own bar (namely Warriors: “…the finest meat rack the world’s ever seen”) and had a magic wishing ring. It goes without saying that this is the single best set up for a series ever, ever, ever and the very real tragedy is we only have two issues. To recap for Green Lantern newbs: If you stick your finger in Guy Gardner’s ring and make a wish, that wish briefly becomes a physical, but green, reality. But should you stick your finger in Howard Victor Chaykin’s ring and make a wish you end up with a few less teeth and a restraining order. A little lesson in the difference between fantasy and reality there, kids. So, yeah, since there’s a six-issue mini-series occurring somewhere beyond these pages about the Rann-Thanagar War the whole peace process business is a bit of a McGuffin. Okay, a lot of a McGuffin. Everyone gathers in Guy’s bar and then the Tormocks burst in and wreck it and the comic forgets what it was supposed to be about while Guy goes and finishes off the Tormocks. The Tormocks having just finished off the Vuldarian race. I just looked on Wikipedia and, oh wow, it turns out Guy Gardner is the first successful example of the merging of Vuldarian (the Tormock’s hated enemies) and human DNA. Guy was also born in Baltimore, Maryland. There are people out there who know all that but don’t know who their MP is. Think about that for a minute. This comic is a lot of fun but not quite as much fun as imagining Howard Victor Chaykin’s face as he read Guy Gardner’s backstory. Bojemoi!
Given his oft expressed preference for comics’ form over comics’ content I was amazed that Chaykin had immersed himself in Guy Gardner’s typically ridiculous (not a criticism) continuity to the extent he had, but it’s all part of Chaykin’s sleight of hand as he refocuses the tie-in not too subtly onto his pet concerns. Basically the Tormocks allow him to provide his arrogant schmuck of a protagonist with the usual “moral cripple” opposition. Since Guy Gardner is the “hero” it’s important he come into conflict with someone demonstrably worse. Which is kind of tough because Gardner is a leering oaf, a blunt concoction of braggadocio, poor impulse control and genitally driven self-interest. And he also has the worst haircut in comics. The guy’s a walking pile of soiled jock straps with all the self-awareness of a stump. Much of the comedy comes from Chaykin nakedly embracing Guy’s faults, with only Guy’s wishing ring’s sardonic commentary, acting as a kind of unheeded conscience, as a balm to the buffoonish sexism on display. I kid you not when I say there are no less than three panels in which Gardner is clearly ogling a boob while talking to its owner, and his interest in heroism is a poor second to his interest in troilism. Even back when it was just called dickheadedness Chaykin showed a concern with toxic masculinity, a concern which persists in his work. Because he doesn’t actively undermine it to the extent people expect someone to I think he gets a raw deal, and people interpret his depiction as an endorsement. (Also it’s easier to dismiss him that way.) Chaykin’s mature (i.e. Flagg! onwards) work is festooned with protagonists hampered by their toxic masculinity. Usually violent, sexually aggressive and emotionally restricted many of Chaykin’s male leads are walking (but charming) embodiments of toxic masculinity. But the stories they inhabit are often misinterpreted as celebrating this, because Chaykin doesn’t tut and shake his head enough to sate political correctness. Yet Chaykin’s usually kneecapping male bravado as thoroughly as a bolt gun. in “American Flagg!” our cocky protagonist is brought firmly down to earth, only prevailing through fear driven violence and ending a weeping wreck in the arms of a woman despite all the swagger of preceding issues. “Midnight Men” is as much about a man breaking out of the emotional inertia of maleness so he can finally mourn his father, as it is about the joys of punching assholes in the face. Blackhawk doesn’t win by fighting, he wins by thinking. Cass Pollack in “Black Kiss” is thoroughly punished, emasculated even, for his moral feebleness. And Guy Gardner, well, Guy Gardner is just an unrepentant prick. And remains so. Which is fine, but it makes it hard to root for him. Hence the Tormocks. This bunch of charmers are basically engaged in ethnic cleansing on a universal scale, and not only kill people but turn them into a kind of paste and then get schwifty while rolling about in it. So, yeah, as unrepentant as he may be Guy Gardner doesn’t look too bad in comparison. I’ll take toxic males over space Nazis anyoldday.
Visually, Chaykin returned from Television with a new lucidity and boldness which the pages of “Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage” testify loudly to. His figures are big and his layouts regimented. It’s easy to rip the piss out of the predictability of his layouts, with their strict regime of vertical or horizontal panels interrupted by insets, but it works because his aim is clarity, not pizzazz. Sometimes his aim’s off though. No, it’s not all unrestrained gushing from my end (ooer!), Chaykin’s pages definitely work best on the horizontal pattern; the vertical doesn’t give him enough space to stage action, which he forgets sometimes. Confusion ensues. (A dependency on vertical panels would somewhat tarnish, and for some fatally undermine, the many other pleasures of the later “Century West” OGN) Mostly though it’s good lookin’ stuff! There’s a real bounce to it all, a real sense Chaykin’s having a good time. This pleasure is particularly evident in the glee with which he yanks back the clock on the sci-fi stuff. Chaykin’s space jalopies are fantastically old school, each a knowing throwback to the thrilling days of yesteryear. Specifically 1938-40, when Olympic swimmer Larry “Buster” Crabbe (1908-1983) was so virile he portrayed not just Flash Gordon but Buck Rogers to boot. With their rococo ornamentation and redundant aerodynamic tapering Chaykin’s ships just need a fire cracker stuck up the jacksie and to be hoisted aloft by wires moving in a circular but persistently vertical motion. (Also, I’m pretty sure one of the characters is using a hairdryer as a gun at one point.) This obvious affection for the outmoded, impractical but beautiful would find later and fuller expression in Chaykin’s “Buck Rogers” revamp. Here though it’s super heroes a-go-go and Chaykin goes appropriately brash and big with the figurework. Surely no heart can remain unmoved by the five (count them: five!) double page splashes which open the book in a suitably dynamic and sweeping style. Oh yeah, there’s also some debonair styling going on as Chaykin continues his wholly understandable love affair with the visual of a man in a nice suit. And woven in among it all are some sweet little touches of humour, such as the repeating GL symbol on Guy’s tie. It helps that the book’s coloured by Michelle Madsen, whose contribution to this ‘00s second peak period of Chaykin is considerable. Embracing lurid and fruity colours as befits such a lurid and fruity book, Madsen’s colouring here is delightfully essential rather than dutifully unobtrusive. The lettering is fine, but it’s not Ken Bruzenak. It’s fine though. But not Ken. Okay I’ve run out of time so “Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage” is undoubtedly a minor work by a major talent, but it’s still VERY GOOD! Let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power – COMICS!!!
April 20, 2017 / John Kane/ 7 Comments
DC Comics, Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage, Howard Victor Chaykin, Infinite Crisis, John K (UK), Michelle Madsen, The 2000s
"...Gimme A Circus Like This Anyday." COMICS! Sometimes We're In Like Flint!
March 29, 2017 / John Kane
There's a little bit of Dredd in this one, a smidgeon mayhap. However there is a whole lot of Carlos Ezquerra and he's really making his computer colouring work in this one. Some real freaky skyscapes going on in the background of these panels. If you're a Carlos Ezquerra fan you'll probably want to pick this one up. Oh, looks like I started the review early, better put the rest under the jump. See ya, wouldn't want to be ya! CURSED EARTH KOBURN by Carlos Ezquerra
Anyway, this…
THE JUDGE DREDD MEGA COLLECTION REVIEW INDEX
JUDGE DREDD: THE MEGA COLLECTION Vol. 67: CURSED EARTH KOBURN Art by Carlos Ezquerra Written by Gordon Rennie Lettered by Ellie DeVille and Annie Parkhouse Originally serialised in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 211-212, 221-223, 228, 239, 241-244, 314-318 & 361-364 © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2015 & 2016 Rebellion A/S Hatchette Partworks/Rebellion, £9.99 (2016) JUDGE DREDD created by Carlos Ezquerra & John Wagner
‘Cursed Earth Koburn’ mostly features the exploits of circuit-Judge Koburn, rounded out by a Dredd adventure featuring the vengeful El Maldito. Both Koburn and Maldito hark back down the ages to Battle Picture Weekly and the strips 'Major Eazy' and 'El Mestizo', both of which were created by Carlos Ezquerra and Alan Hebden. I’ve written some slapdash slop about 'Major Eazy' before HERE, but just to recap for those too busy to click on a link: Major Eazy was a laid-back one man attack, as anti-authoritarian as he was effective in taking the fight to the Nazis. And since he was very effective indeed he was very anti-authoritarian indeed, as many a weak chinned officer type found out to his stuttering chagrin. Like most of Battle’s characters he was a direct reaction against the bright eyed and bushy tailed Tommy pushing back the baddies for God, Queen and Country, always with that distinct sense of good sportsmanship which defines the British in their own minds but in no one else’s. In comparison Major Eazy would fuck you up, and fuck you up good and he’d do it quick and nasty too. Because in war you get the job done, you don’t stop and have tea and scones while you do it. Visually Eazy was modelled on David Niven, as any fool knows. No, it was the American actor James Coburn (1928-2002), an actor with an easy-going and thoroughly amiable but subtly malevolent, screen presence., Despite apparently being born with the teeth of a much larger man the ‘70s were good to James Coburn, indeed as they were to British comics, and so the latter plucked the former’s iconic image from Peckinpah’s Cross of Iron and plunked it in a strip for kids, probably about 50 seconds after Hebden and Ezquerra left the movie theatre, since both film and character appeared in 1976. Which is why Eazy wears a German cap, usually pulled down over his narrow, calculating slits for eyes. He also usually has a cheroot drooping from his slim lip because Coburn was a keen smoker both on screen and off.
CURSED EARTH KOBURN: KUSS HARD by Ezquerra, Rennie and Parkhouse
If you buy the Arrow blu-ray of 'Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia' not only will you have bought the greatest movie about Warren Oates and a head in a bag ever made, but you also get the documentary about Peckinpah, 'Man of Iron', in which Coburn probably appears, smoking. It’s highly likely because if you do buy that blu-ray (which I think you should. NOW!) you also get a disk with 10 hours (1!0! H!O!U!R!S!) of interviews, from which the contents of the doc are culled. I’m far too busy being a supercilious prick to have watched this yet, but I did treat myself to the first 30 mins or so, in which James Coburn appears, smoking. He is also, obviously, awesome. He is so awesome in fact that after a few seconds it’s like you’re sat opposite him while he suavely drawls about the past, smoking. So convivial is his company that at one point I almost tapped him for a smoke, then I remembered it was a recording, he’d been dead for 15 years and I no longer smoke. He’s a funny one because you always think he just showed up and did his stuff, but the interview reveals him as a proper artist with thoughts about his art and a real interest in the art of moviemaking. I mean, I never realised this, but James Coburn was second unit director on 'Convoy'. The last thing I ever envisaged James Coburn doing was sitting on a water tower waiting for instructions via walkie-talkie (like a mobile phone, kids) so he could film footage for one of Sam Peckinpah’s shittiest films. Man, the dude really dug Peckinpah. Oh, he also reveals what the ending to 'Cross of Iron' means, which is something I’ve been puzzling over for about four decades. (SPOILER: It’s hilarious, after all these years it turns out that the ending to 'Cross of Iron' means that Peckinpah set Coburn and Maximilian Schell loose on a set of exploding scrap until something happened. What happened was that Schell’s prop gun fell to bits in his hand and Coburn laughed his ass off in response. That’s it. Brilliant.) Basically James Coburn was awesome, and this was duly recognised by the Academy in 1998 with an Oscar® for his role in 'Affliction'. (Which is a great movie; one that should be on Blu-Ray, people!)
I don’t really know where I am now, uh, Major Eazy was based visually on James Coburn? Which is why Koburn is called Koburn. According to the interview with Rennie in the back of the book they tried lots of variations along the lines of “Eazy” but went with Koburn, which works. Turns out a fan suggested Ezquerra bring Eazy back, and that was Rennie’s impetus for introducing the basic character to the world of Dredd. The first strip “Sturm Und Dang” sets out the characters’ stall. Dredd is on a hotdog run with some cadets and picks up Koburn along the way. Koburn knows the territory because he’s a cursed Earth circuit-judge, a kind of itinerant sheriff with a given area to patrol. This set-up allows Rennie to play Koburn’s slackness off against Dredd’s rigidity, to effectively define how the character works. It’s a smart move. Key is the fact that both Dredd and Koburn get the job done. It’s no good being a laidback dude if you can’t snipe a guy’s eye out from two klicks at the drop of a hat. Koburn’s all pose but underneath his cool poise you just know he’s like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs (© Traditional). All Dredd can see is infractions of Dress code and lack of respect. But who ends up in a bath chair with a broken leg fighting a Panzer and who sashays his way through storms of bullets while barely breaking a sweat? That’s right. Oh, the panzer? Oh, yeah they are up against Comedy Nazis which isn’t ideal for me, because I’m not that into Comedy Nazis since that logically leads to Comical Concentration Camps and I have a hard time squaring that particular circle. And yet, I guess, yeah, it does acknowledge the roots of the character in a cheeky winkeyty-wink kind of a way, and no one gets hurt. Except the comical Nazis who get comically dead. Ezquerra is obviously having a whale of a time and gives The Cursed Earth his unique sheen of grubbiness while revisiting his war comic past, but with a quirky twist of Dredd. GOOD!
CURSED EARTH KOBURN: STURM UND DANG by Ezquerra, Rennie and Parkhouse
Next up is “Kuss Hard” in which Koburn gets a partner. Typically this is a female Judge, Judge Bonaventura, who is a bit more rules orientated than her shabby new partner, and so she’ll be getting a lesson in how things work in The Cursed Earth, dang straight! We get a bit of low-comedy where she walks in on Koburn being ridden by a Rubenesque whore and she’s all “Oh, my!” She’s a straight arrow, see. Did you get that? The mis-matched (sigh) pair set off on the trail of The Kuss Brothers who are suspected of Organ-Legging and are regulars on Koburn’s patch. To be honest Rennie seems to get distracted early on in this one and it all just sort of happens without any weight to anything. There’s a weird bit where Koburn visits the Brothers’ mom at the unsavoury jail she runs. When she’s less than forthcoming Koburn releases all the inmates and it’s like Rennie forgot Koburn was a Judge or something. He’s not some wandering vagabond laying down the law in his own special way; he’s a Judge! Even better (i.e. worse) their mom’s totally superfluous to proceedings, and it all ends, as it should have done a lot earlier, in a fight in a meat packing factory. It’s all a bit uninspired and flabby, which is unfortunate so early in the character’s run. But it does introduce Bonaventura for Koburn to play off, and old fogies will realise belatedly that she’s just a sex-swapped update of Sgt Daly, Major Eazy’s long-suffering subordinate. (Later I think Eazy acquired an Arab chap who liked cutting Nazi throats, but there are probably some things we should leave to the ‘70s. Despite what UKIP think.) OKAY!
CURSED EARTH KOBURN: BURIAL PARTY by Ezquerra, Rennie and Parkhouse
“Burial Party” is up next, where Rennie widens the cast of the series to include Koburn’s fellow circuit-Judges, all of whom are either scarred or a bit nuts as befits the harshness of their lives. It’s a nice piece with drunken silliness giving way to sober reflection on occasion, as everyone drinks around the corpse of a fallen Judge, a blatant reminder of how they’ll all end up. Despite being mostly set in one room with a fixed cast all wearing very similar clothes, Ezquerra’s art is so good at making even the mundane visually interesting with his bold feathering and attention to grimy detail, it never feels visually constrained in the least. GOOD! Having established, koburn, Bonaventura, and their fellow circuit-Judges Rennie goes on to show us one of their regular duties in “The Assizes”. Titled after a now defunct British legal term describing courts held periodically around the country, The Assizes shows us Koburn doing precisely that small-scale King Solomon shtick in some Cursed Earth armpit of a town. The complaints of the scabby citizenry are of the "humorous" kind and are probably really funny if you think people fucking animals is hilarious. It’s the kind of stuff that would make Garth Ennis shoot Guinness out of his (broken) nose. Still, Ezquerra has fun, and it’s always nice to see his never entirely-absent skills as a caricaturist slide to the fore. Hit and miss stuff, basically. So little is there to “The Assizes” that a substantial part of it is the prologue to the next story. OKAY! “Malachi” is that next story and it’s where Rennie starts trying to inject some seriousness into his so far largely light-hearted strip.
CURSED EARTH KOBURN: MALACHI by Ezquerra, Rennie and Parkhouse
Malachi is some dude who encountered Judge Death and, well, unlived to tell the tale. Now he roams about killing everything he meets while saying spooky things in those spooky word balloons that make spooky words everso much more spooky! I think he’s the physical manifestation of the hate The Cursed Earth dead hold for the living. Or something. It’s not entirely clear, but what is clear is nothing can kill him and he’s headed straight for Koburn and Bonaventura. Which is unfortunate as Koburn and Bonaventura are currently looking in on Spring Seeds, a Juve Offenders facility. This means there’s a lot of kids for Malachi to mangle unless someone can stop him, which is going to be tough as Malachi, as is demonstrated by his run-ins with the circuit-Judges introduced in “Burial Party”, is unstoppable. Just so we care, Rennie gives us a tough Juve who may be salvageable and his pregnant girlfriend to root for. Pregnant? Yes, even in a Juve Offenders facility nature finds a way. Which is not too big a surprise as later when Malachi bursts into the girls dorm they are squealing in negligees like someone got 'Porky’s' and 'Friday The 13th' mixed up. Negligees in a Cursed Earth Juve Offenders facility! Oh, Carlos Ezquerra, you cheeky Spanish rogue! There’s a real feel of impending doom, some characters to care for, a sense of jeopardy and a genuine question about how Koburn can stop such an unstoppable force. In the interview Rennie says the more serious strips don’t work as well, but I’d have to disagree here. GOOD! Blimey, this is a proper slog isn’t it? Last push, everyone!
CURSED EARTH KOBURN: GOING AFTER BILLY ZANE by Ezquerra, Rennie and DeVille
In the final Koburn tale, “Going After Billy Zane” Rennie cranks up the seriousness and sets up a creepy tale in which the past which haunts the present bares its teeth. Koburn teams up with Judge Rico (who is basically another clone of Fargo; a younger Dredd) to track a Citi-Def squad lost on manoeuvres in The Cursed Earth. Unfortunately the Billy Zane Block Citi-Def squad are not lost but are tracking a distress signal, a distress signal sent by a man who died twelve years ago. Obviously they don’t know that, but we do. The squad are led by a female leader who lost her kids twelve years ago, the man who died twelve years ago was the Judge who broke Koburn in and, uh, about twelve years ago Rico had doubts about his lineage. (The original Rico being Dredd’s bent Judge brother. Judge Dredd's favourite joke: "My bent Judge brother has no nose! How does he smell?...") Which kind of reflects the strip in essence. That is, it struggles to link everything so that there’s a true sense of things coming full circle, a sense of inevitability but it..just…can’t…quite…make it happen. Which is a shame, because there’s some strong stuff on these pages. Strong enough certainly to entertain but not any stronger than that, alas. Ezquerra’s pours the creepiness on this one with a great inky ladle, making rocks and crevasses look far more menacing than you want them to . There’s a surface sense of unease and an undercurrent of violence running through all Ezquerra’s art here. The big noses and whiskery comedy chins stay at home and he breaks out the shadows and silhouettes to unsettling effect. The strip peters out on a cliff hanger which is as yet unresolved, but even that seems appropriate to the sense of amorphous menace it seeks to convey. Koburn’s last outing is GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: EL MALDITO by Ezquerra, Rennie and Parkhouse
Yes, that was Koburn’s last hurrah but there’s still one story to go: “El Maldito”. This strip is interesting for a couple of reasons, the most obvious of which I’ll save ‘til last. In this one a spooky figure is wading in on the side of the workers at a food processing facility in The Cursed Earth. What’s interesting here is that it’s not often that you see something so “up the workers!” in comics these days, which I find both odd and troubling. Mostly because this silence seems to reflect the increasing belief that somehow unions are bad things. Over here the papers (who are all to a greater or lesser extent in hock to tax dodging billionaires with their own freedom stifling agendas) endlessly roar at any and every episode of industrial action. And the vox pop is less than ideal, “how dare they inconvenience me!”, “I wish I could have the day off work!” and all that cretinous rot. Hey, poncho, I’ve been on strike. I’ve been on strike more than once, and I’ll let all you vox pop nincompoops out there into a little secret: you don’t get paid for strike days. And if I could afford not to get paid, pal, I wouldn't go to work. Those people striking? They are making a personal sacrifice to protest some form of injustice or proposed measure which will erode the safety of all involved. So, think on next time. Anyway, here we have a bunch of “peons” striking and acting up and generally getting in the way of business. Obviously that can’t stand, so the company send in the men with the batons. Apparently these workers want conditions improving or fair pay or somesuch socialist snowflake nonsense. Probably want treating like human beings or some other pie in the sky shit. So the plan is as ever, a few heads get cracked, names are named and the ringleaders get rounded up and hey ho we can all get back to work. Or you can. I’ll just spend all this lovely money while you put your back into it.
Unfortunately a lot of companies mistake salaried employment for indentured servitude, and even more unfortunately a lot of governments are happy to let them. Oh, don’t worry, my right wing chums, I’m fighting a losing battle. It’s okay, don’t ruffle your share portfolios over it; you’re winning while I’m whining. Today Theresa May sent her letter triggering Article 50 which will see us begin to leave the EU. Yes, we’ll be leaving all that “red tape”, all those pesky regulations that gave us holidays, safe working conditions and kept our food safe are all up for grabs now. And the Tories have the whip hand. So, yeah, good times ahead for people who want more human faeces in their drinking water and horse meat in their Bolognese. Regulation! Pah! Who needs it! Personally I think we should just go the whole hog and bring back hanging, National Service and 'The Black and White Minstrel Show'. Say, did you see that shit about “Empire 2.0”? And that’s the grown-ups in charge that is. I despair, I honestly and utterly despair. I also lose my track but always find my way back. The strikers are helped by this spooky figure who comes in times of need, this El Maldito. The company has Judge Dredd. Sparks fly and symapthies may not lie entirely where you expect. It’s a decent strip with good points to make about industrial relations, but Judge Dredd survives a massive explosion, uh, because, and the subplot about the guy and his kid doesn’t gel but, y’know, fun is had and salient points are made, so GOOD! Oh, the other interesting thing (besides how irritated you got when I went on about strike action) is that El Maldito is a tip of the hat to 'El Mestizo', which like 'Major Eazy' ran in Battle Picture Weekly. Unlike Eazy this was set in the American Civil War and involved a black slave turned mercenary having weekly and very violent adventures. Yeah, a black slave , and if you started any of that moaning about pandering to Social Justice Warrior Snowflakes shit he'd have stuck a stick of dynamite up your arse and kicked you off a cliff. And quite right too. Unfortunately while I do remember the strip, all I can remember is he looked like Jimi Hendrix as dressed by Sergio Leone and was balls cool. Although it was the ‘70s so we probably would have said he was “jolly spiffing” and then laughed at some homosexuals on TV. Since there were only 16 episodes someone should collect the 'El Mestizo' strips so I can buy them, you know, with money I earned while not striking. HAH!
NEXT TIME: If I don’t end up in jail for sedition, it’ll be more Judge Dredd and thus more COMICS!!!
March 29, 2017 / John Kane/ 4 Comments
2000AD, Alan Hebden, Battle Picture Weekly, Carlos Ezquerra, Cross of Iron, Cursed Earth Koburn, El Maldito, El Mestizo, Gordon Rennie, James Coburn, John K (UK), Judge Dredd Megazine, Judge Dredd The Mega Collection, Major Eazy, Rebellion, Sam Peckinpah, The 1970s, The 2000s, The 2010s
"Death Among The Hors D'oeuvres." COMICS! Sometimes It's Tough, Tough Toys For Tough, Tough Boys!
What would Thunderbirds be like in the world of Judge Dredd? My dog has no nose; why isn’t Robbie Morrison funny? What if the messiah was susceptible to weed killer? What would be the absolute best name for a character in a very cold place? Can a gun be too big? And if war is so terrible why is it so good for John Wagner? All questions I’ll probably forget to answer in the latest jolly riverdance through the JUDGE DREDD MEGA COLLECTION. JUDGE DREDD: THE HEAVY MOB by P J Holden
JUDGE DREDD: THE MEGA COLLECTION Vol. 55: THE HEAVY MOB Art by Jim Murray, Clint Langley, Malcolm Davis, Nick Percival, Xuasus, David Millgate, Kevin Walker, Brian Bolland, Ron Smith and P J Holden Written by John Smith, Chris Standley, Robbie Morrison, John Wagner and Michael Carroll Coloured by Chris Blythe and Len O'Grady Lettered by Gordon Robson, Ellie DeVille, Steve Potter, Tom Frame and Annie Parkhouse Originally serialised in 2000AD Progs 122-125 & 1792-1796 & JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 2.31-2.33, 2.60-2.62, 2.70, 3.20-3.23, 3.29-3.33 & 240-243 © 1979, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2006, 2012 & 2015 Rebellion A/S Hatchette Partworks/Rebellion, £9.99 (2015) JUDGE DREDD created by Carlos Ezquerra & John Wagner
HOLOCAUST 12: SKYFALL Art by Jim Murray Written by John Smith & Chris Standley Lettered by Gordon Robson Originally published in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 3.20-3.23 HOLOCAUST 12: STORM WARNING Art by Clint Langley & Malcolm Davis Written by John Smith & Chris Standley Lettered by Gordon Robson & Ellie DeVille Originally published in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 3.29-3.33
HOLOCAUST 12: SKYFALL by Murray, Smith & Standley and Robson
In the 1990s the JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE was so starved of content there was actually a strip based on a concept (The Holocaust Squad) which had appeared for less than a page in Judge Dredd a couple of decades earlier (see Father Earth below). Spotting that idea had legs was a pretty good spot, particularly as the 1990s were characterised by a bizarre fetish for trying to replicate the high-octane and content-light high-concept action movie style into comics. It didn’t work. Movies aren’t comics and comics aren’t movies. What zips past on the screen trundles across the page, and so this first outing for what is basically a fire brigade on steroids staffed by psychopaths seems to involve the world’s slowest space ship crash. It would have been even slower on its first appearance with the weeks separating each instalment. On screen there are also actors, so even the slimmest of characters can be fattened with unspoken character. On the page Cyrus “The Virus” is probably a bit flat but stick his words in the mouth of John Malkovich and we’re off to the races. Smith’s strip has no such advantage so his characters are just violent ciphers. Visually they are distinct because comics have art and Murray and Langley are certainly distinctive artists, but that’s about it. One of the Squad carks it in this first instalment and I couldn’t remember which one , and our POV character gets side-lined shortly after he’s walked through a room and had everyone described to him. There’s a lot of “This is Cockthrottler Magoo. He can fart through cement and is just such a badass, well, it’s just plain scary is what it is!” A lot of telling not showing basically, and we all know how much we enjoy that. Smith is a good writer but some writers are good only in certain areas. The vagaries of comic writing mean the humble dreamweavers are often called upon to write something they aren’t really suited to. Disaster-action movie seems a particularly poor fit for John Smith’s body horror obsession and trademark bursts of stream of consciousness narration. It’s too constricting; Smith works best on horror because horror is a tad more elastic than the action movie. The action movie is all about the cliché, moving within that cliché, and stretching it maybe, but always solidly retaining that core cliché. Smith’s not one to work well within restrictions. He’s too cerebral for this shit basically; you practically can feel him switching of areas of his brain, limiting himself.
HOLOCAUST 12: STORM WARNING by Langley & Davis, Smith & Standley and Robson & DeVille
It’s not a complete loss, he certainly has some fun sneaking his gore in there. Lots of people die horrible deaths in both instalments and it sometimes seems like concocting vile ends for his bodies is all that’s keeping Smith awake. It’s pretty much all that kept me awake too, well, besides his always fun narrative captions, evidence that at least one comic creator enjoys modernist linguistic trickery. There’s a disaster, people die, the Holocaust Squad stop being naughty and set off, the clock is ticking, more people die, rescue is achieved. It’s all pretty much like that. In the first a spaceship fizzing with chemical death is crashing into the city, in the second the tallest building in the world (Chump Tower; ho ho!) is hit by a freak weather storm and a space ship, oh, and the zoo gets loose, because there's no such thing as overkill! In this second one Smith doesn’t make it easy to root for the victims as they are all rich arseholes (rissoles?) except for a manservant (maybe a nod to The Admirable Crichton (1957) there?) Ultimately Holocaust 13 just feels too restrictive a concept to have much room for Smith to manoeuvre within. Artistically the strip provides plenty of freedom for Murray and Langley (hmm, that sounds like a posh brand of paint) particularly in the realm of the grotesque. Although given a largely tech-based scenario Murray gets some nice gore in there, and has fun with his POVs. He takes the time to paint the reflected lights in a pool of blood and his SFX have a Vaughn Bode/Comix wobble to them. The reproduction dulls his fully painted but cartoony art, but Murray goes the extra mile indicative of someone enjoying themselves. Clint Langley goes several miles too far and may be enjoying himself far too much. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what you’re looking at on Langley’s metallically garish yet brutally dark pages. It’s like squinting at a metal zoo losing its collective mind in a catacomb. Langley’s obviously pushing the then available technology of photo manipulation to its extreme, and while it may be a struggle to read, it is just a step on the way to his current bizarre peak. For a couple of strips struggling so hard to be unpleasant, surprisingly there are pleasures in these Holocaust 13 strips but you have to hunt and peck for them. GOOD!
BRIT-CIT BRUTE Art by Nick Percival Written by Robbie Morrison Lettered by Ellie DeVille Originally published in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 2.31-2.33 BRIT-CIT BRUTE: TRILOGY Art by Nick Percival, Xuasus and David Millgate Written by Robbie Morrison Lettered by Steve Potter Originally published in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 2.60-2.62
BRIT-CIT BRUTE by Percival, Morrison and DeVille
I’m not spending long on this one as it’s clearly for people who found DC’s Lobo a bit highbrow. It’s supposed to be funny so you get our strapping lad of a lead being named Newt (because they are small!) and his boss who looks like John Major (British Tory Prime Minister 1990-97) is called Judge Major (because satire!) and some Elvis references (because he’s a lazy comedy staple!) and some underwear stealing (because the British!) and if you find your ribs being tickled by any of that you’ll soil yourself if you ever read any Mark Millar (ugh!). Brit-Cit Brute is bad is what I’m saying. And don’t be expecting any insight into Brit-Cit unless you are a massive fan of being disappointed. It’s hard to even tell what Brit-Cit looks like because Percival’s art is so unfocused. It’s the work of someone who likes drawing but hasn’t realised there’s more to comics than just drawing; there’s as much panel to panel continuity here as there is on Celebrity Squares. It’s a good job Robbie Morrison’s script is so tedious that it informs us of things we should be able to see , because thanks to Percival’s murky and stilted art we can’t actually see them anyway. There’s a two page interview with Percival at the back where he sounds very enthusiastic and likeable, which is nice, but doesn’t alter any of the artistic deficiencies here. However we do also learn he was very young and Brit-Cit Brute was very early in his career, so maybe enshrining it between hardcovers wasn’t such a hot idea, Rebellion? Xuasis and David Millgate fare better artistically, but none of it’s in any danger of hanging in the Louvre any time soon. Hopefully everyone involved had a great time because I didn’t. Brit-Cit Brute has only a handful of episodes but manages to outstay it’s welcome before even the first of them is over. CRAP!
WYNTER Art by Kevin Walker Written by Robbie Morrison Lettered by Ellie DeVille Originally published in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 2.70
WYNTER by Walker, Morrison and DeVille
He’s called Wynter ‘cause he’s up in the snow, and it’s proper snowy in winter, see. Clever wordplay, Robbie Morrison. Well, in the old days it snowed in winter, nowadays not so much. Definitely nothing to that global warming malarkey, mind. All made up by them Koreans to make America look bad, bribed all the scientists haven’t they? My lad’s all glum because every year they promise it’s going to be a “Bad Winter”, and it isn’t; so no sledging for the yowwun. We had a bit of a flurry but nothing special. I remember when it’d be knee high, and all the buses would stop and you’d have to walk to school. Mind you I also remember the Yorkshire Ripper, Margaret Thatcher and the IRA pub bombings so, you know, it wasn’t all roses. You can oversell nostalgia, kids. But it wasn’t that far back either; in the ‘90s I once got stuck halfway between home and Leeds because the snow was too much for the buses. Had to spend the night in a Fox’s biscuit factory. No lie. Got waved over to it by a plod who spotted me walking aimlessly about looking worried and trying to keep warm. Curled up on a leatherette sofa eating free biscuits and reading Helen Zahavi’s Dirty Weekend while the night shift kept those biscuits flowing, snow or no snow. I’ve had worse nights. Rang in and told work to **** off the morning after. Barely had any sleep had I? Got to get my beauty sleep or I’m no use to man nor beast. So, yeah, Wynter, clever word play. Except it drives me nuts that “cool misspellings” thing. I have to keep checking “Gil” knows you don’t spell “attacks” “attax” as in “Match Attax” and all the other everyday spelling atrocities which slip my mind right now. So, back at the comic, Wynter is a Judge in the snow, the Antartic Territories to be precise. All Robbie Morrison has to tell us about this exciting addition to the world of Judge Dredd is it’s cold, snowy, sparsely populated and it’s snowy, did I mention the snow? Luckily he remembers Michael Moorcock’s The Ice Schooner and has a boat zipping over the ice proper sharpish like. It’s crewed by ice pirates who have made off with some medical supplies and some chemical weapons. Wynter (recap: because it’s cold) has to get the chemical weapons and never mind the mega-Lemsips. But kids are dying so he’s not happy about that. There’s a bit of a ruckus and he makes the right choice. There’s not much too it but then I imagine no one imagined it’d ever be enshrined between hard covers, probably a last minute bit of filler unfairly maligned here by my rancorous self. The art’s okay though. Probably more of interest as a look at Kev Walker before he dropped all the extraneous detail and went a bit Mignola; a style which suits him greatly and is adequately represented elsewhere in this series. Here though he’s still drawing like someone who really liked Citadel miniature’s Warhammer 40K and thinks John Blanche is an artistic demigod (which he is). His action’s all over the shop as well, but he’d get (a lot) better and so he shouldn’t be too upset. I did like the way Robbie Morrison tried to give it some weight by starting off with Wynter (recap: brrr!) portentously informing us that he’d “buried a child today”. In the same way that chucking Johnny Cash’s version of Hurt over anything, even a video of a your cat cleaning its bum, makes it seem as important and moving as The Crucifixion, dead kids give stuff a bit of heft. Wynter (recap: because it’s a bit nippy!) is a bit of a waste of a dead kid really because it’ still EH!
JUDGE DREDD: FATHER EARTH Art by Brian Bolland and Ron Smith Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in 2000AD Progs 122-125
JUDGE DREDD: FATHER EARTH by Bolland,Wagner and Frame
This is the best tale in the book by a hefty margin and it’s nobody’s fault except everyone surrounding it that it’s also the most elderly. This does mean a few of you will be suspecting that I have difficulty accommodating the present and like many withered old fusspots prefer to live in the past. Which is obviously true; after all I sit here in the sallow light of flickering candles inscribing these words upon parchment via quill and ink. There is a certain bit of the power of early imprinting at work because I can quite clearly remember several moments in this one and the attendant original thrill they induced quite clearly. But would it have imprinted so hard had it not been so good? I don’t know, and I don’t think it’s worth applying for a grant to find out. It is good; really, really good. It starts off small with a (rare for 2000AD) black couple encountering a Cursed Earth messiah, who looks like Alan Moore if he’d been designed to sell corn on tins for a living, at their trading outpost. Before the story ends Mega City 1 will have become besieged by mutants wearing dog heads like hats, a power tower will have gone a bit Pompeii, thousands will have lost their lives and a singing, killing plant will have meted out blackly ironic justice. It is a master class in serialised entertainment. Because not only is there all that stuff but there is also a tense bomb disposal scene (a la David Hemmings in JUGGERNAUT (1974)), comedy robots, Dredd failing to save a lady, and a major plot point hinges on the power surges in the 1970s whenever the whole country watched something on TV (e.g. there used to be power surges immediately after CORONATION STREET as everyone leapt up to put the kettle on) and of course…the Holocaust Squad!
JUDGE DREDD: FATHER EARTH by Smith,Wagner and Frame
These dudes appear for a half page, dropping out of the sky in sci-fi diving suits and into the maw of the power station turned volcano. After that we only hear their voices for a handful of panels as they go out one by one like candles in a draught. Which reminds me…hang on (lights candle and bends back over the parchment). The brevity of their appearance belies its power to shock the mind of a child. For the last few decades I thought they were the focus of a whole episode, but they barely get a page in reality. It really shook little me up reading their voices bravely passing the baton as they burnt up like tissues in a furnace. Wagner has many strengths as a writer and here we see two of them smashing boredom like twin hammers going at a pile of crackers. First is how much he can get out of so little; the robots get enough personality to make them humorous, but also enough for you to go “Oh!” when the bomb disposal goes to cock, and the Holocaust Squad have more impact over their petite sprinkle of panels than they do over two full stories by John Smith (see above). Secondly he is fearless in his use of imagination. A lot of comic writers write like they are scared they will never have another idea, Wagner writes like he’s convinced their flow will never cease. It takes some nuts to write like that, but it’s definitely the best approach. The art here is by Bolland and Ron Smith and it’s great too, although the reproduction is so awful you may have to take that on trust. Bolland fares worst with big areas of solid black swamping his detail but Smith uses a lighter touch and his art comes off better, if a little ghostly. Shame, but it doesn’t stop Father Earth being VERY GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: DEBRIS Art by P J Holden Written by Michael Carroll Coloured by Chris Blythe Lettered by Annie Parkhouse Originally published in 2000AD Progs 1792-1796
JUDGE DREDD: DEBRIS by Holden, Carroll, Blythe and Parkhouse
Michael Carroll is one of the new breed of Dredd writers currently tasked with chronicling Old Stoney Face regularly whenever John Wagner isn’t. Because I don’t follow The Tooth regular like anymore I’ve not read a lot of his stuff yet, but it seems competent enough, just lacking that essential Umpty factor. This Debris one is fine, I guess, but not exactly a stunner. It’s about a block seceding from the Meg and how it has a big gun on top to defend itself. There’s an interesting kernel there about how the block feels it’s better at protecting its inhabitants than the Judges, and it’s hard not to see their point as the story is set after another of the seemingly endless city filleting events. The gun on the top is the least interesting aspect but this proves to be the focus of the strip, which is unfortunate. Carroll seems unduly impressed by the fact that the gun hoovers® up debris (that’s right!) to fire. Sure, it’s an idea but it’s not a big enough or good enough idea to hang the story on. I mean, it’s a big gun so all you have to do is get under it so it can’t fix a bead on you and Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your Judge. This doesn’t seem to occur to any of the characters, who are bulked up by some Space Marines who themselves are bulked up by their armour (hence their inclusion in this volume). The Marines are there because the Judges are so depleted by the regular occurrence of extinction level events their numbers are running low, they might also be there to highlight the different approaches to situations between the military and judicial mind-set, they might not; it’s hard to tell because developing that would distract from the big gun, which Carroll is convinced we are more interested in. Unfortunately we’re not; or I wasn’t, you might be all over that big gun like a rash. Since it devolves quickly into action and shouting Debris takes up too much page space. After The Pit it’s pretty much established that the Dredd audience can manage the more talky stories, so Carroll’s swerve into the least interesting and more action packed approach is even more puzzling. Holden’s art is okay though; a little rushed and he fluffs some of the staging, but it’s chunky and funky in a Brett Ewins/Rufus Dayglo markers and rulers way. It’s no great shakes but Dredd seems like Dredd and entertainment is had. OKAY!
JUDGE DREDD: WARZONE Art by P J Holden Written by John Wagner Coloured by Len O'Grady Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 240-243
JUDGE DREDD: WARZONE by Holden, Wagner, O'Grady and Frame
Not only is this one also illustrated by P J Holden but its events are also spurred into being by a recent Mega-City trashing event. One of the many (many) cool beans things about The World of Dredd is how Events happen and then there is a period of fallout from that Event which has to be navigated before the next corpse-piling Event occurs. Because, yes, astonishingly, it turns out that it is possible to segue from one Event into another while also providing satisfactory stories with beginnings, middles and (crucial this:) endings, characterisation and even internal logic; despite what writers of North American genre comics demonstrate on a monthly basis. (I mean seriously now, are you people even trying?) Anyway, Dredd’s after some bloke who was instrumental in terror attacks on the Big Meg. Wisely hiding out in a warzone the guy probably thinks he’s safe, unfortunately he doesn’t realise he’s the bad guy in a Judge Dredd strip so his days are numbered, like on a really morbid calendar. You can take the war comics off the child but he’ll only buy them again later in more expensive hardback formats. No wait, I mean you can take the writer out of the war comics but you can’t take the war comics out of the writer. Wagner might have started out writing girls’ (eeew!) comics but he got great during his stint on war comics, and Warzone is like a quick reminder to the world that where war comics are concerned John Wagner’s still got it going on. He hasn’t lost a step; he might even have gained a couple of new ones.
In less time than it takes a North American genre comic writer to have his characters discuss their favourite cereals Wagner has sketched in the personalities of each member of the group assigned to Dredd. Not only that but he’s also established the needlessness and futility of the conflict they are waging (it’s space-Vietnam). Sure the soldiers are types, but they are also alive; the noble sergeant who is more metal than man, the shell-shock case who can only utter profanities, the hov-grafted guy who lost his girl along with his legs, the ear-collecting Rogue Trooper-a-like, etc etc. Not an original one among them, but you’ll still give a shit when they get shot to bits. How does that happen? SPOILER: Good writing. There’s a tellingly protracted sequence after the big battle when time is spent just showing the bodies, all torn and mangled and host to a variety of carrion eaters, in which the reader is silently invited to ruminate upon exactly what their deaths have achieved. They died bravely and they died well but they are dead. Wagner being Wagner there’s also some humour because where there’s life there’s laughter. I particularly enjoyed Dredd’s abrupt curtailment of the campfire bonding. In the end as implacable as ever Dredd, bloody but never beaten, pushes his way past the war and manages to extract some small measure of Justice for the fallen. Warzone is John Wagner doing war comics and that’s still VERY GOOD!
NEXT TIME: Old British war comics make another unlikely appearance in the world of Dredd as a couple of familiar faces get a new coat of future-paint! Hoo ha -COMICS!!!
2000AD, Brian Bolland, Chris Standley, Clint Langley, David Millgate, Jim Murray, John K (UK), John Smith, John Wagner, Judge Dredd, Judge Dredd The Mega Collection, Kevin Walker, Malcolm Davis, Michael Carroll, Nick Percival, P J holden, Rebellion, Robbie Morrison, Ron Smith, The 1970s, The 1990s, The 2000s, The 2010s, Xuasus
“#i!” COMICS! Sometimes Tenderness Is A Weakness.
There now follows a change to our scheduled programme. Settle back as our Argentinian chums Eduardo Risso and the late Carlos Trillo take us on a trip to the near future where everything is awful; simply awful. Just dreadful, darlings. Ugh. (Oh, And I realise Argentina isn't in Europe but the book was originally published in Italy(?), which is in Europe so check and mate!) BORDERLINE by Risso & Trillo and Brandon
BORDERLINE Vol. 1 Art by Eduardo Risso Written by Carlos Trillo Translated by Ivan Brandon Dynamite, $19.99 (1995/2007)
BORDERLINE is set in a future dystopia and involves a sexy lady assassin and a troubled gruff male loner facing off in a world lit by the klieg lights of glaring subtext…oh no. OHO! Fret not, Euro-fan, it’s not as bad as it sounds. In fact it’s pretty neat. Usually that would be wholly down to the art, but the writing’s not half bad either; although it took me a bit to twig to that. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. I mean, “sexy lady assassin”! Not my favourite genre; the bulk of it being composed of any number of trite shite titles in the North American Mainstream. The whole “Men damaged her but now she’s damaging back! But not at the expense of her femininity! You can still be strong in a thong!” gets creepy pretty quick, particularly when it’s written by some dude you just know is rubbing himself against the underside of the desk as he writes, because, damn, this is some progressive shit. Whoooo, man writes Strong! Female! Protagonist! damn, gonna be statues of him in the streets! With every scissor kick and poisoned kiss sexism dies another death! But people obviously buy lots of “sexy lady kill” books; because if they didn’t they wouldn’t make them. So as genres go someone likes it.
BORDERLINE by Risso & Trillo and Brandon
Which is fine. I mean, I’m not a big fan of the whole “nurse passive aggressively hounds doctor in a borderline psychotic manner until he marries her” genre, but I hear Mills & Boon are still going. Spoiler: I’m not a woman so you know maybe I don’t have the right to react to this stuff. Or maybe I’m not reacting in the right way? I don’t know. I mean, I get that these sexy killin’ ladies have to be toned and limber; you can’t be lugging a load of excess weight about if you’re a top assassin. I like the occasional pie, and the odds of me rolling across any car bonnets with twin pistols flaring without there being a lot of ungainly sprawling and sliding, and not a few hefty grunts, are kind of on the poor side. And I’m not being sizeist there; I’m just trying to save you some grief on Careers Day. These are tricky times; lots of toes to be trodden on. Should I just say it’s the creepy way the whole “sisters with pistols!” thing slyly panders to men under the femme friendly surface? Because it is. But that’s okay, because BORDERLINE knows that too.
BORDERLINE shows that Risso and Trilllo know the genre and, better, they know how to toy with it. Games are very definitely being played here. First, and most obviously, you need a sexy lady assassin. Accordingly Risso’s heroine, Lisa, is a combination of sinew and pulchritude, topped by a black flare of Goth hair. The Sisters of Mercy, despite this sister having little of said quality, spring to mind and !bang! the viscous tang of “snakebite and black” springs to the throat as a Proustian moment flings you back to Bradford and a billion gigs of collapsed hair and sweat streaked eyeshadow. (Ask your parents.) Anyway, think an inhumanly aerobicized ‘80s era Beatrice Dalle draped in a leather rhino-shouldered jacket and sporting sprayed on jeans and you’d be in the right (erogenous) zone. Risso’s art has always been able to sell sex like the First Prize is a Cadillac El Dorado, Second Prize is a set of steak knives and Third Prize is you’re fired! But he never sells it cheap. Lisa is supposed to look ridiculously stimulating, so that she contrasts sharply with everything around her, because BORDERLINE is all about sharp contrasts. (It’s not an accident the book is in B&W.)
In keeping with the whole contrasts thing there is what Lisa looks like and what Lisa is. What she is is a piece of lethal meat exploited by everyone around her. Usually deadly ladies are all about their agency (for everyone born prior to 1990: this is their capacity to make choices, not who handles their bookings and headshots) and how they still have it goin’ on. Not Lisa. The only choice she has is not to pull the trigger, and that choice is fraught with the dangers of repercussion. Tradition dictates Lisa be damaged and tradition is fulfilled to a parodic degree here. Amongst other things (see below) Lisa is deaf. Since a deaf assassin would last about as long as a Raspberry Mivvi on a log fire I think we can safely identify some satirical intent here. She has so little agency that BORDERLINE makes the usual subtext text. Not only are her skills exploited, but so is her hawt body. During her down-time she is either being peeped on or pawed by Jack (or Mike) one of a pair of identical men (or women) whose race is as unfixed as their gender.
Usually this sexually predatory role would be filled by a fat sweaty, Caucasian male but BORDERLINE opens it up and recasts that character as both racially and sexually ambiguous; one who is also in a loving relationship, just to really mix it up . Now the defining aspect of the abuse has shifted; it is authority. Which is correct. Abuse is a consequence of the possession of power over another, not the possession of a penis. This is usually muddied by the fact most of the powerful people have penises (usually just one each) and false conclusions are then drawn. But it’s power that corrupts not the penis. (Except in ZARDOZ (1974) where “the penis is”, indeed, “evil.”) There’s a reason that no one says, “Penis corrupts and absolute penis corrupts absolutely.” Well, except for the occasional tipsy feminist in any Polytechnic Biko Bar circa 1990.
Speaking of penises, Lisa’s opposite number, the stubbled, moody male loner, Blue(!), is slightly less interesting because stubbled, moody male loners are mostly uninteresting; with the exception of me, because I am intrinsically fascinating. Also, it’s an overdone trope. Luckily for your reading pleasure Trillo and Risso kick the legs out from under this tedious trope pretty swiftly. It’s okay him mooning about (i.e. being “blue”; geddit!) after Lisa and spray-painting her face on walls (not a euphemism) and being all sad inside because, sure, all that’s super dreamy and romantic, but he’s still six feet of shit stuffed in distressed denim. (SPOILER: Turns out he turned out his chick for a hit. Pretty hard to walk back from that one, no matter how sexy you find troubled loners. Before we rush to judgement, ladies and gents, let’s not forget troubled loners like raunchy Richard Speck and dreamy David Berkowitz. Whoo! Is it hot in here, or is it just me?)
Look, the dude Blue didn’t just miss her birthday or have someone else’s knickers in his pocket, he traded her for a fix and, even better (i.e. even worse), Lisa was then harvested for organs before being rescued and having her organs replaced so she could be trained as an attractive assassin. So she’s traumatised beyond comprehension and deaf to boot. This pair of lovelorn killers dance the dance of death around each other, while their orbits threaten to collide with all the dramatic inevitability of any decent pulp fiction. Whereupon he looks at her with puppy eyes and then she forgives him and they get married and live in Mytholmroyd, where she looks after the house while he has a succession of joyless affairs at the Estate Agents where he works. No, not really because this isn’t real - it’s fiction! So you’ll just have to see what happens. On the understanding that a lot of it will happen in later volumes, since this is volume 1 of 6.
It being the first volume there’s a lot of world building but it’s a very simple world; there are two sides: one side controls its people by telling them there’s a reward after death, the other side is more materialistic. Both sides are ruled by bumbling chucklefucks boiling with psychological buboes, but society persists in functioning after a fashion, nevertheless. There are cities and subways and a civilisation of sorts. (Visually all this involves a lot of Besson’ing about; the tuxedoed thugs in the subway seem like a doff of the cap to SUBWAY (1985) and the refuse laden outlands strongly suggest LE DERNIER COMBAT (1983). Thankfully, there are no underage girls dancing to Madonna in their scanties.) People with money live in the cities and the people without money don’t. If you don’t live in the city you have to scavenge in the ruins of a world crumpled by an (as yet) undefined Event. The poor are twisted, crippled things with a tendency to throw themselves off high things such is the horror of life without Wi-Fi. Practically enough the poor are kept around so the monied can live off them; literally - by harvesting their organs, because fuck the poor, right? Damn straight. And everyone is controlled by drugs, particularly a drug called Hope which instils in the user a belief that everything will turn out okay. That’s right, there’s the key; it’s not really a world but a joke. The punchline being us.
It’s a good joke; a smart joke and Trillo’s writing here is a lot cleverer than I first thought. Narration and dialogue is sparse and this being comics Risso takes the brunt of the weight. But then why waste Eduardo Risso? What’s important is the writing you do is good not that you do a lot of it. And here Trillo pulls off an exceptionally nice trick. His narration addresses the reader directly, giving proceedings a nicely informal, chatty, air, and occasionally it shrugs past things or draws your attention to things. It’s the kind of device North American comic creators get all giggly about doing ,and think Grant Morrison invented. This is because they have no sense of history and mistake it for modern. But then if your highest ambition in writing is to end up as a fucking TV show then you are unlikely to use a mode customary in the 19th Century novel (e.g. Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables (1862)) and if you did, you’d probably think it was first used on BJ AND THE BEAR (1979-81). Yeah, shit musical adaptations be damned, class lasts. Not content with being a classy bastard, Trillo occasionally, and whimsically, allows his “voice” to interact with the characters. It took me two reads to notice, because he doesn’t start waving his hands about and going “OOO! Look at me!” and thus critically kneecapping the suspension of disbelief along the way. No, he just smoothly slides it past you. And lest we forget, the fact that any of this good stuff strikes home is in part due to the translation skills of Ivan Brandon, who retains a tone at once formal and chatty in equal measure. Which can’t have been an easy gig. Via Brandon, Trillo’s done his job and done it well, the rest is up to you; if you notice, you notice…
What you can’t help but notice is the phenomenal art of Eduardo Risso, unless some rich sod has made off with your eyes. Risso builds a world of desolation punctured by clusters of degradation. In keeping with the almost comical overtness of its themes the book is, I remind you, drawn in black and white; stunningly so, natch. Robbed of the crutch of colour Risso’s art soars rather than falls. Which comes as no shock to keen Risso readers, since both his (originally coloured) work on LOGAN for Marvel©™® and Batman for DC Comics©™® were made available in B&W editions. Colour might enhance Risso’s work but it isn’t essential. That’s a sure sign of art soaked with structural integrity. The key of course is Risso’s high contrast approach, which here leaves great swathes of pages untouched; colour can be accommodated but so can its absence. Outside everything seems lit by a merciless sun, while inside it’s the unflinching glare of neon, and everywhere shadows as black as a banker’s heart anchor it all. It’s not without precedent of course; the cowboy boots embellished with swastikas are as much a giveaway as the detail bleaching; someone’s been studying their Frank Miller circa Sin City. Actually, lots of people have been studying their Frank Miller circa Sin City, but no one has managed to subsume it into their style as flawlessly as Risso. As dumbly fun as the stories were, the real story in Sin City was Frank Miller’s courageous shearing of detail right up to the brink of sense. The lessons Miller’s pages contained were not lost on Eduardo Risso. He isn’t copying, he’s picking up the baton and haring off in his own direction; which is no way to win a race, but I’m not very good with sports metaphors; I’m sure you know what I meant. There is so much absent from the pages of BORDERLINE another, lesser artist would have some serious explaining to do. But Risso is a better, greater artist and so his art explains everything. Less may well be more but only because Risso works the balls off what little there is.
BORDERLINE is VERY GOOD!
NEXT TIME: Maybe get back on schedule with a bit of Dredd, or maybe something random again. I don’t know about you but I’m getting that Chaykin feeling. Anyway, something, sometime from the wacky world of – COMICS!!!
Borderline, Carlos Trillo, Eduardo Risso, European Comics, John K (UK), The 1990s, The 2000s
"...Do Not Adjust Your Brains!" COMICS! Sometimes "M-O-O-N" Spells “Moon”, Despite What Tom Cullen Thinks.
February 25, 2017 / John Kane
Judge Dredd on the moon. That's it. JUDGE DREDD: DARKSIDE by Marshall
JUDGE DREDD: THE MEGA COLLECTION Vol. 80: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON Art by Paul Marshall, Peter Doherty, Laurence Campbell, Lee Townsend, Brian Bolland, Mick McMahon and Ian Gibson Written by John Smith, Rob Williams, John Wagner and Gordon Rennie Lettered by Tom Frame, Ellie De Ville, Tony Jacob and Simon Bowland Colours by Alan Craddock, Peter Doherty and John-Paul Bove Originally serialised in 2000AD Progs 47, 50-52, 57, 1017-1028 & 1468, JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 328-331 © 1978, 1996,2005, 2012 & 2016 Rebellion A/S Hatchette Partworks/Rebellion, £9.99 (2016) JUDGE DREDD created by Carlos Ezquerra & John Wagner
JUDGE DREDD: DARKSIDE Art by Paul Marshall Written by John Smith Coloured by Alan Craddock Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in 2000AD Progs 1017-1028
JUDGE DREDD: DARKSIDE by Marshall, Smith, Craddock and Frame
The order of these stories are all to cock chronology wise. The earliest Luna-1 stories are later in the book. I'm not sure why that is but we start with another disappointing John Smith Dredd outing. All the more disappointing because there are some pretty nifty elements here, but it all fails to gel. Someone is murdering people on the Luna-1 colony, someone with Judge Dredd's DNA! Worse, old Stony Face is actually on the moon pursuing a perp while also accompanying Psi Judge Hassad who has had “premonitions of a premonition”, so it could actually be Dredd. In fact who else could it be? It's a really promising set-up, but Smith fails to capitalise on it and plays his hand far too soon. What you end up with instead of a murder-mystery is a lot of running about bumping into call-backs to older, better stories.
JUDGE DREDD: DARK SIDE by Marshall, Smith, Craddock and Frame
He's aided and abetted by Marshall's clean line and chunky directness, which in turn is lent pizzazz by Craddock's vivid colours, which include photographic elements. The colours give it an otherworldly touch and the art successfully casts everything in a serio-comic mode. But it's all for naught as the tale is torpedoed by Smith's failure to balance his disparate elements. Usually his blend of comedy and horror is jarring, but intentionally so. Here his hands are too heavy on the horror and the humour both; resulting in a tonal roller-coaster of brutal murders which keeps ploughing into the candyfloss stand of the overly broad comedy, because for some reason it's on the track instead of down below next to the boating pond. Some of this sense of humour failure stems from Smith's distaste for the Judicial System; having Dredd interrogated by a Teutonic sadist complete with monocle and duelling scars is slapstick rather than satire. Some of the sense of humour failure is...well, inexplicable really; Psi Judge Hassad's a step too close to the old “Dearie Dearie me!” stereotype for comfort, never mind comedy. (Later we'll see some more unfortunate stereotypes; being white, male and totes privileged I'm willing to give stuff from the '70s a grudging pass, but not from the '90s.) I get the impression John Smith doesn't enjoy writing Dredd much, which is fine, each to their own but unfortunately more often than not it ends up with the reader not enjoying reading Judge Dredd. That’s less than ideal. EH!
BREATHING SPACE Art by Peter Doherty,Laurence Campbell and Lee Townsend Written by Rob Williams Coloured by Peter Doherty Lettered by Ellie De Ville Originally published in 2000AD Progs 1451-1459
BREATHING SPACE by Doherty, Campbell, Townsend, Williams and De Ville
Regular Squaxx dex Kano will know that in the comments we've been having a bit of a think about who “gets” Judge Dredd; it being a bit of a notable failure on the part of some Dredd scribes. Turns out it's a matter of opinion! Anyway, here we have a good way of avoiding that problem; Judge Dredd isn't in Breathing Space. It's a space-noir which uses the enclosed environment of Luna 1 to excellent advantage. The newly appointed Chief Marshal of Luna 1, Judge King, steps onto the lunar surface and straight into a mess of corrupt Judges, corporate backstabbing and...MURDER! In a nice tip of the space-fedora to SUNSET BOULEVARD the story starts with a dead man, and then we go back and see how he ended up there. It's not so much whodunnit as a whydidhedowhathedunnit. Any greater detail risks an eruption of the Thrill Suckers' ambrosia – SPOILERS!
For such a sweet read it's odd to find in the text at the back that Breathing Space had a troubled gestation. Due to illness Doherty (he got better; don't send cards) draws only the initial episodes but Campbell & Townsend pick up from him so delicately that you barely sense a switch in style. Although episodes appeared regularly, apparently it was written over three years (by which I mean there was a ruddy great hiatus in there, not that Williams' was honing it over a three year period like some kind of Joycean perfectionist; as good as it is it's still space-noir not ULYSSES, people), but you'd not guess as the pared down style reads smooth as a successful getaway. The consistency is helped no end by Doherty's continued presence as colourist; his use of a strictly limited and thoroughly muted palette sets a suitably sombre tone for the dour proceedings. The whole thing zips glumly along and Williams' intelligent plot is peppered with characters just the right side of caricature, there's some nifty misdirection and the vital plot point is rooted firmly in the “Dredd” universe. Placed as it is after Smith & Marshall's misfire of dayglo clowning the success of Breathing Space's restrained doom-mongering seems all the greater. There's no Dredd in it but it's still VERY GOOD!
Thus starts a brief run of the original Luna 1 stories. It's not all of them; just those with art by Brian Bolland, because everyone likes to remember when you would get weekly doses of Bolland Thrill-Power. Fat chance of that now. I'll burn through these, because they are from that period when Dredd was finding its feet as a strip. Any elements that have survived into the Dredd canon (NOT cannon; that's a thing that fires projectiles. Make a note of that.) are sparse, since even for a strip which delights in exaggeration as Dredd does, Wagner is so far over the top here he risks clipping the moon itself.
JUDGE DREDD: LAND RACE Art by Brian Bolland Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tony Jacob Originally published in 2000AD Prog 47
JUDGE DREDD: LAND RACE by Bolland, Wagner and Jacob
The Land Race is a riff on the American West tradition of the first person to stake a claim on a piece of land getting to own it. (And by “people” I mean European immigrants; the native Americans were not consulted. I always like it when the Americans descended from European immigrants get all pinch-arsed about immigrants. Dunces.) Bolland has fun designing the vehicles driven by the prospectors, but the mayhem soon gives way to a protracted scene involving an old woman being mind controlled into signing her land away. Amusingly the bad guys are from Interstellar Psionics Corporation, i.e. IPC (the then publishers of 2000AD). There's also a panel of Judge Dredd's head in the corner of which is an X-Wing from the children's entertainment STAR WARS. I think this was to do with a Competition at the time; where you had to find these scattered through the comic to win...er...something to do with STAR WARS. George Lucas' bum fluff? I don't remember that bit; the prize. Unfortunately, we also see here the two Mexican Judges who are, uh, a bit stereotypical what with the sombrero, 'taches and the “Thees” and the “heem”s. Weird in that way only kids '70s could be Walter The Robot gets a girlfriend in the form of Rowena The Robot. Best of all though we discover that Judge Dredd's palate is so disciplined that he can tell the difference between man-made cookies and those made by a robot. Personally I think more should have been made of this and Judge Dredd hereafter is a lesser character without his cookie tasting skills. Trains not taken, eh? All these things are more interesting than the story which is just a lively entertainment, wonderfully drawn by Bolland. But there are worse things to be than entertaining and drawn by Brian Bolland so OKAY!
JUDGE DREDD: THE FIRST LUNA OLYMPICS Art by Brian Bolland Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tony Jacob Originally published in 2000AD Prog 50
JUDGE DREDD: THE FIRST LUNA OLYMPICS by Bolland, Wagner and Jacob
Not much to this one beyond Bolland's reliably exemplary art and a horrifically un-Dredd moment. Most of it is a lot of simple jokes about The Olympics. The Sov competitors are full of drugs, and the bits that aren’t full of drugs are mechanical; the high jump is very high because of the low gravity; etc etc. Wagner nails the commentators' voices, and the jokes are mildly amusing jokes, but to his credit it's all a feint because at strip's end Dredd starts a war with the Sovs by accidentally shooting a Sov Judge. It's clearly an accident and the Sovs are over reacting, but Judge Dredd? An accident? Get outta town. I think this is the first appearance of the Sov Judges and Bolland totally nails their appearance; so much so that they have barely changed over the ensuing decades. I particularly like the way their helmets echo those odd toppings on the Kremlin. I thought I might have to do a quick run down of The Cold War and how America and Russia's nuclear cockfencing endangered the whole world. Luckily I don't have to because Putin and Trump have brought it all back. Personally I'd have preferred the return of the Rubik's Cube but there you go, they didn't ask me. Some okay jokes and a super unexpected cliff-hanger, with Bolland's comical realism on top like a tasty Kremlin Onion, is OKAY!
JUDGE DREDD: LUNA-1 WAR Art by Brian Bolland Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tony Jacob Originally published in 2000AD Prog 51
JUDGE DREDD: LUNA-1 WAR by Bolland, Wagner and Jacob
WAR! HUH! Oh, you know that song! In the future Luna 1 War tells us, “Wars today are NO LONGER FOUGHT BETWEEN VAST ARMIES, But by Combat units consisting of FOUR SOLDIERS and one reserve!” This idea doesn't last any longer as the duration of this strip (The Apocalypse War certainly seemed more substantial than a ruck in a pub car park.) but it is a good idea nevertheless. Dredd watches from the side-lines saying awesome things like “We're no better than The Sovs. They use war as an excuse to grab land – we treat it as a GAME!” I'm a-okay with eight year olds reading that despite how it may sound to sophisticated twenty year olds and up. So you can stop rolling your eyes, pal. Anyway, the Sovs are a bad lot so they spike the M-C1 reserve with a “Hypo-Dart”. Big Mistake. Judge Dredd dons a suspiciously Dan Dare-esque helmet and gives those unsporting Sovs' hides a good tanning. For two issues now we've had to “listen” to Wagner's excellently aggravating sports caster (Bolland makes him look like a certain Daily Planet stringer. Heh.) so on our behalf Dredd chokes him with his own mike, turns to the audience and spits, “War is POINTLESS. War is EVIL. WAR IS HELL!”. Hey, sometimes the truth doesn't need nuance. GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: THE FACE-CHANGE CRIMES Art by Brian Bolland Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in 2000AD Prog 52
JUDGE DREDD: THE FACE-CHANGE CRIMES by Bolland, Wagner and Frame
Unlike the concept of war as a 10 man sporting event, the idea introduced here would persist for the duration of the Dredd strip, causing no end of bedevilment for our future Lawman. It does what it says on the tin, this face-change technology. So here we start with a bank robbery by Laurel and Hardy with Charlie Chaplin, where the robbers evade capture after a bit of !presto-changeo! by being evacuated with the faces of the (3) Marx Brothers. Needless to say Bolland's art is every bit the perfect fit for the bizarre sight of dead 20th century comedians robbing a future bank on the moon. Luckily Judge Dredd has a somewhat unlikely knowledge of deceased 20th Century Comedians and quickly zeroes in on his suspects. Freed by their lawyer, who is a dead ringer for the famous actor and acromegaly sufferer Rondo Hatton, Dredd is left kicking his heels but..."TWO CAN PLAY A DIRTY GAME…!", and he doesn't mean nude Twister. This is a fast and fun one, with Bolland's realism coming to the fore to underscore the visual lunacy of what's going on. You know, VERY GOOD! Personally I feel more could have been made of Dredd's credulity stretching knowledge of 20th Century trivia; it could perhaps have been combined with his amazing ability to tell who cooked what he's eating in order to solve future crimes. On second thoughts we're just a touch of smug irony away from a Matt Fraction Image comic, so forget I said anything. The world doesn't need any more of those.
JUDGE DREDD: THE OXYGEN BOARD Art by Brian Bolland Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in 2000AD Prog 57
JUDGE DREDD: THE OXYGEN BOARD by Bolland, Wagner and Frame
This strip is where the young John K(UK) was infused with a life-long detestation of the Free Market philosophy so beloved of soulless cankers who walk like humans. Regulation isn't the enemy, greedy psychopaths are. Sure, I know, I know, if we just leave the provision of services to find its own level no end of good will result. After all, human behaviour is improved no end by the possibility of earning ridiculous amounts of money without obstruction. And if you believe that fairy story/self justificatory pile of horse apples you probably think you can eat the moon on crackers. Anyone who has ever ridden a train in England or received a utility bill know that The Oxygen Board isn't just a possibility; it's inevitable. You also know that Free Market philosophy makes about as much sense as wearing hats made of shit. And if they could charge you for it they'd tell you that was a good idea too. And some of you would do it too. So, uh, yeah, on the moon, oxygen is piped in and billed and if you don't pay your bill...well, that's on you! It's a wicked and powerful punchline most writers would make much hay out of, but Wagner slaps it at the end of a tale of thieves who have robbed the very Oxygen Board itself. Their ironic comeuppance turns the whole thing into a darkly prescient parable. It's drawn by Brian Bolland too, and if that's the only thing that gets people looking at what is a tiny masterpiece then all the better. VERY GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: FULL EARTH CRIMES Art by Mike McMahon and Brian Bolland Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in 2000AD Prog 58
JUDGE DREDD: FULL EARTH CRIMES by McMahon, Wagner and Frame
This one is better than its simple premise might indicate. On the moon people go loco at Full Earth like people are purported to do on Earth when the moon is full. We then get a conveyor belt of crimes punchily slapped down by the living genius Mike McMahon. It's a succession of funny future crime set-ups each followed by a Dredd-is-a-hard-bastard punchline. E.g Dredd saves a leaper but then gives him 90 days Penal Servitude for public nuisance. Wagner doubles down by having a lady bystander tell Dredd off, because the guy is clearly not the full shilling, only for Dredd to fine her 2,000 Creds for obstructing Justice. Then, with a poker face like iron, Wagner TRIPLES down and when she complains Dredd ups the fine to 4,000 credits. Actually, it is quite funny now I think about it. There’s a bunch of that kind of thing before Dredd goes home exhausted. It's just a string of jokes really, with the double page opening by Bolland and the actual meat of the story by Mike McMahon. Call me unstable but I will always have room in my mind for the final panel where Walter faithfully tucks a blanket around “Dear Judge Dwedd...” OKAY!
JUDGE DREDD: GLOBAL PSYCHO Art by Ian Gibson Written by Gordon Rennie Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #328-331
JUDGE DREDD: GLOBAL PSYCHO by Gibson, Rennie and Frame
Oh, thank Grud. We’re nearly at the end! Oh, you're all feeling the fatigue, what about me? I went to C**********d and back halfway through writing this (round about the Luna-1 War bit) because people think I have to contribute to the social life of the family or something! It was cold and windy enough to require my big coat too! Straight back with “school shoes” and here I have to go on about Gordon Rennie, while fielding black looks from the person cooking the tea. Anyhoo, Judge Dredd is outfoxed by a serial killer in a oner which sets up the somewhat chunkier one which follows on below. Ian Gibson draws in his kind of diseased kid's illustrator style and once again his colours are a delight of polished inkwashes. The most interesting thing for me with Global Psycho is the fact it shows a bum and a bit of tit on a killer's strung up victim. We didn't need a bit of bum and tit in my day! Not in Judge Dredd anyway. What we did our own homes was another matter. It's just a setting up strip so it's OKAY!
JUDGE DREDD: KILLER ELITE Art by Paul Marshall Written by Gordon Rennie Greytones by Jean-Paul Bove Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #328-331
JUDGE DREDD: KILLER ELITE by Marshall, Rennie, Bove and Frame
Gordon Rennie acquits himself quite well here; it helps he's given himself a strong premise. The psycho from Global Psycho is dying, but before she pops off she collects the galaxy's greatest murderers and has them all face off on the moon. The prize is the seat aboard an escape pod. It doesn't sound like much of a prize, but the complex will explode in sixty minutes and there is only one seat on the escape pod. Dredd's in there because he is after all “the greatest mass murderer in human history”; which by this point in his history is probably understating the matter. It's nice to be reminded how much blood is on Joe's hands every now and again. Particularly if you've recently watched him get tucked up snug by a fawning robot. A whole lot of mayhem ensues but to avoid it all getting a bit one-note Rennie builds the trap around Dredd so tightly that by the time he reaches the pod with another survivor you really don't know how he's going to get out of it. It's fast and fun, and if not quite as fast or fun as Rennie might think, it's fast and fun enough. The only let down is the art. While there's nothing wrong with Marshall's typically sturdy work, someone has made the (cost cutting?) decision to go for gray tones instead of colour. This makes it all a bit visually drab, so much so it starts to undermine the art. The swathes of gray don't allow anything to pop, even when you know what you are looking at should be popping like Space Dust on a pre-teen's tongue. But Dredd's convincingly Dredd, and Rennies' Most Dangerous Game is dangerous enough so GOOD!
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON shows that Luna-1 is whatever any particular writer requires of it; empty and forbidding in Breathing Space, noisy and garish in Darkside, bustling and crazed in the original strips and the moon is just, well, there as a deadly backdrop in Killer Elite. It doesn't really matter as the freedom allows all these different approaches; and while some work (Breathing Space) and some don't (Darkside) none of that's down to the setting. As a volume it's GOOD!
NEXT TIME: Manners maketh the Judge, so says Judge Mum and - COMICS!!!
February 25, 2017 / John Kane/ 3 Comments
2000AD, Brian Bolland, Gordon Rennie, Ian Gibson, John K (UK), John Smith, John Wagner, Judge Dredd, Judge Dredd The Mega Collection, Laurence Campbell, Lee Townsend, Mick McMahon, Mike McMahon, Paul Marshall, Peter Doherty, Rebellion, Rob Williams, The 1970s, The 1990s, The 2000s, The 2010s
"NOBODY Calls Me CHICKEN HEAD!" COMICS! Sometimes I Hope You Brought A Clean Pair Of Pants.
Are you ready to quiver in horripilation at the future terrors accosting Mega-City One’s premiere lawman? No, well come back when you are. JUDGE DREDD: THE HAUNTING OF SECTOR HOUSE 9 by Brett Ewins
JUDGE DREDD: THE MEGA COLLECTION Vol. 77: HORROR STORIES Art by Brett Ewins, Ian Gibson, Dave Taylor, Mick McMahon, John Burns, Andrew Currie, Xuasus and Steve Dillon Written by John Wagner, Alan Grant, Gordon Rennie and John Smith Lettered by Tom Frame and Annie Parkhouse Colours by Chris Blythe Originally serialised in 2000AD Progs 359-363, 511-512, 1523-1528, 1582-1586 & 2005, JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 2.27-2.29, JUDGE DREDD ANNUAL 1981, JUDGE DREDD ANNUAL 1982 and 2000AD WINTER SPECIAL 1994 © 1980, 1981, 1984, 1987,1994, 2004, 2007, 2008 & 2016 Rebellion A/S Hatchette Partworks/Rebellion, £9.99 (2016) JUDGE DREDD created by Carlos Ezquerra & John Wagner
JUDGE DREDD: THE HAUNTING OF SECTOR HOUSE 9 Art by Brett Ewins Written by John Wagner & Alan Grant Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in 2000AD Progs 359-363
JUDGE DREDD: THE HAUNTING OF SECTOR HOUSE 9 by Ewins, Wagner & Grant and Frame
I know we've all wondered more than once what Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House would be like if it was set in Mega-City One. Well, The Haunting of Sector House 9 answers that pressing question. Apparently there would be a lot less sublimated sapphism and repressive social mores and a lot more mouths exploding from walls, zombies, disembodied hands and big men in leather shouting. On reflection it might not have that much to do with Shirley Jackson's timeless terror tome after all. It definitely has to do with Judge Dredd stolidly yelling things like "DAMNED if I'll give in to a SPOOK!" and Brett Ewins wonderful ability to draw warped flesh and matter splattered walls. I really dug this one on its first appearance way back when, there was just something unsettling about the sci-fi world of Dredd suddenly morphing into a barnstorming full-on horror flick. Wagner and Grant pace this demon baby just right with each chapter containing something icky and an incremental revelation of the solution to the mystery. And they don't even cheat on the solution, it's not just "Well, I guess we'll never know. There are more things on heaven and earth than are dreamed of in your comportment, Judge Dredd." No, there's a proper (and very "Dredd") reason for all the poltergeisting about.
Much of the fun comes from Dredd's refusal to treat the supernatural any differently to a perp with a knife and an Umpty habit. Here he shares the stage with a couple of other Judges, most notably Judge Omar who has a turban so is, I guess, a Sikh. Although Dredd's world appears overwhelmingly secular there are still familiar religions (something Alan Grant would explore in his Judge Anderson strips; we'll get to those volumes. Patience.) Omar is also a PSI Judge. I used to think that a PSI Division was about as likely as a Healing Crystals Division (Judge Credulous, presiding) but over the years the strip has worn down my resistance, also it turns out fascists have a penchant for all that silly shit so, yeah, okay, PSI Division it is. Best used sparingly though, like nutmeg. The Haunting of Sector House 9 is good little thunder through spooky tropes with a satisfying pay off, but a lot of its success is down to the atmosphere and that's wholly down to Bret Ewins' art. Which is unfortunate, because these volumes reprint some very old strips, and I guess occasionally the original materials have gone AWOL. (Or Rebellion/Hatchette haven't bothered to source them.) In this particular case the poor reproduction annihilates the delicacy of Ewins' line. Despite his art being all about blunt impact, a kind of brusque shove to get your eye's attention, there's always a surprising amount of detail in there. Detail that isn't served well by the heavy handed reproduction. You can still see all Ewins's trademarks through the murk; particularly those shiny, shiny Judge helmets. It's just a shame his crisp, clear linework is swamped by blacks for the most part. Despite this The Haunting of Sector House 9 is pulpy sprint of a thing adorned by the art of one of Dredd's more under-rated artists. GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: JUDGEMENT Art by Ian Gibson Written by Gordon Rennie Lettered by Annie Parkhouse Originally published in 2000AD Progs 1523-1528
JUDGE DREDD: JUDGEMENT by Gibson, Rennie and Parkhouse
Here Gordon Rennie manfully struggles to give Dredd and Anderson a supernatural mystery to solve, and for the most part he is successful enough. A ghostly Judge is dispensing justice on the streets, which just isn't on, and so Dred investigates along with Anderson and SJS judge Ishmael. Judge Ishmael, er, has a beard, and contributes little to the narrative before just fading into the background. He's the kind of story flab a Wagner or a Grant would have excised completely, but not Rennie, alas. This unnecesary heaviness weighs the strip down, it all seems overly convoluted in order to get to where it's going. The pacing plods, in short. And Rennie is inconsistent in his spookiness. A ghost judge whose shell casings are material enough to be traced? Um, no. I have trouble believing in gravity so if you want me to be all-in on vengeful revenants you can't trip me up with stuff like that.
But it's not without entertainment and Rennie gets a couple of very good moments in there, such as when the gang boss realises he's just made a biiiiiiiiiiiiig mistake. And the mystery itself is pretty good, there's just the odd leadfooted moment which makes you pause just long enough to irritate. A bit of red pencil would have helped. It's close to good, but what hurls it across the line is Ian Gibson's phenomenal art. Or to be more precise Gibson's phenomenal colouring. Seriously, there's some crackerjack colouring going on here. Done in something resembling ink wash, the colours are a work of art in themselves. The indigo Ghost Judge really pops out from the world it is haunting. For that world Gibson chooses a really chirpy and upbeat palette with warm pinks, deep blues and jolly greens which, draped over his lithely curvaceous lines, create images so ebulliently cartoony they are a joy. In Judgement Rennie does okay, but Gibson raises things up to GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: ROAD STOP Art by Dave Taylor Written by Gordon Rennie Lettered by Annie Parkhouse Originally published in 2000AD Progs 1582-1586
JUDGE DREDD: ROAD STOP by Taylor, Rennie and Parkhouse
Gordon Rennie again! This time Rennie picks up a bunch of genre cliches, each of which would be insufficient for a story this length and mushes them all together to create a kind of creepy comicbook rumbledethumps. And, I have to say, it's not half bad. Hmmmmm! For a bunch of reasons which can all shelter under the umbrella of Plot Convenience (which is much better than hunching under the bus shelter of Plot Contrivance) Judge Dred is stranded until a storm passes at a decrepit Road Stop with a serial killer, an assassin, a coach trip and several other cits. That's pretty good. But the Road Stop comes under attack from a mutant gang and, yes, and, the owners of the Road Stop have something hungry in the basement. It should be overstuffed but, credit to Rennie, it moves along with quite a bit of zip and not without a few surprises. There's never a dull moment, but then with that lot going on there shouldn't be. (Again, though, Mr. Editor should have pointed out that you don't tell someone who has just revealed themselves as an assassin that you would love to help them but you have to pack all this stolen money..oops, you're dead!) Fun for the most part, writing-wise.
But the art? Grud on a Greenie! Who is this Dave Taylor! He's the Tip-Top Top Cat and no mistake! His art has a wonderfully European inflection and a super robust sense of physical dimension. He doesn't stint one jot on the characters or the locations either. The road house is wonderfully designed, with a real sense of novelty to every room, rather than a jaded sense of yes-I've-seen-Blade-Runner-too-it-was-forty-years-ago-can-we-move-on-now-please. And there's no stinginess with the character designs either. Most folk would have saved the robot with a monkey’s head or the electric-circuit person for their own projects. But here they are just part of a bunch of wild designs which get less page time than Judge Dredd's bike. Dave Taylor goes all-in is what I'm saying. I looked him up on Wikipedia and it turns out he's English so that explains everything. Apparently he also had a double hernia. I doubt that's the secret of his ridiculously good art though. Road Stop is solid stuff so GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: THE FEAR THAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS! Art by Mick McMahon Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in JUDGE DREDD ANNUAL 1981
JUDGE DREDD: THE FEAR THAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS! by McMahon, Wagner and Frame
In 1981 Judge Dredd got his own Annual! (Well, I guess in 1980 strictly speaking). This was pretty momentous if you were 11 years old, because that meant that Christmas would bring not only the 2000AD Annual but also a Judge Dredd one! (Family finances permitting; the ‘80s was a hard time for us, we had to let one of the planes go). North American genre comics have annuals too, but these are published too randomly to suggest anyone producing them actually knows what the word means, and are basically just fat comics. A fat comic chucked out intermittently is not an “annual”, North American genre comics! In Britain where we understand the value of routine and the meaning of words, Annuals come out just before Christmas, are magazine sized with hard covers and cater to a range of interests; sports, puzzles, etc and, yes, comics. The 2000AD Annual would bulk itself out with old reprints (one year I’m sure Rick Random Space Detective was in there. Rick Random! I’m sure Rick Random has his charms, but it was a bit like interrupting a kid’s party with a lecture on the Joys of Accounting. Rick Random isn’t exactly FLESH!) but IIRC Judge Dredd’s Annual was all new stuff. Even if it wasn’t, even if I’m wrong, it had an awesome Mike McMahon drawn strip (yes, this strip!) which took advantage of the big pages and extra length to really go Total McMahon.
The story isn’t much; Dredd is chasing down a bad mutant hombre but comes unstuck when the Milwaukee dead rise up to exact revenge for their nuclear annihilation. It’s a bit of zippy fluff which gets by on the visual joke of the bad guy and Dredd’s refusal to give an inch in the face of a city of restless spirits. Mostly it's McMahon's show. McMahon’s art here is a summation of his “scabby” style, which he would immediately start moving away from, like the restless genius that he is. You can really see here his technique for making the most of his page count by creating pages within pages; that is, a group of three or four panels which are read together within the larger page on which they nestle. He really covers some ground like that, and it leaves him free to have a big image dominating the layout to boot. He also colours it like a gifted child armed with felt tip pens; if Lynne Varley had done it we'd all be shaking a tail feather over it. His pages here were so scrumdiddlyumptious that even an 11 year old could tell. I spent a lot of 1981 copying Mike McMahon’s art from the Judge Dredd Annual 1981 in biro on some wallpaper offcuts we had lying about (remember wallpaper?). Yes, I should have got out more. The Fear That Made Milwaukee Famous! is not only a pun on an ancient Schlitz beer advertising slogan but, drawn by Mike McMahon, it is thus VERY GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: THE VAMPIRE EFFECT Art by Mick McMahon Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in JUDGE DREDD ANNUAL 1982
JUDGE DREDD: THE VAMPIRE EFFECT by McMahon, Wagner and Frame A space ship carrying alien life form samples crashes into Mega City one and an energy vampire is on the loose! The more it eats the bigger it gets and by the time it has eaten a few under-city dwellers it is pretty hefty and ready to chow down on Mega City One. Can Judge Dredd and his fascist pals stop it before it's too late? Yes, obviously. But how? Yeah, smart guy, how? There's not much to this solidly scripted effort other than a steady ratcheting up of the stakes and a pervasive sense of hopelessness, which is quite a lot really; and most of that is probably down to the art by Mike McMahon.
JUDGE DREDD: THE VAMPIRE EFFECT by McMahon, Wagner and Frame
One year later and we can see just how much hunger McMahon's talent has for fresh artistic conquests. The man gobbles up challenges like the in-story vampire chows down on energy. Ravenously. His art still retains a grubby patina but is far more visually controlled now. There's a discipline in the straightness of lines strong enough for him to perch his more expressionistic tendencies atop them. The flare of Dredd's helmet is starting to reach the point where he'll be forced to enter rooms sideways, but the exaggeration is consistent with the larger landscape of visual hyperbole it inhabits; which makes it Art rather than a goof. Fret not, though, McMahon's art has lost none of its playfulness despite his apparent turn towards the stern. His colours are more subdued here with the odd pop of a green knee pad leavening the dourness, but there's still wit; see the negative colouring on people “bitten” by the vampire, and his refusal to make the vampire anything other than a blob speckled by colour. The reproduction here is a crying shame, tending as it does to the blurry. But The Vampire Effect is still drawn by Mike McMahon and so it is VERY GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: HORROR HOUSE Art by John Burns Written by John Wagner Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in 2000AD WINTER SPECIAL 1994
JUDGE DREDD: HORROR HOUSE by Burns, Wagner and Frame
A one episode punchline strip in which Dredd has to rescue a kidnapped kid from an animatronic house of horrors. This is from a Winter Specuial which, unlike an Annual, is a fat comic released at seasonal intervals. Used to be we just had Summer Specials which were an awesome part of being a kid. Looks like we now have Winter Specials because profits in the third quarter are down, or whatever. I don't know, but I for one am not sitting on a Blackpool beach in my trunks reading Shiver'n'Shake in November, thanks. Must be getting old. So, yeah, the old lag John Burns (b.1938) has scads of fun with the different dioramas in the Mega-Tussauds’ of Terror, and my eyes enjoyed his lovely tides of colour breaking over the page. Burns’ style is very European, characterised by pin-sharp linework so awesome that he took over Modesty Blaise from Enrique Romano in the ‘70s. Burns was beloved by kids of the ‘70s for his art on the smutty newspaper strip George & Lynne, by the ‘80s he was blazing trails of awesome on the page for 2000AD, where his work embraced colour with a vigour that would make a vicar blush. I like John Burns’ art. Unfortunately while the script’s punchline isn’t bad as such, it landed leadenly as I hadn’t realised there was anything amiss with Dredd’s behaviour. He’s not exactly chatty Cathy at the best of times is he now? Anyway, John Burns drawing Judge Dredd fighting things is always GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: CHRISTMAS WITH THE BLINTS Art by Andrew Currie Written by John Wagner Coloured by Chris Blythe Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in 2000AD Prog 2005
JUDGE DREDD: CHRISTMAS WITH THE BLINTS by Currie, Wagner, Blythe and Frame
This is the finale of a long running storyline about Dredd failing to catch Ooola Blint, who is addicted to euthanasia-ing unwilling people, and her useful idiot of a husband, Homer. The problem with this series of mega-books is here we just get the end of the chase. Maybe the other bits are in other books, I don't know. Anyway, although robbed of much of its cumulative impact, the script is the usual drly comic Wagner effort wherein romance and murder become so intertwined it gets hard to distinguish between the two. At heart this is pretty sick stuff but thanks to Wagner's deadpan delivery this very sickness becomes part of the humour.
Christmas With The Blints is more of a characer piece than an action piece so Currie has his work cut out for him. Fortunatley Currie seems to have a yen for caricature, so fun with faces is right up his street, and his “acting” is well up to snuff(heh!) for the duration. He does a particularly sweet Morgan Freeman whose sloping contours suggest the influence of the Master Caricaturist Mort Drucker, which is nice to see in a Dredd strip. It's a wordy episode but Currie keeps it interesting and his crisp, clean style is attractive if never eye boggling. Christmas With The Blints is GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: THE JIGSAW MURDERS Art by Xuasas Written by John Smith Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 2.27-2.29
I really like John Smith as a writer, and I really, really like Judge Dredd as a character but I don't think John Smith writes a good Judge Dredd. The Jigsaw Murders doesn't change that opinion. Smith has his very own range of obsessions he rarely deviates from: body horror, fractured stream-of-consciousness inner monologues, creepy malefic beings whose reality can be a bit dubious and a rigid dislike of authority. This latter quality overshadows his more intriguing aspects on Dredd, because he gives the impression he's holding his nose whenever he has to write Dredd himself. I don't know how he gives that impression but he does. So what I do is, I just read it as a John Smith story and that usually works out okay. Here then I ended up reading about a serial killer who dismembers his victims to disguise his less than sane search for a replacement arm. This being a John Smith joint he rides about in an ice cream truck and is haunted by The Giggler, a creepy kid's toy, and is pursued by Judge Dredd, who looks like our Judge Dredd but is an inflexible asshole prone to bad one-liners. He's not as bad as Millar and Morrison's tone-deaf interpretation of Judge Dredd, but then at least here he's in a decent story which is something that pair never managed to conjure up. As John Smith stories go it's pretty good, there's a hilarious bit where the Jigsaw Killer finally gets his arm and it's all kind of icky and nasty like a good John Smith tale should be.
JUDGE DREDD: THE JIGSAW MURDERS by Xuasas, Smith and Frame
It's illustrated by Juan Jesus Garcia, who likes to be called “Xuasus”, in a fully painted style which I like to call “mostly successful”. It's got some real heft to it thanks to Xuasus' penchant for lumpiness and there's a winning ugliness to everything, not least the characters. However, stiffness is an issue when he paints people in motion, and while it didn't entirely convince there was always the odd stand-out like the panel below. Interesting, I guess I'd go for. The Jigsaw Murders is pleasantly odd thanks to Smith's script and Xuasus', uh, heavy approach. So, GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: THE BEATING HEART Art by Steve Dillon Written by John Wagner & Alan Grant Lettered by Tom Frame Originally published in 2000AD Progs 511-512
JUDGE DREDD: THE BEATING HEART by Dillon, Wagner & Grant and Frame
This is a little two parter, a playful update of Poe's “Tell-Tale Heart” which is amusing enough in its way, but is of note largely because of Steve Dillon's art. In 2015 comics lost Brett Ewins (see above) and in 2016 Steve Dillon died, which makes this volume a bittersweet read. It does provide a reminder that Dillon's sparky art could lift a trifle like this out of the filler category and up into GOOD! without breaking a sweat. Dillon may only ever have drawn one female face but he put atop it a cascade of Bizarre '80s hairstyles that would give a Studio Style executive a chubby, and while his décor could be minimal his pacing was precise. Best of all Dillon would always remember that it was Judge Dredd's strip and really nail his Dredd bits down hard. Ciao, Steve Dillon! Ciao, Brett Ewins! And thanks for all the Thrill-Power!
And as all the best horror stories end with a hand coming out of the ground…
NEXT TIME: I'm not sure but probably Judge Dredd in some - COMICS!!!
Alan Grant, Andrew Currie, Brett Ewins, Dave Taylor, Gordon Rennie, Ian Gibson, John Burns, John K (UK), John Smith, John Wagner, Judge Dredd, Judge Dredd The Mega Collection, Mick McMahon, Mike McMahon, Rebellion, Steve Dillon, The 1980s, The 1990s, The 2000s, The 2010s, Xuasus
“My HEAD is on FIRE!” COMICS! Sometimes It Makes A weird Clanky Noise When You Go Over 60mph!
In which I look at a comic featuring a man whose head is on fire. It’s by Clayton Crain and Garth Ennis; so no soft lads past this point. BRAAAAAAAAAAAS! GHOST RIDER: ROAD TO DAMNATION by Crain, Ennis & Eliopoulos
GHOST RIDER: ROAD TO DAMNATION #1-6 Art by Clayton Crain Written by Garth Ennis Lettered by Chris Eliopoulos Marvel Comics, $2.99 each (2005-2006) GHOST RIDER created by Mike Ploog, Gary Friedrich & Roy Thomas
I’m probably not the audience for this one, as the only exposure I’ve had to motor-biking is when my dad used to go arse over tit every Friday after the pub, sending our fish suppers skidding across the drive’s tarmacadam. Being a small child at the time, the experience didn’t really endear the manly art of riding about very fast indeed to me. But, being a large child at this time, I do quite like the idea of a man whose head is perpetually aflame, which is very much what this comic is about. In fact the book itself mentions the ceaseless flickering of our undead chum’s combustible noggin on more than one occasion. Either because he profoundly underestimates his audience’s ability to retain information or because he profoundly overestimates the humour of doing so, Ennis repeatedly goes out of his way to remind us, in case we had forgotten, that the man with the head on fire we are looking at, is in fact a man with his head on fire. He also has a good beery laugh at the expense of names like Johnny Blaze and Richard Rider because they sound a bit, well, unmanly. Dick Rider! Hurrr! It’s okay having a pop at the camp names from old comics, but if you wrote one of the most hilariously repressed comics ever (Preacher, obviously) you might want to think about motes, beams, eyes and the removal of such. See Matthew 7:3 -7:5, as Garth could no doubt tell you, him being such a keen Biblical scholar.
GHOST RIDER: ROAD TO DAMNATION by Crain, Ennis & Eliopoulos
Or maybe not a scholar as such. There’s his usual guff about angels and devils and Heaven and Hell, which suggests wee Garth Ennis wasn’t listening too hard when old Sister Clodagh was giving it the old Scripture business. The angels are as bad as the devils, seems to be the thing he’s going for here (#EDGEYSTUFF) but it’s all undone by the fact he’s clearly having more fun with the Hellish emissary, Hoss. Hoss is a big fat cowboy type, who is all down homey and grits, and all that big belt buckle stuff; he’s probably a real hoot if you are, uh, well, Garth Ennis. Or Jason Aaron. (Ironically, Jason Aaron AKA "the house-trained Garth Ennis", would later have a really quite decent run on GHOST RIDER.) And get this (it’s awesome) he has a biker (get ready for awesome town) stick his own head up (buckle up! Awesome City limits up ahead) his own anus (HOO! HOO!) and that’s how the guy remains for the rest of these series. Classic, Garth. Just classic. Better yet he’s called “Buttview.” Because he has his head stuck up his butt. Oh, my aching ribs. Yeah, Buttview’s up there with Garth Ennis’ other nuanced creations Arseface and, uh, Shithead. Excuse me while I crush this beercan on my forehead. BOO-YA!
All of which is just Garth Ennis’ usual cheeky playground humour schtick. But his schtick comes unstuck this time out. While it is really super edgey to declaim there is no difference between Heaven and Hell, it is a bit confusing. I’m not sure which creed Ennis is addressing here; which is kind of important if you’re wanting to believe he’s making any points at all; besides how bloody proper bloody hard he bloody is. It doesn’t work, basically. The angels in the book are a couple of effete berks who cause a woman to miscarry because she can see them, and Ruth, a lady angel in a white pantsuit, who makes a kid stick a pencil in his own eye because he can see her wings. Which is the big problem of wearing white pants suits. HA! See I did a joke about pantie pads just for all the manly fellas out there! Hurr! Who’s up for an Indian? Now, as the sages say, the world don’t move to the beat of just one drum so it is possible that miscarriages and self-blinding children might be real thighslappers somewhere, but it’s doubtful. It just doesn’t work and the book knows it. The giveaway is that the kid’s traumatic eye injury occurs off panel but we get to see the biker put his head up his butt on panel. The shift from the harmlessly crass humour beloved of booger-eaters the world over, to the sadistically nasty is too sharp. They don’t sit right together. Sure they are both violence but the mix is off. You don’t put pepper in your Angel Delight do ya? Call me picky but I’m not sure miscarriages and blinded children sit so well with, say, Miss Catmint, the mousey downtrodden assistant with the 1970s comedy name. “Oooh, can I just look in your drawers, Miss Catmint!”, no one says but you bet Garth though hard before deleting it. That's right he even thinks hard! What? Yes, I get it: they're all the same, they're all bastards. Great. That's useful. As observations go, it's fit only for funnybooks. And while I have some sympathy for what some inclined towards academia might view as a pointed erosion of the traditional hero (Johnny is basically a clueless f-wit all too eager to think the best of people, even demons), let's not forget it's a book about a man who's head is on fire.
The plot doesn’t make a lot of sense, but is basically a kind of cut down Wacky Races with Hell, Ghosty and Heaven all competing to stop Squiddlybipbopbop the Demon from bringing Hell to earth. Ennis makes such a hash of explaining things that I’m a little unclear really about why anyone is doing anything. Particularly as it all seems to revolve around keeping schtum about some kind of spiritual insider trading so that God doesn’t catch on. Now it’s been a few decades since Sunday School but I’m pretty sure one of the big things about God is that whole omniscient thing so, uh, I guess omniscience isn’t all it’s cracked up to be or someone’s been overselling The Big Yin for the last few thousand years. Or, uh, muhwuhmuhmu, look his head’s on fire! Did we mention his head's on fire! Basically, when it comes to specifics this plot has a strong air of oh, is that the time, must dash! Which is fair enough since this is a comic featuring (and it’s important to bear this is mind) a man whose head is permanently aflame, so no one’s expecting intellectual rigour. Worse though is the brevity of the race. There’s all of one fight scene involving a bus full of hapless chumps being wielded like a mallet, and then the various racers are where they need to get to. Why they couldn’t appear right where they needed to get to in the first place, what with them all being supernatural and that, is a question only someone who doesn’t know how hard it is to fill six issues would ask.
On the upside Clayton Crain’s art is…difficult to judge, honestly. Mainly because it’s really dark for the most part, not in a “Ooh! Kind dark! Kinda edgey! That won’t play in Peoria!” way, but in a “Hey, Who forgot to pay the light bill!” way. Squinting through the gloom though, he seems to have an ambitious array of grotesquerie on display. His Hell is a kind of smouldering meatscape, with Ghost-ado being pursued over what looks like barbecue holocaust by escapees from a demon butchers. He has a lot of fun visualising the demons, especially Shabbadoowaaa who is all spinal cord and wheels, like some kind of roaring, sentient, apocalyptic car accident; definitely Hellish looking. The normal scenes obviously interest Crain less, but they are okay; he has a lot of fun with the bloated paraplegic businessman, but the more normal folk get short shrift. But no one is reading a Ghost Rider comic to see thrilling evocations of the mundanity of day to day life. No, they are here to see nauseating physical monstrosities and a man with his head on fire. And there is where Clayton Crain delivers. In spades. The ace of spades! I loved the liquid quality of the flames crowning Ghostarino's dome in particular. In fact Crain’s art is probably better than it looked to me, because he’s obviously using them there computers, and back in 2006 that was a pretty avant garde. Also, In the interests of not being a total jerkwad I went and looked at the preview pages on Comixology and I have to say that his art pops a lot more in digital. A lot of the FX such as the butane-blue flames are so blurry in print as to not be worth the bother. So I binned all my dark unto uselessness scans and skanked all the panels off Comixology. It seemed like the only way to give Crain a fair shake. No, it's okay, I'm made of time. There's nothing I'd rather be doing with my swiftly disappearing lifespan. Anyway, Digital did the art some favours, but it didn’t improve the script. Funny that. It's a good book to look at, but not so hot to read.
Fair’s fair though, the art makes GHOST RIDER: ROAD TO DAMNATION a step up from autopilot Ennis (oh, throw a stick you’ll hit one), sure and it’s not a big step. The book struggles to be more than a six issue round of Garth Ennis Bingo (1st Prize: a big auld steak and a six pack o’stout. 2nd Prize: A dog-eared Sven Hassel novel. 3rd Prize: That ‘70s poster of the tennis player scratching her bare arse). And don't worry he manages to get in the old maudlin whinny of "Noo Yawk! As pretty as a fair Collen passed out in her own sick with her drawers round her ankles! Oh, New Yawk! Let me paw your arse!" Christ, show some decorum, man. What is it with the Irish and New York? Whatever it is, give it a rest. Mainstream North American genre comics being what they are It’s not uncommon for Ennis (or anyone) to do work-for-hire about a central character he clearly has little interest in, but unfortunately here he seemingly struggles to find anything he does have an interest in. But, you know, it’s w-f-h so maybe he had an editorial remit to fulfil rather than this being a personal work of searing truth; The Ghost Rider Story He Had To Tell. You know, all that waffle falafel they come out with. (“After I handed in the final draft of SPIDER-MAN: BOOMBOX BOONDOGGLE I wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.”) It reads like someone rang him and said, “That Preacher you did? The kids like that, Garth, so do six issues of that stuff. Just remember to stick a bloke whose head is on fire in there. ” And he saw the cheque and went, “Konichi wa! Fair dinkum, boyo!” and got stuck in. And why not? We’ve all got bills to pay. This was EH!
NEXT TIME: More GHOST RIDER by Garth Ennis? JUDGE DREDD mayhap? Or a Euro-Comic? I don’t know, I’m trapped in a Hell of – COMICS!!!
Clayton Crain, Garth Ennis, Ghost Rider, John K (UK), Marvel, The 2000s
“Not Unless He Had Three Legs.” COMICS! Sometimes It's Nice To Have A Change Of Scenery!
In which Judge Dredd is a right gadabout and doesn’t even have the decency to send a postcard.!!BONUS MAP OF THE MEGA-TERRITORIES!! JUDGE DREDD: GULAG by Charlie Adlard
JUDGE DREDD: THE MEGA COLLECTION Vol. 56: BEYOND MEGA-CITY ONE Art by Brendan McCarthy, Steve Dillon, Dermot Power, Charlie Adlard and Inaki Miranda Written by John Wagner, Alan Grant, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar & Grant Morrison and Gordon Rennie Lettered by Tom Frame, Mark King, John Aldrich, Annie Parkhouse and Simon Bowland Colours by Wendy Simpson, Chris Blythe Eu de la Cruz Originally serialised in 2000AD Progs 485-488, 727-732, 859-866, 1382-1386 & JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 246-249 © 1986, 1991, 1993, 2004, 2006 & 2016 Rebellion A/S Hatchette Partworks/Rebellion, £9.99 (2016) JUDGE DREDD created by Carlos Ezquerra & John Wagner
ATLANTIS Art by Brendan McCarthy Written by John Wagner & Alan Grant Lettered by Tom Frame & Mark King
JUDGE DREDD: ATLANTIS by McCarthy, Wagner & Grant and Frame
Have you ever seen a British Bobby’s helmet? Ooooh, don’t! Get you! Stop it! OoooOOOOooooOOOOOOh! No, really, back when they walked the beat tipping the wink to the ladies, dispensing directions and gruffly moving on the ruffians and all that, before they became swaddled in bullet proof jackets and started cradling matt black engines of death while licking their chapped lips, back before that, did you ever seen a British bobby’s helmet? We used to call them “tit heads”, because kids have no respect and, also, they were a pretty ridiculous bit of gear. And yet thoroughly British in their ridiculousness, due to their air of wonky pomp. Brendan McCarthy’s design for the Brit Judge embraces this tradition and carries it into the future like a sheikh carrying a blonde lady on the cover of a Mills & Boon romance. Smoothly, that is. It also suggests he is the only person in existence who ever looked at Calos Ezquerra’s original Judge design and thought, “Hmmm, pretty impractical, but not impractical enough!” Pity the poor sap who has to patrol the mean streets of Future Little Tidworth in this get-up.
It works on the page though because Brendan McCarthy is a design genius, and part of that genius must be due to his total refutation of physical practicalities. Not only is the Brit Judge get-up visually delightful it is also very British, what with its lion(s) rampant and multiple Union Jacks (The Royal Union Flag, to any Canucks out there). All the kind of garish tat in fact which symbolises the overcompensation this nation makes for its reduced circumstances and present global irrelevance. I wouldn’t be surprised if the kneepads alternated playing the national anthem and Churchill’s speeches, and the belt pouches contained the fixings for a nice cup o’ char. Preposterously impractical and ostentatiously nationalistic, like fascism filtered through buffoonery Brendan McCarthy’s design captures the British character to a tee. I like it. Other than that though we learn little as Brit-Judges just act like Judges and the strip isn’t set in Brit-Cit but instead in Atlantis, which is not a mythical sunken city but a way station on the sea bed. The strip is a shaggy mutie story that earns its length by introducing Atlantis and Brit-Cit judges, and by being drawn by Brendan McCarthy; it’s worth reading just to see McCarthy’s giant manta rays alone. Throw in the bumptious bobby design to boot and it’s GOOD! Stuff.
EMERALD ISLE Art by Steve Dillon Written by Garth Ennis Coloured by Wendy Simpson Lettered by Tom Frame
JUDGE DREDD: EMERALD ISLE by Dillon, Ennis, Simpson and Frame
Bejabbers! If and it isn’t the quare man hissownself now, Garth Ennis! To be sure, and there’s been many a pot o’ gold at the end o’ his rainbow o’writing! To be sure, to be sure! Oho, oho, oho! But this’ll no be one of ‘em! See and if he’s not brought his sense of humour with him! Ah now, ‘tis a turrible, turrible ting his sense o’ humour is. Aye now, ‘tis a sorry tale indeed. In the immortal words of Alan Partridge, “Der’s more to Oirland dan DIS!” What? Oh, it’s racist when I do it is it? I see. I better stop then. When Garth Ennis does it it’s satire. Except it isn’t. Unless you are a lot less demanding than me. You know that particularly poor satire that’s so bad it is actually indistinguishable from what it purports to satirise? Well, after reading Emerald Isle you will. I guess it’s a satire of people’s ideas about Ireland but it’s kind of painful. Mind you, me and Garth Ennis’ sense of humour will always at odds. Mostly because I have an outdated belief that humour should be funny. A little bird tells me though that different people find different things funny, so if you think having a Guinness harp© on a Judge’s helmet and potato guns that you can set to “chips” are funny, then you tuck in!
Unconvincingly mixed into this hilarious stuff is a more grounded tale of a M-C1 hitman who hides out with a bunch of terrorists. Terrorism is apparently just a bit of a jape until the proper crook turns up, then things get heavy. The insouciant Emerald Isle Judges are unprepared for the sudden explosion of pitilessly thuggish activity. Luckily Judge Dredd lends a hand. Personally I’m a bit unconvinced that terrorism in Ireland and organised crime were not inextricably linked but I’m not going to argue that point with anyone from Ireland. Say, has anyone else seen that crackin’ John Boorman movie THE GENERAL (1998)? Brendan Gleeson’s in it and it’s well good. Based on Dublin Crime Lord, Martin Cahill, it probably soft soaps the harsher reality but still, Brendan Gleeson. Lovely, lovely Brendan Gleeson. ORDINARY DECENT CRIMINAL (2000) stars Kevin Spacey and apparently covers the same ground. I’ve not watched that one so I’d not know. Meanwhile, back at the point, the late, great Steve Dillon draws “Emerald Isle” in his usual sturdy fashion whereby he avoids drawing anything too demanding but his stylistic charisma prevents it all getting too bland. He’s also wise enough to know that Dredd’s the star, so he’ll ensure at least one really great image of Dredd being Zarjaz! He’s a right good choice for such a whipsaw mix of comedy larks and brutal violence given his style can accommodate both at the expense of neither. It may not be the craic it thinks it is but “Emerald Isle” is GOOD!
BOOK OF THE DEAD Art by Dermot Power Written by Mark Millar & Grant Morrison Lettered by Tom Frame & John Aldrich
JUDGE DREDD: BOOK OF THE DEAD by Power, Millar & Morrison and Frame
I’m stretching charity to its limits when I say that Mark Millar and Grant Morrison’s Judge Dredd work is the high point of neither of their careers. Considering how little I rate anything by Mark Millar this should be warning enough. At this stage of their careers (the crazysexyfuntime ‘90s!) Millar & Morrison had teamed up and were giving interviews like they were pop stars in the vein of Pepsi and Shirley or something; they seemed pretty committed to the novel artistic approach of just telling people they were awesome without actually making any decent comics to back that up. A right self-promoting pair of capering mountebanks they were. Preening narcissists, some might say, because people can be very cruel. Morrison and Millar were all mouth and no trousers, as we say over here. Morrison would eventually snap out of it and lower himself to write some decent comics, which very clever people would read a great deal more into than was actually present. I don’t know what happened to him after, because the last thing I read by him was something odious about Siegel and Shuster’s treatment by DC which, while I can’t remember the specifics, certainly sounded like “Goodbye, John” to me. Apparently, because I ceased paying attention long ago, Millar would just defiantly plod on regardless, cultivating his lucrative furrow of thundering chicanery and creative impoverishment to spectacularly rewarding effect. Financially, not creatively rewarding, obviously. Before that though, the team were steadfast in their belief that if they reduced Judge Dredd to the level of a shit ‘80s straight to video action twat, this would be a good thing. At no point in their complacently leaden tenure on the strip would their approach bear any fruit other than arse grapes.
“Book of the Dead” is a pretty representative bunch of those very arse grapes. Here the legends in their own minds send Dredd to the city of Luxor in Egypt, where they can’t be bothered to invent a future society, because they are busy modelling Speedos© for Deadline, or taking about being punk while actually being about as punk as Barry Manilow, or whatever and who cares, so they just make it a really superficial idea of how Ancient Egypt was, you know, pyramids, pharaohs, mummies, etc. but with hover cars, energy staffs and Resyk. Given the amount of thought involved we’re lucky the Judges don’t ride about on robot camels and Dredd doesn’t come home with a rug from a mega-bazaar. Whenever Dredd’s abroad some folk’s antennae start twitching in case any casual racism slips in, but I think the mental sloth on show here is damning enough. It’s just a multi-part punch-up and a piss poor use of Dermot Power’s not inconsiderable talents. Power fully paints the strip with a level of skill and artistry better suited to a script where someone was, you know, actually trying. There’s some lovely muscle work on show reminiscent of the master of muscle magic, Mr Glenn Fabry, and at no point does Power succumb to the twin pitfalls of fully painted 2000AD art: drab colours and visual inertia. His work here is so lovely for seconds at a time I forgot how insultingly contemptuous the writing was of its audience. It’s only because of Dermot Power that this gets OKAY! rather than CRAP!
GULAG Art by Charlie Adlard Written by Gordon Rennie Coloured by Chris Blythe Lettered by Tom Frame
JUDGE DREDD: GULAG by Adlard, Rennie, Blythe & Frame
Charlie Adlard draws this one. Charlie Adlard is famous for drawing The Walking Dead, which is itself famous for being successful and unerringly mediocre. You knew that, but did you know that Charlie Adlard is now the UK Comics Laureate. Disappointingly, unlike the Poet Laureate, this does not mean that he has to produce comics on the Queen’s birthday or royal births and marriages, and public occasions, such as coronations and military victories. Her Madge’s Royal God-appointed face as she opened up her birthday card to find a picture of a rotting corpse tottering around a valiantly nondescript America would be quite the thing! No, it seems it’s more of a charitable position whereby the noble art of The Comic is promoted with the hope that one day it will be as popular as poetry. (<--- joke!) If you didn’t know that, then it probably evaded your attention that Dave Gibbons was the last UK Comics Laureate. As part of his promotional efforts I like to think The Gibbons used to squeeze himself into his Big E leotard from his Tornado days and leap into libraries scattering comics like startled gulls into the receptive faces of the next generation of comics’ readers. And old people sheltering from the cold. That probably didn’t happen but I think we all feel a bit better having imagined Dave Gibbons dressed as Big E. Take your pleasure where you find it doesn’t just apply to Wilson Pickett fans.
DAVE GIBBONS: BIG E stolen from thefifthbranch.com
The story? Oh, “Gulag” is about Judge Dredd getting a bunch of stubbornly unmemorable Judges together to rescue some POWS from a Siberian Gulag. Yeah, by the way, in case it hasn’t become obvious these reviews aren’t the kind which tell you significant character appearances (e.g. here: Psi Judge Karyn), who created them (Dean Ormston and Alan Grant), which story they first appeared in (Raptaur), where that story first appeared (Judge Dredd Megazine #1.11-1.17) and when (1991). No, these are just what an old man of questionable lucidity manages to crank out in the time allotted by circumstance. Reviews, but not as we know them. There’s little rigour or design to them. It’s less Douglas Wolk and more a shaky old gent muttering to himself in a library (Dredd…zarjaz!...Rico…BAD! Pat Mills…lovely teeth! Space Spinner…Big news for readers inside! Etc etc), before Dave Gibbons unwisely clad in the rags of yesteryear, bursts in and causes me to vapor lock in shock. Prone to divergence at no notice, yeah? Particularly when dealing with Gordon Rennie, who here writes about Judge Dredd and chums in Siberia. In “Gulag” Sibera is less than rewarding as a locale as it is just full of snow and bits of barbed wire, and the differences in the Sov Judges’ uniforms is minimal. It’s not worth the trip really. Rennie huffs and puffs about the stakes at, er, stake but I could never rid myself of the impression that it was all just a big fight over an empty shed in a snowy field. Charlie Adlard fails to ignite events, but everything he draws looks like what it’s supposed to be. I mean, it certainly wasn’t worth a butt of sack but it was OKAY!
REGIME CHANGE Art by Inaki Miranda Written by Gordon Rennie Coloured by Eua de la Cruz Lettered by Tom Frame, Annie Parkhouse & Simon Bowland
JUDGE DREDD: REGIME CHANGE by Miranda, Rennie, del la Cruz, Frame, Parkhouse & Bowland
“Regime Change” is the second Rennie penned tale and had an equal impact on my memory as that one in the snow, what’s it called? The one with, uh, the snow and, uh...Anyway, Dredd goes to Ciudad Barranquilla (AKA Banana City) which spawls over most of Central America like a gaily coloured, city shaped metaphorical sombrero. Pretending to give a shit about missing cits Dredd and a multi-national “peace keeping force” show up and nose about. Turns out though, in a twist that could only surprise a Daily Mail reader, that they are actually just there to depose the Judge Supremo and install someone more to M-C1’s liking. When the corpses of fourteen M-C1 citizens are found in a mass grave they have all the excuse they need. What shocking cynicism! The sheer gall of Gordon Rennie to even suggest to imply such a thing! It’s fine. It’s drawn by Inaki Miranda whose art I don’t like because everyone is drawn with a tiny wee head like Thrud The Barbarian, and it’s all just a bit too busy for me. One of the problems with comics is that you can come up against a style you just don’t like. It doesn’t mean it’s “bad”, it’s just not to your taste. Guess what? That’s right. So, “Regime Change” is OKAY!
It was a bit dull that wasn’t it, a bit normal. Sometimes I’ll do that, sometimes I’ll just start on a craven apology for not having done these sooner. Because, yeah, I started writing up these Dredd partworks in 2015 and then…I stopped. A lot of that was down to apparently I like to make promises I can’t keep. That way I think I get to keep the guilt up. I’m still feeding off the guilt of not carrying on with the Planet of the Apes Weekly, but that was a lot of work to be fair, I kind of aimed to high on that one. Not doing the Dredds as well was too much guilt though. It was getting oppressive. Mind you, about two write-ups in, when I first started, it was pointed out to me that Douglas Wolk had written up every Judge Dredd strip ever so…I felt a bit like a spare prick at a wedding. If Gus van Sant had been halfway through making PSYCHO when someone told him this guy Fred Hitchcock had already had a go, I like to think he would have had the sense to stop. It’s about knowing your place, innit. Alas, that didn’t stop me feeling bad; yes, I felt bad, and I still feel bad because “Drac” in the comments was all gung-ho about following along from his Australian location. And I just pisseded off and left him or her hanging. That’s shabby behaviour. So, too late to make up for it, I’ve started again. I’m banging them out now but that won’t always be possible (because, life), but as slow as the flow may become I’ll carry on. Sometimes I’ll try and do a proper job and sometimes I’ll just amuse myself, depends. Personally I find it difficult to say much about Gordon Rennie, so it’s unfortunate that we have two of his storylines in this book. Bit of a mixed bag this book, to be fair the Rennie ones are part of a longer uberplot involving the machinations of an embittered Sov, so they lose out by being isolated here. BEYOND MEGA CITY ONE is a GOOD! Read overall, I guess.
NEXT TIME: I haven’t thought that far ahead. So surprises in store for us all!
BONUS: A NO DOUBT OUTDATED MAP OF THE WORLD OF JUDGE DREDD!
2000AD, Alan Grant, Brendan McCarthy, Charlie Adlard, Dermot Power, Garth Ennis, Gordon Rennie, Grant Morrison, Hatchette, Inaki Miranda, John K (UK), John Wagner, Judge Dredd, Judge Dredd The Mega Collection, Mark Millar, Rebellion, Steve Dillon, The 1980s, The 1990s, The 2000s, The 2010s
“EASY THE FERG!” COMICS! Sometimes It's Not The Fall That Kills You!
It's Valentine's Day! This Valentine's Day Judge Dredd's first and only love, The Law, sends a Valentine...straight...to...his...HEART! JUDGE DREDD: THE DAY THE LAW DIED by Bolland, Wagner & Frame
Anyway, this… JUDGE DREDD: THE MEGA COLLECTION Vol. 33: THE DAY THE LAW DIED Art by Mick McMahon, Brian Bolland (Dave Gibbons inks one episode), Brett Ewins, Brendan McCarthy, Garry Leach, Ron Smith, Carlos Ezquerra and Henry Flint Written by John Wagner and Garth Ennis Lettered by Tom Frame, Dave Gibbons, Tom Knight and Jack Potter Colours by Chris Blythe Originally serialised in 2000AD Progs86-108 & 1250-1261 © 1978, 1979, 2001 & 2016 Rebellion A/S Hatchette Partworks/Rebellion, £9.99 (2016) JUDGE DREDD created by Carlos Ezquerra & John Wagner
It’s now established tradition that Dredd mega-epics are usually separated by the best part of a year so as to allow everyone to get their breath back, including the readers; but back in 1978 John Wagner must have been full of beans and youthful pep because Old Stoney Face would barely have time to wash his smalls after “The Cursed Earth” before being unwittingly embroiled in “The Day The Law Died”. This one would be purely John Wagner’s creature and as such it trades heavily in his trademark satire via absurdism, rather than the more in-yer-FACE!!! style favoured by Pat Mills. While “The Cursed Earth” had been an energetic and eye popping exercise in world building “The Day The Law Died” turned its gaze inward and set about consolidating the world of Mega-City One, with particular emphasis on The Judge system. Back in Mega City One Dredd is immediately framed for murder, dispatched to Titan, shot in the head and left in no doubt that the new Chief Judge, the flagrantly insane Cal, is up to no good. Heading a rag-tag resistance Dredd has to free his city from the autocratic maniac, his own Judges and Cal’s Praetorian guard of Klegg alien mercenaries. Slicey-dicey! Oncey-twicey! Personally, my money’s on Dredd.
JUDGE DREDD: THE DAY THE LAW DIED by Bolland, Wagner & Frame
Previously Judges had been shown as an elite police force with traffic cops and more routine police being glimpsed around and about the strips. The very name, “Judge” suggested they were high up some nebulous law enforcement hierarchy. It was now made explicit that the Judges were the police, the whole police and nothing but the police. They were The Law. Hmmm. That’s catchy. However, there was still an elite police force, the Special Judicial Squad (SJS). These being an armed version of Internal Affairs, or the gimlet eyed automata known within most organisations as “Audit”. Tellingly these salty looking SJS dudes sport a uniform even more fascistic than that of Dredd, and since Dredd’s helmet has the twin lightning bolt emblem of the Schutzstaffel instead of eyes, that’s pretty darn fascistic. Keeping these little charmers under control comes under the purview of the Deputy Chief Judge, second in command to The Chief Judge, the prime panjandrum of the Justice System. Both these sit on the Council of Five, with three other seasoned vets.
JUDGE DREDD: THE DAY THE LAW DIED by Ewins/McCarthy, Wagner & Frame
More seasoned vets are on show when the Judge Tutors appear to help Dredd. Back in the ‘70s the old saying was “Those that can’t, teach. (And those that can’t teach, teach P.E.)” Accordingly Judges who are no longer street fit end up teaching in The Academy of Law. Dredd has a bunch of these dudes with missing bits on his side. They are pretty funny; one guy calculates their chances of survival while they are falling to their probable doom, another is called Judge Schmaltz so…you can fill in the blanks there, I guess. Oh, Judge Giant turns up again reminding me that his presence links Judge Dredd to HARLEM HEROES. Alas, JUDGE DREDD was slow to incorporate black characters and Giant only appears intermittently hereafter. Since he uses the word “baby” and refers to his “pappy” this might have been for the best. He is, however, resourceful and instrumental in saving Dredd’s bacon, so there’s that. Apparently Mike McMahon started drawing Judge Dredd under the impression the character was black (mostly because his name was a garbled leftover from Pat Mills’ pitch for JUDGE DREAD, a voodoo horror strip which didn’t happen.) Imagine if they’d stuck with that! You’ll have to imagine it, because they didn’t; Judge Dredd is white, baby. White like Pappy’s bedclothes! Baby! Things look bleak for Dredd and Mega City One until he and his team of maimed trainers smash through to the undercity and land in the Big Smelly. Oh, yeah, turns out the undercity is the polluted husk of the American Eastern seaboard. Seems it was easier just to concrete over it and build Mega-City One (some landmarks were relocated above ground for the tourists e.g. Empire State building), the Big Smelly is the Ohio River. On impact, most of them die as a result, but they do meet Fergee who is a big lovable doofus with a penchant for ultra-violence. Fergee’s lack of smarts, specifically his failure to realise he is dead, will be instrumental in foiling Cal’s plan to nerve gas the whole city.
JUDGE DREDD: THE DAY THE LAW DIED by McMahon and Wagner
Don’t be deceived by those leaden paragraphs from my stilted hamd because Wagner is a talented writer, so he knows how to leaven the strip with exposition without sapping any of the demented drive of his tale. A tale which is an answer to an interesting question. What if someone with only the most tenuous grasp on sanity achieved the most powerful office in the land? Apparently he would build a big wall, institute a whole slew of authoritarian and often preposterous laws, throw a hissy fit when the public failed to display the requisite adoration, surround himself with pusillanimous yes-men and, basically, just abuse the office he holds and stain the system he represents like a crack addled Little Lord Fauntleroy. But enough about the 45th President of the United States! (Cue: sad trombone.) Weirdly enough that’s also what Judge Cal does after he has connived his way into The Chief Judge’s chair. “It is the doom of Man that he forgets!” squawks Nicol Williamson’s skull capped Merlin in EXCALIBUR (1981) and he’s not wrong. See, Wagner doesn’t base Cal on the Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (AKA Caligula) merely because he’d recently watched the 1976 BBC production of “I, Claudius”. I don’t doubt that it helped, particularly as the late John Hurt’s performance of “the little boot” was probably reliably arresting. (Wagner almost certainly hadn’t seen Tinto Brass’s porno-chic “cult” movie CALIGULA (1979), for which we can only be thankful.) No, he probably picked Caligula mostly because, well, “It happened before, it will happen again, it's just a question of when.” as Charlton Heston narrates in ARMAGEDDON (1998). It’s called learning from history, and when we don’t this is where we end up. Also with Wagner picking the much maligned Roman Emperor the opportunities for absurdism knocked harder than a drunk whose forgotten his keys. Suetonius says Caligula made his horse (Incitatus) a Senator? Wagner can have his Cal appoint a fish Deputy Chief Judge. Yes, Judge Fish is the spectacular character find of 1978! Who can ever forget his sage advice, “Bloop!” or his heartbreaking “Bloop! Bloop!” Gets me every time. Wagner has a ton of fun with Cal’s credulity straining antics so we’ll not spoil it for anyone. But, y’know, Judge Fish!
Artistically “The Cursed Earth” was a two-hander between McMahon and Bolland, with McMahon’s hand being comically large like that of a cartoon mouse and Bolland’s being more refined and smaller like that of a lady of means. “The Day The Law Died” is more of a scrum; there’s a real pout pourri of art styles on display for the length of the epic. In a North American mainstream genre comic this would lead to a right buggers’ muddle and generally not work terribly well. Here it works out surprisingly well. Regular 2000AD readers (and Brit comic readers in general) were conditioned to understand that a strip’s artist could change at the drop of a hat. Being too young to be anything other than positive it was viewed as more of an opportunity to see a different style, rather than an indication that Terry Blesdoe had had to step in because Barry Teagarden had started shouting at buses due to the punishing demands of drawing 8 pages of Space Urchins every week for wages that would shame Sports Direct. It helps also that there’s a definite visual through line. Say Mike McMahon ends his strip with Dredd’s gun arm stuck deep in a Klegghound’s gullet, next Prog Brian Bolland will start his strip with…Judge Dredd’s gun arm stuck deep in a Klegghound’s gullet. And although every artist tends to draw MC-1 and the Judges with their own slightly quirky way, you are still clearly reading a strip about a future cop in a future city.
JUDGE DREDD: THE DAY THE LAW DIED by McMahon, Wagner & Frame
Big Brian Bolland leads us in with his reliable clarity of line and subtle undermining of his hyper realism via restrained caricature. As ever his episodes are few and far between but always a tight delight. Mike McMahon gets stuck in, his work here being a bit airier than on “The Cursed Earth” but no less manic or delightfully inventive. By now Mike McMahon is able to bend reality to his scrappy whim and can populate his strip with what look like maltreated Muppets lolloping about a claustrophobic jumble of a city without once endangering the reader’s suspension of disbelief. There are also strong hints of McMahon’s next evolution in style peeking through, but right here right now Mike McMahon’s work is sweet indeed! Gary/Garry Leach looks like he’s got too much ink on his brush and that spoils his usual majestic delicacy of line this time out. Brett Ewins and Brendan McCarthy team up and their combination of rigidity and fluidity creates an interesting effect each couldn’t achieve alone. Picking up the baton for the last stretch is Ron Smith. I understand Ron Smith is a divisive artist for a lot of Dredd fans, due primarily to his cavalier attitude to continuity of the series’ designs. Despite being in the top ten in terms of Dredd output (probably, I can’t be arsed to check) there’s not likely to be a “Dredd by Ron Smith” volume any time soon. Which is a shame, because I think Ron rocks. Like McMahon he can lard a page with a so much detail and information it’s staggering. His page layouts are always striking, with at least one dominant image to grab the eye, and sometimes more, so the eye bounces about the page, but always in the right direction. He shows a remarkable agility with regards to shifting scale between panels without jarring the eye, and the amount of detail he crams in is ridiculous. I’m a particular fan of his hyperbolic body language, shown off here to best effect by Cal’s contortions as his mania grips him. Look, Ron Smith is the man who drew “Sob Story”, “The Man Who Drank The Blood of Satanus”, “The Black Plague”, “The Hot Dog Run”, “Shanty Town”, “Tight Boots” and co-created not only Chopper but also Dave, the orang-utan mayor. John says Ron’s The One!
JUDGE DREDD: THE DAY THE LAW DIED by Smith, Wagner & Frame
“The Day The Law Died is an artistic mish mash held together by the strength of the various styles on show and John Wagner’s elegant and understated blend of absurdity, drama and action. It’s VERY GOOD!
JUDGE DREDD: HELTER SKELTER by Ezquerra, Ennis, Blythe & Frame
This volume of JUDGE DREDD: THE MEGA COLLECTION also includes “Helter Skelter” a 12-parter from the year 2001 which marked Garth Ennis’ return to the character of Dredd. In comparison to the “Day The Law Died” it’s a slight effort indeed, but not without its charms. An experiment in dimension mapping comes unstuck when a probe returns with what looks remarkably like the Geeks from the old 2000AD strip THE V.C.S. Further incursions of the familiar occur, and it all turns out to be a plot by Judge Cal from another dimension to kill Dredd, since he can’t stand the idea that there’s a dimension where Dredd won. Cal is accompanied by an army of Judges, a bunch of Dredd’s old enemies (dead in this dimension: Fink, Rico, Murd The Oppressor, Cap’n Skank, etc) equally upset at the thought of a live Dredd and a bunch of dimensional flotsam and jetsam familiar to elderly Squaxx Dec Thargo, or keen readers of reprints.
JUDGE DREDD: HELTER SKELTER by Flint, Ennis, Blythe & Frame
It’s all done with a sense of fun (there are roughly “two thousand” dimensions already mapped. Ho ho!) and while it trades unashamedly in nostalgia there’s enough of a plot and some decent jokes to leave you with a smile (and maybe a little tear as you recall Ace Garp’s sign off floating through the air). Carlos Ezquerra draws the bulk of it and is as reliably Carlos Ezquerra as ever. Most notable are his computer manipulated backgrounds which are interesting reminders that he was a swift adopter of new tech. Henry Flint does a bit of it and he’s as inkily delightful as ever, managing to evoke early McMahon while also being clearly his own man. “Helter Skelter” has some good scenes and makes a valid point about the Judges (they don’t do it for their benefit but for the citizens’ benefit) but is never really more than a bit of a nicely illustrated lark. GOOD!
NEXT TIME: Uh, maybe look at some other bits of Dredd’s world? People seem interested in that judging from the, uh, two comments. So pack your swimsuit and your sun oil! Factor 2000!
INDEX TO JUDGE DREDD: THE MEGA COLLECTION REVIEWS
2000AD, Brendan McCarthy, Brett Ewins, Brian Bolland, Carlos Ezquerra, Garry Leach, Garth Ennis, Hatchette, Helter Skelter, Henry Flint, John Wagner, Judge Caligula, Judge Dredd, Judge Dredd The Mega Collection, Mick McMahon, Mike McMahon, Rebellion, Ron Smith, The 1970s, The 2000s, The 2010s, The Day The Law Died
“Scream Twice If You Still Understand Anything I'm Saying.” COMICS! Sometimes It's The Worst of All Worlds!
January 06, 2017 / John Kane
It’s 2017! To start us off I cravenly pander to the swing of things to the Right Wing by looking at a comic with a Alt-Right Nazi as the good guy. Because only in Hell... REQUIEM VAMPIRE KNIGHT by Ledroit, Mills & Collin
Anyway this...
REQUIEM VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL.1: RESURRECTION Art by Olivier Ledroit Written by Pat Mills Lettered by Jacques Collin Nickel Editions, Comixology:£2.49 (2000) Requiem Chevalier Vampire created by Olivier Ledroit and Pat Mills
Personally I blame Pat Mills. For my entrenched amour de la bande dessinée that is, not the parlous state of the world as we settle in for the long, long slog through 2017. Christ, nigh on forty years back now, in 1977, Pat Mills broke my juvenile mind with the first issue of 2000AD; oh, he’d been experimentally tapping it with a creative cudgel earlier via Action and Battle, but 2000AD did the trick. I never did put my mind back together, there was always a bit missing, a bit the comics would fill from now on. Ah, lovely, lovely Pat Mills. The day Pat Mills is no longer around to pursue his quirky herd of hobby horses with his unfashionably fiery passion Comics will be a smaller, dumber place. I may not agree with everything he’s caught up in (Réincarnation? Je ne vois pas de quoi que ce soit pire!) but I like the cut of that man’s jib. Fucker’s got fire, and I like that. That’s a quick refresher on my default position on Pat Mills, so how magical to have it confirmed so thrillingly with Requiem Chevalier Vampire, a comic I never even knew existed until it went on sale on the ’Ology.
REQUIEM VAMPIRE KNIGHT by Ledroit, Mills & Collin
While I was familiar enough with Pat Mills I’d never heard of Nickel Editions, which is no surprise as after a bit of research (AKA le googling) it transpires that Nickel Editions make Fantagraphics look like Marvel©®. Or they did when Requiem Chevalier Vampire started back in the year 2000. Nickel was formed by Pat Mills, Olivier Ledriot and Jacques Collin in order to get Pat Mills into that sweet, sweet French comics market by publishing (Prenez une proposition! Rapidement!) Requiem Chevalier Vampire (Aw, trop lent!) Since Mills and Olivier created the actual comic I’m guessing Collin handled the (lettering and) business bits, and since Wikipedia tells me Collin had previously founded Zenda Editions I’m upgrading that guess to a hesitant certainty. Founded in 1987 Zenda’s catalogue of DC, Dark Horse and British reprints, together with original works by budding French talents, had proved successful enough for it to be snapped up by Jacques Glénat in 1994. While still an independent entity Zenda had handled Marshal Law, Slaine and A.B.C Warriors reprints dans la belle France, all of which series most of you will know were co-created by one Pat Mills, additionally Zenda also first published the work of one Olivier Ledriot. Mills & Ledroit had also worked together on Sha (1995-7) for Zenda. I’ll be a monkey’s uncle, it looks like everyone got on despite their different nationalities! Collaborating with Johnny Foreigner! This chappy Pat Mills needs a refresher in good old British Xenophobia. Report to your nearest Conditioning Centre, citizen Mills! Wait, one comic? I mean I know roughly shit squared about publishing but surely that’s some heavily swinging balls right there; you publish one comic you’ve got precisely one chance, so you better have the right comic. I guess Requiem Chevalier Vampire was the right comic because after being on hiatus since 2011, it’s due to end in either 2017 or 2018 when the final two volumes will be released. Traditional as a Sunday roast, I started at the beginning and took a look at Requiem Chevalier Vampire Vol 1: Résurrection, or Requiem Vampire Knight Vol.1: Resurrection, as it is in the language of Shakespeare. Forsooth!
Ledroit and Mills’ begin as they mean to go on, leaving subtlety to slumber and splashing a honking great swastika at the top of the first page. And, Buddhists be damned, there’s nothing lucky about that spiritually devalued sign for Heinrich Augsburg, a German soldier whom we first meet splayed in the Russian snow unconscious from a headwound. Roughly awakened from his chilly torpor by a thoroughly uncouth Russki looter, Augsburg tries to save a picture of his sweetheart, Rebecca, and succeeds instead in catching a bullet with his forehead. A wound he won’t be waking up on this earth from any time soon. Luckily anyone worried that they’ve just bought a very expensive and very, very short comic about the inadequacy of love to trump the inadvisability of invading Russia in winter, finds instead that in the world of Requiem Vampire Knight death is not the end. Ausburg does wake up from his wound but not in this world but the next. Résurrection, to give that world a name. Although “Hell” is used interchangeably with “Résurrection” throughout, despite it acting a bit more like Purgatory than the conventional Hell. Still it’s not like we’re talking about a real place, rather a fictional construct so whatever Pat Mills says goes, and he can call it “Betty” if he wants. Anyway, the setting is definitely where (most of) the dead are dumped before going anywhere else. Mills has time run backwards in “Hell”, probably as a wee nod to the Dresden chapter in Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5, or the entirety of Amis fils’ Time’s Arrow; both of which go on about WW2, and the latter of which is specifically about Nazi death camp atrocities. Fret not, Mills spares the reader the headache of actually writing the comic in reverse. Mostly then we get the odd caption like “yesterday”, which essentially means “the next day”, or “two years earlier” which means…ah, you’ve got it. The upshot is that (most) characters age backwards, losing memories as they do so until they wink out of existence or move on to wherever. The topsy turviness doesn’t stop there though! There’s a physical inversion for the revivified dead to contend with. The landmasses and the seas are also reversed, so America in “Hell” is a big sea of blood while the Pacific is a landmass of fiery offal, etc. I think Mills is pushing for “Hell”, as does war, distorts reality so far out of the normal human frame of reference, that only by reversing it, or some similar mental gymnastics, can any sanity be clawed back. Oh, and here war is “Hell”, literally. Wars require factions and Mills serves up plenty of them; a great squirming mass of unsavoury types. I'll not go into them because the comic does that, but I will say I liked the Yoda mentor who was a big evil baby with skin like a verruca and teeth like a diseased dog.
While it would be unfair to say that if you’ve read one Pat Mills comic then you’ve read them all, it’s probably okay to say that if you’ve read one Pat Mills comic you’ve read bits of them all. And Requiem Vampire Knight is nothing if not a big hot comics pudding studded with the currants of Pat Mills’ anger misted mind’s eye. Thrill to the appearance of a rag tag bunch of cannon fodder misfits with comically distorted familiar names. (Al a Gangreen in Marshal Law. ) A hero who isn’t one, and by the end of the series can practically be guaranteed to be as big a shit as his Big Bad. (We all loved edgy alien terrorist Nemesis, but by the end he and Torquemada deserved each other. Power corrupts. Absolutely!) A smart arsed sidekick of reduced stature. (Ukko, ok?) Physical manifestation of the protagonist’s inner savagery. (Slaine’s warp spasm.) A less than chivalrous romantic relationship. (Too many past examples to mention. I fear for Pat Mils' bruised heart.) Satirical blunderpussing of whatever the patented Pat Mills Wheel of Disgust stopped at on that particular day. (Authority! Hypocrisy! Complacency! Mrs Brown’s Boys! Etc etc.) It would be wrong to put this down to a lack of, well, anything other than intention. Mills’s pursues these recurring themes and aspects so assertively across so many series that it can’t be anything but intentional. As a result Mills’ work is very Moorcockian with the same people and concepts seemingly being reborn across all the disparate Millsverses, forever entwined in the Eternal Conflict. At a first cursory glance Mills might come off as Manichean, but he’s smarter than that. When he sets up Good and Evil you can be sure each is tainted by the other. Ah, tthe ‘shades of grey’ so beloved of folk who don’t want to commit themselves to a course of action, one might think. But not so, rather an acknowledgement that there is Good and there is Evil, but you have to keep your eye on the ball, people, or before you know it a, say, harmless bit of politically expedient scapegoating of minorities can quickly turn into industrialised mass murder. And it’s kind of hard to walk back from that one. (Not that there’s likely to be any politically expedient scapegoating of minorities in 2017, after all we all know better now after Nazi Germany. We sure don’t need people to point out that that is wrong. Right?) There’s subtlety and nuance in Mills work, but, yes, it lurks under all the gaudy grand guignol and bombastic polemics. Or maybe he’s just saying people are dicks and ever will be dicks. He probably wouldn’t be wrong.
Even if you find Pat Mills' hectoring tone a turn-off there's still the attraction of Ledroit's art. Art which is kind of eye boggling in its intensity and clarity of detail. Here Ledroit’s art assaults the reader with a blend of fully painted images and mixed media mayhem, with a bit of technological jiggery-pokery to boot, I bet. Panels float atop sheets of sigils, maggots and gore, with cryptic backlit script making much of the book resemble an illuminated manuscript penned by the very Devil himself! In short it looks a lot like the work of Dave McKean’s troubled nephew, the one who plays Motörhead too loud and can’t be trusted around pets and sharp objects. It’s atmospheric stuff, imagine the world of Elric set in an abattoir; no, belay that, it’s a sword and sorcery comic set inside the mind of a serial killer, I don’t know, it’s a child playing soldiers with mismatched action figures on a carpet of something red wet and steaming that just ceased screaming; you’re getting the gist of the thing, yes? The art may be heavily redolent of offal but the result is very far from awful. There’s a gory grandeur to the thing with the soaring cathedrals of black stone and the mammoth air galleons pushing your belief capacitors to the limit. Think of the floating heads of Zardoz flensed to the skull and plated in chrome with a shine as sharp as a razor, now picture them scooting over a landscape resembling an untended butcher's shop window at the height of summer, firing blasts of disco-hued energy at a chaotic riot of screaming rot. There's a bit of Enki Bilal in Ledroit's chalk skinned and razor cheek-boned Nazis, a bit of Clint Langley in the fusion of flesh and metal, but ultimately the bulk of the wide screen insanity is Ledroit's alone. Nice. All of which is a long-winded way of saying REQUIEM VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL.1: RESURRECTION is as crazy as it is entertaining which can only be VERY GOOD!
Ultimately you can tell it's set in Hell because there aren't any - COMICS!!!
January 06, 2017 / John Kane/ 5 Comments
European Comics, Jacques Collin, John K (UK), Nickel Editions, Olivier Ledroit, Pat Mills, The 2000s
“Well, Chuck you, Farley!” COMICS! Sometimes Life is Cheap But That’s Okay Because So Are the Bananas!
December 14, 2016 / John Kane
Sure, right now the site is just saying: 403: FORBIDDEN. Which is less than ideal, and I think a lot of us can relate. But this isn’t the time to roll over, Savage Critics server, this is the time to stand up and keep, uh, writing self-indulgent “things” about old comics no one cares to remember. That’ll show those Ctrl-Alt-Del Nazis! So, anyway, if you can read this then the site’s no longer 403: FORBIDDEN. Hurrah! Let’s bloviate! Well, I’ll bloviate and you can run out of patience once we hit the bit about Ike.
AMERICAN CENTURY by Laming, Stokes, Chaykin, Tischman, Bruzenak, Rambo and Jamison
AMERICAN CENTURY:SCARS AND STRIPES Penciled by Marc "No Blaming" Laming Inked by John "Doris" Stokes Written by Howard "Victor" Chaykin & David "Tsk" Tischman Lettered by Ken "The Bruise" Bruzenak Coloured by Pam "This Time We Win" Rambo Seperations by Jamison Logo Design by Rian Hughes Original Cover Paintings and Thumbnails by Howard Victor Chaykin Originally published in single magazine form as AMERICAN CENTURY 1-4 DC Comics/Vertigo, $8.95 (2001) American Century Created by Howard Victor Chaykin
Usually I ignore the quotes on books unless it’s from someone whose opinion I respect. Since for comics these are usually sourced from Neil Gaiman, mostly I ignore the quotes on books. (Hee hee!) The TPB of AMERICAN CENTURY: SCARS & STRIPES has a nice, refreshingly non-Gaiman, quote though:
"Now we know what would happen if James Ellroy and Graham Greene hooked up and wrote comics." - Editor's Choice, Entertainment Weekly
Yes, you could dismiss it as glib but it’s actually pretty smart, especially as Graham ‘Brighton Rock’ Greene isn’t the usual point of comparison for Comics’ Greatest Ballroom Dancer, Howard Victor Chaykin. James Ellroy’s name is not so surprising: unpleasant people doing unpleasant things against an unpleasant historical backdrop; the fictional creating literary friction with the factual; ayup, AMERICAN CENTURY is squarely in ‘American Tabloid’ territory. Less liberal-baiting racial slurs than the Demon Dog, though. But, Graham ‘The End of the Affair’ Greene? Yeah, it works. Just as Graham ‘The Human Factor’ Greene’s work took place in Greeneland so does Chaykin’s work take place in Chaykinland; both imaginary lands bearing some resemblance to the real world, but largely defined by the idiosyncrasies of the authors in question. Graham ‘The Power and the Glory’ Greene had Catholicism and Chaykin has Judaism; but whereas Graham ‘The Quiet American’ Greene wore his religion like itchy fetters, Chaykin sports his like a natty hat. Both Graham ‘Our Man in Havana’ Greene & Chaykin evince a healthy interest in the world around them, its history, and how this history affected people and vice versa (emphasis on the vice, alas). As approaches go the whole saying something about the world we all inhabit approach sadly proves, when it comes to comics, to be rare as hen’s teeth. So, despite the eruptions and ructions of the very recent past North American genre comics can be relied upon to continue on their merrily emptyheaded and decompressed way, telling us very little about not very much. Exceptions exist, but I put it to the Court, m’lud, that no one has so stubbornly endeavoured to elevate North American genre comics from insubstantial Pablum to something with some mental traction, than the thermodynamic miracle, Howard Victor Chaykin. (Well, no American anyway.) Of course there are very clear differences between Chaykin and Greene; Graham ‘The Third Man’ Greene definitely wrote ‘Travels With My Aunt’, but let’s face it Chaykin would be more likely to write ‘Travels With My Cock’. Comparisons only go so far, after all.
In many ways AMERICAN CENTURY (the 2001 Vertigo Comics series, of which this TPB collects the first four issues) is a succession of travels with Howard Victor Chaykin’s cock. Or his analogue’s cock at least. This time out that analogue is one Harry Block (later Harry Kraft) by name. Harry’s a Portuguese ginger midget with a wooden leg and halitosis that can stun an ox…oh, okay, Harry’s a tall, handsome, physically fit, dark haired, realistically cynical (or cynically realistic), heterosexual American Jew who might not be too smart, but is pretty wily and kind of self-righteous. That is, it’s the usual Chaykin mix of mensch and schmuck we know and love so much. Harry’s come back from the War and unsuccessfully settled into the suburbs. His wife’s a nag and his life is drab. Then he gets drafted for the Korean “Police (cough!) Action” And like any responsible adult he just ups and fucks off, leaving it all behind and sets out into the…(ta da!) American Century! Because, okay, sure, we have to give America that much; the 20th Century belonged to America. (Sorry, Yanks, the 21st Century is earmarked for Tonga. It’s Tonga’s Century, we’re all just living in it!)
The book is set in the ‘50s which is an interesting period in American history, one when America’s Imperialism, emboldened by the fact everywhere else was just plain tuckered out after WW2, was still a tad heavy handed. The ‘60s of course would force a slicker and quieter approach after Vietnam black America’s eyes (e.g. in 1968: 16,592 American deaths were reported in Vietnam versus, say, in 2014: the first McDonalds was opened in Vietnam. I don’t like McDonald’s, but I’d much rather dead cows than dead people. Sorry, vegetarians.) Of course Howard Victor Chaykin isn’t the only name involved here. Writing wise it’s Chaykin & Tischman, which, well, it’s a gobstopper isn’t it? I was going to go with “C&T”, “Tishkin” or maybe “Chayk-Man” for brevity’s sake. But “C&T” sounds like a cheap cocktail (or a regrettable medical procedure people who respect life but kill doctors want to ban), “Tishkin” sounds like a 19th Century Russian poet (author of ‘The Bronze Cocksman’, perchance) and Chayk-Man sounds like a really bad idea for a superhero (don’t ask). So, I’ll be sticking with Chaykin & Tischman, thanks.
On art there’s Marc Laming, with inks by John Stokes. Laming’s cut quite the rug lately over at Dynamite with his pleasantly solid work on the Kings Features characters, but back in 2001 he was a greenhorn and, alas, it shows. Working from breakdowns by Howard Victor Chaykin, Laming’s work is never less than efficient but hardly more than that either. Problems are apparent on the first page where he fluffs the distance between a coupling couple and a pile of books. The whole point of the scene is their physical infidelity topples the books and causes a crack in a wedding photo (SYMBOLISM!) Yet, the books are either too far away for it to work and the couple appear to throw themselves across the room, or they are comically large books. Perspective, innit. Tricky stuff. (Wittily, one of the books is Norman Mailer’s 1948 novel ‘The Naked and The Dead’, wherein Mailer was swayed into the use of “fug” rather than “fuck”, because, uh, moral decency and all that good stuff. By 2001 Chaykin & Tischman are under no such constraints and revel in it. Swear like fucking sailors they do. Disgraceful fuckers.) Laming’s faces are also less than ideal, tending toward a samey-ness which can confuse. But, hey, that never stopped Jim Lee. And it probably didn’t take Laming 6 months to draw someone’s tear duct. John Stokes’ inks manage to elevate Laming’s art for the most part but, alas, the art is at root the kind of stiff that results from artistic stage fright. Hey, it’s a big gig for someone starting out, and while Laming never excels, he doesn’t disgrace himself either. He’s good on the hardware and environment; cars, houses, offices all have that authentic repressed ‘50s flavour. Racism and homophobia saturated the '50s but they could sure design cars and fridges. Now we stil ahve all the bad stuff but everything looks like cheap crap. Uh, anyway. Fair’s fair, the story gets told; which is more than many can manage first time out. Some established pros still struggle don’t they, Tony S Daniel? Laming and Stokes’ art is given some visual pop via Ken “The Bruise” Bruzenak’s reliably playful lettering, but he struggles to integrate it as smoothly as he can with Howard Victor Chaykin’s art. Luckily with Chaykin & Tischman’s script there’s a surfeit of bawdy energy and surly humour which helps to paper over the artistic cracks somewhat. Unusually for comics then, AMERICAN CENTURY fares better on the writing than the art, with the script retaining the urbane combination of aloof and louche which makes Howard Victor Chaykin’s solo work sparkle so. I don’t know what the actual split on scribing duties were, but if Tischman was just tasked with putting Howard Victor Chaykin into historical scenarios and ensuring the tiny dynamo was waist deep in fighting and fucking, he couldn’t have done a better job. Tischman also writes the introduction to the TPB, and it’s a nice piece of clipped prose, evoking the hard-boiled likes of Cain and Hammett which the series seeks to channel, but also with that undercurrent of self-aware humour characteristic of Chaykin’s work. Even when others are involved.
The post-WW2 period when America was still King Shit of Cock Mountain, all swagger and unreflecting self-righteousness, unsurprisingly provides plenty of grist for AMERICAN CENTURY’s revisionist mill. The book starts off with a swift precis of ‘50s suburban Hell; people living the American Dream, but finding dreams are just fantasies which reality rides roughshod over. These people don’t just play charades at dinner parties, you hear me? People being piss poor fits for perfection, AMERICAN CENTURY shows how everyone is unhappy in a different way despite the air-con, fridges, autos and rictus grins. But the book isn’t interested in everyone; it’s interested in Harry Block/Kraft. A lot of the characters get short shrift because of this, but only in comparison. (And the series swings back in later issues to see how most of them are doing.) Character-wise, considering the set-up takes place in one issue it’s an impressive piece of compression. The book’s cast is swiftly delineated as being an All-American rainbow of racists, repressed homosexuals, sexists, dipsos, adulterers, anti-Semites, moral cripples, physical cripples, and probably a few other things I forgot; all swiftly and ably done in less than one issue to boot. It’s a lot to take in in a short span of pages. But the key here is to read the book slow. Seriously, you can’t breeze your way through AMERICAN CENTURY like most comics; you have to take your time. AMERICAN CENTURY assumes you want to spend time with it and operates accordingly. If you just zip through the book like it’s a chore to be done rather than a pleasure to be savoured you’ll think it’s a jumbled mess. It ain’t. Having done all that scene setting spade work AMERICAN CENTURY then throws it all out of the window as Harry absconds in an aeroplane, and Chaykin & Tischman drop Harry into a fantastical scenario where America is sticking its oar into another country’s business. What utter nonsense! Ah, well, unfortunately it isn’t. For the rest of the book Harry has to fictionally negotiate the factual US backed Guatemalan coup of 1954 in a tale which is both lurid and educational, both fiction and fact, with not a little Howard Victor Chaykin sexual wish-fulfilment on the side. Yes, all the Ladies Love Cool Howard, from the dirt poor hooker to the Eva Perón-a-like. It’s a curse, I imagine. Hang on, John, the US backed Guatemalan Coup of 1954? The US backed What of The When?
Remember Ike, whom buttons proclaim we all like? Well, in 1952 people liked Ike enough that Eisenhower became President of America on the back of a campaign, within which was snugly nestled a promise to actively combat, rather than inertly contain, communism (N.B. America is not a big fan of communism. Just so you know. They hide it well, but they can’t fool me.) The prior Truman administration had been increasingly wary of communist influence in Guatemala but had played largely fair, using only economic and diplomatic pressures. (PBFORTUNE its one attempt at covert action was quickly shelved once it became somewhat less than covert. Oops!) Fairness was off the board post-Truman as McCarthyism (i.e. the hysterical self-aggrandising scaremongering of Senator Joseph McCarthy, not an outbreak of impressions of Edgar Bergen’s ventriloquist doll Charlie McCarthy) was rife within Eisenhower’s Government, the Cold War was escalating and Russia was a totalitarian shitshow giving socialism a bad name (link to Bon Jovi: “BAD NAME!”); all in all things were looking bleak for Guatemala on the non-intervention front. Geopolitically speaking America was cracking its knuckles in an alley waiting for someone to distract Guatemala’s attention. But why? Guatemala? Bizarrely the culprit was a fruit company with its nose bent out of shape. I didn’t even know they had noses!
Because I am largely docile I have spent a large part of my life thinking the United Fruit Company (UFC) was just some kind of CIA front with a typically silly code name, and while the CIA and the UFC were indeed linked, it turns out the UFC was actually and primarily a fruit company, probably a united one to boot. Yeah, fruit; Bananas and that. I find it odd to this day that a fruit company (!) could have such an effect on history as this one. Well, any effect on history besides providing people with fruit. Now, because unrestrained capitalism is just great, just absolutely fantastic, this US based company had basically ended up running a private fiefdom within Guatemala; true this was via concessions from various Guatemalan rulers who liked money rather more than their people. Hold on though, fruit isn’t the only fall guy in this scenario as these bad practices had their root in the 19th Century and the concessions made to plantation owners when coffee demand blossomed. So the humble coffee bean has to shoulder some of the blame. Yes, History makes even breakfast a guilt trip! What larks. In clear violation of anything even remotely close to human decency, land was sold from under the (poorly shod, I imagine) feet of the Guatemalan population to the plantation owners and, acting like monopoly is just a board game, the UFC ended up being the only banana game in town, with control over the communication and distribution infrastructure required by such a business. You know, little things like roads and rail tracks. Things were pretty awesome for the UFC all told, but less so for the average Guatemalan. I don’t know, but I imagine they were controlled by repression and violence, which are all okay obviously as long as they are happening out of the customers’ sight and people get their iPads, I mean, bananas. In 1929 the Great Depression happened and, boy, that was what historians call “a doozy”, there are books about it and everything. Surprisingly though, The Great Depression didn’t just affect America; everywhere was a bit down in the mouth. In Guatemala it was all getting a bit much; life was shit and now this? Finally, the Guatemalan people rose up (hurrah!)…and were pushed back down (boo!). Actually they were pushed even further back and even further down by Jorge Ubico’s (US Supported) regime, for which the word repressive is probably soft soaping it. The important thing here though is Jolly Jorge Ubico not only gave the UFC massive amounts of public land, but also exempted it from all taxes.
Taxes! People fucking hate paying taxes don’t they? I just want to make this point here because currently people seem to think paying tax is some kind of cheeky imposition, some kind of theft. Look, tax puts the money back. Not all of it; you can keep some for being successful, because there’s nothing wrong with success and the rewarding thereof. (Despite what they tell you Socialism doesn’t punish success.) Hey, I’m no economist (SPOILER!) but here’s a clue about trickle-down economics – if you divert all the money into bank accounts in Panama it isn’t going to trickle anyfuckingwhere, certainly not back into society where it is needed. It’s really cute that you can afford someone to cook your books so you avoid paying what you should, but don’t expect us peons who have to pay full whack or face going to prison to be cheering you on. If you are paying someone to get creative with your taxes I’m not sure you should do that. It’s “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” It’s not “From each as little as you can fucking get away with, to each none of mine if at all possible.” Squirrelling your money away off-shore is as Left Wing as Enoch Powell’s arse. Yeah, I do know the difference between tax evasion and tax avoidance. And, yeah, I know one’s not illegal, but I also know it is still immoral. So, yeah, my names JohnK, and I think my shit don’t stink or whatever you think will shut me up, but, hey, pay your taxes. It’s not a little game between your accountant and the gubbermint; people die due to lack of adequate funding. You know - human beings. Die. And they don’t come back like in the comics. But of course you’ll never see them die and you’ve got your bananas, right? You’ve got aaaaaaaaaaaalllllll the bananas. Well done you. Hang onto those bananas. Like a big fucking chimp. Man, 2016’s really soured my mood. Sorry about that. No, no I’m not. Scratch that.
So, uh, where were we? (Christ, who was that guy? “Immoral”? Dude, it ain’t the 16th Century. What a fucking “snowflake”. Hurr.) Right, so, if history has shown us anything it’s that The People will put up with far too much shit before kicking back. But eventually kick back they do, and in 1954 the Guatemalan people did so and Ubico valiantly ran off, leaving a Junta in his place which continued his charming policies. This being a less than ideal outcome, the Guatemalan people had another crack at it. Persistence paid off as The October Revolution threw the Junta out. A real kick in the Juntas there and, miracle of miracles, there was a free election. Like, uh, democracy and that. Democracy, which America loves; unless it gets in the way of its bananas. Juan José Arévalo won the election and while he was by no means a communist, he was certainly an improvement and sensibly pragmatic. He shook things up, but not enough to shake them to pieces. Education, health and the labour code all improved, and there was even a minimum wage. Civilised stuff, I trust you agree. Keeping America sweet he was openly anti-communist (America still had its doubts about him, because being anti-communist would be perfect cover for a communist wouldn’t it? Yes, America. Keep taking the pills, America.) Human nature being what it is, for improving the lot of the Guatemalan people Arévalo’s reward was around 25 attempted coups. Over here Jeremy Corbyn (who also only wants to improve people’s lot) has only had one attempted coup so far, but there’s time yet. Jacobo Árbenz was elected next and he started to step on some UFC toes. (Uh oh.) He began to roll back some of the ridiculous concessions granted under Ubico and, worse (i.e. better), his 1952 Agrarian Reform Law (sexy stuff! Batman? Pah! Agrarian Reform Law, that’s the sexy business.) confiscated 100s of 1000s of acres of uncultivated land from the UFC, with compensation based (get this, this is truly excellent, I like this bit:) on the valuation used by the company for its tax payments. I adore the chutzpah of that. Let’s see, who thinks the valuation the UFC used for its tax payments was anywhere in the region of the real worth of that land? Hmmm. Anyone? I’m not seeing any hands. Good, so we all know how the world works. So, hoo boy, that pissed the UFC off. Big mistake. I know; it’s a fruit company (bananas and that) so how come the CIA would help it stage a coup? How precisely do you get from bananas to blood in the street?
Unfortunately, I don’t know. I doubt anyone knows. To this day the reasons why the Eisenhower administration backed a coup in Guatemala due to the discomfort of a fruit company forced to exhibit the barest modicum of decency are shrouded in eerie wisps of mystery. While it is true that Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and CIA Director Allen Dulles had both arranged several deals for the UFC while previously working in Law, and it is true also that Undersecretary of State Bedell Smith later became a UFC Director, and it is additionally true that the wife of the UFC Public Relations Director was personal assistant to Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of The United States of America, surely to suggest any inappropriate conflation of interests is tantamount to an act of treason, sir. I mean, good luck trying to join those dots, huh? Paging Woodward and Bernstein! Geraldo, even! It’s a two-pipe problem and no mistake, Sherlock. Golly, I guess we’ll just never know. Unless you read about the Guatemalan coup on Wikipedia, where there is also a handy cut out and keep list of all the regime changes America has had a hand in (although it misses off the Australian coup Britain also had a hand in. (Sorry, Australia; poor form on our part there.)) Coups always make for good reading, as there are always unbelievable bits like that part where a force of 60 (US supported) insurgents were arrested by a single policeman before they even crossed the border from Ecuador. Coups also make for sad reading, because they mean something’s gone wrong. In the end the US Sponsored Guatemalan coup won, not because it was well planned, efficient, or in any way professional, but because everyone knew America was behind it (America wanted everyone to know for precisely this reason), and knowing that once you’ve got rid of the "rebels" America is going to start swinging its nuclear powered fists takes the wind out of most country’s sails. Or maybe it succeeded because America is the Hand of God working upon this Earth. Yeah, if you’re a stone cold lunatic, that’s certainly another explanation you could go with. In 1999 the renowned woman botherer and then President of the United States of America Bill Clinton apologised for all the US shenanigans in Guatemala, which made everything okay, and America never messed in other countries’ affairs again, the wicked stepmother recanted, the dish ran away with the spoon and we all lived happily ever after.
Aren’t you all glad I didn’t go all the way back to The Monroe Doctrine? I know I am. Obviously you don’t need to know all that up there to enjoy AMERICAN CENTURY. I didn’t know all that. I had to go and look it up on Wikipedia; it’s not like I carry around ‘Ye True and Fplendide Hiftory of Guatemala’ in my head. But the point (yes there is one) is that Howard Victor Chaykin and David Erasmus Tischman had to know it, and the fact that they succeeded in spinning it into an entertainingly racy tale is even further to their credit. The value of fiction in giving us tools by which to apprehend the nature of the world we live in seems to have been forgotten by most comic creators. Stick your head in the sand too long and history will kick you in the arse. This year History’s been kicking far too many arses, and it might be beneficial if comics remembered there was a world beyond their borders, and helped push our heads out of the sand. Just a thought.
In case you were wondering, AMERICAN CENTURY was VERY GOOD!
NEXT TIME: Less strident half-witted recapping of Wikipedia and more COMICS!!!
December 14, 2016 / John Kane/ 2 Comments
American Century, David Tischman, DC Comics, Howard Victor Chaykin, John K (UK), John Stokes, Ken Bruzenak, Marc Laming, Testing Your Patience, The 2000s, Vertigo
“This Fixation With Twentieth-Century Super-Heroes Has Got To STOP!” COMICS! Sometimes Everything Is In Fact Awesome When You Are Part of A Team!
In order to belay any simmering suspicions that I loathe and resent super-hero comics I look at a comic filled to the brim with them. A whole mess o’ super-heroes, a veritable Legion in fact! SUPERBOY'S LEGION by Davis, Farmer, Horie, Horie & Prentice
Anyway, this… DC COMICS PRESENTS: SUPERBOY’S LEGION #1 Art by Alan Davis & Mark Farmer Written by Mark Farmer Lettered by Pat Prentice Coloured by Richard & Tanya Horie Legion of Super-Heroes created by Al Plastino & Otto Binder Superboy created by Joe Shuster & Jerry Siegel DC Comics, £2.99 (Comixology) (2001)
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve never been a big joiner(1) but the Legion of Super-Heroes has always left me cold reading-wise. They always seemed like a bunch of stiffs, basically. Running around the place with their simple-minded names(2) and, worst of all, sitting in judgement over their peers like some frightful clench of Prefects(3). And then there’s Superboy, like the kid from the council estate who got a scholarship to The Good School and now has to jump through the hoops of his “betters” before they’ll let him join The Debating Society. Super Class Traitor more like. His only weakness is kryptonite. And peer pressure. Ugh, who’d want to join that bunch of joyless inverts anyway? Jumped up chumps, every man Jack of them. Legion of Supercilious Bores. So, no I don’t know how to “fix”(4) the Legion of Super-Heroes(5). Anyway, the failure to love them is of course mine(6), because I am a maladjusted misanthrope with a chip on each shoulder(7) rather than the well-adjusted, thrusting young shaver the concept is designed to appeal to. And yet I bought this comic(8). Was I looking for something to trash in order to temporarily quiet my raging personal insecurities via the belittling of other more talented people’s work?(9) No, because I don’t do that(10), not on purpose anyway(11). No, I was looking for an Alan Davis comic(12). Because I like Alan Davis comics, but do I like Alan Davis Legion of Superheroes comics?
SUPERBOY'S LEGION by Davis, Farmer, Horie, Horie & Prentice
Yes. It’s GOOD!
NEXT TIME: I recall a gypsy woman, silver spangles in her eyes. Actually, scratch that, I’ll probably just look at some COMICS!!!
Just kidding, of course there’s more(13)! Think of this as one of those post credit sequences that are so popular today(14). It’s not just an Alan Davis Legion of Super-Heroes comic though, more precisely it’s an Alan Davis and Mark Farmer Legion of Super-Heroes comic. While Mark Farmer predictably enough continues his robust, decades long, and largely unsung support on Alan Davis’ classically joyful art, here he also scripts. This is clearly his “Shining Time”(15). Second fiddle’s an honourable role, but here Farmer steadies his nerves, clears his throat and takes centre stage (16). He doesn’t disappoint either. Farmer’s script eschews grandstanding and pandering, being a thing of efficiency, event and momentum which despite its space-spanning scope and cavalcade of characters retains focus and clarity throughout. There’s plenty of exposition but it all slips past smoothly thanks to the art’s creamy cheeriness, which jollies things along even when people are saying things in a less flamboyantly discursive way than the is the apparent modern preference(17). The strength of the writing is easily missed, as it’s the kind of ‘invisible’ writing that would rather tell a tale well than draw attention to itself (or its author), still what no one can miss is the level of affection for the Legion herein. But which Legion?
Because, even more precisely, SUPERBOY’S LEGION is an Alan Davis and Mark Farmer Elseworlds Legion of Super-Heroes comic originally published in 2001 as two-issues. DC hasn’t done Elseworlds for a bit, so quick recap for the chap at the back: these are stories where familiar characters are presented in a new way, usually heavily imprinted with the DNA of an atypical genre. So in one story Steampunk Batman might fight Jack The Ripper, in another Superman might have landed in Wales and wondered what to do with himself, in yet another Aquaman might be a PI with the power to talk to his own arse, or perhaps Wonder Woman sells hot dogs in Central Park by day and sleeps fitfully at night, or what have you(18). Much of the fun comes from recognising the deviations from the accepted norm and the little thrill of uncertainty this lends the narrative(19).
Alas, I got none of that entry level fun as I am basically unversed in the Legion of Super-Heroes(20) and, anyway, they keep dicking about with it(21). Proper Legion of Super-Heroes fans will thus get a lot more out of this than me(22). But I got plenty as it was. Because what I got was a rock solid exercise in Old School Super-Heroics. The set-up is that Superboy’s rocket is found in the 30th Century instead of the 20th Century, and he is adopted by a fabulously wealthy grump, R J Brande, rather than a folksy farmer and his wife. It’s a future of cleanliness and conformity(23) monitored by the Science Police and dependent upon the Universo supercomputer(24).
Superboy is a typical young lad on the cusp of adulthood, chafing against both the restrictions of the Science Police, who are always on at him for the property damage his larks incur, and his dad who wants him to settle down a bit. The book opens with Superboy buying two Future Ice Creams(25) to patch things up with his dad but the Science Police get all shirty, and in a fit of pique Superboy flies off and bumps into a Green Lantern who he helps fight a right bunch of Khunds(26). Inspired by the example of the Green Lantern Corps, who pick up the space sector slack of the Science Police but are undermanned, Superboy decides to form his own team. Space being a frisky place he immediately aids a luxury space cruiser being mounted by a blister beast and ends the encounter with two new team mates who take the names Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy(27). Televised try-outs ensue so we get the classic image of the three sat behind a desk in judgement as new peculiarly powered members gravitate to the trio, like peculiarly powered iron filings to three judgemental magnets. Then the plot proper kicks in with an asteroid to be averted, internal squabbles, the Fatal Five proving their name’s no lie and a special guest 20th Century villain with universal enslavement on his mind. Gosh, what capers ensue!
Thrilling capers they are, to be sure. And delivered with an enviable level of clarity and zest. Surprising no one who has ever read anything by the team, Davis & Farmer’s art is a quiet masterclass in large scale super-heroic storytelling but also excels at the quieter stuff. From Space battles and inter-dimensional wing-dings to smaller moments when a smile says all that needs to be said, this team spins a magical yarn as colourful as Superboy's speed trail flattened to fractals like a sparkling sherbet space trail. Yeah, sherbet. You know, for kids. GOOD!
The Irritating Footnote Section:
(1) i.e. joiner as in joining groups, rather than as in joining pieces of wood. I mean, I’m crap at that too but that’s not what I’m on about.
(2) Bouncing Boy! He’s a boy who bounces! Matter-Eating Lad! He’s a lad who eats matter! Flaming Anus Lass! She…that’s right.
(3)Yes, a clench of prefects. See also: A colon of Politicians. A shit of bankers. A Cameron of tax evaders. A PM of lies. Etc. Etc.
(4) Judging by comic book site comments this is a subject which taxes the minds of more middle aged men than is strictly seemly. The relative merits of “guest beers”, smirking at the casual racism of Jeremy Clarkson, wearing a caramel coloured leather blouson with the sleeves rolled up, and giving a chuff about how to “fix” the Legion of Super-Heroes are, apparently, to the menopausal male as pianos were to Liberace.
(5) Unless it’s like you “fix” a cat, in which case I’ll bring the bricks.
(6) Obviously.
(7) “Chips on my shoulder/More As I grow older...”, 'Chips on My Shoulder' by Soft Cell taken from the LP 'Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret' (1981).
(8) In fact a “digital file”. Did you know that the first recorded digital files can be found on cave walls in Indonesia and date back 40,000 years. Remarkable.
(9) Yes, this is the only reason people don’t like something. Clearly.
(10) Trust me, I have read some real crappers and refrained from banging on about them. That HELLBREAK for e.g. was a load of refried beans with all the character and depth of a 1980s 8-Bit arcade game, but with all the charm and intelligence left out. There was at least one whole page in the second issue (hey, I gave it a chance) devoted to a guy smoking silently while stood next to a jeep. I cannot be doing with that kind of Bendisian page wastage. But also, around then the artist was legitimately bemoaning the fact that he barely made enough coin to, well, play a 1980s 8-Bit arcade game. So, you know, since the art was the best bit and I wish him no ill, I didn’t feel like adding insult to injury. Christ, my big heart, it beats for the entire world! HELLBREAK is still going so I hear. Had I intervened, who knows? Such is the scary Amy Irving in The Fury-like power of my critical voice.
(11) DKIII: TMR, however, see, is an absolute botch job for which everyone involved should look as guilty as a startled masturbator. Great Hera, if any book should be good it’s this thing. It’s DC’s Big Ticket Book of 2016, supported by all the marketing muscle and sales inflating methods available, and it’s even by people who have done good work previously on occasion, and yet it’s ineptitude is so great and unwavering in its consistency that it’s tempting to suggest it’s most entertaining display is of its contempt for the audience. And the Talent involved in DKIII:TMR will not be short of coin, you betcha. So, yeah, I’ll be nailing that one to the wall as long as it deserves it. I mean, there are bad comics and then there’s just flat out taking the piss.
(12) Alan Davis the UK comic artist of CAPTAIN BRITAIN fame, not Alan Davies the tousle haired and reliably unthreatening UK comedian.
(13) Brevity being the soul of wit, I am of course possessed of little of it. So, wiping the tears of self-satisfied laughter from my eyes I shall continue…
(14) Insert dismissive remark about people choosing of their own free to sit in the dark for fifteen minutes to catch a glimpse of Thanos’ ring. Then run.
(15) Thomas And The Magic Railroad (2000).
(16) Unfortunately comics is(are?) a visual medium and Alan Davis’ (and, ironically, Mark Farmer’s) art is a pretty visually arresting thing. So Mark Farmer’s moment in the spotlight can’t help but be a bit a bit like when Ernie Wise comes out on his own, but everyone’s really looking at Eric Morecambe walking across the background in his mac with his little carry case. Still, better Ernie Wise than Tommy Cannon, eh? Small mercies, Mark. Small mercies, son.
(17) I mean, I think it’s fair enough, personally. Exposition, that is. At work I don’t mumble and stutter, and lurch disconcertingly into BOLD without cause in a kind of flamboyantly exaggerated distortion of human speech patterns. That sort of jibber jabber has nothing whatsoever to do with realism and everything to do with paying writers by the page. Exposition isn’t the sin, clumsy exposition is. There’s no such sin on these pages.
(18) Basically Elseworlds then are like a lot of Grant Morrison’s cape work, particularly that typified by his MULTIVERSITY “project”. But, regrettably, Elseworlds are usually done by lesser talents who haven’t the wit to limit themselves to waving slightly different versions of B’wana Beast about while an intimidatingly intelligent coterie of fandom maintain they have gleaned the Face of The Returned Christ in such skeletal concepts. No, these Elseworld schmucks instead are reduced by the paucity of their talent to attaching these rejigged characters to such jejune concepts as stories. The poor fools. They should have done a metafictional Mobius loop which on closer (i.e. any) inspection was just fancy window dressing adorning an attack on narrative devices Alan Moore (Boo! Rapey! Boo! Rapey rapey Boo Boo! Etc.) stopped using twenty years ago. That Frank Quitely’s good though. He did an Elseworlds with Alan Grant(?) where Batman went to Scotland. Actually it might not have been an Elseworlds, I don’t think Batman going to Scotland is enough of a paradigm shift to merit an Elseworlds label. There has to be a bit more to it than that. Scotland has its quirks but not enough for an Elseworlds, I think. Hmmm, I’m kind of drifting lazily away from any point whatsoever here aren’t I? Which, funnily enough, is what happened to the Elseworlds stuff in the end.
(19) e.g. in SUPERMAN: BOOGIE NIGHTS (by Brian Wood and Frank Cho) Jimmy Olsen chokes to death on his own balls.
(20) When I rashly accepted Brian Hibbs’ generous (and no doubt in hindsight much regretted by Old “Two Shops” Hibbs) offer to ruin everything he had worked for on this site he asked me to suggest a Legionnaire so I could have an icon next to my name. I didn’t have a clue. I’m sure he thought I was prevaricating (which I was; I am made of Fear) but (also) really I didn’t know what he was on about. I can’t even remember whose icon I ended up with. Is there a Ball Breaking Lad? Bad Taste Boy? Who am I? Who is the fictional construct to which my virtual identity has been attached? And I thought I was in an existential crisis when I was fourteen!
(21) Sorry, I mean “fixing” it. See (4) and (5).
(22) A big old Legion of Super-Heroes chubby, pulsing like a beached fish gasping for breath. Unless they are so deep in senescence(4) that it’s just a flicker of a twitch.
(23) It’s a future that’s creepily free of wear and tear in that special way which suggests somewhere out of sight there are planets full of stooped and hollow eyed thralls doing all the proper graft its upkeep requires.
(24) I know, we can all see where this is going, right? If you are going to build a supercomputer don’t cut corners and be sure to develop a super-virus checker, or have a big OFF switch. Did no one heed Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)!?!
(25) Solar Swirl, natch.
(26) That’s a pretty dodgy pun to slip into a kids comic. Kudos!
(27) Yes, it is awfully convenient. You’re going to have to go with a lot of stuff like that. Just relax and let it happen. It's called - COMICS!!!
Alan Davis, DC Comics Presents, Footnote Nightmare, John K (UK), Legion of Super-Heroes, Mark Farmer, The 2000s
“SHUT THEM DOWN! SHUT THEM ALL DOWN!” COMICS! Sometimes He’s Such A Stick In The Mud He’s More Like Judge Ludd!
October 21, 2015 / John Kane
In which I provide you with another cheerless slog through a volume of JUDGE DREDD THE MEGA COLLECTION. No charge! JUDGE DREDD by Doherty, Wagner and Parkhouse
Anyway, this… THE JUDGE DREDD MEGA COLLECTION REVIEW INDEX
MECHANISMO JUDGE DREDD MEGA COLLECTION VOLUME 24 Contents: Introduction by Matt Smith, Mechanismo, Mechanismo Returns, Body Count, S.A.M. and Safe Hands, cover gallery, Colin MacNeil interviewed by Michael Molcher Art by Colin MacNeil, Peter Doherty, Manuel Benet, Val Semeiks & Cliff Robinson, and Jock Written by John Wagner and Gordon Rennie Coloured by Chris Blythe Lettered by Annie Parkhouse and Tom Frame Originally published in Judge Dredd Megazine 2.12. – 2.17, 2.22 – 2.26, 2.37 -2.43, 2000AD progs 1374 and 1273 Hatchette/Rebellion, £6.99 UK (2014) (It’s £6.99 because it was the second issue which is always, in partworks, more expensive than the first issue, but less expensive than the third issue which is when the real price (£9.99) sets in.) Judge Dredd created by Carlos Ezquerra, John Wagner and Pat Mills
Cover by Colin MacNeil
I say, I say, I say, when is a comic book movie not a comic book movie? When it is Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop(1987): the best comic book movie ever(1). Yes, smarty pants, despite its not being a comic book movie. Yet, despite its having no direct single original comic book source it opts instead to indulge a cheekily blatant preference to plunder freely from many sources. Mainly though, it plunders from the best; its black humour, satirical edge, ultraviolence and taciturn (but sympathetic) central character all owing more than a little to Judge Dredd(2). In 1993 in the pages of Judge Dredd Megazine(3), no doubt having tired of waiting for acknowledgement or remuneration, John Wagner repaid the favour with Mechanismo; which is basically Judge Dredd vs. Robocop(s)(4). Due to the persistently apocalyptic nature of life in Mega City One Judges are getting a bit short in supply(5). Flying in the face of pretty much every piece of speculative fiction ever in which automata take on human tasks, Justice Department decide to bolster the Judges with automata. Better yet these are fiercely armed, heavily armoured automata with personalities based on Judge Joseph Dredd his own bad self. Dredd thinks this idea is less than ideal but he’s not Chief Judge. McGruder(6) is, so it’s her call. The Mechanismos get a test run and give Dredd a run for his money.
JUDGE DREDD by MacNeil, Wagner and Parkhouse
Surprising absolutely no one Dredd’s right, and things go wrong about 5 minutes after the droids’ boots hit the slab. People die, chaos puts on its dancing shoes and Dredd soon has to hunt a rogue droid imprinted with his own personality. Um, SPOILER! It’s okay, Mechanismo isn’t really about suspense; Mechanismo is a fleet footed blast of future-thrill action which reads better collected than it did when serialised. Initially these tales seemed a little lightweight for the amount of time it took for them to appear, but here they all are in one chunk and their upside becomes more apparent; what initially starts as a sassy riposte to a cinematic rip off (or homage) develops into something a little deeper(7). Playing Dredd off against his robotic doppelganger(s) is a neat trick since their distorted mirroring of Dredd’s appearance, speech and behaviour is amusing, and their embodiment of his personality unfettered by any humanity is revealing in itself. The Mechanismos aren’t Judge Dredd because they can’t ever be Judge Dredd as they aren’t human, and as little humanity as Dredd may have it’s what ultimately prevents him from becoming a monster. Or at least prevents him from becoming an inhuman monster. As monster’s go Judge Dredd’s a very human one, which is cold comfort but still some comfort. After all, where there’s humanity there’s hope(8).
JUDGE DREDD by Doherty, Wagner and Parkhouse
Trouble kicks off because the units overheat and start disobeying orders. Or more precisely, they follow orders too inflexibly and are soon executing people for witnessing crimes and not reporting them. Having laws is all well and dandy but justice is about a bit more than that, says the book full of exploding heads and robots that look like killer Metal Mickeys. Tellingly by the end of the trilogy Dredd himself has been forced to do the wrong thing, but for the right reasons. Wagner’s writing takes a misstep here at the last by uncharacteristically labouring what Dredd has done and what it means. However, it is a big step in Dredd’s development(9) so it’s easy to see why Wagner’s usual lightness of touch becomes a little heavier than usual. Pretty much the whole point of robots in stories is that they’ll go wrong(10), or teach us a very special lesson about the magic of human nature(11). Here Wagner gives us both; although because he is John Wagner his very special lesson is a bit less sparkly than most. What starts out as a fast and funny, sunnily lit action romp pivots via a transitionary dank sewer set middle section into a final darkly subdued echo of the initial premise. The cheerful Robocop-esque overkill of the first chapter invites laughter as citizens are slaughtered for ridiculous reasons, but by the final chapter the same jokes have ceased to be played for laughs as the more mordant and downbeat world of Dredd takes precedence over its derivative cinematic would-be usurper.
JUDGE DREDD by Benet, Wagner and Frame
As ever these strips appeared over a lengthy period of time and the creative teams are (Wagner aside) discrete. Sensibly, visual choppiness over the course of the trilogy is kept to a minimum by assigning each chapter to a particular artist. MacNeil chooses to paint the opener, Mechanismo, in a bleached out style awash with bright sunshine, like it’s perpetually high noon (of course - because there’s a showdown!) Everything has a lovely warm quality - even the smears of colour that were once people’s heads. (12) Signalling the shift in tone Peter Doherty’s Mechanismo Returns is a far darker affair, due to its night time and underground settings. Doherty has an oddly hesitant line, and the resultant tentativeness is an odd fit for the blunt world of Dredd. Also, his people look like they’ve been dead for six months; it’s an odd look all round. I like it, but it’s odd. Not unpleasant, just different(13). In comparison to MacNeil & Doherty Benet’s art on Body Count seems simultaneously both "European" and old fashioned; like a throwback to a 1970s Heavy Metal, or a coloured-in cousin of Casanovas’ work on Dredd (remember Max Normal?) I mean, Benet’s art is fine, it does the job but it can’t help but look a little stuffy and archaic after Doherty and MacNeil’s comparatively brisk and frisky stuff.
JUDGE DREDD by Semeiks & Robinson, Wagner, Blythe and Frame
The book is filled out by a pair of tales falling within the unspoken remit of “robots gone wrong”. In S.A.M. Wagner writes a caustic take on bureaucratic pettifoggery which ostensibly involves Judge Dredd having to outwit a talking bomb, but is given satirical bite via its roots in the plight faced by an increasing number of folk in the real world. The ostensibly bizarre pairing of North American stalwart Semeiks’ pencils with the Bolland-lite inks of Robinson makes for a pleasing goofy result. Robbie Morrison’s Safe Hands is an example of the punchline approach to a Dredd strip and is weak in a probably-had-it-on-file-for-emergencies way. It’s still worth a look because it’s drawn by Jock. And that’s pretty much it. Plenty of Thrill-Power in this volume so Judge Kane’s verdict is a solid GOOD!
They can replace us all with robots but they’ll never replace – COMICS!!!
(1) Yeah, yeah, thinking about it now, Dobermann (1997), Sin City (2005) and Ghost World (2001) are close contenders, and, yeah, sure, you probably have your own favourite but I can’t read your mind, pal, so Robocop wins today (and mostly because I can’t be bothered to do a new opening).
(2) Oh, I’m sure there’s a quote somewhere about how no one involved in the movie had ever heard of Judge Dredd. But still and all, still and all…
(3) The actual issue numbers are up there. That’s one sexy time that is, copying that stuff out. I only do this so I can copy issue numbers out, don’t tell everyone! It’s my Secret Garden!
(4) It’s so obvious I kind of regret taking up all that space building up to such a non-revelation. The first chapter is upfront about it and has a bit of fun directly referring to the Mechanismo as both “the future of law enforcement” and “Robo Judge”. In the second chapter Wagner pokes fun at his own movie allusions with a character declaring “Number 5’s alive!” - the tag line to Short Circuit (1986); a quite different movie from Robocop. No, I haven’t seen Short Circuit; I was 16, why the blue blazes would I be watching a Steve Guttenberg comedy about a tiny robot. I was watching tawdry horror nonsense, probably involving Barbara Crampton screaming. And they let me breed.
(5) This takes place just after NECROPOLIS which had the Dark Judges take over Mega City One with predictably hilarious consequences.
(6) McGruder is a particularly confusing character when encountered in isolated stories. She’s of a distinctly mannish aspect and is functionally nuts, quite often referring to herself in the plural, and prone to paranoid fancies. Originally a Judge who took the Long Walk she returned to the City during NECROPOLIS and was hugely influential in overthrowing the Dark Judges. She means well but her eroding sanity is starting to take its toll. This a sensible footnote. You might want to frame it.
(7) But not that deep. It kind of introduces themes , characters and events which lead into the mega-epic WILDERLANDS which occurs beyond the covers of this book.
(8) You have to believe stuff like that if you have kids, otherwise you go nuts.
(9) Judge Dredd’s that rare character in comics whose character does indeed develop. He also ages and one day he will die. I doubt if he’d want flowers so send the money to a kid’s charity. It’s what he’d want.
(10) See Robocop. Although Robocop goes wrong by regaining his humanity which is right, this is still against his programming so it is also wrong. Look, just go with it.
(11) See Short Circuit. Probably, anyway. Because, no, I don’t know what lesson everyone is supposed to take away from Short Circuit. Like I say I was busy watching From Beyond or something erudite like that. We covered that earlier. Don’t you read these? I have other things to do, you know. I’m not sat around imbibing peeled grapes from servile hands while deigning occasionally to set some words down about Judge Dredd. This country’s turning to shit over here under the Tories, this is not a good time to be conscious and…sorry, 再见了!
(12) In the interview at the back of the book MacNeil explicitly acknowledges this luminous approach, but I’d just like to stress I’d already written about that bit before I’d read his interview. So I’m not stealing his words, I’m saying I was right. That was a pleasant surprise because I’m simply awful on colours.
(13) I’m pretty sure this is the same Peter Doherty who facilitates the excellent colouring on so many of Geoff Darrow’s grotesquely flamboyant creations. I could be wrong, I often am; it’s what keeps me modest.
(14) There is no fourteenth footnote. Go home.
October 21, 2015 / John Kane/ 5 Comments
2000AD, Cliff Robinson, Colin MacNeil, Gordon Rennie, Jock, John K (UK), John Wagner, Judge Dredd, Judge Dredd The Mega Collection, Manuel Benet, Mechanismo, Peter Doherty, The 1990s, The 2000s, Val Semeiks
"Justice Has A Price. The Price Is Freedom." COMICS! Sometimes I Hesitate To Correct An Officer Of The Law But I Think You'll Find That In This Case The Price is £9.99 Fortnightly. OW!
Borag Thungg, Earthlets! Clearly I have nothing useful to do with my time because I have bodged up a master list of the JUDGE DREDD MEGA COLLECTION. As each volume is released I will update the list and the accompanying image gallery. Should I “review” a volume I will link to that volume in the list. So, interested in the JUDGE DREDD MEGA COLLECTION as “reviewed” by yours truly, then this is the list for that. Pretty clear stuff. No questions? Anyone? Good. If anyone wants me to look at a particular volume, just drop me a comment. The volumes aren't released in order so it's not like I have a sensible plan of attack. If anyone wants me to stick them where the sun don't shine I suggest you keep that sentiment to yourself, cheers. Right, that laundry won't wash itself. Pip! Pip!
JUDGE DREDD by Mick McMahon & Pat Mills
Anyway, this... JUDGE DREDD THE MEGA COLLECTION Published by Hatchette/Rebellion UK, 2014 onwards.
Judge Dredd Created by Carlos Ezquerra, John Wagner & Pat Mills
01 – JUDGE DREDD: AMERICA Cover by Colin MacNeil
02 – JUDGE DREDD: DEMOCRACY NOW Cover by John Higgins
03 – JUDGE DREDD: TOTAL WAR Cover by Simon Coleby
04 - JUDGE DREDD: THE DEAD MAN Cover by John Ridgway
05 - JUDGE DREDD: NECROPOLIS Cover by Carlos Ezquerra
06 - JUDGE DREDD: JUDGE DEATH LIVES Cover By Brian Bolland 07 - JUDGE DREDD: YOUNG DEATH Cover by Frazer Irving
08 – JUDGE ANDERSON: THE POSSESSED Cover by Brett Ewins
09 - JUDGE ANDERSON: ENGRAM Cover by David Roach
10 – JUDGE ANDERSON: SHAMBALLA Cover by Arthur Ranson
11 - JUDGE ANDERSON: CHILDHOOD'S END Cover by Kev Walker
12 - JUDGE ANDERSON: HALF-LIFE Cover by Arthur Ranson
14 – DEVLIN WAUGH: SWIMMING IN BLOOD Cover by Cliff Robinson
15 - DEVLIN WAUGH: CHASING HEROD Cover by Colin Wilson
16 - DEVLIN WAUGH: FETISH Cover by Cliff Robinson 17 -
19 - LOW LIFE:PARANOIA Cover by Henry Flint
20 - LOW LIFE: HOSTILE TAKEOVER Cover by D'Israeli
21 - THE SIMPING DETECTIVE Cover by Cliff Robinson
23 - JUDGE DREDD: BANZAI BATALLION Cover by Jock
24 - JUDGE DREDD: MECHANISMO Cover by Colin MacNeil
25 - JUDGE DREDD: MANDROID Cover by Kev Walker
26 - 27 -
28 - JUDGE DREDD: THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF P. J. MAYBE Cover by Cliff Robinson
30 - TARGET: JUDGE DREDD Cover by Jim Baikie
31 – JUDGE DREDD: OZ Cover by Steve Dillon
32 – JUDGE DREDD: THE CURSED EARTH Cover by Mick McMahon
33 - JUDGE DREDD: THE DAY THE LAW DIED Cover by Mick McMahon
36 – JUDGE DREDD: THE APOCALYPSE WAR Cover by Carlos Ezquerra
37 - JUDGE DREDD: JUDGEMENT DAY Cover by Carlos Ezquerra
38 - JUDGE DREDD: INFERNO Cover by Carlos Ezquerra
39 - JUDGE DREDD: WILDERLANDS Cover by Trevor Hairsine
40 - JUDGE DREDD: THE PIT Cover by Cliff Robinson
42 – JUDGE DREDD: DOOMSDAY FOR DREDD Cover by Dylan Teague
43 - JUDGE DREDD: DOOMSDAY FOR MEGA-CITY ONE Cover by Colin Wilson
45 - JUDGE DREDD: ORIGINS Cover by Brian Bolland
47 - JUDGE DREDD: TOUR OF DUTY: BACKLASH Cover by Carlos Ezquerra
49 - JUDGE DREDD: DAY OF CHAOS: THE FOURTH FACTION Cover by Henry Flint
50 – JUDGE DREDD: DAY OF CHAOS: ENDGAME Cover by Henry Flint
51 - TRIFECTA Cover by Carl Critchlow
52 - 53 - 54 -
55 – JUDGE DREDD: THE HEAVY MOB Cover by Dylan Teague
56 -JUDGE DREDD: BEYOND MEGA-CITY ONE Cover by Brendan McCarthy
57 - CALHAB JUSTICE Cover by John Ridgway
60 – HONDO-CITY JUSTICE Cover by Cliff Robinson
61 - SHIMURA Cover by Colin MacNeil 62 - 63 - 64 - 65 - 66 - 67 - CURSED EARTH KOBURN
68 - CURSED EARTH CARNAGE Cover by Anthony Williams
72 - JUDGE DREDD: THE ART OF TAXIDERMY Cover by Steve Dillon
73 - JUDGE DREDD: HEAVY METAL DREDD Cover by John Hicklenton
75 – JUDGE DREDD: ALIEN NATIONS Cover by Cliff Robinson
76 - JUDGE DREDD: KLEGG HAI Cover by Chris Weston
77 - JUDGE DREDD: HORROR STORIES Cover by Brett Ewins
79 - JUDGE DREDD: INTO THE UNDERCITY Cover by Tiernen Trevallion
80 - JUDGE DREDD: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON Cover by Brian Bolland
Judge Dredd! He is the – COMICS!!!
2000AD, Alan Grant, Arthur Ranson, Brett Ewins, Brian Bolland, Carl Critchlow, Carlos Ezquerra, Cliff Robinson, Colin MacNeil, Colin Wilson, Dylan Teague, Gordon Rennie, Hatchette, Henry Flint, John K (UK), John Ridgway, John Wagner, Judge Dredd, Judge Dredd The Mega Collection, Kev Walker, Mick McMahon, Mike McMahon, Pat Mills, Rebellion, Robbie Morrison, Ron Smith, Si Spurrier, Simon Coleby, Steve Dillon, The 1970s, The 1980s, The 1990s, The 2000s, The 2010s
"If Only I Could Convince BEVERLY That He's As IMPORTANT As I Know He Is." COMICS FOLK! Sometimes It's 65 Pictures For 65 Years!
It's the 7th October 2015 and that means it's been 65 years of the chunky wee thermodynamic miracle Howard Victor Chaykin! Today is his day, so I'm going to shut my yapper and below the break you can feast your eyes on 65 images culled from The Chaykin Section in The Kane Garage Archives. Raise your root beers high and let's all drink to another 65 years of the amazing Mr. Chaykin!
THE SHADOW by Chaykin, Bruzenak & Wald
Happy Birthday, Mr. Chaykin and thanks for all the - COMICS!!!
Atlas Comics, Batman, Batman Dark Allegiances, Black Kiss, Blackhawk, Bravura, Catwoman, Century West, City of Tomorrow, Cody Starbuck, DC Comics, Dominic Fortune, Dynamite, Eclipse Comics, Epic Comics, Happy Birthday!, Howard Victor Chaykin, Image Comics, John K (UK), Ken Bruzenak, Malibu, Marvel Premiere, Midnight Men, Monark Starstalker, Power and Glory, Solo, Star Reach Classics, Star Reach Productions, The 1970s, The 1980s, The 1990s, The 2000s, The 2010s, The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones, The Scorpion, The Shadow, The Shadow Midnight In Moscow, Vortex Comics, Wildstorm
“If We Pull This Off, I’m Gonna Sh*t!” MOVIES! Sometimes I Catch A Flick Or Two!
September 02, 2015 / John Kane
Sorry! I hate the silent times too, but needs must sometimes. Alas, due to circumstances and stuff I haven’t read any comics for weeks. This is no reflection on comics, but it does leave me with little to lighten your lives with. It may well be that absence makes the heart grow fonder but it doesn’t make writing any easier. (Secrets Made Flesh Dept: Not writing is an astonishingly easy habit to get into. Scarily so.) So bear with me as we all endure a warm up about some movies I watched while gormlessley slumped in a chair at various points during the last howdiddly ever long it’s been. I have prefaced each with the best thing my long suffering life partner said about the movie in question. Those are the best bits, but if she thinks she’s getting paid for ‘em she can go whistle.
Anyway, this… THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987) Directed by Fred Dekker Written by Shane Black & Fred Dekker Starring: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr, Tom Noonan, Brent Chalem, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank, Michael Faustino, Mary Ellen Trainor, Stan Shaw, Lisa Fuller, Jason Hervey, Adam Carl, Carl Thibault, Tom Woodruff Jr., Michael Reid MacKay, Jack Gwillim and Leonard Cimono as “Scary German Guy”
“If he’s up tonight, you’re handling him.”
I watched this with “Gil” because he’s at that stage where he wants to watch a horror flick even though he still gets nightmares and wanders into the room to startle me into incontinence at all hours of the night. To temper his disappointment that I wouldn’t let him watch EVIL DEAD 2 or MOTEL HELL (what can I say, cinematically speaking I’m a high-brow fucker). I found this on one of those streaming services we appear to have subscribed to in such abundance I suspect someone thinks we have a lot more time (and money!) on our hands than we actually do. Also, I’ve wanted to watch this for years. Whenever I’ve read about it it sounded like a solid bit of fun so it seemed like the perfect choice for some of that bonding stuff I’ve read about before the boy starts hating me in about, oh, two years. Turned out it was a bit of a mess (I suspect some poor editing decisions and studio tinkering there) so quite a lot of it didn’t make sense. But then again this is a kids movie so expectations are adjusted accordingly. It’s kind of THE GOONIES but with the Universal monsters chucked in (i.e. Dracula, Frankenstein(‘s Monster), the Mummy and The Creature From The Black Lagoon; it’s 2015 now so someone will need this list, I’m afraid). The kids are engaging and just rude enough for “Gil” to think he was getting away with something, and it was spooky enough for him to get comfortably creeped out while being occasionally gory enough for me to reconsider my decision. All the adults are familiar faces and all of them are enjoyable but Tom Noonan’s Monster and Macht and Shaw’s cop buddy double act stood out most. The script is as snappy as you’d expect from Shane Black; sure, it’s no KISS KISS BANG BANG but it’s crisp and clever and, remember, (it’s crucial this) it’s for kids. Fred Dekker directs and seeing his name reminded me I enjoyed NIGHT OF THE CREEPS way back when I had hair, and I don’t know where he ended up, but two movies I like makes me hope he’s happy out there. “Gil”, our lady of multiple streaming subscriptions, and even myself, The Bitterest Man In England, all had a GOOD! time.
PROMETHEUS (2012) Directed by Ridley Scott Written by Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Emun Elliott, Benedict Wong, Kate Dickie with Peter O’Toole as “T.E. Lawrence”
“How could anyone think that was good!?!”
It was a good question. A better question than the movie merited, I think. Jesus, I hardly have the highest of standards (I just ordered LIFEFORCE on blu-ray. Oho! Now who’s judging who! You scamp!) but PROMETHEUS was a bloated, ponderous and, in essence, thuddingly dull exercise in polishing the ancient crock of horseshit made famous by Erich Von Daniken with all the Brasso 21st Century CGI could bring to bear. It looked good, but looking good isn’t enough. Having failed to float through life on my spectacular physical beauty alone I can assure you of that, PROMETHEUS. Actual grown ass adults have told me this is an intelligent movie, this despite the fact that the script is basically all that silly shit Jack Kirby turned to creative gold back in the 1970s with The Eternals and all that Celestials stuff. All those millions of dollars and thousands of people and hundreds of thousands of people-hours, and a sun faded and badly foxed 1970s Jack Kirby comic still comes out on top. The level of intellect on show here is just pitiful. It’s just a stupid, stupid, stupid movie. And while stupid isn’t a deal breaker (see below), it’s unpleasantly stupid; there’s no fun in it and that, muchachos, is a deal breaker. On a couple of occasions the movie forgets its pretensions and lowers itself to deliver an action scene but these are poorly executed and weightless. The bloody thing is even badly directed is what I’m getting a there. Christ, everyone on screen acts like a complete moron. All the time. It’s like being at work. Charlize Theron states at one point that she has spent “trillions” on getting them all into space; she should have saved some money on interior décor and employed a better crew. These cretins are mostly scientists but they wilfully endanger themselves and everyone around them like safety and control aren’t actually built into scientific endeavour. The pilot (who we are supposed to like because he is Idris Elba and he has a squeeze box which once belonged to Stephen Stills) is so stupid he doesn’t move the ship closer to the whatever; consequently we spend a fifth of the movie watching people to-ing and fro-ing from one place where they endanger themselves to another place in which they endanger themselves. (The pilot is also so stupid he spent his money on a squeeze box which once belonged to Stephen Stills. Who gives a flying fuck. Memo to writers: Just because you think something is cool doesn’t mean everyone else does. Stephen fucking Stills. I ask you.) I could spend all night writing my way through every stupid thing in PROMETHEUS but it’s not like they aren’t all right here in front of everyone who watched it. If you didn’t see them you chose not to. The best scene in the movie is a clip from LAWRENCE OF ARABIA which sums up the whole thing nicely with a bit of tweaking: “Of course it’s shit! It’s not minding it’s shit that’s the trick!” Yeah, yeah, Fassbender is great in it, but if he wanted to be the best thing in CRAP! he should have pursued a career in scat.
TERROR AT THE OPERA (1987) (AKA OPERA , and THAT’S THE LAST TIME I LET YOU PICK A FILM, SONNY JIM) Directed by Dario Argento Written by Dario Argento and Franco Ferrini Starring: Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini, Daria Nicolodi, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Antonella Vitale, William McNamara
“You like some real shit you do.”
This is not a good movie but it was an amazingly enjoyable one. I used to watch shedloads of naff crap like this while pissed off my tits, but I am older now and I don’t drink around “Gil” (don’t worry, in all other respects I am a terrible, terrible parent. He’s currently playing that new MGS, so prison beckons for this bad Dad. (Also: A fire whale; WTF, Japan?)) Luckily, this movie is so exuberantly preposterous from soup to nuts it’s like watching something while shitfaced without actually having to get shitfaced. Jesus, where to start with this thing. I guess it’s the Phantom of The Opera but updated to be absolutely addlepated. Like some sadistic pre-teen’s idea of The Phantom of The Opera; with all the nuance and intellectual rigour that suggests. It’s the kind of movie where someone plays their own mother in a flashback by putting on a wig; it’s the kind of movie where someone knocks out the killer and instead of dropping a sewing machine on his head (or just running right the fuck off) creeps back reeeeaaaaalllllllyyyyy s-l-o-w-l-y to remove his mask (that ends well for her); it’s the kind of movie where they are putting on a production of Verdi’s Macbeth but the only Shakespeare I recall anyone quoting is from Hamlet; it’s the kind of movie where someone says “If you had ten pairs of hands it would still be a pile of crap!” and it’s the best line in the movie; it’s the kind of movie where everyone is dubbed badly, even the people who seem to be English speakers; it’s the kind of movie where a small child castigates her mother for being naked all the time, and it’s the second best line in the movie; it’s the kind of movie where the ventilation system in an apartment building allows fully grown adults to scamper around it like it’s one of those kids play tunnel things they have in pubs which end with a slide into a ball pool; it’s the kind of movie where the Italian police forensics department apparently can’t tell the difference between a dummy and a human corpse without weeks of tests; it’s the kind of movie that doesn’t have three good lines; it’s the kind of movie where people go on holiday to the Swiss alps and relax by tying a bluebottle to a piece of fishing line and film it buzzing about (I have no idea. Really. Answers in the comments. Please. Hurry!); it’s the kind of movie where someone has paid Bill Wyman to do some of the music (perhaps Stephen fucking Stills was busy squeezeboxing. Stephen fucking Stills. Just don’t.); it’s the kind of movie where while you know the plan to unmask the killer will be ridiculous it still manages to exceed your expectations by several football pitches (why is that dude inside the cage?!? Why didn’t he just walk over and open it from the outside?!?); it’s the kind of movie where ravens out act the humans by a comfortable margin; all of which is to say it’s unique. Hopefully. However, in all fairness the bit with the aural misdirection involving the lady carrying crockery was good.
Cineastes and horror connoisseurs will be baying for my face on a stick by now because this was directed by Dario Argento who they regard as a genius. Sadly, I’m not here to make friends, so they are all wrong and a bunch of delusional fools, every man Jack of them. No offence. Argento’s movies are essentially exercises in sumptuously executed set pieces of sadism strung together by ridiculous horseshit with, at best, one person who can actually act in the cast; which is fine. Honest. Recently I’ve watched THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, CAT O’NINE TAILS and DEEP RED; all were entertaining exercises in style over sense (the clockwork dwarf: WTF?!?), but here the style is leaden, the set pieces outstay their welcome, the token actor has been omitted and the unrelenting deluge of horseshit suggest the knackers yard is on the cards for this ailing nag of a movie. If anyone says this is a good movie ask them what lenses Brian DePalma used on MISSION TO MARS and I bet they can tell you. Bully for them! But I’m not that kind of movie fan(atic), just a casual viewer so TERROR IN THE OPERA was CRAP! (but FUN!)
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000) Directed by Kar Wai Wong Written by Kar Wai Wong Starring: Tony Chiu Wai Leung, Maggie Cheung, Ping Lam Siu, Tung Cho ‘Joe’ Cheung, Rebecca Pan, Kelly Lai Chen, Man-Lei Chan
“She had to be sewed into those dresses, you know.”
Despite the fact that at no point during the sprightly 98 minutes running time of this slow punch to the heart of a movie does anyone wrestle a big starfish with a mouth like a lady’s woo-woo, use dressmaker’s scissors to cut open a sternum, blow up a werewolf with dynamite or, indeed, do anything more physically exhilarating than run to avoid the rain while buying some noodles this is almost certainly the best movie here. I would tell you what it’s about but since part of the joy of the movie is having it unfold in front of you I’m not going to. Tough shit, kiddo; going in cold is how the grownups do it. Know this though: IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE is pure cinema; a supersaturated wonder of movie making. It’s very definitely the best movie I watched out of all of these thus far, and I suggest very strongly that you just trust me on this one. Find someone you love, watch it together and let it carry you both with it. Warning: emotions may occur. Cinema? It’s still got it. EXCELLENT!
THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) Directed by David Lynch Written by Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergen and David Lynch. Based on the books by Frederick Treves and Ashley Montagu Starring: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt,, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, Michael Elphick and Stephen Stills as “Squeezebox Johnny”
“You can watch that one on your own. It’s very good, but it’s too sad.”
Worst superhero movie ever. EVER. I mean, really. You know how when JURASSIC PARK came out there was CARNOSAUR, and when (the children’s entertainment) STAR WARS hit big there was STAR CRASH and a billion other ropey rip-offs? Well this big pile of blatant opportunism is clearly the latest cheap, quick cash in on Marvel©®’s exquisite cinematic concoctions. Oh, the hot stink of money has brought all the chancers and Johnny-Come-Latelies out of the woodwork, all wanting a slice of that fat cash pie but without wanting to put any of the artistic effort of Marvel®© in. None of them have been more abject than this effort from some David Lynch guy. I don’t who he is but he’s clearly no auteur like Joss Weed On. Any fule kno that the first flick should be the origin, but this Lynch guy just sails right past that stuff with a really muddled and unclear opening. Mind you, that’s probably just as well because, apparently, Elephant Man is the result of his mom being either raped or trampled by elephants. You have to be operating at the giddy heights of a Mark Millar to get away with something that sick. And this David Lynch guy? He’s no Mark Millar. Then later on this rapey tramply shit gets retconned into an illness, like that makes it more realistic or something. Lynch seems to consistently miss the point about super heroes at every opportunity. It’s not just about having a costume and fancy name; you got to have powers, dude. Elephant Man’s powers seem to be an inability to speak properly, the power to shamble very slowly around and, best of all, the power to build ornate matchstick models of buildings he can only see a bit of from his Elephant Den window. Look out crime! And all the while El Phanto’s dressed up like some cheap DARK MAN rip-off. I hate it when reviewers tell creators what they should do as it displays an arrogant obliviousness of monumental proportions but, for instance, and I’m just saying this to help, Elephant Man could spit peanuts like bullets or maybe strangle people with his trunk (which he does not have! Look up elephants some time, David Lynch! They are trunk city! And ears! Ears like palm leaves!) Sure, Lynch does have enough sense to give Elephant Man a rogues gallery but even this is an opportunity for further Fail. The first bad guy is a boozy porter who hurts Elephant Man’s feeling by bringing whores to laugh at him. A thrilling fight does not ensue; no, he gets fired by Top Hat Man, who is kind of Elephant Man’s mentor; like Ras Al Ghul in Batman Begins, but not evil. Oops, spoiler. Next up is (promisingly) a kind of Joker played by a stubbly old man with a face like collapsed fruit studded with British Teeth© who steals Elephant Man off to his spooky carnival lair. Hopes are raised for a kind of riff on Killing Joke but, no. Instead, once again Top Hat Man turns up and after a bit of shouting takes Elephant Man home. A bit of shouting; it’s not exactly BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT is it? Clearly he’s no Christopher Nolan, this Lynch guy. And Elephant Man’s kryptonite? His big weakness? Turns out it’s not having enough pillows. That’s lamer than Donald Blake.
Oh, and in a pitiful bid to make this industrial sized lump of Fail seem more interesting it’s all set in this sort of made up Steampunk world with hissing pipes and top hats and frock coats. But it’s totes lame steampunkery because no one has a calliope chain-gun or even a zeppelin hat. Now, I’m not one for pointing fingers but the roles for women in this are appalling; they are either nurses, whores or entertainers. Sexist much, Mr. Lynch? And don’t get me started on non-Caucasian representation! What is this, Victorian England? I think we need a strongly worded article from The Beat. Stat! Honestly, this Lynch guy can’t get anything right; at one point we get the obligatory shirtless bit, but John Hurt’s no Chris Hemsworth amiright, Beat gals? No one wants to ogle some pasty English dude who looks like he’s sculpted from tubers.
Not only does Lynch film it in B&W like it’s the 1940s or something but, fatally, nobody in this film is less than forty, they are all like old and stuff. If I wanted to watch old people I’d be, well, I’d be a pervert. Ugh, old people, with their crêpe faces and fear of Social Media! Entertainment is just for the under thirty-fives! Check your demographics, David Lynch! Old people don’t watch movies that’s why there are dominos and sleeping! No one ever made a profit by taking the audience for complacent fools, so Lynch has reaped what he sowed and, I hear, has had to run off to television. Mind you he’ll find the competition tougher than he expects now the crème of comics like Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue DeConnick are wallowing about in the old cathode ray money trough. Frankly, cinema’s better off without chancers like this David Lynch fellow. Here’s to the next Phase of Marvel movies! Excelsior! (Oh, c’mon, THE ELEPHANT MAN will always be EXCELLENT! It doesn’t even need saying.)
Yes! There it is, finally, that endearing combination of lofty disdain, overworked and painfully obvious humour, terrible grammar and disproportionate sarcasm which means I have entered that heavenly zone of judgemental prickishness for which I am renowned. Next time (at some point) – COMICS!!!
September 02, 2015 / John Kane/ 9 Comments
Dario Argento, David Lynch, Fred Dekker, In The Mood For Love, Kar Wei Wong, movies, Prometheus, Ridley Scott, Shane Black, Terror At The Opera, Testing Your Patience, The 1980s, The 2000s, The 2010s, The Elephant Man, The Monster Squad
"If I'm Reading Those Erect Nipples Right, YOU'RE Having A Good Time." COMICS! Sometimes They Might Be A Wee Bit Too Hard-Boiled.
Hey, I wrote some words about a comic. They're under the break, somewhere. I think that's how it works. Mostly this one is about how people will still be awful in the future and how Rick Burchett is The Balls. Sorry, still shaking the rust off. PULP FANTASTIC by Burchett, Chaykin & Tischman, Bruzenak & Loughridge Anyway, this... PULP FANTASTIC #1-3 Art by Rick Burchett Written by Howard Victor Chaykin & David Tischman Lettered by Ken Bruzenak Coloured byand Seperated by Lee Loughridge Covers by Rick Burchett & Howard Victor Chaykin Logo by 52MM DC Comics/Vertigo, $2.50 each Pulp Fantastic created by Howard Victor Chaykin
Pulp Fantastic was published in 2000 as part of DC Comics’ fifth week wave of millennially themed/inspired mini-series. Older folk will recall that everyone expected the world to die screaming on the millennial stroke of midnight as toasters exploded, shoes refused to work and milk demanded equal rights. By continuing to publish comics in the face of this certain (certain, I say!) Apocalypse DC/Vertigo showed a touching faith in the survival of the human race. A faith that was well founded since we can all agree the world is still here. (Unless you are particularly philosophically minded, in which case; who knows?) What isn’t here in 2015 is a TPB collecting Pulp Fantastic, so it’s to the back-issue bins if you want to experience a beautifully illustrated but markedly mean spirited exercise in genre repurposing. Because while the series is draped in sci-fi schmutter so it can fulfil its future themed remit, it is quite clearly an exercise in the hard-boiled PI genre.
PULP FANTASTIC by Burchett, Chaykin & Tischman, Bruzenak & Loughridge
Pulp Fantastic is set on a future world far way to which the members of a (presumably very large) cult ascended on New Year’s Eve thanks to the benevolence of some passing aliens. The aliens have gone AWOL and the cultists have developed a society not entirely unlike a ‘50s noir world crossed with a Roman Catholic mall. It’s an utterly bizarre set-up that doesn’t seem to have much purpose as anything other than set dressing until the many, many, plot threads Chaykin & Tischman have been waving gaily in your face knit together to make an utterly bizarre pullover, I mean ending, in the third and final issue. Our narrator for the course of the series is one Vector Pope; a foul-mouthed cynic with the sex life of an alleycat who is drawn by the incredibly talented Rick Burchett as resembling a Peter Gunn/Howard Victor Chaykin hybrid. Pope is an ex-cop PI hired to find some shmuck’s frail but what looks like a cakewalk is complicated by the fact that the cake, it soon transpires, was baked with sinister motivations and fateful ramifications. And eggs, probably. Also, cakes don’t have legs, so I don’t know what that expression means but it sounded old-timey. And Pulp Fantastic is an old timey throwback with a vicious modern streak on top. I guess that's the cherry on the cake. (N.B. Writing is hard.)
Just as Robert Altman and Leigh Brackett famously updated Chandlers’ Marlowe to excellently sour effect in The Long Good-bye (“…it happens everyday…” Cheers, John Williams and Jonny Mercer. ) so Chaykin & Tischman, maybe, (possibly) try a similar trick with Hammett’s Sam Spade. Altman & Brackett recast Marlowe as comfortably inert (“It’s all right with me.”) until the accumulated effects of his inertia actually affects him personally. Beautifully played by Elliot Gould, he’s an affable prick; it just takes a while for the prick to kick in. Spade was already scrappier, blunter and, well, prickier, than Marlowe in the source books so Chaykin & Tischman’s trick doesn’t work so well. Also, Pope starts off as a turbo-charged prick so his pitiless pursuit of prickishness over the three issues means that when he performs an actual act of kindness at the end it’s as unexpected and shocking as someone shooting their best friend like a dog. If (if!) it is an update of Hammett’s Spade for a more cynical age it works a bleak trick indeed. In at the kill of the fin de siècle Pulp Fantastic suggests kindness is the surprise and cruelty the norm. Maybe they aren’t even doing that, how the good fuck would I know, I’m just spitballing here.
Anyway, it’s rapidly apparent that Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon is (really) being playfully, and primarily, bludgeoned throughout Pulp Fantastic but there are also nods to the usual commonplaces of crime fiction. Regular head traumas resulting in unconsciousness at narratively opportune moments for our protagonist? Check. Ladies who are like trouble: they’re easier to get into than they are to get out of? Check? Ladies who just like trouble. Check. Troubled ladies who like The Who? No, don't get smart. A client and a case neither of which are what they first appear? Check. A duplicitous dame who plays men like the spoons. Check. A maguffin. Check. A fool, a foil and a frail? Sordid secrets of the rich and powerful? Check. Check. Check. And Checkity-Check. Waiter! Check! As countless comics can bear tedious witness this kind of thing can quickly descend into lifeless homage, but whatever Pulp Fantastic’s faults (and there’s a few of ‘em) it’s certainly lively. A lot of this life comes from Chaykin & Tischman’s choice to be almost provocatively vulgar but this does have its drawbacks. The most successful spark is in the art, and the only drawback there is that there’s only three issues of it.
The cleanest thing about the book by far is Rick Burchett’s line which lends the world of Pulp Fantastic a hygienic aspect which the nasty narrative can bounce loutishly off to nauseous effect. Burchett’s future is an idealised one; a future informed primarily by ‘50s/’60s art-deco. It is in this sanitary and regular environment Chaykin & Tischman’s grubbily ‘70s inflected characters brutalise, intimidate and kill each other. And all those awful, awful characters are expertly designed by Burchett. I particularly liked the fact that Pope’s legs are clad in trousers so tight that his legs suggest those of a satyr. And Burchett’s got storytelling down pat. Guy’s got range, is what I’m saying. He can give you dynamic splash pages as with the opener of Pope hurtling through a stained glass window. Or if it’s a talky scene why not have Rick Burchett sprinkle some well-judged expressions to soften the exposition? Fancy a cat’n’mouse scene but don’t want the reader to notice it’s happening until afterwards? Call Rick Burchett on 0800 DOESITALL. Ma Burchett's boy - your one-stop shop for all your storytelling needs. Overall I get the sense Rick Burchett had a sweet time drawing these pages; I know for a fact that I had a sweet time looking at what Rick Burchett had drawn. Burchett’s often remembered for his work on the Batman animated comics but his work on Blackhawk in Action Comics Weekly and then, later, in the short lived Blackhawk series is well worth whatever pitiful sum your comic vendor will charge you. As is Pulp Fantastic.
So, Pulp Fantastic has a lot going for it. It’s got Rick Burchett. It’s got Ken Bruzenak too. The extraordinary Ken Bruzenak spatters the whole thing with his typographic magic. The world of Pulp Fantastic is lent an extra level of conviction through his wonderful skill with visual onomatopoeia, which proves valuable beyond the wealth of man in world building and character definition (some characters speak in different fonts). Ken Bruzenak’s lettering forms another layer of art, but one which works with Burchett’s, avoiding clutter and achieving a dreamy seamlessness of purpose and effect. It’s got those Chaykin names that crackle with fanciful implausibility to such an extent that you suspect they might actually turn out to be filthy anagrams. It's got a plot that just won't stop. It's got Lee Loughridge's colours which are super good but I lack the knowledge to pinpoint why (I liked the greens in the church scenes, they contrasted nicely with the purples. But I don't know why purple or green, see?) According to the credits Loughridge's colours are having such a good time that had to be separated like randy dogs.
Unfortunately, there are some editorial aspects which suggest something rushed about the series. The first issue says it’s “1 of 4” but by the second issue this is truncated to 3. Misprint or something else? My money’s on something else. But then I have no money, so the joke’s on you! Chaykin usually works at his best in a three act structure; four or five and some padding slips in; six issues and he gets a bit wheel spinney, but three issues is usually pretty golden. Yet Pulp Fantastic is three issues and things are clearly a bit awry. Only the thundering pace of the thing distracts from the fact that often events and people are linked without explanation, or that characters leap to conclusions with their eyes shut, and there are some linguistic infelicities which suggest one more polish wouldn’t have gone amiss. Also, I suspect Chaykin’s usual smut is set a little too high for most palates. We’re barely into the book and we hear of a man having an affair with the 15 year old clone of his wife, there’s a scene reeking with same salt-beefy stench as ‘that’ scene in Friedkin’s Cruisin’ and, well, I checked with the most rigorous thinker I know when it comes to offensive content and, yeah, my Mum said it was all a bit much too. To be fair some of this blue pays off later down the line, but there is a definite sense that Chaykin and Tischman are trying to push somebody’s buttons. They certainly overstep the mark at the last, I think, by having Vector Pope punish the mentally ill gender bending villain with a little bit of cheeky bum rape. I can only imagine te hullabaloo if this were published today. (Burn him! Ugh!) Ultimately, it’s only the strength of the entertainment provided which prevents Pulp Fantastic from being a mess. Well, that and Rick Burchett’s magnificent performance of smooth cartooning with an underlying noir bite. Sure, I’m all about the Howard Victor Chaykin comics, but they can’t all be winners, and the fact that Pulp Fantastic does (just) win is down to Rick Burchett. I like Pulp Fantastic, and I've liked work by all involved, but I think it’s Rick Burchett mostly who raises this one to VERY GOOD!
Let's have big round of applause for Mr. Rick Burchett there - or as he's known down the boozer - Mr. COMICS!!!
David Tischman, DC Comics, Howard Victor Chaykin, John K (UK), Ken Bruzenak, Lee Loughridge, Pulp Fantastic, Rick Burchett, The 2000s, Vertigo
"Seems Like Even The GODS Have Their ACCIDENTS!" COMICS! Sometimes The King Is Still Dead!
“Tarru!” to you, too!! Just look at the creators on this thing! It’s like the comic book equivalent of one of those Irwin Allen films where Steve McQueen and Paul Newman jockey for top billing, Fred Astaire tumbles burning out of a lift, Michael Caine shouts about bloody, bloody bees and Gene Hackman tells God off with his steam blistered fists raised. It isn't a movie, but is it a disaster? TALES OF THE NEW GODS by John Paul Leon, Kevin McCarthy, John Workman & Tatjana Wood
Anyway this… TALES OF THE NEW GODS Pencilled by Steve Rude, John Byrne, Walter Simonson, Ron Wagner, Frank Miller, Dave Gibbons, Erik Larsen, Howard Victor Chaykin, Rob Liefeld, Art Adams, Jim Lee, John Paul Leon, Allen Milgrom, Eddie Campbell & Steve Ditko Inked by Mike Royer, John Byrne, Walter Simonson, Ray Kryssing, Frnk Miller, Dave Gibbons, Al Gordon, Howard Chaykin, Norm Rapmund, Art Adams, Scott Williams, John Paul Leon, Klaus Janson, Eddie Campbell & Mick Gray Written by Mark Evanier, John Byrne, Walter Simonson, Eric Stephenson, Walter Simonson with Howard Victor Chaykin, Jeph Loeb, Kevin McCarthy & Mark Millar Lettered by Todd Klein, John Byrne, John Workman, Clem Robins, Ken Bruzenak & Richard Starkings Coloured by Anthony Tollin, Lee Loughridge, Noelle Giddings, Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh, Tatjana Wood, Buzz Setzer & Drew Moore Collecting stories from Mister Miracle Special, Jack Kirby's Fourth World #2-11,13-20, and Orion #3-4, #6-8, #10, #12, #15, #18-19. Plus, a never-before-published short story by The Socialist Mark Millar with art by Steve Ditko and Mick Gray DC COMICS, $19.99 (2008) The Fourth World created by Jack Kirby Superman created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
In 1970 Jack Kirby, finally tiring of Marvel’s inability accord him decent treatment, chose to go to DC Comics. It was there that he began the greatest phase of his many great phases of work, a phase I have taken the liberty of dubbing with fierce precision “1970s Jack Kirby”. While at DC this phase encompassed his majestically epic work on The Demon, Omac, The Sandman, Kamandi, First Issue Special, The Losers and of course, and most pertinently, Jack Kirby’s Fourth World books. Jack Kirby’s Fourth World concept took the form of an interlocking suite of books (Jimmy Olsen, New Gods, Mister Miracle and Forever People) which were intended to be collected in a series of bound volumes for bookstores and, thus, a wider audience. In 2015 this is common practice for any old trex but in 1970 this kind of thing never happened. And it didn’t happen with Jack Kirby’s Fourth World either.
TALES OF THE NEW GODS by Frank Miller, John Workman & Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh
Controversy still smoulders regarding whether these books were successful or not but it’s all a bit moot as the last of them was cancelled in 1973. Short lived but much loved, Jack Kirby’s original Fourth World work is currently available in a series of four TPs from DC Comics. Sometimes they are even seen in bookshops as Jack Kirby originally envisaged. Post-Kirby DC has attempted periodically to revive the various Fourth World IPs with, to be kind, varying levels of success. Remember that time Jim Starlin inflated the New Gods’ thighs and killed them all? No, me neither. But, you know, that’s what comics companies do; no harm, no foul. And if they make good comics while doing so, then everyone wins. Tales of The New Gods reprints, somewhat haphazardly, some of the best illustrated attempts at being Jack Kirby. The results are variable, but as awful as a couple of them are they are all better than my attempt at being Jack Kirby, an attempt which starts and ends with not being able to drive.
TALES OF THE NEW GODS by Howard Victor Chaykin, Walter Simonson, Ken Bruzenak & Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh
MISTER MIRACLE SPECIAL (Pages 3 -42)
Mister Miracle Special by Steve Rude, Mike Royer, Mark Evanier, Todd Klein & Anthony Tollin
Given it’s written by Mark Evanier this volume opener is, as you might, expect, an exercise in respect. It doesn’t do anything new but then it doesn’t want to. It’s kind of a primer on Mister Miracle, as though the whole run were truncated to one book. It could work as a self-contained summation of that whole Mister Miracle deal or as a scene setter for a new series. Either way it’s a hectic romp filled with knowingly cornball humour, tinges of darkness, flamboyantly ridiculous death traps and inexplicable escapes from certain death. Mostly though, it’s all about Steve Rude’s art which here is as much of a politely inflamed (sometimes even a tentatively frenetic) collision of Kirby and Toth as it ever has been. It’s wild and wacky stuff adroitly sold. But Rude’s art, like Evanier’s script, as madcap as it all gets remains too tethered to reality to ever risk lifting both feet clear of solid ground and floating “out there!!!” like the King. It’s still wonderful stuff, just different. It lacks the irreverent insanity Kirby would suddenly plunge into without warning. Basically there’s nothing like that bad guy called “Merkin” but then to be honest I’m entirely comfortable with the idea that Jack Kirby knew what a pubic wig was. Rude & Evanier’s strip is happy enough to be a tribute and homage to Mister Miracle and I’m happy enough to have it be such. GOOD!
JACK KIRBY’s FOURTH WORLD #2-20 (pages 43 - 147)
TALES OF THE NEW GODS by John Byrne & lee Loughridge
In 1997 John Byrne started vigorously emitting issues of a series entitled Jack Kirby’s Fourth World. This was a dream come true; for John Byrne anyway. I’m not saying John Byrne seems to have an unhealthy fixation with bettering Jack Kirby but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was often mistaken in the street for a 1975 John Huston movie adapted from the works of Rudyard Kipling and starring Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Christopher Plummer. Phew! While John Byrne’s no Jack Kirby (who is? No one.) he’s very definitely John Byrne, and John Byrne is a talented man in his own right. So there’s a certain level of fascination in watching him get stuck into Kirby’s mythology. And then fascination turns to dismay as you realise he is actually stuck in Kirby’s mythos. While (I assume) the main stories in his series progressed Kirby’s mythos what we have here are the back-ups and these are more concerned with regressing and filling in the background to The Fourth World. John Byrne, sadly, suffers from Roy Thomas Disease and so that goes someway to explaining why he backfills the backstory of Scott Free, Metron and The Forever People for example, but only a truly unnerving level of hubris can explain the fact that John Byrne gave Darkseid an origin.
TALES OF THE NEW GODS by John Byrne & Noelle Giddings
As origins for Darkseid go it’s not bad; there’s even a surprise - it turns out to be someone else’s origin too. Unfortunately, and fundamentally, I don’t think Darkseid needed an origin. I think Darkseid works better as a granite faced mini-skirted embodiment of the fascistic darkness ready to pounce when civilisation becomes complacent. Which, to be fair, none of which Byrne has changed, but after reading his origin the looming brute is forever after diminished by the thought of the henpecked sneak he came from. What’s important is (simply) that Darkseid IS not (convolutedly) who Darkseid was. Whether by design, sheer forward momentum, or a fortuitous combination of the two, Kirby left loads of spaces both within and around the Fourth World; spaces for the imagination of his readers to fill. Kirby’s creations invited reader participation because Kirby believed indiscriminately in imagination. John Byrne also believes in imagination, but only in his. Again and again, with a fixity of purpose that stifles any imaginative flex Byrne returns to the spaces within Kirby’s stories and starts filling them in, like graves.
Of course Kirby would also go back, when able, to show what was past. But when he did it we got The Pact; when he did it they were revelations not explanations. Kirby’s additions opened up his narrative, Byrne’s additions all feel like a door has been slammed shut somewhere. As Byrne’s pages pass there’s a sense of narrative claustrophobia as the characters, characters who more than most characters should have access to the infinite, run out of room, they risk becoming entombed in their own narrative. Visually this impression is also, unfortunately, true; great wodges of stilted and circumlocutious dialogue hem his figures into his badly planned panels with dismaying frequency. Which is a shame because I like John Byrne’s art here, when I can see it. It has an appealingly loose and impromptu aspect which invests it with more energy than can be entirely stifled by the narrative slog it inhabits. Sometimes Byrne will surprise, with the early Apokolips scenes being visually lively, or by drawing more birds in the sky during the old timey scenes, which feels right (I don’t know, I wasn’t there). Then he’ll dismay with a character called Francine Goodbody, and the sudden threat of John Byrne penning some period sauce about dirty earls and bosomy maids turns your ears scarlet with dismay. Byrne's fatal miscalculation is to let Walter Simonson provide one of the backups, whereupon Simonson shows how it should be done. Thanks to a lightness of touch and his usual impeccable storytelling wizardry Simonson explains how Kanto came to dress like a Borgia in tale which is both hilariously obvious and melodramatically arresting. It’s a bit of a shame really as Byrne’s clearly into this stuff. He even goes so far as to update the Kirby collage technique with a couple of images combining his drawn figures with CGI of the time. By the end of this section though we have found a talent capable of invigorating Kirby’s mythos anew. Unfortunately it wasn’t John Byrne. OKAY!
TALES OF THE NEW GODS by Walter Simonson, John Workman & Noelle Giddings
Orion #3-4, #6-8, #10, #12, #15, #18-19. (Pages 148 - 207)
No, in a bitter twist worthy of The Source itself , it was Walter Simonson! In 2000 Walter Simonson began his Orion series. This focused on the angry pup of Darkseid while also flopping happily about in the wider Fourth World concepts. As is usual in Comics quality had nothing to do with sales and it ended in 2002. Taking his cue from Byrne’s series there was a main strip and then a backup. I guess Walter Simonson is a lot more amenable than John Byrne because a cavalcade of comics creators muck in to help him out on them. I know because I typed all their names in up there. That’s my free time that is; you’re very welcome. Rather than the main strips then it is these backups which are presented here. Unfortunately while Simonson made the more sensible decision to have his backups inform and augment events in the main strip rather than compete directly with the King, that does mean that reading them here, divorced from their original context can be less than satisfying.
TALES OF THE NEW GODS by Eddie Campbell, Walter Simonson, Pete Mullins, John Workman & Tatjana Wood
Some stand alone and read well such as Frank Miller’s typically, and appropriately, brutally drawn birth of Orion which, again opens up rather than closes off story possibilities. The John Paul Leon strip is his usual wonderful balancing act between extremities of light and dark with a script by Kevin McCarthy which is a nice bit of business about fathers, sons, and the place of art under Darkseid (beneath his boot). Mostly though they are just a bit of fun where you enjoy the performance as much as the story. Howard Victor Chaykin characteristically provides pages involving a blue skinned sexy lady which involve domination, badinage and a messy ending. Of most interest there is the crucial part Ken Bruzenak’s letters play in deciphering the climax and the way the printing serves Chaykin so poorly that the climax has to be deciphered. Otherwise Eddie Campbell draws Darkseid, Arthur Adams channels Jean Giraud and, well, it’s just nice seeing most of these folk having fun. There’s a whole two duffers which isn’t bad by any stretch. Liefeld & Loeb remain inept and as much love as I have for the work of Steve Ditko either he isn’t really trying here or the thick inks by Mick Gray destroy any of his signature fluidity. In fact the best bit of this final (previously unpublished!) strip is that Ditko is teamed up with Mark Millar. Pairing someone as ideologically resolute as Steve Ditko with, well, Mark Millar is a black joke worthy of Darkseid his bad self. Overall this section Is VERY GOOD! which by my calculations makes the whole book - GOOD!
(NOTE: But the whole Simonson Orion run is shortly to be released by DC as an Omnibus. Knowhumsayin’? Because that thing will be fat with - COMICS!!!)
DC Comics, Frank Miller, Howard Victor Chaykin, Jack Kirby, John Byrne, John K (UK), John Paul Leon, Ken Bruzenak, Mark Evanier, Steve Ditko, Steve Rude, Tales of the New Gods, The 2000s, The Fourth World, Walter Simonson
"And He Hasn't Yet Learned HOW to Lose!" COMICS! Sometimes You shouldn't Oughta Honk God Off!
Gil Kane. John Buscema. Superman. Mortality.
Image by Kane, Nowlan, Grant, Lopez, Giddings & Cone
Anyway, this… SUPERMAN: BLOOD OF MY ANCESTORS Pencils by Gil Kane, John Buscema Inks by Kevin Nowlan Plot by Gil Kane & Steven Grant Dialogue by Steven Grant Lettered by Ken Lopez Coloured by Noelle Giddings Separations by Sno Cone DC Comics, $6.95 (2003) Superman created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
Gil Kane! John Buscema! Big John! Garrulous Gil! Together at last! On Superman! No! It isn’t as good as Gil Kane and John Buscema delineating Superman should be! Which is a shame! But then it isn’t totally terrible either! So it’s not too much of a shame! I mean, c’mon, it’s still – Kane! Buscema! Superman! If you can’t wring any pleasure out of that then I hope your high standards are a comfort to you. And while Superman: Blood of My Ancestors may not exactly have been anyone’s finest hour it was, alas, both Kane and Buscema’s final hour. Kane died on 31st January 2000 before the book was completed and Buscema finished it off before he too succumbed to the inevitable on January 10th 2002. Since they were both in their seventies when they died we’ll leave any eyewash about cursed books where it belongs – in the Middle Ages. Now I’m in my own Middle Age I’ve quite warmed to the book but when I first read it I was a demanding little shit and it just didn’t come up to scratch. Mostly that was because it doesn’t really work, but there’s still magic to be mined from it.
Image by Buscema, Nowlan, Grant, Lopez, Giddings & Cone
Dollars to doughnuts the concept for this book came from the brain of Gil Kane; rejigging a Biblically evocative tale with post-apocalyptic trappings is so Gil Kane it might as well have swirl of ice creamy hair and address everyone as “M’boy!” I refer the honourable reader to such prior exercises in friable buildings and flapping loincloths as Blackmark, Talos of the Wilderness Sea and Sword of The Atom. In order to sell his concept (I groundlessly conjecture) Kane had to stick Superman in it. Regrettably this apparent sop to commercialism makes everything a little less sense-making than might be desirable.
It starts off alright with “my” Superman (everybody has their own Superman but this one is mine; how can I tell? Easy, he says, "Superman doesn’t kill." Word!) swooping in to save lives against a big eye on tentacles (very Gil Kane) which is resorbing people. It’s even quite clever that bit, because the tentacle-eye is devouring their memories and when it starts tucking into Superman it finds his racial memories stored in his DNA and…cue the main story in flashback! By all known laws of North American genre comics this flashback should involve an ancestor of Superman facing just such a beast and defeating it, thus revealing its weakness to his descendent in the present. Kane (or Grant; but I’m guessing Kane) instead sidesteps into the true reason for the book's existence – a sort-of sci-fi scuffle with the Old Testament Samson story. Which is kind of really clever because if memory (Wikipedia) serves Samson is considered by academia as a derivation of the “Sun Hero” type a la Hercules; as is Superman (whom academia is probably slower to recognise). Unfortunately all the bits required to shoehorn the story into Superman’s mythos are the bits where it fails worst. Superman has his own mythology and part of that mythology isn’t that there was kryptonite on Krypton or that Superman’s strength and heroic nature are divinely inspired by Rao and also hereditary. Everyone (he said about to tempt fate) knows Kryptonite is leftovers of Krypton and that Superman is powerful because of the sun and that he is lovely because he was brought up properly by decent elderly white Middle American child stealers.
But them’s the breaks; Kane clearly just wanted to do the Space Samson stuff which fortunately is pretty sweet even though he only got to draw it for a few pages before the world was denied his presence. As exits go it might not be inspired but it’s still pretty great. In the slight space fate allotted him Kane crams in all a Gil Kane Fan’s favourites – Power Amoebas©®, Back Flip Impact©®, Angst Akimbo©®,Body Cradling©®, Floating Head of Melodrama©®, Nasal Upshot©®, Turnover Boots©®, Crumbly Buildings©® and more. All of which might as wll be ©® Gil Kane. Yes, those are all things Gil Kane does all the time, but they are also the things Gil Kane Fans turn up for because he was so darn awesome at them. They were his moves. No one ever listened to Elvis sing Moody Blue and thought, well; I have now heard that song I need not ever listen to it again. No, everyone who listens to Elvis sing Moody Blue is forever after waiting to be blessed by that aural glory again. No need for thanks; poorly thought out and decidedly jejune appreciations of comic book artists is what I do. It’s important to note that the success of the art throughout the book is indebted to the sympathetic and fluid inks of Kevin Nowlan. Not only does he professionally finish Kane’s pencils but he’s also called upon to polish Buscema up and in the process provide a discreet visual continuity between the two. Which he does, because Kevin Nowlan is awesome.
Image by Kane, Nowlan, Grant, Lopez, Giddings & Cone Truly, it’s no mean feat Nowlan performs here either, as Buscema and Kane are hardly interchangeable. I can say that with some authority since this book shows both their essential styles side by side and even their unique interpretations of some of the same characters. Buscema’s a great fit with the book having spent a soul wilting span of years illustrating the savage shenanigans of Conan and such ill-bred sorts. Here amongst the rubble, the rabble, the swords, the sandals, the temples and the tempers Big John walks his last walk and he walks it tall. I didn’t mind the story but most of the fun was looking at Buscema and Kane’s art and then stating the obvious for you. Because looking at Superman: Blood of My Ancestors it’s clear that Kane was all fluid athleticism and Buscema was all burly sturdiness. Kane’s figures flare in their denial of gravity while Buscema’s bodies bow and bend under its burden. Weight is Buscema’s greatness while Kane’s is grace. Buscema’s work thunders with meaty drama while Kane’s shimmers with strident melodrama. Neither men are at the height of their powers here and they probably only look as good as they do because of Nowlan but, still, Christ, these guys. These goddamn guys...uh...shitshitshitdontloseitdontloseit..aw man, my mascara is running now…
..Humph. Anyhoo, like Nowlan, Steve Grant pulls his weight and then some in a thankless role. I imagine he was called upon to ‘facilitate’ Kane’s vison hence his twin credits for script and dialogue. It’s probably due to his efforts the book reads as smoothly as it does. It’s still a bit of a bodge; the Krypton stuff never really convincingly meshes with the Earth stuff. But while he can’t quite make it work as a piece he does make enough pieces work well enough. Grant crams in plenty of characterisation too, so that while the villain, Utor(!), is still a villain he is at least a droll one and El (Samson) remains sympathetic even as his arrogance swells to God taunting proportions, but Grant’s best work is with Laras Lilit (AKA Delilah). She’s no one note femme fatale but a complicated and conflicted woman who shares in the redemption El’s ordeal offers. She even gets the best for while, in that endearingly Biblical way, El learns his lesson by dying (that’ll teach him!) she gets to live a life at peace with herself. Which is better than she gets in the original; God alone knows what happens to her in the Bible. Literally.
Superman: Blood of My Ancestors is a bit of a muddle; less satisfying as a comic than it is as a final chance to see two giants of the form in action. It isn’t a great comic but it is by some of comics’ greats so that makes it GOOD!
Out of the eater came something to eat. And out of the strong came forth – COMICS!!!
DC Comics, Gil Kane, John Buscema, John K (UK), Kevin Nowlan, Steven Grant, Superman: Blood Of My Ancestors, The 2000s
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Universität Zürich Institut für Vergleichende Sprachwissenschaft Personen Mathias Jenny Research
The Greater Burma Zone
In search of Austroasiatic
Contact phenomena in Southeast Asian languages
Mon Grammar
The forgotten literature of the Mon
The development of verb-initial structures cross-linguistically: insight from Austroasiatic
Mathias Jenny
Present Position
Present areas of interest and research:
Myanmar as a linguistic area between South- and Southeast Asia
The typology of Austroasiatic languages
Areal phenomena in Southeast Asia; convergence and diffusion of morphosyntactic and other features
Minority languages in Southeast Asia
Language change
Verbal systems
Functional-typological issues in morphosyntax
Information structure and coding systems
Cognitive and semantic/pragmatic approaches to language
Historical linguistics (Indo-European and Asian language families)
The people behind the languages, their cultures, literatures and music, as well as their everyday lives. To understand and be able to describe what's going on in any language you have to understand the people who speak the language. Therefore I don't see linguistic work as a purely theoretical discipline (although theory and discipline are prerequisites to do linguistics) or language as a goal in itself, but rather as a way and means of reaching other goals. Field work therefore is an important part of my work.
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vectorfusionart - Fotolia
AWS ramps up efforts to solve enterprise petabyte-scale cloud data migrations woes
Cloud giant fleshes out data-transfer appliance portfolio to help enterprises shift large amounts of data off-premise
Caroline Donnelly
Senior Editor, UK
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is stepping up support for enterprises struggling with shifting large volumes of on-premise data into the cloud by expanding its Snowball product range.
The company has followed up the 2015 release of its 50TB Snowball data transfer appliance with two further offerings, designed to help enterprises with petabytes to exabytes of data that need moving to the cloud.
The first – Snowball Edge – has double the capacity of the first-generation appliance, along with several other features that were not included in the 50TB version.
These include Amazon Greengrass, a service that made its debut alongside Snowball Edge, during the keynote at this year’s AWS Re:Invent customer conference in Las Vegas. It is designed to be embedded into internet of things (IoT) devices so they can locally process data.
In the context of Snowball Edge, Greengrass will allow users to transfer data stored on the appliance to the Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) or link up multiple devices of the same type to create an on-premise storage pool.
Each appliance costs $300, and users can keep it for up to 10 days, during which time they will be expected to fill it with data, before shipping it off to AWS so its content can be uploaded to the public cloud.
According to AWS, the setup allows enterprises to shift their off-premise data into the cloud for around one-fifth of the cost attempting a similar transfer via a high-speed internet connection would incur.
During the Re:Invent keynote, Andy Jassy, CEO of AWS, said – since the release of the first generation Snowball appliance – users have been demanding higher capacity versions as the amount of data they need to move to the cloud grows.
Read more about AWS
Oil giant BP uses first day of AWS Re:Invent to outline how it is cushioning itself against falling oil prices by using cloud to cut costs.
Oracle CTO Larry Ellison criticises Amazon Web Services as a cloud database environment at Oracle Open World 2016, fleshing out earlier critique.
“Before we launched it, we had a lot of debates as a team about how many Snowballs we needed. I chastised the team a little bit for ordering too many, but in a week, we had to go back and order 10 times the Snowballs we had. It’s been incredibly popular,” he said.
Jassy also used the keynote to debut an even bigger cloud data transfer vehicle called AWS Snowmobile, which is a 100 petabyte tamper-proof 45-foot-long shipping container designed for enterprises that want to move exabytes of data to the cloud in a matter of weeks.
Speaking to Computer Weekly, Jeff Barr, chief evangelist at AWS, said Snowmobile is targeted at organisations that may be facing up to a decade-long wait to get all their data into the cloud without it.
“It’s for customers who might be doing data collection from oil wells or financial data. We have a lot of customers in the entertainment industry, so it could be hi-res data from movies or even satellite data,” he said.
“The common thread is the customers have a lot of it and they need to get it to the cloud somehow. The 50-to-100 terabyte range [covered by Snowball] is certainly a very large and respectable amount of data, but a lot of customers said that’s almost nothing compared with what we have,” added Barr.
Read more on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 23
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DCMS Select Committee claims Facebook ‘deliberately frustrated’ fake news inquiry
Mergers and acquisitions: Bringing together separate IT departments
How and when you should automate expense processes
How Brexit-friendly are your SaaS contracts?
Cloud computing: Past, present and future
Cloud AI in the enterprise: Making the security case
The seven employee types that can hasten (and hinder) enterprise cloud adoption
The second coming of private cloud: Righting the wrongs of previous deployments
AWS re:Invent 2016 attendees react to host of new ... – SearchAWS
AWS Snowmobile – WhatIs.com
Snowball appliance just one option for moving data to... – SearchAWS
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Andy Coulson’s GQ article is full of good advice for the PM – but not when it comes to Samantha Cameron
By Peter Hoskin
Follow @pghoskin
Ryan Shorthouse: How to boost integration
Mark Harper: We need a date for Britain to leave the EU. But here’s why it can’t be October 31st – much as I’d like it to be.
Richard Chew: We need to professionalise the Special Advisers
Follow Peter on Twitter
may have heard, Andy Coulson – that Andy Coulson – has written a “ten-point
masterplan” for David Cameron in the latest issue of GQ. It was published
today, so I’ve given it a quick read. Much of the advice it contains is sensible,
be it on Mr Cameron’s relationship with his backbenchers (“David should be
better at recognising and supporting the talent he has throughout the party”)
or on the Eds Miliband and Balls (“The Tories must look for divisions and make
the most of them”). But there’s one passage that stands out not just for what
it suggests, but also for how hazardous that suggestion is. After an extended
paean to Samantha Cameron, Mr Coulson writes:
“Sam might
also take a more active part behind the scenes . With the absence of so many
original advisors, she is one of the few people able to see straight to the
heart of a matter and offer a clear, sensible view. This will naturally steer
clear of policy discussion but it shouldn’t stop her joining select strategy
meetings. There are few people in Number Ten with a better eye and she could
play a key role in the winning back of female voters. As a small example Sam
would, I think, agree that when her husband talks about the importance of
family he should be careful to include the words ‘single’ and ‘parent’ each and
Coulson’s enthusiasm for Mrs Cameron is easy to understand. She has, as he
says, “maintained a benign and broadly positive press”. And she has also, “[used]
her position sensibly with charities such as Save The Children and Tickets for
Troops.” In this task, it’s worth noting, she is aided by a special adviser –
the idea being to give her a limited amount of support for what is a carefully
limited role.
Mrs Cameron sometimes go beyond this, and advise her husband on aspects of his
job? Almost certainly, in a sort of informal, over-the-breakfast-table way. We
already know, for instance, that she has a say in the
construction of his major speeches, and that she deployed
her creative talents in service of the last Conservative manifesto. But to
formalise and expand on this, as Mr Coulson suggests, would be rather risky. After
all, despite his casual separation of “select strategy meetings” and “policy
discussion”, there’s a murkiness to all this. What about those instances when
strategy directs policy, as happens so often? Where are the lines of
accountability drawn in the case of the Prime Minister’s spouse? Such questions
would arise if ever there was a strong sense that Mrs Cameron was
influencing government, but one other would stand above them: who elected her? And
the newspapers would scrutinise her all the more rigorously. Just remember how
Cherie Blair was treated when it was thought she was interfering in matters
governmental.
a set-up wouldn’t just be difficult and damaging for Mrs Cameron, but also for
her husband. He is already accused of presiding over a “chumocracy” in No.10 – what
would it say, to Tory MPs as well as to the public, if he didn’t just number friends among his advisers, but also his wife? No, far better that Mrs
Cameron stick with what she’s doing, which is occupying a difficult, delicate
position, and occupying it well. Strange that a man who is noted for his
streetwise nous should recommend otherwise.
David Cameron Team Cameron
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KPFF, Mia Lehrer and Associates
Bali Construction
In 2001, Pitzer College reimagined its campus. The college committed itself to expanding in an environmentally responsible fashion. The 2003 Housing Master Plan proposed new residence halls designed with both architectural flair and eco-friendly features. Phase 1 of the project, Atherton Hall, was so green it achieved LEED Gold certification.
For Phase II, the construction of the Mosbacher/Gartrell Center for Media Experimentation and Activism, the college set its goals even higher - LEED Platinum certification. More than 40 sustainable features were incorporated into the design of the residence halls, including a green roof, solar panels, permeable paving, and a graywater system to collect and treat water to be used for irrigation. The project was a way to celebrate rainfall, sustainability and create a seamless transition to the Outback portion of the campus.
Contech helped the college meet its goal by providing two stormwater infiltration systems to capture runoff, storing the water during a storm until it can be slowly released into the surrounding native soil and recharging the aquifer. Both systems use 60" diameter aluminized type 2 perforated CMP. The first system uses 197 linear feet of CMP to store 5,684 cubic feet of runoff while the second system uses 126 linear feet to store 9,400 cubic feet of runoff. The two systems were enclosed in a non-woven geotextile to prevent clogging of the perforations.
“This was beyond green design. There was no storm drain infrastructure on site; the underground detention was necessary for the project to move forward,” said Omar Maciel, Engineer at KPFF. Infiltration is a common Low Impact Development (LID) practice. By utilizing subsurface infiltration, space is preserved for development, runoff is reduced or eliminated and groundwater recharge can occur. Contech CMP infiltration systems can be sized and shaped to meet site-specific needs, and are available fully or partially perforated. CMP detention and infiltration systems are available in all AASHTO M 36 types, with various coatings to achieve 75-100 year design service life.
In 2012, Phase II of the project earned LEED Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council.
CMP Infiltration
163 linear feet of 60" diameter, aluminized type 2 perforated CMP
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Inside Doncaster's secret nuclear bunker: Vintage 1982 TV clip reveals Cusworth Hall war HQ
NewsRead This
California dreaming - a tale of two cities with Neutrals' Allan McNaughton
By Stuart McHugh
Wednesday, 19 June, 2019, 15:09
Concept albums are traditionally the preserve of 1970s prog rockers singing of knights and dragons – certainly not a punk rock-inspired tale set between Scotland and California.
That is however what ex-pat Allan McNaughton has come up when writing his latest release for San Francisco band Neutrals. Though he protests his innocence.
“I didn’t realise I was doing it,” he says. “We recorded 18 songs, and realised there were lyrical threads through different songs, and these songs need to go together, as it’s really a story – even if it wasn’t intended that way.”
12 of those tunes became ‘Kebab Disco’ – even the title a nod to the nightlife in any Scottish town.
“It’s not autobiographical, but it draws on personal experiences – a snapshot of my life in the early 1990s.
“A big part of my Saturday night was getting a fake ID and going to the Art School on a Saturday night – that was the place where you’d see people you knew, hear good music.”
The album starts with ‘I Could Do That’ – detailing “the wistfulness of the character wishing he’d gone to art school, or paradoxically thinking he was better than theperson who did go.”
Meanwhile, ‘24 Pictures’ depicts “Kelvingrove Park on the first day of a hot Scottish summer – taps aff, dogging school or leaving work early, shirtsleeves, eating 99s off the van.” Nostalgic indeed.
McNaughton’s tale then continues on side 2 (it is aptly a very retro vinyl release) – where the singer has moved to the USA to record ‘Hate The Summer Of Love’ with like-minded new bandmates. “It’s no secret San Francisco is losing a lot of its charm, as the small businesses and dive bars make way to corporate chains.”
The Lanarkshire-born frontman’s previous Californian band Giant Haystacks recorded two well-received albums, but Scottish music fans may know him better from that Art School period, where he played with Glue – whose members included Stef Sinclair who would end up in post rock trio El Hombre Trajeado, as well as artist Sandy Carson, who would follow a similar route in moving to the US, before a transatlantic collaborative project with electronic combo Iglomat.
And there was another well-kent face in that family tree – McNaughton’s successor in Glue being RM Hubbert, who would eventually win the Scottish Album of the Year award in 2013.“It’s nice to see Hubby doing so well for himself after being under my shadow the whole time,” he laughs.
Aside from the obvious musical references in the new record, the album has a heavy Scottish favour thanks to the singer’s still strong accent.
“It works in my favour – a lot of people are fans of Scots bands from the ‘80s, so my accent lends that a bit of authenticity.”
There’s a Billy Connolly quote about a Scottish boomerang – it doesn’t come home, it just sings about coming back. “I’m not usually one for nostalgia but maybe the current world we live in seemed too depressing to write about, so I subconsciously looked to the past.”
McNaughton’s wife is American – the two originally met at King Tut’s with Glue on the same bill as the American act she was tour managing. Would either of them contemplate moving ‘home’ to Scotland?
“We live in the most expensive part of the world, so we do wonder what we might do when we retire – we talk about stuff like the NHS… but then again there might not be an NHS either by then…”
Sadly, no Scottish dates are planned, the launch tour alongside labelmates Seablite, who also have a new album out, and who are of a similar vintage. “It’s not very Spinal Tap I’m afraid – all quite grown up, not too much debauchery, cups of tea on the rider!
“Playing in a band is like golf – you buy expensive equipment, get together with friends once a week and very occasionally you go away and play somewhere else.”
But perhaps with the least rock’n’ roll clothing imaginable?
“Tartan plus fours... you’ve given me a photoshoot idea...”
‘Kebab Disco’ is out now – more at www.facebook.com/neutralsnotswiss.
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The Investor View
Quarterly Property Report July 2016
Interest rates are forecast to be cut in August. On top of this, the Bank of England’s decision to reduce the countercyclical capital buffer rate of banks will ensure that lending to the residential market continues to remain healthy.
What does the ‘Leave’ vote mean for the London Property Market?
Britain has voted to leave the European Union. After joining over 40 years ago, today’s result has delivered the most radical shake up in UK politics for a generation.
Quarterly Property Report April 2016
Applicants under forty flock to ‘Emerging Prime’ areas of London. Emerging Prime (-0.2%) has outperformed Prime (-0.9%) for a second consecutive quarter and has done so for 14 of the 17 quarters covered by the Douglas & Gordon Emerging Prime Index since its inception
Best Areas in SW London for Young Professionals
We have outlined some of the best areas for young professionals to live and work, from trendy restaurants to fantastic living spaces and transport links, these areas have it all.
Renting - part of a proven 10 point plan to get the BEST out of your next move
Renting - part of a proven 10 point plan to get the BEST out of your next moveThe property market seems to be viewed as either rising fast - according to press interpretation, or about to crash.
The Investor View West Putney Q1 2016
In Q4 2015, capital values in West Putney remained unchanged. The year as a whole though, saw an average dip in values (-6.59%). This came after a strong 2014.
The Investor View Southfields Q1 2016
The final quarter of 2015 delivered a small uplift in the prices of flats in Southfields. The correct way to evaluate price movements in 2015 is to look at them in the context of their performance in 2014.
The Investor View South Kensington Q1 2016
In Q4 2015, capital values ended the year on a slightly weaker note. Flats essentially held their value but prices began to soften above the £1.5m level.
The Investor View Pimlico Q1 2016
In Q4 2015, capital values of one and two bedroom flats in Pimlico were strong. In the context of the year as a whole, they showed modest increases. By contrast, three bedroom flats had no capital growth in 2015 and some larger properties experienced price falls.
Copyright © Douglas & Gordon Ltd. 2019. Registered Office: 212 New King's Road, London, SW6 4NZ
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Greg Holland returns to Rockies game action –…
Greg Holland returns to Rockies game action – and with a big velocity jump
Holland’s fastball topped at 93 mph and sat consistently at 91-92
John Leyba, The Denver Post
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Greg Holland (56) throws batting practice during Spring Training at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 22, 2017 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
By Nick Groke | ngroke@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: March 9, 2017 at 5:06 pm | UPDATED: March 10, 2017 at 6:50 am
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The waving chopper over the third baseman’s head Thursday morning was the kind of cheap hit that can needle a pitcher’s nerve. Greg Holland loved it.
“I’m starting to get that itch,” he said.
Holland, the Rockies’ key offseason pitching addition, returned to competitive action for the first time since his elbow was surgically reconstructed 18 months ago. Colorado’s soon-to-be closer pitched one inning in a “B” game against Arizona on a backfield at Salt River swarmed by scouts and general managers and radar guns.
Everyone seemed impressed. Holland jumped his velocity and controlled the inning. His fastball topped at 93 mph and sat consistently at 91-92. In a winter showcase for prospective teams in November, Holland’s velocity reached into the mid-to-upper 80s, leading to several teams shrugging their shoulders. The Rockies, though, gave the former Kansas City Royals closer an incentive-heavy one-year contract with a $7 million base.
“It gets you back into that competitive flow of juices,” Holland said. “I feel like a little kid again.”
Holland on Thursday threw 18 pitches, with a strikeout, a pop-up, a fly-out and two chop hits. More important was his nerve. There was some question when spring training opened whether Holland would be ready when the season opened. He is erasing that doubt. His velocity is near his Royals’ peak, when he pitched to a 1.21 and 1.44 ERA in 2013 and 2014.
“I’d be really surprised if he loses any velocity once he gets going,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “I’ve seen John Smoltz come back with better stuff after Tommy John (surgery).”
In 2015, a tendon in Holland’s right arm began to fray. He pitched through it as the Royals made a run toward the World Series. They won it without him.
“A fearless competitor. He’s unflappable. Him and Wade Davis are two of the best closers I’ve ever seen,” Yost said. “Holly in 2015 refused to have his elbow checked. We knew. Then finally when he did check, it was barely holding on. He wanted to pitch until it blew. That’s his mentality. He’s tough as nails.”
Holland’s arm health, he said, is on schedule and he is now trying to perfect the feel for his slider. He is trying to align the twisting pitching movements of his upper body with the push-and-dive of the lower body. Basically, it’s a routine spring for the 31-year-old.
But his first game action was something different, a mental scrapbook moment of added adrenaline and pounding heart beats.
“The intensity that he was throwing his bullpens has been at a high level. But there’s a natural occurrence when you’re facing another uniform, it’s a little different,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “If you throw 93 mph on May 10, say, in a World Series game you’re not going to throw 103 mph, you’re going to throw 93. That’s what you do. Greg is gonna do what he does.”
Holland will likely pitch another “B” game before entering the Cactus League for six to seven more outings this spring. And he seems on pace to be on the roster for opening day April 3 at Milwaukee. If Holland takes over Colorado’s closer job, an outcome that is growing in likelihood, his morning outing Thursday showed no sign of caution.
“It was pretty effortless for me,” Holland said. “I don’t have any idea what my velocity was, but the ball was coming out of my hand well. I wasn’t trying to generate power. My body worked well.”
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Nick Groke
covers baseball and the Rockies and all sorts of sports. He started working at The Denver Post while in high school before graduating from the University of Colorado. Reach him at ngroke@denverpost.com
Follow Nick Groke bynickgroke Follow Nick Groke @nickgroke
More in Colorado Rockies
German Marquez torched for 11 runs in worst outing of his career as Giants embarrass Rockies, 19-2
Marquez finished with 11 earned runs in 2⅔, including a five-run first that had the Giants in control from the opening at-bat. The end result was the largest margin of defeat for Colorado in 2019.
At Coors Field, where one pitch can cause “a whole riot of hits”, the Rockies are adjusting to a new reality in 2019
After San Francisco's offensive explosion in the Giants' 19-2 win over Colorado on Monday afternoon, the Rockies' stadium is averaging 14.1 runs a game this season.
Rockies fan Jamie Ketchum throws out first pitch after surviving horrific accident
Few things now faze Jamie Ketchum. Somehow, someway, she's emerged from an inexplicable tragedy with a full heart and a zest for life.
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Denver corporate headquarters of leading home…
Denver corporate headquarters of leading home solar company to expand
Sunrun to move into new space in downtown Denver to accommodate growing workforce
Sunrun Inc., a residential solar company, plans to open a corporate office in Denver and hire 800 people in the next few years.
By Judith Kohler | jkohler@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
Sunrun, a major residential solar company, is expanding its Denver headquarters and will move into a 118,000-square-foot office in the city’s Central Business District.
The company said Monday that it will make the move starting in June to accommodate its growing Denver workforce, which numbers 650. Sunrun employs about 4,000 people nationwide.
In 2015, San Francisco-based Sunrun chose Denver as the site of its second corporate headquarters. The company provides home solar, battery storage and other energy services to more than 189,000 families across the country, according to its website.
The company declined to say how many customers it has in Colorado.
“I’m thrilled Sunrun will further its commitment to Colorado and to supporting hundreds of renewable solar energy jobs in our state, a sector that is growing by leaps and bounds as we transition to a clean energy future,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
“The solar industry is a leading employer across the nation, and Sunrun is excited to bring more employment opportunities and solar to Colorado,” Sunrun co-founder and CEO Lynn Jurich said in a statement. “Clean power is vital to protect the state’s outstanding natural beauty and is a thriving economic engine for Coloradans.”
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Judith Kohler
Judith Kohler joined The Denver Post in August 2018 and is part of the business team, writing about energy, aerospace, agriculture and other topics. She spent 21 years with The Associated Press, covering politics, government, energy and the environment in Colorado and Wyoming.
Follow Judith Kohler judith.kohler.12 Follow Judith Kohler @JudithKohler
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Neguse bill would ban drilling under Rocky Flats and other Superfund sites
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Here comes the sun: Colorado communities organizing to tap solar resources
A national nonprofit organization that helps communities form solar-energy cooperatives is organizing homeowners in Fort Collins and the Yampa Valley and is starting to reach out to Denver residents.
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At the Parsons BFA Fashion Show this May, spectators saw a variety of looks and styles exuding young and raw talent, but none pushed the boundaries quite like graduating senior and Boston-native, Angela Luna.
Senior thesis collections stormed the runway, crossing one another in a state of organized chaos, and yet it was impossible to ignore the transformation taking place center stage. Audience members looked on as Luna pulled, zipped and pitched a tent from what moments prior had been a sleek orange anorak.
Early into her senior year, Angela Luna (ADIFF) found herself sitting in a current events class, questioning her role within the fashion industry and the world. Luna had recently watched a video of a news journalist aboard a smugglers boat of refugees attempting to flee Syria. When the motor broke down in the middle of the night and they were stranded in the Aegean Sea, Luna thought, “if these people were wearing reflective clothing, it would be a lot easier for them to be spotted.”
Inspired by the refugee crisis, and furthermore by Lucy Jones, a Parsons graduate from the previous year with a similar mind for problem solving, Luna began to explore the ways in which she could use her design abilities for the greater good.
“We’re all immigrants. This entire country is built upon immigrants and refugees.” Luna says, ensuring this ideology is the backbone of her senior thesis collection, Crossing Boundaries, the first collection of her independent fashion label, ADIFF.
“Design for Difference [ADIFF] is a humanitarian fashion outerwear brand dedicated to addressing global issues through design, providing customers with unique and innovative looks and performing large-scale donations,” Luna says of her label, of which she is the founder and president. In pursuit of a balance between fashion and human issues in an effort to create long-term solutions, Luna has developed a strong mission: design intervention to solve problems faced by Syrian refugees.
With her first collection, Crossing Boundaries, Luna is doing just that.
Each piece of outerwear in her seven-piece collection is unisex, one size and transformable. Created to optimize functionality through durable, waterproof, weatherproof fabrics and wear in different environments, fashion is simply the method of addressing her cause.
Luna’s impressive lineup of outerwear includes jackets which can be turned into a tent, a backpack, a sleeping bag, an inflatable flotation device, a child carrying apparatus, and a reflective reversible style, respectively. Two jackets were designed to turn into tents, one to fit six people and the other to fit two, and her flotation jacket is similar to a flotation device one would find on an airplane.
Clearly a forward-thinker, Luna has a clear vision for her career trajectory. “In the next ten years, I see myself working on donations, redeveloping products and working more with technology.” Her long-term goal is to create a scholarship program focusing on the refugee camps, as she notes that most evacuees are within the camp system for almost 17 years and are in dire need of stable shelter.
Despite her awareness that refugees often say “nobody hears us,” the immigrants are reaching out to Luna directly. She has received several thank you’s from refugees who are grateful for her perseverance on their behalf.
When we met, right after her show, Luna had a dream to create a humanitarian fashion brand that could generate global awareness. Just a few months have passed, and Luna is already changing the climate of the fashion industry, one jacket at a time.
Visit her website http://www.adiff.com and learn more about ADIFF, and how you can contribute to the cause, at https://www.crowdrise.com/adiff-design-intervention-for-global-issues and https://www.fastcompany.com/3064597/change-generation/can-a-jacket-that-doubles-as-a-tent-help-refugees.
Jessica Richmond
Cinzia Brandi
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Animals cause £500,000 damage to over-50s’ cars
Horses kicking cars and crows pecking roofs were among the causes of £0.5m of damage to vehicles owned by over-50s, a new survey has shown.
Claims made by customers of Saga Car Insurance listed a variety of causes with animals disrupting daily journeys, and often causing expensive repair work to boot.
Among the incidents reported were the Saga customer whose paintwork had been licked off the vehicle by a herd of cows, causing more than £6,000 worth of damage.
Deer are a common hazard especially on country roads, and a policyholder was lucky to avoid one which had galloped into their path. However, when the driver tried to manoeuvre round the animal it charged at the car. Eventually the deer darted off but not before causing almost £1,200 worth of damage.
And another driver driving to Yorkshire had a pheasant which had chosen to fly between two moving vehicle knock off their wing mirror, costing more than £250 to replace.
And even cars parked in residential properties aren’t safe. One policyholder was caught up in the carnage caused by a horse running up and down her street, wrecking a number of properties and vehicles and doing £1,200 worth of damage to the Saga customer’s car.
Sue Green, Head of Saga Car Insurance, said: “It seems animal antics can affect motorists at any time even when we are doing the most routine things. These customers seem to have taken it all in their stride and have been able to see the funny side of how unpredictable the animal kingdom can be.”
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Dreadfulwater Series
DreadfulWater
HarperCollins Canada (2012)
The award-winning, bestselling author of The Back of the Turtle and The Inconvenient Indian masters the comic mystery novel in this series opener, starring ex-cop Thumps DreadfulWater Thumps DreadfulWater is a Cherokee ex-cop trying to make a living as a photographer in the small town of Chinook, somewhere in the northwestern United States....
The award-winning, bestselling author of The Back of the Turtle and The Inconvenient Indian ...
Cold Skies
A DreadfulWater Mystery
Thumps DreadfulWater has finally found some peace and quiet. His past as a California cop now far behind him, he’s living out his retirement as a fine-arts photographer in the small town of Chinook. His health isn’t great, and he could use a new stove, but as long as he’s got his cat and a halfway decent plate of eggs, life is good. All that...
Thumps DreadfulWater has finally found some peace and quiet. His past as a California cop now far...
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From the award-winning and #1 bestselling author of The Back of the Turtle; Green Grass, Running Water and The Inconvenient Indian Thumps DreadfulWater’s world is turned upside down when Nina Maslow, the producer of a true-crime reality-TV show, turns up dead after working on a cold case that Thumps has spent years trying to forget. What’s...
Pre-Order Now Pre-Order Now
From the award-winning and #1 bestselling author of The Back of the Turtle; Green Grass, Running...
A Matter of Malice
When a TV producer asks Thumps to assist with an episode about a local woman from a wealthy family whose death was ruled “misadventure,” he is reluctant to get involved. Then the producer dies in the exact same manner, and Thumps finds himself solving two cases. Can a reality TV show solve a cold case? The crew of a true-crime reality TV show, ...
When a TV producer asks Thumps to assist with an episode about a local woman from a wealthy family...
The Red Power Murders
From the bestselling author of The Back of the Turtle and The Inconvenient Indian comes a wry and irreverent mystery Thumps DreadfulWater has never liked surprises—even the good ones are annoying. So it’s no shock that a string of seemingly random occurrences is causing Thumps some real discomfort. First Noah Ridge, the Red Power Native...
From the bestselling author of The Back of the Turtle and The Inconvenient Indian comes a wry...
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Ecumenical News
ecunews.com
Sexual misconduct in the church Orthodox Church in Ukraine Ethics in higher education Middle East interreligious dialogue Philippines
Jul 15, 2019, Updated at 20:50 PM EST
Vatican and World Council of Churches announce details of visit by Pope Francis
Ecumenical News Reporter | Wednesday, May 16 2018
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(Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC)Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary and Rev. Andrzej Choromanski of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC
The Vatican and the World Council of Churches have revealed details of the June 21 landmark visit of Pope Francis, a visit the WCC described as "a gift to churches."
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"The visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to the World Council of Churches in the year of our 70th anniversary, is an historical milestone in the search for Christian unity and for the cooperation among the churches for a world with peace and justice," said Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary, at a May 15 press conference.
Due to illness, Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, was represented by Rev. Andrzej Choromanski of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who is also a consultant on the WCC's Faith and Order Commission.
"I think His Holiness wanted to participate in this anniversary to express his gratitude to the ecumenical movement that the WCC has made over 70 years as part of the world church movement," Choromanski.
"His Holiness is very much invested in the cause of Christian unity. He has said we should aim for an ecumenism that involves us walking together. When we walk together we pray together."
'UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY'
Tveit said, "This is a unique opportunity to share our gifts of fellowship with one another and with all our churches around the world. The relationships locally and globally will not be the same after this event".
"Therefore, we in the WCC are immensely grateful to His Holiness Pope Francis that he accepted our invitation to come to the WCC this year."
The landmark 21 June visit is only the third by a pope to the WCC, and the first time that such an occasion was dedicated to visiting the council.
"It is possible to have a wider horizon than our own church or people, it is possible to share a vision based on our Christian faith that brings us together and makes us able to do a lot together for the world," Tveit continued.
"One of the principles in the ecumenical movement, has been that we should do together what we can do together. Thus, it was easy to agree on a shared motto for this day of the pope visiting the World Council of Churches: 'Walking, praying, and working together.'"
WCC'S 70TH ANNIVERSARY
As Pope Francis begins the fifth year of his papacy, the WCC is marking its 70th anniversary, and the pope's visit will be part of the celebrations of the ecumenical legacy and renewal of its promise coinciding with a meeting of its Central Committee, a key WCC governing body.
Bishop Charles Morerod, bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg of the Roman Catholic Church said, "We have moved to a stage of mutual goodwill and the pope does not want us to rest on our laurels."
Pope Francis will arrive in Geneva at 10:30 a.m. on 21 June after which he will pray and meet with the WCC.
Pope Francis will then hold a mass at the Palexpo convention centre in Geneva at 5:30 p.m. that day and the pontiff will leave Switzerland from nearby Geneva airport at 8 p.m.
Pope Paul VI visited the WCC in 1969 and, in 1984, a visit was welcomed from Pope John Paul II.
The WCC brings together churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 120 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 560 million Christians, including most of the world's Orthodox churches, scores of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches, as well as many united and independent churches.
While the bulk of the WCC's founding churches were European and North American, today most member churches are in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific and there are now 348 member churches in the WCC.
The Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, but it is a member of its Faith and Order Commission and other commissions, and it and cooperates with the council in many organizations.
The WCC works with Catholics on issues of peace and migration in many parts of the world.
Copyright © 2018 Ecumenical News
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Ella Sheridan
Blog Visit, Books, Editing, Ella Sheridan, Giveaways, If Only series, New Releases, New Stuff, Only For The Moment, Only for the Night, Only for the Weekend, Reading, Writing
April Contest!
April isn’t just about pranks and eggs—it’s about spring, school being out, baby animals, family. New beginnings. With ONLY FOR THE MOMENT almost complete and ready for edits, that means a new book beginning, probably early next month! So this month, our April contest is all about IF ONLY.
You can win signed print copies of ONLY FOR THE WEEKEND and ONLY FOR THE NIGHT with their fantabulous new covers! I love great romances of all kinds, so I want to know—what are your favorite romance subgenres, tropes, and themes. Do you love alpha assholes? Shifter romances? Billionaires and secret babies? How about second chances, triumphing over adversity, or making love last after the “I do’s” have been said? Tell me; I want to know!
Head on over to my Facebook page to enter!
*** On APRIL 27th, one commenter will be chosen for a beautiful set of IF ONLY books of their very own! (Likes and shares with your romance-loving friends appreciated but not required!) ***
Tagged: Ella Sheridan, If Only series, Only for the Weekend, Only for the Moment, Only for the Night, Contests, giveaway
Editing, Funny Friday
Funny Friday: The Shatner Comma...
Picked this up on Facebook the other day. What, do, you, think? :D
Tagged: author, book, Books, commas, contemporary romance, editing, Ella Sheridan, erotic romance, Funny Friday, romance, romance author, romance blog, romantic suspense, the Shatner comma, writer, Writing
Editing, Funny Friday, Southern Nights series
Funny Friday: A Little Editing Humor Here
So I'm deep into revisions at the moment, working on the first Southern Nights novel. I can't wait for you to meet Conlan and Jess! But in the meantime, I thought I'd give you a good look at what I'm doing right now, the prep phase. This:
~ Ella
Tagged: author, book, Books, contemporary romance, editing hell, Ella Sheridan, erotic romance, Funny Friday, llama humor, revisions, romance, romance author, romance blog, romantic suspense, Southern Nights series, writer, Writing
Editing, Just a Little More, Life, Writing
No Sick Days
There are no sick days in writing. Okay, for some people there are, but unfortunately I’m not one of them. Between the kids and the editing gig and just plain normal maintenance -- hey, this body didn’t get this way by itself. Actually, it did, but I’m trying to work on that! ;) -- I have to write when I have time, not when I feel like it. And that means writing when I’m sick. Depressed. Just don’t want to.
Suck it up, buttercup. You still have to write.
This week I’m on a deadline. My wonderful editor has sent me revisions that will make Just a Little More a “more better” story. And that means I need to actually follow through on them (imagine that!). I spent this past week struggling through therapy for a bulging disc in my neck, and this weekend both my son and I got hit with a nasty virus (him more than me). All I wanted was to curl up in the bed, cover my head, and sleep the bad feelings away…but I can’t. I have to write. The week ahead is already full of work, and the revisions have to be squeezed in around that. The whip must be cracked and the laptop must be opened. There’s no time to waste on a sick day.
My birthday is coming up in about six weeks. Think I could wish for a sick day when I blow out the candles? ;)
How ’bout you, do you get sick days? Wish you did? Save them for when you aren’t really sick? (Wish I had that option!)
Photo courtesy of mcfarlandmo.
Tagged: editing, health, Just a Little More, life, Writing
Editing, Inspiration, Playlists, Southern Nights series, Teach Me
Inspiration: "If I Lose Myself" by OneRepublic
I've been working like a mad thing on revisions for the first Southern Nights book, Teach Me. Sometimes, when a book has been a part of you for as long as this one has me, you lose the inspiration that originally had you revved about the project. Since I wrote the original manuscript in 2010...yeah, it's been a while, and making sure the story felt as fresh and alive as it did the first time I opened a Word file and began to type was very important to me. And then came Christmas, and the gift that keeps on giving: music. Every book I write has a playlist; it's part of my writing process, and also a quick way for me to dive back into a book when I've had to put it on the backburner to meet deadlines on other projects (you can see a couple of my playlists for books here and here). Teach Me, being the first book I ever wrote, didn't have a playlist -- I was too new to know what my process was then -- so keeping it fresh has been a struggle. For Christmas, though, I received OneRepublic's new album, Native, and found the inspiration for Jess's story.
"If I Lose Myself" is a song about looking out a window. Sounds simple, right? (Don't most songs? :) ) But it's not. It's also about life and deciding who and what is important, about risking and refusing to give up. Have a listen:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGx0rApSk6w?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
See what I mean? In case you didn't catch them, have a look at the lyrics:
I stared up at the sun, Thought of all of the people, places and things I’ve loved. I stared up just to see With all of the faces, you were the one next to me.
You can feel the light start to tremble, Washing what you know out to sea. You can see your life out of the window tonight.
If I lose myself tonight, It’ll be by your side. I lose myself tonight... (oh) yeah, yeah, yeah.
If I lose myself tonight, It’ll be you and I. Lose myself tonight...
I woke up with the sun, Thought of all of the people, places and things I’ve loved. I woke up just to see With all of the faces, you were the one next to me.
If I lose myself tonight, It’ll be you and I. Lose myself tonight... Whoooooooooo
Take us down and we keep trying, Forty thousand feet, keep flying. Take us down and we keep trying, Forty thousand feet, keep flying. Take us down and we keep trying, Forty thousand feet, keep flying. Take us down and we keep trying, Forty thousand feet, keep flying.
(Lose myself) If I lose myself tonight...
There are a lot of other great songs on the album, but this one in particular spoke to me. (And yes, for those of you who are familiar with my books, this will be the theme song for Teach Me, just like Dirty Little Secret and Naughty Little Christmas have their theme songs. :) ) Do you have a song that inspires you, a "theme song," so to speak? What is it, and what does it make you think about?
Tagged: inspiration, music, playlists, Southern Nights series, Teach Me
Communication, Editing, Ella Sheridan
"Real" words
For those of you who don't know, I'm not just a writer. I've spent most of my life studying, teaching, and editing the written word. I can't get enough of it, which is pretty funny when you think about the fact that I'm somewhat hindered in my ability to use said language verbally. (Yes, I'm socially awkward. :p ) I'm a professional line editor, which means I tell writers the correct way to "do things," so to speak. Not everyone likes it, trust me. I hear more negative comments about line editors than I do about bad reviewers. Writers don't want to be told their sentence is grammatically incorrect and therefore so dang confusing I can't understand what they are talking about. They don't want to be told that they've referred to two different characters as "he" in a sentence and therefore I can't figure out who is doing what. I totally understand--I get a bit "rabid" about my own prose--but still, some things are just necessary for comprehension, people! :)
Where was I? Oh...
So when I saw a comment on Facebook the other day about something being a "real" word, it got my attention (most things like this do). An author on my friends' list was teasing their fellow writer about a certain word ("friggin") being "real" because they'd found it on Urban Dictionary. She's right, it is a real word, though it is actually "frigging" (see definition in Merriam-Webster) or "friggin'" if you're from the South like me, but still, even though I knew they were joking around, I cringed. Ach! Not Urban Dictionary! It's the bane of my existence, people, seriously. It's like telling a historian you got information off Wikipedia--watch out for the seizure! Really, it is, because anyone can add a definition or example sentence (and I've seen some doozies!) to the website, and no one polices it for accuracy. Take a look at this:
Urban Dictionary Word of the Day, July 26, 2013 -- Moronimated: "something so dumb it has to be animated. Axe Cop's Sockarang is moronimated."
Or how about: Urban Dictionary Word of the Day, July 30, 2013 -- Almost-quaintance: "a person to whom one has at one point sent a successful social networking friends request or from whom one has accepted such request. 'I really need to clean up my facebook friends list; my news feed is painful to scroll through: It's full of so many strangers' bullshit.' 'Yeah, gotta' love those almost-quaintances!'"*
How about "snice," which apparently means "combination of snow and ice." Followed by the clear example of "Man, the dog just came in covered in snice. Awesome!"
Yeah, awesome.
And "January," "Everyone's favorite month!!! playing in the snow, snuggling by the fire, and having excuse for ur penis looking so small."
<choking on my own combination right now--of laughter and, yeah, laughter>
The term "blowjob" has many definitions on Urban Dictionary, many of which start with sentences like "The best part of sex ever." and "An act of awesomeness." Worthy of Merriam Webster, let me tell ya. And that doesn't include the entries around "blowjob," like "Blow Job A La Mode" (all capitalized--must be extra special!) and "blowjobalicious." How about "blowjobalotstanka" and "blowjobbery" (actually I think that one was spelled as two words, "blow jobbery," which must make it right, right?)? Seriously? Not to mention the examples, such as "Thnx, babe, that was the best blow job I ever did get." Oh the inhumanity!!! The--wait, "inhumanity" isn't a real word; it isn't defined yet on Urban Dictionary. The fuckupery! The fuckupance--sorry, fuck-upance!
Seriously, folks, Urban Dictionary can be great for a laugh, it really can (as evidenced above :) ). I think most of us get that, and that's how we take it (as a joke). But do you know how many people take it as gospel? How many people refuse to use any other dictionary? How many authors I've seen in line edits who've sited Urban Dictionary as proof that what they wrote is correct? Um, no, it's not. Despite what every Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to post on Urban Dictionary (Tom, Dick, and Harry are "three young men that can be blamed for gay habits," by the way), it's not right. Not. Even. Close.
As casual as our world has become about everything from fashion to dating habits to what we can say on television, I do believe some standards give us a baseline for societal discourse. Personally, we may choose to meet it or not, but it's there.
Or maybe not, since according to UD, "baseline" is "the bare minimum standard that a girl must be at or exceed when considering fornication." Or "a sequence of low growling notes strategically played by nick beard, of the band Circa Survive, on his ernie ball music man stingray base guitar." (Apparently band names require capitalization but people names do not.)
Ookaaayyyy...
*Please note all grammar/punctuation errors were copied directly from the site and have abso-friggin'-nothing to do with me!
Tagged: Communication, editing, Ella Sheridan, Facebook, words
Tweets by @AuthorESheridan
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Northern Policy Institute
Elliot Lake's Insurance Hotline
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Federal budget fails to meet the needs of northerners, say Hughes, Angus
Short-changes northern Ontario, mostly misses the mark, say NDP MPs
Mar 22, 2019 10:00 AM by: TimminsToday Staff
MP Carol Hughes. File photo
MP CAROL HUGHES
OTTAWA - The last federal budget before this October’s election short-changed northern Ontario, and mostly missed the mark, according to the NDP’s Northern Ontario MPs, Carol Hughes and Charlie Angus.
“This is a disappointing budget for Canadians who need help right now to make ends meet,” said Hughes. “This budget is disconnected from most people’s reality and the challenges we are facing together.”
“A paltry $6 million for FedNor when the Atlantic and Northern agencies got $67 million and $95 million shows that this government doesn’t have any vision when it comes to developing Northern Ontario’s economy,” said Angus. “The money for forestry is welcome, but it remains to be seen exactly how much Northern Ontario will see.”
Hughes and Angus feel the budget was full of items that won’t help immediately and were designed to look as if the government is tackling problems that need much more attention than they were given.
“There are lots of half-measures and nice words, but the money being spent isn’t enough,” said Hughes. “The money going into broadband is a good example. The dollar amount sounds great until you realize it’s being rolled out over the next thirteen years. The north needs that infrastructure now!”
Angus said the same thing goes for issues important to First Nations who are seeing no new money for education, housing and other important needs.
“There’s no new core funding for on-reserve primary and secondary education and there isn’t nearly enough to implement Jordan’s Principle,” said Angus. “There’s no new funding for on-reserve housing, despite urgent needs and enormous backlogs for repair. These are real needs and they’re not being met. Canadians saw the realities of Cat Lake, and too many communities across the north are facing similar conditions.”
Hughes notes the government’s timid steps towards pharmacare are meant to sound like progress but won’t change things for Canadians who can’t afford the medication they need.
“This budget shows that pharmacare has been pushed off to future years,” said Hughes. “The budget does not include funding for it in its fiscal framework and the recommendations that preceded this made it clear this government is protecting insurance providers and pharmaceutical companies.”
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Neuroscience (General)
Editors: C. David Marsden Stanley Fahn
Imprint: Butterworth-Heinemann
Published Date: 31st March 1982
DRM-free (EPub, PDF, Mobi)
Neurology, Volume 2: Movement Disorders is a part of an international series of critical reviews of topics in neurology. This volume focuses on Parkinsonism and dyskinesia, a condition characterized by abnormal involuntary movements. Organized into 18 chapters, this book first elucidates the problems, causes, pathology, brain neurotransmitter changes and receptors, depression, dementia, fluctuations of disability, and treatment of Parkinson's disease. Subsequent chapters then explore the problems, controversies, and surgical approaches involved in certain dyskinesias. The role of dopamine receptors in movement disorders is also explored. This book will be valuable to neurologists-in-training, as well as to those in research field or in practice in this field of interest. The book's clinical content will help in the management of patients with movement disorders.
1 Problems in Parkinson's Disease
2 The Cause of Parkinson's Disease
3 Pathology of Parkinson's Disease
4 Brain Neurotransmitter Changes in Parkinson's Disease
5 Brain Neurotransmitter Receptors in Parkinson's Disease
6 Depression and Dementia in Parkinson's Disease
7 Fluctuations of Disability in Parkinson's Disease: Clinical Aspects
8 Fluctuations of Disability in Parkinson's Disease: Pathophysiological Aspects
9 Treatment of Advanced Parkinson's Disease with Dopamine Agonists
10 Deprenyl in Parkinson's Disease
11 Parkinsonism, System Degenerations and Autonomic Failure
12 Problems in Dyskinesias
13 The Nosology and Pathophysiology of Myoclonus
14 Clinical Controversies in Tardive Dyskinesia
15 Controversies in Animal Models of Tardive Dyskinesia
16 Care of Patients and Families with Huntington's Disease
17.1 Surgical Approaches to the Dyskinesias: Foreword
17.2 Surgical Approach to Tremor
17.3 Surgical Approach to Dystonia
17.4 Surgical Treatment of Spasmodic Torticollis
17.5 Peripheral versus Central Surgical Approach for the Treatment of Spasmodic Torticollis
17.6 Surgical Approach to Blepharospasm: Nerve Thermolysis
17.7 The Surgical Management of Essential Blepharospasm
17.8 Surgical Approach to Hemifacial Spasm: Microvascular Decompression
17.9 Cerebellar and Deep Brain Stimulation in Movement Disorders
17.10 Surgical Approaches to the Dyskinesias: Afterword
18.1 Dopamine Receptors in Movement Disorders
18.2 Interpretation of Radioactive Ligand Binding to Cerebral Dopamine Receptors
© Butterworth-Heinemann 1981
Butterworth-Heinemann
C. David Marsden
Professor of Neurology, Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
Stanley Fahn
H. Houston Merritt Professor of Neurology and Director Emeritus, Center for Parkinson's Disease and Other Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, The Neurological Institute, New York, NY
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Home / Legal Fictions
Legal Fictions
Constituting Race, Composing Literature
Book Pages: 176 Illustrations: 3 photographs Published: January 2014
Author: Karla FC Holloway
African American Studies and Black Diaspora, Law, Literature and Literary Studies > Literary Criticism
In Legal Fictions, Karla FC Holloway both argues that U.S. racial identity is the creation of U.S. law and demonstrates how black authors of literary fiction have engaged with the law's constructions of race since the era of slavery. Exploring the resonance between U.S. literature and U.S. jurisprudence, Holloway reveals Toni Morrison's Beloved and Charles Johnson's Middle Passage as stories about personhood and property, David Bradley's The Chaneysville Incident and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man as structured by evidence law, and Nella Larsen's Passing as intimately related to contract law. Holloway engages the intentional, contradictory, and capricious constructions of race embedded in the law with the same energy that she brings to her masterful interpretations of fiction by U.S. writers. Her readings shed new light on the many ways that black U.S. authors have reframed fundamental questions about racial identity, personhood, and the law from the nineteenth into the twenty-first centuries. Legal Fictions is a bold declaration that the black body is thoroughly bound by law and an unflinching look at the implications of that claim.
"Holloway has written a sterling account of the convergence of literary and legal narratives in constructing American racial identities . . . This book will engage scholars in African American studies and American studies in the coming years." — D. E. Magill, Choice
“Holloway's writing is elegantly structured and multifaceted; the analytical language she uses is bright with imagery.” — Jo Manby, Ethnicity and Race in a Changing World
“Karla FC Holloway’s most recent book is a remarkable creative and critical work that pushes the boundaries of interdisciplinarity in law, literature, history, and critical race theory. … Holloway uses the marginality of black literature as an argument for its central role in the legal and literary construction of nation and nationality. Finding the margins at the center and the center in the margins is precisely the kind of appealing paradox that makes this book so powerful.” — Dan Farbman, Law, Culture, and the Humanities
"Legal Fictions represents a culmination (if not the culmination) of Karla FC Holloway's rich corpus of criticism and theory. As a consideration of law and literature in the construction of race and legal fictions, it is an original intervention sure to inform understandings of, and scholarship about, both. This book is Holloway at her best: intelligent and thoughtful, fully in command of the critical vocabularies that she introduces, and thoroughly knowledgeable about the fields that she traverses." — Farah Jasmine Griffin, Columbia University
"In this wonderful book, Karla FC Holloway illuminates legal texts with techniques and insights derived from literary criticism and offers new interpretations of fictional works by bringing to bear upon them knowledge derived from a deep immersion in legal studies. This is, in short, a remarkable example of productive interdisciplinarity from which all sorts of readers will learn a great deal." — Randall Kennedy, author of Interracial Intimacies: Sex, Marriage, Identity, and Adoption
Karla FC Holloway is James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke University, where she also holds appointments in the Law School, Women's Studies, and African & African American Studies, and is an affiliated faculty with the Institute on Care at the End of Life and the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine. She serves on the Greenwall Foundation's Advisory Board in Bioethics, and was recently elected to the Hastings Center Fellows Association. Holloway is the author of BookMarks: Reading in Black and White and Codes of Conduct: Race, Ethics, and the Color of Our Character, as well as Private Bodies, Public Texts: Race, Gender, and a Cultural Bioethics and Passed On: African American Mourning Stories: A Memorial, both published by Duke University Press.
Introduction: Bound by Law 1
Intimate Intersectionalities—Scalar Reflections 5
Public Fictions, Private Facts 9
Simile as Precedent 13
Property, Contract, and Evidentiary Values 17
1. The Claims of Property: On Being and Belonging 23
The Capital in Question 27
Imagined Liberalism 35
Mapping Racial Reason 41
Being in Place: Landscape, Never Inscape 49
2. Bodies as Evidence (of Things Not Seen) 55
Secondhand Tales and Hearsay 59
Black Legibility—Can I Get a Witness? 72
Trying to Read Me 77
3. Composing Contract 89
"A novel-like tenor" 93
Passing and Protection 96
A Secluded Colored Neighborhood 102
Epilogue. When and Where "All the Dark-Glass Boys" Enter 111
A Contagion of Madness 113
Touching Feeling
Allegories of the Anthropocene
Black Madness :: Mad Blackness
The Difference Aesthetics Makes
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Critically Sovereign traces the ways in which gender is inextricably a part of Indigenous politics and U.S. and Canadian imperialism and colonialism. The...
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Following the innovative collection Spill, Alexis Pauline Gumbs's M Archive—the second book in a planned experimental triptych—is a series of...
In Surrogate Humanity Neda Atanasoski and Kalindi Vora trace the ways in which robots, artificial intelligence, and other technologies serve as surrogates...
The Afterlife of Reproductive Slavery
In The Afterlife of Reproductive Slavery Alys Eve Weinbaum investigates the continuing resonances of Atlantic slavery in the cultures and politics of human...
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