pred_label
stringclasses 2
values | pred_label_prob
float64 0.5
1
| wiki_prob
float64 0.25
1
| text
stringlengths 52
1M
| source
stringlengths 37
43
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
__label__wiki
| 0.903752
| 0.903752
|
Of Monsters and Men Event Time & Tickets
Of Monsters and Men in Dublin
Find Tickets worldticketshop.com
MCD Presents
The Olympia Theatre
Thursday 23rd October 2019
**TICKETS ONSALE NOW**
Multi-platinum Icelandic quintet have announced a run of UK and European dates in support of their new album FEVER DREAM, including an Olympia Theatre date on Thursday 23rd October!
Tickets priced from €34.65 including booking fee and €1 restoration levy on sale NOW via , usual Ticketmaster outlets nationwide () including The Olympia Theatre Box Office, and by calling Ticketmaster at The Olympia Phone Bookings on 0818 719 330.
The fees for this event include a €1.00 restoration levy. The restoration levy will allow The Olympia Theatre to invest in maintaining and enhancing the theatre to ensure that it continues to consistently deliver the highest quality experience for theatre goers, actors, performers & producers.
Under 14's must be accompanied by an adult. Standing tickets are recommended only for those over 14 years of age. Over 18's ID required to gain access to the bars where alcohol is served.
Doors open 7pm. Approximate stage times will be posted here once we receive them from production.
Pre-Order FEVER DREAM
Fans who pre-order FEVER DREAM between Thursday 6th June and 12pm on 11th June will be granted pre-sale access to the UK / IRE tour.
Fans are also able to sign up for the pre-sale code with no purchase necessary (NB. codes to be delivered evening of Tuesday 11th June, with pre-sale starting Wednesday 12th June).
Tickets go on general sale from Friday 14th June. The tour kicks off in Dublin on 23rd October, taking in Belfast, Newcastle, Birmingham, London’s Eventim Apollo on the 29th, finishing up with Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham. Following a run of mainland European dates, the band will head home to headline Iceland Airwaves on 9th November – tickets are on sale now.
The band recently released the first single from FEVER DREAM, check out “Alligator”
In addition, the band announced the album with a series of exclusive limited-edition vinyl available on their online store. The first two editions sold out instantly. Fans can purchase the third vinyl edition from 8th June over at: .
“Alligator” is the first single from OMAM’s upcoming album FEVER DREAM. On the empowering anthem Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir, writer and co-vocalist reflects “The song is a mix of many different emotions that come together to create a confusing chaotic state. We wanted the song to feel like a train that keeps going, like an alligator that is rugged and heavy and charges at you. The lyrics tell a story of being completely lost in a “fever dream” state and embracing the chaos that comes with it. It’s a song that embraces femininity and the feeling of being vulnerable yet strong, because ultimately, that is the same thing.”
FEVER DREAM was co-produced by Rich Costey (MUSE, Vampire Weekend, Chvrches) and is the band’s third studio album.
OF MONSTERS AND MEN went from the talk of Iceland to the top of the global conversation on their 2011 debut, My Head Is An Animal. Not only did the record go platinum, but it also produced an international smash in the form of “Little Talks.” The breakthrough single earned a quintuple-platinum certification from the RIAA, made history as “the first song by an Icelandic band to cross 1 billion streams on Spotify,” and landed the band a performance onSaturday Night Live. The group appeared on official soundtracks for franchises such as The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead, and Beat Bugs, to name a few. In the midst of this rapid rise, 2015’s Beneath The Skin bowed in the Top 3 of the Billboard Top 200 and the band starred in an episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones in the same year.
For more see: | |
Cost: From €37.65
Buy Tickets at stubhub.com! | Buy tickets at stubhub.com! | Buy tickets at stubhub.co.uk! | Event details at olympia.ie! | Buy tickets at worldticketshop.com!
Sorry, you missed Of Monsters and Men at Olympia Theatre.
You missed Of Monsters and Men at Olympia Theatre.
We're generating custom event recommendations for you based on Of Monsters and Men right now!
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2395
|
__label__wiki
| 0.681225
| 0.681225
|
Remove this filter Country: Americas
Mosquito-borne diseases (10)
Public health threat (12)
Threats and outbreaks (12)
Epidemiological update (10)
Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 26 January 2017
Epidemiological update - 26 Jan 2017
Since 6 January 2017, Brazil has been reporting an outbreak of yellow fever.
Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 16 February 2017
Epidemiological update - 16 Feb 2017
As of 2 February 2017, 826 cases (including 155 confirmed) have been reported in Brazil. This represents an increase of 315 cases (including 67 confirmed) since the last CDTR. The most-affected state remains Minas Gerais, with 740 cases (including 138 confirmed) reported.
Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 21 March 2017
Epidemiological update - 21 Mar 2017
Between 6 January and 16 March 2017, Brazil has reported 1 357 cases (933 suspected and 424 confirmed), including 249 deaths (112 suspected and 137 confirmed). The case-fatality rate is 18.3% among all cases and 32.3% among confirmed cases.
Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 21 April 2017
Epidemiological update - 21 Apr 2017
Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection present in some tropical areas of Africa and South America. On 6 January 2017, Brazil reported an outbreak of yellow fever that started in December 2016 and that has been going on since then. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Suriname have also reported cases of yellow fever in 2017.
Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection present in some tropical areas of Africa and South America. On 6 January 2017, Brazil reported an outbreak of yellow fever that started in December 2016 and that has been ongoing since then. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Suriname have also reported cases of yellow fever in 2017.
Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 5 May 2017
Epidemiological update - 5 May 2017
Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 12 May 2017
Epidemiological update - 12 May 2017
Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection present in some tropical areas of Africa and South America. On 6 January 2017, Brazil reported an outbreak of yellow fever that started in December 2016 and is still ongoing. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Suriname have also reported cases of yellow fever in 2017.
Diphtheria outbreaks in Yemen and Venezuela
News - 24 Nov 2017
An outbreak of diphtheria is currently being experienced in Yemen and Venezuela. One hundred and twenty diphtheria cases have been reported in Yemen in the last two months, while Venezuela has seen more than 500 probable cases in 2017, as detailed in today’s Communicable Disease Threat Report.
Yellow fever in Brazil: confirmed cases in urban areas in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
News, Epidemiological update - 1 Dec 2017
From July to October 2017 the Brazilian authorities reported three confirmed human cases of yellow fever - one in Rio de Janeiro and two in São Paulo State. One person died. In addition, several animal cases were detected in the urban area of São Paulo City. The national health authorities have started a vaccination campaign in São Paulo State.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2397
|
__label__wiki
| 0.882395
| 0.882395
|
Category Juicy
Juicy – All Work, No Play (1987)
Juicy was an American musical duo consisting of siblings Jerry Barnes and Katreese Barnes. The group is best known for the songs “Sugar Free” and Beat Street feature song “Beat Street Strut”. According to website Allmusic, the name comes from Mtume’s number-one R&B hit “Juicy Fruit”.
Their debut single “Don’t Cha Wanna” was released in 1982 by Atlantic Records. In the same year they also released their first eponymous album, which made it into Billboard R&B chart the next year.
In 1984, their song “Beat Street Strut”, released by the same label, appeared in the 1984 musical-drama movie Beat Street and its gold-certified soundtrack.[3] The song was moderately successful on Billboard Dance chart, peaking #46 in July 1984.
Their second album It Takes Two was released in 1985. The album featured an answer record to “Juicy Fruit” called “Sugar Free”. It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Black Singles chart and #45 on the UK pop chart, and was certified Gold. Another moderately successful single from the album include “Nobody But You”, reaching number 59 on the R&B chart.
Their last album Spread The Love released in 1987 remained unsuccessful, which resulted in disbanding of Juicy.
“All Work, No Play” was produced by Eumir Deodato and remixed by John Luongo.
All Work, No Play (The All Work Mix) 7:27
All Work, No Play (The All Play Mix) 6:51
All Work, No Play (Going Left) 5:27
By eightiesvinyl Posted in Juicy
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2399
|
__label__wiki
| 0.993909
| 0.993909
|
Category Lovebug Starski
Lovebug Starski – Amityville (The House On The Hill) (1986)
Lovebug Starski (born Kevin Smith, May 16, 1960, Bronx, New York) is an American MC, musician, and record producer. He began his career as a record boy in 1971 as hip-hop first appeared in the Bronx, and he eventually became a DJ at the Disco Fever club in 1978.
Starski recorded his first single, “Positive Life,” on the Tayster record label in 1981. Later, he recorded a song for the soundtrack of the 1986 film Rappin’, which was released on Atlantic Records, before recording his first album, House Rocker, on Epic/CBS Records. This featured his most successful chart single, “Amityville (The House on the Hill),” a parody song named in reference to the film The Amityville Horror (itself based on alleged supernatural activities surrounding the DeFeo murder case) was a #12 hit in the UK Singles Chart,and hit the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. in 1986.
Amityville (The House On The Hill) 5:34
Amityville (The House On The Hill) (Dub Mix) 6:47
By eightiesvinyl Posted in Lovebug Starski
Lovebug Starski – House Rocker (1986)
Starski recorded his first single, “Positive Life,” on the Tayster record label in 1981. Later, he recorded a song for the soundtrack of the 1986 film Rappin’, which was released on Atlantic Records, before recording his first album, House Rocker, on Epic/CBS Records.
The title track from the “House Rocker” album was released as a single, written and produced by D.St (Derek Showard)
House Rocker (Vocal) 5:18
House Rocker (Dub Mix) 5:18
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2400
|
__label__cc
| 0.512828
| 0.487172
|
Example research essay topic: Today Society Lesbian Or Gay - 2,090 words
The conception that lesbians and gay men may be parents is frequently perceived in today? s society as impossible or immoral. Gay men and lesbians are often viewed as excluded from having children because sexual reproduction is related to men and women only. My approach to this uniquely controversial topic of gay parenting will be that of attempting to analyze the Pro side first.
Gays and lesbians are human too and who is to say that they don? t deserve equal rights in society. Society has to realize that the modern family has developed into many different forms in recent years in that the nuclear family is not necessarily the most common form anymore. Then I will attempt to analyze the Con side which expresses the fact that two people of the same sex should not be raising and rearing children together.
Many believe that if the couple is unable to produce children together, then they shouldn? t be raising them as parents. Children need a balance in their lives and different sexed parents can provide that balance efficiently. Each parent (mom or dad) socializes the child differently and the child needs to be introduced to both worlds. I will then proceed to critique both sides on strengths and weaknesses, based on facts, studies, and my own opinion, and then draw some of my own conclusions on this controversial topic of Gay Parenting. Pro Position There is no valid reason for refusing to call lesbian and gay headed household families.
They fall under every conceivable criterion for identifying families and the concept of a Family. They are groups of co resident kin providing jointly through income-pooling for eachother's need of food and shelter. They socialize children, engage in emotional and physical support, and make up part of a larger kin network. (O? Brien and Weir, 128). There are also many homophobic (the irrational fear or hatred of homosexuality or gay people, Bird 88) individuals in today? s society who are the main cause of negative stereotypes against lesbians and gay parents.
These negative stereotypes all prove to be untrue and irrational, revealing that gay and lesbian parents could be equally as fit to straight parents. The accusation that majority of gay men are child molesters has been rejected in that the overwhelming majority of child sexual abusers area heterosexual men, who abuse both boys and girls. The fear that children of lesbian and gay parents will become lesbian or gay is irrational in that studies show that the sexual orientation of the parents has no effect whatsoever on sexual orientation of youths. The concern that the children of gay and lesbian headed families will not develop so called appropriate gender identity or gender behaviour has been introduced. This was proved incorrect in that when comparing children of gay parents to children of straight parents, there was no significant difference in these two areas. The last stereotype involving the fear that emotional damage will effect the child due to coping with the issue of having lesbian or gay parents.
Once again this was proved to be false and the general psychological well being of children in gay and lesbian households matches that of children of heterosexual parent households. (O? Brien and Weir, 129). These common stereotypes heard frequently in today? s society have all been proved incorrect and ignorant.
Therefore they illustrate that gay and lesbian parents are continually stereotyped against unfairly and unjustly. Lesbians and gay men are popularly and commonly thought of by society to have a negative influence on children. This places an enormous strain and great pressure on lesbian and gay headed families, which is totally unnecessary. When we assume male-headed nuclear families to be central units of kinship, and all alternative patterns to be extensions or exceptions, we accept as aspect of cultural hegemony instead of studying it.
In the process, we miss the contested domain in which symbolic innovation may occur. Even continuity may be the result of innovation. (Weston, 145). This is a very powerful statement in that it reinforces the argument that lesbian and gay families are overlooked in society as even being a family unit Society must come to realize that every family, not just gay headed families, experience problems in their homes. An article which depicts some of the major problems that some single mothers experience is: Manhunts?
and Bingo Blabs? : Single mothers speak out-M. Little, p. 164 - 181. This article will assist one in realizing that some individuals will face some dilemmas and issues in life, but it is those issues and how a family deals with them effectively that will make them stronger as a family unit. Everyone deals with pressures of everyday life and it is those who learn by them that are prosperous. With specific reference to child rearing, parents were told that problems arise in all homes, with all children, and at all ages, the interesting fact being that the problems do or do not arise but what method should be employed in dealing with them when they arise (Dickinson, 392). Problems in the home are inevitable, in all forms of families, and those who believe that one form of family will have more problems and issues than others will need to reassess their outlook to a more rational perception.
Society has to realize that it is not ones? sexual preference that allows a family to grow and flourish, it is the efforts of the people who make up that family unit. A family is based on trust and love, and if that is what these gay and lesbians parents are providing for their children, then why not let them live as they want. Con Position Many will argue that children of lesbian and gay parents do not grow up the same as children of heterosexual parents.
Concern usually revolves around the issue that the children will also grow up to become lesbian or gay themselves (Baker, 105). In most cultures, children are raised to take on specific roles associated with their biological sex very early in life. Therefore, in most cases people maintain an identity of themselves in terms of gender (Blumenfeld and Raymond, 45). (This statement is expanded on in the Chapter of Socialization and gender roles in Looking at Gay and Lesbian Life). Many also believe that children need parents of the opposite sex to find balance in their lives. Each heterosexual parent socializes their children differently and children need to view this difference for themselves. An elaborate description of masculinity and fatherhood takes place in, Fatherhood, Masculinity, and the Goodlife during Canada?
s baby boom, 1945 - 1965, Robert Rutherdale. This article depicts how the dad of the nuclear family had secured his family? s place in the consumer markets and recreational opportunities of a profoundly acquisitive period (369). It depicts some activities which fathers endured with the son to ensure masculinity and machines as the son matured into a man himself. Children need to realize and witness how men and women deal with certain situations differently, they need to be informed of different situations that will occur to them throughout their lives (depending on their sex), and they need each of their parents at different times of their lives (example-and girl needs her mom at menarche and her dad to help her with her car).
Some feel that if there is an imbalance then the child will never learn to identify with the one sex that is absent from their life. This issue of balance has never been proved to be true yet still remains an issue to some. Another major issue facing gay parents is AIDS. The fact that the epidemic was first identified in the early 1980? s in the gay male communities of North America. (Weeks, ch 1 p. 15 - 45).
AID? s is known as the gay disease it has been studied and many feel that homosexuals are more prone and susceptible to contracting the disease than heterosexuals. Many feel that the children of gay parents are in increased danger due to the fact that AIDS is increasingly spreading and if their parent has it then they are at high risk to contracting it. The Chapter, HIV and the State of the Family in the text Transgressing Borders (p. 19 - 33), clearly depicts the issues facing families, of all forms, in direct relation to AIDS. This may help some to realize the seriousness of this incurable disease. AIDS phobia is another issue discussed in this chapter.
This is strongly related to hetero sexism and homophobia prejudicial attitudes and practices against lesbian and gay men. Individuals with antigua attitudes are far more likely than others to have irrational fears about HIV transmission (Sears and Adam, 27). AIDS is a growing epidemic with no cure that affect millions. The seriousness of this disease is illustrated in From Reproduction to HIV: Blurring Categories, Shifting Positions, Martin- 256 - 269, in which individuals narrate stories of people living with AIDS and these individuals, while extremely sick and almost dying, experience abandonment, by family and friends, and discrimination.
A great portion of today? s society feel that children should not be exposed to this disease if it may be prevented. Therefore they attack these gay parents seeing that AIDS is the gay disease. Society has to realize that anyone may contract it and there is no one in the world that is immune to it. It is up to gay parents as well as straight parents to assure in preventing the contraction of this disease to any child. Also to protect themselves from contracting it, the loss of a parent is traumatizing to a child.
Another main issue against gay parenting is the concern of safety for their children. There is a concern that children of homosexuals will be harassed by their peers (Brooks, 362). Many people in today? s society have a negative stereotypical attitude towards homosexuals. This influence is then passed onto their children in turn is then taken out on peers. This especially effects those who have gay parents.
That child may be harassed at school, both mentally and physically, and teased constantly. This may then affect the child psychologically, emotionally, and physically, either then or later in life. Children have increasingly become more cruel with peers and this certainly does take its toll on the child being harassed, whether the effects are visible or not. The child living with homosexual parents may not only be harassed for having gay parents, but also for being gay themselves.
Many have the idea that children who grow up in a gay home become gay themselves. They believe this to be true in that the child learns the parents? ways and want to be just like their role model, their parent. People have to realize that in today? s society children tease one another for the oddest reasons, if there is not a reason to tease or gang up on someone, someone is sure to find or make up something just to have something to do. In Conclusion, in analyzing all of the facts, both supporting and refuting the controversial topic of gay parenting, I fell that the stronger side proved to be that of supporting gay parenting.
The information gathered on negative stereotypes against gay parenting proved to be incorrect and inconclusive. Much of the information refuting gay parenting was not based on concrete facts or studies. The issue of AIDS, safety, and gender identity are all issues that affect heterosexual headed families as often as homosexual headed families. It is how the family overcomes these issues that is important. If these families are successful this will create a closer and stronger family tie In evaluating the issue of gay parenting, one would find it difficult to gather information refuting the issue, majority of the information that I came across was supporting. One will notice that literature and attitudes have changed and are progressing when dealing with homosexuality.
More and more individuals are beginning to accept or come to terms with this controversial topic. Gay and lesbian parenting should be treated as any other parenting style would be treated. If they are willing and able to love and provide adequately for these children, then society should allow them to do just that. Evidence proves that there is no difference between a child from a gay parent family to a heterosexual parent family, and therefore there is no reason why these family units should be treated so differently.
Free research essays on topics related to: lesbians and gay men, gay and lesbian, lesbian or gay, lesbian and gay, today society
Research essay sample on Today Society Lesbian Or Gay
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2403
|
__label__cc
| 0.681868
| 0.318132
|
If you are underweight or have a naturally scrawny build, you may struggle to gain weight, let alone muscle mass, no matter what you do. Eating at all hours of the day and night can be exhausting and require frequent trips to the grocery store. Unless you are overweight, you likely need to create a caloric surplus in order to gain muscle. With a weight gainer powder, you can supplement a healthy diet with the additional calories you need to gain weight in muscle.
"Start with two days for two to three weeks, then add a third day," says Davis*.*"Ideally, you should strength train three to five days per week, but work your way up—starting off at five days a week might shock your body." Here's a comprehensive three-day-per-week plan to get you started. Aim to complete 20-minute sessions, then gradually add on time in ten-minute increments until you're working for 45 to 60 minutes, suggests Davis.
When it comes to building lean muscle, size bodybuilders are king. That’s their ultimate goal. Sure, Crossfit, powerlifting and all the other modalities will build muscle, but that’s not their focus. They want performance and any muscle they build is a side effect. Not so with bodybuilding where muscle size and shape are the priorities. Learning how to build muscle for the sake of building muscle has some benefits to the performance athlete. It allows for ais less injury prone. Its also a fact that bigger muscle contract harder regardless of technique or form, so it’s a good strategy to throw in some bodybuilder muscle building sessions here and there to give yourself stronger muscles to then train for performance. Build the muscle bigger, then train it to perform better.
Although creatine supplementation has been shown to be more effective on predominantly anaerobic intermittent exercise, there is some evidence of its positive effects on endurance activities. Branch [28] highlights that endurance activities lasting more than 150s rely on oxidative phosphorylation as primary energy system supplier. From this meta analysis [28], it would appear that the ergogenic potential for creatine supplementation on predominantly aerobic endurance exercise diminishes as the duration of the activity increases over 150s. However it is suggested that creatine supplementation may cause a change in substrate utilization during aerobic activity possibly leading to an increase in steady state endurance performance.
Creatine has been shown to influence androgen levels. Three weeks of creatine supplementation has been shown to increase dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, as well as the DHT:testosterone ratio with no effects on testosterone levels.[430] In contrast, creatine supplementation has been shown to increase testosterone levels when taken alongside a 10-week resistance training program.[431] A study in male amateur swimmers also noted that a creatine loading phase (20g daily for six days) was able to increase testosterone levels by around 15% relative to baseline.[397]
In your body, you can only store enough ATP for about 10 seconds of maximum exercise, this means that after those storages are depleted, it is up to your body to produce ATP to reach the demand your body is placing. [5] Creatine helps in the body by increasing stores of phosphocreatine which is the main ingredient used to create new ATP during intense exercise. By just supplementing creatine for 6 days, you can double your levels of creatine in your muscle storages, resulting in a higher capacity to create energy. [5]
One pilot study using 150mg/kg creatine monohydrate for a five day loading phase followed by maintenance (60mg/kg) for the remainder of the five weeks noted that supplementation was associated with fewer muscle symptoms and complaints alongside improved muscular function,[572] yet a later trial trying to replicate the obsevations using 150mg/kg daily for five weeks noted the opposite, that creatine supplementation exacerbated symptoms.[573]
Even if your focus is on a particular body part, say getting flat abs or losing fat around the hips, it's important to work all your muscle groups. Spot reduction doesn't work, so doing crunches for your abs or leg lifts for your thighs isn't going to help you achieve your goal. What does work is building more lean muscle tissue and burning more calories.
Nutricost's BCAA packs a powerful punch when it comes to quality for the price. With 6 grams of L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, and L-Valine in every serving, and 83 servings per bottle, each scoop equates to just 23 cents. These high quality branched chain amino acids help support protein synthesis, muscle recovery, while boosting endurance and stamina. This straight forward formula is free of calories and comes in several natural, easily mixed fruit flavors. Keep Reading »
One supplement, which a large body of research has proven effective in building muscle mass when combined with intensive strength training, is creatine (sold as creatine monohydrate). Creatine, a source of rapid energy, is stored in the muscles in small amounts. With creatine loading or supplementation, bodybuilders increase muscle stores of the energy-containing compound which then can be used to provide an extra boost for an intense-high-weight lifting session. Studies support that ingestion of a relatively high dose of creatine (20 to 30 grams per day for up to two weeks) increases muscle creatine stores by 10 to 30 percent and can boost muscle strength by about 10 percent when compared with resistance training alone (Rawson & Volek, 2003). Some athletes report (though research does not necessarily support) muscle cramping in response after using creatine supplements.
Bodybuilders have THE BEST mind to muscle connection of any resistance-training athletes. Ask a seasoned bodybuilder to flex their lats or their rhomboids or their hamstrings and they will do it with ease. Ask other strength athletes and you will see them struggle and although they may tense up the target muscle they will also tense up about 15 other surrounding muscles. This is because strength athletes train MOVEMENTS. They don’t care about targeting their lats. They just want to do the most pull ups. They don’t worry about feeling their quads. They just want to squat maximum weight. Although this is an expected and positive thing for the most part, there are real benefits to being able to isolate and target muscles.
Naturally produced in the kidneys, pancreas and liver, creatine is transported to muscle tissue where it is transformed into creatine phosphate, from which the energy molecule ATP is produced to regenerate the muscles' ability to contract and generate power during short-burst (anaerobic) activity. This translates to more productive workouts and faster muscle growth.
Do standard/oblique crunches. Lie down on a mat and position both arms behind your head without locking the hands. Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the ground. Pushing the small of your back into the ground, slowly roll your shoulders off the ground only a couple of inches (not to a full sitting position). Don't use your momentum to help you up; use slow, regulated movements. Repeat 3 x 20.
Does magnesium relieve migraines? Many people use magnesium, which is a naturally occurring mineral, to treat and prevent migraine headaches, especially those with aura. In this article, learn about the effectiveness of magnesium and discover whether there are any side effects or risks. We also list some of the foods that contain magnesium. Read now
It raised the question about performance-enhancing drugs. Their murky role in bodybuilding has long shrouded the sport. A 2013 documentary on Heath and Mr. Olympia called “Generation Iron” (a sort of bookend piece to 1977’s “Pumping Iron,” which launched Schwarzenegger and others to fame) called the topic “taboo.” It then insinuated that, of course, bodybuilders competing in top-level contests like Mr. Olympia use steroids.
“There is a lot of mixed research on creatine’s ability to improve muscle strength,” the government website says. “However, analyses of this research show that creatine seems to modestly improve upper body strength and lower body strength in both younger and older adults.” Creatine has also been shown to improve athletes’ performance in rowing, soccer, and jumping height.
Supplementation of creatine at 5g daily alongside rehabilitation (after limb immobilization for two weeks while taking 20g daily) is associated with a preservation in GLUT4 levels, which were reduced during immobilization. During exercise rehabilitation, it increased to 40% above placebo.[330] This study failed to note an increase in GLUT4 in control, despite exercise normally doing so.[331][332] This effect is thought to be the result of the low frequency of activity. Thus, creatine was thought to augment the increase (insignificant due to low exercise) to significant levels.[330] In other studies, creatine was found to increase GLUT by approximately 30% relative to control, but this effect failed to reach statistical significance. This study did not issue an exercise protocol.[207]
Trimethylglycine (TMG, betaine) is a dietary supplement and component of beet root, which is a methyl donor. It contributes to metabolic processes in the body which require a methyl group either directly (the methylation of homocysteine) or indirectly via replenishing the active form of folate or via replenishing S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe). As the synthesis of creatine (via GAMT) requires a donation from SAMe,[597] it is thought that TMG can aid in creatine synthesis, which has been noted in the rat liver in the absence of creatine supplementation.[598]
Arguably the most influential factor, exercise is what instigates muscle growth. When you exercise, especially if you engage in resistance training, it causes trauma to your muscles. This is exactly what you want because it’s this trauma that triggers a response from your body that grows your muscles. To repair the injury or damage to your muscles, special cells called satellite cells arrive. Typically, your muscle fibers thicken and lengthen in this process. (1)
my name is Samtak and i recently started experimenting with some supplements after about 4-6 months of working out. as of right now i have a protein shake once a day with gainers in the protein powder and am trying to figure out how to use beta alanine and creatine in combination with BCAA. Can anyone help me figure out how to set out a good plan for better effects from these supplements? my current weight is 60 kg and i am 16
Eat 1.5–3 grams of carbs per pound of your body weight. As with fat, this amount can vary greatly, depending on your personal needs and preferences, so consider these numbers only a starting point. If you’re very skinny and feel that you handle carbs well (i.e. you can eat a lot of them without getting fat), go ahead and eat according to the higher end of the spectrum. The same applies if you’re desperate to gain weight—you should increase your carb intake. If you’re prone to weight gain or feel lethargic on higher carbs, you should eat fewer of them. Again, see our keto guide for more details and options.
Recently, studies are coming out that show a general decline in testosterone levels of men in the United States and around the world. The trend is across the board and doesn’t appear to be caused simply by a decline in health, aging or an increase in obesity rates. It could be caused because of chemicals or environmental factors. In any case, low levels of testosterone can affect many areas of your health, including your ability to build muscle. If you suspect that you have low testosterone levels, you can ask your doctor to test you for it. In addition to traditional hormone therapies, there are also many natural ways to boost your levels including through supplements, some of which will be discussed later in this article.
COX-2, a pro-inflammatory enzyme, is sometimes a therapeutic target for both muscle soreness and some degenerative diseases that are exacerbated by inflammation. COX-2 inhibitors (in this study, rofecoxib) and creatine monohydrate both appear to protect dopaminergic neurons from being destroyed by toxins, and can protect in an additive manner, suggesting possible usage of both to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease.[230]
What kind of exercises? Work all major muscle groups, starting with the larger muscles. Always include exercises for opposing muscles: for example, work the biceps and triceps of your arms, and the quadriceps and hamstrings of your thighs. Avoid above-the-shoulder exercises if you have arthritis in your upper body, and talk to your doctor before using leg press machines if you have arthritis in your knees or hips.
Most weightlifters, athletes and bodybuilders know about creatine. They know it’s an important substance to take to give you an important edge in your workouts. Kaged Muscle made two different creatine products to give you the purest edge possible. They’re known as Kaged Muscle C-HCL Powder. There is a powder version and a capsule version. Keep Reading »
McArdle’s disease is a myopathy associated with impaired glucose release from glycogen and impairments in muscle function at times when glucose would be the primary energy substrate. Creatine is thought to be therapeutic, but has shown differing effects in the two trials so far (both benefit and worsening of symptoms) for currently unknown reasons.
The bulking and cutting strategy is effective because there is a well-established link between muscle hypertrophy and being in a state of positive energy balance.[19] A sustained period of caloric surplus will allow the athlete to gain more fat-free mass than they could otherwise gain under eucaloric conditions. Some gain in fat mass is expected, which athletes seek to oxidize in a cutting period while maintaining as much lean mass as possible.
He pointed to data sets in Mayo Clinic Proceedings that found resistance training reduced the risk of developing metabolic syndrome or hypercholesterolemia. “If you build muscle, even if you’re not aerobically active, you burn more energy because you have more muscle. This also helps prevent obesity and provide long-term benefits on various health outcomes.”
Creatine is produced endogenously at an amount of about 1 g/d. Synthesis predominately occurs in the liver, kidneys, and to a lesser extent in the pancreas. The remainder of the creatine available to the body is obtained through the diet at about 1 g/d for an omnivorous diet. 95% of the bodies creatine stores are found in the skeletal muscle and the remaining 5% is distributed in the brain, liver, kidney, and testes [1]. As creatine is predominately present in the diet from meats, vegetarians have lower resting creatine concentrations [2].
It’s not just about lifting—it’s about lifting safely and correctly. And if you’re not performing exercises properly, it’s impossible to make any progress. “When someone is just starting to work out, it can help to work closely with a knowledgeable personal trainer in order to learn proper form,” says Ingram. But that goes for experienced lifters, too. If you aren’t sure about a movement, it’s better to ask. “If you’re not working the correct muscles, you can’t expect them to grow,” explains Ingram.
To combat steroid use and in the hopes of becoming a member of the IOC, the IFBB introduced doping tests for both steroids and other banned substances. Although doping tests occurred, the majority of professional bodybuilders still used anabolic steroids for competition. During the 1970s, the use of anabolic steroids was openly discussed, partly due to the fact they were legal.[9] In the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990, U.S. Congress placed anabolic steroids into Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In Canada, steroids are listed under Schedule IV of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, enacted by the federal Parliament in 1996.[10]
The Branched-Chain Amino Acids, BCAAs for short, are leucine, valine and isoleucine. Essentially, its a form of protein powder for muscle gain or other uses. These essential amino acids are not made by the body but are found in foods such as meats, dairy products and legumes. In medicine, BCAAs are used for a number of conditions, however, for many uses, further research is necessary to determine whether or not treatment is effective.
A commercially available pre-workout formula comprised of 2.05 g of caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone, 7.9 g of L-leucine, L-valine, L-arginine and L-glutamine, 5 g of di-creatine citrate and 2.5 g of β-alanine mixed with 500 ml of water taken 10 minutes prior to exercise has been shown to enhance time to exhaustion during moderate intensity endurance exercise and to increase feelings of focus, energy and reduce subjective feelings of fatigue before and during endurance exercise due to a synergistic effect of the before mentioned ingredients [72]. The role of creatine in this formulation is to provide a neuroprotective function by enhancing the energy metabolism in the brain tissue, promoting antioxidant activities, improving cerebral vasculation and protecting the brain from hyperosmotic shock by acting as a brain cell osmolyte. Creatine can provide other neuroprotective benefits through stabilisation of mitochondrial membranes, stimulation of glutamate uptake into synaptic vesicles and balance of intracellular calcium homeostasis [72].
In addition to the BBB, SLC6A8 is also expressed on neurons and oligodendrocytes,[192] but is relatively absent from astrocytes, including the astrocytic feet[193][194] which line 98% of the BBB.[195] Creatine can still be transported into astrocytes (as well as cerebellar granule cells) via SLC6A8, as incubation with an SLC6A8 inhibitor prevents accumulation in vitro. It seems to be less active in a whole brain model, relative to other brain cells.[196]
Although research is underway, doctors do not know the long-term health effects of taking creatine supplements, especially in children who are still growing. Because of these unknown risks, children and adolescents younger than 18 years and pregnant or nursing women should never take creatine supplements. People with kidney problems also should never take creatine supplements.
In today's extra-large society, we tend to focus on the admirable guys who train hard and switch up their diet to transform their bodies by losing weight. We highlight their quests to lead healthier lives every chance we get — but there's another side of the wellness scale that can be just as difficult, depending on your body's makeup: Gaining mass and muscle.
In people whose kidneys don’t function optimally, supplemental creatine seems to be safe, too.[513][518][313][528] However, studies in people with suboptimal kidney function are fewer than in healthy people, and they are short-term. People with kidney dysfunction, or at risk for developing kidney dysfunction (e.g., people with diabetes, high blood pressure, or family history of kidney disease; people over sixty; and non-Hispanic blacks), might wish to forgo creatine, or otherwise take only the lowest effective dose (3 g/day)[527] after talking to their doctor.
There are countless reasons to lift weights and build strong muscles, including injury prevention, improved bone density, and a lower risk for type 2 diabetes and other diseases—not to forget that bad-ass feeling you get when you can haul a giant piece of furniture up the stairs all by yourself. Another often-cited benefit to strength training is that it will increase your metabolism. But how much does your metabolism increase with strength training? The answer depends on many different factors.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2404
|
__label__cc
| 0.550434
| 0.449566
|
Competitive and professional bodybuilders, however, can often build up to two to three pounds of muscle per month during dedicated bulking periods. "But they are living and breathing muscle growth. They aren't just in and out of the gym like most people," Simpson says, noting that under extreme conditions, hyperplasia, or the growth in the number of muscle cells in a given muscle tissue, may actually occur, further adding to muscle growth results.
A loading phase of 10g creatine monohydrate for two weeks and 4g for the final week in subjects with MELAS (Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy Lactic Acidosis and Stroke-like episodes) has been noted to increase physical strength relative to baseline, although the poor VO2 max seen in these subjects was not affected.[549] A case study exists in which a patient with a relatively novel mutation in their mitochondrial function (affecting cytochrome B) experienced benefits from creatine at 10g daily.[550] Researchers examining another case of MELAS found both cognitive and physical benefits with 5g creatine supplementation,[551] while four controlled case studies of 100-200mg/kg daily in children with myopathies found improved muscular endurance (30-57%) and muscular power (8-17%) after 100-200mg/kg daily for at least three months.[552]
In a study on Alpha-Lipoic Acid, 1,000mg of ALA paired with 100g sucrose and 20g creatine monohydrate was more effective in increasing muscular creatine levels relative to creatine alone and creatine combined with sucrose.[600] This apparent augmentation of creatine uptake into muscle cells was used alongside a loading period. Another study investigating a nutrient mixture (150g glucose, 20g creatine, 2g/kg bodyweight glycerol) on heat tolerance in trained athletes found that replacing one third (50g) of the glucose with 1g ALA resulted in no significant differences between groups (in regard to heat tolerance and cardiovascular performance) despite the reduction of 50g carbohydrate.[601]
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Momaya A, Fawal M, Estes R (April 2015). "Performance-enhancing substances in sports: a review of the literature". Sports Med. 45 (4): 517–531. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0308-9. PMID 25663250. Wilson et al. [91] demonstrated that when non-resistance trained males received HMB pre-exercise, the rise of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels reduced, and HMB tended to decrease soreness. Knitter et al. [92] showed a decrease in LDH and creatine phosphokinase (CPK), a byproduct of muscle breakdown, by HMB after a prolonged run. ... The utility of HMB does seem to be affected by timing of intake prior to workouts and dosage [97].
Kerksick, C. M., Wilborn, C. D., Campbell, W. I., Harvey, T. M., Marcello, B. M., Roberts, M. D., Parker, A. G., Byars, A. G., Greenwood, L. D., Almada, A. L., Kreider, R. B., and Greenwood, M. The effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation with and without D-pinitol on resistance training adaptations. J.Strength.Cond.Res. 2009;23(9):2673-2682. View abstract.
I get it. Bodybuilding is a subjective sport with judges that determine who wins based on the judges opinions. In the other resistance training sports you win objectively by outperforming your competitors. Bodybuilders also tend to work out differently with little concern for the weight being lifted, so long as the end result is a better-looking body. This can make bodybuilding type training seem narcissistic and shallow. That’s too bad because hard core resistance training athletes can learn a LOT from bodybuilders and how they train.
One rat study that compared male and female rats and used a forced swim test (as a measure of serotonergic activity of anti-depressants[227]) found that a sexual dimorphism existed, and females exerted a serotonin-mediated anti-depressant response while male rats did not.[228] It appears that these anti-depressive effects are mediated via the 5-HT1A subset of serotonin receptors, as the antidepressant effects can be abolished by 5-HT1A inhibitors.[229]
In otherwise healthy adults subject to leg immobilization for two weeks while taking 20g creatine daily during immobilization and then 5g daily during eight weeks of rehabilitation, it was noted that the creatine group failed to reduce atrophy during the immobilization (10% reduction in cross sectional area and 22-25% reduction in force output) despite preventing a decrease in phosphocreatine, yet experienced a significantly enhanced rate of regrowth and power recovery.[358] A similarly structured and dosed study has also noted greater expression of skeletal muscle, GLUT4 expression, and a 12% increase in muscle phosphocreatine content.[330]
One thing to keep in mind with this set is that it contains animal products from gelatin and milk. If you are vegan, do not consume these capsules. In terms of weight gain, it is important to note that these capsules do not contain calories. You need extra calories to gain weight. Above all, since this bulking stack requires you to take several pills daily, make sure to talk to your doctor before starting this supplement regimen.
While they don’t play a big role, your body’s lean body mass and muscle strength is somewhat influenced by genetics. Actually, it’s good that they don’t have too much of an influence. Why? Because that means you have more of an influence on your muscle mass through your lifestyle. You can control it! If genetics were a determining factor, there wouldn’t be much you could do to change your situation.
MuscleTech Cell-Tech could also be a solid pick for muscle growth. Detractors may not be a fan of the artificial ingredients, but there is evidence that including carbohydrates and alpha-lipoic acid with creatine may increase muscle creatine content. That said, this product uses a little less alpha-lipoic acid than was used in the study suggesting this synergistic effect.
In general, muscle content of creatine tends to be elevated to 15-20% above baseline (more than 20mM increase) in response to oral supplementation. People who get a sufficiently high influx of creatine are known as responders.[150][151][152][153] A phenomena known as “creatine nonresponse” occurs when people have less than a 10mM influx of creatine into muscle after prolonged supplementation.[154] Quasi-responders (10-20mM increase) also exist.[154] Nonresponse is thought to explain instances where people do not benefit from creatine supplementation in trials, since some trials that find no significant effect do find one when only investigating people with high creatine responsiveness.[155] There are clear differences between those who respond and those who do not, in regard to physical performance.[156] People who are creatine responsive tend to be younger, have higher muscle mass and type II muscle fiber content, but this has no correlation with dietary protein intake.[154][157]
Creatine monohydrate is the most common form of creatine, and if not otherwise mentioned is the default form of creatine used in most studies on creatine.[64] It has fairly decent intestinal absorption[65][12] (covered more in depth in the pharmacology section) and is the standard form or “reference” form of creatine, which all other variants are pitted against.
Homocysteine is produced after S-adenosyl methionine is used up (as donating a methyl group creates S-adenosylhomocysteine, which then produces homocysteine) mostly from phosphatidylcholine synthesis[307] and its reduction (via either methylation from trimethylglycine via betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase, urinary excretion, or convertion into L-cysteine via cystathionine beta-synthase[308]) is thought to be therapeutic for cardiovascular diseases.
Need the motivation to push past your comfort zone and squeeze out one more push-up or bicep curl? Sure, it helps to remember that you’ll get stronger, rock more toned muscles and rev your metabolism, thanks to all that added muscle mass. But if that wasn’t enough, now comes news that all that pump-itude (yes, that’s an SNL reference) has psychological benefits, too.
It is the intent of AMB WELLNESS PARTNERS LLC (“Sponsor") to operate products through this Website consistent with the work of Dr. Anthony Balduzzi, NMD. However, Sponsor is not a healthcare practitioner or provider. To the extent that any information is provided through this Website, it is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute or substitute for (i) medical advice or counseling, (ii) the practice of medicine including but not limited to psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, (iii) the creation of a physician-patient or clinical relationship, or (iv) an endorsement, a recommendation or a sponsorship of any third party, product or service by the Sponsor or any of the Sponsor's related companies, agents, employees, consultants or service providers. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements available on this Website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. FTC LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Results are atypical, and your results may vary. Testimonials are not purported to be typical results, and your weight loss, if any, may vary. Please see our full FTC Legal Disclaimer for a comprehensive disclaimer of risks of use, typical results, testimonials, & other legal items. READ FULL DISCLAIMER & TERMS.
Studies have deemed staying in the range of 3 to 5 g per day range for maintenance to be safe, and while higher levels have been tested under acute conditions without adverse effects, there isn’t sufficient evidence to determine long-term safety. (8) If you’re interested in upping your creatine consumption, you should work with your doctor or dietitian to make sure it's right for your goals and health history.
Researchers found that 5g of creatine four times daily for a week (loading) before sleep deprivation for 12-36 hours was able to preserve cognition during complex tasks of executive function at 36 hours only, without significant influence on immediate recall or mood.[279] A similar protocol replicated the failure to improve memory and attention, but noted less reports of fatigue (24 hours) and less decline of vigor (24 hours) although other mood parameters were not measured.[276]
Besides the obvious benefits of getting protein into your system, our vegan protein powder offers other benefits too. It’s one of the one of the best bodybuilding supplements for anyone –– regardless of their diet –– because it’s a Smooth Protein™. That means it’s organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, and non-allergenic, and it also doesn’t have that gritty texture and earthy flavor associated with other plant-based protein supplements.
Syrotuik and Bell [57] investigated the physical characteristics of responder and non-responder subjects to creatine supplementation in recreationally resistance trained men with no history of CM usage. The supplement group was asked to ingest a loading dosage of 0.3 g/kg/d for 5 days. The physiological characteristics of responders were classified using Greenhaff et al [58] criterion of >20 mmol/kg dry weight increase in total intramuscular creatine and phosphocreatine and non responders as <10 mmol/kg dry weight increase, a third group labeled quasi responders were also used to classify participants who fell in between the previously mentioned groups (10-20 mmol/kg dry weight). Overall, the supplemented group showed a mean increase in total resting muscle creatine and phosphocreatine of 14.5% (from 111.12 ± 8.87 mmol/kg dry weight to 127.30 ± 9.69 mmol/kg dry weight) whilst the placebo group remained relatively unaffected (from 115.70 ± 14.99 mmol/kg dry weight to 111.74 ± 12.95 mmol/kg dry weight). However when looking at individual cases from the creatine group the results showed a variance in response. From the 11 males in the supplemented group, 3 participants were responders (mean increase of 29.5 mmol/kg dry weight or 27%), 5 quasi responders (mean increase of 14.9 mmol/kg dry weight or 13.6%) and 3 non-responders (mean increase of 5.1 mmol/kg dry weight or 4.8%). Using muscle biopsies of the vastus lateralis, a descending trend for groups and mean percentage fiber type was observed. Responders showed the greatest percentage of type II fibers followed by quasi responders and non-responders. The responder and quasi responder groups had an initial larger cross sectional area for type I, type IIa and type IIx fibers. The responder group also had the greatest mean increase in the cross sectional area of all the muscle fiber types measured (type I, type IIa and type IIx increased 320, 971 and 840 μm2 respectively) and non-responders the least (type I, type IIa and type IIx increased 60, 46 and 78 μm2 respectively). There was evidence of a descending trend for responders to have the highest percentage of type II fibers; furthermore, responders and quasi responders possessed the largest initial cross sectional area of type I, IIa and IIx fibers. Responders were seen to have the lowest initial levels of creatine and phosphocreatine. This has also been observed in a previous study [17] which found that subjects whose creatine levels were around 150 mmol/Kg dry mass did not have any increments in their creatine saturation due to creatine supplementation, neither did they experience any increases of creatine uptake, phosphocreatine resynthesis and performance. This would indicate a limit maximum size of the creatine pool.
In females, the combination of SSRIs (to increase serotonin levels in the synapse between neurons) and creatine shows promise in augmenting the anti-depressive effects of SSRI therapy[230]. Another pilot study conducted on depression and females showed efficacy of creatine supplementation.[231] The one study measuring male subjects noted an increase in mood and minimal anti-depressive effects, but it is not know whether this is due to gender differences or the model studies (post-traumatic stress disorder).[232]
Anti-cancer effects have been observed with the creatine analogue cyclocreatine[456][104][457] and have been replicated with creatine itself. These effects tend to be a reduction in which the rate of implanted tumors progresses.[458][459] It is suspected that these observed effects (inhibition of growth or attenuation of the rate of growth) are not due to the bioenergetic effect of creatine, secondary to creatine kinase. These anti-cancer effects do not have a known reliability, as the expression of creatine kinase varies widely based on the type of tumor.[460] However, some studies suggest an inverse relationship between tumor progression in mice and concentrations of creatine in cells, with creatine depletion coinciding with tumor development.[460]
As mentioned, protein is essential for building muscle. If you are unable to consume the recommended amount of protein through diet alone, add protein powder for building muscle as a supplement. This applies to nearly anyone hoping to gain muscle mass since it’s not easy to pack in nearly 100 grams of protein a day through chicken, eggs and legumes alone.
Han:SPRD‐cy rats (human polycystic kidney disease model[514][515]) have pre-existing renal damage, which is accelerated upon ingestion of creatine supplementation at 0.3% of the diet for five days and 0.03-0.05% for the next 35 days (equivalent to human loading and maintenance).[516] During this particular disease state, renal water content and size progressively increases.[514][515] Since creatine supplementation furthered the increase by an additional 2.1%, it was thought that this property of creatine explained the 23% increased cyst scores seen relative to control.[516]
That said, many people experience stomach cramps when they consume creatine monohydrate and it’s possible that taking a creatine with a different pH — usually creatine hydrochloride — can have a different effect on stomach acid and make for a creatine that digests more easily. As far as we know, the easier digestion doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more effective or that you need less of it to achieve the desired result.
If you’re exercising at your maximum intensity, your body literally can’t produce enough ATP to keep up. (10) That’s where creatine supplements come in: They can help increase your body’s stores of phosphocreatine (an organic compound of creatine and phosphoric acid that’s stored in your muscle tissue) to produce new ATP during high-intensity exercise.
The materials and information provided in this presentation, document and/or any other communication (“Communication”) from Onnit Labs, Inc. or any related entity or person (collectively “Onnit”) are strictly for informational purposes only and are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a health problem or as a substitute for consulting a qualified medical professional. Some of the concepts presented herein may be theoretical.
If you're using a resistance band, keep in mind that one band might not cut it for your entire body. Different muscles have different strengths, so you may want to buy two different resistance bands in different thickness, which determines how difficult they'll be to use. In general, if you're able to complete 8 reps of an exercise using a band, you'll want to select another that provides a greater amount of resistance.
At the end of the day, yes, strength training does impact your metabolism, but any boost you get will be minimal and completely secondary to all of the other health benefits of strength training. Any change in metabolism or increase in calorie burn will vary widely from person to person, and depends on so many factors: your genetics, eating habits, health conditions, what workout you do that day, how much sleep you’re getting, and even how stressed you are on any given day. But incorporating a couple of strength training sessions into your fitness routine is worth doing no matter what—you’ll feel yourself get stronger, and put yourself in a position to say healthier throughout life. Those are the best, most promising benefits to work for.
Creatine, the amino acid, naturally helps your body produce more adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, a small molecule that’s actually your body's primary energy source. But research shows that your body is only capable of storing enough ATP for 8 to 10 seconds of high-intensity exercise — and after that, it needs to produce new ATP for you to continue. (9)
Bottom Line: Con-Cret is one of the best creatine HCI products available. Its unique use of creatine HCI allow it to offer all the great benefits of creatine, without the bloating and water retention that creatine monohydrate sometimes causes – making Con-Cret a good creatine to take if you’re concerned about the potential for bloating with other products.
Focus on form. Good form means you can reap all of the benefits of your workout and avoid injuries at the same time. To maintain proper form, pay attention to your posture (stand tall with chest lifted and abs held tight), move slowly (this ensures you're relying on muscles, not momentum, to do the lifting), and remember to breathe. Many people hold their breath while exerting, but exhaling during the hardest part of the exercise helps fuel the movement.
Our bodies store creatine in our muscles so that we have quick access to it for fast, high-intensity movements, like sprinting or powerlifting, explains Autumn Bates, a certified clinical nutritionist and sports nutritionist in private practice in Manhattan Beach, California. “It's a nonessential amino acid, meaning your body creates it and you don't need to primarily get it from food.”
Macrophages are known to express creatine kinase[290] and take creatine up from a medium through a sodium dependent mechanism (likely the creatine transporter) in a saturable manner,[435] with a second component that requires there to be no concentration gradient to work against (likely passive diffusion) but this effect tends to only account for up to 10% of total uptake in the physiological range (20-60µM).[435] Supraphysiological range was not tested.
In the 1970s, bodybuilding had major publicity thanks to the appearance of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Lou Ferrigno, and others in the 1977 docudrama Pumping Iron. By this time, the IFBB dominated the competitive bodybuilding landscape and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) took a back seat. The National Physique Committee (NPC) was formed in 1981 by Jim Manion,[7] who had just stepped down as chairman of the AAU Physique Committee. The NPC has gone on to become the most successful bodybuilding organization in America and is the amateur division of the IFBB. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the decline of AAU-sponsored bodybuilding contests. In 1999, the AAU voted to discontinue its bodybuilding events.
Creatine has been found to increase skeletal muscle glycogen when given to sedentary adults for a loading and maintenance phase for 37 days at 2g (13.5% after five days of loading, but returning to baseline at the end of the trial). Exercise was not enforced in this study.[207] This study also noted that, despite a normalization of glycogen after the trial, total creatine and ATP was still higher than placebo,[207] and a loading protocol appears to have failed elsewhere in increasing glycogen stores in sedentary people subject to an aerobic exercise test before and after the loading phase.[349]
If there are any benefits for swimming performance from creatine supplementation, they appear to be limited to a 50 meter sprint or a handful of 50 meter sprints with short intermissions. Excessive sprinting (over six sprints with short breaks) or too long of a break (five minutes rather than two) seem to not be associated with the benefits of creatine supplementation.
Taking creatine supplements may increase the amount of creatine in the muscles. Muscles may be able to generate more energy or generate energy at a faster rate. Some people think that taking creatine supplements along with training will improve performance by providing quick bursts of intense energy for activities such as sprinting and weightlifting.
As scientific research progressed, it became apparent that the best types of protein came from milk and eggs. That led to the next great revolution in sports nutrition, namely the engineered food, pioneered by Scott Connelly, M.D., a critical care specialist from Northern California who teamed with a young entrepreneur named Bill Phillips from Golden, Colorado.
Heath bent his legs — each thigh about 32 inches around, bigger than his waist — and lifted the black case. Inside was his latest Mr. Olympia trophy. In bodybuilding, it is called the Sandow, and Heath has won the last six, most recently in Las Vegas in September. Arnold Schwarzenegger, still the world’s most famous bodybuilder, won six in a row, too, and then a seventh a few years later. Two men, Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman, have won eight.
^ Jump up to: a b c Brioche T, Pagano AF, Py G, Chopard A (April 2016). "Muscle wasting and aging: Experimental models, fatty infiltrations, and prevention". Mol. Aspects Med. 50: 56–87. doi:10.1016/j.mam.2016.04.006. PMID 27106402. In conclusion, HMB treatment clearly appears to be a safe potent strategy against sarcopenia, and more generally against muscle wasting, because HMB improves muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. It seems that HMB is able to act on three of the four major mechanisms involved in muscle deconditioning (protein turnover, apoptosis, and the regenerative process), whereas it is hypothesized to strongly affect the fourth (mitochondrial dynamics and functions). Moreover, HMB is cheap (~30– 50 US dollars per month at 3 g per day) and may prevent osteopenia (Bruckbauer and Zemel, 2013; Tatara, 2009; Tatara et al., 2007, 2008, 2012) and decrease cardiovascular risks (Nissen et al., 2000). For all these reasons, HMB should be routinely used in muscle-wasting conditions especially in aged people. ... 3 g of CaHMB taken three times a day (1 g each time) is the optimal posology, which allows for continual bioavailability of HMB in the body (Wilson et al., 2013).
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2405
|
__label__wiki
| 0.910233
| 0.910233
|
UMB Commencement 2019: Keynote Speaker Barbara Pierce Bush
April 16, 2019 Lou Cortina
She is co-founder and board chair of nonprofit Global Health Corps, which places young professionals in one-year fellowships to help tackle health care inequities.
During the month leading up to UMB’s commencement on Thursday, May 16, The Elm will feature stories on the ceremony’s keynote speaker, honorary degree recipients, marshals, student remarker, and more. For more information, go to UMB's Commencement 2019 website.
Today: Keynote speaker Barbara Pierce Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush believes in the power of partnership and that health is a human right. Ten years ago, she combined those beliefs into action as co-founder of Global Health Corps (GHC), a nonprofit committed to mobilizing young professionals in an effort to boost health equity around the world.
And as the keynote speaker at the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) commencement on May 16, she’s eager and excited to tell the Class of 2019 about GHC, its fellows, and their inspirational work.
“Our fellows work every day to make a difference in the world,” says Bush, chair of the nonprofit’s board of directors and its former CEO. “Their stories are not dissimilar to those of the UMB graduates — young leaders who have the skills, drive, and passion to make a positive impact on the world and serve others.”
Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, was first moved to action in the area of global health equity in the summer of 2003, when as a Yale student she accompanied her father on a trip across eastern Africa as he launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Once thinking of a career as an architect, she switched gears, graduated with a degree in humanities, and began to focus on global health.
“I was in college, and I vividly remember landing in Uganda, and there were hundreds of people waiting in the streets for drugs that had been available in the United States for years,” Bush recalls. “Those stark images of the inequity that exists in the world certainly blew my 21-year-old mind, and it taught me an unbelievable lesson of not stepping back.”
Bush certainly has stepped forward, co-founding Global Health Corps in 2009 and serving as its CEO until January 2018. Since its inception, GHC has placed more than 1,000 professionals from 40-plus countries into one-year paid fellowships with government health entities or nonprofits in eastern Africa, southern Africa, and the United States. The fellows, who help to fill areas of need in those organizations, work in teams of two — one national fellow and one international fellow.
And fellowships are not given only to those from the medical fields. A fan of interprofessional collaboration, a hallmark at UMB, Bush believes it takes a variety of professionals to tackle health inequity. For instance, GHC fellows with architectural backgrounds helped design a system that changed the way air flows through a health center in Rwanda, decreasing the risk of spreading tuberculosis, and other fellows have worked on improving drug-delivery methods in impoverished African communities.
“We need finance gurus and supply chain analysts, architects and designers, and educators and journalists,” Bush says. “We need leaders with diverse skill sets to come together to solve the most complex challenges and ensure everyone has access to quality health care. This is who we’ve been recruiting and training at Global Health Corps.”
Under Bush’s leadership, GHC made sure its training integrated leadership and professional development with self-reflection and personal learning, building skills that are essential for effective and ethical leadership. The organization also is committed to diversity, describing it as the key to driving its fellows’ ability to be empathetic and effective leaders in the health equity movement.
“Diversity and inclusion matter enormously in global health,” Bush says. “Historically, the people who have effected change in global health have often been from medical backgrounds. They’ve often been academic, and they’ve often been Western. And while we’ve made tremendous strides in global health, it is critical to acknowledge that change-makers can come from everywhere.”
Bush’s work with GHC has not gone unnoticed. In 2011, she was named one of Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year. In 2013, Newsweek recognized her as one of its Women of Impact. In 2014, she was named one of Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs. And in 2018, she won the Skoll Foundation’s Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Bush also is a member of UNICEF’s Next Generation Steering Committee and has served on the board of directors of Covenant House International, PSI, and the United Nations’ Global Entrepreneurs Council.
The awards are nice, but Bush says she’s most proud of the community of global leaders GHC has cultivated and then connected to a wide range of health entities, as well as the fact that 95 percent of fellows remain in the global health field beyond their one-year GHC tenure.
“Each leader individually is incredible — committed to health equity, eager to learn from others, and willing to show up day after day and listen, regardless of the challenge they and their team are facing,” Bush says. “But collectively, this network blows me away. It’s incredibly rewarding to see young leaders who are deeply passionate about health but don’t necessarily see how they fit in the sector complete the fellowship and emerge with a deeper understanding, passion, and commitment to being health equity advocates for life.”
And her advice to UMB’s graduates? Stay open to new ideas and don’t be afraid to explore new avenues in your career.
“I was on a clear path to becoming an architect, a job I’d always dreamed of,” Bush says. “And, lucky for me, I didn’t stick to that path. Instead, I nurtured the voice in my mind that was always interested in reading about global health and said yes to a number of moments in life that led to the founding of Global Health Corps. For that, my life is so much bigger than it would’ve ever been.”
Read more about the commencement speakers and honorees at the link below.
Health Happenings Unspecified
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2413
|
__label__wiki
| 0.933753
| 0.933753
|
Taft family
The Taft family of the United States has historic origins in Massachusetts;[1] its members have served Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, and the United States in various positions such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator (two), U.S. Representative (two), Attorney General, Secretary of War (two), United States Secretary of Agriculture, President of the United States, and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
New England, United States
Norwich, Norfolk, England
County Louth, Ireland
Connected families
Taft-Lippitt-Chafee family, Rowley
Estate(s)
Ohio compound
The first known ancestor of the Taft family is Richard Robert Taft, who died in County Louth, Ireland in 1700, and which is where his son, Robert Taft Sr., was born circa 1640. Robert Taft Sr. would be the first Taft to migrate to the United States. He married his wife Sarah Simpson, who was born in January 1640 in England, in 1668 in Braintree, Massachusetts. Robert Taft Sr. began a homestead in what is today Uxbridge and then Mendon, circa 1680, and which was where he and his wife died in 1725 and 1726 respectively. His son, Robert Taft Jr., was a member of the founding Board of Selectmen for the new town of Uxbridge in 1727.
A branch of the Massachusetts Taft family descended from Daniel Taft Sr., son of Robert Taft Sr., born at Braintree, 1677–1761, died at Mendon. Daniel, a justice of the peace in Mendon, had a son Josiah Taft, later of Uxbridge,[2] who died in 1756. This branch of the Taft family claims America's first woman voter, Lydia Taft, and five generations of Massachusetts legislators and public servants beginning with Lydia's husband, Josiah Taft.[3]
The Tafts were very prominently represented as soldiers in the Revolutionary War, mostly in the New England states. Peter Rawson Taft I was born in Uxbridge in 1785 and moved to Townshend, Vermont circa 1800. He became a Vermont state legislator. He died in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. His son, Alphonso Taft, was born in Townshend, Vermont, and attended Yale University, where he founded the Skull and Bones society. He later was Secretary of War and Attorney General of the United States and the father of President William Howard Taft.[4] Elmshade in Massachusetts was the site of Taft family reunions such as in 1874.[5]
The American Taft family began with Robert Taft Sr. who immigrated to Braintree, Massachusetts circa, 1675. There was early settlement at Mendon, Massachusetts circa 1669 and again in 1680 at what was later Uxbridge, after the King Philip's War ended.[6] Robert's homestead was in western Mendon, in what later became Uxbridge, and his son was on the founding board of selectmen. In 1734, Benjamin Taft started an iron forge, in Uxbridge, where some of the earliest beginnings of America's industrial revolution began. Robert Sr.'s son, Daniel, a justice of the peace in Mendon had a son Josiah Taft, later of Uxbridge,[6] who died in 1756. Josiah's widow became "America's first woman voter", Lydia Chapin Taft, when she voted in three Uxbridge town meetings.[3] President George Washington visited Samuel Taft's Tavern in Uxbridge in 1789 on his "inaugural tour" of New England.[7] President William Howard Taft's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft I, was born in Uxbridge in 1785.[8] The Hon. Bezaleel Taft Sr., Lydia's son, left a legacy of five generations or more of public service, including at least three generations in the state legislature of Tafts in Massachusetts.[9][10][11][12] Ezra Taft Benson, Sr, a famous Mormon pioneer, lived here between 1817–1835, and married his first wife Pamela, of Northbridge, in 1832.[13] This family eventually became an American political dynasty
The first settler: Robert Taft Sr.Edit
Robert Taft Sr. (c. 1640-1725); The famous Taft family in America developed its roots in Mendon and Uxbridge. Robert Taft, Sr came here from Braintree. The original American Taft homestead was in western Mendon, which later became Uxbridge, and was built by Robert Taft Sr., the first immigrant, in 1681.[6] Robert Taft Sr. had built an earlier home in 1669, but it was abandoned due to King Philip's War. Robert Taft Sr.'s descendants are a large politically active family with descendants who are prominent in Ohio, but live throughout the U.S.A.
Robert Taft Jr.; was born in 1674 to Robert Sr., and Sarah Taft at Braintree. He grew up in the western part of Mendon in what later became Uxbridge. He became a founding member of the Uxbridge Board of Selectmen in 1727.[14] Robert Taft Jr. may have been the first American Taft to hold political office. His descendants included a Governor of Rhode Island, Royal Chapin Taft, a United States Senator from Ohio, Kingsley Arter Taft, and a U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson II, among others.
America's first woman voter and her descendantsEdit
Lydia Chapin Taft; Noteworthy among early Uxbridge residents was Lydia Chapin Taft, a Mendon native by birth, who voted in three official Uxbridge town meetings, beginning in 1756.[3] She was the widow of Robert Taft Sr.'s grandson, Josiah Taft, who had served in the Colonial Legislature. Josiah was the son of Daniel Taft of Mendon. Taft was America's First Woman Voter.[3] This is recognized by the Massachusetts legislature. Her first historic vote, a first in Women's suffrage, was in favor of appropriating funds for the regiments engaged in the French and Indian War.
Hon. Bezaleel Taft Sr., Lydia's son, held the rank of Captain in the American Revolution, and answered the Battle of Lexington and Concord Alarm [11] on April 18, 1775, while Lydia looked on. He went on to become a prominent Massachusetts legislator, and State Senator.[9] At least 12 soldiers with the surname of Taft served in the Revolutionary War from the town of Uxbridge. Many more Tafts from throughout the former colonies also served in the War of Independence.
Hon. Bezaleel Taft Jr., the son, followed a legislative career in the Massachusetts General Court, the state Senate, and the State Executive Council.[9]
Elmshade- Bezaleel Taft Jr. and five generations of influential Taft's lived in a historic home known as Elmshade which was a gathering place for Taft family reunions, and which is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Young William Howard Taft and his father, Alphonso Taft, Secretary of War and founder of Skull and Bones at Yale, visited this home on a number of occasions.
George Spring Taft, Bezaleel Jr.'s son, was the county prosecutor, and Secretary to U.S. Senator, George Hoar.[9] George Spring Taft also lived at Elmshade.
The tradition of public service continued for at least five generations in this Massachusetts branch of the Taft family. The "Life of Alphonso Taft by Lewis Alexander Leonard", on Google Books, is a particularly rich source of the history of the Taft family origins in Massachusetts.[4]
Other local Tafts Other local Tafts in political service in the Massachusetts legislature included Arthur M. Taft, Arthur Robert Taft, and Zadok Arnold Taft. Royal Chapin Taft, originally from Northbridge, became the Governor of Rhode Island. The number of Tafts in public service across America was extraordinary including New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Ohio, Michigan, Utah, and other states.
A Presidential visitEdit
First President's visit; Samuel Taft was an American Revolutionary War soldier, father of 22, an Uxbridge farmer and tavern keeper. President George Washington stayed at the Samuel Taft Tavern in November 1789, during the founding father's inaugural trip through New England.[7]
Being informed that you have given my name to one of your sons, and called another after Mrs. Washington's family, and being moreover very much pleased with the modest and innocent looks of your two daughters, Patty and Polly, I do for these reasons send each of these girls a piece of chintz; and to Patty, who bears the name of Mrs.Washington, and who waited more upon us than Polly did, I send five guineas, with which she may buy herself any little ornament she may want, or she may dispose of them in any other manner more agreeable to herself. As I do not give these things with a view to having it talked of, or even to its being known, the less there is said about the matter the better you will please me; but, that I may be sure the chintz and money have got safe to hand, let Patty, who I dare say is equal to it, write me a line informing me thereof, directed to 'The President of the United States at New York.' I wish you and your family well, and am,
etc. Yours,
– Letter to Mr. Samuel Taft, written from Hartford, Connecticut on November 8, 1789[7]
Mendon-Uxbridge connections to the Ohio Tafts, Presidential ancestorsEdit
President William Howard Taft's grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft I, was born in Uxbridge in 1785 and grew up there. His father Aaron moved to Townshend, Vermont, because of the difficult economy, when he was fifteen. The story is told that Peter Rawson walked a cow all the way from Uxbridge to Townshend, a distance of well over 100 miles. The "Aaron Taft house" is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Peter Rawson Taft I became a Vermont legislator and eventually died in Hamilton County, Cincinnati, Ohio.[8][15] Peter Rawson Taft's son, Alphonso Taft, founded Skull and Bones at Yale, served as U.S. Secretary of War, and his son William Howard became the U.S. President. The ancestry of U.S. presidents traces to Uxbridge and Mendon more than once, including both presidents bearing the last name Bush.[16] President Taft, a champion for world peace and the only president to also serve as Chief Justice of the United States returned to Uxbridge for family reunions.[4][9][17] He remarked as he stepped off the train there on April 3, 1905, "Uxbridge,... I think I have more relatives here than in any town in America."[9] Young William Howard Taft had made other trips to Uxbridge, and Bezaleel Taft, Jr's home, "Elmshade", in his earlier years. It was at "Elmshade" that young William Howard Taft likely heard his father, Alphonso Taft, proudly deliver an oratory on the Taft family history and the family's roots in Uxbridge, and Mendon, circa 1874.[4][9] President Taft stayed at the Samuel Taft tavern when he visited Uxbridge, as did George Washington 120 years earlier.[9][17] The New York Times recorded President Taft's visits to his ancestral homes in Mendon and Uxbridge during his Presidency.[17] William Howard Taft, as a young boy, spent a number of summers in the Blackstone Valley in Millbury, Massachusetts, and even attended schools for at least a term in that nearby town.
A Mormon apostleEdit
Ezra T. Benson (to distinguish him from his famous great-grandson, Ezra Taft Benson), a Mendon and Uxbridge native, is famous as a key early apostle of the Mormons religion. His own autobiography states that he lived in Uxbridge between 1817–1835, or about 17 years, after his mother, Chloe Taft and father, John Benson, moved to a farm there.[18] Young Ezra married Pamela Andrus, of Northbridge, on January 1, 1832, at Uxbridge. He had moved in with his family in an Uxbridge center Hotel in 1827. He and Pamela lived here in the 1830s, had children, and had a child who died, which is recorded in the Uxbridge Vital Records.[19] He later managed and owned the hotel in Uxbridge Center before investing in a cotton mill at Holland, Massachusetts. He moved to Holland Mass in 1835.[18] He later moved to Illinois, and became a Mormon apostle. Ezra joined the LDS Church at Quincy, Illinois in 1840, entered plural marriages, marrying seven more wives after Pamela. He was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by Brigham Young in 1846, a high post within the LDS Church. He had eight wives and 32 children.[13] He was a Missionary to the Sandwich Islands, also known as Hawaii. He served as a Representative to the Utah Territorial Assembly. He died in Ogden, Utah, in 1869.
Tafts in the Blackstone Valley's industrializationEdit
Benjamin Taft started the first iron forge in the Ironstone section of Uxbridge in 1734[9] There was good quality "bog iron ore" here. Caleb Handy added a triphammer, and scythes and guns were manufactured here before 1800. The Taft family continued to be instrumental in the early industrialization of the Blackstone Valley including mills built by a 4th generation descendent of Robert Taft I, the son of Deborah Taft, Daniel Day in 1810, and his son in law, Luke Taft (1825) and Luke's son, Moses Taft in (1852).[9] These woolen mills, some of the first to use power looms, and satinets, ran 24/7 during the Civil War producing cloth for U.S. military uniforms.[9] The 1814 Rivulet Mill Complex was established at North Uxbridge by Chandler Taft. In 1855, 2.5 Million yards of cloth was produced in the mills of Uxbridge.[20] Uxbridge is the center of the Blackstone Valley, the earliest industrialized region in the United States. It is part of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Samuel Slater, who built his mill in (1790), at Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on the Blackstone River, was credited by President Andrew Jackson as the father of America's industrial revolution.
Mayor Henry Chapin: an Uxbridge "Taft" storyEdit
In 1864, Judge Henry Chapin, a three-term Worcester Mayor, and Chief Judge, quoted a well known Uxbridge story as follows: A stranger came to town, met a new person and said, "Hello Mr. Taft". Mr. Taft said, "How did you know my name?" The stranger replied, "I presumed that you were a Taft, just like the other 12 Tafts I have just met!".[21] This story was repeated in a poem form by Mayor Chapin, at a famous Taft family reunion here,[where?] recorded in the Life of Alphonso Taft.[4]
Family treeEdit
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Taft family" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Prominent members of the Taft family include:
Robert Taft Sr.
Joseph Taft
Robert Taft Jr.
Daniel Taft Sr., Esq.
Robert Taft Sr. (1640–1724), the immigrant
Descendants of Joseph TaftEdit
Joseph Taft (1680–1747), son of Robert Taft Sr.
Peter Taft (1715–1783)
Aaron Taft (1743–1808)
Peter Rawson Taft I (1785–1867), member of the Vermont legislature
Alphonso Taft (1810–1891), U.S. secretary of war (1876), U.S. attorney general (1876–1877); married first to Fanny Phelps, and second to his cousin Louisa Maria Torrey (see below)
Charles Phelps Taft I (1843–1929), U.S. representative (1895–1897), publisher (The Cincinnati Times-Star), U.S. representative, owner of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1905 to 1913 and Chicago Cubs from 1914 to 1916. Married Anna Sinton, daughter of David Sinton.
Jane Taft, married Albert S. Ingalls, son of Melville E. Ingalls
David Sinton Ingalls (1899–1985), flying ace in World War I, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Aeronautics from 1929-1932, candidate for governor of Ohio (1932). Married Louise Hale Harkness, daughter of William L. Harkness and granddaughter of Daniel M. Harkness.
Peter Rawson Taft II (1846–1889), m. Annie Matilda Hulbert.
Hulbert Taft Sr.: (1878–1959), Publisher, associate editor, and reporter for the Cincinnati Times Star.
David Gibson Taft (1916–1962), Businessman, Vice-Chairman of the board of Taft Broadcasting Company. Served as Executive Vice President of Radio Cincinnati, Taft Broadcasting's predecessor. In 1955 he was made manager of WKRC-TV. WWII served as captain in the US Army and liaison officer for General Joe Stillwell.
Hulbert Taft Jr. (1907–1967), Broadcaster (Taft Broadcasting)
Dudley S. Taft Sr. (b. 1940): businessman, President and Board Chairman of Taft Broadcasting, Cinergy, Tribune Co.
Dudley S. Taft Jr. (b. 1966): Blues musician, Sweetwater guitarist, Second Coming guitarist, Dudley Taft Band, Co-wrote "Unknown Rider" for 1999 film The Sixth Sense
Thomas Woodall Taft (b. 1969): actor, writer, businessman, founder of Southern Star Interactive.
William Howard Taft I (1857–1930), U.S. president (1909–1913), U.S. chief justice (1921–1930), U.S. secretary of war (1904–1908)
Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (1889–1953), U.S. senator from Ohio (1939–1953), three-time unsuccessful Presidential candidate (1940, 1948, 1952). Married Martha Wheaton Bowers, daughter of Lloyd Wheaton Bowers
William Howard Taft III (1915–1991), ambassador to Ireland
William Howard Taft IV (b. 1945), Deputy Secretary of Defense (1984-1989), chief legal adviser to the U.S. Department of State (2001-2005). Married Julia Ann Vadala Taft.
William Howard Taft V (b. 1978), lawyer, member of the International Commercial Disputes Committee of the New York City Bar Association
Robert A Taft Jr. (1917–1993), U.S. senator from Ohio (1971–1976)
Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft III (b. 1942), governor of Ohio (1999–2007)
Lloyd Bowers Taft (1923-1985), investment banker in Cincinnati
Horace Dwight Taft (1925–1983), physics professor and dean of faculty at Yale University[22]
John G. Taft (b. 1954), financier and writer[23]
Helen Herron Taft Manning (1891–1987), professor of history and college dean, married Frederick Johnson Manning
Charles Phelps Taft II (1897–1983), Charterite Cincinnati mayor (1955–1957), Cincinnati city council member (1938–1942), Hamilton County, Ohio, prosecutor (1927–1928), candidate for governor of Ohio (1952), candidate for Republican nomination for Ohio governor (1958)
Seth Chase Taft (1922–2013), candidate for Ohio Senate (1962); candidate for mayor of Cleveland, Ohio (1967); candidate for Republican nomination for governor of Ohio (1982)
Peter Rawson Taft III, United States Assistant Attorney General Department of Justice; married to Diana Todd
Henry Waters Taft (1859–1945), candidate for justice of New York Court of Appeals (1898); New York delegate to Republican National Convention (1920, 1924); named partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft (from 1919)
Walbridge Smith Taft (1885–1951), candidate for U.S. representative from New York
William Howard Taft II (1887–1952)
Horace Dutton Taft (1861–1943), author, founder of The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut
Descendants of Robert Taft Jr.Edit
Robert Taft Jr. (1674–1748), Founding Board of Selectmen, Town of Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Robert Taft III (1697–1777)
Robert Taft IV (1724–1787)
Lovett Taft (1756–1837)
Aurin Post Taft (1788–1861)
Frederick Lovett Taft I (1811–1869)
Newton Archibald Taft (1843–1890)
Frederick Lovett Taft II (1870–1913)
Kingsley Arter Taft (1903–1970), U.S. senator, chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
David Taft, COO of Landec Corp., trustee of Kenyon College
Sheldon A. Taft, candidate for Ohio Supreme Court judgeship
Charles Newton Taft (1904–1980)
William Wilson Taft (b. 1932), Ohio state senator
William Wilson Taft Jr., musician
Israel Taft
Jacob Taft
Jacob Taft, married to his 1st cousin once removed, Mary Taft
Orsmus Taft
Royal Chapin Taft, Governor of Rhode Island (1888–1889)
Eastman Taft, married to his 2nd cousin, Hannah Taft
Chloe Taft
Ezra Taft Benson I (1811 – 1869), Mormon apostle and Representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature
George Taft Benson Sr.
George Taft Benson Jr.
Ezra Taft Benson II, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Leader of the LDS Church 1985-94
Bonnie Amussen Benson
Mark Benson Madsen, Utah State Senate 2002-current
Mark A. Benson
Steve Benson (b. 1954), Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist
Michael T. Benson (b. 1965), President of Eastern Kentucky University, Southern Utah University, and Snow College
Huldah Taft
Chloe Daniel
Anna Davenport
Samuel Davenport Torrey
Louisa Maria Torrey (1827-1907), married to her 4th cousin twice removed, Alphonso Taft (see above)
John Taft
Jesse Taft
Hannah Taft, married to her 2nd cousin, Eastman Taft (see above)
Mary Taft, married to her 1st cousin once removed, Jacob Taft (see above)
Descendants of Daniel Taft Sr.Edit
Daniel Taft Sr., Massachusetts General Court, Colonial Legislature
Daniel Taft Jr.
Nathan Taft
Zadok Lovell Taft
Don Carlos Taft
Lorado Zadoc Taft, sculptor
Emily Taft Douglas, Congresswoman, U.S. representative
Josiah Taft, Massachusetts General Court, Legislature-married to Lydia Taft, America's First Woman Voter
Hon. Bezaleel Taft Sr. Massachusetts General Court, Legislature
Hon. Bezaleel Taft Jr. Massachusetts General Court, Legislature
George Spring Taft, Secretary for U.S. Senator George Hoar
Collins familyEdit
The related Collins family tree:
Ela Collins (1786–1848), New York Assemblyman 1815, U.S. Representative from New York 1823-1825. Father of William Collins.[24]
William Collins (1818–1878), U.S. Representative from New York 1847-1849. Uncle of Helen Herron, who married President William Howard Taft.[25]
Lippitt familyEdit
The related Lippitt family tree:
Christopher Lippitt (1744–1824) Revolutionary War officer, legislator, manufacturer
Henry Lippitt (1818–1891), Governor of Rhode Island 1875-1877. Father of Charles W. Lippitt and Henry F. Lippitt.[26]
Charles W. Lippitt (1846–1924), Governor of Rhode Island 1895-1897. Son of Henry Lippitt.[27]
Henry F. Lippitt (1856–1933), U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 1911-1917. Son of Henry Lippitt and married Lucy Herron Laughlin, sister of Helen Herron, who married President William Howard Taft.[28]
Frederick Lippitt (1916-2005), Rhode Island State Representative 1961-1983. Military officer, political figure and philanthropist.
Chafee familyEdit
John Chafee (1922–1999), Rhode Island State Representative 1957-1963, Governor of Rhode Island 1963-1969, U.S. Secretary of the Navy 1969-1972, candidate for U.S. Senate from Rhode Island 1972, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 1976-1999. Grandnephew of Henry F. Lippitt.[29]
Lincoln Chafee (b. 1953), Mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island 1992-1999; U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 1999-2007; Governor of Rhode Island 2011–2015 and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate. Son of John Chafee.[30]
OthersEdit
Thomas Wilson (1827–1910), delegate to the Minnesota Constitutional Convention 1857, District Court Judge in Minnesota 1857-1864, Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court 1864-1865, Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court 1865-1869, Minnesota State Representative 1880-1882, Minnesota State Senator 1880-1882, U.S. Representative from Minnesota 1887-1889, candidate for Governor of Minnesota 1890. Grandfather of Martha Wheaton Bowers, who married Senator Robert A. Taft.[31]
John W. Herron, delegate to the Ohio Constitutional Convention 1873, U.S. Attorney in Ohio 1889-1894. Father-in-law of President William Howard Taft.[32]
Paul Douglas (1892–1976), Chicago, Illinois Councilman; candidate for U.S. Senate from Illinois 1942, U.S. Senator from Illinois 1949-1967. Husband of Emily Taft Douglas.[33]
^ Leonard, Lewis Alexander (1920). Life of Alphonso Taft. New York: Hawke publishing Company (incorporated). OCLC 392382.
^ Crane, Ellery Bicknell (1907). Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memories of Worcester County, MA with a history of Worcester Society of Antiquity;. Chicago and New York: Lewis. p. 223.
^ a b c d "Uxbridge Breaks Tradition and Makes History: Lydia Chapin Taft, by Carol Masiello". Blackstone Daily. Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
^ a b c d e Leonard, Lewis Alexander. "The Life of Alphonso Taft" by Google Books. Leonard, Lewis Alexander (1920). Life of Alphonso Taft. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
^ "Walking Tour". Blackstone Daily. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
^ a b c "Early Taft Genealogy". Access Genealogy. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
^ a b c Chapin, Judge Henry (1881). Address Delivered at the Unitarian Church in Uxbridge, 1864. Worcester, MA. p. 172.
^ a b "Descendants of Robert and Sarah Taft". rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Uxbridge Walking Tour". Blackstone Daily. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
^ "Taft descendants". rootsweb. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
^ a b "Tafts Massachusetts Revolutionary War". rootsweb. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
^ "Tafts Descendants 5". freepages. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
^ a b "Ezra T. Benson". gapages.com. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
^ Marvin, Rev. Abijah Perkins (1879). History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Embracing a Comprehensive History of the County from its earliest beginnings to the present time; Vol. lI. Boston, MA: CF Jewitt and Company. pp. 421–436.
^ "History of Hamilton County". heritage pursuit. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
^ "Ancestry of George W. Bush". William Addams Reitwiesner. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
^ a b c "Taft visits Home of His Ancestors" (PDF). New York Times. 1910-08-20. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
^ a b "Early Saints". boap.org. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
^ Mass., Uxbridge (1851). Vital Records of Uxbridge, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Thomas Williams Baldwin. p. 409. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
^ "MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Uxbridge; Report Date: 1984 Associated Regional Report: Central Massachusetts;" (PDF). Massachusetts Historical Commission;. 1984. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
^ Chapin, Judge Henry (1881). Address Delivered at the Unitarian Church in Uxbridge; 1864. Worcester, Mass.
^ E. Clark, Alfred (February 14, 1983). "Horace Dwight Taft, Physics Professor at Yale". The New York Times. New York City, New York, United States. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^ McPhee, Martha (December 11, 1977). "Miss McPhee Is Betrothed To John Taft". The New York Times. New York City, New York, United States. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^ COLLINS, Ela - Biographical Information
^ The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Collins, U to Z
^ The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Linna to Littinsky
^ "Rhode Island Governor Charles Warren Lippitt". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
^ Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "Taft family". The Political Graveyard. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010.
^ "John Chafee (R) Senate - Rhode Island". The Washington Post.
^ Our Campaigns - Candidate - Lincoln Chafee
^ The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Wilson, S to T
^ The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Herridge to Hespel
^ Paul H. Douglas
Taft Family Genealogy Page
The Political Graveyard - Taft Family
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taft_family&oldid=906253275"
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2415
|
__label__wiki
| 0.657519
| 0.657519
|
Yoshiko Sakurai - Official web site - https://yoshiko-sakurai.jp/
CHINA PLOTS TO DIVIDE EUROPE AS FIRST STEP TOWARDS AMERICA’S DOWNFALL AS SUPERPOWER
The friction between the US and China is growing more intense.
With China appearing to be driven into a corner in its trade war with America, President Xi Jinping left Beijing on March 21 on a six-day visit to Italy, Monaco, and France.
Xi stayed in Rome March 22-23 ostensibly to push his “Belt and Road” initiative. But his real aim was to divide the European Union and ultimately impair US-Europeanrelations—one of the crucial pillars of America’ world strategy.
Xi’s visit to Italy this time drew international attention as a vital factor that could affect, without exaggeration, the entire geopolitical dynamics of the world going forward. Whether Italy will come under China’s influence or manage to hold its ground as a free economy may be a turning point in determining whether the EU stays together or breaks up.
With this as the background, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte did in fact agree with Xi to join hands in pursuing the Chinese initiative. Italy thus became the first G7 nation to formally sign the Belt and Road document.
Professor Tadae Takubo, an international affairs expert and Deputy Director of the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, a privately-financed Tokyo think tank that I head, asserted:
“I think it reasonable to judge that China cleared the first hurdle towards its objective to drive a wedge into the EU. I am pretty sure the Chinese saw Italy as the weakest link in the union. The Italian economy has seriously deteriorated over the years, its incumbent administration being a coalition with two populist political parties that are anti-establishment and anti-immigration—the “5-star Movement” and the “League.” Neither party has good relations with the nations that play leadership roles in the EU, such as Germany and France. In point of fact, that’s what the Chinese apparently zeroed in on.”
The agreement Italy reached with China drew stern domestic opposition and criticism. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who heads the “League,” refused to meet Xi and absented himself from an official banquet. Describing the agreement as nothing but a Trojan horse, major Italian media outlets warned that Italy would be absorbed deeper into the Chinese sphere of influence and utilized as a welcome base out of which to slip Chinese industrial spies into European nations and intensify military reconnaissance.
Protest against China’s Sinister Modus Operandi
Although it is not possible to say how China will infiltrate Europe, it is possible to predict what will likely happen in its relations with Italy. China already has signed Belt and Road memoranda with 13 of the EU’s 28 member nations, including Greece and Portugal. Its modus operandi is marked by the following characteristics.
Playing on the slumping economy of partner nations, China has offered large-scale investment and loans. To consummate a huge investment and loans project, infrastructure construction involving ports and roads is ideal, as China’s project to renovate Piraeus Port in Greece has demonstrated. Italy has cities like Trieste and Genoa in the north which are among the leading distribution centers in the Mediterranean. China undoubtedly will transform them into its own strongholds. Prof. Takubo points out:
“China’s military presence in the Mediterranean will increase significantly if it undertakes port construction projects in these regions to enable port-calls by large warships. That will have immeasurable effects on the security environment of all of Europe. Aware of the threat from China, the heads of European nations met in Brussels on March 21, the day before Xi’s summit with Mattarella and Conte. It must have been the first time since the Tiananmen Square Incident of 1989 that the heads of Europe met to discuss China.”
These leaders adopted a “ten-point action plan” vis-à-vis China, listing up protests against and warnings about China’s sinister doings as regards its development projects overseas. The leaders also called for: ending the adverse effects on the EU market of forced technology transfer in China and rampant state subsidies for Chinese corporations; establishing transparency and fairness as regards the requirements for foreign corporations interested in entering bids for government procurement projects in the EU; enforcing stricter qualifications for screening for direct investments in the EU by foreign countries; and setting up pan-European safety standards for 5G—the next generation of cellular mobile communications.
Each of these points constitutes a demand that China rectify its present policies to become a nation that better honors fair business and trade practices. But these issues would seem to be of no concern to China as it appears to be single-mindedly concentrating on a strategy to change the international balance of power in its favor. For that purpose, China will utilize its capabilities to the fullest extent—its economic and military power together with a diplomacy of false smiles whenever necessary.
Take Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s next trip overseas. He will be visiting Brussels on April 9 for talks with EU leaders and afterwards head for Croatia. There he will attend a “16+1” summit with central and eastern European leaders to specifically discuss the Belt and Road initiative.
The “16+1” summit was inaugurated in 2012, with participation by a total of 16 European nations that responded to China’s appeal. That only five of them are non-EU members is proof that a division of the EU has already set in, with former eastern and central Soviet Bloc European nations having already been absorbed into the Chinese sphere of influence.
Li undoubtedly will resort to every incentive imaginable to further widen the chasm Xi has managed to create in one corner of the EU. Be that as it may, already 13 EU members, including Greece and Portugal in addition to Italy, have signed Belt and Road memoranda with China. A division of the EU clearly appears to be in progress.
Beijing’s Unscrupulous Values
America’s sense of crisis with China was manifested in the address condemning China delivered last October 4 by Vice President Mike Pence at the Hudson Institute. Among other things, Pence asserted that the Chinese Communist Party is absolutely alien to free and fair competition; that China has for years been meddling with America’s domestic politics; that China’s exploits are far more sinister than Russia’s; and that the Chinese are dead-set on creating an Orwellian society.
That the “ten-point action plan” was adopted this month at the EU summit means EU members finally awakened to the realization of America’s sense of crisis with China nearly a half year after the Pence address.
Whether or not the free world can respond coherently to China’s impetuous overtures depends significantly on how the US will act—will the US stand firm on its political will? In that vein, the circumstances surrounding Trump have important bearings.
On March 24, Chief Justice William Barr said Special Counsel Robert Mueller found “no proof that Trump criminally colluded with Russia” and reached “no conclusion about whether he obstructed justice.”
While the Democrats will certainly not agree with Barr’s viewpoint, it can be said that Trump’s position has been enhanced following the Mueller report. On top of that, some research has shown that, quite unexpectedly, Trump is attracting growing support from Hispanic voters.
Trump’s approval rating, which was at 31% last December, rose to 50% in a survey conducted on January 17—an extremely encouraging indicator for Trump’s re-election prospects in 2020.
Some analysts question the latest survey’s credibility, claiming that Trump’s real approval rating remains at about 30%. But one thing is for certain: Trump’s support base has far from crumbled. With his power base strengthened, Trump himself and the Republican Party would no longer have to strive to reach a compromise with China. That would mean Washington could continue its battle against Beijing’s unscrupulous values.
Xi will continue to make determined efforts to undermine the EU’s unity by driving a wedge between its members as the first step towards accelerating America’s decline as a superpower. Bearing in mind the fierceness of the conflict between the US and China, we Japanese must be conscious of the vital importance of safeguarding our nation’s future with all our might. (The End)
(Translated from “Renaissance Japan” column no. 846 in the April 4, 19 issue of The Weekly Shincho)
LINGERING UNCERTAINTY ABOUT TRUMP’S SUMMITS WITH XI AND KIM
OPPOSITION PARTIES BACKING COMMON CANDIDATE IN NIIGATA IS A SHAM
UNEXPECTED MASS DEMONSTRATIONS FORCE XI JIN-PING INTO CORNER
SHOCKING FACTS ABOUT JAPAN’S INADEQUATE PENSION SYSTEM
THE TRUTH BEHIND CHINA’S THREAT AGAINST AMERICA
Select Month July 2019 (2) June 2019 (4) May 2019 (4) April 2019 (4) March 2019 (4) February 2019 (4) January 2019 (4) December 2018 (4) November 2018 (5) October 2018 (4) September 2018 (4) August 2018 (4) July 2018 (4) June 2018 (4) May 2018 (4) April 2018 (4) March 2018 (5) February 2018 (4) January 2018 (3) December 2017 (4) November 2017 (5) October 2017 (4) September 2017 (4) August 2017 (4) July 2017 (4) June 2017 (5) May 2017 (3) April 2017 (4) March 2017 (5) February 2017 (4) January 2017 (4) December 2016 (4) November 2016 (4) October 2016 (4) September 2016 (5) August 2016 (3) July 2016 (4) June 2016 (5) May 2016 (3) April 2016 (4) March 2016 (5) February 2016 (4) January 2016 (4) December 2015 (4) November 2015 (4) October 2015 (5) September 2015 (4) August 2015 (3) July 2015 (5) June 2015 (4) May 2015 (4) April 2015 (4) March 2015 (4) February 2015 (4) January 2015 (4) December 2014 (4) November 2014 (4) October 2014 (5) September 2014 (5) August 2014 (4) July 2014 (6) June 2014 (7) May 2014 (3) April 2014 (4) March 2014 (2) February 2014 (2) January 2014 (4) December 2013 (4) November 2013 (4) October 2013 (5) September 2013 (4) August 2013 (6) July 2013 (3) June 2013 (3) May 2013 (3) April 2013 (5) March 2013 (6) February 2013 (4) January 2013 (5) December 2012 (1) November 2012 (8) October 2012 (1) September 2012 (3) August 2012 (3) July 2012 (5) June 2012 (3) May 2012 (3) April 2012 (4) March 2012 (4) February 2012 (4) January 2012 (5) December 2011 (3) November 2011 (4) October 2011 (4) September 2011 (3) August 2011 (4) July 2011 (4) June 2011 (4) May 2011 (5) April 2011 (7) March 2011 (7) February 2011 (4) January 2011 (4) December 2010 (4) November 2010 (6) October 2010 (4) 0 (1)
Content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons License
Copyright © 2001-2019 Ascent Co.,Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2417
|
__label__cc
| 0.621204
| 0.378796
|
Taylor, MI, February 26, 2018 – Expert Heating & Cooling was presented with the prestigious President’s Award to be received on March 9, 2018 in Orlando, FL by company President Mark Angellotti. This is Carrier’s highest dealer honor with the bar set extremely high. The award establishes Expert Heating & Cooling as best in class and serves as an example on how HVAC businesses can thrive.
The President’s Award is given to Carrier Factory Authorized Dealers who demonstrate technical expertise while serving as leaders for the Carrier brand and raising the standard for equipment sales. The winning dealerships are committed to service excellence and providing exceptional customer care.
Expert Heating & Cooling was founded in 1975 with Mark purchasing the company in 1998. Since opening the business has expanded to serve a wider variety of HVAC needs across the Metro Detroit area. The company now has over 70 employees provide emergency troubleshooting, repairs, preventive maintenance, equipment installations as well as design build and plan services.
“This award recognizes Expert’s commitment to excellence and Carrier is proud that they are ambassadors of our brand,” said Chris Nelson, president, North America HVAC Systems & Service. “Expert is a first-class Factory Authorized Dealer and is an ideal example of an outstanding company that serves not just the industry and its customers, but its community as a whole.”
The President’s Award is designed to encourage Carrier’s dealers to take a fresh perspective on their business and to reward dealers who have excelled in customer satisfaction.
Recipients serve as role models, share best practices, and offer peer mentoring to help cultivate excellence across the Carrier dealer group.
Without each and everyone of our employees, customers, and supporters this would not be possible. We especially thank our staff for exemplifying leadership, expertise, and overall excellence.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2422
|
__label__wiki
| 0.747221
| 0.747221
|
How Nigeria lost 90% of its original forest cover
Deforestation in Nigeria By Christian Njoku The Director, Cross River Landscape Programme of Wildlife Conservation Society of Nigeria, Dr Ina-Oyon Imong, says Nigeria has lost 90 per cent of her original forest cover due to human activities. Imong who stated this in Calabar on Sunday during the celebration of the World Wildlife Day, said over […]
Elections: Sultan salutes Buhari, others
Sultan of Sokoto By Mohammad Tijjani Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and head of Jama’tu Nasril Islam (JNI), has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari, contestants and voters for the peaceful conduct of presidential and national assembly elections. The leader of JNI, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, made the felicitation in a statement […]
Mass defections hit Kaduna PDP
Mohammed Sani Sidi, 30,000 others quit Kaduna PDP By Hussaina Yakubu
/Kaduna With six days to the 9 March governorship election in Kaduna, a major defection of members has hit the opposition People’s Democratic Party. Mohammed Sani Sidi, one of the prominent governorship aspirants of the PDP said he and his political associates and many other […]
Governorship election : Cleric urges Nigerians to vote choice candidates
Voters on Queue By Hilary Akalugwu Most Rev.Godfrey Onah, the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, on Sunday urged Nigerians to cast their votes for candidates of their choice on March 9. Onah made the call while giving the homily at St Theresa’s Catholic Cathedral, Nsukka. He said Nigerians should perform their civic responsibility of electing […]
Gov. Bello rallies support for APC in Niger
Gov Abubakar Sani Bello Bello made the call on Saturday during a rally held at the Government House in Minna by the Buhari Support Organisation led by its state Coordinator, Malam Umaru Shuaibu. The governor said: On behalf of the state government, I appreciate the support given to the APC in the Presidential and National […]
NIGER 2019: The Four Leading Gubernatorial Candidates
As the governorship election approaches, NIGERLITES have decision to make on who THE PEOPLE will vote for as the executive governor of the state on 9th March 2019. The incumbent governor, ABUBAKAR SANI BELLO, is the candidate of APC seeking for 2nd term, BELLO BAWA BWARI, a lawyer and a businessman is the candidate of […]
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Alhaji Babalele Abdullahi, son in-law to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He is also the Finance Director of his group of companies. A statement by his media office yesterday said, “In a desperate move to have Atiku Abubakar concede and congratulate […]
How Pastor Adeboye saved my life – Osinbajo speaks on re-election as Buhari’s VP
The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has provided more information on how prayers by General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye Saved his life. Osinbajo, speaking on Saturday at the 35th anniversary of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Holy Ghost Service, which marked Mr Adeboye’s 77th birthday anniversary revealed […]
30 killed in fresh Zamfara carnage
About 30 people are feared killed in a reprisal attack by hoodlums on members of a local vigilance group known as “Yan sa kai” in Kwari community of Shinkafi local government of Zamfara State in the early hours of Friday. No fewer than 60 others were also abducted by bandits during a raid of the […]
Elections: EFCC stopped from probing plane loaded with cash
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has reportedly been barred from investigating a private jet loaded with money on February 15, 2019, the eve of the aborted presidential and National Assembly elections. On February 15th, a video of a plane unable to fly because of the huge amount of cash stuffed on it, went viral. […]
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2425
|
__label__wiki
| 0.500109
| 0.500109
|
Security: Jema’a LGA inaugurates peace committee
Jema’a Local Government Area in Kaduna State on Friday inaugurated a 12-man Peace Committee to forestall future break down of law and order in the area.
Mr Danjuma Averik chairman of the council who inaugurated the committee during a town hall meeting on peace in Kafanchan tasked members to be dedicated to their assigned responsibilities.
The committee was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring lasting peace and ways of promoting unity among tribes, religions and political affiliations in the area.
Mr Averik also commended the people for resisting the temptation of reprisal attacks following last month crisis in some parts of the state.
He noted that peace remained the bedrock to societal growth, calling on all hands to be on deck to achieve desired peace.
NAN reports that a cross-section of participants at the meeting in their remarks proffered ways of improving on the existing relative peace in the council.
They urged security operatives to be awake to their responsibilities and ensure speedy prosecution of offenders to serve as deterrent to others.
The meeting, however, called on the public to always verify rumours before taking action and to desist from taking the laws into their hands.
It also called for the establishment of peace clubs in schools across the local government in order to disabuse the minds of youth from violence.
NAN further reports that participants at the meeting were drawn from the traditional and religious institutions, all security agencies, women and youth groups across the twelve wards of the local government area.
@pmnewsnigeria.com
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2426
|
__label__cc
| 0.603136
| 0.396864
|
David Icke's Official Forums > Main Forums > Political Manipulation / Cover-Ups / False Flags
Science and the '2 versus 1' debates
leighcgilbert
Premier Subscribers
Likes: 79 (60 Posts)
The 21st century will see the rise of the '2 versus 1' debates, wherein the supposedly 'impartial' host of a debate appears to take sides, hence what should be a '1 versus 1' debate becomes '2 versus 1'. The main reason for this is that the host/chairman is adopting a supposedly scientific stance due to the increasingly dominant role of science as we move towards a science based dictatorship. I am not opposed to science and 'experts', providing they are genuinely expert with genuine scientific facts, but science has always been corrupted by Politics and Business and Religion. A good way of telling a lie or of winning an argument is to get a 'trusted expert' to deliver the lie or to make the argument, e.g. the famed physicist Stephen Hawking was deemed an 'expert' on the Brexit debate according to the British PM David Cameron who recruited Hawking for his 'remain' campaign.
2 versus 1 debates tend to occur when one side appears to have the support of science, or at least the support of the 'science consensus'. Note- a consensus of opinion is not a science fact. There are plenty of examples of the scientific consensus getting it wrong. 'Soft science', as opposed to 'Hard Science', is so-called because scientific proof is harder to come by, e.g. psychology and any study of human behaviour.
I saw a 2 versus 1 debate on the BBC's news channel - to be precise - the current affairs show "The Victoria Derbyshire Show", in which the dangers of immunisation were debated. You won't be surprised to hear that the BBC host (not Victoria Derbyshire, but a replacement) adopted the view of the 'scientific consensus' that immunisation was basically safe, hence the host constantly interrupted the anti-immunisers to tell them their views weren't factual or weren't aligned with the stance of the World Health Organisation. The pro-immuniser didn't have to argue much because the BBC host did her arguing for her!
The 'centre ground' of Politics is increasingly adopting a more science based approach, independent from opinions. Political 'Think Tanks' are also keen to promote their supposed independence from any particular party or philosophy, e.g. MARY ANN SIEGHART, chairman of the 'centrist' think tank, the SOCIAL MARKET FOUNDATION, boasted of its' independence from political parties. Sieghart has been a newspaper journalist. She presented a BBC Radio 4 program: "Can The Centre Hold?"
In the future, opinions will be shunned, maybe even outlawed if they challenge the official view. You can read this article in the Media section of my website:https://thegreatworkdecoded.com
Last edited by leighcgilbert; 04-04-2018 at 12:45 PM.
Find More Posts by leighcgilbert
Originally Posted by leighcgilbert
In the future, opinions will be shunned, maybe even outlawed if they challenge the official view.
I do not agree.
I just think if you want to speak on something, at least know something about it. If your listening to someone, and you have no knowledge on it, your far more likely to be conned.
Whether you like it or not, there is a lot of deceit in this world.
People are entitled to speak on what they want, but for me anyway, i would advise people to be far more sceptical of areas of information where you have no knowledge.
The internet will always be a gossip column in effect, govs cannot really change that. Plus who is to say experts are right, plenty of times they are wrong.
"You put 10 tonnes of proof in front of people, if they are not ready to accept an idea, they will not accept the proof. No amount of evidence will suffice to prove anything, it is the jury that will decide, and you are the jury."
William Cooper - behold a pale horse video
Find More Posts by andy1033
The former BBC News Editor (Business and Economics) ROBERT PESTON proposed on BBC Radio in 2018 that experts (including himself) should accompany all debates and should end each debate by judging which side of the argument has the best evidence. In that case, why have the debate in the first place if it's going to be settled by supposed experts? He expressed his opinion in "Economics 101" (BBC Radio 4, 27th July 2018) when he also hosted the ITV Political discussion show PESTON ON SUNDAY and was ITV News Political Editor.
The 'experts' appear to be withdrawing to the side lines of debates as 'impartial' judges, to be replaced by the supposedly ignorant 'non-experts' who will get some limelight for a change, but only to expose their ignorance and to portray them as biased and closed-minded. If the 'experts' have the answers, then perhaps it would be better if they committed themselves more fully to one side of a debate, rather than pretending to remain aloof and impartial.
mannybash
In the past it seemed as though a crazy level of proof was needed to put forward a new scientific theory. As if some hidden power was wanting to hold back humanity. Two or more decades ago the concept of cold fusion was suggested only to be dismissed almost certainly because it would cost big business loads of money. Now when reading where did the towers go by Dr. Judy wood about the twin towers the concept seems to have come up again but called something different
Find More Posts by mannybash
You won't see me on the new forum so here is the link to my website again https://thegreatworkdecoded.com
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2433
|
__label__cc
| 0.683914
| 0.316086
|
0 items0.00$
Tag Archives: alternative rock
Arms Of Tripoli, Maserati, Beware of Safety go live!
This coming Tuesday, Fluttery Record’s Arms of Tripoli are going to be sharing the stage at The Satellite with none other than Georgia’s finest… The one and only MASERATI. Another great, LA based instrumental band, Beware of Safety, will be performing as well. If you’re available Tuesday, come out and see this amazing lineup in action!
The Satellite
1717 Silverlake Blvd
Get The Tickets
About the bands:
Arms Of Tripoli
Fluttery Records artists, Arms of Tripoli is an instrumental band (genre: post/math rock) from Los Angeles consisting of members from various LA based bands, including Signal Hill, The Lights From Here, The Half Mantis Group, and Naked in the Dark. The band was forged under the premise that the most prolific and profound music is created when a strong spirit of collaboration is present. Thus, the band features an ever revolving line up of musicians and artists that accompany its primary members in all aspects of artistic development. It is at its core a creative outlet for everyone, exposing a new and unarchived musical experience for everyone to enjoy. The group, as it stands, officially began in July 2011. Listen & Buy Arms Of Tripoli music
Formed at the edge of the new millennium, Maserati is as sleek, sexy and sophisticated as the legendary Italian sports car it takes its name from. It is fitting, then, that the band has dragged the glory years of psychedelic arena rock kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, with the pomposity (and vocals) carefully removed. In its place are white hot flashes of light pulsing to an unstoppable rhythm that will make you want to punch air and drive really fast in a car with wings instead of doors.
Beware of Safety
Beware of Safety made the conscious choice to create instrumental music. To create sounds that words could not express. To leave out the vocal monologue that is without interpretation or insight, but instead, create music which traverses emotional and textural hollows that teeter between concealment and proclamation; between rapture and affliction; between conviction and deprivation; between opulence and destitution; between choice and coercion; between boldness and apathy. Beware of Safety calls the unspeakable from it’s hiding place and imparts it to their listeners with gentle tact and deliberate action. The inexpressible has found it’s voice.
Fluttery Records Posted in live shows alternative rock, Arms Of Tripoli, best instrumental post rock bands, best post rock, best post-rock albums, Beware of Safety, California musicians, indie-rock, instrumental, instrumental music, instrumental post rock, instrumental rock music, listen post-rock, listen postrock, Maserati, post rock band, post rock bands, post rock blog, post rock music, post-metal, post-rock, post-rock label, post-rock store, postrock albums, progressive, progressive music, progressive rock, stream postrock, The Satellite Club Los Angeles
Japanese Post-rock Band Gargle Release Their Album: “Glow In The Gloom”
“Glow in the Gloom” is the production of talented Japanese duo Gargle. They offer instrumental music combining mixed emotions as if which is trying to express a gleam of light in the darkness.
Gargle create cinematic music using huge range of dynamics based on the sounds of guitar, accordion and piano mixed with the layers of ambient sounds. Their music is commonly categorized as ambient, post-rock, experimental and modern classical music, however, as the lines between each genre have been becoming blurred nowadays, their music is differing from typical music of each category.
The sounds are sometimes cinematic and dynamic, and the sensitive and pathetic melodies are running through the sounds as if looking for literally a glow in the gloom. The sentiments of the songs are enhanced by the emotional sounds of strings coming in the middle of the songs.
The opening track “Presage” is a fine example; It’s not just post-rock or ambient. It’s not a classical music composition. It might be not correct to see it as a mixture of all three. The track has its own structure and its own beauty. While the album contains diverse aspects of sound, it has a consistent uniformity that will appeal to people’s emotions.
Gargle are Jun Minowa and Satoshi Ikeda. All you hear is performed by Gargle and Kei Sunayama on contrabass and Yoko Ikeda on violins. The label owner of Fluttery Records, Taner Torun tells that the number of people involved in the recording process is small but what Gargle achieves in this album is very remarkable. After the recording sessions, the album is mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama.
The album is highly recommended if you like Eluvium, Mono, Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Ros,World’s End Girlfriend, Our Sleepless Forest, Bosques de mi Mente, Yndi Halda, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mum, Rachel’s, My Bloody Valentine, Mogwai, Brian Eno, Grouper.
Besides releasing an EP through a net label in 2009, Gargle took part in two collaboration albums of Draff Krimmy from Norway and Void’s Anatomy from Canada. Gargle has played shows around in Tokyo, and also went on a short tour in Europe in the autumn of 2011. They intend to keep playing shows to interact and share time and space with people everywhere. The guitarist Jun is also doing his solo project under the name of Yawning and has released an EP on Fluttery Records.
Listen Free, Buy or Download
Fluttery Records Posted in press release, release alternative rock, ambient, ambient music, best post rock, Bosques De Mi Mente, Brian Eno, contemporary classical, Eluvium, experimental music, Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Grouper, indie albums, indie bands, indie-rock, instrumental, instrumental post rock, instrumental rock music, listen post-rock, listen postrock, modern classical, Mogwai, Mono, Múm, My Bloody Valentine, Our Sleepless Forest, post rock band, post rock bands, post rock blog, post rock music, post-metal, post-rock, post-rock bands in Japan, postrock bands on tour, progressive, progressive music, progressive rock, Rachel's, relaxation music, relaxing music cinematic music, sad indie songs, sad instrumental songs, Sigur Rós, stream postrock, World's End Girlfriend, Yndi Halda
All rights reserved © Fluttery Records - FREE LABEL SAMPLER
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2435
|
__label__cc
| 0.532709
| 0.467291
|
What Ken Ham Isn’t Telling You About Ark Encounter Funding November 11, 2015 Tracey
What Ken Ham Isn’t Telling You About Ark Encounter Funding
To say the funding on Ken Ham‘s biblically themed Ark Encounter amusement park has been vague would be an understatement. After losing $18.25 million in sales tax incentives for discriminatory hiring, it seems clear why Answers in Genesis wouldn’t want Kentucky taxpayers to know what we dug up.
Last month, I attended a Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce meeting where Ham and his Answers in Genesis board members were presenting the latest news and projections for their Ark Encounter project. Like most of us who have been monitoring the project funding, I was curious to catch some insight about the massive gap that exists between donations collected and total amount needed.
During the hour-long spiel that could best be described as an Ark Park pep rally, Ham rattled off hyped attendance projections and encouraged anyone with investment money to snatch up nearby commercial land. I learned that the construction was well under way in Williamstown, a rural area 45 minutes south of the Creation Museum, where the ministry had purchased 800 acres of land. He talked about the ark’s dimensions, the source of the timber being used, and other trivial notes — but barely touched on the topic of funding sources. Sandwiched somewhere in his tourism excitement, he breezed by the words “TIF district,” but said his lawyers really knew more than him, and quickly moved on. That’s when my ears perked up.
It wasn’t until the Q&A that an attendee asked if Ham could say more about the funding. Ham said the first phase of the project required $91.5 million before opening for business. To date, around $24 million has been raised in donations, an undisclosed amount has been made off of selling lifetime admission packages called “Boarding Passes,” and there’s $62 million in bond offerings. (Whether he had sold all those bonds wasn’t clear from his remarks.)
Around the time he debated Bill Nye on evolution in early 2014, Ken Ham was heavily pushing the sale of Ark bonds, and many speculated the timing of the debate was strategically coordinated to promote them. There were no follow ups at the recent event to say the bond sales were a success, and it remained a grey area for those of us trying to identify where the funding was coming from.
This is where the TIF comes in.
What is a TIF?
I myself was unfamiliar with TIF districts until a few weeks ago. But let me attempt a simple explanation: TIF stands for “Tax Increment Financing” and they’re usually issued in urban areas that are considered “blighted.” For example, suppose there was an abandoned shopping mall in a deteriorating community. A TIF can be set up to attract developers whose businesses may revitalize the area. The district officials could, for example, give the developers interest-free loans to build their project based on what they expect they can retrieve in property taxes over the next 30 years. That’s it. The developers don’t have to do anything differently from if they hadn’t been issued the TIFs at all. But now, rather than the property taxes going back to the community, the tax revenue is diverted to pay off the loan.
This can be a great help to the local economy if the development is a long-term success — it’s money well invested. The downside is, if the new developments fall short of projections (or fail entirely), the developers aren’t held liable for repayment and the burden of debt falls on the investors and taxpayers.
TIFs are controversial for a number of reasons and they’ve been discontinued in California, the first U.S. state to implement their use, because of the numerous lawsuits they led to (not to mention other unintended consequences).
Ark Encounter is being funded by a $62 million TIF.
It turns out the majority of Ark Encounter is being funded by a TIF granted by the City of Williamstown, Kentucky. On November 1, 2012, a Memorandum of Agreement (begins on page 55) approving $62 million in funding for Ark Encounter, LLC was signed by officials of Williamstown and the County of Grant.
It said that, over a 30-year period, 75% of Ark Encounter’s real estate taxes would go toward repayment of the interest-free TIF. So instead of that money going to the city (and the citizens), it’ll be used to repay those bonds.
Also — pay attention to this one, potential Ark Park staffers — all employees working within the TIF district (that is, Ark Encounter) will pay a 2% job assessment fee on gross wages. In other words, $2 out of every pre-tax $100 dollars you make will go directly to paying off the for-profit Noah’s Ark attraction.
You can view the bond issued by The City of Williamstown to Ark Encounter here and here.
According to Section VIII of the Memorandum of Agreement, in addition to the $62 million, the city and county agreed to other incentives (courtesy of local taxpayers):
$175,000 would be given to Ark Encounter to reimburse the amount they felt the property was overvalued.
$19,000 would go to Ark Encounter’s real estate agent, representing 2% of the total purchase price of the land.
98 acres of Grant County land would be sold to Ark Encounter for $1 (yes, one dollar).
These are perfect examples of public funding, regardless of Ken Ham saying again and again that, “No money will be taken out of the state’s budget to fund the Ark.”
Ark Encounter, LLC is a for-profit controlled by a non-profit.
To shed some light on how Answers in Genesis is able to siphon money from every direction, let’s look at a few of the legal gymnastics taking place:
Crosswater Canyon, controlled by Answers in Genesis, is a non-profit that owns and operates two for-profit companies, Creation Museum, LLC and Ark Encounter, LLC. All donations for the project come in through the non-profit Crosswater Canyon, but all the tax incentives are applied to the for-profit Ark Encounter, LLC.
The literal Ark itself is the only non-profit portion of the attraction. So all the tax deductible donations people make are applied to the construction of the Ark, which qualifies as non-profit because it is an “educational tool.”
What about the land surrounding the Ark? That’s not technically part of the non-profit part of the park, so your donations wouldn’t apply there… but that’s why visitors will have to pay to park their cars (800 acres of land, and Ken Ham wants to charge people to park) and then pay admission to satisfy the business portion of the attraction.
This separation was evident in an old FAQ that no longer appears on the Ark Encounter website:
The bulk of the Ark Encounter will be built by the limited liability company (LLC). The Ark structure itself will be funded through donations.
The for-profit LLC structure also allows the Ark Encounter to be eligible for various economic development incentives that would not have been available with a non-profit structure.
Now that we know the specifics, we can decode Ham’s careful wording when he says, “No unwilling taxpayer will subsidize the Ark.” He’s being truthful, as well as disturbingly deceptive. It’s true the Ark replica itself is being built entirely on donations. But taxpayers will absolutely pay a price through the subsidies for the land and the 75% property tax break he gets for the next 30 years.
Ark Encounter is still discriminating in hiring.
After Americans United busted Ark Encounter earlier this year for violating church/state separation by requiring a statement of faith from employees while accepting state tax incentives, they went tight-lipped on the hiring process. Currently on the Ark Encounter website you are not able to apply for employment. But with a bit of digging through individual job listings, I was able to find four positions for the Williamstown project site, which is included as part of the TIF, requiring applicants submit a “commitment to grow the outreach of Answers in Genesis,” “Salvation testimony,” “Creation belief statement,” and “Confirmation of your agreement with the AiG Statement of Faith.”
Now that those two things are clear to us — the project has drawn public funding and they’re still discriminating in hiring — are we still dealing with a church/state conflict?
It’s also worth noting that, in a 2011 Williamstown public listening session to present Ark Encounter to the city, AiG general manager Mike Zovath was asked by a resident if Grant County citizens would get a first crack at the new jobs.
Zovath responded:
“We would like to hire local folks, but we have to follow state and federal laws regarding hiring and are not able to give preferential treatment. That would be considered discrimination. If you’re qualified, apply for a job.”
Zovath makes a blatant acknowledgment of state and federal laws, encouraging all to apply because they won’t be discriminating. But according to the job postings we found, he was either being dishonest or is willfully breaking the law as he understands it.
It’s unfortunate for the residents that the very business storming into their community and using local funding for private leverage won’t even hire them unless they’re a very specific type of evangelical, anti-science Christian.
The false tourism projections are still a problem.
It’s been reported before that the numbers Ken Ham is using to sell government officials on the Ark are based on false projections.
In 2011, Hunden Strategic Partners gave a presentation to the Kentucky Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet regarding their Ark Encounter attendance projections for the first 10 years. It included two options on how the park would be presented.
Scenario A presented the park without the Creationist view of biblical events that might turn off a portion of the potential market. A “Noah’s Ark” theme park, without the evangelizing, could draw in a lot of people, they said.
Scenario B presented a park much like that of the Creation Museum, on the timeline of a 6,000-year-old Earth and promoting a specific literal interpretation of Biblical events. This would appeal more to evangelical Christians while alienating many others.
The best-case Scenario A brought in between 500,000-700,000 visitors in a good year. But I think we all know Ham decided to go with Scenario B, which was predicted to attract just over 425,000 people in its best year.
And yet, as recently as last month, when I attended the Kentucky commerce meeting, Ken Ham was still touting his privately researched attendance projections of 1.2 – 2 million attendees in the first year.
The City of Williamstown, Kentucky could be in trouble
Williamstown is fairly quaint with little development and a population of around 4,000. It’s the halfway point between Cincinnati and Lexington, so it’s quite rural. The median age of residents is 35, there are nearly 1,300 households, and 26% of residents are under the age of 18. There is one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school (whose mascot, ironically, is a “Demon”). There is no notable tourism or industry draw right now… that is, until late next year when Ark Encounter plans to open up to the public.
Based on Ark Encounter’s (exaggerated) projections, Williamstown is preparing for a massive influx of visitors and new residents. As stated on page 1 of The City of Williamstown’s 239-page 2012 Master Plan:
In response to the impact that [Ark Encounter Park] could have upon the city, the Williamstown City Council decided to create its own master plan and ask Grant County Planning Commission to adopt it as an update to the Williamstown section of the current plan.
In the link above, the plan details road improvements, including $11 million in highway widening on I-75 (at the Ark Encounter exit) to accommodate expected traffic to the park (p. 104). Other improvements include developing parks and recreation, beautifying all areas, increasing housing options, creating a visitor center, developing local businesses that would appeal to the tourists, and identifying niche markets that complement the visitor demographics of Ark Encounter and growing those markets.
I couldn’t find a total cost for the city’s budget, but looking at the plan, a large amount of public money is being used in an effort to boost businesses around Ark Encounter. You have to wonder what’s going to happen to this town after the niche amusement park fails to meet the exaggerated attendance numbers. Between the park and the city, there are supposed to be 3,000 new jobs created (p. 11) — a number greater than the population of the city’s working-age residents. It’s natural to assume that many new residents will flock to the area for employment, in turn forcing the expansion of schools, the hospital, emergency services, etc. It’s a major swell and the city has all its eggs in one basket: Ark Encounter being a success.
Ark Encounter couldn’t succeed in the private market; they demonstrated this by not being able to raise enough money without taxpayer support. To date they’re still struggling to raise the full $30 million they need to complete Phase 1, evidenced on the homepage of their website. It seems Grant County and Williamstown have thrown caution to the wind at the expense of their community.
We welcome more information if anyone has a piece of the puzzle to contribute or correct. We’d especially like to hear from residents of Grant County and find out if they’re at all apprehensive of the development.
Specifically, we’d still like answers to these questions:
Is requiring a statement of faith for employment on land funded by a TIF and other public monies a violation of church/state separation?
Is local development being scaled back now that it’s been brought to the attention of the public that the tourism projections were greatly exaggerated?
Who is being held responsible for the $62 million in TIF bonds if Ark Encounter defaults?
Is it fair to pardon Bill Nye for giving Ken Ham a publicity boost now that we know the bond was already issued before the debate?
Okay, you can skip that last one.
As a Humanist, I’m greatly concerned the residents will be left to flounder in the flood of debt. As a secularist, I’m pissed off that the public’s money is being spent on an unabashed religious ministry. As a skeptic, I’m suspicious of why the TIF wasn’t common knowledge. And as a science enthusiast, I’m aghast that this is a conversation we’re having in the 21st century.
Ark Encounter
Newt Gingrich Says Congress Should Block Transgender Students’ Rights
November 11, 2015 Nursing School Graduates at Colorado Mesa University Will Receive a Bible at Pinning Ceremony
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2436
|
__label__wiki
| 0.866811
| 0.866811
|
Tag Archives: John B. Cohrs
Tags: Adam Weyhrich, Germans in Pekin, John B. Cohrs, Pekin history ( 89 ), Peter Weyhrich ( 2 ), preblog columns ( 58 ), William H. Bates ( 21 )
Peter Weyhrich, Pekin’s pioneer German settler
This is a reprint of a “From the Local History Room” column that first appeared in October 2014 before the launch of this weblog.
As mentioned before in this column, the first Pekin city directory was published in 1861. One of the Pekin Public Library’s copies of the 1861 directory is a precious and fragile edition that was formerly owned by none other than Pekin’s own pioneer historian William H. Bates, who prepared the first formal history of Pekin for inclusion in the 1870-71 Sellers & Bates Pekin City Directory.
The pages of Bates’ copy of the 1861 directory are amply annotated in Bates’ own hand. These notes were probably added while Bates was working on later editions of the city directory. One of the notes, on page 70 of the 1861 directory, has to do with an early Pekin city official named Peter Weyhrich Sr.
On that page is a list of the directors of the Pekin and Cincinnati Union District Schools, who were elected to three-year terms. In 1861, the school directors were “Peter Weyhrich, sr.,” whose term of office was to expire in August 1861; William Stanbery, who term was to expire in August 1862; and John Haas, whose term was to expire in August 1863. A handwritten note in Bates’ copy of this directory at bottom of this page says, “Peter Weyhrich, sr., was the pioneer German settler of Pekin.”
Thus, we see that Weyhrich, who arrived in Pekin in 1831 or 1832, held the special place in Pekin’s history as the first of a great wave of German immigrants who would choose Pekin as their new home in America during the 1800s. To be sure, Weyhrich was not the only person of ethnic German descent to arrive during those earliest years of Pekin’s history, but he was the first of them who had been born in Germany. By the latter half of the 1800s, the number of German settlers in Pekin was so large that the city had more than one German-language newspaper and many businesses had signs in their windows telling people that German was spoken there.
Peter Weyhrich Sr. was born in 1806 in Hesse-Darmstadt. A biographical sketch of the life of Peter’s nephew Adam is included in the 1894 “Portrait and Biographical Record of Tazewell and Mason Counties,” on pages 565-566. The sketch says Adam’s grandfather (identified in Weyhrich family histories as Peter’s father) Jacob Weyhrich, a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, settled in Tazewell County in 1828 and was later followed by other members of his family. Peter had arrived in Pekin by 1832, but Adam didn’t emigrate until the 1850s, at or around the same time that his father Philip Weyhrich, Peter’s brother, decided to join Jacob and Peter in America.
Beginning his new life in America in Pekin, the early city directories indicate that Peter was active in the community’s life and commerce. He served as Pekin’s mayor in 1858 and 1859. Peter also took part in the formation of Pekin’s first railroad companies, according to Charles C. Chapman’s 1879 “History of Tazewell County.” Most of the Weyhrich family, however, acquired land in Sand Prairie Township to the south of Pekin. Peter died Jan. 2, 1879, and is buried in Lakeside Cemetery in Pekin.
This detail of the map of Sand Prairie Township south of Pekin from the 1873 Atlas Map of Tazewell shows land owned by the Weyhrich family, a pioneer Pekin family that included Pekin’s first German-born settler, Peter Weyhrich.
Early Tazewell County history tells of another Peter Weyhrich, but that Peter – apparently another nephew of the elder Peter – is only mentioned due to the sensational circumstances surrounding and following his death. Chapman tells the story briefly in two paragraphs on pages 298-299 of his Tazewell County history:
“Peter Weyhrich, an old resident of Sand Prairie, died very suddenly Wednesday night, June 20, 1877. The sudden death and incidents attending it caused grave suspicion of foul play. A jury was impanelled and a post-mortem examination made of the deceased, and the stomach sent to Chicago for examination, where it was decided that he came to his death by poison. Mrs. [Anna E.] Weyhrich, wife of the deceased, was arrested and tried for the murder. The case was taken from this to Logan county and tried the last week in March, 1878. States Attorney [William L.] Prettyman and J. B. Cohrs prosecuted, and Messrs. Roberts & Green defended.
“The trial was a long and tedious one, and the prisoner was found guilty and sentenced to fourteen years in the penitentiary. A motion for a new trial was made and denied, when an appeal to the Supreme Court was taken. This tribunal reversed the decision and remanded the case for a new trial, which took place in July, 1878, and resulted in her acquittal.”
As an aside, the prosecutor J. B. Cohrs is none of than Illinois State Sen. John B. Cohrs, a Pekin attorney whose life was previously treated in this space, and whose wife was active in the founding of the Ladies’ Library Assocation, predecessor of the Pekin Public Library.
#adam-weyhrich, #germans-in-pekin, #john-b-cohrs, #pekin-history, #peter-weyhrich, #preblog-columns, #william-h-bates
pekinhistory 3:47 pm on August 31, 2018
Tags: Benjamin Prettyman ( 5 ), Columbus R. Cummings ( 4 ), Gordis R. Cobleigh, Illinois Bicentennial ( 55 ), James M. James ( 3 ), John B. Cohrs, Pekin railroads ( 5 ), railroads ( 4 ), Tazewell County railroads, Teis Smith ( 3 ), William H. Bates ( 21 )
The first railroads of Tazewell County
On Friday, Sept. 7, at 11 a.m., in the Pekin Public Library Community Room, the library will have a showing of a video about Pekin trains, featuring footage of the old Chicago & Illinois Midland Railroad. The video, which is about 30 minutes in length, is a part of the library’s Illinois Bicentennial Series.
During the first few decades following Illinois’ admission to the Union in 1818, the new state’s growth in population and wealth was in large part driven by steam power. Initially, as indicated in last week’s From the History Room column, men and goods were transported along the waterways and canals of Illinois using riverboats, whether steamers or packet boats.
But steam-powered rail (invented in Britain in 1804, three years before Robert Fulton’s first steamboat) would soon challenge and then eclipse steamboats as the preferred means of long-distance transportation of good and people. While Illinois’ steamboats were restricted to rivers, railroad tracks could be laid across long stretches of country, crossing rivers and streams and even climbing through mountain passes.
The early rail lines of Tazewell County are highlighted in yellow on this county map from the 1873 “Atlas Map of Tazewell County.”
The groundwork for the railroad’s eclipse of riverboat transportation in Illinois was laid at a time when river transportation was preeminent. In Tazewell County, interest in laying down a rail line had already arisen by the mid-1830s, but the first attempts to build a railroad in our county were abortive. Here how those efforts are described on page 732 of Charles C. Chapman’s 1879 “History of Tazewell County”:
“Among the very first charters granted to railroads, perhaps the second one, by the State of Illinois, was the one granted to the Pekin & Tremont Railroad. This company was incorporated by the Legislature, Jan. 13, 1835. Madison Allen, Harlan Hatch, J. L. James, John H. Harris, George W. Brodrick and Aronet Richmond were constituted a body corporate, with capital stock of $50,000, for the purpose of building said road. It ran, according to the charter, from Pekin to Tremont, in this county. The company was given the power ‘to erect and maintain toll houses along the line.’ The road bed was graded and track partially laid, but the hard times of 1837 and the failure of the grand internal improvement scheme of the State put a stop to further progress on the P. & T. road. About a year after the P. & T. road was chartered a grander scheme was undertaken, and the Legislature incorporated the Pekin, Bloomington & Wabash Railroad, Feb. 16, 1836. This was a continuation eastward of the P. & T. road. Considerable enthusiasm was at first manifested in regard to the matter, but, like many other railroad schemes, it was never carried out.”
Pekin’s pioneer historian William H. Bates told of continued efforts to get a railroad line to Pekin in his narrative of Pekin’s early history that was included in the 1870-71 Sellers & Bates Pekin City Directory. The following excerpts from Bates’ narrative demonstrate that Pekin’s city officials were willing to commit great sums of public funds to railroad projects, which were necessarily massive and expensive undertakings.
“On the 3d of June, 1853, the City Council ‘engaged to use its means and credit to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars to co-operate with the city of Canton, Fulton county, to secure the construction of the Mississippi and Wabash Railroad,’ provided said road was located so as to pass through the city of Pekin.” (Bates, page 32)
“On the 8th of September [1856], the Council ‘Resolved, That the city of Pekin, as a stockholder in the Mississippi Railroad Company, give their consent to the consolidation of the Mississippi and Wabash Railroad Company with the Pekin and Bloomington Railroad Company.’ . . . On the 23d of October the city decided by a vote of three hundred and one votes for and five against, to subscribe one hundred thousand dollars to the capital stock of the Illinois River Railroad.” (Bates, page 36)
For all that trouble, it wasn’t until 1859 – less than two years before the Civil War – that Pekin finally saw rails being laid. The city’s leaders thought that was worth celebrating, so Pekin’s Fourth of July celebrations that year included a joyous – and hopeful – inaugural ceremony of the driving of the first spike, as Bates tells:
“On the 4th day of July, 1859, the first rail was laid and the first spike driven on the prospective Illinois River Railroad. This was a gala day, full of momentous events for the future, and the birth-day of unnumbered hopes and anticipations yet to be realized. The leading citizens participated in celebrating the new enterprise on such an auspicious day as the Fourth of July.
“The road was never really completed until it passed into the hands of the present company, when the name was changed, and it is now the flourishing and well-managed Peoria, Pekin and Jacksonville Railroad.” (Bates, page 38)
Not only because it cost so much to build and operate a railroad, but also due to the interruption of the Civil War, most of Tazewell County’s railroad companies did not become fully operational until the latter 1860s. What had begun as the abortive Pekin & Tremont Railroad Company in Jan. 1835 later was taken up as a part of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway in Aug. 1869, a road that stretched 202 miles from Indianapolis to Pekin (later being extended to Peoria).
Similarly, the Illinois River Railroad Company, whose first spike in Pekin was driven on July 4, 1859, eventually became the Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville Railroad Company. Chapman’s Tazewell County history includes historical accounts of that company as well as the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway and five other railroad companies that had lines through Tazewell County: the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, the Pekin, Lincoln & Decatur Railway, the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad, the Illinois Midland, and the Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern Railroad.
The investors, directors, and employees of these railroad companies were among the preeminent men of Tazewell County and central Illinois – such as Benjamin S. Prettyman, Teis Smith, John B. Cohrs, James M. James, Gordis R. Cobleigh, or Columbus R. Cummings. A review of the names on the boards of directors of the early railroad companies will, not surprisingly, show many of the same names showing up on the lists of city mayors, aldermen, and successful businessmen and local attorneys.
#benjamin-prettyman, #columbus-r-cummings, #gordis-r-cobleigh, #illinois-bicentennial, #james-m-james, #john-b-cohrs, #pekin-railroads, #railroads, #tazewell-county-railroads, #teis-smith, #william-h-bates
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2438
|
__label__cc
| 0.69882
| 0.30118
|
Tariq Enver
Tariq Enver is Director at the University College London Cancer Institute & Professor of Stem Cell Biology. He was elected as an EMBO Fellow in 2009 and elected to the 1000 Talents Programme in China.
His research career has been principally concerned with understanding the mechanisms by which tissue and developmental stage specific gene expression is achieved and regulated with early work focusing on the regulation of the β-globin gene clusters.
His current work deploys post-genomic technologies and mathematical modelling approaches to gain further insight into how blood stem cells are configured in molecular terms, the nature of the pathways involved in their cell fate decisions, and how these may be used in the pursuit of stem cell therapy and how they are corrupted by chimaeric transcription factors associated with human leukaemia.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2439
|
__label__cc
| 0.646724
| 0.353276
|
Tag Archives: weapon
RPC M1B Rocket-Propelled Chainsaw
Leave a comment Posted by TheAsylum on July 13, 2010
via technabob.com
These work best during instances where hordes of zombies line up perfectly to your line-of-sight.
Other Chainsaw, RPC M1B Rocket-Propelled Chainsaw, weapon, weaponry, zombie
Real Star Wars – The Lightsaber
via starwars.wikia.com
In the Star Wars films, lightsabers (also called laser swords by the uneducated) are depicted as a one-handed or two-handed weapon that have a polished metal hilt (between about twenty and thirty-five centimeters in length typically) which projects a blade of plasma energy (suspended in a force containment field) about 39 inches long (one meter). The blade did not radiate heat or expend energy until it came into contact with a solid object, although it could cut through almost anything (except for a few lightsaber-resistant materials). The field contained the immense heat of the plasma, protecting the wielder, and allowed the blade to keep its shape. The plasma was projected through a set of focusing crystals (three crystals would usually be used, although only one was required) that lent the blade its properties and allowed the adjustment of the blade length and power output.
In the Expanded Universe, lightsabers had many blade and hilt variation. Each lightsaber was designed to meet the user’s specific needs, preferences, and styles. They were primarily used during combat and rituals.
In real-life, light cannot be formed and utilized into a solid blade (as it is designed to travel continuously and not be stopped, in this case, at three feet without completely restricting the strength of the rest of the blade), there are other alternatives; however, including plasma swords (similar to those in Halo), black holes, and carbon nanotubes.
Many commandos can easily die from blood loss from traumatic wounds due to gunfire, shrapnel, or from even grenades. That is why, the military has already started field-testing a Plasma Knife. It will be used for emergencies when the commandos are without the luxury of medical backup while in the field.
The knife’s blade consists of heated, ionized gas, which easily cuts through flesh and cauterizes the wound on contact. Through cauterization, the damaged flesh can be protected from excessive bleeding and infection. A normal medical Plasma Knife relies primarily on a strong power source, but the commando version’s only drawback is it’s low-power although it is wearable and easily transported.
While it can not be used as a weapon very easily (as it would quickly run out of power), it is still pretty close to a ‘real’ lightsaber like the ones shown in the movies.
via cnano-rhone-alpes.org
A thin, carbon nanotube wire (a nano is a billionth of a meter), strong enough to not break, but thin enough to cut through a solid object could be used to make a weapon that could slice through almost anything.
The problem with this idea is that, the user or the victim could not see the ‘blade’ because of its small size resulting in an accidental injury or fatality, or even the possibility of it being misplaced. In order for it to be handled properly, a handle would be needed at one end; however, it would throw off the balance of the whole weapon itself because of the lack of a equal amount of weight on the opposite end. This could possibly be solved if the ‘sharp end’ had a magnet on it and the handle end had an electromagnet stretching the carbon nanotube out; however, it would only be able to be used for slicing or cutting not stabbing.
A wedge-like blade would not work because it bends the top of what it is slicing, often creating cracks in the object or victim instead of a sharp clean cut.
via io9.com
A small black hole could not be used, at this point, because it is too heavy to wield and because of its short lifespan (resulting in a massive ball of fire).
It has also been suggested that a lightsaber could use glass filaments that extend when gigawatts of laser energy (stored in a non-existent power source) are pumped through it when it is turned on.
via wickedlasers.com
The Spyder III Pro Arctic is one (if not, the one) of the most lightsaber-like weapon that actually exists in real-life. The Spyder III, made by Wicked Lasers, is also the most powerful portable laser that uses only 1 Watt released that costs a mere $200. The blue-laser diode is from a dismantled Casio projector (the new mercury-free Green Slim projector, specifically) that Wicked Lasers used to make it. They are also throwing in a free pair of safety-glasses with the purchase of the Spyder III.
Wicked Lasers mentioned that, “Extremely dangerous is an understatement to the power of 1W of laser power. It will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts, use with extreme caution and only when using the included eye protection. Customers will be required to completely read and agree to our Class IV Laser Hazard Acknowledgment Form.”
If you are not trained in the Jedi arts, then this is not for you.
While there needs to be quite a lot of development in these kinds of technology, we can still dream, and maybe someday some brilliant scientist or student could eventually make one without making it completely out of plastic (or paper). Who knows, maybe we could find a way to make lasers to stop at a point (without it being fatal) for a real, practical, working lightsaber.
Movies, Technology black hole, blade, blue-laser diode, carbon nanotube, Casio projector, Expanded Universe, glass filaments, Halo, laser, laser swords, light, lightsaber, plasma, Plasma Knife, real, real-life, Spyder III, Spyder III Pro Arctic, Star Wars, weapon, weapons, Wicked Lasers
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2441
|
__label__wiki
| 0.847149
| 0.847149
|
Documents filtered by: Period="Jefferson Presidency"
To Thomas Jefferson from Thomas Claxton, 4 March 1801
From Thomas Claxton
President’s House 4th March, 1801
Honored Sir
I have thought it my duty to inform you, that at four oClock this morning the late president left this house, which, by order of the Secretary of the Treasury, I took possession of immediately—
I have the honor to be with the most sincere Respect & esteem, Your most obt. Hble. Svt.
Thos Claxton
RC (MHi); endorsed by TJ as received 4 Mch. and so recorded in SJL.
Thomas Claxton (d. 1821), the doorkeeper of the U.S. House of Representatives for the Fourth through Sixteenth Congresses, was also the “Agent for furnishing the President’s House” for John Adams and TJ. An undated account that Claxton submitted to the president, probably sometime in 1801, recorded $17,702, composed of $15,000 “Cash Appropriated by Act of Congress for furnishing the President’s house,” $1,102 as the balance of an appropriation for John Adams, and $1,600 from the “Sale of Horses, Carriages &c. in the possession of the late President.” Expenditures appeared in the amount of $9,089.38, consisting of $5,959.38 drawn by Claxton “at sundry times,” $800 “drawn by Gen Lee for a picture of Gen Washington,” $2,050 for “accounts not yet satisfied,” and $280 “compensation to myself for Superintendance &c. not yet called for” (MS in MHi; in Claxton’s hand). On 2 Mch., Congress voted approval for Claxton and two other congressional doorkeepers, James Mathers and Thomas Dunn, to occupy, rent free, government-owned houses on the Capitol square with ground contiguous to each for a garden (Biog. Dir. Cong. description begins Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–1989, Washington, D.C., 1989 description ends ; U.S. Statutes at Large description begins Richard Peters, ed., The Public Statutes at Large of the United States… 1789 to March 3, 1845, Boston, 1855–56, 8 vols. description ends , 2:55, 127; JHR description begins Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, Washington, D.C., 1826, 9 vols. description ends , 15:80; MB description begins James A. Bear, Jr., and Lucia C. Stanton, eds., Jefferson’s Memorandum Books: Accounts, with Legal Records and Miscellany, 1767–1826, Princeton, 1997, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Second Series description ends , 2:1046n).
According to legislation approved on 3 Mch., the secretary of the treasury was to appoint an individual to receive and take an inventory of the outgoing president’s public property. Any furniture that was deemed “decayed, out of repair, or unfit for use” and property other than furniture would be sold under the direction of the heads of the departments of state, treasury, war, and navy, with the proceeds of the sale to provide furniture for the “house erected for the accommodation of the President of the United States.” Although Adams vacated the President’s House on 4 Mch., TJ did not occupy it until 15 days later, remaining instead at Conrad & McMunn’s (U.S. Statutes at Large description begins Richard Peters, ed., The Public Statutes at Large of the United States… 1789 to March 3, 1845, Boston, 1855–56, 8 vols. description ends , 2:121–2; William Seale , The President’s House: A History, 2 vols. [Washington, D.C., 1986], 1:89).
Note: The annotations to this document, and any other modern editorial content, are copyright © Princeton University Press. All rights reserved.
Claxton, Thomas
“To Thomas Jefferson from Thomas Claxton, 4 March 1801,” Founders Online, National Archives, accessed April 11, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-33-02-0118. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 33, 17 February–30 April 1801, ed. Barbara B. Oberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006, p. 153.]
From Claxton to Jefferson [18 May 1801]
All correspondence between Claxton and Jefferson
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2444
|
__label__wiki
| 0.859904
| 0.859904
|
Scientists have found a ‘fossil graveyard’ linked to the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs
Posted 6:37 am, April 3, 2019, by CNN Wire Service
An international team of scientists has discovered a fossil graveyard containing what it describes as “extraordinary evidence” that an asteroid that hit the Earth 65 million years ago was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The team of paleontologists from the University of Kansas and the University of Manchester found the “motherlode of exquisitely preserved animal and fish fossils” in North Dakota, according to a study published Monday.
The impact of the asteroid, which created the Chicxulub crater beneath Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, was one of the most destructive events in Earth’s history, extinguishing 75% of the planet’s animal and plant species.
The devastation caused by the impact included massive tsunami-like surges and “ejecta” — torrents of rocks, like fine sand and small glass beads — the report said.
“A tsunami would have taken at least 17 or more hours to reach the site from the crater, but seismic waves — and a subsequent surge — would have reached it in tens of minutes,” said Robert DePalma, the report’s lead author.
At the fossil site — Tanis in North Dakota’s Hell Creek Formation — the surge left “a tangled mass of freshwater fish, terrestrial vertebrates, trees, branches, logs, marine ammonites and other marine creatures,” DePalma, a doctoral student from the University of Kansas, said.
“No other site has a record quite like that,” said DePalma. “And this particular event is tied directly to all of us — to every mammal on Earth, in fact. Because this is essentially where we inherited the planet. Nothing was the same after that impact. It became a planet of mammals rather than a planet of dinosaurs.”
Phil Manning, a paleontologist from the University of Manchester and co-author of the study, called the find a “unique geological and paleontological treasure trove” that contains the first direct evidence of larger organisms killed by the Chicxulub impact.
“The sediments, fossils and associated impact debris make this an important site for those who study the extinction event that helped wipe out the dinosaurs,” he said.
However, prominent paleontologists not involved in the study sounded a note of caution.
“The geological interpretation seems very credible to me, and the fish fossils do seem to record a catastrophic event at or near the asteroid impact. But the dinosaur aspect of the story isn’t so clear to me,” Stephen Brusatte, a lecturer and researcher in paleontology at the University of Edinburgh, told CNN.
“The only dinosaur fossil mentioned in the paper is a single partial hip bone,” he added. “I hope there are other dinosaur fossils at the site, and I look forward to hearing more about them. I just hope this hasn’t been over-sensationalized. It would be awesome if it’s all true.”
Paul Upchurch, professor of paleontology at University College London, also had some reservations about the study’s findings.
“It’s a cool find and very satisfying to get a snapshot of what happened in one particular part of the world — it certainly adds to the evidence of how devastating the impact was, even hundreds or thousands of miles away,” he told CNN.
However, he added that if the ejecta came from a different, or perhaps much smaller, impact at a different time and place, or the ejecta did come from Chicxulub but stayed in the water system for a long time afterward, “then it is possible that the fish etc died for some other reason — something less spectacular and more local — and had little to do with the Chicxulub impact.”
On International Asteroid Day, here’s what to know about the threat to Earth
Scientists say fossils found in Colorado are from 68-million-year-old triceratops
There’s a huge mass embedded in the center of the moon, and astronomers aren’t sure what it is
Researchers identify largest carnivorous mammals ever to live on land
Study: Bedbugs roamed the earth with dinosaurs, but did not bite them
Japan lands spacecraft on distant asteroid to collect samples
The asteroid supposedly the size of a football field that has people freaking out? Don’t sweat it
EBay listing of rare baby Tyrannosaurus rex angers scientists
Giant asteroid named after god of death will whiz by Earth in 10 years
Extinct species of bird came back from the dead, scientists find
NASA releases new image of an impact crater on the surface of Mars
Warming oceans are killing dolphins, causing fewer dolphin births, study finds
Egypt discovers a tomb full of mummified cats, mice and other animals
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2445
|
__label__wiki
| 0.865418
| 0.865418
|
Dec. 14, 2015 11:08 am
Why 3,000 people use 315 S. Broad St. as their mailing address
At any point in time in Philadelphia, between 2,600 and 3,000 people who are homeless, living in a shelter, or living in some other form of transitional, temporary housing are collecting their mail at Broad Street Ministry.
By Andrew Zaleski / contributor
Broad Street Ministry
access, big headlines, Brittany Mellinger, Edd Conboy, homelessness, Michael McKee
The mail service at Broad Street Ministry holds mail for about 3,000 people. (Photo by Andrew Zaleski)
On a Wednesday afternoon in December shortly before 3 p.m., about 20 people are assembled on the steps of what used to be the Chambers-Wylie Memorial Presbyterian Church on South Broad Street. Most of them don’t know one another. Some of them are people who are homeless and living on the street. Others are people who aren’t technically homeless, if homelessness is taken to mean merely the absence of a roof, any roof, over one’s head. But all of them have one thing in common: Their mailing address is 315 S. Broad St.
Without the address, “it’s impossible” to have a functional life, said Toure, a 29-year-old man with a 76ers flat-brim cap who shared only his first name. He said he stays in the city’s shelters, but always picks his mail up — correspondence from his bank, information about jobs, Supplemental Security Income benefits — at 315 S. Broad St.
Filling a need
For 10 years, BSM has occupied the former site of Chambers-Wylie, just south of the intersection of Broad and Spruce streets and just across the street from the famed Kimmel Center. Free meals are served daily, Monday through Friday. On Sundays, the nonprofit is a place where Philadelphians who normally don’t mingle will find themselves elbow to elbow. As its website reads, BSM is where “a member of a prestigious private club worships alongside a homeless person.”
But it’s also a makeshift postal service for people without an address to call their own. As those who work at BSM say, a mailing address is the gateway for homeless Philadelphians to access benefits, communicate with hospitals and banks, and even obtain something as simple as a government-issued identification card.
“Everything grinds to a halt without that address,” said Edd Conboy, BSM’s director of social services.
Lending out its physical address as the mailing address of thousands seems like a no-brainer for BSM. But it wasn’t BSM’s idea, in the beginning. About eight years ago, one of the guests who would come in every week for a meal had his mail delivered there. The receptionist held it and gave it to him.
Over time the mail service grew, from a stack of letters held in a plastic bin for about 30 people, to a filing cabinet for about 300 people, to where it is today: Several filing cabinets stuffed with manila folders containing the mail for about 3,000 people, according to Brittany Mellinger, guest services manager at BSM and one of the coordinators of the mail service.
“Having this place that people can come back to as kind of a home base and know that their benefits won’t get interrupted, that their mail is completely safe, that their neighbors aren’t going to steal it — it’s really a reassurance to people,” Mellinger said.
Fighting a damaged system
“In many places you can’t get a mailing address without ID — and you can’t get ID without a mailing address,” Conboy said.
What Conboy outlines in a pithy way is the essential conundrum for people living on the street or in temporary housing. With no way to receive mail, or no secure location for their mail to be sent, they often miss out on what most people take for granted, which is that tiny ID card that lets our banks, jobs, and our city government know we are who we say we are.
For homeless Philadelphians, not having a mailing address makes the problems they’re working through even more acute.
“Without a mailing address, you’re really locked out of public benefits,” said Michael McKee, a case manager at BSM. “There’s no way to apply for a job, no way to receive mail.”
Depending on the day, mail is available for morning or afternoon pickup. People with ID arrive, show it to one of the BSM staffers or volunteers pulling mail, and then make their pickup. But, in the event that someone doesn’t have an ID already, BSM has also tied mail to people’s names and birthdays: A unit number — think of it like a P.O. box — that’s a combination of a person’s birth month and date corresponds to a guest coming in for their mail. That’s how mail is sorted and organized.
On the Wednesday this Generocity reporter arrived at BSM, about 100 people cycled through between 3 and 5:30 p.m. At any one time, about 50 people hung around BSM’s first floor — an old-school auditorium with a chilly, tiled checkered floor — sitting at tables chatting with each other and sorting through their envelopes. Some were waiting for 4 p.m. meal service to begin.
Others were looking to flag down McKee for a chat, and it’s in those moments that the underlying value of BSM’s mail service can be glimpsed: Volunteers and BSM staff provide guidance for people struggling with bills or signing up for welfare benefits, and being able to do that right when they’re reading through their mail is ideal.
“The mail service is an engine for sustained contact, which gives us more opportunity to build a relationship,” McKee said. “Whatever level of stability they have in their lives, this is one of the pillars of it. And that means we’re able to stay in conversation with them.”
Even if that means people are just popping in quickly. Toure didn’t hang around long. He lingered just enough for a reporter to ask him a few questions.
“I appreciate having a paper trail,” said Toure about BSM’s mail service. “It’s godly how they do it.”
What does ‘Housing First’ mean? We ask Pathways to Housing PA to explain
Looking at digital literacy through different lenses: Access and adoption, design, and digital equity
Who’s helping seniors bridge the digital divide?
Let’s talk about the digital divide
That thing you do: What happened around Philly in April
As Project HOME turns 30, a look at the state of homelessness in our city
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2448
|
__label__wiki
| 0.819919
| 0.819919
|
The Best Lines from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia S13E02: ‘The Gang Escapes’
George Prax It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, TV Reviews September 13, 2018 4 Minutes
After It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia devoted its thirteenth season premiere to the pressing question of whether or not Glenn Howerton’s Dennis would return to the show, things were unsurprisingly back to normal in “The Gang Escapes”. In fact, the episode holds itself to Dennis’ word, not worry about why or how he’s back or for how long, plunging The Gang right back into the type of low-brow, inconsequential misadventures we’re here for.
The funny thing is that the episode, which, at Sweet Dee’s request, has The Gang locked in Dennis and Mac’s apartment doing one of those escape room team-building challenge thingies, opens with Dennis actually trying to justify why he and the other guys would do something like that, establishing that there need to be stakes; in this case, an actual sirloin steak, to be purchased for the winner by Amanda, the girl setting all of this up, along with disturbing promises of sexual conquest. In true Sunny form, however, Dee has ulterior motives, having already done this exact escape room before, attempting to make herself look good in front of the guys.
Things devolve pretty quickly, as you might expect. The guys lock Dee in Dennis’ bedroom the moment she starts being annoying. In there she must escape a room of her own, as Dennis has set it up for his deviant sexual conquests. Outside, the guys pair off when their egos get in the way and they can’t decide on a leader between Dennis and Frank, but when they match each others’ tactics (The Art of the Deal, bro!), they decide to hold a summit where a pecking order is decided and they put their clues for the escape room together, only to discover it’s just the beginning. Luckily, Dee falls off the building forcing Amanda to open the door before the deadline, thus earning everyone their steaks and their picture on the company’s website. In fact, in a surprisingly sweet moment for this show, the guys let Dee take a bite of her steak first for leading them to victory.
The episode wastes no time delving into topics such as machismo and toxic masculinity, putting the guys against both Dee and each other in a bid for dominance. It treats the idea of an escape room like mice in a laboratory maze, compacting all the terrible things about the guys into an environment where they can quickly manifest themselves and explode. But it all kind of works because obviously it’s satirical and tinged with irony. What’s more, it’s an episode written and directed by women. Megan Ganz, formerly of Community and Modern Family fame joined the show last season (writing the equally hilarious and meta The Gang Tends Bar), and while I consider her to be one of the best working sitcom writers and she certainly earned her job based on skill and merit, it’s also clearly part of an attempt to diversify the Sunny writer’s room. This is a show that has been largely written by men (even outside the bulk of the episodes written by its three main stars and creators), and while most would likely consider the likes of McElheney, Howerton and Day to be relatively woke, it’s an interesting direction for the show to take after so many years. Not only is this episode written by a woman and directed by a woman (LP), but so are most of the next four episodes, and that’s probably a bigger deal than most will give credit.
It doesn’t really affect the quality of the show one way or another, it’s still just as funny and ridiculous, and the stars’ influence over it still persists, even though these changes were likely made to accommodate their increasingly busy schedules as actors and producers. But it’s a positive sign to see a show thirteen seasons old capable of making big changes in the way it’s written and produced, capable of tackling subjects not outside of the show’s realm, but potentially from different angles, all without losing much of a step. “The Gang Escapes” is both topical and timeless, hilarious and well-made. And with everything so quickly going back to normal for The Gang, it reassures me that this is a shot that still has a lot of life left in it.
“The Gang Escapes” gets 8 ounces of sirloin steak out of 10.
Here are some of the best lines from “The Gang Escapes”:
First and foremost, the Goddamnit Count. I forgot to do this last week, but I don’t remember hearing any. This week the show comes out swinging, with 5 instances of the gang (mostly Dee) expressing their displeasure with the show’s signature word.
I also want to shout out Charlie’s speech as speaker during the summit. Too much of it was hilarious to transcribe but the whole thing was just phenomenal.
Dennis: “I’m fully aware of this practice. It’s a highly sexual experience for people. You’ll get no judgements from us.”
Mac: “This sounds very nerdy. Is this a nerd thing?”
Mac: “Men don’t do things just to do them. We’re busy running the world, providing for our families. We need stakes. If there’s no stakes, what’s the point?”
Dennis: “I get out of the room, that means I win the game, the lady here, she takes me out for a steak, then it becomes sexual.”
Charlie: “Frank hasn’t been locked up since the nitwit school, so he gets a little uptight about it.”
Frank: “Everybody knows quarterbacks are men.”
Dennis/Mac: “By constantly chewing so loudly he’s sending a very clear message that he is the head cow. And as we all know, the head cow is always grazing.” “Aren’t all cows female?”
Dennis: “Mac, sometimes I’m just riffing. Would you allow me to riff? As the leader, can I riff? CAN I RIFF!?”
Mac: “Just to clarify, are we monkeys or are we cows?”
Frank: “It’s a power play. Everybody knows that the head cow is always grazing.”
Mac: “Never trust another man in negotiation! That’s textbook. Art of the Deal! Art of the Deal, bro!”
Computer Dennis: “Remember, if you’re having too much fun, it ruins it for me.”
Computer Dennis: “Ugh ugh ugh! You didn’t say the safe word.”
Amanda/Dee: “This is insanely disturbing.” “You do it for a living, get off your high horse.”
Dennis: “Clever girl.”
Dennis: “You figured out the only loophole in my carefully curated and well-researched bondage facility. You’re the only person who’s ever done that. The only one. THE ONLY ONE.”
Published by George Prax
View all posts by George Prax
Previous Post Better Call Saul S04E06 Recap: “Pinata”
Next Post Better Call Saul S04E07 Recap: “Something Stupid”
One thought on “The Best Lines from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia S13E02: ‘The Gang Escapes’”
Pingback: The Best Lines from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia S13E03: “The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies Reboot” – Prax Writes Stuff
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2450
|
__label__wiki
| 0.884943
| 0.884943
|
Tag: TV Reviews
You can sense the urgency in this, the penultimate episode of Veep. Oddly enough, not in moving the plot forward, as “Oslo” takes an unexpected detour across the Atlantic and away from the Democratic primaries in order to award Selina a Nobel peace price (or something in its vicinity), but rather in terms of the topics and ripped-from-the-headlines current events it wants to tackle before wrapping up the series in next week’s finale.
And the results were oddly prescient for a show that wrapped filming months ago, as the episode manages to poke fun at both the Julian Assange saga by temporarily making Selina a fugitive from Interpol and an alleged war criminal, hunkered down in an Embassy under less than ideal conditions with the threat of imprisonment looming outside, as well the rise in measles outbreaks linked to the anti-vaxxer movement, and in this case, specifically to Jonah Ryan, who spreads Chicken Pox in the pattern of a dick all across the eastern seaboard as well as to his father, who winds up dead by his own hand. Both of these stories have recently popped up in the news, making the fact that the show was able to sneak these references into their penultimate episode (not to mention make them feel important and not just throwaway gags they were just checking off a list) all the more impressive.
Almost as impressive is the continued cavalcade of guest stars in this final season. After seeing the likes of Rhea Seehorn and Andy Daly join the cast in pitch-perfect roles, “Oslo” saw guest spots from Thomas Lennon as a CBS executive (in a subplot, by the way, which included a hilarious transition for Mike into network TV anchor as he continues to fumble his way up the ladder) and Michael McKean, who falls into that Peter MacNicol bracket of amazing veteran actors who instantly fit into the show and make you wonder why they weren’t around any sooner. McKean plays Governor Valentine of Iowa, introduced in a scene where he knocks Dan and Richard down a peg for their meteoric political rise, and pretty much written off in the next when he contracts the shingles after his visit with the Chicken Pox-infected Ryans, forcing him to resign and making Richard the governor and a superdelegate who will likely have to decide next week who becomes his party’s nominee for president (or, as I predicted last week, somehow stumbles into the presidency himself and saves America).
I don’t know if any of this week’s developments will factor in to next week’s finale, as Selina takes a step forward and two steps back, like she always does, and Jonah continues his fall into further depravity, as he always does, but it’s a marvel to watch a show ostensibly still in its prime go out on its own terms, still firing on all cylinders. The proof is in the pudding, as you’ll see below with all the great lines from “Oslo!”
Selina: “I want tosound like Bono trying to impress his own reflection in the mirror.”
Minna/Selina: “So my last three lovers are complaining that my dirty talk is both incessant and soporific.” “Maybe you should let them choke you.” “You think they would rather choke me than listen to me talk?” “I can only speak for myself.”
Keith/Selina: “[The drone strike] was classified until somebody on your staff clicked on Asian girls bound and gagged.” “Oh Ben… Or Kent… Or Leon… Or Marjorie..”
Amy: “Your anti-vaccination message is bringing together an unheard mix of Orthodox Jews, uneducated fringe conspiracists and kamboucha-douching private school moms.”
Gary: “The menu has been an atrocity. The guests are vegan and the president won’t eat anything without a face.”
Minna: “I thought you were talking about your daughters wedding to your homosexual doppelganger?”
Selina: “As the former President of the United States, truth and justice can gargle my balls.”
Dan/Richard: “Last night I tried to find one non-chain restaurant to eat at and Yelp basically told me to go Fudrucker myself.” “Sounds like a settings issue.”
Governor Valentine (Michael McKean) to Dan: “Save it, Manhattan date rape mystery.”
Ben/Selina: “I could be dead by the time you get out of here.” “No offense Ben, but that could be like tonight.” “God willing.”
Selina/Minna: “Minna, you don’t go to prison for not being the head of the IMF.” “Just the prison of unmet potential.” “Go sit in the corner, Minna!”
Amy/Jonah: “Didn’t you have chicken pox as a child? Or were you too busy bedwetting and cutting fuckholes in watermelons?” “That only works with fleshy melons.”
Jonah: “I hate you so much I could walk into a supermarket and shoot everybody.”
Minna/Gary: “Selina, if you go to prison you will not have your Gary to clean up after you.” “No, I’ll be there.”
Kent: “For polling purposes you’re practically a generic white male.”
Selina: “I feel like the grim reaper just dropped his scythe and started eating me out.”
Valentine: “Jonah Ryan has as much chance at becoming president as a stack of retarded raccoons in a trench coat, but if anyone is crawling out of our cesspool of a state to become his Ag. Sec it’s going to be this pigfucker.”
Selina and the Georgian Dictator: “Chivalry is not dead.” “No, her name was Svetlana and she’s definitely dead.”
Selina: “Call Leon tell him to get his dick out of whatever homeless woman froze in front of the hotel.”
Beth: “Jonah and I don’t want any more kids until I can get my cake pop business off the ground. And we can do genetic testing to make sure they’re not born dead.”
Richard/Jonah: “Make sure his nose is wet.” “What?” No, that’s for dogs.”
Jeff: “I can’t believe you gave him chicken pox, I always had you pegged as an AIDS guy.”
Kent/Selina: “Peggy Noonan has a column about Babar and American exceptionalism.” “Oh but she’s a dumb cunt.”
George Prax TV Reviews, Veep Leave a comment May 6, 2019 May 6, 2019 4 Minutes
It’s hard to believe that after tonight’s “Super Tuesday”, there are only two episodes ever left of Veep. Not only because I really can’t imagine a world without a show as hilarious, witty, poignant and take-no-prisoners as it is, but also because, well, it doesn’t feel as if much as happened this season. It’s mostly been business as usual for the show and its vast array of incompetent bureaucrat characters and other than some maneuvering and position it doesn’t seem like the season has really accomplished that much, despite the fact that something like a year has probably passed between the season premiere, where Selina Meyer announces her campaign, and this episode, as Super Tuesdays usually happen early in the spring.
I don’t know if that’s necessarily a criticism as I like spending time with these characters and I don’t think it’s ever been the case that I haven’t laughed hysterically at a given episode of the show, but it’s just remarkable to fathom. In a way, though, the slow-turning wheels of the American political system is kind of this show’s motto.
What’s more, I actually feel like I finally got a glimpse of what this show’s endgame might be like, and funny enough that glimpse came in the episode’s C-story. Richard Splett started the season working for both the Ryan and Meyer campaigns, left both to randomly become mayor of some hick town in Iowa, and ended this episode as the Lieutenant governor of the state after accidentally outing a bunch of corruption. I can totally see a world where Richard somehow winds up becoming president by accident. He’s secretly the smartest character on this show, he’s genuine and earnest, which is what people say they want out of a presidential candidate, and with Dan at his side it feels like almost the perfect compromise for a show where the thesis statement has always been about how terrible everyone in politics truly is.
And after all, making Selina president seems too obvious and too good a fate for that character, and even this show can’t be so cynical as to make Jonah fucking Ryan president In fact the show seems to be setting both of them up for big falls, as Selina’s arc in this episode went from trying to hide her ex-husband’s embezzlement to trying to ignore the that she accidentally had the Chinese kill Andrew. And as for Jonah, well, they keep digging and ever-deepening hole of depravity for him, as it’s revealed that Beth is actually his half-sister and not just his stepsister, not to mention pregnant with their inbred child.
Veep is cynical and unrelenting, but it would be a hell of a twist for it to end in a semi-positive place with someone like Richard Splett as the new president. But with only two episodes left I’m sure we’re in for plenty of surprises.
Brutal Takedown of the Week: Last week, I dedicated the brutal takedown of the week to what might be the final Jeff Kane appearance as Peter MacNicol returned to deliver some doozies. I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer the same reverence this week to Dan Bakkendahl’s Roger Furlong, arguably an even better ringer for Veep than MacNicol has been. Furlong already made a brief appearance earlier in the season, but it’s in this episode he gets to shine, delivering no fewer than four great lines as well as setting up his trusty sad sack aide Will (Nelson Franklin) for a vicarious fifth (not to mention how both he and Amy slam Jonah by referring to him as “Congressman Slender Man”):
Furlong: “Holy shit, Bruckheimer, when you get an abortion you’re supposed to leave the mangled fetus at the clinic, not staple it to the skeleton of a gay condor and run it for president.”
Furlong to Beth: “What Saudi prince’s rape dongeon did you finger-trolley your way out of?”
Furlong: “Chances are you’ll still get assassinated but the killer – may god guide his hand – will just have to work a little harder.”
Furlong: “Have a good weepy slide down the shower wall this evening.”
Will/Furlong: “Well I was hoping to finish my passion project.” “Which is?” “Rerouting my urethra to the back of my balls so that I have to sit to pee like a real girl.”
Best of the Rest:
Selina wants to leak some of her death threats, like “someone should put a bullet in your shriveled old face.” “No, just make up some death threats that are nice.”
Marjorie/Selina/Gary: “This is the face of clinical depression.” “With the hair of a mental patient.” “My kingdom for her beret.”
Selina: “Well this has been a dry fuck on a sandy beach.”
Selina: “First of all call, it the Washington post like a non-asshole. And I don’t know anything about foreign interference. And stop staring at my like I’m some sort of teenage runaway that you just strangled.”
Selina: “Just give [the faith money] to one of those gay-converting Baptist colleges to fund a statue of a gold-plated Jesus fucking a triceratops.”
Jonah/Beth: “I told Beth that we would go to Arkansas so she could give me a handjob in a hot spring.” “It’s my birthday.”
Beth/Jonah: “I didn’t get Clay vaccinated because it causes autism. And now he just has a little bit of autism.” “When I was a kid they said best case scenario was I had autism and fucking look at me now.”
Selina: “What are they giving away free Tommy Bahama dick cozy’s?
Ben: “Me so complicit me go jail long time.”
Gary/Selina: “I have your estrogen patch.” “You wear it. Maybe you’ll grow some hair on your vagina.”
Doctor/Dan: “You brought a woman into my clinic to have her pregnancy terminated.” “Could you be a little more specific?” “I’m actually worried she might have a thyroid issue because of her eyes.” “Oh! Amy. Reminds me I gotta Apple Pay her for her half.”
Selina RE Gary: “I don’t think people are gonna buy that a guy who calls vaginas crank em crank ems is gonna be able to pull off some sort of multi million dollar fraud.”
Amy/Jonah/Beth: “Is that what a real orgasm feels like?” “Ugh do women have those?” “That’s what I’ve been telling you.”
Selina is to meet “the fake real woman from your speech.” Kent: “Just in the nick of time, she was about to be stoned by the local child army.”
Richard: “That’s hilarious, a talking company. Where would the mouth even be?”
Keith: “Hey now, you’re not a grilled chicken sandwich and a miller light.”
Selina: “When do the new Kent’s come out?”
Kent addressing Mike’s young child: “Chief strategist Kent Davidson, how do you do.”
George Prax TV Reviews, Veep 2 Comments April 29, 2019 April 29, 2019 5 Minutes
We’re far enough into Veep‘s final season that discussing how the show has chosen to tackle the trump era of politics is starting to sound like a broken record, but last night’s episode, “South Carolina”, deserves another look from this perspective. The episode veers violently into the kind of cynical politics that have have dominated Washington since 2016 in more ways than one, and more severely than the three previous episodes of the season. In fact, I’ve been struggling with the notion that a transformative trump-like figure could exist in this world. Not because I don’t think that someone so self-serving could exist in the Veep universe, but rather due to the fact that just about everyone in this world is already as self-serving and narcissistic as one donald j trump, and this episode shows just how far some of those people are willing to go to get what they want.
In “South Carolina”, Selina Meyer resorts to several shady-ass tactics in order to keep the momentum of her campaign moving forward. Not only does she come very close to supporting police brutality while giving a speech in a black church (something she likely only backs away from in fear of her own safety), but she publicly declares her support for Chinese expansionism in exchange for a big, murky campaign contribution (as well as meddling in the primary) from that nation. In fact, this goes so far that we even find out that Andy Daly’s mild-mannered campaign manager, who has spent the better part of this season so far cheerfully accepting Selina’s disdain, reveals himself to be a Chinese plant.
We accept this kind of cynicism from the Jonah side of the story, and we get it, as Jonah’s campaign manages to steer even further to the right. He winds up giving a speech denouncing math because it was technically invented by Muslims, decreeing that math teachers are terrorists. The looks of horror on the faces of Bill, Teddy and Amy are priceless. Amy winds up leaning into it, as she ends the episode by transforming herself into ersatz Kellyanne Conway (and it’s glorious). But that’s not all, as this comes after an entire episode of Jonah trying to drop out of the campaign and exchange his endorsement for a cabinet position, a deal no one wants to take, only to find out from his rich uncles that he’s not in the campaign to win it, but instead to gather enough delegates so they can influence policy at the convention and ensure that their prisons remain full of pot smokers (because who wants a private prison with just rapists and murderers?).
Somehow even that manages to stride that line of almost egregious cynicism. But it’s the Selina story that really kind of hits you where it hurts. We know she’ll do whatever it takes to get what she feels is coming to her, so currying the favour of a foreign government probably shouldn’t come as a surprise after all the shady and probably illegal shit we’ve seen her do (it’s even references in every episode prior to this as the show has shined a line on Andrew’s embezzlements). But the way Selina juggles racial politics and foreign election meddling so easily in this episode almost pushes things to far; never mind how she winds up using Dan for sex after he gets her speech balloons just right and then fires him from the campaign.
Between Selina’s despicable behaviour, Jonah diving off the deepest of ends and how seamlessly the show weaves in current events and political issues, this is an all-timer when it comes to Veep’s political cynicism. As this sets up the show’s final arcs, it’ll be curious to see if the show is at all interested in trying to redeem any of these people, or if they’re merely trying to remind us once and for all that they’re all just terrible, hopeless and incorrigible.
Brutal Takedown of the Week: We can’t have an episode with an appearance from Jeff Kane and not highlight Peter MacNicol’s tremendous mastery of the Jonah Ryan takedown. Somehow his character – who only began to appear on the show late in its run, has managed to become one of my favourites with only a handful of appearances. Here he is eviscerating Jonah in one scene (two lines)
Shut the fuck up! When you’re president! I’ll jam my fist up my dickhole and pull out a forty piece danish cutlery set when you’re president.
Selina Meyer is a legitimate candidate, not a human pool skimmer last used to de-spunk a Provincetown hot tub party.
Gary wants a bigger role in the campaign. Selina: “What kind of role was your mother thinking of?” “I don’t know, I thought everybody kinda did the same thing.”
Bill: “I’m going to go hang myself from a sturdy pipe, and I’m not even going to bother jerking off.”
Selina: “You can’t just replace Gary with another lesbian and think I’m not gonna notice.”
Marjorie (w/ Selina) on her tea-making skills: “Thank you ma’am, I learned from an Afghani warlord.” “Why don’t we put him on the payroll?” “You killed him in a drone strike.”
Marjorie RE Gary: “You’ve been taking fashion advice from a man who dresses like an overgrown ventriloquist dummy.”
Kent/Selina: “My polling shows their [non-college educated whites] main wants are jobs education and an adequate safety net…” “Okay, I can speak to that.” “I’m not finished ma’am. To be denied to African Americans.”
Ben/Kent: “Lu sent you a message inside Mike.” “A misfortune cookie.”
Richard: “When my uncle stole me, I don’t remember exactly where he took me but I do have this recurring dream where I almost find out.”
Selina/Ben: “He just fucked me right in the ass.” “Son of a bitch wouldn’t endorse you.” “That too!”
Dan: “You want to blow a dog whistle in a black church? That’s like blowing a rape whistle while you’re raping somebody.”
Selina: “Honeydew? If I want to pretend to be in the CNN green room I would draw a face on Ben’s ass and call it Christiane Amanpour.”
Amy: “I should have aborted myself.”
Jonah at the beginning of the episode: “Math is a plot invented by the Chinese to make smart Americans feel dumb.”
Jonah at the end of the episode: “I just found out from my stupid stepfather-in-law that math was created by Muslims. And we teach this Islamic math to children. Math teachers are terrorists!”
Jonah: “Algebra? More like Al Jazeera”
Teddy: “I may I’m a registered sex offender but I cannot be apart of this.”
Selina: “If we lose it won’t be for a lack of touching people in a Denny’s.”
Selina/Ben: “How’s the turnout.” “Much like my prostate, mostly black and much larger than we’d like.”
Ben/Selina: “I told you you can’t trust the Chinese, I married enough of them to know that.” “Isn’t your wife Korean?” “Maybe. Fog of war?”
Selina/Gary: “Your name will be all over it like Jodie Foster / John Hinkley style.” “Oh my god, I’m obsessed with her.”
Andy Daly quoting Selina: “I believe her exact words were ‘if I need another Washington douche I’d go to the M Street Right Aid.”
George Prax TV Reviews, Veep 1 Comment April 22, 2019 5 Minutes
As Veep wraps up its run at a time where our contemporary political realities have long surpassed any reasonable semblance of parody, it’s become rather important that Veep at least try and commentate on all of that craziness through its biting, no-punch-pulling lens. Under Armando Iannucci (and during the transitional David Mandel years), this was a show about worthless, lackadaisical beaurocrats running out the clock on a pointless political stepping stone, either on their way to greener pastures or serving penance for past slights. But as it eventually became clear that Selina Meyer was meant for greater things, the show slowly transformed itself, all the while getting more and more ruthless and more and more cynical. Now in its final form, it’s only fitting that Veep embraces the insanity of the current political landscape and translate the current popular versions of things such as white nationalism and misogyny through its own lens of commentary.
The result of that so far this season has mostly bore fruit through the Jonah storyline, as Timothy Simons has long proven to be this show’s ultimate punching bag. Jonah Ryan is stupid, rude, bigoted, ignorant and incompetent, which makes him the perfect poster boy for both this show and its translation of the political landscape, leading to some excellent humour over the course of the last three episodes. But in a surprise twist, by the end of this week’s episode, it’s Selina embracing, at least in part, that mantra, as she breaks down in a debate fumble of her own making and turns it into a resurgent moment as she tells an African-American candidate who can’t stop using her identity as a crutch to “man up,” as she did all the years she had to quietly endure misogyny in order to reach her current status. The people (which, on Veep, share social status with the likes of Jonah Ryan) eat it up and she winds up winning the debate and sinking her political opponents, after the floundering she had to endure over the course of the first two episodes.
It’s an interesting stance for this show to take, tacitly admitting that these steps back are tried and true political maneuvers. Selina is and always has been selfish, her entire existence hinging on the idea that she’s paid her dues and waited her turn to be president, that she’s earned and deserves a run as president. But she’s also always been a bleeding-heart progressive, so for her to quote-unquote turn to the dark side and so easily get a win is as biting a stance for this show to take as anything else it’s ever done. It’s early in the season, and “Pledge” is an admittedly transitional episode that aimed to get Selina from points A and B to C, but I wonder if this is something the show might stick to en route to whatever endgame they have in mind.
But even as a transitional episode, this was as hilarious as the show has been this year, with plenty of material for Selina (I loved her funeral blackball list and kind of wished they mined it for a few more jokes), a great Jonah subplot with a lot of visual humour (including several unfortunate press pics of him at the fair, him eating two different-sized corndogs, and debating a wizard), Richard succeeding a dog as the mayor of an Iowan town, and the perfect setup for next week as the episode ends with Amy getting a call from Teddy asking her to become Jonah’s campaign manager, a job she enthusiastically (and presumably ironically) accepts, likely in order to fuck with Jonah.
And speaking of Amy, she had what’s likely to stand as the most brutal piece of dialog of the season, so without further adieu, let’s get to this week’s best lines from “Pledge”!
Brutal Takedown of the week: Listen, I have shit to do, I can’t copy down every single line of dialog from this show. But I couldn’t help but do it for this epic takedown from Amy, trying to enter an abortion clinic in Iowa facing down a bunch of protesters. I pretty much can’t think of a better way to react in that situation, and from now on this should be the go-to in the abortion debate
You want me to think about the children, you hog fingering fucks? Well I did I think about this, and I cried and, yeah suck my cock, I prayed a little. And here I am! So you can back the fuck off, you hypocritical cunts, before i show up to the piss puddle that is your house and protest your husband wacking it to your daughter’s seventh grade yearbook. That sign’s misspelt.
Selina: “It sounds like Dr. Seuss fucked Maya Angelou in the yasmatazz and then filled her all up with snoozeliscuzz.”
Selina: “Last thing I need is my picture being taken eating dick-shaped food. I’d rather eat a food-shaped dick.”
Richard: “My uncle was a shop steward for the 7-4. Asbestos killed him. Asbestor was the name of their pit bull.”
Jonah: “I’m Jonah Ryan and I wanna suck this message’s hot clam.”
Teddy/Jonah: “We focus tested the ad and most people are uncomfortable watching a white man kick a black woman in the vagina.” “Well I don’t see vagina colour.”
Richard: “On the plus column the undecard debate will be first, which means we’ll have no problem getting out of the parking lot. Oh no, that’s bad news too, it’s stacked parking.”
Teddy/Jonah: “You can’t say retarded in front of a reporter.” “Why, was he retarded?”
Mike: “Ever since i got it they stopped calling me old guy. Now it’s hat guy.” “It’s fat guy.”
Selina: “Look at you! You got chocolate all over your face like a child, but you’re an adult!”
Dan’s harrowing abortion knowledge: “Is that the Berkeley VC10? Cause that’s the Shelby Cobra GT of vag vacs!”
Selina: “What’s up with the Clubfoot Cuntessa?”
Richard: “Novelty mayors are Iowa’s top source of tourism. After tornado chasing, and coming into town to buy Sudafed.”
Teddy: “You have to be more PC than a clit ring made out of wheatgrass.”
Selina: “I want you to add the Dalai Lama to this list, because i’m going to be the only stiff at my funeral.”
Selina: “And this must be Mrs. Ryan. Or do you go by your maiden name, Mrs. Ryan?”
Selina/Richard: “But don’t you have to be a dog [to be the mayor]?” “Legally, yes, but it’s unenforceable.”
Kent/Selina: “Ma’am, that’s your funeral blackball list.” “And all of you are on it!”
George Prax TV Reviews, Veep Leave a comment April 15, 2019 4 Minutes
Last week’s season premiere of Veep was all about proving that the long-running HBO satire still had a place in the discourse on American politics. Could it be as biting and brutal as it was for its first six seasons, especially after nearly two years off the air?
The answer was an unsurprising and resounding yes, but it was nice to get confirmation that the show wouldn’t spend its final episodes on some sort of tame farewell tour. And while the season’s second episode, “Discovery Weekend”, was probably a little laid back in comparison, the show and its cavalcade of assholes were still firing on most cylinders this week, delivering vicious lines and takedowns on topics including but not limited to the #MeToo movement, women in presidential politics, the (gay) money behind said presidential politics, somehow bulimia, and a lot more.
The episode sees Selina and the campaign visit a major political donor’s weekend getaway where he is set to announce his backing of a single Democratic candidate. That donor is Felix Wade (played by the great William Fitchner), a political power player whose sexual preferences are the worst kept secret in politics (which doesn’t stop Selina from putting her foot in her mouth and accidentally outing him to an unwitting Mike; whose habitual and often forgotten presence now that he’s no longer in the campaign is quickly becoming one of my favourite things about this season) and who has decided to back Selina. Problem is that Tom James (Hugh Laurie) decides to stick his apparently gigantic penis where it doesn’t belong, renewing one of the show’s best will-they-won’t-they love/hate dynamics between him ans Selina. Tom complicates matters by telling Selina he legitimately loves her right before she’s set to deliver a speech that would guarantee her Felix’s money, causing her to stumble and lose ground. He also gets caught by Amy fooling around with his new Amy (the brilliantly cast Rhea Seahorn, who may as well be a clone of Anna Chlumsky’s).
So Selina and the gang spend most of the episode trying to stop Felix from falling too far in love with Tom, all while trying to do something “disruptive” to get his attention, which incidentally leaves them in the dust when Selina introduces Felix to a multiracial senator who Felix winds up back and who Selina describes as her protege (and therefore a perfect candidate to stab her in the back), leaving us in Veep’s favourite territory; right back where we started.
Meanwhile, the Jonah Ryan campaign is going just as well, as his repeated lies about all the women he’s clearly never gone out with come back to haunt him. While Teddy and the rest of his staff ponder what he could have done to offend a number of women, it turns out they’ve all banded together to create the wittingly labeled “#NotMe” movement to out Jonah as a liar and prove they’ve never slept with him. It’s a nice play on words with regards to the #MeToo movement and also bad news for Jonah, seeing as the trump card (I hate myself for that, don’t worry) of his campaign is his misplaced braggadocio.
All of this keeps the wheels moving on the show, but it’s interesting to see things move rather slowly two weeks into this final season. I wonder if we’re going to spend the entire season in the primaries, in order to mimic real life, or if a time jump is in the show’s near future. In any case, that doesn’t stop “Discovery Weekend” from being another great episode, so let’s not waste any more time. Below you’ll find all the great, brutal lines from this week’s episode:
Jonah Ryan Dunk of the Week: “Dead-eyed lanterned-jawed one-and-done congresstard” (Jonah: “That could be anyone.”)
Furlong: “I would have invited my wife but she’s a squirter and that dress doesn’t look scotch guarded.”
Selina/Gary/Selina: “Come on that is idiotic. Is he really that insecure?” “Come on that is idiotic. Is he really that insecure?” “Gary gets it.”
Gary/Selina: “Amy’s bulimic.” “It’s about time. And I’ll tell you something, she might want to consider more purging, less binging.”
Kent to Amy: “You’ve got some vomit on your mustache.”
Selina to Tom, upon meeting his new Amy: “What’s up with Frigid Von Pole-up-her-ass?”
Selina/Kent: “He cannot spend another second with Felix without me jammed in between them like the cross piece in an Eiffel Tower threesome.” “MMF, the devil’s threesome.”
Selina: “An all female ticket? I don’t think so. The American people work hard for a living, they don’t need that kind of bullshit.”
Tom: “I believe the word you’re fumbling for is mansplaining.”
Teddy: “Jonah who have you traumatized? Start with the doctor that delivered you.”
Teddy: “If anyone asks, tell them you’ve been chemically castrated. It’s very easy to lie about and trust me, nobody checks.”
Kent: “In current gay parlance Dan represents somewhere between a wolf and an otter. Some would say a frost otter.”
Selina: “Dan fucked YOU? What were you wearing, a full length mirror?”
Selina: “I did not spend my entire life defending a woman’s right to choose for you to choose this.”
Jonah: “I split the bill on all my dates. Why would I pay for a woman to get fatter?”
Selina/Gary and his bath bomb: “Is it gonna explode between my legs and make me cum until I cry?” “I think it’s peppermint.”
Ben: “You’re going to be drowning in money so dark it would get shot entering its own apartment.”
Selina: “How dare that smooth shitsack cheat on his wife and risk his political future with someone that’s not me.”
Jonah/Richard: “I have scoliosis?” “Yes, clearly.”
George Prax TV Reviews, Veep Leave a comment April 8, 2019 4 Minutes
The Most Brutal Insults from Veep S07E01: ‘Iowa’
In this endless onslaught of sociopolitical turmoil, it’s kind of crazy realize we’ve gone almost two full years without a season of Veep. The last time HBO’s biting political sitcom was on the air, we were only a few months into the trump administration. When season 6 premiered, we were still talking about the travel ban and the administration’s ceaseless attempts to strip Americans of their right to healthcare. We had barely heard of the name “Robert Mueller” and only had vague suspicions of Russian election interference. In retrospect, those were much simpler times. Perhaps the show and its writers felt the same, as the biggest criticism against season 6 was probably that it felt like it didn’t belong. Some attributed it to the show’s age, or how far passed its original premise it had gone, but it’s quite possible that it was because the show didn’t have any relevance or identity as a pre-trump show living in a post-trump world. I’ll defend season 6 as being as funny as any season that came before it, but I’m willing to admit that perhaps its timing and its insistence on being more about an oblivious, out-of-touch ex-president rather than anything more biting was probably detrimental to how it would be remembered.
And that may be one of the reasons why it took showrunner David Mandel and his crew almost a full two years to prepare this, the seventh and final season. This is a show that was birthed from the cynicism of Obama-era obstructionist politics, a show that took as much inspiration from the then sitting VP Joe Biden as it did from its British predecessor, The Thick Of It. Those were much simpler times, where the ineffectual nature of politics could actually be mined for humour. Things are a lot more complicated now. A lot more sinister. And it’s not like the show could simply cast Alec Baldwin or Tony Atamanuik to play trump, this is a fictional world, deviated from the actual politics of the 21st century. Portraying the post-trump world without donald trump likely proved to be a much harder nut to crack.
With this past week’s season 7 premiere, “Iowa”, it’s probably safe to say that the show found where it had stored its nut cracker, because that biting commentary, that brutal take-no-prisoners attitude of the show was out and swinging with a fantastic episode. An episode that in no way forgets Veep’s roots as being about a terrible, selfish politician and the terrible selfish people around her, while still finding the perfect moments to crack the whip in the direction of white nationalism and gun culture.
The episode centers largely around Selina’s repeated failed attempts to announce her presidential campaign. She arrives at the wrong Iowan airport, she’s stalled by multiple mass shootings, she’s stonewalled by unpaid contractors and her staff’s failures. And when she does finally announce, her declaration is overshadowed by the shitshow that is Jonah Ryan’s literally incestuous campaign, which, it turns out, people find more raw and appealing than a business-as-usual Selina Meyer running once again for president.
The episode established that, in its final season, Veep will not cease to be a show about terrible people insulting each other terribly for being bad at their jobs. It’s almost like it’s going through an existential crisis, as Selina constantly laments the ineffective nature of her staff all while making the exact same mistakes they try to warn her about. And yet, it’s also a show that rips apart the debate around mass shootings, purposely never taking an actual stance on the matter and playing into the ridiculous nature of the “thoughts and prayers” response (to the point where Selina slapdashedly tries to rebrand it as “mindfulness and meditations” instead of actually trying to say something substantive, only doing so absentmindedly when questioned by Mike, whom she forgets no longer works for her. The way the episode tackles the politicization of mass shootings is absolutely brutal and hilarious, as is what they set up with Jonah Ryan playing the post-trump candidate. I hope this isn’t insulting towards Timothy Simons, because he’s really good as playing a disgusting, gargantuan monster who you can totally believe is the rallying call of the alt-right (and yet “alt-right” and “white nationalism” are terms that aren’t uttered in this episode, and likely never will be over the course of the season, because this show is truly that brilliant when it comes to subtext).
In other words, this is a great episode that feels like it earned its two year break. It feels like it’s cemented its place in the modern political conversation, despite arguably feeling out of touch the last time we saw it, and without losing sight of what got it here. It seems like it’s adapted perfectly, all while managing a huge, talented cast where there still is a lead that’s head-and-shoulders above all the rest; and as you’ll see below, that lead manages to steal the show despite the ever-growing cast that not only brings back pretty much everyone from previous seasons and adds the incomparable Andy Daly as Selina’s accidental new campaign manager.
“Iowa” proves that Veep’s still got it, and with nothing left to hold back, this final season is shaping up to be one hell of a ride.
Below are my favourite lines from the episode, be sure to check back weekly for the rest of the season!
Jonah Insult of the Week: 80-story Skyraper
Amy: “Hey, sweatpants! You can’t just walk out, this isn’t a Terrence Malick movie.”
Selina: “I’m not sure about the part where I say I want to be president for all Americans. I mean, do I? All of them?”
Selina: “If Mohammed Atta had you people booking his travel he’d still be alive today. Which from his perspective would be a massive fuckup.”
Dan/Selina: “FYI we’re tracking a school shooting in Spokane, Washington.” “Muslim or white guy? Which one’s better for me?”
Amy/Selina: “First of all, there was a reluctance on the part of the candidate to take responsibility for mistakes.” “What, no, you were the one who made mistakes.” “Second, there was a culture of blame which made people feel unsafe expressing criticisms.” “What dumb asshole said that?”
Selina: “How about I write 500 pages on how you need to start wearing concealer?”
Selina (escaping Marjorie): “I just had to get away from Blue is the Most Annoying Color.”
Selina/Amy: “Amy, why would you want to be president?” “So I could nuke America.”
Teddy/Bill: “How did this not come up?” “The same reason it didn’t come up that he moisturizes with Minotaur semen, it’s not one of the standard questions!”
Kent: “Google always filters out my emails, they think I’m a bot.”
Selina/Ben: “I really thought my 50s would be about sucking and fucking my way through the Shorestein Center.” “You and me both, ma’am.”
Amy: “I don’t want people to think I was going for Megan Egan because that sounds like someone who gets assfucked on the Major Deegan in a limerick.”
Selina: “I was a gamechanger, I took a dump on the glass ceiling and I shaved my muff in the sink of the old boys club.”
Ben: “technically it’s more of a goat rape than a clusterfuck.”
Jonah: “It’s exactly what Woody Allen did. I’m clearly no more of a pervert than he is.”
George Prax TV Reviews, Veep 1 Comment April 1, 2019 April 1, 2019 5 Minutes
Star Trek: Discovery charts a bold new path for season 2 with ‘Brother’ [Season Premiere Review]
If season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery taught us anything, it’s that, for the most part, each episode is only part of the story. That shouldn’t surprise anyone who has witnessed the evolution of storytelling on television over the last twenty years; episodic TV is a thing of the past, and in genres like science fiction especially, serialized storytelling is king. Last season, a lot of people were quick to dismiss what Discovery was trying to do because they only bothered with the first few episodes. But it was over the course of the entire 15 episode first season that the story of Michael Burnham and the war with the Klingons unfolded. It had an arc that didn’t even clearly convey its central thesis (the arrogance of the Federation’s expansionist idea of peace and enlightenment, among other things) until about halfway through.
On top of that, as a serialized show in the 21st century, it took time for it to find its footing. Even discounting the change in showrunners and the added pressure of existing within the framework of an over 50-year-old franchise, and no less as a prequel, that’s a normal thing for TV shows these days. And I really do think it wound up finding its footing. As the season wore in, it become more optimistic, more lighthearted, it featured more technology and exploration, and it made its points, all within the framework of a modern, serialized show, something I think Star Trek in 2019 needs to be.
In season 2, it’s going to have to do all of these things over again, because a subtle promise in the season’s build up and marketing is that this is sort of a soft-reboot of Disovery. The showrunners have changed again (during production, even), fully eliminating Bryan Fuller’s imprint on the show, other than his name as creator in the opening sequence, and making it Alex Kurtzman’s. Some of the pressure has been lifted off Discovery’s shoulders, with the promise of no less than half a dozen other Trek series in the works, including the highly anticipated return of Sir Patrick Stewart to the role of Captain Picard, but the pressure to make Discovery bigger and better persists, all while finding a way to channel that old school notion of what it means to be Star Trek.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Brother”, the season 2 premiere, but I must warn anyone watching or planning to watch that there’s no way that it can satisfy everyone’s desires of what they want Star Trek to be. Watching the episode it was clear to me that Kurtzman and the writers have abandoned the idea of boldly taking Trek into completely new places, instead focusing on balancing this new version of the franchise with a more familiar tone. In season 2, Discovery is funnier, lighter, more positive and brighter. There are times where it’s almost obnoxious, but they always find a way to reel it back.
It’s a premiere and the show is serialized, so it still sets up a story that will play out over multiple episodes if not the entire season, but there are missions within the episode that manage to get resolved, notably a rescue mission on a Starfleet medical freighter thought to have been lost during the Klingon war. The freighter is stuck in an asteroid field where the physics are wonky, due to a mysterious event that the ship is tasked with investigating, but the nature of that event is put on the back burner (since there are seven things they need to investigate) in favour of focusing on the rescue mission, as the crew is forced to take individual pods out to the asteroid where the ship has crashed.
As a result, like the season 1 premiere, it’s an episode with a lot of action. But a different kind of action, as no phasers are fired, and there is no confrontation with an alien species. It’s purely a rescue mission, and you can tell the writers specifically chose this path to differentiate season 2 from what came before.
The effort appears elsewhere as well. As already noted, this is a much funnier, light-hearted episode, and that’s displayed not only in what they find on the ship (where the surviving officer is a dry-witted engineer played by the driest of dry comedians, Tig Notaro), but also in how the crew copes with its new leader, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount, joining the cast), who commandeers the Discovery in order to complete the mission of investigating the seven synchronized events after the Enterprise sustains heavy damage. The crew is apprehensive, because they don’t know much about Pike and he sort of steamrolls them, and they’re still reeling from not one, but two Mirror Universe evil captain reveals. Pike makes it a point to prove to them he’s not Gabriel Lorca. He jokes with them, he makes it a point to learn their names, he’s even a fan of furniture in ready rooms. And he understands that he’s encroaching on Saru’s territory, so he gives him the space he needs as the ship’s number one and, up to his arrival, acting captain. As much as this episode is about establishing this new threat and saving that freighter, it’s about establishing Pike as the new captain and starting to build new relationships.
I really like the Captain Pike portrayed in this episode. He’s different than the other iterations we’ve seen, but very much in line with what you’d expect the predecessor to Captain Kirk to be like. He’s funny, incredibly charming and a bit of a rogue or a maverick. He comes from a ship on a long-term deep-space mission, so he plays a little more fast and loose with the rules than a Saru, which puts him in a nice spot between Saru and Burnham, the latter of which has her own tendency to bend rules and do things her own way. Pike knows things are different on a ship that experienced the war, and he feels bad for being ordered to sit it out, so he respects and lionizes Saru, but he very quickly bonds with Burnham, between their similarities and their mutual acquaintance in Spock. That makes Pike the perfect addition to this show, even though some might continue to think this prequel/TOS stuff is shoehorned in, and Anson Mount is pitch perfect in his portrayal.
And, of course, it’s also about Burnham and her family problems, as the arrival of the Enterprise brings up the curious absence of one Mr. Spock, her foster brother, who has taken leave from his duties on the Enterprise and not spoken to Pike, Burnham, or his father Sarek in a long time. The episode starts with a lengthy flashback to Burnham’s first day in Sarek’s home, and Spock’s initial rejection of his new foster sister. Later on Burnham blames herself for their failed relationship as faux-siblings. But visiting his quarters on the Enterprise, she discovers that Spock had something to hide, and that it might play in this larger mission with Pike. We don’t see adult Spock just yet, but we know he’s coming, as Ethan Peck has been cast in the role and seen in some of the trailers.
All of this makes for a lot to set up for the premiere, and we haven’t even mentioned Stamets’ decision to leave the ship for a teaching gig, abandoning his research with the Mycellium network, or the dark matter asteroid that they bring on board. All of this, obviously, will play out over the course of the season, but it sets up a good base, and it balances all of these elements fairly well. That’s kind of the point of making a more action-oriented premiere. You have a lot to set up, it won’t pan out for a few episodes, so here’s an exciting space jump to tide you over (including a pitch-perfect redshirt death). “Brother” establishes a good pace for us to work with as Discovery launches into new territory this season. I’m excited about the Red Angel stuff, I’m curious to see how the Spock stuff plays out, I’m elated at how good Anson Mount is as Pike and the new dynamic with the crew, and I’m optimistic about the show’s promise to be more about science and exploration, between the seven missions they’ve already set up and the dark matter asteroid they have sitting in the shuttle bay. And that’s pretty much what you can expect out of a soft-reboot premiere like this.
“Brother” gets 8 snarky redshirt comments out of 10.
George Prax Star Trek, TV Reviews 1 Comment January 18, 2019 January 18, 2019 6 Minutes
True Detective S03E01&E02 Review: a return to form, or a shameless greatest hits playlist?
The biggest struggle that a third season of True Detective was ever going to have was in toeing the line between reattaining its previous glory and running the risk of becoming a legacy act, doomed to play out the greatest hits from its one good album in perpetuity. With three years having passed since the much maligned second season of the show, it’s been long enough for the wounds to heal and for people to genuinely get excited about what Nic Pizzolato can do by revisiting the show’s original stomping grounds, with an actor of the same caliber and stature as Matthew McConaughey, and a deference to the tone and themes that made us fall in love with the show in the first place. The question is whether or not viewers actually want more of the same, or if there’s no winning for Pizzolatto.
The reasons for season 2’s failures are too many to go into here, but in short, I always felt as if they were bred from the hindsight backlash to the first season. As much as season 1 was beloved by viewers and critics alike, that reverence also came with some well-intended criticism about Pizzolatto’s treatment of the show’s scarce female characters, or it’s faux spirituality and hand-waving of anything remotely supernatural that first season chose to tackle. Of course all about that is up for debate (a show can be about male lead characters, and it can choose not to explain in the inexplicable), but Pizzolatto seemed to take it way too hard, shoehorning commentary about that and other things that didn’t go his way into the second season’s choices. But one could argue that the quality of that second season was also due to lack of time or burnout (it barely took a year for HBO to produce the second season) or possibly the absence of the guiding hand of a visionary director such as Cari Fukunaga.
Season 3 directly tackles these mistakes, but one has to wonder if Pizzolatto swings the pendulum too far in the other direction. In fact, these first two episodes of season 3, “The Great War and Modern Memory” and “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”, almost feel like an homage to the first season. It’s a character driven macabre crime story with hints of the supernatural led by an impeccable A-list performance, set in the moody, hazy deep south. There are multiple timelines, wisecracking buddy cop dynamics, comments about the fluid nature of time, dynamic overhead shots of Arkansas wilderness, unreliable narrators, recognizable character actors in supporting roles (in this case the likes of Stephen Dorf and Scoot McNairy), references to Lovecraft and other horror-tinged literature… all that’s really missing is an epic six-plus minute tracking shot, but the season is still young.
To be more specific, this third season of True Detective follows Wayne Hays (played, as mentioned, impeccably, by Mahershela Ali), an Arkansas detective haunted by the 1980 disappearance of two young siblings. By the end of the first episode, he discovers the boy dead, strewn out in ceremonial fashion in a cave. The second, a girl, is long presumed dead, until we find out ten years later while Hays is being deposed regarding the case and the potential false incarceration of the suspect he inevitably finds ten years prior, that she is indeed alive, after her fingerprints show up in a string of robberies. Twenty-five years later, Hays is old, slowly losing his memory and being interviewed about the case for a true crime reality show (cutely called “True Criminal”), still haunted by the case he never solved.
As expected, the show is littered with imagery and references borrowed from Lovecraft, Chambers and others, to the point where one has to wonder whether or not season 3 might actually be directly connected to season 1. The figurines left in the park where they find the boy are very reminiscent to the ones found in the first season. The story is also told from the perspective of an unreliable narrative, but in added twist, at two different times. In 1990, Hays, shown slightly older with a tighter haircut and having married and started a family with the school teacher he meets ten years prior (played by Carmen Ejogo), claims he still remembers all the details of the case and gets upset when he’s contradicted by those deposing him. In 2015, however, he’s older, needs audio and visual cues to remind him of things, as well as his now deceased wife’s first book on his case, and the second episode even ends on him waking up on the cross street of the children’s home, only to find it burnt to ashes.
Mahershela Ali sells this bill of goods in all three timelines with an impeccable, nuanced performance. You feel with his character when he finds the first child, you’re angry with him in the future, confused about what’s really going on 25 years later. It’s probably unfair to say that Pizzolatto is copying his own greatest hits because of how much Ali lives and breathes this character. And to boot, Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room) provides excellent direction in these two first episodes as first in line among this season’s new contributors (the others being David Milch, one of the only other credited writers for the season, and Daniel Sackheim, who is credited with directing every forthcoming episode that Pizzolatto didn’t do himself). It seems as if such a talented group of people would be remiss to repeat the mistakes that were made with season 2, or to veer the show too far into that dreaded greatest hits territory. Because as much as aspects of these episodes reminded me of the first season, I was at no point bored or offended by what I saw as a retread. In fact, I could see how that could slot into something bigger, akin to an extended cinematic universe, which would be a major step up from a second season that felt as if it didn’t belong.
All of this begs the question; did I like these two first episodes of the new True Detective because it was reminiscent of something I remember loving, because it was step up from a previous rock bottom, or because it stands as something good all on its own? Honestly, the answer is probably some combination of the three. It’s questionable whether that’s enough anymore in a 2019 television landscape that demands more than stories from the brooding male POV, but at a time of the year where not a lot of great TV is dropping, and in an environment where True Crime and its ilk still rules detective media, it’s certainly feels like it’s filling a need. But, again, that might be the True Detective season 1 fan in me talking. We’ll have to wait and see how it comes together, but for now, the premiere of True Detective season 3 gets 8 true crime novels out of 10.
George Prax True Detective, TV Reviews Leave a comment January 14, 2019 5 Minutes
The Best Lines from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia S13E10: ‘Mac Finds His Pride’ [Season Finale]
It’s been an… odd season of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Between dealing with the semi-retirement of one of its main characters, the struggle to keep the show fresh after 13 seasons, yet also satisfy those craving what they’ve been familiar with for all these years, the ever-changing landscape of television and what is supposed to make for good television, not to mention the ambitions of a very creative cast and crew, ambitions which are becoming harder and harder to contain, it’s made for a batch of ten episodes that could only be fairly described as inconsistent.
We started the season with The Gang trying to replace Dennis, only to realize that they couldn’t, and yet, even though the premiere promised his return, he was still absent from nearly half the remaining episodes, excused with some sort of contrivance such as a flashback or one character or another going off on their own adventures. We saw The Gang Minus Dennis celebrate Philly’s big Super Bowl win from last year over two uneven, incomplete-feeling episodes. We saw Dee try and recreate the Wade Boggs challenge from a couple of seasons back with only women, the start of a string of very topical episodes tackling #MeToo, the bathroom debate and much more, a run that crescendoed through three diverse, amazing episodes that could very well wind up on a list of best ever IASIP episodes. “Time’s Up For The Gang“, “The Gang Solves The Bathroom Problem” and “The Gang Gets New Wheels” are all instant-classics and they all work for very different reasons. The first two represent the tremendous new directions this show could wind up going, with a writer’s room stacked with newer, younger, more diverse voices capable of translating this posse of monsters to an era that’s much different than the one in which this show began nearly fifteen years ago. The latter is the kind of classic Sunny shenanigans featuring violent crime against children that remind us of how this show hasn’t really lost sight of what it’s always been, despite its aspirations to try new and different things.
And yet, even though the show was clearly preparing to launch us in an entirely new direction, I don’t think any of that prepared us for what happened in this week’s season finale, “Mac Finds His Pride”, an episode which veers so drastically to the left in its final act that it leaves you wondering where IASIP could go from here. After fifteen minutes or two of usual Sunny shenanigans, in which Frank is tasked with convincing Mac to dance on their gay pride parade float in order to I guess trick gays into coming to Paddys, the episode and the season goes somewhere very different, ending in an uninterrupted, jokeless interpretative dance in which Mac tries to convey to his father and his fellow convicts his internal struggle with being gay and coming out of the closet.
There’s no punchline. The woman Mac is dancing with is not Dee being grabbed by her private parts like the most raucous moment of that first #MeToo episode. The convicts don’t interrupt into violence after learning there’s no Blake Shelton concert, Frank doesn’t make some crass joke. Instead, the show decides to pay off the seeds they’ve been setting about Mac’s sexuality for over a decade. It decides to prove that being gay is not a punching bag for a show that’s cool with dunking on everybody. That it’s not just a character trait for Mac. Even though it was pretty cool when Mac came out of the closet last season and nothing really changed, this contextualizes it and him as a character and makes his arc meaningful.
In a weird way, it works almost the same way that the season 12 finale does. In that episode, Dennis decides he has to grow up and go raise his family. Despite the show’s best efforts to convince us that he didn’t really change upon his return this season, I think we can all agree that he sort of did. And the same could be said about Mac here. For the past season and a half, the show has been trying to convince us that Mac didn’t really change, other than being more open about what his dildo bike is for or what he’s doing with his Dennis real doll or all those peaches we see strewn across his apartment in this episode (an unsubtle nod to last year’s Call Me By Your Name and its most discussed scene). “Mac Finds His Pride” throws that out the window by admitting to itself and to its viewers that you can’t just play it cool with such a big character defining moment, especially one with as much cultural baggage as coming out of the closet. And both the show and Rob McElheney play it with style and class, not only in the amazing choreographed and performed dance at the end of the episode, but with how Mac comports himself as a real human being throughout.
And the low-key best thing about this episode is how it frames the story around Frank, believe it or not. Mac’s struggle is one we’ve seen in other shows and that, as the show hilariously points out, is hard to believe coming from someone who, in real life, is straight. McElheney and Charlie Day don’t want to shove anything down our throats and they certainly want to treat this topic gracefully, so instead, the story is told from Frank’s perspective, as an old, bigoted curmudgeon who readily admits he doesn’t and will never understand Mac and homosexuality. And yet, he’s just as surprised as we, the viewer, when he declares at the end of Mac’s dance, raucously cheering along with all the other convicts in attendance, that he finally understands.
It wasn’t only in that moment that I was pleasantly surprised by how they were treating this. All throughout the episode, Frank displays how he’ll do anything for The Gang. He’s tasked with getting Mac onto that float and never questions it. He just does it, and is willing to go to extreme lengths to satisfy his friends. And even though he has ulterior motives and questionable tactics, he decides to help Mac find his pride, his mojo by taking him around town to the gayest spots he knows. It’s weirdly sweet, as Frank reveals himself to be the true father figure on the show, which is especially interesting juxtaposed against Luther’s outright rejection of Mac, no matter his sexuality.
Of course that doesn’t take away from the last scene of the episode, which is really groundbreaking for the show and for McElheney’s character. It begs the question of where the show could go from here, if it’s forever changed or if this will just be another pivot point, much like Dennis’s departure last season. Either way, it proved that IASIP can be a lot more than just the same old show about assholes. I don’t know if this means that it will strive to be the next Louie or Atlanta in its already-announced 14th season, or if this is just an occasional out of the box thing that they could do, but it’s a great way to end a season of change. “Mac Finds His Pride” gets 9 sexy gay dances out of 10.
The Best Lines from the season finale of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia:
No goddammits this week, and obviously with the the more serious tone of the final act there were less jokes than usual, but there are still some great lines and gags in this episode. Frank’s increasingly grotesque face and how they use it to sell the point about Mac letting the blood flow or whatever is pretty great, in particular.
Vulture did a great piece today about the dance, including interviews with Rob McElheney and others from the show. It’s a must-read.
Frank: “We’re making a float for the parade… to rope in the gays.”
Frank: “They give me one job and I gotta deal with your feelings?”
Frank: “This is a much better spread than they have at the straight orgies.”
Frank/Mac: “One false move and these fairies could poke me full of holes.” “What year is it in your head?”
Mac/Frank: “You don’t know what’s going on inside of me.” “Well I’m sure there’s five or six super viruses eating out your insides.”
Frank: “You’re gay and you’re dancing with a hot chick who is god? The catholics really fucked you up.”
Luther: “My cellmate ratted on me for having an extra pillow. I cut out his tongue with a rusty pair of pliers and fed it to the maggots.”
Luther: “If it’s not a boy you flush that shit out and try again.”
Charlie: “What, are you gonna have you and me dancing on top of the gay float? The press will murder us. We need an authentically gay man. They’ll see right through us.”
Charlie: “Come on man, he looks like a monster, and you look like a monster. We’re not trying to invite a bar full of monster men.”
Sweet Dee: “You can’t get a straight man to dance, the press will murder us.”
Mac/Luther: “My name is Ronald McDonald.” “Haha, I named him that.”
George Prax It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, TV Reviews Leave a comment November 8, 2018 November 8, 2018 6 Minutes
The Best Lines From The Good Place S03E07: ‘A Fractured Inheritance’
I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a lot of fans of The Good Place that aren’t too enthused about the direction the show has taken in its third season. After so many time jumps and so many reality-bending twists, it seems to have settled into a much slower pace, choosing to focus on its characters and their relationships rather than moving the story forward at the breakneck pace that we’ve become accustomed to. The thing is, I believe the show has merely replaced one set of stakes for another.
Season 2 of The Good Place was all about breaking down the conventions of this universe’s versions of heaven and hell. It was about Michael joining forces with the study group to upend the unfair, arbitrary points system and save humanity. Season 3 reveals pretty quickly that this is a fruitless, pointless endeavor, and instead tasks the characters with living the best, most virtuous lives they can not so they can find salvation, but rather to save others. This season has sacrificed our characters and their chance at eternal happiness, but as for the rest of humanity, that’s still on the table. In that sense, nothing about the show has changed, other than maybe the pace, as the characters are currently bound to their own mortality.
Of course, with a show like The Good Place, that could change at any moment – and it likely will when you least expect it – but for now, and for the last couple of episodes, it’s meant that Eleanor, Michael and the gang are on a string of personal tasks to help set their friends and family on the right path. Last week, it was about Chidi breaking things off with his girlfriend so she wouldn’t risk being burdened with his knowledge of the afterlife, as well as about Jason helping his father. This week, we move on to Eleanor and Tahani, who share the theme of being burdened by an unreconciled relationship with a family member who they feel has somehow wronged them and set them down the path that eventually led to eternal doom.
Some might consider this to be The Good Place slowing down or losing focus, but I really like this new direction. At the core of the show is four (six including the two eternal beings) who are irreparably broken. For the first two seasons of the show, we’ve seen their attempts to fix themselves fail time and time again. Season three posits that they’re irreparable, yet aims to get to the bottom of what broke them and to try and improve things for all of them. As we saw last week, with Chidi it’s about making decisions. With Jason, about not enabling criminal behaviour, I guess. And this week, Eleanor and Tahani have to let go their preconceptions about the mother and the sister (respectively) that they feel wronged them.
Like I said last week, it’s like a really funny version of Quantum Leap or The Littlest Hobo and that’s really charming. This doesn’t feel like the show is treading water, but instead setting up all the characters for what’s to come next. And, you know, like I say every week, it still manages to be hilarious even if it feels like it could be moving a little faster, which is the central aim of any comedy, even one that’s previously astounded us by its rapid plot movement. Maybe in hindsight it feels a little faster, especially in these episodes that don’t really move the plot forward too much, so it’s important to remind ourselves that it’s still one of the funniest shows on television.
In this episode, “A Fractured Inheritance”, we follow Tahani in Germany as she attends her sister’s art exhibit with Chidi, Jason and Janet in an effort to stand up to her sister, only to realize that the one thing they can bond over is the damage inflicted on both of them by their parents. Tahani learns to let go of her insecurities and just love Kamillah for who she is; her sister.
Meanwhile, back in the States, Eleanor and Michael travel to Nevada to confront Eleanor’s mother Donna, now going under the pseudonym Dianna Tremaine (which Eleanor posits was the name she always planned to use to fake her own death). Donna is living with her new husband Dave (the incomparable Andy Daly in another perfect casting choice) and his daughter Patricia. She’s trying to be a good wife and stepmom and is even running for Patricia’s PTA, but Eleanor insists that she’s planning some sort of grift. But she comes short of proving it. The closest she gets is finding a stash of stolen cash Donna has squirreled away, but even that is only a contingency fund in case she needs to escape. Eleanor helps Donna realize that she’s becoming basic, but that’s okay, because she’s turned her life around. Now Eleanor has to find a way to come to terms with the fact that the one person that could have set her on the right path in her original life was never willing to do so when she was raising her. She resents the fact that her mom found herself only after she abandoned Eleanor, and she sees her own shortcomings in Donna’s happiness. Which is where the reveal in the episode’s tag comes in; Michael informs her that once and only once did she ever admit to anyone her true feelings, in that one version of the Neighbourhood where she and Chidi fall deeply in love, setting up new tension that we all knew was coming for the next stage of the season.
But before we get to that, “A Fractured Inheritance” is a slower but important episode of The Good Place which aims to fix one of the central shortcomings of two of its main characters. And as usual, it’s also hilarious, so it gets 8.5 self-appointed father figures out of 10.
The Best Lines from this week’s episode of The Good Place:
Tahani Namedrops: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, both in the same breath.
I get that they cast Andy Daly as an architect for the jokes with Michael, but it seems wrong that they’ve broken his string of appearances in sitcoms as a doctor.
Easily the best visual gag of this episode is how Eleanor has a plate with a stack of American cheese on it at the PTA meeting. Also how the school is named the “MGM Grand Luxury Resort and Casino Elementary School.”
Michael: “I’d already told you that you died and that I had tortured you for centuries and that you’re doomed to be tortured again. I just didn’t to be like a bummer.”
Donna: “Yay! You found me!”
Donna: “You haven’t even introduced me to this sexy stretched out Alex Trebek.”
Donna: “His napkins are made out of like shirt material.”
Donna: “This is as real as the nails under my acrylic nails.”
Jason: “Those aren’t dumb shapes, that’s a pair of boobs, and then two extra side boobs. They symbolize that boobs come in all shapes and sizes and distances apart.”
Michael/Dave: “Well, let’s just say that… lived… in the same… neighbourhood.” “What a fun way to say a normal thing.”
Michael: “Check out what Dave gave me, plans for a Subaru dealership slash burlesque club he’s designing in Reno. Man, Nevada’s a mess.”
Eleanor: “When the time comes, she will rip this guy off and disappear like Keyser Soze. Right after he admitted to groping all of those people.”
Eleanor to Michael: “First things first, do you have a penis?”
Kamillah: “All your fears are now mine.”
Chidi: “She’s amazing! All of my fears are hers now.”
Also Chidi: “All my fears are mine again!”
Dave: “Auditorium? More like audi-bore-ium.”
Dave/Michael: “Your mother is a very confident and selfish lover.” “Yikes.” “No, no, no, that’s perfect for me. I don’t know what I want.”
Eleanor after it’s revealed she wrote on “Bofa Deeznutz” on the PTA vote: “Don’t look at me like that, you’re not my real dad.”
Donna: “I’m gonna need to get a calculator, and maybe a globe? I don’t really understand this job.”
Tahani/Chidi: “These paintings. They’re us.” “You’re the boobs? Sorry, once Jason said it that’s all I could see.”
Donna/Eleanor: “I don’t love it so much. I am not basic. Ya basic.” “No, mom, YA basic.”
Donna: “After one glass [of Chardonnay] I get sleepy, so I usually switch to water so I can drive home. Like a nerd!”
Michael, forgetting the bathrooms on his architectural design: “Just a little oversight, I certainly use the bathroom just like anyone else. I love to sit on the the thing and, you know, shoot one out.”
George Prax The Good Place, TV Reviews Leave a comment November 2, 2018 November 2, 2018 6 Minutes
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2451
|
__label__cc
| 0.674353
| 0.325647
|
(-) Remove Poland (32) filter Poland (32)
(-) Remove United Kingdom (2053) filter United Kingdom (2053)
Project acronym 19TH-CENTURY_EUCLID
Project Nineteenth-Century Euclid: Geometry and the Literary Imagination from Wordsworth to Wells
Researcher (PI) Alice Jenkins
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
Summary This radically interdisciplinary project aims to bring a substantially new field of research – literature and mathematics studies – to prominence as a tool for investigating the culture of nineteenth-century Britain. It will result in three kinds of outcome: a monograph, two interdisciplinary and international colloquia, and a collection of essays. The project focuses on Euclidean geometry as a key element of nineteenth-century literary and scientific culture, showing that it was part of the shared knowledge flowing through elite and popular Romantic and Victorian writing, and figuring notably in the work of very many of the century’s best-known writers. Despite its traditional cultural prestige and educational centrality, geometry has been almost wholly neglected by literary history. This project shows how literature and mathematics studies can draw a new map of nineteenth-century British culture, revitalising our understanding of the Romantic and Victorian imagination through its writing about geometry.
This radically interdisciplinary project aims to bring a substantially new field of research – literature and mathematics studies – to prominence as a tool for investigating the culture of nineteenth-century Britain. It will result in three kinds of outcome: a monograph, two interdisciplinary and international colloquia, and a collection of essays. The project focuses on Euclidean geometry as a key element of nineteenth-century literary and scientific culture, showing that it was part of the shared knowledge flowing through elite and popular Romantic and Victorian writing, and figuring notably in the work of very many of the century’s best-known writers. Despite its traditional cultural prestige and educational centrality, geometry has been almost wholly neglected by literary history. This project shows how literature and mathematics studies can draw a new map of nineteenth-century British culture, revitalising our understanding of the Romantic and Victorian imagination through its writing about geometry.
Project acronym 2DHIBSA
Project Nanoscopic and Hierachical Materials via Living Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly
Researcher (PI) Ian MANNERS
Summary A key synthetic challenge of widespread interest in chemical science involves the creation of well-defined 2D functional materials that exist on a length-scale of nanometers to microns. In this ambitious 5 year proposal we aim to tackle this issue by exploiting the unique opportunities made possible by recent developments with the living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) platform. Using this solution processing approach, amphiphilic block copolymers (BCPs) with crystallizable blocks, related amphiphiles, and polymers with charged end groups will be used to predictably construct monodisperse samples of tailored, functional soft matter-based 2D nanostructures with controlled shape, size, and spatially-defined chemistries. Many of the resulting nanostructures will also offer unprecedented opportunities as precursors to materials with hierarchical structures through further solution-based “bottom-up” assembly methods. In addition to fundamental studies, the proposed work also aims to make important impact in the cutting-edge fields of liquid crystals, interface stabilization, catalysis, supramolecular polymers, and hierarchical materials.
A key synthetic challenge of widespread interest in chemical science involves the creation of well-defined 2D functional materials that exist on a length-scale of nanometers to microns. In this ambitious 5 year proposal we aim to tackle this issue by exploiting the unique opportunities made possible by recent developments with the living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) platform. Using this solution processing approach, amphiphilic block copolymers (BCPs) with crystallizable blocks, related amphiphiles, and polymers with charged end groups will be used to predictably construct monodisperse samples of tailored, functional soft matter-based 2D nanostructures with controlled shape, size, and spatially-defined chemistries. Many of the resulting nanostructures will also offer unprecedented opportunities as precursors to materials with hierarchical structures through further solution-based “bottom-up” assembly methods. In addition to fundamental studies, the proposed work also aims to make important impact in the cutting-edge fields of liquid crystals, interface stabilization, catalysis, supramolecular polymers, and hierarchical materials.
Project acronym 2DIR SPECTROMETER
Project A step-change in sensitivity for two dimensional laser infrared spectroscopy
Researcher (PI) Jasper VAN THOR
Summary "Here, we propose a novel design for a significantly improved detector for the emerging field of coherent two-dimension infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy, which is an optical analog of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR). 2DIR is a cutting edge technique which is rapidly growing and has applications in subjects as diverse as energy sciences, biophysics, biomedical research and physical chemistry. Currently, the single most important technical problem that is generally agreed to limit applications of the methodology is the sensitivity with which the signals are measured. Having worked on multiple stabilisation techniques during the ERC funded research it was realised that a straightforward design alteration of the infrared detector will improve the sensitivity very significantly, theoretically by more than one order of magnitude. Here, the technical principles are explained, and a plan for commercialising the instrument in collaboration with the current market leader - Infrared System Development Corp. (ISDC) -. We apply for funding to develop the prototype."
"Here, we propose a novel design for a significantly improved detector for the emerging field of coherent two-dimension infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy, which is an optical analog of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR). 2DIR is a cutting edge technique which is rapidly growing and has applications in subjects as diverse as energy sciences, biophysics, biomedical research and physical chemistry. Currently, the single most important technical problem that is generally agreed to limit applications of the methodology is the sensitivity with which the signals are measured. Having worked on multiple stabilisation techniques during the ERC funded research it was realised that a straightforward design alteration of the infrared detector will improve the sensitivity very significantly, theoretically by more than one order of magnitude. Here, the technical principles are explained, and a plan for commercialising the instrument in collaboration with the current market leader - Infrared System Development Corp. (ISDC) -. We apply for funding to develop the prototype."
Project acronym 3D Cer-Met
Project 3D Thin-Walled Ceramic and Ceramic-Metal Components using Electrolytic Plasma Processing
Researcher (PI) Allan MATTHEWS
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
Summary This proposal relates to the Proof of Concept stage investigation of exciting new findings in the ERC Advanced Grant ‘IMPUNEP’ project relating to the study and use of plasma-based processes. These findings offer significant advantages for the creation of complex 3D ceramic and ceramic-metal products at relatively low cost in an environmentally friendly manner. The potential applications of this new technology are very wide-ranging, and include the creation of new products as diverse as healthcare devices, MEMS and aero/automotive parts. Before we properly and fully identify the most promising applications, we need to investigate key aspects of the performance of materials created by this new method. This aspect wasn’t envisaged in the original proposal and involves research into the mechanical properties (especially the strength and elastic modulus) of these 3D parts and their response to deformation and dynamic displacements, as well as their physical (including electrical) properties. These components will be highly resistant to attack by aggressive (e.g. acidic) media as well as highly tolerant to both low (cryogenic) and high (combustion) temperatures. The expected applications opened up by this new method to produce ceramic and ceramic-metal components of complex shape are extensive. Hence the need for this Proof of Concept study, which will focus on validating the process for 3D ceramic-metal and ceramic parts and evaluating the mechanical, chemical, electrical and physical attributes of the 3D shapes, and will explore their potential applications in this pre-demonstration phase.
This proposal relates to the Proof of Concept stage investigation of exciting new findings in the ERC Advanced Grant ‘IMPUNEP’ project relating to the study and use of plasma-based processes. These findings offer significant advantages for the creation of complex 3D ceramic and ceramic-metal products at relatively low cost in an environmentally friendly manner. The potential applications of this new technology are very wide-ranging, and include the creation of new products as diverse as healthcare devices, MEMS and aero/automotive parts. Before we properly and fully identify the most promising applications, we need to investigate key aspects of the performance of materials created by this new method. This aspect wasn’t envisaged in the original proposal and involves research into the mechanical properties (especially the strength and elastic modulus) of these 3D parts and their response to deformation and dynamic displacements, as well as their physical (including electrical) properties. These components will be highly resistant to attack by aggressive (e.g. acidic) media as well as highly tolerant to both low (cryogenic) and high (combustion) temperatures. The expected applications opened up by this new method to produce ceramic and ceramic-metal components of complex shape are extensive. Hence the need for this Proof of Concept study, which will focus on validating the process for 3D ceramic-metal and ceramic parts and evaluating the mechanical, chemical, electrical and physical attributes of the 3D shapes, and will explore their potential applications in this pre-demonstration phase.
Project acronym 3D-E
Project 3D Engineered Environments for Regenerative Medicine
Researcher (PI) Ruth Elizabeth Cameron
Summary "This proposal develops a unified, underpinning technology to create novel, complex and biomimetic 3D environments for the control of tissue growth. As director of Cambridge Centre for Medical Materials, I have recently been approached by medical colleagues to help to solve important problems in the separate therapeutic areas of breast cancer, cardiac disease and blood disorders. In each case, the solution lies in complex 3D engineered environments for cell culture. These colleagues make it clear that existing 3D scaffolds fail to provide the required complex orientational and spatial anisotropy, and are limited in their ability to impart appropriate biochemical and mechanical cues. I have a strong track record in this area. A particular success has been the use of a freeze drying technology to make collagen based porous implants for the cartilage-bone interface in the knee, which has now been commercialised. The novelty of this proposal lies in the broadening of the established scientific base of this technology to enable biomacromolecular structures with: (A) controlled and complex pore orientation to mimic many normal multi-oriented tissue structures (B) compositional and positional control to match varying local biochemical environments, (C) the attachment of novel peptides designed to control cell behaviour, and (D) mechanical control at both a local and macroscopic level to provide mechanical cues for cells. These will be complemented by the development of (E) robust characterisation methodologies for the structures created. These advances will then be employed in each of the medical areas above. This approach is highly interdisciplinary. Existing working relationships with experts in each medical field will guarantee expertise and licensed facilities in the required biological disciplines. Funds for this proposal would therefore establish a rich hub of mutually beneficial research and opportunities for cross-disciplinary sharing of expertise."
"This proposal develops a unified, underpinning technology to create novel, complex and biomimetic 3D environments for the control of tissue growth. As director of Cambridge Centre for Medical Materials, I have recently been approached by medical colleagues to help to solve important problems in the separate therapeutic areas of breast cancer, cardiac disease and blood disorders. In each case, the solution lies in complex 3D engineered environments for cell culture. These colleagues make it clear that existing 3D scaffolds fail to provide the required complex orientational and spatial anisotropy, and are limited in their ability to impart appropriate biochemical and mechanical cues. I have a strong track record in this area. A particular success has been the use of a freeze drying technology to make collagen based porous implants for the cartilage-bone interface in the knee, which has now been commercialised. The novelty of this proposal lies in the broadening of the established scientific base of this technology to enable biomacromolecular structures with: (A) controlled and complex pore orientation to mimic many normal multi-oriented tissue structures (B) compositional and positional control to match varying local biochemical environments, (C) the attachment of novel peptides designed to control cell behaviour, and (D) mechanical control at both a local and macroscopic level to provide mechanical cues for cells. These will be complemented by the development of (E) robust characterisation methodologies for the structures created. These advances will then be employed in each of the medical areas above. This approach is highly interdisciplinary. Existing working relationships with experts in each medical field will guarantee expertise and licensed facilities in the required biological disciplines. Funds for this proposal would therefore establish a rich hub of mutually beneficial research and opportunities for cross-disciplinary sharing of expertise."
Project acronym 3DAddChip
Project Additive manufacturing of 2D nanomaterials for on-chip technologies
Researcher (PI) Cecilia Mattevi
Summary The realization of “the internet of things” is inevitably constrained at the level of miniaturization that can be achieved in the electronic devices. A variety of technologies are now going through a process of miniaturization from micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) to biomedical sensors, and actuators. The ultimate goal is to combine several components in an individual multifunctional platform, realizing on-chip technology. Devices have to be constrained to small footprints and exhibit high performance. Thus, the miniaturization process requires the introduction of new manufacturing processes to fabricate devices in the 3D space over small areas. 3D printing via robocasting is emerging as a new manufacturing technique, which allows shaping virtually any materials from polymers to ceramic and metals into complex architectures. The goal of this research is to establish a 3D printing paradigm to produce miniaturized complex shape devices with diversified functions for on-chip technologies adaptable to “smart environment” such as flexible substrates, smart textiles and biomedical sensors. The elementary building blocks of the devices will be two-dimensional nanomaterials, which present unique optical, electrical, chemical and mechanical properties. The synergistic combination of the intrinsic characteristics of the 2D nanomaterials and the specific 3D architecture will enable advanced performance of the 3D printed objects. This research programme will demonstrate 3D miniaturized energy storage and energy conversion units fabricated with inks produced using a pilot plant. These units are essential components of any on-chip platform as they ensure energy autonomy via self-powering. Ultimately, this research will initiate new technologies based on miniaturized 3D devices.
The realization of “the internet of things” is inevitably constrained at the level of miniaturization that can be achieved in the electronic devices. A variety of technologies are now going through a process of miniaturization from micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) to biomedical sensors, and actuators. The ultimate goal is to combine several components in an individual multifunctional platform, realizing on-chip technology. Devices have to be constrained to small footprints and exhibit high performance. Thus, the miniaturization process requires the introduction of new manufacturing processes to fabricate devices in the 3D space over small areas. 3D printing via robocasting is emerging as a new manufacturing technique, which allows shaping virtually any materials from polymers to ceramic and metals into complex architectures. The goal of this research is to establish a 3D printing paradigm to produce miniaturized complex shape devices with diversified functions for on-chip technologies adaptable to “smart environment” such as flexible substrates, smart textiles and biomedical sensors. The elementary building blocks of the devices will be two-dimensional nanomaterials, which present unique optical, electrical, chemical and mechanical properties. The synergistic combination of the intrinsic characteristics of the 2D nanomaterials and the specific 3D architecture will enable advanced performance of the 3D printed objects. This research programme will demonstrate 3D miniaturized energy storage and energy conversion units fabricated with inks produced using a pilot plant. These units are essential components of any on-chip platform as they ensure energy autonomy via self-powering. Ultimately, this research will initiate new technologies based on miniaturized 3D devices.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2454
|
__label__cc
| 0.612586
| 0.387414
|
(-) Remove Starting Grant (StG) (877) filter Starting Grant (StG) (877)
(-) Remove 2011 (486) filter 2011 (486)
Project acronym 2DNANOCAPS
Project Next Generation of 2D-Nanomaterials: Enabling Supercapacitor Development
Researcher (PI) Valeria Nicolosi
Host Institution (HI) THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN
Summary Climate change and the decreasing availability of fossil fuels require society to move towards sustainable and renewable resources. 2DNanoCaps will focus on electrochemical energy storage, specifically supercapacitors. In terms of performance supercapacitors fill up the gap between batteries and the classical capacitors. Whereas batteries possess a high energy density but low power density, supercapacitors possess high power density but low energy density. Efforts are currently dedicated to move supercapacitors towards high energy density and high power density performance. Improvements have been achieved in the last few years due to the use of new electrode nanomaterials and the design of new hybrid faradic/capacitive systems. We recognize, however, that we are reaching a newer limit beyond which we will only see small incremental improvements. The main reason for this being the intrinsic difficulty in handling and processing materials at the nano-scale and the lack of communication across different scientific disciplines. I plan to use a multidisciplinary approach, where novel nanomaterials, existing knowledge on nano-scale processing and established expertise in device fabrication and testing will be brought together to focus on creating more efficient supercapacitor technologies. 2DNanoCaps will exploit liquid phase exfoliated two-dimensional nanomaterials such as transition metal oxides, layered metal chalcogenides and graphene as electrode materials. Electrodes will be ultra-thin (capacitance and thickness of the electrodes are inversely proportional), conductive, with high dielectric constants. Intercalation of ions between the assembled 2D flakes will be also achievable, providing pseudo-capacitance. The research here proposed will be initially based on fundamental laboratory studies, recognising that this holds the key to achieving step-change in supercapacitors, but also includes scaling-up and hybridisation as final objectives.
Climate change and the decreasing availability of fossil fuels require society to move towards sustainable and renewable resources. 2DNanoCaps will focus on electrochemical energy storage, specifically supercapacitors. In terms of performance supercapacitors fill up the gap between batteries and the classical capacitors. Whereas batteries possess a high energy density but low power density, supercapacitors possess high power density but low energy density. Efforts are currently dedicated to move supercapacitors towards high energy density and high power density performance. Improvements have been achieved in the last few years due to the use of new electrode nanomaterials and the design of new hybrid faradic/capacitive systems. We recognize, however, that we are reaching a newer limit beyond which we will only see small incremental improvements. The main reason for this being the intrinsic difficulty in handling and processing materials at the nano-scale and the lack of communication across different scientific disciplines. I plan to use a multidisciplinary approach, where novel nanomaterials, existing knowledge on nano-scale processing and established expertise in device fabrication and testing will be brought together to focus on creating more efficient supercapacitor technologies. 2DNanoCaps will exploit liquid phase exfoliated two-dimensional nanomaterials such as transition metal oxides, layered metal chalcogenides and graphene as electrode materials. Electrodes will be ultra-thin (capacitance and thickness of the electrodes are inversely proportional), conductive, with high dielectric constants. Intercalation of ions between the assembled 2D flakes will be also achievable, providing pseudo-capacitance. The research here proposed will be initially based on fundamental laboratory studies, recognising that this holds the key to achieving step-change in supercapacitors, but also includes scaling-up and hybridisation as final objectives.
Project acronym 2F4BIODYN
Project Two-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for the Exploration of Biomolecular Dynamics
Researcher (PI) Fabien Ferrage
Summary The paradigm of the structure-function relationship in proteins is outdated. Biological macromolecules and supramolecular assemblies are highly dynamic objects. Evidence that their motions are of utmost importance to their functions is regularly identified. The understanding of the physical chemistry of biological processes at an atomic level has to rely not only on the description of structure but also on the characterization of molecular motions. The investigation of protein motions will be undertaken with a very innovative methodological approach in nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation. In order to widen the ranges of frequencies at which local motions in proteins are probed, we will first use and develop new techniques for a prototype shuttle system for the measurement of relaxation at low fields on a high-field NMR spectrometer. Second, we will develop a novel system: a set of low-field NMR spectrometers designed as accessories for high-field spectrometers. Used in conjunction with the shuttle, this system will offer (i) the sensitivity and resolution (i.e. atomic level information) of a high-field spectrometer (ii) the access to low fields of a relaxometer and (iii) the ability to measure a wide variety of relaxation rates with high accuracy. This system will benefit from the latest technology in homogeneous permanent magnet development to allow a control of spin systems identical to that of a high-resolution probe. This new apparatus will open the way to the use of NMR relaxation at low fields for the refinement of protein motions at an atomic scale. Applications of this novel approach will focus on the bright side of protein dynamics: (i) the largely unexplored dynamics of intrinsically disordered proteins, and (ii) domain motions in large proteins. In both cases, we will investigate a series of diverse protein systems with implications in development, cancer and immunity.
The paradigm of the structure-function relationship in proteins is outdated. Biological macromolecules and supramolecular assemblies are highly dynamic objects. Evidence that their motions are of utmost importance to their functions is regularly identified. The understanding of the physical chemistry of biological processes at an atomic level has to rely not only on the description of structure but also on the characterization of molecular motions. The investigation of protein motions will be undertaken with a very innovative methodological approach in nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation. In order to widen the ranges of frequencies at which local motions in proteins are probed, we will first use and develop new techniques for a prototype shuttle system for the measurement of relaxation at low fields on a high-field NMR spectrometer. Second, we will develop a novel system: a set of low-field NMR spectrometers designed as accessories for high-field spectrometers. Used in conjunction with the shuttle, this system will offer (i) the sensitivity and resolution (i.e. atomic level information) of a high-field spectrometer (ii) the access to low fields of a relaxometer and (iii) the ability to measure a wide variety of relaxation rates with high accuracy. This system will benefit from the latest technology in homogeneous permanent magnet development to allow a control of spin systems identical to that of a high-resolution probe. This new apparatus will open the way to the use of NMR relaxation at low fields for the refinement of protein motions at an atomic scale. Applications of this novel approach will focus on the bright side of protein dynamics: (i) the largely unexplored dynamics of intrinsically disordered proteins, and (ii) domain motions in large proteins. In both cases, we will investigate a series of diverse protein systems with implications in development, cancer and immunity.
Project acronym 2O2ACTIVATION
Project Development of Direct Dehydrogenative Couplings mediated by Dioxygen
Researcher (PI) Frederic William Patureau
Host Institution (HI) RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN
Summary The field of C-H bond activation has evolved at an exponential pace in the last 15 years. What appeals most in those novel synthetic techniques is clear: they bypass the pre-activation steps usually required in traditional cross-coupling chemistry by directly metalating C-H bonds. Many C-H bond functionalizations today however, rely on poorly atom and step efficient oxidants, leading to significant and costly chemical waste, thereby seriously undermining the overall sustainability of those methods. As restrictions in sustainability regulations will further increase, and the cost of certain chemical commodities will rise, atom efficiency in organic synthesis remains a top priority for research. The aim of 2O2ACTIVATION is to develop novel technologies utilizing O2 as sole terminal oxidant in order to allow useful, extremely sustainable, thermodynamically challenging, dehydrogenative C-N and C-O bond forming coupling reactions. However, the moderate reactivity of O2 towards many catalysts constitutes a major challenge. 2O2ACTIVATION will pioneer the design of new catalysts based on the ultra-simple propene motive, capable of direct activation of O2 for C-H activation based cross-couplings. The project is divided into 3 major lines: O2 activation using propene and its analogues (propenoids), 1) without metal or halide, 2) with hypervalent halide catalysis, 3) with metal catalyzed C-H activation. The philosophy of 2O2ACTIVATION is to focus C-H functionalization method development on the oxidative event. Consequently, 2O2ACTIVATION breakthroughs will dramatically shortcut synthetic routes through the use of inactivated, unprotected, and readily available building blocks; and thus should be easily scalable. This will lead to a strong decrease in the costs related to the production of many essential chemicals, while preserving the environment (water as terminal by-product). The resulting novels coupling methods will thus have a lasting impact on the chemical industry.
The field of C-H bond activation has evolved at an exponential pace in the last 15 years. What appeals most in those novel synthetic techniques is clear: they bypass the pre-activation steps usually required in traditional cross-coupling chemistry by directly metalating C-H bonds. Many C-H bond functionalizations today however, rely on poorly atom and step efficient oxidants, leading to significant and costly chemical waste, thereby seriously undermining the overall sustainability of those methods. As restrictions in sustainability regulations will further increase, and the cost of certain chemical commodities will rise, atom efficiency in organic synthesis remains a top priority for research. The aim of 2O2ACTIVATION is to develop novel technologies utilizing O2 as sole terminal oxidant in order to allow useful, extremely sustainable, thermodynamically challenging, dehydrogenative C-N and C-O bond forming coupling reactions. However, the moderate reactivity of O2 towards many catalysts constitutes a major challenge. 2O2ACTIVATION will pioneer the design of new catalysts based on the ultra-simple propene motive, capable of direct activation of O2 for C-H activation based cross-couplings. The project is divided into 3 major lines: O2 activation using propene and its analogues (propenoids), 1) without metal or halide, 2) with hypervalent halide catalysis, 3) with metal catalyzed C-H activation. The philosophy of 2O2ACTIVATION is to focus C-H functionalization method development on the oxidative event. Consequently, 2O2ACTIVATION breakthroughs will dramatically shortcut synthetic routes through the use of inactivated, unprotected, and readily available building blocks; and thus should be easily scalable. This will lead to a strong decrease in the costs related to the production of many essential chemicals, while preserving the environment (water as terminal by-product). The resulting novels coupling methods will thus have a lasting impact on the chemical industry.
Project acronym 3D_Tryps
Project The role of three-dimensional genome architecture in antigenic variation
Researcher (PI) Tim Nicolai SIEGEL
Summary Antigenic variation is a widely employed strategy to evade the host immune response. It has similar functional requirements even in evolutionarily divergent pathogens. These include the mutually exclusive expression of antigens and the periodic, nonrandom switching in the expression of different antigens during the course of an infection. Despite decades of research the mechanisms of antigenic variation are not fully understood in any organism. The recent development of high-throughput sequencing-based assays to probe the 3D genome architecture (Hi-C) has revealed the importance of the spatial organization of DNA inside the nucleus. 3D genome architecture plays a critical role in the regulation of mutually exclusive gene expression and the frequency of translocation between different genomic loci in many eukaryotes. Thus, genome architecture may also be a key regulator of antigenic variation, yet the causal links between genome architecture and the expression of antigens have not been studied systematically. In addition, the development of CRISPR-Cas9-based approaches to perform nucleotide-specific genome editing has opened unprecedented opportunities to study the influence of DNA sequence elements on the spatial organization of DNA and how this impacts antigen expression. I have adapted both Hi-C and CRISPR-Cas9 technology to the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, one of the most important model organisms to study antigenic variation. These techniques will enable me to bridge the field of antigenic variation research with that of genome architecture. I will perform the first systematic analysis of the role of genome architecture in the mutually exclusive and hierarchical expression of antigens in any pathogen. The experiments outlined in this proposal will provide new insight, facilitating a new view of antigenic variation and may eventually help medical intervention in T. brucei and in other pathogens relying on antigenic variation for their survival.
Antigenic variation is a widely employed strategy to evade the host immune response. It has similar functional requirements even in evolutionarily divergent pathogens. These include the mutually exclusive expression of antigens and the periodic, nonrandom switching in the expression of different antigens during the course of an infection. Despite decades of research the mechanisms of antigenic variation are not fully understood in any organism. The recent development of high-throughput sequencing-based assays to probe the 3D genome architecture (Hi-C) has revealed the importance of the spatial organization of DNA inside the nucleus. 3D genome architecture plays a critical role in the regulation of mutually exclusive gene expression and the frequency of translocation between different genomic loci in many eukaryotes. Thus, genome architecture may also be a key regulator of antigenic variation, yet the causal links between genome architecture and the expression of antigens have not been studied systematically. In addition, the development of CRISPR-Cas9-based approaches to perform nucleotide-specific genome editing has opened unprecedented opportunities to study the influence of DNA sequence elements on the spatial organization of DNA and how this impacts antigen expression. I have adapted both Hi-C and CRISPR-Cas9 technology to the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, one of the most important model organisms to study antigenic variation. These techniques will enable me to bridge the field of antigenic variation research with that of genome architecture. I will perform the first systematic analysis of the role of genome architecture in the mutually exclusive and hierarchical expression of antigens in any pathogen. The experiments outlined in this proposal will provide new insight, facilitating a new view of antigenic variation and may eventually help medical intervention in T. brucei and in other pathogens relying on antigenic variation for their survival.
Project acronym 3FLEX
Project Three-Component Fermi Gas Lattice Experiment
Researcher (PI) Selim Jochim
Summary Understanding the many-body physics of strongly correlated systems has always been a major challenge for theoretical and experimental physics. The recent advances in the field of ultracold quantum gases have opened a completely new way to study such strongly correlated systems. It is now feasible to use ultracold gases as quantum simulators for such diverse systems such as the Hubbard model or the BCS-BEC crossover. The objective of this project is to study a three-component Fermi gas in an optical lattice, a system with rich many-body physics. With our experiments we aim to contribute to the understanding of exotic phases which are discussed in the context of QCD and condensed matter physics.
Understanding the many-body physics of strongly correlated systems has always been a major challenge for theoretical and experimental physics. The recent advances in the field of ultracold quantum gases have opened a completely new way to study such strongly correlated systems. It is now feasible to use ultracold gases as quantum simulators for such diverse systems such as the Hubbard model or the BCS-BEC crossover. The objective of this project is to study a three-component Fermi gas in an optical lattice, a system with rich many-body physics. With our experiments we aim to contribute to the understanding of exotic phases which are discussed in the context of QCD and condensed matter physics.
Project acronym AAATSI
Project Advanced Antenna Architecture for THZ Sensing Instruments
Researcher (PI) Andrea Neto
Summary The Tera-Hertz portion of the spectrum presents unique potentials for advanced applications. Currently the THz spectrum is revealing the mechanisms at the origin of our universe and provides the means to monitor the health of our planet via satellite based sensing of critical gases. Potentially time domain sensing of the THz spectrum will be the ideal tool for a vast variety of medical and security applications. Presently, systems in the THz regime are extremely expensive and consequently the THz spectrum is still the domain of only niche (expensive) scientific applications. The main problems are the lack of power and sensitivity. The wide unused THz spectral bandwidth is, herself, the only widely available resource that in the future can compensate for these problems. But, so far, when scientists try to really use the bandwidth, they run into an insurmountable physical limit: antenna dispersion. Antenna dispersion modifies the signal’s spectrum in a wavelength dependent manner in all types of radiation, but is particularly deleterious to THz signals because the spectrum is too wide and with foreseeable technology it cannot be digitized. The goal of this proposal is to introduce break-through antenna technology that will eliminate the dispersion bottle neck and revolutionize Time Domain sensing and Spectroscopic Space Science. Achieving these goals the project will pole vault THz imaging technology into the 21-th century and develop critically important enabling technologies which will satisfy the electrical engineering needs of the next 30 years and in the long run will enable multi Tera-bit wireless communications. In order to achieve these goals, I will first build upon two major breakthrough radiation mechanisms that I pioneered: Leaky Lenses and Connected Arrays. Eventually, ultra wide band imaging arrays constituted by thousands of components will be designed on the bases of the new theoretical findings and demonstrated.
The Tera-Hertz portion of the spectrum presents unique potentials for advanced applications. Currently the THz spectrum is revealing the mechanisms at the origin of our universe and provides the means to monitor the health of our planet via satellite based sensing of critical gases. Potentially time domain sensing of the THz spectrum will be the ideal tool for a vast variety of medical and security applications. Presently, systems in the THz regime are extremely expensive and consequently the THz spectrum is still the domain of only niche (expensive) scientific applications. The main problems are the lack of power and sensitivity. The wide unused THz spectral bandwidth is, herself, the only widely available resource that in the future can compensate for these problems. But, so far, when scientists try to really use the bandwidth, they run into an insurmountable physical limit: antenna dispersion. Antenna dispersion modifies the signal’s spectrum in a wavelength dependent manner in all types of radiation, but is particularly deleterious to THz signals because the spectrum is too wide and with foreseeable technology it cannot be digitized. The goal of this proposal is to introduce break-through antenna technology that will eliminate the dispersion bottle neck and revolutionize Time Domain sensing and Spectroscopic Space Science. Achieving these goals the project will pole vault THz imaging technology into the 21-th century and develop critically important enabling technologies which will satisfy the electrical engineering needs of the next 30 years and in the long run will enable multi Tera-bit wireless communications. In order to achieve these goals, I will first build upon two major breakthrough radiation mechanisms that I pioneered: Leaky Lenses and Connected Arrays. Eventually, ultra wide band imaging arrays constituted by thousands of components will be designed on the bases of the new theoretical findings and demonstrated.
Project acronym ABACUS
Project Advancing Behavioral and Cognitive Understanding of Speech
Researcher (PI) Bart De Boer
Host Institution (HI) VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH4, ERC-2011-StG_20101124
Summary I intend to investigate what cognitive mechanisms give us combinatorial speech. Combinatorial speech is the ability to make new words using pre-existing speech sounds. Humans are the only apes that can do this, yet we do not know how our brains do it, nor how exactly we differ from other apes. Using new experimental techniques to study human behavior and new computational techniques to model human cognition, I will find out how we deal with combinatorial speech. The experimental part will study individual and cultural learning. Experimental cultural learning is a new technique that simulates cultural evolution in the laboratory. Two types of cultural learning will be used: iterated learning, which simulates language transfer across generations, and social coordination, which simulates emergence of norms in a language community. Using the two types of cultural learning together with individual learning experiments will help to zero in, from three angles, on how humans deal with combinatorial speech. In addition it will make a methodological contribution by comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the three methods. The computer modeling part will formalize hypotheses about how our brains deal with combinatorial speech. Two models will be built: a high-level model that will establish the basic algorithms with which combinatorial speech is learned and reproduced, and a neural model that will establish in more detail how the algorithms are implemented in the brain. In addition, the models, through increasing understanding of how humans deal with speech, will help bridge the performance gap between human and computer speech recognition. The project will advance science in four ways: it will provide insight into how our unique ability for using combinatorial speech works, it will tell us how this is implemented in the brain, it will extend the novel methodology of experimental cultural learning and it will create new computer models for dealing with human speech.
I intend to investigate what cognitive mechanisms give us combinatorial speech. Combinatorial speech is the ability to make new words using pre-existing speech sounds. Humans are the only apes that can do this, yet we do not know how our brains do it, nor how exactly we differ from other apes. Using new experimental techniques to study human behavior and new computational techniques to model human cognition, I will find out how we deal with combinatorial speech. The experimental part will study individual and cultural learning. Experimental cultural learning is a new technique that simulates cultural evolution in the laboratory. Two types of cultural learning will be used: iterated learning, which simulates language transfer across generations, and social coordination, which simulates emergence of norms in a language community. Using the two types of cultural learning together with individual learning experiments will help to zero in, from three angles, on how humans deal with combinatorial speech. In addition it will make a methodological contribution by comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the three methods. The computer modeling part will formalize hypotheses about how our brains deal with combinatorial speech. Two models will be built: a high-level model that will establish the basic algorithms with which combinatorial speech is learned and reproduced, and a neural model that will establish in more detail how the algorithms are implemented in the brain. In addition, the models, through increasing understanding of how humans deal with speech, will help bridge the performance gap between human and computer speech recognition. The project will advance science in four ways: it will provide insight into how our unique ability for using combinatorial speech works, it will tell us how this is implemented in the brain, it will extend the novel methodology of experimental cultural learning and it will create new computer models for dealing with human speech.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2455
|
__label__cc
| 0.596819
| 0.403181
|
(-) Remove <label class='research-domain' title='Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology'>LS2 (320)</label> filter LS2 (320)
Project acronym 100 Archaic Genomes
Project Genome sequences from extinct hominins
Researcher (PI) Svante PÄÄBO
Summary Neandertals and Denisovans, an Asian group distantly related to Neandertals, are the closest evolutionary relatives of present-day humans. They are thus of direct relevance for understanding the origin of modern humans and how modern humans differ from their closest relatives. We will generate genome-wide data from a large number of Neandertal and Denisovan individuals from across their geographical and temporal range as well as from other extinct hominin groups which we may discover. This will be possible by automating highly sensitive approaches to ancient DNA extraction and DNA libraries construction that we have developed so that they can be applied to many specimens from many sites in order to identify those that contain retrievable DNA. Whenever possible we will sequence whole genomes and in other cases use DNA capture methods to generate high-quality data from representative parts of the genome. This will allow us to study the population history of Neandertals and Denisovans, elucidate how many times and where these extinct hominins contributed genes to present-day people, and the extent to which modern humans and archaic groups contributed genetically to Neandertals and Denisovans. By retrieving DNA from specimens that go back to the Middle Pleistocene we will furthermore shed light on the early history and origins of Neandertals and Denisovans.
Neandertals and Denisovans, an Asian group distantly related to Neandertals, are the closest evolutionary relatives of present-day humans. They are thus of direct relevance for understanding the origin of modern humans and how modern humans differ from their closest relatives. We will generate genome-wide data from a large number of Neandertal and Denisovan individuals from across their geographical and temporal range as well as from other extinct hominin groups which we may discover. This will be possible by automating highly sensitive approaches to ancient DNA extraction and DNA libraries construction that we have developed so that they can be applied to many specimens from many sites in order to identify those that contain retrievable DNA. Whenever possible we will sequence whole genomes and in other cases use DNA capture methods to generate high-quality data from representative parts of the genome. This will allow us to study the population history of Neandertals and Denisovans, elucidate how many times and where these extinct hominins contributed genes to present-day people, and the extent to which modern humans and archaic groups contributed genetically to Neandertals and Denisovans. By retrieving DNA from specimens that go back to the Middle Pleistocene we will furthermore shed light on the early history and origins of Neandertals and Denisovans.
Project acronym 2-3-AUT
Project Surfaces, 3-manifolds and automorphism groups
Researcher (PI) Nathalie Wahl
Summary The scientific goal of the proposal is to answer central questions related to diffeomorphism groups of manifolds of dimension 2 and 3, and to their deformation invariant analogs, the mapping class groups. While the classification of surfaces has been known for more than a century, their automorphism groups have yet to be fully understood. Even less is known about diffeomorphisms of 3-manifolds despite much interest, and the objects here have only been classified recently, by the breakthrough work of Perelman on the Poincar\'e and geometrization conjectures. In dimension 2, I will focus on the relationship between mapping class groups and topological conformal field theories, with applications to Hochschild homology. In dimension 3, I propose to compute the stable homology of classifying spaces of diffeomorphism groups and mapping class groups, as well as study the homotopy type of the space of diffeomorphisms. I propose moreover to establish homological stability theorems in the wider context of automorphism groups and more general families of groups. The project combines breakthrough methods from homotopy theory with methods from differential and geometric topology. The research team will consist of 3 PhD students, and 4 postdocs, which I will lead.
The scientific goal of the proposal is to answer central questions related to diffeomorphism groups of manifolds of dimension 2 and 3, and to their deformation invariant analogs, the mapping class groups. While the classification of surfaces has been known for more than a century, their automorphism groups have yet to be fully understood. Even less is known about diffeomorphisms of 3-manifolds despite much interest, and the objects here have only been classified recently, by the breakthrough work of Perelman on the Poincar\'e and geometrization conjectures. In dimension 2, I will focus on the relationship between mapping class groups and topological conformal field theories, with applications to Hochschild homology. In dimension 3, I propose to compute the stable homology of classifying spaces of diffeomorphism groups and mapping class groups, as well as study the homotopy type of the space of diffeomorphisms. I propose moreover to establish homological stability theorems in the wider context of automorphism groups and more general families of groups. The project combines breakthrough methods from homotopy theory with methods from differential and geometric topology. The research team will consist of 3 PhD students, and 4 postdocs, which I will lead.
Project acronym 2-HIT
Project Genetic interaction networks: From C. elegans to human disease
Researcher (PI) Ben Lehner
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACIO CENTRE DE REGULACIO GENOMICA
Summary Most hereditary diseases in humans are genetically complex, resulting from combinations of mutations in multiple genes. However synthetic interactions between genes are very difficult to identify in population studies because of a lack of statistical power and we fundamentally do not understand how mutations interact to produce phenotypes. C. elegans is a unique animal in which genetic interactions can be rapidly identified in vivo using RNA interference, and we recently used this system to construct the first genetic interaction network for any animal, focused on signal transduction genes. The first objective of this proposal is to extend this work and map a comprehensive genetic interaction network for this model metazoan. This project will provide the first insights into the global properties of animal genetic interaction networks, and a comprehensive view of the functional relationships between genes in an animal. The second objective of the proposal is to use C. elegans to develop and validate experimentally integrated gene networks that connect genes to phenotypes and predict genetic interactions on a genome-wide scale. The methods that we develop and validate in C. elegans will then be applied to predict phenotypes and interactions for human genes. The final objective is to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic interactions, and to understand how these interactions evolve. The combined aim of these three objectives is to generate a framework for understanding and predicting how mutations interact to produce phenotypes, including in human disease.
Most hereditary diseases in humans are genetically complex, resulting from combinations of mutations in multiple genes. However synthetic interactions between genes are very difficult to identify in population studies because of a lack of statistical power and we fundamentally do not understand how mutations interact to produce phenotypes. C. elegans is a unique animal in which genetic interactions can be rapidly identified in vivo using RNA interference, and we recently used this system to construct the first genetic interaction network for any animal, focused on signal transduction genes. The first objective of this proposal is to extend this work and map a comprehensive genetic interaction network for this model metazoan. This project will provide the first insights into the global properties of animal genetic interaction networks, and a comprehensive view of the functional relationships between genes in an animal. The second objective of the proposal is to use C. elegans to develop and validate experimentally integrated gene networks that connect genes to phenotypes and predict genetic interactions on a genome-wide scale. The methods that we develop and validate in C. elegans will then be applied to predict phenotypes and interactions for human genes. The final objective is to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic interactions, and to understand how these interactions evolve. The combined aim of these three objectives is to generate a framework for understanding and predicting how mutations interact to produce phenotypes, including in human disease.
Project acronym 3D-REPAIR
Project Spatial organization of DNA repair within the nucleus
Researcher (PI) Evanthia Soutoglou
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE EUROPEEN DE RECHERCHE EN BIOLOGIE ET MEDECINE
Summary Faithful repair of double stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) is essential, as they are at the origin of genome instability, chromosomal translocations and cancer. Cells repair DSBs through different pathways, which can be faithful or mutagenic, and the balance between them at a given locus must be tightly regulated to preserve genome integrity. Although, much is known about DSB repair factors, how the choice between pathways is controlled within the nuclear environment is not understood. We have shown that nuclear architecture and non-random genome organization determine the frequency of chromosomal translocations and that pathway choice is dictated by the spatial organization of DNA in the nucleus. Nevertheless, what determines which pathway is activated in response to DSBs at specific genomic locations is not understood. Furthermore, the impact of 3D-genome folding on the kinetics and efficiency of DSB repair is completely unknown. Here we aim to understand how nuclear compartmentalization, chromatin structure and genome organization impact on the efficiency of detection, signaling and repair of DSBs. We will unravel what determines the DNA repair specificity within distinct nuclear compartments using protein tethering, promiscuous biotinylation and quantitative proteomics. We will determine how DNA repair is orchestrated at different heterochromatin structures using a CRISPR/Cas9-based system that allows, for the first time robust induction of DSBs at specific heterochromatin compartments. Finally, we will investigate the role of 3D-genome folding in the kinetics of DNA repair and pathway choice using single nucleotide resolution DSB-mapping coupled to 3D-topological maps. This proposal has significant implications for understanding the mechanisms controlling DNA repair within the nuclear environment and will reveal the regions of the genome that are susceptible to genomic instability and help us understand why certain mutations and translocations are recurrent in cancer
Faithful repair of double stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) is essential, as they are at the origin of genome instability, chromosomal translocations and cancer. Cells repair DSBs through different pathways, which can be faithful or mutagenic, and the balance between them at a given locus must be tightly regulated to preserve genome integrity. Although, much is known about DSB repair factors, how the choice between pathways is controlled within the nuclear environment is not understood. We have shown that nuclear architecture and non-random genome organization determine the frequency of chromosomal translocations and that pathway choice is dictated by the spatial organization of DNA in the nucleus. Nevertheless, what determines which pathway is activated in response to DSBs at specific genomic locations is not understood. Furthermore, the impact of 3D-genome folding on the kinetics and efficiency of DSB repair is completely unknown. Here we aim to understand how nuclear compartmentalization, chromatin structure and genome organization impact on the efficiency of detection, signaling and repair of DSBs. We will unravel what determines the DNA repair specificity within distinct nuclear compartments using protein tethering, promiscuous biotinylation and quantitative proteomics. We will determine how DNA repair is orchestrated at different heterochromatin structures using a CRISPR/Cas9-based system that allows, for the first time robust induction of DSBs at specific heterochromatin compartments. Finally, we will investigate the role of 3D-genome folding in the kinetics of DNA repair and pathway choice using single nucleotide resolution DSB-mapping coupled to 3D-topological maps. This proposal has significant implications for understanding the mechanisms controlling DNA repair within the nuclear environment and will reveal the regions of the genome that are susceptible to genomic instability and help us understand why certain mutations and translocations are recurrent in cancer
Project acronym 3DEpi
Project Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of chromatin states : the role of Polycomb and 3D chromosome architecture
Researcher (PI) Giacomo CAVALLI
Summary Epigenetic inheritance entails transmission of phenotypic traits not encoded in the DNA sequence and, in the most extreme case, Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance (TEI) involves transmission of memory through multiple generations. Very little is known on the mechanisms governing TEI and this is the subject of the present proposal. By transiently enhancing long-range chromatin interactions, we recently established isogenic Drosophila epilines that carry stable alternative epialleles, defined by differential levels of the Polycomb-dependent H3K27me3 mark. Furthermore, we extended our paradigm to natural phenotypes. These are ideal systems to study the role of Polycomb group (PcG) proteins and other components in regulating nuclear organization and epigenetic inheritance of chromatin states. The present project conjugates genetics, epigenomics, imaging and molecular biology to reach three critical aims. Aim 1: Analysis of the molecular mechanisms regulating Polycomb-mediated TEI. We will identify the DNA, protein and RNA components that trigger and maintain transgenerational chromatin inheritance as well as their mechanisms of action. Aim 2: Role of 3D genome organization in the regulation of TEI. We will analyze the developmental dynamics of TEI-inducing long-range chromatin interactions, identify chromatin components mediating 3D chromatin contacts and characterize their function in the TEI process. Aim 3: Identification of a broader role of TEI during development. TEI might reflect a normal role of PcG components in the transmission of parental chromatin onto the next embryonic generation. We will explore this possibility by establishing other TEI paradigms and by relating TEI to the normal PcG function in these systems and in normal development. This research program will unravel the biological significance and the molecular underpinnings of TEI and lead the way towards establishing this area of research into a consolidated scientific discipline.
Epigenetic inheritance entails transmission of phenotypic traits not encoded in the DNA sequence and, in the most extreme case, Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance (TEI) involves transmission of memory through multiple generations. Very little is known on the mechanisms governing TEI and this is the subject of the present proposal. By transiently enhancing long-range chromatin interactions, we recently established isogenic Drosophila epilines that carry stable alternative epialleles, defined by differential levels of the Polycomb-dependent H3K27me3 mark. Furthermore, we extended our paradigm to natural phenotypes. These are ideal systems to study the role of Polycomb group (PcG) proteins and other components in regulating nuclear organization and epigenetic inheritance of chromatin states. The present project conjugates genetics, epigenomics, imaging and molecular biology to reach three critical aims. Aim 1: Analysis of the molecular mechanisms regulating Polycomb-mediated TEI. We will identify the DNA, protein and RNA components that trigger and maintain transgenerational chromatin inheritance as well as their mechanisms of action. Aim 2: Role of 3D genome organization in the regulation of TEI. We will analyze the developmental dynamics of TEI-inducing long-range chromatin interactions, identify chromatin components mediating 3D chromatin contacts and characterize their function in the TEI process. Aim 3: Identification of a broader role of TEI during development. TEI might reflect a normal role of PcG components in the transmission of parental chromatin onto the next embryonic generation. We will explore this possibility by establishing other TEI paradigms and by relating TEI to the normal PcG function in these systems and in normal development. This research program will unravel the biological significance and the molecular underpinnings of TEI and lead the way towards establishing this area of research into a consolidated scientific discipline.
Project acronym 3DWATERWAVES
Project Mathematical aspects of three-dimensional water waves with vorticity
Researcher (PI) Erik Torsten Wahlén
Host Institution (HI) LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Summary The goal of this project is to develop a mathematical theory for steady three-dimensional water waves with vorticity. The mathematical model consists of the incompressible Euler equations with a free surface, and vorticity is important for modelling the interaction of surface waves with non-uniform currents. In the two-dimensional case, there has been a lot of progress on water waves with vorticity in the last decade. This progress has mainly been based on the stream function formulation, in which the problem is reformulated as a nonlinear elliptic free boundary problem. An analogue of this formulation is not available in three dimensions, and the theory has therefore so far been restricted to irrotational flow. In this project we seek to go beyond this restriction using two different approaches. In the first approach we will adapt methods which have been used to construct three-dimensional ideal flows with vorticity in domains with a fixed boundary to the free boundary context (for example Beltrami flows). In the second approach we will develop methods which are new even in the case of a fixed boundary, by performing a detailed study of the structure of the equations close to a given shear flow using ideas from infinite-dimensional bifurcation theory. This involves handling infinitely many resonances.
The goal of this project is to develop a mathematical theory for steady three-dimensional water waves with vorticity. The mathematical model consists of the incompressible Euler equations with a free surface, and vorticity is important for modelling the interaction of surface waves with non-uniform currents. In the two-dimensional case, there has been a lot of progress on water waves with vorticity in the last decade. This progress has mainly been based on the stream function formulation, in which the problem is reformulated as a nonlinear elliptic free boundary problem. An analogue of this formulation is not available in three dimensions, and the theory has therefore so far been restricted to irrotational flow. In this project we seek to go beyond this restriction using two different approaches. In the first approach we will adapt methods which have been used to construct three-dimensional ideal flows with vorticity in domains with a fixed boundary to the free boundary context (for example Beltrami flows). In the second approach we will develop methods which are new even in the case of a fixed boundary, by performing a detailed study of the structure of the equations close to a given shear flow using ideas from infinite-dimensional bifurcation theory. This involves handling infinitely many resonances.
Project acronym 4C
Project 4C technology: uncovering the multi-dimensional structure of the genome
Researcher (PI) Wouter Leonard De Laat
Host Institution (HI) KONINKLIJKE NEDERLANDSE AKADEMIE VAN WETENSCHAPPEN - KNAW
Summary The architecture of DNA in the cell nucleus is an emerging epigenetic key contributor to genome function. We recently developed 4C technology, a high-throughput technique that combines state-of-the-art 3C technology with tailored micro-arrays to uniquely allow for an unbiased genome-wide search for DNA loci that interact in the nuclear space. Based on 4C technology, we were the first to provide a comprehensive overview of long-range DNA contacts of selected loci. The data showed that active and inactive chromatin domains contact many distinct regions within and between chromosomes and genes switch long-range DNA contacts in relation to their expression status. 4C technology not only allows investigating the three-dimensional structure of DNA in the nucleus, it also accurately reconstructs at least 10 megabases of the one-dimensional chromosome sequence map around the target sequence. Changes in this physical map as a result of genomic rearrangements are therefore identified by 4C technology. We recently demonstrated that 4C detects deletions, balanced inversions and translocations in patient samples at a resolution (~7kb) that allowed immediate sequencing of the breakpoints. Excitingly, 4C technology therefore offers the first high-resolution genomic approach that can identify both balanced and unbalanced genomic rearrangements. 4C is expected to become an important tool in clinical diagnosis and prognosis. Key objectives of this proposal are: 1. Explore the functional significance of DNA folding in the nucleus by systematically applying 4C technology to differentially expressed gene loci. 2. Adapt 4C technology such that it allows for massive parallel analysis of DNA interactions between regulatory elements and gene promoters. This method would greatly facilitate the identification of functionally relevant DNA elements in the genome. 3. Develop 4C technology into a clinical diagnostic tool for the accurate detection of balanced and unbalanced rearrangements.
The architecture of DNA in the cell nucleus is an emerging epigenetic key contributor to genome function. We recently developed 4C technology, a high-throughput technique that combines state-of-the-art 3C technology with tailored micro-arrays to uniquely allow for an unbiased genome-wide search for DNA loci that interact in the nuclear space. Based on 4C technology, we were the first to provide a comprehensive overview of long-range DNA contacts of selected loci. The data showed that active and inactive chromatin domains contact many distinct regions within and between chromosomes and genes switch long-range DNA contacts in relation to their expression status. 4C technology not only allows investigating the three-dimensional structure of DNA in the nucleus, it also accurately reconstructs at least 10 megabases of the one-dimensional chromosome sequence map around the target sequence. Changes in this physical map as a result of genomic rearrangements are therefore identified by 4C technology. We recently demonstrated that 4C detects deletions, balanced inversions and translocations in patient samples at a resolution (~7kb) that allowed immediate sequencing of the breakpoints. Excitingly, 4C technology therefore offers the first high-resolution genomic approach that can identify both balanced and unbalanced genomic rearrangements. 4C is expected to become an important tool in clinical diagnosis and prognosis. Key objectives of this proposal are: 1. Explore the functional significance of DNA folding in the nucleus by systematically applying 4C technology to differentially expressed gene loci. 2. Adapt 4C technology such that it allows for massive parallel analysis of DNA interactions between regulatory elements and gene promoters. This method would greatly facilitate the identification of functionally relevant DNA elements in the genome. 3. Develop 4C technology into a clinical diagnostic tool for the accurate detection of balanced and unbalanced rearrangements.
Project acronym 4D-GenEx
Project Spatio-temporal Organization and Expression of the Genome
Researcher (PI) Antoine COULON
Summary This project investigates the two-way relationship between spatio-temporal genome organization and coordinated gene regulation, through an approach at the interface between physics, computer science and biology. In the nucleus, preferred positions are observed from chromosomes to single genes, in relation to normal and pathological cellular states. Evidence indicates a complex spatio-temporal coupling between co-regulated genes: e.g. certain genes cluster spatially when responding to similar factors and transcriptional noise patterns suggest domain-wide mechanisms. Yet, no individual experiment allows probing transcriptional coordination in 4 dimensions (FISH, live locus tracking, Hi-C...). Interpreting such data also critically requires theory (stochastic processes, statistical physics…). A lack of appropriate experimental/analytical approaches is impairing our understanding of the 4D genome. Our proposal combines cutting-edge single-molecule imaging, signal-theory data analysis and physical modeling to study how genes coordinate in space and time in a single nucleus. Our objectives are to understand (a) competition/recycling of shared resources between genes within subnuclear compartments, (b) how enhancers communicate with genes domain-wide, and (c) the role of local conformational dynamics and supercoiling in gene co-regulation. Our organizing hypothesis is that, by acting on their microenvironment, genes shape their co-expression with other genes. Building upon my expertise, we will use dual-color MS2/PP7 RNA labeling to visualize for the first time transcription and motion of pairs of hormone-responsive genes in real time. With our innovative signal analysis tools, we will extract spatio-temporal signatures of underlying processes, which we will investigate with stochastic modeling and validate through experimental perturbations. We expect to uncover how the functional organization of the linear genome relates to its physical properties and dynamics in 4D.
This project investigates the two-way relationship between spatio-temporal genome organization and coordinated gene regulation, through an approach at the interface between physics, computer science and biology. In the nucleus, preferred positions are observed from chromosomes to single genes, in relation to normal and pathological cellular states. Evidence indicates a complex spatio-temporal coupling between co-regulated genes: e.g. certain genes cluster spatially when responding to similar factors and transcriptional noise patterns suggest domain-wide mechanisms. Yet, no individual experiment allows probing transcriptional coordination in 4 dimensions (FISH, live locus tracking, Hi-C...). Interpreting such data also critically requires theory (stochastic processes, statistical physics…). A lack of appropriate experimental/analytical approaches is impairing our understanding of the 4D genome. Our proposal combines cutting-edge single-molecule imaging, signal-theory data analysis and physical modeling to study how genes coordinate in space and time in a single nucleus. Our objectives are to understand (a) competition/recycling of shared resources between genes within subnuclear compartments, (b) how enhancers communicate with genes domain-wide, and (c) the role of local conformational dynamics and supercoiling in gene co-regulation. Our organizing hypothesis is that, by acting on their microenvironment, genes shape their co-expression with other genes. Building upon my expertise, we will use dual-color MS2/PP7 RNA labeling to visualize for the first time transcription and motion of pairs of hormone-responsive genes in real time. With our innovative signal analysis tools, we will extract spatio-temporal signatures of underlying processes, which we will investigate with stochastic modeling and validate through experimental perturbations. We expect to uncover how the functional organization of the linear genome relates to its physical properties and dynamics in 4D.
Project acronym AAMOT
Project Arithmetic of automorphic motives
Researcher (PI) Michael Harris
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT DES HAUTES ETUDES SCIENTIFIQUES
Summary The primary purpose of this project is to build on recent spectacular progress in the Langlands program to study the arithmetic properties of automorphic motives constructed in the cohomology of Shimura varieties. Because automorphic methods are available to study the L-functions of these motives, which include elliptic curves and certain families of Calabi-Yau varieties over totally real fields (possibly after base change), they represent the most accessible class of varieties for which one can hope to verify fundamental conjectures on special values of L-functions, including Deligne's conjecture and the Main Conjecture of Iwasawa theory. Immediate goals include the proof of irreducibility of automorphic Galois representations; the establishment of period relations for automorphic and potentially automorphic realizations of motives in the cohomology of distinct Shimura varieties; the construction of p-adic L-functions for these and related motives, notably adjoint and tensor product L-functions in p-adic families; and the geometrization of the p-adic and mod p Langlands program. All four goals, as well as the others mentioned in the body of the proposal, are interconnected; the final goal provides a bridge to related work in geometric representation theory, algebraic geometry, and mathematical physics.
The primary purpose of this project is to build on recent spectacular progress in the Langlands program to study the arithmetic properties of automorphic motives constructed in the cohomology of Shimura varieties. Because automorphic methods are available to study the L-functions of these motives, which include elliptic curves and certain families of Calabi-Yau varieties over totally real fields (possibly after base change), they represent the most accessible class of varieties for which one can hope to verify fundamental conjectures on special values of L-functions, including Deligne's conjecture and the Main Conjecture of Iwasawa theory. Immediate goals include the proof of irreducibility of automorphic Galois representations; the establishment of period relations for automorphic and potentially automorphic realizations of motives in the cohomology of distinct Shimura varieties; the construction of p-adic L-functions for these and related motives, notably adjoint and tensor product L-functions in p-adic families; and the geometrization of the p-adic and mod p Langlands program. All four goals, as well as the others mentioned in the body of the proposal, are interconnected; the final goal provides a bridge to related work in geometric representation theory, algebraic geometry, and mathematical physics.
Project acronym ACCOMPLI
Project Assembly and maintenance of a co-regulated chromosomal compartment
Researcher (PI) Peter Burkhard Becker
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), LS2, ERC-2011-ADG_20110310
Summary "Eukaryotic nuclei are organised into functional compartments, – local microenvironments that are enriched in certain molecules or biochemical activities and therefore specify localised functional outputs. Our study seeks to unveil fundamental principles of co-regulation of genes in a chromo¬somal compartment and the preconditions for homeostasis of such a compartment in the dynamic nuclear environment. The dosage-compensated X chromosome of male Drosophila flies satisfies the criteria for a functional com¬partment. It is rendered structurally distinct from all other chromosomes by association of a regulatory ribonucleoprotein ‘Dosage Compensation Complex’ (DCC), enrichment of histone modifications and global decondensation. As a result, most genes on the X chromosome are co-ordinately activated. Autosomal genes inserted into the X acquire X-chromosomal features and are subject to the X-specific regulation. We seek to uncover the molecular principles that initiate, establish and maintain the dosage-compensated chromosome. We will follow the kinetics of DCC assembly and the timing of association with different types of chromosomal targets in nuclei with high spatial resolution afforded by sub-wavelength microscopy and deep sequencing of DNA binding sites. We will characterise DCC sub-complexes with respect to their roles as kinetic assembly intermediates or as representations of local, functional heterogeneity. We will evaluate the roles of a DCC- novel ubiquitin ligase activity for homeostasis. Crucial to the recruitment of the DCC and its distribution to target genes are non-coding roX RNAs that are transcribed from the X. We will determine the secondary structure ‘signatures’ of roX RNAs in vitro and determine the binding sites of the protein subunits in vivo. By biochemical and cellular reconstitution will test the hypothesis that roX-encoded RNA aptamers orchestrate the assembly of the DCC and contribute to the exquisite targeting of the complex."
"Eukaryotic nuclei are organised into functional compartments, – local microenvironments that are enriched in certain molecules or biochemical activities and therefore specify localised functional outputs. Our study seeks to unveil fundamental principles of co-regulation of genes in a chromo¬somal compartment and the preconditions for homeostasis of such a compartment in the dynamic nuclear environment. The dosage-compensated X chromosome of male Drosophila flies satisfies the criteria for a functional com¬partment. It is rendered structurally distinct from all other chromosomes by association of a regulatory ribonucleoprotein ‘Dosage Compensation Complex’ (DCC), enrichment of histone modifications and global decondensation. As a result, most genes on the X chromosome are co-ordinately activated. Autosomal genes inserted into the X acquire X-chromosomal features and are subject to the X-specific regulation. We seek to uncover the molecular principles that initiate, establish and maintain the dosage-compensated chromosome. We will follow the kinetics of DCC assembly and the timing of association with different types of chromosomal targets in nuclei with high spatial resolution afforded by sub-wavelength microscopy and deep sequencing of DNA binding sites. We will characterise DCC sub-complexes with respect to their roles as kinetic assembly intermediates or as representations of local, functional heterogeneity. We will evaluate the roles of a DCC- novel ubiquitin ligase activity for homeostasis. Crucial to the recruitment of the DCC and its distribution to target genes are non-coding roX RNAs that are transcribed from the X. We will determine the secondary structure ‘signatures’ of roX RNAs in vitro and determine the binding sites of the protein subunits in vivo. By biochemical and cellular reconstitution will test the hypothesis that roX-encoded RNA aptamers orchestrate the assembly of the DCC and contribute to the exquisite targeting of the complex."
Project acronym ACCOPT
Project ACelerated COnvex OPTimization
Researcher (PI) Yurii NESTEROV
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN
Summary The amazing rate of progress in the computer technologies and telecommunications presents many new challenges for Optimization Theory. New problems are usually very big in size, very special in structure and possibly have a distributed data support. This makes them unsolvable by the standard optimization methods. In these situations, old theoretical models, based on the hidden Black-Box information, cannot work. New theoretical and algorithmic solutions are urgently needed. In this project we will concentrate on development of fast optimization methods for problems of big and very big size. All the new methods will be endowed with provable efficiency guarantees for large classes of optimization problems, arising in practical applications. Our main tool is the acceleration technique developed for the standard Black-Box methods as applied to smooth convex functions. However, we will have to adapt it to deal with different situations. The first line of development will be based on the smoothing technique as applied to a non-smooth functions. We propose to substantially extend this approach to generate approximate solutions in relative scale. The second line of research will be related to applying acceleration techniques to the second-order methods minimizing functions with sparse Hessians. Finally, we aim to develop fast gradient methods for huge-scale problems. The size of these problems is so big that even the usual vector operations are extremely expensive. Thus, we propose to develop new methods with sublinear iteration costs. In our approach, the main source for achieving improvements will be the proper use of problem structure. Our overall aim is to be able to solve in a routine way many important problems, which currently look unsolvable. Moreover, the theoretical development of Convex Optimization will reach the state, when there is no gap between theory and practice: the theoretically most efficient methods will definitely outperform any homebred heuristics.
The amazing rate of progress in the computer technologies and telecommunications presents many new challenges for Optimization Theory. New problems are usually very big in size, very special in structure and possibly have a distributed data support. This makes them unsolvable by the standard optimization methods. In these situations, old theoretical models, based on the hidden Black-Box information, cannot work. New theoretical and algorithmic solutions are urgently needed. In this project we will concentrate on development of fast optimization methods for problems of big and very big size. All the new methods will be endowed with provable efficiency guarantees for large classes of optimization problems, arising in practical applications. Our main tool is the acceleration technique developed for the standard Black-Box methods as applied to smooth convex functions. However, we will have to adapt it to deal with different situations. The first line of development will be based on the smoothing technique as applied to a non-smooth functions. We propose to substantially extend this approach to generate approximate solutions in relative scale. The second line of research will be related to applying acceleration techniques to the second-order methods minimizing functions with sparse Hessians. Finally, we aim to develop fast gradient methods for huge-scale problems. The size of these problems is so big that even the usual vector operations are extremely expensive. Thus, we propose to develop new methods with sublinear iteration costs. In our approach, the main source for achieving improvements will be the proper use of problem structure. Our overall aim is to be able to solve in a routine way many important problems, which currently look unsolvable. Moreover, the theoretical development of Convex Optimization will reach the state, when there is no gap between theory and practice: the theoretically most efficient methods will definitely outperform any homebred heuristics.
Project acronym ACTIVATION OF XCI
Project Molecular mechanisms controlling X chromosome inactivation
Researcher (PI) Joost Henk Gribnau
Host Institution (HI) ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM
Summary In mammals, gene dosage of X-chromosomal genes is equalized between sexes by random inactivation of either one of the two X chromosomes in female cells. In the initial phase of X chromosome inactivation (XCI), a counting and initiation process determines the number of X chromosomes per nucleus, and elects the future inactive X chromosome (Xi). Xist is an X-encoded gene that plays a crucial role in the XCI process. At the start of XCI Xist expression is up-regulated and Xist RNA accumulates on the future Xi thereby initiating silencing in cis. Recent work performed in my laboratory indicates that the counting and initiation process is directed by a stochastic mechanism, in which each X chromosome has an independent probability to be inactivated. We also found that this probability is determined by the X:ploïdy ratio. These results indicated the presence of at least one X-linked activator of XCI. With a BAC screen we recently identified X-encoded RNF12 to be a dose-dependent activator of XCI. Expression of RNF12 correlates with Xist expression, and a heterozygous deletion of Rnf12 results in a marked loss of XCI in female cells. The presence of a small proportion of cells that still initiate XCI, in Rnf12+/- cells, also indicated that more XCI-activators are involved in XCI. Here, we propose to investigate the molecular mechanism by which RNF12 activates XCI in mouse and human, and to search for additional XCI-activators. We will also attempt to establish the role of different inhibitors of XCI, including CTCF and the pluripotency factors OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG. We anticipate that these studies will significantly advance our understanding of XCI mechanisms, which is highly relevant for a better insight in the manifestation of X-linked diseases that are affected by XCI.
In mammals, gene dosage of X-chromosomal genes is equalized between sexes by random inactivation of either one of the two X chromosomes in female cells. In the initial phase of X chromosome inactivation (XCI), a counting and initiation process determines the number of X chromosomes per nucleus, and elects the future inactive X chromosome (Xi). Xist is an X-encoded gene that plays a crucial role in the XCI process. At the start of XCI Xist expression is up-regulated and Xist RNA accumulates on the future Xi thereby initiating silencing in cis. Recent work performed in my laboratory indicates that the counting and initiation process is directed by a stochastic mechanism, in which each X chromosome has an independent probability to be inactivated. We also found that this probability is determined by the X:ploïdy ratio. These results indicated the presence of at least one X-linked activator of XCI. With a BAC screen we recently identified X-encoded RNF12 to be a dose-dependent activator of XCI. Expression of RNF12 correlates with Xist expression, and a heterozygous deletion of Rnf12 results in a marked loss of XCI in female cells. The presence of a small proportion of cells that still initiate XCI, in Rnf12+/- cells, also indicated that more XCI-activators are involved in XCI. Here, we propose to investigate the molecular mechanism by which RNF12 activates XCI in mouse and human, and to search for additional XCI-activators. We will also attempt to establish the role of different inhibitors of XCI, including CTCF and the pluripotency factors OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG. We anticipate that these studies will significantly advance our understanding of XCI mechanisms, which is highly relevant for a better insight in the manifestation of X-linked diseases that are affected by XCI.
Project acronym ADAPTIVES
Project Algorithmic Development and Analysis of Pioneer Techniques for Imaging with waVES
Researcher (PI) Chrysoula Tsogka
Host Institution (HI) FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS
Summary The proposed work concerns the theoretical and numerical development of robust and adaptive methodologies for broadband imaging in clutter. The word clutter expresses our uncertainty on the wave speed of the propagation medium. Our results are expected to have a strong impact in a wide range of applications, including underwater acoustics, exploration geophysics and ultrasound non-destructive testing. Our machinery is coherent interferometry (CINT), a state-of-the-art statistically stable imaging methodology, highly suitable for the development of imaging methods in clutter. We aim to extend CINT along two complementary directions: novel types of applications, and further mathematical and numerical development so as to assess and extend its range of applicability. CINT is designed for imaging with partially coherent array data recorded in richly scattering media. It uses statistical smoothing techniques to obtain results that are independent of the clutter realization. Quantifying the amount of smoothing needed is difficult, especially when there is no a priori knowledge about the propagation medium. We intend to address this question by coupling the imaging process with the estimation of the medium's large scale features. Our algorithms rely on the residual coherence in the data. When the coherent signal is too weak, the CINT results are unsatisfactory. We propose two ways for enhancing the resolution of CINT: filter the data prior to imaging (noise reduction) and waveform design (optimize the source distribution). Finally, we propose to extend the applicability of our imaging-in-clutter methodologies by investigating the possibility of utilizing ambient noise sources to perform passive sensor imaging, as well as by studying the imaging problem in random waveguides.
The proposed work concerns the theoretical and numerical development of robust and adaptive methodologies for broadband imaging in clutter. The word clutter expresses our uncertainty on the wave speed of the propagation medium. Our results are expected to have a strong impact in a wide range of applications, including underwater acoustics, exploration geophysics and ultrasound non-destructive testing. Our machinery is coherent interferometry (CINT), a state-of-the-art statistically stable imaging methodology, highly suitable for the development of imaging methods in clutter. We aim to extend CINT along two complementary directions: novel types of applications, and further mathematical and numerical development so as to assess and extend its range of applicability. CINT is designed for imaging with partially coherent array data recorded in richly scattering media. It uses statistical smoothing techniques to obtain results that are independent of the clutter realization. Quantifying the amount of smoothing needed is difficult, especially when there is no a priori knowledge about the propagation medium. We intend to address this question by coupling the imaging process with the estimation of the medium's large scale features. Our algorithms rely on the residual coherence in the data. When the coherent signal is too weak, the CINT results are unsatisfactory. We propose two ways for enhancing the resolution of CINT: filter the data prior to imaging (noise reduction) and waveform design (optimize the source distribution). Finally, we propose to extend the applicability of our imaging-in-clutter methodologies by investigating the possibility of utilizing ambient noise sources to perform passive sensor imaging, as well as by studying the imaging problem in random waveguides.
Project acronym ADDECCO
Project Adaptive Schemes for Deterministic and Stochastic Flow Problems
Researcher (PI) Remi Abgrall
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE ENINFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUE
Summary The numerical simulation of complex compressible flow problem is still a challenge nowaday even for simple models. In our opinion, the most important hard points that need currently to be tackled and solved is how to obtain stable, scalable, very accurate, easy to code and to maintain schemes on complex geometries. The method should easily handle mesh refinement, even near the boundary where the most interesting engineering quantities have to be evaluated. Unsteady uncertainties in the model, for example in the geometry or the boundary conditions should represented efficiently.This proposal goal is to design, develop and evaluate solutions to each of the above problems. Our work program will lead to significant breakthroughs for flow simulations. More specifically, we propose to work on 3 connected problems: 1-A class of very high order numerical schemes able to easily deal with the geometry of boundaries and still can solve steep problems. The geometry is generally defined by CAD tools. The output is used to generate a mesh which is then used by the scheme. Hence, any mesh refinement process is disconnected from the CAD, a situation that prevents the spread of mesh adaptation techniques in industry! 2-A class of very high order numerical schemes which can utilize possibly solution dependant basis functions in order to lower the number of degrees of freedom, for example to compute accurately boundary layers with low resolutions. 3-A general non intrusive technique for handling uncertainties in order to deal with irregular probability density functions (pdf) and also to handle pdf that may evolve in time, for example thanks to an optimisation loop. The curse of dimensionality will be dealt thanks Harten's multiresolution method combined with sparse grid methods. Currently, and up to our knowledge, no scheme has each of these properties. This research program will have an impact on numerical schemes and industrial applications.
The numerical simulation of complex compressible flow problem is still a challenge nowaday even for simple models. In our opinion, the most important hard points that need currently to be tackled and solved is how to obtain stable, scalable, very accurate, easy to code and to maintain schemes on complex geometries. The method should easily handle mesh refinement, even near the boundary where the most interesting engineering quantities have to be evaluated. Unsteady uncertainties in the model, for example in the geometry or the boundary conditions should represented efficiently.This proposal goal is to design, develop and evaluate solutions to each of the above problems. Our work program will lead to significant breakthroughs for flow simulations. More specifically, we propose to work on 3 connected problems: 1-A class of very high order numerical schemes able to easily deal with the geometry of boundaries and still can solve steep problems. The geometry is generally defined by CAD tools. The output is used to generate a mesh which is then used by the scheme. Hence, any mesh refinement process is disconnected from the CAD, a situation that prevents the spread of mesh adaptation techniques in industry! 2-A class of very high order numerical schemes which can utilize possibly solution dependant basis functions in order to lower the number of degrees of freedom, for example to compute accurately boundary layers with low resolutions. 3-A general non intrusive technique for handling uncertainties in order to deal with irregular probability density functions (pdf) and also to handle pdf that may evolve in time, for example thanks to an optimisation loop. The curse of dimensionality will be dealt thanks Harten's multiresolution method combined with sparse grid methods. Currently, and up to our knowledge, no scheme has each of these properties. This research program will have an impact on numerical schemes and industrial applications.
Project acronym ADORA
Project Asymptotic approach to spatial and dynamical organizations
Researcher (PI) Benoit PERTHAME
Host Institution (HI) SORBONNE UNIVERSITE
Summary The understanding of spatial, social and dynamical organization of large numbers of agents is presently a fundamental issue in modern science. ADORA focuses on problems motivated by biology because, more than anywhere else, access to precise and many data has opened the route to novel and complex biomathematical models. The problems we address are written in terms of nonlinear partial differential equations. The flux-limited Keller-Segel system, the integrate-and-fire Fokker-Planck equation, kinetic equations with internal state, nonlocal parabolic equations and constrained Hamilton-Jacobi equations are among examples of the equations under investigation. The role of mathematics is not only to understand the analytical structure of these new problems, but it is also to explain the qualitative behavior of solutions and to quantify their properties. The challenge arises here because these goals should be achieved through a hierarchy of scales. Indeed, the problems under consideration share the common feature that the large scale behavior cannot be understood precisely without access to a hierarchy of finer scales, down to the individual behavior and sometimes its molecular determinants. Major difficulties arise because the numerous scales present in these equations have to be discovered and singularities appear in the asymptotic process which yields deep compactness obstructions. Our vision is that the complexity inherent to models of biology can be enlightened by mathematical analysis and a classification of the possible asymptotic regimes. However an enormous effort is needed to uncover the equations intimate mathematical structures, and bring them at the level of conceptual understanding they deserve being given the applications motivating these questions which range from medical science or neuroscience to cell biology.
The understanding of spatial, social and dynamical organization of large numbers of agents is presently a fundamental issue in modern science. ADORA focuses on problems motivated by biology because, more than anywhere else, access to precise and many data has opened the route to novel and complex biomathematical models. The problems we address are written in terms of nonlinear partial differential equations. The flux-limited Keller-Segel system, the integrate-and-fire Fokker-Planck equation, kinetic equations with internal state, nonlocal parabolic equations and constrained Hamilton-Jacobi equations are among examples of the equations under investigation. The role of mathematics is not only to understand the analytical structure of these new problems, but it is also to explain the qualitative behavior of solutions and to quantify their properties. The challenge arises here because these goals should be achieved through a hierarchy of scales. Indeed, the problems under consideration share the common feature that the large scale behavior cannot be understood precisely without access to a hierarchy of finer scales, down to the individual behavior and sometimes its molecular determinants. Major difficulties arise because the numerous scales present in these equations have to be discovered and singularities appear in the asymptotic process which yields deep compactness obstructions. Our vision is that the complexity inherent to models of biology can be enlightened by mathematical analysis and a classification of the possible asymptotic regimes. However an enormous effort is needed to uncover the equations intimate mathematical structures, and bring them at the level of conceptual understanding they deserve being given the applications motivating these questions which range from medical science or neuroscience to cell biology.
Project acronym AF and MSOGR
Project Automorphic Forms and Moduli Spaces of Galois Representations
Researcher (PI) Toby Gee
Summary I propose to establish a research group to develop completely new tools in order to solve three important problems on the relationships between automorphic forms and Galois representations, which lie at the heart of the Langlands program. The first is to prove Serre’s conjecture for real quadratic fields. I will use automorphic induction to transfer the problem to U(4) over the rational numbers, where I will use automorphy lifting theorems and results on the weight part of Serre's conjecture that I established in my earlier work to reduce the problem to proving results in small weight and level. I will prove these base cases via integral p-adic Hodge theory and discriminant bounds. The second is to develop a geometric theory of moduli spaces of mod p and p-adic Galois representations, and to use it to establish the Breuil–Mézard conjecture in arbitrary dimension, by reinterpreting the conjecture in geometric terms. This will transform the subject by building the first connections between the p-adic Langlands program and the geometric Langlands program, providing an entirely new world of techniques for number theorists. As a consequence of the Breuil-Mézard conjecture, I will be able to deduce far stronger automorphy lifting theorems (in arbitrary dimension) than those currently available. The third is to completely determine the reduction mod p of certain two-dimensional crystalline representations, and as an application prove a strengthened version of the Gouvêa–Mazur conjecture. I will do this by means of explicit computations with the p-adic local Langlands correspondence for GL_2(Q_p), as well as by improving existing arguments which prove multiplicity one theorems via automorphy lifting theorems. This work will show that the existence of counterexamples to the Gouvêa-Mazur conjecture is due to a purely local phenomenon, and that when this local obstruction vanishes, far stronger conjectures of Buzzard on the slopes of the U_p operator hold.
I propose to establish a research group to develop completely new tools in order to solve three important problems on the relationships between automorphic forms and Galois representations, which lie at the heart of the Langlands program. The first is to prove Serre’s conjecture for real quadratic fields. I will use automorphic induction to transfer the problem to U(4) over the rational numbers, where I will use automorphy lifting theorems and results on the weight part of Serre's conjecture that I established in my earlier work to reduce the problem to proving results in small weight and level. I will prove these base cases via integral p-adic Hodge theory and discriminant bounds. The second is to develop a geometric theory of moduli spaces of mod p and p-adic Galois representations, and to use it to establish the Breuil–Mézard conjecture in arbitrary dimension, by reinterpreting the conjecture in geometric terms. This will transform the subject by building the first connections between the p-adic Langlands program and the geometric Langlands program, providing an entirely new world of techniques for number theorists. As a consequence of the Breuil-Mézard conjecture, I will be able to deduce far stronger automorphy lifting theorems (in arbitrary dimension) than those currently available. The third is to completely determine the reduction mod p of certain two-dimensional crystalline representations, and as an application prove a strengthened version of the Gouvêa–Mazur conjecture. I will do this by means of explicit computations with the p-adic local Langlands correspondence for GL_2(Q_p), as well as by improving existing arguments which prove multiplicity one theorems via automorphy lifting theorems. This work will show that the existence of counterexamples to the Gouvêa-Mazur conjecture is due to a purely local phenomenon, and that when this local obstruction vanishes, far stronger conjectures of Buzzard on the slopes of the U_p operator hold.
Project acronym AFMIDMOA
Project "Applying Fundamental Mathematics in Discrete Mathematics, Optimization, and Algorithmics"
Researcher (PI) Alexander Schrijver
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM
Summary "This proposal aims at strengthening the connections between more fundamentally oriented areas of mathematics like algebra, geometry, analysis, and topology, and the more applied oriented and more recently emerging disciplines of discrete mathematics, optimization, and algorithmics. The overall goal of the project is to obtain, with methods from fundamental mathematics, new effective tools to unravel the complexity of structures like graphs, networks, codes, knots, polynomials, and tensors, and to get a grip on such complex structures by new efficient characterizations, sharper bounds, and faster algorithms. In the last few years, there have been several new developments where methods from representation theory, invariant theory, algebraic geometry, measure theory, functional analysis, and topology found new applications in discrete mathematics and optimization, both theoretically and algorithmically. Among the typical application areas are networks, coding, routing, timetabling, statistical and quantum physics, and computer science. The project focuses in particular on: A. Understanding partition functions with invariant theory and algebraic geometry B. Graph limits, regularity, Hilbert spaces, and low rank approximation of polynomials C. Reducing complexity in optimization by exploiting symmetry with representation theory D. Reducing complexity in discrete optimization by homotopy and cohomology These research modules are interconnected by themes like symmetry, regularity, and complexity, and by common methods from algebra, analysis, geometry, and topology."
"This proposal aims at strengthening the connections between more fundamentally oriented areas of mathematics like algebra, geometry, analysis, and topology, and the more applied oriented and more recently emerging disciplines of discrete mathematics, optimization, and algorithmics. The overall goal of the project is to obtain, with methods from fundamental mathematics, new effective tools to unravel the complexity of structures like graphs, networks, codes, knots, polynomials, and tensors, and to get a grip on such complex structures by new efficient characterizations, sharper bounds, and faster algorithms. In the last few years, there have been several new developments where methods from representation theory, invariant theory, algebraic geometry, measure theory, functional analysis, and topology found new applications in discrete mathematics and optimization, both theoretically and algorithmically. Among the typical application areas are networks, coding, routing, timetabling, statistical and quantum physics, and computer science. The project focuses in particular on: A. Understanding partition functions with invariant theory and algebraic geometry B. Graph limits, regularity, Hilbert spaces, and low rank approximation of polynomials C. Reducing complexity in optimization by exploiting symmetry with representation theory D. Reducing complexity in discrete optimization by homotopy and cohomology These research modules are interconnected by themes like symmetry, regularity, and complexity, and by common methods from algebra, analysis, geometry, and topology."
Project acronym AGALT
Project Asymptotic Geometric Analysis and Learning Theory
Researcher (PI) Shahar Mendelson
Host Institution (HI) TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Summary In a typical learning problem one tries to approximate an unknown function by a function from a given class using random data, sampled according to an unknown measure. In this project we will be interested in parameters that govern the complexity of a learning problem. It turns out that this complexity is determined by the geometry of certain sets in high dimension that are connected to the given class (random coordinate projections of the class). Thus, one has to understand the structure of these sets as a function of the dimension - which is given by the cardinality of the random sample. The resulting analysis leads to many theoretical questions in Asymptotic Geometric Analysis, Probability (most notably, Empirical Processes Theory) and Combinatorics, which are of independent interest beyond the application to Learning Theory. Our main goal is to describe the role of various complexity parameters involved in a learning problem, to analyze the connections between them and to investigate the way they determine the geometry of the relevant high dimensional sets. Some of the questions we intend to tackle are well known open problems and making progress towards their solution will have a significant theoretical impact. Moreover, this project should lead to a more complete theory of learning and is likely to have some practical impact, for example, in the design of more efficient learning algorithms.
In a typical learning problem one tries to approximate an unknown function by a function from a given class using random data, sampled according to an unknown measure. In this project we will be interested in parameters that govern the complexity of a learning problem. It turns out that this complexity is determined by the geometry of certain sets in high dimension that are connected to the given class (random coordinate projections of the class). Thus, one has to understand the structure of these sets as a function of the dimension - which is given by the cardinality of the random sample. The resulting analysis leads to many theoretical questions in Asymptotic Geometric Analysis, Probability (most notably, Empirical Processes Theory) and Combinatorics, which are of independent interest beyond the application to Learning Theory. Our main goal is to describe the role of various complexity parameters involved in a learning problem, to analyze the connections between them and to investigate the way they determine the geometry of the relevant high dimensional sets. Some of the questions we intend to tackle are well known open problems and making progress towards their solution will have a significant theoretical impact. Moreover, this project should lead to a more complete theory of learning and is likely to have some practical impact, for example, in the design of more efficient learning algorithms.
Project acronym AGELESS
Project Comparative genomics / ‘wildlife’ transcriptomics uncovers the mechanisms of halted ageing in mammals
Researcher (PI) Emma Teeling
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN
Summary "Ageing is the gradual and irreversible breakdown of living systems associated with the advancement of time, which leads to an increase in vulnerability and eventual mortality. Despite recent advances in ageing research, the intrinsic complexity of the ageing process has prevented a full understanding of this process, therefore, ageing remains a grand challenge in contemporary biology. In AGELESS, we will tackle this challenge by uncovering the molecular mechanisms of halted ageing in a unique model system, the bats. Bats are the longest-lived mammals relative to their body size, and defy the ‘rate-of-living’ theories as they use twice as much the energy as other species of considerable size, but live far longer. This suggests that bats have some underlying mechanisms that may explain their exceptional longevity. In AGELESS, we will identify the molecular mechanisms that enable mammals to achieve extraordinary longevity, using state-of-the-art comparative genomic methodologies focused on bats. We will identify, using population transcriptomics and telomere/mtDNA genomics, the molecular changes that occur in an ageing wild population of bats to uncover how bats ‘age’ so slowly compared with other mammals. In silico whole genome analyses, field based ageing transcriptomic data, mtDNA and telomeric studies will be integrated and analysed using a networks approach, to ascertain how these systems interact to halt ageing. For the first time, we will be able to utilize the diversity seen within nature to identify key molecular targets and regions that regulate and control ageing in mammals. AGELESS will provide a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms of ageing, potentially uncovering the crucial molecular pathways that can be modified to halt, alleviate and perhaps even reverse this process in man."
"Ageing is the gradual and irreversible breakdown of living systems associated with the advancement of time, which leads to an increase in vulnerability and eventual mortality. Despite recent advances in ageing research, the intrinsic complexity of the ageing process has prevented a full understanding of this process, therefore, ageing remains a grand challenge in contemporary biology. In AGELESS, we will tackle this challenge by uncovering the molecular mechanisms of halted ageing in a unique model system, the bats. Bats are the longest-lived mammals relative to their body size, and defy the ‘rate-of-living’ theories as they use twice as much the energy as other species of considerable size, but live far longer. This suggests that bats have some underlying mechanisms that may explain their exceptional longevity. In AGELESS, we will identify the molecular mechanisms that enable mammals to achieve extraordinary longevity, using state-of-the-art comparative genomic methodologies focused on bats. We will identify, using population transcriptomics and telomere/mtDNA genomics, the molecular changes that occur in an ageing wild population of bats to uncover how bats ‘age’ so slowly compared with other mammals. In silico whole genome analyses, field based ageing transcriptomic data, mtDNA and telomeric studies will be integrated and analysed using a networks approach, to ascertain how these systems interact to halt ageing. For the first time, we will be able to utilize the diversity seen within nature to identify key molecular targets and regions that regulate and control ageing in mammals. AGELESS will provide a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms of ageing, potentially uncovering the crucial molecular pathways that can be modified to halt, alleviate and perhaps even reverse this process in man."
Project acronym Agglomerates
Project Infinite Protein Self-Assembly in Health and Disease
Researcher (PI) Emmanuel Doram LEVY
Host Institution (HI) WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Summary Understanding how proteins respond to mutations is of paramount importance to biology and disease. While protein stability and misfolding have been instrumental in rationalizing the impact of mutations, we recently discovered that an alternative route is also frequent, where mutations at the surface of symmetric proteins trigger novel self-interactions that lead to infinite self-assembly. This mechanism can be involved in disease, as in sickle-cell anemia, but may also serve in adaptation. Importantly, it differs fundamentally from aggregation, because misfolding does not drive it. Thus, we term it “agglomeration”. The ease with which agglomeration can occur, even by single point mutations, shifts the paradigm of how quickly new protein assemblies can emerge, both in health and disease. This prompts us to determine the basic principles of protein agglomeration and explore its implications in cell physiology and human disease. We propose an interdisciplinary research program bridging atomic and cellular scales to explore agglomeration in three aims: (i) Map the landscape of protein agglomeration in response to mutation in endogenous yeast proteins; (ii) Characterize how yeast physiology impacts agglomeration by changes in gene expression or cell state, and, conversely, how protein agglomerates impact yeast fitness. (iii) Analyze agglomeration in relation to human disease via two approaches. First, by predicting single nucleotide polymorphisms that trigger agglomeration, prioritizing them using knowledge from Aims 1 & 2, and characterizing them experimentally. Second, by providing a proof-of-concept that agglomeration can be exploited in drug design, whereby drugs induce its formation, like mutations can do. Overall, through this research, we aim to establish agglomeration as a paradigm for protein assembly, with implications for our understanding of evolution, physiology, and disease.
Understanding how proteins respond to mutations is of paramount importance to biology and disease. While protein stability and misfolding have been instrumental in rationalizing the impact of mutations, we recently discovered that an alternative route is also frequent, where mutations at the surface of symmetric proteins trigger novel self-interactions that lead to infinite self-assembly. This mechanism can be involved in disease, as in sickle-cell anemia, but may also serve in adaptation. Importantly, it differs fundamentally from aggregation, because misfolding does not drive it. Thus, we term it “agglomeration”. The ease with which agglomeration can occur, even by single point mutations, shifts the paradigm of how quickly new protein assemblies can emerge, both in health and disease. This prompts us to determine the basic principles of protein agglomeration and explore its implications in cell physiology and human disease. We propose an interdisciplinary research program bridging atomic and cellular scales to explore agglomeration in three aims: (i) Map the landscape of protein agglomeration in response to mutation in endogenous yeast proteins; (ii) Characterize how yeast physiology impacts agglomeration by changes in gene expression or cell state, and, conversely, how protein agglomerates impact yeast fitness. (iii) Analyze agglomeration in relation to human disease via two approaches. First, by predicting single nucleotide polymorphisms that trigger agglomeration, prioritizing them using knowledge from Aims 1 & 2, and characterizing them experimentally. Second, by providing a proof-of-concept that agglomeration can be exploited in drug design, whereby drugs induce its formation, like mutations can do. Overall, through this research, we aim to establish agglomeration as a paradigm for protein assembly, with implications for our understanding of evolution, physiology, and disease.
Project acronym AlgTateGro
Project Constructing line bundles on algebraic varieties --around conjectures of Tate and Grothendieck
Researcher (PI) François CHARLES
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE PARIS-SUD
Summary The goal of this project is to investigate two conjectures in arithmetic geometry pertaining to the geometry of projective varieties over finite and number fields. These two conjectures, formulated by Tate and Grothendieck in the 1960s, predict which cohomology classes are chern classes of line bundles. They both form an arithmetic counterpart of a theorem of Lefschetz, proved in the 1940s, which itself is the only known case of the Hodge conjecture. These two long-standing conjectures are one of the aspects of a more general web of questions regarding the topology of algebraic varieties which have been emphasized by Grothendieck and have since had a central role in modern arithmetic geometry. Special cases of these conjectures, appearing for instance in the work of Tate, Deligne, Faltings, Schneider-Lang, Masser-Wüstholz, have all had important consequences. My goal is to investigate different lines of attack towards these conjectures, building on recent work on myself and Jean-Benoît Bost on related problems. The two main directions of the proposal are as follows. Over finite fields, the Tate conjecture is related to finiteness results for certain cohomological objects. I want to understand how to relate these to hidden boundedness properties of algebraic varieties that have appeared in my recent geometric proof of the Tate conjecture for K3 surfaces. The existence and relevance of a theory of Donaldson invariants for moduli spaces of twisted sheaves over finite fields seems to be a promising and novel direction. Over number fields, I want to combine the geometric insight above with algebraization techniques developed by Bost. In a joint project, we want to investigate how these can be used to first understand geometrically major results in transcendence theory and then attack the Grothendieck period conjecture for divisors via a number-theoretic and complex-analytic understanding of universal vector extensions of abelian schemes over curves.
The goal of this project is to investigate two conjectures in arithmetic geometry pertaining to the geometry of projective varieties over finite and number fields. These two conjectures, formulated by Tate and Grothendieck in the 1960s, predict which cohomology classes are chern classes of line bundles. They both form an arithmetic counterpart of a theorem of Lefschetz, proved in the 1940s, which itself is the only known case of the Hodge conjecture. These two long-standing conjectures are one of the aspects of a more general web of questions regarding the topology of algebraic varieties which have been emphasized by Grothendieck and have since had a central role in modern arithmetic geometry. Special cases of these conjectures, appearing for instance in the work of Tate, Deligne, Faltings, Schneider-Lang, Masser-Wüstholz, have all had important consequences. My goal is to investigate different lines of attack towards these conjectures, building on recent work on myself and Jean-Benoît Bost on related problems. The two main directions of the proposal are as follows. Over finite fields, the Tate conjecture is related to finiteness results for certain cohomological objects. I want to understand how to relate these to hidden boundedness properties of algebraic varieties that have appeared in my recent geometric proof of the Tate conjecture for K3 surfaces. The existence and relevance of a theory of Donaldson invariants for moduli spaces of twisted sheaves over finite fields seems to be a promising and novel direction. Over number fields, I want to combine the geometric insight above with algebraization techniques developed by Bost. In a joint project, we want to investigate how these can be used to first understand geometrically major results in transcendence theory and then attack the Grothendieck period conjecture for divisors via a number-theoretic and complex-analytic understanding of universal vector extensions of abelian schemes over curves.
Project acronym ALKAGE
Project Algebraic and Kähler geometry
Researcher (PI) Jean-Pierre, Raymond, Philippe Demailly
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES
Summary The purpose of this project is to study basic questions in algebraic and Kähler geometry. It is well known that the structure of projective or Kähler manifolds is governed by positivity or negativity properties of the curvature tensor. However, many fundamental problems are still wide open. Since the mid 1980's, I have developed a large number of key concepts and results that have led to important progress in transcendental algebraic geometry. Let me mention the discovery of holomorphic Morse inequalities, systematic applications of L² estimates with singular hermitian metrics, and a much improved understanding of Monge-Ampère equations and of singularities of plurisuharmonic functions. My first goal will be to investigate the Green-Griffiths-Lang conjecture asserting that an entire curve drawn in a variety of general type is algebraically degenerate. The subject is intimately related to important questions concerning Diophantine equations, especially higher dimensional generalizations of Faltings' theorem - the so-called Vojta program. One can rely here on a breakthrough I made in 2010, showing that all such entire curves must satisfy algebraic differential equations. A second closely related area of research of this project is the analysis of the structure of projective or compact Kähler manifolds. It can be seen as a generalization of the classification theory of surfaces by Kodaira, and of the more recent results for dimension 3 (Kawamata, Kollár, Mori, Shokurov, ...) to other dimensions. My plan is to combine powerful recent results obtained on the duality of positive cohomology cones with an analysis of the instability of the tangent bundle, i.e. of the Harder-Narasimhan filtration. On these ground-breaking questions, I intend to go much further and to enhance my national and international collaborations. These subjects already attract many young researchers and postdocs throughout the world, and the grant could be used to create even stronger interactions.
The purpose of this project is to study basic questions in algebraic and Kähler geometry. It is well known that the structure of projective or Kähler manifolds is governed by positivity or negativity properties of the curvature tensor. However, many fundamental problems are still wide open. Since the mid 1980's, I have developed a large number of key concepts and results that have led to important progress in transcendental algebraic geometry. Let me mention the discovery of holomorphic Morse inequalities, systematic applications of L² estimates with singular hermitian metrics, and a much improved understanding of Monge-Ampère equations and of singularities of plurisuharmonic functions. My first goal will be to investigate the Green-Griffiths-Lang conjecture asserting that an entire curve drawn in a variety of general type is algebraically degenerate. The subject is intimately related to important questions concerning Diophantine equations, especially higher dimensional generalizations of Faltings' theorem - the so-called Vojta program. One can rely here on a breakthrough I made in 2010, showing that all such entire curves must satisfy algebraic differential equations. A second closely related area of research of this project is the analysis of the structure of projective or compact Kähler manifolds. It can be seen as a generalization of the classification theory of surfaces by Kodaira, and of the more recent results for dimension 3 (Kawamata, Kollár, Mori, Shokurov, ...) to other dimensions. My plan is to combine powerful recent results obtained on the duality of positive cohomology cones with an analysis of the instability of the tangent bundle, i.e. of the Harder-Narasimhan filtration. On these ground-breaking questions, I intend to go much further and to enhance my national and international collaborations. These subjects already attract many young researchers and postdocs throughout the world, and the grant could be used to create even stronger interactions.
Project acronym Allelic Regulation
Project Revealing Allele-level Regulation and Dynamics using Single-cell Gene Expression Analyses
Researcher (PI) Thore Rickard Hakan Sandberg
Host Institution (HI) KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET
Summary As diploid organisms inherit one gene copy from each parent, a gene can be expressed from both alleles (biallelic) or from only one allele (monoallelic). Although transcription from both alleles is detected for most genes in cell population experiments, little is known about allele-specific expression in single cells and its phenotypic consequences. To answer fundamental questions about allelic transcription heterogeneity in single cells, this research program will focus on single-cell transcriptome analyses with allelic-origin resolution. To this end, we will investigate both clonally stable and dynamic random monoallelic expression across a large number of cell types, including cells from embryonic and adult stages. This research program will be accomplished with the novel single-cell RNA-seq method developed within my lab to obtain quantitative, genome-wide gene expression measurement. To distinguish between mitotically stable and dynamic patterns of allelic expression, we will analyze large numbers a clonally related cells per cell type, from both primary cultures (in vitro) and using transgenic models to obtain clonally related cells in vivo. The biological significance of the research program is first an understanding of allelic transcription, including the nature and extent of random monoallelic expression across in vivo tissues and cell types. These novel insights into allelic transcription will be important for an improved understanding of how variable phenotypes (e.g. incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity) can arise in genetically identical individuals. Additionally, the single-cell transcriptome analyses of clonally related cells in vivo will provide unique insights into the clonality of gene expression per se.
As diploid organisms inherit one gene copy from each parent, a gene can be expressed from both alleles (biallelic) or from only one allele (monoallelic). Although transcription from both alleles is detected for most genes in cell population experiments, little is known about allele-specific expression in single cells and its phenotypic consequences. To answer fundamental questions about allelic transcription heterogeneity in single cells, this research program will focus on single-cell transcriptome analyses with allelic-origin resolution. To this end, we will investigate both clonally stable and dynamic random monoallelic expression across a large number of cell types, including cells from embryonic and adult stages. This research program will be accomplished with the novel single-cell RNA-seq method developed within my lab to obtain quantitative, genome-wide gene expression measurement. To distinguish between mitotically stable and dynamic patterns of allelic expression, we will analyze large numbers a clonally related cells per cell type, from both primary cultures (in vitro) and using transgenic models to obtain clonally related cells in vivo. The biological significance of the research program is first an understanding of allelic transcription, including the nature and extent of random monoallelic expression across in vivo tissues and cell types. These novel insights into allelic transcription will be important for an improved understanding of how variable phenotypes (e.g. incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity) can arise in genetically identical individuals. Additionally, the single-cell transcriptome analyses of clonally related cells in vivo will provide unique insights into the clonality of gene expression per se.
Project acronym AMAREC
Project Amenability, Approximation and Reconstruction
Researcher (PI) Wilhelm WINTER
Host Institution (HI) WESTFAELISCHE WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAET MUENSTER
Summary Algebras of operators on Hilbert spaces were originally introduced as the right framework for the mathematical description of quantum mechanics. In modern mathematics the scope has much broadened due to the highly versatile nature of operator algebras. They are particularly useful in the analysis of groups and their actions. Amenability is a finiteness property which occurs in many different contexts and which can be characterised in many different ways. We will analyse amenability in terms of approximation properties, in the frameworks of abstract C*-algebras, of topological dynamical systems, and of discrete groups. Such approximation properties will serve as bridging devices between these setups, and they will be used to systematically recover geometric information about the underlying structures. When passing from groups, and more generally from dynamical systems, to operator algebras, one loses information, but one gains new tools to isolate and analyse pertinent properties of the underlying structure. We will mostly be interested in the topological setting, and in the associated C*-algebras. Amenability of groups or of dynamical systems then translates into the completely positive approximation property. Systems of completely positive approximations store all the essential data about a C*-algebra, and sometimes one can arrange the systems so that one can directly read of such information. For transformation group C*-algebras, one can achieve this by using approximation properties of the underlying dynamics. To some extent one can even go back, and extract dynamical approximation properties from completely positive approximations of the C*-algebra. This interplay between approximation properties in topological dynamics and in noncommutative topology carries a surprisingly rich structure. It connects directly to the heart of the classification problem for nuclear C*-algebras on the one hand, and to central open questions on amenable dynamics on the other.
Algebras of operators on Hilbert spaces were originally introduced as the right framework for the mathematical description of quantum mechanics. In modern mathematics the scope has much broadened due to the highly versatile nature of operator algebras. They are particularly useful in the analysis of groups and their actions. Amenability is a finiteness property which occurs in many different contexts and which can be characterised in many different ways. We will analyse amenability in terms of approximation properties, in the frameworks of abstract C*-algebras, of topological dynamical systems, and of discrete groups. Such approximation properties will serve as bridging devices between these setups, and they will be used to systematically recover geometric information about the underlying structures. When passing from groups, and more generally from dynamical systems, to operator algebras, one loses information, but one gains new tools to isolate and analyse pertinent properties of the underlying structure. We will mostly be interested in the topological setting, and in the associated C*-algebras. Amenability of groups or of dynamical systems then translates into the completely positive approximation property. Systems of completely positive approximations store all the essential data about a C*-algebra, and sometimes one can arrange the systems so that one can directly read of such information. For transformation group C*-algebras, one can achieve this by using approximation properties of the underlying dynamics. To some extent one can even go back, and extract dynamical approximation properties from completely positive approximations of the C*-algebra. This interplay between approximation properties in topological dynamics and in noncommutative topology carries a surprisingly rich structure. It connects directly to the heart of the classification problem for nuclear C*-algebras on the one hand, and to central open questions on amenable dynamics on the other.
Project acronym AMSTAT
Project Problems at the Applied Mathematics-Statistics Interface
Researcher (PI) Andrew Stuart
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
Summary Applied mathematics is concerned with developing models with predictive capability, and with probing those models to obtain qualitative and quantitative insight into the phenomena being modelled. Statistics is data-driven and is aimed at the development of methodologies to optimize the information derived from data. The increasing complexity of phenomena that scientists and engineers wish to model, together with our increased ability to gather, store and interrogate data, mean that the subjects of applied mathematics and statistics are increasingly required to work in conjunction. This research proposal is concerned with a research program at the interface between these two disciplines, aimed at problems in differential equations where profusion of data and the sophisticated model combine to produce the mathematical problem of obtaining information from a probability measure on function space. Applications are far-reaching and include the atmospheric sciences, geophysics, chemistry, econometrics and signal processing. The objectives of the research are: (i) to create the systematic foundations for a range of problems at the applied mathematics and statistics interface which share the common mathematical structure underpinning the range of applications described above; (ii) to exploit this common mathematical structure to design effecient algorithms to sample probability measures on function space; (iii) to apply these algorithms to attack a range of significant problems arising in molecular dynamics and in the atmospheric sciences.
Applied mathematics is concerned with developing models with predictive capability, and with probing those models to obtain qualitative and quantitative insight into the phenomena being modelled. Statistics is data-driven and is aimed at the development of methodologies to optimize the information derived from data. The increasing complexity of phenomena that scientists and engineers wish to model, together with our increased ability to gather, store and interrogate data, mean that the subjects of applied mathematics and statistics are increasingly required to work in conjunction. This research proposal is concerned with a research program at the interface between these two disciplines, aimed at problems in differential equations where profusion of data and the sophisticated model combine to produce the mathematical problem of obtaining information from a probability measure on function space. Applications are far-reaching and include the atmospheric sciences, geophysics, chemistry, econometrics and signal processing. The objectives of the research are: (i) to create the systematic foundations for a range of problems at the applied mathematics and statistics interface which share the common mathematical structure underpinning the range of applications described above; (ii) to exploit this common mathematical structure to design effecient algorithms to sample probability measures on function space; (iii) to apply these algorithms to attack a range of significant problems arising in molecular dynamics and in the atmospheric sciences.
Project acronym ANADEL
Project Analysis of Geometrical Effects on Dispersive Equations
Researcher (PI) Danela Oana IVANOVICI
Summary We are concerned with localization properties of solutions to hyperbolic PDEs, especially problems with a geometric component: how do boundaries and heterogeneous media influence spreading and concentration of solutions. While our first focus is on wave and Schrödinger equations on manifolds with boundary, strong connections exist with phase space localization for (clusters of) eigenfunctions, which are of independent interest. Motivations come from nonlinear dispersive models (in physically relevant settings), properties of eigenfunctions in quantum chaos (related to both physics of optic fiber design as well as number theoretic questions), or harmonic analysis on manifolds. Waves propagation in real life physics occur in media which are neither homogeneous or spatially infinity. The birth of radar/sonar technologies (and the raise of computed tomography) greatly motivated numerous developments in microlocal analysis and the linear theory. Only recently toy nonlinear models have been studied on a curved background, sometimes compact or rough. Understanding how to extend such tools, dealing with wave dispersion or focusing, will allow us to significantly progress in our mathematical understanding of physically relevant models. There, boundaries appear naturally and most earlier developments related to propagation of singularities in this context have limited scope with respect to crucial dispersive effects. Despite great progress over the last decade, driven by the study of quasilinear equations, our knowledge is still very limited. Going beyond this recent activity requires new tools whose development is at the heart of this proposal, including good approximate solutions (parametrices) going over arbitrarily large numbers of caustics, sharp pointwise bounds on Green functions, development of efficient wave packets methods, quantitative refinements of propagation of singularities (with direct applications in control theory), only to name a few important ones.
We are concerned with localization properties of solutions to hyperbolic PDEs, especially problems with a geometric component: how do boundaries and heterogeneous media influence spreading and concentration of solutions. While our first focus is on wave and Schrödinger equations on manifolds with boundary, strong connections exist with phase space localization for (clusters of) eigenfunctions, which are of independent interest. Motivations come from nonlinear dispersive models (in physically relevant settings), properties of eigenfunctions in quantum chaos (related to both physics of optic fiber design as well as number theoretic questions), or harmonic analysis on manifolds. Waves propagation in real life physics occur in media which are neither homogeneous or spatially infinity. The birth of radar/sonar technologies (and the raise of computed tomography) greatly motivated numerous developments in microlocal analysis and the linear theory. Only recently toy nonlinear models have been studied on a curved background, sometimes compact or rough. Understanding how to extend such tools, dealing with wave dispersion or focusing, will allow us to significantly progress in our mathematical understanding of physically relevant models. There, boundaries appear naturally and most earlier developments related to propagation of singularities in this context have limited scope with respect to crucial dispersive effects. Despite great progress over the last decade, driven by the study of quasilinear equations, our knowledge is still very limited. Going beyond this recent activity requires new tools whose development is at the heart of this proposal, including good approximate solutions (parametrices) going over arbitrarily large numbers of caustics, sharp pointwise bounds on Green functions, development of efficient wave packets methods, quantitative refinements of propagation of singularities (with direct applications in control theory), only to name a few important ones.
Project acronym analysisdirac
Project The analysis of the Dirac operator: the hypoelliptic Laplacian and its applications
Researcher (PI) Jean-Michel Philippe Marie-José Bismut
Summary This proposal is devoted to the applications of a new hypoelliptic Dirac operator, whose analytic properties have been studied by Lebeau and myself. Its construction connects classical Hodge theory with the geodesic flow, and more generally any geometrically defined Hodge Laplacian with a dynamical system on the cotangent bundle. The proper description of this object can be given in analytic, index theoretic and probabilistic terms, which explains both its potential many applications, and also its complexity.
This proposal is devoted to the applications of a new hypoelliptic Dirac operator, whose analytic properties have been studied by Lebeau and myself. Its construction connects classical Hodge theory with the geodesic flow, and more generally any geometrically defined Hodge Laplacian with a dynamical system on the cotangent bundle. The proper description of this object can be given in analytic, index theoretic and probabilistic terms, which explains both its potential many applications, and also its complexity.
Project acronym ANALYTIC
Project ANALYTIC PROPERTIES OF INFINITE GROUPS: limits, curvature, and randomness
Researcher (PI) Gulnara Arzhantseva
Summary The overall goal of this project is to develop new concepts and techniques in geometric and asymptotic group theory for a systematic study of the analytic properties of discrete groups. These are properties depending on the unitary representation theory of the group. The fundamental examples are amenability, discovered by von Neumann in 1929, and property (T), introduced by Kazhdan in 1967. My main objective is to establish the precise relations between groups recently appeared in K-theory and topology such as C*-exact groups and groups coarsely embeddable into a Hilbert space, versus those discovered in ergodic theory and operator algebra, for example, sofic and hyperlinear groups. This is a first ever attempt to confront the analytic behavior of so different nature. I plan to work on crucial open questions: Is every coarsely embeddable group C*-exact? Is every group sofic? Is every hyperlinear group sofic? My motivation is two-fold: - Many outstanding conjectures were recently solved for these groups, e.g. the Novikov conjecture (1965) for coarsely embeddable groups by Yu in 2000 and the Gottschalk surjunctivity conjecture (1973) for sofic groups by Gromov in 1999. However, their group-theoretical structure remains mysterious. - In recent years, geometric group theory has undergone significant changes, mainly due to the growing impact of this theory on other branches of mathematics. However, the interplay between geometric, asymptotic, and analytic group properties has not yet been fully understood. The main innovative contribution of this proposal lies in the interaction between 3 axes: (i) limits of groups, in the space of marked groups or metric ultralimits; (ii) analytic properties of groups with curvature, of lacunary or relatively hyperbolic groups; (iii) random groups, in a topological or statistical meaning. As a result, I will describe the above apparently unrelated classes of groups in a unified way and will detail their algebraic behavior.
The overall goal of this project is to develop new concepts and techniques in geometric and asymptotic group theory for a systematic study of the analytic properties of discrete groups. These are properties depending on the unitary representation theory of the group. The fundamental examples are amenability, discovered by von Neumann in 1929, and property (T), introduced by Kazhdan in 1967. My main objective is to establish the precise relations between groups recently appeared in K-theory and topology such as C*-exact groups and groups coarsely embeddable into a Hilbert space, versus those discovered in ergodic theory and operator algebra, for example, sofic and hyperlinear groups. This is a first ever attempt to confront the analytic behavior of so different nature. I plan to work on crucial open questions: Is every coarsely embeddable group C*-exact? Is every group sofic? Is every hyperlinear group sofic? My motivation is two-fold: - Many outstanding conjectures were recently solved for these groups, e.g. the Novikov conjecture (1965) for coarsely embeddable groups by Yu in 2000 and the Gottschalk surjunctivity conjecture (1973) for sofic groups by Gromov in 1999. However, their group-theoretical structure remains mysterious. - In recent years, geometric group theory has undergone significant changes, mainly due to the growing impact of this theory on other branches of mathematics. However, the interplay between geometric, asymptotic, and analytic group properties has not yet been fully understood. The main innovative contribution of this proposal lies in the interaction between 3 axes: (i) limits of groups, in the space of marked groups or metric ultralimits; (ii) analytic properties of groups with curvature, of lacunary or relatively hyperbolic groups; (iii) random groups, in a topological or statistical meaning. As a result, I will describe the above apparently unrelated classes of groups in a unified way and will detail their algebraic behavior.
Project acronym ANAMULTISCALE
Project Analysis of Multiscale Systems Driven by Functionals
Researcher (PI) Alexander Mielke
Host Institution (HI) FORSCHUNGSVERBUND BERLIN EV
Summary Many complex phenomena in the sciences are described by nonlinear partial differential equations, the solutions of which exhibit oscillations and concentration effects on multiple temporal or spatial scales. Our aim is to use methods from applied analysis to contribute to the understanding of the interplay of effects on different scales. The central question is to determine those quantities on the microscale which are needed to for the correct description of the macroscopic evolution. We aim to develop a mathematical framework for analyzing and modeling coupled systems with multiple scales. This will include Hamiltonian dynamics as well as different types of dissipation like gradient flows or rate-independent dynamics. The choice of models will be guided by specific applications in material modeling (e.g., thermoplasticity, pattern formation, porous media) and optoelectronics (pulse interaction, Maxwell-Bloch systems, semiconductors, quantum mechanics). The research will address mathematically fundamental issues like existence and stability of solutions but will mainly be devoted to the modeling of multiscale phenomena in evolution systems. We will focus on systems with geometric structures, where the dynamics is driven by functionals. Thus, we can go much beyond the classical theory of homogenization and singular perturbations. The novel features of our approach are - the combination of different dynamical effects in one framework, - the use of geometric and metric structures for coupled partial differential equations, - the exploitation of Gamma-convergence for evolution systems driven by functionals.
Many complex phenomena in the sciences are described by nonlinear partial differential equations, the solutions of which exhibit oscillations and concentration effects on multiple temporal or spatial scales. Our aim is to use methods from applied analysis to contribute to the understanding of the interplay of effects on different scales. The central question is to determine those quantities on the microscale which are needed to for the correct description of the macroscopic evolution. We aim to develop a mathematical framework for analyzing and modeling coupled systems with multiple scales. This will include Hamiltonian dynamics as well as different types of dissipation like gradient flows or rate-independent dynamics. The choice of models will be guided by specific applications in material modeling (e.g., thermoplasticity, pattern formation, porous media) and optoelectronics (pulse interaction, Maxwell-Bloch systems, semiconductors, quantum mechanics). The research will address mathematically fundamental issues like existence and stability of solutions but will mainly be devoted to the modeling of multiscale phenomena in evolution systems. We will focus on systems with geometric structures, where the dynamics is driven by functionals. Thus, we can go much beyond the classical theory of homogenization and singular perturbations. The novel features of our approach are - the combination of different dynamical effects in one framework, - the use of geometric and metric structures for coupled partial differential equations, - the exploitation of Gamma-convergence for evolution systems driven by functionals.
Project acronym ANGEOM
Project Geometric analysis in the Euclidean space
Researcher (PI) Xavier Tolsa Domenech
Summary "We propose to study different questions in the area of the so called geometric analysis. Most of the topics we are interested in deal with the connection between the behavior of singular integrals and the geometry of sets and measures. The study of this connection has been shown to be extremely helpful in the solution of certain long standing problems in the last years, such as the solution of the Painlev\'e problem or the obtaining of the optimal distortion bounds for quasiconformal mappings by Astala. More specifically, we would like to study the relationship between the L^2 boundedness of singular integrals associated with Riesz and other related kernels, and rectifiability and other geometric notions. The so called David-Semmes problem is probably the main open problem in this area. Up to now, the techniques used to deal with this problem come from multiscale analysis and involve ideas from Littlewood-Paley theory and quantitative techniques of rectifiability. We propose to apply new ideas that combine variational arguments with other techniques which have connections with mass transportation. Further, we think that it is worth to explore in more detail the connection among mass transportation, singular integrals, and uniform rectifiability. We are also interested in the field of quasiconformal mappings. We plan to study a problem regarding the quasiconformal distortion of quasicircles. This problem consists in proving that the bounds obtained recently by S. Smirnov on the dimension of K-quasicircles are optimal. We want to apply techniques from quantitative geometric measure theory to deal with this question. Another question that we intend to explore lies in the interplay of harmonic analysis, geometric measure theory and partial differential equations. This concerns an old problem on the unique continuation of harmonic functions at the boundary open C^1 or Lipschitz domain. All the results known by now deal with smoother Dini domains."
"We propose to study different questions in the area of the so called geometric analysis. Most of the topics we are interested in deal with the connection between the behavior of singular integrals and the geometry of sets and measures. The study of this connection has been shown to be extremely helpful in the solution of certain long standing problems in the last years, such as the solution of the Painlev\'e problem or the obtaining of the optimal distortion bounds for quasiconformal mappings by Astala. More specifically, we would like to study the relationship between the L^2 boundedness of singular integrals associated with Riesz and other related kernels, and rectifiability and other geometric notions. The so called David-Semmes problem is probably the main open problem in this area. Up to now, the techniques used to deal with this problem come from multiscale analysis and involve ideas from Littlewood-Paley theory and quantitative techniques of rectifiability. We propose to apply new ideas that combine variational arguments with other techniques which have connections with mass transportation. Further, we think that it is worth to explore in more detail the connection among mass transportation, singular integrals, and uniform rectifiability. We are also interested in the field of quasiconformal mappings. We plan to study a problem regarding the quasiconformal distortion of quasicircles. This problem consists in proving that the bounds obtained recently by S. Smirnov on the dimension of K-quasicircles are optimal. We want to apply techniques from quantitative geometric measure theory to deal with this question. Another question that we intend to explore lies in the interplay of harmonic analysis, geometric measure theory and partial differential equations. This concerns an old problem on the unique continuation of harmonic functions at the boundary open C^1 or Lipschitz domain. All the results known by now deal with smoother Dini domains."
Project acronym AnoPath
Project Genetics of mosquito resistance to pathogens
Researcher (PI) Kenneth Du Souchet Vernick
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT PASTEUR
Summary Malaria parasite infection in humans has been called “the strongest known force for evolutionary selection in the recent history of the human genome”, and I hypothesize that a similar statement may apply to the mosquito vector, which is the definitive host of the malaria parasite. We previously discovered efficient malaria-resistance mechanisms in natural populations of the African malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae. Aim 1 of the proposed project will implement a novel genetic mapping design to systematically survey the mosquito population for common and rare genetic variants of strong effect against the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. A product of the mapping design will be living mosquito families carrying the resistance loci. Aim 2 will use the segregating families to functionally dissect the underlying molecular mechanisms controlled by the loci, including determination of the pathogen specificity spectra of the host-defense traits. Aim 3 targets arbovirus transmission, where Anopheles mosquitoes transmit human malaria but not arboviruses such as Dengue and Chikungunya, even though the two mosquitoes bite the same people and are exposed to the same pathogens, often in malaria-arbovirus co-infections. We will use deep-sequencing to detect processing of the arbovirus dsRNA intermediates of replication produced by the RNAi pathway of the mosquitoes. The results will reveal important new information about differences in the efficiency and quality of the RNAi response between mosquitoes, which is likely to underlie at least part of the host specificity of arbovirus transmission. The 3 Aims will make significant contributions to understanding malaria and arbovirus transmission, major global public health problems, will aid the development of a next generation of vector surveillance and control tools, and will produce a definitive description of the major genetic factors influencing host-pathogen interactions in mosquito immunity.
Malaria parasite infection in humans has been called “the strongest known force for evolutionary selection in the recent history of the human genome”, and I hypothesize that a similar statement may apply to the mosquito vector, which is the definitive host of the malaria parasite. We previously discovered efficient malaria-resistance mechanisms in natural populations of the African malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae. Aim 1 of the proposed project will implement a novel genetic mapping design to systematically survey the mosquito population for common and rare genetic variants of strong effect against the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. A product of the mapping design will be living mosquito families carrying the resistance loci. Aim 2 will use the segregating families to functionally dissect the underlying molecular mechanisms controlled by the loci, including determination of the pathogen specificity spectra of the host-defense traits. Aim 3 targets arbovirus transmission, where Anopheles mosquitoes transmit human malaria but not arboviruses such as Dengue and Chikungunya, even though the two mosquitoes bite the same people and are exposed to the same pathogens, often in malaria-arbovirus co-infections. We will use deep-sequencing to detect processing of the arbovirus dsRNA intermediates of replication produced by the RNAi pathway of the mosquitoes. The results will reveal important new information about differences in the efficiency and quality of the RNAi response between mosquitoes, which is likely to underlie at least part of the host specificity of arbovirus transmission. The 3 Aims will make significant contributions to understanding malaria and arbovirus transmission, major global public health problems, will aid the development of a next generation of vector surveillance and control tools, and will produce a definitive description of the major genetic factors influencing host-pathogen interactions in mosquito immunity.
Project acronym ANOPTSETCON
Project Analysis of optimal sets and optimal constants: old questions and new results
Researcher (PI) Aldo Pratelli
Summary The analysis of geometric and functional inequalities naturally leads to consider the extremal cases, thus looking for optimal sets, or optimal functions, or optimal constants. The most classical examples are the (different versions of the) isoperimetric inequality and the Sobolev-like inequalities. Much is known about equality cases and best constants, but there are still many questions which seem quite natural but yet have no answer. For instance, it is not known, even in the 2-dimensional space, the answer of a question by Brezis: which set, among those with a given volume, has the biggest Sobolev-Poincaré constant for p=1? This is a very natural problem, and it appears reasonable that the optimal set should be the ball, but this has never been proved. The interest in problems like this relies not only in the extreme simplicity of the questions and in their classical flavour, but also in the new ideas and techniques which are needed to provide the answers. The main techniques that we aim to use are fine arguments of symmetrization, geometric constructions and tools from mass transportation (which is well known to be deeply connected with functional inequalities). These are the basic tools that we already used to reach, in last years, many results in a specific direction, namely the search of sharp quantitative inequalities. Our first result, together with Fusco and Maggi, showed what follows. Everybody knows that the set which minimizes the perimeter with given volume is the ball. But is it true that a set which almost minimizes the perimeter must be close to a ball? The question had been posed in the 1920's and many partial result appeared in the years. In our paper (Ann. of Math., 2007) we proved the sharp result. Many other results of this kind were obtained in last two years.
The analysis of geometric and functional inequalities naturally leads to consider the extremal cases, thus looking for optimal sets, or optimal functions, or optimal constants. The most classical examples are the (different versions of the) isoperimetric inequality and the Sobolev-like inequalities. Much is known about equality cases and best constants, but there are still many questions which seem quite natural but yet have no answer. For instance, it is not known, even in the 2-dimensional space, the answer of a question by Brezis: which set, among those with a given volume, has the biggest Sobolev-Poincaré constant for p=1? This is a very natural problem, and it appears reasonable that the optimal set should be the ball, but this has never been proved. The interest in problems like this relies not only in the extreme simplicity of the questions and in their classical flavour, but also in the new ideas and techniques which are needed to provide the answers. The main techniques that we aim to use are fine arguments of symmetrization, geometric constructions and tools from mass transportation (which is well known to be deeply connected with functional inequalities). These are the basic tools that we already used to reach, in last years, many results in a specific direction, namely the search of sharp quantitative inequalities. Our first result, together with Fusco and Maggi, showed what follows. Everybody knows that the set which minimizes the perimeter with given volume is the ball. But is it true that a set which almost minimizes the perimeter must be close to a ball? The question had been posed in the 1920's and many partial result appeared in the years. In our paper (Ann. of Math., 2007) we proved the sharp result. Many other results of this kind were obtained in last two years.
Project acronym ANOREP
Project Targeting the reproductive biology of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae: from laboratory studies to field applications
Researcher (PI) Flaminia Catteruccia
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PERUGIA
Summary Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes are the major vectors of malaria, a disease with devastating consequences for human health. Novel methods for controlling the natural vector populations are urgently needed, given the evolution of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and the lack of novel insecticidals. Understanding the processes at the bases of mosquito biology may help to roll back malaria. In this proposal, we will target mosquito reproduction, a major determinant of the An. gambiae vectorial capacity. This will be achieved at two levels: (i) fundamental research, to provide a deeper knowledge of the processes regulating reproduction in this species, and (ii) applied research, to identify novel targets and to develop innovative approaches for the control of natural populations. We will focus our analysis on three major players of mosquito reproduction: male accessory glands (MAGs), sperm, and spermatheca, in both laboratory and field settings. We will then translate this information into the identification of inhibitors of mosquito fertility. The experimental activities will be divided across three objectives. In Objective 1, we will unravel the role of the MAGs in shaping mosquito fertility and behaviour, by performing a combination of transcriptional and functional studies that will reveal the multifaceted activities of these tissues. In Objective 2 we will instead focus on the identification of the male and female factors responsible for sperm viability and function. Results obtained in both objectives will be validated in field mosquitoes. In Objective 3, we will perform screens aimed at the identification of inhibitors of mosquito reproductive success. This study will reveal as yet unknown molecular mechanisms underlying reproductive success in mosquitoes, considerably increasing our knowledge beyond the state-of-the-art and critically contributing with innovative tools and ideas to the fight against malaria.
Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes are the major vectors of malaria, a disease with devastating consequences for human health. Novel methods for controlling the natural vector populations are urgently needed, given the evolution of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and the lack of novel insecticidals. Understanding the processes at the bases of mosquito biology may help to roll back malaria. In this proposal, we will target mosquito reproduction, a major determinant of the An. gambiae vectorial capacity. This will be achieved at two levels: (i) fundamental research, to provide a deeper knowledge of the processes regulating reproduction in this species, and (ii) applied research, to identify novel targets and to develop innovative approaches for the control of natural populations. We will focus our analysis on three major players of mosquito reproduction: male accessory glands (MAGs), sperm, and spermatheca, in both laboratory and field settings. We will then translate this information into the identification of inhibitors of mosquito fertility. The experimental activities will be divided across three objectives. In Objective 1, we will unravel the role of the MAGs in shaping mosquito fertility and behaviour, by performing a combination of transcriptional and functional studies that will reveal the multifaceted activities of these tissues. In Objective 2 we will instead focus on the identification of the male and female factors responsible for sperm viability and function. Results obtained in both objectives will be validated in field mosquitoes. In Objective 3, we will perform screens aimed at the identification of inhibitors of mosquito reproductive success. This study will reveal as yet unknown molecular mechanisms underlying reproductive success in mosquitoes, considerably increasing our knowledge beyond the state-of-the-art and critically contributing with innovative tools and ideas to the fight against malaria.
Project acronym ANPROB
Project Analytic-probabilistic methods for borderline singular integrals
Researcher (PI) Tuomas Pentinpoika Hytönen
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Summary The proposal consists of an extensive research program to advance the understanding of singular integral operators of Harmonic Analysis in various situations on the borderline of the existing theory. This is to be achieved by a creative combination of techniques from Analysis and Probability. On top of the standard arsenal of modern Harmonic Analysis, the main probabilistic tools are the martingale transform inequalities of Burkholder, and random geometric constructions in the spirit of the random dyadic cubes introduced to Nonhomogeneous Analysis by Nazarov, Treil and Volberg. The problems to be addressed fall under the following subtitles, with many interconnections and overlap: (i) sharp weighted inequalities; (ii) nonhomogeneous singular integrals on metric spaces; (iii) local Tb theorems with borderline assumptions; (iv) functional calculus of rough differential operators; and (v) vector-valued singular integrals. Topic (i) is a part of Classical Analysis, where new methods have led to substantial recent progress, culminating in my solution in July 2010 of a celebrated problem on the linear dependence of the weighted operator norm on the Muckenhoupt norm of the weight. The proof should be extendible to several related questions, and the aim is to also address some outstanding open problems in the area. Topics (ii) and (v) deal with extensions of the theory of singular integrals to functions with more general domain and range spaces, allowing them to be abstract metric and Banach spaces, respectively. In case (ii), I have recently been able to relax the requirements on the space compared to the established theories, opening a new research direction here. Topics (iii) and (iv) are concerned with weakening the assumptions on singular integrals in the usual Euclidean space, to allow certain applications in the theory of Partial Differential Equations. The goal is to maintain a close contact and exchange of ideas between such abstract and concrete questions.
The proposal consists of an extensive research program to advance the understanding of singular integral operators of Harmonic Analysis in various situations on the borderline of the existing theory. This is to be achieved by a creative combination of techniques from Analysis and Probability. On top of the standard arsenal of modern Harmonic Analysis, the main probabilistic tools are the martingale transform inequalities of Burkholder, and random geometric constructions in the spirit of the random dyadic cubes introduced to Nonhomogeneous Analysis by Nazarov, Treil and Volberg. The problems to be addressed fall under the following subtitles, with many interconnections and overlap: (i) sharp weighted inequalities; (ii) nonhomogeneous singular integrals on metric spaces; (iii) local Tb theorems with borderline assumptions; (iv) functional calculus of rough differential operators; and (v) vector-valued singular integrals. Topic (i) is a part of Classical Analysis, where new methods have led to substantial recent progress, culminating in my solution in July 2010 of a celebrated problem on the linear dependence of the weighted operator norm on the Muckenhoupt norm of the weight. The proof should be extendible to several related questions, and the aim is to also address some outstanding open problems in the area. Topics (ii) and (v) deal with extensions of the theory of singular integrals to functions with more general domain and range spaces, allowing them to be abstract metric and Banach spaces, respectively. In case (ii), I have recently been able to relax the requirements on the space compared to the established theories, opening a new research direction here. Topics (iii) and (iv) are concerned with weakening the assumptions on singular integrals in the usual Euclidean space, to allow certain applications in the theory of Partial Differential Equations. The goal is to maintain a close contact and exchange of ideas between such abstract and concrete questions.
Project acronym ANT
Project Automata in Number Theory
Researcher (PI) Boris Adamczewski
Summary Finite automata are fundamental objects in Computer Science, of great importance on one hand for theoretical aspects (formal language theory, decidability, complexity) and on the other for practical applications (parsing). In number theory, finite automata are mainly used as simple devices for generating sequences of symbols over a finite set (e.g., digital representations of real numbers), and for recognizing some sets of integers or more generally of finitely generated abelian groups or monoids. One of the main features of these automatic structures comes from the fact that they are highly ordered without necessarily being trivial (i.e., periodic). With their rich fractal nature, they lie somewhere between order and chaos, even if, in most respects, their rigidity prevails. Over the last few years, several ground-breaking results have lead to a great renewed interest in the study of automatic structures in arithmetics. A primary objective of the ANT project is to exploit this opportunity by developing new directions and interactions between automata and number theory. In this proposal, we outline three lines of research concerning fundamental number theoretical problems that have baffled mathematicians for decades. They include the study of integer base expansions of classical constants, of arithmetical linear differential equations and their link with enumerative combinatorics, and of arithmetics in positive characteristic. At first glance, these topics may seem unrelated, but, surprisingly enough, the theory of finite automata will serve as a natural guideline. We stress that this new point of view on classical questions is a key part of our methodology: we aim at creating a powerful synergy between the different approaches we propose to develop, placing automata theory and related methods at the heart of the subject. This project provides a unique opportunity to create the first international team focusing on these different problems as a whole.
Finite automata are fundamental objects in Computer Science, of great importance on one hand for theoretical aspects (formal language theory, decidability, complexity) and on the other for practical applications (parsing). In number theory, finite automata are mainly used as simple devices for generating sequences of symbols over a finite set (e.g., digital representations of real numbers), and for recognizing some sets of integers or more generally of finitely generated abelian groups or monoids. One of the main features of these automatic structures comes from the fact that they are highly ordered without necessarily being trivial (i.e., periodic). With their rich fractal nature, they lie somewhere between order and chaos, even if, in most respects, their rigidity prevails. Over the last few years, several ground-breaking results have lead to a great renewed interest in the study of automatic structures in arithmetics. A primary objective of the ANT project is to exploit this opportunity by developing new directions and interactions between automata and number theory. In this proposal, we outline three lines of research concerning fundamental number theoretical problems that have baffled mathematicians for decades. They include the study of integer base expansions of classical constants, of arithmetical linear differential equations and their link with enumerative combinatorics, and of arithmetics in positive characteristic. At first glance, these topics may seem unrelated, but, surprisingly enough, the theory of finite automata will serve as a natural guideline. We stress that this new point of view on classical questions is a key part of our methodology: we aim at creating a powerful synergy between the different approaches we propose to develop, placing automata theory and related methods at the heart of the subject. This project provides a unique opportunity to create the first international team focusing on these different problems as a whole.
Project acronym ANTEGEFI
Project Analytic Techniques for Geometric and Functional Inequalities
Researcher (PI) Nicola Fusco
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II
Summary Isoperimetric and Sobolev inequalities are the best known examples of geometric-functional inequalities. In recent years the PI and collaborators have obtained new and sharp quantitative versions of these and other important related inequalities. These results have been obtained by the combined use of classical symmetrization methods, new tools coming from mass transportation theory, deep geometric measure tools and ad hoc symmetrizations. The objective of this project is to further develop thes techniques in order to get: sharp quantitative versions of Faber-Krahn inequality, Gaussian isoperimetric inequality, Brunn-Minkowski inequality, Poincaré and Sobolev logarithm inequalities; sharp decay rates for the quantitative Sobolev inequalities and Polya-Szegö inequality.
Isoperimetric and Sobolev inequalities are the best known examples of geometric-functional inequalities. In recent years the PI and collaborators have obtained new and sharp quantitative versions of these and other important related inequalities. These results have been obtained by the combined use of classical symmetrization methods, new tools coming from mass transportation theory, deep geometric measure tools and ad hoc symmetrizations. The objective of this project is to further develop thes techniques in order to get: sharp quantitative versions of Faber-Krahn inequality, Gaussian isoperimetric inequality, Brunn-Minkowski inequality, Poincaré and Sobolev logarithm inequalities; sharp decay rates for the quantitative Sobolev inequalities and Polya-Szegö inequality.
Project acronym ANTHOS
Project Analytic Number Theory: Higher Order Structures
Researcher (PI) Valentin Blomer
Summary This is a proposal for research at the interface of analytic number theory, automorphic forms and algebraic geometry. Motivated by fundamental conjectures in number theory, classical problems will be investigated in higher order situations: general number fields, automorphic forms on higher rank groups, the arithmetic of algebraic varieties of higher degree. In particular, I want to focus on - computation of moments of L-function of degree 3 and higher with applications to subconvexity and/or non-vanishing, as well as subconvexity for multiple L-functions; - bounds for sup-norms of cusp forms on various spaces and equidistribution of Hecke correspondences; - automorphic forms on higher rank groups and general number fields, in particular new bounds towards the Ramanujan conjecture; - a proof of Manin's conjecture for a certain class of singular algebraic varieties. The underlying methods are closely related; for example, rational points on algebraic varieties will be counted by a multiple L-series technique.
This is a proposal for research at the interface of analytic number theory, automorphic forms and algebraic geometry. Motivated by fundamental conjectures in number theory, classical problems will be investigated in higher order situations: general number fields, automorphic forms on higher rank groups, the arithmetic of algebraic varieties of higher degree. In particular, I want to focus on - computation of moments of L-function of degree 3 and higher with applications to subconvexity and/or non-vanishing, as well as subconvexity for multiple L-functions; - bounds for sup-norms of cusp forms on various spaces and equidistribution of Hecke correspondences; - automorphic forms on higher rank groups and general number fields, in particular new bounds towards the Ramanujan conjecture; - a proof of Manin's conjecture for a certain class of singular algebraic varieties. The underlying methods are closely related; for example, rational points on algebraic varieties will be counted by a multiple L-series technique.
Project acronym ANTHROPOID
Project Great ape organoids to reconstruct uniquely human development
Researcher (PI) Jarrett CAMP
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT FUR MOLEKULARE UND KLINISCHE OPHTHALMOLOGIE BASEL
Summary Humans diverged from our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and other great apes, 6-10 million years ago. Since this divergence, our ancestors acquired genetic changes that enhanced cognition, altered metabolism, and endowed our species with an adaptive capacity to colonize the entire planet and reshape the biosphere. Through genome comparisons between modern humans, Neandertals, chimpanzees and other apes we have identified genetic changes that likely contribute to innovations in human metabolic and cognitive physiology. However, it has been difficult to assess the functional effects of these genetic changes due to the lack of cell culture systems that recapitulate great ape organ complexity. Human and chimpanzee pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can self-organize into three-dimensional (3D) tissues that recapitulate the morphology, function, and genetic programs controlling organ development. Our vision is to use organoids to study the changes that set modern humans apart from our closest evolutionary relatives as well as all other organisms on the planet. In ANTHROPOID we will generate a great ape developmental cell atlas using cortex, liver, and small intestine organoids. We will use single-cell transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility to identify cell type-specific features of transcriptome divergence at cellular resolution. We will dissect enhancer evolution using single-cell genomic screens and ancestralize human cells to resurrect pre-human cellular phenotypes. ANTHROPOID utilizes quantitative and state-of-the-art methods to explore exciting high-risk questions at multiple branches of the modern human lineage. This project is a ground breaking starting point to replay evolution and tackle the ancient question of what makes us uniquely human?
Humans diverged from our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and other great apes, 6-10 million years ago. Since this divergence, our ancestors acquired genetic changes that enhanced cognition, altered metabolism, and endowed our species with an adaptive capacity to colonize the entire planet and reshape the biosphere. Through genome comparisons between modern humans, Neandertals, chimpanzees and other apes we have identified genetic changes that likely contribute to innovations in human metabolic and cognitive physiology. However, it has been difficult to assess the functional effects of these genetic changes due to the lack of cell culture systems that recapitulate great ape organ complexity. Human and chimpanzee pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can self-organize into three-dimensional (3D) tissues that recapitulate the morphology, function, and genetic programs controlling organ development. Our vision is to use organoids to study the changes that set modern humans apart from our closest evolutionary relatives as well as all other organisms on the planet. In ANTHROPOID we will generate a great ape developmental cell atlas using cortex, liver, and small intestine organoids. We will use single-cell transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility to identify cell type-specific features of transcriptome divergence at cellular resolution. We will dissect enhancer evolution using single-cell genomic screens and ancestralize human cells to resurrect pre-human cellular phenotypes. ANTHROPOID utilizes quantitative and state-of-the-art methods to explore exciting high-risk questions at multiple branches of the modern human lineage. This project is a ground breaking starting point to replay evolution and tackle the ancient question of what makes us uniquely human?
Project acronym APGRAPH
Project Asymptotic Graph Properties
Researcher (PI) Deryk Osthus
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
Summary Many parts of Graph Theory have witnessed a huge growth over the last years, partly because of their relation to Theoretical Computer Science and Statistical Physics. These connections arise because graphs can be used to model many diverse structures. The focus of this proposal is on asymptotic results, i.e. the graphs under consideration are large. This often unveils patterns and connections which remain obscure when considering only small graphs. It also allows for the use of powerful techniques such as probabilistic arguments, which have led to spectacular new developments. In particular, my aim is to make decisive progress on central problems in the following 4 areas: (1) Factorizations: Factorizations of graphs can be viewed as partitions of the edges of a graph into simple regular structures. They have a rich history and arise in many different settings, such as edge-colouring problems, decomposition problems and in information theory. They also have applications to finding good tours for the famous Travelling salesman problem. (2) Hamilton cycles: A Hamilton cycle is a cycle which contains all the vertices of the graph. One of the most fundamental problems in Graph Theory/Theoretical Computer Science is to find conditions which guarantee the existence of a Hamilton cycle in a graph. (3) Embeddings of graphs: This is a natural (but difficult) continuation of the previous question where the aim is to embed more general structures than Hamilton cycles - there has been exciting progress here in recent years which has opened up new avenues. (4) Resilience of graphs: In many cases, it is important to know whether a graph `strongly’ possesses some property, i.e. one cannot destroy the property by changing a few edges. The systematic study of this notion is a new and rapidly growing area. I have developed new methods for deep and long-standing problems in these areas which will certainly lead to further applications elsewhere.
Many parts of Graph Theory have witnessed a huge growth over the last years, partly because of their relation to Theoretical Computer Science and Statistical Physics. These connections arise because graphs can be used to model many diverse structures. The focus of this proposal is on asymptotic results, i.e. the graphs under consideration are large. This often unveils patterns and connections which remain obscure when considering only small graphs. It also allows for the use of powerful techniques such as probabilistic arguments, which have led to spectacular new developments. In particular, my aim is to make decisive progress on central problems in the following 4 areas: (1) Factorizations: Factorizations of graphs can be viewed as partitions of the edges of a graph into simple regular structures. They have a rich history and arise in many different settings, such as edge-colouring problems, decomposition problems and in information theory. They also have applications to finding good tours for the famous Travelling salesman problem. (2) Hamilton cycles: A Hamilton cycle is a cycle which contains all the vertices of the graph. One of the most fundamental problems in Graph Theory/Theoretical Computer Science is to find conditions which guarantee the existence of a Hamilton cycle in a graph. (3) Embeddings of graphs: This is a natural (but difficult) continuation of the previous question where the aim is to embed more general structures than Hamilton cycles - there has been exciting progress here in recent years which has opened up new avenues. (4) Resilience of graphs: In many cases, it is important to know whether a graph `strongly’ possesses some property, i.e. one cannot destroy the property by changing a few edges. The systematic study of this notion is a new and rapidly growing area. I have developed new methods for deep and long-standing problems in these areas which will certainly lead to further applications elsewhere.
Project acronym AQSER
Project Automorphic q-series and their application
Researcher (PI) Kathrin Bringmann
Summary This proposal aims to unravel mysteries at the frontier of number theory and other areas of mathematics and physics. The main focus will be to understand and exploit “modularity” of q-hypergeometric series. “Modular forms are functions on the complex plane that are inordinately symmetric.” (Mazur) The motivation comes from the wide-reaching applications of modularity in combinatorics, percolation, Lie theory, and physics (black holes). The interplay between automorphic forms, q-series, and other areas of mathematics and physics is often two-sided. On the one hand, the other areas provide interesting examples of automorphic objects and predict their behavior. Sometimes these even motivate new classes of automorphic objects which have not been previously studied. On the other hand, knowing that certain generating functions are modular gives one access to deep theoretical tools to prove results in other areas. “Mathematics is a language, and we need that language to understand the physics of our universe.”(Ooguri) Understanding this interplay has attracted attention of researchers from a variety of areas. However, proofs of modularity of q-hypergeometric series currently fall far short of a comprehensive theory to describe the interplay between them and automorphic forms. A recent conjecture of W. Nahm relates the modularity of such series to K-theory. In this proposal I aim to fill this gap and provide a better understanding of this interplay by building a general structural framework enveloping these q-series. For this I will employ new kinds of automorphic objects and embed the functions of interest into bigger families A successful outcome of the proposed research will open further horizons and also answer open questions, even those in other areas which were not addressed in this proposal; for example the new theory could be applied to better understand Donaldson invariants.
This proposal aims to unravel mysteries at the frontier of number theory and other areas of mathematics and physics. The main focus will be to understand and exploit “modularity” of q-hypergeometric series. “Modular forms are functions on the complex plane that are inordinately symmetric.” (Mazur) The motivation comes from the wide-reaching applications of modularity in combinatorics, percolation, Lie theory, and physics (black holes). The interplay between automorphic forms, q-series, and other areas of mathematics and physics is often two-sided. On the one hand, the other areas provide interesting examples of automorphic objects and predict their behavior. Sometimes these even motivate new classes of automorphic objects which have not been previously studied. On the other hand, knowing that certain generating functions are modular gives one access to deep theoretical tools to prove results in other areas. “Mathematics is a language, and we need that language to understand the physics of our universe.”(Ooguri) Understanding this interplay has attracted attention of researchers from a variety of areas. However, proofs of modularity of q-hypergeometric series currently fall far short of a comprehensive theory to describe the interplay between them and automorphic forms. A recent conjecture of W. Nahm relates the modularity of such series to K-theory. In this proposal I aim to fill this gap and provide a better understanding of this interplay by building a general structural framework enveloping these q-series. For this I will employ new kinds of automorphic objects and embed the functions of interest into bigger families A successful outcome of the proposed research will open further horizons and also answer open questions, even those in other areas which were not addressed in this proposal; for example the new theory could be applied to better understand Donaldson invariants.
Project acronym AQUAMS
Project Analysis of quantum many-body systems
Researcher (PI) Robert Seiringer
Summary The main focus of this project is the mathematical analysis of many-body quantum systems, in particular, interacting quantum gases at low temperature. The recent experimental advances in studying ultra-cold atomic gases have led to renewed interest in these systems. They display a rich variety of quantum phenomena, including, e.g., Bose–Einstein condensation and superfluidity, which makes them interesting both from a physical and a mathematical point of view. The goal of this project is the development of new mathematical tools for dealing with complex problems in many-body quantum systems. New mathematical methods lead to different points of view and thus increase our understanding of physical systems. From the point of view of mathematical physics, there has been significant progress in the last few years in understanding the interesting phenomena occurring in quantum gases, and the goal of this project is to investigate some of the key issues that remain unsolved. Due to the complex nature of the problems, new mathematical ideas and methods will have to be developed for this purpose. One of the main question addressed in this proposal is the validity of the Bogoliubov approximation for the excitation spectrum of many-body quantum systems. While its accuracy has been successfully shown for the ground state energy of various models, its predictions concerning the excitation spectrum have so far only been verified in the Hartree limit, an extreme form of a mean-field limit where the interaction among the particles is very weak and ranges over the whole system. The central part of this project is concerned with the extension of these results to the case of short-range interactions. Apart from being mathematically much more challenging, the short-range case is the one most relevant for the description of actual physical systems. Hence progress along these lines can be expected to yield valuable insight into the complex behavior of these many-body quantum systems.
The main focus of this project is the mathematical analysis of many-body quantum systems, in particular, interacting quantum gases at low temperature. The recent experimental advances in studying ultra-cold atomic gases have led to renewed interest in these systems. They display a rich variety of quantum phenomena, including, e.g., Bose–Einstein condensation and superfluidity, which makes them interesting both from a physical and a mathematical point of view. The goal of this project is the development of new mathematical tools for dealing with complex problems in many-body quantum systems. New mathematical methods lead to different points of view and thus increase our understanding of physical systems. From the point of view of mathematical physics, there has been significant progress in the last few years in understanding the interesting phenomena occurring in quantum gases, and the goal of this project is to investigate some of the key issues that remain unsolved. Due to the complex nature of the problems, new mathematical ideas and methods will have to be developed for this purpose. One of the main question addressed in this proposal is the validity of the Bogoliubov approximation for the excitation spectrum of many-body quantum systems. While its accuracy has been successfully shown for the ground state energy of various models, its predictions concerning the excitation spectrum have so far only been verified in the Hartree limit, an extreme form of a mean-field limit where the interaction among the particles is very weak and ranges over the whole system. The central part of this project is concerned with the extension of these results to the case of short-range interactions. Apart from being mathematically much more challenging, the short-range case is the one most relevant for the description of actual physical systems. Hence progress along these lines can be expected to yield valuable insight into the complex behavior of these many-body quantum systems.
Project acronym ARIPHYHIMO
Project Arithmetic and physics of Higgs moduli spaces
Researcher (PI) Tamas Hausel
Summary The proposal studies problems concerning the geometry and topology of moduli spaces of Higgs bundles on a Riemann surface motivated by parallel considerations in number theory and mathematical physics. In this way the proposal bridges various duality theories in string theory with the Langlands program in number theory. The heart of the proposal is a circle of precise conjectures relating to the topology of the moduli space of Higgs bundles. The formulation and motivations of the conjectures make direct contact with the Langlands program in number theory, various duality conjectures in string theory, algebraic combinatorics, knot theory and low dimensional topology and representation theory of quivers, finite groups and algebras of Lie type and Cherednik algebras.
The proposal studies problems concerning the geometry and topology of moduli spaces of Higgs bundles on a Riemann surface motivated by parallel considerations in number theory and mathematical physics. In this way the proposal bridges various duality theories in string theory with the Langlands program in number theory. The heart of the proposal is a circle of precise conjectures relating to the topology of the moduli space of Higgs bundles. The formulation and motivations of the conjectures make direct contact with the Langlands program in number theory, various duality conjectures in string theory, algebraic combinatorics, knot theory and low dimensional topology and representation theory of quivers, finite groups and algebras of Lie type and Cherednik algebras.
Project acronym ARITHQUANTUMCHAOS
Project Arithmetic and Quantum Chaos
Researcher (PI) Zeev Rudnick
Summary Quantum Chaos is an emerging discipline which is crossing over from Physics into Pure Mathematics. The recent crossover is driven in part by a connection with Number Theory. This project explores several aspects of this interrelationship and is composed of a number of sub-projects. The sub-projects deal with: statistics of energy levels and wave functions of pseudo-integrable systems, a hitherto unexplored subject in the mathematical community which is not well understood in the physics community; with statistics of zeros of zeta functions over function fields, a purely number theoretic topic which is linked to the subproject on Quantum Chaos through the mysterious connections to Random Matrix Theory and an analogy between energy levels and zeta zeros; and with spatial statistics in arithmetic.
Quantum Chaos is an emerging discipline which is crossing over from Physics into Pure Mathematics. The recent crossover is driven in part by a connection with Number Theory. This project explores several aspects of this interrelationship and is composed of a number of sub-projects. The sub-projects deal with: statistics of energy levels and wave functions of pseudo-integrable systems, a hitherto unexplored subject in the mathematical community which is not well understood in the physics community; with statistics of zeros of zeta functions over function fields, a purely number theoretic topic which is linked to the subproject on Quantum Chaos through the mysterious connections to Random Matrix Theory and an analogy between energy levels and zeta zeros; and with spatial statistics in arithmetic.
Project acronym AROMA-CFD
Project Advanced Reduced Order Methods with Applications in Computational Fluid Dynamics
Researcher (PI) Gianluigi Rozza
Host Institution (HI) SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE SUPERIORE DI STUDI AVANZATI DI TRIESTE
Summary The aim of AROMA-CFD is to create a team of scientists at SISSA for the development of Advanced Reduced Order Modelling techniques with a focus in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), in order to face and overcome many current limitations of the state of the art and improve the capabilities of reduced order methodologies for more demanding applications in industrial, medical and applied sciences contexts. AROMA-CFD deals with strong methodological developments in numerical analysis, with a special emphasis on mathematical modelling and extensive exploitation of computational science and engineering. Several tasks have been identified to tackle important problems and open questions in reduced order modelling: study of bifurcations and instabilities in flows, increasing Reynolds number and guaranteeing stability, moving towards turbulent flows, considering complex geometrical parametrizations of shapes as computational domains into extended networks. A reduced computational and geometrical framework will be developed for nonlinear inverse problems, focusing on optimal flow control, shape optimization and uncertainty quantification. Further, all the advanced developments in reduced order modelling for CFD will be delivered for applications in multiphysics, such as fluid-structure interaction problems and general coupled phenomena involving inviscid, viscous and thermal flows, solids and porous media. The advanced developed framework within AROMA-CFD will provide attractive capabilities for several industrial and medical applications (e.g. aeronautical, mechanical, naval, off-shore, wind, sport, biomedical engineering, and cardiovascular surgery as well), combining high performance computing (in dedicated supercomputing centers) and advanced reduced order modelling (in common devices) to guarantee real time computing and visualization. A new open source software library for AROMA-CFD will be created: ITHACA, In real Time Highly Advanced Computational Applications.
The aim of AROMA-CFD is to create a team of scientists at SISSA for the development of Advanced Reduced Order Modelling techniques with a focus in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), in order to face and overcome many current limitations of the state of the art and improve the capabilities of reduced order methodologies for more demanding applications in industrial, medical and applied sciences contexts. AROMA-CFD deals with strong methodological developments in numerical analysis, with a special emphasis on mathematical modelling and extensive exploitation of computational science and engineering. Several tasks have been identified to tackle important problems and open questions in reduced order modelling: study of bifurcations and instabilities in flows, increasing Reynolds number and guaranteeing stability, moving towards turbulent flows, considering complex geometrical parametrizations of shapes as computational domains into extended networks. A reduced computational and geometrical framework will be developed for nonlinear inverse problems, focusing on optimal flow control, shape optimization and uncertainty quantification. Further, all the advanced developments in reduced order modelling for CFD will be delivered for applications in multiphysics, such as fluid-structure interaction problems and general coupled phenomena involving inviscid, viscous and thermal flows, solids and porous media. The advanced developed framework within AROMA-CFD will provide attractive capabilities for several industrial and medical applications (e.g. aeronautical, mechanical, naval, off-shore, wind, sport, biomedical engineering, and cardiovascular surgery as well), combining high performance computing (in dedicated supercomputing centers) and advanced reduced order modelling (in common devices) to guarantee real time computing and visualization. A new open source software library for AROMA-CFD will be created: ITHACA, In real Time Highly Advanced Computational Applications.
Project acronym BactRNA
Project Bacterial small RNAs networks unravelling novel features of transcription and translation
Researcher (PI) Maude Guillier
Summary Regulation of gene expression plays a key role in the ability of bacteria to rapidly adapt to changing environments and to colonize extremely diverse habitats. The relatively recent discovery of a plethora of small regulatory RNAs and the beginning of their characterization has unravelled new aspects of bacterial gene expression. First, the expression of many bacterial genes responds to a complex network of both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators. However, the properties of the resulting regulatory circuits on the dynamics of gene expression and in the bacterial adaptive response have been poorly addressed so far. In a first part of this project, we will tackle this question by characterizing the circuits that are formed between two widespread classes of bacterial regulators, the sRNAs and the two-component systems, which act at the post-transcriptional and the transcriptional level, respectively. The study of sRNAs also led to major breakthroughs regarding the basic mechanisms of gene expression. In particular, we recently showed that repressor sRNAs can target activating stem-loop structures located within the coding region of mRNAs that promote translation initiation, in striking contrast with the previously recognized inhibitory role of mRNA structures in translation. The second objective of this project is thus to draw an unprecedented map of non-canonical translation initiation events and their regulation by sRNAs. Overall, this project will greatly improve our understanding of how bacteria can so rapidly and successfully adapt to many different environments, and in the long term, provide clues towards the development of anti-bacterial strategies.
Regulation of gene expression plays a key role in the ability of bacteria to rapidly adapt to changing environments and to colonize extremely diverse habitats. The relatively recent discovery of a plethora of small regulatory RNAs and the beginning of their characterization has unravelled new aspects of bacterial gene expression. First, the expression of many bacterial genes responds to a complex network of both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators. However, the properties of the resulting regulatory circuits on the dynamics of gene expression and in the bacterial adaptive response have been poorly addressed so far. In a first part of this project, we will tackle this question by characterizing the circuits that are formed between two widespread classes of bacterial regulators, the sRNAs and the two-component systems, which act at the post-transcriptional and the transcriptional level, respectively. The study of sRNAs also led to major breakthroughs regarding the basic mechanisms of gene expression. In particular, we recently showed that repressor sRNAs can target activating stem-loop structures located within the coding region of mRNAs that promote translation initiation, in striking contrast with the previously recognized inhibitory role of mRNA structures in translation. The second objective of this project is thus to draw an unprecedented map of non-canonical translation initiation events and their regulation by sRNAs. Overall, this project will greatly improve our understanding of how bacteria can so rapidly and successfully adapt to many different environments, and in the long term, provide clues towards the development of anti-bacterial strategies.
Project acronym BATESON
Project Dissecting genotype-phenotype relationships using high-throughput genomics and carefully selected study populations
Researcher (PI) Leif Andersson
Host Institution (HI) Uppsala University
Summary A major aim in genome research is to reveal how genetic variation affects phenotypic variation. Here I propose to use high-throughput genomics (whole genome sequencing, transcriptome and epigenome analysis) to screen carefully selected study populations where the chances are particularly favourable to obtain novel insight into genotype-phenotype relationships. The ambition is to take discoveries all the way from phenotypic characterization to the identification of the genes and the actual genetic variant causing a phenotypic effect and to understanding the underlying functional mechanisms. The program will involve a fish (the Atlantic herring), a bird (the domestic chicken) and a mammal (the European rabbit). The Atlantic herring will be studied because it provides unique opportunities to study the genetics of adaptation in a natural population and because of the possibilities to revolutionize the fishery management of this economically important marine fish. We will generate a draft assembly of the herring genome and then perform whole genome resequencing of different populations to reveal the population structure and the loci underlying genetic adaptation. The European rabbit is an excellent model for studying the genetics of speciation due to the presence of two distinct subspecies on the Iberian Peninsula. The domestication of the rabbit is also particularly interesting because it is a recent event (about 1500 years ago) and it is well established that domestication happened from the wild rabbit population in southern France. Finally, the domestic chicken provides excellent opportunities for in depth functional studies since it is both a domestic animal harbouring a rich genetic diversity and an experimental organism. (BATESON is the acronym for this proposal because Bateson (1902) pioneered the study of genotype-phenotype relationships in animals and used the chicken for this work.)
A major aim in genome research is to reveal how genetic variation affects phenotypic variation. Here I propose to use high-throughput genomics (whole genome sequencing, transcriptome and epigenome analysis) to screen carefully selected study populations where the chances are particularly favourable to obtain novel insight into genotype-phenotype relationships. The ambition is to take discoveries all the way from phenotypic characterization to the identification of the genes and the actual genetic variant causing a phenotypic effect and to understanding the underlying functional mechanisms. The program will involve a fish (the Atlantic herring), a bird (the domestic chicken) and a mammal (the European rabbit). The Atlantic herring will be studied because it provides unique opportunities to study the genetics of adaptation in a natural population and because of the possibilities to revolutionize the fishery management of this economically important marine fish. We will generate a draft assembly of the herring genome and then perform whole genome resequencing of different populations to reveal the population structure and the loci underlying genetic adaptation. The European rabbit is an excellent model for studying the genetics of speciation due to the presence of two distinct subspecies on the Iberian Peninsula. The domestication of the rabbit is also particularly interesting because it is a recent event (about 1500 years ago) and it is well established that domestication happened from the wild rabbit population in southern France. Finally, the domestic chicken provides excellent opportunities for in depth functional studies since it is both a domestic animal harbouring a rich genetic diversity and an experimental organism. (BATESON is the acronym for this proposal because Bateson (1902) pioneered the study of genotype-phenotype relationships in animals and used the chicken for this work.)
Project acronym BEEHIVE
Project Bridging the Evolution and Epidemiology of HIV in Europe
Researcher (PI) Christopher Fraser
Summary The aim of the BEEHIVE project is to generate novel insight into HIV biology, evolution and epidemiology, leveraging next-generation high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics to produce and analyse whole-genomes of viruses from approximately 3,000 European HIV-1 infected patients. These patients have known dates of infection spread over the last 25 years, good clinical follow up, and a wide range of clinical prognostic indicators and outcomes. The primary objective is to discover the viral genetic determinants of severity of infection and set-point viral load. This primary objective is high-risk & blue-skies: there is ample indirect evidence of polymorphisms that alter virulence, but they have never been identified, and it is not known how easy they are to discover. However, the project is also high-reward: it could lead to a substantial shift in the understanding of HIV disease. Technologically, the BEEHIVE project will deliver new approaches for undertaking whole genome association studies on RNA viruses, including delivering an innovative high-throughput bioinformatics pipeline for handling genetically diverse viral quasi-species data (with viral diversity both within and between infected patients). The project also includes secondary and tertiary objectives that address critical open questions in HIV epidemiology and evolution. The secondary objective is to use viral genetic sequences allied to mathematical epidemic models to better understand the resurgent European epidemic amongst high-risk groups, especially men who have sex with men. The aim will not just be to establish who is at risk of infection, which is known from conventional epidemiological approaches, but also to characterise the risk factors for onwards transmission of the virus. Tertiary objectives involve understanding the relationship between the genetic diversity within viral samples, indicative of on-going evolution or dual infections, to clinical outcomes.
The aim of the BEEHIVE project is to generate novel insight into HIV biology, evolution and epidemiology, leveraging next-generation high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics to produce and analyse whole-genomes of viruses from approximately 3,000 European HIV-1 infected patients. These patients have known dates of infection spread over the last 25 years, good clinical follow up, and a wide range of clinical prognostic indicators and outcomes. The primary objective is to discover the viral genetic determinants of severity of infection and set-point viral load. This primary objective is high-risk & blue-skies: there is ample indirect evidence of polymorphisms that alter virulence, but they have never been identified, and it is not known how easy they are to discover. However, the project is also high-reward: it could lead to a substantial shift in the understanding of HIV disease. Technologically, the BEEHIVE project will deliver new approaches for undertaking whole genome association studies on RNA viruses, including delivering an innovative high-throughput bioinformatics pipeline for handling genetically diverse viral quasi-species data (with viral diversity both within and between infected patients). The project also includes secondary and tertiary objectives that address critical open questions in HIV epidemiology and evolution. The secondary objective is to use viral genetic sequences allied to mathematical epidemic models to better understand the resurgent European epidemic amongst high-risk groups, especially men who have sex with men. The aim will not just be to establish who is at risk of infection, which is known from conventional epidemiological approaches, but also to characterise the risk factors for onwards transmission of the virus. Tertiary objectives involve understanding the relationship between the genetic diversity within viral samples, indicative of on-going evolution or dual infections, to clinical outcomes.
Project acronym BeyondA1
Project Set theory beyond the first uncountable cardinal
Researcher (PI) Assaf Shmuel Rinot
Host Institution (HI) BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY
Summary We propose to establish a research group that will unveil the combinatorial nature of the second uncountable cardinal. This includes its Ramsey-theoretic, order-theoretic, graph-theoretic and topological features. Among others, we will be directly addressing fundamental problems due to Erdos, Rado, Galvin, and Shelah. While some of these problems are old and well-known, an unexpected series of breakthroughs from the last three years suggest that now is a promising point in time to carry out such a project. Indeed, through a short period, four previously unattainable problems concerning the second uncountable cardinal were successfully tackled: Aspero on a club-guessing problem of Shelah, Krueger on the club-isomorphism problem for Aronszajn trees, Neeman on the isomorphism problem for dense sets of reals, and the PI on the Souslin problem. Each of these results was obtained through the development of a completely new technical framework, and these frameworks could now pave the way for the solution of some major open questions. A goal of the highest risk in this project is the discovery of a consistent (possibly, parameterized) forcing axiom that will (preferably, simultaneously) provide structure theorems for stationary sets, linearly ordered sets, trees, graphs, and partition relations, as well as the refutation of various forms of club-guessing principles, all at the level of the second uncountable cardinal. In comparison, at the level of the first uncountable cardinal, a forcing axiom due to Foreman, Magidor and Shelah achieves exactly that. To approach our goals, the proposed project is divided into four core areas: Uncountable trees, Ramsey theory on ordinals, Club-guessing principles, and Forcing Axioms. There is a rich bilateral interaction between any pair of the four different cores, but the proposed division will allow an efficient allocation of manpower, and will increase the chances of parallel success.
We propose to establish a research group that will unveil the combinatorial nature of the second uncountable cardinal. This includes its Ramsey-theoretic, order-theoretic, graph-theoretic and topological features. Among others, we will be directly addressing fundamental problems due to Erdos, Rado, Galvin, and Shelah. While some of these problems are old and well-known, an unexpected series of breakthroughs from the last three years suggest that now is a promising point in time to carry out such a project. Indeed, through a short period, four previously unattainable problems concerning the second uncountable cardinal were successfully tackled: Aspero on a club-guessing problem of Shelah, Krueger on the club-isomorphism problem for Aronszajn trees, Neeman on the isomorphism problem for dense sets of reals, and the PI on the Souslin problem. Each of these results was obtained through the development of a completely new technical framework, and these frameworks could now pave the way for the solution of some major open questions. A goal of the highest risk in this project is the discovery of a consistent (possibly, parameterized) forcing axiom that will (preferably, simultaneously) provide structure theorems for stationary sets, linearly ordered sets, trees, graphs, and partition relations, as well as the refutation of various forms of club-guessing principles, all at the level of the second uncountable cardinal. In comparison, at the level of the first uncountable cardinal, a forcing axiom due to Foreman, Magidor and Shelah achieves exactly that. To approach our goals, the proposed project is divided into four core areas: Uncountable trees, Ramsey theory on ordinals, Club-guessing principles, and Forcing Axioms. There is a rich bilateral interaction between any pair of the four different cores, but the proposed division will allow an efficient allocation of manpower, and will increase the chances of parallel success.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2456
|
__label__wiki
| 0.742417
| 0.742417
|
The Not-So-Final ‘Frontier’: Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox on His Band’s New Album and Maturing in Indie Rock
Over the course of a recent 40-minute phone conversation, there were at least a half-dozen moments in which I suspected that Bradford Cox of Atlanta-based indie band Deerhunter was actively bullshitting me. Not lying, exactly — just toying with the truth in such a way as to make me look foolish should I take it at face value.
Granted, this suspicion was partly rooted in Cox’s reputation as a cagey prankster in his interactions with the media. As frontman of one of the best American bands of the last 10 years, Cox is known for feeding journalists juicy copy of dubious veracity. Deerhunter’s elegant commingling of melody and noise is bracing in its emotional directness, but away from the band, Cox can be willfully elusive. Frankly, I didn’t care whether Cox was sincere when he declared INXS to be an influence on Deerhunter’s seventh record, Fading Frontier. Given how dull most indie-rock interviews are, Cox remains an outspoken, outrageous outlier.
The last we saw Cox, he was affecting a gritty, blues-punk pose on 2013’s embittered Monomania, a record that broke with the shimmering dream pop of Deerhunter’s previous two LPs, 2008’s Microcastle and 2010’s Halcyon Digest.1 At the time, some questioned whether Deerhunter could withstand Cox’s mental and emotional instability — a Pitchfork profile suggested that his antics were alienating the rest of the band.
Onstage, Cox is one of modern indie’s great showmen — he’s known to prowl the stage in a dress, looking vulnerable but not shying from confrontation, like when he responded to a heckler by performing a whacked-out, hour-long version of “My Sharona.” But Fading Frontier signals another shift for Deerhunter, moving on from the abrasiveness of Monomania to serene soundscapes and Cox’s newfound embrace of domesticity. It’s the closest Deerhunter has come to sounding at peace.
I reached Cox at his Atlanta home as he was taking his dog on a pre-dinner stroll. I asked him about Fading Frontier, and he inquired about my masturbation habits. Our conversation devolved happily from there.
Before we talk about the record, I wanted to see how you were doing in the aftermath of your car accident.
I don’t have any residual pain at this point because of good therapy. I had a broken jaw [and] a lot of lacerations. I landed on my head, but I guess I’m just hardheaded. That’s actually true. My head is, like, hard, physically. I landed on the pavement on my head. I was walking and got hit from behind — went up in the air, broke all the buttons off my shirt, and sent my shoes flying. I can’t even make this stuff up. My shoes landed 20 feet away from my body.
I didn’t see it coming, so I didn’t tense up or anything. My body just sort of absorbed the impact — like, you know, rubber versus glass. But anyway, next topic.
Let’s talk about the record.
This is the seventh Deerhunter album in 10 years. That’s a long time for a band to stick together. Why do you think Deerhunter has remained intact?
Probably because we don’t do drugs. There’s no decadence, [and] there’s no jealousy or ego in play. I mean, [guitarist] Lockett [Pundt] doesn’t want to be the front person of the band — I don’t either, really. I don’t have a problem doing it, but I think I’d like it a little better if Lockett and I were more balanced. But, you know, he chooses his own capacity in the band. I don’t tell Lockett, OK, you get two songs an album. I don’t control that. If he came with eight songs, we’d probably have a half-and-half album.
Have you always felt that way about being a frontman? Or was there a time when you enjoyed being the focal point?
Oh, I like being a focal point if I have to be. I don’t shy away from it. I mean, when you go see Deerhunter, if you had a camera that was motion detected, it would only go off on my side of the stage sometimes.
When Monomania came out, you talked a lot about American music and contextualized the album in that continuum. Was there a similar guiding aesthetic, musically, for Fading Frontier?
I would say no, but then I would realize it’s totally probably not true. I don’t want this to come off as some kind of declaration of having done something new and unique and original, because I certainly don’t think anything I’ve ever done is really that original or unique.
I actually made this concept map for the record label, and I wrote down certain smells and certain types of light — certain ideas about music more than specific albums and artists. Not to sound too far out, I was kind of joking with a lot of people. I kept telling everybody we were going to make an INXS record. And I actually really like INXS. I don’t see how you can’t, honestly — if you enjoy music, it’s a pretty satisfying band. They’ve got a lot of great, great songs. And I did use them as an influence in terms of certain atmospherics and things, but obviously I don’t have enough to write an INXS song.
It’s odd that you bring this up, because for the past week I’ve had this strange craving for INXS. There must be something in the air.
Yeah, I got that urge this spring right before we made the record. I buy a lot of CDs at the thrift store, the Goodwill. That’s a lot of my music diet. I drive a Volvo that doesn’t have a — it’s like a 2005, right before they actually installed the whatever you listen to music on there, the iPods or whatever. So, basically you can only listen to the radio or CDs in my car. And my favorite time to listen to music is driving around, so I just go to Goodwill and buy a handful of CDs every week.
I think I’m going to try to find something interesting about every CD in the Goodwill. A lot of new music is totally unredeemable.
Music in general or pop music?
I mean popular music. It’s not even like I’m criticizing a person, I just think there’s nothing redeeming about … I really don’t want to be a jerk, but it’s really just un-human music.
You were talking about colors and light to describe the sound of Fading Frontier. For me, this is a really warm record. It has a homey feel. This might sound weird, but I mean it as a compliment: This has been a really good record to do the dishes to.
It’s kind of a domestic record. It’s very domestic.
In “Living My Life,” there’s a line about being off the grid. I fantasize about that sometimes.
I guess it’s like a thing, a phrase, where people go off the grid without their cell phones. I didn’t realize that was such a common idea. I guess I’d heard it, but I didn’t really know what it meant. It actually still works.
Do you consider yourself to be an autobiographical songwriter, or has the personal nature of your songs been overstated?
I’ve never been autobiographical. I mean, there’s no question that aspects of my life sneak in there, but I always try to mute things through a lens.
Why do you think your songs are read as personal statements?
It’s kind of like, Why do you jack off with your right hand or your left hand? You just learn that way — it’s your instinct. What hand do you jack off with? I don’t mean to make it perverted. I’m just saying there’s certain things that are considered in general terms private. Like secret, private things, that you do alone, and that’s what songwriting is for me. It’s not unlike jacking off.
Is it awkward to explain your songs after the fact?
Oh, it doesn’t bother me. I’m not good at it.
You’re doing fine.
It’s much easier to explain which hand you jack off with.
When you step back and reflect on where the band is at and what you’ve done so far, what do you think is Deerhunter’s legacy?
I’m just along for the ride. I never expected to do any of this stuff, and it’s always exciting to see what happens next. Sometimes I think, This is the best we’ve ever done, and it falls on deaf ears, and everybody’s like, It’s not really good. I know when Halcyon Digest came out, it was popular among the alternative rock audience. But, you know, our fans that I talked to, they didn’t like it at all. They hated it. Now if you went back to those same people, they’d be like, That was the best album they made. I don’t think of it in terms of “This thing that we did is bad, and this thing we did is good.” It is what it is. We were always doing what we were capable of at the time.
You recently called Monomania a “hateful record.” What did you mean by hateful?
I was really hateful when I made that record — full of hate, angry.
Why were you so angry at that time?
It was personal. But it didn’t have anything to do with the band. It was just a personal experience.
Would it be fair to call Fading Frontier a happy record?
[Long pause.] I don’t believe in happy records. I did want to make a record of Friday night music. But honestly, in this day and age, Friday night music would be Katy Perry. And I’m not capable of doing that.
This feels like a Sunday morning record.
To me, a Sunday morning record would be like church organ music.
I mean Sunday morning at home, not at a church.
Sunday afternoon I listen to jazz — Don Cherry, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, that type of stuff. Friday nights, I enjoy Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley. Saturday night is John Lee Hooker, a lot of late ’50s R&B, soul, stuff like that. I definitely think there are certain types of music that really decorate the air, decorate the time. If this record decorates your Sunday, I would be very happy.
Sunday is good for introspective, spiritually questing music — that’s true of the records you mentioned, and Fading Frontier.
Absolutely! I hadn’t thought about them that way. Sometimes you’re hungry for whatever specific genre of food. Like, “Man, I could really use some catfish right now.” Or, “I want soup.” Or, “I want a bodega deli sandwich.” You get these cravings, and sometimes they coincide with certain times of day or times of the week. It doesn’t work for me to listen to, like, INXS on a Sunday afternoon as much.
Monomania was a provocative record in a lot of ways. This one seems to move away from that. Was that a conscious choice — to make a “mature” record, for lack of a better term?
I’ll say this: I really think Monomania was a successful record artistically, and I don’t think people view it that way. I think it’s viewed as an exhausted misstep. Frankly, I feel a lot stronger about Monomania. Monomania was a case where I set out to accomplish, and I was able to execute, very much what I wanted to. In that way it was a success. I don’t give a shit how many copies it sold or how it got reviewed.
I’m 33 years old. Keep in mind new bands coming around are, like, 21 — that’s when you’re vital, enviable, when you’re a kid. There’s opportunity and good hair, etcetera, etcetera. I’m just saying, at my age — it’s not an arrogant thing, but I don’t have anything to prove to anyone except myself. Fifteen years I spent proving myself. If I make a record, it’s gonna be because I’ve got songs, [and] I feel like it. I’ve got a good setup. I always saved my money, I always lived within my means. I have a house, I have a dog. The only reason for me to make a record now is to make the record.
Weird Era Cont. was released as a bonus disc alongside Microcastle.
Filed Under: Music, Deerhunter, Bradford Cox, Fading Frontier, Monomania
Steven Hyden is a staff writer for Grantland. His first book, Your Favorite Band is Killing Me, will be released in May.
Archive @ Steven_Hyden
More From Steven Hyden
Ash vs. Bruce Campbell: The B Movie Legend Returns to ‘The Evil Dead’ October 28, 2015
At What Precise Moment Did Bradley Cooper Become Likable? October 23, 2015
Have Another One on Me: The Return of Joanna Newsom October 21, 2015
Songs of the Week: 5 Seconds of Summer, Neon Indian, and EL VY October 16, 2015
See all from Steven Hyden
We Went There: Blur Finally Makes It to Madison Square Garden October 26, 2015
Songs of the Week: The Return of Adele October 23, 2015
We Went There: Jay Z and Tidal Bring Beyoncé and Friends to Barclays Center October 21, 2015
‘Do You Like Prince Movies?’ Podcast: 'The Overnight' and '80s Songs
Locked Up: The 10 Best Movie Prisoners
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2458
|
__label__wiki
| 0.926375
| 0.926375
|
The journey of Afghanistan players to IPL
They rose from a war-torn country and three of them are only around 19 years old
Published: May 11, 2018 20:25 By K. R. Nayar Chief Cricket Writer
Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler Rashid Khan in a action against Delhi Daredevils during an IPL T20 match in Hyderabad on Saturday.PTI Photo by Swapan Mahapatra(PTI5_5_2018_000174B) Image Credit: PTI
Dubai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises pick only the best cricketers from around the world. In the 11th edition of this league there are four players from Afghanistan and of them three are just around 19 years old, which certainly is a big achievement.
To rise to the stage of being considered to play in the most prestigious T20 tournament in the world, despite hailing from a war-torn country, is remarkable. The fact that three of them are teenagers makes it even more splendid.
Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Zadran and Zahir Khan Pakteen are the four who made Afghanistan fans proud by reaching the IPL.
Rashid is so talented that he is being talked about as one of the best leg spinners in the world. He has shown the way for many youngsters in Afghanistan to dream high, work hard and gain international fame.
The two youngsters — 17-year-old Mujeeb Zadran and 19-year-old Zahir Khan — are cricketers who have followed Rashid’s ways to success.
Rashid was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping $1.41 million. This team used their used their Right to Match (RTM) card to retain him. In fact, his base price was $313,600. His fame had spread soon after he played in the 2017 edition of the IPL in which he took 17 wickets from 14 games at a super economy rate of 6.62 for Hyderabad.
100 more games
Last week, after playing in his 100th Twenty20 match, Rashid confidently remarked: “Feels great to perform well and play 100 games. Want to be fit and play 100 more games.”
Rashid’s bowling is such that coaches around the world are closely examining his bowling action to find answers to tackle him. Yet, Rashid bamboozles the batsmen with new deliveries.
Zadran, who wants to emulate Rashid, has already started making waves. At 17, he is the youngest player ever to be picked by an IPL franchise in the history of the tournament.
He earned that honour by working hard to sharpen his off spin and producing great spells in Under-19 international tournaments. It was his five-wicket spell that helped Afghanistan beat Pakistan in the Under-19 Asia Cup final and get noticed by Kings XI Punjab. This franchise bought him for a $629,200. Interestingly his base price was just $78,650.
Similarly, Zahir who is a fine left-arm Chinaman bowler was picked by Rajasthan Royals. He is so promising that this franchise got him for $31,460. Though he hasn’t been played by the franchise this youngster is learning a lot from the legendary spinner Shane Warne who is Rajasthan team’s mentor.
Though these three are on the path to long years of international cricket, it was Mohammad Nabi who made franchises take a look at the talent in Afghanistan players. He had proved to be a fine all-rounder who bowls off spin with accuracy and bats at the middle order. Hyderabad got him for $157,300 from his base price of $78,650. Nabi plays in almost all the top T20 leagues in the world though Hyderabad has not played him in many matches this season.
Big role
Sharjah Cricket Stadium had played a big role in giving these youngsters the required facilities to sharpen their skills. Since Afghanistan could not stage their international matches in their country due to security reasons, it is at the Sharjah stadium that they used to display their talents.
Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, who owns the Sharjah stadium after allowing Afghanistan players to use the stadium said: “Bearing in mind the difficulties they have in Afghanistan, the cricketers deserve to have a place somewhere where they can come and feel that they are at home. Here they have huge local support and they can make full use of all facilities in the Sharjah stadium, including the gymnasium and nets.”
Today Afghanistan players are not only in demand but they are on the verge of becoming Test players. The journey of talented Afghanistan players to IPL and ICC World Cup is now being talked about as a fairy-tale story of world cricket.
Afghanistan Premier League in UAE
Dubai. The influence of IPL has been so much on their players that Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to stage their own league in October at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The board has announced that the first edition will be a five-team event and be called the Afghanistan Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament.
Afghanistan Cricket Board Chairman Shukrullah Atif Mashal has revealed that over 40 overseas cricketers will be playing in the APL T20. ACB Chief Executive Officer Shafiqullah Asamat Stanikzai, speaking about the passion for cricket in Afghanistan, said: “Cricket has been a unifying tool, contributing to peace, development and stability in the country. It will open the doors for youngsters inside the country and around the globe. The Board aims to make APL T20 to be among the world’s top three leagues.”
So far Afghanistan had staged only their domestic league called the Shpageeza Cricket League. Mashal went on to thank their government for the support to stage the event in UAE. “We are thankful to the overseas cricketers for helping Afghanistan cricket rise to the next level. We are grateful to our Government for its support and encouragement. We believe we can provide our youth the platform to shine and move away from negative influences.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2463
|
__label__wiki
| 0.973236
| 0.973236
|
By brogen ADIFF 2017, Cinema Review
ADIFF Review – Mindhorn
Actor Richard Thorncroft (Julian Barratt) was at the top of his game in the 1980s; star of the hit TV show Mindhorn – on which he played a secret agent with a bionic eye that could always see the truth – Thorncroft was sure that he was one step away from the big time. In 2016, however, things are not so rosy for Thorncroft; washed up and making TV ads for orthopaedic socks, Thorncroft is still suffers from delusions of grandeur. When a killer on the Isle of Man will only speak to Mindhorn, however, Richard Thorncroft is drafted in, and dusts off his most famous character one more time.
Written by Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby, and starring the former Mighty Boosh star Barratt as a washed up man who never got the break he thought he deserved, Mindhorn is farcical, over the top, absurd and perhaps most importantly, incredibly funny.
Julian Barratt takes to the indulgent, delusional and completely un-self aware character of Richard Thorncroft like a duck to water, and runs with the joke throughout the film. There are moments of humility for the character, but on the whole, Thorncroft is at his best when he believes this is his big comeback. Simon Farnaby takes on the role of Clive, Richard’s former stunt double and manages to convey comedy convincingly through a Dutch accent that seems to be here for no reason at all. Andrea Roseborough plays Isle Of Man cop DC Baines, Essie Davis plays Richard’s former flame Pat, and the rest of the cast features Steve Coogan, Simon Callow, Kenneth Brannagh, Russell Tovey and Richard McCabe.
Barratt and Farnaby’s screenplay feels rather like it was inspired by Toast of London – which stars former Mighty Boosh alum Matt Berry – and there are definitely times when Richard Thorncroft’s delusions of grandeur mirror that of Barratt’s Mighty Boosh character Howard Moon’s similar beliefs, but there is a charm and wit to Mindhorn that makes it stand out on its own. The jokes come thick and fast, with many of them resting on Barratt’s capable shoulders, but it is good fun to see Brannagh and Callow take the mick out of their public personas, and to have Steve Coogan play a character whose TV show was not cancelled, for once.
First time feature director Sean Foley keeps the pacing and the timing of Mindhorn going, and plays up the kitsch nostalgia factor with mentions of Terry Wogan, and plenty of rather naff Mindhorn merchandise thrown in for good measure. Mindhorn is, at its heart, a caper, and there is plenty of fun to be had as the characters wrestle their way to the truth across the most famous landmarks of the Isle of Man.
In all, Mindhorn is a film that definitely follows in the footsteps of The Mighty Boosh, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Toast of London and I’m Alan Partridge, but it manages to become it’s own film through Barratt’s clever comedy and some great pacing. Fans of quirky British humour rejoice! It is alive and well, and living on the Isle of Man!
Tagged ANDREA RISEBOROUGH, Cinema, Cinema Review, film, Film Review, Julian Barratt, movie, movie review, Russell Tovey, sean foley, simon farnaby, Steve Coogan
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2464
|
__label__wiki
| 0.597008
| 0.597008
|
10 Things Men Should Know About Female Hormones
Browse the article 10 Things Men Should Know About Female Hormones
Chocolate cravings during PMS are just one thing that's been attributed to women's hormones.
When it comes to female behavior, hormones often get the lion's share of the blame (or credit, depending). They're the reason why she snaps and bites people's heads off for no apparent reason, but also why she cries while watching that sappy movie that she's already seen dozens of times. Hormones are why men are supposed to know to bring her flowers and chocolate during "that time of the month." They're why women need to be romanced in order to feel like getting romantic. And they're why she gets hot flashes and night sweats later in life.
Those are the accepted truths when it comes to women's hormones, but not all of those things are true of every woman. And even if you think that you're really in touch with a woman, you might still be clueless in some areas. Knowing about women's hormones is important because they not only affect behavior, they also figure prominently in women's overall health (and not just sexual health, either).
Have no fear -- after reading our list of 10 things that men should know about women's hormones, you'll be that much more in tune with the women in your life.
It's Not Just Estrogen
Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone, but it's not the only one.
You hear a lot about estrogen in discussions about women's hormones, and with good reason. Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone -- and it's responsible for a lot of different functions, including the growth of breasts and the maturation of the genitalia during puberty. It's also a big part of the menstrual cycle and influences a number of other functions in the body that have nothing to do with sex (more on that later). However, it's not just about the estrogen.
Progesterone also plays a part in the menstrual cycle, specifically helping to make the uterus suitable for a fertilized embryo. When a woman becomes pregnant, progesterone produced by her placenta helps support the growth of the fetus. The rise and fall of this hormone influences when a woman goes into labor and when she begins lactating. Women also have testosterone (although in lower amounts than men do). Testosterone has a lot to do with their sex drives, and it also influences bone and muscle density.
In addition to these three major hormones, there are even more hormones secreted by the pituitary gland that influence and regulate the menstrual cycle. No wonder things are so complicated.
They're Different for Every Woman
When you start dating and get close enough to discuss intimate details with a woman, you'll eventually learn specific things about her that are related to her hormones, such as how her menstrual cycle influences her behavior and mood. But if you start dating another woman, you will soon learn a basic truth: Hormones are not the same in every woman. For you, this means that what works for one woman doesn't necessarily work for another. One may have the stereotypical moodiness and food cravings during that time of the month, while another doesn't seem to act any differently.
While all healthy women have the same hormones, levels of these hormones not only rise and fall each month in a complex pattern based on their menstrual cycles, they also vary based on the age of the woman and on the woman herself. During her reproductive years, for example, a woman may have anywhere from 50 to 400 picograms per milliliter (pg/ml) of estrogen in her blood [source: Nussey, Whitehead].
These variances are important to keep in mind when interacting with any woman: Don't assume that you know everything about her hormones just because you've been in a previous relationship!
PMS Can be Something More Serious
Unexplainable tears are a common part of PMS.
Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Thinkstock
Some people, including medical professionals, have dismissed premenstrual syndrome (PMS) as legitimate disorder. They say it's a convenient excuse for women to act cranky while eating junk food and lying around. However, many in the medical community recognize PMS as legitimate; it's experienced by three out of every four women. Nobody knows exactly what causes PMS, other than the fluctuations of hormones and chemical changes in the brain.
There can be a wide range of symptoms, in addition to food cravings and mood swings; some women also experience insomnia, headaches and intestinal distress. Most of the time, these symptoms go away once their period actually begins. Exercising, eating healthy foods and taking medications for the pain can help. Some women, however, experience an extreme, even debilitating type of PMS known as PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder).
PMDD causes severe emotional symptoms such as high anxiety, anger and irritability beyond what is considered typical for PMS. Sometimes treatment is necessary and may include birth control pills or even antidepressants. It's important to note that some doctors believe that PMDD is a separate mental disorder.
Many women have little-to-no PMS symptoms at all. Recognizing what constitutes normal PMS symptoms in the woman in your life can help everyone manage a potentially difficult time.
Menstrual Cycles Vary
If you paid attention during your sex ed classes, you may recall that the menstrual cycle is supposed to last 28 days. In the middle of the cycle, the ovary releases an egg. If that egg is fertilized, it will ultimately implant itself in the uterus and become an embryo. If the egg is not fertilized, the uterus sheds the lining it has built up. That shedding is the "period," and it lasts about seven days. If the menstrual cycle can be determined through this schedule, then women should always know when they're getting their periods, right? So why does your girlfriend occasionally send you to the store at night to buy her tampons?
Those numbers are just averages. Some women have longer menstrual cycles than others. Some women have periods that last just a few days, while others have periods that last for a full week. To complicate matters further, their cycles and period lengths can change over time and can be influenced by a wide variety of things, such as medication, exercise habits and stress. Many women have a general idea of when they're supposed to get their periods, but these complexities are part of why birth control pills were invented. The pill suppresses ovulation entirely and controls the cycle with artificial hormones. It not only reduces her chances of getting pregnant to almost none (when taken correctly), it also provides regularity.
The McClintock Effect
You may have heard that when women live together, their periods will eventually synch up. In the early 1970s, psychologist Martha McClintock proposed that this synchronization happens due to the emission of female pheromones, and many women will swear that it has occurred in their own lives. However, follow-up studies have yet to prove it, and some scientists who have analyzed McClintock's studies claim that there were methodological and calculation errors.
Pregnancy Wreaks Havoc
Hormones are hard at work in the body of a pregnant woman.
You thought that hormones went crazy during puberty -- or during "that time of the month" -- but everything changes when a woman gets pregnant. HcG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is a hormone made only by the cells of a forming placenta. Pregnancy tests are actually checking for the presence of it. Levels of this hormone rise rapidly during the first trimester as the placenta grows, which is also why there's morning sickness. HcG makes women more susceptible to illness by suppressing their immune systems (so their bodies don't reject their babies).
Estrogen and progesterone play very active roles. Estrogen does everything from stimulating a pregnant woman's breasts to grow and the baby's organs to develop, to giving mom a runny nose and sensitive skin. Progesterone does things like regulate placental function and allow the uterus to expand. This can also mean heartburn and indigestion. These hormones actually trigger other hormones as well, and these are a mere fraction of the changes that occur during pregnancy.
Some women are lucky enough not to experience any of the negative side effects of pregnancy hormones, but most have at least some of them. Pregnancy is an amazing feat of the female body, but be forewarned: The hormones involved can really wreak havoc during this time.
Men Have Them Too
Estrogen and progesterone are always associated with women. But just as women have testosterone (the dominant "male hormone"), men have "women's hormones" -- just in smaller amounts. Estrogen is actually pretty close to testosterone from a chemical perspective. In men, estrogen is made from testosterone by an enzyme called aromatose. It contributes to the regulation of the male reproductive system and also influences male behavior. Estrogen tends to increase in men as they age, while testosterone levels decrease.
An estrogen imbalance in men can cause problems. Sometimes the increase results from obesity, because estrogen is made in fat cells, as well as in other places in the body. Men with conditions such as diabetes, prostate cancer and heart failure have been found to have high or low levels of estrogen -- so maintaining hormonal balance is important. Progesterone in men actually helps to regulate estrogen levels, which is why men found to have an estrogen/testosterone imbalance might be prescribed a progesterone supplement.
Menopause is a Gradual Process
At its most basic, menopause just means that a woman stops being fertile. Technically, a woman is said to be "post-menopausal" if she has gone for 12 consecutive months without a period. Most of us hear about the negative side effects of menopause like hot flashes, night sweats and heart palpitations. Women dread going through the change because they've heard the horror stories. Of course, all of this is due to hormones, or more specifically, a reduction of the ovaries' hormone production.
You may not realize that menopause is actually a gradual transition -- it's not like turning off a switch. It also varies greatly depending on the woman, like everything else. Some women pass into menopause with relative ease. A woman beginning menopause is said to be in perimenopause, when the production of estrogen and progesterone starts to fluctuate and become irregular. Their periods also fluctuate in regularity and duration. Perimenopause generally starts for women in their late 30s or early 40s and can last for years. Hot flashes and other menopausal side effects can be extremely uncomfortable or even debilitating. Some women take medication or herbal supplements to help.
Surgical Menopause
Sometimes women have their uterus or ovaries removed surgically due to disease or other medical conditions. A woman who has her uterus removed can no longer have periods, but she is not considered to be menopausal as long as her ovaries are still producing normal hormone levels. The removal of ovaries, however, results in immediate menopause.
It's a Balancing Act
We mentioned a few pages back that men can have problems due to estrogen imbalances, so it stands to reason that estrogen and other hormones need to remain balanced in women as well. Of course, there's a wide range of normal depending on the person. The biggest culprit is estrogen; too little or too much can lead to serious health problems.
When estrogen levels get low, women lose bone density and have an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. They may also have a higher risk of heart disease due to raised cholesterol levels. While lowered estrogen is a normal part of menopause, some women experience imbalances due to premature ovarian failure (POF) -- menopause before the age of 40. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help with this and other health issues associated with low estrogen, although in recent years HRT has gotten some criticism for other potential side effects, such as blood clots. On the other end of the spectrum, estrogen can also cause some forms of breast cancer to grow once established. This is known as a hormone-receptor-positive cancer, and patients may be prescribed anti-estrogen therapy.
Changing Hormones, Changing Libido
Changes in hormone levels can affect libido.
David De Lossy/Photodisc/Thinkstock
Despite the fact that they're called "sex hormones," we almost got through this list without really mentioning sex ... until now. A woman's sex drive is already somewhat more precarious than a man's. For example, it typically takes more to get her in the mood than just viewing an attractive body. But how much of this has to do with hormones?
Women's hormones do figure prominently in a healthy libido; many women who have sexual dysfunction (which includes a lack of sex drive and sexual arousal) also have lowered estrogen levels. However, there are many other factors that affect libido -- it's not just about the hormones. These might include other health conditions, certain medications or lifestyle factors like drug or alcohol abuse. Sexual dysfunction in women can also be linked to a lack of intimacy, depression or body image issues. Treating it can be a challenge because there are so many possible causes.
However, it's also perfectly normal for a woman's libido to change over the course of her lifetime. When hormones are surging during adolescence, both men and women have higher libidos. As those hormone levels stabilize, a woman's libido is more likely to do the same. Then it could decrease as she matures and adds in environmental factors like birth control and job stress. And as we've mentioned, libido often goes down during menopause. But post-menopausal women may experience an increase in their libido once their hormones level off again.
Women Aren't Slaves to Them
After reading through this list, you may think that women are pretty much slaves to their hormones -- especially since the changes that they bring about throughout a woman's life can come with some nasty side effects. It's also true that "being hormonal" is often used as an excuse for a woman to act unlike her normal self. A 2009 study conducted at Hertfordshire University in England claimed that the "intense emotions" associated with PMS might be to blame for compulsive shopping [source: Daily Mail]. PMS has even been used successfully as a murder defense.
Put simply: Hormones are chemical signals that play a part in all of our body functions. While extreme hormone imbalances can definitely play a role in mental stability and overall behavior, simple PMS isn't likely to be the culprit. In other words, PMS might make women crave chocolate, but blaming it as the sole cause for a criminal act like murder is probably taking things too far. Women aren't slaves to their hormones any more than men are (that, after all, would imply that all they do is think about sex). Knowing more about the complexities of women's hormones, however, can only help men better understand the opposite sex.
Georgios Papanikolaou: Papa of the Pap Smear
The Pap smear is an integral part of every woman's basic health regimen. HowStuffWorks takes a look at the man who developed the test.
10 Things Women Should Know About Men's Hormones
Top 10 Foods for Women
25 Home Remedies for PMS
5 Tips for Improving Female Libido
Top 10 Natural Ways to Boost Libido
8 Home Remedies for Water Retention
5 Common Perimenopause Symptoms
Dotinga, Randy. "Typical Male Behavior Comes From Estrogen, Too." Bloomburg Businessweek. April 28, 2010.http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/638553.html
Gore, Sally. "Premenstrual syndrome as a substantive criminal defense." Master's Thesis. McGill University. 2003.http://digitool.library.mcgill.ca/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=80923&local_base=GEN01-MCG02
Mayo Clinic Staff. "Premenstrual syndrome." Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Dec. 8, 2009.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/premenstrual-syndrome/DS00134
Moult, Julie. "How a woman's 'time of the month' can be blamed for her desire to go shopping." Daily Mail. March 31, 2009.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1165673/How-womans-time-month-blamed-desire-shopping.html
Nagourey, Eric. "Nostrums: Testosterone and Sex Drive in Women." New York Times. April 22, 2008.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/health/research/22nost.html?_r=1
North American Menopause Society. "How to Confirm Menopause." North American Menopause Society. 2010.http://www.menopause.org/
Nussey, Stephen and Saffron Whitehead. "Endocrinology: An Integrated Approach." Oxford: BIOS Scientific Publishers. 2001.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22/
Office on Women's Health. "Menstruation and the Menstrual Cycle." Oct. 21, 2009. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/menstruation.cfm
Office on Women's Health. "Premenstrual syndrome." May 18, 2010. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/premenstrual-syndrome.cfm
WebMD Staff. "Normal Testosterone and Estrogen Levels in Women." WebMD, LLC. 2010.http://women.webmd.com/normal-testosterone-and-estrogen-levels-in-women
What to Expect. "Guide to Pregnancy Hormones." Waterfront Media. 2010.http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/pregnancy-hormones.aspx
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2468
|
__label__cc
| 0.526705
| 0.473295
|
Home Model Female Sadie Robertson Height Weight Body Statistics
Sadie Robertson Height Weight Body Statistics
Sadie Carroway Robertson
Sadie Robertson at Sherri Hill Fashion Show 2015
West Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
She attended Ouachita Christian School in Monroe, Louisiana and graduated in 2016.
TV Personality, model
Father – Willie Robertson (TV personality, Businessman)
Mother – Korie Howard Robertson (Reality TV Star)
Siblings – John Luke Robertson (Older Brother), Willie Alexander Robertson (Brother), Rebecca Robertson (Younger Sister), Bella Robertson (Younger Sister)
Others – Phil Robertson (Grandfather) (Professional hunter, businessman, reality TV star), Marsha Kay Robertson (Grandmother) (TV Personality), Silas Robertson (Great-Uncle) (TV Personality)
She is not signed to any agency as of late 2015.
51 kg or 112½ pounds
Sadie Robertson dated –
Beau (2013) – She dated a guy named, Beau from her high school in 2013.
Blake Coward (2014-2016) – She started dating Instagram star Blake Coward in 2014. They met during a Softball game for the first time and started dating soon after that in late 2014. He really supported her decision of staying a virgin until her marriage. They called it quits in March 2016 after dating for less than 2 years.
Trevor Knight (2016) – In July 2016, Sadie was seen romancing with American football quarterback, Trevor Knight. The short-lived relationship ended in September 2016.
Austin North (2018) – In April 2018, actor Austin North (who is known for Disney Channel sitcom I Didn’t Do It) and Sadie started dating each other. After dating for 4 months, the couple separated in August 2018.
Christian Huff (2018-Present) – In September 2018, Sadie and Christian Huff started dating each other. In June 2019, the duo got engaged.
Sadie Robertson and Blake Coward
Dimpled smile
Cute and engaging smile
33-23-32 in or 84-58.5-81 cm
Sadie Robertson going to Craig’s Restaurant in West Hollywood in September 2015
2 (US) or 34 (EU) or 6 (UK)
8.5 (US) or 39 (EU)
She has appeared in a Walmart commercial (along with her Robertson family).
Appearing in the A&E’s reality television series Duck Dynasty as herself.
As an actress, she appeared in the 2016 drama film God’s Not Dead 2 for her role as Marlene.
She first appeared in the reality TV series Duck Dynasty as herself in 2012. It is her family’s show. She has appeared in several shows since that time.
Her workout routine and diet plan are not known. But, she has remained athletic since her childhood and had played basketball in her high school team. She has a lean body and maybe maintaining it with a controlled diet and little bit workouts.
Sadie Robertson at Good Morning America in New York City in April 2015
Sadie Robertson Facts
Her professional career started in 2012.
Sadie lives by the motto “live original.”
She participated in javelin throwing in 2013 and was placed at #6 in Louisiana state.
With Kolby Koloff (Preachers’ Daughters star), she started a YouTube channel (with YouTube handle The New Different) on August 26, 2013.
For her family’s best selling album, Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas, she sang “Away in a Manger” along with country singer Alison Krauss.
She has launched her own fashion line called “Live Original by Sadie Robertson” in collaboration with Sherri Hill.
Sadie modeled for Sherri Hill during New York Fashion Week 2013.
She faced bullying during the New York Fashion Week 2013.
In 2014, she appeared in the season 19 of reality dancing competition Dancing with the Stars, where she was partnered with choreographer Mark Ballas. She finished second in the show.
Her grandfather is the founder of hunting and apparel company, Duck Commander.
She has played basketball for her high school team.
She would like to remain a virgin until her marriage.
Visit her official website @ liveoriginal.com.
Connect with Sadie on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Sadie Robertson
Lisa Loeb Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics
DJ Kaskade Height Weight Body Statistics
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2469
|
__label__wiki
| 0.543126
| 0.543126
|
New USPTO Director Andrei Iancu’s Pro-innovation Remarks
Following the last several years where Congress, the courts, and even the former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director were accused of being anti-innovation, the new director Andrei Iancu delivered these pointedly pro-innovation remarks yesterday. Innovators should applaud what some believe is an overdue return of a painful pendulum swing. Here is his introduction:
Dr. Eli Harari, an electrical engineer, always tinkered and invented things. He tells, for example, that he invented a new type of fishing rod, although he never fished.
“Imagine how much more successful you’d be,” his wife said, “if you’d invent in a field you knew something about.”
And so he did. Dr. Harari is credited with inventing the Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, also known as EEPROM, or “E-squared PROM.” This was in the 1970s, when Harari was working at a major corporation, where he was a star. But a few years later, he wanted to be on his own, to invent, to perfect, to commercialize. In his late 30s, he was also married and had a child. So in the prime of his career, with a family at home, Harari left his comfortable life with major corporations.
Seeding it in part with his own money, Harari started a company of his own. And he did not even draw a salary the first several months. He risked everything: his career, his finances, and his family. That first company actually did not work out well, but a few years later, Harari risked it all again and co-founded a new company, which he ultimately called SanDisk.
At SanDisk, Harari built upon his EEPROM technology, added critically important new inventions, and perfected flash memory data storage. And he obtained patents, including on how to turn memory chips into reliable systems. Harari’s flash technology came to be used almost universally in devices like digital cameras and cell phones. In 2016, Western Digital acquired SanDisk for $19 billion.
But think about it: without patents, how could someone like Dr. Harari risk everything, put aside his secure career at an established company, and strike it on his own?
As Dr. Harari told me, “The only asset you have is your idea. If you have no way to protect your idea, you are at the mercy of the next bad guy. The U.S. patent system is genius, really the bedrock foundation of capitalism.” Harari’s sentiment was echoed by President Ronald Reagan, who said in 1982: “Throughout our nation’s history, the patent system has played a critically important role in stimulating technological advances.”
How true that is.
Yet today, our patent system is at a crossroads. For more than just a few years, our system has been pushed and pulled, poked and prodded. The cumulative result is a system in which the patent grant is less reliable today than it should be. This onslaught has come from all directions. There has been major reform legislation, and proposed legislation. There have been massive changes brought about by major court cases. And the USPTO itself has taken a variety of actions in an effort to implement these changes. Plus, importantly, the rhetoric surrounding the patent system has focused relentlessly on certain faults in, or abuses of, the system—instead of the incredible benefits the system brings to our nation. We see the result of this years-long onslaught in your own study, the U.S. Chamber’s 6th Annual International IP Index.
I don’t need to tell this audience that the American patent system, which in prior years was deservedly ranked as the number one system in the world, in 2017 fell to number 10. And this year it fell further, tied for number 12. But make no mistake: we are still an elite system, a mere ¼ point away from the systems ranked 2-11. And the United States remains the leader for overall IP rights.
Still, we are at an inflection point with respect to the patent system. As a nation, we cannot continue down the same path if we want to maintain our global economic leadership. And we will not continue down the same path. This administration has a mission to create sustained economic growth, and innovation and IP protection are key goals in support of that mission.
So, how do we reverse the trend? The good news is that reclaiming our patent leadership status is within reach.
For today, let me focus on two principal points:
1. Creating a new pro-innovation, pro-IP dialogue, and
2. Increasing the reliability of the patent grant.
First, we must change the dialogue surrounding patents. Words have meaning. Words impact perception and drive public policy. And for too long, the words surrounding our patent system have been overly-focused on its faults. A successful system cannot be defined by its faults. Rather, a successful system must be defined by its goals, aspirations, and successes. Obviously, errors in the system should be corrected. And no abuse should be tolerated. Errors and abuse should be identified and swiftly eliminated. However, the focus for discussion, and the focus for IP policy, must be on the positive. We must create a new narrative that defines the patent system by the brilliance of inventors, the excitement of invention, and the incredible benefits they bring to society. And it is these benefits that must drive our patent policies.
At my swearing-in, I remarked that through the doors of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office comes our future. And indeed it does, and it always did. We must celebrate that. From Thomas Edison to the Wright Brothers, from Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer to Steve Jobs, American inventors have fueled the imagination of our people for generations. We are a pioneering people who overcome large obstacles in order to realize our dreams and create prosperity. Inventors help make dreams reality, and American invention changes the world. Indeed, with American patents, humans made light, began to fly, treated disease, and enabled instant communications across the globe from tiny devices in our pockets.
And those patents also enabled these inventors to start companies and grow our economy. Our dialogue and policies need to be focused on these amazing achievements, and how we can encourage more of them. Take Walter Hawkins as another example: Hawkins, who in 1942 became the first African American scientist on staff at AT&T’s Bell Labs, developed the plastic coating that covers telephone wires, a more versatile, durable and eco-friendly alternative to the lead standard at the time. It was so durable, in fact, and so effective, that Hawkins’ invention enabled huge investments to bring affordable phone service across America, including rural areas, and to millions of people in the 20th century.
Inventor stories like Hawkins’ and Harari’s are those we need to tell.
This is the American patent system. This is the dialogue we need to have. And this should be the focus of our patent policy. This is how we incentivize innovation and growth. But, how exactly do we translate this into a better patent system?
Here’s a start: when we write, interpret, and administer patent laws, we must consistently ask ourselves “Are we helping these inventors?” Whether it’s an individual tinkering in her garage, or a team at a large corporation, or a laboratory on a university campus, we must ask ourselves “Are we helping them? Are we incentivizing innovation?
Filed Under: patent basics, patent trolls
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2473
|
__label__wiki
| 0.627371
| 0.627371
|
Going to War • 2018
Category: People
What is it really like to go to war? Filled with terror, pain and grief, it also brings exhilaration, and a profound sense of purpose. In Going to War, renowned authors Karl Marlantes and Sebastian Junger help us make sense of this paradox and get to the heart of what it’s like to be a soldier at war. Veterans of various conflicts reveal some universal truths of combat with unflinching candor.
Kingdom of the Kims
For decades, Korea and its people labor under Japanese imperialist rule. But in 1912, in a small town outside Pyongyang, a child is born, Kim Il Sung, coinciding with an omen of imperialism’s doom.
1/4 • Inside North Korea's Dynasty • 2018 • People
Deep Web gives the inside story of one of the the most important and riveting digital crime sagas of the century -- the arrest of Ross William Ulbricht, the convicted 30-year-old entrepreneur accused to be 'Dread Pirate Roberts,' creator and operator of online black market Silk Road. Being the only film with exclusive access to the Ulbricht family, Deep Web features the core architects of the Deep Web; anarchistic cryptographers who developed the Deep Web’s tools for the military in the early 1990s; the dissident journalists and whistleblowers who immediately sought refuge in this seemingly secure environment; and the figures behind the rise of Silk Road, which combined the security of the Deep Web with the anonymity of cryptocurrency.
The State of Texas vs. Robert Durst
In 2003, Galveston, Texas, becomes a media circus as the press descends to cover Durst's trial.
4/6 • The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst • 2015 • People
The Key To Science (ft Joan Feynman)
"When a scientist gazes silently up at the sky..."
The Feynman Series • 2011 • People
Buster Keaton - The Art of the Gag
Before Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson, before Chuck Jones and Jackie Chan, there was Buster Keaton, one of the founding fathers of visual comedy. And nearly 100 years after he first appeared onscreen, we’re still learning from him.
The Zeitgeist Film Series is about examining the world we share, the values we hold, the problems we face, along with what we can do to make it better.
1/3 • Zeitgeist • People
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2475
|
__label__wiki
| 0.608473
| 0.608473
|
Latest Hindi
Latest TV Shows/Awards
S.W.A.T. (2003) (In Hindi)
Video link 1
Director:Clark Johnson
Description:Based off of a one time T.V. show, two Los Angeles S.W.A.T. officers Jim Street and Brian Gamble were sent in to foil an extremely violent bank robbery. Although they thwarted the robbery, they shot a hostage in the process. Street was suspended from S.W.A.T. while Gamble was fired altogether. After 6 months, a veteran S.W.A.T. officer, Daniel Harrelson or “Hondo”, is told to assemble a S.W.A.T. team for his division. He chooses other S.W.A.T. officers as well as 3 rookies. However, after they pass the S.W.A.T. training, they receive a message that a French crime boss, known as Alex Montell is trying to escape from prison. This will not be easy to prevent, especially after Montell promises $100 Million to his rescuers.
Duration:117min
Starring:Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J
Genre:Action, Crime, Thriller
Writer:Robert Hamner (characters), Ron Mita (story), Jim McClain (story), David Ayer (screenplay), David McKenna (screenplay)
Imdb rating:6.0
Imdb votes:106403
Released on:08 Aug 2003
Category: action crime dubbed-movies thriller
Share this Movie
Movies By Category
action adult adventure animation biography comedy crime devotional documentaries drama dubbed-movies family fantasy hindi-movies history horror mature music musical mystery mythology news religious romance sci-fi series short social sport suspense thriller tv-shows-and-awards uncategorized war western
2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1934 1931 1929 1928 1925 1919 1913 Other Year
Copyright © hindilinks4u.cc
Disclaimer : Hindilinks4u.cc does not host, provide, archive, store, or distribute media of any kind, and acts merely as an index (or directory) of media posted by other webmasters, users, uploders on the internet, which is completely outside of our control.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2476
|
__label__wiki
| 0.661291
| 0.661291
|
Carthage Fire of 2002
carthage_fire_of_2002
On March 2, 2002 eight buildings were lost (at the site of a fire that had happened 103 years before - Great Carthage Fire of 1884) and another was demolished, a hundred fifty people, and as many as twenty-seven families were homeless after an early morning fire swept through downtown Carthage. The fire was believed to have started in a wood-burning furnace in the cellar of the former Harold Johnson auction store, previously an F.W. Woolworth store, but an exact cause has not been found. At least ten fire departments and over two hundred fifty fire fighters struggled through the day trying to stop and contain the blaze, and it was estimated that over eight thousand gallons of water a minute were being used, with a total of three million gallons by noon and as the day went on water was taken from the Black River to allow the Carthage water tower to refill.
The website March 2, 2002: A Fire of Historic Proportions Rips Through Carthage NY has an almost minute-by-minute description of the 2002 blaze. The site is created and maintained by Lynn Thornton of Carthage.
Great Carthage Fire of 1884
Disasters and Catastrophes
carthage_fire_of_2002.txt
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2478
|
__label__wiki
| 0.986456
| 0.986456
|
Doc Prothro
James Thompson "Doc" Prothro Sr. (July 16, 1893 – October 14, 1971) was an infielder and manager in American Major League Baseball. Prothro was so nicknamed because he was a practicing dentist before signing his first professional baseball contract at age 26.[1] His son, Tommy Prothro, became a successful coach in U.S. college football (at Oregon State University and UCLA) and, during the 1970s, led the Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League.[1]
University of Tennessee Junior Dental class, 1917. Prothro is listed, but not identified, as being in the photo.
A Memphis native, Doc Prothro attended the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He was a right-handed hitting third baseman and shortstop for the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds (1920; 1923–26), batting .318 in 180 games.[2] He was discovered by baseball promoter Joe Engel, who managed the Chattanooga Lookouts at Engel Stadium.[1] In 1928, Prothro became a manager in the Southern Association, then one of the higher-level minor leagues, leading the Memphis Chicks and Little Rock Travelers to four SA pennants through 1938.
In 1939, Prothro replaced Jimmie Wilson as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. In his three full seasons (1939-40–41) at the helm of the Phils, the club remained locked in the National League "cellar" — losers of 106, 103 and 111 games in successive seasons. Prothro's career mark of 138–320, with a .301 winning percentage, is the worst record in major league history for managers leading a club for at least three seasons.
Prothro was fired after the 1941 season and replaced by Hans Lobert and thereafter returned to the Southern Association, where he piloted the Chicks from 1942 to 1947. After he retired as Memphis' manager, he remained active as a co-owner of the club.
Prothro died in Memphis in 1971 at the age of 78.
Third baseman / Manager
Died: October 14, 1971 (aged 78)
September 24, 1926, for the Cincinnati Reds
Washington Senators (1920, 1923–1924)
Boston Red Sox (1925)
Cincinnati Reds (1926)
Philadelphia Phillies (1939–1941)
^ a b c "Nowlin, Bill, Doc Prothro, Society for American Baseball Research Biography Project".
^ Career statistics from Baseball Reference
The 1920 Washington Senators won 68 games, lost 84, and finished in sixth place in the American League. They were managed by Clark Griffith and played home games at Griffith Stadium.
The 1923 Washington Senators won 75 games, lost 78, and finished in fourth place in the American League. They were managed by Donie Bush and played home games at Griffith Stadium.
The 1924 Washington Senators won 92 games, lost 62, and finished in first place in the American League. Fueled by the excitement of winning their first AL pennant, the Senators won the World Series in dramatic fashion, a 12-inning game 7 victory.
The 1925 Boston Red Sox season was the 25th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished last in the eight-team American League (AL) with a record of 47 wins and 105 losses.
1926 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1926 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished second in the National League with 87 wins and 67 losses, 2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.
The 1936 Boston Red Sox season was the 36th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished sixth in the American League (AL) with a record of 74 wins and 80 losses.
The 1937 Boston Red Sox season was the 37th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished fifth in the American League (AL) with a record of 80 wins and 72 losses.
The 1938 Boston Red Sox season was the 38th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League (AL) with a record of 88 wins and 61 losses.
The 1939 Major League Baseball season.
1939 Philadelphia Phillies season
The 1939 Philadelphia Phillies season was a season in Major League Baseball. The Phillies finished eighth in the National League with a record of 45 wins and 106 losses.
The 1940 Major League Baseball season saw many stars have great years, the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series against the Detroit Tigers and the following players won MVP in their respective divisions, Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers and Frank McCormick of the Cincinnati Reds. The season started on April 16 and was carried out until October 8, 1940.
The 1940 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 58th season in the history of the franchise. The team, managed by Doc Prothro, began their third season at Shibe Park and were picked by 73 of 76 writers in the pre-season Associated Press poll of baseball writers to finish last. The Phillies lost 103 games and finished last, 50 games behind the pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds.
The 1941 Major League Baseball season included the New York Yankees defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series, Ted Williams batting .406, and Joe DiMaggio having a 56-game hitting streak; it has been called the "best baseball season ever".
On July 1, the Phillies played the Dodgers in Brooklyn; the game was televised by WNBT in New York (now WNBC), making the ballgame the first program aired by a commercial TV station in the United States. Although the Phillies finished dead last and the Dodgers later won the pennant, Philadelphia won the game 6–4, in 10 innings.
Hans Lobert
John Bernard "Hans" Lobert (October 18, 1881 – September 14, 1968) was an American third baseman, shortstop, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball. Lobert was immortalized in the Lawrence Ritter book The Glory of Their Times.
List of Philadelphia Phillies managers
In its 133-year history, the Philadelphia Phillies baseball franchise of Major League Baseball's National League has employed 54 managers. The duties of the team manager include team strategy and leadership on and off the field. Of those 52 managers, 15 have been "player-managers"; specifically, they managed the team while still being signed as a player.The Phillies posted their franchise record for losses in a season during their record-setting streak of 16 consecutive losing seasons (a season where the winning percentage is below .500), with 111 losses out of 154 games in 1941. During this stretch from 1933 to 1948, the Phillies employed seven managers, all of whom posted a winning percentage below .430 for their Phillies careers. Seven managers have taken the Phillies to the postseason, with Danny Ozark and Charlie Manuel leading the team to three playoff appearances. Dallas Green and Charlie Manuel are the only Phillies managers to win a World Series: Green in the 1980 World Series against the Kansas City Royals; and Manuel in the 2008 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Gene Mauch is the longest-tenured manager in franchise history, with 1,332 games of service in parts of nine seasons (1960–1968). Manuel surpassed Mauch for the most victories as a manager in franchise history on September 28, 2011, with a 13-inning defeat of the Atlanta Braves; it was the team's final victory in their franchise-record 102-win season.
The manager with the highest winning percentage over a full season or more was Arthur Irwin, whose .575 winning percentage is fourth on the all-time wins list for Phillies managers. Conversely, the worst winning percentage over a season in franchise history is .160 by the inaugural season's second manager Blondie Purcell, who posted a 13–68 record during the 1883 season.
Mike McNally
Michael Joseph "Mike" McNally [Minooka Mike] (September 13, 1893 – May 29, 1965) was a reserve infielder in Major League Baseball who played for three different teams between 1915 and 1925. Listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 150 lb., McNally batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Minooka, Pennsylvania to Catherine Summeral and Patrick McNally and was a next-door neighbor to the four Major League O’Neill brothers. Both parents were born in County Mayo, Ireland. In 1921, he married Mary "Mae" Murray of South Scranton.A clever reserve infielder and basically a line drive hitter, Mc Nally entered the majors in 1915 with the Boston Red Sox, playing for them five years before joining the New York Yankees (1921–24) and Washington Senators (1925). His most productive season came with the 1920 Red Sox, when he posted career-highs in games (93), runs (42), hits (80), stolen bases (13) and on-base percentage (.326), while hitting a .256 average.
In a 10-season career, McNally was a .238 hitter (257-for-1078) with 169 runs and 85 RBI in 492 games, including 16 doubles, six triples, one home run and 40 stolen bases. As an infielder, he made 415 appearances at second base (181), third base (167), shortstop (60) and first base (7), while posting a collective .951 fielding percentage.
McNally also played on five American League pennant winners, appearing in the World Series with Boston in 1916 and for New York in 1921 and 1922, though he did not play in the 1915 and 1923 Series. In nine appearances, he hit .200 (4-for-20) with one RBI, two stolen base, four runs, and stole home plate in Game One of 1921 Series.
Following his playing retirement, McNally managed in the minor leagues from 1927 to 1938 for the Binghamton Triplets (1927–29), Wilkes-Barre Barons (1930–32, 1937–38) and Williamsport Grays (1933–36). He posted an 872–781 record for a .528 winning percentage, including four first places and the 1934 New York–Penn League championship title with the Williamsport Grays. After that, he worked during almost two decades for the Cleveland Indians as a scout and farm club director.
McNally died in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at age 72 while visiting a niece.
Prothro
Prothro is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Doc Prothro (1893–1971), American baseball player and manager
Tommy Prothro (1920–1995), American football coach
Tyrone Prothro (born 1984), American football player
Philadelphia Phillies managers
Bob Ferguson (1883)
Blondie Purcell (1883)
Harry Wright (1884–1890)
Jack Clements (1890)
Al Reach (1890)
Bob Allen (1890)
Arthur Irwin (1894–1895)
Billy Nash (1896)
George Stallings (1897–1898)
Bill Shettsline (1898–1902)
Chief Zimmer (1903)
Billy Murray (1907–1909)
Red Dooin (1910–1914)
Pat Moran (1915–1918)
Jack Coombs (1919)
Gavvy Cravath (1919–1920)
Bill Donovan (1921)
Kaiser Wilhelm (1921–1922)
Art Fletcher (1923–1926)
Stuffy McInnis (1927)
Burt Shotton (1928–1933)
Jimmy Wilson (1934–1938)
Hans Lobert (1938)
Doc Prothro (1939–1941)
Freddie Fitzsimmons (1943–1945)
Ben Chapman (1945–1948)
Dusty Cooke (1948)
Eddie Sawyer (1948–1952)
Terry Moore (1954)
Mayo Smith (1955–1958)
Andy Cohen (1960)
Gene Mauch (1960–1968)
Bob Skinner (1968–1969)
George Myatt (1969)
Frank Lucchesi (1970–1972)
Paul Owens (1972)
Danny Ozark (1973–1979)
Dallas Green (1979–1981)
Pat Corrales (1982–1983)
Paul Owens (1983–1984)
John Felske (1985–1987)
Lee Elia (1987–1988)
John Vukovich (1988)
Nick Leyva (1989–1991)
Jim Fregosi (1991–1996)
Larry Bowa (2001–2004)
Gary Varsho (2004)
Charlie Manuel (2005–2013)
Ryne Sandberg (2013–2015)
Pete Mackanin (2015–2017)
Gabe Kapler (2018–)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2481
|
__label__wiki
| 0.657679
| 0.657679
|
Iran’s Political Factions Blame Each Other, the West, and the Public for Flood Crisis
On MondayBy Edward Carney
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement in response to the flooding that has been taking place in Iran for approximately three weeks, which has killed at least 60 people but likely many more. The statement expressed condolences and included an offer of American assistance in relief and recovery efforts, but it also placed blame for the seriousness of the disaster squarely on the shoulders of Iranian authorities. “These floods once again show the level of Iranian regime mismanagement in urban planning and in emergency preparedness,” Pompeo wrote.
In the wake of that statement, Al Monitor criticized the Trump administration for supposedly focusing its response upon an effort to score political points. However, it bears mentioning that the State Departments comments came only after Iranian officials had largely turned their own efforts toward blaming foreign adversaries for the situation. To wit, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the US of committing “economic terrorism” with its sanctions, while President Hassan Rouhani took advantage of a disaster management meeting in Khuzestan Province to deride the Trump administration as a “racist, lawbreaking, and war-mongering group.”
With such rhetoric coming even from the supposedly “moderate” faction of Iranian politics, it seems unlikely that the regime would have seriously considered accepting any American offer of assistance, regardless of the accompanying commentary about Tehran’s response to the floods. Nonetheless, Al Monitor criticized the US State Department for its apparent failure to provide guidance to foreign governments and international aid groups about how to guarantee that they would not encounter sanctions enforcement issues upon offering material assistance.
Yet the same Al Monitor article quotes State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino to suggest that such guidance may not be necessary. After all, the White House has long insisted that humanitarian goods such as food and medicine are already exempt from the sanctions on Iran. This contradicts a message that has been repeated by the Iranian regime both in the global media and in lawsuit last year that alleged the US was in violation of a Treaty of Amity that had been signed between the two countries long before the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
The resulting judgement from the International Court of Justice ordered the US to avoid restricting the flow of humanitarian goods, but it gave no indication that any such restrictions had actually been in place previously. Tehran’s latest references to “economic terrorism” and supposedly overreaching US sanctions simply repeat longstanding talking points, but these arguably serve only to cover up the regime’s own culpability for an economic crisis that has affected ordinary Iranian citizens to a far greater extent than government officials and persons affiliated with hardline institutions like the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
One clear contributing factor to that crisis is Iran’s refusal to come into compliance with the anti-money laundering standards of the Financial Action Task Force, which are enforced upon every nation that engages in commerce with major international markets. Iran’s persistent heel-dragging on FATF compliance legislation prevented full access to sanctions relief following the implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. And more recently, it has hampered the full implementation of the sanctions-busting payment vehicle created by the United Kingdom, France, and Germany in response to the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal in May of last year.
According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the recent flooding and the desperate need for access to foreign capital has reinforced awareness of the need for FATF compliance. The report cites Masoud Pezeshkian, deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, as saying that the country’s current problems are worse than during the eight year war with Iraq. But in spite of this, the NCRI notes that Pezeshkian “refused to blame the mullahs for the crises, instead accusing foreign forces of hurting the country.”
Such stubbornness reflects the broader regime’s unwillingness to compromise or submit to international standards, according to the NCRI. Furthermore, the report emphasizes that as the nationwide flooding was just beginning, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addressed the country on the occasion of the Nowruz holiday to insist that the Islamic Republic “should forgo the help and company of the West altogether.” Such a sentiment puts at least some of the onus upon the regime itself for any difficulty that it faces in receiving support from the international community during the ongoing crisis.
Khamenei’s sentiment has carried over into the public statements by other Iranian officials, attempting to blame the US and its allies for the severity of the flooding. These statements include not only the aforementioned references to sanctions as a source of impairment in the domestic relief efforts, but also outright conspiracy theories regarding “climatic manipulation” by the West. As IranWire pointed out on Monday, similar conspiracy theories had been peddled in previous months to explain the long-term drought that preceded the floods and were reportedly exacerbated by poor environmental management on the part of the Iranian government.
Similar mismanagement issues have been credibly identified as contributing factors in the flash-flooding crisis. As the Associated Press pointed out on Tuesday, government authorities and construction companies affiliated with the IRGC have routinely been criticized for “widespread disregard of safety measures and construction of buildings and roads near the rivers.” The effects of these practices were arguably on display one year ago when more localized flooding was seen in East Azerbaijan Province, which killed 30 people.
As such, there was reportedly a high degree of public awareness about government mismanagement in the run-up to the current crisis. This point was emphasized by Al Monitor in its reporting on the State Department’s commentary on that same mismanagement. Although critical of Pompeo’s decision to publicly blame Tehran, the article only suggests that those remarks are redundant and politically opportunistic, not that they are inaccurate. Indeed, Al Monitor quoted Ali Vaez, the Iran director of the International Crisis Group, as saying, “The Iranian people are fully aware of endemic mismanagement and corruption in their country,” and do not need to be reminded of it by foreign officials who are hostile to the regime.
The preexisting public awareness was no doubt a contributing factor in one aspect of the regime’s response to the flooding. It has been widely recognized that at least in the first several days during which government officials were present in flood zones, in-fighting was amplified between the hardliners associated with Khamenei and the IRGC, and the pragmatic political faction that is led by Rouhani. The NCRI stated that in lieu of taking responsibility for the corrupt and incompetent practices that contributed to the recent devastation, these factions have been “blaming each other for their crimes because they fear being overthrown by the Iranian people.”
The primary outlet for wider factional feuding was a series of conflicts between the president and the Revolutionary Guards, a phenomenon that IranWire describes as having “arisen before in times of national emergency.” The same report claims that Rouhani and IRGC Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Ali Jafari “have been trading accusations and insults” regarding each other’s general capabilities and actual responses to the situation, thereby suggesting that there is little coordination between the two factions as they pursue their own projects and preferred outcomes.
Meanwhile, both factions are separately subject to condemnations from the public and from opponents of the entire regime. On one hand, Rouhani was criticized for taking a full nine days before traveling to an area affected by the floods. On the other hand, the IRGC’s presence on the ground has been widely recognized, but its motives have also been questioned. Iran Human Rights Monitor, for instance, described the hardline paramilitary as being more focused on managing the people’s anger and repressing dissent than on actually providing relief or preventing further loss of life.
As a result, even regime officials have come to acknowledge that the people’s anger has been growing. This was underscored by another NCRI report, which pointed to remarks delivered by Mohammad Pakpour, the head of IRGC ground forces, to a media outlet that is close to the Guards. “There are too many problems, there is no management,” he said, adding, “I have just been able to get out of their way. They are very upset. They are very angry.”
In the face of that situation, factional infighting may be waning somewhat, as evidenced by the efforts in recent days, by the Rouhani administration and hardline authorities, to turn their joint propaganda against the US and other foreign “enemies.” At the same time, authorities on both sides of the factional divide have also been contributing to the silencing of domestic dissent, as by threatening flood victims and their families with prosecution for speaking publicly about their experiences.
In reporting upon this, the Center for Human Rights in Iran quoted Iranian human rights lawyer Abdolkarim Lahiji as saying, “The government wants to shift the blame to the people and unleash the police against them. We are dealing with a regime that considers it a crime to inform the public about natural disasters and criticize.”
The regime’s threats provide ominous overtones to efforts by Iranian state media to portray a vigorous response to the flooding. Fars News Agency, for example, has relentlessly boasted of the military and paramilitary presence in flood zones.
On Monday, it emphasized that “100 units of the Army have been mobilized” and on Tuesday it identified Major General Seyed Abdolrahim Moussavi as saying that the army will “stand by flood hit people [until the] end.” Then, on Wednesday, Fars reported that 1,341 civilian militias were active in the provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran alone, adding to the well-recognized presence of the IRGC, which controls these “basiji” volunteer groups.
Iran: Supreme Leader Tries to Avoid Public Backlash Following Flooding Crisis
Next:Even Regime admits incompetence in dealing with food
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2484
|
__label__wiki
| 0.513395
| 0.513395
|
Bridges, prisons, and sea lions - you'll see them all on this cruise
See an internationally renowned landmark and the icon of San Francisco up close. You'll sail directly under the Golden Gate Bridge for illuminating views of its massive span and unusual rust coloring. You’ll also learn all about the famous former prison of Alcatraz through a multilingual audio tour as you slowly cruise around the island.
Departing from Fisherman’s Wharf you'll admire the North Beach shoreline past Aquatic Park, Hyde Street Pier, and the ships of the National Maritime Historic Park before approaching the famous bridge. On your return journey you’ll pass the Marin County town of Sausalito and Angel Island State Park. Turning back toward San Francisco, the island of Alcatraz appears on the horizon.
Once you're heading back into Fisherman's Wharf, keep an ear out for the barking sea lions of Pier 39. You'll also get a glimpse of the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien and USS Pampanito, both veteran vessels of WWII.
What is the Golden Gate Bridge?
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the bay that opens out into the Pacific Ocean. Upon its completion in 1937, the bridge held the record as the longest suspension bridge in the world, but was subsequently surpassed in length by eight other bridges. It currently holds the second-longest suspension bridge main span in the US, second only to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. The American Society of Civil Engineers declared the bridge one of the “Modern Wonders of the World”.
The bridge has appeared in many films including The Maltese Falcon (1941), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Interview with the Vampire (1994), and The Rock (1998).
The Golden Gate Bridge provided a much-needed logistical solution to the disconnected land masses of the San Francisco area and Marin County, which were once accessible to each other only by ferry.
The Golden Gate Bridge is 1.7 miles long and 90 feet wide.
Go San Francisco passes are the best choice for maximum savings and flexibility when sightseeing in San Francisco. Your pass includes Golden Gate Bay Cruise tickets, plus admission to dozens more top attractions.
Hours change per season. Please see their Departure schedule for details.
All holiday hours are subject to change without notice. Some exceptions and extended hours apply. Please consult the Red and White Fleet website for specific times.
Present your pass at the ticket booth for a boarding ticket. (Your ticket is not valid for a cruise on a future date. No rain checks are available with your pass.)
Reservations are not required for these cruises. To get on board, we need guests to check in at our Box Office 20 minutes before their preferred departure time to redeem their pass, collect their hard tickets and to queue in the boarding line. Our box office address is Pier 43 ½, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, CA 94133.
This cruise is highly popular. We suggest taking the cruise in the morning or late afternoon for the most enjoyable experience. Audio narration is available in English, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Thai, Hindi, Vietnamese, Arabic, Russian, Bahasa Indonesian and Hebrew.
For more information, visit the Golden Gate Bay Cruise website.
How to get your Golden Gate Bay Cruise tickets
Just show your Go San Francisco pass at the Golden Gate Bay Cruise admission counter and you’re in – there’s no need to purchase individual tickets at any of the San Francisco attractions included on your pass.
US, CA, San Francisco, 94133, Pier 43 1/2, Fisherman's Wharf
Pier 43 1/2, Fisherman's Wharf
A historical…
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2489
|
__label__wiki
| 0.799252
| 0.799252
|
Tag: Sister Souljah
Adults, Community, Education, Justice, Philanthropy, U.S. September 9, 2018
John Bunn, Wrongfully Incarcerated for 17 Years, Says Learning to Read Saved Him – Now He Builds Libraries in Prisons
John Bunn leads a class at Ember Charter School in Brooklyn. (photo via cnn.com)
by Alexandra King via cnn.com
The first book John Bunn fell in love with, curled up in his cell at a maximum-security prison in upstate New York, was Sister Souljah‘s novel “The Coldest Winter Ever.”
In the book, a maternal woman advocates for the improvement of her black community in Brooklyn as she watches the people she loves suffer from the consequences of incarceration, violence and a seemingly endless cycle of poverty. “I related to that book on so many levels,” Bunn says.
Bunn knows more than most what it’s like to face injustice. Arrested and imprisoned as an adolescent in New York City, he spent 17 years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit and a further decade on parole, fighting for his exoneration. In that time, he battled, among others, the courts, police investigators, PTSD and the challenges of illiteracy. He was 16 before he could read and write.
Today Bunn is 41 and a free man at last, mentoring at-risk young people and advocating for the power of reading through his own program that brings books to prisons.
In many ways, his own story sounds straight out of a Sister Souljah book. Except that Bunn, who survived years of wrongful incarceration with his humanity intact, is determined to write the next chapter himself.
The arrest
Bunn’s ordeal began on August 14, 1991, when he was sitting in the kitchen of his mother’s apartment in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. It was 90 degrees in the shade and the AC was broken. Outside he could hear hip-hop music playing from passing cars and the thwack of basketballs on pavement as kids made their way to the courts. Bunn’s mother, Maureen, was making pancakes, his two-year-old sister, India, cooing in her high chair.
Bunn, 14 years old and out of school for the summer, was ready for a typical day of playing ball and demonstrating his famous back flips in and around the four-block radius between the apartment on Ralph Street (his mom) and the house on St Marks (his grandma). Those four blocks, snug between the love of the two women who raised him, were his whole world.
John Bunn, 14, at home in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
But then, a bang on the door. It was the police. “They wanted to take me down to the police station for questioning,” Bunn recalls now, sitting in that same small apartment festooned with family photos, nearly three decades later. He was taken to Brooklyn’s 77th precinct, put in a room and handcuffed to a pole.
“The interrogation was led by a detective by the name of Louis Scarcella. And he was threatening me, telling me that I was never coming home if I wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to know. He also told me that they already had beat up my co-defendant, that they had slammed his head into a wall and they already had him,” he recalls.
The co-defendant? A 17-year-old Brooklyn boy named Rosean Hargrave. Bunn knew Hargrave “from the block,” although he and the older boy were never more than acquaintances. But, as he soon found out, they were both now suspected of the same crime:
The killing of an off-duty Rikers Island corrections officer named Rolando Neischer. “I kept telling them, “No, I didn’t have any knowledge of it,” Bunn recalls. But Detective Scarcella, who worked in the Brooklyn North homicide unit for years before retiring in 1999, told the young John he did not believe him.
Bunn’s eyes fill with tears as he describes the moment he was placed in a police lineup with “grown men.” As an adult, Bunn, a slight man with a gentle disposition and a shy smile, stands only 5 feet 6 inches. At 14, he estimates he was no taller than 5-foot-2. He was so much smaller than the adults he was lined up with that the detectives had to improvise. They brought in stools so the lineup could be done sitting down. Bunn did what he was told. He sat down and held up a number.
A couple of minutes later, Scarcella came back into the room. “He told me, ‘It was my lucky day,’ that I got picked,” Bunn says, grimacing. “Ever since then, I’ve been fighting to prove my innocence,” he says, wiping his face and adjusting his hat.
On the front of his baseball cap, in bold white letters, are the words, “WRONGFULLY CONVICTED. On the side, “VICTIMS OF DETECTIVE LOUIS SCARCELLA.”
The hat, he adds, “speaks for itself.” Continue reading “John Bunn, Wrongfully Incarcerated for 17 Years, Says Learning to Read Saved Him – Now He Builds Libraries in Prisons” →
Filed under: "A Voice 4 The Unheard", "The Coldest Winter Ever", Brooklyn, Crown Heights, Elmira Correctional Facility, Ember Charter School, exoneration, Exoneration Initiative, John Bunn, Justice ShawnDya Simpson, Louis Scarcella, Rolando Neischer, Sister Souljah, Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, wrongful conviction
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2490
|
__label__wiki
| 0.96216
| 0.96216
|
Jessica Jones and Luke Cage seasons 2 review
Action, comics, Marvel, MCU, MCU TV, Netflix, superhero
The opposite of binge watching?
It’s been a while since we’ve done a review for a Marvel Netflix show, and while there are a variety of reasons for that (some of which have nothing to do with the shows themselves) there’s really only one that matters: Most of them aren’t very good.
Especially Jessica Jones. And especially Jessica Jones season two.
That’s the prevailing thought that ran through my mind as I trudged through the thick, viscous, muddy morass of a story that was Jessica Jones in its second season, doing my best to dig in and find some sort of purchase, some sort of reason to keep going with the show in the weeks following its March 8th debut. It’s at about the halfway point of JJ season two, after weeks of trying, that I had to stop, fully stop, and move on to greener pastures — Killing Eve — which turned out to be such a directly engaging and immediately rewarding show that it’s genuinely hard to convey in words how great and smart and effortlessly provocative and modern but timeless it really is. In fact, go watch Killing Eve. Right now. Seriously. It’s only eight episodes and it’s a definite 5/5, heart.
God, I wish Jessica Jones was anywhere near as good as Killing Eve.
But anyway, it’s at about JJ season 2’s midway point, just as Jessica corners the dangerous woman she’s been tracking and learns a shocking truth that threatens to upend the (to that point) entire season’s events, that I stopped watching the show entirely, largely for reasons of personal sanity and self-respect, that I could no longer bring myself to care anymore; I just couldn’t watch Jessica Jones anymore. I didn’t hate the character, but I never cared what she was doing, and I did hate most of the people in her life. So I moved on. I caught up with Fear the Walking Dead, which has actually gotten to be really, really, really, really… not bad in its fourth season, with a sharp departure from its original narrative, cast, and style; I caught Barry, with Bill Hader, which was really strong and emotionally true while still being, just barely, a comedy; I watched Westworld in its flawed but still very watchable second season; I finished Netflix’s GLOW in its second season which was pretty terrific, and, of course, when it came time, I even gave Luke Cage season two a shot, because, despite my documented problems with Luke Cage season one, I still really like the character. More on Luke Cage season two later [obviously, given the title of this post].
And when that was done, I could still see Jessica Jones season two, staring at me in my queue, taunting me, calling me a quitter, questioning my sense of completion, my TV-watching ethics, and insulting my honour. Okay, maybe not that last one, but eventually I finished Jessica Jones season two. Here’s what I thought.
What are they about?
Uh… they’re both Netflix shows… they’re both set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but have just about nothing to do with what happens in the movies… they’re both more street-level than the MCU movies (so powers, but not really SUPERpowers)… one’s about a superstrong female detective and the other other’s about a bulletproof black man… and they’re both in their second season.
In a way, it’s fitting, actually, that, of all the Marvel Netflix shows established so far, it’s Jessica Jones and Luke Cage that I’ve, inadvertently, put together for a review. They’re married after all. In the comics. They’ve only slept together on TV (Spoilers? But really, they, both characters, sleep with just about everybody they meet on their respective shows). And, of Marvel’s Netflix heroes, it’s also Jessica Jones and Luke Cage who are at the most similar points in their development — both bring a wealth of experience from their past lives that are now bleeding into their present situations, both are at similar levels of maturity and shy away from the title of hero, and both were more on the out than the inside of the central story told in The Defenders.
That Defenders bit, the first (and maybe last?) team-up in the Marvel Netflix universe, is a particularly important part of both of these shows as well, because both Jessica’s and Luke’s growth as characters in that show inform significant parts of where these characters and shows are now in their second seasons. There’s a natural flow with the events of the shows and especially shared background characters that doesn’t require you to have seen the others but is always rewarding for those who have been along for the ride since the beginning.
But is it just me, or is it a bit of a shock to the system to see these characters already in their second seasons. Back when these Marvel Netflix shows started, it felt like there was a little more breathing room between installments, first with Daredevil season one and Jessica Jones season one in 2015, then Daredevil season two and Luke Cage season one in 2016, and then things kind of got out of control with a very rushed Iron Fist season one leading directly into The Defenders, AND The Punisher all in one year in 2017. The Marvel Netflix transition to three shows a year hasn’t felt nearly as seamless as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s to three movies a year, and, at least for me, it’s just gotten to be a bit too much to take in. Luckily, though, the powers that be at Marvel seem to be taking at least one important step in improving things for these shows going forward. More on that later too.
Are they any good?
Surprisingly yes, both Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are very decent in their second seasons, particularly in comparison to their firsts. I’ve had noted problems with Jessica Jones and Luke Cage in their season ones, and the creators of both shows did a pretty good job of addressing some of my biggest problems in their season twos. But one of these shows was clearly better than the other.
The overarching narrative with which I began this review very much focused on Jessica Jones far more so than Luke Cage, and, make no mistake, there’s not even a hint of reverse misogyny in that construction, it’s just because Jessica Jones, for a significant portion of its second season, sucked. The first half of Jessica Jones season two is, quite literally, the reason I stopped reviewing Marvel Netflix shows.
But it got better. Like, A LOT better in its second half.
To start, I had very little idea what was going on in terms of the show’s central mystery in its first six episodes, and while I’ll admit that’s a me-side problem that you won’t all necessarily experience, it was an indication of how disengaged I was in the main story Jessica Jones was telling. I knew some crazy woman who seemed more physically powerful than Jessica was running around killing people, I knew that there seemed to be other people who shared super-powered origins with Jessica were getting killed, I knew Trish, Jessica’s stepsister and best friend seemed unusually, and I knew Malcolm, the recovering drug addict, had become Jessica’s investigative assistant of sorts, but I didn’t (and mostly still don’t) care about Jessica’s past or how she got her powers, and by the time Jessica caught up to the crazy, murderous, superstrong woman, I couldn’t keep watching the show, even with the twist that episode ended on because it was a predictable twist seemingly out of the worst hack soap opera writer’s handbook.
But the twist was everything!
Without giving away what the twist was specifically and how it related to Jessica, the way the back half of the season explored the themes that, it turns out, the season was really about. There’s a depth to these ideas as we find out who these two superpowered women are and how they relate to each other that was really quite affecting and even haunting, and it really put me in the shoes of both of them.
There’s another important thing that the twist achieves beyond reframing the season’s overarching story, and that’s that it largely jettisons most of what was going on in the season’s front half. The truth is that I really don’t care about anyone else in Jessica’s life, not her stepmother, not the people she works with in law enforcement, and especially not Trish. I could almost write an entire review on how much I hate Trish Walker, and the fact that they drop the subplot with her and her fiancé really helped move the whole season along. Even going beyond the ridiculous things they made her character go through in JJ season two, I still dislike the character, I still find her Trish Talk show unbelievably bad, and her new backstory, though effective in further showing how different Trish and Jessica are despite growing up together, is just utter trash.
By the end of Jessica Jones season two, we’ve got a new status quo for the character, not that she’s no longer a private detective or no longer a hard-hitting, hard-drinking loner, but she’s no longer talking to Trish, and I can’t help but feel a little bit better about that, even if it’s clear the show isn’t done with her yet. Added to a genuinely heartwrenching series of events that really did change Jessica, a small twist in Jessica’s living arrangements that may bring her a shred of happiness, and a deliciously evil turn for Jeri Hogarth, who winds up taking over her law firm through blackmail and completely screwing over a couple of people who did her wrong, and you have a very satisfying ending for a season that truly tested me in its first half.
Jessica Jones season two final score
I liked just about everything about Luke Cage in its first season, especially its lead and its style, but I full-on hated almost everything they did with the show in terms of its actual plot. It was a show that I thought had good roots and a strong foundation, but it did a lot of things wrong, its heroes and villains constantly being undone by shallow characterization and poor storytelling choices, and an attempt to switch villains halfway through the show’s 13 episodes undid a lot of the thrust of the story.
Luke Cage season two fixed just about everything.
First and most important, I liked most everyone in Luke Cage season two, and the evolution of these characters, maybe for once in all of these Marvel Netflix shows, made proper use of all 13 of the season’s episodes. Luke’s inner turmoil with being the hero of Harlem and his frustrations with the title feel mostly right, Misty is dealing with her own issues, having lost an arm in The Defenders but also having lost faith in the system after the betrayal of her partner, Detective Scarfe, at the end of Luke Cage season one, and I even understood and gained a bit of respect for Mariah Dillard, a character who came across as a weird mix of bold and overzealous but also naïve and small in season one. Here in season two her choices are bold, at least once she’s backed into a corner, and she’s vicious and relentless in achieving her goals.
Bushmaster, the new villain in season two, is not only compelling and interesting and deeply tied into the show’s backstory, but really badass, and the fight scenes in the show give you a real sense of how dangerous he is. Bushmaster just moves right and that’s something that means so much for these types of shows and something I really hope carries over into Iron Fist season two. And speaking of Iron Fist, season two of Luke Cage makes strong and sensible use of the ties created between Luke and Danny after The Defenders, so much so that, in lieu of a Defenders season two, I would love to see a Power Man and Iron Fist team-up show.
The story of Luke Cage in season two is a bit of a slow-burn at first, but it turns out to be Shakespearean in scope, and where Luke ends up at the end of the season is a truly interesting place that I didn’t see coming. It’s a dramatic turn, but it’s supported by character work that makes it feel earned. There’s even one relationship in the show that’s portrayed with an astonishing and almost mystifying level of sensitivity and grace between Shades and a former associate that elevates the whole show to… I don’t even know, but it’s solid, solid stuff.
That said, Rosario Dawson’s character, Claire Temple, the night nurse who’s treated our hero’s wounds (both physical and otherwise) in almost every Netflix show so far, is more or less written out of the series for somewhat valid but mostly pretty shaky reasons that felt more like the actress just wanted to be done with her contractual obligations ASAP. If you’re a fan of the character, and she’s arguably the strongest one of all of them, then you’ll definitely be disappointed in what she gets to do for her swan song here. I also continue feel that there’s an essential intelligence behind Mike Colter’s portrayal of Luke Cage that occasionally stands at odds with the show, and while season two takes important steps in the right direction, there’s a soulfulness that I don’t feel like Luke Cage wants to reach but still can’t quite get there.
Thom’s Luke Cage season two final score
I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the Marvel Netflix shows, whether Disney’s impending streaming service will screw the whole thing up or if these characters will ever really count in the greater Marvel Cinematiironc Universe, but after seeing Jessica Jones and Luke Cage in their second seasons, I have to feel at least a little bit encouraged in where things are going. Both shows have gone a long way in making these characters more relatable and pushing them into new and interesting situations, and I actually want to see what happens next with both of them.
But here’s the real kicker: Iron Fist season two is only three weeks away, and not only do the creators of that show seem to have a handle on what went wrong with Iron Fist season one, they finally cut down on the number of episodes to 10. The biggest complaint I’ve had with these shows is their pace because 13 episodes is too many. This one single change has me hopeful and a bit excited again for these shows.
Jessica Jones Season 1 review
Luke Cage Season 1 review
The Defenders Season 1 review
Iron Fist Season 1 review
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2492
|
__label__wiki
| 0.951402
| 0.951402
|
Home Virtual Hosting VDS Dedicated Servers Domains Client Area Shopping Cart About us
Login Register Support
Domain Checker
Home > Domain Checker
support1@iphosters.com
sales1@iphosters.com
* please move your mouse over the object.
Pre-Sales Contact Us
Simple Domain Search | Bulk Domain Search | Bulk Domain Transfer
The bulk real-time domain name search allows you to search up to 20 domains at once. Enter the domains in the field below, one per line - do not enter www. or http:// in front.
Min. Years
.com 1 $10.99 USD $10.99 USD $10.99 USD
.net 1 $14.99 USD $14.99 USD $14.99 USD
.biz 1 $14.99 USD $14.99 USD $14.99 USD
.org 1 $13.99 USD $13.99 USD $13.99 USD
.info 1 $13.99 USD $13.99 USD $13.99 USD
.mobi 1 $15.99 USD $15.99 USD $15.99 USD
.pro 1 $14.99 USD $14.99 USD $14.99 USD
.eu 1 $7.99 USD $7.99 USD $7.99 USD
.us 1 $8.99 USD $8.99 USD $8.99 USD
.tv 1 $36.99 USD $36.99 USD $36.99 USD
.tel 1 $19.99 USD $19.99 USD $19.99 USD
.asia 1 $13.99 USD $13.99 USD $13.99 USD
.in 1 $11.99 USD $11.99 USD $11.99 USD
.fr 1 $8.89 USD $8.27 USD $8.89 USD
.pm 1 $8.89 USD $8.89 USD $8.89 USD
.tf 1 $8.89 USD $8.89 USD $8.89 USD
.wf 1 $8.89 USD $8.89 USD $8.89 USD
.yt 1 $8.89 USD $8.89 USD $8.89 USD
.re 1 $8.99 USD $8.99 USD $8.99 USD
.co 1 $28.99 USD $28.99 USD $28.99 USD
.cc 1 $40.99 USD $40.99 USD $40.99 USD
.nl 1 $13.99 USD $13.99 USD $13.99 USD
.de 1 $8.49 USD N/A $8.49 USD
.pw 1 $18.99 USD $18.99 USD $18.99 USD
.la 1 $33.99 USD $33.99 USD $33.99 USD
.uk 1 $8.84 USD $8.84 USD $8.84 USD
.ink 1 $30.49 USD $30.49 USD $30.49 USD
.xyz 1 $12.00 USD $12.00 USD $12.00 USD
.bar 1 $69.99 USD $69.99 USD $69.99 USD
.me 1 $7.89 USD $19.99 USD $19.99 USD
.nyc 1 $38.99 USD $38.99 USD $38.99 USD
.be 1 $7.49 USD $7.49 USD $7.49 USD
.cx 1 $19.99 USD $19.99 USD $19.99 USD
Copyright © IPHosters, Inc. - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy
Language: EnglishRussian
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2500
|
__label__cc
| 0.71467
| 0.28533
|
home fab
More Details On That First Home-Made Lithographically Produced IC
May 3, 2018 by Jenny List 19 Comments
A few days ago we brought you news of [Sam Zeloof]’s amazing achievement, of creating the first home-made lithographically produced integrated circuit. It was a modest enough design in a simple pair of differential amplifiers and all we had to go on was a Twitter announcement, but it promised a more complete write-up to follow. We’re pleased to note that the write-up has arrived, and we can have a look at some of the details of just how he managed to produce an IC in his garage. He’s even given it a part number, the Zeloof Z1.
For ease of manufacture he’s opted for a PMOS process, and he is using four masks which he lists as the active/doped area, gate oxide, contact window, and top metal. He takes us through 66 different processes that he performs over the twelve hours of a full production run, with comprehensive descriptions that make for a fascinating run-down of semiconductor manufacture for those of us who will never build a chip of our own but are still interested to learn how it is done. The chip’s oblong dimensions are dictated by the constraints of an off-the-shelf Kyocera ceramic chip carrier, though without a wire bonding machine he’s unable to do any more than test it with probes.
You can read our reporting of his first announcement, but don’t go away thinking that will be all. We’re certain [Sam] will be back with more devices, and can’t wait to see the Z2.
Posted in chemistry hacksTagged diy, home fab, home made IC, ic, integrated circuit, lithography
First Lithographically Produced Home Made IC Announced
April 24, 2018 by Jenny List 55 Comments
It is now six decades since the first prototypes of practical integrated circuits were produced. We are used to other technological inventions from the 1950s having passed down the food chain to the point at which they no longer require the budget of a huge company or a national government to achieve, but somehow producing an integrated circuit has remained out of reach. It’s the preserve of the Big Boys, move on, there’s nothing to see here.
Happily for us there exists a dedicated band of experimenters keen to break that six-decade dearth of home-made ICs. And now one of them, [Sam Zeloof], has made an announcement on Twitter that he has succeeded in making a dual differential amplifier IC using a fully lithographic process in his lab. We’ve seen [Jeri Ellsworth] create transistors and integrated circuits a few years ago and he is at pains to credit her work, but her interconnects were not created lithographically, instead being created with conductive epoxy.
For now, all we have is a Twitter announcement, a promise of a write-up to come, and full details of the lead-up to this momentous event on [Sam]’s blog. He describes both UV lithography using a converted DLP projector and electron beam lithography using his electron microscope, as well as sputtering to deposit aluminium for on-chip interconnects. We’ve had an eye on his work for a while, though his progress has been impressively quick given that he only started amassing everything in 2016. We look forward to greater things from this particular garage.
Posted in chemistry hacks, hardware, SliderTagged diy, home fab, home made IC, ic, integrated circuit, lithography
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2502
|
__label__wiki
| 0.514693
| 0.514693
|
PART TWO: YOU’LL NEVER KNOW DAWSON, DRUCKER AND NEXT GENERATIONS
Bob Buford’s Values Project – Part 1
BOB: Talk about stages, Dale. I tell people how my second-half career, or calling, segued from doing to directing, and you see your role in work for Rwanda in transition.
DALE: Bob, over my 12 years in nonprofit, the principles and values that most informed me were about the fruit of my work being on other people’s trees. But these days my job is “to release and direct energy.” Those two principles guide the transformation as I find myself more in the role of mentor or encourager than doer.
Buried in these ideas, of course, is that it starts with “go big or go home.” How do you have a big impact? It has to have a global broad effect; it has to sustain for a long period. As I age, I realize the big impact is through other people over a long period of time, and after I’m gone.
BOB: Give us a for instance – a name or a type of person.
DALE: Blayne Sharpe runs our Bridge2Rwanda program now. When I met him, he was a recent college graduate. He’d worked his way through school in a commercial bank, on a fast track in a traditional business career. Judy and I met him five or six years ago while searching for a local business manager. He turned us down two or three times, but God haunted him. Eventually he left his career in banking and came to work for us in a little nonprofit. Then he went to Africa as our operations manager, a founder of the scholar’s program. He took a year and helped the CEO of Tyson Foods set a commercial feed mill in Rwanda, then he came back as executive director of Bridge2Rwanda, managing the scholar’s program.
While I’m CEO, day-to-day this 31-year-old once headed into a traditional business career now runs the Scholar’s Program in Rwanda. He’s absorbed all these values for launching a generation there. Another five or six young people in their late 20s/early 30s, in the last 10 years, moved to Rwanda and have been involved in Bridge2Rwanda. Now in their 30s, they’re living lives of significance, focused on excellence in business or education or training. They’ve absorbed these values and didn’t want to wait until age 50 to do it.
BOB: As it turns out, you don’t have to be rich and middle aged.
DALE: They don’t understand why someone would wait to 50 to figure out how to do significant things. I hope they’ll pass it on to the generation of young Africans-those values of service, significance, results, professional excellence-to come back and run their country.
BOB: Their results are changed lives. Peter always told me the currency of the social sector is not money but change in people. That’s where you get the equity.
DALE: These 30-something young Americans are transforming the lives of the most talented young Africans-and African’s ultimately will only be changed by Africans.
BOB: How can we help younger generations understand these values and generate their own? That’s our goal with this interview series.
DALE: Drucker’s values, to me, are principles I’ve learned in the marketplace. You show how they also apply to the social sector-for results. In that 40-page book about applying “Good to Great” to the social sector, Jim Collins said the same thing. For a business leader moving into social sector transformation-Halftimer or Millennial-don’t think it isn’t true social work. You get more social transformation when you apply these “business” principles.
BOB: I’d take you back to Bishop John. Something about him that blew you away. I was there when that happened.
DALE: At Stephens, as we were running banking, we met CEOs and spent time with them. You develop a sense of when someone is special, talented, committed, can get things done. I’d never thought about those kind of people outside the business world. When I met Bishop John, taking to him, however, I realized he had all those amazing entrepreneurial leadership talents: smart, passionate, aspiring. When he built a school for genocide orphans, he wanted the best school in the country. He had a vision for high standards, and yet he was clearly full of joy. And the humility about him also is very attractive.
BOB: Which is a Collins point.
DALE: He was a level-five leader. And seeing a player in another context changed my paradigm. I saw myself as an entrepreneur, leader, joyful warrior. I thought if God can use that man in that setting, maybe he can use me. That was the beginning of my Halftime, my believing that the type of person I was could be used for the kingdom.
BOB: So it’s made real via a genuine experience that you run into or seek out. You have not mentioned that you build on people who are receptive to what you’re doing. No having to beat them up. They want to do it.
DALE: When we first started going to Rwanda, President Kagame found out we were in the country. I was with Scott Ford, CEO of Alltel at the time. The President invited us to his home and we talked about what he was trying to do. Four months later he came to Little Rock to speak at the Clinton Library. A few years later he created an advisory council, asking us to meet with him and his leaders every six months. A huge reason we’re in Rwanda is because the President and leadership there invited us, on their initiative, to come alongside. No strings. No asking for money or commitments. Rick Warren is on that council. Business people. Professors. From Canada, UK, Australia. Tony Blair shows up. The Rwandan leaders put a huge value on friendships and inviting people alongside. We would not have had the impact had they not invited us into their inner circle, and they took the initiative. And when they did, when they opened the door, and we jumped in with both feet.
BOB: Praise God.
DALE: I’ve thought a lot about “Go big or go home.” Don’t do drips and drabs. Development in Africa has been so poor; trillions spent with little to show for it. We believe leadership development of indigenous people, a global network of relationships, is a fundamental way the U.S. can help transform the world. We hope Bridge2Rwanda scholars come back to Africa. You develop 100 young people that other countries and places see and say, “Rather than show up with aid, let’s invest in their young and their businesses.” Long term, we’d love to create a model of development . . . a different way of how the U.S. influences the world.
BOB: In this conversation you’ve given almost no criticism. Most things on TV, certainly politics want to catch the opponent and turn the catch into a thousand different sound bites. You’re not doing that.
DALE: The backside of islands of health and strength is not to criticize the others but to invest your energy in results.
Success is a steady stream of innovation. We’ve done hundreds of projects-in business, leadership and education-without knowing what would work, and some were complete failures. The approach always was to triple down on the few things that had big impact and stop doing what gets average results.
Bridge2Rwanda, once dozens of projects, now is one project, which, ultimately, we see has a big, big impact. You observe and discard, but you don’t critique or criticize others.
BOB: That is the most counter-intuitive thing in the way we do politics.
DALE: You wade through the resistance. You persistently drive to improve and get results and change lives and keep doing it better, and God blesses it over time.
BOB: This conversation, as you know, begins a series of interviews about values that guide lives of significance, and I’m looking at one of those lives.
DALE: You’ve had a front row seat for a long time.
Your Spouse’s Dreams May Be A Key to Your Halftime Calling
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2505
|
__label__wiki
| 0.788302
| 0.788302
|
Magnitsky Act Passes, Russia Reacts
On June 26th, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Magnitsky Act, a bill prohibiting foreign human rights violators from entering the U.S. and giving the government the right to freeze their American bank accounts. While it was being developed, it became a source of tension in U.S.-Russian relations. As a result, in response to the bill’s passage, Russian authorities have aimed their ire at foreign-backed NGOs. Nonetheless, despite the bill’s symbolic significance, it will not seriously impact the bilateral relations between Russia and the United States, argues IMR analyst Olga Khvostunova.
A Victim of the Regime
One man’s tragedy can impact international politics. Moscow lawyer Sergei Magnitsky had hardly imagined that he would become that man. In 2007, his client Hermitage Capital, a foreign hedge fund that had once been Russia’s largest, hired him to investigate the raider attack on their assess. At the time, Magnitsky was the head of the tax and audit department at Firestone Duncan, a consulting firm that rendered legal services to a number of companies, including the UK-based Hermitage Capital Management. The dramatic story of the theft of billions of rubles from the Russian government was detailed in Novaya Gazeta. Hermitage Capital CEO William Browder then gave Snob magazine a controversial interview on the story.
During his investigation of the raider attack on Hermitage Capital, Magnitsky uncovered a tax-fraud scheme of epic proportions. A group of Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) officials colluded with judges and tax inspectors to use documents belonging to the fund’s subsidiaries (expropriated during illegal searches) in order to withdraw a staggering 5.4 billion rubles (230 billion USD) from the Russian state budget. Magnitsky submitted abundant evidence of this gross malfeasance to the Prosecutor’s General Office, the Russian Investigative Committee, and the MVD. Soon, the investigation turned into a mockery, and after a rapid trial, a man named Viktor Markelov, an ex-convict and lumber industry worker, was found guilty in organizing this sophisticated scheme and stealing the money. Naturally, Markelov was nothing but the fall guy.
Hermitage Capital lawyers couldn't accept the outcome of this trial and continued to submit claims and testify against those they considered guilty of the theft. Magnitsky was the most vocal, greatly irritating the corrupt government bodies he was exposing. His actions led to his arrest on November 24, 2008. He was charged with helping Hermitage Capital evade taxes. Magnitsky spent almost a year in a detention center of the Moscow Butyrka prison, awaiting a trial. During this time, he repeatedly filed complaints of the awful confinement conditions and his deteriorating health. He would say that investigators tried to force him give to false testimony against William Browder, Hermitage Capital’s CEO. By November 13, 2009, Magnitsky’s health had deteriorated drastically, but he was denied all medial treatment. Instead, he was secretly transferred to solitary confinement in Matrosskaya Tishina, another Moscow prison, where he died on November 16, 2009.
Magnitsky's death caused great public outcry. However, despite all the known facts of this outrageous case and numerous statements from his colleagues, William Browder, and a multitude of human rights activists and journalists pleading for justice, according to polls, the majority of Russians have never even heard of Magnistky. Or, even if they had heard about the case at some point, they had quickly forgotten him. The most recent poll (June 28, 2012) by the Levada Center demonstrates that this year, 44% of respondents knew nothing about the Magnitsky case, while only a year ago, in August 2011, the percentage was 31%. Today, 12% of those who know about it think that the lawyer was taken out by top state officials threatened by Magnitsky; 11% said that he had been set up by the investigators he had accused of stealing the money. In 2011, 14% and 18% of respondents were of the same opinion respectively.
In a sense, it was the public’s indifference that legitimized the actions of the Russian authorities: silence implies consent. Vladimir Pastukhov, a political science scholar currently teaching at Oxford University, writes about this problem in a recent op-ed for Novaya Gazeta. He blames not only corrupt authorities, but the class of Russian society that accepted this kind of immorality as the norm in exchange for prosperity.
“The rationalization of evil is impossible without the “disengagement effect,” he writes. “[Georgian] philosopher Merab Mamardashvili once said that people can integrate only the facts that fit in with their mentality and essentially ignore everything else. We can see this in people’s reaction to the Magnitsky case. With it, we have an example of a brutal crime, although dozens of even more brutal crimes are committed in Russia every day, and a great deal of evidence that supports the narrative he died for. However, it turns out that those who are loyal to the current administration are capable of disregarding the evidence; they can read about it without grasping what it means, listen to the story without hearing the words. Their ability to draw their own conclusions based on the information is essentially blocked. Thus, the way they understand this case is shallow and based on the prejudices concomitant with their political attitudes and not the facts.”
Justice from the U.S.
Regardless of the Russians who ignore the case and its implications, it has proved impossible for authorities to completely hush it up. Here we see the rare case when an individual tragedy affects the trajectory of international politics.
After Magnistky’s death, William Browder launched a campaign for bringing those responsible for his death to justice. One of his initiatives was lobbying for a bill in Europe and the U.S. that would prohibit those guilty entry to specific countries and also freezing their bank accounts. Browder compiled and distributed the so-called “Magnitsky List” which included the names of all the people involved in the lawyer’s death from prison doctors to top MVD officials.
In the U.S., the bill is called the “Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act,” and it received broad, bipartisan support. Its chief sponsors were Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ). Although the bill was first introduced in September 2010, it took almost two years to pass, as it met resistance from the State Department, which didn’t want to deal with the negative impact it could have on U.S.-Russian relations.
American Senator Benjamin Cardin, D-MD (on the right) is one of the authors of the new law. According to an online Russian political newspaper Evro-SMI, immediately after the vote, a satisfied Cardin told reporters that "our main goal in not only to fight for justice in the Magnitsky case, but to fight for human rights worldwide by not allowing those who violate them into our country, or to use our banking system." At the same time, the Senator did not deny that the Magnitsky case had served as the impetus for the creation of this bill.
Finally, this year, after Russia joined the WTO, supporters of the Magnitsky Act made it clear that passing the bill would be an essential condition for repealing the Jackson-Vanik amendment. The latter had been passed 1974 in order to restrict trade relations with countries limiting freedom of migration, mostly targeted at the USSR. Many U.S. officials had long been calling for the repeal of this obsolete amendment in order to optimize trade relations with Russia.
Eventually, on June 7th 2012, the Magnitsky Act was unanimously passed by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The vote in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations was scheduled for June 19, but was postponed following the meeting of President Obama and President Putin in Los Cabos. Then, a week later, the Senate Commission approved the Act, also unanimously.
The Senate's version of the Act is slightly different from the one approved by the House. Initially, the Magnitsky Act was supposed to be adopted as a measure against human rights violations in Russia and could not be applied to other countries. In addition, the list of violators was meant to be made public. In the new version of the bill, its area of application has been extended to other countries, while violators’ names can be classified for the purposes of national security upon the request of the Secretary of State.
Many experts point out that the adjustments were made to minimize the negative effects of the Magnitsky Act on U.S.-Russia relations. It is possible that this was discussed by Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama. Nevertheless, Senator Cardin managed to introduce one more amendment to the bill that obliges the administration to submit a detailed justification to Congress for why the names must be kept confidential.
So what does the U.S. bill have to do with restoring justice for the dead lawyer in Russia?
Right before the House voted on the bill, a Brookings Institution fellow Robert Kagan together with Freedom House director David Kramer published an op-ed in the Washington Post explaining the bill. «The proposed legislation is not about one man, however. It is about a Russian system choking on corruption, illegality and abuse. <…> The Russian people today live in a system where corrupt officials spirit their ill-gotten gains to safe havens outside the country, where they can neither be taxed nor accounted for. <…> This corruption, and the forces who defend it by imprisoning or killing those who expose it, are gnawing away at Russian society from the inside. What the people of Russia need is a free and open public discourse where government officials can be held accountable. That kind of climate will attract the foreign investment Russia needs to grow and to diversify its economy.”
"Symmetrical Response"
During the two years when the Magnitsky Act was being debated in the U.S. Congress, Russian authorities repeatedly called it a heavy-handed interference in Russia's internal affairs. Despite the fact that the more lenient version is the one being adopted, many Russian officials have threatened a “symmetrical response.” These threats range from the introduction of a Russian black list for U.S. citizens entering the country to terminating Russia’s cooperation on the missile defense shield and START treaty.
The first real Russian counter-measure came as surprise. On June 29th, Deputy Alexander Sidyakin of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party introduced a package of amendments to the law on NGOs and the Criminal Code. The amendments push for registering NGOs that receive financial support from abroad and participate in political activities as “foreign agents.” The definition of “political activities” in the bill is very vague, citing participation in public events with the purpose of influencing government bodies and changing their policies.
According to this legislation, “agents” will have to report on their activities every six months (instead of annually, like all other NGOs) and submit financial reports every three months. Their bank transactions exceeding 200 thousand rubles (approximately $7,000 USD) will be subjected to obligatory government control. If an “agent” doesn’t register with the Ministry of Justice, it will be penalized up to 1 million rubles, or about $30,000 and its activities will be suspended for six months. The director of an “agent” organization found in violation of the new NGO legislation, will be penalized 300 thousand rubles ( about $10,000) or sentenced to up to three years in prison.
The proposed legislation is about a Russian system choking on corruption, illegality and abuse.
David Kramer
In effect, the new amendments can be applied, if necessary, to any of 260,000 NGOs registered in Russia today, such as Greenpeace Russia or Chulpan Khamatova's Grant Life Foundation. The legislation would institute stricter government control over NGOs participating in protests and opposition activities, such as Golos and the Moscow Helsinki Group. Lyudmila Alexeyeva who presides over the latter told the New York Times that she would rather shut down her 36 year old organization than agree to the term “foreign agent.” “We are not agents of foreign governments. We protect the rights of our citizens when their rights are violated,” she said.
Newpaper Vedomosti published an editorial criticizing the United Russia bill. With sarcasm, they noted “Finally, we can find out what organizations the notorious State Department and other foreign agencies are financing in Russia.” After listing a number of positive changes that happened in Russia because of NGOs financed from abroad, the journalists gloomily concluded, “Indeed, there is xenophobia in Russia society. But it might turn out that all the good in the country is being paid for with foreign money.”
In her New York Times blog, Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen compared the current situation in Russia with the final days of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime in Yugoslavia. “Toward the end of Milosevic’s rule many NGOs in Yugoslavia had to close or go underground because of special regulations concerning foreign funding. I doubt the Russian government has been boning up on the Yugoslav experience and deliberately reusing the late dictator’s old tricks. Like most of what the Russian regime does, this brewing attack on “foreign agents” is undertaken instinctually. <…> In the Kremlin’s world view, those who want change are enemies and enemies are foreign: if only the country could be cleansed of foreign nationals and their money, popular discontent would go away.”
Russian political history of the past ten years shows that criticism coming from the few remaining independent media outlets and human rights organizations have no impact on the Kremlin's policies whatsoever. The regime that has effectively isolated the public from the decision-making process while taking over vast natural and human resources and depriving people of their basic rights tends to view criticism as the result of a misunderstanding. Officials ignore it until someone becomes dangerously annoying, like Sergei Magnitsky, and then the offending party is doomed to be destroyed. The key tool of this system is not the force of the best argument, but simply force. Putin’s regime has been falling back onto the path of a geopolitical stand-off like the Cold War, seeing the U.S. as a hostile adversary, but a much stronger and more powerful one. This doesn’t stop the Kremlin from picking on the U.S. In that sense, adoption of Magnitsky Act by the American Congress can be viewed as the manifestation of their greater power, although it is only argument that Russian authorities are capable of understanding which doesn’t let them ignore the West’s opinion.
In the end, one thing is clear: with all its symbolic power, the Magnitsky Act will not have much real impact on the bilateral relations of the U.S. and Russia. The White House has done everything in its power to show its unwillingness to pass the bill. As for Vladimir Putin, he is a practical man who is more interested in cooperation with America than in confrontation. Unfortunately, as it often happens in Russia, high level political bickering trickles down. This time it’s the NGOs that suffered. What is sadder is that the majority of Russians remain indifferent to the fate of Magnitsky and other victims of Putin’s regime.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2506
|
__label__wiki
| 0.54659
| 0.54659
|
Umesh Yadav: When you aren’t getting a consistent run, you are thinking more about how to earn your chancehttps://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/umesh-yadav-india-vs-australia-shami-bumrah-5549152/
Umesh Yadav: When you aren’t getting a consistent run, you are thinking more about how to earn your chance
Fast bowler Umesh Yadav didn't have a great tour Down Under and tells The Indian Express that playing a few games at a stretch would help his cause.
Written by Devendra Pandey | Updated: January 22, 2019 8:43:55 am
India vs Australia 1st T20: Some days execution in death bowling doesn’t work out, says Jasprit Bumrah
India vs Australia: ‘You don’t understand sport,’ Harsha Bhogle slams those calling Umesh Yadav ‘villain’
Ashish Nehra picks Umesh Yadav over Khaleel Ahmed in India’s World Cup squad
Umesh Yadav played just one Test match and one tour game in Australia. He took 3 wickets at an average of 84. (Source: PTI)
When Umesh Yadav burst on the scene, coming from the outskirts of Nagpur bowling fast and furious, it seemed as if he would go onto becoming India’s pace spearhead. However, the rise of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah means Yadav has never been the first-choice quick for Virat Kohli. He tends to play a game or two and is then dropped, as Team India looks to rotate its fast bowling crop.
On the sidelines of a Ranji Trophy game for Vidarbha in which he took nine wickets, Yadav spoke about the struggles of a tearaway when life doesn’t keep pace with expectations. Excerpts.
You debuted nearly eight years ago. How do you see your career at the moment?
Whatever cricket I have played so far and have been playing of late, I would say there have been plenty of ups and downs. Sometimes you get a few games on the run and then you have to wait for your chance, so a bowler’s rhythm is affected a bit. Bowling in the nets is different from playing in a match. Usually when I play matches continuously, I feel the body responds well and I get into a rhythm. But when that doesn’t happen, and you sit out a whole tour and then get a one-off match, it becomes difficult. I am glad that I am at the peak of my fitness. I have been working out daily and will now try and focus on whatever matches I get – be it for India or on the domestic circuit – I look forward to improving my game.
So do you feel continuity is difficult?
Usually when you are playing at the international level continuously, not just the body but even your mind starts working differently. You are constantly thinking about how to vary your lines, how to set a batsman up. But when you are in and out of the side, the whole rhythm gets lost. Even the level of thinking changes because you tend to think more about switching on and off. When you are playing constantly, you know your role precisely and think accordingly, what you have to do and all that. But when you aren’t getting a consistent run, you are thinking more about how to earn your chance. When you play one or two games overseas in a year, it definitely makes a difference. I have played five Tests in the last year and in ODIs and T20s, I have been on-off, on-off, so it does matter a lot.
When you are sitting at home or sitting in the room when you are not in the team, you don't have much to do. You do your practice, do your fitness, but then what! You can sustain it for a day or two, even a week or 10 days, but beyond that, without any match practice, you tend to get bored, even frustrated.
When you come back to the domestic level, you definitely are in shape when it comes to practice but the simulation is not as much as the international level. You are not sure whether you will get batsmen to bowl at who are good enough at the highest level, sometimes you get wickets despite not bowling well. Yes, playing at the domestic level definitely helps you get confidence, but it is really difficult for an international player to come back to the domestic level and compete and keep your confidence high.
How do you cope with it mentally?
It depends. I feel I started playing cricket because I was passionate about bowling. As long as I remain passionate, it should not really matter whether I am playing upar yaa neeche. So I try and do that, to keep the same mindset irrespective of whether I am playing Ranji Trophy or international cricket. I can’t let myself slip into a negative zone, so I try and keep telling myself “koi nahin, abhi kharaab hua, ab achha hoga. You will get your chance soon and you got to be ready to grab that.”
Did you try to speak to someone?
Definitely you feel like talking to someone you look up to and I do that. Whenever I start drifting towards negativity, I speak with (Ashish) Nehra paaji, who I worked with during RCB or Subroto Banerjee sir. Ashish paaji keeps telling me don’t make mistakes that they did during their time. He says “When we didn’t get our chance, we at times were reluctant to train and when we got matches, we were not as focused as we should have been, so don’t let that happen.” He keeps reminding me of the problem of plenty when it comes to options in fast bowling for India at the moment, so he just keeps asking me to be patient and keep myself ready whenever I get a chance. Definitely since my fellow fast bowlers have bowled so well for India, I haven’t got as many matches as them, but Ashish paaji asks me to remain positive all the time. He asks me to focus on Ranji Trophy because that’s where I can keep putting pressure on the selectors with consistent performances. If I don’t do that, it will get really difficult for me to play at the highest grade. Everyone’s watching you when you play here and you have to keep reminding them with a big haul of wickets.
Kulbhushan Jadhav verdict: Pakistan has its own compulsions to lie to its own people, says MEA
Can India really deport illegal immigrants after final NRC list
Shreyas Iyer recently touched upon how cricketers’ life can be very lonely, especially if you are in the team and not playing. Did you also feel the same ever?
It happens with me as well because when you are travelling while playing, time just flies by, but when you are sitting at home or sitting in the room when you are not in the team, you don’t have much to do. You do your practice, do your fitness, but then what! You can sustain it for a day or two, even a week or 10 days, but beyond that, without any match practice, you tend to get bored, even frustrated. I am fortunate that immediately after coming back from Australia, the Ranji Trophy knockouts were starting and Vidarbha had made it, so my system was not disturbed. I know that I will get to play matches, something for which I have had a craving for a while, and now that I have joined the team, I will try and help Vidarbha first make it to the final and then lift the title this year as well.
Do you have clarity over whether you have a role to play in white-ball cricket?
When it comes to clarity, selectors will have to think about it. As a bowler, I haven’t played any major tournaments. I just get an odd game in a series and then get omitted. If you don’t get chances, how will you prove yourself? If you see, in the last two years, how many ODIs would I have played? Hardly four-five. I got two games in England, two against West Indies, then they picked me for T20s and now I am again out. If I have been performing in the IPL, they have to give me a fair chance. I should get a consistent run to prove myself. If I can’t do well, I can accept it. But if you get just one or two games in a year, even when you come in, you tend to carry too much pressure just to maintain your place in the team rather than giving your best and helping the team win.
What went wrong in the Perth Test?
I mentioned about rhythm and that is what affected me in Perth. I just didn’t settle into any rhythm and couldn’t deliver as much as I was expected to. The others were bowling well and I thought after the kind of start I got, I will improve on it as the match progressed, but didn’t get to bowl much in the second innings. Yes, I was off-track and wasn’t in rhythm. When I went back and watched the videos, I was running in a little awkwardly and even the pace was lacking, so I feel rhythm could be the only reason for being a little wayward. When you don’t start well and others are picking wickets, you are thinking of how to match them, but then somehow I just didn’t get into any rhythm.
Isn’t it the line, not the pace, which is the main problem for you?
Usually it’s a problem. See, I have never said that I will be an accurate bowler or I am an accurate bowler, someone who keeps bowling on one spot. But if you see, when I have played a streak of matches — be it against Australia or England prior to that — it’s not that I have strayed around or bowled too short or conceded too many runs. My economy rate in those series was around 2 runs an over. But suddenly, when you don’t get games in international cricket, it does make a difference. Bowling in international cricket is different than playing here (Ranji Trophy). Just like, see after the first day, if someone would have said Umesh is here but hasn’t even been able to pick wickets against Uttarakhand, it’s not fair. You have to also assess the conditions. I am not Superman.
What has been the role of India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun?
Definitely, we keep talking to each other. He has to look after the whole flock of bowlers and when I spoke to him last, he also felt that my rhythm in Perth wasn’t that great and that resulted in what’s happened since then, but he has also given me the confidence that I can come back stronger. He believes in me, just like he does in all the five or six bowlers in the core group.
Was it disappointing since you went to Australia on a high?
Definitely, I had gone to Australia with the same thought that I will get many more opportunities than I did, but when I didn’t get a chance after not doing so well in the second match, I had to come back and wait for my chance. Let’s see, one bad match doesn’t mean life is over. It’s given me time to think what I should do to and work on my mistakes to come back stronger.
Did you try to speak to (captain Virat) Kohli or coach Ravi (Shastri)?
I feel the management scenario is different. A player cannot get involved in it. Nobody can ask them why someone is or isn’t playing because, after all, it’s a team decision. Captain, coach, selector – they decide the best team combination from their perspective. Every player, if consulted, would want to play all the time, but it doesn’t work that way. Once you have a captain and coach in place, you should trust them that they are thinking what suits the team the best.
Do you think it’s tough because India has the best bowling attack at the moment?
I am sure it’s the best pace attack in India. You have pace, swing and even someone who just zips the ball past a batsman irrespective of the conditions. Now you have a pace unit that oppositions mull over for months before a series and the opposition bowlers also know that if you bowl too many short ones, they will also get it back. You look at Bumrah, Ishant (Sharma), Shami, they are amazing. It’s not easy to play them individually and moreover, with the pace unit we have, the opposition just cannot relax after one of us is done with a spell because there’s no easy bowler to follow someone who is tiring. And the world knows that it’s not just pace but all of us have matured after having played in various conditions over the years. That’s a great benefit and all the bowlers know that the bowling attack is not just strong but a mature lot as well.
Follow the Cricket World Cup 2019 live updates and real-time analysis on IndianExpress.com. Check the ICC Cricket World 2019 Schedule, Teams and Points Table.
1 Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul ban: CoA mulls behavioural counselling for Indian team
2 Before the Australia series, we were nervous but confident that we can win, says Cheteshwar Pujara at Express Adda
3 New Zealand women cricketers earn 91% lesser than commentators in Super Smash competition
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2508
|
__label__wiki
| 0.955344
| 0.955344
|
Added on June 16, 2019 KV Network
Indian boy in UAE falls asleep in school bus, dies: report
Dubai, Jun 16 (PTI) A six-year-old Indian boy was found dead after he dozed off in his school bus and left behind alone for several hours in the UAE on Saturday, according to a media report.
Mohamed Farhan Faisal, who hailed from Kerala, was a student of Islamic Centre in Al Quoz and had dozed off after boarding the bus. He was left behind after all other students disembarked outside the centre at 8 am, the Khaleej Times reported.
The Dubai Police said that they were notified of the tragedy at 3 pm.
“The child was found as the driver took the bus out to drop the students back home,” a senior police official was quoted as saying by the paper.
Farhan was the youngest of three children and had joined the centre earlier this year.
His parents are long-time residents of Dubai and the family resides in Karama.
His father Faisal runs multiple businesses in Dubai and Kerala, the paper reported.
“I had met the family during a get-together just last week. He was such a bright boy. His parents are in a state of shock,” said a close family member, who requested not to be named.
After the initial investigation, the body was shifted to the forensic department at 6 pm for an autopsy.
“The mortal remains will be handed over to the family after all legal and administrative procedures have been completed,” the official said.
The UAE has witnessed similar cases earlier as well.
In 2014, a KG1 student at Abu Dhabi’s Al Worood Academy Private School, Nizaha Ala’a, suffocated to death after being forgotten inside a bus.
The news had shocked the nation and sparked a major discussion on child safety in buses.
Last year, another KG1 student was forgotten inside a school for over four hours. Fortunately, the child survived, the paper reported.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2510
|
__label__cc
| 0.721163
| 0.278837
|
Prosstitz
PROSSTITZ (Prossnitz), DANIEL (Steinschneider; 1759–1846), Hungarian rabbi. Born in Tobitschau near Prossnitz (Prostejov), Daniel studied first in Moravia and later in Pressburg under the rabbi of the town Meir b. Saul *Barby and was later appointed by Meshullam *Igra to his bet din there. Eventually he succeeded Rabbi M. Toska, the head of the bet din. In addition he was appointed rabbi to a society for the study of the Talmud (Ḥevrah Shas) established in Pressburg. He served the Pressburg community in these capacities for 50 years. Prosstitz recommended Moses *Sofer for the vacant position of rabbi of Pressburg and it was largely due to his conduct of the negotiations that Sofer was appointed. Prosstitz also occupied himself with Kabbalah and used to fast frequently, especially after a dream.
He published the Sefer ha-Yashar of Jacob Tam, and left responsa and novellae to the Talmud in manuscript. Responsa addressed to him are found in the Resp. Ḥatam Sofer, in Ezekiel *Landau's Noda bi-Yhudah, and in the responsa of his other great contemporaries.
D. Prosstitz Steinschneider, Dan mi-Daniel, 1 (1881), introd.; I. Weiss, Avnei Beit ha-Yoẓer (1900), nos. 1:11, 2:11; S. Sofer, Iggerot Soferim, pt. 2 (1928), 5; H. Gold, Die Juden und die Judengemeinde Bratislava in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart (1932).
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2515
|
__label__cc
| 0.654208
| 0.345792
|
Is Pheed the New Twitter?
What is Pheed?
Pheed is a new social media platform soft-launched on August 10, 2012 from Los Angeles, California by a group of friends from the technology and entertainment community. After only a few days of its official launch on October 12, Pheed had already hit over 350,000 unique visitors.
What is Pheed’s secret?
Think of it as Twitter, with a business plan. Pheed enables users to share all forms of digital content, including text, photo, audio, video, and live broadcasts. “Pheeders” then have the option to share for free or at a premium, either by applying a monthly subscription fee to their channel or setting up a pay-per-view live broadcast event.
Users can charge anywhere from $1.99 to $34.99 per view, or $1.99 to $34.99 per month. In both cases, the user selects their own pricing and owns all of the content. Pheed makes money by taking half of the revenue, which covers bandwidth and storage, payment processing. Whether that’s concerts from someone’s living room or studio, comedy stand-up from the kitchen, interviews on pay-per-view, or a boxing match, there is no limit to what users can do and earn.
Do I like it? Will it be a success? I don’t know yet!
For now, it’s safe to say Pheed is a site we should all keep an eye on.
JMD Communications
Michel Ouellette JMD
Pheed
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2516
|
__label__cc
| 0.515548
| 0.484452
|
Artist for all my adult life, currently trying to use art as mediator between sorting my own life out and a postcapitalist desire
Archive | November 2017
in artworks, video art
‘Anglo-Saxon’ (2017)
‘Anglo-Saxon’ (2017, mixed media on paper)
We are facing a crisis the likes of what we have never witnessed (political, and economic, but first and foremost, cultural). But who exactly do I mean by We? Well, according to the prolific online writer Umair Haque, it is ‘Us’ right ‘here’ (a place that cannot but see itself as the centre) in the English-speaking world. With its anti-socialist ideology that is so wedded to the idea that pure market freedom equals pure freedom per-se (and thus must be the best possible system), as its functionality seems to have congealed with crisis, “the English-speaking World is The New Soviet Union.”
Haque, like many jaded Americans who can still see stains of social democracy in the European fabric that we here are blind to, sees the current American nation as a lost cause, whilst holds out hope for the other Anglo-Saxon countries. But perhaps whilst Haque’s American perspective helps him see still existing stains of our faded socialism, he cannot see the deeper dye of Christian values that are more surface level in his own country. This conservatism has always been one part of the UK’s great social torsion with the nature of capitalist exploitation. But I wonder for how much longer.
An unprecedented amount of scandals are rising to the surface, the tax evasions are the most recent, but are totally overshadowed by the deluge of reports of sexual abuse and harassment perpetrated by individuals in positions our society underlines with trust and reverence.
I would argue that it has been caused by a three-way collision of trajectories all fueled on the rocket fuel that is capitalist culture in the ‘always on/always exposed-to age: the unprecedented exposure of corruptions that go on at the pressure points of high power and high pressure, first, colliding with the enlightenment principles of transparency, and secondly colliding with a culture that still holds true to Christian notions of what ‘sin’ is.
A painful, but necessary transformation has never felt so urgent. But left to the impulses propagated by deep-seated media tendencies, we seem to be hysterically heading towards a new age of show trials. The hysteria is tangible: “who is the next monster to be unveiled?” But where will such impulses lead us to?
I’m sorry, but anybody who is interpreting what I’m saying as acceptance of the institutionalized misogyny, and exploitation of people in vulnerable places, really has got the totally wrong end of the warning flare I’m waving around here. A crisis solved by ripping the plaster off as fast as possible is to allow blood to gush like never witnessed.
To ignore the male prison within patriarchy, to ignore that squeezing of desires into opposing sides; and then to ignore the extreme humiliations at one end of the male camp and them extreme lust for power at the other end that underpins the past 40 years, and then (!) to ignore the Pandora’s box opened by the capitalist cyber-sphere is to say, “I’d rather hysterically finger-point, and just hope the finger never turns on myself”.
A lot of men who have been made socially, and thus existentially limbless creatures, lunge out misogynistically into the mire of the patriarchal wasteland, before turning the violence back in on themselves. Whilst the men with all the power are slowly incriminating themselves, the men with no power are slowly committing suicide. With the advent of our ‘always on/always bearing-witness’ technologies, we are within a machine that stops at nothing to monsterise us. And the ghost of an Enlightened liberalism responds by saying “you don’t have to buy into it”. But this ghost is running out of bodies to possess.
Under Soviet state crises everybody was expendable for the cause; under extreme Anglo Saxonism everybody is held individually responsible for the crises. If we allow our deep-seated media structure to guide our impulses we face the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Stalin’s show trials, where everybody is forever watching their back from an out of control justice system that will become indistinguishable from a mob.
That our current cultural structures are utterly dysfunctional in the face of the conditions that have been thrown up by this collision is the biggest understatement of 2017. I’d argue that beyond our reactions, there is a post-crisis stage that the painful transformation the internet age has precipitated could arrive us at. It’s the hardest path to take in the long run, but my word it is the better one; the one where we, to quote the brilliant words of Yorkshire poet Gav Roberts, we can Put All Weapons Down. And That means fully-loaded penises as well as fully-loaded guns. I suspect the sense of liberation this would allow for, would make owning your own gun seem laughable.
The Eternal Blip (A Mary Celeste Decade) and other works in progress
I’m really in a work-in-progress point at the moment. I’ve got a bit more time, because I’m doing a part-time Masters, and working less hours. Getting into more debt by taking a loan and returning to further develop my art may seem like a foolish move to some, but with working five days a week (no matter what that work is!!) the sheer lack of time was meaning my ability to think creatively and strengthen my work was being starved. Fair enough some may say: ‘that’s life’. If I was to stay working 5 days a week I would have had to give up making my work, because it had no room to maneuver and expand, and could only contract. But I saw an opening to keep on working on it, and that’s what I’ve done.
The Eternal Blip (A Mary Celeste Decade)
<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/239828894″>An Eternal Blip (A Mary Celeste Decade)</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/user60125733″>John Ledger</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>
Timeline of opening and closing of horizons (2008-2018)
For years I have been reeling from accusations that not only is my work very negative, but I also am negative. I have never accepted this, and from a person who suffers quite a lot of anxiety, I think it’s a given that on first impressions I’m not as warm and accommodating as I’d like to be, even though I nearly always come around, when I have chance to ‘breathe’.
The work (or ‘what I can contribute’) is more difficult. I’ve felt that my work has been trying to help harness a ‘dark optimism’ or a ‘punkdrunk idealism’ for some years now. But maybe it hasn’t been a strong enough element. I have become tired of trying to piece together how fucked up the grand scheme is, if it shows no sign of leading anywhere, especially when the grand scheme, and the awareness of it, isn’t offering yourself out of a future of deteriorating mental health and behavioral patterns.
It may not seem evident within these works in progress straight away, but there is a concerted effort to try to reach out to others in the work. The Eternal Blip (A Mary Celeste Decade) basically tracks the past ten years, since the year when the financial crash happened to now, asking if others feel the same way as I do: that with retrospect it feels like a lost decade (?).
Now, I haven’t been forced to rely on food handouts, had to choose between heating and eating, or found myself on the streets (an awful new normality in the past ten years). But in hindsight I feel like it has stunted me, almost caged me in a previous point of my life. I feel like when I shut my eyes and reopen them, I can’t remember the decade, as it has been sucked from under me.
The parallels between a long depression, and the memory loss it can cause are very closely tied, and I can only hope that it isn’t a lone experience, because I want the other aspects of the work to make sense to people, as they are where the optimism lies.
Within this submerged soundscape there are points of emergence that correlate with times within the past decade when I felt ruptures in default reality fabric occurred. For good or for worse, new horizons felt palpable, as was a sense to act. Ultimately the default reality fabric reasserted itself, and, arguably the depression/memory loss resumed.
From the 2011 English riots to Trump, from Corbyn to Brexit, constructive or destructive, the fact is that these ruptures offer(ed) alterior possibilities from the business-as-usual outcome. I don’t know, I just know how I feel /felt in these moments seemed to contain some kernel of something other, that allowed me to imagine myself in relation to the world in a different manner.
Below is a series of maps that work with the same motives, which are an extension of mapmaking I have been doing for around 5 years now.
Battlegrounds between potency and impotency
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2519
|
__label__cc
| 0.640265
| 0.359735
|
News JDL
The Juan de Lanuza School receives a award, the RSA Plus Seal, by the Government of Aragon
Posted by Colegio Juan de Lanuza
Categories News JDL
Date 26 January, 2019
The Juan de Lanuza School receives a new award, the RSA Plus Seal, which adds to the already achieved, RSA, awarded by the Government of Aragon.
The Juan de Lanuza School obtained a new acknowledgement, the RSA Plus, which adds to the already achieved, RSA Plus, awarded by the Government of Aragon. This recognizes organizations that have taken a step forward in promoting Social Responsibility by encouraging conciliation or the promotion of culture.
The award was collected by the principal of the School, Pilar Fernández, on the 18th of December in the Auditorium of Zaragoza .As it was mentioned in the award ceremony, from the 585 companies that have the RSA Seal, only 63 have the RSA Plus, which is why our center has been featured in Heraldo de Aragón where they mention about our work in relation to Social Responsibility. They explain, for example, that since 1978 , Juan de Lanuza stands out as a pioneer in the commitment to sustainability, creativity as an added value, in the application of knowledge and in constant improvement. In addition, it stands out for its international nature and its commitment to sustainable human development.
School already had the RSA Seal since 2016, and within the framework of Social Responsibility, the center has always stood out for non-discrimination and equal opportunities and, particularly, for facilitating the reconciliation of working life and family as well as the dissemination of the Aragonese culture.
In the words of Pilar Fernández , director of the center,to Heraldo de Aragón in relation to the news of the recognition received that: “We made the first report two years ago and our work was recognized with the award of the seal of Corporate Social Responsibility. Then, continuing with our strategic line, and responding to the demands of the Government of Aragon, which called for greater commitment within the framework of the RSA, promoting, at least, two out of four points – volunteering, conciliation, equality or promotion of culture-, we started inmediately “.
Pilar Fernández also commented to Heraldo de Aragón what are the goals from now on: “Next year we plan to include the other two points required. Our staff currently has more women than men – of the five members of the management team, four of us are women, and of course there is equality in work conditions”.
On the other hand, the press focuses on fact that Juan de Lanuza promotes volunteer actions, “since last year volunteering is encouraged among students over 16 years of age. “We have also implemented the ‘Young Thinkers’ program, which inculcates values and philosophical concepts from the first year of primary school so that this leads both to debate and to volunteering with a greater involvement, “said the center’s director.
Regarding the commitment that the School has with the environment, Pilar Fernández said: “When designing our strategic plan, we thought of a healthy society, focusing on providing training to our students in both environmental and social responsibility and giving importance to the reduction of waste, to its management, to the respect to the use of the energies and the smaller consumption of them “. “We focus on economic, social and environmental sustainability. As an example of the first, we have replaced the 70 windows of the entire south facade of the building using the construction system ‘passivhaus’ “.
Tag:gobierno de aragon, juan de lanuza, RSA+
Colegio Juan de Lanuza
Personalized education to form excellent Problem Solvers
More school teachers get the "Google Certified"
100% PASSED IN EVAU EVERY YEAR
CWMUN Barcelona 2019
There has been a demonstration in the corridors of Juan de Lanuza!
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2528
|
__label__wiki
| 0.755541
| 0.755541
|
Obituary: Edward Little March 27, 2019
on April 2, 2019 - 10:29am
EDWARD LITTLE March 27, 2019
Edward Little, a long-time resident of Los Alamos, went to be with the Lord, passing peacefully on March 27, 2019, just shy of his 99th birthday.
Ed is survived by his wife of 75 years, Mary, his son Robert, his daughter, Susan (Russell), his grandsons Michael (Courtney) and Jacob (Sara), his great-granddaughter Ellie, and cousins, nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, William H. Little, Sr. and Elizabeth Little and his brother William H. Little, Jr. (Fleata).
Ed was born in 1920 in North Carolina. His family moved several times during his childhood as his father’s work required, and he grew up during the Great Depression. In the late 1930’s they moved to Greensboro, NC, where he met his future bride, Mary, in the high school band and also at church.
During WWII Ed answered his country’s call for service by enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942. After training he received his Army Aviator wings. He was assigned to Bergstrom Air Field in Austin, Texas, where he eventually became an instructor pilot in the C-46 and C-47 transport aircraft. In 1945 Ed’s unit was preparing to deploy to the Pacific Theater when the war ended.
In 1943, Mary took a train from North Carolina to join Ed in Austin where they were married at the base chapel. The wedding dinner consisted of fried chicken at the “Chicken Shack” in Austin.
After the war, Ed and Mary returned to NC where Ed obtained his physics degree from the University of North Carolina. After a short stay in the Washington, D.C. area, Ed was accepted for a position at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory as a physicist in 1950. During his career Ed was involved in many projects at the Laboratory including the Scylla and Scyllac thermonuclear research projects. He retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1985.
During those years in Los Alamos, Ed and Mary raised their two children, were members of the First Baptist Church where they served faithfully, and enjoyed the companionship of many friends.
While keeping their main home in Los Alamos, after retirement Ed and Mary traveled in their Airstream for several years. In 1990, they purchased a second home in Sun City, AZ where they spent their winters. Ed and Mary grew to love Sun City where they faithfully attended the First Baptist Church of Sun City. They enjoyed the company of many new friends in Sun City who were from all over the country and Canada. They continued to migrate between Los Alamos and Sun City for 29 years.
Ed enjoyed many interests and hobbies throughout his life including music, singing in the church choirs, playing an organ, history, genealogy research, writing, hiking, camping, birding, golfing, and photography. He especially enjoyed hiking around beautiful Los Alamos and northern New Mexico. He became an accomplished artist and especially enjoyed painting New Mexico landscapes. In his later years he also enjoyed working crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles.
Ed was a devoted Christian throughout his life. He proudly served his country in the military and with the national laboratories. He was a devoted husband and father. He was a proud grandfather and a great grandfather. He valued his friends. He was loved by family and friends and will be greatly missed.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home, PO Box 629, Portales, NM 88130; https://www.nmbch.com.
The family of Edward Little has entrusted the care of their loved one to the DeVargas Funeral Home and Crematory of the Espanola Valley. 505-747-7477.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2530
|
__label__cc
| 0.631932
| 0.368068
|
← Cartoons about School and District Leaders
Teaching Math at MetWest (Part 3) →
I Used to Preach the Gospel of Education Reform. Then I Became the Mayor (Rahm Emanuel)
Rare, indeed, do political leaders question the received wisdom they follow when they have power. Mayors pursuing school reform, as Emanuel did, came with an agenda for turning under-performing districts into high performers. After serving as Chicago’s mayor for eight years and now leaving office, Emanuel explains what he believed to be true in 2011 and what he has learned on the jobsnce. He admits that he erred in thinking about turning the school district around and went on to change his mind about the assumptions he had when entering the post. So few school reformers ever admit to doubts or the wisdom that they swear by.
Emanuel is the 44th mayor of Chicago. He previously served as President Obama’s chief of staff and as chairman of both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the House Democratic Caucus.
This article appeared in The Atlantic online February 5, 2019.
During my first campaign to be Chicago’s mayor, in 2011, I promised to put education reform at the forefront of my agenda. Having participated in Washington policy debates for the better part of two decades, I felt confident that I knew what to do. Then, as now, education reformers preached a certain gospel: Hold teachers solely accountable for educational gains. Expand charter schools. Focus relentlessly on high-school graduation rates. This was the recipe for success.
Three years before that, when President-elect Barack Obama tapped me to be his White House chief of staff, I argued that leaders should never let a good crisis go to waste. I was now determined to take my own advice. At the moment of my inauguration, Chicago’s schools were unquestionably in crisis. Our students had the shortest school day in America. Nearly half of Chicago’s kids were not being offered full-day kindergarten, let alone pre-K. Teacher evaluations had not been updated in nearly 40 years. During my first months in office, I hit the ground running, determined to change all that. Then, much to my surprise, roughly a year into my reform crusade, circumstance prompted me to begin questioning the wisdom of the gospel itself.
My initial doubts emerged four days into what turned out to be the first Chicago teachers’ strike in three decades. After a series of arduous negotiations with Karen Lewis, the union president, we’d arrived at the basic contours of an agreement. In return for higher salaries, Lewis accepted my demands to extend the school day by an hour and 15 minutes, tack two weeks onto the school year, establish universal full-day kindergarten, and rewrite the outdated evaluations used to keep the city’s educators accountable.
One key issue remained: the autonomy of principals. The question was whether individual principals would have the ability to hire faculty of their own choosing, or whether, as Lewis preferred, principals would have to select from a limited pool maintained downtown with the union’s strong input. Honestly, because I’d gotten everything I really wanted, I was tempted to fold. The reform gospel doesn’t pay much mind to principals. Moreover, the new accountability standards promised to rid the schools of bad teachers.
But while I was preparing to brief reporters assembled at Tarkington Elementary on Chicago’s South Side, Mahalia Ann Hines, a former school principal (who happens to be the artist Common’s mother) pulled me aside. Hines, who holds a doctorate from the University of Illinois, had spent 15 years as a principal, at grade levels from elementary through high school. If we were going to make lasting improvements to Chicago’s schools, she argued, principals needed that flexibility. Without it, they would not be able to establish the right culture or create a team atmosphere. And, at least as important, principals would not have the leverage to coach teachers struggling to help their pupils succeed.
Thinking about it now, years after I decided to abandon the gospel of teacher-focused reform for an approach centered on empowering principals, Hines’s advice sounds almost like common sense. But at the time, it was a momentous decision. Parents are rarely surprised when I note that even the best teachers can be rendered ineffective in a dysfunctional school, or that a great principal can turn a good teacher into an extraordinary educator. But even today, reformers rarely take the impact of principals into account.
The union was loath to give in, and the strike dragged on for two additional days. But eventually they agreed, and I then decided to go all in on principal-centered reform. We raised principals’ salaries, particularly for those working in hard-to-staff schools. Chicago established a new program explicitly designed to recruit and train new school leaders. We collaborated with Northwestern University to improve professional development for principals. And we gave the best-performing principals additional autonomy by establishing a system of independent schools, subject to less oversight from the central office.
Today, the Chicago Schools CEO, its chief education officer, and two of the seven members of the board of education, including Hines, are former Chicago public-school principals.
That evolution in thinking prompted me to also question other elements of the reform gospel, including the movement’s unbending support for charter schools. No one disputes that some charter schools, like the Noble Network here in Chicago, are terrific. But what many reformers fail to acknowledge is that a lot of more traditional alternatives—places such as Poe Elementary, an award-winning neighborhood school on the South Side—are great as well. That reality has profound implications. I closed both neighborhood and charter schools as mayor, because mediocre schools of any type fail their students. The 20-year debate between charter and neighborhood is totally misguided, and should be replaced with a focus on quality versus mediocrity. It’s high time we stop fighting about brands, because the only thing that really matters is whether a school is providing a top-notch education.
The reform gospel’s focus on graduation rates obfuscates what’s really important for students in grades nine through 12. Sure, every kid should earn a high-school diploma, and in Chicago we’ve gone from a 59.3 percent graduation rate in 2012 to a 78.2 percent graduation rate in 2018. But we spend too much time talking about graduation like it’s the end of the line. If students don’t know where they’re headed after they finish 12th grade, they lose interest in their education well before the 12th grade. High school needs to be seen as a bridge to the next thing, no matter whether it’s college, military or civilian service, or a specific job. That’s why we’ve grown Chicago’s dual-credit/dual-enrollment program into one of the largest in the country, equipping half our high-school kids with college credits before they receive their diploma. Between 2010 and 2017, the percentage of CPS students enrolling in college grew from 53.7 to 68.2. That says something profound.
Finally, before I became mayor, I largely ignored conservative complaints about government subsidies for the wraparound services that complement what happens in the classroom. Elitists love to argue that education dollars should be focused exclusively on improving classroom instruction. Today, however, I realize just how profoundly asinine those arguments are. It’s unconscionable for anyone who underwrites their own kids’ private tutors, music lessons, after-school activities, summer camps, and summer jobs to argue that children from less-advantaged backgrounds should not have the same privileges and support.
Kids today spend 80 percent of their time outside the classroom, and most well-off parents have the resources to augment what happens at school. As mayor, I decided to extend those same sorts of interventions to everyone. Our after-school program has grown to serve 125,000 students. We hired teachers to staff libraries in order to help kids with their homework every school-day afternoon, and we created a summer reading program, Rahm’s Readers, to combat the so-called summer slide. Moreover, we implemented a new standard: To be eligible to land one of the now 33,000 summer jobs that the city sponsors, you have to sign a pledge to go to college. Closing the achievement gap inside the classroom requires investments outside the classroom.
Three decades ago, the Republican Education Secretary Bill Bennett disparaged Chicago’s schools, blithely asking reporters, “Is there a worse case? You tell me.” Today, I’d invite him to come back, order a deep-dish pizza, and eat his words.
Our students now make more progress between the third and eighth grades than their peers in 96 percent of the nation’s other districts. Taken together, my administration’s reforms ensure that children beginning their public education will get more than four years’ worth of additional classroom time before their high-school graduation. The percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level norms for reading grew from 45.6 percent to more than 61 percent between 2013 and 2018. And college enrollment has grown 20 percent since 2011.
Few things irritate progressives more than when conservatives deny the fact of climate change. That’s for good reason—the science is irrefutable. Well, the evidence on education reform is irrefutable as well. After studying what’s happened in Chicago, the Stanford education professor Sean Reardon declared: “These trends are important not only for students in Chicago, but for those in other large districts, because they provide an existence proof that it is possible for large urban districts to produce rapid and substantial learning gains, and to do so in ways that benefit students of all racial and ethnic groups equally.” The nation needs to take notice.
For most of my career, I preached the old gospel of education reform. But now research and experience suggest that policy makers need to embrace a new path forward and leave the old gospel behind. Principals, not just teachers, drive educational gains. The brain-dead debate between charter and neighborhood schools should be replaced with a focus on quality over mediocrity. To get kids to finish high school, the student experience should center on preparing them for what’s next in life. Finally, classroom success hinges on the support that students get outside school. If other cities follow Chicago’s lead in embracing those ideas, they’re likely to also replicate its result
Filed under leadership, Reforming schools, school reform policies
6 responses to “I Used to Preach the Gospel of Education Reform. Then I Became the Mayor (Rahm Emanuel)”
Brent Duckor
Larry, I agree that it’s rare for politicians to have a crisis of faith, re-examine their beliefs, and jettison a gospel. But what happens if one gospel is substituted for another and doesn’t lead to a reformation in thinking?
The underlying theory of action (prime mover) in this confession seems to be that the principals (those who manage the priests) know more about schools (local churches) than policy makers and bureaucrats (bishops) which begs the question what is the role of teachers in the Chicago reformation?
Are teacher-as-priests in this story better because their church has the power to lead them more effectively? Or have the bureaucrats-as-bishops now in a position to attribute worldly outcomes (higher test scores) to a hidden power rather than call for more resources for all? And what is this training ground run by private “jesuits” (aka northwestern)?
The gospel remains a gospel when you exclude other people’s role in reform and you ignore the economics of reform which this story does. He never once mentioned poverty or the role of Catholic schools in Chicago (Bryk et al.)
How ironic.
Dennis Ashendorf
The main skill of principals, who form the base for promotions in a school district, is the very important skill of “juggling.” They have to keep unhappy parents, difficult children, uncooperative teachers, meddling administrators somehow content enough not to stall the system. This is not trivial, but it limits almost every principal I know to simply saying and thinking in platitudes. If they propose programs, they merely know a few buzzwords nothing deeper.
To put it differently, most principals don’t know much. They don’t lead, they cope. There will always be a few great ones. Thank you, but we cannot create them unless promotions are done more wisely, but that ain’t the way of the world. I’ve been part of principal promotions: one-hour interviews with canned, identical questions with follow-up not allowed.
Lastly, coping and juggling are great skills at which I marvel. If I was a principal, my over/under before reassignment would be lunch!
Mr. Emanuel will be disappointed.
“were,” not “was” in penultimate sentence.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Dennis.
Thanks for comment, Dennis.
speduktr
I have a feeling that if you ask some of the people who fought long and hard against Emmanuel’s “reforms” the story would be a lot different.
Leave a Reply to Brent Duckor Cancel reply
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2533
|
__label__wiki
| 0.867033
| 0.867033
|
Study Promotes Battlefields’ Lessons To Advance National Trauma Care
By Rachel Bluth June 17, 2016
Ambulances leave the scene of a mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center on Dec. 2, 2015 in San Bernardino, California. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Tens of thousands of American lives could be saved each year with a concerted national effort to emulate what top military and civilian trauma centers are doing, a prestigious panel of top medical experts reported Friday.
“It is time for a national goal owned by the nation’s leaders: zero preventable deaths after injury,” said a committee from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in an ambitious report released six days after the nation’s worst mass shooting took place in Orlando, Florida, ending 49 lives and injuring 53.
Citing the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment’s performance in Afghanistan and Iraq, the report praised the special operations force for its successes in treating combat casualties under difficult conditions while virtually eliminating preventable deaths.
Over that 2001-2011 period, “in the civilian sector, as many as 200,000 American lives — the population of the size of the city of San Bernardino, California — could have been saved if all trauma centers in the United States had achieved outcomes similar to those at the highest-performing centers,” the report said.
San Bernardino was the site of a mass shooting last December that killed 14 people.
This KHN story can be republished for free (details).
The National Academies committee called for a national trauma care system to promote learning across the health care spectrum — from an injury scene to hospitalization, rehabilitation and afterward.
“We do not have a cogent or well-designed research strategy on trauma care,” said Donald Berwick, the committee’s chair, in a public briefing on the report Friday.
The committee also urged more research funding. Trauma injuries — which include severe injuries from events such as car accidents, and falls as well as gun violence — are the leading cause of death for civilian Americans younger than 46, the committee said, but injury research drew less than 1 percent of the National Institutes of Health’s biomedical research budget in 2015.
As important, the report — more than 400 pages long — stressed that the U.S. must do more to encourage coordination, collaboration and standardization in trauma care across and within both the military and civilian sectors. Other groups have made similar recommendations, but the committee pointed out there is no central authority for trauma care — in either sector or overall — to promote those goals.
“We want to level the playing field across the country,” said John Holcomb, professor and vice chair of surgery at University of Texas Health Science Center and a member of the committee, in the briefing. “Where you’re injured shouldn’t determine if you live or die.”
Declaring that only the White House has the leverage to achieve the collaboration needed, the committee recommended that the nation’s chief executive set a national aim of zero preventable deaths and lead the integration of civilian and military trauma care.
The committee also offered other direction, suggesting for example that the secretary of Health and Human Services designate a “locus of responsibility” within the department to marshal a sustained effort to achieve these goals at all levels of government, in academia and in the private sector.
One step HHS could take each year, the National Academies report said, is to promote the widespread use of one proven treatment to improve trauma care, such as commercially-made tourniquets instead improvised ones to stop severe bleeding faster.
At the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 and again in Orlando last week, bystanders aided some badly-wounded victims by applying tourniquets made from clothing such as T-shirts and belts. That is a testament to how the civilian-sector can apply a life-saving lesson from the military, the committee observed.
But according to the report, the military has found improvised tourniquets are not always effective and now favors tourniquets expressly made to stop bleeding. In the civilian sector, the tourniquet lesson has been “lost in translation,” the committee said.
Rachel Bluth: rbluth@kff.org, @RachelHBluth
Cost and Quality Public Health Emergency Medicine NIH Study
Copy And Paste To Republish This Story
Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News
We encourage organizations to republish our content, free of charge. Here’s what we ask:
You must credit us as the original publisher, with a hyperlink to our khn.org site. If possible, please include the original author(s) and “Kaiser Health News” in the byline. Please preserve the hyperlinks in the story.
It’s important to note, not everything on khn.org is available for republishing. If a story is labeled “All Rights Reserved,” we cannot grant permission to republish that item.
Have questions? Let us know at KHNHelp@kff.org
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2535
|
__label__wiki
| 0.936205
| 0.936205
|
Incoming freshman setting high marks for success
Marisol ’19 (left) and Crystal Baltazar ’21 (right) both recommended their cousin Miguel Andrede-Salcedo ’22 apply for the SUCCESS Trio program, which will help him succeed at Pacific.
Miguel Andrade-Salcedo '22 had already set high standards for himself even before stepping onto campus for his first semester at Pacific.
For Andrade-Salcedo, thriving meant maintaining a 4.25 GPA while also running track and cross country all four years at Lathrop High School. He had been a runner in grade school and being able to run was motivation for maintaining good grades.
"It was really worth it," said Andrade-Salcedo of his hard work in the classroom and on the track or trail. "All the work paid off. ... I believe time management was key. I think the motivation was to have good grades and run, but also have time for a social life. ... I don't like leaving things unfinished."
Andrade-Salcedo has already found his purpose. He is majoring in psychology at Pacific and plans to pursue a master's degree before becoming a teacher.
"I look forward to that because I want to help others the way my teachers have helped me at times when I struggled," he said "I can be an influencer, a motivator. I can be someone students can look up to when they need help."
Miguel Andrade-Salcedo '22 will major in psychology and seek a master's degree before going into teaching.
He picked Pacific because of its proximity to his home in Lathrop and the resources available to him through the SUCCESS–TRiO program, one of a family of federal programs to help low-income and disabled Americans overcome barriers to attaining a higher education.
"I've been thinking of Pacific since middle school," said Andrade-Salcedo, whose seventh-grade teacher, Martha Salcedo '96, is a Pacific alumna. The two are not related. "She'd tell me about this school and tell me about the resources. She gave me all sorts of information."
He believes being part of SUCCESS-TRiO will provide what he needs for maintaining his grades, including financial aid, new experiences and relationships.
"It means a lot as a freshman student, because I'm always seeking new experiences," Andrade-Salcedo said of SUCCESS-TRiO.
As a freshman, Andrade-Salcedo has a couple of other SUCCESS-TRiO resources most won't have — cousins Marisol '19 and Crystal Baltazar '21, who are also in the program. The three grew up together in Oakland before their families moved to Lathrop when they were young, so they know each other well. The Baltazar sisters recommended that Andrade-Salcedo apply for the federal program because of their own experiences.
"I recommended it to Miguel because SUCCESS has helped me thrive academically and personally," said Marisol Baltazar, majoring in business management and human resources with a minor in psychology. "I also like the fact that they offer us a space to study, eat and hang out in between classes. ... I simply believe that SUCCESS is an amazing program for first-generation students and Miguel would miss out if he did not join."
Crystal Baltazar concurred.
"SUCCESS is a great program because it offers valuable resources such as the computer lab, informative activities, scholarship opportunities, tutoring, student mentors and more," said the studio art and graphic design major who plans to become an art professor. "I know that going through college would be difficult without SUCCESS, because they offer valuable information that I only receive in this program."
It has always been about more than just earning good grades and running for Andrade-Salcedo. He has always wanted to remain well rounded, and for the past several years he has been part of Lathrop High School's Go Green Club. The club strives to increase knowledge about recycling and divert as many recyclables as possible from the school's trash.
He also finds motivation in his family-parents Miguel and Maria, and younger sisters, Paulina, 11, and Stephanie, 13.
"I feel proud to be at Pacific, because no one in my family has gone to college before," Andrade-Salcedo said. "I feel that it's challenging and satisfying to be here. ... It's quite exciting and I don't want to let my parents down."
College of the Pacific
SUCCESS Student Program
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2536
|
__label__cc
| 0.691181
| 0.308819
|
Jeff Colyer (2018-2019)
Born: 03 June 1960, Hays, Kansas
Inaugural Message, 2018
Governor's Message, 2018
View Executive Orders
Born June 3, 1960, Jeffrey William Colyer, M.D. is a fifth-generation Kansan from Hays.
Dr. Colyer holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Georgetown University, a master's degree in international relations from Cambridge University, and a medical doctorate from the University of Kansas, School of Medicine. Colyer specializes in craniofacial plastic surgery.
Elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2006 and the Kansas Senate in 2008, Dr. Colyer became 47th Governor of Kansas upon the resignation of Sam Brownback.
John William Carlin (1979-1987)
John Michael Hayden (1987-1991)
Joan Marie Finney (1991-1995)
William Preston Graves (1995-2003)
Kathleen Sebelius (2003-2009)
Mark Parkinson (2009-2011)
Sam Brownback (2011-2018)
Laura J. Kelly (2019-)
Digital Book eLending
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2537
|
__label__cc
| 0.533438
| 0.466562
|
Accountantss Mail Listings
Address Directory & Free .
Free Webmail (Web-Based ) Services I-N. that you access via a web browser.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountant_Sergeant_Major
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Accountants
Accountantss Mail Listing
Videoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountant
Accountantss Mail Address
Videoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountanthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountant_Sergeant_Majorhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Accountants
Accountantss Mailing Listings
Accountants Mail Listings
Videoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountanthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_AccountantsDirectory for Accountants | AccountantsWorld Directory …Home – Petroleum Accountants Society of HoustonChartered Accountants -…
Accountantss Mail List
Videoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AccountantCPA Accountants Database Website Directory & Emailing ListEmail List of Accountants | Accountant Mailing List…
CPA Mail Listings
VideosName Address *Your – will not be shared. Name Address *Your – will not be…
Purchase Accountantss Mail Lists
Videoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchase
Accountantss Mail Lists Address
Accountantss Mail List Buying
Accountantss Mail Addresses List
Accountantss Direct Mail Database
Accountantss Mail Marketing Lists
Accountantss Mail List Purchase
Accountantss Email Mail List
Videoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AccountantGmail – Email from Google
Accountantss Direct Mail List
Videoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AccountantMARKETING LISTS FOR ACCOUNTANTS – Lists for Direct Mail …Welcome To Free Direct Mail For…
Accountantss Direct Mail Lists
Videoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountanthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountant_Sergeant_Majorhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_AccountantsMARKETING LISTS FOR ACCOUNTANTS – Lists for Direct Mail …Direct Mail Marketing For CPAs And…
Purchase Accountantss Mail List
Videoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchase_Line_School_Districthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchase,_New_YorkMailing List of Accountants CPAs with Email AddressesAccountants Mailing Lists – CPA Mailing Lists -…
Accountantss Mail Mailing Lists
Videos . Compiled and updated monthly from public records. The definitive source for . Call…
Accountantss Email Address Listings
Videos Directory & Free . Overview. Within the space, there have come to be many…
Buy Accountantss Mail Lists
Videos – USA and UK Directory and Database with Street and contact addresses as well…
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2538
|
__label__wiki
| 0.721261
| 0.721261
|
10 Creepy Valentine’s Day Mysteries That Are Still Unsolved
Robin Warder February 14, 2016 0
For many people, February 14 is a joyous date on which to celebrate the romantic union with your significant other. However, this does not mean that dark, mysterious, and tragic things do not happen on St. Valentine’s Day. In fact, one of the most infamous murders of all time even bears its name. In 1929, a group of Chicago mobsters believed to be working for Al Capone gunned down seven rival gang members in cold blood, and the incident forever became known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
Here are 10 more stories of unsolved mysteries that just happened to take place on Valentine’s Day. Appropriately, it’s likely that some of these cases are the result of love gone bad.
10The Murder Of Jodine Serrin
On Valentine’s Day in 2007, Art and Lois Serrin went to visit their 39-year-old daughter, Jodine, at her condo. Jodine was mentally disabled, and even though she was able to live independently, she still required frequent visits from her parents to check on her. When the Serrins arrived at the condo that night, the lights were on, but they could not unlock the front door because the chain was latched. After receiving no answer when they called out Jodine’s name, Art busted open the door. He walked into her darkened bedroom and was surprised to find his daughter having sex with an unidentified man. Art told the man to get dressed and leave while both he and Loris waited in another room.
After several minutes had passed, Jodine had not come out to meet her parents. The Serrins returned to the bedroom and were treated to a horrifying sight: Jodine’s lifeless nude body was now lying on the bed. She had been beaten and strangled to death. Incredibly, Jodine’s killer had been brazen enough to murder her while her parents were still inside the apartment and somehow managed to sneak out before they discovered what he had done. It’s also possible that the sex between Jodine and her killer was not consensual, and her parents unknowingly walked in on her while she was in the midst of being raped.
DNA evidence was collected from the crime scene, but thus far, Jodine Serrin’s murderer has never been caught or identified.
9The Disappearance Of China Rose Sims
In February 1988, English furniture dealer David Sims took a business trip to the Philippines and got married to a woman named China Rose, who was 20 years younger than him. China accompanied her new husband back to England, and the couple eventually moved into a house in Southend. However, the marriage started to fall apart, and China told her sister that she wanted to leave David because he was becoming violent toward her. She even claimed David had told her he’d hire someone to kill her because it was cheaper than getting a divorce.
On Valentine’s Day in 1993, China attended a family party, and this was the last time anyone could confirm seeing her alive. Even though China had expressed interest in returning to the Philippines to see her ill father, she never contacted her family again.
Not only did China go missing without explanation, but her husband dropped off the map as well. David was last seen at the couple’s home approximately two months after China’s disappearance, but he subsequently vanished without explanation. Even though David had two daughters from a previous marriage, he ceased contact with them.
Years later, police would track down Geoffrey Paston, who previously shared the Southend home with David and China. According to Paston, David had asked him to sell the house and put the proceeds into an account under David’s alias, “Anthony Peter Lewis.” Approximately £40,000 of this money was collected by a man claiming to represent David, and at least £10,000 remains in the account and has never been touched. It’s strongly speculated that China was murdered, but until she or her husband are found, the case will remain unsolved.
8The Murder Of Marilu Geri
On the morning of Valentine’s Day in 1986, Stephen Geri left his Houston home to go to work. According to Stephen, his wife, Marilu, was still in bed at the time. A few hours later, Stephen called Marilu’s mother, Maria Serrato, from his workplace. Stephen claimed that Marilu wasn’t answering the phone and asked Maria to visit their home to help Marilu prepare for a party that day. Maria complied, but when she arrived at the Geri residence, she was shocked to discover that her daughter had been murdered. Marilu was shot four times and her body contained bullets from both a .38 and a .22. There was no sign of a break-in or robbery, and it wasn’t long before suspicion turned toward Stephen.
While Stephen owned several handguns, none of them were used to shoot Marilu, and he seemed to have an alibi. However, some aspects of Stephen’s alibi seemed a little suspicious. That particular morning, Stephen left the house a few hours earlier than usual and ran errands by visiting several different locations, including a 7-11, post office, and doughnut shop. The day after the murder, Stephen raised some eyebrows by returning to all these same locations and specifically reminding the employees that he had been there the previous morning.
A possible motive was a $400,000 insurance policy that Stephen had taken out on his wife. Marilu’s parents actually took Stephen to court to prevent him from collecting the insurance money, accusing him of being responsible for the murder. The two parties eventually reached an out-of-court settlement, but the details about the settlement are sealed. Stephen Geri has always maintained his innocence, so officially, his wife’s murder is still unsolved.
7The Discovery Of ‘Julie Valentine’
On the morning of February 13, 1990, Glenn Hayward was walking through a field located behind a mall in Greenville, South Carolina. He was looking for some wildflowers to give his wife for Valentine’s Day. The site was known for being an illegal dumping ground, and many items were strewn across the field that day. Hayward came across a Sears vacuum cleaner box and noticed a foul odor emitting from it. When Hayward opened the box, he found the decomposing body of a newborn infant girl.
The deceased child was covered with a blanket and some newspaper. Her umbilical cord was still attached, and the placenta was also inside the box. It’s estimated that the infant had been born approximately five days before she was discovered and died about two days after her birth. All indications were that the child was born healthy, and since traces of food were found inside her stomach, she had been cared for at some point. Investigators were unable to determine the cause of death or uncover the child’s identity, so she received the name “Julie Valentine.”
The only major potential lead was a reported sighting of a man inside a red Pontiac Fiero parked at the site three days before the infant was found. However, no one knows if this man has any connection to the case, so until the child’s identity can be established, she will continue to be known as “Julie Valentine.”
6The Murders Of Nicholas Kunselman & Stephanie Hart
On April 20, 1999, one of the most infamous school shootings of all time took place at Columbine High School in Colorado, and 13 innocent victims were murdered. The community was plagued by the senseless shooting deaths of two more teenage students 10 months later.
At the time, 15-year-old Nicholas Kunselman and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Stephanie Hart, were sophomores at Columbine, and Nicholas worked at a Subway sandwich shop near the school. Shortly before 1:00 AM on Valentine’s Day, another Subway employee drove by the shop and noticed the lights were on even though the place was supposed to be closed. When the employee went inside, she discovered that Nicholas and Stephanie had both been shot to death behind the counter.
Nicholas had been working the night shift, and Stephanie stopped by the shop to visit him while he closed up. At some point, they were ambushed by an unknown assailant. In an eerie coincidence, one of the original Columbine victims, Rachel Scott, just happened to have been employed by the same Subway shop at the time of her death.
The only lead was a sighting of an unidentified man in a red jacket walking away from the store shortly before the bodies were discovered. Since nothing appeared to be stolen, robbery did not seem to be the motive. An investigation would reveal that a drug ring was operating in the area at the time, so it’s been theorized the murders might have been drug-related. In fact, Stephanie’s mother even made a failed attempt to sue the shop’s owner, alleging that he allowed illegal drug activity to take place on the property.
After 16 years, authorities have still been unable to determine who murdered Nicholas Kunselman and Stephanie Hart.
5The Disappearance Of Maureen Fields
In 2006, 41-year-old Maureen Fields seemed very perturbed when she showed up for work on Valentine’s Day at the Wells Fargo bank in Pahrump, Nevada. Maureen was in the midst of a troubled marriage to her allegedly domineering husband, Paul Fields, and told her coworkers that “something’s going to happen.” The following day, Maureen went missing.
According to her husband, Maureen left their residence that morning to go to work, but she never arrived. One day later, Maureen’s abandoned vehicle was found stuck in the sand in a remote section of the Mojave Desert near Death Valley. Her purse and several other belongings, including a pair of pantyhose, were left behind, and there was also a blanket on the ground with traces of blood and vomit.
Since an empty Xanax pill bottle was also found, there was initial speculation that she might have wandered into the desert and committed suicide. However, her body never turned up, and since the pill bottle was wiped clean of fingerprints, it seemed like the scene was staged. Male DNA was found on the pantyhose, but it did not match Paul Fields, whom police considered to be the prime suspect.
In 2012, the case took a surprising turn when the DNA was matched to an elderly convicted sex offender named Keith Wayne Holmes. When questioned, Holmes claimed that he had consensual sex with Maureen before leaving her alone in the desert. Holmes also claimed to know Paul, but by this point, he was suffering from dementia and could not provide any concise answers. Holmes died in prison hospice care in April 2014. Paul Fields continues to be the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance, but the actual details of what happened remain unclear.
4The Mysterious Death Of Antonio Saldivar
At approximately 6:00 PM on February 14, 2014, 17-year-old Houston teen Antonio Saldivar borrowed his mother’s car to go visit his girlfriend. He was planning to deliver a teddy bear to her as a Valentine Day’s gift. Antonio wound up missing his curfew that night, which led his mother to repeatedly call and text his cell phone. At 4:00 AM, Antonio finally answered his phone and let his mother know he was on his way home. Within a half hour, Antonio totaled his mother’s vehicle by crashing into a concrete pillar. Antonio was nowhere to be found at the accident scene, but strangely, his shoes were left behind in the car.
Antonio remained a missing person until February 27, when an employee from a Texas Port Recycling scrap metal plant discovered Antonio’s body, which was trapped underwater beneath a dock inside the Houston Ship Channel. He was found approximately 3 kilometers (2 mi) from the accident scene. It’s possible that Antonio became disoriented before wandering away from the scene and drowning, but a lot of strange details didn’t add up. Antonio never actually made it to his girlfriend’s house that night, and the Valentine’s Day teddy bear was found inside his pants between his legs.
One witness told police they saw a dark SUV run Antonio’s car into the pillar. Antonio was also found inside a secure area near the scrap metal plant, which was inaccessible to the search volunteers who had been looking for him. So how did his body end up there? Antonio Saldivar’s family are continuing to search for answers about his death.
3The Murder Of The Rundle Family
In 1985, Cassandra Rundle was a 37-year-old, two-time divorcee living in Colorado Springs with her two children: 12-year-old Detrick and 10-year-old Melanie. On the morning of February 14, Cassandra’s second ex-husband showed up at the home to deliver her a record album as a Valentine’s Day present. To his horror, he discovered that the entire family was brutally murdered. Cassandra’s nude body was found on her bed. She had been tied up, raped, and beaten before she was strangled to death. Melanie’s body was found in her own bedroom, and she was also raped and strangled. She had a fractured skull, and the condition of Melanie’s room indicated a major struggle before her death.
Detrick had been beaten to death inside his own bedroom. Next to him was a bloody hockey stick, which had been used as a weapon on all three family members. It seemed likely that Detrick had gone outside that morning before the killer arrived and returned to the house while the murders were in progress.
In the months before her death, Cassandra had taken out personal ads in a local newspaper. She received more than 80 responses and made contact with several men, but no evidence could be found to link any of them to the murders. Suspicion has also been directed at a former soldier named Philip E. Wilkinson, who is currently sitting on death row in North Carolina for the 1992 triple slaying of a mother and her two children. That crime bore some similarities to the Rundle murders, but Wilkinson has never been connected to the case. As it is, these horrific murders remain unsolved over 30 years later.
2The Disappearance Of Marcy Jo Andrews
Photo credit: Ndougal/Wikimedia
In 1984, 24-year-old Marcy Jo Andrews and two of her female friends spent Valentine’s Day attending a party at the Chicago apartment of Casey Nowicki. Nowicki was driving the women home when he crashed into a viaduct, injuring Andrews’s ankle. Nowicki gave his car keys to Andrews’s friends and asked them to call a tow truck while he took her to the hospital in a taxi. Later that night, the women called Nowicki’s apartment and spoke with Andrews, who sounded frightened and claimed Nowicki never took her to the hospital. This would be the last time Andrews’s friends ever heard from her. Over the next few days, they made repeated attempts to visit Nowicki’s apartment, but he claimed Andrews had already left and refused to let them inside. When police were notified, Nowicki told the same story and denied all knowledge of Andrews’s whereabouts.
In 2000, Nowicki was finally charged with Andrews’s murder. The prosecution’s theory was that Nowicki took Andrews back to his apartment and drugged her with THC so he could repeatedly sexually assault her. The prosecution produced numerous witnesses who claimed to have seen Andrews in Nowicki’s apartment in the days following the accident. One witness, Michael John Panisi, testified to seeing a nude Andrews handcuffed to a radiator and later seeing her lying dead on the floor. Panisi claimed that Nowicki gave Andrews a deliberate THC overdose before disposing of her body.
Nowicki’s defense team argued that the prosecution’s witnesses were unreliable since most of them had criminal records and were offered deals in exchange for their testimony. Nevertheless, Nowicki was still convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In spite of this, Marcy Jo Andrews’s body has still never been found.
1The Murder Of Billy Trimbach
Photo credit: Daniel Mayer
On Valentine’s Day in 1992, Billy and Cindy Trimbach were married in Stoneham, Colorado. On the date of their first anniversary, Billy was shot to death and found by the side of a frontage road outside of Wiggins, approximately 80 kilometers (50 mi) away from Stoneham. In an odd twist, the sheriff who investigated the case just happened to drive past the same road shortly before Billy was found. He remembered seeing multiple vehicles at that exact spot and may have unknowingly driven past the killer while they were disposing of Billy’s body.
The investigation eventually turned toward Cindy Trimbach, who’d collected a $500,000 life insurance policy on her husband’s death. Physical evidence was also found inside Cindy’s car to suggest that Billy’s body may have been in there at some point.
The cloud of suspicion compelled Cindy to move to Butte, Montana, with James, her 10-year-old son from a previous marriage, and there would soon be a shocking postscript to this story. In April 1994, a Butte newspaper ran an article about Billy Trimbach’s murder, which mentioned that Cindy was a suspect. James was teased about this on the school playground by an 11-year-old classmate named Jeremy Bullock. James responded by pulling out a gun and shooting Jeremy to death.
James was sent to a juvenile home for the crime, and Cindy died of natural causes in 1996. Over the years, rumors have spread that Cindy hired someone to carry out Billy’s murder, and at least one drug dealer has reportedly bragged about being involved. However, the full truth about Billy Trimbach’s death has never been uncovered.
10 Baffling Cases Solved Decades After The Cops Gave Up
10 Shocking Cases of Parents Murdering Their Families
10 Forgotten Hangmen Of North America
10 Prisons That Are Not What We Expect
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2539
|
__label__cc
| 0.619609
| 0.380391
|
Interpret "Hannu Karjalainen"
Hannu Karjalainen
Label: Kingdoms
Biographie Hannu Karjalainen
(born 1978) is an award winning visual artist, composer, sound artist, photographer and filmmaker based in Helsinki, Finland.
Karjalainen is highly noted for his video installation work, photography and sound art that have been exhibited widely internationally, including UMMA University of Michigan Museum of Art, International Biennale of Photography Bogota, Scandinavia House New York, Fotogalleriet Oslo and Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art Helsinki.
Karjalainen's latest album Drift is being released by NYC based Kingdoms (curated by Francis Harris) in November 2018. Karjalainen's previous album - the highly acclaimed A Handful of Dust Is A Desert (released on Karaoke Kalk in 2017) - was included on many Best of 2017 charts such as A Closer Listen's Top 20 Albums list. Karjalainen toured his audio visual live show in support of the latest album in late 2017. Karjalainen has collaborated with Simon Scott (of Slowdive), Dakota Suite and Monolyth & Cobalt among others.
<#!EN!#
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2541
|
__label__wiki
| 0.822096
| 0.822096
|
Movements, Styles, and Tendencies Earth Art History and Concepts
Earth Art - History and Concepts
Started: 1960s
History and Concepts
Extending Minimalist and Conceptual Ideas
The late 1960s and 1970s was one of the most experimental periods in the history of Western art with many concurrent movements and artists working simultaneously in more than one style, making it sometimes difficult to definitively attach stylistic labels to works from the period. The ethos of Earth art, for example, shared certain characteristics with Minimalism, including its concerns with how objects occupied their space; the interaction of humans with works of art; and, especially, simplicity of form. However, although the adoption of the pared down Minimalist aesthetic was often central to Earth art, the artists were typically hands-on with the documentation and process of production, at times even including a performative element; these characteristics aligned Earth artists more with Post-Minimalist tendencies such as process art, installation art, and performance Art. Earthworks, largely existing outdoors and made of natural elements, were also subject to the natural degradation and erosion that would occur with time, which was antithetical to Minimalism's more industrial and urban aesthetic, making it one of the most unique elements of the Earth art movement.
Like Conceptual art, Earth art was not just about the beauty and aesthetic pleasure offered by the artwork. Almost all Earthworks stressed the rejection of commodity status and mainstream exhibition venues, focusing instead on ephemerality. So while the majority of Earth art was visually stunning, at its core, the pieces were imbued with these concepts.
The 1960s and Virginia Dwan
Earth artists were typically products of the Vietnam era, many of whom had been drafted to fight in the war and were college educated through the G.I. Bill. Most, like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer, began their careers as painters. Smithson's first paintings evolved from figurative abstractions to geometrical canvases, and then eventually to sculpture. In 1966, Smithson began showing with the influential gallerist Virginia Dwan, who would shape the Earth art movement significantly.
At the same time, Smithson began working as a consultant for a New York City engineering firm, a position that inspired him to plan what he called "Aerial Art" for the Dallas Fort Worth airport. Aerial Art comprised monumental works to be constructed between airport runways that were meant to be viewed from above during takeoff and landing. As an art form, Aerial Art never came to fruition, but Smithson and his colleagues, such as Carl Andre, Nancy Holt, Robert Morris, and Michael Heizer, were inspired by the idea to explore various unexploited territories in nearby New Jersey and in various western states that provided large, open spaces.
Dwan, who was the heiress to the Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company (3M) and had studied art, often accompanied artists to far-flung sites and provided generous patronage and support to produce Earth art projects that would have foundered with no funding. In 1968, Dwan exhibited a show entitled Earth Works at her gallery space in New York City, publicly identifying a group of pioneering artists. Some of the artists in the show were having a difficult time finding available land for their site-specific projects, so Earth Works exhibited the documentation of these projects by artists such as Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris, Claes Oldenburg, Dennis Oppenheim, and Stephen Kaltenbach. The show cataloged the conception of their work through maps, photographs, transparencies, and drawings. There is some irony in the fact that while these artists tried to eschew traditional institutions, they were often required to accept funding from them in order to further their projects. In addition, the remoteness of certain sites, many of which could only be viewed from private aircraft, meant that the movement was sometimes accused of elitism.
Institutional Exhibitions and Global Ambitions
In February of 1969, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University became the first American museum to show an exhibit of Earth art, entitled simply, Earth Art. The works were displayed both at the museum and throughout the grounds of Cornell's campus in Ithaca, thus providing an institutional setting for works that would continue to question the commodity status of art, particularly those works placed on the campus which served to blur boundaries between the object and its context. Curated by Willoughby Sharp, an independent scholar and cofounder of the avant-garde art magazine Avalanche, Earth Art exhibited new works created onsite by American artists such as Robert Smithson, Robert Morris, Michael Heizer, Walter de Maria, and Dennis Oppenheim. International artists such as British artist Richard Long and German artist Hans Haacke were also included. The 1970s would usher in a new decade of extremely ambitious projects in far-flung American locales, further expanding the American contribution to Earth art.
Concepts, Styles, and Trends
Site-specificity and Environmentalism
Smithson delineated the concepts of "Site" and "Nonsite" to designate theoretical differences in the physical context of work produced. "Nonsite" was termed as an "indoor earthwork" and indicated a piece that could be exhibited in a gallery setting, displacing natural materials from their original sites with accompanying drawings or photographs. "Site" referred to those works created outside the gallery infrastructure in site-specific locales with materials taken from that location. Smithson's iteration of these new frameworks along with the activist mentality of the late 1960s underscored the interest of some Earth artists in socially engaged art that explored humans' relationship with the land (soon evolving into the related, but independent Environmental Art movement). For many artists, this was a conscious movement away from Greenbergian modernism that instead stressed art's lack of connection to the mundane world.
Earth artists were influenced by prehistoric and ancient monuments such as Stonehenge and Native American burial mounds that were monumental in size and scale. Heizer experienced these prehistoric sites firsthand as a child, visiting various excavations with his father, who was an archaeologist. The prehistoric monuments, by means of their continued existence incorporated the passage of time through natural decay and erosion. The entropy of the materials, which were both manmade and organic, was integral to Earthworks. The pieces created outdoors by the likes of Smithson and Heizer were naturally subjected to the depredations of the elements so that decay and disintegration were part of their meaning; preservation was understood as a conceit.
Invasive and Non-invasive
Earthworks are sometimes divided into those works that make great changes to the landscape and those that do not. Works in the former category generally require earth-moving equipment to make massive alterations to a site, such as Robert Heizer's Double Negative (1969-70). Those works that are non-invasive and are seen as more respectful to the land include Richard Long's A Line Made by Walking (1967), along with pieces by Andy Goldsworthy and Alan Sonfist.
Later Developments
During the mid-1970s, the recession impacted the funding of Earth art dramatically. Many artists were dependent on patrons to purchase expensive tracts of land to complete large-scale work. In addition to the economic slump, Robert Smithson's sudden death in 1973 while surveying possible sites in Texas changed the momentum of the movement. Those who established their names through Earth art, such as De Maria, Heizer, Morris, and Andre, took their careers in other directions, reorienting their production to accommodate institutional and gallery spaces. De Maria's New York Earth Room (1977) was executed in 1977 and several international iterations were created. Heizer would also create gallery-appropriate works, reconfiguring notions of site-specificity to adapt to art world institutions. Along with other postwar Conceptual artists, Earth artists ushered in a new period of art that favored installations over discrete objects, challenging the expectations of artistic production.
The tenets of Conceptualism became dominant in the art world during this period, as many movements began to share ideas and encourage artists working in multiple institutional frameworks. Post-Minimalist movements such as Process art were strongly connected to Earth art, and many artists working between the movements would shift towards the gallery model as the economy weakened and cheap alternative spaces became available in urban locales. Conceptual art also ushered in an era of performance that translated well in gallery settings and, like Earth art, challenged traditional notions of art as a commodity because of its transitory nature. Organic materials were sometimes utilized within the gallery space, and an emphasis on the ephemeral was understood through site-specific and temporary installations.
Key Artists
Walter de Maria
Michael Heizer
Dennis Oppenheim
A Line Made By Walking (1967)
By: Richard Long
Double Negative (1969-70)
By: Michael Heizer
Spiral Jetty (1970)
By: Robert Smithson
Sun Tunnels (1973-76)
By: Nancy Holt
The Lightning Field (1977)
By: Walter de Maria
Wheatfield (1982)
By: Agnes Denes
Pebbles, broken and scraped white with another stone (1985)
By: Andy Goldsworthy
"I want to get under the surface. When I work with a leaf, rock, stick, it is not just that material in itself, it is an opening into the processes of life within and around it. When I leave it, these processes continue."
"When a finished work of 20th century sculpture is placed in an 18th century garden, it is absorbed by the ideal representation of the past, thus reinforcing political and social values that are no longer with us."
"A work of art when placed in a gallery loses its charge, and becomes a portable object or surface disengaged from the outside world."
"My work has become a simple metaphor of life. A figure walking down his road, making his mark. It is an affirmation of my human scale and senses."
"It is a very desolate area, but it is totally accessible, and it can be easily visited, making Sun Tunnels more accessible really than art in museums. Eventually, as many people will see Sun Tunnels as would see many works in a city - in a museum anyway."
"I feel that the need to look at the sky - at the moon and the stars - is very basic, and it is inside all of us. So when I say my work is an exteriorization of my own inner reality, I mean I am giving back to people through art what they already have in them."
"Every good work should have at least ten meanings."
"You could say that my work is also a balance between the patterns of nature and the formalism of human, abstract ideas like lines and circles. It is where my human characteristics meet the natural forces and patterns of the world, and that is really the kind of subject of my work."
"If you want to see the Pieta, you go to Italy. To see the Great Wall, you go to China. My work isn't conceptual art, it's sculpture. You just have to go see it."
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2542
|
__label__wiki
| 0.873062
| 0.873062
|
Surprise! Chance The Rapper Is In The 'Lion King'
posted by Peyton Blakemore - Jul 11, 2019
Chance the Rapper can keep a secret!
On Wednesday (July 10), the 26-year-old surprised fans when he revealed that he managed to make a lifelong dream come true by snagging a role in the forthcoming Lion King. Chance shared the news on Instagram, detailing how his infatuation with the film led to him voicing the character Bush Baby.
"I grew up my whole life obsessed with all things related to #TheLionKing; like all three films, the Timon and Pumbaa tv show, the broadway play and especially the broadway soundtrack. Needless to say the original film was immensely impactful on my music and overall life," he shared. "So when my big bro Donald [Glover] got casted as Simba, he did the coolest thing ever and told director Jon Favreau to call me in as a consultant to keep the original flavor."
Chance continued, "So for about a year I would go to the LK studio and see early animations, scenes, music direction or assemblies and they’d always be out of this world amazing. One day I’m there Jon asked me to do some singing stuff, another day he asks me to do some lines. Its all a blur, but I’ll tell u its one of the best blurs of my whole life. I am so blessed to know people like Donald and Jon man. AMAZING FILM, AMAZING CAST AND AN AMAZING NIGGHT LAST NIGHT. GOD BLESS AND LONG LIVE THE KING."
News of Chance's Lion King role comes ahead of the release of his debut album. As fans know, the "Groceries" rapper is set to release the project this month.
Lion King hits theaters on July 19.
Chance is also performing at this year's iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas in September alongside a lineup of superstar artists. Fans across the country can tune in and watch an exclusive live stream of the show via The CW App and CWTV.com. Then, on October 2nd and 3rd, relive all of the epic performances from the weekend during a televised special on The CW Network at 8pm ET/PT. And leading up to the official television special, The CW will also air an hour-long Best Of Special on Sunday, September 29th at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2545
|
__label__wiki
| 0.79543
| 0.79543
|
The Parschauer household looks and sounds much like any other, but the role reversal of its leadership tag team is often surprising to outsiders. How mother, breadwinner, and associate general counsel Karah Parschauer handles the energy of three children and a business in motion
By Urmila Ramakrishnan
After spending nine hours at the office, Karah Parschauer turns the knob of her front door half-expecting to be greeted by her children with hugs and kisses. Instead, she hears her 3-year-old daughter, Grace, singing “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” at the top of her lungs before seeing that she’s wearing a princess robe, crown, and waving a bedazzled wand. Parschauer kicks off her high heels and follows the sound of her daughter’s voice, joining in on the chorus before looking for Grace’s older-by-three-minutes twin brother, JJ. He’s playing some sort of sword game, yelling “en garde” and “touché.” Out of the corner of her eye, Parschauer sees her husband, John, carrying their youngest, Beatrice, to the kitchen to feed her. Parschauer smiles at the chaos, and walks into the tornado of life.
Parschauer dives into preparing dinner while joining JJ in the next destructive game he’s made up. After prepping dinner, John tells her about the twins’ day at preschool before dealing with a crying Beatrice in the next room.
It’s dinnertime. The kids are seated, waiting for Mom to pour milk, while Dad grabs a wooden spoon to serve a mixed veggie dish. Grace then tries to perform one last Frozen number, but Parschauer says it’s bath time, and the twins run to the bathroom.
The bath is easy territory. It’s the postbath that’s chaotic.
“For some reason, when my kids are naked, they always get really crazy,” says Parschauer. The next few hours are spent trying to put baby Beatrice down. It’s one thing that Parschauer likes to do herself. She sings softly as she gives Beatrice a bottle. It’s the only time she gets with the baby because of her busy work schedule, and Beatrice normally sleeps at about 7:30 p.m.
All About Attitude
Parschauer’s philosophy is “just keep going.” When faced with challenges, she believes in attacking them to get through them. “You need to go through them instead of letting them be roadblocks,” she says. This philosophy was important as she dealt with the changes brought about by Allergan’s integration with Actavis.
“I was the legal lead from the Allergan side for the integration team with my counterpart from the Actavis side. We led the legal department integration. Because our headquarters shifted, we lost our historical executive team, and it’s now replaced with the other executive team. Integration is a lot of change. Historical Allergan had been here and independent for more than 60 years. I’d been here for 10 when the acquisition occurred. I built my career up with these people and this company. To all of a sudden have it acquired by a whole new set of individuals is not just a lot of change for me, but a lot of change for everyone in the company. You have to realize that change is going to happen, and it’s not always a bad thing. The executive team is really sharp and focused. It’s a great time for Allergan.”
After Beatrice is sound asleep, Parschauer rallies her twins to watch Tangled, at Grace’s request. JJ yawns, and rubs his eyes. Parschauer brings them upstairs for bed.
By 9, it’s quiet. The children are asleep, and the parents retreat to their respective corners to shut off and relax.
Her alarm—Grace—pulls at Parschauer’s sleeve to wake her up. She gets out of bed quietly so as not to wake her husband. Then she juggles a mix of e-mails, making breakfast, blow drying her hair, and dressing the kids before hopping into the car for work.
As John starts his day at home with the children, Parschauer takes charge at the office. As the sole breadwinner for her family, she is the associate general counsel for Allergan.
“At the end of the day, I’m still Mommy, and he’s Daddy,” says Parschauer, but it’s not
something that’s clear to the rest of society.
A few weeks ago, she and John met a few friends at a work meeting. One colleague brought her newborn, and John immediately went to the baby to hold her.
“I think there’s still an expectation that the man needs to make the money, that that’s his contribution to the family,” says Parschauer. “All of a sudden, these moms are seeing John under a different set of rules, and it makes for a very interesting or uncomfortable sort of discussion.”
John followed the mom with her baby to the other stay-at-home moms to talk about preschools and the latest water park that will be opening up. Parschauer joined the other working-fathers to talk about the stock market.
After mingling, the two rejoin and one partygoer asks, “Will he go back to being a musician soon?”
Parschauer responds that late-night gigs and their associated lifestyle are really difficult with children, and they decided this was best.
A friend of John’s says, “I’d love to have your job for a day. To just stay at home and play with the kids!”
“Come over for three days,” says John. “We’ll switch, and we’ll see how quickly you want to go back to work after you walk a few days in my shoes.”
These answers come easily to the couple. They’ve had a lot of training coming up with explanations for people who don’t quite understand. “Being the sole breadwinner is difficult, period,” says Parschauer. “That’s not a gender issue. I do believe, as a mother, there are different pressures—internally and externally. Maybe it’s inflicted mommy guilt, but I think there’s a desire and a self-expectation that I will still take care of the twins and Beatrice as much—or more than—my husband will. There’s a pressure for me to get home as soon as I can to spend time with them or take care of them, give them a bath, put them to bed, then I can go work again. I don’t see that pressure as much with the men I work with.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2547
|
__label__cc
| 0.708428
| 0.291572
|
Additional Information for Readers of What's Past is Prologue - Part 1: Lesbian and Gay Parenting - Mo's Journal
Additional Information for Readers of What's Past is Prologue - Part 1: Lesbian and Gay Parenting
August 10th, 2005 05:46 pm (UTC)
Thanks for the kind words and I'd be happy to hear your further comments whenever.
I do want to finish up the X2 one. I think one more series will do it (and will probably have "Summers" in the title to go with the seasonal theme as well as to indicate that it's focussing on Cyclops). I have two other projects waiting in the wings - a series focussing on Alex's integration into the X-Men (a bumpy ride) and a flashback one on Charles's pre-X-Men days from when he gets the idea for the X-Men up to his early time with Scott, told from his POV. Now that he's dead, I miss him :-/ and want to hear his version of all that.
But for now I'm on fanfic hiatus. I have to do the revamp and move of my website. devildoll has given me a wonderful site and one that even an HTML dolt like myself can maintain. And once the stories are up there, adding new ones is a breeze. But it's a time consuming job getting them all there, and I just need to stop writing fiction long enough to do it.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2548
|
__label__wiki
| 0.846958
| 0.846958
|
David Brent returns as music producer in Comic Relief Ricky Gervais clip
Metro TV ReporterWednesday 13 Mar 2013 10:54 am
Gervais in character as David Brent on Equality Street (Picture: BBC)
Ricky Gervais has appeared in a new video clip singing a song titled Equality Street in character as David Brent.
The clip, released in aid of this year’s Comic Relief, sees Gervais revive his famous character from The Office and update fans on Brent’s life since the comedy ended 10 years ago.
Brent, who described himself as a ‘chilled-out entertainer’ in the show when it was on, is now a music producer and is passing on his knowledge to the younger generation.
Gervais said of the new song: ‘I thought it was time to revisit my most famous comedy creation to find out what he’s been up to for the last decade – and, most importantly, what he’s up to now.
‘He is passing on his wisdom to younger would-be rock stars now. Well, really he is trying to worm his way back into rock and roll.
‘Fans of The Office will be excited to know we finally get to hear the whole of The Serpent Who Guards the Gates of Helland an amazing Brent self-funded video Equality Street. Horrendous.
The sketch will air as part of Red Nose Day on Friday, March 15 on BBC1.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2556
|
__label__wiki
| 0.792473
| 0.792473
|
ISRAEL & THE LABOUR PARTY- A LOVE STORY
Leon Rosselson
Apr 25, 2018 · 13 min read
In my last blog (https://medium.com/@rosselson/beware-it-is-catching-can-rot-your-brains-fc1afc72c8ba ) I suggested that Israel’s staunch supporters are infected with a brain disease called Zionusitis. It was, of course, a joke. Or maybe it wasn’t. Since then, there has been another enactment of the absurdist farce called Antisemitism in the Labour Party. A demonstration in Parliament Square organised by the (self-selected) British Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council demanded an end to the antisemitism which, so they claim, is now rife in Corbyn’s Labour Party. It was attended by a number of Labour MPs plus various riffraff from other parties and the usual suspects from the Jewish Labour Movement. Following that, Jeremy Corbyn attended a seder organised by a group of young Jews called Jewdas and was pilloried for consorting with the wrong sort of Jews.
Of course, this has nothing to do with real antisemitism. The Board of Deputies has no problem with the antisemitism of Trump and the American white supremacists or the antisemites in Hungary and Poland, like Viktor Orban, since they are also firm supporters of Israel. Jewdas is attacked as unrepresentative because it is a non-Zionist group. Since Israel claims to represent all the Jews in the world and since Netanyahu claims to speak for ‘the Jewish people’, it would not be surprising if those who are angered by Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians tweet or write criticism of Israel that sometimes topple over into antisemitism. But a report by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research found that the level of antisemitism in the country and across the political parties , including the Labour Party, is low; the level of anti-Israelism, on the other hand, is significantly higher. And this is what the Zionist lobby, the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Labour Movement, the Labour Friends of Israel, are concerned about.
In any case, it’s hard to feel sympathy for Labour MPs like John Mann, Louise Ellman, Luciana Berger who complain of being abused on-line when they themselves and other Labour Friends of Israel are silent, or worse, mouth Israeli propaganda in an attempt to justify Israel’s deliberate policy of killing and wounding unarmed demonstrators, including children, in Gaza. As dupes of a foreign power, what do they expect? And, incidentally, the Tory Government’s (now infamous) 2014 Immigration Act that created a ‘hostile environment’ for immigrants and asylum seekers and that aimed to turn teachers, landlords, employers and doctors into narks for the government was unopposed by the Labour Party, including the 3 MPs mentioned above. Among the 8 Labour MPs who voted against were Corbyn, McDonnell, Diane Abbott, David Lammy and Denis Skinner. So who are the racists here?
My question is — why? Why are all these MPs so desperate to defend the criminal state of Israel? What is it about Israel, as I asked in a previous blog, that addles the brains of otherwise rational politicians? Why is there a Labour Friends of Israel? There isn’t a Labour Friends of Myanmar. There was never a Labour Friends of Apartheid South Africa. Why Israel? Some defenders of Israel — the Virgin Airline passengers who had a brain seizure when they read the word ‘Palestinian’ on the menu and the Daily Mail’s Melanie Phillips who, when Independent Jewish Voices was formed, called it Jews for Genocide — are clearly bonkers. Others, like Angela Smith, the Labour MP who tweeted her disapproval of Corbyn’s attendance at the Jewdas ‘seber’, and Joan Ryan, Chair of Labour Friends of Israel, are, I suspect, rather dim and shamefully ignorant. But there are others who are intelligent, informed, politically aware and yet, while perhaps critical of the Israeli government’s policies, still defend the State of Israel as a ‘Jewish’ state. Do they know of the crimes committed in the name of Zionism, in the name of the Zionist State?
Stanley Cohen’s book States of Denial describes a psychological condition in which a person knows and yet doesn’t know. Denial is understood as an unconscious defence mechanism for coping with guilt, anxiety and other disturbing emotions aroused by reality. The psyche blocks off information that is literally unthinkable or unbearable. The unconscious sets up a barrier which prevents a thought from reaching conscious knowledge.
This would explain why it took so long for the abuses committed by Jimmy Savile and Harvey Weinstein to become a public scandal. Some people knew and yet somehow they didn’t know because to accept the reality was unthinkable. Perhaps most of us live in a state of denial because otherwise life would be unbearable. We know, for example, that the threat to the planet from global warming is real, yet most of us live as if we don’t know.
Cohen’s book includes a quotation from Orwell, writing on nationalism, that is particularly apt when applied to Israel and Jewish nationalism: The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them…In nationalist thought there are facts which are both true and untrue, known and unknown. A known fact may be so unbearable that it is habitually pushed aside and not allowed to enter into logical processes or on the other hand it may enter into every calculation and yet never be admitted as a fact, even in one’s own mind.
In the case of Israel’s supporters, this brain disorder of knowing and not knowing is paralleled by the disconnect between the image of Israel as it presents itself — as it has always presented itself — to the outside world and the living reality of Israel as it is, as it has always been. For Zionists in the Jewish Labour Movement to allow the reality to reach conscious knowledge would indeed be unbearable, would strike at the core of their identity. After all, the United Synagogue proclaims ‘the centrality of Israel in Jewish life’. That then becomes an absolute bar to acknowledging the reality of Israel and its history.
The question of identity is a question involving the most profound panic. Identity would seem to be the garment with which one covers the nakedness of the self. (James Baldwin)
Look at it this way. Israel was founded on ethnic cleansing, the total destruction of some 400 Palestinian villages and on deliberate massacres of the indigenous population. Deir Yassin was the most infamous but more gruesome was the massacre at Al Dawayima on 29 October 1948 when, according to a report received by the Israeli daily Al Ha-Mishmar, soldiers from the 89th Battalion entered the village and killed 80 to 100 Arab men, women and children. The children they killed by breaking their heads with sticks. There was not a house without dead…One commander ordered a sapper to put two old women in a certain house…and to blow up the house with them. The sapper refused. The commander then ordered his men to put in the old women and the evil deed was done… One woman, with a newborn baby in her arms, was employed to clean the courtyard where the soldiers ate. She worked a day or two. In the end they shot her and her baby.
The report was never published. In another village, Safsaf, a report submitted to the Mapam Political Committee listed the crimes committed by Israeli soldiers: 52 men tied with a rope and dropped into a well and shot. 10 were killed. Women pleaded for mercy. Three cases of rape…a girl aged 14 was raped. Another was killed.
Of course, terrible things happen in war. Soldiers on all sides commit atrocities. But the point here is that the actions of the Israeli army were driven by the political imperative of establishing a Jewish state with ‘maximum territory, minimum Arabs’. The blame lies not so much with the individual soldiers as with Zionist ideology. As Ben Gurion wrote in his diary: Soldier eyewitnesses to these events concluded that ‘cultured officers had turned into base murderers and this not in the heat of battle…but out of a system of expulsion and destruction. The less Arabs remained — the better. This principle is the political motor for the expulsions and the atrocities.
In April 1948 Tochnit Dalet, Plan D, was put into operation giving the green light for the indigenous population to be expelled outside the borders of the state. Mass expulsions followed. In July 70,000 Palestinians were driven out of Lydda and Ramleh with nothing to eat or drink on an order signed by Yitzhak Rabin and approved by Ben Gurion. It was known as the Death March. Hundreds died.
There is nothing more moral from the viewpoint of universal human ethics than the emptying of the Jewish state of the Arabs and their transfer elsewhere…This requires the use of force. (Avraham Katznelson, Mapai politician.)
In December 1948, Israeli ministers discussed the atrocities. The Agricultural minister, Aharon Zisling said, “This is something that determines the character of the nation…Jews too have committed Nazi acts.” Finally it was decided that, in order to preserve Israel’s image , nothing should be admitted.
In the same month, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 194 which supported the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. In response, Mapai, Israel’s ruling party passed the Absentee Property Law which forbade Palestinian ‘infiltrators’ from returning on pain of death and legalised the seizing of property belonging to those who had been expelled so that it could be given to Jews.
It is well-known that we are the best socialists in the world…even as we plunder the Arabs. (Pinchas Lavon, Mapai politician.)
So Israel was, as Shlomo Ben-Ami, Barak’s Foreign Minister, acknowledged, ‘born in sin’ and stained with blood; yet in its own eyes and in the approving eyes of most of the non-Arab world, it was an immaculate birth in the wake of a terrible tragedy.
The terrorist group, the Stern Gang, holds its victory conference
Prominent Labour Party politicians, both on the right, like Richard Crossman and Herbert Morrison, and on the left like Michael Foot, Harold Laski, Aneurin Bevan & Anthony Wedgwood Benn (before he became Tony Benn & a fierce critic of Israel), were enthusiastic supporters of the new state. Ernest Bevin, for his own political reasons, was a notable exception. After the catastrophe of the Holocaust this is, perhaps, not surprising. Nevertheless it required a deliberate denial of the injustice done to the Palestinians. The massacres were ignored or the knowledge of them was repressed — it would be decades before Israeli ‘revisionist’ historians like Benny Morris, Ilan Pappe, Avi Shlaim shed light on the real history of the Nakba. As for the mass expulsions, Israel invented a plausible explanation: they fled because the Arab leaders told them to. There was never any evidence for this but Israel has never required any evidence for its propaganda myths. Also overlooked was the fact that, while the 1947 Partition Plan gave Israel 55% of Palestine (although Jews formed only 30% of the population and owned only 7% of the land) by the end of the fighting, Israel’s borders had expanded to take in 78% of the land. Acquiring territory by war is a violation of international law but this, too, was overlooked.
The Labour Party’s close relationship with and support of Zionism goes back well before the establishment of the state. It endorsed the Balfour Declaration in 1917. In 1920, Paole Zion, the British section of the International Labour Zionist Organisation (the forerunner of the Jewish Labour Movement) affiliated to the British Labour Party. In the following decades, the Labour Party supported Zionism’s creeping colonisation of Palestine, the process of buying land from absentee landlords and evicting the native farmers who worked the land, a process which had begun towards the end of the 19th century.
Land is the most necessary thing for establishing our roots in Palestine. Since there are hardly any more arable unsettled lands in Palestine, we are bound in each case of the purchase of land to remove the peasants who cultivate the land. (Arthur Rappin, head of the JNF 1920)
Paiestinian refugees
In 1944, the Labour Party conference passed a resolution promoting free immigration of Jews into Palestine and transfer of the Arab population. “Let the Arabs be encouraged to … move out as the Jews move in.”
Even anti-colonialist socialists like Michael Foot could not bring themselves to acknowledge that Zionism itself was a colonising project and that Israel was a settler state. With their racist mindset they saw Israel as an oasis of Western civilisation in a desert of Arab backwardness. They felt an affinity with the ruling party’s professed socialism, ignoring the fact that this Jewish socialism excluded the Palestinian minority, most of whom were living under military rule until 1966. They fell for the guff about ‘making the desert bloom like a rose’ and admired the egalitarian ideology of the kibbutzim, not realising — or unwilling to believe — that many kibbutzim were built on the ruins of Palestinian villages, that Palestinians were barred from joining and that the policy of the kibbutz movement was not to use ‘Arab’ labour. In supporting the Histadrut, Israel’s TUC, they somehow failed to notice that it was a racist organisation dedicated to excluding Arabs from the workforce, thus following Herzl’s injunction to ‘spirit the penniless population across the border by denying them employment’.
The Labour Party’s love affair with Israel continued despite Suez in 1956 — Israel’s role in the plot against Egypt escaped blame when Bevan launched his famous attack on the Tory government at the Trafalgar Square demonstration; despite the 1967 Six Day War initiated by Israel’s attack on Egypt — the Israeli propaganda machine went into overdrive here with a claim that Egypt had attacked Israel, a lie repeated at the UN two weeks later by Abba Eban; despite its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and annexation of East Jerusalem; despite its wars against Lebanon in 1978 and 1982; despite Sabra and Shatila; despite Israel’s violent response to the first non-violent intifada met by Rabin’s order to ‘break their bones’, an order carried out to the letter by Israeli soldiers; despite the settlement expansion during and after the Oslo talks; despite the wars on Gaza, the war on Lebanon, the siege of Gaza, the use of torture and imprisonment without trial, the Wall, the demolition of houses, the theft of water, the uprooting of olive trees, the ethnic cleansing of the Bedouin, the apartheid, the everyday violations of international law, the incarceration of Palestinian children…. And still they love Israel though it should surely be clear to any rational person what sort of state Israel is…
A state like no other and a law unto itself. It is an anachronism: a settler state in the 21st century. It is, as far as I know, the only state with flexible borders, as they must be if Zionism’s dream of a Greater Israel embracing world Jewry is to be fulfilled. The international consensus is that pre-1967 Israel defines its final borders. Israeli maps, however, have not shown the Green Line as the border of Israel since 1971 when Golda Meir declared that Israel’s borders are determined by where Jews live, not by a line on the map. It is the only state I know of that defines nationality by (supposed) ethnicity so there is no such thing as Israeli nationality because it is a state not for its citizens but for all the Jews in the world. It is nuclear-armed, has one of the most powerful armies in the world with the most sophisticated weaponry and has launched five aggressive wars against its neighbours, yet claims always to be the victim. It uses the Holocaust to justify its oppressive policies but has treated its Holocaust survivors abysmally.
And it is a psychotic state, a state in denial. Its first myth was A land without a people for a people without a land thus disappearing the indigenous people. In 1969 Golda Meir was still insisting that ‘There were no such thing as Palestinians….They did not exist’ . It is a state that rewrites its own history and will not acknowledge, nor will the majority of its Jewish citizens, the suffering it has inflicted on the Palestinian inhabitants of the country it has colonised.
Israel. as a society, suppressed the memory of its war against the local Palestinians because it couldn’t really come to terms with the fact that it expelled Arabs, committed atrocities against them, dispossessed them. This was like admitting that the noble Jewish dream of statehood was stained forever by a major injustice… (Shlomo Ben-Ami)
No wonder then that any commemoration of the Nakba has been made illegal.
The Israeli political establishment inflicted on Palestinians four types of denial. First came the denial of our very existence. Then followed the denial of our rights. All this was accompanied by the denial of our sufferings and the denial of their moral and historical responsibility for this suffering.
(Afif Safieh, Palestinian diplomat.)
So now we have a Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary who loves Israel. She cannot accept that the Israel she loves, ‘the only democracy in the Middle East‘, bears little resemblance to the actual Israel. She will not see that the increasingly repressive nature of the state, the militarisation of society, the racism, the growing religious fanaticism are the inevitable consequences of its self-definition as a ‘Jewish’ state, a state that excludes its non-Jewish minority from full citizenship. She criticises the policies of the present government and believes — or professes to believe — that a change of government would remove the settlements and bring about a two state solution. This delusion is necessary because it would be too awful to acknowledge that Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians is inherent in the nature of the Zionist state and not due to this or that government’s policies.
The Labour Party itself, up to and including Corbyn, is in a state of denial. It hangs its hopes on a two-state solution brought about by peace talks. There are no peace talks. There never were any genuine peace talks. The peace talks were in reality an excuse for Israel to consolidate its settlement project. There is no two-state solution. The two-state solution is dead, even Jonathan Freedland can see that. But this hard reality must be denied because the alternative — a single secular state with equal rights for all, i.e. the end of the ‘Jewish’ state — is too awful to contemplate.
Is it? Really?
Singer/songwriter, children’s author. Here you will find provocative musings on songwriting, politics and life’s little ironies. http://leonrosselson.co.uk
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2562
|
__label__wiki
| 0.921838
| 0.921838
|
Image courtesy of [Aya Chebbi via Flickr]
Tunisia: The Last Vestige of the Arab Spring?
By Michael Sliwinski | April 14, 2016
On Monday, April 4, Tunisia became the first country to announce that it would reopen its consulate in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. While Tunisia did so out of concern for its citizens living in Libya, as well as for trade considerations, the move also reinforced Tunisia’s place as an outlier. Approximately five years after the Arab Spring, Tunisia is the only country left standing with a democracy and not mired in a civil war or an authoritarian takeover. While its neighbors, especially Libya, have all but collapsed, Tunisia has remained above the fray, even as the threat of ISIS rises.
Read on to find out how the Arab Spring affected Tunisia, how it is handling the ISIS threat, and what unique qualities have allowed the country to succeed following the Arab Spring when every other nation has essentially failed to live up to its promises.
History of Tunisia
The settling of the land where Tunisia now sits has been ongoing for thousands of years thanks to the country’s access to both the Mediterranean and the inland Sahara region. In classical times, Tunisia was home to Carthage, the powerful empire that challenged Rome but ultimately lost. After its defeat, it was ruled by Rome and later by the Berbers who converted to Islam in the 7th century after their defeat by Arab invaders. Tunisia was then ruled by a series of Muslim empires until 1881 when it was conquered by the French, becoming one of its colonies.
The French maintained control over Tunisia through a mixture of repression and concession, but that was not enough to stem the Tunisian independence movement, known as Destour. In the 1930s, Habib Bourguiba, who later became Tunisia’s first president, started the Neo-Destour party to renew the independence effort. Bourguiba was imprisoned in France but was later released by the German occupiers during World War II, at which point he began advocating for the gradual independence of Tunisia. In 1956, France officially granted Tunisia complete independence with Bourguiba as the head of state.
Habib Bourguiba served as Tunisia’s president from 1957 to 1987. During his tenure in Tunisia, Bourguiba ruled as a one-party leader who led a relatively western-style government. The first few years after its independence were marred by residual conflicts with France. Other significant events occurred later in Habib’s rule, such as when the Arab League and the PLO temporarily relocated their headquarters to Tunisia. In 1987, Bourguiba was replaced by his prime minister, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in a nonviolent coup. Problems with corruption and human rights violations led many to become dissatisfied with Ben Ali’s rule, eventually sparking a revolution.
Tunisia and the Arab Spring
Perhaps it is fitting that Tunisia is the last country espousing the promise of the Arab Spring since it was in Tunisia where protests initially started. In December 2010, an unemployed man named Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire in protest after Tunisian police stopped him from selling fruit on the street. This act sparked protests that led to mass unrest. The protests eventually prompted the end of Ben Ali’s rule, forcing him to flee to Saudi Arabia. Since then, the country has had two democratic elections and enjoys relatively high levels of freedom.
However, things in Tunisia did not go off without a hitch. The first election was won by an Islamist group in 2011. By 2013 however, the momentum behind this group had stalled and was accompanied by the assassination of a prominent opposition candidate. Instead of collapsing, the party in charge looked at its neighbor in Egypt, which was seeing a nearly identical situation unfold, and agreed to try something different. In Tunisia, the ruling Islamist party agreed to step down while maintaining a role in the election process. This negotiation was orchestrated by four groups of activists which eventually earned them the Nobel Peace Prize.
Despite some success, the country faces several significant challenges. Namely, Tunisia has been slow to clamp down on corruption or hold security forces accountable for their history of violence. It is also struggling to deal with the growing influence of extremism among its citizens. Still, it bears asking, how or why has Tunisia succeeded while every other country involved in the Arab Spring failed?
Preserving Democracy
One explanation of Tunisia’s success appears to be the very same Islamist party, Ennahada, which was elected after the revolution and then subsequently gave up power. Unlike many of its regional neighbors, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Ennahada is much more secular and abhors the ideals of radical Islam. Aside from its ideology, what probably preserved democracy in Tunisia as much as anything else was its decision to give up power, which is one of the pillars of any democracy. By stepping aside in a volatile environment, Ennahada showed that change can be achieved peacefully through democratic means.
Despite these encouraging signs, more work needs to be done. In a recent poll, 83 percent of Tunisians stated they believed the country was going the wrong way. Much of this discontent is focused on slow-moving political reforms, especially when it comes to the economy. Many of Tunisia’s educated young working class have had a hard time finding jobs and are losing faith in the government’s ability to solve the problem. On top of all this is the security threat from Libya and ISIS. Tunisia has kept the democracy experiment alive through voting and the peaceful transition of power, but many Tunisians are getting frustrated with the current path.
The following video looks at Tunisia in the context of the Arab Spring and how it has been successful:
The Threat of ISIS
Tunisia’s success with democracy is all the more impressive given the large influence that ISIS has in the region and within the country. This paradox is most clearly illustrated by the fact that, despite being the most democratic and literate countries in the Islamic World, Tunisia is also the largest source of foreign fighters for ISIS. Between 6,000 and 7,000 Tunisians have left their homes to join ISIS with another 15,000 barred from making the trip. Even more interesting, many of these fighters have come from middle-class, even affluent, backgrounds. This throws the traditional narrative of terrorist breeding grounds into question. Some locals and experts attribute ISIS’s success in recruiting to a sense of disappointment with the post-Arab Spring government.
While Tunisia grapples with being simultaneously being the Islamic world’s most promising democracy and at the same time home to the most ISIS fighters, it must also look to danger from abroad. In 2015, Tunisia was home to two terrorist attacks that left 38 and 21 people dead respectfully. These attacks were conducted by ISIS and targeted tourists. As a result, the tourism industry, which makes up close to 10 percent of Tunisia’s economy, fell decreased significantly.
Perhaps Tunisia’s greatest threat, though, comes from neighboring Libya. Libya is where many Tunisian ISIS recruits go to train before coming back to plan attacks. One such attack was beaten back earlier this year in March when Tunisian security forces managed to fight off an invasion attempt from ISIS soldiers in the town of Ben Guerdane. Although they managed to successfully repel ISIS in Ben Guerdane, the fear and likelihood of more attacks remain strong. In fact, Tunisia is now constructing a wall along its border with Libya with help from the United States and Germany.
The video below takes a closer look at Tunisian government’s difficulty preventing its citizens from joining ISIS:
Five years after the start of the Arab Spring the results do not look promising. Three of the countries involved are engaged in civil war–Yemen, Libya, and Syria–and in Bahrain, the monarchy clings to its power. Meanwhile, authoritarian rule has been restored in Egypt. By most accounts, Tunisia is the only power to experience any meaningful progress toward democratization. Tunisia’s success is even more inexplicable because it is also the number one source of foreign fighters for ISIS and it remains under the constant threat of attack by ISIS fighters who are based in Libya.
But Tunisia and its Arab Spring idealism continue to endure. The nation is certainly not without difficulties and it nearly succumbed to the same problems that doomed Egypt. How was Tunisia able to navigate this mine field when everyone else failed? A leading explanation is Tunisia’s peaceful transition from one government to another, despite its political and social chaos.
Ultimately, though, people’s patience is not infinite and new polls suggest concerns over the political process, the economy, and national security may threaten the long-term success of democracy in Tunisia and the Arab Spring in general. But if Tunisia can solve these problems it will be a testament to a movement that believed that democracy is possible in the Islamic world.
Libya Herald: Tunisia to Reopen its Tripoli Embassy and Consulate
Encyclopedia Britannica: Tunisia
History World: History of Tunisia
Time: Why the Arab Spring Has Not Led to Disaster in Tunisia
The Wall Street Journal: How Tunisia Became a Top Source of ISIS Recruits
The Telegraph: Tunisia sees a Million Fewer Tourists after Terror Attacks
NPR: Tunisia’s Fragile Democracy Faces A Threat From Chaotic Libya
The Atlantic: Tunisia Is Still a Success
U.S. News and World Report: 5 Years After the Spring
Michael Sliwinski
Michael Sliwinski (@MoneyMike4289) is a 2011 graduate of Ohio University in Athens with a Bachelor’s in History, as well as a 2014 graduate of the University of Georgia with a Master’s in International Policy. In his free time he enjoys writing, reading, and outdoor activites, particularly basketball. Contact Michael at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.
Related ItemsArab SpringDemocracyISISIslamismMiddle East and North AfricaTunisia
Lebanese PM Saad Hariri and Donald Trump Discuss ISIS, Syrian Refugees
Massive Protests Planned Against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
War Crimes in Mosul?: Amnesty Claims All Parties Violated International Law
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2572
|
__label__cc
| 0.58482
| 0.41518
|
God and Mars
Mapping an Invisible World 2005
Ear Candy for the Headphone Trippers - EP 2007
Keep Your Voices Down
I'm Sorry I Told You All My Problems
It's Not Over
About Days Away
The alternative/indie rock outfit Days Away first came together in 1998 during their high-school days in Langhorne, PA. Initially, the group consisted of Keith Goodwin (vocals/guitar), Jake Weiss (guitar), Matt Haines (drums), and Chris Frangicetto (bass). They played around town for two years, and upon graduation, relocated together to California. Taking a recommendation from friend Kenny Vasoli (the Starting Line), the group got in touch with Orange County indie label We the People, and released the Feel of It EP in 2002. Through heavy touring and plenty of Internet exposure, the band saw its fan base rapidly expand. In 2003, along with new drummer Tim Arnold, the group released another EP, entitled L.S.D. Keyboardist Bryan Gulla was then added, making the group's lineup complete. Entering the studio with producer Neal Avron soon afterwards, their debut full-length on Fueled by Ramen, Mapping an Invisible World, was issued in May 2005. ~ Corey Apar
Early November
JamisonParker
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2575
|
__label__wiki
| 0.958295
| 0.958295
|
Taken Effect
The Final Experiment 2017
I Come By Night
The Killer 2012
Fluid 67
The Dirt / Fluid 67 - Single 2013
Into Bleeps
Air Texture Vol. VI 2018
Call 32075!
About Shed
German techno producer René Pawlowitz, a regular at Berlin's prestigious Berghain nightclub, releases music under at least a dozen pseudonyms, but his work as Shed has garnered the most acclaim. His lush, atmospheric tracks are informed by fond memories of '90s Detroit techno and jungle, and have enough heavy bass and echo to cross over to the dubstep and dub techno crowds.
Born in Frankfurt in 1975, he began producing electronic music during the '90s. He moved to Berlin in 2002, where he became an employee at the legendary Hard Wax record store. Starting with 2004's Red Planet Express, he released numerous EPs on his own Soloaction Records, quickly building a buzz throughout the underground dance scene. It wasn't long before Delsin and Styrax released additional Shed EPs, and Pawlowitz began releasing white label 12"s under additional monikers such as EQD, Wax, and STP. In 2008, Berghain's Ostgut Ton label released Shed's debut album, Shedding the Past. The album was very well received by fans of underground techno, and Resident Advisor named it the best album of the year.
Follow-up The Traveller arrived in 2010, as Pawlowitz started even more side ventures, such as WK7, Head High, and Panamax Project. Pawlowitz remixed Radiohead's song "Little by Little" in 2011. The following year, he moved to Modeselektor's 50 Weapons label for the full-length The Killer, as well as singles "The Praetorian" and "The Dirt." In 2015, Shed's Constant Power EP was released by Hard Wax's The Final Experiment imprint, and the single "Dark Planet" appeared on 50 Weapons right before the label ceased operations. Shed's fourth full-length, also titled The Final Experiment, appeared on Modeselektor's other label, Monkeytown, in 2017. ~ Paul Simpson
Claro Intelecto
Millie & Andrea
Marcel Fengler
A Made Up Sound
Delta Funktionen
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2576
|
__label__cc
| 0.526256
| 0.473744
|
Fertilizing the Garden: How MUSIC & MEMORY® Enhances Therapy Tasks and Builds Relationships
It was one of those challenging days at a nursing home near Indianapolis. A resident with late stage dementia was agitated, trying to get up from his seat and walk, although he was at risk of falling. Tending to him, nursing staff were unable to spend time with other residents and complete work that had to be done. Everyone was stressed.
That’s when speech language pathologist Natalie Scott pulled out a digital music device and began playing some of the man’s favorite music. “I was covering for another therapist, trying to work on verbal expression,” she recalls. “He was able to sit in his recliner and listen. When I turned off the music, within a minute or so, he said, ‘I was listening to that.’ The nurse told me she had never heard him speak before.”
As Natalie shared online images with the resident, she soon discovered that he was a retired fire chief. After viewing pictures of fire trucks and other equipment, he told her he wanted to get his fire hat. “It was a really great session,” says Natalie. “And the CNA’s and nurses were able to finish lunch with the other residents and distribute meds. It was pretty amazing.”
Applying MUSIC & MEMORY® to Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Language Pathology
That experience inspired Natalie and physical therapist Jan Bays to team up and promote Music & Memory’s personalized playlist program to support a range of therapeutic applications, including physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and speech language pathology (SLP).
“Music & Memory helps set up the person to do the therapy task successfully,” says Jan, now Director of Program Development and Education for Jill’s House in Bloomington, Indiana. “It makes the garden fertile.”
For example, when someone with a hand problem sees an occupational therapist, they may experience a lot of frustration and pain, trying to get their hands to move once again or regain strength, coordination and range of motion, explains Jan. Listening to their favorite music can help to distract them from discomfort and stay motivated.
The same holds for physical therapy. “One of the first successes that we had involved a person who really needed to work on repetitive exercises on an exercise bike, to increase range of motion and aerobic capacity” she says. “The therapist just couldn’t get them to do it for even five minutes. We put on the personalized music and they did it for 15 or 20 minutes.”
For elders with dementia or other cognitive impairments, says Natalie, personalized playlists can be used to arouse attention and help with self-feeding: “As someone is more alert and able to self-feed, it also directly reduces the risk of swallowing difficulty, because they are better able to self-monitor.”
There are many more ways to enhance therapy with personalized playlists. For example, playing the individual’s favorite music 15 minutes before a therapeutic session, such as personal care training for Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), can be invigorating and increase alertness and attentiveness to the task. Jan adds that when the person is depressed and even less willing to participate in therapy, that special music can give them a “big dopamine dump,” which boosts their involvement.
Together, Jan and Natalie offer a two-day webinar through Music & Memory, specially designed for PT, OT and SLP therapy applications. Therapists who work in a MUSIC & MEMORY® Certified Care Organization are eligible for the training; once they have completed the webinars, they can introduce the program to other MUSIC & MEMORY® Certified Care Organizations where they consult. The webinars explain Music & Memory’s particular benefits for these therapies; specific applications for people with dementia, medical complexities and those in short term rehab; as well as the nuts and bolts of documentation, billing and program development.
Building Quality Relationships with Personalized Playlists
In addition to improving patients’ attention and willingness to perform tasks, personalized playlists can help therapists to build the quality personal relationships that are so essential to a successful outcome. Favorite music “helps to make that connection with skills that are old and already known,” says Jan. “It’s helping the person attend to the past. It’s helping the person to find the energy and attention to relate. You have to make that connection and create a relationship before you can effectively teach. Therapists are invading people’s personal spaces, and you have to have a relationship with someone to successfully invade their space. Personalized music is a great way to do that.”
Therapists and their patients aren’t the only ones to benefit. Family members do, too. “It’s very common when family visit someone with a cognitive impairment, they don’t know what to say or do,” says Natalie. Sharing a personalized playlist can help to bridge that gap: “I can come up with a functional communication task to help communicate with their family member, to facilitate automatic verbalizations, the ability to appropriately engage and communicate.”
For caregivers, personalized music is also an important tool. Therapy, explains Jan, has three major goals: to restore function, to teach compensatory strategies for functions that can’t be performed in their customary way, and to adapt the person’s environment for success. Educating caregivers how to use personalized playlists at home to enhance the patient’s follow-through with therapy can reap huge benefits for all involved. “Music & Memory is a big way to adapt the person’s environment,” she says.
“What we have to do, especially for people living with dementia, is to give them an environment in which they feel competent,” says Jan. “They know who they are and they know what to do. Music & Memory makes that connection to a time when the person was competent and they felt comfortable.”
For details about MUSIC & MEMORY® Therapy Applications Training, please click here.
Image Credit: Alexis Gregos
Filed Under: Alzheimer's and Dementia, Nursing Home Culture Change Tagged With: Alzheimer's, benefits of personalized music, dementia, nursing home culture change, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Language Pathology
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2577
|
__label__wiki
| 0.66072
| 0.66072
|
Diamond Dazzler ticket delivers $1 million prize to Greensboro postal worker
Posted 12:31 pm, June 7, 2019, by Web Staff
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Cedric McBroom, a U.S. postal worker, is usually the one delivering good news to others, but on Tuesday a scratch-off ticket delivered a $1 million prize to him.
“I’m excited,” said McBroom, of Greensboro. “I can’t even really describe how I feel yet.”
McBroom bought the lucky $4,000,000 Diamond Dazzler ticket on his way to work Monday morning when he stopped at the Dong Phuong Oriental Market on Farmington Drive in Greensboro. He put the $20 ticket in his truck console and forgot about it.
While getting ready for work the next morning, he heard his son shouting from the garage, “Dad! Dad! Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?”
McBroom’s son walked in with the ticket scratched off to reveal the $1 million prize. McBroom couldn’t believe his eyes.
“We called his brother into the room,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we were all seeing the same thing. Once we all realized it was real, we just did like a three-way hug and jumped up and down.”
McBroom claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. He had the choice of taking an annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $424,506.
“We’ll put most of it in savings,” said McBroom. “I want to help my sons with the next steps in their lives, whether it’s moving out or getting a car. It would be nice for us to take a trip to visit my wife’s family in California.”
McBroom says there may be one extra stop on their family vacation.
“Of course we’ll have to stop in Vegas first,” he said. “Since I’m on the luckiest streak of my life!”
Winner of largest Powerball jackpot in North Carolina history comes forward
Rockingham County man wins $1 million on scratch-off ticket
Winner of $768.4 million Powerball jackpot is 24-year-old Wisconsin man
NC man wins $250,000, plans to take 92-year-old grandmother on dream vacation
Guilford County truck driver wins $50,000 Powerball prize
Pfafftown woman wins $200,000 on scratch-off ticket
Randolph County man says $250,000 Powerball prize will help ease a tough time
Greensboro family demands changes as film details their son’s Navy helicopter death
Buckley Report
Local man finds fame on YouTube with car reviews
High Point man wins $200,000 on scratch-off ticket
Mega Millions jackpot goes up to nearly half a billion dollars
How Greensboro’s ‘Baby Doe’ found her forever home – ‘What Happened to Baby Doe’ episode 4
This big brother can’t contain his excitement for his little sister’s pre-K graduation
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2580
|
__label__wiki
| 0.670987
| 0.670987
|
Maria News < Back
HVCC and Maria College Sign Student Transfer Agreement for Bachelor’s Degrees
ALBANY, NY—Students in Hudson Valley Community College’s Nursing and Community Health Navigation degrees now have a new option to continue their studies at Maria College after graduation. The Troy, NY SUNY community college and Maria College in Albany, today signed an agreement that will provide seamless transfer into Maria’s Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Nursing completion program or the Health Care Management bachelor’s degree program.
Students who complete either the Nursing or Community Health Navigation associate degree programs at Hudson Valley with a grade point average of 2.5 or greater will be guaranteed admission to Maria College with a third year (junior) status.
“We are happy to work in conjunction with Maria College to provide another local option for our health science students to continue their education,” said Hudson Valley Community College President Drew Matonak. “The majority of our graduates stay in the Capital Region, so having a transfer partner in Maria increases their opportunities and their chance for further career advancement.”
Maria College President Tom Gamble stated, “Maria College is proud of its Mercy heritage and deep roots we have in this region of providing rigorous and compassionate healthcare education. Having a baccalaureate degree can be very important to career advancement and we are very pleased to work with Hudson Valley and other educational partners to create new pathways and opportunities for students. Together we are building a strong healthcare infrastructure in the Capital Region.”
The Nursing associate degree program at Hudson Valley, which has been in existence for more than five decades, annually graduates about 70 students, many of whom wish to continue their education at the baccalaureate level. Maria College provides three entry levels into the nursing profession with a practical nurse certificate program (LPN), associate degree in Nursing (RN) and a bachelor of science degree in Nursing completion program. Hudson Valley and Maria alumni are visible in healthcare leadership positions across the region.
Hudson Valley’s Community Health Navigation program enrolled its inaugural class this fall. Graduates are prepared to help patients break down the barriers to care and find their way through the sometimes daunting healthcare system by providing help with navigating things like insurance, prescriptions, transportation, and follow-up care. The Maria bachelor’s degree in healthcare management program prepares students for mid-level management positions in a variety of healthcare settings.
Dr. John Kowal, Maria College Vice President for Academic Affairs stated, “Maria’s BS in healthcare management provides a balance among the technological, clinical, and business sides of healthcare. An internship also allows students to work with professional healthcare practitioners to enhance their classroom learning experience and give them a competitive edge when seeking employment.”
About Maria College
Founded in 1958, Maria College is one of 17 colleges and universities in the United States sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. The private, co-educational, Catholic college in Albany serves almost 800 students in a variety of degree and certificate programs including liberal arts, healthcare management, nursing, occupational therapy assistant, and health and occupational sciences. Maria College prepares students for meaningful careers in healthcare and service so they can make a difference in the lives of others. More information about the college is available at www.mariacollege.edu
About Hudson Valley Community College
Founded in 1953, Hudson Valley Community College offers more than 85 degree and certificate programs in four schools: Business; Engineering and Industrial Technologies; Health Science; and Liberal Arts and Sciences; and an Educational Opportunity Center for academic and career training. One of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system, it has an enrollment of nearly 11,500 students, and is known as a leader in distance learning initiatives and workforce training. Hudson Valley has more than 75,000 alumni. More information about the college is available at: www.hvcc.edu
Eric Bryant
Assistant Director, Office of Communications and Marketing
e.brant@hvcc.edu
McAuley Building increases Maria College’s footprint
Maria Nursing Scholarship Remembers a Lifetime of Care and Compassion
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2581
|
__label__cc
| 0.539817
| 0.460183
|
March 02, 2018 / Mark Lipton
The moment has come for nonprofits to reckon with the sexual harassment that until all too recently has been swept under the carpet. In recent weeks, allegations of repulsive behavior have rippled through nonprofits, just as in government, tech, business, and elsewhere.
The American Red Cross made the dreadful misstep of unloading a senior executive accused of multiple harassment incidents by sending him on his way to Save the Children with a glowing recommendation. And the Humane Society of the United States saw seven board members step down over the organization’s handling of allegations of misconduct by the chief executive, who resigned a few hours after the board voted to keep him on the job. Arts and culture organizations and colleges and universities have also seen top leaders toppled by allegations of misconduct.
More revelations are almost certainly coming. Only the most naïve would believe that nonprofits exist in a rarified and exemplary world, immune from abusive behaviors. After all, the balance of power in the nonprofit workplace often leads to abuses of all kinds. And tolerance of sexual misconduct is exacerbated by the reality that men hold most of the positions of authority in the nonprofit world, with women in supportive and de facto more vulnerable roles.
That’s why executive directors and boards must establish far more effective approaches if they plan to deliver on the promise of zero-tolerance sexual harassment policies. What can boards and CEOs do to ensure that their actions prevent this abuse, and—when it happens—how can they respond in a way that will also leave their organizations stronger? Here are some key steps to take immediately.
Give boards a new mandate: Be stewards of the culture.
We’ve seen over the decades a widening of roles for nonprofit boards. Fiduciary responsibilities have taken overwhelming prominence, and, while this includes mitigation of risk factors (like lawsuits), boards focus on being the guardians of tangible assets.
Creating a strategic partnership with management has become as important. Two decades ago many boards became influenced by Harvard scholar Richard Chait’s advice to go beyond questions of strategy, staying high above the weeds. They begin asking larger "why" questions that are often not directly related to the present but offer insights on challenges and opportunities.
Although I believe strongly that all three roles are essential, I now advocate for a fourth.
Over the past few years, I’ve experienced many smart, high-functioning boards assuming the role of cultural steward. They realize boards must ultimately be responsible for maintaining a performance-driven, talent-focused, and innovative culture so that the organization does not get swallowed up by disruptions that cause their donor or membership bases to flee, and they do not allow a mission to become obsolete.
They also understand that an obsessive focus on culture prevents aberrant behaviors. And while the CEO must be responsible for carrying out the processes required to wrangle a culture into alignment, an increasing number of boards hold themselves ultimately accountable for this.
To be clear: The board as cultural steward is not merely about risk management (though this becomes an advantageous benefit). It’s about creating a healthy and productive environment that stops or stems sexual harassment as well as providing a plethora of other payoffs when boards take on the mantle. Look deeply into many of the organizations where sexual harassment runs rampant, and you will find elements of a toxic culture.
Stop giving rainmakers a pass.
Many nonprofits have key individuals who play an essential role in their organization’s success.
At times, but certainly not always, this is the CEO. As The Washington Post and The New York Times reported recently, the board influence—and charisma—of the Humane Society’s CEO, Wayne Pacelle, is merely one case in point. He was a rainmaker, a dealmaker extraordinaire in creating mergers, affiliations, and corporate partnerships. His deal-making prowess may have endeared him so profoundly to his board that they may not have been able to accept allegations of his aberrant behaviors. They stopped the investigation on him midstream.
Rainmakers have inordinate talent and influence to generate revenue, or they are seen as essential to the mission. In their own ways, they are exceptional, groundbreaking, and often charismatic. But out of fear of alienating these rainmakers, nonprofits too often seem blind to the ways they give them free passes. Rainmakers can be exempt from accountability to the formal rules, policies, and codes of conduct required of everyone else. It remains an unspoken dynamic.
Take the dramatic example from the corporate world, where the term originated. Citibank’s former CEO, John Reed, made a daring move to rein in a dozen errant rainmakers, despite their power to bring hundred-million-dollar deals to the bank. The problem: Their behavior was abusive to anyone who worked with them. Reed gave them a stern warning and offered executive coaching. When their behavior did not change, he gave them a second warning. The rainmakers assumed that their value to the bank guaranteed their immunity, since nothing consequential had ever happened when they broke code-of-conduct rules.
As he had promised, Reed fired them all. The power of this action showed the lengths he was willing to go to in enforcing civil behavior and change the informal, get-out-of-jail-free passes that one element of the culture had allowed. Are your rainmakers models of the behavior you expect from everyone? If not, take strong action.
Rethink the role of HR.
Nonprofit leadership must question the process by which those who are aggrieved seek safety and recourse, since the HR function in far too many cases can no longer provide it. A regressive drift over the past two decades has taken too many HR departments back to the days of transactional "personnel" function. We seem to have forgotten that when "human resources" became the function’s new name, it also embraced a deep commitment to represent the needs of employees, balancing an advocacy role while finally becoming a key part of the leadership team.
Victims coming forward have voiced how HR aggravated their sense of victimization when they did not feel believed or no action was taken. A study by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that "75 percent of employees who spoke out against workplace mistreatment faced some form of retaliation."
The #MeToo moment has illuminated how HR is broken in too many nonprofits. Far from advocating for employees, HR leaders and their staff are increasingly ignoring, refusing to act, or inadequately addressing sexual harassment complaints. And this has led women in particular to stop trusting a department that ostensibly was established to protect them. Alternatives exist and are being adopted.
The first step to finding the best-fit solution is to acknowledge whether HR’s processes, reporting structure, and level of power are adequate to deal with this lightning-rod issue.
If not, consider truly independent and trustworthy resources outside the organization.
Question how much power you’re giving to external counsel.
Undeniably, sexual harassment is a legal-risk issue for any organization, with profound potential implications. But sending in the lawyers to investigate complaints or to conduct audits does not lead to a robust long-term organizational solution.
My respect for colleagues in the legal profession runs deep. But when their work steps over the line to conduct organizational assessments, requiring the mapping of power, influence, communications, and culture, the lens through which they look at these "soft" causes of bad behavior can be a limited one.
Organization development professionals engender deep trust in staff members and can quickly assess culture and culpability. They engage in far more solution-driven conversations with all parties to identify not only problem people but also problem processes and dynamics. When these professionals have dual-reporting accountability to the CEO and the board, while still maintaining a close relationship with HR, their insights can reshape troubled dynamics.
Find the levers that place pressure on men to speak out about the uncivil behaviors of other men.
When better codes of cultural conduct become part of everyday behavior, the men’s club will no longer protect the abuser. Time is up for leaving the burden solely on women to protect their female colleagues. Men must call out other men. If they know of egregious behaviors and do not act, there must be painful consequences.
With these fresh approaches to responsibility and transparency in the culture, nonprofit organizations can become not only irreproachable in the public eye, but also better and more empowering places to work. Let’s make 2018 the year to advance workplace equity, fairness, and safety.
This article originally appeared as an op-ed in The Chronicle of Philanthropy on February 13, 2018.
March 02, 2018 / Mark Lipton/ Comment
nonprofits, company culture, sexual harassment
August 16, 2017 / Mark Lipton
2017 has been a banner year for mean man apologies, and we still have one more quarter to go. A fertile source of recent apologies stems from Silicon Valley’s self-reckoning of sexual harassment, kicked off by ex-Uber employee Susan Fowler’s now-legendary February blog post. As noted in my prior post, the company failed to address Fowler’s case of harassment, fueled by a persistently sexist company culture. Two public apologies, of the five examined in more detail below, were issued in reaction to the subsequent call by women in tech and women entrepreneurs to bring harassers to justice and name the sexism for what it is.
To be clear, not everyone is apologizing. As the latest manifestation of white male privilege in the Valley, ex-Google employee James Damore, fired for his now infamous memo detailing in part how women are biologically less fit for tech work, subsequently told the Wall Street Journal that his memo wasn’t problematic, the consequences were. But the tech world is not the only one in which mean men are being forced to answer for their behavior. In Hollywood, in the US House race, and in a Brooklyn courtroom, some mean men are being held to account.
Others expect a public statement to make it all better. Even when they occur, there is something disturbing about these “apologies.” It isn’t merely these individuals’ refusal to take responsibility, which we have seen again and again in mean men across industries (but most prominently in tech). No, it is even more so our willingness to allow a few well-chosen, PR-motivated, and artfully-framed phrases to erase the bad behavior and in some cases, crimes.
We have entered the era of the postmodern apology. When powerful men screw up, they perform what is at best a meaningless, socially enforced ritual and at worst a calculated ploy to regain the exercise of power at others’ expense. Whereas genuine apologies seek to repair the damage done to victims, the damage-control apology so popular today belies a complete lack of empathy and serves only to aggrandize the mean man.
In fact, there is plenty of evidence in the apologies themselves to clue us in to the magnitude of their egregious behaviors. Here are but five examples.
Chris Sacca: The Glamourpology
This remarkable piece of rhetoric serves as this series’ longest apology, clocking in at a whopping 2500+ words with an addendum bringing the total up to nearly 3000. Just look at the sentence that introduces his original apology post: “The words that follow are my heartfelt process for reconciliation and growing the work I have been doing for years to bring about permanent change in our industry and our lives.” Oh, wait, you’re giving us a list of accomplishments? You’d think he’s been awarded a Nobel and is warming up to his acceptance speech… The actual apology waters down harassment into nothing more than “[making] some women feel awkward, unwelcome, insecure, and/or discouraged.” But what’s truly shocking is just how much time Sacca spends discussing all his contributions to women since his days of youthful bro-ing about—at least two-thirds of the “apology.” Thanks so much for all you’ve done, Chris!
Dave McClure: The Creepology
Most notable about McClure’s post is the repeated use of “inappropriate behavior” to stand in for harassment as well as the de-personalization of the women he’s victimized. As pointed out by founder Cheryl Yeoh, whom he cornered in an empty apartment when the two were in an investor-investee relationship, such language minimizes and covers up what really happened. McClure is not quite as masterful as Sacco at self-aggrandizement nor does he claim that he’s really changed. His tack is to admit his “imperfections” openly and appeal to people’s sympathy, like Radiohead’s “Creep” does so well.
Greg Gianforte: The Stratepology
Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte’s apology was most notable for its timing. Let’s go over the order of events. The Honorable Congressman Gianforte:
Body slams Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs upon being asked a question about healthcare.
Has his office release a statement that alleges provocateur liberal reporter Ben Jacobs started trouble and that Gianforte stood up to him.
Rides conservative media coverage of him as a hero willing to stand up to “snowflake” Millennial liberals all the way to victory in the US House of Representatives.
Apologizes without naming his wrongdoing directly during his acceptance speech, to overwhelming applause from a room of devoted supporters.
Michael Einfeld: The Abomination
Nothing comes quite close to the emetic nature of Michael Einfeld’s apology for a violently misogynistic email about his female assistant. In his cellphone text apology to her, he manages to use a gay slur and joke about Holocaust extermination camps both extensively and in disturbing detail. What distinguishes this apology from the others on this list is its intended private nature. It was not prepared by a team of publicists and strategists, but instead dashed off by a guy who thought this series of texts would smooth things over. Is this a good indication of what other mean-man apologies would sound like without PR intervention?
Martin Shkreli: The Ain’t-Never-Gonna-Happen
The smirk on disgraced former pharma CEO Shkreli’s face during trial is emblematic of this mean man’s refusal to admit he’s done any wrong. He indicated with his winks and frowns to the press that the whole trial was a joke, and called it a “witch hunt.” Even as evidence of his ruthlessness piled up in court—including violent threats to employees and their families— Shkreli played it cool, as though the whole thing was a Soviet show trial, a mere formality orchestrated by his enemies.
As Shkreli bends reality around him with his jester performance, he creates a parallel universe where none of what he’s done has anything to do with his forthcoming sentence. It’s us who should be apologizing to him.
For all the mean men yet to issue hollow and insincere apologies in 2017, I’ve put together a handy guide to help:
The Official 2017 Mean Man Apology Guide:
Use Vague Language: Be imprecise when naming the behaviors that you are sorry for. Or just keep your mouth shut and ignore everything.
Diffuse Responsibility: Whether it’s society, ignorance, bro-culture, being an asshole who can’t spell, or being the victim of a witch hunt, make sure you have something to blame. But be careful to not start blaming someone. You’ll just have to repeat the cycle all over again.
Change Focus/Flatter Yourself: In some cases, it becomes necessary to shift focus away from the wrongdoing and toward one’s accomplishments or sudden enlightenment. One powerful way to change focus is to deny wrongdoing entirely. Yes, you, too can create a Jobsian “reality distortion field.” Be just like Steve!
Watch the Timing: Apologize only when beneficial for one’s public image. If at all possible, avoid apologizing entirely, but if you must, use time to your advantage. Do not consider whether timing will ameliorate the hurt caused to the victim. That’s not the point of your apology in the first place.
August 16, 2017 / Mark Lipton/ Comment
mean men, apologies, case study
It’s not just summer ratcheting up the heat in Silicon Valley, where more power players are in the hot seat as dozens of women allege persistent sexual harassment. Their testimonies are further exposing a toxic culture in start-ups—and particularly tech—wherein untouchable men are allowed to touch women without their consent.
In a June 22 interview with The Information, entrepreneurs Niniane Wang, Susan Ho, and Leiti Hsu revealed VC Justin Caldbeck’s persistent harassment and use of financial leverage to exert sexual pressure on female entrepreneurs. Another twenty-some women spoke to The New York Times the following week, naming VCs Dave McClure and Chris Sacca in addition to Caldbeck as notorious harassers. Finally, in a personal blog post, tech founder Cheryl Yeoh demolished McClure’s public blog apology, which conflated harassment with “inappropriate behavior.” In an all-too-familiar refrain, he minimized—and attempted to normalize—the severity of a predatory pattern.
A sign that the scandal rocking the Valley has entered mainstream consciousness is that six of the women entrepreneurs at its center have met with NBC’s Megyn Kelly for in-depth interviews. They credited their confidence to come forward to Susan Fowler’s February 2017 blog post recounting her harrowing year at Uber.
In her post, Fowler methodically chronicles the Kafkaesque futility of using the company’s official channels to report the abuse. In one interaction after another, she is threatened with poor work performance reviews and assured that if any other complaints are lodged against the perpetrator—her manager, who propositioned her on her first day—swift action would be taken. But no action is ever taken against the harasser, despite the smoldering pile of allegations that seemed to get extinguished by the time they were being processed at Uber’s HR offices.
Her post has resonated with women across the tech and start-up community, encouraging more to come forward despite potential retaliation. But what, or who, is responsible for this scourge in the first place?
There is plenty of blame to go around. As I examine in my forthcoming book, Mean Men: The Perversion of America’s Self-Made Man, the media, investors, and Wall Street analysts have had a long love affair with abusive entrepreneurs and CEOs so long as they deliver results, even if those results are not sustainable. Given our culture’s willingness to look past glaring flaws in our political leaders from Jefferson to Trump, it is not surprising we’re just as enamored with men we perceive as responsible for our country’s (alleged) prosperity.
When Susan Fowler knocked over that first domino, she set off a series of events that have taken on a life of their own. Her dispassionate account of a “very strange year at Uber” both validated other women in tech—60% of whom have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace—and contributed to Travis Kalanick’s eventual ousting, which sent its own reassuring signals to women in tech and female entrepreneurs. Although some still excuse or minimize the problem, and others quietly grumble behind closed doors about the “witch hunt” thinning their ranks, 2017 has seen a step in the right direction.
A la Fowler, the women coming forwardpresent in-depth accounts of the sexual harassment they have experienced. Some are naming names and some are corroborating stories with screenshots of particularly egregious instances of mean men overstepping their bounds. Providing specific details assures that no perpetrator can hide behind vague language and euphemism to disguise predatory behavior as a simple misunderstanding. “The devil is in the details,” Cheryl Yeoh blogs. “It’s far too easy to gloss over the details and lump everything together as inappropriate.” To escape what she calls “the black box of inappropriateness,” she outlines an action plan for the development of precise language to better identify and document levels of toxic behavior as well as a rigorous training program on implementing proactive HR policies. In fact, in addition to outing mean men and demanding they take responsibility for predatory behavior, women across the tech and start-up sectors are demanding a future where such abuses would be the exception rather than the rule.
We do see some movement. Amid the flurry of recent accusations, founders Justin Caldbeck and Dave McClure resigned from their positions of CEO of Binary Capital and general partner at 500 respectively. These changes certainly signal a recognition that predatory behavior hurts the bottom line not the least through bad publicity. But are they a sign of a more inclusive vision for the future?
It is likely that these new accounts and the reckonings they bring about will help other women to come forward. The truth telling in turn means more mean men are forced to grapple with the harm they have caused to people and to their companies, bettering our chances of reimagining Silicon Valley as a place where creativity and innovation are not marred by abuse, skewed gender dynamics, and unchecked power.
The self-reckoning forced on Silicon Valley by these new testimonies is a good in and of itself for the sake of women and their well-being. Importantly, it may also be the catalyst toward a more stringent standard of behavior from the bro entrepreneurial culture. Women in tech and start-ups have sparked a national conversation on the expectations we have of our business and tech leaders. But it is up to Silicon Valley power players to take a more proactive approach to codifying expected behaviors and what will be unambiguously unacceptable from this point on.
mean men, silicon valley, sexual harassment
How to Cope With a Mean Boss
With my upcoming book, Mean Men, I hope to be part of a shift away from our current climate of mean in leadership culture. Meanness as a strategy for success is finally starting to come into question in the mainstream media. Even Forbes weighed in last week, noting that the extraordinary careers of people like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs happen in spite of their bullying personalities, not because their behavior and the culture of intimidation they create is a tactical advantage. But as much as things might be changing in our cultural discourse, mean men still run amok in the real world. And while there’s hope that more and more employees will be able to leave when the men in charge get mean, that’s not always a possibility. So what can folks who find themselves stuck between a mean man and a hard place do to preserve their sanity? Are there ways to, at the very least, blunt the impact of these characters?
Psychologists have been developing specific strategies that help others buffer and deflect the full-on abuse that mean men display when left unchecked. These strategies will not transform aggressively controlling behavior, but they will put boundaries around it.
A near-universal trait of mean men is that they are deeply manipulative. They distort reality, making those around them question themselves and their perceptions: it’s a mean man’s world, and we’re all just living in it. But while we can depend on them to deflect blame, criticize others’ work, and grab the credit that others deserve, we can also be proactive in minimizing the effects of their emotional attacks.
Andrea Kimble,* a senior manager under the infamous Dov Charney who I interviewed for my upcoming book, survived by physically avoiding her unpredictable boss and minimizing one-on-one communication whenever she could. She strategically planned her workspace and her workday so as to always have allies around her when she thought Dov might appear. She even had colleagues give her a heads-up if they knew Dov was on his way to see her so that he couldn’t have the upper hand of catching her off guard.
If you’re not able to physically separate yourself from your boss, detaching emotionally can be a good technique for getting some internal distance. Viewing your situation from a fresh perspective so you can see your circumstances objectively puts you in a better position to consider options than getting overwhelmed by how you feel. The emotional part of your brain requires balance with its rational part so it can cool down, calm down, and strategize.
To practice, take a moment to assess your feelings when you’re agitated but are not in a situation where an immediate response is required—for example, when you’ve received an upsetting e-mail from your boss but are not in the room with him. Take an inventory of the situation by going through the following questions:
What’s happening right now? Write down what you see, hear, and feel.
What are the facts? Assess your personal (and organizational) needs in the moment, and quickly summarize how you are being treated as a result of trying to get those needs met. What are you trying to accomplish? What do you need to get it done?
What is he doing? Identify how he is acting and what you think may be sparking his toxic behavior. Don’t try to psychoanalyze him; the best you can do is find the “triggers” that set this behavior off.
What am I doing? Determine as best you can your role in the situation. List how you are reacting (behaviorally and emotionally) and how you have reacted to this same or similar behavior in the past. This is usually the toughest question of the five to answer.
What are my options? Write down some concrete actions you might take to help the immediate problem. As easy as it may be to find rational answers, it can be just as difficult to act on them.
When a situation causes us emotional pain, our natural reaction is to blame the obvious offender and not do a gut check to see what we may be doing to contribute to our own pain. Looking more rationally at our own role in—and vulnerabilities to—the situation can give us points of leverage for reducing the impact of mean behavior. These kinds of coping mechanisms are not a long-term fix, but they can certainly help you hold on to your sanity and values until you can seek greener pastures. I’ll be exploring additional strategies for dealing with mean in the blog posts to come, so stay tuned if you need some support.
*name has been changed
This post originally ran on my blog on July 20, 2015.
mean men, combatting mean, case study, profiles in mean
Don’t Let Trump Finish First
Donald Trump continues to perplex the national media and the collective whole of reasonable Americans with his seemingly unstoppable momentum in the race for the 2016 GOP nomination. In the wake of his failure to disavow the support of white supremacist groups and violence at his rallies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and elsewhere, it begs a few questions: Is this really what leadership looks like to some Americans? What’s going on here? Is this the backlash of a middle class who feel genuinely disenfranchised? The recent and alarming rise of xenophobia and frantic nationalism left by the vacuum of leadership from the Republican establishment seems only to be growing. Are we willing to face the consequences of allowing “mean” to define leadership and success in both the private and public sectors? Do we clearly understand the vision and goals of the man who’s bullying his way through our political system in his quest to become our commander in chief? Sadly, the underlying irony may lie in the fact that even his most fervent followers could not explain how we will “Make America great again” in a cohesive, singular vision with realistic and reasonable goals. The reason Trump is eliciting a response is both deeper and more subtle.
The Monster We Know
In the tumultuous 1960s, Hannah Arendt caused national outrage by suggesting that some of the greatest evil the world had ever known boiled down to a Nazi war criminal’s inability to think for himself. Over fifty years later, we are in another time of political and economic upheaval, searching for original thinkers, visionaries, heroes to show us the way. With America preparing to hire its next CEO, we are telegraphing daily to the world our collective values surrounding leadership, power, and the price of success. At the very least, no one would disagree that Donald Trump represents “the ugly American” in its illogical extreme, that boorish, gun-toting, face-punching, self-entitled, narcissistic loudmouth. Is this really who we want to be on the world stage?
We are at a pivotal crossroads: If we blindly follow in the footsteps of mean, that culture will come to define us, crippling our creativity, warping the next generation, and producing demagogues instead of leaders. When these leaders stoke the fears and underlying prejudices of an already angry electorate, the consequences become very real.
Bringing Civility Back
All’s not lost. Accountability, authenticity, relationships, true empathy, and the power of social capital can move us toward a better and brighter future. We as a nation can be both strong and compassionate, both to our fellow Americans as well as our fellow world citizens. Just because the outrageous behavior of characters like Trump takes up all the air in the room, we mustn’t accept his ways as the norm, or believe there is no further “air” to breathe. By owning our actions, clearly communicating alternative scenarios, and cultivating honest, authentic interactions, we begin to reject the cult of personality that rewards poor behavior.
They don’t make the news as often, but they’re there, the nice guys who finish far from last. What does authentic leadership look and feel like in action? Perhaps it’s Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister who publicly demanded a gender-equal cabinet simply “because it’s 2015.” Or Mauricio Macri, the wealthy businessman-turned-president of Argentina who plans to decrease inflation, debt, and the international isolation that has stunted the country for decades. Can we shift our popular and workplace culture to celebrate the true leaders among us? How do we want to define leadership for the generations to follow? What does being an American success really mean?
Regardless of political leanings, we all share the responsibility to own this personal change. It starts now, and it starts with us.
mean men, politics, civility
Mark Driscoll: The Teflon Mean Man
February 17, 2016 / Mark Lipton
Mark Driscoll has been back in the news this month after announcing that he will be launching a new megachurch in Phoenix. Perhaps he’s hoping his new hometown is far enough south of his old stomping grounds in Seattle that people won’t care as much about the trail of wreckage he left there. I originally wrote about Driscoll last summer, but with the unstoppable egomaniac back in the limelight, I thought his misdeeds were worth revisiting. Mark Driscoll started a Bible study class in his home in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle in 1996. By August of 2014, he’d grown his operation, Mars Hill, into a megachurch, at its height counting thirteen thousand attendees across five states. He preached to a packed crowd at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field (home of the Seahawks), guested on prime-time national television, threw out the first pitch at Mariners’ baseball games, and turned his brand into a franchise. Brand is Driscoll’s word, by the way, not mine. Among the other Mars Hill pastors, he would often refer to himself as “The Brand,” making it crystal clear that Mars Hill would always be about “me in the pulpit holding the Bible.”
His precision branding, matched with his ability to scale his enterprise, would make any business entrepreneur blush with envy.
Driscoll appealed to the young families who showed up to worship with him in jeans and flip-flops, those disenchanted with more established versions of organized Christian movements. Known as the “hipster pastor” with his charismatic, edgy rhetoric, dressed-down blue jeans style, and family of seven, Driscoll knew and embodied his market. He had a reverence for Jesus and a seeming irreverence for everything (and everyone) else. He enjoyed being outrageous, and it worked for him. Yoga, for example, was “demonic.” Increasingly, his writing and sermons took on strong misogynistic overtones: he famously called America a “pussified nation” and claimed that mainstream Christianity characterized Jesus as “an effeminate-looking dude,” and a “neutered and limp-wristed Sky Fairy of pop culture.”
Driscoll declared that anointing a woman as an Episcopal bishop was akin to choosing “a fluffy baby bunny rabbit as their next bishop to lead God’s men.” He joked onstage that wives who denied their husbands oral sex whenever it would please them were sinful, his unique interpretation of a verse from the Song of Solomon.
His outward style charmed many, but behind the scenes, he was often vicious, abusive, and controlling. Those who disagreed with him were shunned by the church, ensuring that other members would know what was in store if they came forward.
Fearful of his influence, many church members felt forced to complain indirectly or through third parties. But Driscoll’s strategy for defusing the discontent was to claim that he wasn’t sure how to respond since his dissenters remained anonymous.
Singularly, disaffected congregants felt powerless against the megachurch, a dynamic Driscoll was counting on. What he underestimated, however, was what would happen when they banded together.
As complaints about Driscoll reached a fever pitch, a large crowd started protesting during Sunday services, holding signs reading “We Are Not Anonymous.” Others started to directly and openly call for Driscoll’s resignation.
After eighteen years of stunning growth at Mars Hill, the groundswell of disgruntled congregants began to drive other churchgoers away. Within months, attendance and giving had plummeted so fast that church elders announced it would have to close several Seattle branches and cut its staff thirty to forty percent.
Driscoll had a knack, like many mean men, for deflecting blame. In 2013, Christian radio host Janet Mefferd accused him of plagiarizing fourteen pages of his book A Call to Resurgence from another preacher. She pushed Driscoll during an interview to be contrite. He apologized but peppered his concession with indignation.
He got in yet more book-related trouble in 2014 when he was accused of misappropriating $200,000 in church funds to get his book Real Marriage on the New York Times bestseller list via shady marketing tactics.
Each new accusation emboldened more critics, and by August 2014, Driscoll was hounded by the new accounts that emerged almost daily of his bullying, abuse, and outrageous behavior with congregants.
Driscoll resigned in October 2014 amid allegations of emotional abusiveness, plagiarism, and misogyny—with congregants fleeing to other houses of worship or losing faith altogether.
Driscoll ultimately wasn’t taken down by the church’s governing body but by those who—in small groups or individually—found their power in numbers and through their collective voice of public dissent. Driscoll’s charisma and normally effective ability to flip he blame to deflect culpability was drowned out beneath the indignation of those he’d harmed.
Sure, there were Christian media heavyweights calling him out for plagiarizing others’ work and his smarmy misogyny. But what brought him down was his arrogance and abusiveness, as well as those current and former followers who shouldered the risk of condemnation from others and stood together and exercised their power.
But his downfall didn’t last. Much like Donald Trump—who has famously claimed that he could shoot a person on the street and not lose voters—there seems to be nothing that can keep Driscoll out of the spotlight for good.
The folksy announcement video about his latest venture is drenched in faux humility about starting a new chapter of his life and “healin’ up” in Phoenix. The legendary bravado is MIA, but for how long? He’s already received very public support from Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church, the fourth-largest church in the country, along with a handful of other A-list evangelical names. Time will tell whether Driscoll will actually change any of his ways, but looking at the history, it seems about as likely as Trump naming Megyn Kelly his VP.
The heart of the problem with mean men like Driscoll is that they don’t truly feel they were wrong in the first place. The only thing they did “wrong” was get caught or called out by their peers. Driscoll can tone down his rhetoric and talk about healing and forgiveness all he wants; rest assured, it’s not about contrition—it’s about getting back on top.
February 17, 2016 / Mark Lipton/ Comment
mean men, growth, case study, profiles in mean
Who’s Allowed to Be Mean? A History
November 02, 2015 / Mark Lipton
To combat our workplaceepidemic of meanness, we need to confront not only the mean men (and women) themselves but also the surrounding culture that enables them. We often rationalize that anger and meanness are a fixed “mentality,” and, even worse, we let it slide in those who have the privilege of power. Disgraced former congressman Michael Grimm—who was packed off to prison last month—is an excellent example of a man at the top who was allowed to be angry and abusive simply because that’s “just who he is.” Meanness and rage are what he’s known for, his trademark, and he felt theyought to be respected as such.
Anger itself can become a cheap substitute for character. A mean man like Grimm could think: “If I’m known for being the angry guy, I can just react according to expectations without having to figure out how I really feel, andmy behavior will be excused because, well, that’s who I am.” This happens to be consistent with psychopathy. Even the subclinical psychopath can be fully stymied when emotions arise. He has little to no capacity to understand how he is feeling, let alone why, so it’s easier to just let the free-emotion fire hose loose and act out.
Looking at the history of workplace culture in the United States tells us something about how we got here. The trajectory has led us to a place where some are allowed to express their anger, while for others—notably any woman in power—it remains taboo.
1930s: Industrial psychologist Elton Mayo began his study of a novel phenomenon that was emerging: workers were angry, and they were letting it show. While some psychologists were willing to accept that conflict was not only inevitable but also potentially good, Mayo considered a work dispute the collective equivalent of a nervous breakdown, a serious and ideally avoidable malfunction.
In his quest for workplace harmony—which has obvious advantages in terms of reduced labor turnover and time lost in strikes—Mayo and his colleagues made important claims that centered on the understanding and handling of anger at work.
His conclusion was that “worker anger had nothing to do with the job itself.” The idea resonated with managers, as it removed the blame from their shoulders. Mayo’s theory was a crowd-pleaser for the manufacturers who employed the workers and the industrial psychologists who made excuses for them. These human-relations experts (as they were known at the time) claimed in 1938 that critics of capitalism were merely “projecting their own maladjustments upon a conjured monster, the capitalists.” But the basic message was more subtle: workers brought anger to the job from other sources, typically from home.
Harmony required restraint from both managers and employees. If workers were angry not because of the job but because of home life, then an angry response from management was inappropriate. In order to enjoy a superior rationality over emotion-driven employees, it was essential that the manager display consistent restraint.
Mayo posited that “a uniformly benign emotional style was the best managerial tool.” This was probably the greatest shift in thinking that emerged between the two world wars. The gruff, authoritarian boss now took his place alongside the angry, punitive parent in what amounted to a major enlargement of the campaign against anger. Expressing anger—being mean—became one of the leading justifiable causes for being fired. The standards for being a good boss were changing remarkably. These standards didn’t, however, apply to owners and those at the very top.
1940s: Once, an ideal foreman was someone who met production quotas and took charge of technical innovations on the shop floor, but by the forties the foreman was expected to be a human-relations expert who blocked grievances and reduced turnover by managing his own emotions as well as those of his underlings. Bosses were urged to recognize that “the day of the ‘bully’ and ‘slave-driver’ had gone and the day of the ‘gentleman’ and ‘leader’ had arrived.”
Yet ambivalence and hypocrisy remained in this period’s otherwise sweeping attempt to reduce meanness at work and elsewhere. While anger control was expected of workers and internalized by many white-collar managers up the hierarchy, it never quite touched the top executive levels. Executives urged restraint on secretaries without any reciprocity. They sent subordinates to emotion-training sessions, but they didn’t go themselves. At the top, executives could still be bullies, because they were in charge.
1950s: Middle managers were expected to make a particular point of being patient and avoiding aggression; an ability to control their tempers under provocation was paramount. Yet studies from the time showed that top managers were not expected to make being pleasant a priority.
In dealing with grievances or disciplinary cases, restraint was not required of the top ranks. Aggressiveness and drive—the prerequisites of American gumption—seemed incompatible with reining in one’s spirited emotions. And so the executive temper had to be tolerated, and it was up to the subordinate to learn how to time bad news and to put a favorable gloss on problems in order to minimize conflict.
Sadly, sixty years later, we have not moved forward much from this way of thinking—in other words, meanness and anger are okay for those at the top, but heaven forbid the underlings should push back. But with all of the shifting expectations around work life that the millennial generation brings with it to the office, could this culture finally be in for an overhaul? Let’s hope so.
November 02, 2015 / Mark Lipton/ Comment
company culture, mean men, psychopathy
How to Create Boundaries with Your Ruthless Boss
October 26, 2015 / Mark Lipton
During my time at the Austen Riggs Center, I learned much from the experienced clinicians there about dealing with a host of difficult personality types. A recurring theme in my research and interactions with therapists there, and in my consulting work, is the need to create boundaries. It’s healthy to have good boundaries with everyone in our lives, even those we love, but when it comes to having them with an abusive boss, it’s crucial to our survival. Setting boundaries is much easier, however, with your garden-variety passive-aggressive types and narcissists. Mean men have a tendency to see a boundary as a challenge to defeat, at least initially. Because of their tendency to be manipulative, it can be especially hard to hold the line.
You don’t need to announce to your boss your desire to set boundaries—and in many cases you shouldn’t, as it may only raise his defenses, provoking aggression. Boundaries are more about your own behaviors than those of others. Sometimes, nonverbal cues can be extremely useful. When you let certain phone calls roll over to voice mail or wait to respond to e-mails at particular parts of the day, you’re setting boundaries. When you leave the endless heap of work-related Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn notifications for the next day, you’re setting boundaries.
When Disney and Pixar president Ed Catmull began working with Steve Jobs, he picked up quickly on Jobs’s controlling and often confrontational style. But he ended up managing Jobs by intentionally avoiding those situations that had a pattern of leading to conflict. For Catmull, managing Jobs was all about timing, not avoidance. Eventually, he’d get back to Jobs with an answer or other response but not until he believed Jobs’s toxic energy had been depleted on the subject.
Boundaries are especially important when dealing with disordered personalities. Sometimes, active listening is not enough to quell a conflict with the more difficult types. As much as I depend on this technique in my professional work and personal relationships, I’m always intrigued by its failure with those displaying psychopathic traits, as subclinical as they may be.
A consulting client of mine, Aaron,* who definitely fit the profile of a mean man, was in an abusive relationship with his girlfriend, Lisa,* that showed no signs of getting better until she began to set boundaries. Near the end of their relationship, Lisa learned from a counselor that implementing boundaries could bring down Aaron’s rage level. When he acted in an inflammatory manner, she would simply refuse to engage. When he started screaming, she would stay in her own psychological space, barely listening to him while she resumed doing other things. When he tried to start a fight, she would respond with something along the lines of, “I don’t know what triggered this mood you have, but I know that I’m feeling okay.” And then she would leave the room. With her boundary firmly in place, Aaron’s maladaptive way of seeking control lost steam; he got less relief from screaming or being irritating. Her refusal to engage with his irate behavior left him swimming in his own swamp.
Mean men require considerable stimulation in their life. Simply put, they become bored more easily than the rest of us. A mean man often experiences an extreme type of boredom that best be described by the French term ennui: an oppressive boredom that often leads to lethargy. Drama is a mean man’s recipe for staving off ennui, but it requires an audience and perhaps an additional actor or two. As the drama begins, he feels invigorated and alive. Control and manipulation can empower a mean man, especially when he can successfully elicit the emotions of others. Crazy as it may sound, he thrives on this drama, regardless of what it is, as long as he sees it as a result of his actions, a sign that the world revolves around him.
Having the key to a victim’s emotions is just what the mean man needs to feel in control. Manipulation is a form of success for a mean man, and he must create drama in order to achieve it. The more reactions he sees as a result of this drama, the more he craves it, and an addiction begins to grow.
But what happens when the reward for drama stops coming? What if the person who consistently reacts to his wrath chooses to disengage like Lisa did with Aaron? More often than not, the person with psychopathic tendencies, the mean man, will become bored, and we know how intolerable that is for him. If those around him show no emotion, he may decide it’s not worth creating the drama if he gets nothing from it.
This strategy—essentially to become boring to him—is a highly effective way to create a boundary. Employees of a tyrannical manager can set boundaries merely by taking away the usual satisfaction he gets from seeing them afraid and upset. When he sees these reactions dwindle, his power is challenged, and he will soon grow bored.
If you are cursed with a boss like this, you must at some point consider more seriously an exit strategy. While boundaries can “shape” some elements of his repulsive behavior, you will not stop it; you will not change him. Assuming you don’t want to be a leading character in this melodrama, start with boundaries and then determine how to get off the stage with him. Permanently.
October 26, 2015 / Mark Lipton/ Comment
mean men, combatting mean
When Does “Mean” Become a Personality Disorder?
September 28, 2015 / Mark Lipton
In last week’s post, I talked about how crucial my time at the Austen Riggs Center was for me in terms of making sense of my research about entrepreneurs, and understanding the true impact that mean men can have not only on the organizations they run but on anyone who crosses their path, especially their children. It was an awakening to the deeper question of who these men are and, frankly, what is wrong with them. In a much earlier post, I discussed the ten traits that entrepreneurs share. In moderation, these traits aren’t necessarily problematic, but if taken to extremes, this cluster of traits can add up to a personality disorder.
Take Noel*—a patient of a clinical-psychologist colleague of mine—a senior executive who was forced to resign from his position in a large company. Persistent difficulties with top management compromised his ability to perform effectively, and his long-standing interpersonal problems grated on many who crossed his path. Superficially charming, he manipulated the affections of others to get what he wanted and withdrew his attention when he found them no longer useful. Friends and colleagues eventually came to avoid him.
“All is fair in business” was Noel’s rallying cry. Asking subordinates to manipulate the sales numbers to increase his bonus was in keeping with another of his mantras: you are guilty only if you get caught, and the law is for losers.
Noel was the only child of wealthy parents, an Ivy League frat boy who drank heavily while underage, used illegal drugs, vandalized neighbors’ homes, hired hookers, and bragged that all the while he was never caught. He eventually married a family friend because “it was good for business.” Over the years he had a number of extramarital affairs for which he never expressed remorse.
After he was fired from his executive position, he fell into a depression—which he eventually overcame. Back on his feet, he moved into an arena where men like Noel often thrive, up to a point: entrepreneurship.
Noel wasn’t just your run-of-the mill jerk, however. My colleague went on to diagnose him as a Psychopathic Type: having a sense of inflated grandiosity and a pervasive pattern of taking advantage of—and manipulating—other people, disregarding ethical considerations and moral norms, and showing little if any remorse for his actions.
So what’s the difference between a guy like Noel and a more “normal” person who has the traits that Noel had in extremes? In normal individuals, these traits tend to be more adaptive. Normal people may have an intense level of ambition or drive, but they also have an ability to rein it in, to adapt those traits to circumstances when it’s prudent. Not so for the disordered personality. Their ambition or drive doesn’t adapt to reality or convention. The internal censor or sense of restraint just never kicks in.
Being adaptive allows us to size up situations with greater objectivity. And it makes us easier to work with or for, too. Normal, adaptive people don’t gift their female employees vibrators—as yet another lawsuit against Dov Charney of American Apparel alleged that he did—or say things like: “I frequently drop my pants to show people my new product.”
Characterizing and cataloging personality disorders was the life work of Theodore Millon, former Harvard and University of Miami professor and author of nearly a dozen books on the subject. Millon was among the most influential psychologists in the world, taking complex disorders and distilling them down to understandable traits. Equally important, he conceptualized the notion of personality disorder in a way that’s clearer than any I’ve examined.
Millon showed how personality disorders are made up of maladaptive traits, and he offered two explanations for the severity of a disorder as one moves along the continuum from health to pathology. First, specific traits can be more intense in the ways they are expressed, or have a higher dimension. Second, the number of an individual’s maladaptive traits can increase along that continuum.
For most people, coping strategies are diverse and flexible. When one strategy or behavior doesn’t work, we just try something else. But those with personality disorders tend to practice the same strategies repeatedly with only minor variations in outcome. When things fail to improve, their stress level keeps rising—which further amplifies their sense of vulnerability—and, ultimately, they find themselves in crisis mode. Their perception of the world becomes increasingly distorted. Though oversimplified, the throwaway cliché of craziness defined as doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result has a kernel of truth here.
Psychologically healthy people know when to change something in their lives and also know how to adapt to what the world offers them. If, for example, the boss wants something done in a particular way, most people will follow directions without much fuss. In many ways these situations are almost scripted; we know what to do and how to behave in a seemingly limitless number of situations.
But personality-disordered people are limited by having far fewer alternative strategies in their repertoire. To make matters worse, they impose strict, irrational conditions for implementing these alternatives, almost as though factors (and this often means other people) in their environment will somehow knowingly conform to their needs. Ultimately, when the environment cannot be arranged to suit the person, a crisis erupts. Unlike normal people, who often find new experiences enjoyable and seize opportunities to learn new and more adaptive strategies, the disordered individual derives far less enjoyment in these circumstances. In fact, new situations that require rather quick adaptability can be a living hell for them, and they react with seemingly inexplicable behavior.
Seen through this lens, I began to wonder if some of the most extreme mean men I was studying—the Dov Charneys and Peter Arnells of the business world—weren’t quite beyond help. And what of the society that made them heroes?
September 28, 2015 / Mark Lipton/ Comment
entrepreneurship, mean men, psychopathy
My Own Awakening to the Impact of Mean Men
Over the past fifteen years, a new crop of highly skilled researchers has entered the field of entrepreneurial research. They have in large part cleared away the tangled undergrowth of methodological questions: substantive definitions have been established and, increasingly, real entrepreneurs are used in sample populations. Despite the progress made in establishing a common language and base from which to compare and contrast information, most scholars in the field persist in focusing their research on what differentiates entrepreneurs from the rest of us very narrowly.
As Clemson University professor of entrepreneurship William Gartner noted: “Something gets lost when the focus of research on entrepreneurship sticks too closely to the ‘esoteric knowledge’ [of a] narrow disciplinary perspective. A finding can be right and interesting to a scholar within a specific theoretical perspective, but wrong or obvious to the practitioner and scholar with a broader and messier knowledge of the phenomenon.”
Gartner’s words struck a chord with me. And as I continued my own synthesis of existing research (with all of its elegance, and warts), I became even more deliberate about broadening the scope of my work.
What I needed was the scholarship and insight to make sense of my personal experiences as a consultant and what I knew to be anecdotally true about what makes entrepreneurs different from the rest of us. I began amassing an ever-higher pile of articles from academic journals, working papers, autobiographies, newspaper features, and magazine investigations to add to my transcripts of personal interviews with entrepreneurs, their kids, their wives, and, in many cases, their ex-wives. To paraphrase the great Yogi Berra, I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I was getting somewhere.
In early 2008 I was offered a coveted scholar-in-residence position at The Austen Riggs Center, which is ranked among the top psychiatric centers in North America. Riggs is a not-for-profit “open” hospital for patients who have not found success with the shorter-term biological and behavioral treatments characteristic of today’s approaches. Most of Riggs’ patients have been hospitalized multiple times in more traditional settings before finding their way to the center. Caught in a cycle of repeated crisis interventions that have failed to address the heart of their problems, they have been labeled “treatment resistant.” Importantly for my research, Riggs is the only psychiatric hospital in the United States that has a specialized focus on intensive psychodynamic psychotherapy. I didn’t have the background to examine my subjects from the perspective of a therapist, but at Austen Riggs, I would be surrounded by those who did.
The offer from Riggs was a singular opportunity to learn about psychopathology while also having the time and space to dig into two decades of legitimate research about entrepreneurial characteristics. I wanted to determine if there was an untold link lurking in the data. At Riggs, I’d be given full access to the staff, clinical privileges to read case workups, and an open invitation to attend all patient case conferences—a rare invitation for someone without clinical credentials. It was an extraordinary opportunity to see firsthand some of the most complex psychiatric disorders and to learn how their etiology is traced.
I took the position. And based within Riggs’ Erik Erikson Institute, I found myself surrounded by brilliant, caring, and inquisitive psychiatrists, psychologists, and clinical social workers who were willing to act as sounding boards and brainstorm ideas for additional avenues of inquiry.
My first week there, I asked the Institute’s director, Dr. Gerard Fromm, why he chose me over others to be the Erikson scholar-in-residence. I’ll never forget his response: “We’re fascinated by the questions you’re trying to answer, to gain insight to what drives the behaviors of those particular entrepreneurs that interest you. We have a good measure of self-interest in what you’re probing, Mark, because we believe some patients who come to us for help may be the children of the same kind of men you’re focusing on. The more you can answer your questions, and understand what’s behind their behavior, the better we may be able to understand the parental influence that perhaps helped to shape these patients and what they are now struggling with.”
That was the moment when I realized that the themes I had been identifying in my consulting work over the past twenty years—the dark side of entrepreneurship—could have more profound implications. I’d heard plenty of stories over the years about “crazy” CEOs, and I walked out of Jerry Fromm’s office thinking this project could give insight into the consequential impact these men were making not only on their investors and their employees, but also on their wives, families, and communities. This was the moment when my research truly began to take shape. I was well-versed in the damage mean men could do to their organizations, but my time at Austen Riggs begged the question: Did mean men just ruin companies, or did they also ruin lives?
mean men, entrepreneurship
One Significant Way Good People Can Go Bad
The mean men we’ve discussed on this blog come from diverse sectors of our economy and culture: from organized religion to politics to apparel companies. But one thing that their disparate trajectories have in common? They were all enabled for years—in some cases decades—by those who surrounded them. How could this happen? Even if we consider that some of these men are actually evil, surely most of those who worked for them—who literally followed their lead—were not. How did ordinary people witness years of abuse without stepping in and, in some cases, even participate in mean behavior themselves? Probably nobody is more qualified to answer this question than esteemed Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo. His real-life experiments have asked these questions and tested our shared notions about the boundary between good and evil—and the ease with which someone might cross it. He’s come to rather shocking conclusions.
In his now-famous Stanford Prison Experiment in 1971, Zimbardo and several of his colleagues set out to answer the questions: What happens when you put good people in an evil place? Does the institution take over or does humanity emerge? They chose twenty-four college-age male volunteers—all deemed to be normal, healthy, and well-adjusted—and randomly divided them into two groups: “guards” and “prisoners.” The prisoners were arrested and put in “jail,” and the guards were given custody over them. The experiment was supposed to last for two weeks.
Despite the fact that the students were all judged to be normal and healthy and were fully aware that they were participating in an experiment, by the sixth day, all hell had broken loose. Some of the guards were displaying alarmingly sadistic behaviors, and the prisoners showed worrying signs of depression and trauma. Zimbardo put a halt to the study. His findings have gone on to have profound effects on how we analyze the behaviors of humans in institutional settings.
Since that time, Zimbardo has dedicated his career to examining how ordinary people become capable of deplorable acts and, perhaps more importantly, how situational circumstances affect our behaviors—how the barrel, if you will, can poison the apples. He may also know more than anyone else about the monstrous realities of torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib prison, having served as an expert witness for one of the guards tried. Zimbardo testified that the guard was not innately evil or sadistic. Rather, the root of the problem was structural mismanagement (since the far-flung CIA ran the prison, there was no one qualified in an executive leadership role to establish a culture of civility) and horrendous working conditions. The guards were low-level, inexperienced military police, slogging through twelve-hour shifts for forty straight days, with no oversight to guide their actions under extreme stress.
The key factor missing in those who participated in the Abu Ghraib scandal was empathy. Long before this case even began, Zimbardo had found that in similar situations, it’s crucial to be able to see a given situation from different points of view. The only way for the suffering of the prisoners to become real for the guards was to have the guards see the situation through the prisoners’ eyes.
“Empathy,” as defined by Cambridge University neuropsychologist Simon Baron-Cohen, “occurs when we suspend our single-minded focus of attention and instead adopt a double-minded focus of attention.” Single-minded attention happens when we are thinking only about ourselves, our current thoughts and perceptions. But if we engage in double-minded attention, we are thinking of someone else at the very same time. When empathy is switched off, we focus only on our own interests. If we are capable of flipping the switch to “on,” we then focus on other people’s needs simultaneously with our own. Through those different points of view, we may not feel what other people are feeling, but we do see what they are seeing. Only then can we make a judgment.
This brings us back to Hannah Arendt and her indictment of Eichmann and his inability to take into consideration an “enlarged mentality.” If we are too narrow-minded, our judgment can become thoroughly invalid, out of whack. If we do not try to enlarge our mentality, we will never be able to think from another person’s point of view.
When people are in a situation in which they do not utilize double-minded attention, they’re prevented from identifying what others are thinking or feeling. The result is that they act out toward others in ways that, at the very least, are inappropriate. At worst, they can be diabolically mean. What Zimbardo’s experiment showed us is that this lack of empathy can become ingrained in an institution’s culture to the degree that otherwise normal people will act in deplorable ways.
One need not be a subclinical psychopath to be incapable of empathy and act egregiously toward others. Otherwise normal people are put in organizational contexts that turn off their empathy “switch” more often than we may think. I’ll bet we all can think of a time when this happened to us, when without our conscious awareness, the switch was turned to “off” and we acted in ways that shocked us or made us feel ashamed. It may be unpleasant to think about, but until we accept that empathy can be turned off, we can’t figure out how to turn it back on.
mean men, psychopathy, empathy
The Banality of Meanness
Mean. Uncivil. Abusive. Controlling. All of these words could easily describe Barry Freundel, Mark Driscoll, and the other men I’ve discussed on this blog. In my countless interviews with victims of mean, an even more sinister descriptor emerges: these guys aren’t just jerks; they’re evil. Looking at our last two case studies of Driscoll and Freundel, we find it’s not so hard to make the leap. These are men who invoked the divine for their own selfish ends and caused a great deal of pain and suffering in the process. But where exactly is that line between bad and evil?
We often characterize evil as an aberration of human nature because it’s so difficult to rationalize. This difficulty of getting our brains around evil behaviors often leads us to create narratives around those responsible. Perhaps, we suspect, the evil is in response to unbearable circumstances a person may have experienced earlier in life. Or maybe the person is a psychopath, is innately evil. To this way of thinking, the evildoer is damaged or crazy or both.
But there’s an alternate school of thought that tells us that evil might not be such an aberration after all.
In her groundbreaking 1963 book, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, philosopher Hannah Arendt tried to reconcile the actions of Adolf Eichmann—a Nazi SS lieutenant colonel and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust—with Eichmann the person. In her reporting on his trial, she makes a highly controversial argument that remains polarizing to this day: neither Eichmann nor his fellow Nazis were motivated to commit their acts out of hatred and malevolence. Rather, they were the result of lack of thought, imagination, and memory. Eichmann, she adamantly believed, was incapable of empathizing with his victims’ suffering because he lacked the judgment needed to perceive it. He was not smart enough to think for himself and therefore was “just doing his job” as he claimed in court.
Arendt enraged many people with her views on Eichmann as being “ordinary.” She resisted making an explicitly psychological analysis of him in her lengthy report of his 1961 trial. Her assessment was that Eichmann’s ability to do evil came from his inability to think from others’ points of view or to have an internal dialogue with himself. Evil itself was banal, she said, in that it was “thought-defying.”
Her conclusions were profound. People who do evil are not necessarily monsters; sometimes they’re just bureaucrats. The Eichmann she observed on trial was neither brilliant nor a psychopath. He was described by the attending court psychiatrist as a “completely normal man, more normal, at any rate, than I am after examining him.” Evil, Arendt suggested, can be extraordinary acts committed by otherwise unremarkable people. All of the court psychologists who examined Eichmann pronounced him “normal.”
Still, one wonders what could possibly have been going through Eichmann’s mind to allow him to commit such atrocities. How is it that this seemingly normal German bureaucrat could be swept up in the tide of Nazism to become one of history’s most hated and perplexing criminals? What explains the participation of thousands of ordinary Germans just like him in the events of the Holocaust, from concentration camp guards to civilians who turned a blind eye? These questions broaden to become both more personal and more universal, and therefore more distressing, as we ask ourselves, What would I do if faced with these circumstances? Would I act for good, or would I succumb to evil?
Two years after the trial, Arendt reflected:
The longer one listened to him, the more obvious it became that his inability to speak was closely connected with an inability to think, that is, to think from the standpoint of somebody else. No communication was possible with him, not because he lied but because he was surrounded by the most reliable of all safeguards against the words of others, or even the presence of others, and hence against reality as such.
Arendt had a supporter in Richard Sonnenfeldt, the chief US translator at the Nuremberg trials. He too believed that Eichmann and his peers seemed without intellect or insight, distinguished only by being susceptible to flattery and ambition. “Dictators have no peers,” he said at the time. “Only sycophants to do their bidding.”
Arendt felt very keenly that what really connects us to one another is the commitment to try to see the world from others’ points of view—not to subscribe to their points of view or to merge with their points of view, but to be able to walk around and see what the world looks like from where they’re standing. She was all about dialogue. In Eichmann’s case it was precisely the incapacity and lack of interest in that perspective that she found to be at the core of Eichmann’s banality and Eichmann’s evil. It was his thoughtlessness, his inability to think from any other point of view but his own.
While Arendt and others argue that evil is banal, empathy is not. It is not common to all, pervasive, ordinary, or unremarkable. If you are capable of empathy, you may assume that most people are capable of it. You take it for granted that what you see and feel is obvious. It is not. Someone who is capable of empathy is at the upper end of psychological health. Empathy, some experts suggest, may even be relatively rare.
Could it be that knowing how to skillfully practice empathy is the key to minimizing and managing mean?
mean men, empathy, combatting mean
Do You Have a Mean Man in Your Life?
In a recent post, I came up with a working definition of the kind of “mean” man I discuss on my blog and in my forthcoming book. We defined him as a man who is “almost pathologically driven to succeed and doesn’t care who has to suffer for him to do so. His flagrant, unchecked abuse of others is enabled by the immunity granted to him by his wealth, power, and/or sheer charisma.” If this describes the genus of our bête noir, what are the different species of mean men that roam our halls of power?
1. The Unprincipled
This man has an inflated sense of self, shows an indifference to the welfare of others, and is routinely deceptive in his social interactions. He exploits others and expects special recognitions and considerations without taking on the necessary, reciprocal responsibilities. Unprincipled has little access to an inner moral compass, what psychologists call our superego, which represents society’s standards and determines our personal sense of right and wrong. He enjoys the process of outwitting others, and he maintains relationships only so long as he has something to gain. Unprincipled displays an abject indifference to the truth and an artful, cool lack of concern if confronted with his own deception. He is adept in the nuances of social influence, using glibness, charm, and a studied naïveté to get away with his lies.
Mascot: Double-talking, bloviating New Jersey governor, Chris Christie
2. The Disingenuous
Disingenuous is the life of the party, characterized by friendliness and sociability. But it’s all a show. While he makes favorable impressions on new acquaintances, the facade begins to crack as the hallmarks of his true self come through: unreliability, impulsivity, and deep resentment and moodiness. He is facile in social settings, seeking attention and excitement with more than a hint of seduction. However, his relationships are shallow and fleeting and often come to a disastrous end. Underneath his superficial charms, Disingenuous is contriving and plotting; crafty and scheming; insincere, calculating, and deceitful. His insincerity is boundless, as he does anything necessary to get what he needs and wants from others. He seems to enjoy seductive gamesmanship, deriving satisfaction in the excitement and tension of the deceit. Disingenuous is sometimes mistaken for Unprincipled when seen in the wild, but his deep need for attention and approval are a marked difference from Unprincipled, who has an essential self-centeredness that leads him to not care too much what others think.
Mascot: Shady, sneaky, desperately insecure founder and once again CEO of Zynga, Mark Pincus
3. The Risk Taker
This species engages in risk taking just for the thrill of it. Taking risks gives him excitement and makes him feel alive, which he’ll pursue regardless of the damage to his bottom line, his reputation, or those around him. Risk Taker responds quickly without thinking, his reactions unreflective and uncontrolled. His behavior goes beyond impulsiveness; he is essentially fearless, unmoved by events or circumstances that most people would find dangerous or frightening.
He may appear to others like a fool or a hero—Risk Taker doesn’t care. His need for autonomy and independence overrides his self-discipline. Internally, he is consumed with doubt about ever truly achieving his potential, and his experiences often leave him feeling empty and forever chasing new ways to prove himself.
Mascot: Shamed subclinical psychopathic cycling legend-turned-disgrace Lance Armstrong
4. The Envier
The essential feature of Envier is his blatant self-aggrandizement. Envier feels that life has not given him his fair due, that’s he’s been deprived of his rightful amount of love, support, and material rewards. And now, Envier wants revenge. He wants what’s coming to him. Envier is the most likely species to have brushes with the law, since he may pursue what he feels he’s owed through acts of destruction, theft, or abuse. He will never feel he has acquired enough to make up for what was taken from him in the past.
He is pushy and greedy. He is the poster boy for conspicuous consumption. He is self-centered and self-indulgent, unwilling to share with others for fear that he will lose again what he’d so desperately desired. Envier never achieves a deep sense of contentment. He feels unfulfilled, empty, and forlorn, regardless of his success, and will probably remain forever dissatisfied and insatiable.
Mascot: Rags-to-riches-to-reprehensible advertising impresario Peter Arnell
5. The Explosive
This quarrelsome species is known for their rages and may draw much attention for their temper tantrums and outbursts at friends, employees, or family members. Not unlike the tantrums of children, Explosive’s behavior is an instantaneous reaction to cope with frustration or fear. While this behavior may have the effect of intimidating others into silence or passivity, for the Explosive, it releases pent-up feelings of humiliation. Disappointed and feeling frustrated in life, he loses control and seeks revenge for the mistreatment and criticism to which he feels subjected. His rages often have no apparent provocation. He is hypersensitive to feelings of betrayal or may be deeply frustrated by the perceived futility and hopelessness of his life. Explosive is unable to verbalize what he feels and why, so he responds in the only way possible to remove the irritation. A sense of impotence and failure typically lie beneath his aggression.
Mascot: Impassioned, ranting, raging tech/design genius Steve Jobs
6. The Dogmatist
Dogmatist may be more overtly and directly contentious and argumentative than other species. To him, everything and everyone is an object available for nagging, a sounding board for discharging his anger, or even a target for litigious action. He is relentless in magnifying every minor friction into repeated and bitter struggles. He may insist that his argumentativeness is rooted in certain higher principles, but while there may be a grain of truth found in their beliefs, these “higher principles” are mostly simply opinions. He is unquestionably right; others are unquestionably wrong. Dogmatist achieves delight in contradicting others, regardless of the legitimacy and logic of his reasoning. His hostile and oppositional style is at the core of his persona. His knack for denigrating anyone in the name of whatever principle he happens to espouse is well rehearsed and relentless. Criticism of others “is good for them.” He believes he takes no personal satisfaction in berating people or has any ulterior motives for imposing his opinions, so he feels unconstrained, free to say anything “to set people right.”
Mascot: Scumbag former megachurch preacher who claims to speak for God himself Mark Driscoll
mean men, types of mean men, profiles in mean
Mean Men vs. Mean Women
The obviously gendered title of my book, Mean Men, as well as one of the theories behind it—namely that there is a huge societal problem in the way we routinely excuse abominable interpersonal behavior in successful, powerful men—is something that, I’m happy to report, has been drawing strong reactions from my blog commenters. Some readers seem relieved that I appear to be pointing out a huge discrepancy in what behavior we deem acceptable in men versus that which we’ll tolerate in women, while others decry me for what they see as sexism. Let me say first that I’m thrilled that my posts are encouraging spirited discussion. To question and unpack these ideas is the very purpose of writing this work.
Male and female commenters alike have jumped in to say that they’ve worked for mean female bosses. To clarify, I am not claiming that mean female bosses—or mean women in general—don’t exist. But innumerable studies have shown that women are socialized to behave quite dissimilarly from men, and their relationship with power is a wholly different one. It’s not that women are never nasty or overly competitive, but this is not the kind of mean I’m talking about.
In this context I don’t use mean to imply that someone is unpleasant to be around or difficult or nasty. Mean in the context of the men I discuss is something much darker; it’s the deeply American trope of the self-made man taken to its most malignant extreme. A mean man may be surrounded by many enablers and yes men, but at his core, he’s a lone wolf who is obsessed with control. He’s almost pathologically driven to succeed and doesn’t care who has to suffer for him to do so. His flagrant, unchecked abuse of others is enabled by the immunity granted to him by his wealth, power, and/or sheer charisma. It’s not simply the meanness that sets these men apart; it’s the lack of consequences earlier in their careers that potentially could have extinguished or reduced the behavior after years, or decades, of getting a free ride.
I searched diligently for female examples of this in the course of my research—counterparts to men like Peter Arnell, Dov Charney, Harvey Weinstein, and Lance Armstrong—but they were so scarce that to focus on those I could find seemed to be blatant cherry-picking rather than presenting a representative sample. Partly, this is because there are simply not as many women in positions of power that rival those of the men I discussed, but it goes far deeper than that.
Successful self-made women such as Sara Blakely and Oprah Winfrey are often praised for their good nature and efforts to work collaboratively with their respective teams. Rarely do we see a woman praised for being a solitary genius the way that Steve Jobs was. By the same token, women are not permitted to behave the way men like Jobs are known to: that is, to be emotional, abusive, and out of control. And the truth is, women are socialized out of this long before they ever enter the working world. Women are encouraged to play well with others, where men are often taught they will be measured on their personal achievements. Individualism is key.
In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville is struck by how individualism began as the first “language” through which Americans tended to think about their lives, how they valued independence and self-reliance above all else.
These qualities are expected to earn success in a competitive society such as ours, but they are also valued as virtues in themselves. American individualism demands personal effort and stimulates great energy to achieve. But it provides little encouragement for nurturance. This narrow view adopts a sink-or-swim approach to moral development as well as to economic success. It admires toughness and strength and sneers at softness and vulnerability. Win, win, win.
This kind of radical individualism is also a key determinant in the making of a mean man. Mean men represent a type of alienating individualism that endangers our more interdependent ideals: commitment, community, and citizenship. And women simply are not encouraged to behave this way.
With all that said, mean women do exist, outliers though they may be. So where are they? You’ll have to wait until next week.
mean men, mean women
More Strategies for Coping with a Mean Boss
July 27, 2015 / Mark Lipton
The comments section of last week’s post included some impassioned responses. There were tales of bad leaders, incompetent HR departments, and mean bosses—male and female. As much as it’s important to address the cultural change that’s needed to stop mean men (and women) from getting a free pass, let alone encouragement, to behave as they do, mobility in one’s career is a considerable privilege. Whether it’s because of shifts in the industry you work in, your family situation, geographical location, or any number of other factors, leaving a bad boss isn’t often an option. Certain workers in highly sought-after professions and in particular circumstances (skilled software engineers in San Francisco, for instance) may be able to be as picky as they like, but we all have bills to pay. Many employees have to stick it out until they have better options to choose from, and even those of us with a great deal of autonomy in our work come across mean men from time to time. I may not report to a mean man, but I’ve worked with plenty of them and have learned to get in their heads to better negotiate my dealings with them. When I feel myself getting emotionally wrangled into a client’s need for control and desire to manipulate, I redirect my thinking from how he’s pushing my buttons to what might be pushing his. As I’ve discussed, the need to control is often fear based. In the mean man’s mind, he’s protecting himself from perceived threats to his fragile internal self-control system.
But manipulation or control through verbal abuse takes two, regardless of who is at fault. “He acts mean, and I respond to his meanness,” is how we might sum up the situation. But seizing opportunities to break the dynamic between a mean man and his target may require turning attention inward. You may need to look at the elements that have led you—usually unknowingly—to participate in this lopsided exchange.
This isn’t to say that victims should be blamed. But over the years I have seen many cases in which someone unconsciously gives a mean man an opening for his controlling and manipulating behavior to manifest. If you’ve been in these situations, you may not realize in the moment that someone’s demands are unreasonable and that giving in to them will pull you into a toxic tango. You may believe that in responding to your boss’s demands, you’re just being a good employee. You may even be fully aware of the abusive behavior but unable to resist it; your reactions feel automatic. Chances are there is also a considerable power imbalance between you and your boss.
We all have many layers of personal history that affect how we respond to abusive behavior: the way we were treated as kids, our self-image, the burdens we carry from our past. The behavior of those around us can tap into a pure, raw emotion that has been stored away and simmering for some time. We all have our buttons that get pushed. Some of us have more buttons than others; some of us have buttons that need barely a tap to engage. I have learned to control my emotional reactions to these men by consciously thinking about the needs that drive them to act so inexcusably. Often, I find myself thinking how pathetic their internal machinations must be in that moment, how their sense of helplessness and vulnerability (despite their tough exterior) is probably a theme in their daily lives. Trying to get inside their heads always helps me get inside my own; I’ve learned to better understand my own buttons and what happens when they get pushed. An awareness of this cause and effect often tends to provide me greater control in the midst of managing, say, a malignant narcissist.
What are the triggers that show someone’s vulnerability to these men? Psychologists have identified a few of the most persistent personality characteristics:
Very high need for approval
High level of self-doubt
Low tolerance for conflict; strong desire to keep the peace
Fear of anger
Tendency to take responsibility for others’ lives
In moderation, these are typically admirable traits; they can also set us up for potential abuse.
Building off my strategies from last week’s post and asking, “What is my part in this? What button is being pushed by this troubled person?” can be a difficult but empowering exercise. It can help you find your own reactive patterns to situations in which there is an imbalance of power and you are faced with someone’s attempt to control or manipulate you.
July 27, 2015 / Mark Lipton/ Comment
Incivility in America
One of The New York Times’ most emailed stories last month was an article by Christine Porath, a professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, entitled “No Time to Be Nice at Work.” Porath made a powerful case in her piece that rudeness and incivility in the workplace have grown dramatically over the past twenty years, during which she’s been studying and collaborating with organizations. And she posits that we as a society are paying the price for this rudeness with our emotional, physical, and mental health. Throughout the course of my research for Mean Men, I’ve noted the same alarming trends. Professor Porath’s work is only the tip of the toxic iceberg.
The 2014 annual report on “Civility in America,”—a national survey of Americans conducted by Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate, public relations companies, with KRC Research—showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans across four generations—Millennials, Generation X, Boomers, and the Silent Generation—perceive incivility to be a major problem.
A 2010 Allegheny College survey, for example, on Americans’ views of civility in politics was revealingly titled “Nastiness, Name-Calling & Negativity.” Professor Porath’s 2011 workplace survey found that just over half of employees reported that they experienced rude treatment from fellow employees at least once a week. A 2012 Rasmussen survey found that some 75 percent of Americans felt that people “are becoming ruder and less civilized.”
Much of the discussion generated by reports of increasing incivility focuses on its negative effects on democratic discourse or its direct costs to individuals. Various research initiatives have popped up to promote more thoughtful, less rancorous political engagement, while new “civility projects” and other programs aim to encourage people to “choose civility” and thereby reduce stress in their life.
The findings of these reports are generally consistent with other research published in recent years on the frequency of disrespectful speech and behavior. Though everything from anonymous Internet commenters to politicians was cited as contributing to the issue, most Americans regarded common actions of their fellow citizens as uncivil, such as the way they use cell phones in public or conduct themselves on social media. But the concern with incivility was really driven home by direct personal experiences of rudeness and disrespect, daily experiences of which were especially common at work and online.
Here’s the problem: data from the “Civility in America” project don’t seem to indicate any “incivility cycle” among the general public. Very few people acknowledge having an uncivil behavioral reaction when confronted by the rude, mean, and inconsiderate actions of others. But there was one consistent reaction to rude or mean behavior: tacit avoidance. And avoidance constitutes a problem of its own. In unpleasant face-to-face situations, people often either leave, simply ignore the offender, or suffer in silence under a torrent of abuse. Encountering online ugliness, they often respond by “defriending,” leaving a site or online discussion, or dropping out of an online community. Incivility at work leads people to quit their jobs due to the perception that there’s nothing that can be done to effect change. Although all of this is understandable, avoidance may be cumulatively fostering the incivility problem. The “art of living together,” to borrow a phrase from Reinhold Niebuhr, requires interaction. Take that away and incivility may be self-perpetuating.
There’s reason to believe that Millennials may represent a part of the solution to this issue. While their older counterparts believe the rise of rudeness is rather hopeless and unstoppable, Millennials are up to four times as likely to believe that civility will improve in the near future. They are vastly less pessimistic than the preceding generations.
Rather than quietly avoiding uncivil situations, Millennials tend to speak with their wallets. Because of how they were treated by someone in an organization, nearly half (49 percent) have either stopped buying from the company and/or advised others not to buy (44 percent). They have stopped attending pro and college sports because of uncivil behavior they witnessed on the field or in the crowd.
Word of incivility can spread with incredible speed via social media—the domain of Millennials—and it can have real costs to those who make missteps, such as in the case of the new media firm that sent out a crude tweet on behalf of Chrysler or any number of brand fails that have damaged companies’ reputations, in some cases beyond repair. Loyalty is essential to maintain a stellar brand, and Millennials are very aware of their power of choice and are equally as willing to exercise their power and hold companies and public figures accountable. Social media users have also shown that they can unite for good causes and spread the word about events where abuse or unfairness might be taking place, such as they did during the uproar in Ferguson, Missouri. Millennials also make good use of sites like Glassdoor to anonymously share the unfiltered truth about what goes on at a company, and particularly how fairly employees are treated, making it harder for bosses who behave badly to recruit new talent.
With social media giving the individual unprecedented ability to make their voice heard, there may yet be hope that the uncivil amongst us will be left with no place to hide.
mean men, civility, company culture
Why Christie’s Meanness Will Be His Undoing
Chris Christie returned to his hometown of Livingston, New Jersey, this past week to make an announcement that many saw coming despite his recent troubles. In the gymnasium of his former high school—scene of Christie’s youthful glory days as president of his class three years running and captain of the baseball team—he took the stage to throw his hat in the ring and join an almost absurdly crowded field of Republican presidential hopefuls vying for the 2016 nomination.
In his admittedly rousing speech, he flayed not only President Obama and his “second mate” Hillary Clinton (yawn) and presumptive opponents like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, but the government at large for its utter lack of ability to compromise and get things done. It was stirring stuff, but no one’s ever criticized Christie’s skills as an orator. Will his inarguable charisma be enough to get him back in the good graces of the American people in time to make a serious bid for the White House?
Governor Christie of New Jersey rose to fame as a brazenly incautious politician. He was the “straight talker,” defined by his blistering rants, searing insults, and perennial public feuds—all of which he labels as “harmless theatrics.”
But Christie’s meanness may be what does him in before the 2016 presidential election, something he spent much of 2014 and 2015 to date getting ready to throw his weight into. Bridgegate, the New Jersey lane-closing scandal rooted in a ruthless act of political retribution, promises to be a visible narrative of the belligerence he’s so known for and which can as easily work against him as it does for him. In early May 2015, two of Christie’s most loyal and trusted lieutenants were indicted. Brigid Harrison, a professor at Montclair State University, says it’s probably the death knell for Christie’s national aspirations. “Even if he is not directly connected to the indictments,” she noted, “he is guilty of creating a political culture in which corruption was allowed to flourish.” In other words, the polar opposite of what he vowed to accomplish with all of his “straight talk.”
There’s backlash too for Christie throwing his trusting staff under a bus in the wake of the scandal, as Christie and his minions are infamous for punishing any who cross him. When times get rough and you need friends, that kind of turncoat behavior makes others nervous. “Exoneration of the man is not exoneration of his leadership style,” commented The New York Times in the wake of the indictments.
During his meteoric rise, as he won hearts and minds during a series of town hall style meetings throughout New Jersey, Christie was the envy of the Republican Party for his savvy branding as a tough-talking but likeable, relatable guy with heaps of New Jersey swagger. His popularity was such that certain Republican insiders are rumored to have begged him to run instead of Romney in 2012. But in a post-Bridgegate world, Christie’s path to the presidential nomination is buried in the underbrush.
As it stands, a mind-blowing fifty-five percent of Republicans polled couldn’t imagine voting for Christie. In fact, the only Republican candidate less popular at the moment is America’s favorite bloviating buffoon, Donald Trump. And even The Donald was told “you’re fired” by NBC, his syndicating partner for beauty pageants and The Apprentice. Might it be more than a coincidence that the two loudmouths with the lowest polls going into the Republican nomination process have a worldview that the best way to influence others is to bully them?
Americans have historically shown considerable forgiveness for personal scandals (there was a little kerfuffle with the now-beloved Bill Clinton, if you’ll recall). But the public sees Bridgegate not merely as Chris Christie’s scandal but as a singular case of public betrayal, an event notable for its bullying quality and indifference to the thousands of people who were impacted by it. Extraordinary rhetorical skill notwithstanding, meanness is what threatens to take Christie down.
mean men, politics, company culture, profiles in mean
Is Mean the New Normal?
June 22, 2015 / admin
I love reading the comments I receive each week on my blog posts. Most reader reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, with folks from all over the country reaching out to share their stories of how they are struggling with mean men in the workplace and elsewhere. But of course, I’m also hearing plenty from the old boys’ club—“Hey, Lipton, quit your whining. This is the way business is done!”
These are the men who hate to see the status quo questioned and who are threatened by equality, openness, transparency, and civility. In other words, to not have unfettered control over other people drives them nuts. I believe that the more we call out mean behaviors and discuss how to extinguish them, the more those who rely on such tactics will eventually be left in the dust. I know the next generation of smart and worldly workers doesn’t take meanness sitting down, and many new companies—such as Google, Guidewire, and HubSpot—consider meanness already a thing of the past. But that old boys’ club isn’t going down without a fight. And in the meantime, we have our current reality to contend with—where there’s plenty of mean to go around.
Most of us shape our behavior according to cues in both our immediate environment and the broader culture. If you live in a small Midwestern town where strangers greet each other on the street, you’ll start to say hello. Likewise, if being mean, aggressively competitive, and outrageously rude seems not only okay but culturally encouraged, you’re more likely to be a jerk.
A number of recent polls indicate that Americans think authentic leadership is in decline. Authentic in this context means the leader has a clear vision and focuses on the big picture (rather than just obsessing over the next quarter’s results). Authentic leaders have strong values and beliefs, and their behavior is consistent with those values and beliefs. These are leaders who are guided by not only their heads but also their hearts: they show emotion and vulnerability and truly connect with their employees. Authentic leaders are results driven, but they put their organizations’ and employees’ interests ahead of their own. Too pie-in-the-sky? Take a look at Bill George’s powerful research. These leaders get results.
Americans now see the workplace as ruder and more competitive than ever, and they blame leadership for setting this tone. Other polls have found that fewer Americans than ever like their jobs or see their employers as trustworthy and loyal.
But you don’t need to go into the office to witness our nation’s cultural descent; just turn on your television. How many shows feature nothing but backstabbing, conniving, and catty contestants and characters? TV has taken the trend in crass far beyond Donald Trump’s “You’re fired!” Now, Chef Gordon Ramsay reams nervous chef wannabes. Real housewives from every major US city engage not just in catfights but in full-fledged brawls. Investors on Shark Tank have themselves a ball ridiculing striving entrepreneurs’ start-up ideas.
The level of public brutality, shaming, and shamefulness we mindlessly ingest today would have been unthinkable during the days of Norman Lear’s merely sarcastic sitcoms. Even (the late) Tony Soprano, a mafia man for crying out loud, contextualized his meanness—and was psychologically troubled by it. In sports too, look at our so-called heroes. From doping dramas to cheating scandals to the rampant domestic violence in a number of sports—it’s not a pretty picture.
What messages are we sending our kids about consequence and reward when we laud these people? It’s no wonder that a 2012 survey of high school students found that 57 percent agreed with the statement: “In the real world, successful people do what they have to do to win, even if others consider it cheating.”
We’re spending millions per year in our schools to preach the anti-bullying message to kids—and how is that going? How will it play out when they get to the workplace?
A ruder society brings everyone down. Nobody wants to be the nice guy wearing his sunscreen and sun visor in the shark tank. Nobody wants to be the chump who dots every i and crosses every t when everyone else is cheating and getting away with it. Mean men can, and do, point to the harsh world around them as an excuse for their actions, and so mean begets mean in a never-ending cycle.
Prominent psychiatrists Harold Greenwald and Nathan Ackerman saw psychopathy as a “contagious and virulent” social disease. Greenwald noted that a few of his trainees had even asked if he could help them “become” sociopaths, saying they would like to learn how to do whatever they pleased and not give a rat’s ass about everybody else.
Sure, we might all appreciate the supervillain in the movies or in our favorite novel. Leonardo DiCaprio makes a handsome wolf. Mad Men’s Don Draper oozes charisma. And maybe enjoying one cutthroat TV show isn’t enough to turn a person into an aggressive a-hole. But the problem is, there’s too much adoration of jerks. Even worse—studies find we actually give jerks power.
In Jerry Useem’s recent article in The Atlantic, “Why It Pays to Be a Jerk,” we meet Darren Dahl, a professor of marketing and behavioral science at University of British Columbia. Dahl reports having entered a high-end retail store one day not quite looking high-end himself. When the saleswoman in the shop looked him over and shook her head, Dahl didn’t leave the store—instead, he made purchases he hadn’t intended to make. After berating himself, Dahl then wondered if other people would open their wallets in the clear face of rudeness too.
I wish I didn’t have to report what he discovered: “When it came to ‘aspirational’ brands like Gucci, Burberry, and Louis Vuitton, participants were willing to pay more in a scenario in which they felt rejected.”
Maybe shopping for luxury brands isn’t your thing, but the point is this: mean men don’t operate in a vacuum. Something is operating deep in our psychology in the way we react to and actually succumb to them.
I want to hear from you, commenters: Why are we so drawn to mean?
June 22, 2015 / admin/ Comment
mean men, leadership, company culture
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2582
|
__label__wiki
| 0.754737
| 0.754737
|
Home Article Troy Dendekker Married For The Second Time. Details About Her Relationship With New Husband And Their Children
Troy Dendekker Married For The Second Time. Details About Her Relationship With New Husband And Their Children
Updated On 22 Apr, 2019 Published On 07 Jan, 2018
You may have probably heard about the band, 'Sublime', if yes then we're sure the name Troy Dendekker rings a bell. She is the widow of Bradley Nowell, the founder, guitarist and lead singer of the band Sublime.
After her marriage came to a tragic end, she married for the second time. Let's find out how her marital relationship with her new husband is going on.
Is Troy Dendekker Dating Someone Secretly?
Troy became famous in media when she dated and married famed American musician Bradley Nowell in 1996. She and Bradley dated in the 1990s and became one of the most famed couples of that time.
But before they could spend some time together, Bradley tragically passed away the same year they married. After he passed away she refrained from dating anyone.
But then in 2002, she decided to step back in the dating scene and was seen going out with Kiki Holmes. By November 1st of the year, they exchanged vows.
Troy Dendekker is currently married to Kiki Holmes.
None of us had a clue as she never mentioned she was in a marital relationship with anyone. Apparently, her husband revealed it when he shared a photo of their marriage certificate on Instagram. The Instagram image has already been removed.
Later, she even shared a video of her wedding on social media.
As to our amazement, she and Kiki are in a conjugal relationship for a long time. The pair is also a proud parent of one child, a boy named Jake.
Though there are some speculations that Jake is a son of Kiki's previous marriage, it doesn't matter to Troy as she loves him like her own son.
Troy Dendekker-Marriage With Bradley Nowell
Troy was previously married to American singer, Nowell. The pair started dating in the 1990s when a mutual friend introduced them to one another.
Soon after the pair started going out and finally tied the knot on May 18, 1996. They exchanged vows in a Hawaiian-themed ceremony in Las Vegas.
Dendekker and Nowell became parents a year before they married as she gave birth to a son named Jakob James Nowell.
But soon tragedy befalls the pair as after a mere 7 days of marriage, Troy died due to a heroin overdose on May 25, 1996.
Troy Dendekker: Quick Facts
Born in the United States of America.
She belongs to African-American ethnicity.
Her parents raised her Roman Catholic.
She was a member of the group Sublime.
She used to sing songs during her time in the band.
#widow
#second marriage
#sublime
#overdose
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2584
|
__label__wiki
| 0.956341
| 0.956341
|
Star Trek Beyond Wins Comic-Con Weekend Box Office with $59.6 M
It's already been a very good year for animated movies at the box office, with four of this year's biggest animated hits cracking the top 10 so far, Finding Dory, Zootopia, The Secret Life of Pets and Kung Fu Panda 3. Despite a solid history at the box office, the latest installment of the Ice Age franchise, Ice Age: Collision Course, will likely not be added to this list, as it suffered the worse opening in franchise history. This allowed the highly-anticipated sci-fi sequel Star Trek Beyond to take the top spot with $59.6 million.
Box Office Mojo reports that Star Trek Beyond earned an impressive $15,173 per-screen average from 3,928 theaters, but it still represents the lowest opening in this rebooted franchise. Director J.J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek opened with $75.2 million, en route to $257.7 million domestic and $385.6 million worldwide, from a $150 million budget. 2013's Star Trek Beyond opened with $70.1 million with a domestic total of $228.7 and $467.3 million, from a $190 million budget.
Star Trek Beyond was filmed under a $185 million budget, and while it fared quite well with critics (84% on Rotten Tomatoes), critical acclaim didn't translate into a bigger box office debut this time. The early reactions to this sci-fi sequel were incredible positive, with most critics and fans agreeing that this new movie is much better than the divisive Star Trek Into Darkness. We'll have to wait and see if Star Trek Beyond will suffer a big drop in its second weekend in theaters, but regardless of how it finishes at the box office, Paramount has already announced Star Trek 4, which brings Chris Hemsworth back to the franchise as George Kirk, the late father of Chris Pine's James Tiberius Kirk.
Star Trek Beyond, the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In "Beyond," the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.
Ice Age 5 has the advantage when it comes to theater count, debuting this weekend in 3,992 theaters, with the Star Trek sequel opening in 3,928 theaters and Lights Out debuting in 2,818 theaters. Despite its theater count advantage, both Star Trek Beyond and Lights Out are bona fide critical hits, while Ice Age 5 is the complete opposite. Star Trek Beyond has amassed an impressive 84% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while Lights Out has a 77% rating, although it was sporting a 100% rating earlier this week. The fifth Ice Age movie currently has a 13% score, and it debuted in fifth place with $21 million, behind The Secret Life of Pets ($29.3 million) and Ghostbusters and Lights Out, which both tied with $21.6 million, but we'll have to wait and see which one comes out on top when the actual figures come out tomorrow.
Scrat's epic pursuit of the elusive acorn catapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World. To save themselves, Sid, Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters.
Lights Out comes from producer James Wan (The Conjuring), a tale of an unknown terror that lurks in the dark. When Rebecca left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she was never really sure of what was and wasn't real when the lights went out...and now her little brother, Martin, is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie, has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger...once the lights go out.
The top 10 is rounded out by Finding Dory ($7.2 million), The Legend of Tarzan ($6.4 million) Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates ($4.4 million), Hillary's America: The Secret History of The Democratic Party ($3.7 million) and The Infiltrator ($3.2 million). Hillary's America: The Secret History of The Democratic Party is a surprising inclusion in the top 10, having opened in limited release last weekend and expanding from three theaters to 1,216 theaters. Also opening in limited release is Fox Searchlight's Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, which took in $1.8 million, earning a solid $6,006 per-screen average from 313 theaters. Well Go USA's Train to Busan also fared quite well, earning $285,900 from 27 theaters for a $10,589 per-screen average. The Film Arcade's Don't Think Twice earned $90,126 from just one theater for the highest per-screen average of the weekend, although no box office datat was released for Mirror Images Ltd.'s Beta Test, Reliance Big Pictures' Madaari and Strand's Summertime.
Looking ahead to next weekend, Universal Pictures will debut the long-awaited Jason Bourne in theaters, alongside STX Entertainment's Bad Moms and Lionsgate's Nerve, which debuts Wednesday, July 27. Also opening in limited release is Sony Pictures Classics' Equity, A24's Into the Forest, IFC's The Land, Dimension Films' Viral and Open Road Films' documentary Gleason. Be sure to check back on Tuesday for the next wave of predictions. Until then, check out the top 10 estimates for the weekend of July 22 below.
1 Star Trek Beyond
2 The Secret Life of Pets
3 Ghostbusters
4 Lights Out
5 Ice Age: Collision Course
6 Finding Dory
7 The Legend of Tarzan
8 Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
9 Hillary's America: The Secret History of The Democratic Party
10 The Infiltrator
Kurt Russell Is Star-Lord's Dad in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Kurt Russell's Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Ego Costume Revealed at Comic-Con
16 - The Matrix
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2585
|
__label__cc
| 0.54094
| 0.45906
|
The Lend Lease-Act
alyak1116
By allowing the president to transfer war material to Britain and without payment as required by the Neutrality Act of 1939 the Lend-Lease act enabled the British to keep fighting until events led American into conflict. The Lend-Lease brought the United States one step closer to entry into the war. Republican senator Robert Taft noted that the bill would “give the President power to carry on a kind of undeclared war all over the world, in which America would do everything except actually put soldiers in the front line trenches where the fighting is.“
President Roosevelt Signing the Lend-Lease Act
This law was proposed in the late 1940s and passed in March 1941. The Lend-Lease Act was the principal means for providing U.S. military aid to foreign nations during World War II. This authorized the president to transfer arms or any other defense material for which Congress appropriated money to the government of any country defending the President. Supplies began to be transferred without compensation to Britain, China, the Soviet Union and other countries. This act permitted the United States to support its war interests without being over extended in battle.
Lend-Lease continued after the US entry into the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. As the American military mobilized for war, the Lend-Lease materials in the form of cars, aircraft, and weapons were shipped to the Allied nations who were at the time fighting the Axis Powers.
The Lend-Lease Act came to an abrupt end. As Britain needed to retain much of the equipment for postwar use, the Anglo-American loan was signed through which Britain agreed to purchase the items for ten cents on the dollar. The total loan was around 1,075 million. The final payment made for this loan was in 2006.
That is a lot of money and it took decades to pay back and I am so shocked that the last payment was in 2006. This Act gave the Military a great advantage for there war supplies.
https://tiefenbrun10a.wikispaces.com/Suyoon+Lee?showComments=1
http://america-at-war-wwii.weebly.com/lend-lease-act.html
Tags: Attack on Pearl Harbor, Axis Powers, Britain, china, Lend-Lease, Soviet Union, United States, World War II
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2589
|
__label__cc
| 0.652071
| 0.347929
|
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
The Future of Religion (review)
Volume 75, Number 1, March 2007
The Future of Religion
James J. DiCenso
The Future of Religion. By Richard Rorty and Gianni Vattimo. Edited by Santiago Zabala. Columbia University Press, 2005. 112 pages. $24.50.
This volume brings together two prominent contemporary philosophers to reflect on religion in its relation to ethics, society, and politics. The book is well-structured, with an introductory overview by the editor, an essay by Rorty, another by Vattimo, and finally a lively dialogue. Since both Rorty and Vattimo also discuss each other's work in their respective essays, the book provides an excellent opportunity for these major representatives of continental thought and contemporary American pragmatism to engage in constructive and fruitful discussion.
Zabala's introduction sets up the contributions of the two major thinkers by defining some key terms and concepts, and by sketching some of the general parameters of current philosophical analyses of religion. The main tenor of this piece is surprisingly optimistic: the end of metaphysics, also called the "death of God," has, he states, "cleared the ground for a culture without those dualisms that have characterized our western tradition" (2). This means that a form of "weak thought" has emerged that eschews the grandiose claims of metaphysics, while providing re-conceptualizations of religion that are less power-laden and authoritarian. Zabala also views this de-essentializing approach to religion as correlated with a de-essentialized way of doing philosophy, "the ultimate goal of philosophical investigation after the end of metaphysics is no longer contact with something existing independently from us, but rather Bildung, the unending formation of oneself" (4). This captures a key feature of both Rorty's and Vattimo's emphases on the human ethical influences of religion, also shared in varying ways by a range of recent theorists. In a post-metaphysical approach, religion is interrogated as a vital element of the historicity of human existence and thought, rather than as something static, disconnected from the specific features of lived time and place.
At the same time, there are limitations to this articulation of a historicized approach to understanding religion. For example, in Zabala's summary of current trends, the terms "religion" and "Christianity" are often used interchangeably. Zabala, following Vattimo, also emphasizes that Christianity has [End Page 173] played a key historical role in the development of secular or post-metaphysical culture. However, he goes so far at one point as to state blithely that "it is through developing its own laic vocation that Christianity can become a universal religion" (7). This view is in danger of assuming one's own cultural, historical, and religious standpoints as normative, and losing sight of the vast and polymorphous complexity, not to say incommensurability, of the historicity of religions and cultures.
Rorty's essay, "Anticlericalism and Atheism," sketches his views on the current status of "postmetaphysical" philosophy and religious thought. He questions the assumption that "philosophy can be done ahistorically," and likewise questions traditional binary structures such as apparent/real and necessary/contingent (29–30). This rejection of classical metaphysical assumptions opens an approach to religion that focuses on its impact on the ways human beings live their lives. If Rorty mounts a critique of religion and theology, it is not based on epistemological questions of truth or falsity, and he has little concern for the modern preoccupation with the conflict between religion and science. As he emphasizes, "neither those who affirm nor those who deny the existence of God can plausibly claim that they have evidence for their views" (33). The key critical issue for him no longer concerns atheism, but rather anticlericalism. He states that "anticlericalism is a political view, not an epistemological or metaphysical one" (33). His concern is the political impact of culturally entrenched religious institutions, and on this matter, Rorty's critique is uncompromising. He allows that ecclesiastical institutions may provide comfort for those in need, but that nevertheless they "are dangerous to the health of democratic societies" (33). Unfortunately, this important argument is not well developed, but the key idea seems to be that the otherworldliness sustained by these institutions is dangerous because it diverts us from efforts to better ourselves and our social worlds.
Typically, having noted the...
Archived 2007
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2591
|
__label__wiki
| 0.582733
| 0.582733
|
This Unruly Mess I've Made Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Light Tunnels (feat. Mike Slap)
Downtown (feat. Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, Kool Moe Dee & Eric Nally)
Brad Pitt's Cousin (feat. XP)
Buckshot (feat. KRS-One & DJ Premier)
Growing Up (feat. Ed Sheeran)
Kevin (feat. Leon Bridges)
St. Ides
Need to Know (feat. Chance the Rapper)
Dance Off (feat. Idris Elba & Anderson .Paak)
Let's Eat (feat. XP)
Bolo Tie (feat. YG)
The Train (feat. Carla Morrison)
White Privilege II (feat. Jamila Woods)
℗ 2016 Macklemore, LLC
More By Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
The Heist (Deluxe Edition)
This Unruly Mess I've Made
VS. Redux (Remixes) - EP
Otherside Remix (Live) - Single
Wednesday Morning - Single
The 40 Akerz Project
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2593
|
__label__cc
| 0.739669
| 0.260331
|
Sex For Sale
YouTube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=WCUIx4VbSm8
Previous: Ask Lindsey: #18 - Ejaculate Volume & Vagina Nail Polish
Next: Sexual Interpretation
In light of Laci Green's recent video about sex work, I'm trying to maintain the momentum of discussion and curiosity. This episode does not reflect the current picture of how prostitution exists in most situations. Instead it is a review of the industry in its purest form. Sex (consensual) for compensation (money/trade).
Thank you for all the great questions and curiosity! If you want to reach us here are some ways:
PATREON (1,175) : https://www.patreon.com/sexplanations?ty=h
TWITTER (5,970) : https://twitter.com/elleteedee
TUMBLR (18,581) : https://www.tumblr.com/blog/tumblingdoe
FACEBOOK (7,783) : https://www.facebook.com/sexplanations
DFTBA : http://store.dftba.com/collections/sexplanations
Link to Laci Green's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjMKFALIN3k
Lindsey: The term "sex work" was coined in the early 1980's by Carol Leigh to refer to people who work in the sexy industry. A sex worker exchanges their own sexual labor or sexual performance for compensation such as an escort, prostitute, porn star, stripper, dominatrix, phone sex operator, sensual masseuse, or webcam performer. Professionals.
Most of these jobs are legal, the people doing them are hired as employees or contractors, they go on vacations, they earn living wages, they pay taxes, have coworkers, deal with customers, it's work! Prostitution in particular though, the one most often associated with sex work is illegal in all of these places. In this video Laci Green asks whether or not prostitution should be considered a crime and why Amnesty International, a human rights organization is pushing for it to be legal in all the places. I want to teach you what prostitution is and share why I value it as much as I value sex education.
(Sexplanations intro)
Prostitute, you know this term, someone who exchanges sex acts for compensation, they might also call themselves providers, hookers, harlots, sexual healers, whores, sex workers - the term I use, or companions - the term Joss uses. A courtesan is a sex worker who interacts with people of high rank or wealth. A call girl or call boy is a sex worker who is contacted by phone to arrange services in contrast to a streetwalker who solicits customers outdoors. A gigolo is a male sex worker, so is a rent-boy, a hustler, or trade.
In 2006 study led by Keith Chen found that once Capuchin monkeys were taught the value of tokens to buy food, the monkeys would trade the token amongst themselves for other things, like sex. The monkey was like "token, sex?" and this monkey was like "yeah, let's go," so they did the sex, monkey sex... *laughs*
So the monkey gave the token to the other monkey who used it to buy grapes from the researcher. In prostitution, this would be called a trick. Tricks refers to either the sex act or the client who pays for it. The client may also be called a John, a punter, or curb crawler. A hobbyist is a type of client who makes hiring or viewing and talking about sex workers a hobby.
Which brings us to sex tourism where clients travel to engage in sexual activities with sex workers, either because it is a hobby, it's legal elsewhere, it's cheaper, or it's intriguing. Some people will travel to other places, even the next town over to access sex with people who've been enslaved, but that's not sex or prostitution, that's rape.
Sex workers are willing participants, they elect to meet with their clients. Where? Incall, it's arranged by the sex worker where the client goes. Or outcall, when the sex worker goes to the client's location. There are also business places called brothels, bordellos, cat houses, knocking shops, whorehouses, strumpet houses, sporting houses, or bawdy houses, owned or managed by a madam, where clients can hire sex workers to engage in sex on site.
Outside of the brothels, sex workers negotiate for themselves as independents or they work with controllers or pimps. Pimp is a slang term referring to the male who oversees or manages client accounts for sex workers. They don't generally have good reputations, very little about prostitution does. Many people who participate are minorities desperate for income and exploited for this reason. They're abused by managers and customers alike, they rarely report because what they're doing is illegal, and the risk for sexually transmitted infections is really high when you can't enforce condom use if having sex with them is illegal.
Under these circumstances, sex workers rely on things like the bad date list, a circulated warning between sex workers about clients who have abused, robbed, under-payed, or harmed them in any other way. They also use December 17th, a global day of awareness and remembrance known as the international day to end violence against sex workers.
Then there's screening, which is evaluating a potential client by calling their references, looking up their criminal records, verifying their identity, and reviewing the bad date list to make sure everything checks out OK. SWOP, SWAAY, and Amnesty International, organizations for sex workers' rights and decriminalization, and they also rely on you. Because hopefully you'll watch this video, by Laci of sex+, you'll have conversations about sex work, and you'll stay curious.
In the words of companion Inara Serra, "A companion chooses her clients, that's guild law. The physical appearance doesn't matter so terribly, you look for a compatibility of spirit."
Town Swoodilypoopers
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2600
|
__label__wiki
| 0.747525
| 0.747525
|
‘Post-post-Zionism?’
‘Profits or Glory?’
38 , Mar Apr 2006
Back to NLR 38, Mar Apr 2006
Yoav Peled
Zionist Realities: Debating Israel–Palestine
Debating Israel–Palestine
In discussing ‘solutions’ for Israel/Palestine, it may be salutary to recall the famous assertion of the Communist Manifesto—that its theoretical conclusions ‘are in no way based on ideas or principles that have been invented, or discovered, by this or that would-be universal reformer. They merely express, in general terms, actual relations springing from an existing class struggle, from a historical movement going on under our very eyes’. From the outbreak of the first Intifada in December 1987, the real historical movement of the Palestinian liberation struggle has been directed towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. The plo adopted this goal officially in 1988, but it was widely known that, despite its rhetoric, the two-state solution had been its real aim at least since 1974. The first Intifada resulted in the Oslo agreement between Israel and the plo, which launched a process often believed at the time to be leading towards the fulfilment of this goal. That process ended in failure, as we now know, for reasons that are still widely debated among observers and participants alike.footnote1
While the first Intifada was an unarmed popular struggle, the second Intifada, which marked the end of the Oslo process in summer 2000, encountered a deliberately violent over-reaction by the Israeli military and turned into an armed rebellion.footnote2 In Israeli popular consciousness it has been characterized mostly by the suicide bombings of civilian targets inside Israel’s 1967 borders. This has caused a shift in the public mood of the Jewish-Israeli middle class—away from supporting the efforts to achieve security through peace and towards seeking security at all costs—and, in the eyes of some, legitimated Sharon’s brutal reoccupation of the West Bank in April 2002. Although Sharon was officially committed to something called the Road Map—a commitment maintained by his heir apparent, Ehud Olmert—and in spite of the continuing charade called the Palestinian Authority, the prospects for a viable, sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza are practically non-existent (if they ever existed at all). As a result, the old plo programme, of establishing one secular, democratic state in the entire territory of Mandatory Palestine has been revived, primarily among Palestinian intellectuals inside and outside the region.footnote3
The merit of Virginia Tilley’s The One-State Solution is to lay out, in a systematic way, many of the problems attendant upon the two-state plan.footnote4 Tilley’s aim is to advance the discussion of the one-state solution in the us.footnote5 She attempts to do so by making two major arguments: (1) that the two-state solution is no longer a viable option, if it ever was, and (2) that the one-state solution ‘would resolve the entire conflict in one magisterial gesture’. It would have to be magisterial indeed, because Tilley wants to see a state that would not only ‘serve all its citizens equally’, but also ensure that ‘the Jewish national home can find a new and more secure configuration no longer requiring a Jewish majority or Jewish ethnic domination over the state’.footnote6 In other words, Tilley sets out to show not only that the one-state solution is the only option for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also that it should not be seen as a threat to the basic aim of Zionism—establishing a national home for the Jews in Palestine.
Settlement strategies
Tilley’s argument proceeds by elimination. She considers all hypothetically available options—ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by Israel, continuation of the status quo, and several versions of the two-state solution—and, showing their deficiencies, concludes that the one-state solution is the only remaining option. She bases her conclusion about the impossibility of the two-state solution on two concrete premises:
As Tilley documents, the ‘settlement grid’ includes not only the settlements themselves—a few of which are already fair-sized towns—but a whole network of connecting roads reserved for Israeli citizens only and, most recently, the Separation (in Afrikaans, apartheid)Wall as well. The grid was designed, in terms of its density and territorial dispersion, to make the occupation irreversible by fragmenting the territory of the potential Palestinian state and making the removal of the settlements impossible. The settlements are inhabited by over 200,000 people, plus another 200,000 in the area that Israel has already annexed as ‘Jerusalem’. The half-million or so settlers are backed, politically, by a hinterland of supporters that is several times as large. Many of these supporters are relatives of the settlers or people who aspire to improve their economic conditions by moving to the West Bank, the only part of the Israeli ‘control system’ where the welfare state still exists.
Settling the Occupied Territories with Jews has been the major national project carried out by the Israeli state since 1967. In terms of its legitimation, there have been three phases: military, between 1967 and 1974; religious, between 1974 and 1977, when Gush Emunim was created in the wake of the 1973 Arab–Israeli war; and free-market, since Likud came to power in 1977.footnote7 All Israeli state institutions, including Jewish national organizations like the Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund, have participated in the settlement project, sometimes under various guises in order not to violate too openly the terms of American economic assistance or the tax-exempt status of American Jewish organizations. (It would be extremely naïve to believe that the American state was fooled by these disguises, but aside from President Bush Senior no us president has dared challenge the settlement activity.)
Tilley neglects to mention one of the most important institutions with a vested interest in the continued occupation, the Israeli military. Since 1967 the idf (renamed iof—Israel Occupation Forces—by some Israeli peace groups) has been, formally and effectively, the sovereign power in those parts of the Occupied Territories that have not been fully annexed to Israel. Managing these territories, with their millions of Palestinian residents, has required, in addition to intelligence and operational forces, a large civil affairs bureaucracy, sustained by huge budgets, where many military careers have been made. Relinquishing control over these territories would mean a great diminution of the military, even in strict numerical terms. Moreover, every advance towards peace, beginning with the accord with Egypt, has led to lower military spending relative to gnp, loss of military contracts and a reduction of the standing army. During the Oslo period there was talk of abolishing the draft and turning to a professional force, and even the idea of privatizing major military functions was raised. Finally, the prestige of the military, and the motivation to serve in it, experienced a marked decline.footnote8
Given this set of vested interests in continuing the occupation, Tilley declares that: ‘Only a political will of iron—of some Israeli prime minister with an unassailable political base, able to muster the necessary resources and navigate the storms of controversy—could reverse the present trajectory towards annexation. Yet that will is conspicuously missing.’footnote9 However, the will was briefly present, in the person of Ariel Sharon, who demonstrated in Gaza that removing Jewish settlements from the Occupied Territories is an easy task for a leader who wants it to be done. Many observers agree that by splitting Likud—the political party he himself had brought together over thirty years ago—Sharon was suggesting that he planned to implement the Gaza model in parts of the West Bank. This would mean removing Jewish settlements and permanent military bases from about half of the West Bank—the area delimited by the Separation Wall on the west and the Jordan Valley, liberally defined, on the east. If Sharon’s plan were to be carried out by his successors, the only Jewish settlements that would remain in that area would be the large ‘settlement blocs’, which would be brought inside the Wall.
But, as Tilley might have argued, the removal of those settlements would not be done for the purpose of implementing the two-state solution. Sharon’s strategy of unilateral ‘disengagement’ was designed rather as a more effective method of controlling the West Bank. Efficient occupation, economical in terms of (Jewish) blood and money, is the current political preference of the Jewish-Israeli middle class, disillusioned by the second Intifada and no longer believing in the possibility of peace. Sharon was pursuing this strategy precisely in order to forestall the scenario that Tilley marshals to argue against the feasibility of the status quo:
Withering in their walled enclave, the Palestinian people will continue to resist conditions of daily misery and political destruction. And as their population grows rapidly within its sealed territorial vessel, the demographic, economic, and political pressures will build to critical mass. Juxtaposed in the highlands, pressed together cheek-by-jowl in gerrymandered borders, Jewish and Palestinian sectors [of the West Bank] cannot endure such pressures indefinitely. The formula is explosive, promising increasingly desperate acts of violence and possibly even mass insurrection by the Palestinians.footnote10
With no permanent Israeli presence within the Palestinian enclave, however, and with a wall effectively separating that bantustan from Israel, the Palestinians would have no easy targets on which to vent their anger. An occasional suicide bomber or missile would not pose any problem for Israel.
Tilley’s other argument for the non-feasibility of the two-state solution is that ‘for Israel, it is the scarcity of water that most objectively precludes full Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank’.footnote11 However, the scarcity of water is nothing but a red herring used by the Israeli right-wing to argue against the two-state solution, and it is quite surprising to see it repeated in this book. As many experts on the water issue would agree, Israel’s and the region’s water needs can now be easily and cheaply supplied through water recycling and desalination. Existing and planned desalination capacity in Israel is already at the level of 400 mcm (million cubic metres) per year, while the water Israel takes from the West Bank amounts to 500 mcm per year. Thus, in the words of one Israeli water expert, Shaul Arlosoroff,
The whole issue [between Israel and the Palestinians] is 100 mcm in the foreseeable future, and 100 mcm desalinated from the sea is $100 million, $100 million when Israel’s gdp is already $100 billion. That makes it 0.1 per cent of gdp. So from an economic or financial point of view, it’s irrelevant, water is irrelevant.footnote12
Israeli policy makers therefore no longer consider water a core issue for negotiations with the Palestinians (assuming such negotiations ever resume).footnote13 Moreover, to follow Tilley’s logic, if Israel objected to Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank for fear of losing control of its water, why would it agree to let the Palestinians gain sovereignty over the entire country, including its water resources, through their democratic majority in one secular, democratic state?
The real reason the two-state solution is dead is much more straightforward than the ones adduced by Tilley: the Palestinians who fought for it, with the help of some Jews, were defeated. The Palestinian strategy, based to a large extent on the belief that the ‘international community’ (i.e., the us) would restrain Israel and not allow them to be totally defeated, collapsed on September 11, 2001. One of the more tragic shortcomings of the regime set up by the plo was its total inability to mount a credible defence against Israel’s invasion of the West Bank in 2002—perhaps because it was still hampered by that belief. (The reason Israel did not reoccupy Gaza at that time was not only that Gaza could be more easily controlled from the outside, but also that the Israeli army expected tough resistance there.) Given the military reality on the ground, and the evaporation of international support for the Palestinians, the two-state solution is doomed, at least for the foreseeable future.footnote14
Jewish national home
While Tilley’s discussion of the two-state solution is factual, her discussion of the one-state solution is declarative. Since, as she remarks (with some qualifications), the one state is already here, there is no point in talking about its ‘feasibility’. The objective, rather, is to show that reconstituting that state as a secular democratic polity, with equal rights for all its citizens, could be compatible with the basic aims of Zionism. As Tilley puts it,
the Zionist project to rebuild a Jewish national home, in territory now carrying such resonance for Jewish religious and social tradition, is of such compelling psychological and political character that it must remain foundational to any lasting peace.footnote15
It is foundational because no peaceful solution to the conflict is possible without the assent of at least a sizeable majority of Israeli Jews, practically all of whom are ardent Zionists.
Tilley seeks to convince her readers of the compatibility of Zionism and the one-state solution by arguing along two different lines: that in reality there is no reason to fear that under conditions of equal citizenship the Palestinian majority of the one state would wish to hinder the legitimate aims of Zionism; and that Zionist thinking itself is not necessarily inimical to the idea of one secular democratic state with the Palestinians.
Tilley is well aware of Israeli Jews’ deep-seated fear that in a secular democratic Jewish-Palestinian state
a still-resentful and Judeophobic Palestinian majority would launch . . . [an] attack on Jewish interests and cultural life—e.g., by orchestrating massive Palestinian return, appropriating Jewish homes for returnees, progressively demoting Jewish cultural concerns, seizing control of holy sites, and otherwise callously eliminating the conditions for Jewish culture, economic security and the free expression of Jewish spiritual values and national life.footnote16
To allay these fears, Tilley reassures her readers that a
lasting ethos of democracy runs deep and frames all Palestinian political discourse except the very recent and frightening rise of Islamic totalitarian doctrines. Indeed, because of this democratic tradition, Palestinians have admired Israel’s democracy and hoped for something similar for the Palestinian state. The same democratic values now drive the shift among some Palestinians to favour the one-state solution, in the hope that the Palestinians’ democratic values can find expression in Israel’s ruggedly democratic institutions.footnote17
Unfortunately for Tilley’s argument—and for President Bush—Palestinian democracy is precisely the vehicle through which the ‘frightening Islamic totalitarian’ movement, Hamas, has just gained an absolute majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Tilley’s second line of argument progresses through close textual analysis of various Zionist documents, especially the Jerusalem Programme adopted by the World Zionist Congress in 1968, in order to show that even according to these texts the legitimate aims of Zionism do not really require an ethnic Jewish state in order to be fulfilled.footnote18 This conclusion, Tilley claims, is shared by the ‘growing “post-Zionist” movement . . . [in Israel that] is proposing a very different configuration of Jewish statehood that would not require a Jewish majority’.footnote19 As a member in good standing of this post-Zionist ‘movement’ myself—actually more of an intellectual mood than a movement—I am not aware of anyone who argues that Jewish statehood can exist without a Jewish majority. I am aware of people who say that the idea of a Jewish state should be abandoned altogether, for the sake of either liberal or multicultural democracy—usually within Israel’s 1967 borders, at least as a first step—and of other people who say that the Jewish majority and Jewish state should be preserved, but that Israel’s Palestinian citizens should be treated more equally and the non-citizens should be set free.footnote20
Looking to find historical roots for the (non-existent) position she attributes to the post-Zionists, Tilley calls in the usual gallery of suspects—Hannah Arendt, Martin Buber, Judah Magnes—all marginal Zionist figures (although, of course, not marginal at all in their respective fields of endeavour) who, in the context of the British Mandate and its twilight, tried to skirt around the issue of a Jewish state in order to avoid war with the Palestinians. But what Tilley glosses over is the fact that, at a time when Jews constituted less than a third of the population of the country, all of these people insisted on ‘parity’ between Jews and Palestinians in running their future common state, and that they were not willing to give up Jewish control over immigration and land purchases. As Arendt, who was probably the least Zionist of these figures, insisted in a fragment reproduced by Tilley herself, ‘immigration to Palestine, limited in numbers and in time, is the only “irreducible minimum” in Jewish politics’.footnote21 This ‘irreducible minimum’ was too much for the Palestinians, however, which was the reason why none of the efforts cited by Tilley were ever able to recruit any Palestinians to their cause.footnote22
Be that as it may, the contradiction between Zionism and the one-state solution cannot be resolved through textual analysis and creative interpretations of the various meanings of ‘state’ as against ‘national home’. From a Jewish nationalist, that is, Zionist perspective, the one-state solution means the end of Zionism. There are strong moral arguments that could be used to justify why Zionism, a colonial settlement movement, should declare ‘mission accomplished’ and vacate the scene. This does not mean, of course, that history can, or should, be rolled back, or that the Jews can be justly expelled from Palestine (to Germany or Alaska, as the current Iranian president would have it). But adherents of the one-state solution should have the courage to face the fact that without Jewish domination of whatever portion of Palestine/Israel, there will be no Jewish national home. If the Palestinians had their way, the first thing they would do would be to abolish the Law of Return, or else balance it off with a law of return of their own. The next thing would be to demand, at least, their proportional share of the land: territory that used to be entirely their own and is now mostly defined, legally, as national Jewish land. Immigration and land were, historically, at the heart of the Jewish-Palestinian conflict and, as we saw, even the most liberal Zionists have considered Jewish control of these two resources vital for the existence of a Jewish national home. These people would hardly be persuaded by Tilley’s argument that a Jewish national home could exist safely within a secular democratic state with a Palestinian majority.footnote23
A de-Zionized state?
In support of my claim about the incompatibility of Zionism and the one-state solution, I would like to examine, as a thought experiment, a much easier challenge—the establishment of a de-Zionized secular democratic state (a ‘state of its citizens’ in Israeli political parlance) within the boundaries of the sovereign State of Israel as presently constituted.
Israel is defined, constitutionally, as a ‘Jewish and democratic state’. A constitutional provision prohibits political parties that challenge either one of the two elements of this formula from participating in Knesset elections. (So far, the Supreme Court has prevented this ban from being implemented in the case of political parties challenging the Jewish element of this definition.) The most concrete expressions of Israel’s character as a Jewish state are the Law of Return—that guarantees all Jews and their non-Jewish family members, down to the third generation, the right to immigrate to Israel and become citizens upon arrival—and the non-separation of church and state. In the 1990s, some movement could be discerned towards changing this definition, motivated by three kinds of considerations: the more liberal attitude towards Israel’s Palestinian citizens displayed by the Rabin government (1992–95), which depended on their support in the Knesset; the growing tension between secular and ultra-orthodox Jews, primarily over the issue of the (non-) military service of the latter; and the fact that the share of non-Jews among immigrants from the former Soviet Union coming in under the Law of Return was rising rapidly. This movement culminated in the landmark decision of the Supreme Court in the Qaadan case, in 2000, that outlawed discrimination between Jewish and Palestinian citizens in the allocation of state lands. A few months later, the collapse of the Oslo process and the outbreak of the second Intifada brought the movement to an end.footnote24
Palestinians currently comprise about 17 per cent of Israel’s citizens, about the same ratio as in 1949. Still, the ‘demographic problem’, that is, the fear of Jewish Israelis that the Palestinians’ higher birth rate will translate into a Palestinian majority within the State of Israel, is a prominent feature of the Jewish-Israeli public discourse. In attitude surveys conducted in 2004 by Sammy Smooha, the paramount sociologist of Jewish-Palestinian relations within Israel, two thirds of Jewish respondents expressed concern over this issue, and 94 per cent agreed that Israel should maintain its Jewish majority. Only 32 per cent agreed that the Palestinian citizens should be accorded equal rights even if they demand that Israel become a state of its citizens, and 81 per cent agreed that decisions about the character of the state and its borders should be made by a Jewish majority, not a majority of the citizenry.footnote25 In a survey of attitudes towards national security issues conducted by Asher Arian in 2003, 33 per cent of Jewish respondents were in favour of ‘transferring’ (i.e. expelling) Israel’s Palestinian citizens from the country.footnote26
Concern with the ‘demographic problem’ is not merely a feature of public opinion, moreover. It is shared by Jewish politicians, academics and public officials of all sorts, who obviously see the goal of maintaining a Jewish majority in the country as a legitimate focus of public policy. Alongside other measures designed to achieve that aim, in 2002 the government suspended Palestinian citizens’ right of family unification if their family members, including spouses and children, were Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories. This was initially presented as a temporary measure, to stem the flow of Palestinian terrorists who allegedly entered Israel through the ‘gate’ of family unification. After the highly exaggerated nature of this claim was demonstrated in court, the truth was revealed—that the policy was intended to fight the ‘demographic problem’—and the temporary order has been extended repeatedly. It will soon be replaced by a new citizenship and entry law that is being promulgated by a committee made up of deans of university law schools in Israel, working under the auspices of the National Security Council.
What this little thought experiment has revealed, I believe, is that, faced with the choice between Israel being Jewish and it being democratic, the vast majority of Israeli Jews would opt for a Jewish, non-democratic state over a democratic, non-Jewish state. In 1995, at the height of the Oslo process, Smooha indeed found that 58 per cent of his Jewish respondents expressed precisely this preference.footnote27 And this within the boundaries of the State of Israel as presently constituted, with a 17 per cent Palestinian minority. It is not hard to imagine what their attitude would be towards the possibility of a democratic state where Palestinians would constitute a majority, if not immediately, then within very few years.
Support for the one-state solution does not exist, at least as an organized political force, among Israel’s Palestinian citizens either. All three Palestinian political parties currently represented in the Knesset demand that Israel be made into a state of its citizens, and all of them support the two-state solution. In the citizen-Palestinian public, nearly 90 per cent support both the ‘state of its citizens’ and the bi-national options for pre-1967 Israel, while close to a third support the establishment of a Palestinian state in all of mandatory Palestine. As for the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, when asked, in September 2005, whether, after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, they would support ‘creating joint political institutions [with Israel] designed eventually to lead to a confederate system’, over 60 per cent opposed this option and only 35 per cent were in favour of it. The ratio was exactly reversed when respondents were asked about recognition by Israel and Palestine of each other as a Jewish and a Palestinian state respectively, after all outstanding issues between them had been settled. Tilley’s own figures indicate that from 2000 to 2003 only between a quarter and a third of Palestinian respondents favoured the one-state solution. In other words, by a 2:1 majority, at least, Palestinians in the Occupied Territories oppose any kind of political affiliation with Israel and support the separate existence of Israel as a Jewish state, once peace between the two states is concluded.footnote28
Maxima and minima
While Tilley’s book should be praised for raising a question that certainly deserves serious consideration, there is something misleading in her depiction of both the one-state and two-state options of rearranging Israeli-Palestinian relations as ‘solutions’, as if they aim to solve the same problem. The two-state option aims to solve the problem of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and its denial of all human, civil and national rights to their Palestinian inhabitants. The one-state option does not call for the solution of this problem, but rather of the Jewish-Palestinian conflict in general. It seeks to solve it by undoing the 1947 un Partition Plan and transforming the 40-year-old Israeli ‘control system’ into a real state, where all citizens enjoy at least a modicum of equal rights. To put it differently, the one-state option does not seek to solve the problem of 1967; it seeks to solve that of 1948 by accepting the occupation of 1967 and redefining its character. To be honest about it, it should be admitted that this calls for a much more radical rearrangement of the pieces on the chessboard than simply ending the 1967 occupation.
Tilley tries to deal with the radical nature of her proposal by using a best-case scenario to describe the outcome she favours—the one-state solution—and a worst-case scenario for the one she dislikes: the two-state solution. For example, in arguing that the two-state solution is not practicable, she cites the number of settlers that would have to be evacuated in order to implement it as 400,000—an impossible task. In reality, the last two two-state solutions that were offered—the Clinton and Geneva plans—as well as the agreement that was reportedly reached in Taba, in the very last days of Ehud Barak’s ministry, when it was already too late, would have involved the removal of only 80,000 settlers. The rest would have stayed where they are, with territorial exchanges (at the rate of 1:1 according to the Geneva plan) between Israel and Palestine, to compensate the latter for the territory that would be retained by the former.
The great advantage of the one-state solution would be its shifting of the grounds of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from an ethno-national confrontation to one over civil rights and equal citizenship. Conceivably, this could change the nature of the conflict from a zero-sum to a positive-sum game. However, Tilley fails to emphasize that the stability of the future secular, democratic Israeli-Palestinian state would not only depend on it being truly democratic, but also on the strictest constitutional separation between state and religion, in a society where religious prejudices run very high. Not even the most liberal and anti-clerical Zionists in Israel currently agree to the separation of church and state (because they realize this would mean the end of the Jewish state) and, among the Palestinians, the emergence of Hamas as the predominant political force makes adherence to this demand even less likely.
Ethnicity and class
The obvious model for the transformation of the Israeli control system into a secular, democratic state is the transition experienced by South Africa. Tilley has an ambivalent attitude towards the value of the South African experience as a model for Israel/Palestine, dismissing it at one point as irrelevant, but repeatedly referring to it nonetheless. Mona Younis, a Palestinian historian sceptical of the two-state solution, has written an important book comparing the South African and Palestinian national liberation movements.footnote29 Based, indeed, on the ‘actual relations springing from an existing class struggle’ in both Mandatory Palestine and present-day Israel and the Occupied Territories, Younis’s work uses class analysis to explore the similarities and differences between the South African and Israeli-Palestinian experiences. Her analysis yields a very powerful and cogent thesis regarding the success and failure of the anc and the plo, respectively, to achieve their stated goals: establishing democratic, non-sectarian states in all of the territories of their respective homelands.
Younis’s thesis is that the different outcomes of the two national struggles are to be explained by the relative strength of the two working classes in their respective national movements. In South Africa, whites had no choice but to incorporate Africans as workers into the national economy, resulting in the undermining of traditional African social structures and the emergence of a powerful African working class, capable of seriously disrupting the South African economy. It was the involvement of this African working class in the struggle for national liberation that ensured its democratic character and, ultimately, its political (but, so far, not economic) success.
In Palestine, on the other hand, the Zionist colonial settlers were able to largely exclude Palestinians from their economy, and later on from their state as well, and to include them only very partially (and, we now know, temporarily), after that state had extended its borders in 1967. Thus while the Palestinian population was largely proletarianized, it did not develop into a cohesive, conscious, independent working class. The Palestinian national struggle has been led, therefore, by the (exiled) Palestinian middle class and has drawn its cadres mostly from the refugee population. This social character of the movement is what has doomed it to failure.
Younis’s clear-headed analysis is based on the realistic premise that the one-state solution contradicts the most essential aims of Zionism and would have to be imposed on the Zionists in order to be implemented. She does not rely on rhetorical platitudes in order to square the circle of this reality and, given the relation of forces, the conclusion to be drawn from her work is a very pessimistic one.
This brings me to what I think is the greatest weakness of Tilley’s book—its divorce from social reality. She concentrates on the Israeli side of the conflict, leaving the discussion of the Palestinian side to others, ‘not least because the project is particularly challenging’ (unlike the discussion of Israel, one would presume).footnote30 On the Israeli side, she rightly seeks to refute what she calls ‘mytho-histories’ that prevail among her intended audience, but she probably realizes that the reading public does not have the patience for a real analysis of Israeli society and its problems. So her treatment of Israel is no less mythical. The Israel that emerges from the book is not a real society, with real history, real social conflicts, real capabilities, and real social forces contending for power. It is an ethereal entity, whose character can be deciphered and, more importantly, transformed, through the correct interpretation of texts. If her readers could only be persuaded of the true nature of Zionism, by fully understanding the Jerusalem Program, and of the Palestinians’ sincere commitment to democracy, for which not even textual evidence is produced, then peace would descend upon the Holy Land in ‘one magisterial gesture’. Perhaps it would also descend upon American college campuses, where the Zionists are currently conducting a McCarthy-style crusade against all heretics who stray from their line. Unfortunately, real political life is a little more complicated than that.
1Jeremy Pressman, ‘Visions in Collision: What Happened at Camp David and Taba?’, International Security, vol. 28, no. 2, Fall 2003, pp. 5–43; Arie Kacowicz, Rashomon in Jerusalem: Mapping the Israeli Negotiators’ Positions on the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, 1993–2001, Leonard Davis Institute Occasional Papers no. 95, Jerusalem 2004.
2See Peled, ‘Profits or Glory?’, nlr 29, September–October 2004, pp. 47–70.
3For a detailed analysis see Tamar Hermann, ‘The Bi-National Idea in Israel/Palestine’, Nations and Nationalism, vol. 11, no. 3, 2005, pp. 381–401. See also the exchange on binationalism in the Boston Review, vol. 26, no. 5, December 2001–January 2002.
4Virginia Tilley, The One-State Solution: A Breakthrough for Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Deadlock, Ann Arbor and Manchester 2005; henceforth oss.
5Tony Judt’s endorsement on the cover signals the hope that the book will propel the debate over the one-state solution ‘in this country’. In October 2003 Judt himself created an uproar among American Jewish literati by suggesting, in a New York Review of Books article, that since the two-state solution was no longer available, Israel would have to choose between two versions of the one-state solution: a bi-national democratic Jewish-Palestinian state, or cleansing Palestine of its Palestinian residents. Given this choice, the bi-national state was the only real option.
6oss, pp. 9, 12. Curiously, no similar concern for a Palestinian ‘national home’ is evinced by the author, bringing to mind the imbalance notoriously embedded in the mandate over Palestine given Great Britain by the League of Nations in 1922.
7Gush Emunim was established by students of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook—the movement’s spiritual leader until 1981—in order to fight expected Israeli withdrawals after the 1973 war: they were closely associated with the National Religious Party. See Ian Lustick, For the Land and the Lord: Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel, New York 1988.
8Yoram Peri, ‘Civil–Military Relations in Israel in Crisis’, in Daniel Maman, Eyal Ben-Ari and Zeev Rosenhek, eds, Military, State and Society in Israel, New Brunswick, nj 2001, pp. 107–36.
9oss, p. 52.
10oss, p. 131.
11oss, p. 64.
12Cited in Jan Selby, Water, Power and Politics in the Middle East: The Other Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, London 2003, p. 63; see also Jan Selby, ‘The Geopolitics of Water in the Middle East: Fantasies and Realities’, Third World Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 2, 2005, pp. 329–49.
13Jan Selby, personal communication, 5 December 2005.
14Yezid Sayigh, ‘The Palestinian Strategic Impasse’, Survival, vol. 44, no. 4, Winter 2002–2003, pp. 7–21.
16oss, pp. 169.
17oss, pp. 202–4. No evidence is supplied in support of this far-reaching assertion.
18oss, pp. 226–30. I doubt that the Jerusalem Programme has ever received such a close reading before, even from its authors.
20Uri Ram, ‘Post-Zionist Studies of Israel: The First Decade’, Israel Studies Forum, vol. 20, no. 2, 2005, pp. 51–74; Hermann, ‘Bi-National Idea’.
22Palestinian indifference to the efforts of these writers might have deserved a comment from Tilley. See Hermann, ‘Bi-National Idea’, pp. 384–6.
23See Ian Lustick, ‘The Cunning of History’, Boston Review, vol. 26, no. 5, December 2001–January 2002.
24High Court of Justice 6698/95; Yoav Peled and Doron Navot, ‘Ethnic Democracy Revisited: On the State of Democracy in the Jewish State’, Israel Studies Forum, vol. 20, no. 1, 2005, pp. 3–27. Concern over the possibility that, following a peace agreement with the Palestinians, Israel would turn into a ‘state of its citizens’ may have been partially responsible for the failure of the Oslo process. But this topic requires separate treatment.
25Sammy Smooha, Madad yachasey yehudim-aravim be-yisrael [Arab-Jewish Relations Index 2004], Haifa 2005.
26Asher Arian, Israeli Public Opinion on National Security 2003, memo no. 67, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv 2003.
27Sammy Smooha, ‘The Israelization of the Collective Identity and the Political Orientation of the Palestinian Citizens of Israel: A Re-examination’, in Elie Rekhess, ed., Ha-aravim ba-politika ha-yisraelit: dilemot shel zehut [The Arabs in Israeli Politics], Tel Aviv 1998, pp. 51–2.
28oss, Appendix B, pp. 241–2; Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, Survey Research Unit, poll no. 17, 7–9 September 2005, pp. 12, 16. Israeli attitude surveys don’t even ask about the one-state solution.
29Mona Younis, Liberation and Democratization: The South African and Palestinian National Movements, Minneapolis 2000.
Tariq Ali, ‘Mid-Point in the Middle East?’
Virginia Tilley, ‘The Secular Solution: Debating Israel–Palestine’
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2601
|
__label__cc
| 0.670539
| 0.329461
|
Eureko filed a Call for Settlement Attempt with MST
In connection with today’s press publications, Eureko informs that on the 15th of January 2009, it submitted, in the Regional Court for the city of Warsaw, a Call for Settlement Attempt with the Ministry of the State Treasury. The document contains a detailed proposal for the settlement of the dispute over the process of privatisation of PZU. In filing the Call, Eureko hopes finally to terminate the long-lasting conflict over the process of privatisation of PZU by finding an amicable solution.
On January 16th 2009, Eureko provided the Ministry of the State Treasury with a copy of the Call for Settlement. The contents of the Call show that Eureko is willing to make two major concessions: to waive the total amount of the damages it claims in the arbitration procedure, and to waive its right to immediate majority control of PZU.
The main elements of Eureko’s proposal are:
The Ministry of the State Treasury sells a 21% shareholding of PZU to Eureko at the price of PLN 116.5 per share (the price Eureko would have paid in 2001 if the privatisation agreements were duly executed), no later than by the end of March 2009.
PZU’s IPO takes place no later than the end of November 2009.
Within the framework of the IPO, both Eureko and the Ministry of the State Treasury will each sell 10% of PZU (20% in total).
Eureko undertakes to keep its shareholding in PZU below 50% for a period of three years after the date of the IPO
Once the 21% of PZU has been transferred to Eureko, Eureko is ready to waive the total amount of the damages claimed, and to close the arbitration procedure.
The proposal is clearly favourable, as it is in the interests of the Ministry of State Treasury (MST), Eureko is making major concessions, whereas the MST makes none. Additionally, the settlement is achieved in front of a Polish court, which has long been the State Treasury's goal. The proposal means that:
The Polish tax payers will not have to finance any damage payments to Eureko that would result from the arbitration award proceedings,
The State’s budget will receive proceeds from the sale of PZU’s shares to Eureko, and also at the company’s IPO
The situation of PZU will finally be stabilised as it will become a flagship financial services company, listed on the Warsaw stock exchange, and to the benefit of all its shareholders
Both individual and institutional Polish investors will finally be able to invest in PZU in a regulated market
If the proposal is rejected and no compromise is reached, the only alternative for terminating the dispute over PZU’s privatisation process will be to wait for the Arbitration Tribunal to rule on the amount of damages to be paid to Eureko in recognition of the State's failure to execute the privatisation agreements.
Agata Strzałkowska, ComPress S. A.
Mobile. +48 609 301 435; Tel. +48 22 812 68 35;
e-mail: astrzalkowska@compress.com.pl
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2603
|
__label__cc
| 0.690971
| 0.309029
|
U.S. Federal Reserve chairman hints at rate cut in July
U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, has warned about "uncertainties" facing the U.S. economy. The official says they are boosting the chances of an interest rate cut at the end of July. Powell issued the warning as he testified to lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2605
|
__label__wiki
| 0.545248
| 0.545248
|
Pakistan Live News » Unlabelled » World Record: Rai Haris Manzoor Pakistani passes O-Level Exam at 9
World Record: Rai Haris Manzoor Pakistani passes O-Level Exam at 9
Rai Haris Manzoor, a kid from Rawalpindi Pakistan, made a new world record as he passes Cambridge University O-Levels exam at the age of 9.
Rai Haris Manzoor becomes the only child in the world to have passed all the science subjects including Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics of O-levels at the age of nine. (The News)
Rai Haris Manzoor was born in August 2004, He left his school in 2012 only to be taught at home by his parents to achieve the target of. passing the O-levels exam in 11 year of study. (Dunya TV Report)
Haris Manzoor has a twin brother who is in class 3 at a local School in Rawalpindi. Ali Moeen Nawazish another Pakistani student notable for passing 23 A-levels, a world record, also belongs from Rawalpindi.
It is said that Rawalpindi is the only city of Pakistan with highest numbers of Schools. Almost all the Pakistani private schools have their campuses located in Harley Street, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2607
|
__label__wiki
| 0.679503
| 0.679503
|
All posts by Huginn Freyr Þorsteinsson
The Crash Course from Iceland
September 24, 2014 Conference proceedingsIMF, Iceland, banking, crisis, debt, financeHuginn Freyr Þorsteinsson
I. Preamble
In October 2008 dramatic events unfolded in Iceland when it became apparent that its economy could no longer sustain the sensational economic growth the country had experienced in the previous years. To most of the public the news of the downfall came as a frightening surprise. The country’s banking sector, which had led the growth of the economy and expanded to over ten times the gross domestic product (GDP) in a short time span, collapsed almost completely. Nearly all of the largest companies in Iceland were owned by the notorious financial Vikings, who owned the controlling shares in the oversized banks. Iceland’s crash was in part so drastic because of the unhealthy cross-ownership of companies and banks. As a result, share values in the country’s stock market were nearly erased. Iceland’s independent micro-currency, the Króna (ISK), that had attracted a lot of foreign hot money seeking high returns during the boom, was all of the sudden in free fall. Unemployment, which was unheard of during the boom (1%), went all of the sudden to 9% and some analysts worried that it could spiral upwards even more as events unfolded. The instability was underlined with interest rates and inflation moving upwards to a staggering 18 per cent and GDP predicted to fall around 10%.[1]
On the streets people were angry and wondered: How had it come to this? Everything was in tatters. Nothing captures this as well as the story of Landsbanki, traditionally a State-owned bank, which had functioned as a cornerstone of Iceland’s economy since 1885 and played a part in the country’s road to independence in 1944. Under State ownership the balance sheet of the banks had remained for decades modest in relation to GDP and yet stable even though the country did experience some turbulent times. Iceland’s economy is massively reliant on fisheries and the bank had seen difficulties when fish stocks suddenly fell or even when whole stocks like herring disappeared completely. External factors like two World Wars and the Cod Wars against the British did also have their impact. In 2003 the bank was fully privatized in an attempt, as the politicians of the day would phrase it, ‘to unleash the powers of the free market’, which is precisely what happened. In the years from 2003-2008 Landsbanki, under their new ownership, managed to expand its balance sheet from under 50% of GDP to over 250% of GDP, when it eventually collapsed. Such massive expansion was also experienced by the other two main banks, Glitnir and Kaupthing, whereas the banks not only expanded in Iceland but led an outvasion in acquiring huge assets and leading ventures abroad. This was duly felt in the United Kingdom where the financial Vikings grabbed headlines with investment in known brands on the high street as well as English football clubs.[2] One of the main owners and chairman of Landsbanki, Björgólfur Thor, made a trademark oligarch move and bought West Ham United in 2006; he became chairman in 2007, until he lost the club after the crash in 2008. This event raised eyebrows since, given the size of Iceland’s economy, the room their businessman were taking in the UK and elsewhere was considerable.
The country asked assistance from its Nordic neighbours and the International Monetary Fund in order to stop further deterioration of the economy and avert a total collapse. Not only did Iceland face a banking crisis, but also a currency crisis and a huge economic crisis. Politicians in other parts of Europe, where dark clouds were gathering overhead, stressed that although they might have problems of their own, at least they were definitely not Iceland. Such voices have now been silenced, since the country has experienced a remarkable turnaround in economic terms. In August 2011 the country completed its successful IMF programme and the fund concluded that key objectives had been met and the government had stabilized the economy. Growth resumed with numbers that many troubled countries in the Europe would give a lot for (2,7% in 2011, 1,5% in 2012, 3,3% in 2013). The budget deficit was turned into a surplus, unemployment was reduced to 5% and continues to fall, interest rates went down by 12%, inflation was maintained at under 4%, the currency was stabilised albeit under capital controls. Growth for 2014 is predicted to be 3,7%.
Although several economic problems remain, the country has emerged from its deep crisis. New banks were successfully resurrected that are dwarfed, however, in comparison with the monsters that emerged during the financial Vikings’ era. Both private and public debt stabilized and is on a downward trajectory with the sovereign successfully entering capital markets again in 2011. Iceland’s economic crash and recovery has sparked huge interest in this tiny economy of 300.000 inhabitants, which managed banks whose bankruptcies are among the largest in history. The before- and after-crash tale is dramatic, full of surprises and extravagances.
II. Success stories
The success stories told of how Iceland bounced back from its near-death economic experience are many. Here is an example of something I have in mind:
In contrast, Iceland avoided a public health disaster even though it experienced, in 2008, the largest banking crisis in history, relative to the size of its economy. After three main commercial banks failed, total debt soared, unemployment increased ninefold, and the value of its currency, the krona, collapsed. Iceland became the first European country to seek an I.M.F. bailout since 1976. But instead of bailing out the banks and slashing budgets, as the I.M.F. demanded, Iceland’s politicians took a radical step: they put austerity to a vote. In two referendums, in 2010 and 2011, Icelanders voted overwhelmingly to pay off foreign creditors gradually, rather than all at once through austerity. Iceland’s economy has largely recovered, while Greece’s teeters on collapse.[3]
There are various versions, but what they have in common is that they attribute success to the fact that Iceland did not bail out the banks. Some of them thank not the people for halting a bank bailout, but the government at the time. From this supposed fact Iceland did not have to impose austerity policies that are thought to have had a further negative impact on crisis-ridden countries such as Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain (PIIGS). In Iceland policy-makers seem to have escaped an IMF bailout package conditionalized upon imposing austerity and recapitalized oversized banks with toxic assets. [4] This in turn is given as an explanation as to why Iceland experienced a rapid recovery while the other countries, especially Greece, have seen very little progress.
I think there is a need to urge for caution in comparing economic crises of different countries. Greece and Iceland had very different problems leading to crisis. Greece did not have a banking crisis like Iceland and Iceland did not have a public debt crisis before the crash like Greece. Ireland had a banking crisis like Iceland, but the former has the Euro as currency and the latter the independent Króna. Putting to one side the need for caution in these circumstances, then this Icelandic saga of a heroic escape from the bad banker is just a myth and lacks any factual basis. Iceland attempted a bank bailout, but it failed, and the cost of the Icelandic crash has been considerable both in economic and social terms. Although Iceland escaped better from the circumstances than many had envisaged, the impacts of them are still being felt.
III. The mini-crisis of 2006
The tragedy in the Icelandic case is that so much harm could have been averted if the authorities had only taken measures in a mini-crisis, called the Geyser crisis, that hit the economy in 2006. Analysts, especially outside of Iceland and most notably from Denmarks Danske Bank, gave out warnings that Iceland was heading for disaster as its banking sector was seriously unstable.[5] This is what economist Gudrun Johnsen calls the ‘missed opportunity’ for Iceland and points out that, rather than taking this criticism to heart, domestic politicians and bankers responded to it by shooting the messenger. They maintained that the analysts had ill intentions as they were in competition with the banks or that they did not understand the Icelandic banking miracle. So, instead of reviewing the fundamentals of the financial system and asking questions about the direction of the banking outvasion, all the wrong lessons were learned from the Geyser crisis. Bankers and politicians agreed that in order to correct the misperceptions over the banks, a PR campaign was needed as well as a restructuring of how they financed themselves so that they could continue to grow. The bank managers saw that they could not only rely on the international bond market, as the view was getting more commonplace that all was not fine in Iceland. Funding was getting harder and more expensive by the month, which these heavily leveraged banks could not withstand. Most notably, this meant the banks moved into introducing high-interest-rate accounts. Landsbanki, for example, introduced the now infamous Icesave online accounts out of their branches in the UK and the Netherlands. It managed to accumulate billions of pounds in deposits in just over a year. However, when the accounts became unavailable due to the collapse of the bank in October 2008, the UK authorities used anti-terrorism laws to freeze all Icelandic assets on UK soil, sparking a hefty row between Iceland and the UK that ended before the EFTA court in 2011. In 2013, however, the EFTA court came to an interesting verdict, acquitting the Icelandic State of any claims made by the UK and the Netherlands to reimburse them for moneys paid to depositors of the failed branches of Landsbanki. Rather, the UK and Dutch insurance deposit schemes stand to get reimbursed by the winding-up process of the failed bank but, importantly, the Icelandic State is not liable.
IV. Contingencies
After the 2006 Geyser crisis, the banks did not only change their strategy and turn to the pockets of depositors. In addition to accumulating deposits, the banks manipulated their access to the Central Bank of Iceland and the European Central Bank for funding when international markets closed on the Icelandic banks. As Johnsen notes, ‘[i]nstead of using their existing asset portfolio (which was depleted), they issued new unsecured bonds in the domestic market at a favourable rate, then colluded on exchanging these bonds among themselves. Another bank could then use them as collateral against short-term lending from the Central Bank’.[6] Or to put it simply, the banks were taking money out of the Central Bank in exchange for IOU tickets they had exchanged among themselves. These tickets became known as “love letters” in Iceland. In effect, they were printing money, and on a massive scale. One of the results of this is that the Central Bank of Iceland became de facto bankrupt, with losses estimated at 11.1% of GDP, which is another peculiarity of the Icelandic case.[7] A court case is currently ongoing in Iceland where the CEO’s of Kaupthing are charged for financial transactions and loans made in the final weeks leading to the crash. Part of the money used in those transactions, 500 million Euros, was a large portion of Iceland’s currency reserve loaned to the bank by the Central Bank of Iceland.
The years between 2006 and 2008 are key in understanding the Icelandic case. One of the main questions one gets when discussing the lessons from Iceland is: Was the quick recovery due to how the country ‘burned’ the creditors? Myth has it that when things got tough for the banks, the Icelandic government denied to bail them out and the country therefore escaped the difficult long-term consequence felt by, for example, Ireland. But that is a serious distortion of what happened. The Icelandic banks were on Central Bank life support from 2006 to 2008. After the Geyser crisis, the banks got the funds needed in order to continue their ventures. Paradoxically, what turned out to be Iceland’s luck in the circumstances was that heads of other Central Banks did not abide to the demands of their colleague in Iceland, Davíð Oddsson, for a loan to continue funding the banks. In all actuality, it turns out that it was the Icelandic authorities that were the last to spot the ill health of their own banks. In a response to a letter from the Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King, where he proposes the need for a downsizing the banking system and that more funds are not what is needed, Mr. Oddsson writes:
‘The Icelandic banks are well capitalized but they are dealing with a problem of perception. The signals we receive from the markets are that a swap facility for the Central Bank would contribute immeasurability to the alleviation of the problem. I hereby kindly ask you to reconsider this matter.’[8]
Mervyn King did not reconsider nor did any other Governor of a Central Bank in Europe, which then meant that the authorities, out of necessity, had to switch to plan B i.e. to split up the banks and make them go into administration. For admirers of historical contingences, this case is a treat. Iceland did not take a calculated decision to let the banks fail, but an attempted bail-out failed. This meant that that its tackling of a banking crisis took an unexpected turn, as banks were put into a winding-up process, a move only considered in the face of failure. If drastic measures against the banks had been taken in 2006, then Iceland would offer a role model for averting crises. But then an interesting political question arises. The banks fuelled sensational growth. What politician would stop the promoters of such growth and who would vote for him? And in a political climate of complete confidence in the self-regulation of markets, the role of regulators gets very small.
V. Iceland’s bad/good bank move
Iceland’s bank manoeuvre has received a lot of interest because it deviates in important ways from the current orthodoxy in crisis response in Europe, where the argument for a bank bail-out is the standard. The recipe needs mentioning. In response to the crisis, the Icelandic Parliament passed emergency laws in 2008 that gave the financial services authority (FME) the tools to take drastic measures and intervene in the financial market. An important part of the legislation was to give all depositors (wholesale and retail) priority status over other creditors such as bondholders. On this basis domestic deposits were moved into new banks that received a capital injection from the State and assets and loans from the old banks matcing the deposits. The failed banks were then put into administration, which makes this a good/bad bank split. And even though Iceland did not deliberately choose this route, it turned out to be beneficial, which proves an important point that alternatives to bank bailouts are possible. One should also note, however, that the good bank / bad bank move is based on sound principles that are sadly overlooked by policy-makers in Europe. If the State finds it necessary to salvage a financial institution, then State funds should only be allocated to such bail-outs provided that the assets of the financial institution are sound and important for the functioning of society. Rather, it may be sensible to seize the opportunity to minimise risk by downsizing the banks and eliminating toxic debt. A bank that faces default is doing so for a reason and the government needs to ensure that it is not throwing good money after bad money. The argument that banks should always receive tax-payer money because of systematic importance and contagion fears should not be accepted as a wholesale argument. The State does not of necessity need to bail out the banks in the exact shape they are in when they seek assistance.
So, although Iceland stumbled upon the correct route eventually, the attempt to sustain the banks since 2006 became immensely costly. Despite the much-praised route taken by Iceland, the total cost of the economic crisis for the State has surpassed Ireland’s, which was thought to be the very bad case, in terms of GDP (Ice 70% Ire 60%).[9] The most recent IMF report discusses this surge in debt and estimates it for Iceland even higher than previously assumed, stating that ‘the collapse of the banking system led to an increase of Icelandic public-sector debt to almost 100 percent of GDP’.[10] The reason is that the pure size of the banking system was such that even though a late good/bad bank manoeuvre rescued Iceland from complete economic annihilation, the crash remained immensely costly for the tax-payer. But there are also important caveats to stress here. The fiscal costs are in part caused by the refinancing of the new banks. A lot of the increase in public debt is due to establishing an adequate foreign reserve of currencies to support the Icelandic Króna. The State also recapitalised the new banks and so the majority of the financial sector is now largely owned by it. And as Iceland’s economy is growing again, the assets of the banks are improving and the State will in the future be able to receive considerable revenue from the banks to repay its own capital contribution. Hopefully, it will all be repaid in full and with interest, which would make up for some of the costs of the crisis. Nevertheless, Iceland did not miraculously escape the crisis; although its recovery has been positive.
VI. Emerging from crisis
There are many factors that explain Iceland’s emergence from the crisis. Economists would point to the stabilizing and downward path of private and public debt and stabilization of currency, which brought down inflation. Another peculiarity of the Icelandic case is the introduction of capital controls in an IMF programme, which helped stabilize the currency. Some would point to how the depreciation of the currency helped hasten the recovery for an export-driven economy. But keeping in line with the peculiarities of the Icelandic experience, I want focus on other factors that I consider pivotal in its recovery. Bergmann notes that in terms of the recovery, a key component of it was that it was welfare-orientated.[11] One of the main aims of the government was to do as much as it could to protect Iceland’s Nordic welfare system and the consolidation measures implemented after the crash were based on social principles.[12] Cuts in the budget were curtailed to shelter the most important elements of the welfare structure. To meet the rising costs of such a social protection scheme after the crisis hit, in addition to falling revenue, considerable tax reform was introduced. An increase in income tax on the highest wages was introduced instead of a flat rate. Capital and corporate income tax rates were raised, new special wealth taxes and a bank levy introduced, environmental and carbon emission taxes launched. The capital controls also helped by preventing capital flight once they were set in place and they also retained the assets of the creditors of the failed banks. A special resource rent tax on the export-driven fishing industry that targeted substantial increases in profits resulting from the depreciation of the Króna was introduced. This and running a deficit to fund certain social programs necessary to soften the impact of the crisis were important in achieving economic progress. For example, in 2011 and 2012, 1% of GDP each year was used to subsidize interest rates to indebted households and a special social stimulus package was introduced in 2011 which increased wages and benefits. Both the IMF and OECD have pointed to this social emphasis with the latter claiming that “[c]onsolidation policies appear to have been designed in an overall equalising manner.”[13]
As a result Iceland was the only country within the OECD where the average income of earners at the top of the scale fell more than that of those at the bottom of the scale. During the boom inequality increased significantly, making Iceland an interesting test case for the debate surrounding Professor Thomas Piketty’s claims on wealth inequality and the development of capitalism.[14] But in tackling the crisis, socially just principles contributed to Iceland’s recovery. The Icelandic authorities were terrified of the prospects of a double-dip crisis which could have easily become the reality if funds were not redistributed through the tax system and social protection shielded from cuts. Strong moral arguments support such an approach, as measures should focus on getting the whole of society through the crisis and not just financial institutions, but they are also economically sensible. The focus should be on maintaining as much as possible the purchasing power of low- and middle-income groups. A counterproductive move would have been to cut unemployment benefits when it peaked, in the name of cost-cutting, and then introducing extra costs in areas people highly rely on, such as education or health services. Austerity not only hurts the individual who lost his job, but also the community that relies on him as a consumer, as his diminished income needs to pay for public services he previously did not have to.
The Icelandic boom, bust and recovery story offers a fascinating study for policy-makers, journalists, academics or just anyone interested in understanding financial crises. The big question is whether Iceland can offer any lessons to other countries that face a crisis. I think the verdict is mixed. There are lessons in the failures leading up to the crisis and in what made the country emerge from crisis. It is right to stress that every country faces a different set of circumstances, even though they are all lumped together as countries facing economic crisis in discussions on “crisis”. But maybe the most important lesson from Iceland is that when tackling a crisis there are always more possibilities available than are usually laid on the table. Even when facing serious consequences, taking the unexpected route is not so disastrous.
Baruchello, G. (2013a), ‘The Picture—Small and Big: Iceland and the Crises’, Nordicum-Mediterraneum, Vol. 9, no. 3, available at: http://nome.unak.is/nm-marzo-2012/vol-9-no-3-2014/73-conference-paper/480-the-picture-small-and-big-iceland-and-the-crises
Bergmann, E. (2014). Iceland and the International Financial Crisis: Boom, Bust and Recovery. Palgrave Macmillan.
Byrne, E. & Thorsteinsson, H. (2012):‘Lessons for Ireland from Iceland’s financial crisis?’, in Lucey, B., Larkin, C. & Gurdgiev, C. (eds): What if Ireland Defaults?, Dublin, Orpen Press, pp. in press.
Halldórsson, Ó.G. & Zöega, G. (2010): Iceland’s financial crisis in an international perspective. Economic Institute Working Paper Series W10:02. Reykjavík, University of Iceland Economic Institute.
Huijbens, E. & Thorsteinsson, H. (forthcoming): ‘Maintaining welfare in the wake of collapse – the case of Iceland‘. Geografiska Annaler B
IMF (2011): ‘Iceland’s Recovery – Lesson and Challenges’ The International Monetary Fund, 27th October, retrieved from: http://www.imf.org/external/np/seminars/eng/2011/isl/index.htm, 9th November 2011.
IMF (2012): Iceland 2012: Article IV Consultation and first post-program monitoring discussion. Washington, D.C., International Monetary Fund.
IMF (2013a): Baltic and Icelandic Experiences of Capital Flows and Capital Flow Measures. Washington, D.C., International Monetary Fund.
IMF (2013b): Fiscal Monitor April 2013 Fiscal Adjustment in an Uncertain World. Washington, D.C., International Monetary Fund (World economic and financial surveys, 0258-7440)
IMF(2014): Iceland: Fourth Post-Program Monitoring Discussions-Staff Report; Press Release; and Statement by the Executive Director for Iceland. Washington, D.C., International Monetary Fund. .
Johnsen, G. (2014). Bringing Down the Banking System: Lessons from Iceland. Palgrave Macmillan.
Lane, P. R. (2012). The European sovereign debt crisis. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26(3), 49-67. Chicago
Karanikolos, M. (2013) et al. “Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe.”The Lancet 381.9874: 1323-1331.
Konzelmann, S. J. (2014). „The political economics of austerity“. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 38 (4): 701-741
Loftsdóttir, K. (2010). The loss of innocence: The Icelandic fnancial crisis and colonial past. Anthropology Today, 26(6), 9-13.
Magnússon, G. (2010): Lessons from a small country in a financial crisis or Dr. Minsky and Mr. Ponzi in Iceland. Economic Institute Working Paper Series W10:03. Reykjavík, University of Iceland Economic Institute.
OECD (2011): OECD Economic Surveys: Iceland. Paris, OECD.
OECD (2013): Crisis squeezes income and puts pressure on inequality and poverty. Paris, OECD.
Ólafsson, S. and Kristjánsson, A.S. (2012): Skýrsla I: Umfang kreppunnar og afkoma ólíkra tekjuhópa [Report I: The scope of the recession and returns to different income brackets]. Reykjavík, University of Iceland Social Research Centre.
Thorsdottir, T. K. (2013). Iceland in Crisis. Women and Austerity: The Economic Crisis and the Future for Gender Equality, 102.
Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the Twenty-first Century. Harvard University Press.
Wade, R. and Sigurgeirsdóttir, S. (2010): ‘Lessons from Iceland’, New Left Review, 65: 5-29.
Wade, R. and Sigurgeirsdóttir, S. (2012) “Iceland’s rise, fall, stabilisation and beyond.” Cambridge Journal of Economics 36.1: 127-144.
[1] For an overview of main economic indicators before and after crash see IMF 2011, 2012 & 2014 and Halldórsson & Zöega 2010.
[2] Financial Vikings are discussed in Loftsdóttir 2010 and see Baruchello 2014 for discussion on the neoliberal ethos during the boom years.
[3] Stuckler & Basu. “How Austerity Kills”. New York Times. May 12, 2013. See also Karanikolos et. al. 2013 and see discussion in Byrne & Thorsteinsson.
[4] See Lane 2012 on crisis packages for European countries especially p. 57-59. On the history of the idea of austerity see Konzelmann 2014.
[5] Christensen 2006
[6] Johnsen 2014:93
[7] Byrne & Thorsteinsson 2011. See also Magnússon 2010.
[8] Johnsen 2014:185
[9] IMF 2013b
[10] IMF 2013b: 11.
[11] Bergmann 2014:159
[12] For detailed argument consult Huijbens & Thorsteinsson forthcoming.
[13] OECD 2013: 3. Gender issues are discussed in Thorsdottir 2013. See also Ólafsson & Kristjánsson 2012 for discussion on how changes in the tax system sheltered low income groups.
[14] Piketty 2014.
Reflections on the economic crisis one year on: an interview with Huginn Freyr Þorsteinsson
February 1, 2011 InterviewHuginn Freyrr Þorsteinnson, ICESCR, IMF, Iceland, Left, crisis, fiscal policy, monetary policy, new left.Huginn Freyr Þorsteinsson
What distinguishes the left from the right? Is the Icelandic government a leftist government, or is it rather a de facto compassionate right-wing government, like Tony Blair’s New Labour or Schroeder’s SPD in the early 2000s?
Rather than trying to give necessary and sufficient conditions of what defines the left and hence distinguishes the left from the right, it is more fruitful to discuss the context and core values of the current government in Iceland (the idea of a true left government is also slippery and dangerous). The Blair and Schroeder governments were formed in the height of the neo-liberal awakening in the West and arduously worked towards feeding the capitalist animal (especially Blair’s). Britain managed to transform London into a serious financial empire by relaxing regulations, embraced the superiority of the market, had no qualms with the unequal distribution of wealth and managed to appease the fat cats (Rupert Murdoch was pro-Blair and Blair was very much post-Thatcherite). The situation is very different in the West now, and hopefully there is room for change, albeit one worries that the ideological lessons that need to be learned will not be. In Iceland the current agenda of the government is defined by the collapse of a neo-liberal experiment that all of the sudden got very sour and went seriously wrong. Iceland went probably further in the wrong direction than Britain during the boom years and in many ways was more akin to Ireland in developing its form of capitalism. To oversimplify, then the task of the current government in Iceland is twofold: 1) resurrect Iceland’s economy and 2) get in line with the Nordic welfare states. Mission 1 is difficult but mission 2 is painstakingly difficult because in order to achieve it one needs to get the economy right. A modern Nordic welfare state is costly and it will take time for Iceland to get there. But already serious steps have been taken that will help towards achieving this aim.
Since at least Marx’s day, left-wing theorists and activists have argued for the nationalisation of credit, i.e. securing for the State and/or public bodies actual sovereign control over the life-blood of the capitalist enterprise. The recent crisis provided a splendid opportunity for moves in this direction, e.g. by acquiring bankrupt private banks and re-establishing (good) public banks fostering development and employment (bad public banks being those that though owned by the State behave like regular for-profit private banks). How far has Iceland progressed in this sense? Has it perhaps merely anticipated the State’s takeover of Amagerbank in Denmark? Can we expect anything more progressive?
As a starting point it is important to recognize that when Icelandic private banks and financial institutions indebted themselves heavily, under the guidance of the finance Vikings, there was a great consensus amongst the Icelandic electorate that the country was going in the right direction. The ideology behind the ventures had general support and the finance Vikings were greatly lauded for their business models (which later turned out to be more akin to pyramid schemes than sound business models). The government at the time did everything to support the ‘finance Viking framework’ and in part enjoyed general support for doing so. When the now failed Icelandic banks were privatized (only a decade ago) the move enjoyed the backing of the major political parties. Those who opposed this venture at the time, such as the Left-green Movement (one of the current two government coalition parties), were usually mocked for being old-fashioned socialists and not in tune with the new wave of successful capitalism and globalization. The aftermath, the apparent success of the Icelandic banks abroad, was then used as a further justification of their privatization and when the huge cracks began to show the financial boom peaked and a blind-eye was turned to the weaknesses of the banks. Nobody wanted to be nor listen to a party pooper, so rather than filling that role the show went on until the cracks were too many and could not be hidden anymore. The Icelandic economy collapsed under the weight of its own banks. So the expansion of private banks and there acquisition of an enormous amount of foreign credit is something that was thought of in Iceland to be clever entrepreneurship. I mean in the space of 5-7 years they managed to increase Icelandic foreign debt by thousand of billions of Icelandic Krona without any really serious questions being asked. Business communities in other countries were even mocked for being sluggish and no match for the great Icelandic finance Vikings. The story today is of course very different. After the financial crisis, State control over financial institutions has increased. When the emergency law was passed in the parliament in October 2008 the Icelandic State gained the majority of stake in the largest of the Icelandic banks, i.e. Landsbanki, large shares in Glitnir and Arion, as well as in several other smaller financial institutions. The external debt situation has also considerably improved because the old banks of the financial Viking era ended in administration. But it is difficult to see into what direction the public wants to see its banks go. Personally, I think it would be economically sensible for the State to hold its stakes in the banks and also limit the risk of any adventurous programmes being undertaken in the future.
Is there any concrete plan for the nationalisation of strategic resources (e.g. gas, fish, etc.) and/or productive structures (e.g. failed enterprises)? If there is one, are the IMF, EFTA and the EU cooperating or are they combating such a plan?
Currently, there is a large review being led by the government on how we ensure that the State of Iceland or the taxpayer receive a fair dividend from many of Iceland’s important natural resources. This work is ongoing and will have an impact on fisheries, geo-thermal heat, water, hydro-power, etc. It is too early to say anything about the outcome out of all this but there is great popular support that the country’s natural resources should remain under State control. The driving force behind that support seems to be: “Ok let’s not do the same mistakes with our resources as we did with our finances. Hence, stay away from privatization.” There has been considerable interest in Iceland’s natural resources but I think the consensus is clear – they are not up for grabs. The government is finding ways to further enhance State control and do it in a sound manner. No international body is combating such a plan and there are several other countries that are greatly protective of their natural resources. Norway is a close example of a country that has been very progressive in these matters and there are lessons we can take from them. But more would be needed to be said here because the matter is multi-layered. One thing is the question of the direct ownership of a certain resource (for example a geo-thermal pool), another is who gets the revenue (state or private parties), and yet another is a question of leasing resources (how long is it sensible, etc.) I mention this because one cannot take it as given that even though natural resources are State controlled they give sufficient revenue to the government/tax-payer. For example, critiques of the development of a large aluminium industry in Iceland have pointed out that even though the electricity sold to the aluminium companies is by State-controlled companies, then the revenue from these electricity deals have been disgracefully low. So State control does not guarantee a satisfying return on the nation’s natural resources. This is a point I find some people on the left in Iceland neglect. Indeed, even people that have fought against the State-controlled companies in selling electricity to the smelters have failed to see this.
The Icelandic government has prided itself for having pursued less austere austerity measures than other European governments: is that what is left of the left? Is there any serious chance that, say, expansionary monetary policy, public investments in schools and hospitals, and public works be utilised to foster development and employment? Or is the government aiming primarily at debt repayment?
After the crisis the Icelandic government has been facing a radical change in State finances. The pre-crisis bubble economy secured a lot of revenue for the treasury. At the time of the collapse of the Icelandic banking system it was estimated to be 10 times larger than the country’s GDP. Of course that meant considerable revenue for the treasury even though the tax on these institutions was low (corporate tax was 10%). After the crises there was a large fall in revenue and a considerable increase in expenditure (due to financing the deficit and measures needed to restore the Icelandic economy), as well as heavy interest rate payments. The expansion of debt and interest rate payments have made it necessary for the government to impose some drastic measures to make the State finance sustainable. That aim is not only pursued because it is sensible to pursue sustainability, but also to minimize the cost of interest falling on the State with the end result of allocating more finances towards the welfare state. It is however important to highlight that the government has minimized the size of cuts in the welfare system. Iceland has followed a different path in austerity measures than many other countries have done in the past, especially countries in IMF programs. This is best seen in how the government has tried to tackle the deficit by trying to reach a balance between revenue and austerity measures. Iceland’s path in this has been noted by emanate economists like Paul Krugman who has always criticized the austerity dogma; that the key to success in a crisis is to forget about the welfare of the populace and focus only on the fiscal side of life. That is why the Icelandic government tried to defend the country’s welfare state and the lowest fiscal cuts have been within the welfare system. So the path of slashing welfare and prioritizing for capital has not been taken. Actually the government can say more than that, because in terms of how much Iceland’s GDP (percentage) is allocated into public spending then there has been an increase since 2007 (the peak of the boom). Several measures have been put in place to tackle unemployment. Some of them are a joint undertakings between the government and the Icelandic pension funds, like for example the building of new National University Hospital in Reykjavík. Others, such as nursing homes and road improvements, have been initiated by the government. If one then looks at the revenue measures, then they have not only been imposed to raise revenue but have also strong and sound egalitarian and environmental principles behind them. The government has for example raised income tax on high income, raised capital gains tax, raised various environmental taxes and raised corporate tax. One of the more interesting outcomes out of this is that the tax burden of the lowest income wage earners has decreased after the crisis. Ireland, for example, has imposed higher taxes on the lowest incomes. In the boom years the tax system in Iceland was framed around the high earners and the rich, but now that it has changed, which in my mind shows the determination of the government not only to turn the State finance around, but also to import again into Iceland’s strong egalitarian principles. One of the more tragic developments in Iceland’s boom years was the huge gulf that developed between the super rich and the poor. As I say, there has been considerable progress in the unwinding of that development. Here is a case whereas missions 1 and 2 mentioned in my reply to your first question go hand-in-hand.
Do the key-members of the Icelandic cabinet believe in the ability of markets to self-regulate and of private enterprise alone to promote prosperity?
It is the dominant view of both government parties that private enterprise does not in and of itself promote prosperity. The pivotal factor in promoting prosperity in the Nordic countries is borne to the fact that the welfare system is robust and the tax system is viewed as a means to redistribute wealth. Equality is also seen as key factor in promoting prosperity. It has been underestimated for a great number of years how costly inequality is for any society. In light of Iceland’s experience I think that it has become a minority view that the markets are self-regulatory and that they are pre-programmed to find the best end result. At least the once seemingly clear boundary between public and private has become murkier. Or maybe it is correct to say that there is a strong demand for the public sphere to have something to say about the private sphere, which is a huge turnaround from the hands-off mantra; that the government should get out of the way because it interferes with the success of private enterprise.
Is there any serious attempt going on to promote endogenous development, i.e. developing the country without peonage to foreign credit, whether labelled as “FDI” or “IMF”?
The aim of the current government is to get Iceland’s debt sustainable and minimize debt, be it fiscal, government or external. Progress has been made in all of these areas and Iceland seems to be one of the first of those countries that has had a large crisis to emerge again.
The Icelandic government seems to consider its “international obligations” only in connection with the IMF, the WTO, EFTA and the EU-related discussions for accession. Yet Iceland is a long-time party to the UN’s ICESCR (International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights). Hospitals and education, in other words, are not a Christian or social-democratic form of charity, but a duty of the State to its citizens. Is the government aware of this set of obligations?
Iceland takes all its international obligations seriously.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2610
|
__label__cc
| 0.567902
| 0.432098
|
Olympic-Sized Fuck-up: “Games Ponies Play” review
One of the things I love about My Little Pony is the world building. There’s a lot to the land of Equestria. The locations, the mythology, and the political systems feel quite fleshed out and developed. So much so that Hasbro actually released a full map of Equestria. A map that’s full of inconsistencies.
I bring this up because the fact that it can be full of inconsistencies just proves my point. Equestria has been so fleshed out that we all have a pretty common and complete vision of how the land of Equestria is structured, headcanon notwithstanding. And almost every episode has only made it fuller.
…at least, it did in the first two seasons.
For season three, the world building simply hasn’t been as interesting or well done. It’s still there, but it feels half-assed. For starters, there was The Crystal Empire , which was probably the most boring episode, featuring the most boring villain in the entire series: Sombra. It just felt like it’s been done before, especially the ending, where the big challenge for Twilight was: walk down a bunch of stairs, then walk up even more stairs. That’s right, when I think pulse-pumping action, I think stairs. No deceptive puzzles, no complex moral tests, just stairs.
For the rest of the series, we got no major extension to the land of Equestria. Or at least none that were interesting.
Okay, that’s not entirely true. We learned that Princess Luna is Dom Cobb, and that there’s a nation called Saddle Arabia, which is cool, I guess.
But at least none of the world building has been bad this season, just boring. If nothing else, boring is better than bad or contradictory or completely ridiculous, which they’ve thankfully avoided this season… UNTIL NOW!!!
You see, on this week’s episode, the girls are called upon to welcome the inspector for the Equestria Games to the Crystal Empire. The Equestria Games likely being their answer to the Olympics… only confined to Equestria which I’m pretty sure is only one nation. I don’t think this is entirely unusual. I know there are national competitions for various sports all the time, unaffiliated with the Olympics. So, whatever. I forgot where I was going with this.
But considering it’s merely a national competition, I don’t understand why everypony thinks it’s such a big deal. In the opening scenes we see a quick flashback of Rainbow watching a huge announcement in Cloudsdale, saying that the Equestria Games were going to be hosted by Fillydelphia. So basically someone from the EGC (Equestria Games Committee), came all the way out to Cloudsdale to say, “Fuck you, you ain’t gettin’ it!”
Anyway, Rainbow takes that very hard, but to me, I don’t see what the big deal would have been. If it was the Olympics, an international competition, I would understand. But it’s just a national thing.
Besides, if you did hold it in Cloudsdale, two-thirds of the competitors would’ve fallen to their deaths.
Perhaps I don’t understand because I’m not a sports nerd.
Anyway, I’d like to point out that my theory from two weeks ago, that this episode would run concurrently with the last, was pretty damn accurate. We open with a shot-for-shot retread of a scene from Just for Sidekicks . I was hoping it wouldn’t be shot-for-shot, because last time they did that, it sorta pissed me off. But in this case, it kinda works.
Like last time, the moment Spike closes the door, all hell breaks loose. Twilight does hear it, but she doesn’t intercept because Rainbow pulls her away. Good thing too, otherwise, the episodes might interact too much and create a paradox!
They’re about to leave, but first discuss how important this whole thing is. Rainbow saying that after being pulled out of time for a thousand years, they’ve had enough bad news. Yeah, I don’t think hosting a major sporting event will balance that out.
Twilight seems more animated than usual and I don’t think that’s a good thing… at least not in this context.
It ends with Pinkie screaming in anguish and-OH MY GOD THAT POSE! Please, Pinkie, don’t ever do that again! You’re not wearing pants!
So they proceed to the Crystal Empire, and we get our first good look at the place since the premiere, when it wasn’t in the best of shape. Seems the station is just outside the city proper, and the Empire is a bright and sunny oasis in the middle of a harsh tundra. I guess the crystals also generate energy, keeping the place warm. Because the heat wouldn’t come from the sun.
On the way there, the team practices their welcoming routine. Twilight mentions that they will be held to a high standard, and cannot mess it up. She also demonstrates her extraordinary balancing abilities.
Upon arrival, they get a good look at the Empire and it’s citizenry, and… oh… my god. I don’t believe this.
I guess it didn’t last very long in the first episode, so I didn’t notice it. But the Crystal Ponies. They’re unsightly.
I’m sorry, they are, they’re just hideous.
We get a lot of bloom shining off them, and I personally can’t stand it.
It might also be because it’s not just the ponies. Applejack mentions that everypony is likely cleaning and polishing the buildings, making them nice and shiny, and that might be part of the problem.
The shininess, I just find abrasive.
So it appears everyone’s very excited for this. They’re excited for the possibility they might host a major sporting event.
Yeah, I’m sorry, I just don’t get it.
The girls minus Twilight hold back a bit, as Rainbow singles out a young filly, saying she doesn’t want to see her get disappointed when if they don’t get approved. Yeah, disappointment can suck, that’s why I never get excited.
Twilight gets impatient and levitates the gang towards her. Fucking show-off.
They arrive at the local spa and meet up with Cadance, who’s getting her hair done up with crystals. She invites them to take part in whatever services that are available, since it’s all on the house for the welcoming committee.
Pinkie Pie decides to take a cannon ball in a gelatinous mud bath and Twilight is about to freak out, before Cadance stops her, and we learn that apparently, the Princess had been teaching Twilight some breathing exercises to calm her down.
Alright, I like it. I mean if anyone needs to learn how to chill out, it’s Twilight and… wait… Oh, I see where they’re going with this.
Fine, whatever, I’ll deal with that next week.
So back to Cadance’s hair. Turns out it’s tradition for rulers of the Crystal Empire to weave crystals into their hair when meeting with dignitaries.
Hold on. What does that have to do with Cadance?
Wait… Are you serious!?
Yes, we come to my biggest pet peeve about this episode, and that is how little we actually see of the Crystal Ponies. Earlier comments on their appearances notwithstanding, it’s their fucking empire, they should have had a bigger role!
But specifically, let’s talk about Cadance. She’s not a Crystal Pony. She’s most certainly a standard Equestrian pony. Alicorn sure, but Equestrian.
She’s not crystalline. Not crystalline at all. Why would she rule the empire!? Why would they choose her? Or more appropriately: why would they be okay with a foreigner ruling over them?
I guess it’s not entirely ridiculous. I mean Austrian bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was Governor of California for a time. But by that point, he had already earned his reputation after being in the country for decades. The Crystal Empire had only been back for a year at most, and Cadance is ruling it? I find this highly questionable.
At most, she should act as Celestia’s viceroy. Assuming the Empire is part of Equestria. Actually, that part is never explained. Are they independent?
Whatever, doesn’t matter, my point is this: Cadance shouldn’t rule the Empire. She should be a viceroy at most.
Actually, maybe she is a viceroy. In Canada, our viceroy (the Governor General) is our de-facto head of state. But he has no real power. Perhaps it’s the same in the Crystal Empire. Cadance isn’t really their leader, but their ‘leader.’ Officially holding the position, but she can’t actually do anything with it, and their elected head of government is a Crystal Pony.
However here, our Queen doesn’t have any power either, and that’s not the case in Equestria, so I have no idea what’s going on.
At this moment, a messenger bursts in explaining that the pony responsible for the headdress is sick with the flu. See, this is why the flu shot exists, people.
Cadance asks the other stylists if any of them know how to make the headdress, and they all shake their head in the negative.
So, Cadance decides to forgo the headdress, but Rainbow realizes how important the little things might be to the inspector.
So, Rarity volunteers to ‘give it a shot.’ Wait… WHAT!?
Honestly, I did expect this, but it doesn’t make it any less stupid.
Rarity is a fashion designer, not a hair dresser, to start. Second, she most certainly doesn’t know how to do the traditional headdress. True, she could learn, but so could any of the other ponies who actually style hair as a career. Or to say it in pony: have hair styling as their ‘special talent.’ It also doesn’t help that the list of instructions is really freaking long. Yet they let an amateur take the job.
I could buy this scene if it was followed with all the professional hair stylists, inspired by Rarity’s declaration, stepping forward and saying they will assist in any way they could. As a group they could certainly learn the procedure and pull it off. But we don’t get that.
I guess they don’t want to give the crystal ponies any lines or anything. I mean it’s not like it’s their kingdom.
Yes, this is seriously bugging me, in their second major appearance, the Crystal Ponies are taking a back seat. At least in their last appearance, a few of them had pretty major roles, there was the librarian, and… um… some ponies talking… Here we have the messenger, and that’s stretching it.
I know they’re not the main characters, but that doesn’t mean they should be completely invisible.
I’m a little upset about Twilight’s calm demeanor. It just doesn’t feel like the Twilight we know and love. True, people (and ponies) grow and change over time, but not this drastically, and not without others mentioning it.
Rainbow: Hey Twilight, you’re unusually calm for such a high-pressure situation.
Twilight: What do you mean?
Rainbow: Well, last time you were here you ran around like a chicken with its head stuck in a pot. What’s up?
Twilight: Rainbow, relax, I’m just thinking this through calmly.
Rainbow: You sure you’re just not taking this seriously!?
Twilight: What!? Of course I am!
Rainbow: [skeptical] Mmmmmhmmmm…
Twilight: [sigh] Look, I realized there’s no point in panicking, it’ll just make things harder in the long run.
Rainbow: Yeah, but it’ll get things done.
Twilight: Would it shut you up if I told you I converted to Buddhism?
Rainbow: Maybe.
Twilight: Then I converted to Buddhism.
True story. It’s how I dealt with my anger back in high school.
Anyway, we also find out that the inspector for the Games, Ms. Harshwhinny, is arriving in 15 minutes. They were expecting her in a few hours.
Hold on! The team just got off the train. How frequently do trains go through this place!?
Twilight calmly takes charge, and tells Rarity to get Cadance ready as soon as possible, and to meet them at the palace when she’s done.
They go to the station looking for a mare with floral-print luggage. The plan is to keep her busy as long as possible until Cadance is ready.
So they find their target, a fully jaded yellow mare with floral-print luggage. She is initially very rude and skeptical of the gang, but quickly 180s and is extremely glad to see them. Since she didn’t expect such a warm welcome. She also didn’t expect the Princess to be behind it.
This is our first clue that something is up. She didn’t expect to be greeted and for the Princess to be behind it? If she was the inspector she probably would have expected it, especially since she did call ahead.
Oh, by the way, she’s not the inspector. Turns out the inspector is still on the platform as they leave. And since the gang never asks the mare for her name, they never figure it out.
You see, this sorta bugs me. I know the characters should often be dumber than the audience, just so we feel smarter. But this is ridiculous. Twilight, or at least Rainbow, should have been able to figure out that the pony they were greeting was way too easily impressed to be an inspector for the Equestria Games. It wouldn’t have been that uncouth to ask for, or at least address her by, her name. You do that, and you’ll know for certain.
Actually, I’d buy this whole thing if they didn’t know her name, but they did. It was Ms. Harshwhinny.
Back at the spa, Rarity majorly fucked-up Cadance’s hair. See, wouldn’t it have been helpful to have a professional hair stylist do the job!? Or at least assist her!?
Oh, no! That would’ve been too logical!!!
But you know, it’s not that bad, I kinda like it. She’d look great at an 80’s disco.
So back with the delegation, they have arrived at the Crystal Castle.
You may be wondering where the rest of the welcoming committee is. Well, turns out, it’s only the main six.
That’s right, the Crystal Empire is being represented by six out-of-towners… seven if you include Cadance.
I’m not saying they had to cut out any of the six. But they could have been backed up by two locals.
Wouldn’t that have been nice? Two new characters! Crystal Ponies! Bring them out of the background with names, and constant voices. They’re a pretty significant demographic in this area, so I don’t understand why you wouldn’t.
In previous road trip episodes, we’ve gotten a chance to get to know some local characters. Sonic Rainboom introduced the local bullies. In A Dog and Pony Show , we met the Diamond Dogs. Over a Barrel showed us Little Strongheart, Chief Thunderhooves, Braeburn and Sheriff Silverstar.
The Best Night Ever , Sweet and Elite , Hearth’s Warming Eve (sorta), The Last Roundup , Dragon Quest , MMMystery on the Friendship Express , the last appearance of the Crystal Ponies, and even Wonderbolts Academy all featured the appearance of at least one new local character with a speaking role.
Okay, not MMMystery on the Friendship Express and Wonderbolts Academy , but those took place on a train and at a school, respectively. There were no locals, not really, but they still introduced new characters.
We have a significant population of ponies who could be used as auxiliary characters that could be halfway interesting, but we don’t get that. Instead, we just get the main six taking charge like they do every episode, even though they have no real right to.
Okay, Cadance asked them to, but where does Cadance get off filling the welcoming committee with foreigners!? That is a moronic decision!!!
We learn that the not-inspector has a severe case of claustrophobia. Even being in the cavernous atrium of the Crystal Castle is too confining for her. Strange.
They then begin their welcome dance. But first Twilight explains that because they’re foreigners, there’s no one better to tell them how welcoming the Empire could be.
Yes, the empire’s very welcoming. After all the citizens were so excited about welcoming you, that they outsourced the job.
Yes they’re so welcoming that you won’t see them for a while.
Who better to show you how welcoming the Crystal Ponies are, than six not-crystal ponies?
Yeah, I don’t buy that. Sorry. That’s a stupid fucking reason.
Also, can we get a better sound editor here!? They’re singing very loudly, and it all runs together. I don’t know if it’s typical or unavoidable, but I can’t hear a word they’re singing.
Anyway, after that… erm… performance, the mare applauds and says she’s surprised the Princess even knows about her.
This is hint number two Twilight… Hint number two.
You know, I’m thinking stressed-out panicky Twilight would have picked up on this sooner.
Rainbow offers the mare a tour of the castle, and Twilight mentions they don’t know where anything is in there. Yeah, I know. If only you had a local or two on the team representing the Crystal Empire.
Yes, I’m going to keep bringing this up.
So they give the tour, and Twilight decides to check on Cadance.
On her way out she passes the real inspector, and says “hello.”
She responds with, “Hello yourself… first ‘hello’ of the day.”
Wow… really?
You ever see Ocean’s Thirteen? One of the plotlines involves the hotel owned by Al Pacino being reviewed for the ‘Five Diamond Award’ which each of his other hotels already won in the past. As part of the heist, the heroes get one of their own to subtlety pass themselves off as the reviewer, and he gets VIP, world-class service. Meanwhile the actual reviewer gets shit treatment and the bum’s rush. As a result, Pacino doesn’t win the award.
So far, this actual inspector has gotten an actual impression of the citizenry of the Crystal Empire, and it’s not good. Apparently it’s like a stereotype of New York City. I guess we now know why they didn’t want any locals on the welcoming committee.
Twilight is told they’re going to need much more time to fix Cadance’s hair.
She makes her way back to the castle, where Pinkie is acting like an idiot. The tourist says she’s getting restless, so Rainbow takes over and leads her down to the nearby stadium while imitating the annoying tour guide from that alt-timeline episode of Stargate SG-1.
Twilight arrives first and asks Shining Armor, who’s now a running coach for some reason, to help with the tour. He accepts and tells her not to worry.
She replies that she’s not worried, and that makes her very happy. Yes, I’m sure that makes you very happy, but because of your aloofness the whole thing turns into a disaster!!!
The rest of the group arrives and the random mare is so excited to be ‘outside’ (technically she’s under a glass dome) that she starts running like a madmare, knocking other ponies over and eventually, a pot lands on her head. She panics and runs straight out-of-town.
Rainbow catches up with her, pulling the pot off her head, and she slows to a stop. Shining Armor catches up with them, and introduces himself. The mare is in awe, since she never met royalty before. Which surprises Shining, given her line of work.
Then she says she’s just an ordinary mustang from Mustangia. Mustangia? Really? Are you even trying anymore?
So, it’s then they finally realize they’ve been leading the wrong mare around town.
So-PINKIE! WHAT’D I TELL YOU ABOUT THAT POSE!? So they rush over to the train station, hoping the inspector is still around. She’s not.
They rush to the spa, hoping she’s not there, because if she is, it’s game over.
Back at the spa, the inspector is getting a hooficure, as Ms. Mustangia is getting a back massage. The inspector talks about how shit the place is, which tells me they’re not getting the games. But the other one talks about how she got a first-class welcome to the city.
The gang arrives, and Rarity introduced Cadance, all dressed up. Meh, I preferred the 80’s hair she had earlier.
But the moment the inspector hears the Princess’ name, she get’s up and confronts her over the lack of pomp.
Wow, how far up your own ass do you have to be?
Rainbow explains that they gave their welcome to the wrong pony, and explains she really wanted to make sure the Empire got the games because she didn’t want them to feel the disappointment she felt as a child.
Wait… was Rainbow Dash the central character this entire time? Did I miss something? You think she would have gotten more lines in that case.
But the inspector explains that after hearing what kind of welcome the crazy pony got, she decides to give them the games.
Um… so you’re gonna base your decision on a purposefully artificial view of the city, when your more authentic view involved being ignored and splashed with water multiple times?
If it is anything like the Olympics, the Equestria Games will feature ponies arriving from all across the nation, resulting in millions of bits in tourism flowing in. Therefore, these ponies will also be given the same treatment you just did, as average citizens. What exactly did they ever do to you!?
Unless… she didn’t know that that was the pony who was given the tour in her stead. In that case, she’s just thick.
So despite the fact that they shouldn’t have gotten to host the games, they’re allowed to host the games.
I just want, for once, to see an episode end with the characters failing epically, and not have everything work out in the end. Sometimes you fail. That just means you learn. It’s not that big a deal.
So it’s time to leave. The group arrives at the train station, and we get two shots and a lot of dialogue recycled from the last episode.
But after they get on the train, there’s a slight continuity error. As Twilight is explaining last week’s Aesop, her movements are drastically different. This is when they should have just recycled a scene. Instead they only do it during an establishing shot, and when Spike throws a gem that knocks over a cart of luggage.
Then there are a few issues with timing, but whatever, time is always in flux on these shows.
The episode ends with a shot of Spike, the animals, and the Crusaders, hiding under the seats, exactly like the last episode.
But honestly, I think they made a crucial error here. This episode should have aired before the last episode. Because the ending would have given us one hell of a mystery for next week as we scream: “What the hell happened!? How’d he get there!?”
Since we already know what happened, that shot feels kinda stupid. Especially with the dramatic sting that accompanies it.
However, if they did do that, the opening of this episode would have made a lot less sense.
So, that was… an episode. I guess it’s not bad. Certainly enjoyable, if a bit frustrating.
I find it perplexing that we see so little of the Crystal Ponies, especially given the reason for their existence.
I’m of course referring to executive meddling. The higher-ups at Hasbro mandated the inclusion of the Crystal Ponies for the purposes of toy marketing and honestly, I kinda like the idea.
Say what you want about the individual episodes. (The first one had a boring villain and a boring ending and this one was just stupid.) But the idea in and of itself is not bad. I kinda like it.
If there was some indication of why Cadance is in charge of the empire I’d like it even more. But alas, we don’t get that.
But here’s my point: Given that the executives mandated the creation of the Crystal Empire, why didn’t they also mandate the inclusion of more Crystal Ponies with speaking roles? That way they could market those characters as new toys.
I’d love to look at their detailed sales stats to confirm this. But right now, I’m willing to bet that the most popular toys are actually those who are also characters on the show. The main gang, the Crusaders, Cheerilee, Trixie, Shining Armor and the three princesses are the only characters on the show who also have toys; and I’m bettin’ those toys are their top sellers. I’ll even include Heartstrings in that, with the mention that she’s also been in the background of several episodes, and has one hell of a fan following. So why are they not including the Crystal Ponies as part of the marketing machine?
And, you know, I’m not even talking about the bronies! When I was a kid, I was a bit of a Batman fan. I wanted to get a Batman toy, but I honestly couldn’t find one. Or to be more specific, I couldn’t find a toy of the real Batman.
From what I remember he always wore some type of super armor, was red, or had some super backpack that was molded on. I just wanted fucking Batman! So I never bought any of that spin-off crap, because it wasn’t Batman. So why would the little kids waste their time buying Diamond Rose, when there is no Diamond Rose on the show?
Maybe some will. But I wouldn’t have.
Oh, and apparently they don’t actually sell any of the Crystal Ponies as toys at the same scale as the main line. They only sell Crystal Ponies at the scale of those tiny blind bag things. I’m not gonna try to understand that.
It probably has something to do with the type of plastic.
Anyway, my point is, I don’t understand why the execs didn’t mandate the inclusion of Crystal Ponies as major characters. I would have liked that, it would have been a smart move.
In contrast, the mandates that are actually sent down are pretty fucking stupid. Which I’ve already talked about, and I’ll delve deeper into it, next week.
This entry was posted in MLP Season 3 and tagged Games Ponies Play, My Little Pony, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.
Unicorn’s End: “Magical Mystery Cure” review
11 responses to “Olympic-Sized Fuck-up: “Games Ponies Play” review”
Megaman X says:
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 16:40 EDT
stop going over the same thing a billion times
I think you’re gonna have to be a bit more specific.
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 22:34 EDT
I think that bringing up the crystal pony issue near the end and not complaining about it earlier would have made for a better review. not to mention near the end you start talking about the issue, then stop, then go back.
So… you don’t like segues… kay…
jellyfishnebula10 says:
I have noticed something strange……about Season three…what was it hmmmm……….. NO LESSONS TO PRINCESS CELESTIA!!!!!
Oh, I don’t really think that matters. Honestly, letters to Princess Celestia were always a bit heavy handed, and it might have something to do with Twilight graduating from that level of study. Or whatever happened during the premiere.
Sat, Feb 23, 2013 at 12:37 EDT
You have a point.
Wow that was long! But you have a point. It would be really nice if the Mane six did fail.
I totally agree that the whole “breathing lessons” subplot was stupid, and was probably just an attempt to make Twilight seem like better princess material.
I have a hard time believing that “It’s About Time”, “Lesson Zero”, et al could’ve been avoided if she’d just taken a few deep breaths.
>she get’s up and confronts her
*gets
>You think she would have
*You’d
Why do I keep throwing an apostrophe in the word ‘gets’? I know that’s not right, why do I do it!?
And you got a problem with my colloquialisms!? Dem’s fytin woids!
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2612
|
__label__wiki
| 0.926644
| 0.926644
|
Home / Where does ONU stand on kneeling?
Where does ONU stand on kneeling?
Grant Pepper
ONU athletic director Tom Simmons said that the school will be open to student-athletes performing civil protest during the National Anthem, as long as it is "respectful and not a distraction." (photo/ ONU Sports Information)
Sunday was a day of righteous, widespread protest in the NFL.
Many teams linked arms during the National Anthem, while some individual players kneeled, sat or stretched as it was played before kickoff. A handful of teams stayed in the locker room.
The civil protest stemmed from former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick’s demonstration over a year ago, when he kneeled during the National Anthem to protest police brutality and the oppression of African-Americans in America.
Numerous players have followed Kaepernick’s lead since then, and last Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump called those NFL players “sons of b------” for doing so. This led to players, coaches and owners protesting on Sunday to show unity in response to the President’s comments.
Last weekend’s wave of protest in the NFL gained undeniable traction in the nation's mainstream news cycle, and has prompted institutions like Ohio Northern to develop a stance on the issue.
ONU athletic director Tom Simmons spoke with university administration before discussing the school’s position with coaches earlier this week.
“It’s our civil right. People have a right to a peaceful protest and you don’t infringe on [it]. It’s part of America,” Simmons said in regard to the school’s view. “So, if someone has something they want to say and they do it appropriately, then they say it.”
Simmons told coaches that athletes would be permitted to conduct civil protest as long as it is “respectful and not a distraction.”
This newspaper contacted athletic directors from every OAC school on their institution’s stance on the kneeling issue, although only three responded (besides ONU) and none revealed their position. Otterbein and Heidelberg both declined to comment on the issue, while Marietta said Tuesday that they would issue a response but have yet to do so.
At Ohio Northern, 21 of the school’s 23 varsity sports are on their respective field of competition during the National Anthem. Only football and golf are not, as the football team is in the locker room praying at that time and the anthem is typically not played before golf matches.
Simmons said that ONU student-athletes are encouraged to speak their minds and exercise their civil rights, as doing so is vital to the college experience.
“You’re here to learn about becoming an adult and making good decisions, wise decisions, and well-thought out decisions as part of the growing up process. And you certainly don’t want to impede that process,” Simmons said. “We want to help our students. We want our students to learn, and we learn from our students.”
Furthermore, Simmons said that he has asked the university’s coaches to keep their personal political views out of any decision that they might make based on an athlete’s decision to kneel or not.
“We can have our personal opinions -- like, I have my personal opinion -- but I work for the university,” Simmons said. “So, if it comes down to my personal opinion being different from the university, I have to speak as an agent of the university when I’m on the clock. When we’re dealing with athletics, we’re on the clock. And we follow the university’s policies in every way, shape and form. And if the university says that we accept that, then we accept that and we move on.”
However, some ONU student-athletes had mixed opinions on whether or not the school and campus community would support their actions if they decided to kneel during the National Anthem.
Devonne Johnson, a senior football player, said that he “would not feel safe” kneeling during the National Anthem if he chose to do so.
“Ohio Northern released a statement to my coaches and teammates stating that, as an individual, we may express our own views on the matter only if [we are] doing it in a peaceful manner, such as kneeling or sitting down. While ONU may show support of our views, the parents, alumni, fans, and supporters may not,” Johnson said. “I believe that the views throughout the team and coaches would vary, but I do not think our community would support them if they were different from theirs.”
And while baseball player Kyle Schlade said that he would feel safe if he were to perform civil protest at ONU, he added that, “with the school's foundation being historically on the conservative side, I would not be surprised if there was some form of a consequence or rebuke that would take place -- whether it would come from other players, students, or quite possibly the coaches or administrative staff.”
This newspaper reached out to all 100 senior athletes listed on team rosters on Ohio Northern’s athletics website to ask how they feel the campus community would react to potential civil protest during the anthem. Given the fact that these are are the most experienced athletes on campus, they would likely have the best sense of how the campus community might react. Nearly a quarter of the athletes responded. Here is what they had to say:
Nate Burger, men’s basketball
“I would feel safe as an ONU athlete choosing to kneel but I feel like this environment would have mixed feelings towards it. I feel that there would be some teammates, some coaches, and some administration who feel comfortable with me taking a stance, however I feel there would be others who would not be OK with it and may pressure me to stop. The community I feel would be mixed as well but I feel more people in the community would urge me to stop than would feel comfortable or OK with me doing it.”
Mac Tompkins, men’s soccer
“If I were to choose to kneel, I would feel safe doing so. I feel like the environment at ONU is pretty accepting and open-minded. As long as the individual had a good reason for kneeling, I think it would be supported. Along the same lines, I am confident my teammates, coaches, and community would consider my stance on the issue and be open-minded to it.”
Madison Dramis, women’s golf
“If I chose to kneel during the National Anthem, I do not think the community would support it. Seeing as how greatly it affects those all around the world, I would not feel comfortable if that is what I chose to do. I do believe, however, that if I had a good reason as to why I chose to kneel, I think that my coaches or teammates would support it. But if that is what I wanted/chose to do, I wouldn’t because I would simply not feel comfortable and I do not think anyone would be supportive or understanding.”
Malachi Nolletti, football
“I think if ONU athletes wanted to express themselves in this way, they would feel reasonably safe doing so. I think ONU is a fairly conservative campus when compared with others around the country, so there could be some pushback from a military respect and patriotism standpoint, but I feel we are pretty tight knit and would at the least respect people for their choice and their right to that choice. I know it would be respected from a coaching standpoint as Coach Paul has addressed this already and made it clear that players can express their opinions if they feel compelled."
Jordan Bostater, baseball
“I personally think that I would feel safe, but I also know that with doing this comes a lot of risks of what others would think. I believe that this is an environment that would, for the most part, support the decision to take a knee. To be completely honest, I am not sure what my teammates and coaches would have to think about this. It is something that I would have to discuss with them. If I had to guess, I would think that both my teammates and coaches would support my decisions no matter what I chose to do because as a team, we are all very close and have a great bond.”
Brandon Emert, men’s track & field
“If I or any of my teammates chose to express themselves in any shape or form, I feel that they or myself would be supportive. I know that I would feel safe and welcomed, and I would support my teammates in their decisions as well. They may not agree with what I would protest, but an athletic team is a second family. And that family, amongst disagreeing, shows compassion and support for what the others believe in.”
Joey DiOrio, men’s basketball
“I feel as though the ONU campus community is very respectful of individual political and social views, and there would not be a lot of backlash for sitting for a National Anthem. Therefore, if it matched and aligned with my personal views I would feel safe kneeling for the National Anthem. While people would not like that you are kneeling, they would respect your views and allow you to continue your silent protest (as long as you were impartial and were not making a scene for yourself). However, I will also add that most of the teams are unified and I do not think coaches or other players would allow one individual to sit for the National Anthem. If an action were to occur at an athletic event for one of the ONU sports teams, multiple (or all) participants on the team would have to sit/kneel on a unified front.”
Ashley Grisnik, women’s soccer
“I don’t feel that this is the appropriate environment to express your views and protest in that way, so I don’t think it would be accepted.”
Christian Randolph, football
“I personally feel like there would [be support] from coaches and a number of teammates, but on the other side, from the community and even some teammates, they’d feel strongly against it.”
Zack Goodchild, men’s golf
“I would not feel comfortable choosing to kneel during the anthem. Our team takes pride in being a part of a "Folds of Honor" program where we represent a former Army general on all of our uniforms. My coach would not agree with my decision to kneel, and I feel the athletic department would not either, along with the community. The community at ONU and in Ada has a togetherness that doesn't look to divide. If there are issues, we take action to fix them locally rather than look to grab state and national attention.”
Cody Hurley, men’s tennis
“As an ONU student-athlete, I would not feel comfortable expressing myself in a way during the National Anthem that would cause attention to be directed from my team or the flag to myself. I also feel that kneeling during the National Anthem is something that the university would not support or condone. Ultimately, I do not believe my peers would support this action as being a Polar Bear is an honor and a privilege -- a privilege that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
Sydney Veon, women’s swimming & diving
“To be quite frank, I don't think it would be received very well throughout the ONU community. Many people on campus are involved, or who have had family involved in the armed forces, and in recent light, it's been politicized as a disgrace to those who have carried and fought for the flag overseas. Even though I see their service as something that has given us the ability to protest, I don't feel like many others hold the same belief. I don't know the exact demographic of where students side on the political spectrum, but I feel as if it is majorly conservative. On a team of 40 men and women, I feel like we represent a decent sample of the population, and thus my hypothetical actions would be received negatively.
I fear that my leadership on my team would be questioned if I participated. As a leader, I feel as if it is my job to act as an impartial moderator during times of controversy or conflict. I wouldn't be opposed to having a discussion about the movement with my teammates, and how it is important for athletes and public figures to use their platform for good.
The university is an institution that accepts diversity and supports free thought, but in my opinion I feel like there are implicit social sanctions within the community that would bar someone from wanting to support the movement, although I wouldn't be surprised if a student has decided to take a knee during the anthem because I believe that our students are very in-touch with what is going on with the world.”
While ONU has taken a position of acceptance towards civil protest amongst its student-athletes, it is unclear whether the NFL’s precedent from last week will carry over into the college arena.
Aside from the fact that Trump has yet to publicly reprimand college athletes for kneeling, student-athletes also receive much less media exposure than NFL players, especially at the Div. III level. This could impact the amount of protest seen at small college contests.
But there is precedent for kneeling in the OAC, however, as Baldwin Wallace basketball player Jay Battle did so during the National Anthem before every game last winter. When kneeled before the game at Ohio Northern last January, he was met with verbal opposition from a fan at King Horn Sports Center, who shouted Kaepernick-related insults at Battle as he walked onto the court to start the game. Battle just laughed it off. (To listen to my interview with Battle after the incident last year on Sportsbeat 94.9’s The Pep Talk, click play below.)
Simmons said that “it’s hard to say” whether last weekend’s stirrings will lead to kneeling in Div. III contests, although he does believe that it will happen somewhere in the U.S. at this level.
"If someone feels that strongly about it, then we’ll see it," Simmons said. "I just hope that if an athlete feels that way and they express themselves, that they do it the right way. Peaceful protest is part of our country and what we are, and so you can’t extinguish that."
Tom Simmons
Jay Battle
Ohio Northern University
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2614
|
__label__cc
| 0.60782
| 0.39218
|
LUKE CECIL BARKHUIS
Luke Cecil Barkhuis 15:54 on March 10, 2019
Tags: Facebook, Marines ( 2 ), Misconduct, Sexual harassment, USA ( 9 )
Sad day as Marines rocked by cheating scandal
Six Marine Corps officers wearing second lieutenant ranks have been accused of cheating during a nighttime land navigation course at Quantico, Virginia. It’s a sad day when America’s most-esteemed fighting force faces dings for something so sullied. America loves its Marines — but the stigma of cheating is a tough one to overlook.
And there’s more.
The very investigation into the cheaters led to an investigation into the investigators, after more allegations flew about botches to the investigation.
Yet there’s still more.
On top of all that — well, here’s how the Marine Times put it: “The episode was further complicated by the alleged illegal confinement of female officers and allegations of sexual harassment. In the end, numerous Marines faces discipline and one Marine’s claims of innocence led to a private polygraph test.”
The Marine Times said the incident originated in December 2017, when a student complained to the upper brass that some of his peers cheated during the night land navigation exam by sharing key grid points. These grid points were then used to find stashed boxes in the woods — something students of the night course are supposed to undertake by themselves, using only a compass, in order to prove their knowledge of land navigation. Investigators began to question the students and confiscate cellphones to check for pertinent texts. Ultimately, the Marine Times reported, the students “began to rat each other out.” Six officers are now facing forced separation from the Marines. Two others — the captains who initially investigated — were slapped with letters of reprimand, something that will surely dent their files and dramatically decrease their chances for promotion.
And the sexual harassment claims?
One of the female officers swept into the scandal alleged she was wrongfully confined, pre-trial, for 24 hours. Semper Fi — “always faithful” — is the motto of the Marine Corps. “Honor, courage and commitment” are the “core values” of the Corps.
And its legacy?
“Founded in 1775, the United States Marine Corps shares its legacy with that of the United States of America. Intrinsically bound, the Marines have fought battles throughout time,” as Marines.com states.
This scandal, however temporarily, has put a bit of a stain on those creeds.
One year after the Marines United scandal leaped into the public spotlight, the Corps has armed itself with new policies and tools to go after perpetrators involved in revenge porn-related offenses and social media misconduct. To date, the Corps has carried out 80 dispositions of cases linked to the crackdown on online-related misconduct during the past year. It includes seven courts-martial, 14 nonjudicial punishments, six administrative separations and 28 adverse administrative actions. In total, the investigation has identified 119 potential culprits ― 97 of whom are Marines ― in the wake of the scandal, according to Marine Corps officials. “There’s been accountability, probably not to the satisfaction of some,” Gen. Robert B. Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps, said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in January, when pressed about progress since the scandal broke. Charges have ranged from nonconsensual posting of images, extortion, to distribution of filmed sex acts without knowledge of the victim.
For example, on Aug. 10, 2017, a lance corporal was convicted at a special court-martial of Article 127 for threatening to distribute sexually explicit photographs and video unless he received something valuable. The junior Marine was also brought up on a whole slew of other charges to include destruction of government property, theft and assault. He received a bad conduct discharge and was reduced to private.
On Sept. 26, 2017, a sergeant was convicted at a special court-martial for Article 80 for attempting to broadcast video a victim’s private area and Article 81 for conspiracy to distribute the recording. He pled guilty and received a bad conduct discharge, 90 days confinement and reduction to private.
On Jan. 31, a lance corporal was convicted at a special court-martial for Article 120C for filming and broadcasting of a sex act. He received a bad conduct discharge, 30 days confinement and reduction to private.
The details of the above special courts-martial cases were provided to Marine Corps Times from the Marine Corps’ Judge Advocate Division.
Marines United, a secretive Facebook page that contained sexually harassing comments and nude images of female service members and civilians, had roughly 30,000 members. In some instances, the posts resulted in the stalking of victims. The site’s existence was dragged into the public sphere after a report in the online publication The War Horse. It forced the Corps to address the issue of sexual harassment across the Corps. In the wake of the scandal, the Corps moved swiftly to enact new policies to help police social media misconduct. Sweeping changes to Navy regulations allowed Marine commanders to pursue cases involving nonconsensual distribution of intimate images. And the top Marine released new guidelines on social media conduct and required Marines to sign a page 11 entry that they had read and understand the new policy, giving commanders new tools to punish Marines who violated the commandant’s directive. The Corps also introduced a tip line to go after offenders. Those actions are bearing fruit, the Corps says.
0628 – Anwar’s columns →
Translate blog content in the language you wish.
BLOG VIEWS:
ARCHIVES: Select Month July 2019 (10) June 2019 (13) May 2019 (12) April 2019 (18) March 2019 (25) February 2019 (17) January 2019 (4) December 2018 (28) November 2018 (10) October 2018 (11) September 2018 (5) August 2018 (22) July 2018 (34) June 2018 (26) May 2018 (25) April 2018 (29) March 2018 (30) February 2018 (13) January 2018 (59) December 2017 (13) November 2017 (7) October 2017 (9) September 2017 (13) August 2017 (4) July 2017 (20) June 2017 (19) May 2017 (14) April 2017 (18) March 2017 (29) February 2017 (18) January 2017 (9) December 2016 (10) November 2016 (39) October 2016 (23) September 2016 (15) August 2016 (15) July 2016 (15) June 2016 (7) May 2016 (4)
Follow LUKE CECIL BARKHUIS on WordPress.com
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2617
|
__label__wiki
| 0.903213
| 0.903213
|
Beyond the Table
Navigation Podcast2 About Connect Beyond the Table Travel
April 27, 2010 by lynnette hoffman in human interest
At fifteen minutes to noon, a teacher’s aide from Lindsay Park primary school was knocking on Wasila Shamal’s door. “Just checking,” she explained, “to make sure you hadn’t forgotten about Balkees’s school assembly today.”
It seemed people were always knocking on the Shamals’ door in Figtree. Other children in the small apartment complex were over almost daily, usually with a tennis ball in hand. The cement lot in front was quickly transformed into a handball court, and two tall blue poles doubled as a soccer goal. One family whose children also attended Lindsay Park gave the family their old lounge set.
The two boys, Shaffi and Qais Shamal, were popular students at Warrawong Intensive English Centre, playing cricket and soccer and practical jokes. Their younger sister Haseeba was shyer, but coming out of her shell, playing drums in a community theatre production called Landed and again at the Viva La Gong festival while Balkees, the youngest, quickly made friends at her suburban Australian school.
The Shamals, Afghanis who had spent two years in Pakistan before arriving in Australia as refugees in early August, 2001, seemed to be settling in better than most. But in January this year they packed their bags and moved to Carlingford in Western Sydney.
In recent years the Federal Government has established a number of programs to encourage migrants to move to regional areas, and the numbers of refugees arriving in the Illawarra has been steadily increasing.
Under the Government’s Humanitarian Program, refugees can specify if they have relatives in Australia already while those who don’t—38 percent of humanitarian entrants between 2000 and 2002— are linked up with programs such as Refugee Support Scheme, Wollongong (RSS).
This not-for-profit organization, funded by the Department of Immigration Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA), is the only one of its kind in the Illawarra with a mandate to assist refugees in all aspects of resettlement, from finding a flat to signing up for basic services. In 2002, 89 individuals were settled into the Illawarra through the RSS, while this year, 80 individuals have already been settled. Overall, most of these individuals will stay in the Illawarra, says Sujin Park, a senior settlement worker with RSS. But some are more likely to stay than others.
“It depends on where they are coming from,” Park says. Families from the Middle East and Arab backgrounds that don’t have the network of long standing communities are much more likely to go to Sydney to join up with larger ethnic communities. They are going where there is more support, where they know someone, Park says.
The RSS says that of the four Middle Eastern families Refugee Support Scheme has resettled, three have left for Sydney. The fourth had planned to leave as well, but arrangements fell through.
“They felt lonely and isolated. The communities here are really little. People say the Lebanese community (here) is huge, but compared to Sydney it’s tiny,” Park said. There is one Somali family, one Ethiopian family, two Liberian families.
“If there were three or four Somali families people could talk to each other in their own language and help each other. Right now they (DIMIA) send one family to try it out.”
Before the Shamals arrived in 2001, all of the families receiving initial settlement support from RSS were from the former republic of Yugoslavia, so an extensive network developed for people from that region. Traditional Serbian dance classes are taught, Serbian Orthodox and Croatian Catholic Churches cater to crowds; walk into the Illawarra Migrant Resource Centre, and you’ll easily find staff that speak the languages of the region of the former Yugoslavia. For Farsi or Dari or Arabic, you’ll have to look a little harder.
When the Shamals arrived in Wollongong they knew of only three other families from Afghanistan, and those families were educated professionals they had little in common with beyond their country of birth.
Part of what draws people away are the resources offered in bigger ethnic communities. It’s relatively easy to find a mosque in the Illawarra, but an Arabic speaking Christian church? For that, it’s up to Sydney.
For the Shamals, services as simple as a Halal butcher were difficult to access from Figtree.
Statistics support the notion that migrants with a support network or an established community around them prosper. The latest migration information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, collected from 1999 to 2000, shows that recent migrants with family or friends in Australia were less likely to be unemployed than those without family or friends.
The report also showed that barriers are much higher for humanitarian entrants than they are for immigrants on independent visas.
After six months in Australia 11 percent of immigrants on independent visas considered their English skills to be poor; compared with 79 percent of humanitarian entrants. After three and a half years 49 percent of the humanitarian entrants continued to struggle with English, while just 7 percent of those on independent visas expressed the same problems, according to ABS figures.
Despite these hurdles, the federal government is pushing ahead with its plan to increase the number of refugees in regional areas, confirming its commitment in a new report in May.
The report, launched by Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Gary Hardgrave, recommends a boost in funding to regional organizations like the RSS to assist more refugees in the resettlement process.
The report recommends that refugees be encouraged to resettle in regional areas and Hardgrave is adamant any challenges can be overcome. He refers to new migrants from non-established ethnic communities as “trailblazers”, and believes that once one family finds jobs they are likely to attract other families from their own ethnic backgrounds.
“Nobody migrates to this country to fail,” he said. “They come here saying ‘I want work.’ In the main there are a lot of new and emerging communities that are not as established as they will be (in the future).”
“The more established communities in Australia have to be the first to put out the hand of friendship and say ‘welcome.’ It’s important that local communities take up that challenge.”
The minister will set off on a nationwide tour later this year to foster discussion and seek feedback on the Government’s plan and the support structures it will be implementing.
Colin Chamberlain, RSS team leader, expects the new policy will bring with it both possibilities and challenges.
“The positive is that refugees are coming to a fairly well serviced, multicultural community,” he says. “On the negative side, it would be preferable to have larger ethnic groups so that they can support each other.”
As the Shamals can attest, the support of tight-knit ethnic communities cannot be over-estimated. The family was grateful for the support they did receive: staff and volunteers from the RSS stopped by often to visit and help when they could, and Wasila appreciated it, thanking them with epic meals of marinated vegetables and meats with flavoured rice.
When things were tough, though, Wasila had to hunt through her vocabulary, carefully stringing words together, miming and explaining the background information, the little details another Afghan would have already known and understood. Jokes had to be stripped down and translated and acted out. Conversations in English were a patient and lengthy affair, laborious and strained if heartfelt.
The Shamals, at least, are happier now.
“In Wollongong I was home all the time. I never went out. Now I am always busy. I have many more friends here,” Shaffi said after arriving home late one Saturday evening.
It took his brother and sisters a little longer to warm to their new surroundings, but now they agree. The one setback?
“Well,” laughs Qais, “in Wollongong my English was much better. Now we talk all day to other Afghan kids at school.”
Illawarra Mercury Weekender
April 27, 2010 /lynnette hoffman
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2619
|
__label__cc
| 0.748266
| 0.251734
|
MINI RESIDENCY: COMPREHENSIVE IMPLANT TRAINING FOR THE GENERAL DENTIST
This comprehensive eight (8) sessions Implant and Implant restoration training series is designed for the general dentist who, by the program’s completion, will be ready to start placing and restoring implants with confidence. Live-patient implant placement surgeries and hands-on workshops will be performed by the attendees under expert supervision. The program will include working with models, fresh-frozen cadaver, and three (3) live-patient surgeries.
Hands-on: Wooden Block (Warm up session)
Bone /soft Tissue healing, Suture
Hands-on (Plastic models-6 sites)
Fresh Frozen Cadaver Workshop
Ridge Flattening
Implant Placement
Decortication/Periosteal Cutting Incision
FGG/Stabilizing sutures
Live Patient Surgery
Healing after Extraction, Socket Preservation, Immediate Placement
Prosthetics, Hands-on
Post course review
Instructor Bio
Taeheon Kang, DMD,MS
Born and raised in South Korea,Taeheon had the honor of attending Seoul National University Dental School—the most prestigious program in the country. Inspired by the fields of periodontics and implant dentistry, he went on to receive his specialty training in periodontics from Seoul National University in 1996. After earning his certificate in periodontics, he was determined to move to the United States. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his second training in periodontics and implant dentistry.As a result, Taeheon is the only periodontist who has completed a periodontal residency in both Korea and the United States. After eight years of his dedication and commitment to the University of Pennsylvania and Nova Southeastern University as an educator and a clinician, he opened his private practice in Fairfax, Virginia.Dr. Kang is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and the recipient of several teaching awards, including the 2005 American Academy of Periodontology Educator’s Award. He is a national and international lecturer in the field of periodontics and implant dentistry and an author of numerous clinical articles in authoritative dental journals.
Dr. Abdo, who maintains a private practice in Jupiter, Florida, is a specialist in cosmetic veneers and restorations, crown and bridge, dentures, partials, full-mouth reconstructions, maxillofacial prosthodontics, and implant dentistry. He is a board-certified prosthodontist, a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, and a Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists. He held faculty appointment with Marquette University School of Dentistry, University of Illinois and Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago with graduate specialty training in advanced combined prosthodontics and earned his Master of Science degree in Oral Science at the University of Illinois Graduate College.
Educational Objectives and Benefits
Review anatomic considerations significant in the surgical placement of dental implants
Identify potential dental implant selection criteria and case difficulty
Learn surgical protocol for implant dentistry, including incision, flap management, osteotomy, and suturing techniques
Learn to avoid common errors and surgical complications
Learn protocol for implant restoration
Required Materials:
Show proof of Professional Liability coverage not less than $1,000,000/$3,000,000
Show proof of Current CPR
Active Florida License
Provide own patient
Complete all required NSU documents
Patient Criteria
3 patients ( one for each live surgery)
Posterior, including premolars: single or up to 2 implants per site, per patient, per surgery
Patients will be prescreened prior to surgery
Initial Payment due upon registration (50% tuition)
Final Payment due February 1, 2018
Course Dates : December 15-16, January 12-13, January 26-27 & february 23-24 (includes meals & materials)
NSU Acknowledges with Gratitude the IN-KIND Support of:
HIOSSEN & HU-FRIEDY
COMP IMPLANT TRAINING FLYER
« MINI RESIDENCY: COMPREHENSIVE IMPLANT TRAINING FOR THE GENERAL DENTIST
Do you know the difference between snoring and sleep apnea? »
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2621
|
__label__wiki
| 0.526551
| 0.526551
|
Opinion Republic
From a fellow ranter
Archive for the tag “NWO”
My 300th Post, on record
well, this is my 300th post. A milestone if you ask me, so I didn’t want to just post anything. I wanted to post something that would document this 300th post.
Here it is,
This is my 300th post! Woooo!
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged 300th, blog, Libya, NWO, post, Sarkozy, Truth | Leave a comment
Over 37,000 Scientists Sign On Against Man-Made Global Warming Fraud!
Yes, folks you heard it right! 37,000 scientists signed a petition against man-made global warming. To put it in simpler terms that you brainwashed Fox News minions can understand, 37,000 scientists are saying that global warming is fake, a scam, a hoax!
From the Digital Journal:
The truth is very different. Most of the media articles you will see refer to reports issued by the IPCC. The IPCC is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change, a political body appointed by the UN. Many of the 3,000 members of this panel are not scientists, but simply political appointees. The few real scientists on the panel have disputed the panel’s findings but have been silenced by having their comments deleted from the reports. Several of these scientists have asked to have their names removed from the IPCC report, but have had their requests denied. Several have actually sued the panel to have their names removed, but few have been successful. The actual fact regarding consensus on this issue is that there are many more scientists who dispute the claims regarding global warming than there are who support them. The IPCC reports rely on a particular computer model which projects temperature changes due to “positive feedback” reactions in the atmosphere. The IPCC report claims that as CO2 levels rise, temperatures will also rise causing more water to be evaporated into the air. Since water vapor is by far the leading greenhouse gas, increased water vapor is supposed to accelerate the global warming process in a runaway feedback loop. The actual scientific data, however, do no support the positive feedback model. The basic methodology used by the IPCC cannot be supported by actual data so the panel relies on the news media to filter the news that reaches the public….
I know what you are thinking, “Who is this joker telling me that global warming is a hoax?” Well, the truth is that this is fact and not just my opinion.
You can get the Global Warming Review
Global Warming Review PDF- 1 MB
Benjamin Franklin said “Those who will sacrifice essential liberty for the promise of safety deserve neither liberty nor safety, and neither is what they will have.”
Posted in Corporate, Politics and tagged al gore, copenhagen, global warming, new world order, NWO, UN | Leave a comment
History of The New World Order, How it started and what will become of it
According to the World Net Daily,
The phrase ‘new world order’ traces back at least as far as 1940, when author H.G. Wells used it as the title of a book about a socialist, unified, one-world government. The phrase has also been linked to American presidents, including Woodrow Wilson, whose work on establishing the League of Nations pioneered the concept of international government bodies, and to the first President Bush, who used it in a 1989 speech.
“A new partnership of nations has begun, and we stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment,” said Bush before a joint session of Congress. “Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective – a new world order – can emerge: A new era … in which the nations of the world, east and west, north and south, can prosper and live in harmony.”
The phrase “New World Order” causes alarm for many Americans, particularly those concerned about an international governing body trumping U.S. sovereignty or those that interpret biblical prophecy to foretell the establishment of a one-world government as key to the rise of the Antichrist. Conspiracy theorists, too, have latched on to the phrase, concerned that powerful financial or government figures are secretly plotting to rule the world.
Kissinger’s ties to government and international powers – as well as his use of the phrase – have made him suspect in the eyes of many who are wary of what “new world order” might actually mean.
“There is a need for a new world order,” Kissinger told PBS interviewer Charlie Rose last year, “I think that at the end of this administration, with all its turmoil, and at the beginning of the next, we might actually witness the creation of a new order – because people looking in the abyss, even in the Islamic world, have to conclude that at some point, ordered expectations must return under a different system.”
As WND reported, Kissinger was also part of last year’s super-secret Bilderberg Group, an organization of powerful international elites, including government, business, academic and journalistic representatives, that has convened annually since 1954.
According to sources that have penetrated the high-security meetings, the Bilderberg meetings emphasize a globalist agenda and promote the idea that the notion of national sovereignty is antiquated and regressive.
Source: http://www.worldnetdaily.com
According to Wikipedia their are a number of ways the New World Order could come about.
Postulated implementations
Just as there are several overlapping and even conflicting theories among conspiracy theorists about the nature of the New World Order, so are there several beliefs about how its architects and planners will implement it:
Gradualism
Some conspiracy theorists speculate that the New World Order is being implemented gradually, citing the formation of the Federal Reserve bank; the United Nations; the World Health Organization; the World Bank; the World Trade Organization; the European Union and the Euro currency; the Middle East Free Trade Area and various Middle East peace processes; and the African Union as major milestones.[citation needed]
In particular, paleoconservative documentary maker Alex Jones claims in his film Endgame that the theorized North American Union and the Amero currency will be an implementation of the New World Order, orchestrated by the Bilderberg Group.[31]
Coup d’état and martial law
Some conspiracy theorists, especially those associated with the United States militia movement, speculate that the New World Order will be implemented by martial law after a dramatic coup d’état, using UN peacekeepers and black helicopters, against all nation-states to bring about a world government. Before year 2000 some conspiracists believed this process would be set in motion by the predicted Y2K problem causing societal collapse.[32] After the September 11 attacks, some have become convinced that a more catastrophic terrorist incident will be responsible for triggering this process.
Surveillance-industrial complex
Some religious and secular conspiracy theorists believe that the New World Order will be created by the surveillance-industrial complex through the use of Social Security numbers, and the bar-coding of retail goods with Universal Product Code markings. Current theorists have implicated RFID tagging as well. Consumer privacy advocates Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre, authors of Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID, wrote another book on the subject from a Christian perspective, which associates spychips with the Number of the Beast mentioned in the Book of Revelation.[33] Christian conservative political activist Mark Dice, leader of an organization called “The Resistance of Christ,” also believes there is a strong connection.[34][35][36]
“Externalization of the Hierarchy”
In Alice Bailey’s conspiracy theories, a group of ascended masters called the Great White Brotherhood works on the “inner planes” to oversee humanity’s transition to the New World Order. At present, the members of this Spiritual Hierarchy are only known to a few people, with whom they communicate telepathically, but as the need for their personal involvement in the plan increases, there will be an “Externalization of the Hierarchy” and all people will know of their presence on Earth.[37]
Wikipedia has also a time line of the milestones of the New World Order
There are several events that are considered pivotal in and related to the establishment of the New World Order:[38]
In 1776, the Bavarian Illuminati was founded (May 1, 1776) in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria) by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt (1748–1830),[39] who was the first lay professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt.[40]
In 1832, Skull and Bones was founded at Yale University.
In 1903, the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion were published in Russia. Modern scholars are in general agreement that the Okhrana, the secret police of the Russian Empire, fabricated the text in the late 1890s or early 1900s by plagiarizing it, almost word for word in some passages, from a 19th Century satire against Napoleon III originally written by a French attorney whose political views were legitimistic.[41]
In 1913, the Federal Reserve Act was passed, creating the Federal Reserve System.
In 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations was founded in New York City.
In 1935, the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States with the Eye of Providence above the pyramid appeared for the first time on the back of the U.S. one dollar bill.
In 1944, the Bretton Woods Agreement was signed, outlining a regime for the post World War II world economy.
In 1945, the United Nations was founded.
In 1954, the Bilderberg Group was founded.
In 1957, the European Economic Community (European Common Market) was formed, which in 1992 changed its name to the European Union. Currently, the EU has 27 member states, 15 of which use a common currency, the Euro.
In 1963, the Codex Alimentarius Commission was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, later to be backed by the World Trade Organization.
In 1973, David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski organized the Trilateral Commission. The Club of Rome issued a report entitled the “Regionalized and Adaptive Model of the Global World System,” which proposes that the world be divided into ten regions.
In 1995, the United Nations’ International Trade Organization‘s (ITO) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) group was renamed the World Trade Organization (WTO).[42]
In 2001, the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon were attacked by al-Qaeda terrorists, killing thousands of people. Many 9/11 conspiracy theorists believe that they were carried out or supported by the U.S. government. The attacks have been linked to ideas about the New World Order, sometimes presented as psychological operations to frighten Americans into giving up their civil liberties to a “homeland security” authority that will eventually turn control of the United States over to a “world government.”[citation needed]
In 2001, the USA PATRIOT Act was signed by George W. Bush, which expands the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies for the stated purpose of fighting terrorism in the United States and abroad.
In 2002, the FDA approved the manufacture of the VeriChip microchip implant. This aroused people’s fears that some future totalitarian governments could enforce the implanting of these chips and thus be a form of the Number of the Beast mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 13:16-13:17[43][44]
In 2004, the Independent Task Force on North America, a project organized by the Council on Foreign Relations, proposes the establishment by 2010 of a North American economic and security community, generally referred to as the North American Union. It has been proposed by Robert Pastor, a vice-chairman of the task force, that the North American Union would have a common currency, the amero.[45]
In 2007, then U.S. president George W. Bush signed into effect the National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive, which grants the president broad powers during a time of “national emergency”. This directive also grants unprecedented power to the Commander In Chief of the US Military (the president) without any type of overriding system of checks and balances from the United States Congress.[46]
In 2008, European Commission president José Manuel Durão Barroso said, “We need a new global financial order”, in reference to a planned series of World Economic Summits to be hosted by U.S. president George W. Bush.[47]
In 2009, U.K prime minister Gordon Brown talks of “the difficult birth-pangs of a new global order” in a speech warning against what he called “deglobalisation” in the face of the global economic crisis.[48]
Posted in Politics and tagged 2008, Barack Obama, Bush, George Bush, Henry Kissinger, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, new world order, NWO, Obama, Politics, Press, Ron Paul, world | Leave a comment
Kissinger says, “…new world order can be created” with Obama!
First off, I didn’t even know Henry Kissinger was even alive. How old is he like 120 or something. He was like the foreign policy guy for 10 presidents. He was probably their to witness the infamous Abraham Lincoln speech, while planning the New World Order apperntly.
He claims that Barack Obama, or “the perfect president” if you wanna call him that, can creat a New World Order. For those of you that are unfamiliar wth teh New World Order just search “New World Order” in Google and you’ll find out soon enough and then you’ll b back here to comment and release your rage.
Since no on believes me, here is an piece of an articale from World Net Daily.
By Drew Zahn
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Conflicts across the globe and an international respect for Barack Obama have created the perfect setting for establishment of “a New World
Order,” according to Henry Kissinger, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former secretary of state under President Nixon.
Kissinger has long been an integral figure in U.S. foreign policy, holding positions in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations. Author of over a dozen books on foreign policy, Kissinger was also named by President Bush as the chairman of the Sept. 11 investigatory commission.
Kissinger made the remark in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” hosts Mark Haines and Erin Burnett at the New York Stock Exchange, after Burnett asked him what international conflict would define the Obama administration’s foreign policy.
“The president-elect is coming into office at a moment when there is upheaval in many parts of the world simultaneously,” Kissinger responded. “You have India, Pakistan; you have the jihadist movement. So he can’t really say there is one problem, that it’s the most important one. But he can give new impetus to American foreign policy partly because the reception of him is so extraordinary around the world. His task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period when, really, a new world order can be created. It’s a great opportunity, it isn’t just a crisis.”
Kissinger’s comments are captured at roughly the two-minute mark of the following video
Are you shocked yet? Yeah, I thought so. Why not vote while you enraged!
Posted in Politics and tagged 2008, Barack Obama, Bush, Henry Kissinger, John McCain, new world order, NWO, Obama, president
Indefinite Detention and Torture Act – The American Dictatorship
“Chaos Is Our Greatest Ally”: Confusion Surrounding Gaddafi’s Death
Muammar Gaddafi is Dead: Fact or Fiction?
Gaddafi’s Timetable: Predicting The End #3
Indefinite Detention and Torture Act - The American Dictatorship
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2623
|
__label__cc
| 0.54199
| 0.45801
|
The Muppets Reboot on the way again?
There had better be a good reason for this.
by Joshua Olivieri • Fri, 06 Nov 2015 11:20 am EDT Wed, 08 Mar 2017 05:23 pm EDT in Entertainment, Television
How can you not love these guys?
ABC’s new comedy series The Muppets has been pretty famous (or infamous) for reaching an older audience with tongue-in-cheek references as well as some eyebrow raising innuendos. That being said, it’s been widely well-received by critics and fans across the board as an entertaining and decent watch nonetheless. After all, who doesn’t like the Muppets?
Unsurprisingly enough, just a mere week ago, ABC ordered a full season for their show to give it a full season run. While this is initially exciting for all of us Muppet fans, there was a recent change in pace that could drive a stick in our gears. Due to creative differences on where to take the show, co-creator Bob Kushell is leaving the series. This isn’t too devastating, however, as we’ve seen this kind of event happen many times before (i.e. Marvel’s summer film, Ant-Man). So what does this mean for Kermit and his friends?
ABC has eyed Kristen Newman (affiliated with the fantasy comedy, Gallavant) to take over Kushell’s position, and negotiations are already under way. It seems quite plausible that Newman could join, due to her already having a deal with the studio as it is.
On top of that, ABC has since then revealed their plan regarding the show. After episode 10, The Muppets is being taken off the air (I hope they’re prepared for torches and pitchforks). However, they still had six additional episodes planned for the canceled season, and luckily for us, they’re not being scrapped. Instead, they will be launched in the spring under new management and serve as a “reboot” of sorts for the series.
While it’s definitely some good news that we’re not losing precious time with Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the gang, it’s no doubt that audiences will be frustrated to learn that they may be dealing with an entirely different story in just a few months. Then again, some fans will certainly be excited at seeing another chance at portraying their favorite characters on screen and that by having new people take the reigns, we could finally get a legendary show that even Jim Henson would approve of. Let’s hope ABC doesn’t make the same mistake that Sony did with Spider-Man.
What do you guys think? Are you glad The Muppets is being rebooted? Are you getting a bad vibe? Let us know in the comments below!
Joshua Olivieri
All Joshua's Posts
I have a great passion for writing and have been doing it for many years. I am a proud and geek and love burying myself in outlandish comic books. Currently I'm working on having a fantasy novel published and hope to get that out in the coming months.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2624
|
__label__wiki
| 0.843637
| 0.843637
|
Where does BARTY rank in the most common names in the U.S.?
BARTY is identified by the U.S. Bureau of the Census as a surname with more than 100 occurrences in the United States for the year-2000 U.S. Census. In "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000", the Census Bureau tabulated the surnames of all people who had obtained Social Security Numbers by the year 2000.
BARTY ranks # 117538 in terms of the most common surnames in America for 2000.
BARTY had 137 occurrences in the 2000 Census, according the U.S. government records.
Out of a sample of 100,000 people in the United States, BARTY would occur an average of 0.05 times.
For the last name of BARTY the Census Bureau reports the following race / ethnic origin breakdown:
91.24 percent, or 125 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only"
4.38 percent, or 6 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Black Only"
0 percent, or None reported total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native"
Insignificant percent, or Less than 100 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races"
Insignificant percent, or Less than 100 total occurrences, were "Hispanic Origin"
Search the web for more on the name BARTY :
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2625
|
__label__wiki
| 0.840144
| 0.840144
|
Trans Mountain pipeline work to resume in August: Kinder Morgan Canada boss
Dean Bennett
PMN Canada
EDMONTON — The head of Kinder Morgan Canada says work is to resume next month to prepare a route for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
Ian Anderson says the company will secure, survey and prepare the right-of-way in coming months, and First Nations will monitor the work to look for traditional artifacts and medicines.
“We anticipate laying physical pipe in a prepared, surveyed, environmentally protected right-of-way early next year,” Anderson said Friday.
A completion date for the project is to be announced at a later date.
“The project has been in a suspended mode for a good number of months,” said Anderson. “We’re ramping up hard and we’re evaluating schedule.
“The most important thing for me at this point is to get started to demonstrate to Canadians and to our prospective new owner that this project can be executed in a manner that serves the interests of everybody.”
Anderson was speaking at an event west of Edmonton on the Enoch Cree Nation. Also present were Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, federal Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi and Enoch Chief Bill Morin.
Notley and Morin announced that Enoch land will be a staging and stockpiling area for the line with at least 35 to 40 kilometres of pipe on site beginning next month.
“Today we see the benefit of people working together for the benefit of everyone — Albertans and Canadians — not working against one another for the benefit of a few,” said Notley.
The project’s aim is to expand an existing Trans Mountain line from Edmonton to the British Columbia coast to allow more oil from Alberta to be shipped to foreign markets.
Alberta says the line is critical given the oil price discounts the province currently must swallow due to pipeline bottlenecks and lack of access to markets outside the United States.
The pipeline has been the focus of fractious debate, confrontation and court challenges. The B.C. government, environmental activists and some Indigenous groups all oppose it.
Rancour reached such fever pitch earlier this year that Alberta passed legislation giving it power to reduce oil shipments to B.C., which would potentially increase automobile and jet fuel costs in that province.
Morin acknowledged the dispute among Indigenous people over Trans Mountain, but said his First Nation wants to move with the times to benefit everyone. Profits will be reinvested in green projects such as a solar farm, he said.
“Some of our philosophy out here is the best way to sovereignty and self-determination for us is through business,” said Morin.
“You can choose to get left behind or you can choose to get in front and direct change, and that’s what this project is.”
Kinder Morgan Canada suspended work on the project in April, saying the dispute had put the line’s financial viability at risk.
In late May, the federal government agreed to buy the $4.5-billion pipeline to ensure it got built, but the Liberals say they don’t plan to be the long-term owner.
The regulatory hurdles may not be over.
Sohi and Anderson acknowledged the project may be subject to U.S. approval because the purchase includes the Puget Sound pipeline.
“We are very confident that this is a normal process and we will get through it,” said Sohi.
(Companies in this story: TSX:KML)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2626
|
__label__cc
| 0.528921
| 0.471079
|
NCBA CLUSA Honors Shreveport Federal Credit Union’s Helen Godfrey-Smith with Trailblazer Award
By: NCBA CLUSA Published: Monday, March 18, 2013 Share: Print: Subscribe
For immediate release: Monday, March 18, 2013
Tacoma, WA — The evening of February 26, 2013, proved to be a big night for Shreveport Federal Credit Union ($87 million; 20,477 members; Shreveport, LA) President and CEO Helen Godfrey-Smith, who was honored by the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) and won the Credit Union Times 2013 Trailblazer Award for her consistent efforts to help financially underserved individuals throughout Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta. CU Strategic Planning’s founder Jamie Chase nominated Godfrey-Smith (a CU Strategic Planning client), who received her Trailblazer Award at the publication’s awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., which followed a day at the credit union industry’s largest conference, the 2013 CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference.
Watch a video from the NCBA CLUSA reception.
Prior to receiving her Trailblazer Award, Godfrey-Smith was also honored earlier in the evening by NCBA CLUSA President and CEO Michael Beall for her credit union’s exemplary collaboration with other cooperatives, as part of a reception to launch NCBA CLUSA’s Community Development Initiative. Shreveport FCU is using CU Strategic Planning’s Community Development Certified Financial Counseling in its work to serve the underserved.
“When you take a look at the cross-sector work that Helen is doing, it is the example of what platform NCBA CLUSA wants to be – which is making sure that all kinds of cross-sector initiatives are working,” Beall said. “Helen is an amazing person and we are honored to toast her and her credit union’s continued work to help the underserved build better lives and better communities.”
At the Credit Union Times Trailblazer Awards ceremony, Godfrey-Smith won the “Outstanding Service to the Underserved” award for the numerous innovative low-income, member development programs her credit union provides and that accomplish far more than most financial institutions ever dream of doing. A couple of the Shreveport FCU’s many initiatives exemplify its generosity include:
1. Shreveport FCU assists soon-to-be-released, local prison inmates to ensure their integration and access to financial services for a positive re-start.
2. Shreveport FCU boasts a loan portfolio that is predominately low-income D and E borrowers – and some with no credit score at all.
One of the many reasons the credit union lends to predominantly low-income individuals is the make-up of its membership. Approximately 86% of Shreveport FCU’s membership receiving products and services are considered low-income. Of this 86%, 4% are considered low-income, 38% are considered very low-income and 44% are extremely low-income. From these numbers, it’s easy to see why Shreveport FCU goes above and beyond to lend to people in Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta when no one else will.
“I am completely honored and humbled to receive this award, as we don’t embark on programs like this for accolades,” Godfrey-Smith said. “We have a huge responsibility in our community to serve those who really need help. It is truly an honor to lift up our members in need and help them gain a firm financial footing so our communities will ultimately thrive. Working for Shreveport Federal Credit Union, it is our obligation to help and we are proud to offer it everyday to anyone.”
Shreveport FCU’s unique prison inmate financial induction program started three years ago when the Parish/County Corrections Department worked with the State of Louisiana to decrease the high percentage of inmates consistently returning to prison. Shreveport FCU’s strong image within the community as a financial institution that would provide people with a second chance made it a perfect candidate to approach.
The inmate financial induction program, aptly named the Inmate Re-Entry Program (“…back to society, not back to jail,” Godfrey-Smith clarifies), is available to all inmates who are within 90 days of release. Shreveport’s part in the program is targeted toward imparting a healthier attitude about money, as many of the inmates are incarcerated because of an unhealthy attitude toward money and its negative role in their lives.
“The idea to do this particular project required a good deal of thought and quite frankly, prayer,” Godfrey-Smith explained. “The thought of introducing every inmate exiting the corrections system to our institution was daunting. But I simply changed my thoughts from fear to faith.”
“I can’t think of a more deserving credit union leader to receive these honors,” CU Strategic Planning’s Jamie Chase said. “When we first heard about this award opportunity from Credit Union Times, Helen Godfrey-Smith was immediately at the top of our list to nominate – and we knew she would win. We also thought her work coincided perfectly with NCBA CLUSA’s work in the cooperative movement, so we believed a toast in her honor was highly appropriate from the organization’s leader. Congratulations to her and all those who work so hard at Shreveport Federal Credit to help others obtain a better life through the credit union’s bold and generous efforts.”
About NCBA CLUSA (ncbaclusa.coop)The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) is the trade association for cooperative businesses in the United States and an international development organization. NCBA CLUSA provides cross-sector education, technical assistance, and advocacy that helps co-ops thrive. For nearly 100 years, NCBA CLUSA has sought to advance and protect cooperative enterprises, highlighting the impact that cooperatives have in bettering the lives of individuals and families. In the last 60 years, NCBA CLUSA has worked in over 100 countries in the areas of food security, agricultural development, strengthening of communities and farmer organizations, community-based health, natural resources management, and empowerment of smallholder farmers, women, and youth. We currently work in 15 countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.About CU Strategic Planning (www.creditunionstrategicplanning.com)Headquartered in Tacoma, WA, with satellite offices in San Diego, CA and Boston, MA, CU Strategic Planning is the only strategic planning facilitator in the United States with the mission to help credit unions realize their potential through the International Credit Union Operating Principles. It is widely considered the #1 writer of credit union Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) grant applications. No firm serving credit unions writes and wins more CDFI awards than CU Strategic Planning. Its “Miracle Makers” have 100 percent success with CDFI certification.
Farmers Helping Farmers: Cooperative Program Launches in Senegal April 6, 2015 read more
NCGA Disappointed by EPA’s Decision to Approve Enlist Duo, Calls for Mandatory GMO Labeling September 27, 2015 read more
NCBA CLUSA Hosts Romanian Cooperative Delegation, Working Toward Partnership September 10, 2015 read more
NCBA CLUSA Member Pachamama Launches Roaster at Sacramento, California Location March 23, 2016 read more
Reminder: NCBA CLUSA Membership Renewals are Due March 31 December 7, 2015 read more
Desjardins CEO Monique Leroux Elected New President of the International Co-operative Alliance May 23, 2016 read more
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2628
|
__label__wiki
| 0.517537
| 0.517537
|
Football Health and Safety
The Need For Health & Safety At Football Matches
Football is one of the most loved sports on the planet. It is the most watched sport in the world and a great number of adults and children play on a daily basis. It is because of its widespread popularity that injuries are so common. Injuries in football matches can occur while playing or watching the sport. In recent years, there have been increased incidences of injuries both on and off the pitch as the sport’s popularity continues to grow. It is therefore no wonder that health and safety is becoming of increasing concern during football matches. As the increased concern for health and safety of both players and fans increases, basic categories for safety rules are emerging.
On Pitch Safety
This category of safety covers the players on the pitch. Players are exposed lot of conditions that could result in injuries so players need to learn safety measures to prevent injuries. However, accidents do occur every now and then. It is therefore important the right emergency equipment and personnel are on hand during matches. All professional football matches will have teams of medical staff on stand-by but lower leagues, amateur and youth matches often do not. Therefore it’s important that each team has a dedicated first aider to take care of any injuries and sustain any major problems until an ambulance arrives. There are a range of sports first aid courses available to show you all you need to know.
Stadium Safety
This is becoming of increasing concern especially where large numbers of fans are involved. There is concern over injuries and even death in cases of riots, stampedes, fire and other such emergencies that require crowd control. Crowd control safety procedures should be put in place including the stationing of police and other authorities to control crowds. Basic ethics are also encouraged among fans to prevent injuries including refraining from engaging opponents or carrying alcohol into the stadiums.
There are also health and safety concerns that arise from the weather conditions surrounding football matches. Although many players enjoy playing in the rain, it can result in dangerous muddy conditions. Slips and falls can be fun but can also result in serious injuries. With the rain also comes thunder and lighting. The presence of lighting can result in death of players or spectators. Matches should never take place under such conditions. They should stop or postponed to another time. If you are involved in the running of a football club at any level then you need to take these health and safety issues into consideration to ensure that you are always prepared for the worst.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2630
|
__label__wiki
| 0.744549
| 0.744549
|
Unrest in Pakistan
by Kathy Kelly Posted on June 21, 2010 June 20, 2010
“The military is the muscle that protects the ruling elite from the wrath of the people,” said Pakistani political analyst Dr. Mubashir Hassan. “Right now, people are out on the street; blocking roads, attacking railway stations, etc. If you read the papers, it seems as though a general uprising has started all over Pakistan.”
Dr. Hassan said that sporadic outbursts of anger in Pakistan won’t coalesce into a people’s revolution anytime soon. The demonstrators are too disorganized. But the sheer volume of daily protests shows that many sectors of Pakistani society have pressing needs and priorities that do not include enlistment as foot soldiers in a proxy force for the United States’ War on Terror.
Dr. Hassan, a co-founder of the People’s Party of Pakistan, is a respected scholar and statesman. Last year, when we met with him, he had just returned from a visit in the U.S. with Professors Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn, his contemporaries in seeking to build just and fair social structures. Last month in Lahore, he spoke with us about U.S. interference in the region and changing dynamics in Pakistan.
A snapshot of unrest in Pakistan offers a framework for outsiders to understand why it is unfair to insist that Pakistan “do more” to fulfill the United States’ vision for fighting extremism. It may also suggest why strong anti-American sentiments prevail, in Pakistan, among the peasantry, the middle class, religious and secular groups, and the highly educated and privileged classes.
Throughout the past several months, demonstrators burned tires nearly every day in the streets of Karachi, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and other population centers as they voiced their opposition to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its insistence on the implementation of a value-added tax (VAT) along with a proposed $11.3 billion bailout package. In a special meeting convened by the Farmers Association of Pakistan (FAP), participants said that the VAT would “totally kill the farmers and cause irreparable damage to the agriculture sector by making inputs more expensive. This would, in turn, increase the prices of agriculture produce, adding to the miseries of both the farmer and consumer, who are already facing extreme economic depression.”
Ashraf Javed, writing for The Nation newspaper, reported that economic experts estimated that the IMF and the Pakistani government’s original plan for the VAT would increase the prices of over 122 major categories of items, including food, by at least 15 percent.
These proposed policies led to protests by the All Pakistan Organization of Small Traders and Cottage Industries, the Pakistan Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, textile workers, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and even spawned a nationwide mobile phone boycott. Because of the immense pressure put on the government to reject the VAT, Pakistan decided to postpone implementation of the tax from July to October. The government, under the leadership of the People’s Party of Pakistan, has also come up with plans to incorporate many of the IMF’s demands for the VAT into the general sales tax (GST), which already sits at about 16 percent. In response, the IMF has threatened to freeze future disbursements coming to Pakistan if the VAT is not implemented by July 1 along with a “power tariff,” or 6 percent increase in electricity rates.
As the IMF and World Bank are insisting on a 6 percent hike in electricity rates, there has been nationwide upheaval over increased “load shedding,” the term for scheduled power outages in Pakistan, which sometimes last for 10-12 hours per day. Protests against the power cuts, often quite militant, have consistently erupted in major cities like Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. Demonstrators in other provinces and cities, including Hyderabad, Multan, Quetta, Bahawalnagar, Sukkur, Badin, Mirpur Khas, Larkana, Thatta and Ghotki, Dera Ismail Khan, Hangu, Kurk, Swat, and Muzaffarabad, have also registered their outrage. Textile mills, manufacturers, the agricultural sector and traders are among the hardest hit by load shedding, which limits the hours of operation, disrupting production and interfering with worker schedules. Protesters have created roadblocks, burned tires, gone on strike, and organized massive sit-ins.
In Punjab, Pakistan’s most densely populated province, the Tenants Association of Punjab (AMP), demands “Ownership or Death.” Involving 1 million landless tenants based in villages stretching over 15 districts, AMP is one of Pakistan’s largest political movements. For 10 years, AMP has struggled to secure ownership rights for poor families that have tilled their land for over four generations.
The military is one of the largest landholders in Pakistan, and military agencies such as the Remount Veterinary and Farms Corps (RVFC), Military Seed Corporation, Livestock Agricultural Department and Dairy Farm, and the Seed Research Farm have been claiming ownership and collecting revenue from tenants. The Punjab Board of Revenue has ruled that these military companies have no legal claim to the land or its revenue, but tenants have faced campaigns of intimidation, coercion, cruelty, and murder by armed police and paramilitary forces.
Led by peasant women organizers, AMP scored a major victory in March 2010, after staging a long march and sit-in. Thirty-thousand tenants, women, and children shut down the Multan-Lahore expressway for over 10 hours and succeeded in securing ownership rights from the government of Punjab. The government agreed that transfer of land ownership was to start with immediate effect and that a committee for monitoring of the process for transfer of land to tenants would include representatives of the Women’s Peasant Society and AMP.
While in Islamabad, we spent time with two groups of workers involved in long demonstrations for economic rights. The first was a group of nine men who, for the past month, had been occupying a tent outside the city’s Press Center. They represent 491 former employees of the Federal Bureau of Statistics, all of whom were suddenly fired from their jobs before their contracts were finished. They suspect that their jobs are now being filled with new employees hired on the basis of patronage and not merit. The nine we met with were all college educated and probably considered middle class before they lost their jobs. However, many of them were the sole providers for households ranging from 8-10 in number. The group aims to remain in the streets, in protest, until their jobs are reinstated.
The second group of workers we interviewed was from the All Pakistan Clerks Association. The clerks were in their third month of public protest. They had moved, the previous day, to an encampment in front of the parliament where they demanded that members of parliament devise a budget that would give the clerks a pay raise proportionate to inflation and commensurate with salaries of the police, army, and judiciary. They explained to us that the army, police, and judiciary have received consistent pay raises and health care benefits; meanwhile, civil society has been abandoned. One man said, “Our pay only covers utilities. We have no remaining money for health care or education. How can we care for our children?” Solidarity demonstrations with the All Clerks Association occurred across the country and picked up in number and intensity after June 3 when the police baton charged the clerks and members of United Teachers Association in front of the parliament. The clerks intended to remain in protest until the announcement of the 2010-2011 budget on June 15.
With the announcement by Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, that the country’s defense spending will be raised to more than 5 billion beginning July 1st, a 17 percent increase from last year, it’s unlikely that the clerks will receive the raises and benefits they’ve sought.
Since Pakistan’s inception, the military has been a dominant force in running both internal politics and foreign policy. In The State of Martial Rule: The Origins of Pakistan’s Political Economy of Defense, Ayesha Jalal notes that the Pakistani government has faced a menacing set of challenges on the domestic, regional, and international fronts that have tipped the balance in favor of the military and civil bureaucracies, which were not elected democratically.
Additionally, as detailed in a recent report by Amnesty International, residents in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) “continue to be governed by a colonial-era law, the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) of 1901, which denies basic constitutional rights and protections for the residents of FATA, including their rights to political representation, judicial appeal, and freedom from collective punishment.”
Pakistan faced a considerable increase in external pressure from the United States after the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Pakistan’s greater significance in Western security calculations bolstered Pakistan’s strategic defenses, leading to bloated defense budgets that the country didn’t have the resources and capacity to meet. Pressure to increase military spending and expand military powers “intensified Pakistan’s internal socio-economic and political dilemmas,” Ayesha Jalal writes. “The negative impact of economic policies geared to sustain the needs of defense and requirements of international allies contributed to a wide array of social disaffections.” The pattern has remained largely the same ever since.
During the Bush-Mush years (President George W. Bush and Gen. Pervez Musharraf headed the U.S. and Pakistan, respectively), the U.S. gave Pakistan $11.9 billion in assistance, $8 billion of which went directly to the military. Now, the Obama administration is insisting on more military offensives in the northwest parts of the country while Pakistan wrestles with the aftermath of a 2009 military offensive that displaced 3.5 million people, hundreds of thousands of whom still live as refugees. Following the 2009 military operations in Swat and neighboring provinces, the Pakistani armed forces began attacks against alleged militant strongholds in North and South Waziristan, creating new waves of displacement as people were forced to abandon their homes. Continued military operations will require funding, which then diverts needed resources that might otherwise be used to assist remaining refugees, alleviate poverty, and reduce wealth disparities.
The military operations are taking place in an almost total media vacuum, in an area which Amnesty International has called a “human-rights-free zone.” Amnesty has documented that over 1,300 civilians were killed in last year’s fighting in northwest Pakistan and that the Pakistani government has indefinitely detained some 2,500 people without bringing any charges against them. Thirteen hundred people killed? That’s nearly as many lives as were lost during the 2008- 2009 Israeli massacre in Gaza, and where is the outcry? Twenty-five hundred people detained and likely tortured? Guantanamo has a long way to go to catch up to those statistics. “It’s the opposite of enforcing the rule of the law,” said Saman Zia Zarifi, the director of Amnesty Asia-Pacific. “This is moving towards chaos.”
The U.S. has insisted that Pakistan undertake military offensives that attack its own people. Meanwhile, U.S. drone strikes kill and maim many hundreds of Pakistanis. Exactly how many? It’s difficult to say. “Killing or violating even one person is wrong,” Dr. Hassan advised us. “The use of weapons against non-combatants is wrong.” These wrongs fuel distrust and hatred of the United States across Pakistan.
Pakistanis also suffer as a result of U.S. and NATO supply convoys that travel through Pakistan en route to Afghanistan. Just outside Islamabad, on June 8, 2010, militants attacked 50 NATO supply trucks headed for Afghanistan. Seven people were killed and 20 trucks were set ablaze. Just as there is no accountability when the CIA destroys a family home from a drone strike, it is doubtful that the United States offers any compensation to those who are injured or have lost family members as a result of an attack on a supply convoy. In fact, we met a young Afghan man who was hired by NATO as a convoy driver three years ago and who, earlier this year, while driving with a NATO convoy, drove over an improvised explosive device (IED). The explosion shattered his leg. He received no compensation whatsoever from NATO forces.
Pakistanis also face increased militant and terrorist attacks in their cities as a result of U.S. policy. Continued U.S. interference serves as a recruitment tool for extremists. Militant and religious organizations train others to attack population centers and marginalized minority groups within Pakistani society. Recently, a Taliban group attacked two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore, killing over 80 people. Obviously, this kind of behavior cannot be attributed solely to the United States, but the U.S. government has to face its history of fostering and arming radical Islamic movements in South Asia when it suited U.S. geo-strategic interest. And after increased U.S. operations in the country since 2004, U.S. policy seems to be intensifying rather than decreasing militancy. Since the Pakistani government’s military offensives in the spring of 2009, launched under great pressure from the United States, hundreds of Pakistani civilians have been killed by retaliatory terror attacks.
With 60 million people living in poverty and many more living just above the poverty line, the people of Pakistan have priorities that do not include acting as a proxy to fight U.S. wars against purported terrorists. For many people, including those like Muhammad Akbar, a desperate rickshaw driver who committed suicide on Wednesday due to prolonged financial hardships, these priorities may be simply to put food on the table and to provide for their families. For others, including women’s and minority groups, fighting for their own political and human rights takes precedence.
People in the United States wishing to show solidarity with Pakistanis struggling to make ends meet should try to dialogue with Pakistani-led grassroots movements. These indigenous efforts hold the keys to reducing poverty, ending discrimination, and countering extremism in the region. We should also simplify our lifestyles and consumption patterns to require less of a share in the world’s resources, so that corrupt institutions like the U.S. government and the IMF do not have a pretext or a supposed mandate to continue interfering in the lives of others in order to serve the so-called U.S. “national interest.”
We would do well to heed Dr. Mubashir Hassan’s words. “Please leave us to our fate and to our devices,” he requested. “We’ll mess up, but we’ll get there.” He added that in spite of anxieties that his country is unraveling, there is still something hopeful. It’s this: perhaps people will be shown the result of violence and be prepared to believe that war doesn’t solve anything.
Previous Previous post: A Flash of Lightning
Next Next post: Kill the ‘Kill Switch’
Kathy Kelly’s Latest Posts
What Does War Generate?
Afghan Street Children Beg for Change
Thanking Bradley Manning, From Afghanistan
Tales in a Kabul Restaurant
Afghan Peace Activist: Drones Bury Beautiful Lives
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2631
|
__label__wiki
| 0.610993
| 0.610993
|
About Lisa Bello
Lisa Bello is multi-award winning soul singer from the East Coast. She is a Boston Music Award winning Female Vocalist & R&B Vocalist of the Year. Lisa has won the New England Nightlife Independent Artist of the Year award and the Humanitarian Songwriter of the Year in the 9th annual OUTmusic Awards. In 2018 she won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Hip Hop category. Lisa got her start in the industry at 13 by demoing for renowned artists such as Jojo, Kelly Clarkson and Mandy Moore. Her voice has been heard on Prime Suspect, Law & Order, and How'd You Get So Rich. Lisa sang the hook on TLC & Missy Elliots "Lets Just Do it". She sang the daily "Jam Scam" intros for iHeart Radio's JAMN 94.5. Lisa has opened for Chaka Kahn, Bobby Brown, Kevin Ross, Nina Sky, 112, New Edition, Jason Derulo and Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees) Vegas-strip Show. Lisa is a Frequent National Anthem singer for MLB, UFC and NFL stadiums including Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox and CitiField.
Lisa Bello
Follow Lisa Bello on
www.lisabello.com
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2633
|
__label__wiki
| 0.876946
| 0.876946
|
South Korea, Saudi ties at a turning point
Author: Noor NugaliID: 1561409484821435300Mon, 2019-06-24 23:49
RIYADH: The ties of friendship and cooperation between Saudi Arabia and South Korea have expanded to unprecedented levels during King Salmans reign, South Korean Ambassador Jo Byung-wook told Arab News.
“In particular, after the launch of Saudi Vision 2030, economic and social reforms driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have provided new opportunities for expanding the bilateral cooperation,” Jo said.
With shared interests and cooperation between the two countries around Vision 2030, the South Korean government has closely consulted with the Kingdom to help realize the wide-ranging reform program, the envoy said.
“The Korea-Saudi Vision 2030 Committee, launched in October 2017, will be the umbrella under which the joint efforts of our two countries will produce more fruitful outcomes,” he said.
The committee serves as an institutional platform to review projects and explore partnership opportunities under Vision 2030. The second Saudi-Korean committee meeting was held in Seoul in April, and the two countries have agreed to carry out 43 projects across five major sectors.
However, it is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans visit to South Korea June 26-27 that is most eagerly awaited.
It will be the highest-level visit from Saudi Arabia to South Korea since the then-Crown Prince Abdullah led a delegation to Seoul in 1998.
Jo described the forthcoming visit “as one of the most notable and historic events, which shows an even closer friendship and bilateral relations.”
The visit will serve as “a turning point for further strides in bilateral relations between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The crown prince will take part in the first official bilateral summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
“The summit is expected to establish future-oriented and mutually beneficial bilateral relations on a basis of the longstanding friendship and partnership between the two countries nurtured for more than half a century,” the South Korean envoy said.
Both countries stand to benefit from the joint opportunities resulting from a growing partnership, Jo said.
“Saudi Arabia has allocated a large amount of resources in order to transform the country into a leading industrial powerhouse and reduce excessive oil-dependency in its economy. This strategy will provide a unique environment for South Korean companies to work with their Saudi counterparts,” he said.
“Until now, Korean companies have focused on exporting Made in Korea products, such as cars, electronics and machinery, to the Kingdom. However, the time has come for Korean companies to move beyond simple trade transactions and pursue a Made with Saudi strategy.
“Korean companies can work together with Saudi companies in areas such as idea development, design, engineering, manufacturing and even maintenance. In this process, strengths that both countries possess — technology and expertise from Korea, and finance and plentiful young labor from Saudi Arabia, for instance — will create synergies for greater achievements,” the envoy said.
FASTFACT[hhmc]
• Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to visit South Korea June 26-27.
• The crown prince will take part in the first official bilateral summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
• Recently launched collaborations between the two countries include the International Maritime Industries Co., Saudi Aramco joint venture with Hyundai Heavy Industries to build the Gulfs biggest shipyard in Ras Al-Khair.
• The two countries have also designed a SMART reactor, which is an integral-type small reactor originally developed and designed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute especially for small or remote cities.
• The crown princes visit is likely to facilitate over 43 projects under VIsion 2030.
Recently launched collaborations between South Korea and the Kingdom include the International Maritime Industries (IMI) Co., Saudi Aramco joint venture with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to build the Gulfs biggest shipyard in Ras Al-Khair.
HHI, the worlds third-largest shipbuilding company, will be responsible for design and engineering work at the shipyard. When complete, the SR19.5 billion ($5.2 billion) project will be the centerpiece of the Saudi shipbuilding industry, creating up to 80,000 jobs for the local workforce.
In addition, HHI and Saudi Aramco have been developing another joint project at Ras Al-Khair to produce up to 200 ship engines a year.
Cooperation in the nuclear sector is another “exemplary instance” of strengthening ties between the two countries, Jo said.
“In accordance with the memorandum of understanding signed between the Korean government and King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy in 2015, the two countries have further designed the SMART reactor, which is an integral-type small reactor originally developed and designed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute especially for small or remote cities,” he said.
“This collaboration also includes human capacity-building projects with the participation of Saudi nuclear engineers and experts. Through this joint process, I expect that Korea will be able to share with Saudi Arabia its experience and lessons learned that have been accumulated from designingRead More – Source
Manchester United refuse to meet Sporting Lisbons £70m Bruno Fernandes asking price
Startup of the Week: Ensuring peoples safety on the road in a trendy way
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2634
|
__label__wiki
| 0.918528
| 0.918528
|
Sun Ship: Vessels of Progress
By John C. Schmidt III, Fall 2010
USS Cimarron (center) comes alongside the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown to refuel and resupply while underway in the Pacific Ocean, 4 March 1945.
Beginning with the Doolittle Raids in 1942 to the Battles of Midway, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima and ending with the final raids on the Japanese homeland in late 1945, one ship participated in and survived every major naval operation in the Pacific War. Although attacked and damaged from several bombings, the vessel never sustained a causality among its crew. This ship, however, was not a battleship, cruiser, or aircraft carrier but the USS Cimarron, an oil tanker built by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Delaware County in 1939. During the Pacific War, the USS Cimarron played a vital role in the Allied victory as it fueled more vessels than any other oil tanker in the fleet. This vessel is but a small example of the significant contributions the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company made, not only to the shipbuilding industry, but to all of America and the world.
In 1916 brothers J. Howard Pew, president, and Joseph N. Pew, Jr., vice president, of the Sun Oil Company created the Sun Shipbuilding Company on the banks of the Delaware River in Chester, PA. Chester was an ideal site for a shipyard because “even in the 17th century, the people of the Delaware River Valley were bent on outstripping the world with the size and speed of ships,” Joseph N. Pew, Jr., explained to the Chester Times. Sun Ship was founded because the Sun Oil Company needed tankers to transport crude oil from its fields in Texas to its oil refinery in nearby Marcus Hook, PA. The First World War was raging on, and the Pew brothers understood the damage Germany inflicted on American shipping, specifically oil tankers. Thus, at a cost of $5 million, the Pew brothers transformed 50 acres of skunk cabbage into a major commercial shipyard.
Sun Ship Historical Society
Howard Pewwas one of the guiding forces behind the success of Sun Shipbuilding.
On October 30, 1917, during a rain and sleet storm, Sun Ship launched its first vessel, the 10,600 dead-weight-ton freighter the SS Chester Sun. After the launch, J. Howard Pew described the event to The Philadelphia Inquirer:
In spite of the terrific downpour everything went as smoothly as clockwork. We wouldn’t postpone the launching for the superstition of the sea has it that if a launching is postponed the ship will be a “hoodoo” vessel. If everything goes as smoothly for the Chester Sun as the launching went she should be anything but a “hoodoo.”
It certainly was not “hoodoo” for the Sun Shipbuilding Company because, over the next six decades, almost 700 ships followed in the SS Chester Sun’s footsteps, gliding into the waters of the Delaware River.
Sun Ship contributed greatly to World War I by undertaking many shipbuilding and repair contracts. Over 10,000 people were employed at the shipyard during the peak war period. By war’s end, the shipyard had produced three minesweepers and six oil tankers for the US Navy. After the war, Sun Ship built its first dry dock and created a ship repair department. The company’s name was changed to the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company to incorporate its new operation.
When the Pew brothers purchased the land for the shipyard, they also acquired the Robert Wetherill Engine Works machine shop and foundry. The plant was transformed into the machinery unit of the shipbuilding company. It was in this location that the famous Sun-Doxford Diesel Engines were built. Prior to 1923 boilers and steam engines were used as the main propulsion for tankers and cargo ships. These engines were soon fading out of use, and Sun Ship, with a focus on the future, became the sole licensee for the Doxford Diesel Engine developed by William Doxford and Sons Engine Works in Sunderland, England. At the time, Sun Ship became America’s largest builder of marine diesel engines, and the Sun-Doxford diesel engine provided the main propulsion for more vessels than any other type of diesel engine. This was a major contribution to the shipbuilding industry, but was not the only development made at this time.
Hagley Museum and Library
A section of the SS White Flash, the first all-welded ship, is lowered into place.
Prior to 1922 riveting was used to build pressure vessels and ships and welding was used only for repairs. Sun Ship pioneered the technology and use of welding to replace the riveted plates when building pressure vessels. The company did a great amount of research and development on welding technology and was able to apply it to shipbuilding. On September 10, 1931, the shipyard launched the first all-welded ocean-going vessel, the SS White Flash. This launch marked a new era in shipbuilding. The riveted method was labor intensive, costly, and allowed for seawater to enter the vessel. Replacing rivets with welds decreased build time and costs and increased the strength of the ship. This development allowed the U.S. shipbuilding industry to produce three times as much tonnage during World War II than could have been produced using the riveted method.
With America on the brink of World War II, the merchant tanker fleet was not adequate to support a war in Europe and the Pacific. German U-boats terrorized the Atlantic, destroying a large portion of American shipping. By 1943, the American navy took control of the Atlantic, and shipyards, such as Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, hurriedly made up for the lost ships. Sun Ship needed to expand its shipyard in order to meet the demand of ships for the United States Maritime Commission. The yard increased from 8 to 28 shipways during the war, covering a mile and a half of riverfront.
The United States Maritime Commission, created by the federal government to oversee a merchant shipbuilding program, was in desperate need of oil tankers. Sun Ship, on the forefront of tanker production and technology, redesigned its oil tanker and created the T-2 tanker. This became the standard oil tanker during the war and could hold over 141,000 barrels of oil. During the war, Sun Ship produced 285 vessels, mostly oil tankers, and accounted for 40 percent of the oil tanker fleet in the United States. Understanding the importance of this, historian John Bunker noted in his book Heroes in Dungarees: The Story of the American Merchant Marine in World War II that “the United States furnished 80 percent of the oil and gasoline during World War II and the tanker fleet of this country delivered this life blood of battle.”
A postcard features an aerial view of the Sun Shipyard and Dry Dock sometime in the 1930s.
The shipyard averaged construction of one ship a week during peak production. The focus for the shipyard, however, was not only on ship production but also on ship repair. From Pearl Harbor to the end of the war, Sun Ship repaired over 1,500 vessels that had been damaged by bombs, torpedoes, mines, or other weapons of war. Because of the number of ships that passed through Sun’s shipyard during the war, the contributions Sun Ship made to the war effort were monumental. Paul Burke, a member of the Navy’s Armed Guard who worked at the shipyard for a brief time during 1943, explained to the Delaware County Sunday Times that “to put out that many ships in such a short amount of time was miraculous – without them we couldn’t have won the war.”
World War II marked the peak of Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company’s production. Over five years, from 1938 to 1943, the workforce grew from about 3,000 employees to the highest employment at the shipyard of 35,633 employees. This enormous growth made Sun Ship the largest single shipyard in the entire world. Of this large workforce, 2681 were women, and they were respectfully referred to as “Tillie the Toiler” as opposed to “Rosie the Riveter.” There were also about 12,000 African American workers employed at the shipyard. Richard L. Burke, vice president at the time, reported in a company publication that Sun Ship set a “notable precedent” with “every department thrown open to Negro workers on equal terms.” Most of the African American workers were employed at the No. 4 yard, where the first ship built entirely by African Americans, the SS Marine Eagle, was launched.
Paul Burke, in an interview with the Delaware County Sunday Times, examined the wartime workforce at the shipyard saying “while I was at Sun Ship, they had three shifts going…all [the workers] needed was a place to sleep because they were working seven days a week and all the overtime they could handle.” Not only did the Sun Ship workers sacrifice their time and energy for the war, they also bought $36 million worth of war bonds through deductions from their wages. The success of Sun Ship, and ultimately the war, stemmed from this loyal and dedicated workforce. On March 23, 1943, Sun Ship and its employees received the U.S. Maritime “M” award for their contributions to the armed forces.
This October 1945 edition of Our Yard, a monthly company magazine, commemorates the Allied victory in World War II.
In the years after the war, Sun Ship continued to develop advancements in shipbuilding. The shipyard produced the world’s largest hopper dredge for the Army Corps of Engineers as well as launched the first supertanker, a vessel capable of holding 10,000,000 gallons of oil. However, the need for new ships was on the decline and Sun Ship switched its focus to modernization, ship technology and repair, and non-marine work.
Sun Shipbuilding Company developed the Aero/Hydrospace and Industrial Products department. Sun Ship used this department, along with its efforts in metallurgy, welding, and precision machinery and tooling, to work on and explore non-marine projects. This department produced the support anchor components for the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which connects Staten Island and Brooklyn, NY. In cooperation with NASA, the Aerospace division developed the solid propellant rocket motor cases for the Atlas rocket, which brought the first Americans into orbit, as well as hold-down clamps for the 7.5 million pounds of thrust of the Saturn V rocket, which placed the first men on the moon. Sun Ship also made advancements in marine technology at this time. On October 17, 1967, the Adm. William M. Callaghan was launched. At the time it was the fastest and largest cargo ship ever built, and it was the first to be powered by jet engines. It set a world record by crossing the Atlantic Ocean in only four days. The shipyard also converted the oil tanker, USS Manhattan, into an ice-breaking tanker. The vessel was the first in history to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage, and it paved the way for the transfer of crude oil from Alaska to the East Coast of the United States.
Along with its marine and non-marine advancements, Sun Ship was involved in a number of special projects contracted through the U.S. government. In the early 1970s, the Aero/Hydrospace division created a prototype of the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV). The vehicle allowed the U.S. Navy to work at depths of over 3,500 feet for 12 hours to rescue the crew of a damaged or sunken submarine. It is compact enough to be transported to an emergency site in 4 hours, and the three man crew is capable of rescuing 24 survivors at a time. The ship construction that brought the most press and scrutiny was the development of the Hughes Glomar Explorer. The vessel was financed by the CIA but was constructed in secret. It was reported that the ship was to be used in billionaire Howard Hughes’ underwater mining operation. However, this was simply a front. The secret operation entitled “Project Jennifer” was actually a CIA mission, constructed through Hughes, to recover a Soviet submarine that sank in 1968. Discovered in the height of the Cold War, the submarine supplied evidence of the Soviet use of sea craft with nuclear missiles and torpedoes.
Sun Ship faced a number of factors in the late 1970s that lead to its eventual demise. These factors included increased foreign competition, rising steel and fuel prices, decreased government contracts, and a worldwide economic recession that greatly hindered the shipbuilding industry. The last ship built by Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, the SS Kauai, launched on October 31, 1979, 63 years and one day after the company launched its first ship. In 1982, the Sun Oil Company, now Sunoco, sold the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company to a Texas businessman, Ed Paden, and the yard was renamed Pennsylvania Shipbuilding.
John C. Schmidt III
The historical marker commemorating Sun Ship is located on PA Route 291 in Chester, PA.
Pennsylvania Shipbuilding experienced its own hardships and closed in 1989. The site remained abandoned for many years until it was selected as the site for a racetrack. All of the buildings and structures have been demolished; the last structure came down in 2005, and the site is now Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack. All that remains of the Sun Shipbuilding legacy, in the original location, is a historical marker on the side of PA Route 291 at the entrance to the casino property. Although the buildings have been demolished, the impact of the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company lives on.
Dave Kavanagh, a former Sun Ship employee, created the Sun Ship Historical Society to commemorate the importance of the company. The Sun Shipbuilding Company had a major impact on the Delaware Valley. Through its 66 years of existence, the shipyard employed almost 100,000 men and women. Kavanagh told the Delaware County Daily Times in an interview that “Sun Ship supported generations of families in the Delaware Valley; you almost couldn’t meet anyone who hadn’t worked there, or didn’t know someone who had.”
The legacy of Sun Ship lives on in the memory of employees and their families because they were strongly connected to the institution. Kavanagh explained, “you could work your way from the bottom and if you had the wherewithal and work ethic, you could advance yourself very rapidly. Sun cared for its employees. It was like a large family.” The Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company provided for its workers and their families, and kept an entire town afloat throughout the years. The impact of this company, however, can be seen throughout the entire world. Many revolutionary vessels and important advancements in shipbuilding were developed at the shipyard. The importance of Sun Ship will never be forgotten as its 66 years of production fueled wars, victories, a town, and its people.
“35-Year-Old Sun Shipyard Reached Peak in World War II with 350 Vessels Built.” Chester Times 7 Sept. 1951: 13.
Bunker, John. Heroes in Dungarees: The Story of the American Merchant Marine in World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995.
Costello, John, and Dave Kavanagh. “Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. - 1916 - 1918: A Short History.” Sun Ship Historical Society Website. The Sun Ship Historical Society, 2007. Web. 15 Sept. 2010.
Fowler, Judy. “Sun Ship Launches Revolutionary Vessel.” Delaware County Daily Times 18 Oct. 1967: 1.
Fowler, Judy. “Jet Ship Marks 50 Years of Construction for Sun.” Delaware County Daily Times 28 Oct. 1967: 11.
“History of Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company.” Our Yard Sept. 1941: 4-5.
Kennedy, Joseph S. “Sun Ship helped fuel victory in WWII.” Philadelphia Inquirer 18 Aug. 2002.
“Launch New Ship In Heavy Downpour.” The Philadelphia Inquirer 31 Oct. 1916: 10.
O’Neill, Robert F. “Sun Ship Raises Sights Into Space, Joins Project to Send Man to Moon.” Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.
Puglionesi, Lois. “Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Eclipsed By Time.” Delaware County Daily Times 26 Sept. 2004.
Roman, John M. “Mystery Ship.” Delaware County Daily Times 20 Dec. 1999: 7.
Roman, John M. “The WWII Effort.” Delaware County Sunday Times 19 Dec. 1999: 4.
Smith, Eric. “Trouble in River City.” Delaware County Daily Times 6 Oct. 1989: 18.
“Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company” company publication photocopied from the Delaware County Historical Society
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2636
|
__label__wiki
| 0.917514
| 0.917514
|
SRI LANKA: PARLIAMENT TO VOTE ON ANTI-CONVERSION LAWS
Draft ‘Bill for the Prohibition of Forcible Conversions’ enters final phase.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, January 26 (Compass Direct News) – The Sri Lankan Parliament may soon enact laws designed to restrict religious conversions.
A standing committee assigned to consider a draft “Bill for the Prohibition of Forcible Conversions” presented its report to Parliament on Jan. 6, suggesting minor amendments that clear the way for a final vote in February. The provisions of the bill criminalize any act to convert or attempt to convert a person from one religion to another religion by the use of force, fraud or allurement. Those found guilty of breaking the law could be imprisoned for up to seven years and/or fined up to 500,000 rupees (US$4,425).
The Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thero, a member of the Buddhist Jathika Hela Urumaya party (JHU or National Heritage Party), first proposed the draft in 2004. While the JHU claims the bill is designed to stop unethical conversions, civil rights groups and Christian churches say it will infringe on the constitutional rights of freedom of religion and legitimize harassment of religious minorities.
Buddhists form a 70 percent majority in Sri Lanka, with Roman Catholics constituting 7 percent and Protestant Christians only 1 percent of the population.
After the first reading of the bill in Parliament in August 2004, 22 petitions were filed in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the draft legislation.
The Supreme Court determined the draft bill to be valid except for clauses 3 and 4(b), which it deemed unconstitutional. These clauses required any person who converted or participated in a religious conversion ceremony to report to a government official and prescribed punishment for failure to report such conversions.
The draft was then referred to a parliamentary standing committee for further review. In its report, presented to the House on Jan. 6, the committee made a few amendments to the original draft in keeping with Supreme Court recommendations. The most notable amendment was the deletion of the need to report conversions and the punishment prescribed for not reporting them.
These amendments paved the way for the draft bill to be passed by a simple majority vote when it is presented for a final reading in Parliament this February.
Chief Opposition Whip Joseph Michael Perera, however, has requested a two-day debate on the draft bill on grounds that it would affect all religions.
Fulfilling Campaign Promises
The JHU, founded and led by Buddhist clergymen, made anti-conversion legislation a cornerstone of its debut election campaign in 2004, when it won nine seats in Parliament. With the possibility of an early general election this year, the bill has become a matter of political survival for the JHU.
At a press briefing on Jan. 7, Ven. Ellawela Medhananda Thero, a Buddhist monk and Member of Parliament representing the JHU, called on all political parties to vote in favor of the bill.
“People expected us to fulfill two goals,” he said. “One was to end unethical conversions and the other was to liberate the country from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. That is why we entered politics.”
Ven. Medhananda Thero added that the purpose of the bill was to protect all major religions in the country from fundamentalists and unethical conversions.
Sri Lanka’s Christian community and civil rights groups have strongly objected to the draft legislation. Far from stemming alleged forced conversions, they claim the bill will become a weapon of harassment through misapplication, limiting the fundamental rights of thought, conscience and religion. These rights include the right to adopt a religion and the right to practice, observe and teach religion.
The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) said in a recent press statement that, “It is our gravest concern that this bill will grant legal sanction for the harassment of religious communities or individuals, and offer convenient tools of harassment for settling personal disputes and grudges, totally unrelated to acts of alleged ‘forced’ conversion.”
Banning Compassion
According to Section 2 of the draft bill, the offer of any temptation such as a gift, cash or any other gratification to convert or attempt to convert a person from one religion to another is punishable with up to seven years of prison and a maximum fine of 500,000 rupees (US$4,425) – equal to approximately three years’ wages for the average Sri Lankan citizen.
Sri Lankan Christians have repeatedly expressed concern that key sections of the draft bill are open to wide and subjective interpretation that could criminalize not only legitimate religious activity but also legitimate social action by faith-based organizations or individuals.
“A lady who heads a charitable trust caring for orphans asked if she could be charged under this law, since she is a Christian and some of the children she cares for are not,” a lawyer told Compass. “Many people will now think twice before helping the poor or needy, for fear of being accused of committing a criminal act.”
Ironically, on June 4, 2008, in his address to the new Sri Lankan ambassador to the Holy See, Pope Benedict XVI had acknowledged the Sri Lankan government’s appreciation of the Catholic Church’s charity work in the country.
“Such action is a concrete example of the Church’s willing and prompt response to the mission she has received to serve those most in need,” he said. “I commend any future measures which will help guarantee that Catholic hospitals, schools and charitable agencies can continue to care for the sick, the young and the vulnerable regardless of ethnic or religious background.”
He went on to assure the government that “the Church will continue in her efforts to reach out with compassion to all.”
On Jan. 8, at his traditional New Year meeting with all ambassadors to the Holy See, the pope appeared to be addressing concerns over anti-conversion legislation.
“The Church does not demand privileges, but the full application of the principle of religious freedom,” he said. He also called on Asian governments to ensure that “legislation concerning religious communities guarantees the full exercise of this fundamental right, with respect for international norms.”
Since the first draft anti-conversion bill was presented to Parliament in 2004, the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, NCEASL and Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka have repeatedly called for an alternative solution based on inter-faith dialogue with fair representation of all religious communities.
“Enactment of laws to regulate something as intrinsically personal as spiritual beliefs will not contribute towards resolving disagreements and promoting religious harmony,” said Godfrey Yogarajah, executive director of the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission. “On the contrary, it will create mistrust and animosity.”
This entry was posted in Buddhism, Christianity, Law and Legislation, Roman Catholicism, Sri Lanka and tagged accused, acknowledged, act, action, activity, address, addressing, adopt, affect, agencies, alleged, allurement, alternative, ambassador, ambassadors, amedment, amendments, animosity, anti-conversion, appeared, application, appreciation, approximately, Asian, asked, assigned, assure, attempt, average, background, banning, beliefs, Benedict XVI, bill, breaking, Buddhist, called, campaign, care, caring, cash, Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka, ceremony, challenging, charged, charitable, charity, chief, Christian, Christianity, Christians, churches, citizen, civil rights, claims, clauses, clergymen, Colombo, commend, committee, committing, communities, community, compassion, concern, concrete, conscience, consider, constitutional, continue, contrary, contribute, convenient, conversions, convert, converted, cornerstone, country, create, criminal, criminalize, debate, debut, deletion, demand, designed, determined, dialogue, disagreements, disputes, draft, early, election, Ellawela Medhananda Thero, enact, enactment, ethnic, example, executive director, exercise, expected, expressed, failure, fair, faith-based, fear, filed, Final, fined, force, forced, founded, fraud, freedom of religion, fulfilling, fundamental, fundamentalists, future, general, gift, goals, Godfrey Yogarajah, government, governments, grant, gratification, gravest, grounds, groups, grudges, guarantee, guilty, harassment, harmony, help, Holy See, hospitals, house, imprisoned, individuals, infringe, inter-faith, international, interpretation, ironically, Jathika Hela Urumaya, JHU, Joseph Michael Perera, key, lady, laws, lawyer, legal, legislation, legitimate, legitimize, liberate, liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, limiting, major, majority, matter, measures, meeting, member, minor, minorities, misapplication, mission, mistrust, monk, National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, National Heritage Party, NCEASL, need, needy, New Year, norms, notable, objected, observe, official, Omalpe Sobitha Thero, opposition, organizations, original, orphans, Parliament, participated, parties, party, passed, paved, people, Persecution, person, personal, petitions, phase, Politics, poor, Pope, population, practice, prescribed, presented, press briefing, press release, principle, privileges, prohibition of forcible conversions, promises, promoting, prompt, proposed, protect, Protestant, provisions, punishable, punishment, purpose, reading, recent, recommendations, referred, regardless, regulate, religion, religions, religious, report, reporting, representation, representing, required, resolving, respect, response, restrict, review, rights, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholics, rupees, sanction, schools, seats, sections, serve, settling, sick, social, solution, spiritual, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan, standing committee, statement, stop, strongly, subjective, supreme court, survival, Tamil Tigers, teach, temptation, thought, tools, traditional, trust, unconstitutional, unethical, unrelated, valid, validity, vote, vulnerable, wages, weapon, whip, wide, willing, won, work, World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission, young. Bookmark the permalink.
← PAKISTAN: CHRISTIANS ACQUITTED IN ‘BLASPHEMY’ CASE
EGYPT: JUDGE TELLS OF DESIRE TO KILL CHRISTIAN →
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2637
|
__label__wiki
| 0.74672
| 0.74672
|
Christine Alai, LLM
Legal Consultant, Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones
Affiliation: East African Centre for Human Rights
High resolution profile photo download
In her previous role as head of PHR’s Kenya office, Christine Alai represented PHR to government, local, and international partners; developed and managed partnerships with individual and institutional collaborators; conducted advocacy; and coordinated and led forensic trainings to influence collaboration among medical, legal, and law enforcement personnel with the goal of enhancing prosecutions and accountability for sexual violence in Kenya.
Alai has devoted her career to human rights. She recently undertook a Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) Fellowship at Georgetown University Law Center, focusing her thesis on accountability and reparations for sexual violence crimes committed in Kenya during the 2007 to 2008 post-election crisis. Prior to joining PHR, Alai served as interim head of office and program associate at the International Center for Transitional Justice’s Kenya Office, where she steered technical assistance programs to support truth-seeking, accountability, and reparations for systemic human rights violations and massive atrocities committed in Kenya.
Alai has worked with the government-established Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the non-governmental Kenya Human Rights Commission, and the 2005 Constitution of Kenya Review Commission. She also serves as a trustee and member of the board of directors of the East African Centre for Human Rights (EACHRights).
Alai holds an LLM in international legal studies from Georgetown University, a post-graduate diploma in legal studies from the Kenya School of Law, and an LLB from the University of Nairobi.
View Christine's writings and videos
Lack of Accountability Fuels Police Impunity in Kenya
Survivors of Sexual Violence in Kenya Break their Silence
PHR: Acquittal of Turkish Physician Human Rights Defender Welcome and Overdue
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0019.json.gz/line2640
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.